Gaming for Evolution

Having studied something about real time systems at college I was always impressed by the ability of 3D games, usually First Person Shooter games to run an environment in realtime. If you think about it it’s actually quite a computing problem to be able to run at often around or above 50fps and keep everything running smoothly and giving the illusion of reality. The early video game pioneers solved the problems in code. As more and more stuff needed to be simulated it became obvious that it is more efficient and sensible to do the calculations needed using dedicated hardware. So we entered the age of the accelerated graphics video card.

The GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) on your card has nothing to do with actually outputting an image. All it is, is a big matrix of specialised calculating circuits that do the maths of locating all the geometry in 3D space as you “move around” in a game. This has had an interesting side effect in the computing world. the GPU’s have basically become the modern version of the “Maths Co Processor” that some PC’s used to come with (I think it’s part of the CPU now). The leverage of the this GPU technology is achieving no small advances. Nvidia recently released their “Tesla” card. It has no video output ! You probably won’t be playing Battlefield on it ! It is hardware purely for doing calculations. These are not your usual calculations. Universites and companies have been using them for what used to be run on “Super Computers”. If you have some of the latest Nvidia (CUDA capable) video cards you actually have a supercomputer in your desktop ! So no need to save up for that Cray anymore.

Notice the people and car to scale.

M4 can be deformed every few milliseconds to compensate for atmospheric interference.

The upcoming Very Large Telescope has National Instruments LabVIEW working on the problem of how to stabalise it’s huge mirrors. It is not a trivial problem needing thousands upon thousands of calculations in real time (remember, this is exactly what is happening when you are playing a game). They have been using Dell multi core systems, but they have also been testing the use of GPGPU’s (General Purpose Graphics Processing Units) using Nvidia CUDA technology.

( A couple of Labview employees demonstrate. Double click for source page. The guy on the left reminds me of Chief O’Brien from Star Trek ).

So all that time “wasted” playing those 3D video games. All that hard earned money spent on video cards seems to be partly responsible for some rather major advances and research. So next time your parents complain that you’ve been blasting away with that shotgun too much, just remind them that your doing your bit for humanity. Just don’t tell them I told you to say it.

The Men in Blue

( A low gravity flight test, NASA TV. If anyone can tell me the name of the presenter there ? )

I went out to the hazel wood,
Because a fire was in my head,
And cut and peeled a hazel wand,
And hooked a berry to a thread;
And when white moths were on the wing,
And moth-like stars were flickering out,
I dropped the berry in a stream
And caught a little silver trout.

When I had laid it on the floor
I turned to blow the fire aflame,
But something rustled on the floor,
And some one called me by my name:
It had become a glimmering girl
With apple blossom in her hair
Who called me by my name and ran
And faded through the brightening air.

Though I am old with wandering
Through hollow lands and hilly lands,
I will find out where she has gone,
And kiss her lips and take her hands;
And walk among long dappled grass,
And pluck till time and times are done
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.

The Song of the Wandering Angus, William Butler Yeats.

This poem makes up a central part of the story told in ST:Enterprise “Rogue Planet“, actually as part of a first contact scenario. The episode concerns a shape shifting life form that appears to the Captain as a beautiful woman, not unlike that fish that turns into a girl in the poem.

( “Wraith” life-form )

( “Wraith” life-from in shifted state. )

After Captain Archer has helped it, the life-from speaks to him … “Never stop seeking the seemingly unobtainable”. A tacit reference to the coming birth of Star Fleet in the Star Trek Universe ? Anyway, that line has some resonances for me as well. Many years ago I had a dream where, at the same time as fighting personal problems in my life, I was filing into and lining up in a room with many people. Next to me was a woman I had just met. We were all wearing blue uniforms, and were gathering to listen to some introduction or speech. Blue uniforms ? It can only be NASA.

Now I find myself working on NASA World Wind projects. Almost working in an unofficial, volunteer function for NASA. Of course, I could easily end up working for ESA or some other Space Agency, but I seem to remember that ESA Astronauts put on that same blue wear.

“Never stop seeking…” ? I’ve heard some of the Astronauts on the ISS, like Clay Anderson, say very similar things. “Never give up on your dream.”. Of course that’s how some of them got up there. They never gave up on following their dream. This just makes me even more sure of the value of the International Space Station. I’ve had to stop reading some people’s forum posts about “…that’s why the ISS was sold”, or it “doesn’t do any real science”. Apart from the fact that the ISS has been churning out “real Science” for years and will continue to do so (every bolt that holds it together holds whole archives of Scientific engineering miracles, for example), it continues to be a huge beacon of hope for millions on Planet Earth. For the first time, after millions of years of evolution, we have an outpost in Space, and it’s not going to stop now. A symbol of what can be achieved by people not willing to give up their dreams. Not willing to give into the Cynicism that says “…you have to be realistic, put your dream to one side”. These people didn’t listen to that, and look what happened.

