From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!torn!cs.utexas.edu!milano!cactus.org!wixer!sparky Tue Nov 24 10:52:12 EST 1992
Article 7655 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: sparky@wixer.cactus.org (Timothy Sheridan)
Subject: Re: Life is Information
Message-ID: <1992Nov16.070141.2723@wixer.cactus.org>
Organization: Real/Time Communications
References: <1992Nov15.013839.9458@u.washington.edu>
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 92 07:01:41 GMT
Lines: 35

In article <1992Nov15.013839.9458@u.washington.edu> zzz@byron.u.washington.edu
(Sample) writes:
>A structure that is much larger than a human must
>experience birth and death -- only we don't perceive
>it -- we think it's changeless -- because it happens
>over such a larger period of time (as space-time is
>a continuum).
>     The structure was "born" is when it "more rapidly"
>formed.  It will die is when it more rapidly deforms.
>It "lives" because its formation and deformation are at
>an equilibrium.
>     What we call life is really carbon chains (crystals).
>     "Birth" is when these chains rapidly crystalize and
>"death" is when they rapidly decrystalize and "life" is when
>the carbon chains have a balance between the cystalizations
>and decrystalizations.
>     When a drummer pounds a drum, a "wave form" is rapidly
>formed (the "thing" is born).  Soon the wave form rapidly
>dissipates (it dies). But in the middle, the drum`s resonance
>propagates the wave form (it lives) -- the wave form is
>maintained -- because as it dissipates, resonant energy
>re-propagates it in a "balanced" way.
>     Wave forms, like life, like all things, are information,
>are structure.


It is of corse true that waves of sound do not seem to have the disentropic
capacity to store stable or long term memory.  They have a form of short term
memory which can be said to be made of their overall shape but the context of
that shape would not seem to be represented.  Thus while rocks go to great
lengths to act like rocks, there does not seem to be any representation of
it with in their structure. Hence thay are not conscious.
Without consciousness life isnt very much fun....

Tim


