06-28-2013, 01:46 PM
Regardless of how easy or difficult the creation of the necessary cooling would be, I think that we need to have one of our physics people, probably Adam if he has time, read through the paper in question and give their take on the feasibility of the physics and the basic idea. As mentioned earlier, reversable computing is not something we've played with in the setting as yet, but it could have a role.
If deemed workable, we would need to consider to what degree we would want it to be workable in the setting. A longstanding principle in the setting is that tech is rarely as efficient/capable in practice as it is in theory (although transapients seem to manage it from time to time). As such we might say that the tech can only be built successfully by transapients (although modos tried and failed many times) or that while modos could make the processor they couldn't make a transapient mind from it (in OA, raw processing power by itself is insufficient to create a mind, an appropriate pattern of processing is required and minds can't be created with complete certainty by an entity of equal or lower S-level, especially by a lower S-level), or whatever we end up deciding.
In a similar vein, the cooling requirements of this tech may (or may not) limit it if the builders prefer/need something that can operate at higher temperatures more than they need compact processing. Or may find cooling hot processors easier than cooling cryogenic ones. Or may just invent a room temp reversable computing device and save a lot of bother all around. Basically all of this would need to be discussed.
While OA is certainly adaptable and willing to change with new information, we don't make this sort of change lightly or simply on the basis of the existence of the paper. So before we get too much into this, I think we need Adam or someone to take a look at it.
Todd
If deemed workable, we would need to consider to what degree we would want it to be workable in the setting. A longstanding principle in the setting is that tech is rarely as efficient/capable in practice as it is in theory (although transapients seem to manage it from time to time). As such we might say that the tech can only be built successfully by transapients (although modos tried and failed many times) or that while modos could make the processor they couldn't make a transapient mind from it (in OA, raw processing power by itself is insufficient to create a mind, an appropriate pattern of processing is required and minds can't be created with complete certainty by an entity of equal or lower S-level, especially by a lower S-level), or whatever we end up deciding.
In a similar vein, the cooling requirements of this tech may (or may not) limit it if the builders prefer/need something that can operate at higher temperatures more than they need compact processing. Or may find cooling hot processors easier than cooling cryogenic ones. Or may just invent a room temp reversable computing device and save a lot of bother all around. Basically all of this would need to be discussed.
While OA is certainly adaptable and willing to change with new information, we don't make this sort of change lightly or simply on the basis of the existence of the paper. So before we get too much into this, I think we need Adam or someone to take a look at it.
Todd