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Life: “Fascinating. The Author’s presentation regarding the behavior of the Triple Pulse was illuminating. I never thought of graphs as having behavior, much less behaving in such an intriguing fashion. Let’s see? What did the Living Algorithm say about her methodology? Oh right. The project consists of comparing the behavior of graphs with human behavior. Having just seen the Triple Pulse in action, I’m guessing this is what he means by ‘graph behavior’. I wonder how the Triple Pulse’s behavior will mimic my human behavior.”
Life reflects upon her growing relationship with the Living Algorithm: “Hmmm. I wonder how our upcoming interaction is going to go. We certainly got along famously in our first encounter. Specifically, the behavior of her Pulse of Attention, a.k.a. the Creative Pulse, seems to mimic the behavior of my humans with regards to interruptions. We both agreed that interruptions are a real drag on a productive session. It was especially gratifying to discover that experimental findings support my intuitions regarding these presumed correspondences between the Living Algorithm and I. Despite our differences we tentatively bonded around this empirical event that we came to call the Interruption Phenomenon.
“Sigh! The Living Algorithm and I are polar opposites in so many ways. The Living Algorithm is just that – an equation composed of abstract symbols. Me, I’m a unique form of matter – living matter with the urge to self-actualize. However, the Living Algorithm does not generate just any old abstract mathematical system, she is special. She digests living data streams. Perhaps this is why I, Life, am growing to love her so much. I, too, am obsessed with living data streams. Indeed I can’t exist without them.
“The Living Algorithm is so amazing. When she digests a simple string of uninterrupted 1s, she gives birth to an Active Pulse, which is also called the Pulse of Attention. When an uninterrupted stream of 0s follows the initial stream of 1s, the Living Algorithm gives birth to a negative pulse, known as the Rest Pulse. And if another stream of 1s is then added to the data stream, she gives birth to yet another pulse, a 2nd Active Pulse of Attention. This alternation of Active and Rest Pulses constitutes the Triple Pulse. Accordingly, both the Pulse of Attention and the Triple Pulse are the results of the Living Algorithm’s method of digesting information (data streams).
“Those forms are interesting, but what really got my attention was their behavior. The graphic visualizations from the prior article continue to intrigue me. The mathematics behind the Triple Pulse verifies that there is a relationship between pulses – specifically the Active and Rest Pulses. It is this feature of the Living Algorithm’s mathematics that I, Life, am particularly interested in. I just keep wondering how this applies to my behavior. Accordingly, we have agreed to see each other again.
“Many of my artistic friends disapprove – saying that we have nothing in common. They claim the Living Algorithm’s Math is too rigid to encompass my magical spontaneity – my creative inspiration. On the other hand, my scientific suitors claim that my living behavior is a mere subset of material behavior. Because their mathematics can accurately predict what matter will do, they have blind faith that their formulas will eventually be able to predict my behavior as well. They boldly assert that choice is but an illusion, which their math will eventually whittle away.
"My two sets of friends seem to have polar perspectives. The artists believe that no mathematical system exists that can provide boundaries to my mysterious living nature. The scientists believe that their mathematics will inevitably precisely define my behavior. Although these two groups stand in opposition to each other in many ways, they both believe that my relationship with the Living Algorithm is doomed to disappointment.
“I am not sure where this relationship with the Living Algorithm is heading, but I am hoping against all possibility that this could be the mathematics of my dreams. I would love a mathematical system of my own to defend me from absurd claims and provide me with some certainty. More importantly, I seek a friend that might help me to understand who I am – reveal something about my innate nature – where I am coming from. Secretly, I even hope that the Living Algorithm’s mathematical system can perhaps reveal some of the secret codes to my matrix and act as some sort of personal guide.”
How will this next encounter between the Living Algorithm and Life go? Specifically, will their behavior correspond, or will there be significant differences? To discover if these unusual partners will continue to be compatible, return to the Left Brain’s alternate universe and read The Triple Pulse & Sleep Deprivation. To remain in narrative mode, read on.
Life: “Wow! Unbelievable! The behavior of the Living Algorithm’s Triple Pulse seems to model my human behavior with regards to sleep deprivation. Scientists have performed a multitude of experiments, which indicate that interrupting sleep has a negative impact on my human’s cognitive abilities. In similar fashion, interrupting the middle pulse, the Rest Pulse, has a negative impact upon the following Active Pulse.”
Life’s defenses were starting to drop a little as a result of two consecutive positive encounters with the Living Algorithm. Life had been rightfully wary when they first met due to so many unfulfilled promises in her previous encounters with mathematics.
One type of mathematical system associated with Science addressed features of her existence that she was only casually interested in. These hard sciences, as they are called, revealed the dynamics of her matter, what she consisted of – the types of atoms and molecules, and her general features – a carbon based collection of cells and all that. Although somewhat interesting, these topics didn’t seem very relevant for her quest to actualize her potentials. That was OK. But when they claimed this was all she consisted of, she decided to look elsewhere. She needed more from a mathematical relationship – something more intimate and personal.
