X-Message-Number: 15494
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2001 21:40:10 -0700
From: Mike Perry <>
Subject: Re: What Kind of Turing Machines Could People Be?

Lee Corbin writes (#15477), and I agree:

"I submit that the correct analog is a Turing machine with a
finite set of quadruples (including universality) placed
upon an infinite tape containing potentially infinitely
many patterns to examine, including other TMs to examine
and emulate.  This TM, like a person, gets to explore an
unpredictable universe."

In other words, a Turing machine with infinitely inscribed tape. Actually,
the "tape" itself could be altered by other "Turing machines" too. The whole
process, though, is divisible into discrete events (i.e. is "digital," in a
generalized sense) such that it does not particularly matter what happens
between the events, so long as the overall pattern is maintained.

Mike Perry

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