PrunJuice

Also, now that science has illuminated the human genome we are quickly (on an evolutionary time scale) advancing toward gene therapy treatments that could combat viruses.

Now consider executables. We have the ability quickly inspect AND edit executables, source code..., etc. Not to mention a much better conceptual framework for interpreting assembly instructions (compared to codons). After all they were created by humans for machines that humans built.

Then consider the resources viruses have had at their disposal to evolve. Every single cell [1] of every single living creature that has ever been infected over billions of years [2]. Assuming a conservative average number of 1e31 cells over the course of life's history that means (1e31 * 3.5e9 years) = (3.5e40 cell * years) of computations time. Then consider RNA transcription rates ~6.3e12 nt/year/cell [3]. So all together something like (3.5e40 cellyears) (6.3e12 nt/year/cell) = 2.2e53 nt. Approximation of course but probably with a few orders of magnitude.

Now compare to the number of instructions since the epoch. (1.5e9 s) * (2e18 instructions/s [4]) = ~3e27 instructions since the epoch. Again approximation.

(2.2e53 nt) / (3e27 instructions) = 6.6e26 nt/instruction.

That means we would be seeing the equivalent of viruses that evolved (3.5e9 years since first life) / (6.6e26 nt/instructions) = ~17 nanoseconds after life emerged.

Wow that was quite a tangent.

[1] https://forum.cosmoquest.org/showthread.php?141294-How-many-... ~5e31 cells currently on earth

[2] http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/faq/cat06.html life has existed for 3.5 billion years

[3] http://book.bionumbers.org/what-is-faster-transcription-or-t... In E. coli: (~5000 RNA polymerase molecules) * (~40 nt/s) * (60 s/min) * (60 min/hr) * (24 hr/day) * (364 day/year) = 6.3e12 nt/year/cell

[4] http://www.worldometers.info/computers/ 1 billion computers in use in 2008. with say 1 instruction per cycle and one core per computer at 2GHz that's (1e9 computers) * (2e9 inst/computer/s) = 2e18 inst/s

Comment · 9 years ago

# SPOILERS

Great writing. Then ending was a real let down.

How could an "AI" as they describe simultaneously be so naive and ALSO protect itself in any meaningful way? Especially in its early stages. It wouldn't even know to hide. And why would Big Corp give up trying to fix this sort of problem.

Overall not a credulous conclusion. Hand waving in the final paragraphs after the author crafted an accurate and believable narrative left me disappointed. (grammar)

Comment · 9 years ago

"They" is generally accepted as a singular gender neutral pronoun.

Comment · 9 years ago

An interviewer once told me "You were selected because I liked a joke you put in your resume.", essentially telling me my application was a joke. Needless to say, I didn't get the job.

Comment · 9 years ago

So which name is the correct one?