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9.5HypothesesontheInformationalStructureofLifewhichareMulti-scale,Human-readable,Provocative,Coherent,Plausible,Falsifiable,andActionableWilliamSoftkyP.O.Box872MenloPark,CA94025December28,2017InmemoryofmybrotherandcollaboratorEdSoftky,November71963–October92008,whowantedtoteachBuddhistPrinciplesthroughsoftwareconcepts.Abstract.....................................................................................................................................................3[Meta-dataaboutthispaper]...........................................................................................................3[Content:WarrantsandHypotheses]..........................................................................................7Warrants:TheGeometricLawsofNature.................................................................................7HypothesesregardingtheinformationalstructureofLife.................................................9H1.0Stablyevolvingdistributionsmustbalancethemselvesbetweennarrowingandbroadening......................................................................................................................................9

Questions:.....................................................................................................................................11H2.0Stabilizationandhomeostasisarefragileinmultipleways..................................11

Questions:.....................................................................................................................................13H3.0Representingspacetimerequiresmicro-timingandmega-assumptions.......13

Questions:.....................................................................................................................................14H4.0Whenindoubt,ping!..............................................................................................................14

Questions:.....................................................................................................................................15H5.0Mediatedcommunicationbecomesinfectedwithpinging...................................15

Questions:.....................................................................................................................................16H6.0Ifscalingandincentivesaretheproblems,thenentropyandaffectionarethesolutions.................................................................................................................................................16

Questions:.....................................................................................................................................17H7.0“Paleoeverythingbutviolence”providessensorimotornutrition....................17

Questions:.....................................................................................................................................18H8.0Humansevolvedtoresonateecstatically......................................................................18

Questions:.....................................................................................................................................18

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H9.0Symmetricspinalhealthsyndrome.................................................................................18Questions:.....................................................................................................................................19

H9.5Helpingtheirresistibleforcebeattheimmovableobject......................................19Acknowledgments..............................................................................................................................21AppendixA.Warrants:TheGeometricLawsofNature.....................................................22AppendixB.Detailedquestions....................................................................................................24H1.0Stablyevolvingdistributionsmustbalancethemselvesbetweennarrowingandbroadening........................................................................................................24H2.0Stabilizationandhomeostasisarefragileinmultipleways.............................26H3.0Representingspacetimerequiresmicro-timingandmega-assumptions..27H4.0Whenindoubt,ping!.........................................................................................................29H5.0Mediatedcommunicationbecomesinfectedwithpinging..............................30H6.0Ifscalingandincentivesaretheproblems,thenentropyandaffectionarethesolutions.....................................................................................................................................31H7.0“Paleoeverythingbutviolence”providessensorimotornutrition...............32H8.0Humansevolvedtoresonateecstatically.................................................................33H9.0Symmetricspinalhealthsyndrome............................................................................35

AppendixC.Acaseforultra-high-Qspinalresonance.......................................................40AppendixD.Onevalidateddatapoint.......................................................................................41

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AbstractThisdocumenthasanunorthodoxstructuretoaccomplishanunorthodoxgoal:presentingthescaffoldingforazero-parameterUnifiedTheoryofLifeinsideseveraldozenpages.Ideally,thatlengthisshortenoughtobeunderstoodinafewhours,yetcompleteandprincipledenoughtounfoldintosolutionstocivilization’smosturgentproblem:theacceleratingde-calibrationoffluidhumanbrainsbycompellingdigitizedsignals.Thestakesofunderstandinghumansasinformationalbeingsarehuge.Withoutdrasticchanges,crucialhumanfunctionalitywillvanishinageneration.Fortunately,thecuresarecheapandeasyifpromotedproperly.Thesetenhypothesesre-presentinmoreabstract,encapsulatedformaFrameworkpublishedafewmonthsagoinareputablepeer-reviewedjournal,whichconcludedthathumansensorysystemsmustbeaccordeddataofthesamequalityasthedatawhichalreadytrainsalgorithmicintelligences.Whilethelackofexperiment-gradedetailmightmakethesehypothesesseem“unscientific,”incompensationthebreadthofthisFrameworkoughttoprovidethevirtuesoftheory:clarity,simplicity,coherence,andself-evidence.Fiveofthehypothesesspanhumanity'scurrentproblem-space,andfiveapossiblesolutionspace.Theyare:H1.0StablyevolvingdistributionsmustbalancethemselvesbetweennarrowingandbroadeningH2.0StabilizationandhomeostasisarefragileinmultiplewaysH3.0Representingspacetimerequiresmicro-timingandmega-assumptionsH4.0Whenindoubt,ping!H5.0MediatedcommunicationbecomesinfectedwithpingingH6.0Ifscalingandincentivesaretheproblems,thenentropyandaffectionarethesolutionsH7.0“Paleoeverythingbutviolence”providessensorimotornutritionH8.0HumansevolvedtoresonateecstaticallyH9.0SymmetricspinalhealthsyndromeH9.5Helpingtheirresistibleforcebeattheimmovableobject

[Meta-dataaboutthispaper]Thisdocumenthasanunorthodoxstructuretoaccomplishanunorthodoxgoal:presentingthescaffoldingforazero-parameterGrandUnifiedTheoryofLifeinsideacoupledozenpages.Tokeepthispapershortenough,Ichoosethemostcondensedscientificcommunicationchannelpossible:coherent,testablehypothesesstrippedofornament.Whilenecessaryhere,suchcompressionrendersmanytypicalfeaturesofjournalarticlesirrelevant,suchasequations,data,references(recentorotherwise),andspecificexperimentalpredictions.Ideally,thispaperisshortenoughtobeunderstoodinafewhours,yetcompleteandprincipledenoughtohelpsolvecivilization’smosturgentproblem:theacceleratingde-calibrationoffluidhumanbrainsbydigitizedsignalenvironmentsandover-compressedcommunication.Thisyearevenmorethanlast,mentalandpolitical

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healthworldwidesufferfromourfailuretounderstandourselvesaslifeformswithinformationalneeds.Thestakesinvolvedinunderstandingourselvesasinformationalbeingsarehuge.Ihaverecentlybecomeco-authoronaconventional,peer-reviewedpaperwhichproposedaFrameworkforthatprocess.ThatFrameworkexplainsahostofdigitaldependencies(so-called“addictions”toweb-surfing,texting,gamingaddiction,orsocialmedia)asthenearlyinevitableresultoffeedingcontinuousnervoussystemsdiscretetrainingdata.Thosestartlingconclusionsarealreadyinfluencingpublicdebates.Ifinfactdigitalinfluencesareresponsiblefortheunprecedentedyear-on-yearworldwideincreaseinchildhoodmentalillnessandsuicide,thenthenextgenerationofhumanbeingsmaybesociallyincapableofevennurturingtheirownchildren.Aone-generationcatastrophewouldmakeglobalwarminglookslow.Acrucialcomponentofhumanitywouldbelost,perhapsforever.Fortunately,thecuresarecheapandeasyifpromotedproperly.Informationalneedsallowinformationalcures—roughly,continuousvibratoryinteractionwithavarietyoforganicsignal-sources—whichasabonustendtodeliverdeeplysatisfyingformsofpleasure.Oncepeopleknowwhattodo,theylikedoingit.TheFrameworkunderlyingthepresentHypothesesisthesameastheoneformallypublishedafewmonthsago.Thepurposeofthepresentpaperistomeldtheknowledgefromtwodeeplyprincipledformsofscience:thetraditionalphysical/thermodynamicunderstandingoftheworld(“physics”),andthesignal-processing/computational/mathematical/AI/thermodynamicunderstanding(“informationtheory”).Towardthatgoal,manydisciplinessuchascomputationalphysics,cybernetics,neuralnets,nonlineardynamics,complexitytheory,andsoonhavealreadybuiltonthisbasicequation:

Physics+Information=LifeThepresentapproachdiffersprincipallybybeginningwithgeometricprinciples,suchasrepresentationof4-Dspacetimeandthenarrowingorwideningofprobabilitycurves.Amongmanyresults,thisapproachconcludesthatabrain’sprimaryfunctioniscontinuoushigh-precisionrepresentationofspacetime,withcorrespondinglystrongtraining-dataandmicro-timingrequirementsoninputandinteractions.Acasualreadermightconcludethispaper’slackoftraditionalfeaturesofjournalarticles(equations,data,references,experimentalpredictions)makesthesehypotheses“unscientific.”Thosemorefamiliarwiththelong-termfunctionofthescientificmethodwillrecognizethecrucialroleofundisputedscientificprinciplesincoordinatinggeneralresearchagendas,andtheroleofwell-craftedspecifichypothesesinvalidatingthem.

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Asamatterofprinciple,thelevelofspecificitynecessarytopublishinasingledisciplinecouldneverinfairnessbealsorequiredwhenunifyingmanydisciplinesatonce.Equation-gradeandexperiment-gradedetail,whileappropriateforthevastmajorityofscientificresearch,necessarilydistractfromunderstandingbasicprinciples,likegravitationandentropy,whichoperateatallscalesatonce.IfIcouldfindapre-existingpresentationformat,Iwouldcopyit,butthereisno“JournalofGrandUnifiedTheories”—especiallyforTheoriesofLife!—toshowhowthepresenttheoryshouldbeformattedatthedesiredcompressionlevel.So,likethetheoryitself,theformatofthisdocumentmustbederivedfromfirstprinciples.NosingleequationcouldpossiblycoverallLife’sformsofself-replication,fromDNAuptoblueprintsandlegalese.Nospecificdatacouldsupportanyclaimofuniversality,ascouldnosinglereference(evenbackgroundreferences;thenecessaryconceptsarealreadyincommoncirculation).Norecentresultssaveinformationtheory,physics,andgeometryarenecessary,sincesuchLawsoughttobeeternal,andberelevantbothtohumaninformationalneedsandtotheinformationalstructureofLife.And,becausethisdocumentproposeswholeclassesoftestableexperiment,specificswouldbesuperfluous.Insummary:noequations,nodata,andnoexperimentaltestsinthispaper.Justtestablehypotheses,andthemanyquestionstheypose.Whatmeritsmightthispaperoffertoreplacetheusualgranulardetail?Theusualvirtuesoftheory:clarity,simplicity,coherence,andself-evidence.Anyunificationshouldofferasinglelanguagepotentiallyincommonwithallapplicabledisciplines,andshouldappealtogeometricintuition,asNewton’sLawsdo.GrandSciencemustnecessarilybescoreddifferentlythansmallscience,justastheoryisscoreddifferentlythanexperiment.ForSciencetoenjoyitsfundamentalunity,allthoseregimesarenecessary,soevenapoorunificationisworthsettingupatfirstasastrawman,tospurstrongerworks.Thispapermightbethatstraw-man.TheintroductorysectionWarrantssummarizesbasicgeometricalandphysicalprinciplesinvokedasaxiomssupportingthehypotheses(oftenintermsfromsoftwareandsignal-processing,likebandwidthandinterfaceformat,whichbestserveinformationalclaims).Atthebeginningonlytheconceptsarelisted,withfull-textexplanationinAppendixA.Ofthehypothesesthemselves,thefirstfourspanthebasicfunctionsoflife:self-replication,self-regulation(includingforaging),representationofspacetime,andself-calibration.Thefifthhypothesisdescribesavirulentlycatastrophicfailuremodeofself-calibrationwhichmayexplaintherecentsurgeinmentalillnessworldwide.Thefinalfourhypothesesaddresssolutionstothiscatastrophethroughspecific,optimalstructuresofhumanorganization,sensorimotorinteraction,interpersonalmechanicalresonance,andintra-personal(spinal)neuromechanicalresonance.Thefinalhalf-hypothesisisacalltoaction.Eachisdescribedatfourlevelsofdetail.Theabstractgivesonlythehypotheses’brieftitles.Theintroductionprovidesthose,a

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singledetailedsentenceandapageorsoofdescriptioneach,alongwithsomeresearchquestions.AppendixBenumeratesthosesamequestionsfurther.Manyremarkablepossibilitiesareimpliedby—butnotdescribedin!—thesehypotheses.Forexample,therearelikelytoexistneuromechanicalself-helptricksbywhichanindividualmightshedlife-longmuscularpainandstiffnessinweeks,oradisaffectedcouplemightimmediatelyexperienceresonantneuromechanicalecstasyinhours.ThemechanismsarethesameasthoseofYoga,Pilates,Feldenkraisetc.,butnowgeometricallydistilled.Eachhypothesis,iftrue,providesonlyasinglebedrockofunderstanding.Ihopethattheninetogethercanserveasacontinuouspathofstepping-stonesfromincontestableeternaltruthsabouttheinformationalstructureoflifeontheonehandtoimmediatesolutionsofrealhumanproblemsontheother.Inotherwords,thattheseseparateideasnonethelessimplementnotjustthegoalof“NaturalPhilosophy,”butthegoalofPhilosophyitself,byconnectingthescientifictruthof“Whatis?”directlytotheagelesshumanquestion,“Howthenshallwelive?”

