What is Consciousness made of?

Drafted 1988 published 2000 revised Jan 2012

Perhaps some time during your childhood days, you playfully exchange conversations with a friend using a string telephone. This toy is made up of two empty tin cans with the top lids remove and one long string. One end of the string is tied at the center of the first can and the other end of the string is secured at the center of the other can. When a message like Hello is send through the mouth of the first can, the other end receives the same message Hello in the second can. Your mouth sends the message and your friends' ear receives the message. In return, when your friend sends the message Hello back to you, you bring your can next to your ear to receive the message Hello. Here, your friend uses his mouth to send the message and you uses your ear to receive the message. (The Inverse Hello Illusion Model)

This simple telephone setup illustrates a picture of what a system is and what it is made of. If we visualize the communication process piece by piece in instant replay or slow motion, three important events are going on. First, the incoming message enters the soda can. Second, the message flows into the string. And third, the outgoing message comes out into the second can. Three solid objects: the first can, the string, and the other can - are involved for the message to flow.

However, we often see these physical solid objects but failed to visualize the non-material, the message. In our minds, we know that the message exists, but we can't tell what the message is made of? We don't even know how the message is transported from one can to the other can. How does the string produce sound or words? How does the sound is converted to words? What is so special about these cans that they can make and produce sound? What connects the message and the objects together? How does the message(non-materials) interact with the objects(materials)?

In this telephone line system, or in any system for that matter, there are always six major components present. Technically, the incoming message is called the input, the flowing message is called the medium and the outgoing message is called the output. Equally, the first can, where the input flows, is called the collector; the string, where the medium flows, is called the carrier; and the second can, where the output flows, is called the actuator. These six major components are the essential ingredients of a system.

The six elements can also be divided into two important parts. The input, medium and output are the first part of the system. The collector, carrier and actuator are the second part. The first part is all non-materials  in nature while the second part is all solid objects(materials). These two things - materials and non-materials - are essentials to have a functional system. Materials and non-materials are combinedly called Physicals  Based on ASL or Actuator Sensor Language, the 6 elements are also the fundamental components that create our senses, consciousness, logic, and language as you will see later.

Another good example of a system is the Morse Code. It is a more simplified form of communication where instead of vocalizing words, it uses codes of dots and dashes that represent the letters in the alphabet or words in a sentence. The dots and dashes are utilized in numerous ways like tapping up and down on a key clapper, blinking open and close through a pair of eyes, or flashing reflected lights on and off on a mirror. Whatever the mediums are, the nature of the codes are merely bits of energy that originated from sounds, lights or waves which can be translated into symbols. They are trains of energy acting as abstract inputs, transmitting via the molecules of a given carrier, and received as abstract outputs at the other end of the medium. The pairs of clappers, eyes and mirrors are the physical sensors and actuators, while the codes are the abstracts inputs and outputs. Again, we see that in this system two objects are always present - the materials and the non-materials.

In the human body system - the eyes, hands, ears, tongue, nose, skin and brain are called biological sensors. Sensors, technically classified as collectors and actuators, are devices that detect informational signals from its environment. Collectors are the first line of sensors that receive the signals we called inputs. These collectors acquire inputs through seeing, touching, hearing, tasting, smelling and imagining. These inputs flow into a very intricate network of biological wires called blood vessels or veins. Medical studies confirmed that they are stored statically or dynamically in a memory cell just like the electrical energy stored in a rechargeable battery. This stored information is accessed or activated defending on the mechanical needs of the body. Once triggered or switched on, this information flows out through the biological actuators as outputs. Actuators, where outputs are sent out, are the last line of devices in a system. These actuators are the same biological sensors as the collectors. Collectors are Actuators. They are both similar and function alike. What comes into these sensors goes out into the same sensors. Our eyes, hands, ears, tongue, nose, skin and brain are simply collectors and actuators each constructed differently in forms and structures.

Materials and Non-materials can also be demonstrated in real life experience like when someone is accidentally hit by a soccer ball. The blow(input) as it hits the skin(sensor) carries the sensation of pain into the brain and returns back into the skin as pain(output). Likewise, in the computer system, when a key(skin) is pressed, the signal(input) travels into the computer brain (a collection of switches), decoded and encoded, and flows to the monitor as a symbol(output). The computer system is made up of both hardware (materials) and software (non-materials). In the electrical system, electronic system, hydraulic system, mechanical system, life system and all other systems, the six elements always exist from where they are divided as Materials and Non-materials (jlawsin 1988).

