Re: Lilliputian Posthumians

christophe delriviere (christophe.delriviere@skynet.be)
Thu, 22 Oct 1998 23:35:47 +0100

den Otter wrote:

> ----------
> > From: Robin Hanson <hanson@econ.berkeley.edu>
>
> > den Otter writes:
> > >Bigger is better. Tiny microbe-like posthumans don't
> > >stand a chance against a jupiter brain, neither
> > >physically nor intellectually.
> >
> > But the better question is how that jupiter brain
> > competes against a group of tiny posthumans that
> > cost the same total amount. Since jupiter is 10^30gms,
> > the jupiter brain might compete against 10^30 gram sized
> > posthumans.
>
> The nano-posthumans would all need to co-operate flawlessly
> (be like-minded to a high degree) to be effective against an entity
> that has the same computing power and mass, but a centralized
> decision-making system (i.e. it only has to make up its own
> mind). Furthermore, blunt methods like nuclear attack are
> much more likely to harm a microscopic creature than a
> planet-sized one; you could theoretically blow away half
> the JB's mass and it could still survive with its personality
> intact due to ample room for redundancy.
>
> Of course, the small posthumans could all integrate into a great
> ball, but then they'd have become a sort of jupiter brain themselves,
> certainly if thoughts, traits and experiences are shared freely.

still, a jupiter brain is limited by his own definition of size... the size of a jovian like planet...

there is also problems arising of the locality of a such big density...

what to do to add more capacity ? when all is optimized, you probably have to add matter to make grow the jovian computer... but assuming what i know and except some speculative theories of using neutron stars to make computers with really high ultra efficient density, there will be an alt when the density is too high.
to stop the growing process is too bad...

small upload have the benefits to provide the cornucopia of a civilisation of minds, a jupiter brain with only one "identity" is really alone. i think one of the joys of existence reside in interractions between "peoples"

as far as i know, there is not enough matter available in our region of the universe to make a such rich civilisation (by interaction between differents entity)with jupiter brains only.

long distances are also a problems, with "liliputians", you could use all the matter available, not neccessary with apparition of density problems...

but my mind is not too clear about that now...

delriviere
christophe