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[Content:WarrantsandHypotheses]

Warrants:TheGeometricLawsofNatureTheseconceptslistedbelowcontainfoundationalassumptionsofthesehypotheses.TheirexplanationandcontextisinAppendixA.

entropy&informationspacetimearchitecturallayernoboundaryconditioncontinuousmulti-scalesymmetries:translation,rotation,dilationreferenceframes:spherical,cylindrical,CartesianPlatonicsolidstwist,shear,dilate,break,bend,expandsoftwareinheritancefracturesseamless,continuous,connectedcontinuousinterfaceformatinfinitefine-ness(resolution)blurred,uncertaindiscrete,distinctcombinatorialcontinuous,low-dimensionalLawsliketemperatureandpressurecompress…intoacouplescalarparametersShannon’sLawsofInformationaggregatessimple,low-entropydescriptionsprinciples,evidencegatheringdata,interpretingdata,planningaction“Whatis?”“Howthenshallwelive?”RootPrinciplesenergysourcesentropysinksnon-equilibriumthermodynamicsactivestabilizationhomeostatic(meta)stableself-regulationresourceallocationstrategy(energy,time,location)parameterspace

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blurred,broadlydistributedspecialized,narrow,focuseddistribution,centralvalue,populationssharpeningforcesentropy-reducingmechanismself-replication,,selection,amplification,edge-enhancement,specializationspecificphysicalmechanismabstracttransformationappliedtoaprobability-distributionfunctionentropicconsequencesalgorithmiceasedata-constraintsofstabilizedsystemsOccam’sRazoralgorithmictrainingstatisticalinferencehigh-dimensional,complexspacesCurseofDimensionalityhigh-entropy,variable,multi-resolutiondatanatural,naturalisticinputslow-entropy“test-patterns”fracturedmodelsover-fitting

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HypothesesregardingtheinformationalstructureofLife

H1.0Stablyevolvingdistributionsmustbalancethemselvesbetweennarrowingandbroadening

In order for any abstract distribution to persist over time, the forces broadening vs. sharpening its distribution profile must be in balance, so that the passive blurring forces of diffusion, dispersion, and mutation must be actively counterbalanced by sharpening forces of amplification and selection; one particular mechanism could be that growth among the distribution’s lower-entropy components raises the overall entropy density, while growth among the higher-entropy components decreases it.

Entropydensitydescribesthecomplexityofpatternsalongthewidest-possiblerange,fromnearzeroentropy(strictlystructured,standardized,andregimented,likeacrystal)toamaximum,fullyatomizedandindependent.Imagineanensembleofinformation-processingactors,creatingchangingpatternsastheyactandinteract.TheycouldbestrandsofDNA,phrasesoflegalese,memes,orre-copiedimages.Theyexistinsomephysicalmedium,sotheensembleasawholehasan“entropydensity”ρH.Decreasingentropydensitymeansthesystemisbecomingmorestructured;increasingmeansitisbecomingmorediverse.Lifepatternsfallinbetween,withthelargestandmorecomplexstructures(animalsandsocieties)beingmorecrystal-like,andsmallindependentonesbeingmoregas-like.Onecouldplotthepopulation-successofanyensemblealongthataxis,withthemostself-sharpeningensemblestowardtheleftandthemostquicklydiffusingonesatright.Atleftistherealmof“sharpeningtraps,”inwhichover-sharpeningcreatesover-brittle,nearlysingularstructures.

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Ihypothesizethatpopulation-distributionstabilityexistsinazonenearzeroentropy-change,borderedbyanannulusofrunawayinstabilityoneitherside.Ontheextremeright,whereentropyincreases,liesdeathbydiffusion,inwhichthepopulationbecomesever-more-diverseasitsself-replicationstandardsbecomeweak.Ontheextremeleftisdeath-by-duplication,asover-strictenforcementofoldstandardsandalackofnewdiversityleadstoever-narrowerdistributionswhichspanever-tiniersliversofparameter-space.Suchover-focus,likeover-fitting,leadstosharpeningtrapswhoselowentropyisnolongerrobusttorandomevents,suchasenvironmentalfluctuations.Stabilityonlyispossibleinbetween,wheretheensembleisrefinedenoughtopersist,yetdiverseenoughtoresist.Addingdiversityislikeaddinguncertainty:itblursexpectations,makesthemlessspecificinspaceandtime.Butthatblurringhastohappeninaspecificway:inthatcentralstableregion,thedistributionmusthaveconsistentinhomogeneitiessuchthatensembleswithmarginallyhigherentropycausetheoverallentropytodecrease,andviceversa.

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Withthiscondition,populationdistributionspropagateacrosstimewiththeartificialnarrownessofsolitons,becausethepassiveblurringforcesofdiffusionanddispersionarethemselvesactivelybalancedbyactivesharpeningforcesofamplificationandselection.

Questions:Dochainlettersandviralmediafollowthisrule?Mustspecializationfightsymmetry?WhatshouldIdowhenIdon’tknowwhattodo?HowcanImanageateamsowedon’tgetstuck?

H2.0StabilizationandhomeostasisarefragileinmultiplewaysIf the self-regulation of an agent or population is stable in some environment via parameterized instincts, then outside of that parameter-space the agent/population will likely encounter control problems at multiple timescales, which at best impair its function, and at worst make it actively destroy itself and its compatriots.

* * * * * Activestabilization(homeostatis)isafeedbacksystemlikeacar’scruisecontrol,settokeeponethingsteady(likespeed)inspiteof“hillsandheadwinds.”Toensurethecircuitstaysstable,itsdesignspecificationsregardingenvironmentalconcentrationsandcorrelationsmustberespectedasaninviolatestatisticalcontract.Outsideacontrolsystem’soriginalparameterspace,thecontractisnullandvoid.Controlwon’twork.Thecontractistokeepasmallnumberofparametersstableinasmallregionofspaceandtime,byexportinglow-entropyresideor“waste”influencestolatertimesandotherspaces.

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Ihypothesizethattherearefourgeneralmechanismsspanningalltemporalscaleswhichmayrenderotherwisestablecontrolsystemsnon-functional.Allofthesemechanismsultimatelyinvolveover-sharpeningor“over-fitting”dynamics,inwhicholddataandstrategiespreventadaptationtofaster-changingcircumstances.1)Theslowaccumulationofwaste.Residueorwasteisanyenduringbyproductorexternality,howeversimpleorcomplex(usuallyifnotalwayslow-entropy,astheresultofselection).Hundredsofmillionsofyearsago,life-formsexhaledareactiveby-product,oxygen;oxygenultimatelychangedthebiosphereandkilledoffmanyoftheorganismswhichcreatedit.Pollutingtheenvironmentwithwasteofanykindistheslowestandsimplestwayforanagenttohurtitself.2)Changesininhomeostatically-relevantparametersoftheenvironment.Evenasingle-dimensionalsystemcontrollingasinglevariablecanbetrickedintoinstabilityifparametersoftheenvironmentchange:signalconcentration,visibility,gradients,enrichments,distribution,availability,timing,orvariabilityintiming.Thesituationbecomesmorecomplexwhenmultiplevariables,timescales,andcross-interactionsareinvolved;themorepossiblefeedbackpathways,themorelikelyoneofthemwillleadtoinstabilities.3)LeadingIndicatorDependency.Aself-regulatingsystemsucceedswhen,initsenvironment,thesystem’sshort-termappetite(leadingindicator)ispositivelycorrelatedwithfulfillinglong-termneeds;butiftheenvironment

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flipsthatcorrelation,thesystementersatemporalsharpeningtrap‘addicted’towhatmakestheproblemworse,andbecomesstuck.4)“Explosive”residue.Ahypotheticalbutpresumablyraresituationisoneinwhichaspecifickindofresidueaccumulatesslowly,butthenultimatelyproducesfasteffectsbecausesomereactionscalessuper-linearlywithresiduedensity,withacriticalthreshold.Becausesuchsuper-criticalbehaviorwouldappearalmostinstantly(onevolutionaryscales),adaptationoccurringwouldseemdifficult.Themostexplosiveofsuchsuper-criticalitieswouldbelikestampedinganimals,asagentstriggeroneanotherviafastvisualandacousticcommunications.(SeeH5.0)

Questions:

Dowecravesugarforsweetness,orforspeed?HowcanIcurbmyownappetites?Doesonlinesocializingmakeyoufeellonelier?DoesLifeproduceentropicresiduealongwithchemicalwaste?Domarketforcesmakeconsumer-productqualitydecline?

H3.0Representingspacetimerequiresmicro-timingandmega-assumptions

Any optimally efficient real-time simulator/controller must assume everything it can, autonomously steer its sensors, and squeeze out all the timing information possible from its inputs, whether a brain modeling muscles from distributed mechanoreceptors or an autonomous vehicle modeling its environment from distributed sensors.

* * * * *

Withlimiteddata,areal-timespatial-imaging(tomography)systemmustfacealgorithmicconstraintsandtradeoffs,suchasthoseconfrontingself-drivingcars.Thosesystemsmustinfercontinuous-valuedshapesfromdiscretedatasampledatdiscretetimes.Thespatialandtemporalresolutionofsuchsimulationandcontrolsystemsareknowntodependdirectlyonthequalityofthedata,andontheprecisionandrobustnessofthestatisticalassumptionsusedtoprocessit.Ihypothesizethatbrainscanbeunderstoodalongsidesuchreal-timetomographysystems,andfacethesameconstraints:1) Microtimingmatters.Theprecisioninspace(mm)andintime(msec)of

themovingmapdependdirectlyontheautonomy(outputentropy)andtimingprecision(latencyjitter)oftheround-trippathfromactuatorback

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tosensor.Tomovewithprecision,thesystemmustbeverysensitivetosuddeninputchanges.

2) Focusedpriorsmatter.Forreasonsofspeedandstability,asmany

priorsaspossibleshouldbewired-inratherthanlearned.Themorenarrowly-focusedthespaceasimulatorhastosearch,themoreresolutionitcanwringfromdatainthatspace.Anearlyidealsimulatorwillinadvance(e.g.inhardware)assumethecontinuousthree-dimensionalityofitstargetspace,theconstancyofobjectsandmotion(e.g.momentum),thecontinuityofsurfaces,thescalingofdistance-changewithvelocity,andsoon.Inparticular,asmalltargetspacemeansalargenull-space,whosepresencesystematicallycloaksactualinconsistenciesinthemodel,inthesamewaythebraincloakstheretina’sblind-spotfromperception.

3) Autonomousappetites.Asystemmusthavethecapacitytosteerits

sensorofitsownaccord,unconscriptedbyoutsideinfluences,inordertosimulatearichenvironmentwithlimitedsensorinformation.Thesystem’sinformationalappetites—thelocationsandtypesofinputitdesiresandavoids—willvarymoment-by-momentaccordingtobothshort-andlong-termcalibrationneeds.Ingeneral,themoredecalibratedthesystem,themoreitseeksoutquickly-available,coherence-enrichedinputs.

Questions:Whydowefeelemotionswhenwerecognizeplacesorfaces?Dowefeedouralgorithmsbettertrainingdatathanwefeedourbrains?WhydoesVRmakeyousick?HowdidTesla’s“MECHANICALTHERAPY”machinework?Couldarobotfeelitsbodywithvibrations?Howpreciselycanwefeelourbodies?Doournervoussystemsusemicroseconds?