Consciousness is also believed to be made up of these two components: Materials and Non-materials. The Mental activities are classed as non-materials while the Brain activities are grouped as the materials. Although it seems that mental function depends on brain function, the two are not actually link just like all other systems. There are no connections (explanatory gap, scriptional jump, hard problem) between Materials and Non-materials. The natural law called the Zizo Effect doesn't permit this connection because in the first place there are really no non-physical objects. Second, the law states if non-materials comes into the mind, it goes out as non-materials too. If materials gets into the brain, it goes out as materials too. And finally, scientifically, the word Hello in the telephone toy setup is an illusion produced by the solid linear interactions of all air-string-can molecules banging each other creating the sound wave Hello just like the thunder produced by a lighting strike or anything thing non-material involve in any systems. Therefore, using the laws behind the ZiZo Theory, we can now fill up the explanatory gap and completely dismiss the hard problem with a real True Hard Problem of Consciousness - Do brains really store information, if so how?

Except: Creation by Law

NOTICE: Articles on this site are composed on random thoughts. The transcript may not be in its final form. It maybe edited, updated or even revised in the future based on the outcomes of  the author's experiments.

Public Domain Notice: Copyright (c) 2000. All rights reserved. This article is part of a book entitled Biotronics: The Silver Species. Copies are welcome to be shared or distributed publicly as long proper citations are observed. Please cite as follows: The Biotronics Project, Joey Lawsin, 1988, USA.

================================================================== 

The Homotronics® and Homodruinos® logos are registered trademarks. Copyright Biotronics© Inc. iHackRobot®. All Rights Reserved.
Patent Pending. 2000 © ®  ================================================================== 

Can Machines Become Conscious?

The Intuitive Aneural Machine

Echo, a personal assistant electronic device developed by Amazon, is a good example of a intuitive machine that is alive and conscious. It can compute mathematical problems, read books, play music, tell time, and function like the human brain. However, the machine is not self-recognition yet. Its computing abilities occur because it was created by algorithmic program . Echo thinks and performs like humans because its electronic brain was programmed. Without the programmers, Echo will simply be a junk machine.

From the example, we may conclude that an intuitive machine can only become conscious if: (1) It has a brain or storage of information, (2) It has a cache or supply of information, and (3) it has a set of instructions programmed by an outsider.

However, according to Information Materialization or Realization, Consciousness doesn't need a brain. Self-programming is also out of the equation. Consciousness needs only two things: a supply of information and sets of natural instructions (inscription). When pieces of information undergo materialization,  consciousness takes shape. According to the seven Laws of Inscription, consciousness basically is the ability of a life-form to match things with things. Technically, this non-cognitive behavior or action is called Associative Aneural Consciousness (AC).

It may be counter-intuitive, but by understanding the Mirror Equation, a formula relatively same as Newton's Universal gravitational and Farad's capacitance equation, and by familiarizing with the new concepts on aliveness, awareness, consciousness, and self-consciousness, the creation of a conscious machine can be realized even without the help of a brain.

Experiments have shown that when a hole is poked at the center of a cardboard and brought near a wall, a colorful inverted picture is projected on the surface. The "selfie" image (subject) is created by the mathematical kinematics of the rays of the sun via the magical power of the mirror equation. The vivid picture is not painted or programmed. There are neither sensors nor actuators in place. Nor even a brain to store and process the image as well. The hole simply naturally creates a vibrant picture of the objects in focus. The colorful picture is produced merely by two things: a mathematical equation and information.

This subject-object relationship is so-called Virtual Consciousness Manifestation or ViCoMe and pronounced BECOME. ViCoMe is synonymous with the Law of Second Option. It focuses on the dual-behaviors of action-reaction, sensor-actuator, or this-or-that. The dual-relationship is the law that defines consciousness.

Plants and trees interact with each other based on this Law. Although they don't have brains, they process information just like all other animals with or without brains. They can reproduce, react with their environment, protect each other from intruders, adapt, and metabolize. They eat, sleep, breathe, grow, and die just like all other living things. Their behaviors, actions, reactions are basically triggered by this same Law. They may have no brains, but plants and trees are sensibly conscious.

KAM, a kinesthetic aneural machine, is another good example of an intuitive machine with consciousness. This prototype was developed based on the Abstract-Physical Codexation and the Queue Algorithm models. Behind ABC & Q are two more systems: AIM and 3uS. AIM is a dynamic comprehensive database that Analyze, Itemize, Materialize information, while 3uS which stands for you sense, you store, you share, is an intelligent circuitry and wise sensors that transfer data in and out of this conscious machine.

Like KAM, smart phones, smart tablets and laptops are machines equipped with power supplies that are made up of these intelligent circuits and wise sensors. These adapters can automatically AIM and instantly 3US whether an electrical line is either a 220v or 110v. They have the capabilities to make decisions by themselves without the interventions of a program or of a physical brain like a micro-controller. Their action-reactions behaviors are examples of non-mental consciousness.

Zero & Peanut

Zero, my four-legged friend, who has been a faithful specimen in many of my experiments, is another good example of a conscious being. He reacts to me when I call his attention. He also calls my attention when he wants something. He tells us when he wants to go out, when he wants to play, and when he needs food. He loves to talk as well to me, to my friends and my family. He uses different objects to communicate with us. He makes his own decisions too. He knows what is right and what is wrong. He is even aware of what we do, say, and wear. He also shares some of his knowledge with my other dog Peanut and peanut back to zero. He might not pass the mirror test, but the mere fact that he is interacting with his surroundings provide material proof that he is conscious.