DJ Barney

Porthos Rules

Does this dog have his own star ? Does this dog get booked into luxury hotel rooms at conventions ? The most famous dog since Lassie ?

DJ Barney

Big News! An “Earth like” Exoplanet Is Out There.

Hey! :-D
Earth-Sized Planet Discovered in the Habitable Zone

BBC News Commentary

(Artists impression ALL THESE IMAGES LINKED TO LARGER VERSIONS)

(Sky viewing location. Gliese 581 C orbits around the red dot.)

(As Gliese 581 C’s sky location might be seen from the ISS)

Wikipedia also has some pretty good info on this discovery.

I’m reeling at this BOMBSHELL that has just been dropped !

I think the major, HUGE news worthiness of this item is that it (at least Scientifically) proves that there are “Earth Like” planets out there. To be clear … Planets that you, or I, could walk on without being crushed by huge pressures or sinking to the core!

THIS INFORMATION HAS NEVER BEEN DETECTED BEFORE, EVER in the entire history of Science, and, as far as we know in the entire history of the human race. Period!

(Unless some Ancient civilisation left the Earth before, or made sophisticated astronomical observations that we don’t know about … for example the Dogon… but that’s another story).

I managed to get a few images out of Celestia (above) but was frustrated that I could’nt get more star names showing around Gliese to give it some kind of context. There is a script to enable this, so maybe later.

Celestia can also create videos ! So hopefully I will post one here when I have entered a textured version of Planet “C” into the program that can be travelled to from Earth.

“The Truth IS Out There”.

DJ Barney

Addendum:

Context! Here is a Java, 3D, rotatable map of local stars.

More context. Here is a map of our “local area”, showing gas clouds and stars. Interestingly the circular areas represent areas where previous stars have gone supernova, allowing new stars to develop. I have lost the source of the image, so when I find it I’ll check these details. (Sonne = Sun, Lichtjare = Lightyear, this is a German map!)

(Click for larger).

Here is the Astronomy Picture of The Day image related to this. It shows what seems to be a colour DSS image (the combined channels?) of the star Gliese 581. Of course, you can’t see the planets… but there is the star !

Here’s a small Java animation of the system ( from Sol Station ).

Find your own Planetary Systems ! “What Planet Would You Like To Go To Today!” (LOL!)…

“Systemic … characterizing extrasolar planetary systems.” (A good looking site) Scroll down the page and you’ll find the links to the research database.

A thread on Bad Astronomy / Open Universe forum about this (linked through to a bigger thread).

A list of stars in this constellation.

A simulation of what the atmosphere might look like done by feeding in known values into an atmospheric simulator.

Lost: Is Modern Society Deserted From It’s Past ?

“You’ve always known there’s something wrong with the world, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad…” Morpheus, The Matrix.

( Please note. All the images below are linked to larger / fully viewable verions. )

I think any questioning person today, is curious about the way the Human world is, and is not happy to accept the answer “that’s just the way things are”.

In my opinion, we are starting to see the seeds ( and many have germinated ) of a huge revolutionary resurgence in The West and maybe all countries. Some very clever and feeling people have been fighting for us. Goodness knows how happy they would be to see their hard work coming to fruition. We’re talking about a “story” that was begun 5000 years ago. It’s beginnings were transcribed 3000 years ago, and it’s major “act” began 2000 to 1800 years ago.

Our modern world looks to the future for inspiration. Bases on the Moon and Mars. A more egalitarian society without the destructive conflicts between nations. A world where constructive approaches can be taken to poverty and disease, without the crippling influence of modern politics.

We look out into space, or at the surface of Titan imagining ever more elaborate “Science Fiction” futures to reassure us that things will get better.

But I say that we’re looking in the wrong direction! We should be looking BACK in time…not forward, for an answer to our problems. I’m not saying we should literally “return to the old ways” as that would be impossible and probably unrealistic.

Most people who watch Star Trek are familiar with the Vulcans. But I wonder how familiar those people are with their counterpart in the real world…The Gnostics, The Ancient Greeks and the source that they all sprang from…Ancient Egypt !

Seen as highly logical and very intellectual…this is not actually true. It’s said a few times in the series that Vulcans, far from supressing or eradicating feelings, are actually trained to master and understand them ! This is the deeper meaning to Star Trek, and in my opinion Star Trek was created as the vessel to transport this original idea created by Gene Roddenbury. The pop culture understanding of Vulcans, sees them as simply “Scientific”, but, here, Roddenbury and all subsequent writers on Star Trek, are being very clever. We’re being drawn in to a story…ultimately about ourselves.

You may ask…what is this “story”? What is this revolution ?

