“My goal today is to be better than yesterday so wait until you see what I do "tomorrow."” - Alien Ness

Saturday, September 25, 2010

The Reality Check Episode 34

Pyramid Theory + Singularity + Frog Myth

Part 1: 
How the heck did they build the great pyramid?
It was built around 4500 years ago as a tomb for a Pharaoh. We don't know exactly how it was built though. I'm sure many people out there would like to just see more than just pictures of the pyramid, people would like to understand it. 
The oldest info we have on how they built it was by a Greek traveler, who went there and asked them how they built it. From what he has written down, they used levers and tools for raising blocks. But, nowadays, scientists actually calculated the amount of levers and things they would need to use to complete such a task, and they found out that they need at least hundreds of levers in order to raise one block. So, that part is not entirely true. Because it would be really impractical. The other most popular theory is a giant ramp leading up to the pyramid. That would be also impractical. Another ramp theory is the spiral ramp. That is actually the most widely accepted theory, but it also has problems as well. One problem would be if you built the ramp first, then you won't able to calculate the corners clearly. There are many other theories as well, but all with some problems in it, so we are still trying to think of ways they could have built it. 
There is a French architect by the name of Jean-Pierre Houdin. And there is an amazing story how he quit his lucrative job and dedicated 9 years of his life to figuring out how the pyramid was built. He made computer models and tried many things. He came up with a theory himself. Here it is:
He thinks that the pyramid was built by three different levels. For the first level, people used the one big ramp theory, which theoretically works. The second layer, they have ramps that goes on the inside of the pyramid. The ramps go along the walls on the inside. When the people dragging the block up gets stuck on the corners, there's actually places for the people to go out of the pyramid, and then go around the corner and come back in to keep dragging it. the last level on the very top, they used levers on the inside to lift the rest of the blocks up. 
You can actually go online to look for animations which give would give you a clearer image of this theory. His theory really explains everything that happened and is happening to the pyramid. For example, it explain why the cracks appear and things like there is a notch which most people didn't take notice of, and he explained that it was a way for the people to switch the blocks. 

Part 2:
What is the singularity? 
"Within thirty years, we will have the technological means to create superhuman intelligence, shortly after the human era would be ended." - Vernor Vinge, written in 1993
Singularity has over 20 meanings, but the most popular one is used in astrophysics to talk about gravitational singularity, which has infinite energy and infinite density, and zero volume; usually talks about a black hole or the beginning of the universe. 
In this case, it just means a point in time whether be such technological development that there will be superhuman intelligence and our current models will break out.
Well, how would this happen?
1: Computer and human interfaces may become so intimate that users may be considered to be superhuman intelligent.
2: Biological science may provide means to improve natural human intellect.
3: There may be a developed computers that are "awake" and superhumanly intelligent.
4: Large computers or networks may "wake up" as a superhuman intelligence.

Science Myth of the Week:
Frogs won't try to escape water that is slowly boiling. That is untrue, frogs do jump out when they feel like it's too warm for them. 

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