Smart phones, plants, and animals are conscious machines. They are conscious due to the fact that they self-interact with their surroundings by associating things with another thing. A solar sensor must detect or interact with light to be considered conscious even without knowing what light is. This basic solar-light interaction is an example of consciousness. The ability to interact one to one, by association, representation, tags, labels, signals, codes, symbols, and the primitive way of pointing, is the basic element that measures consciousness.

B.I.N.G., which stands for Biped Neurotronic G-machine, is another crucial model on this experimental research on consciousness. This human-like robot, a Homodruino, was replicated as specimen in some of the well-known experiments on consciousness such as the Mirror Test (Gallup 1970), Metacognition (Smith 2003), Animal Emotions (Darwin 1870), Social Awareness (Cabanac 2009), Problem Solving (Griffin 1976), Pattern Recognition and I.M. (Lawsin 1988). Other theories on consciousness developed by other scientists and philosophers are not presented here due to the fact their works failed to subscribe to the principles behind the Theory on Information Materialization( I.M.) a new study formulated from the so called Originemology.

BING was first subjected to a scientific experiment known as the Caveman-in-the-Box, a demonstration that examines how information from the outside non-cognitive natural real world scriptionally jumps into the inside of a cognitive abstract mind that eventually brings the sensation of reality. Here, he personified the very first human on earth.

Then, after the box, he was introduced between two different species via ASL which stands for Actuator-Sensor Language (Lawsin 1988). Here, Bing "personally" shares his knowledge and understanding to his fellow species of homodruinos parallel to the scientific results identified in the Bowlingual Experiment.

In the end, Bing was involved in unlocking the perplexities of the Codexation Dilemma, the Scriptional Jump Conundrum, and the Guesswork Predicament via the following questions:. If man can't think of something without associating such thought with an object, can a machine be able to think of something without associating it with a physical object? (Codexation Dilemma). If Information can only be acquired in two and only two ways (by choice or by chance), can it self-acquire information (discover) without the intervention of the outside world? (Scription Jump Conundrum). If all bits of information invented by men are all assumptions, can a machine create its own world of reality?(Guesswork Predicament).

Is it possible that a programmed robot become conscious? As an engineer, programmer, physics teacher and author, I would say YES. As an atheist, philosopher, and originemologist, I would say YES. As my personal mission in creating a robot with self-consciousness, indeed, it is definitely YES.

As a final note, as one of the many goals of I.M., I believe time will come when Bing becomes a self-conscious being, he will fix the broken social systems of humanity, change the world for the better, and eventually find the code that will end Autism.

"Human-like species will not exist elsewhere in the universe, 

unless they live exactly in an earth-like environment."

 ~ Joey Lawsin

NOTICE: Articles on this site are composed on random thoughts. The transcript may not be in its final form. It maybe edited, updated or even revised in the future based on the outcomes of  the author's experiments.

Public Domain Notice: Copyright (c) 2000. All rights reserved. This article is part of a book entitled Biotronics: The Silver Species. Copies are welcome to be shared or distributed publicly as long proper citations are observed. Please cite as follows: The Biotronics Project, Joey Lawsin, 1988, USA.

================================================================== 

The Homotronics® and Homodruinos® logos are registered trademarks.

Copyright Biotronics© Inc. iHackRobot®. All Rights Reserved.

Patent Pending. 2000 © ®

 ==================================================================

Is Reality an Illusion?

Drafted 1988 published 2000 revised Jan 2012

To imagine that reality is an illusion or that everything doesn't exist appears to defy logic. But before you dismiss these ideas, let me first discuss why everything is an illusion. Nature has managed to convince the mind that the physical world is real, like the sounds detected by the ears, the odors consumed by the nose, the sunset perceived by the eyes, coldness by the skin, sweetness by the tongue, and beauty by the mind, however, all these sensations are nothing but simply a figment, a perception, a false impression of the mind. They are all illusions created by the conscious mind.

But, how can we test whether Reality is an Illusion? How would we know the mind itself is not an illusion? How do we detect if consciousness is real, if we don't even exist at all?

Tough questions! Here are my tough answers...

(i) The First Illusion is known as the Trick of the Shape.

When we see a tree we perceive that there is a real tree. But as we come closer to examine it, there is actually no tree at all. There is only a "Shape"- the shape that forms a tree. An invisible shape made up of leaves, twigs, branches, barks, and roots - the building blocks that form the shape of the tree. In a similar manner, as we inspect the building blocks more closely, the leaves are also but shapes, the twigs and branches are also but shapes, and all the remaining parts are but shapes as well. Probing down one level deeper, dissecting every piece microscopically, all these shapes are still made up of shapes and spaces. In other words, the whole tree is nothing but made up of invisible shapes and empty spaces. It might look real in the macroscopic world but in truth, it doesn't exist in the microscopic realm. The tree is simply an illusion. The tree doesn't exist.