It’s a revolution without guns…a SOCIAL revolution. It’s a story that’s over 2000 years old. If you’ve seen the movie “The Matrix” then you might have heard of “Gnosticism”. But Gnosticism is no “‘ism”. It is a philosophy that connects many different world religions, if not all ….. and many paths.

“The Nag Hammadi library demonstrates the wide catchment area of beliefs that make up early Christianity. For those who see Gnosticism as a radical form of Platonism, there are fragments of the works of Plato. For those who see parallels with Hermeticism, there are fragments of Hermetica. For those who trace Gnosticism to Iranian origins, there is the apocalypse of ‘Zostrianos’ = Zarathustra / Zoroaster. For those who see it’s origin in Judaism, there are traditions ascribed to Seth, Melchizedek and Adam. As Price notes, “Gnosticism was not just a “many headed heresy”, as the Church Fathers called it; it was a doctrine with many roots as well.” Price, R. M. (2000), 32-3″ ¹

The timing of the rediscovery of many of the teachings of these Gnostics was extraordinary. It was found in 1945.

But The Matrix is hardly an isolated example of the modern exposition of these ideas.

“The Hebrew word for knowledge is daarth, which also means sexual union.”

The Footnote to this says….

“Daath, from yada, ‘to know’.” ²

Star Wars is not the only example of references to very old “hidden” ideas. Many astronomical objects are named after philosophers of Ancient Greece or mythological characters created by the Gnostics themselves. In fact although many of us may have forgotten the profound importance of the cultures that went before us, our modern culture is, despite much cynicism about the human condition, saturated with Gnostic ideas !

In my opinion these ideas are not just “Religious” but give us an important message about the balance between the Scientific-intellectual and the “Religious”.

Anyone who has been to school should know that many of the Scientific methods that we use today…Mathematics, Geometry and Logic to name but a few, are based on knowledge given to use by Ancient Greece, which was it’self informed by Ancient Egypt, who were, of course, very religious. In fact it is almost a “truism” that “The West” is based on and inspired by the pretensions of the ancient Greeks, that give us things like modern Democratic politics (it’s self a word with a Greek root), and many modern ideas of what a “nation state” is.

Of course, any history is a huge synthesis of many ideas and causes, but the influence of the ancient Greeks cannot be underestimated.

Now, many would pay their respects to these origins, but would see them as remote and disconnected from the modern world. In fact we have things like “Post Modernism” and Fukuyama’s “The End of History” , that seem like dangerous “Year Zero’ism”, in my opinion, and has made things like American pretensions of Empire in Iraq (for example), and Tony Blair’s “classless society” posturing, much worse.

It’s almost like some people think we can throw away the lessons of the past and get away with it !

But how many people have died in Iraq, or elsewhere? How long will some of these societies take to recover after being subjected to the “big idea” of the New World Order ? I cover some of these issues in a previous blog.

In my opinion we are actually seeing the results of a break with the past in society, that has left many people feeling lost and “washed up on the shore”. Many of us have been taught to see ourselves and our MINDS as somehow separate from history…even separate from reality it’self ! As a consequence of thousands, if not millions of people thinking in this way, we live in a world where parts of our environmental infrastructure are regularly threatened and destroyed, and people become disenfranchised and cynical.

This is as a direct consequence of a society that sees it’self as wiser and more “modern” than previous generations, because of it’s ability to exhibit this “distance” from ancestors and reality.

It’s as if being “distant” from things is seen as some modern mark of intelligence !

But is’nt that just “being remote” ?

I’d say that, despite our Internet and Space Race, we have actually REGRESSED as a society ! Even though we have achieved many impressive things as a society and individuals, do we really know who we are anymore ?

Do we really know where we fit in to the “story” of history ?

Or are we just too “modern” to even ask these questions anymore?

Neither is this just a “philosophical issue”. There are very real, and dangerous, consequences here.

( http://www.thecalmzone.net/ )

“Since the start of the war 102 British young men have been killed in Iraq.

Since the start of the war 3054 young men have killed themselves in Britain.”

(Quoted from the text in the image above).

Don’t wars like Iraq happen because many of the population are not connected properly to current affairs ? Don’t many young people, even if they don’t come close to suicide, get in to trouble because they feel disconnected from their ancestors and have not been taught the true value of a human life ? Do many people not ask for help when they get into difficulties because they don’t value themselves as a full human being … a direct descendant of all the extraordinary beings who went before them and all their profound achievements ?

I watched the Star Trek: Enterprise episodes “The Forge“, “Awakening“ and “Kir’Shara“.

This trio are another powerful attempt to raise our feelings about the past. Even if you don’t like Star Trek maybe you can appreciate the attempt they are trying to make.

Captain Archer takes part in an upheaval on the Vulcan home world.

