#Simulations

[thirdity]

Art is dead, not only because its critical transcendence is gone, but because reality itself, entirely impregnated by an aesthetic which is inseparable from its own structure, has been confused with its own image. Reality no longer has the time to take on the appearance of reality. It no longer even surpasses fiction: it captures every dream even before it takes on the appearance of a dream.

Jean Baudrillard, Simulations

[futurebird]

Sarah lives on a "primitivist server" run by a conservative group obsessed with the early 21st century, (just before the climate crisis) It simulates a barbaric time the server-founders regard as a 'golden age.' A world of forgotten horrors: poverty, cancer, psychologically damaging religions.

By galactic law, it's illegal to simulate people unaware of other options... but, most people in Sarah's life have little interest in the "real" world beyond of the server. Sarah finds this maddening.

Sarah wants to see the other servers. She wants to experience the real Earth... and her darkest ambition... (very illegal) to be physically embodied there.

She isn't totally alone. She hooks up with a group that builds "real" sculptures out of moon dust on the real moon using a robot that bypasses the conservative time-locked simulation's rules.

These radicals are building a spaceship (about the size of a deck of cards) to fly to the surface of earth.

It's a risky proposition, once you leave a history simulation server you can never return (due to information contamination.) They have no money, nothing of value to offer the embodied people of Earth. How can they survive?

The process of breaking free leads them to uncover the dark secrets of the people who created their world. It turns out that the server-founders aren't really following the law. For most people in the 21st century the choice to "leave" is just an illusion.

Since they don't have enough power or money to "embody" at full size, they end up using tiny robots on the scale of ants. And they will need the help of Earth's ants to expose the terrible secret of the 21st Century history simulation... a project regarded as quaint and educational by most people on Earth, when in reality it is a torture chamber.

History simulation servers are a source of endless thorny moral problems. There is possible value in simulating the past, but everyone knows that a quality simulation will effectively mean forcing people to *live* in the past and much of human history is not anything anyone would choose to live with.

The law settled on a compromise:

1. People in such simulations must have a way to leave. 2. The people who start the simulation must live in it themselves, and they CAN NOT pick who they will be.

The conservative factions have long complained that modern people are almost not people at all since regardless if they live embodied or in a simulation they rarely face the kind of pain and adversity that was common in the past.

They look to our time and say that the least of us is more lucky than they are.

But will they really roll the dice and live ANY 21st century life? Of course not. And that's not the only law they are breaking.

They discovered early on that almost no one wanted to stay in their simulated past. Even people who said they wanted to "live a life with real challenges" change their mind.

Hence, to keep enough people in the simulation for it to work they have to rig the game. This is accomplished by a mental virus that makes it hard for people in the simulation to take seriously the possibility that life could possibly be any other way.

Which means the server-runners are engaging in slavery.1

[mongoliannomad84]

The Bawumia family spent a delightful afternoon at the rooftop restaurant in San Myshuno. Ashanti, and Byron dressed in stunning traditional West African attire, proudly showcased their cultural heritage. While Ashanti rated the meal as above average, she gave a perfect 10 to the outfits, a vibrant reflection of their pride and roots. It was an elegant and memorable family outing.

[materialsscienceandengineering]

How 'have you tried turning it off and on again?' works for chemistry, not just computers

A new study from Tel Aviv University has discovered that a known practice in information technology can also be applied to chemistry. Researchers found that to enhance the sampling in chemical simulations, all you need to do is stop and restart. The research was led by Ph.D. student Ofir Blumer, in collaboration with Professor Shlomi Reuveni and Dr. Barak Hirshberg from the Sackler School of Chemistry at Tel Aviv University. The study was published in Nature Communications. The researchers explain that molecular dynamics simulations are like a virtual microscope. They track the motion of all atoms in chemical, physical, and biological systems, such as proteins, liquids, and crystals. They provide insights into various processes and have different technological applications, including drug design.

Read more.

[posthumanwanderings]

[miss-biophys]

New publication out!

We were curious what happens with the lipid membrane if proteins are inside. As a model of membrane proteins we use transmembrane peptides with neutral and positive charge. The charges turn out to be quite crucial in the peptides influence on the lipids.

publication link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfb.2024.113765…

All transmembrane peptides hinder mobility of lipids around. The positive charges in the peptide make this hindering a long range influence.

The membrane with the positive peptides then has heterogeneities in the lipid mobility. This hampers free rearrangement of lipids and leads to lower ability to seal ruptures. You can see below how the membrane stays fragmented after indentations with AFM (atomic force microscope), which is basically a very tiny tip that scans the surface of the membrane for images and can also push through it to test mechanical stability.

For comparison this is how it looks like with a membrane without any peptides. The mebrane seals the ruptures induced by the AFM tip and recovers its round shape. The same happens if we have a neutral, non-charged, peptide.

With this work we highlight the importance of including charges of proteins and peptides in membrane model studies.

And last but not least...

This is the very first time I am the last corresponding author of a publication. I am immensely proud on myself!