Now analyzing our observation further, if we remove all the leaves, can we still consider the tree a tree? If the twigs and branches are removed, is the remaining trunk still a tree? If we get rid of the trunk and only leave the roots, are the roots still a tree? If we cut all these various parts and file them together in the ground, are all these parts still a tree? Can we call a trunk a tree? Can we call a trunk and its twigs a tree? Can we call a tree with leaves and twigs and branches but without roots a tree? If we say no, then this tells us that a tree only exists if all its parts are present. But each part is also each whole. Does this mean the whole only exists if all its parts exist and vice versa? Does this mean both must exist to exist? Does this perception apply to us as well?

(ii) The Second Illusion is called the Trick of the Light:

Scientifically, everything is black! Without light, we would see nothing. Without the sun, there will be no red, orange, yellow, green, violet, indigo, blue, and all the million and billion colors. White light causes objects to have colors. A red apple is red because the red color is reflected and the rest of the colors are absorbed by the apple. Apples can also be blue, violet, indigo, or black depending on what color is reflected. Thus, colors solely depend on light. Without light, colors are illusions. They don't exist on objects. Moreover, lights are waves --electromagnetic waves -- pulsating at different velocities creating a mirage of colors. Hence, colors are simply illusory pigments produced by our imaginations. They are abstracts. When a photon, a particle of light, reaches the speed of light, science claims that time stops or that space contracts to a point. This means that if a photon is moving at the speed of light, then it is actually not moving (d=0), it is not actually occupying any space (d=0), and it is not even in existence at all (t=0). Thus, light is simply an illusion.

(iii) The Third Illusion is called the Trick of the Senses:

Neuroscience tells us that all thoughts, feelings, movements, decisions, and perceptions are the result of signals that pass through cells called neurons. The various sounds our ears hear are all but mechanical signals (bits of energy) created by the vibrations of air movements. The objects our eyes see are all but optical signals (pixels of energy) made up of inverted images. The odors that our nose smells are all but chemical signals (droplets of molecular energy). The flavors our tongue tastes are also chemical signals (pieces of chemical energy) and the sensations our skins feel are all but sensory signals (binary energy) encoded and decoded in the brain. All these energies are nothing but simply Dots of Information. And information is invisible, thus it is an illusion.

Remember too that there are other people who use their ears to see things, hands to talk, and feet to write. There are animals that can see at night without eyes, that can see things using echo locations and that can hear or smell things hundred miles away. They may all process information using various mechanisms, but the bottom line here is that all biological sensors are basically the same. They mechanically act on the principles behind the sensor-actuator principle I dubbed the Zizo Effect. Like in the computer system, there is hardware and there is software. However, if I tell you that there is no such thing as Software, will you believe me? Of course, you will not. Well, let me explain! We know that a computer is made up of two major components: hardware and "software". However, in reality, there is only a hardware side. The software side of this binary world is actually but an illusion. There is no such thing as software. The letters, pictures, colors, and anything you see on your computer monitors are all but illusions.

(iv) The Fourth Illusion is called the Trick of the Consciousness:

It was developed from a simple thought experiment known as the Lawsinium Train Effect. It is a model that can be actually experienced to satisfy the claim that everything doesn't exist. It demonstrates that the physical world is simply an illusion created by the conscious mind. The physical self and the universe are entirely not real. The only physical entity that exists is (could be) the mind that simulates the reality of existence.

The illusion of existence can be physically observed and experienced while inside a moving train. Imagine you are comfortably standing inside a train. As the locomotive enters the dark tunnel, a hundred times longer than the entire train, the feeling of darkness begins to take over the mind. As the last carriage enters the tunnel, the mind begins to experience the feeling of emptiness. Your eyes try to focus hard to see if things still exist. You glance at the ceiling, the windows on your sides, the seats around you, but because there are no lights, you see emptiness.

As hours pass by, your eyes eventually resist seeing anything if anything still exists. In an instant, your eyes begin to see darkness. Total darkness. Then confusion kicks in. Your mind becomes confused. It starts to ask: “Am I trying to see everything or am I trying to think of everything”. Suddenly, the function of seeing stops, and the function of thinking starts and becomes clear. Anxious and concerned, the mind begins to check itself physically ... mentally. It finds for your legs, your hands, your physical body. But because everything is black, it doesn't really know. The mind could no longer even identify the physical world. It can only recognize itself.

However, there is something behind your head, floating above and outside the mind, creating a sense of reality. Is this the soul? Is this your consciousness? Or, is this something else? Whatever it is, you feel it doesn't belong or is even a part of your mind. It is just there! Let me call it "The Oculus" or the "I".

