From the retina, the signals are passed up via the optic nerve to the lateral geniculate nucleus and from there it is just a hop, skip and jump to the visual cortex, complete with crossing over so as to facilitate stereoscopic vision. So the visual system is very easy to understand. Except for the technological hurdles (like no camera exists at high enough resolution and no one would know how to map external input to the visual cortex), I would think that a true visual prosthesis will be available some day for the blind long before an adequate hearing replacement is found.
By now, two articles in, you are probably asking yourself why the hell does a science fiction writer want to bog us down with anatomy and physiology? Reason: I want to explain how my robots, livetars and computers see and hear. It is totally, totally unlike humans. More on that tomorrow.
Entry 4-229: August 12, 2016
How do robots see?
By now you've all seen commercials for the Mercedes Benz with the twin radar emitters in the grill that detect collisions and apply the brakes faster than a person could react. Would you say that the car "sees" the collision coming? Of course not. It is just an algorithm built into a computer so that when a certain sequence of signals comes in, the computer executes a prerecorded series of actions.
Computers cannot see, either. However, if you hook up TV cameras and teach them patterns or templates and give them enough computing power to translate incoming signals in real time in three dimensions, they may be able to tell you what they "see" almost like they were one of us.
There was a TV show that just ended called Person of Interest whose main star was "The Machine" and The Machine took facial recognition and pattern recognition to the nth degree and actually saw in a fashion similar (and vastly superior) to how we see. But again, is it seeing?
When the level of sophistication becomes high enough and the degree of recognition becomes indistinguishable from a human, it ends up being like a Turing test. If you cannot tell whether it is a computer behind the curtain or a human observing, you may as well throw in the towel and say that the computer does see. Many of the Boston Dynamics robots have a stereo vision system for navigating the terrain and collision avoidance.
OK. So robots can see with nothing much more that twin TV cameras. But this whole series is called Tales of the Vuduri. Can Vuduri robots see? Trick question there. The Vuduri don't have robots. But they do have livetars, MINIMCOM being one of the stars. So how does MINIMCOM see? I'll explain tomorrow.
Entry 4-230: August 13, 2016
How does MINIMCOM see?
Imagine that Rome and Rei have invited you over for dinner. Aason is visiting with his grandparents. After dinner, Rome brings out a deck of cards and asks MINIMCOM to send down a livetar and the four of you play a card game. Rome deals and the three humans and one livetar pick up their cards and look at their hands. You and I know how the humans see. But what about MINIMCOM? How does he see? After all, within his bullet-shaped head, he has eyes slits but there is nothing behind them. We know that from both The Ark Lords and The Milk Run when some of our main characters actually get inside of the hollow livetar. So I ask you again, how does MINIMCOM see?
I have to tell you that up until last weekend, I had absolutely no idea. Nobody ever asked me and it would be a pretty dopey story if the livetars could not see but what is the engineering behind it? My brother Bruce comes to the rescue again.
Bruce explained to me (and I'm the author!) that the livetars are made up of constructors and the constructors are nothing but modified VIRUS units which in turn are nothing but modified star-probes. Those star-probes have a variety of sensors but we only need worry about the light detecting ones. Essentially, the entire livetar is just one giant series of single pixel cameras. MINIMCOM the computer/starship is flooded with light detection from every angle. The only place he does not have light coming in is from the eye slits. So he pieces together the information from everywhere else and synthesizes what the eye slits would see if they had anything there. Basically, MINIMCOM subtracts out everything and what is left is vision.
Phew. At least I have an explanation now. It might not be a good one but it is something. So does MINIMCOM have a mind? Could Rome or Aason enter into that mind? I'll give that a shot tomorrow.
Entry 4-231: August 14, 2016
Lupe and Fury Part 1 of 4
Yesterday, we explored the concept of whether MINIMCOM could actually see. In the days before that I reviewed at a summary level how the auditory and visual systems work in humans. All of this background was necessary leading up to this little interaction between Rome and Rei's daughter, Lupe and her beloved livetar Fury.
This little story takes place about 20 years after the events depicted in The Milk Run. Lupe has been firmly established as the lead instructor at the First Contact Academy. She alternates her time between teaching class, taking students out into space to practice their first contact skills and mediating introductions to new species which are particularly difficult to "crack" for regular students. This is the prelude leading up to "The Shell War" whereupon Lupe and her nephew Rory try and make peace with an aggressive and war-like rival Galactic Union.
Here is part one of that story:
Lupe and Fury, Lupe’s seven foot tall, pink, Amazonian livetar, were sitting at the small table in the galley. The two of them were playing a card game called threes and fours. The game utilized two decks and required alternating three of a kind with same-suited runs of four cards.
Lupe was studying her hand, occasionally peeking up at her robot-like friend who was also inspecting her cards. While the livetar brought the vast amount of computing power to the table as you would expect of a starship which was basically a flying computer, there was an element of luck to the game that no amount of artificial intelligence could overcome.
Lupe blinked several times then laid her cards face down on the table.
“What is it?” Fury asked.
