Re: starship-design: Re: Quantum Gravity

[Zenon Kulpa <zkulpa@zmit1.ippt.gov.pl>]

> From: TLG.van.der.Linden@tip.nl (Timothy van der Linden)
> 
> Zenon wrote:
> 
> >If that [space and time being discrete] proves to
> >be true (whatever "true" exactly means),
> >it will relate to our objective quite significantly.
> >
> >Namely, it will mean that our Universe is like a 3(or more)-D
> >cellular automaton (just like a giant version of Conway's game "Life"),
> >which in turn will mean that FTL is really impossible 
> >(and explain why - you cannot shift bits in your computer
> >faster than one tick of your master clock...).
> >
> >Moreover, then all will have to go digital... ;-))
> 
> Not necessarily, there may be something underneath space-time. 
> That is, something that provides the building blocks for space-time.
> Just like nature provides ways to enhance the building blocks of today's
> computer (and thus allows to increase the speed of the masterclock, nature
> may also provide ways to enhance the velocity of information transfer.
> 
I wonder - does the software running on a computer
have an access to the computer's master clock?
E.g., can it make it tick faster?

Even if so, it will not change the situation
within the world modelled by the cellular automaton -
ticks may become shorter (in the whole computer's frame 
of reference...), but the amount of action
per tick will be still the same (hence c will not change).
The only way to go faster within world's frame of reference
would be to change the topology of cell connections:
i.e., make more cells around any given one be "adjacent"
to it (that is, accessible in a single tick).
But this also will not make FTL possible - 
it will only make the limit speed (c) higher.

-- Zenon