H4.0Whenindoubt,ping! An active sensorimotor system must interact with its environment like a submarine might, arranging its output activity along a spectrum of increasing coherence, starting with passive listening and tracking (silent running) at one end to active coherent illumination (pinging) at the other, with the costs of pinging reserved for reducing uncertainty.

* * * * *

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Tokeepitselfincalibration,anactivemodelsmaychoosethepatternsitemits.Becauseoutputsconsumeenergyandrevealoneselftotheworld,smallerandsubtleroutputsarepreferable,meaningthatoutputsshouldbereservedforwhentheyareinfactneededtoimprovethemodel.Pingingisonesuchrecalibrationstrategy.Ifoptimizedcorrectly,pingscreatealoudenoughreturnsignaltore-establishtiminglockusingonlyafewpulses.However,pingscostnotonlyenergy,theyrequirefixingthereferenceframeforthedurationofthepingandecho(therebylosingcontinuityandresonantconnection),theyfracturecontinuousexpression,andtheycreatedistractingexternalsignalswhichmaydrawunwantedattention.

Ihypothesizethatasageneralrule,agoodstrategyforamicrotimingcircuittokeepitselfincalibrationanditsmodeltrust-worthyistoinvestenergyincoherence-powerwheneverinternaltimingprecisiondeclinesoruncertaintyincreases.Aself-calibratingsystemoughttoasamatterofprinciplecreateever-more-coherentandhigh-amplitudeoutputs(pingingorflailing),theworseitssenseofawarenessandcontrolbecomes.

Questions:

Whyistheworldsostressful?Aresomepeoplenatural“pingers”?Aresomepeoplenaturallisteners?

H5.0Mediatedcommunicationbecomesinfectedwithpinging

While pinging reduces uncertainty for the lone individual sending the ping, that extra coherent energy appears to others as noise, increasing their uncertainty (as an externality); to mange that tradeoff, some optimal uncertainty-to-ping ratio must be wired-into the informational instincts of individuals social beings sharing quiet, organic environments, instincts which unfortunately become counterproductive when they communicate with amplifying media, whose gain creates a chain-reaction dynamic (microphone feedback, amplified echo-chamber, behavioral epidemic, Fabry-Perot laser, tragedy of the commons).

* * * * *

Letapropertyofacommunicationsmediumbetransparency.“Transparent”meansthemediadoesn’tabsorborsuppressanyparticularkindsofmessage(neutral),itdoesn’tamplifyorpromotemessagesonitsown(stable),andittransmitsthesameinalldirections(symmetric).Atransparentmediumdoes

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notimposeitsagendaonthoseusingit.Inthatsenseairandskinaretransparent;symbolicmedialikebooksandscreensarenot.Ihypothesizethatwhenhumansusenon-transparentmediaforcommunication—inparticularlow-bandwidth,amplifying,error-pronemedialikedigitalmedia—ournaturalhumaninstinctstopingoneanotherforreassurancewillacceleratecatastrophicallyandendangercollectivementalhealth.

Questions:Whyaren’tphonecallsasfunastheyusedtobe?Canmediabetoxic?Ispinginganunnaturalstrategyfornervoussystems?

H6.0Ifscalingandincentivesaretheproblems,thenentropyandaffectionarethesolutions

If human nervous systems have been increasingly decalibrated by a low-entropy material system incentivized to make us even more so, a workable solution must reverse all those effects at once, i.e. establish local, temporary human-safe spaces (trust-enhancing, sacred, or embodied containers) where people may experience minimal complexity and interference, and maximal sensory entropy and physical affection, in order to collectively promote and recalibrate the human birthrights of goodwill and resonance.

* * * * * Thehumannervoussystem,likeallnervoussystems,evolvedtoprocesscontinuousnaturalstatisticswhilenavigatingthroughcontinuousnaturalenvironments.Nowthemajorityoursensoryinputsareselectedifnotoutrightsynthesized,andourchoicesareever-moredigitizedandconstrained.Thisreducedsensoryentropyandincreasedchoice-dimensionalitymakesensoryprocessingharder,andleadeasilytofracturedworld-modelsandmotormaps,whosefracturesarehiddenfromconsciousnessbycloaking.Thefracturingepidemiciscausedinpartbybuildings,lighting,furniture,rules,andhabitswhicharebadfor(i.e.decalibratingto)oursensoryandsocialsystems.Ihypothesizethathumanexperienceandfunctionwillimproveindeliberatelysculptedenvironments(containers)designedtofeedhumansocio-sensoryneedsaccordingtouniversalandneutralprinciplesofsymmetry,continuity,andentropy.

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1) Symmetrysaysallhumansinthecontainerareequalininteraction,so

incentivesareforbidden.2) Continuitysayssmoothspaceandsentiment,nothardwallsnorrules,be

usedtoseparate,sonosharplinesinspace,time,norjudgment.3) Entropysaysvarietyispreciousinfacialexpressions,vocalizations,and

stylesofmotion,butitalsosaysproximity,visibility,andtouchprovidepositivebandwidthbenefits.

Questions:HowcanIhostaproductivediscussion?Whatistheoptimalwaytonegotiate?Whatisthebestwaytodance?Areeconomiesofattentionandofbehaviormoralhazardsinandofthemselves?

H7.0“Paleoeverythingbutviolence”providessensorimotornutrition

If the “paleo” human nervous system evolved to collaborate with close kin in a physically simple space filled with organic things, then interaction with equivalent sensorimotor patterns at various scales, whether smelling a rose, planting a garden, or climbing a tree, ought to at least recalibrate a nervous system’s dynamic range, if not outright heal its acquired fractures.

* * * * * Ifapaleodigestivesystemanditsappetitesevolvedtoprocessnaturallyavailableorganicfood,thenapaleonervoussystemanditsappetiteswouldhaveevolvedtoprocessnaturallyavailableorganicinputs.Thatnaturalvariabilityappliestothreeaspectsofsensoryexperience:1)totheextremesofsensationexperienced,2)tothecontinuityofexperience,and3)totheentropyoftheinputs.Unfortunately,thosesamenaturalhumanappetitesmakeusavoidsensoryextremes(sayofcoldandhot),makeusnoticeandseekdiscontinuities,andmakeuschooseunambiguousinputsoverambiguousones.Inshort,thefracturingofournervoussystemsiscausedbythepresenceoftoomanyman-madeinformationsourcesandrestrictions,combinedwithinnateappetiteschoosingthemovernaturalalternatives.Ihypothesizethatasimplecureisreversingthosestatistics.Thatis,toincreaseone’ssensoryrange,toreducethedimensionalentropyofone’sinteractions,andtore-introduceslowly-changingorganic(e.g.boring)thingsintoone’senvironment.

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Questions:HowdoesithelpmetovisitaforestShouldIbethankfulfordiscomfort?DoesA/Btestingdamagelearning“object-constancy”inchildren?Isoculocentrismanaturalorientation?

H8.0Humansevolvedtoresonateecstatically With humans as with bosons, there must have evolved an attractive force to make us congregate: the force of taking potentially unlimited pleasure in affectionate companionship. Forsmallkin-groupsforagingnomadically,thevastmajorityofsocialinteractionswouldhavebeenwithfriends,notenemies,sohumansociabilitymakessensefrombasicprinciples.Furthermore,thesameevolutionarylogicwhichjustifiesecstaticpair-bondpleasuresbetweenlovers,orbetweenmotherandinfant,wouldalsoapplytomulti-personinteractions.Ihypothesizethathumanshaveanascentcapacityforintense,monomanicsocialpleasure,whichmightbedubbedsocialecstasy,whichiseverybitasstrongasourcapacitiesforchemical,physical,orsensorypleasure.Thispleasurewouldbebasedinthesamevibration-managementcircuitswhichalreadydrivespinalalignmentanddyadresonance(seeAppendixBforapossiblemechanism),andwouldbondfamiliesandfriendsastightlyaslovers.Practicewouldpromotenervous-systemrecalibrationandhealing.

Questions:

HowcanIresonate?Howcanwemakelovemorecontagiousthanfear?Canmis-tunedinstrumentstuneeachother?Canpeoplehealeachotherwithultrasoniccoupling?Canhumanskinfeeldelicious?WhatwouldanidealYogaordancestudiolooklike?Cangroupvibrationhealus?

H9.0Symmetricspinalhealthsyndrome

The documented benefits of practices like Yoga, Pilates, Feldenkrais, aerial dance, Tai Chi, Ecstatic Dance, Capoeira, and other movement/meditation practices share a common cause in the spinal transformation they induce, because those practices provide

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optimal 4-D sensorimotor input and intention profiles to recalibrate and anneal the body’s proprioceptive midline map, and thereby to optimize real-time sensory sensitivity and fluidity.

* * * *

SpinalecstasyisNature’ssolutiontoathermodynamicproblem:therearemanyconfigurationswhichcurlandkinkaspine,butonlyonewhichstraightensit.Inotherwords,toreachthatlow-entropybutessentialconditionofstraightness,aspineneedstowanttobestraight.Itneedsabuilt-inentropicpleasuretourgeittowardthesinglebestconfiguration(SeeAppendixC)Ihypothesizethatresonantecstaticstatesexist:hyper-focused,hyper-simple,pleasurable,healing,andsoall-absorbingtheyresistconsciousrecollection.Becauseanyrodvibratesthefastestwhenperfectlystraight,themechanismforecstaticspinalstraighteningwouldbeanin-builtdriveforthespinetoresonateatthehighest(ultrasonic)frequenciespossible,whichoccurswhenlocalproprioceptiveambiguitieshavebeensmoothedout.

Questions:

WhydoesmybodybecomeachierandstifferasIage?Howdoesmymindwork?Dodataproblemscauseouritches,aches,&pains?WhydopeopleloveactivitieslikeYogasomuch?HowcanIsuperchargemy(Yoga/Pilates/dance/pole)practice,oratleastfeelyounger?Doescentralspinalactivationmakemefeelbetter?Dovibrationaltherapiessharecommonmechanisms?CanIbecomeahyper-athlete?Whydomyjointspop?ArethemusclesIfeelinsidemeimpossiblehallucinations?Whydopeoplebenefitfromaerialsports?Shouldmybodyfeeldetailed,orsimple?Isthe“chakrasystem”aconsequenceofspinalsoftwarearchitecture?Doesmusicringourspineslikeviolins?Canultrasonicsensesbetrained?Canyouheartheshapeofadrum,orofacave?

H9.5Helpingtheirresistibleforcebeattheimmovableobject

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Thisisnotahypothesis,butacalltoaction,soitmustbeacceptedbeforeitcanbetested.Thatmakesitonlyworthahalf-point,butthat’sbetterthannothing.The immovable object is E.M. Forster’s Machine, the collective sharpening forces of material culture which pry people apart; the irresistible force is the collective computational power of ultrasonic human resonance, growing in synchrony over ever-larger scales of space and time; the balance can be tilted if people remember that the resonance of human love has a vastly higher bandwidth and pro-human orientation than does steady material accumulation, and that optimism is in fact the optimal resource-allocation strategy. * * * *

Ontheonehand,theviewseemsgrim.Everytechnologyandinteraction-styleplaguingushumans,fromphysicalpaddingtodigitalpokes,isthenearlyinevitable,incrementalmultiplicationoftwoprinciples:theprinciplethatbrainslikeoccasionaldiscontinuitiesandmomentsofrecognition,multipliedbytheprinciplethatwemakethingsthatwelike.Wearetheonlycreatureperceptiveenoughtofallforpatternsofpixels,andtheonlycreaturedeftenoughtomakethem,soofcoursewedo.Thosebehaviorsfeedoneachother,untilournervoussystemsaredazzledanddistracted.Thathumanconditionisacontinuousextensionoftheinexorableentropy-reductioninEarth’sbiosphere.Onthatgrandtragedy,even“capitalism”and“materialculture”arebutsmall-timevillains.Ontheotherhand,humansevolvedforresonantloveinsmallgroups,andwithsafeguidelinescaneasilyrediscoverit.Thatultrasonicresonancesurpassesthousands-foldthecomputationalspeedof“thinking”aswethinkofit,andasabonusrunsonournativeprocessingarchitecture.Plus,itfeelsgood,healsyou,healsthem,andhelpseveryonelikeeachother.What’snottolike?Withastraightforwardunderstandingofhowourbrain+bodysystemsworkandwhatweneed,peopleeverywherewillrediscoverourownspines,andreconnectwithourfamily,friends,andlovedones.Eachresonantconnectionwillenablesubtle(butnotauditable!)micro-interactionswhichfacilitatesuccess—onaveragebutnotguranteed—amongthattribe,andfacilitateresonancewiththoseoutsideit.Evenjusttwopeopleresonatingtogetherovertime,likespousesorcollaborators,canproduceamazingthings,andthateffectscalesuptothedozenswewereborntointeractwith.Thegoodnewsis,itdoesn’tstopthere.Ournervoussystemsevolvedforsuper-criticalresonanceingroupsofjustafew.Nowwehavemillionsatatime.Inprinciplehumankindwillautomaticallyself-organizeifwecometogetherintherightways.

