Hi, >> There are 5 things that I am missing: >> >> 1. The player and >> 2. his relation to the globs are not characterized. > > mmm as player you actually are their overall intelligence... or something > like that^^ >
Did you heard about "complex adaptive systems" ? This is hard to explain in english for me, but i try. You may take a look here, where i will take definitions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_adaptive_system Quote: "Examples of complex adaptive systems include the stock market, SOCIAL INSECT AND ANT COLONIES, the biosphere and the ecosystem, the brain and the immune system, the cell and the developing embryo, manufacturing businesses and any human social group-based endeavour in a cultural and social system such as political parties or communities" These are systems, where complexity means that every single system's agent doesn't give you an idea what is/what does/how works the whole system. If you meet your first time a single ant you can examine her body as fisic or chimic point of view; you can also investigate about her behaviour when "free". You can't guess at all what does 100.000 ants together, the highly specialized work of every one. Interesting also that the fisical difference between the 3 mature body forms/role (worker, soldier, queen, male with wings that live just enough for a fuck when a new queen is ready to do childs and start a new colony) is only about which food is given to maggots. (hmm hope i didn't mix beehives and ants.. whatever). Adaptative because these systems react to environment signals (making defense, moving home and so on.. same about brain where a lost connection between neurons is replaced with a new path; that's the way you can learn again the things you have lost after an incident/sickness. Neurons are base elements in a complex-brain-system). This phenomen is called "Emergence" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergence You can scientifically explain such things without "falling down" to an Overall Intelligence, like Borgs in Star Treck, or Hive in Starcraft saga, which are involving but doesn't fit globulation2 unique characteristics. How does anthill effectively fit resource needs + winter surplus if ants just walk random all around like in a circonference? Each ant leaves a chemical trail on ground (where chemicals composition are common in anthill since childs of same queen, and different than ants from other anthills), each one going over this increase this "smell". If nothing good found in this path they doesn't walk on such trails, othervise the chemical is different. One more example: did you ever put fire with lighter close to a large, very large group of ants eating outside home? (not givin fire, just making them hot :P ) The ones that feeled the high temperature increase will start to run like crazy hurting the ones close, you will see this speedup propagates like circles, but being lower as far it goes. If there are enough of them, this wont reach edges and they will slowly go to calm. If they are few, or you warm many of them, the power of that disorder will reach the border of the eating group and from the edge they will go back to home. You can explain this phenomen (like waves when you throw a stone into a lake) as simple rules from a single ant point of view: she try to reach home, but blocked all the ways from mates. She just run and hurt all the one close. Observer may interprete like "sending message"... that's what happens. But a single ant is just getting mad, that's all. You can image same with a couple of antelope. The one which gets feared (maybe she seen a lion, maybe she seen a tree shadow moving!) start running, the others just follow as istinct. You can consider the Herd as a Unit, or as a complex system with many individuals. I'm sorry if i didn't explain good with correct words, and also if someone knows about more than me. This comes just from my curiosity and something may be not exact, i learnt just the general idea behind these arguments. Coming back to our globulation... You seems like the overall intelligence but you didn't get control over them (and they know resources places better than you): They are pieces of a complex system, they don't need you when system is balanced. You just controlling the environment as feeled from the hive "interface". You feel the war on air, you prepare more soldiers ( in the hive bees gives particular honey to these maggots, but no one is giving order for this.. is just about chemistry and evolution related to the environment). A building is needed to reach equilibrium, you choose where to build taking care of functionality. Same does the first ant starting to dig. The random place which is just better by a comparation ;) Where goes the complex adaptative system called "humanity"? Hard question, but it is'nt really a correct question. At least it wasn't many times i heard talkin about. -Federico _______________________________________________ glob2-devel mailing list glob2-devel@nongnu.org http://lists.nongnu.org/mailman/listinfo/glob2-devel