Lupe tilted her head. “How do you even see your cards?” she asked. “You don’t have eyes, just eye holes. I know there’s nothing behind them.”
Fury laid her cards down on the table as well. “I agree with your assessment that I do not see in the same way as you but I certainly do see. Otherwise I would constantly be walking into walls.”
“So how does it work?” Lupe asked, leaning forward.
Tomorrow, part two.
Entry 4-232: August 15, 2016
Lupe and Fury Part 2 of 4
Yesterday, we set the stage for a little conversation between Lupe Bierak and her seven foot tall livetar named Fury. They were playing cards and Lupe suddenly became curious as to how a livetar could even see. In a previous article, I explored the concept of whether MINIMCOM could actually see. Here, Fury attempts a similar explanation:
“As you know, my body is built from constructors which are basically modified VIRUS units. The VIRUS units themselves were adapted from your father’s star-probes. Each probe has a number of sensing modalities, one of which is light-sensitive.”
“OK, so every cell in your body receives light. How does that work into vision?”
“I’m sure both you, your brother and your parents have always believed that our eye slits were decorative, designed to give us a slightly more human appearance. That is actually not the case.”
“Really?” Lupe asked thoughtfully. “So why are they there?”
“We work backwards. We take all the light from all over our body and deduce what light should have fallen on the eye slits using a computationally-intensive algorithm. That image is analogous to what you see with your eyes.”
“Huh,” Lupe said thoughtfully. “So you could have eyes on the back of your head, too, if you wanted them.
“We actually do,” Fury added. “They just are not as accurate as the frontal vision because there is no gap in the shell.”
“Wow.” Lupe grew silent. “Then how do you hear? You
don’t have ear holes.”
“Hearing is easier. Our entire body is vibration sensitive which essentially makes us a walking microphone. Very little processing power is required to convert the vibrations we feel into speech and other environmental sounds.”
Lupe leaned back in her chair and thought about Fury’s words. Finally she asked, “Do you have a mind like ours? In fact, can you read my mind? Can I read yours?”
Fury stroked her chin in a very human-like way. “I do not think we have a mind exactly like yours. We are digital in nature, not analog. That was why MASAL was able to merge with the Overmind, before the Robot War. But our physiology, if you wish to call it that, is so different from yours that I don’t think we would be able to interact mentally.”
Tomorrow, Lupe attempts to read Fury's mind.
Entry 4-233: August 16, 2016
Lupe and Fury Part 3 of 4
Yesterday, Lupe Bierak's seven foot tall livetar named Fury explained to Lupe how livetars see and hear. This gets Lupe's mind spinning. She is very curious person. The brave girl wonders if it is possible to read a computer's mind. She decides to try and experiment.
“But you guys have souls. We know that when OMCOM and Junior went to Heaven. If you have a soul, a spirit, wouldn’t your mind drive that spirit or at least be connected in some way? That would be an analog construct regardless of how it arose.”
Fury nodded slowly. “I suppose you are correct. Somewhere, buried in all our circuitry, is something which could not be charted or analyzed or extracted. It is built up of pieces but the whole is certainly greater than the sum of the parts.”
Lupe stretched forward with her hand. “Take my hand,” she said. “I want to try and read your mind.”
“Are you sure that is wise?”
“How could it hurt?” Lupe answered. “The worst thing that happens is I fail.”
“Very well,” Fury replied. She extended her arm forward, palm up. Lupe grasped it and closed her eyes. She projected her mind forward, searching for the spirit, the light that would be the soul of her best friend in the world.
Lupe could detect something but it felt like she was in a dark room with flashing rays of light dripping from the walls and ceiling. As she focused in on the rays, she could see them sparkling with ones and zeroes but nothing resembling a thought or feeling. She opened her mind further and tried to let all of the streams enter her consciousness, assembling themselves at will, trying to find a coherent pictures. She added an element of sound which corresponded to the individual twinkles but all it did was create a kind of white noise.
She moved her head back and forth, trying to find something, anything to latch on. There was nothing. Finally, she gave up and released Fury’s hand.
“Well that sucks,” she said. “I couldn’t make out anything. Just a bunch of digital streams going from who knows where on their way to somewhere else.”
The experiment is a failure. But Lupe is not the sort of person to give up. Fury knows this. Maybe there is another way. We'll find out tomorrow.
Entry 4-234: August 17, 2016
Lupe and Fury Part 4 of 4
Yesterday, Lupe Bierak attempted to read the mind of her seven foot tall livetar named Fury. However the experiment was a complete failure. But neither Lupe nor Fury were the kind of beings to just throw in the towel.
In today's installment, we get the conclusion of the story which will eventually open up the way to further enhancing Lupe's first contact skills:
“Well that sucks,” Lupe said. “I couldn’t make out anything. Just a bunch of digital streams going from who knows where on their way to somewhere else.”
Fury turned her hand over and lightly grasped Lupe’s hand. “It doesn’t matter,” the livetar said. “Within me is a spirit, as you said. And that spirit loves you very much. We don’t keep secrets from one another so if you can’t read my mind, it doesn’t change anything.”
