A recent exchange with EKUMA1981 got me thinking that it might be interesting for us all to share the books that are on our reading list. I've gotten into a bad habit of starting books and not finishing them, so I have quite a few in my queue:

- All the Devils are Here - Bethany McLean and Joe Nocera (this is a history of the 2008 financial crisis)

- Family of Secrets - Russ Baker (about the Bush dynasty and America's invisible government)

- How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe - Charles Yu (novel)

- The True Story of the Bilderberg Group - Daniel Estulin

- London - Edward Rutherfurd (historical fiction)

- The Lean Startup - Eric Ries (this one is work related)

Would love to see everyone else's reading list.

Great stuff, EKUMA1981. Sounds right up my alley too. I think I finished The Singularity is Near; can't remember. Wolfram's book is on my shelf, but I'm with you on the cellular automata.

Dudes! Don't yawn at or pooh pooh the cellar automata too hastily. They might be the key to building actual realities.

From a trinity of a so-called elemental binary state (where the third element of the trinity is that which separates/actuates the two states), one could have the bare modicum from which to begin to evolve some sort of primal substrate of reality. Out of this elemental (indeed, ultimate) concept of a Trinity, then derive more complex cellar automata.

After trillions upon trillions upon trillions of iterations, some cellar automata begin to systematically replicate, giving rise to even more self-organization:

First replicating creature spawned in life simulator

First self-replicating mathematical creature

From there it will be a pretty quick path to arriving at something we might consider the primal consciousness or the embryonic God (the evolving cellar automata begin to, in effect, program themselves). Complexity eventually arises to the point that at any examination of all reality, it will more or less resemble what there is now (lots of virtual realities and hierarchical orders of virtual realities). Fundamentally self-programming (what we dub our experience of consciousness and perceived existence) is still pretty much what is going on (where we as individuals are merely parts of the super program of existence).

Complexity is achieved by software programming, layer building upon layer, etc. Consider that any immersive shooter game is a complex VM experience where the substrate of said VM is just a plenum of binary states.

The secret sauce for this manner of evolution is that the elemental Trinity is highly constrained - and likewise the cellar automata it gives rise to. (The manner of evolution proposed by Darwinian materialist to explain the origin of first biological cellar life, on the other hand, is a highly unconstrained problem by comparison and is essentially an impossibility to arise without a priori intelligence involved.)

Contrast that to the kit of parts one has to have to give rise to a so-called material universe. The model of a material universe has lots of constituent parts and processes that all have to be in very precise relationship.

Occam's Razor principle yet again, if one believes said principle should steer toward the least complex set of assumptions and prerequisites that can explain observation, appears to point toward a virtual reality stack - a pile of VM turtles all the way down to primordial cellar automata.

The very bedrock substrate need only be something upon which the elemental Trinity can be impinged ad infinitum. No doubt the plenum of nothingness is likewise infinite as well.

Consciousness is preeminent over matter/energy because it turns out giving rise to consciousness first (that is capable of self-programming and constructing virtual realities) is actually a much more highly constrained problem than explaining the origin of innately existent material universe (or multiverse).

A book written by my Granddad on Mom's side of the family, about growing up in the Appalachian region back in the day.
An Aunt of mine made copies of it, one of which I got just now.

Exactly, Jim.

Wolfram's book attempts to illustrate that the natural laws might arise from cellar automata. The concept rather implies that the reality of our cosmos that we observe is a software virtual machine. I haven't seen Wolfram pick up that particular mantel, though, and run with it. Maybe he has and I haven't seen it.

This particular concept appeals to me because it seems to be the most minimalistic means (fewest assumptions and a priori requirements) that one could imagine any manner of complex reality emerging from. The plenum of the cellar automata is a far less stringent starting point than a full blown material reality that springs into existence with the Standard Model of sub atomic particles and four basic forces already to go - and all the various ratios of the universe ultra fine tuned. (Plus, as you say, there hasn't turned out to be any innately existing tiny marbles - just information states, which implies a higher order meta existence of some sort.)

What the cellar automata has to do, though, is iterate (evolve) to the point of being able to replicate. And then at some point iterate (evolve) to the point of being self-programming. Probably the whole time there is some overarching principle in play too, like Tom Cambell's concept of this system constantly evolving to lower its entropy.

Which, BTW, I see Wolfram's concepts and Tom's concepts to be a natural marriage.

One other book I'd recommend is Journey of Souls. It desribes people who have been regressed to the point where they remember life IN BETWEEN lives. There it is described that we are put into a sort of hole full of computer screens watching potential next lives to choose from with challenges and things to overcome.

http://www.amazon.ca/Journey-Souls-Studies-Between-Lives/dp/1567184855

I highly recommend it.

Book Description
This remarkable book uncovers--for the first time--the mystery of life in the spirit world after death on earth. Dr. Michael Newton, a hypnotherapist in private practice, has developed his own hypnosis technique to reach his subjects' hidden memories of the hereafter. The resulting narrative acts as a progressive "travel log" of the accounts of twenty-nine people who were placed in a state of superconsciousness. While in deep hypnosis, these subjects movingly describe what has happened to them between their former reincarnations on earth. They reveal graphic details about how it feels to die, who meets us right after death, what the spirit world is really like, where we go and what we do as souls, and why we choose to come back in certain bodies.

Yes, a holistic approach is (I feel) the best way to try to get to the bottom of it all. This is my strategy and I'm progressing in my research steadily at the moment.

RogerV, I would recommend you research channelling and automatic writing, instead of omitting them completely. There could be a lot to learn and the knowledge that could be acquired in this way could transform the world.

However, I know what you mean, RogerV. I'm dubious of many so-called channellers out there. The information they provide could easily come from their imaginations or sub-conscious minds. I'd like to hear something profound from them. Something that would prove the knowledge is NOT been generated in their brains and is in fact originating from an unknown location/source.

Just finished reading Strange Life of Ivan Osokin by P. D. Ouspensky (If you are interested in the notion of Eternal Return, a must-read)
Before that, The Great Divorce by C.S Lewis and Neuromancer by William Gibson before that.

This might well end up being the thread I am forever found in. Great idea!

been distanced for a while, but i'm around.

Books I've read recently or am reading currently:

Snow Crash
Do androids dream of electric sheep
clan of the cave bear
nueromanser
Mountains of majipoor



One of my all time favorite series was called Otherland by Tad Williams. If your looking for Near future VR, immortality, fantasy, scifi all in one, that's it. Which Jim, if you haven't tried Otherland, I know for sure, you would love it.

Of course I'm also reading Jim's book The universe Solved. I'm on the last section.

Ekuma1981, thank you for the welcome. Much appreciated. And I must say I find the general ambience around here pretty chilled and welcoming

I have another new ones to add to the list...

Finished Talks with a Devil (PD Ouspensky) yesterday which is rich in Gnosis for those that can decode such text and have resumed The Idiot (Dostoevsky), which literally is the gut of all futile human endeavours laid bare. What do we 'avatars' exist for but to strive at nothingness only to fail and start again... And to break it up, I have the Gestalt for Beginners (Sergio Sinay) which is more for CPD, though I do desire to know every theory and principle developed to do with the human condition because I am weird like that.

Jim, checked out your rec for 'How to Live Safely...' and have just deduced that the term 'Time-Loop' is just a modernisation of eternal recurrence!!! Any thoughts? And no, I wasn't enamoured with Neuromancer either. Found it bitty, and no that isn't a sad attempt at a joke! The next two I am starting are To Live Again by Siverberg, a sci-fi author I have never read before. Then Wetwares: Experiments in Postvital Living by Richard Doyle which sounds very promising. Have you read it?