Eighteen hundred year old teachings that taught Vulcans to master their emotions, and hence not to destroy themselves, are being reinvigorated. A Vulcan Elite that have, once again, given in to their (stronger than human) Vulcan emotions are in danger of starting a cosmic war, and destroying the very sect that are the keeper of these original teachings. The “Syrrannites”, the followers of “Surak”, the original Vulcan master who taught them to master their emotions and embrace Logic and Reason.

“My people have strayed ….. and someone must restore them to The Path”
(Surak to Captain Jonathan Archer).

Is’nt this the modern world we live in ? Where the place of emotion seems to be barely discussed in terms of what drives societies, starts wars and makes the pursuit of reason a very rocky road sometimes. But it’s not just emotion. Surak harks back to the time of Ancient Greece and Egypt. Where emotion and logic (or reason) worked together to produce what would become modern Science. Of course Science now regards it’self as seperate from Religion, even while knowing that the traditions that spawned it suffered from no such “split”. To mix unrestrained emotion with Scientific research, is, of course seen as anathema, and rightly so, as everyone knows how too much emotion can effect reason and lead to disaster. But are we swinging too far in that direction ?

A talk by the head of the Planetary Society enumerates brilliantly how the cold Scientific mind can see emotion, art, the spirit, as “worthless”, even dangerous. Yet this physicist describes an awakening experience he had, where he finally came to realise the huge insights and powers that BALANCING himself between emotion and logic, could give him! Here is his talk…

A talk by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chairman of The Planetary Society.

Part 1, Part 2.

Many of the design problems of the Egyptian Pyramids are still a mystery to us (some “impossible” masonry joins, for example). But were’nt the Ancient Egyptians just using a mind balanced between emotion, logic and reason ? Able to make “jumps” that we are often incapable of ?

To return to Enterprise. The Captain goes on to try and return the “Kir’Shara“ to the Vulcan people. An artifact bearing an uncanny resemblance to the The Nag Hammadi library.

Is’nt this what is happening in the world now ? A struggle between those paralysed by their own unowned, and unmastered, emotions, and those with somewhat “cooler heads”, aware of the huge breadth and depth of history and the cast of billions who have bought us to this moment !?

The “Kir’Shara“ and the The Nag Hammadi library are both seen as religious artifacts, but both ultimately bring a balanced way of practising Science and pursuing exploration of the Galaxy that honours the truly extraordinary nature of mind and the Universe it’self, without giving in to unfeeling cynicism and coldness.

(The Kir’Shara writings are revealed.)

What of our own “Surak”… Hermes Trismegistus ? Although somewhat of a mythical figure, he does represent some of the original sages of Egypt who invented their writing … Hieroglyphics, and who built the Pyramids and constructed the sophisticated Egyptian Science and Religion.

In fact the concepts in the Egyptian texts that were eventually decoded, match exactly the later Greek writings that passed these concepts on down to us. ³

( Thoth / Hermes Trismegistus. Time to “Do The Egyptian” ? )

Although often seen as “Occult” or “Magick”, I wonder if we’re simply dealing with a Science here. For example, it was once believed that the builders of Stone Henge had “mysteriously” measured the circumference of the Earth, as many of the measurements taken from that monument are related to that number. ⁴

But it is now coming to light that they had an advanced knowledge of harmonics that modern Science has only recently rediscovered. Measurements of Stone Henge show relationships in the numbers, that are highly inter related. Could the builders have inferred the circumference number from astronomical observations, just like the astronomer, Ole Rømer, who 1676 inferred the speed of light from observing the moons of Jupiter ? Or were they using a “hybrid” Science. A mixture of Religion and Science, of intellect and emotion, artistic insight and reason ? ⁵

So in our modern world we are grappling with post Cold War problems of how to deal with international misunderstandings. We are also trying to do things like distribute wealth fairly without upsetting the apple cart of the way we value personal possesions. What about our technology ? Can we apply it without ruining our environment ?

We look to Science to provide answers, because it is Science that has provided us with the technology that we hold so dear. Mobile phones, Computers … Toasters!

Although Religion is a powerfull force in the world, I see some people getting caught “between the devil and the deep blue sea”. Modern Science cannot provide the emotional tools to help us, and yet Religion is widely, in my opinion, held to be a force that just creates conflict !

Is there no middle way here?

Do we not have very powerful lessons from the past, that our ancestors are telling us ?

Maybe these desert island dwellers have some soul searching to do ?

DJBarney

Footnotes.

1. Jesus And The Goddess, The Secret Teachings Of The Original Christians, Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy.

2. Jesus And The Goddess, The Secret Teachings Of The Original Christians, Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy. P. 160.

3. The Hermetica, The Lost Wisdom Of The Pharaohs. Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy. P.18.

4. View Over Atlantis, John Michell.

5. Dan Winter is one of the foremost promoters of this kind of “Science”.