From: hal@finney.org
Date: Thu May 04 2000 - 11:44:58 MDT
Billy writes, quoting Hal:
> > For example if you want to minimize energy costs in running your brain,
> > you have two choices: live in the real world with an artificial brain,
> > or live in a VR. The latter gives you more opportunities to save energy,
> > because for example you can reverse time for the entire world in order
> > to undo some reversible calculations.
>
> Now we're going back to the same idea you ruled out in your first paragraph.
> If a mind is implemented in software you already have complete control over
> its 'reality'. There is nothing you can do by putting it in a VR that you
> couldn't just do directly. There may be advantages of convenience or
> flexibility in the VR approach, but a more direct implementation of any
> given trick will always run faster and cost less energy.
If you're living in the real world, you're interacting with the real world.
You can't rewind the real world.
If you're living in a virtual world, you're interacting with the virtual
world. You can rewind the virtual world and this gives you opportunities
to save energy. That's the difference.
Hal
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