Symbiotes - Revision history

Jriley: Remove undocumented graphics

2012-01-20T23:51:39Z

Remove undocumented graphics

Strangelv: /* What is a Symbiote */ trying to address the definition dispute. My tinkering probably needs tinkering.

2012-01-20T08:48:46Z

What is a Symbiote: trying to address the definition dispute. My tinkering probably needs tinkering.

Jriley: /* What exactly are we trying to do */

2012-01-15T14:05:22Z

What exactly are we trying to do

Jriley at 14:04, 15 January 2012

2012-01-15T14:04:20Z

Jriley: /* Romancing Black Swans */

2012-01-15T13:58:10Z

Romancing Black Swans

Jriley: /* Romancing Black Swans */

2012-01-15T13:53:55Z

Romancing Black Swans

Jriley: /* What exactly are we trying to do */

2012-01-15T13:49:01Z

What exactly are we trying to do

Jriley: /* Reality Distortion Field */

2012-01-15T13:45:15Z

Reality Distortion Field

Jriley: /* Your input: */

2012-01-15T13:42:11Z

Your input:

Jriley: /* Forget the Turning Test, incorporate */

2012-01-15T13:41:15Z

Forget the Turning Test, incorporate

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 This is a tall order.
 ===Reality Distortion Field===
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-[[Image:Lichen01.jpg|thumb|400px|Figure 3. Green lichen on rock]]
 ==== Lichen example ====
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-[[Image:BlackSummerTruffle01.jpg|thumb|400px|Figure 4. Truffles]]
 ==== Truffle example ====
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-[[Image:FoodCrops01.jpg|thumb|400px|Figure 5:  Soil supporting Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Symbiosis with plangs]]
 === Fungus and our food crops ===
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 === Horses and dogs, once but no more ===
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 === Fear of our machines ===
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 ==Forget the Turning Test, incorporate==

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 == What is a Symbiote ==
+An enormous number of living species on Earth live in close association with other species.  A great many of these are true symbiotes, but perhaps in the case of humans, we should define the term a bit more broadly in a very specific fashion than in a strict sense of biological species -- yet in another sense, we're arguably heading towards a very specific category of symbiosis with this slightly more permissive broad definition.
 === Definition of levels ===
 One good formal definition of symbiosis comes from biology:  close, prolonged associations between two or more different organisms of different species that may, but does not necessarily, benefit each member.
 For our purposes we are interested in the stronger version of this definition, called obligate or mutualism, where the species do demonstratively benefit each member.  In fact, we are interested in the very strongest version where the species do not prosper and even have difficulty reproducing out of their mutual relationship.  We are not talking about parasitic relationships here.
-Only those in the strongest category will be considered as true symbiotes for the rest of this new lunar settlement design.  These exhibit the following characteristics:
+Presumably, only those in the strongest category should be considered as true symbiotes (or a term even more specific to this purpose) for the rest of this new lunar settlement design.  These exhibit the following characteristics:
 :#Mutual interaction – Each species must interact with the other in complex ways not generally available to other species.
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 === Symbiote Examples ===
 Examples of symbiotes flourish throughout Earth’s biosphere.
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 ==== Lichen example ====
 Perhaps the best known symbiotes are the lichen, which grow directly on rock.  Lichen is a symbiotic relationship between a fungus and an alga. The fungus produces acids that erode the rock, releasing minerals needed by both species.  The algae execute photosynthesis producing energy molecules for both species in sunlight.  Because of the symbiosis, the two species can live together on bare rock and are important organisms in turning rock into soil, which is in turn important to the entire ecosystem.
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 ==== Truffle example ====
 Another famous symbiote is the truffle and a number of species of tree.  The truffle is a particularly interesting example because in addition to the trees, the truffle is in a symbiotic relationship with a number of mammals.
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 === Your Input: ===
 :* What symbiotes are in your life?
 :* What criteria do you require to recognize a symbiosis?
 == What are we now symbiotic with? ==

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:05, 15 January 2012
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	=== What exactly are we trying to do ===		=== What exactly are we trying to do ===
−

	To design a new future for humans on the Moon, we will need to work from both the top and the bottom of the problem. This entry is then a look at a concept at the the very top of our design, the relationship between people and machines.		To design a new future for humans on the Moon, we will need to work from both the top and the bottom of the problem. This entry is then a look at a concept at the the very top of our design, the relationship between people and machines.