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Thewrongwaysarewithorganizationalsponsorship.Everybitoffunding,branding,advertising,nationalorcorporatepropaganda,uniforms,orparticipationconstraintssculptstheentropyoftheotherwise-neutralresonance-cloud,whichphysicistsmightcallabosoncondensate,andbreaksthenaturalhumansymmetryofonewarmbodynearothers.Therightwaysarewithpre-existingresonantgroupswhoexperiencesocialhappinessalready,andwanttohelpspreadmoreofit:yogisanddancers,matriarchsandpatriarchs,happycouples,groupsoffriends,closeco-workers,long-timeteams,familybusinesses,small-towngossips,communityorganizers,localpoliticians,andingeneralthosewiththehighestratiosofsocialtomonetarycapital.Theycanbethehumanseed-crystals,whiletheabstractFrameworkcanconcentratetherestofusintocooledmoltensugar,readytoinstantlycrystalize.“Therestofus”meansthosewithmeansandtraining:seriousintellectuals,philanthropists,communityorganizers,churchleaders,engineers,scientists,computerscientists,chieftans,andemperors.Ourjob,oncewereconnectwithourcommonresonantheritage,istotackletheproblemsoftheagesalltogether,allatonce.Eachskillisnecessary.Amongabstractthinkers,theoreticalphysicistsanddatascientistscanbuildhypothesis-validationsoftwarewhichmakesplottingtruthasstraightforwardasplottingdata.Businessleaderswhowanttosteertheworldfromprofit-onlytowardprofit-plus-humanitycaninventnewbusinessmodelswhichmightdoso.Attorneysandjudgescanfigureouthowtomorphadiscontinuous,precedent-drivenlegalsystemintoacontinuous,principle-drivenone.Economistscanfindamodelforeconomieswhichdoesn’tputtrustupforsale.Dancerscanremindushowtomove.Bodyworkerscanhealandteachembodiment.Motherscanbeattentivetotheirkids,andmakethembeattentiveback.ThegrimviewisthatLifeonEarthisdoomedtodieofentropy-reduction.Thehappyviewisthattenbillionhumanbeingsarealiveandstillcanlovepeopleclosetothem.ThenecessaryhopeisthatwhenhumansgetachancetoactonLove,wedoitwell.

Acknowledgments

Thisworkispartofalarger,co-equalcollaborationwithCriscilliaBenfordwhichincludestheinformationalstructureandeigenmodesofnarrative.Noteveryonecanunderstandthesehypothesesormakeuseofthem.Ibelievethepeoplebelowstilllivingcoulddoso,andIwouldbepersonallyflatterediftheydid.

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Friendsandfamilywhoseconversationshaveinfluencedme:EdSoftky,WendyDando,MinetSepulveda,AnneandEricDoehne,KwabenaBoahen,AdamSafron,DavidGalbraith,MattOgburn,MarkGriffith,PeterHollingsworth,MitchRyan,TristanHarris,SheldonandMarionSoftky,MichalPeriandTylerHolcomb,AllisonHudson,MicheleFabregaPeoplewhosepersonalinteractionshaveinfluencedme:FreemanDyson,JohnHopfield,CarverMead,KipThorne,StearlPhinney,ChristofKoch,BrunoOlshausen,TonyBell,DouglasRushkoff,KwabenaBoahen,JoshGolin,JeffHawkins,JerryGollub,BillNewsome,SebastianSeung,BillBialek,JohnRinzel,X.J.Wang,ZhaopingLi,TobiDelbruck,DanKammen,DileepGeorge,WyethBair,DanMurnick,DavidVanEssen,PeterHart,SeveroOrnstein,TerrySejnowski,LloydWattsPeopleIonlyknowbyreputation:ElonMusk,MaxLevchin,GeorgeSoros,BillGates,MarkZuckerberg,WarrenBuffet,theDalaiLama,NoamChomsky,Barack&MichelleObama,NateSilver,RandallMunroe

AppendixA.Warrants:TheGeometricLawsofNatureIntheBeginningwastheSingularity.Eversince,EntropyhasbeenincreasingthroughouttheUniverse.ExcepthereonEarth.Entropyis“information”byanothername,basedonthesameequationsforcountingcombinations.Butentropy/informationisnotthedeepestconceptintheUniverse.Spacetimeis.Ifoneviewstheuniverseindataterms,spacetimeisthedeepestarchitecturallayer.AccordingtoHawking,Hartle,etal,spacetimehasnoboundarycondition,meaningitiscontinuousineverypossiblesense.Theuniverseismulti-scale,meaningithasnoparticularsize.Structurally,ithasnopreferredcenter,itjustis.Itisisotropic,meaningithasnopreferreddirection.The“shape”ofspacetimeembodiesfundamentalsymmetriessuchastranslation,rotation,anddilation;itcontainsimplicitreferenceframessuchasspherical,cylindrical,andCartesia;anditallowsfundamentalshapes,suchasthePlatonicsolids.Spacetimecantwist,shear,anddilate,butnotbreak.Bysoftwareinheritanceproperties,anysubstructureembeddedinspacetimecanthereforealsotwist,bend,orexpand.

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Spacetimehasnofractures;itisseamless,continuous,andconnected.Toadd“…evenastimeevolves”makesthestatementredundant.Spacetime(andofcoursethethingsinit)followthecontinuousLawsdiscoveredbyNewton,Maxwell,Einstein,Feynmanetal.Insoftwareterms,spacetimefollowsacontinuousinterfaceformat.Butfollowingreal-valuedrulesdoesnotnecessarilymeanspacetimeactslikerealnumbersinotherways.Inparticular,asHeisenbergetalpointedoutacenturyago,spacetimedoesnothaveinfinitefine-ness(resolution)andthusinfiniteinformation.Itisblurredanduncertain.Thereisonlysomuchinformationinanyzone.AccordingtoWheeler,Kantoretal,informationmightyetbemorefundamentalthanspacetimeitself.Discrete,distinctobjectsfromparticlesonupfracturetheelegantsimplicityofspacetime.Nowseparatethingscanbecombinedinexponentiallymanyways(combinatorially),allowingcomplexstructureslikeLife.Entropyappears(Clausiusetal),andmakesthingscomplicated.Fortunately,simplicityreappearsattheupperboundofentropy,wherecontinuous,low-dimensionalLawsliketemperatureandpressureonceagaincompressthemotionofinfinitudesofmoleculesintoacouplescalarparameters.ThecontinuousLawsofEntropy(includingShannon’sLawsofInformation)donotdescribefundamentalspacetimestructures,butaggregatesofknownthings.Bythesametokenweunderstandthosemath-madelawsevenbetter,andcaninterveneintheirdetails.Scienceisaformofdescription.Occam,Bayes,Shannon,Mackayetalshowedthatthemostefficientdescriptionsaresimple.SothecontinuousLawsofNatureformthemostsimple,low-entropydescriptionspossibleoutsidedirectsensoryexperience,andthusthebestones.Theprincipleisthatprinciplestrumpevidence,andtheevidenceagrees.Principlesarealwaysinvolvedingatheringdata,ininterpretingit,andinplanningaction.Principlesarewhatunites“Whatis?”with“Howthenshallwelive?”Mostcrucially,“principles”scaledifferentlythan“data.”Bigdatausuallybeatssmalldata,butthesimplestRootPrinciplesarealwaysbest.BesidesSpacetimeitself,themostprincipledoftheElementaryPrinciplesisthatofEntropy,sometimesknownasShannonInformation.Entropydecreasesinclosedsystems,butentropycandecreaselocallywhenprovidedwithenergysourcesandentropysinks(non-equilibriumthermodynamics).SuchasituationallowsforthefirstcoreprincipleofLife,activestabilization.Ontheonehand,anactivestabilizationstrategycanbedescribedashomeostatic,thatisasinglevariablebalancedbetweenopposingforces,whosetug-of-warcreatezonesof(meta)stableself-regulationovertime,asthesingleparametertracksinputsfromoutside.Thesamesystemmightalsobedescribedthroughitsresourceallocationstrategy,i.e.howdoesthesystemdistributeitsresources(energy,time,

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location)acrossagivenparameterspace…blurredandbroadlydistributed,orspecialized,narrowandfocused(Hills)?Thisapproachanalyzesthewholedistribution,notjustacentralvalue,andcanthusappliedtopopulations.Stabilizationisonlypossibleusingsharpeningforces.Sharpeningisthemostusefulumbrellatermforthehostofentropy-reducingmechanismsoflife:self-replication,edge-enhancement,selection,amplification,specialization,etc.Unlikethose,sharpeningdescribesnotaspecificphysicalmechanism,buttheabstracttransformationappliedtoanyprobability-distributionfunction,soitcanbeusedtodescribeallpossibleentropicconsequences.Theuniversalityofsharpeningiscentral:oncestarted,sharpeningasaprocessmaybeunstoppable,sincethereseemstobenothresholdofsize,mass,orcomplexityabovewhichtheprocesswouldreverse.Geometrically,thealgorithmiceaseofactivestabilizationdependsonthe(low)entropyoftheparameterspacebeingcontrolledandthe(high)entropyofthepatternsinit.Thedata-constraintsofstabilizedsystemsinvolvethesameprinciplesasdoscientifictheories(Occam’sRazor)andalgorithmictraining(statisticalinference).Asageneralrule,low-dimensionalorlowentropyspacesareeasiertosearchthanhigh-dimensionalorcomplexones(theCurseofDimensionality).Butforthedatawithinthosespaces,high-entropy,variable,multi-resolutiondata(e.g.naturalornaturalisticinputs)providesbetterlong-termtrainingthandolow-entropy“test-patterns,”whichcreatefracturedmodelsduetoover-fitting.Theseconstraintshavealwaysbeenatplayasevolutiontoldlifehowtoreproduce,andtoldourbrainshowtooperateourspinesandbodies.ButnowweashumansreceiveourinstructionnotfromNaturebutfrommaterialsociety,sowearenottoldeverythingweneedtoknow,eventhoughthesameconstraintsapply.Thus,understandinghowtheWarrantsaboveapplytogenericProblemsofLifeandMind(Lewes)oughttoprovidehelpful,neutral,commonguidanceforhumansandthosewhosupportus.

AppendixB.Detailedquestions

H1.0Stablyevolvingdistributionsmustbalancethemselvesbetweennarrowingandbroadening

Dochainlettersandviralmediafollowthisrule?Theentropyofatext(inbytes)isthenumberofcharacters.Soanypopulationof“viral”textswhichpersistshasanentropydensityandamutationrate.Whatarethoseamounts?Dotheyshowtheinversecorrelationhypothesizedhere,i.e.shortlettersmutatemore,complexonesless?