Lupe squeezed Fury’s hand then pulled away and leaned back. “I know you’re right but it would have been really sleek if I could have read your mind. That kind of ability would come in very handy down the road if we ever ran into a computer or whatever and we need to find out something.”
Fury nodded gravely. “I believe you are correct. Give me a little time and I will find the pathway to my spirit. We will try this again and then I will be able to guide you. It will be an adventure for both of us.”
“All right!” Lupe replied enthusiastically. “Let me know as soon as you are ready.”
“I will,” answered Fury. “But in the mean time, it’s your turn.”
Lupe laughed and picked up the next card.
I crafted this story to set the stage for Lupe's undercover work during the Shell War whereupon our Galactic Union comes across a rival Union and their thought processes are more like a computer than a human. Lupe's first contact skills to this point would never have allowed her to communicate with those new species. So this little card game uncovered a major flaw in their strategy to bring peace to the galaxy. How Lupe acquired the skills is a story for another day. What is important here is that she recognized it was something she needed to learn.
Entry 4-235: August 18, 2016
Seduced by logic
After MINIMCOM had blasted out the foundation for Rome's library using his new PPT cannons, OMCOM makes a mysterious appearance which is seemingly innocuous. Rome had the tall task of building the library OMCOM from scratch and here comes OMCOM with an offer they can't refuse:
“I am well,” replied the manifestation of the computer that was now the size of a planet. “MINIMCOM contacted me about your project via the null-fold relays. I think it is an excellent idea and I know of a way that I can get you started faster.”
“How?” Rome asked. Rome was barely five feet tall and dwarfed standing between the pair of two-meter tall livetars.
“Send MINIMCOM to me,” replied OMCOM. “I have some engineering ideas that I have wanted to share with him. Then I can send him back with a fully-realized subset of my presence. You would not have to grow any memrons. It would be a complete operating system and a copy of my personality. As Rei’s people like to say, you could hit the ground running.”
“That is fantastic,” Rome said, reaching up and hugging the ambulatory shell. “Thank you.”
She turned to MINIMCOM, craning her neck to look up into his eye slits. “How long would it take you to go to Tabit?”
“Seven days there, seven days back,” replied MINIMCOM’s livetar. “It will save you a large amount of effort.”
“Yes,” Rome agreed. “I could focus on the execution instead of the mechanics.”
Still holding onto Aason’s hand tightly, Rome turned back to stare at the excavation. She tried to envision what it would all look like when completed. She twisted around to speak to OMCOM but before she could get a word out, the animated shell dissipated before her eyes.
Rome shook her head and sighed. “I suppose that is all we can do for today,” she observed. She led Aason back to the landing strip. Along with MINIMCOM’s livetar, Rome and Aason climbed up the cargo ramp. As the cargo compartment sealed, the two humans headed forward toward the cockpit. MINIMCOM, the starship, rose gently into the air and returned Rome and her son back to their house, dropping them off before beginning his journey.
“Thank you again, MINIMCOM,” Rome transmitted as MINIMCOM took off, his huge EG lifter pods pounding the dirt.
“Always glad to help,” MINIMCOM replied as his nose tilted up, rapidly gaining altitude. “I will see you in fourteen days.” His plasma thrusters roared to life creating eye-popping pyrotechnics this low in the atmosphere. The roar of his engines was palpable but only for a second. In a flash, MINIMCOM vanished from sight.
Nothing with OMCOM is ever that simple. He always has an ulterior motive. But what could it be? We won't find out until The Milk Run.
Entry 4-236: August 19, 2016
>
Rei's surprise
Nobody ever accused Reinard Bierak of not loving his wife Rome deeply and truly. One of the ways he showed his love for her by surprising her with things she never expected. Her endeavor to build her library had consumed her every waking moment but Rei was able to spot something that would save her a tremendous amount of time:
“That is great,” Rei said. “Hmm,” he mused as he stroked his chin. “I was going to wait to surprise you but I guess I don’t need to hold back.”
“What…” Rome started then stopped. She knew Rei loved his surprises and he never answered her when she inquired. It was easier to just not ask.
“Wait right here,” Rei insisted. He set Aason down. “Come with me, buddy,” Rei said to his son. “I’ll need some help.”
They left the room. Rome looked around but saw nothing out of the ordinary. She fidgeted in place, barely able to contain herself. After a few minutes, the two men in her life returned, Rei with an armload of something and Aason carrying a small item as well.
Rei set a pile of jet black slabs down on the dining room table. Each slab was about four inches wide by six inches deep and maybe half an inch tall. Next to the stack, perhaps ten inches tall in totality, Rei placed a leather-bound manuscript.
“What are those?” Rome asked.
“The slabs are the data storage modules from the Ark,” Rei said. “Bonnie let me borrow them. Everything our culture knows, I guess knew, about history, biology, physics and so on are contained there. Unfortunately, she said our reader is on the fritz. It didn’t survive the trip out here. I promised her you’d be very careful with them. I told her that MINIMCOM would be able to design an interface.”