Elon Musk: The chance we are not living in a computer simulation is 'one in billions'

[Brian4Liberty]

I have some measure of respect for Asimov as a writer, but I have to say that this "review" is pure fail. I could not imagine anyone missing the mark this widely. It is, in a word, astonishing.

Perhaps this quote represents the entire review best:

Orwell's*1984*is a picture of all-powerful government, and it has helped
make the notion of 'big government' a very frightening one. ...*If anything, in fact, governments of the 1980s seem dangerously weak.*

[Suzanimal]

Wow, I'll be damned, people actually listen.

I owe you a rep.

I have good listening skills.

No, it's genius. They exist so that even the lowliest of us can be made to feel better when looking at the POW website.

You have a point there. POW definitely makes me feel like I have my $#@! together but I try to stay humble and remember that I'm just one bad box of Franzia away from being featured on their website.

I'd give it to her, but M...

No... NO MR. ANIMAL... I didn't mean it like THAT... NO NO NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...

NO CARRIER

You can give it to me, Mr Animal won't mind.

[osan]

Indeed. If you would like to have further insight into the mindset of Asimov, and probably Musk, be sure to read the transcript at the link I posted earlier:

http://www.ubcome.com/AsimovSaveCivilization.html

Yeah I saw it. He makes valid individual points and then pulls them together in a grossly fallacious framework. Typical of his ilk.

[acptulsa]

Remember Toffler's "Future Shock"? Turned out to mainly nonsense, though I suppose one could twist meanings in some tortuous manner to make it seem he was some great visionary.

Did you even read the book?

Future Shock did not even once pretend--or try--to predict the future. It simply explored the overwhelming rate of change that we are experiencing in all aspects of our lives, and tried to delve into what our reaction to all of that constant change might be.

Seems to me the closest he came to predicting the future was to say we might come to find ourselves somewhat divorced from reality...

[Ronin Truth]

The Law of Accelerating Returns

http://www.kurzweilai.net/the-law-of...rating-returns

[osan]

Did you even read the book?

Future Shock did not even once pretend--or try--to predict the future. It simply explored the overwhelming rate of change that we are experiencing in all aspects of our lives, and tried to delve into what our reaction to all of that constant change might be.

Seems to me the closest he came to predicting the future was to say we might come to find ourselves somewhat divorced from reality...

I read it something like 25-30 years ago. Perhaps it was me, but it seemed like he was making predictions in terms of trends. Left me thinking, "meh..."

OTOH, I COULD be confusing it with "Mega Trends"... but that was John Naisbitt.

Crap... now you got me wondering. You may have me there... I may be thinking of Naisbitt's work as the nonsense. $#@! I hate this getting old crap.

My apologies to Toffler if indeed I have mis-remembered. I will now probably have to get another copy of Future Shock and re-read it.

[wizardwatson]

I've come to the same conclusion, but also realize it makes no difference.

The premise is simple, if we can create 1 simulation, then we will inevitably create "billions", and therefore, the assumption is that if there is a higher reality they will have done the same. So, then the question is "are we the first reality", the true true reality against all odds, or are we 10 layers deep or 1000's. Odd's are we are not the original. So, anyway, if you accept that we can make a reality that can fool a human into believing it is real, then odds are you are in one.

Likely that is how God works. He can effect our reality, but not be part of it, as the the computer reality is purely synthetic in relation to the real god, and if he entered it'd be via an Avatar that represented God but wasn't actually "God". Sound similiar to something. Also how could God know your essence upon death, how could bring you to a heaven which doesn't exist in this universe. Etc.... All explained if you think of this like you'd think of a computer simulation.

Anyway. Doesn't matter really, you still have to live.

I think that we get carried away with the concept of some sort of "edge" between, well, anything in this universe really. But there is a lot of talk all the time about "parallel universes", "other dimensions", "alternate realities", etc.

If there is any sound theory about possible "evidence" of another universe or "plane" then in my opinion, it's still part of this universe. Even the closest theory I've read regarding "other universes" was really part of a hyper-inflationary model, wherein, our "big bang" inclusive universe was forever separated and accelerating away from other "pockets". But even this I would say is still one "universe" or "reality" as the paper described mechanisms whereby we may not necessarily be able to physically reach but still perhaps communicate with them through some type of quantum computing.

But certainly a computer simulation in no way classifies as another "reality". It's simply a perceived context. There's nothing "other worldly" about a computer simulation. This was all well-defined in the movie The Matrix. Your brain is the simulator. Your mind is the reality, and it's always only one. The "other realities" are simply mapped onto your mind to change the context by modifying your perceived input. And naturally you could go as deep as your mind was powerful enough to take you. Just like inception (or an even weirder movie The Congress), I'm sure you could be in a dream within a dream within a dream...until you really lost track of what was real or perhaps even who you are.

Augmented (virtual) reality doesn't change "reality" it just changes your perception of what is real.

As far as the God stuff, I tend to think God is much more pragmatic and mundane when it comes to metaphysical worldviews. Not entirely convinced that what's called heaven isn't simply another planet, or perhaps one of those other pockets described above. People look different in that place no doubt, as environment is different. This is perhaps what was shone to the few disciples who witnessed Jesus' transfiguration. Perhaps they saw him in his "home-state" so to speak.

Fun fact: There used to be a separation between "heaven and earth". Heaven was for God, earth for man. But when God came to Mt. Sinai after Exodus he rescinded that decree (according to Midrash), so currently, there is not real separation even spiritually/metaphysically, much less physically between what is called heaven/earth.

