IPI lecture on the 30th of Nov. 2024 - Daniel Boyd on the Emergent Information Theory

 IPI lecture - Daniel Boyd, International Society for the Study of Information, Netherlands

Our next IPI Talk will be on Saturday, 30^th of November at 16.00 London time. 

Title: Information/Physics from the perspective of Emergent Information Theory

Abstract:

Throughout the history of humanity much attention has been paid to the remarkable characteristics of the human mind or soul, how these differ from those of the material world, and the relationship between the two. Emergent Information Theory claims that this riddle, as formulated in Chalmers’ Hard Problem, is far bigger; that it includes all biological and technological systems with informational functions. It proposes a form of naturalistic substance dualism in which these systems create a dimension outside of the physical realm in which this substance exists and the strongly emergent processes underlying these functions take place according to their own natural laws. This information dimension is home to everything from lofty phenomenal consciousness to the lowly binary value associated with a bit state. In this talk I will present the rationale and evidence for this conclusion, and invite my audience to engage in discussion about its strengths and weaknesses.

Author: Daniel Boyd

BIO: Daniel Boyd is an independent researcher living in the Netherlands who has developed Emergent Information Theory as an approach to understanding biological and technological information systems, and solving the mind-body problem.

He is currently a member of the Board of IS4SI (International Society for the Study of Information). In his day job he works as Information manager for a care institution for the elderly.

30^th of November @ 16.00 London time. Online ZOOM lecture – a link will be emailed to the IPI members.

Henk Hadders inteviews Arend van Campen

This interview between Henk Hadders and Arend was recorded in Amsterdam at Café Weltschmerz which is an alternative media channel focused on dialogue. Very relevant to understanding social entropy.

IPI lecture - Thomas Bradley, Clann Ltd, UK

 IPI lecture - Thomas Bradley, Clann Ltd, UK

Our next IPI Talk will be on Saturday, 9^th of November at 17.00 London time. 

Title: The Laws of Physics Embodied by Fundamental Replicators: Exploring Femes

Abstract:

The fine-tuning problem addresses the arbitrary form of physical laws within an immense combinatorial space of possibilities, leaving the specific form of the laws unexplained. While evolution accounts for the consistent form of DNA, we propose that other abstract replicators—the ‘femes’—are responsible for the transformations described by the laws of physics. This talk will delve into the concept of femes and how the conjecture of their existence extends directly from constructor theory, information theory, and universal Darwinism. We then describe their role in shaping physical laws, present five falsifiable predictions from this conjecture, and discuss the implications for our understanding of the second law of infodynamics.

Speaker: Thomas Bradley

BIO: Thomas Bradley is the founder of Clann, an AI startup dedicated to automating the analysis of football games. With a background in Computational Physics, Thomas completed his undergraduate studies where he collaborated with renowned physicist Neil Turok, Director of the Higgs Centre. His pioneering ideas on femes and their influence on physical laws bridge the realms of theoretical physics and universal Darwinism. Currently, he leverages his expertise as Director of Clann to revolutionize sports analytics while remaining passionate about advancing theoretical physics and engaging with the scientific community. You can view more about my professional background on my LinkedIn profile.

9^th of November @ 17.00 London time. Online ZOOM lecture – a link will be emailed to the IPI members.

Existing in the Information Dimension An Introduction to Emergent Information Theory

Existing in the Information Dimension An Introduction to Emergent Information Theory

By Daniel Boyd 

This book presents new insights into the nature of the human mind as a product of the brain. It does so by discussing how biological and technological information systems differ from their counterparts with physical functions, presenting Emergent Information Theory as a solution to the mind-body problem and overarching framework for all biological and technological information systems.

Emergent Information Theory is a new theoretical approach to the specific type of information and emergence exploited by biological neural networks and digital systems. One of the conclusions of this theory is that these entities and processes are non-physical and exist in an information dimension connected to but distinct from the three dimensions of physical space. It is in this information dimension that our minds exist, making it ultimately more our home as sentient beings than the physical realm inhabited by our bodies. This book presents existing scientific and philosophical evidence that leads to this conclusion, followed by application of the theory to biological and technological information systems. The author concludes with a call to action for further research.

This fascinating text will be of interest to any researcher of consciousness, the mind-body problem, or AI, as well as those working in related areas such as physical neuroscience and systems theory.

 Buy the book here.

IPI member, Deirdre McMahon publishes new book

 The Illusion Of Everything

  

 ‘The Illusion Of Everything’ is a book that explores the nature of reality from a scientific and a spiritual perspective and finds that the two have much more in common than either of them would care to admit. Culminating in a theory that points towards our universe being a calculated simulation of experiences, ‘The Illusion Of Everything’ may just be the philosophical and scientific explanation we have all been searching for. 

Buy the book here. 

IPI Talk – Ali Eslami, California, USA

Our next IPI Talk will be on Saturday, 19th of October at 10.00 AM London time. 

