Intergalactic Summit

This thread relay could most likely be recycled into that discussion, as its original purpose is fulfilled. As to the venue, I will leave that to your discretion. Outsider thoughts on the subject matter would be, interesting


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The True Slave Foundations extends its thanks to the Capsuleers who participated in this public operation, and to those currently waiting for our processing of their hand overs

For this particular operation, we rescued over 70,000m3 of human personnel - the exact quantity is undetermined at this point as medical processing continues. We anticipate perhaps another 5,000m3 to 10,000m3 from outstanding negotiations with interested Capsuleer parties. While the over all impact is lower than what would be ideal, nonetheless each life saved is a mark of success. There may be others still beyond our reach, sequestered away in some dark cargo container, but we will press on.

For those interested in continuing to assist us in this endeavor, you are welcome to my inbox for discussions on an arrangement.

Hello Captain Hunter;

You had invited me to talk a little on how modern science understands and uses the “esoteric link between people.” I’m not much of a public speaker, and have tried to avoid causing too big of a splash in these forums, but I agree that this conversation is well suited to public review. Few people realize just how far we’ve come in understanding what we’re capable of in this field, and I find it fascinating, and possibly of vital importance to the Capsuleer community.

That said, a caveat: My field is only somewhat aligned to this one. I’m a decision theorist, and am more focused on the study of targeted utility functions. I’m not an expert on this, nor do I pretend to be. Please take my statements with a grain of salt, and do your own research if you find yourself doubtful! So, with this in mind, let me begin.

The interactions between people can be classified into modalities, often arranged in pairs. Olfactory and Pheromone systems are one such modality, often used as a test case due to the relative simplicity of the system. One of the most well known, but complex, modalities is the Vision/Proprioception pair, commonly called “Body Language”. We are able to specify body language precisely according to the degrees of freedom of the body. This resolves into a matrix of vectors, with each vector representing a joint in the body or, more generally, a configuration of muscle groups. So, we are able to accurately represent a “body language state” by a vector set.

One of the convenient things about vector sets is that they can be used to modify other vector sets, in other words, a “body language set” can be used to mathematically transform a separate “body language set.” By applying a transformation eigenvector (which is in and of itself a complex area of study, of which I know only basics) we can thus create a self-maintaining prediction algorithm for a pair of isolated bodies, engaging in “body language”.

This is certainly an esoteric thing, but can be used to great effect. For example, the CAT artificial intelligence, popular in the Gallente Federation, makes use of a simplified version of this algorithm to gauge the emotional state of key individuals and ensure that it is never outside of a “politeness bound.” More complex versions of this algorithm are used by diplomatic advisors across the Cluster. This process is not yet fast enough to allow for full, real-time modality tracking, but there are ongoing experiments that push the bounds of our understanding and application of the method.

A related area which is taken extremely seriously within my own home nation is Memetic Engineering. In this, ideas are decomposed into quadratic vectors, which allow for their mathematical representation within a simulated society. Each meme is rated according to several factors, with many similarities to biological studies: memes have virulence, tolerance ratings to hostile environments of different sorts, resistance to immune factors, and so on. Collections of memes are calculated into compounds called memeplexes, which can likewise be calculated upon. In this manner a Memetic Engineer is able to accurately predict the propagation of concepts within a population. My own home company, Lai Dai, has a very large and reputable Memetic Engineering department.

One of the most common uses for this science is that of marketing and propaganda. I don’t think I need to explain why this is a useful science for those tasks, but it does seem to explain the successes of Mr. Tibus Heth and the general solidarity of the State. I’ll refrain from making political statements at this time, however.

One last comment, more in line with my own field of study. Both of these sciences model their various elements as matrixes of vectors – some scalar, some quadratic. In decision theory (commonly, Artificial Intelligence studies), modalities are often rendered as matrixes, matrixes which undergo transformations based on probabilistic Bayesian weightings of self-adapting option sets. It’s relatively trivial, then, for me to use data collected by a memetic study and use them in the construction of an adaptive social prediction engine. This is important to note because the human brain, unaugmented, uses an identical means of processing information from its senses – a set of neurons can be represented as matrixes, with their various dendrite/axon pairs being Bayesian-weighted adapting option sets. Many of our implants function in exactly the same way, too.

While we haven’t the computing power to accurately predict an entire human being’s input/output stream in real time, we’re close, and the ability to predict brings with it a treasure trove of applications. You yourself are no doubt aware of many. So, while we don’t have implants that can connect us to instant telepathy, we do certainly understand the concept, and are capable of working in the field indirectly.

I hope this helped, and that you enjoyed reading it. May your ventures bring you great profit.

- Scherezad