[lecameleontv]

Captures de l’Ep. 4.10 : Simulations / Spin Doctor (2000) de la série Le Caméléon (V.O. : The Pretender)

Distribution : - Rex Linn, qui avait déjà croisé Paul Dillon dans le film L’Ile aux Pirates (1995) et le recroisera dans la série Les Experts : Miami (2004), et retrouvera Michael T Weiss dans l'Episode incursion 4.10 de la série Profiler; - Robert Davi, qui avait déjà croisé Richard Marcus dans l'Ep. 1.07 de la série Hôpital St. Elsewhere (1982), de la série Profiler qui a 3 épisodes incursion avec Michael T Weiss, et qui croisera Jason Brooks dans Alerte Astéroïde (2014); - Max Martini, qui croisera Jeffrey Donovan dans l'Ep. 2.07 de la série Burn Notice, qui participe également à l'incursion 4.10 de la série Profiler et avait déjà croisé Harve Presnell dans le film Il Faut sauver le Soldat Ryan (1998); - Jamie Luner, de la série Melrose Place, et qui croisera Jason Brooks dans le TVfilm N'oublie jamais (2017); ...

Todd Baxter : "Je veux faire quelque chose qui compte... C'est ok selon vous ?"

Jarod : "Hoquey.. ça c'est ... c'est un sport je crois ?"

journaliste : "La réponse se trouve derrière cette porte"

Jarod : "Pourquoi tu m'as aidé ?"

Todd Baxter (réfléchi) : " Mon coeur me dit que je peux te faire confiance... Ah attend (fouille dans une poche et lui tend un billet) Prend ça."

Jarod : "Ah non non non non non Je ne peux pas accepter, tu m'as déjà tellement aidé !

Todd Baxter (déposant le billet dans les mains de Jarod) : Si j'insiste. Tu dégusteras une glace à ma santé !"

Jarod (détaillant le billet, étonné) : "Déguster une glace ? ... Est-ce que c'est bon ?"

Todd Baxter (amusé, riant) : "Tout ce qu'il y a de délicieux ! ... Quelque chose me dit que tu as vécu en hermite Jarod... Si tu vas à Washington, passe me voir :)"

Jarod : "Avec plaisir.... Je te remercie."

B. Malone : "La Vérité ? C'est ce que tout le monde recherche."

M. Parker (insistant) : "Jarod reste l'avenir du Centre"

Mlle Parker (pas convaincue) : "Pourquoi ?"

M. Parker (crispé, fuyant) : " C'est notre plus bel exploit, un atout sans égal..."

Sydney : "Menteur ... ! TOUS DES MENTEURS !!! ... MEEENNNNTTTEEEUUUURRRRRRS !!!!!!!! "

Mlle Parker : "J'ai toujours su que c'était un savan fou"

Broots : "C'est le Centre qui nous rend fou."

Agent Linden : "On croit devoir abandonner la partie quand on sent qu'on n'a plus d'atout."

Il s'était déjà infiltré au F.B.I. dans :

source : imdb

Saison 4 : Episodes 01 - 03 - 04 - 05 - 07 - 08 - 09 - 10 - 11 - 13 - 15 - 16 - 18 - 19 - 20.

[tomorrowusa]

The 538 Electoral College simulations are back and there is slightly good news for Biden.

But too many states are too close for comfort and we all need to do our part to secure democracy. This is not an election we can take for granted.

The current Electoral Vote projection looks like this.

^^^ Notably, RFK Jr. is not likely to get one single electoral vote. Voting for any third party presidential candidate who is incapable of getting electoral votes is a wasted vote.

The entire forecast, including state-by-state rundowns, can be viewed here...

Who Is Favored To Win The 2024 Presidential Election?

[thirdity]

The hyperreal represents a much more advanced phase in the sense that even this contradiction between the real and the imaginary is effaced. The unreal is no longer that of dream or fantasy, of a beyond or a within, it is that of a hallucinatory resemblance of the real with itself.

Jean Baudrillard, Simulations

[ziggymadeofstardust]

who else high af rn 🍃🫀

[mongoliannomad84]

True and Orlando Sidebe enjoyed a celebratory lunch at a rooftop restaurant in San Myshuno, overlooking the city skyline. It was a special treat to honor True’s graduation from Britechester University with honors—an achievement she worked hard for, with Orlando’s unwavering support. As they toasted to her success, True playfully blew him a kiss, her eyes sparkling with a promise of the night to come. A little woohoo was definitely on the agenda!

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Combining atomistic simulations and machine learning to predict grain boundary segregation in magnesium alloys

Magnesium alloys hold promise as a lightweight material to reduce weight in automobiles and transportation systems, offering potential to enhance fuel economy and reduce emissions, but low formability and strength prevent widespread adoption. Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a predictive model to aid magnesium alloy optimization to overcome these challenges. Understanding and manipulating interactions between solute elements and grain boundaries at various temperatures is crucial for determining the optimal magnesium alloy compositions and processing routes. As the rare-earth element yttrium exhibits the ability to segregate magnesium grain boundaries, the study developed the model based on yttrium effects on magnesium alloys.

Read more.

[pissanddie]

Babak Ahteshamipour, Misplaced and Displaced, But Never Out of Place, 2023. Digital image, series

[deadlyrose9086]

Day 1: Hospital AU/Hunger Games AU

-

Kaito needs an escape. Kokichi understands.

[monstermemories]

so my twitter feed pointed out something...interesting