On Friday, February 28, 2014 9:18:29 PM UTC-5, Russell Standish wrote: > > On Fri, Feb 28, 2014 at 10:51:00AM -0500, [email protected] > <javascript:>wrote: > > > > Ok, Thanks. We're back to the Observer again, where all things are > decided at the quantum. From here on the questions tumble forth as a > cascade, on whether the Observer is conscious, who is the Observer, what is > the Observer? > > > > Interesting questions, to be sure, but all quite irrelevant to > information theory. All an observer needs to do for information theory > is detect a difference (that makes a difference). >
Something needs to be able to assign a significance to that detection also, and to have the power to manipulate and combine significance, difference, detection, and re-manipulation. In short, something needs to sense and to make sense of sense. Craig > Cheers > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Russell Standish <[email protected] <javascript:>> > > To: everything-list <[email protected] <javascript:>> > > Sent: Thu, Feb 27, 2014 5:15 pm > > Subject: Re: Is information physical? > > > > > > On Thu, Feb 27, 2014 at 05:01:51PM -0500, [email protected] > > <javascript:>wrote: > > > Not to be a dick, but is not "information" or "data" perforations, and > pulses, > > in mater and energy? This is how we recognize information from > background noise, > > correct? Is there a third state of reality that is not matter or energy? > > > > > > > Only when interpreted by an observer. An electrical circuit has only > > voltages and currents, not bits. To an observer, a voltage on a data > > line might be interpreted as 1 if it is greater than 3V, and zero if > > it is less than 1V. In between those two thresholds, the voltage might > > be determinate, but the information is not. > > > > The "third state", as you call it, is a semantically different picture > > where things are described in terms of whether some physical state is > > the same as, or different from, some other physical state, according to > > the interpretation of an observer. From that, comes bits, and all the > > other information-based quantities. > > > > -- > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > Prof Russell Standish Phone 0425 253119 (mobile) > > Principal, High Performance Coders > > Visiting Professor of Mathematics [email protected]<javascript:> > > University of New South Wales http://www.hpcoders.com.au > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > > -- > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups > > "Everything List" group. > > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send > an email > > to [email protected] <javascript:>. > > To post to this group, send email to > > [email protected]<javascript:>. > > > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. > > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > > > > > > > -- > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "Everything List" group. > > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send > an email to [email protected] <javascript:>. > > To post to this group, send email to > > [email protected]<javascript:>. > > > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. > > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > -- > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Prof Russell Standish Phone 0425 253119 (mobile) > Principal, High Performance Coders > Visiting Professor of Mathematics [email protected]<javascript:> > University of New South Wales http://www.hpcoders.com.au > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