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Mustspecializationfightsymmetry?Inmostpeopleonehandisdominant,leftorright,oneleg,andoneeye.Thoseasymmetriesarefunctionalinsultstoabilaterally-symmetricbody,whosemotor-architectureoverallwouldbesimpler(andthusbetter)withnoasymmetriesatall.Thispredicamentreflectsthefollowingparadox.Ontheonehand,themostmotor-friendlyresource-allocationstrategiesaresimple,uniform,andsymmetric,spreadingbothmotoractivityandthebrain’srepresentationalspaceevenly.Specializationdamagesthatequipartitionbyfocusingononlyafewposturesoractivities.Isthisanexampleofthefocus-vs-blurtension?Ifso,isthereaself-regulatingmechanism,orwillspecialization(e.g.incareers,genres,andultimatelylife-forms)increasewithoutlimit?WhatshouldIdowhenIdon’tknowwhattodo?Theinstinctformorecertaintyisperfectlynatural,builtintonativeinformationalappetites,butitonlyworkseffortlesslyinthewild.Incivilization,humansmustmakeaneffortnottomakeefforts.InthisFramework,managinguncertaintyiscentraltolifeitself,becauselifeformsaredataomnivores,alwayshungryformore.Soforreasonsthatcanbespunoutatlength(ifyoulikemathematicalideas),theadviceisalmostalwaysthesame,regardlessofthespecificsituation.Callitthe“universalsolutiontosharpeningloopsandtraps.”IfthemostgenericproblemofLifeisover-focusing,thenthesolutionistoun-focus.Don’taskforquickresultsorinstantgratification.Don’tinterrupt.Don’tmicro-manage,orevenmanage.Don’taudit,worry,orself-recriminate.Don’tmakedecisions.Tryingtorecordorcontrolsuchasituationmakesitworse,likeadrowningpersonflailing.Asinthestockmarket,waitingandacceptingarethemostsuccessfulalgorithmsonaverage,andthebestforeveryoneelse.HowcanImanageateamsowedon’tgetstuck?Asaspecies,humansspentacouplemillionyearsinsmallfamilygroups,probablythetightestteamstoeverroamtheEarth.SocooperationisinourDNA,anditoughttobeinstinctive.Anditwasinstinctive,everyonetrackingeveryoneelse,aslongaswewereroamingrealsavannahsinsearchofrealfood.Unfortunately,modernenvironmentsaremoreabstract,andwedon’tknow,hear,orseeeachotherasclearlyasourinstinctsexpect.Sotheinstinctive,sub-consciousinformationchannelswhichoughttomakeussensewhenwe’regettingstuckdon’twork,whilethebig,fat,loud,obviouschannelslikemetricsandemailsandquotasdowork.Thoseclunkychannelsareunambiguous.Relyingonthosechannelsistheproblem,becauseofallthesimplificationsandcategoricalapproximationsthosechannelsimpose.Thosechannelsquashthediversityournervoussystemsneed.Soinmodernenvironments,thesinglemostimportantthingformanagerstodotocombatthestructuraltilttowardstandardizedgroupthinkistokeepdiversityaliveineveryform:neuro-diversity,acousticdiversity,culturaldiversity,activitydiversity,goaldiversity.Agoodimplementationwillnotbebasedonrulesor

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incentives,butbasedonlikingotherpeopleandwantingthemtolikeyouback.

H2.0StabilizationandhomeostasisarefragileinmultiplewaysDowecravesugarforsweetness,orforspeed?Inevolutionarytimessweettastewaswell-correlatedwithnutritioncontent.Inthatenvironmentsweetnesswouldbealeadingindicatorfornutritionasawhole,becauseonecouldtasteitimmediately(unlike,say,vitamins,whosebenefitstaketimetofeel).Howmuchofasubstance’saddictivenesscomesfromtheinformationalhighofquickinformation,versusthequantityofthedrug?HowcanIcurbmyownappetites?Seekingsubtletybringsusbacktobandwidth.Thetragedyofthehumanconditionisthatwehavetoworryaboutcurbingourappetitesatall.Animalswerebornwithappetitessowecouldchasethem,notresistthem.Backthen,inNature,gettingtoomuchwasn’tusuallyaproblem.Butnowitis,notjustwithsugarbutwithnewsfromfriends.Nowinstantgratificationisalwaysmomentsaway,anditturnsouttoomuchisbadforus.Sowe—thiscurrentgeneration—isfacingmoretemptation,andmoretechnologicallysophisticatedtemptation,thananygenerationinhumanhistory,andwehaven’tanytrainingtoresistit.Sowehavetobekindtoourselves.Noorganismeverevolvedtoresistwhatitwants.Whilewecan’tmakeappetitesgoaway,wecanchoosetofocusonsomeaspectsoverothers.Ingeneral,thesimplest,beststrategyistoaimforsubtletyoverobviousness:aromaoversweetness,vocaltextureoverwords,breath-soundovervocaltexture.

Doesonlinesocializingmakeyoufeellonelier?Dotheinformationalhitsfromonlinecommunicationpresentthemselvesasactualsocialinteraction?Ifso,doestheirquicknessandquantifiabilitypresentitselfasaleadingindicatoroftherealthing?Ifsuchquickinteractionsfailtodeliverthelong-termbandwidthandsatisfactionthenervoussystemexpects,i.e.iftheyserveasfalseleadingindicators,willadecalibratednervoussystemstillseekyetmoreofthem?Assuchinfluencesmakesocialbeingsprogressivelymorealienated,willtheycravethoseleadingindicatorsevenmoredesperately?DoesLifeproduceentropicresiduealongwithchemicalwaste?Themanysmall,simplecreatureswhichlongagofirstcreatedtheoxygenexternalityleftastheirresidueaverysimplewasteproduct,adiatomicmolecule.Later,morecomplexlichensproducedamorecomplexwastechemical,calciumoxalate.Macroscopic(lowentropy)structuresleftbypre-humancreaturesaremounds(stromatelites),coralreefs,termitemounds,andbowerbirdbowers.Thestructuresleftbyhumansdwarfeventhese,

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beingaslargeasnation-statesandasenduringasconcrete.Isitthecasethattheenduringphysicalstructurescreatedbylifehaveever-increasingindividualcomplexity,yetmaketheworldasawholelessdiverse?

Domarketforcesmakeconsumer-productqualitydecline?Canaconsumerdeterminethepriceofanitemmorequicklythanitsquality?Moreaccurately?Istheconsumercompelledtousethefasterandclearersourceofinformationovertheslowerandmoreuncertainone?Wouldsuchapurchasingstrategyleadtoconsumptionofcheaperproductswhosequalitydecrementcannotbedeterminedatpurchasetime?Wouldsuchconsumptionlead,inaggregate,toproductsoflowerquality?

H3.0Representingspacetimerequiresmicro-timingandmega-assumptions

Whydowefeelemotionswhenwerecognizeplacesorfaces?Manyanimalsgetexcitedtoseefamiliarpeopleorplaces,butnonesomuchasus,ingreatpartbecauseourperceptualsystemsaresosophisticated.Homosapienscouldseetheoutlineofabisoninthesmudgesofcharcoalonacavewall,andnowweseefar-awaylandsintheflickeringpixelsonourscreens.ThewayNaturedesignedit,wenotonlycanrecognizestoredimagesbetterthanotherspecies,wewanttorecognizethem,asifthenewabilitycamewithanappetiteforusingit.Combinedwiththethrillorjoltofrecognitionalsocomeswhateverotheremotionstaggedthatimagewhenitwasstored,revivedasechos.Dowefeedouralgorithmsbettertrainingdatathanwefeedourbrains?Analgorithmisonlyasgoodasitstrainingdata,whichoughttobeneutral,naturalistic,andunbiased.Thealgorithmswhichguideourcarsandcomputersreceivesuchhigh-qualitytrainingdata.Manypatternsconsumedbyhumansaredifferent,becausetheyaregeneratedbymachinesinordertomeasureusorinfluenceus.Indataterms,thebiases,quantizationerrors,autonomyconstraints,andespeciallymicrotimingdamagecontainedinsuchinputprofileswouldbeunacceptabletoanyself-respectingself-learningalgorithm.WhydoesVRmakeyousick?So-called“simulatorsickness”hasbeenaroundfordecades.Inretrospect,itseemsobviousthatanysensorimotorenvironmentwhichdoesconvinceyoureyesthatyou’removing,butdoesn’tconvinceyourbody,isdoomedtoconfusethenervoussysteminaverydeepway.PartoftheproblemisthatVRcannevergiveyouthemicrotimesignalsyouneed,becausetheVRsystemhastowaitforyoureyeballstomove,whileyourbrainalreadyknowshowthey’llmovebeforetheyevenstart.Thedeeperproblem,however,isstrategic:it’sverybaddata-hygienetomake

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yourvisualsystemcompetewithyourmechanosensorysystem,becausethetwoevolvedtoagree.Whilethedata-conflictismoresuperficialwithlessinvasivesensorystimulation,itexistsevenwithsmartphones.Wecanbecomesociallysickwhenourmediatedsocialinputsbecomeasimportanttousasreal-lifeones.HowdidTesla’s“MECHANICALTHERAPY”machinework?NikolaTeslausedahigh-poweredverticalultrasonicverticaloscillatortocreatean“artificialearthquake”whichshookbuildingsinNewYorkcity,andonhumansinducedvisceralpleasureanddigestivebenefits(hecalleditMECHANICALTHERAPY;Tesla’sfriendMarkTwainlovedit).Howmightithaveworked?Aclassicalmechanicsanalysisofavibratingobjectwouldorderthebody’seigenmodesinthespacedomain,largestamplitudesfirst.Butforinformationtransmission(bandwidthandresolution),thefrequencydomaindominates,rankedbyhighestfrequenciesfirst.Inanupright,compressivestructurelikeabuilding,orabody,thehighest-frequencyeigenmodesareverticalandlongitudinal.Abodyinthefrequencydomainposesunorthodoxquestions:Whatisthehighest-frequencyvibrationpossibleinahumanspineunderoptimalorganicconditions?Whatare“optimalconditions”inbothanatomicalandattitudinalterms?Howcloseareoptimalconditionstowhatreignsinmodernbodies?Howcollimatedarethosevibrationsinmyofascialtissue?Whatistheupperboundonmechanicalinformationflow(viaNyquist)fromsuchsignals?Howdoesthatflowrelatetoflowsfromothersensoryand“cognitive”sources?Howmuchactiveamplificationandsharpeningisinvolvedinsustainingthosevibrations?Arethereharmonicpatternsinspinalvibrations,astherearefromlinearmusicalsources?Wouldsuchpatternscorrespondbettertoeigenmodes,toattractorstates,ortosculpted,synchronizedwave-packets?Couldarobotfeelitsbodywithvibrations?Canaroboticcontrol-systembedesignedwhichinfersitsself-modelfrominternalvibrationsratherthanfrompurpose-builtpositionandaccelerationsensors?Wouldactivesharpeningofthosevibrationshelpthatprocess?Wouldtheprocessworkbetterwithcontinuous-wavecarrierswhosefrequencychanges,orwithsculptedsolitonswhosetimingchanges?Whatmechanicalrelationshipsbetweenactivator,structuralmember,andjoint-hinge(e.g.impedence-matcheddensityandstiffness)allowthemostprecisevibration-sensing?Arethosemechanicalandvibration-managementprinciplesevidentinhumanbodies?

Howpreciselycanwefeelourbodies?Ifby“proprioception”wemeanthesenseofbodyshape,motion,andforcesitfeelsviamechanoreceptorchannels,whatisthemicrotimejitterofsuchinputsattheirsource,individuallyandcollectively?Howdoesitvarywithtemperature?Howdoesitvarywithsensoryattention?Whatisthelowerfrequencyboundof

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mechanical(acoustic)signalscapableofentrainingsuchmechanoreceptorprecision?Whatistheupperfrequencyboundofmechanicalsignalsthattissuecansustainpassively?Actively?Whatarethealgorithmicconstraintsoninferringproprioceptivesensationsfromsuchsignalsintheidealcase?Howclosedoourbrainscometothatideal?

Doournervoussystemsusemicroseconds?Howsmallaretemperaturefluctuationsatthesecondscaleinwarm-bloodedspines?Howmanymicrosecondsofvariability(microtimejitter)dothosetemperaturevariationsinduceinaction-potentialroundtriptransittime?Howgreatismicrotimejitteroriginatingfromalldistal(tail)vs.cervicalspinalsources?Whatisthecorrespondingmicrotimejitterentirelywithintemperature-regulatedcortex?

