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.
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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?