There is a 20% chance we are living in The Matrix

[scotrace]

Yesterday's New York Times carried this article (subscription required). It seems that a fellow has theorized that future humans, or post-humans, would with some certainty be advanced enough to run life simulations, since we are able to do this today (think Second Life or The Sims). They would likely run ancestor simulations to learn about and better understand their own past, or simply for entertainment. We could be granted or denied an "afterlife," based on the perameters (or whims) of the creator of the simulation.
So we could, if one accepts that the above is probable, inhabit a virtual world created by a future person as a hobby or research project.
Interesting for us, in that we are, in our own lives, doing the same thing in a more brick-and-mortar way; we recreate past lives in our dress, behavior and manners.

 

[Archie Goodwin]

I want to talk to the chief programmer about shortening my commute and giving me more vacation time.

 

[Twitch]

Is this the result of brushing your teeth with poison Chinese toothpaste?lol

 

[LocktownDog]

Jeez ... if only these geniuses would focus their mental faculties on improving real life rather than these simulations. Kids are starving, but "Hey, I can see what my computer self would do in ancient Rome!" Whoopdy-friggin-doo.

Richard

 

[epr25]

Well said! Fix the issues in the here and now so there will be a place to recrate and people to do so.

Jeez ... if only these geniuses would focus their mental faculties on improving real life rather than these simulations. Kids are starving, but "Hey, I can see what my computer self would do in ancient Rome!" Whoopdy-friggin-doo.

Richard

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

In a way I think we do inhabit a sort of "matrix" which consists of space, matter, and energy. All of which are intimately interconnected and all of which can be manipulated. Einstein never did work out his unified field theory though,....:eusa_doh: , which would explain it all.

 

[Undertow]

I hate to sound like Devil's Advocate here, but don't you suppose the same things could have been said about alchemists trying to understand chemical reaction? "Why don't those idiots stop trying to turn lead into gold and start trying to cure the plague!"

Due to advances in chemistry, we can now cure the plague. Had it not been for some tinkering in a wholly unrelated field, that may not have been possible.

Good example of what I'm talking about:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6934511.stm

"Why don't those guys stop making their computer games and start helping humanity?" They are, little by little.

 

[Diamondback]

There is one good reason for computer sims: Do you really see the Pentagon giving me command of Patton's 3rd Army for on-the-job training? With a simulation, I can gain some of that experience and knowledge, without putting troops at risk, burning fuel and ammo, or even needing a war--people tend to understandably disapprove of fighting those for mere "training purposes", after all...lol

That and I'm looking at some ways to use them as a teaching tool for my personal-defense instruction/tutoring. See, there is some use to the silly things after all!

 

[dhermann1]

Almost all innovations comes through play. The mind needs an environment where consequences are not part of the equatiion in order to come up with new ideas. That's why we need to set aside time and space in our lives for leisure and play. That's why pure science is so necessary for progress. Scientists need to explore new things, not because they might be useful some day, but purely because they are fascinated with the subject.

 

[Undertow]

Here's just another example of what I was talking about, this is intensely interesting to me because I really enjoy sociological studies. This report provides an interesting perspective on our youth as well.

WARCRAFT Used to Study Disease