Computation, fourfolds, linear logic, logic, Mathematics

Linear Process Algebra

August 27, 2021 Martin K. Jones Leave a comment

One of computer scientist and Professor Emeritus Vaughan Pratt’s most recent conference papers is on “linear process algebra,” which relates several of his previous interests on linear logic, Chu spaces, concurrent processes, events and states, etc.

The paper opens with a nice overview of computer science research primarily concerned with concurrent processes. Computation itself divides into the aspects of logical and algorithmic, formal methods into the logical and algebraic, concurrent computation into operational and denotational, and then the author gives a brief list of models of processes by a variety of mathematical structures until he comes to his theme of using Chu spaces.

As an example, he presents processes as Chu spaces over the set K, where K = { 0, T, 1, X}, with names and meanings :

0: Ready
T: Transition
1: Done
X: Cancelled

and then details four binary operations as working in Chu spaces over K:

P ; Q: Sequence
P + Q: Choice
P || Q: Concurrence
P ⊗ Q: Orthocurrence

Neon Genesis Evangelion Rebuilt, V2

August 19, 2021 Martin K. Jones Leave a comment

The fourth movie was finally made and finally shown! Thank you Hideaki Anno, for finishing your rebuild, and Amazon Prime, for letting us easily see all four.

Full of battles between giant robots and kaiju called angels, full of teenage, human, and non-human emotional struggles, and full of signature Evangelion nonsense, about midway I was getting a bit unhappy with it. But as it coming to a close I thought that this was indeed a good ending.

So what does “Thrice Upon a Time” mean? That this is the third ending? First for the series, second for the movies after the series, and thirdly for the rebuilt movies? And what does the designation “3.0+1.0” mean? Three movies plus one more?

On the Death of a Giant

August 1, 2021 Martin K. Jones Leave a comment

Renowned physicist Steven Weinberg passed away recently. He was a giant in the world of physics and winner of the Nobel prize, advancing knowledge about the Standard Model and the unification of physical forces. He was also, famously, a materialist and atheist.

In his book “The Sophist”, Plato wrote (metaphorically?) about the battle of the gods and the giants. He related how the gods were friends of Platonic forms (perhaps being close to forms themselves) whereas the giants were materialists. Plato, being partial to forms, painted the giants as militant and unreasonable materialists, and the gods as a friendly and peaceful sort.

The Greek gods were friendly and peaceful? Perhaps the giants of the legend were the easy-going and reasonable sort, since the gods of the Greeks seemed the opposite. They say that history is rewritten by the victors.