Title: Trends in AI and predictions for the future

Abstract: AI continues to rapidly advance as we make the inexorable march towards AGI. Recent developments foreshadow the AI future. In this talk I will give you a short update on the technology, as well as my thoughts on what it means for the future of work and wealth. 

Speaker:  Ali Eslami

BIO: Ali Eslami is a tech entrepreneur with a broad background in software development and executive consulting. Starting to code at 8 years old, Ali eventually led a company that developed private crypto trading software focused on liquidity aggregation and synchronized execution. Over the years, Ali has also provided executive consulting to board members of Paramount Studios and the owner of the Lakers NBA team.

As a former professional poker player, Ali has played in some of the highest limit cash games in the world and has also had success on the tournament circuit, with a World Series of Poker bracelet and ring, as well as numerous televised final tables. Ali was selected for the 2007 man-vs-machine match against the "Polaris", the University of Alberta's preeminent poker playing AI, due to his combination of poker expertise and technical background. He and his teammate, Phil Laak, emerged with a close victory in the highly publicized match. Ali was also a member of the US poker team at the inaugural International Mind Sports competition, where he competed against players from around the world in poker games held inside the pods of the iconic London Eye.

19th of Oct. at 10.00 AM London time. Online ZOOM lecture - link will be emailed to the IPI members.

 

 

Emerging Minds Journal award for 2023 -2024

 Emerging Minds Journal award for 2023 -2024 academic year

Each year Emerging Minds Journal offers Awards for most significant contributions.

We are pleased to announce that The Winner of the 2023-2024 Most Read Article Award of the EMJSR is: Marinos Ioannou for the article: The role of ferromagnets and antiferromagnets for spintronic memory applications and their impact in data storage https://ipipublishing.org/index.php/emjsr/article/view/6 

The selection criterion does not judge the quality of the articles. Instead it reflects the readership and citations attracted.

IPI Talk – Dr. Melvin M. Vopson, University of Portsmouth & Information Physics Institute

Our next IPI Lecture will be on the 21^st of Sept. at 17.00 London time. 

Title: Introducing the Second Law of Infodynamics and its Implications

Abstract: The second law of infodynamics establishes a link between the Shannon’s Information Entropy, the thermodynamic entropy of a system and its time evolution to equilibrium. It states that an isolated system moves to equilibrium in a way that the entropy of its information states decreases, or remains constant at equilibrium. This new law of physics is formulated in analogy to the second law of thermodynamics, which requires the entropy of the physical states to evolve exactly in the opposite direction, increasing or remaining constant over time. In this talk I will detail the research steps taken to formulate this new law, followed by a discussion of its implications to physics, science overall and the universe.

Author: Dr. Melvin M. Vopson

BIO: Dr Melvin Vopson is Associate Professor in Physics at the University of Portsmouth, Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy, Chartered Physicist and Fellow of the Institute of Physics. He is the co-founder and CEO of the Information Physics Institute, editor-in-chief of the IPI Letters and Emerging Minds Journal for Student Research. 

Melvin has a wide-ranging scientific expertise in experimental, applied and theoretical physics that is internationally recognized. He has published over 100 research articles, achieving over 3000 citations and an h-index of 27. Melvin worked previously as Higher Research Scientist at the UK National Physical Laboratory, senior R&D at Seagate, postdoctoral researcher at the University of York, and PhD student at the University of Central Lancashire. Melvin obtained his BSc and MSc in Physics at the University of Bucharest. During his MSc studies he was researcher at the National Institute of Materials Physics, Nuclear Gamma Resonance Laboratory.

21^st of Sept. 2024 at 17.00 London time. Online ZOOM lecture - link will be emailed to the IPI members.

Most Read IPI Letters Article Award

Each year IPI Letters offers the Most Read Article Award to the publication that has achieved the largest number of readers. The selection criterion does not judge the quality of the article. Instead it is a reflection of the readership it has attracted.

We are pleased to announce that The Winner of the 2023-2024 Most Read Article Award of the IPI Letters is:  

Olivier Denis for the article:  

 

The entropy of the entangled Hawking radiation https://ipipublishing.org/index.php/ipil/article/view/9 

Olivier's paper received 1857 abstract views and 673 full PDF downloads (up to July 2024).

Next-Generation Blockchain Technology: The Entropic Blockchain

The storage, transmission, and processing of data become significant problems when large digital data files or databases are involved, as in the case of decentralized online global databases such as blockchain. In this article a novel method is proposed that allows for the scalability of digital assets, including blockchain databases in the download, validation, and confidentiality processes, by developing a lightweight blockchain technology called Entropic Blockchain. 

 This is a computer-implemented mathematical method to generate an information-entropic numerical barcode representation of a digital asset. Using this technique, a 1–2 Mb block of digital data can be represented by a few bytes, significantly reducing the size of a blockchain. The entropic barcode file can be utilized on its own or as an optically machine-readable entropic barcode for secure data transmission, processing, labeling, identification, and one-way encryption, as well as for compression, validation, and digital tamper-proof checks. The mathematics of this process and all the steps involved in its implementation are discussed in detail in this article.