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 '''Abstract:'''
-We need to be open to out-of-box thinking.  This entry is part of a new lunar settlement design and is a discussion of how the concept of symbiosis applies to our vision of ourselves, our understanding of our relationship with our technology, and of our future in space.  The concept of a robot as a corporate person is discussed.  A list of references is provided and your input is requested.
+We need to be open to out-of-box thinking.  This entry is part of a new lunar settlement design and is a discussion of how the concept of symbiosis applies to our vision of ourselves, our understanding of our relationship with our technology, and of our future in space.  The concept of symbiotes is discussed in detail and its possible application to the relationship between humans and machines.  The idea of a robot as a corporate person is also discussed.  A list of references is provided and your input is requested.
 [[Image:RobotnautOccupy01.jpg|thumb|400px|Robonaut occupying the ISS, original NASA  ]]

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 To return to the Moon for good, we must deal with both flocks of Black Swans, good and bad.  Dealing with each group requires out-of-box thinking and that takes lots of practice.   If what we are discussing in this new lunar settlement design happened, for most people it would be a Black Swan of historic proportions.  Only history will tell if it turns out to be good, bad, or if it simply never happens.
-This entry is a intentional effort to seed an out-of-box idea and thereby create a good Black Swan.  Romancing Black Swans, like we aredoinghere, will break your heart, but romance them we must, so romance them we will.  And, we might as well start with the idea of symbiosis.
+This entry is an intentional effort to seed an out-of-box idea and thereby create a good Black Swan.  Romancing Black Swans, like we are doing here, will break your heart, but romance them we must, so romance them we will.  And, we might as well start with the idea of symbiosis.
 === Your input ===

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 On the other hand, lots of high-tech companies reached the Fortune 500 on the backs of a Black Swan.  Apple’s Steve Jobs was known for generating Black Swans from his day dreams.   NASA badly need a good Black Swan or two to get back in to manned space exploration with the gusto we once enjoyed.
-To return to the Moon for good, we must deal with both flocks of Black Swans, good and bad.  Dealing with each group requires out-of-box thinking and that takes lots of practice.   If what we are discussing in this new lunar settlement design happened, it would be a Black Swan of historic proportions.  Only history will tell if it turns out to be good, bad, or if it simply never happens.
+To return to the Moon for good, we must deal with both flocks of Black Swans, good and bad.  Dealing with each group requires out-of-box thinking and that takes lots of practice.   If what we are discussing in this new lunar settlement design happened, for most people it would be a Black Swan of historic proportions.  Only history will tell if it turns out to be good, bad, or if it simply never happens.
-Romancing Black Swans, like we propose to do here, will break your heart, but romance them we must, so romance them we will.  And, we might as well start with the idea of symbiosis.
+This entry is a intentional effort to seed an out-of-box idea and thereby create a good Black Swan.  Romancing Black Swans, like we aredoinghere, will break your heart, but romance them we must, so romance them we will.  And, we might as well start with the idea of symbiosis.
 === Your input ===

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-To design a new future for humans on the Moon, we will need to work from both the top and the bottom of the problem.  One of the best ways to understand the top of any design is to understand who your customers are and what their needs are.   The future lunar settlers are the most direct customers, but in a larger sense, our customers are the entire human population.
+To design a new future for humans on the Moon, we will need to work from both the top and the bottom of the problem.  This entry is then a look at a concept at the the very top of our design, the relationship between people and machines.
-We must also understand the time period of those needs.  Here we are talking about the first half of the 21st century.  That is a time of significant change and it can be only seen through a glass darkly.
+One of the best ways to understand the top of any design is to understand who your customers are and what their needs are.   The future lunar settlers are the most direct customers, but in a larger sense, our customers are the entire human population.  We now see our customers as only people; should we expand this view to include people and their machines.
 We must also deal with our customer’s needs during this time period as effected by our efforts and confidently be able to both deal with the unexpected and take advantage of any breakthroughs that happen.

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 For our new lunar settlement design we will take the long view and try to understand the needs of our customers over many years.  Steve Jobs was particularly successful at this difficult task of envisioning the customer’s future; including the new product he was just inventing in that future; and then defining the customer’s needs, with the new device as a part of their universe.  His coworkers called this ability his Reality Distortion Field.
-It is possible, but very difficult, to mathematically define a Reality Distortion Field as the convolution of the possibility function of the needs of people against the possibility function of space exploration.  We will not attempt to be that rigorous in this new lunar settlement design as neither of these functions is currently well defined.  We will have to limit ourselves only to discussions of this is concept.
+It is possible, but very difficult, to mathematically define a Reality Distortion Field as the convolution of the possibility function of the needs of people against the possibility function of space exploration.  We will not attempt to be that rigorous in this new lunar settlement design as neither of these functions is currently well defined.  We will have to limit ourselves only to just discussions of this is concept.
 [[Image:BlackSwanGraph01.jpg|thumb|500px|Figure 2. Predictable Events and Black Swans]]

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 :* Is Robonaut currently occupying the International Space Station (ISS) in a bid for personhood?
-[[Image:RobotnautOccupy01.jpg|thumb|300px|Figure 9: Robonaut occuping the ISS, original NASA  ]]
+[[Image:RobotnautOccupy01.jpg|thumb|400px|Figure 9: Robonaut occuping the ISS, original NASA  ]]
 == What's all this got to do with Lunar Settlement? ==