H4.0Whenindoubt,ping! Whyistheworldsostressful?Paradoxically,lifefeelsbleakwheremarketsandtechnologyworktheirbest.Marketsareamazingatprovidingwhatpeoplewillbuy,thequickerthebetter.Technologyisamazingatgivingmarketswhattheywant.Incombination,thosetwoforcesprovidetwoeffectswhicharefineinsmalldoses,yettoxicinlargedoses:appetizingproducts,andpersuasiveads.Product-designershavedonetheirjobssowellwecan’tresistthosegadgets;advertisershavedonetheirjobssowellwedon’tknowwhywedotheirbidding.Theendresultofthatsuccessisamarketbuiltonhailingour“innerpingers”viainstant-gratificationopportunities.Thecleverestofthosemarkets,likesocialmedia,havemonetizedoururgetopingeachother….alltheyhavetodoisprovokethepingingandcollectthetax.Anespeciallypotentwaytoprodpeopleintopingingisviaremoteinterruptions.Unfortunately,interruptionsarebadforournervoussystems,andcauseenormousstresstous.

Aresomepeoplenatural“pingers”?Pingingasapracticemightliedeepinthenervoussystem,makingpingingalife-strategyandnotjustaone-offchoice.Tobeanaturalpinger,someonewouldprefersuddentransitionsasamatterofprinciple.Suchapersonmightself-stimulatebyfidgeting,crackingtheirknuckles,orbitingthefingernails.Inconversation,theymightinterrupt,asklotsofquestions,anddominatethereferenceframe.Inlife,theymightmakesuddenchangesofcareerordirection.Suchbehaviormightbecalled“attention-getting,”andmightbeassociatedwithdeficitsinsocialtrustandemotionalsensitivity.Arepingers’spinesstifferthannormal?

Aresomepeoplenaturallisteners?Dopeoplelistenmorewhenpingsmightcauseproblems,asincrowdedclassroomsorinteractionwithhigher-statuspeople?Dotypicallistenersalsospecializeinotherformsofhighlysensitive,long-durationdataacquisition?Doeslisteninginvolvemore

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physicalandemotionalresonancesthanpinging?Dolistenersgomoreby“feel”thanrules?Aretheirspinesmoresupple(H9)?

H5.0Mediatedcommunicationbecomesinfectedwithpinging

Whyaren’tphonecallsasfunastheyusedtobe?WhentelephoneswerefirstdeployedacrossAmerica,theaudioqualitywassogoodthatmusiciansusedtopracticetogetherusingthesharedneighborhoodtelephoneline,thencalleda“partyline.”Thatpracticewassopopularithadtobeprohibited.Eventhirtyyearsago,land-linetelephonecallscouldstillcarrywhispersandsubtletonesofvoice,sothathappyconversationscouldgoonforhours.Thatremarkablevocalreciprocitywaspossiblebecausefixedwireswereinplace,makingbandwidthbasicallyfree.Butwithmobilecallsbandwidthisn’tfree,socarriersareunderrelentlessfinancialpressuretoreduceaudioqualitytojustabovethepointwherepeoplequit.Furthermore,thealgorithmsinvolvedmaketheresulting“compressionartifacts”suchasgurgling,glitchiness,anddropoutsnotonlycommon,butdifficultforanervoussystemtoanticipateorcorrectfor.Inessence,modernwireless-voicecommunicationhassqueezedoutthemicrotimemeta-dataournervoussystemsneedtoperformcalibrationandtrust,leavingonlyrecognizable“content.”Canmediabetoxic?Onaverage,theinternetmakespeoplelookstupid,heartless,andthreatening,butonlybecauseitisn’tmadeofair.Here’swhy.Aphysicalmedium(air,water,wire,radio,smoke)transmitssignals.Humansevolvedonlytocommunicatethroughtransparent,instantmedialikeair,notthroughanymediumwhichpicksandchooseswhattosend,whichinsertsdelays,orwhichkeepsthemessagearoundlongerthanasecondorso.Doesanon-transparentmediumconveytrustinphysicalthingsaswellasthethingsthemselvesdodirectlyinproximity?Areitsinformationalpropertieslikebandwidthandlatencycorrelatedwiththetrustitconveys?Doesreal-timeinteractivityimprovethattrust?Doesbettermicrotimingjitterimprovethattrust?Dotheseeffectsapplyfortrustbetweenpeople?Doesone-waydigitalbroadcastformasignificantpartofhumaninformationaldiets?Doessuchbroadcasttransmitfear,uncertainty,anddoubtmoreefficientlythanhope,assurance,andlove?

Ispinginganunnaturalstrategyfornervoussystems?Ispingingasastrategyunstable?Isittopologicallypronetofeedback-trapsthatlisten-onlystrategieswouldnotfallinto?Donervoussystemsthriveontrulycontinuous-timestrategies,inwhichthesystem’sreferenceframeco-evolvesasdatasteadilyaccumulates?Shouldlisteningbethedefaultmodeforanynervoussystem?

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H6.0Ifscalingandincentivesaretheproblems,thenentropyandaffectionarethesolutions

HowcanIhostaproductivediscussion?Thebestdiscussionsarethoseinwhichtheparticipantsareconnectedsymmetricallyinasmanywaysaspossible,withashighinterpersonalbandwidthaspossible.Soforpurposesofillustration,an“ideal”discussionwouldhavethesefeatures:1)Everyoneinthesamequiet,visuallyappealing(butnotdistracting),non-flickeringenvironment,topreservemicrotimesignal-to-noise.2)Avoiddiscomfortbylettingpeoplemovearound,atleastperiodically,sothebody-controlcircuitsstayfluidanddiscomfortdoesn’tdistract.3)Everyvoiceisheardbyeveryonesomehow,evenwithout“somethingtosay,”becausehearingvocalizationsisacrucialprimategroup-calibrationprotocol.4)Don’tdecide.Ambiguityandindecisivenessshouldbepreservedaslongaspossible,becausealldecisionsintroducequantizationerrors.Long-durationdatarunsgivethebestanswers.Whatistheoptimumwaytonegotiate?Iftwopartiesintenttonegotiateingoodfaith,thescriptissimple:Don’tboxthemin.Alwaysleavetheothersiderealdecisionautonomy,roughly50%.Thatdoesn’tguaranteeasettlement,butitdoesguaranteeneithersidefeelstrappedormanipulated,whichisthebestonecouldhopefor.Ifbothsidesmaintainthat“leavehalfonthetable”symmetryateachstageofacontinuousinteraction,theresultoughttoconvergeaswellaspossible.Thetricktomakeitworkisthatcompliancehastobeself-evident;eithersidetryingto“game”theotherisproofofbadfaith.Whatisthebestwaytodance?ThisFrameworkcanexplainthesuccessofacontainerforthemostgeneralformofdance,calledautonomousmotion.Theautonomousmotioncontainerrequiresminimalornofootwear(tostimulatethefeet),notalking(toreducecognitivedistractions),andnojudgmentofselforothers(toallowpeopletomovebodiesorfacesinphysicallyhealthfulbutsociallydisapprovedways).Theresulting“dancejourney”thenallowsaroomofpeopletoshareacontinuoushours-longsocio-sensorimotorinteraction,eachdoingwhattheywantinthatmomentwhilesharingorganicentropy.Areeconomiesofattentionandofbehaviormoralhazardsinandofthemselves?A“moralhazard”isaneconomicsituationcontaininganundesiredfeedbackloop,suchasadoctororattorneyrecommendinghisownservices,oranexecutivetradingon“insiderinformation.”Aneconomyofattentioniswhatwehavenow,inwhichhumanattention(oftenmeasuredin“eyeballs”)isattractedbyappealingappearanceoroutrightinterruption,anditsimpactsoldtopromotemessages.Aneconomyofbehaviorisoneinwhichhumanbehavior(andnotmerelyexposuretoads)isboughtandpaid

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for.Thestructuralproblemwithbothisthatthoseeconomiesliterallycannibalizethehumannervoussystem.Thebetterthosemarketsdotheirjobs,themoredistractinganddeceptiveourenvironmentsbecome,withnoobviousupperbound.Perfectmarketperformancewoulddriveeveryonecrazy.Themoralhazardisthatademocracymustdiscusstheproblemofattentionmarketsinsidethosesamemarketplaces,subjecttotheirincentivestructures.

H7.0“Paleoeverythingbutviolence”providessensorimotornutritionHowdoesithelpmetovisitaforest?ForanervoussystemevolvedtoprocesssignalsfromNature,Natureprovidesthebesttraining-datapossible.Thehumannervoussystemis(amongotherthings)anultra-sensitivevibrationdetectorandamplifier,usingthewholeskin-surfacealongwiththeearstodetectvibrations.InPaleotimes,heat,wind,andvibrationsfromnearbysourceswerejustasimportantsignalsasvision,andthoseinputssynchronizedtheskin,ears,andeyesatmicrotimeresolution.Nowadayswefailtogetsuchqualityinput.1)Vibrationsfrommachinesandgadgetsraisetheambientnoiselevelsthousands-foldabovenaturalvalues.2)Ourskiniscoveredbyclothes,distractingitandmufflingincomingvibrations.3)Wespendourtimeindoors,betweenwallswhichcreateechoeswhileshieldingusfromoutsidesounds.4)Manysoundsourcesareun-physical,suchasAuto-tunedmusicplayedthroughaspeaker.Ifonestandsorsitsinaquietforest,thetreesprovidebothacousticdampingandasourceofmicro-rustlesdistributedinthree-dimensionalspace.Animalsandbirdsprovideorganicsounds,interactingwitheachotherandthewindinorganicways,alsodistributedin3-Dspacenearby.Sights,sounds,smells,andtemperaturechangesareallcoherentandcoincidentatinfinitespatialandtemporalresolution.

ShouldIbethankfulfordiscomfort?Yes,mostofthetime.AccordingtothisFramework,mostachesandpainsarenotdamagetoyourmuscles,butunresolvedconflictsinyourbrain’sdata-map,leadingtoquantization-errorsaboutwhichmuscleistuggingexactlywhere.Yourbraindoesn’tliketomakeerrors,sousingthosemuscle-combinationshurts.The“thankfulness”partcomesinifyouproducethatdiscomfortdeliberately,aswithmyofascialself-massage,exertion,orstretching.Thetemporary,self-inflicteddiscomfortofpushingyourbodyintoanon-damagingsensorysituationhelpsyouintwoways.First,youexerciseautonomybychoosingthetimeyoufeeldiscomfort,andtheamount.Second,theintensesensorystreamfromfocalpressureonaspecificzoneofambiguityilluminatesthatvibrationaldata-spacelikenootherformofstimulationshortofacupuncture.Thatfresh,cleandatagivesthebrain’sself-correctingalgorithmwhatitneedstohealthatportionofitscontrolspace.

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DoesA/Btestingdamagelearning“object-constancy”inchildren?Oneofthehallmarksofchildhoodcognitivedevelopment,theabilitytoknowtheworldisstableevenwhenyoucan’tseeit,maybeunderminedbyacommonproduct-testingprocess.Theprocessof“A/Btesting”islikeaclinicaltrialinmedicine,randomlytryingonethingoranothertoseewhichworksbest.OnlineadvertisementsandsoftwareproductslikeGoogleandSiriroutinelyrandomizepartsoftheiroutputs,inordertoinformproductmanagers.Anymodificationatallofanobjectpresentedasasingleinterface,likeahomepageordigitalassistant,isalreadyaviolationoftheimplicitinterfacecontract.A/Btestingmakestheobjectnolongeraconstantobject,butaslipperythingnotsafefortrainingimmaturenervoussystems.WithA/Btesting,thechangesareentirelyrandom;theyarealsostructuredinsubtleways,makingthedatamoreperniciousfortraining.Worst,the“object”beingpresentedandmodifiedwillchangeovertimeinwayswhichdependontheuser’schoices,acorrelationwhichpresentsthestatisticalimpressionthatitcaresaboutyou,exactlythewrongthingforachildtofeelaboutamachine.

Isoculocentrismanaturalorientation?Howmuchmoresalienttactilesensationdidpaleohumansexperiencethanwedonow(barefoot,scratchybushes,nakedwrestling)?Howmuchmoresalientvisualsensationdoweexperiencenowthanthen(brightcolors,flashingsignsetc.)?Ismodernlifemorevisuallyoriented(oculocentric)now,comparedtofeeling-oriented(propriocentric)now?Doesoculocentrisminfluencetheaxisofrotationoftheskull?Doesitinfluencebalanceandposture?Doesitleadtoadifferentdistributionofspatialawarenessthandoespropriocentrism?Doesitaffectthesenseofpersonalautonomyandself-worth?Doesoculocentrismleadtopinging?

