Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Will There Be Condominiums in Data Space?

Some thoughts and ideas inspired by Bill Viola's essay...

Idea: The Ultimate Mnemonist:  
What if one could flip a switch to turn on mnemonic recall for a set period of time, accessing parts of the brain with the precision of a computer. The Ultimate Mnemonist would have access to memory, seeing it as a "data space", where all points in time are available at once. What would be the consequences of such a power?

This individual need not go mad, given that they have the ability to determine when and how much they wanted to recall. Could there be a spiritual element to the power, beyond the natural ability of the senses, including various perspectives of everything around the observer? Could time be observed by this individual as something more than a linear series of events? For the Ultimate Mnemonist, time could be more like what it really is: A property of a single state of being. For the Ultimate Mnemonist, time is not linear, nor is it made up of a set of separate events. Everything, every time, simply IS.

Relative Time
Albert Einstein theorized that time is relative to the viewer. Our perception of time would differ depending upon our location and movement through space. It has also been observed that our perception of time would vary depending upon our experience. According to theoretical physicist and bestselling author Dr. Michio Kaku, without the use of a clock, people who are relatively (relative to human life expectancy) young, usually experience a set period of time differently from those who are relatively old.

When compared to a fixed rate of time, such as a one minute period as measured by a clock, the older person seems to perceive the minute passing relatively fast, while the younger person perceives the minute passing relatively slow. As a result, without the aid of a clock, a person would calculate the passage of time differently depending upon his or her relative perception of time in relation to their perceived mortality. In other words, time seems to move faster as we get closer to the end of our life. The idea of time as a fixed reality, as measured by our clocks, was invented by us. Could it be that time actually does pass at a different rate depending upon how old we are?

No comments:

Post a Comment