It's amazing how one can exist in a near permanent state of non-life. A state of mere subsistence and animalistic survival instincts. It's amazing how one can trudge through that existence and still fight to continue it.
While, simultaneously, others can have much, much more to their lives and dread each waking moment for the pain and suffering and boredom that it brings.
The universe holds such wonders, even when one is contained to the insignificant spec that is our world. Yet, our lives and modern barriers prevent us from experiencing them. It's almost as if all the wonders of the world exist to tease those who cannot experience them into wanting to hold on for the possibility that, someday, they will be able to afford to experience some of the wonders rather than the duldroms of their daily lives.
We spend our lives; each minute, each second, wanting to do things that we can't and failing to recognize many of the things that are right there in front of us.
And yet, as horrible as that sounds, we can't be blamed for it. Our very minds, due to aeons of evolution, have been wired to search for more and not be content. That has been a survival mechanism that drove our species to expand and seek more resources so that we can expand our tribes and make our lives better.
This mechanism is what causes the poor, and the rich alike, to be dissatisfied with what they HAVE and to always want more.
I want more. I want more things and I want more experiences. I want less boredom. I want more meaningful interaction.
You want more. Whether you will admit it or not you want more of something.
If you don't want more I want to know how you achieved the state of inner peace that you have..... because that is something I want more of, too.
Showing posts with label biology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label biology. Show all posts
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Monday, December 6, 2010
DNA is a Programming Language
We are on the edge of a fantastic technological break-through.
I am certain it will happen in my lifetime, but I'm not exactly sure when.
It could be VERY near or it could happen when I'm in my 90s but I am certain it WILL happen.
Whenever it happens it will be both AWESOME AND TERRIFYING.
This break-through is cracking DNA in such a way that we see it for what it really is: a programming language.
ALL computer operations are reduced to a binary instruction set. EVERYTHING on a computer is reduced to a string of digits that are all either a 1 or a 0.
DNA is the same, yet VERY different. It is the same in that it is a VERY long program that instructs our cells how to form, build, maintain, etc US. We, in essence, are the manifestation of that program. That is how DNA is the same as binary. Here's how it's different: is exponentially more complicated.
A string of two binary digits has four possible outcomes: 00, 01, 10, and 11.
A string of three binary digits has eight outcomes: 000, 001, 010, 011, 100, 101, 110, 111.
The pattern is the base (2) to the power of the number of digits (3).
DNA is, essentially, a base four system. A T C G are the four "numbers" that exist.
A string of two digits, therefore, has 16 combinations instead of 4.
A string of four digits will yield 64 combinations instead of 8.
So what does this MEAN?
It means that DNA is exponentially more complicated a base-language than binary. That is how it can do all of the things it does for biological beings.
How is this AWESOME?
This is awesome because when the code is cracked we will be able to program LIFE from scratch. We'll be able to make robots that are biological in nature (Arthur C. Clarke coined the term "Biots" with respect to this). We'll be able to cure diseases. We'll be able to get ANYTHING we need to be grown directly. Trees that grow in the shapes of chairs; algae that spews out oil as a waste product; flowers that compute, pretty much anything you can think of that we can BUILD we could grow.
How is that TERRIFYING?
For starters: watch the movie GATTACA.
But also look at all of the junk available for your computer. Look at all of the malicious code that exists to make pornographic pop-up windows on laptops, that fill your email box with spam, that hijack your search result links, etc. Look at all of the things that require computers to have security software and imagine having to have that type of software running IN YOU.
I am excited by the ideas that what good this type of development could bring the world, but I really fear the idea of having to purchase Norton Anti-Virus for my brain and body.
I am certain it will happen in my lifetime, but I'm not exactly sure when.
It could be VERY near or it could happen when I'm in my 90s but I am certain it WILL happen.
Whenever it happens it will be both AWESOME AND TERRIFYING.
This break-through is cracking DNA in such a way that we see it for what it really is: a programming language.
ALL computer operations are reduced to a binary instruction set. EVERYTHING on a computer is reduced to a string of digits that are all either a 1 or a 0.
DNA is the same, yet VERY different. It is the same in that it is a VERY long program that instructs our cells how to form, build, maintain, etc US. We, in essence, are the manifestation of that program. That is how DNA is the same as binary. Here's how it's different: is exponentially more complicated.
A string of two binary digits has four possible outcomes: 00, 01, 10, and 11.
A string of three binary digits has eight outcomes: 000, 001, 010, 011, 100, 101, 110, 111.
The pattern is the base (2) to the power of the number of digits (3).
DNA is, essentially, a base four system. A T C G are the four "numbers" that exist.
A string of two digits, therefore, has 16 combinations instead of 4.
A string of four digits will yield 64 combinations instead of 8.
So what does this MEAN?
It means that DNA is exponentially more complicated a base-language than binary. That is how it can do all of the things it does for biological beings.
How is this AWESOME?
This is awesome because when the code is cracked we will be able to program LIFE from scratch. We'll be able to make robots that are biological in nature (Arthur C. Clarke coined the term "Biots" with respect to this). We'll be able to cure diseases. We'll be able to get ANYTHING we need to be grown directly. Trees that grow in the shapes of chairs; algae that spews out oil as a waste product; flowers that compute, pretty much anything you can think of that we can BUILD we could grow.
How is that TERRIFYING?
For starters: watch the movie GATTACA.
But also look at all of the junk available for your computer. Look at all of the malicious code that exists to make pornographic pop-up windows on laptops, that fill your email box with spam, that hijack your search result links, etc. Look at all of the things that require computers to have security software and imagine having to have that type of software running IN YOU.
I am excited by the ideas that what good this type of development could bring the world, but I really fear the idea of having to purchase Norton Anti-Virus for my brain and body.
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