Another type of mathematical system, Astrology, addressed all those things that mattered – love, creativity, friends and destiny, but lacked substance. There was no evidence supporting any of their wild theories.
“Ungrounded speculation is not that interesting to me anymore,” Life thought. “Been there; done that. Too many theories disproved when faced with the evidence. I would rather remain single than get involved with a mathematics that is either too rigid or too loose.”
“I was afraid that the Living Algorithm was in the second camp – a tightly defined mathematical system full of unfounded assertions based in metaphorical relationships. Astrology would be in this category – strictly defining linkages between the planetary positions at birth and personality. Astrologers even predict the future based upon precise planetary progressions in relation to the birth chart. I’m not taking away from the intuitive wisdom gleaned from this approach. I am just looking for more.”
“I want empirical evidence – some kind of proof that there is a correspondence between behavior that is significant to me and some kind of mathematical system. I was pleased when the Living Algorithm, or Alga as I now call her, took up my challenge confidently. Alga responded that she would show me some evidence that her transformations correspond with experimental reality.”
“She first showed me evidence of how the patterns of her most basic transformation, the Pulse of Attention, a.k.a. the Creative Pulse, correspond with the patterns associated with interruptions to a productive session (deemed the Interruption Phenomenon). Burned into my mind from this encounter was the notion that my productive sessions came in the form of pulses. If uninterrupted, the potentials of these sessions were at a maximum, while interruptions proved to be disastrous. Some hard-core data supported this belief, and it was my personal experience as well. As I embody human behavior, I was certainly impressed. But the evidence was flimsy and I asked for more. Confidently, Alga introduced me to her second transformation, the Triple Pulse.”
“The Pulse of Attention is the result when Alga digests an uninterrupted string of 1s. The Triple Pulse is the result when she digests the same number of 1s followed by the same numbers of 0s, and then 1s again. The shapes and concepts embodied by these two curves are certainly fascinating. But I am really blown away by their behavior – what happens to their graphs when their ideal data stream is interrupted. OMG. I couldn’t believe it. The patterns of the Triple Pulse resemble the patterns of Sleep Deprivation (another aspect of human behavior that I embody). More importantly, Alga provided the evidence I crave. The correspondences between her transformations and my human behavior are rooted in experience, culture and experiment.”
Although doubly impressed, Life’s skeptical side raised some more questions. (She had probably hung out with Physics and Probability for too long.) Life gave Alga a call. “How do I know that these observed parallels between you and me are not merely coincidental? Do these perceived patterns of correspondence indicate a causal or metaphorical connection? Is there any evidence indicating that it is based on a deeper connection? In our last encounter you showed me that the Triple Pulse patterns correlate with experimental results regarding the harmful effects of sleep deprivation upon performance. Although the match between model and experiment was good, I need more evidence linking your Triple Pulse with my Sleep/Wake cycle.”
Alga: “My pleasure. To provide more evidence linking you and I, let us investigate further relationships between my Triple Pulse and your sleep-related behavior. Specifically, let’s examine what the Triple Pulse has to tell us about the necessity of Sleep. If you’re interested, check out the article from the parallel universe that my friends wrote."
Life: "Not quite yet. My pulse is fading fast."
On her walk home, Life ran into some of her artistic friends. Excited about her recent encounter, Life shared her hopes for the potential of a mathematical relationship with the Living Algorithm.
Artist friends: “We don’t want to cast doubt upon your blossoming relationship with this so-called Living Algorithm of yours, but how could your disparate realities find any common ground? Aren't your polarities of rigid order and spontaneous creativity permanently estranged? Don't you think that the union of this equation’s abstraction and your concrete nature would be a violation of an absolute law of the natural order?”
Life objected: “The Living Algorithm and I were quite compatible in our first 2 encounters. The behavior of her graphs and my human behavior showed patterns of correspondence with regards to both interruptions to a creative session and now sleep deprivation.”
"What about beauty, inspiration and the quest for truth?" her artistic friends responded. "What does your beloved Living Algorithm say about these features of our existence that are so dear to us?"
Life could see that there was no need to pursue this conversation any further. She loved her creative friends, but they were a little close-minded when it came to the potentials of science. She, on the other hand, had always remained hopeful in the midst of an attitude of critical skepticism. But the conversation, as conversations sometimes do, pushed some buttons that she thought had been laid to rest.
Tired, Life laid down to rest. But disturbing emotions ran away with her quietude. “How could the Alga’s mathematical model really correspond with my empirical reality? Aren’t we too disparate to form a real friendship? Isn’t math too rigid, not flexible enough, to have friends? Are we doomed to eternal separation? Is a mixed relationship tolerable or are we too set in our ways? Is a traditional relationship the only alternative, or no relationship at all?”