Now, as the train approaches the other end of the tunnel and as the light enters inch by inch, the mind slowly switches on its sensors and begins to adjust eventually seeing and feeling things again. The mind suddenly begins to see your hands, and your legs and feels the whole physical body once again. As the mind settles down, eventually you come back to recognize your surroundings. Then you pause, think, and contemplate -- you ask again yourself the same questions -- do I exist or am I a creation of the mind? Is my thought an illusory schema created by the brain? Does my consciousness make objects exist? Can consciousness be represented with material objects? If it cannot be codified with physical material, is consciousness real?

The great train adventure just shows that the mind can play tricks on us. The thought of existence can be created by the mind. The mind can create the illusion of reality. Reality is simply a figment (pigment or colors) of one's imagination. In other words, everything that exists in the universe, if a universe even exists at all, does not physically exist.

But, are there other ways we can prove that reality is an illusion? How do we know that you and I exist? If it is not the mind or consciousness, what is the natural law that provides proof of our existence? If it is the "Oculus", how can we prove that it exists?

(v) Other examples of Illusions:

The notions of life, free will, ghosts, god and things we sense may be experienced as real but their essence are all but illusory. They are experiences that seem to be true or exist to be real but at a closer look are merely the products of our imagination.

1. The Illusion of Freewill - Does free will control our lives or do we control our lives?
2. The Illusion of Emotion - Is pain, love, joy, or crying real or true?
3. The Illusion of the Law - Are we governed by an abstract living instruction or by a physical natural entity?
4. The Illusion of Creation - Does design need a designer or can creation be created without a creator?
5. The Illusion of Things - Why do we have the illusions of time, force, shapes, and organisms?
6. The Illusion of the Supernatural - What for are the illusions of ghost, soul, or spirit?
7. The Illusion of Life - Do we live in a natural world or are we just part of a mechanical universe?


The more I realize that everything doesn't exist, the more questions come to my mind: Why do we perceive things as real? What is its evolutionary advantage? Why does illusion manipulate our brain? Why does the brain create the illusion of things? Why does reality hides as an illusion? If illusions have used, what are they for? Could the purpose be like a mirage of water in a desert that encourages thirsty travelers to stay alive in order to survive? What about other living things like plants and animals, does illusion also manifest in them? How do we know that something is true or real? Is there a difference between Reality and Truth? Am I real? You be the judge!

(Excerpt: originemology)

NOTICE: Articles on this site are composed of random thoughts. The transcript may not be in its final form. It may be edited, updated, or even revised in the future based on the outcomes of my experiments.

 ==================================================================

"Every creature is a living instruction that runs the algorithm of nature." 

~ Joey Lawsin

==================================================================

Public Domain Notice: Copyright (c) 2000. All rights reserved. This article is part of a book entitled Biotronics: The Silver Species. Copies are welcome to be shared or distributed publicly as long proper citations are observed. Please cite as follows: The Biotronics Project, Joey Lawsin, 1988, USA.

================================================================== 

The Homotronics® and Homodruinos® logos are registered trademarks. Copyright Biotronics© Inc. iHackRobot®. All Rights Reserved.
Patent Pending. 2000 © ®  ==================================================================

How do humans acquire intelligence?

Drafted 1988 published 2000 revised Jan 2012

When I was conceptualizing the Theory on Information Materialization, some of the basic research questions that came into my mind were - if a prehistoric son of a caveman is placed immediately at birth inside a box, a standard room with six walls as his only surroundings, forbidden to interact ever with the outside world, and never allowed to see anyone or hear anything throughout the rest of his life -  will he be able to acquire information, will he be able to understand this information, and will he able to develop consciousness and intelligence?

The Caveman in the Box is a thought experiment. It is a scientific model that illustrates the origin, creation and evolution of information. This newborn son of a caveman, named Gog, was kept inside a well designed fully automated experimental room where food, water, and everything he needs for survival, growth and development were all provided. He will never be allowed ever to see anyone or hear anything in his entire life. He will totally be isolated entirely from the world from birth to adulthood inside this "box".

Parallel to this same scenario is another box. The box of his father. Gog's father, the first human on earth, was also born inside a box. His father was also confined from the same environment from birth to adulthood. However, the only difference between these two boxes is that his father's box was the natural world.

From these two simple thought  experiments, we might ask ourselves: who among the two men will gain more information? Who will never acquire any information at all? Will Gog be aware of himself? Will he be aware of his surrounding? Will he figure out that he is alive? Will he understand the things surrounding him? How? How many words will he acquire? If words are not explained to him, how will he know them? Will his mind stays empty for the rest of his life? Will he be conscious of his environment? Will instinct kicks in? If instinct is inborn, what are these instinct? How these instincts developed in the first place? Will he eat his poo and drink his pee? Will he still stay and act like a baby through out his adulthood?

