Wolfram on automata

I turned on the TV for the first time in two weeks and discovered an interview on C-span2 with Stephen Wolfram. Interesting guy. His company, Wolfram Research, has made this software package for a long time that mathematicians use called Mathematica. Anyway, a year or two ago he published this rather large book called A New Kind of Science. The interview centered on his ideas of automata and how they reflect or rather describe the processes of nature. His main thesis is that the universe is governed by some fairly simple equations or rules. The trick, in essence, will be to find out what those rules are. He writes of his rules as computer automata — little rules or algorithms — that become increasingly complex with each iteration.

Speaking of television, I watch very little. I watch a little on the weekends (mostly the nightly news), but during the week I have neither the time nor the interest. Every cable company in America is required to have a “basic” level of service. I highly recommend it. Here, I get 20 channels for about $13 a month. I guess I’m willing to pay that much for TV service. The next option jumps up to over $40. Definitely not worth the bullshit. It is true: copious TV watching stifles the imagination. Read a book (if you need a suggestion check out my books pages). Or read a newspaper (I recommend both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal).