Raymond Gaynor's Blog, page 63

HOW FAR IS ETERNITY?

If you’ve been following me, you know that I’m quite enamored with M-Superstring Theory. Given there have only been three ways to know if something is true (and all are flawed – namely authority, science and statistics), I’ve followed M-Superstring theory since it’s inception as a possible fourth and perhaps unflawed way to know if something is true. It’s all about “fit.” And one aspect of 11-dimension M-Superstring theory that is particularly intriguing is that some dimensions are infinitesimally distant. That is, they are so close to one another as to be barely separable but of infinite depth (or length if you prefer). It is this closeness to another dimension that grabs my attention most.

Perhaps, just perhaps, eternity or “passing” may simply involve passing from this to another universe, one that is infinitesimally distant, and takes so very little to “pass.” If so, what would guide the passer? My own idea is the soul. I see the soul, as the collection of all our experiences and actions, guiding us across that tiniest of distances to the next universe that best fits our summary interests based on our experiences and actions.

It’s not a complete or even consistent idea, but one that’s been nagging at the back of my mind. Folks whose life on this earth will direct them to an extension of the kindness and generosity, empathy and humanness they experienced and lived will “go to heaven.” Needless to say, those who have issues would get another chance “in hell” or whatever next universe to which their soul directs them. Weird, huh? Yeah, but I have an idea that it’s only one of many truths that could come from M-Superstring Theory, should it pass the muster so to speak. Will I see it become the fourth and unflawed way to know the truth before I pass? Makes me think of a sentence by Allen Quartermain (played by Sean Connery) in “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” – I’m paraphrasing here – “This generation is yours, as the last was mine” – which would well reflect the tenor of my newest book THE EDGE OF MADNESS by Raymond Gaynor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je6CC...

THE NATURE OF NATURE

One “hot” topic that’s addressed in my newly released socio-politico-relationship-thriller, THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020), is humankind’s evolving consciousness surrounding our relationship to the non-human “natural” world. Call it conservation, stewardship, environmentalism, or just a growing awareness that without plants, we can not survive. This is especially important as humanity repurposes the planet and in doing so comes into closer contact with “wild” species. Pandemics like COVID-19 can be expected to increase as we systematically decrease “social distancing” between humans and animals. We are close enough genetically and physiologically to share many pathogens and parasites, and as our numbers continue to increase, we come into conflict with other animals competing for space, food and security. Not so with plants.

Plants provide humans and animals with essential oxygen, reclaiming water to potability standards, providing food, space and security. In addition, we share little genetically and physiologically, holding few pathogens or parasites in common. This fundamental realization led me to question years ago whether humans were really domesticating plants some 10,000 years ago, or whether, in their own way, plants have been domesticating us to care for them, increasing their survival advantage. Maybe roses smell sweet for a reason. Maybe wheat gives off aqueous “phermones” that make us want to tend them.

In NewAmerica, “The idea was to inspire feelings of environmental stewardship through government established and funded official Naming Ceremonies—N-Cares—whereby human caretakers and the animal or plant names of their now ‘cultivated natural’ darlings would be publicly announced, ceremoniously celebrated, then recorded digitally in ever-expanding governmental N-Cares information vaults called I-Cares.

“The honor caught on and the practical result was immediate: I-Cares, in essence governmental genetic diversity repositories, sprang up everywhere, and awardees gladly paid for public recognition, contractually committing themselves to husbanding the animals or plants which they had name-recognized for the duration of the human’s life. As a further honorific, caretakers were permitted to wear a light blue colored armband. At the same time, the government inserted a tiny, inert, bioluminescent DNA tag into the now protected entity, identifying it as under the care and protection of the government by way of that particular human caretaker.”

Weird? Wonderful? Mind-wrenching? All of these and more. Taking up where TOTAL MELTDOWN (Borgo/Wildside 2009) by Raymond Gaynor and William Maltese left off, NewAmerica, a shadow of its former United States of America, provides a challenging and dangerous future place for three young firebrands to live.

IS THERE SOMETHING IN OUR FOOD OR WATER?

Americans have always been know for our contentiousness, but for some reason that dissonance seems to be evolving into divisive confrontation mostly without any rational plan for addressing the dialectic. What’s causing this impulsiveness, I wonder. Maybe it’s all the Viagra being consumed these days? Maybe it’s something in our food or water? I don’t know, but I do wonder how much more contention we can absorb without falling apart as a government. Foreign powers and the like may be egging us on, hoping to lead us into revolution and dictatorship, but if we end up there, it will be of our own doing.

In THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) — which, by the way just received it’s first Amazon review with 5/5 stars! — I tried to make the case that politics should follow, not lead socio-technological change. In my hypothetical former USA, the reverse is what brought the nation to crisis (and, if I may be so bold, may be doing exactly that now); returning to governing following socio-technological change is what brought a smaller but much more empowered NewAmerica into being. In short, I presented a pre-NewAmerica world where government was run by “leaders” rather than administrative followers of the legislative and judicial processes. The most important point, however, was that what “saved” the former USA was not stronger leadership but better administration. Not change for leadership’s sake, but resulting from the “natural” cultural forces. Is that bizarre? Or is it just too much Viagra? Or something in our food or water? Go figure.



What, in my opinion makes THE EDGE OF MADNESS unique is that the three principal characters, as is true of every generation, struggle to find their place(sJ) in what is a complex, often seemingly indifferent society. It isn’t about political movements or revolutions. it’s about humans struggling to find meaning in an ever-enlarging, ever-changing world.

THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) By Raymond Gaynor 257 pp. – 5.25″ x 8″ Softcover Pocket Book ISBN 9780999693858 Suggested Retail Price (SRP) $16.95 paperback/7.95 Kindle eBook.

Now available worldwide with free shipping from The Book Depository at https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Ed...

FIRST REVIEW OF "THE EDGE OF MADNESS"

It was with both surprise and greatest of pleasure that I received this review of my newly released work, THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) from former co-author and friend, William Maltese: 

"SAY … WHAT … ?

        Author Raymond Gaynor, in this sequel, to his novel TOTAL MELTDOWN, manages a successful tear in the time-space continuum that provides his readers with an insightful glimpse of society’s future. It’s not always a pleasant picture. In fact, it’s sometimes bordering on the truly shocking. That said … all of his prophetical premises seem to have logical underpinnings based upon historical facts, including what’s obviously at play within our own Twenty-First Century. It’s a fascinating read, experienced through the eyes of three protagonists from birth, through adolescence, and into maturity. Their journey is often difficult and often dangerous. Never, though, is it boring."

- William Maltese, co-author on the prequel, TOTAL MELTDOWN

THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) is available from:

Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999693859 in printed softcover and Kindle eBook versions. 

Book Despository at https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Ed... in printed softcover version with free non-USA shipping worldwide. 

Savant Bookstore Honolulu at https://www.savantbookstorehonolulu.com/ in printed softcover version at 10% off suggested retail price with free shipping within the USA including Alaska and Hawaii using "ONLINE" discount code at checkout!

WHERE ANGELS DARE TO TRED

Immortality? Eternal life as a God? It's not for humans, at least, not yet. On the other hand, it's a growing possibility for intelligent robots. I found a recent article in BBC World News about robot scientists at University of Liverpool able to work non-stop throughout lockdown more than intriguing. Yes, more than intriguing, because, I assume that given the ability to self-repair (see yesterday's post), it could go on working on a vaccine for COVID-19 even after the world's humans are no more, God forbid. I can imagine in my fertile brain, just such a robot scientist all alone in the world, continuing to work on development of the vaccine...forever...even after the purpose is long gone. An odd sort of immortality. An even odder sort of God, don't you think? Discovered by another form of intelligent life millennia later, what would they think of us, given what they would know about our God?

First, if the robotic scientist is self-learning and self-reprogramming, it is likely no one could intuit what and how it thinks. It would indeed seem a "real" God. 

Second, it's dedication to finding a solution to a problem that no longer exists could be interpreted to suggest it is a foolish, or at best, quirky God. On the other hand, it could equally be interpreted as wise beyond everything, in that it is working diligently on a problem that has yet to challenge a life form that has yet to appear. Wise, like a "real" God. 

On the other hand, after some time, the scientist robot might solve the vaccine problem and, out of curiosity or sheer boredom, begin investigating something else, eventually becoming a "whole person," a singular God, with a compelling interest in re-creating the life form for which it did it's initially programmed work. 

My dear friend and eminent thriller author, A. G. Hayes picks up on this discussion where it seemingly ends in this post in 68 VIA CONDOTTI - ETERNITY LTD (Savant 2020), which I plan to continue in the sequel to THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020). 

