A Crayon Physics Paradox Photo Phinish

Newton's Ocean prodded me into some additional thoughts in his comments about the Crayon Physics Paradox post. He could be correct that I might be trying to force a square peg (math) into a round hole here (non-math). I'm still holding out hope for a math person to look at my distinctly non-math graph and say something like, "It's quite simple, the answer lies in an equation where you take the the sum of the limit of virtual reality as it approaches real reality..." I have a fancy for imposing math on non-math. Not a good quality for a guy whose worst grade in college was in calculus.* But then again, perhaps the CPP is just psychology.

However, I still see a bit of life in this near-dead horse, so I'm giving it another beating with my club:

Imagine a foot race between two contestants, each on opposing sides of a field with a Finish Line in the middle. On the one side is a completely primitive human with no technology (or only crude technology at best like sticks and rocks). On the other end of the field is the first Texas Instruments calculator, clunky, huge, and only capable of simple math. When the starter pistol sounds each opponent races towards each other, vying to cross the finish line first, but also at risk of colliding with the opponent who is running head on. As they race head-onwards, each one becomes more and more like the other. The human assumes mechanical, electrical and technological properties. The calculator assumes human properties and becomes more "life like". As they get closer and closer to the finish line it becomes more difficult to distinguish the two. The one who reaches the finish line first wins(?) but also, as soon as he/it crosses the line, he/it becomes indistinguishable from the opponent, for all practical purposes.

The endorsment deals and broadcasting rights for this event would be huge! Stay tuned folks, don't touch that dial.

The Fine Print

*I deserve some slack, however. The teacher was on foreign exchange from China and his command of English was worse than my command of Chinese.

Cool or Creepy? Stemcell Computing

I'm not opposed to organic computers, per se, but Zii Stemcell Computing crosses the creepy line in my book (mostly because of the magic pixie dust that poofs up from time to time).  Go ahead, "register" for the "updates".  But don't "complain" to me when your "fingers" start "twitching" and you can't get the "high-pitched" "ringing" out of your "ears".

And speaking of lines being crossed, isn't organic computing operating under the same Zeno paradox as Crayon Physics, but approaching the station from the other side of the train tracks?  With the Crayon Physics Paradox, things get very strange the closer "virtual" reality approaches "real" reality.  But organic computing is the mirror image where "real reality"gets stranger as it approaches the virtual, computerized world.  In fact, I'm coining a new paradox that identifies this phenomenon.  Since I can.  And since I wasn't immediately slapped down after my first phrase coinage by the VR community, or the blogging community, or the Crayon Physics community*, or the Big Time International Phrase Coining Commission.  So the approach of the the biological toward the virtual by means of  computer technology integrating into organic life is now officially the SCISYHP NOYARC Paradox.    Those pansies at the BTIPCC are just a bunch of empty-suited bureaucrats anyway.  The last person they went after was Knute Bleegler in 1979 who tried to coin the phrase "More huggy than a hamster".  And even he got off with just a wrist slap and some community service.  So I'm not afraid of them. Bring it on BTIPCC!!!

And without further ado, becuase there's way too much ado in this post, the Cool or Creepy poll:

Update 1/18/09:   Poll closed.  Readers voted this to be "cool".

Fine Print

*Though I did get a teeensy rebuke for what someone interpreted to be spam at the CP Forum. You tell me.  Honestly, I'm not a spammer.  Am I?  Well...am I?  No!  I'm not.  And don't tell me that spamming is like alcoholism where the denial is proof of the disease.  Because, dagnabbit, I'm not a spammer!  I can quit posting to the Crayon Physics forum whenever I want.  It's just that I don't want to stop posting there.  And so what if I happened to mention my blog address in the post?  I hope this label isn't something that forever blots your escutcheon even if you're innocent. Like being labelled a "nose picker"   when all you do is occaissionally scratch the nostril event horizon**.  Or like being called a "dried glue collector" when all you did  in the second grade was scrape the glue off the school desk and put it in a little box in your bottom drawer at home and sometimes admire the really long pieces of dried glue.  Sheesh!  

**I'm also officially coining the phrase "Nostril Event Horizon". Like a black hole, the rim of the nose outside which finger fiddling can be called a scratch, but inside which the finger action cannot escape being drawn in and rightly called a pick. Just be sure to tell people you heard it first on The Secret of Newton... And here's the Google Search screen shot to prove it's original with me.

On second thought, scratch that. Don't credit The Secret of Newton.