H8.0Humansevolvedtoresonateecstatically HowcanIresonate?Resonatingwithsomeoneonlyrequiresthatyoubenearbyandagreetorelaxintooneanother’spresence,sobothnervoussystemscansynchronizeautomatically.Thiskindofresonancegenerateshigh-bandwidthneuromechanicaltrust,likeourtrustinourbalance.Aneasycasewouldbeaquiet,intimategathering,whereeveryonecanseeandheareachotheratcloserange.Foramoreintenseexperience,twopeoplecouldstandorlieback-to-back,withspinesalignedandtouchingforseveralminutes,orstandfacingoneanotheringroupsof2-5withhandsoneshouldersorthesmalloftheback,breathingorperhapshummingintothespaceinthemiddle.Theprincipleisthathumansevolvedtoresonate,sotomakeitworkallyouneedtodoisstopthehabitswhichshutitdown.

Howcanwemakelovemorecontagiousthanfear?Loveandfeararebothlegitimatebiologicalreactions,butdifferent:lovetakestimeand

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resonance,fearisfastandone-way.Ournervoussystemsevolvedformuchmorelovethanfear,sospreadingitinpersoniseasy,aswith“resonating”above.Infact,absentaversivesocialconditioning,loveshouldspreadamongpeoplelikewildfire.Itactuallydoes,butonlyinperson,andamongtrustingpeople,becausetheback-and-forthmicrotimesignalswhichconveytrustarepreservedinproximity.However,anysymbolicinteractions,includingandespeciallyanythingdigital,wrecktheinteractionandmicrotimetrustsignals.Unfortunatelydigitalmediadoconveyalertsandwarningsextremelywell,makingthemintofilterswhichremovethebesthumanqualitiesandamplifytheworstones.Canmis-tunedinstrumentstuneeachother?Canresonant(e.g.musical)instrumentsself-tunemoreeffectivelyinthepresenceofdifferentlydetunedinstruments,aswitharoomfulofmis-tunedpianos?Doesthequalityorintensityofcollectiveresonanceincreasewiththenumberofparticipants?Dothosescalewithinter-instrumentproximity?Withtheamplitudeofvibratorycoupling?Withitsaverageorpeakfrequency?Withthenarrownessofindividualresonances?Withreflectionfromnearbysurfaces?Canpeoplehealeachotherwithultrasoniccoupling?Whathappenswhenhumansexchangeultrasonicvibrationswithoneanotherusingimpedence-matchedmechanicalcoupling,suchasagraphite-epoxybite-bar?Doessuchhigh-frequencycouplingcreatethesameresonantentrainmentaslower?Aretherebenefitsordangersnotpredictablefromordinarysoniccoupling?Doesultrasonicresonancefeelmoreintimatethannormalphysicalcontact?Canhigh-intimacyconnectionseverbetrustedincontainerswhichareincentivizedornon-transparent?Canhumanskinfeeldelicious?Isthatassessmentdependentonmoodandcontext?Isitreciprocal?Canitbeidentifiedandtrained?Canthesensationbe“aimed”atastranger?Isitstrongeringroups?Isitstrongerwithanonymity?Underidealcircumstances,issharinganonymousaffectionhealthful?Underwhatcircumstancesmightitberisky?Cansuchintimateconnectionsbesafelysharedinuntrustedorincentivizedenvironments?WhatwouldanidealYogaordancestudiolooklike?Obviously,socialcomfortcriticaltoenjoyinganexperienceinanembodimentstudio.Ifthatcomfortcanbemaintained,istheexperienceimprovedbyhavingmirrorssotheperipheralvisualsystemcangathermoremicrotimingdata?Whataboutacloserinterpersonaldistance?Tighterclothing?Lessareaofclothing?Awiderdynamicrangeofsynchronizedexertionandrelaxation?Cangroupvibrationhealus?Dohumansfeelbetterduringandaftervibratinginthecompanyofothers?Doestheirhealthbenefitfromco-vibration?Doescollaborativediscussionprovidesuchbenefits?Co-singing?Co-vocalizing?Co-breathing?Co-vibrating?Co-touching?Co-gazing?Dothe

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benefitsimprovewithsharedintention?Withmutual,overtgratitudeforthenecessarycollectiveeffort?Dothepeopleinvolvedfeelmoreconnectedtooneanotherinproportiontotheirresonantinvolvement?

H9.0Symmetricspinalhealthsyndrome

WhydoesmybodybecomeachierandstifferasIage?Yourbodyismadeofmillionsofmuscle-fiberswhichvibrateinsynchrony.Yourbrain’sprimaryjobistokeepthatsynchronyperfect,blendingmicroscopicrippleswithhugeheaves.Perfectvibratorycoordinationwouldrenderyourbodyperfectlysensitive,balanced,andgraceful.Ifthat’syourlifenow,you’relucky;mostofushaveaches,pains,andstiffjointswhichworsenwithage.InthisFramework,mostofthosediscomfortstracetodata-conflictsintheproprioceptivesystem,sotheachereallyis“allinyourhead.”Thegenericsolutionistochallengewithstimulationandexertionexactlythelocationsandconfigurationswhicharemostuncomfortable,onthetheorythatdiscomfortmeansmissingdata,andprovidingdatameanshealing.

Howdoesmymindwork?Abrainisabandwidthengine,andmostofitmanagesbiomechanics,not“mind.”Keepingtrackofrightnow,theverycurrentmoment,takesanenormousamountofprocessingpower,withlittlelefttoreconstitutewhathappenedonlyafewmomentsago.InthisFrameworkeven“memory”isanevolutionarylatecomer,hackedtooperateatopamucholdercontinuous-timemotorarchitecture.Furthermore,wordsandsymbolsarenotonlyfrozenintimelikememory,butalsoinvolveman-madecategoricalassignments,sotheylieevenfartherafieldfromthestructuresourbrainsevolvedtoprocess.Thebadnewsis,eventhoughwearebyfarthebestspeciesatsymboliccognition,andeventhoughsocietyrewardscognitionhandsomely,sequentialthoughtmovesveryslowly,insecondsratherthanmicroseconds.Anditmovesapproximately,sincewecan’talwaystrustthesourcesorcategories.Anditfailstomatchreality,sincethesharpdivisionssymbolicassignmentsandcategoricaldivisionsdependondon’tactuallyexistinnature.Thegoodnewsis,ourcontinuous3-Dmindsstillworkblazinglyfastontheirnativeturf,ifweletthem.Dodataproblemscauseouritches,aches,&pains?Doitchesoccuratlocationsoftemporary,localproprioceptiveambiguity?Doestheambituityresolvewhentheitchgoesaway,i.e.whendisambiguatingdataarrives?Aremyofascial“triggerspots”locationsofpersistentambiguity?Dothoseresolveanddisambiguatewithmoreanddeeperdataoverlongertimes?Dosomesuddenmusculo-skeletalconfigurationchanges(clicks,pops,snaps)resultnotfromfluidcavitation,butfromdiscontinuouschangesinmotorstrategy?Dosomesuchchangesresultinsuddenpleasureorrelaxation?Dootherchangesresultinsuddenspasmsinnewly-activatedmuscles?Dothetextures

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andsoundsofsomereleasesmimicthoseofphysicalinjuriessuchassprainsanddislocations?

WhydopeopleloveactivitieslikeYogasomuch?Manyspiritualandphysicaldisciplinessharecommonspine-centeredandmidline-centeredpractices(includingactivitiesnotusuallythoughtofassuch,likechoralsinging).Adherentsofthosedisciplinessaytheybenefitapproximatelyaccordingtotheirparticipation,includinglessoverallanxiety,depression,sickness,anddiscomfort,andbetterrelaxation,sleep,flexibility,balance,physicalfluidity,sensorysensitivity,emotionalself-regulation,interpersonalrelationships,andoverallhappiness.InthisFrameworkthosebenefitsmakesense,becauseboostingthebandwidthofthecentralnervousoughttoimprovetheperformanceofallofitscomponents.

HowcanIsuperchargemy(Yoga/Pilates/dance/pole)practice,oratleastfeelyounger?Firstofall,thesepracticesarealreadyverypowerful:themoreyouneedthem,themoretheywillchallengeyouwithdiscomfort.Theyalreadyprovidethebenefitsofmorestablereferenceframes,smootherandmoreself-consistentemotionallandscapes,andmoregracefulmotioninoldage.Theydothisbyprovidinghands-onpersonalizedinstructionincloseproximity,byandinthepresenceofthesametrustedpeopleoverextendedtime.Allsuchhealingis99%vibration,1%instruction.Thosearefeatures,notbugs,andallarecrucialsafetynetsfortheaudaciousprocessofrebootingone’sownnervoussystemwhilecontinuingtouseitforsupervisingtherebootingprocess.Forsuchaprocesstobesafe,oneabsolutelyneedsaffectionatecompanionshipondemand.Ifyouareinsuchaluckysituation,herearesomenewwaystoacceleratetheprocessofre-symmetrizingone’snervoussystem.

1. Isolatethespinefromtheperiphery.Onecanhang,right-side-uporinverted(bythefeetorthighs)toprovidelengthwisetractionmostlyindependentofarmsandlegs.Onecanalternatetractionwithcompression,saybydoingaheadstand.Onecanremovetheinfluenceofthearmsandshouldersbysupportingtheheadstandwiththefeet,handsattheside(it’sscary!).Onecanpressonthefontanelwithsmoothorsharpobjects,totrainitasalocusofmuscularconstrictionandexpansion,likethepalm.Thefontaneloperatesthecentralaxisofthespineandskullandthustheupperendofyourcore.

2. Tryacupuncture.Byinjectingbody-tremorvibrationsintoinsensitivetissue,anacupunctureneedlegivesthattissuecrucialnewdatawhichnoexercisecouldprovide.Soacupunctureenlivensthenervoussystemthroughacomplementary,independentchannel.

3. Try“ACgrounding”theincisors.Weirdly,pressingyourincisor-teethagainstasolidobjectforafewminutesatatimehelpsstraightenthespinetoo.ThekeyinsightcomesfromTesla’sMECHANICALTHERAPY

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machine:bodiesbenefitfromultrasonicvibrations.Bodieshaveself-generatedultrasonicvibrationsinsidethemselvesalready(theonesyousometimeshearasringingintheears).Theonlythingpreventingthebodyfrommakingsenseofthevibrationsitalreadyhasisthelackofafixedreference-point.Theproblemisthatevenwhenyourbareheelsstandonastonefloor,thebonesdon’ttouchthestonedirectly,onlythroughflesh,sotheyaren’t“grounded”attheultrasonicfrequenciestheyneed(ametalboltfromstonetobonemightsolvetheproblem,inprinciple,butthattakessurgery).Thesolution:pressthefrontoftheincisorteethagainstahardsurfacewithenoughpressuretofeel,butnotenoughtohurttheteeth.Maintainingsteadypressureprovidestheskullanon-vibratingreferencesignal,whatengineerswouldcall“ACgrounding,”relativetowhichthespinecannowdetectandcorralitsownvibrations.Thisprocesshelpsrelaxthejawandneck,andcreatescascadereleaseselsewhereonthespine.

Doescentralspinalactivationmakemefeelbetter?Doesintermittentlytensioningthespine(e.g.hanging)whilegroundinghelpannealthespinalmotormapmorequickly?Doescompressingit(pushingupwards)?Doesmelodicsinging?Vocalizing?Audiblybreathing?Feelingsharppressurecenteredonthefontanel?Feelingahardobjectgentlyclampedbetweenthemolars?Dovibrationaltherapiessharecommonmechanisms?Doesacupuncturerecalibrateproprioceptivemodelsbyteleportinginertialandbody-tremorsignalsviastiffsteelintounresponsive“locked-in”myofascialtissue?Do“soundhealings”providethebodiesofparticipantsasustained3-Dcoherent,continuoussoundfieldofsimplemechanicalorigin?Doessuchfull-spectrumcoherencere-synchronizetactile,proprioceptive,andauditorychannels?Domassage-jetsandshowersproviderelatedvibratorybenefits?Doesbrushingtheskin?CanIbecomeahyper-athlete?Ahyper-athletehasanexceptionallywell-tunedandresponsivenervoussystem,notanyspecificskillorstrength.Asyogisandhyper-athletesknow,optimalphysicalactivityinvolvesmanagementofattentionasmuchascontrolofmuscles.Afocused,rationaldata-gatheringstrategy,whenappliedtore-symmetrizingbreathandspinedeliberately,hasdrasticimpacts.Whenthespineandnervoussystemarebothre-symmetrizedandmanagedproperly,theyareideal,andwillworkaswellasanyhuman’scould.

