Conversation

I’ve been fascinated by log-level views of worlds for decades (built logging views of multiagent system simulations many moons ago), but the interest really got defined a few years ago via this paper probing a microprocessor using neuroscience techniques
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It of course didn’t work at all. A hilariously ill-posed and absurd experiment (intended as such, with tongue-in-cheek irony), but crucially at the right kind of level. It is not even wrong in a very right way.
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We don’t study brains at log level with electrodes because it’s a good technique. We do it because it’s the only technique we really have. Other techniques are too gross/macro. Verbal absurdity is like that for collective psyche.
Replying to
If the NYT is like phrenology and facial expression reading of humanity, and twitter like an fMRI, screwing around with words and nonsense is like high-end electrodes inside skull, randomly stimulating neurons, just to see what happens. Nonsense as intersubjectivity electrodes.
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Take this presidential debate that, like many of you, I’m studiously ignoring. The log level view of that would be a real-time analysis of the structure of jokes and wordplay in the collective commentary. Can you make a joke or pun that gets zero likes? A lot of likes?
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