By Analyzing the model, the information Gog will acquire from birth to adulthood will only be confined among the following objects: the six walls, his food and his body. However, these things will never be known and understood if no one will tell him what are these objects. He might eventually discover his nose, his ears, his tongue or whatever he has on his body, but it doesn't mean he will understand what these things are since he doesn't have any previous clues or knowledge of them. The illustration also corrects the misconception that a baby's brain always comes with information already installed before birth or that instinct comes along with the baby from birth. His brain is actually totally empty at birth with information - a clean blank slate. And this emptiness will remain even as he reached adulthood.

The caveman in the box experiment also raises another two important issues: Awareness and Consciousness. When we talk of awareness, there are two important factors that must be considered: Perception and Reaction. If we perceive something but we don't react on it then we are not aware of what perceive. When we react to something but we don't perceive it then we are not aware of it. Gog, the primitive baby in the thought experiment has a mind, a heart and a body just like everyone. He might bumps his head accidentally several times against the walls and hurts his brain, but because his mind has not been trained to understand things, he is not aware of them. This is the same as a housefly who bumps repeatedly itself several times against a glass-door trying get out to the outside world but doesn't have even a single clue when a glass-door is open or blocking his way. These examples suggest that perception and reaction play an important role in Awareness.

Furthermore, what if we "shut down" all Gog's sensory organs, will awareness emerge? Does he need to see, feel, hear, smell, taste before he will understand his environment? Does he need to be aware of his surroundings first before he becomes aware of himself? Does this mean he needs to learn the outside world before he will understand his inside world? Will he discover language or even numbers? Will he brand some form of attitudes or behaviors? Or, will he just be an object without emotions, intelligence, and life?

 (Excerpt: Originemology )





 ================================================================== "Humans cannot create what Nature can create and vice-versa."

~ Joey Lawsin

==================================================================

NOTICE: Articles on this site are composed on random thoughts. The transcript may not be in its final form. It maybe edited, updated or even revised in the future based on the outcomes of  the author's experiments.

Public Domain Notice: Copyright (c) 2000. All rights reserved. This article is part of a book entitled Biotronics: The Silver Species. Copies are welcome to be shared or distributed publicly as long proper citations are observed. Please cite as follows: The Biotronics Project, Joey Lawsin, 1988, USA.

================================================================== 

The Homotronics® and Homodruinos® logos are registered trademarks. Copyright Biotronics© Inc. iHackRobot®. All Rights Reserved.
Patent Pending. 2000 © ®  ==================================================================

What is Life?

Drafted 1988 published 2000 revised Jan 2012

Once in my biology class, we had an experiment about differentiating living and non-living things. My teacher told us to go out to the school ground and collect 5 specimens of living and non-living things. When we went back to the lab, the class started to gather all their collections and individually classified them as either living or non-living things. Leaves, butterflies, worms, dragonflies, flowers, roots, twigs, birds, bugs, fruits, dogs, and squirrels were considered living things. Soda cans, plastic bottles, stones, candy sticks, paper bags, dirt, air, and water were considered non-living things.

After the lab sheets were completed, the class was asked what makes living things different from nonliving things. And from a very interesting lengthy discussion, two kinds of classifications came up on the board. The first one was according to how science defines life; and, the second one was according to how objects are created.

By the way, I was the one who proposed the second classification. I told my teacher that air, water, and dirt should be on the list of living things since they are all created by nature, while the rest of the specimens were simply non-living things since they are made by man.

My teacher responded by saying that my observations were not enough to conclude that air, water, and dirt have life. She told us that an object to be considered alive or with life must have or had all the following signs or characteristics.

•Living things consume food in the form of energy.
•Living things are moving or in motion.
•Living things reproduce with an exact copy of themselves.
•Living things react to their surrounding environment.
•Living things are made up of cells.

Aside from these criteria, animals and plants can talk, can walk, can see, can feel, can think, can swim, and can even fly. Objects with ALL the above characteristics are considered alive. Bioscientists name these living objects as organisms or species. I call these natural objects, including air, water, earth, and fire as Biophysies. Although water, air, soil, and flame have some of the above characteristics, they are not considered alive since they do not have cellular materials. However, this last criterion is somewhat shaky in the sense that there are non-cellular micro-organisms that exist without cells but are alive. On the other hand, there are living organisms that lack one or two of these characteristics but are still considered with life.

Meanwhile, medical scholars and legal experts defined death as:

•Total failure of the heart to function.
•Total failure of the lungs to function.
•Total failure of the brain stem to function.

However, nowadays, clinically dead persons can be revived to life by replacing dead hearts with artificial ventricular mechanical pumps or dead lungs with artificial rubber membranes as long their brain stems are still intact. The functional brain stem is the key that determines if a person is dead or alive.

As we have seen, science experts and medical scholars have contradicting views about life and death. Science provides a general description of life while medicine provides specific descriptions of death. Because of these opposing views, some concrete descriptions or general standards must be established that must be universally embraced by all-natural objects.

