Quantum Computing and the Rogue Wave
Perspectives from a Futurist
Quantum is to the future as rogue waves are to the surface of the ocean. We will not fully grasp the full picture of what is within the surface until the waves are upon us.
I had a stroke 12 years ago, and it forever changed my perception of the way our senses are perceived. When talking, we take for granted that what we’re thinking is going to be the words that leave our mouth. But after a stroke, at least for me, that wasn’t something taken for granted at all. There’s a space, a gap between how we think, what we think, what we’d like to say, and what is said. Neuro pathways can sometimes find a new way. For me they did, and I made a full recovery. We’ll get back to the brain. But first, let’s focus on spinal nerve centers and why they represent such an important aspect to the common usage of the word: ‘avatar’.
Spinal nerve centers are a different matter as of this writing. They represent where the common usage of ‘avatar’ is such a misnomer. It’s common to leverage the term ‘avatar’ when projecting a persona into a digital environment. But thinking back to the movie ‘Avatar’ – it was an individual that was paralyzed from the waist down. He couldn’t walk, and only waking up within his avatar: could he feel his legs, his toes, and then walk, run, smell, breathe – live.
That’s the misnomer with the commonly used term ‘avatar’. We’ve taken the most complex of sensory integration and imprinted it into a two dimensional construct without the most important variables we’re looking for in life. We’re taking a term made famous from a movie, without drawing some of the most important lessons from that movie: lessons that resonated with the audience. Feeling reality: That’s the real metaverse. A metaverse where nerve centers are transferable, repairable and livable. Quantum computing and acceleration is a way to lay the foundation in getting there. Quantum computing becomes the foundational nerve center that can pave the way towards making this kind of full sensory transition possible.
Virtual and augmented reality simulations are common forms of our attempt at getting to what I’m describing. The focus is still sight; and usage in gaming industries, military, scientific, auto racing, flight and space exploration are well documented. Most readers will have experienced a virtual reality simulator, the immersive Van Gogh art exhibit being extremely popular.
And yet, the most powerful virtual reality experience I’ve had involved no virtual reality goggles, but was instead an art exhibit layered within a WWII submarine base in Bordeaux, France.
Picture yourself walking into, from what on the outside looks like a large warehouse, and the first senses that hit you are the smell and feel of cold water in the air. The water is from the submarine bays without submarines in them. It’s dark, within minimal lighting, until the music starts. The music is coordinated from periods in history with projected art that moves up the wall, to the ceiling, and throughout the water, floors and walkways.
The scent of the water is the key, the music is the key, the movement of the art and shifting landscapes of the art while your feet are walking throughout the exhibit is the key. This is the difference. Sensory immersion. This is what’s needed within a virtual environment, this is where we need to go with Quantum computing and acceleration as the nerve center. That’s what the metaverse can be. That’s what augmented reality can be.
Let’s get back to the brain. The brain is complex. I had questions from the 11th floor stroke ward of the hospital in San Diego I temporarily lodged in. Am I going to get better? How long will it take me to recover? Answers: We don’t know, and we don’t know.
R&D in the brain and technology is immense. Each region takes different approaches in studying the brain, with varying approaches to the limitations. China takes a different approach from the US, the US a different approach from the EU, and so on across the globe -- but the study is there. It’s needed for behavioral analysis and integration through social tools and future constructs. It’s needed for integration with the future of flight, military, space exploration and the future of the automotive industry. The amount of computing and data required is massive. It reminds me of a conversation I had with a physicist whose study is interstellar collisions. When asked about how the future in High Performance Computing affected her study her response was, “Fast forward 10 years, and I still wouldn’t have what I need.”
The kind of sensory integration I’m talking about with the brain is similar. Quantum acceleration is a way of getting there. Quantum computing is a way of getting there. The field is exploding, and the scientific minds involved are brilliant. But time is often like the surface of the ocean. The waves rise and fall, and within the surface, it’s difficult to rise above and form context. Throughout history, incremental change often leads to long term sweeping change. But sometimes, it’s the seeming rogue waves in history, whose break to the surface can bring about sweeping, sudden change. Quantum computing has that potential for us, and it has that potential for evolution with the brain, our sensory integration and our evolution forward in our perspectives through the technological integration of the mind.
By Eric Hunter
Excerpt from Eric’s upcoming book with Skye House Publishing, The Future of Human Behavior .