[FRIAM] Trans/Post Homo Erectus/Sapiens/Faber/Hiveus

[Steven A Smith]

> < We can turn up the brightness and narrow the focus to maximize flux,
> but for many problems, that is not unlike hitting our high beams in a
> snowstorm or fogbank.   One of the things I hope (mostly in vain, but
> not entirely) for from this list is discussion of how to apply Complex
> Systems Theory to predicting something more interesting/relevant to
> the human tragicomedy being played out right.  >
>
> Switch to synthetic aperture radar in fog.  ☺
>
> https://semiengineering.com/here-comes-high-res-car-radar/
> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucas%E2%80%93Kanade_method>
>
Good one.  I *was* going to invoke the work Takeo Kenade (CMU) presented
here a year or so ago, based on his (Lucas-Kenade) Optical Flow
algorithms to detect/predict the pattern of rain/snow a fraction of a
second later such that the headlights (imaging projectors) can mask the
beam, minimizing the egregious illumination of rain/snow/sleet.    As a
metaphor, I don't know if it helps in this discussion, but it was a good
example of fairly straightforward but highly motivated adaptation of 
existing technology.

Your synthetic aperture imaging via arrays (formal, ad hoc, phased,
radio, light, sound... ) probably provide a better metaphor.   This is
one of the reasons I'm very interested in other people's perspectives on
many topics...  if done well (which I can't claim I do) it seems that
such ubiquitous parallax can yield some of the same things synthetic
apertures can...  like post-hoc focus and depth extraction.  

Unfortunately both of these are merely sophisticated engineering
mathematics, probably closer to what Asimov's Psychohistory gestured at.

Projects like our own Merle Lefkoff's Center for Emergent Diplomacy
<https://www.emergentdiplomacy.org/> and ASU's Global Biosocial
Complexity Initiative <https://complexity.asu.edu/> show promise... I
suppose I should quit blathering on here and do a more diligent
literature search...   There are initiatives at SFI that are somewhat
relevant that I don't (bother to?) follow. 

Mumble,

 - Steve

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