Universal Rule

Book Reviews

Saturday, December 28, 2002

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God Is the Machine: "Digital physicists argue that the universe could well be the ultimate computer, and that all existence is, in essence, a function of computation. Adding weight to such suppositions are the theories that all things--equations, multimedia works, even emotions--can be reduced to computation; all materials--be they DNA molecules, human brains, or quantum particles, are capable of computation; and all computation is universal--in other words, any computer can carry out the same computations, regardless of its configuration. The groundwork for the universe-as-computer theory was laid out by researchers Ed Fredkin and Konrad Zuse, who concluded independently that the driving force behind the universe is a grid of cellular automata (CA). Later physicists such as Stephen Wolfram used the CA model to research real-world phenomena. Wolfram was so taken with this view and the universal computation theory that he declared in "A New Kind of Science" that "All processes, whether they are produced by human effort or occur spontaneously in nature, can be viewed as computation." He further expanded this theory to include all outputs of universal computation. Entire galaxies and recursive worlds could be simulated with a universal computer, but there are differing opinions about how the computer functions. Fredkin postulates that there is another, extra-universal program that serves at the universal computer's platform, while Oxford theoretical physicist David Deutsch argues that nothing exists outside the computer. Many digital physicists believe that the universal computer will eventually be replaced by man-made machines: In June 2002, MIT professor Seth Lloyd calculated that all available energy in the universe could be used for computation in 600 years, a conclusion that supports computer expansion beyond theoretical limits."

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Top Ten Trends 2003: "Red Herring's sixth annual top 10 trends list concentrates on emerging technologies likely to make a significant impact in 2003; they are expected to balance out some of the more negative trends, and owe a great deal of their development to the Sept. 11 attacks. Of particular interest are microprocessors with built-in security, virtualization, and nanotechnology. Security features will move from software to hardware: This will boost encryption speeds and make tampering more obvious; Intel, SafeNet, Hifn, and NetScreen are among those working on an array of upcoming chip-based products that incorporate firewall functionality, virtual private networks, and other things, which will translate into more secure networks and devices. The integration of corporate IT infrastructure into a seamless entity via virtualization technologies is expected to be completed and highly sought by CIOs worldwide next year. Driving this trend are the underutilization of computing resources and tight IT budgets, and virtualization obviates the need for new equipment purchases and lowers the cost of IT equipment management. However, the development of virtualization technology is mainly reserved for major players--IBM, Sun Microsystems, and Cisco--with vast financial resources. Nanotechnology--the science of manufacturing nanoscale materials with unique properties--has become the target of negative press from scientists, Luddites, and others worried that the technology could threaten the environment and people's health."

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The Year Ahead: Top Ten Technologies to Watch: "The year 2003 will see continued improvement in wireless networking, location-based mobile services, radio-frequency ID (RFID) chips, displays, and other technologies. More devices will come equipped with Bluetooth wireless connectivity, and new 802.11 Wi-Fi standards will speed up wireless Internet access. Zigbee is a new short-range wireless technology that might encroach on Bluetooth's new turf, though Bluetooth is also being threatened by standards fragmentation, since companies such as Microsoft are releasing Bluetooth products that do not interoperate with those from other firms. Hardware innovations may include a holographic storage breakthrough from IBM and other companies, which have been seeking terabyte storage in tiny spaces for some time. Next year will also mark the first time LCD displays outsell cathode-ray tube monitors, putting pressure on emerging display technologies such as plasma and light-emitting polymers. Millions of RFID chips will allow manufacturers and retailers to track inventory and more efficiently manipulate the supply chain; Gillette has already ordered half a billion RFID chips to place on its razors. Philips and Sony are expected to improve robots that interact with humans--Sony's human-like SDR-4X has stereoscopic vision and can recognize faces and up to 60,000 words. Telematics will likely improve capabilities, though standards competition hampers commercial adoption. Once upgrading in-car systems becomes as easy as upgrading a PC, telematics will become much more appealing, and possibly spawn systems that automatically synchronize MP3 playlists via Wi-Fi once they park in the garage."

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Top Ten Apps: "Both NetNewsWire Lite and TigerLaunch made MacMegasite’s list of top ten freeware apps for 2002." [inessential.com]

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Weblog publishing systems: "NetNewsWire Pro has a pop-up menu of weblog publishing systems. [...] Current systems listed are Blogger, Blosxom, Conversant, Drupal, Manila (News Items), Movable Type, pMachine, Radio UserLand, and SnipSnap." [inessential.com]

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Configuring Jaguar's Firewall: "Don't let the Unix heritage deter you; instead, let it motivate you." (O'Reilly Network via MyAppleMenu) [MyAppleMenu]

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5-Step Recipe For A Well-Done Apple Switch: "The experience will differ person to person, but the move from the PC to the Macintosh can be traced in five basic steps." (The Seattle Times via MyAppleMenu) [MyAppleMenu]

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The idiot's guide to how to view cosmic ray tracks from the comfort of your own home: "Most of us are familiar with pictures from bubble chambers displaying the tracks of subatomic particles interacting. But what many people don't realize is that you can get similar results at home by spending about $40 on materials that are easy to obtain. What's more, I am one of those incompetent people who has no talent for anything practical and little attention span for anything without an instant reward and yet I managed to get succesful results. This means that if you have any interest whatsoever in seeing the tracks of subatomic particles in your own home then I can pretty well guarantee positive results in a few hours (including shopping time) whoever you are." [kuro5hin.org]

Four months of blogging -- Comment()
I have been keeping this weblog a bit over four months now. Originally I just wanted a bit of experience of blogging, the new thing on the web. I have got what I wanted, and something more: a new way of looking at the internet. Previously I didn't believe in the concept of large-scale co-operative technologies, but weblogs seem to have achieved something of real value to the participants.

This year I have published about 45 short pieces: columns and articles. In addition, several of my books have appeared in new editions. Thus, this has been a productive year. After I started keeping a weblog, my other writing assignments have not suffered, almost the opposite. A couple of my short pieces have resulted from ideas and writings which first appeared on this weblog.

What about next year? So far I have published 1363 postings on this weblog. I probably won't be as active next year. There are a lot of other things to do, and other writing assingments already waiting.