X-Message-Number: 8168 Date: Fri, 2 May 1997 20:48:00 -0700 (PDT) From: John K Clark <> Subject: CRYONICS Simulations -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- In #8161 On Thu, 1 May 1997 Wrote: >The single, original computer MUST run slower and slower (relative >to demand) as more and more simulations and subsimulations are >generated; pretty soon (VERY soon) the whole thing essentially >grinds to a halt. I don't see why speed would be an issue in any of this. Even if the computer that was simulating you and the virtual world was very slow, from your point of view it would seem infinitely fast. If the machine had performance problems all you'd have to do is have the part of the program that was simulating you slowed down or even stopped, while leaving the part of the program that simulated the rest of the universe running at normal speed. Regardless of how many calculations it would take to convince you that the simulation was real it could all be done instantly, from your point of view. Once the machine was caught up, your part of the program could be carefully restarted till the next speed bottleneck. >He goes on to ask why would the original computer crash if the >simulated atoms were in the form of a computer, but not if the >simulated atoms were in the form of a rock. The answer is that a >simulated rock can't produce subsimulations, but a simulated >computer can. So what? A lot of complex stuff is going on in a rock if you look close enough. You could even argue that for its size, simulating an orderly object like a computer would be the very easiest thing of all to simulate, a chaotic object much more difficult. John K Clark -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.i iQCzAgUBM2qx+X03wfSpid95AQFgfgTvTA4AsZp0RLF91lAx+aM9CrV1r3ObvRkT o3aZaQCpoIGJKQFh8cxycyhL+CsBf86WBO4nOll5yBSNVOkbQk5NbZYYHU+0X/zn Uq6obw7TRP85z+YcJq5xnbFYriB1p0A4gF/jmwP8xXSIqx9FIoirXe5WORR5r+/Q hmPU43rzUEzDJAj8TtxL59LyvN7NUjByIesOkmWs2YlhzYkbHEg= =QT+z -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=8168