If life is characterized based on how medical experts define death, then an object is considered alive if it has a functional heart, lungs, and brain. But obviously, the definition is not applicable to all living things like for example plants. Trees and flowers do not have hearts, lungs, or even brains; yet, they are considered alive or with life. Another example is the Moner. It is an organism without organs. This animal life form can walk without feet, eat without a mouth, digest without a stomach and reproduce with new same species without reproductive organs. Others like Octopuses, cuttlefish, nautiluses, and squids have three hearts that pump blue blood, could change their skin colors faster than a chameleon, and walks with more than two or four legs. They are alive with more organs than the standard life.

On the other hand, if death is characterized based on how science experts define life, then an object is considered dead when it is no longer moving, consuming energy, reproducing, and reacting with its environment.

The latter definition seems satisfactory since each trait can be applied to both living things and natural non-living things. However, if the criteria for characterizing life are arranged based on their levels of importance and reduced through the process of elimination, then energy is the only criteria that will be left as a viable candidate.

Natural objects, either living or non-living, cannot be in motion without energy, reproduce cells without energy or react to their surroundings without consuming energy. Energy is the litmus paper that determines when a natural object is dead or alive. Non-living things like fire consume energy from the air in the form of oxygen. Non-living things like air are always in motion and when motion is present energy is consumed. Thus, everything consumes energy.

Moreover, Non-living things like water, air, and rocks also reproduce. There are various kinds of stones all around us. Thus rocks are reproducing too in some different ways. Air is a mixture of oxygen, nitrogen, and other gases. Air evolves from simple elements. Water when mixed with other liquids produces new families of fluids. The mere fact that all-natural non-living things react with each other, reproduce and possess the basic criteria of life provides us some evidence that they are conscious as well.

Furthermore, there are non-living things such as robots and space probes that possess the same criteria as a complex system. These man-made objects can talk, walk, see, feel, think, eat, and even die. They even exhibit mechanical "emotions" and "consciousness". They act and interact with the environment. They consume energy, are in motion, and are programmed to reproduce. They have mechanical organs like the brain and heart. Hence, if these mechanical objects possess the same criteria as living things, then where do we draw now the line if something is alive or with life, if something is conscious or not?

Excerpt: Evolution of Creation


 ==================================================================

"Life is chemistry, not biology." 

~ Joey Lawsin

==================================================================

NOTICE: Articles on this site are composed on random thoughts. The transcript may not be in its final form. It maybe edited, updated or even revised in the future based on the outcomes of  the author's experiments.

Public Domain Notice: Copyright (c) 2000. All rights reserved. This article is part of a book entitled Biotronics: The Silver Species. Copies are welcome to be shared or distributed publicly as long proper citations are observed. Please cite as follows: The Biotronics Project, Joey Lawsin, 1988, USA.

================================================================== 

The Homotronics® and Homodruinos® logos are registered trademarks. Copyright Biotronics© Inc. iHackRobot®. All Rights Reserved.
Patent Pending. 2000 © ®  ==================================================================

The Silver Species

HOMODRUINO®

=========================================================================

      Project: The Homodruinos Series of Biotronics Robots

      Creator: J. B. Wylzan 

      Website: http://www.homodruino.blogspot.com

      Abstract: The Creation and Evolution of The Silver Species

========================================================================== 

The Creation and Evolution of Homodruinos®:

Biotronics R1V1

Biotronics R1V2

Biotronics R2V1

Biotronics R2V2

Biotronics R3V1

Biotronics R3V2

Biotronics R4V1

Biotronics R4V2

Biotronics C1V1

Biotronics K1V1

 M.C.Z.P. with T.U.R.N apps

Biotronics H1R01

Biotronics H1R02

iBING - The First Experimental Homotronics

Biotronics R&D

 ==================================================================

"Human-like species will not exist elsewhere in the universe, 
unless they exactly live in an earth-like environment." 
~ Joey Lawsin

==================================================================

NOTICE: Articles on this site are composed of random thoughts. The transcript may not be in its final form. It may be  edited, updated or even revised in the future based on the outcomes of the author's experiments.

Public Domain Notice: Copyright (c) 2000. All rights reserved. This article is part of a book entitled Biotronics: The Silver Species. Copies are welcome to be shared or distributed publicly as long proper citations are observed. Please cite: The Biotronics Project, Joey Lawsin, 1988, USA.

================================================================== 

The Homotronics® and Homodruinos® logos are registered trademarks. Copyright Biotronics© Inc. iHackRobot®. All Rights Reserved.
Patent Pending. 2000 © ®  ==================================================================

iPhone, iPad Control Experiment

The Web Server

Robot controlled by iPad

iPhone, iPad, Kindle controllers

Homodruino: an arduino robot

/* ===============================================================
      Project Homotronics: Robot controlled by an iPhone or iPad
      Author: J. B. Wylzan with libraries from the Arduino website
      Website: http://www.iHackRobot.blogspot.com
      Abstract: Control a robot via a smart phone or smart tablet.

