poly: Another complexity/expansion model

I just said I didn't believe in models of things beyond our understanding,
but here I want to suggest one, just to illustrate a little thought.

Suppose we have an intelligent entity with a space/time footprint of, say,
one light-hour in diameter and complexity on the level of 10^100 bit and similar
computational power. Every minute the entity doubles in terms of effective
complexity (in terms of features of architecture, not the number of bits) and after
every hour all problems of the previous hour are either resolved or bypassed.
Apparently then, any probe that was launched more than an hour ago, could not
construct a computational structure that could bring any useful results back to the core;
at the same time it could destroy something of value out there (imaging what kind of
instructions you would give your great grandparents if you sent them on a scouting
expedition: "just take a few pictures and PLEASE don't touch anything there, it may
be important for research! Or better, just stay here; I will see pretty much from
here before you get there, and it's safer")

So we have an intelligent system shaped as a wave function, opposite to the Vinge's
galaxy construction: with a smart core, and increasingly dumb periphery. The core
will not let the periphery to expand then, making sure (not hard to do when you are
superior) that it is contained. Varying parameters in this "model" may only change
the optimal size of the "intelligent bubble". Even with modest estimates of growth
rates, the bubble size wouldn't be that big.

If the entity learns to compress more of itself into a smaller radius by using basement
universes, and speeds up, its spatial footprint could rapidly collapse...

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Alexander Chislenko <http://www.lucifer.com/~sasha/home.html>
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Received on Mon Dec 22 08:14:33 1997