Complex Adaptive Systems
chaoticutopia | September 18, 2007What sort effects will temperature change have on our planet? Sure, the melting of the ice caps and the raising coastlines seem like important issues to address, as do hurricanes, droughts, and the management of fossil fuels. But what about the little things?
Wouldn’t temperature change have an effect on smaller, more sensitive organisms prior to affecting large organisms like ourselves? A degree or two difference may not mean very much to you or I... that’s not even the difference between a sweater day and a t-shirt day. Yet, what if you were a cold-blooded insect? How about a single-celled…
chaoticutopia | February 9, 2007Fractal Cognition:
An abstract layered fractal, incorporating two types of Julia sets and an L-System fractal (pictured at right, below)
This fractal was inspired by some of the ideas I've posted lately. Here are a few tidbits for context:
We only see a fraction of an ever-changing cosmos. Each fragment that we observe, whether within ourselves or gleaned from the sensations registered in our minds, adds to the entropy of the cosmos, inducing more change. It is an imperfect pursuit, but we are active participants, whether we choose to look, or not. It is important for humankind, armed…
chaoticutopia | February 8, 2007
Here is another philosophy paper of mine, which I find to be increasingly relevant, all the time. It describes how a computer might soon have a consciousness equivalent or surpassing the human consciousness: philosophy with a bit of AI theory mingled with a touch of neuroscience.
When I got the paper back from my philosophy instructor, it had a perfect score and hardly any marks. I balked. (I'm one of those self-critical perfectionist types--it couldn't have been 100% without an editor!) When I approached him about it, he told me it was one of the best arguments he had heard on the subject,…
chaoticutopia | February 7, 2007
Yesterday, I posted a paper discussing a potential flaw in our perception of reality. Here, I review an article from Scientific American Mind, suggesting how such "flaws" occur from a neurological standpoint.
A Delay from Reality
By Karmen Lee Franklin
Imagine being witness to a spectacular car accident. The scene seems to happen in slow motion; you notice every detail as it unfolds, such as the sound of crunching metal or scattering shards of glass twinkling in the sun. Later, you realize how late the accident has caused you to be, and notice time passing quickly as you race to your…
chaoticutopia | August 11, 2006Emergence: Complex patterns arise from the simplest rules. From lighter elements emerge heavier compounds; from clouds of gasses and particles arise galaxies, stars, and planets. From basic atmospheric reactions between basic chemical compounds, the building blocks of life, amino acids emerge. From these acids, patterns of DNA emerge; from DNA, simple life. From simple life forms, complex forms arise, filling countless niches and functions, each form intricately involved from another. From these interactions, ecosystems arise. In these ecosystems, complex beings, dependent upon vast arrays of…