I haven’t updated my blog recently, and I have had this post from Spring Break sitting around on my computer unposted for about a week. I went home for Spring Break this year, instead of going to LA with Jo, in the hopes of making it to Delaware :-/
While home, I did get to the Aldrich museyroom, the flea market, and to Borders 4 times to read books in the store without paying for them (but while paying for very expensive coffee). Among the books I read for free was Gregory Chaitin’s Meta Math! I had actually grabbed three books to read while enjoying my coffee that day: Meta Math!, Imaginary Beings, and Labyrinths (the latter two by Jorges Luis Borges). I opened Chaitin’s book to the first real chapter, and lo, it commences with a quote from Borges. I suppose mathematicians are wont to quote Borges, as infinity, self-reference and incompleteness (of the complexity class sort) are some of his recurring themes. Still, what are the odds?
Full Stop
What it is: A artist’s studio completely constructed in cardboard and ink. It took 8 months to construct.
Why it is awesome: It’s like walking through a 3D virtual environment with everything rendered using surreal shader techniques.
Cons: Flammable.
Chaitin’s Constant
What it is: For all programs written in a specified language, Chaitin’s constant omega is defined as the probability that a particular program chosen at random will halt. For the universal Turing machine, the first 64 bits of omega are known. Omega = .00787499699… For more, see WikiPedia
Why it is awesome: The astute will realize that determining omega to N bits is equivalent to solving the halting problem for all programs of length less than or equal to N. Therefore it is impossible, in the strongest sense of the word, to enumerate all the bits of omega. It is irreducibly complex. Chiatin claims that omega is evidence of randomness at the heart of mathematics, the philosophical implications of which are hotly debated.
Cons: Requires a degree in CS to appreciate.
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Victor: Full Stop
Full Stop is a complete experience. That omega exists is interesting, but one gets the idea that it is only a small piece of a much larger story.
Runner up: Extended Afternoon
The light rays are painted on.
