Imagine you set up a program that will continually resolve 2 + 2 after your death. Perhaps it will survive much longer than entropy will allow us to survive. It has a very nice QPC timer.
It uses binary, of course. After all, you can accomplish binary with some simple LEDs, or just, dots. Little dots. So you accomplish your program, set it to run using the latest CMBR-ran entropic technology, and no one attends your funeral, because you are immortal, but immortality does not survive entropy. At least, within the same uncertainty as you failing to state 2 + 2 = 4. Your brain remains remarkably logical through this. After all, it is highly overgeared, now, having been immortal. You are the 2 + 2 master equivalent of Ronnie O’Sullivan. Flawed, yes, but goodness, you can play a mean game of snooker. Sometimes you even get sneaky, and throw in a 4 = 2 + 2.
Your entropic death approaches. You write the code, and having made sure₁ of it, you set your canary to alert it of your death- the moment you fail to accomplish the scheduled 2 + 2 = 4 which continues the cosmic clock the universe’s entropy.
It is a simple equation. It takes very few bits to accomplish. 10 + 10 = 100₂ ~
Oh. Wait. It’s now 10 + 10 = 100? That doesn’t fulfill our need for 2 + 2 = 4, since the semantics aren’t preset. Well, what if we try this?
• • + • • = • • • •
Ah, yes, back to something reasonable. There are two dots and two dots which indicate 4 dots. This makes sense, possibly.
But the question wasn’t to resolve • • + • • ; but 2 + 2. So, in the spirit of integrity, we need to convert it to a displayable format for some future god-king race of the Anunaki to come witness our last, single work of humanity. Thus, you convert
• • + • • = • • • •
into
10 + 10 = 100
into
2 + 2 = 4
Since it only necessitates one character as the result, it is also the most efficient on power.
Are you 100% confident in anything aside from yourself, even if you made it?
Because you made 2 + 2 = 4. It’s just your idea. At that later immortal point in time, you are the only thing that still thinks 2 + 2 is relevant. The free floating quarks can barely find a date, let alone double :wink: date.
And this has at least three points of failure.
₁The code has at least fifteen points of failure.
₂This has at least eight points of failure.
Much like how I cannot assign a probability of 1 to my brain for any task, no matter how simple, I cannot assign a probability of 1 to a fallible CPU, no matter the quality. It could very well be the computer in Hitchhiker’s. I’ve been wrong on too many easy simple things by accident more than once to realize this.
Imagine you set up a program that will continually resolve 2 + 2 after your death. Perhaps it will survive much longer than entropy will allow us to survive. It has a very nice QPC timer.
It uses binary, of course. After all, you can accomplish binary with some simple LEDs, or just, dots. Little dots. So you accomplish your program, set it to run using the latest CMBR-ran entropic technology, and no one attends your funeral, because you are immortal, but immortality does not survive entropy. At least, within the same uncertainty as you failing to state 2 + 2 = 4. Your brain remains remarkably logical through this. After all, it is highly overgeared, now, having been immortal. You are the 2 + 2 master equivalent of Ronnie O’Sullivan. Flawed, yes, but goodness, you can play a mean game of snooker. Sometimes you even get sneaky, and throw in a 4 = 2 + 2.
Your entropic death approaches. You write the code, and having made sure₁ of it, you set your canary to alert it of your death- the moment you fail to accomplish the scheduled 2 + 2 = 4 which continues the cosmic clock the universe’s entropy.
It is a simple equation. It takes very few bits to accomplish. 10 + 10 = 100₂ ~
Oh. Wait. It’s now 10 + 10 = 100? That doesn’t fulfill our need for 2 + 2 = 4, since the semantics aren’t preset. Well, what if we try this?
• • + • • = • • • •
Ah, yes, back to something reasonable. There are two dots and two dots which indicate 4 dots. This makes sense, possibly.
But the question wasn’t to resolve • • + • • ; but 2 + 2. So, in the spirit of integrity, we need to convert it to a displayable format for some future god-king race of the Anunaki to come witness our last, single work of humanity. Thus, you convert
• • + • • = • • • •
into
10 + 10 = 100
into
2 + 2 = 4
Since it only necessitates one character as the result, it is also the most efficient on power.
Are you 100% confident in anything aside from yourself, even if you made it?
Because you made 2 + 2 = 4. It’s just your idea. At that later immortal point in time, you are the only thing that still thinks 2 + 2 is relevant. The free floating quarks can barely find a date, let alone double :wink: date.
And this has at least three points of failure.
₁The code has at least fifteen points of failure.
₂This has at least eight points of failure.
Much like how I cannot assign a probability of 1 to my brain for any task, no matter how simple, I cannot assign a probability of 1 to a fallible CPU, no matter the quality. It could very well be the computer in Hitchhiker’s. I’ve been wrong on too many easy simple things by accident more than once to realize this.