EDIT: by bolded part, I mean, there's no physical laws that separate heaven/earth. Obviously they are separated spatially and there are rules and what have you about who can go there, and they follow a different "order of things", etc.

[Ronin Truth]

I think that we get carried away with the concept of some sort of "edge" between, well, anything in this universe really. But there is a lot of talk all the time about "parallel universes", "other dimensions", "alternate realities", etc.

If there is any sound theory about possible "evidence" of another universe or "plane" then in my opinion, it's still part of this universe. Even the closest theory I've read regarding "other universes" was really part of a hyper-inflationary model, wherein, our "big bang" inclusive universe was forever separated and accelerating away from other "pockets". But even this I would say is still one "universe" or "reality" as the paper described mechanisms whereby we may not necessarily be able to physically reach but still perhaps communicate with them through some type of quantum computing.

But certainly a computer simulation in no way classifies as another "reality". It's simply a perceived context. There's nothing "other worldly" about a computer simulation. This was all well-defined in the movie The Matrix. Your brain is the simulator. Your mind is the reality, and it's always only one. The "other realities" are simply mapped onto your mind to change the context by modifying your perceived input. And naturally you could go as deep as your mind was powerful enough to take you. Just like inception (or an even weirder movie The Congress), I'm sure you could be in a dream within a dream within a dream...until you really lost track of what was real or perhaps even who you are.

Augmented (virtual) reality doesn't change "reality" it just changes your perception of what is real.

As far as the God stuff, I tend to think God is much more pragmatic and mundane when it comes to metaphysical worldviews. Not entirely convinced that what's called heaven isn't simply another planet, or perhaps one of those other pockets described above. People look different in that place no doubt, as environment is different. This is perhaps what was shone to the few disciples who witnessed Jesus' transfiguration. Perhaps they saw him in his "home-state" so to speak.

Fun fact: There used to be a separation between "heaven and earth". Heaven was for God, earth for man. But when God came to Mt. Sinai after Exodus he rescinded that decree (according to Midrash), so currently, there is not real separation even spiritually/metaphysically, much less physically between what is called heaven/earth.

EDIT: by bolded part, I mean, there's no physical laws that separate heaven/earth. Obviously they are separated spatially and there are rules and what have you about who can go there, and they follow a different "order of things", etc.

How about the holographic universe theory, my dear wizard?

[timosman]

http://www.breitbart.com/california/...sits-96-hours/

5 Apr 2016




Tesla Motors Inc. caused a sensation by picking up $300 million in Model 3 customer deposit cash in just 96 hours this week. The hidden story: that money may have rescued Tesla from a precarious negative working capital crisis. Tesla now has the opportunity to become a profitable car company for the first time.
Most people do not realize that the average vehicle sold in the U.S. has been sitting on a dealer’s lot for about 60 days. That explains why Ford has $126 billion and GM has $6.5 billion in positive working capital (current assets minus current liabilities), to fund their operations.

Tesla’s hype allowed the company to raise $5 billion of equity and debt to fund its car company, and to support the process of raising another $5 billion for its “Gigafactory,” which will build lithium ion batteries for its vehicles and Powerwall energy storage systems.

Investors’ willingness to pony up seemingly endless amounts of cash over the last decade to fund operations is phenomenal, given that at the end of 2015 Tesla was losing $19,810 on each car it sold, and hemorrhaging negative cash flow of $51,344 on each vehicle it built. As a result, Tesla at year-end had a dangerous negative working capital position of $24.7 million.

The main reason Tesla was able to continue operating over the last six months was collecting $5,000 customer deposit checks for future delivery of its $72,000 average selling price Model X, introduced on September 29, 2015. With 31,300 preorders, customer cash deposits reduced Tesla’s risky negative working capital position by $156.5 million.

But with Model X deliveries beginning December 18, 2015, and most of the backlog filled in 2016, Wall Street analysts panicked in the first six weeks of 2016 that Tesla was running out of cash and might fail. Tesla’s stock plunged by 40 percent, to $146 a share.

In what many analysts saw as a desperate move to save the company, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on February 10 that the company would begin taking $1,000 deposits on its Model 3 — average selling price, $42,000 — on March 31 for initial deliveries in late 2017.

Analysts scoffed at Tesla slashing its traditional $5,000 deposit to $1,000 as another sign of competitive weakness. Expecting 50,000 preorders could generate $50 million in cash deposits, the analysts projected Tesla would just barely be able to cover its negative working capital situation.

But viral customer enthusiasm for the mid-priced Tesla Model X generated 27,000 people camping out at dealerships to qualify to be in the front of the delivery line for a Model 3.

With total orders from dealerships and online breaking 300,000 by early evening on April 4, Tesla’s working capital has done a financial somersault, from about negative $24.7 million to an outstandingly positive $275.3 million.

With a backlog of roughly $14.9 billion, Tesla can continue its money-losing for at least another 12 months before the next cash crisis arrives. But with a strong balance sheet, Tesla now has the breathing room to become, potentially, a profitable company.

[puppetmaster]

On a side note....Elon musk is 100% stealing from the US taxpayers.

[r3volution 3.0]

Maybe the whole universe is just the dream of a turtle flying in space?



Anyway, I guess Elon is trying to bolster his cred as some kind of futurist visionary with this pseudo-intellectual mouth noise.

[Ronin Truth]

On a side note....Elon musk is 100% stealing from the US taxpayers.

The 'systems' exist to be abused.

[Brian4Liberty]

The 'systems' exist to be abused.

As a contractor recently told me, every fat HOA savings account is just waiting to be looted by crooked management companies and contractors. Tony Montana probably said it best...

[timosman]

bump