let's discuss philosophy and stuff

[dean_r_koontz]

devious j, have you read any books on quantum computers? do you know any good websites with information about how they calculate things with using this odd "every state at once" phenomenon?

[exactlythesame]

Originally Posted by DeviousJ

One cool question is that hopping over to another path could give you something that looks like the same reality with minor (if any) differences - with the same people. If these different versions of people all behave the same way, would that mean we all exist in multiple universes simultaneously (and behave according to what's happening in each of them) or would we all be kinda acting out a specific role without realizing it

Based upon this scenario, a person could only access their own universes. It would necessitate this 'personal reality' treatment because if one were able to travel to a certain moment, there would be too many possible outcomes to even comprehend, especially if you were trying to alter something that you weren't involved with.

The kind of picture I'm getting of your idea is kind of like that movie "Next," where Nic Cage can forsee every possible outcome of any of his actions like ten seconds in the future.

[DeviousJ]

Originally Posted by ???

i'm not sure i follow you here. if you hopped to another life path and it was virtually indistinguishable from your current path, are you asking whether all the people you know would perform exactly the same actions as on the other path, or if they would just have the same character traits? how would make any difference either way?

Ok. Say you buy the idea that all these different realities exist simultaneously, you're on one particular path right now, right? But it all seems completely normal, people have consistent personalities and behave a certain way, so we'd assume they're connected to their past selves - they're the same people, they've existed all along that path as the same entity.

But if at some point you'd done something differently in the past, the events that followed would have been different somehow - you'd be on a different path, in a different reality. But you'd expect that people would behave in the same way in that reality, they wouldn't suddenly seem like different people (unless by sheer complete luck the path you're on now happens to contain consistent personalities, and everything just fell into place).

So you have all these simultaneous realities, containing the same people - including you. So does your spirit, soul or whatever - the thing that defines you as who you are - exist in all these realities at once? Is your physical presence like an arm of that spirit, currently in this reality and acting as you would to the things around you, while other Isles in other realities are also extensions of that spirit reacting in similar ways to things they experience, and none of you aware of that connection? Or are you completely separate from the other Isles, and the fact that you'd all behave the same way is down to some script you don't realize you're following, like a character in a play?

If you get me

[exactlythesame]

but a person's personality would dictate that they react a certain way to certain things at certain times and at certain places, so wouldn't the existences of these simultaneous realities be dependent on outside influence and not on you just frivolously deciding to 'act different' that day?

[DeviousJ]

Originally Posted by dean_r_koontz

devious j, have you read any books on quantum computers? do you know any good websites with information about how they calculate things with using this odd "every state at once" phenomenon?

Not really, I heard about that computer they built not long ago, but I know it's limited in what it can solve. As far as I know it's basically about solving problems in multiple dimensions, so every possible outcome is observed and then summed, and then you get the most likely result. I should read up on it, I'll see if I can find a link.

If you mean the simpsons episode with the rain of donuts then yeah, that is kinda similar, except that it's not a single reality being reshaped - you're just visiting another one, your original reality goes on only you're missing from it (and there are branches from that moment where you don't actually go back in time at all)

[dean_r_koontz]

not the simpsons episode no. but i heard about this every state at once thing on blogginheads. it's a part of quantum mechanics that i haven't really seen any reason to put faith in, but if they use it somehow, for example an electron that's in all possible states at once to calculate something, then it's a completely different thing altogether. exciting

[DeviousJ]

Originally Posted by exactlythesame

Based upon this scenario, a person could only access their own universes. It would necessitate this 'personal reality' treatment because if one were able to travel to a certain moment, there would be too many possible outcomes to even comprehend, especially if you were trying to alter something that you weren't involved with.

The kind of picture I'm getting of your idea is kind of like that movie "Next," where Nic Cage can forsee every possible outcome of any of his actions like ten seconds in the future.

Oh yeah, there would be infinite (I think) outcomes at each moment - but that doesn't mean it would be difficult to alter something, we do it all the time. I don't know what you mean by someone's 'own' universe though

Originally Posted by exactlythesame

but a person's personality would dictate that they react a certain way to certain things at certain times and at certain places, so wouldn't the existences of these simultaneous realities be dependent on outside influence and not on you just frivolously deciding to 'act different' that day?

I'm talking about them already existing. You know last week when you didn't hop on a plane to Italy at 8:15pm on Wednesday? In some realities you did, but *you* aren't on a path that passes through those realities

[DeviousJ]

Originally Posted by dean_r_koontz

not the simpsons episode no. but i heard about this every state at once thing on blogginheads. it's a part of quantum mechanics that i haven't really seen any reason to put faith in, but if they use it somehow, for example an electron that's in all possible states at once to calculate something, then it's a completely different thing altogether. exciting

I've glossed over all this algorithm complexity stuff, but I think one big thing about quantum computers is that they could eventually solve problems which aren't computable in any sensible amount of time (like cracking encryption), because they could try everything simultaneously instead of attempting things one at a time. then the world would be screwed

[dean_r_koontz]

it is crazy. i need to get some sort of understanding of it before i trust it though. string theory has made me wary of these COOL physics things.

[exactlythesame]

you don't think the string theory carries any weight, dean?

[dean_r_koontz]

it's garbage

[exactlythesame]

but it's fun garbage

[dean_r_koontz]

yeah science fiction is fun as well.

[<sp3]

i think america should fund a manned mission to mars, within the next 10-20 years

[Mariner]

Originally Posted by DeviousJ

I've glossed over all this algorithm complexity stuff, but I think one big thing about quantum computers is that they could eventually solve problems which aren't computable in any sensible amount of time (like cracking encryption), because they could try everything simultaneously instead of attempting things one at a time. then the world would be screwed

[DeviousJ]

Originally Posted by Mariner

  

  

[Mariner]

asfs;lkdjfsd

[Mariner]

you know what happens next.

[ella]

Hmm How about this, If the universe was infinite, would the largest section of the universe be equal to the size of the smallest section?

[???]

if the universe was infinite the concept of "sections" would be meaningless

[ella]

Very true

[Ever]

Originally Posted by ella

Hmm How about this, If the universe was infinite, would the largest section of the universe be equal to the size of the smallest section?

Verily!

[Ever]

btw string theory was discarded for membrane theory. They needed to make the strings two dimensional apparently and yes it is all garbage.

[dean_r_koontz]

i think they still refer to it as supertsting theory or string theory though, i can't remember anyone using the term membrane theory

[Travis Meeks]

Originally Posted by exactlythesame

I read an engaging short story by Mark Twain called "The Mysterious Stranger"

do you know what compilation this story was in? I was looking for the story at Barnes and Noble once and couldn't find it.

[dean_r_koontz]

i did a search for membrane theory on wikipedia and came to the m-theory page. they don't really know what the m stands for do they? it can stand for membrane and it can stand for milk.

[Ever]

Originally Posted by wikipedia

In physics, M-theory is a proposed "master theory" that unifies the five superstring theories.

Gosh :S

I dunno. We just watched some video or another in physics when half the class wasn't there and Mr.Mac couldn't be bothered actually teaching.

[Ever]

Einstein said god is subtle but he is not malicious. Superstring doesn't seem all that subtle but rather needlessly complex.

[dean_r_koontz]

maybe reality is very complex on the fundamental level

[Travis Meeks]

Originally Posted by Ever

Einstein said god is subtle but he is not malicious. Superstring doesn't seem all that subtle but rather needlessly complex.

Einstein also said we are in the infancy of science..complex now will be simple later