THE EDGE OF MADNESS is now available at 10% off Suggested Retail Price using "ONLINE" at checkout with free delivery within the USA including Alaska and Hawaii from the following Savant booktores:

Savant Bookstore Honolulu

Savant Bookstore Pacific

Savant Bookstore Midwest

Savant Bookstore Atlantic

robot Image by rony michaud from Pixabay 

AUTONOMOUS AI CORRECTION

Ever since I read about a mobile computer at MIT that “learned” from its explorations, reprogrammed itself based on what it learned, and the surprise when it’s programmers could no longer understand its programming, I’ve been fascinated by the idea of autonomous Artificial Intelligence (AI) learning. Would an AI whose self-programming is no longer decipherable to its makers”understand” the world in the same way as we do? Would it create and hold secrets (mostly assumptions I presume) about its world, its initial programmers and the millions of slightly different copies of its programmers that inhabit that world? Would it be inclined to share or question its assumptions and understandings? Would it even be able to? Even more interesting, would it be able to error correct its programming when its assumptions lead it to conclusions that differ from this world?

Science News 20 June 2020, in an article entitled “Quantum Computing’s Error Problem” touches on the latter question. It’s all about inherent error rates. Silicon-based computers like the one I’m writing on, are said to have an intrinsic error rate of about one in a quadrillion operations; quantum computers like, I assume AIs would favor, however, are said to have an intrinsic error rate of about one in a hundred operations. This suggests that quantum computer based AIs would likely have a large number of errors in operation, memory and interpretation. Quantum-computer-based AIs would likely be highly diverse (individualistic) in the way they interpret and respond to the world, making any self-programming efforts highly unusual, and, like the example above, quickly no longer understandable by its original programmers.

In the above quoted article, it is stated that quantum bits — or qubits — are inherently fragile, being made from individual atoms, electrons trapped within tiny “quantum dots” or small superconductive traps or tunnels. The problem is that qubits can’t be copied without changing the original. The solution, according to the article is redundancy, both in information storage (keep the original qubit while creating one or more “helper” qubit). Checking the helper qubit (ancillas) allows one to check the veracity of the data without changing it. Current estimates require a minimum of 49 qubits to create enough “surface code” to allow error determination and, hopefully, verify that the data which a quantum-computer-based AI is using to “interpret” its world. Not necessarily so the interpretation.

In my recently released book, THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020), I make the broad unstated assumption that quantum computers permeate future technology with both their advantages, and, again unstated, disadvantages. What it means to our three firebrands, trying to make sense of their world, you, dear reader, will have to guess.

A Simple Case of Repulsion

Crystals are finding increasing use in today’s world. Crystals, especially those with an induced special frequency, an atomic flaw, or so pure as to lase are appearing, often hidden from human sight, almost everywhere. They make computers work better and faster. Crystal oscillators keep “atomic time.” They can theoretically be tasked to store up to 1 yottabyte (about a trillion terabytes) of “packed” memory using multi-algorithmic data pre-ccompression. They’re even purported to heal. What generally makes a crystal a crystal is that the atomic elements are held together in a regular, tightly packed array based on internal electromagnetic properties. But there’s a new crystal in town.

Quantum crystals (technically Pauli crystals) are tightly packed arrays based on quantum aloofness. According to Wolfgang Pauli’s Pauli exclusion principle, electrons within neighboring fermions (protons, neutrons and many types of atomsJ) can not have matching sets of quantum properties. This causes what appears to be “natural” state of repulsion without direct interacting with one another, which, in the presence of many similar particles, can “invite” them to configure into a quantum crystal. From the perspective of a sensory “solid object,” what makes it “solid” is that the result of a quantum crystal is the existence of a moment-to-moment varying but finite, interlocking finite momentum and energy values.

Theoretically, this should permit fluid mass storage, a sort of vast memory device that can store an almost unlimited number of “what if’s.” While I don’t specifically mention quantum crystals in THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020), they are implied to be part of the projected interactive holography and many acronymic items (e.g. QTrans) “MacGuffins” (literary devices described by Alfred Hitchcock that allow things to happen in a story but the details of which are not necessary to the story to explain).

So, repulsed by the future world in THE EDGE OF MADNESS? Blame it on those quirky quantum crystals!

And, did I mention that my book is now available directly from the publisher at 10% off the Suggested Retail Price with free shipping within the USA including Hawaii and Alaska? https://savant-bookstore-honolulu.squ...

FICTION OR NON-FICTION?

I wrote the prequel to THE EDGE OF MADNESS called TOTAL MELTDOWN (Borgo/Wildside 2009) with pre-eminent co-author William Maltese in 2009, just after the 2008 financial crisis and exit on 20 January 2009 of former President Bush (the second). A work of fiction, it spoke to the vulnerability of a government when subject to organized political criminal activity, resulting in a “total meltdown,” splitting up of the nation similar to the splitting up of the former USSR, and, finally, the resiliency of a techno-democracy. An LGBT work, it also spoke to the importance of cultural and gender diversity. While a tongue-in-cheek work including episodes of cheeky erotica, it was written as fiction and I immediately began scoping out a sequel featuring the resurrection of the USA as “NewAmerica,” a smaller, outward-looking nation the once again attained pre-eminence, this time throughout the universe. Not an empire, like Star Wars or other such science fiction often posits, but a socio-techno-economic powerhouse.

When THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) was released, I was communicating with my friend and colleague William Maltese, noting that today’s USA is eerily like that in TOTAL MELTDOWN, wondering aloud if fiction writers might not be the equivalent to old time “prophets,” different, perhaps in not necessarily strictly foretelling the future, but providing a reflective glimpse into what it might be like. Glimpses provide futuring scenarios that can be of great assistance when actual events begin to mimic fiction. Now I’m wondering if TOTAL MELTDOWN might better be reclassified as non-fiction! If so, then grab your hat and scarf and get ready for one wild ride in the not-so-distant future on the edge of madness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je6CC...

By the way, did you know you can now purchase THE EDGE OF MADNESS directly from the publisher at 10% off the suggested-retail-price with free shipping within the USA including Hawaii and Alaska at https://savant-bookstore-honolulu.squ...

WHAT’S THE BUZZ?

I was so pleased the other day to hear from Savant Books and Publications (including Aignos Publishing) affiliate K. Simmons Productions, that there is interest in optioning THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) for the production of a manga, animation and possibly a pilot TV and cinematic version. Savant/Aignos is one of the few book publishing companies I know that has close ties with manga, animation, TV and cinematic production companies. Not just talk, but actual option purchase connections.

In our discussion about its suitability for public viewing, we discussed at some length the issue of nudity. In the book, most of the populace are nudists, a way around gun and weapon control, and around assault be it purely physical or physical-sexual. I was surprised at the “work arounds” suggested, meaning the production folks at K. Simmons Productions had already thought some about this. Nope, I’m not going to say anything further, as it might be a spoiler.

The other day, I heard a major book chain had issued a purchase order for 200 or so copies. I’m still eagerly awaiting some book reviews. I know the work is in many hands. Waiting for reviews is always hard for an author. If you bought a copy of my book from Amazon, won’t you write a review on the Amazon book site, please?

The bottom line is that I’m pleased to hear that THE EDGE OF MADNESS is getting out there and is being read. That’s a bigger thing than most non-authors would imagine, in that the publicity airways and internet are absolutely jammed with COVID-19 and upcoming federal election news. It’s hard to shout louder, so I have to rely largely on word of mouth by readers.

Socialization, Politicization, Weaponization, Militarization

In college, I was taught that what made some information factual (“truthful”) was that either it was (1) from an authority; (2) scientific (repeatable); or (3) statistically relevant when referring to large groups. Each, of course has its limitations. I’ve recently been investigating a fourth venue, that of M-Superstring Theory, but the details have yet to be fleshed out.

It is with some trepidation that I have followed the evolution of “information” in our “new age” In the absence of any one overriding “proof” of truthfulness or factualness. I’ve watched information become socialized (whatever’s buzzing on social media must be true), politicized (whatever is stated publicly by trusted politicians surely must be true), and weaponized (whatever I can be made to believe is true can and will be used by someone to further their specific agenda). People used to call these “propaganda.” All represent “Logical Fallacies,” and, by definition have no “truth value” at all, despite their spread. Oddly, the same has been true of COVID-19 “information.”

Recently, I heard a BBC report that China was testing a SARS-vaccine that might confer immunity against COVID-19. What disturbed me was that it was reported that China had decided to first immunize its military. So, add to socialization, politicization and weaponization, militarization. In colloquial Trumpian terms, “Military First.”

Now, it might be that China is testing it first in its military to gain sufficient information about side effects before introducing it into the civilian population. I’d like to believe that. I’d like to believe that a nation as populous as China would sacrifice its military before its civilians. According to the World Atlas/World Bank/U. S. Census Bureau China’s military forces account for roughly 0.2% of it’s population, which might not constitute a heavy price for a comprehensive field-testing program, with the collateral benefit (should it prove both effective and safe) of having an immune military force. On the other hand, what better way to gain the upper hand in global militarization. Either way, I remain concerned about the militarization of information. What could possibly be next?

I don’t discuss this concern in THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020), though perhaps I should have anticipated it and included it in the “future,” but I guess I am astounded enough at the power of the first two, without wanting to consider further the vicissitudes of a world preparing for war.