Unable to sleep, Life got up and walked around to break this negative trance. To dispel her worries she decided to read the article that Alga had recommended – The Triple Pulse & the Necessity of Sleep. If analytical details and the graceful curves of our graphic visualizations are of no interest, read on for the metaphorical perspective of the Right Brain.
Life put down the Author's article – The Triple Pulse & the Necessity of Sleep.
Living Algorithm: "Well, what do you think?"
Life: "Whoa! That was a bit of a mind blower on all levels. I was startled to find that sleep rests the body, but not the mind. In fact, the mind is incredibly active during sleep, while the rest of the organism is in a state akin to mini-hibernation. In other words, my humans are helpless for a full third of every day. Further, the vulnerable daily state of sleep is mandatory, not an option. If my humans can't sleep, they give up their life force, me, and revert to dead matter.
"As Dr. Medina remarked, these scientific facts regarding sleep raise some significant questions. For instance, why did evolutionary mechanisms choose this daily alternation of consciousness and unconsciousness, if it renders my humans vulnerable to predators? In other words, why is sleep a necessity?"
Alga: "By comparing the behavior of my Triple Pulse with human behavior, I thought the Author offered an entirely plausible answer to this question."
Life: "I agree."
Alga: "To assist assimiliation, why don't you verbalize what he said."
Life: "Gladly. In an earlier encounter, we found that your Triple Pulse behaved in a similar fashion to my humans with regards to Sleep Deprivation. Shortening or interrupting the Rest Pulse had a negative impact upon the following Active Pulse. Similarly, when my humans are sleep deprived, their cognitive abilities suffer. In this example, the Active Pulse is associated with the mental acuity of consciousness and the Rest Pulse is associated with the unconscious state of sleep.
"The Author further pointed out that your Active Pulse fades out completely unless it is refreshed by a Rest Pulse. When we apply these correspondences to the necessity of sleep, the implications are clear. If there is no sleep cycle (the Rest Pulse), the mind's ability to process information (the cognitive abilities associated with the Active Pulse) gradually disappears. From this perspective, it makes perfect sense why evolutionary mechanisms would choose the vulnerability of sleep. Without the refreshment of the sleep cycle, my humans lose their ability to process information. Without their cognitive abilities, my humans would be completely helpless all the time, not just when sleeping."
Alga: "Impressive rendition. I can see that you understand what the Author was saying."
Life: "Another question that intrigues me is straightforward. Why is the mind crackling with electrical activity, when the rest of the body is almost totally shut down? What does your system have to say about this intriguing phenomenon."
Alga: "We're going to have to put that question on hold until we gather some more evidence. Next on our agenda is an exploration of what my mathematical system (the Triple Pulse again) says about naps."
Life: "Before we move on to our next encounter, I need some down time. In your lexicon, I require a Rest Pulse to refresh my cognitive abilities. All this new information has exhausted me. It's going to take some time for me to digest and integrate these unique ideas."
Alga: "Good idea. Text me when you're ready to get together again. We'll discuss how compatible our behavior is with regards to naps."
After Alga left, Life went right to sleep. When she woke up, she felt refreshed. However, she remained in bed for awhile, just reflecting upon recent events. Alga’s last statement kept bouncing around Life’s mind like a ping pong ball. “Hmmm? The Triple Pulse and naps? I’ve always wondered about naps. Why sleep in the middle of a productive day? Why waste precious awake time in a state that is akin to death? Hmmm? The importance of naps? Could that oblivion, which only seems appropriate to the middle of the night, have anything to do with the quality and quantity of my work session? What could Alga’s Triple Pulse (a mathematical model) possibly have to say about my Naps (a behavioral reality)?”
“Alga and I have already had some fulfilling interactions. So far we agree on everything. The behavior of Alga’s Attention Pulse shows distinct patterns of correspondence with my behavior, in term of interruptions to a creative session. Then the behavior of Alga’s Triple Pulse exhibited the same patterns as the behavior of my living matter in two regards: both deprivation of and the necessity of Sleep."
“Hmmm? If the linkages between her mathematical behavior and my human behavior have any validity, then Alga’s Active Pulse is linked with the conscious process of thinking and her Rest Pulse is associated with the unconscious process of sleeping. I know the empirical evidence is weak. But, at least the experimental findings have not been contradictory and are instead very encouraging.”
"To further bolster our burgeoning relationship, Alga said that in our upcoming encounter we will investigate the links between naps and her Triple Pulse. Will we have our first disagreement? Will the experimental evidence dispel any connection between us? Will contradictory facts suggest that all of our previous correspondences are just coincidences with no causal connection whatsoever? Or will the facts further confirm the links between us - her mathematical reality and my living reality? I have no idea."
For some answers to these questions, return to the main stream and check out The Triple Pulse & the Importance of Naps.
To see what happened in this encounter, read Life & the Living Algorithm agree on the Importance of Naps.