Whydomyjointspop?Dothediscomfortswhichaccompanythetransformationincludeboutsofpoppingjoints,proprioceptive&visualhallucinations,subtlereference-frameshifts,spiritualandintellectualdiscoveries,suddenfatigueorextraenergy,olfactoryhyperacuity,digestiveproblems,heartpalpitations,andotherspine-associatedsymptomswhich

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mightplausiblyhavebeentriggeredbylocalre-aligningofthecircuitryforvertebralcontrol?Whenastuckregionreleases,canitfeelandsoundlikeabonebreakingopen,butwithoutactualpain?Whenanewconnectionforms,canitfeellikeabonecollapses?Dohighlysalientmidlinereleasesneartheheartbringco-humanfeelings?ArethemusclesIfeelinsidemeimpossiblehallucinations?Insomesenseallsensationishallucination,sinceyourbrainmakesitup.Youcanprovethisbylookingforsorespotsand“triggerpoints”onyourskull.Dotheyoccurdisproportionatelyonprominencesorindepressions?Aretheyhardtominutelylocalize,i.e.dotheycorrespondtopointsofproprioceptiveambiguity?Doesstimulationengendernewsensationsintheskull?Doesitimprovemobility?Arethesensationsfeltasmuscles,i.e.asstripesofforce?Arethesensationslimitedtothesurfaceoftheskull,oraretheyfelt“insidethebrain”?Doreleasesintheskull’scracks(sutures)leadtofeelingsofmotioninsidethem?Dotheyleadtosensationsthattheplatesoftheskullitselfmoverelativetooneanother,asiftheskullwereanelasticsolid?Doesfeelingtheskullbendmakeiteasiertofeelthespinetwistthroughthemiddleofthehead?Doesthatfeelgood?Doesthatfeelingpassthroughtheskull’snaturalgeometricaxisofrotation?Doesitpassthroughthelocationofthepinealgland?Whydopeoplebenefitfromaerialsports?Dopractitionersofclimbing/twistingsportslikerockclimbingandpolefitnessenjoythesamebenefitsasyogis?Aretheirtransformationsevenmorespectulularthanthoseofyoga?Doesthesportitselfemploymorespinaltensionandelongation?Morecompressionandbending?Moretorsion?Moreinversion?Dothosespecific“postural”exertionsbearcreditforimprovingspinalself-awareness,flexibilityandfluidity(SSFF)?DoesSSFFbearcreditforthebenefits?Forthediscomforts?

Shouldmybodyfeeldetailed,orsimple?Yougettochoosehowtorunyourbody:doyouwanttogofast,orgofine?BodycontrolfacesthesameconstraintasQuantumMechanics:Thereisonlysomuchinformationinagivenblockofspacetime.Togainresolutionintime—thebandwidthgoal—youmustsacrificeresolutioninspace.Inthisscheme,thefastestdata-aggregationgeometries(continuousdistributedmultiscaleoperatingsystems)mustbethesimplestshapes.Forexample,startingfromtheupperleftoftheFigurebelow:Spherical,aone-dimensionalbreathcyclingovertime;cylindrical,aone-dimensionalspineinspace(virtuallyconnectedend-to-end);theproductspaceofthosetwo;abendablespine;andsoon,increasingindimensionandcomplexity.Inthisscheme,concentratingonone’scenterre-symmetrizesthewholebody.

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Isthe“chakrasystem”aconsequenceofspinalsoftwarearchitecture?Isthecorespine-controlarchitecturebuiltaroundtheneuraltube?Arespecificmetabolicandmusculo-skeletalcontrolsco-locatedalongthatcentralaxis?Wouldthatoverlappingarchitecturecreatesubtleinteractionsbetweenlocalspinalcontrolandmetabolicimprovements,suchasthosethat“chakra-like”theorieshavelongclaimed?Doesmusicringourspineslikeviolins?Arethemultiscaletemporalpatternsofmusicalovertoneseriesstructurallysimilartothoseofchords,chordprogressions,andkeychanges?Arethoseinturnsimilartothe(slower)structuresofpolyrhythms?Arethoseinturnsimilartothestructuresinvertebratespines?Are“Western”instrumentations,harmonies,andrhythmsoptimizedaroundthosetemplatepatterns?Wouldsignalssooptimizedstripfrommusicthehuman-generatedmicrotimejitterournervoussystemsneed?Canultrasonicsensesbetrained?Couldhairlessskinhaveevolvedtoallowtheskinmoreaccuratemechanicalsignaltransduction?Couldcave-peoplehavehadanultrasonicsense,feelingthewallsinthedark?Cananear-nakedhumanbodyactasaphased-arrayvibrationdetector,sensingtheazimuthandelevationofanisolatedacousticsource,suchasaflyingdrone,moreaccuratelythanwiththeearsalone?Dohumansinskin-to-skincontactshareultrasonicsignalsalongwithlower-frequencyones?Canpeoplewithsupplespineslearnto“feel”thingsneartheirheads?

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Canyouheartheshapeofadrum,orofacave?Canyou“feel”nearbywallswithunconsciousauditoryandultrasonicsenses?Canyourproprioceptivesense“feel”theshapeofanextendedobjectyouhold?Cantheyfeeltheshapeofanotherperson,asadancermight?Canyourincisorsfeeltheshapeorsizeofanobjecttheytouch?

AppendixC.Acaseforultra-high-Qspinalresonance

To first order a human spine is an actively anti-damped resonating cylinder, which means 1) our spines’ highest-frequency harmonics are ultrasonic, 2) those harmonics tend resonate with those of others nearby, especially if touching skin-to-skin, and 3) those vibrations converge and tune us collectively, in the same way that pitch and tempo converge among musicians.

* * * *

Ahumanbodyisnothingifnotanelaboratemechanicalsystem,withthepotential(ifundamped)tovibrateatoversixordersofmagnitudeoffrequency.Iftheredoexisthigh-frequency,low-amplitudeacousticvibrationsinsidetheskinandmyofascialweb,thosecouldbeusedas“carrierwaves”underlyingtactation,mechanoreception,proprioception,andkinaestheticsense.Thenlower-frequencyvibrations,trackedandentrainedviathosehigh-frequencycarriers,wouldproduceslowerbutmoredirectlyusefulgross-motiontaskslikebalance,walking,jumping,stretching,andbreathing.AswithmodulatedradiowaveslikeAMandFM,controlofthegrosssignaldependsdirectlyonthequalityoftheunderlyingcarrier,soabrain’shighest-bandwidthtaskwouldbetomaximizethemicro-coherenceofmuscleactivation(motorspikes)andtravellingacousticwavesintissuebyactivelyanti-dampingmotor-spikevibrations.Asinidealization,itispossibleonecanapproximateavertebratebodylikeaperfectbell,ringingessentiallyforeveratallfrequencieswithnear-infiniteQ.Theideathatahunkofmeatcanbethoughttovibrateperfectlymightseemabsurd,buttheideaissimple.Supposethatabrain’sfirst-orderstrategyofmanagingvibrationsamountstoactinglikeasuper-collidercontrolsystem,withmyofascialsolitonsplayingtheroleofpacketsofparticles.Thecontrolsystemwouldinjectcoordinatedacousticwavesintotissue(viamotorspiketiming),andwouldtherebytimesubsequentspikefiringto“kick”andsharpenthattravellingwaveasparticle-collidersdo.Usingsuchaprocess,theprimarycausesofmechanicaldampingwouldbeeliminatedandtheflowsofenergyandentropywouldbeinequilibrium.Thus,syntheticvery-high-Qbehaviorcouldexist,openingthepossibilitythattheverymostcentralandhigh-bandwidthcomponentsofourbodies,ourspines,mightringandringandringeachotherlikeviolin-stringssharingbows.

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AppendixD.OnevalidateddatapointIwouldlikemyownstorytoserveasanexample.Iwasaformergymnastandlifelongathlete.Atage50achiropractortookanX-rayasIstoodupstraight.Iwasshockedtoseeacalcium-encrustedspine,visiblytwistedanddislocated,withhipsdisplacedmorethantendegrees.ThedoctorstoldmeIhadarthritisofmyentirespine,andmeasuredthatmyneckrotationandflexionwereabouthalfofnormal.Evidently,fordecadesIhadbeenunawareofadeepspinaldisability.Iconcludedthatmybrain’sproprioceptivemap—thelook-uptablewithwhichitturnspulsesfrommyofascialmechanoreceptorsintoafeltsenseofwhichmusclesandbonesarewhereandunderwhatstresses—wasdeeplyflawed,andhadmis-placedthecentralaxesandlocationsofkeyjoints,especiallyinthespine.Ihadatwistedmentalmapresultinginvirtualscoliosis,andanattendantlackofsensationandabilityinthecrucial“core”muscles.Myzero-parametertheoryofmyownbodyisthat,originally,sometorsionalinsulttomyspineinutero—perhapstheumbilicalcordtwistedaroundme—allowedmybraintoassignafeelingof“straight”tovertebraewhichwereinfactmis-aligned,especiallyinthesternum.Thatmisalignmentofmapwithmuscledidnotimpactmyspine’slow-frequencyload-bearingcapacity(Ihavealwaysbeenstrong),butitdidseverelylimitmyspine’sabilitytopropagatetheultrasonicmyofascialwaveswhichunderlieproprioception.Localizeddata-conflictshadmademyspinalmuscles—whichoughttobethebody’smostcentral,subtle,andsensitive—functionallyinvisibletomyawareness.Thisexplainedmanyaspectofmylife.Fromchildhooduntilmymid-fifties,Ineverfeltmuscularsensationinitiatingfrommyspine,soforfullspinalflexionortorsion,Ihadtopull,push,orbendmytorsowitharmsandlegs.Ialwaysheldmybreathwhenconcentrating(stilldo).Ican’tfloatinfreshwater,evenwithlungsfull.IusedmentalrecollectionandtriangulationtoinferthatIhadexpressedemotionsIdidn’tfeel.Iusementalimagerymorethanproprioceptiontofigurehowtomove.Ipreferredjump-and-resetactiviteslikerock-hoppingtoflowingmotion.OvertheyearssincethisdiscoveryIhavebeendeterminedtoilluminatemyownsensorimotordark-spacewithnewsensorimotordata,andtolearntooperatemymusculo-skeletalsystemasitoughttobe.Sofar,ithasworkedjustastheFrameworksaysitshould.Thefollowingencapsulatessomeaspectsofanexperience:

Ithappensverysuddenly,likelightning.Really.Ioftenhearmy“bones”crackleinsidemyhead,asoundveryhigh-pitched,likebreakingglass.

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Otherscanevenhearitacrosstheroom.Itcanfeellikemyheadwasscrewedonwrong,thenclicksonstraight.AlthoughIknowthevibrationsemanatefrommyofascialneck-andskull-controlfiberswrappedaroundmyskull,thesensationappears,impossibly,insidethemiddleofmybrain.Inthefirstplace,suchhallucinationispossiblebecauseallproprioception(andindeedsensation)is99.99%hallucinatedanyway.Butfurthermore,theparticulartextureofmyhallucination—feelingmuscleswheretheyarenot—representsthemostefficientuseofthebrain’snative3-Drepresentationalspace,andindoingsoalsoletsmefeelsmoothstripesofforcefromfontaneltofingerandtoe,asifmybodywerenotseparatebonesandmuscles,butasingleelasticsolid,likeGumby.Theglass-breaksoundhasfrequenciesaround10kilohertzatleast,whichmeansthesuddenly-deprecatedneuromotorstrategycanatoncereleaseaslewoffiberswithinfiftymicroseconds.That“crack!”mademybrainfeelopen,silent,fluid,andcalmatonce.Whatothercausecouldmakeasoundsosharp,repeatedly,consistentwithinternalmechanicalsensation,whileyieldingsuchimmediaterelief?