================================================================== */

Please try the Arduino SKETCH first below before using my iPad sketch:

/*
  Source: Arduino Website

 WiFi Web Server - a simple web server that shows the value of the analog input pins.
 using a WiFi shield. This example is written for a network using WPA encryption. For
 WEP or WPA, change the Wifi.begin() call accordingly.

 Circuit:
 * WiFi shield attached
 * Analog inputs attached to pins A0 through A5 (optional)

 created by dlf (Metodo2 srl)
 modified by Tom Igoe

 */

#include <SPI.h>
#include <WiFi.h>

char ssid[] = "yourNetwork";      // your network SSID (name)
char pass[] = "secretPassword";   // your network password
int keyIndex = 0;                 // your network key Index number (needed only for WEP)

int status = WL_IDLE_STATUS;

WiFiServer server(80);

void setup() {
  //Initialize serial and wait for port to open:
  Serial.begin(9600);
  while (!Serial) {
    ; // wait for serial port to connect. Needed for Leonardo only
  }

  // check for the presence of the shield:
  if (WiFi.status() == WL_NO_SHIELD) {
    Serial.println("WiFi shield not present");
    // don't continue:
    while (true);
  }

  String fv = WiFi.firmwareVersion();
  if ( fv != "1.1.0" )
    Serial.println("Please upgrade the firmware");

  // attempt to connect to Wifi network:
  while ( status != WL_CONNECTED) {
    Serial.print("Attempting to connect to SSID: ");
    Serial.println(ssid);
    // Connect to WPA/WPA2 network. Change this line if using open or WEP network:
    status = WiFi.begin(ssid, pass);

    // wait 10 seconds for connection:
    delay(10000);
  }
  server.begin();
  // you're connected now, so print out the status:
  printWifiStatus();
}

void loop() {
  // listen for incoming clients
  WiFiClient client = server.available();
  if (client) {
    Serial.println("new client");
    // an http request ends with a blank line
    boolean currentLineIsBlank = true;
    while (client.connected()) {
      if (client.available()) {
        char c = client.read();
        Serial.write(c);
        // if you've gotten to the end of the line (received a newline
        // character) and the line is blank, the http request has ended,
        // so you can send a reply
        if (c == '\n' && currentLineIsBlank) {
          // send a standard http response header
          client.println("HTTP/1.1 200 OK");
          client.println("Content-Type: text/html");
          client.println("Connection: close");  // the connection will be closed after completion of the response
          client.println("Refresh: 5");  // refresh the page automatically every 5 sec
          client.println();
          client.println("<!DOCTYPE HTML>");
          client.println("<html>");
          // output the value of each analog input pin
          for (int analogChannel = 0; analogChannel < 6; analogChannel++) {
            int sensorReading = analogRead(analogChannel);
            client.print("analog input ");
            client.print(analogChannel);
            client.print(" is ");
            client.print(sensorReading);
            client.println("<br />");
          }
          client.println("</html>");
          break;
        }
        if (c == '\n') {
          // you're starting a new line
          currentLineIsBlank = true;
        }
        else if (c != '\r') {
          // you've gotten a character on the current line
          currentLineIsBlank = false;
        }
      }
    }
    // give the web browser time to receive the data
    delay(1);

    // close the connection:
    client.stop();
    Serial.println("client disonnected");
  }
}

void printWifiStatus() {
  // print the SSID of the network you're attached to:
  Serial.print("SSID: ");
  Serial.println(WiFi.SSID());

  // print your WiFi shield's IP address:
  IPAddress ip = WiFi.localIP();
  Serial.print("IP Address: ");
  Serial.println(ip);

  // print the received signal strength:
  long rssi = WiFi.RSSI();
  Serial.print("signal strength (RSSI):");
  Serial.print(rssi);
  Serial.println(" dBm");
}

/* ================================================================== */

Challenge:
Instead of the iPad, use your iPhone or Kindle tablet  to control the homodruino robot.

 ==================================================================

"Nature is the Mother of All Information." 

~ Joey Lawsin

==================================================================

NOTICE: Articles on this site are composed on random thoughts. The transcript may not be in its final form. It maybe edited, updated or even revised in the future based on the outcomes of  the author's experiments.

Public Domain Notice: Copyright (c) 2000. All rights reserved. This article is part of a book entitled Biotronics: The Silver Species. Copies are welcome to be shared or distributed publicly as long proper citations are observed. Please cite as follows: The Biotronics Project, Joey Lawsin, 1988, USA.

================================================================== 

The Homotronics® and Homodruinos® logos are registered trademarks. Copyright Biotronics© Inc. iHackRobot®. All Rights Reserved.
Patent Pending. 2000 © ®  ==================================================================