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 |    Not for the faint of art. |
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Complex Numbers A complex number is expressed in the standard form a + bi, where a and b are real numbers and i is defined by i^2 = -1 (that is, i is the square root of -1). For example, 3 + 2i is a complex number. The bi term is often referred to as an imaginary number (though this may be misleading, as it is no more "imaginary" than the symbolic abstractions we know as the "real" numbers). Thus, every complex number has a real part, a, and an imaginary part, bi. Complex numbers are often represented on a graph known as the "complex plane," where the horizontal axis represents the infinity of real numbers, and the vertical axis represents the infinity of imaginary numbers. Thus, each complex number has a unique representation on the complex plane: some closer to real; others, more imaginary. If a = b, the number is equal parts real and imaginary. Very simple transformations applied to numbers in the complex plane can lead to fractal structures of enormous intricacy and astonishing beauty. ![Merit Badge in Quill Award
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| You are being watched. Every move. Every breath. Whatever the hell else Sting sung about in that stalker song. From The Conversation: From self-service checkouts to public streets to stadiums – surveillance technology is everywhere. I'll note that the authors are Australian (hence the Commonwealth alternate spellings), but I'm pretty sure this applies to all developed countries, including the US. This pervasive monitoring is often justified in the name of safety and security. It's well-known that all-around awesome dude Ben Franklin once wrote, "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Well, it turns out that the quote has lost its original context,  and as smart as Ben was, I'm pretty sure he didn't envision the surveillance technology of 250 years in his future.I'm just pointing that out, because different context or not, it has relevance. Surveillance isn’t just changing our behaviour – it’s altering how our brains process information, operating largely outside our awareness. I'd be interested to know whether this is different depending on religion (or lack thereof). Does it matter if the person involved believed that God (or whatever) was watching every single move they made? Humans have evolved the crucial ability to detect another person’s gaze to navigate social situations. This allows us to discern friend from foe, interpret emotions and understand intentions. I'm going to tamp down my knee-jerk reaction to that, as it edges into evolutionary psychology (aka guesswork and bullshit). I expect it's true as far as it goes, but the trait is hardly unique to humans. Surveillance may be subtly amplifying this ancient survival mechanism, placing our brains on high alert for social cues. I know that, for a while now, I've simply assumed that everywhere I am, everywhere I go (including at home, in the shower, whatever), someone is watching. Why they'd want to see me take a shit is beyond me, but I'm not kink-shaming here. A total of 54 people participated in our study – all of whom were undergraduate students. They performed a visual task while being monitored by CCTV cameras. A control group performed the same task without surveillance. And this is where I normally close the laptop screen. That sample size is crap, the demographics of it is questionable, and any result from such an experiment should include the caveat "needs to be replicated with a larger, more diverse sample." I'm assuming the undergrads just happened to be volunteers at University of Technology Sydney who wanted some beer money. I'd stake money on that assumption. Real money, not roobucks or whatever they use for currency down there. The article goes into more detail on the methodology used, which I don't have a strong opinion about. This seemingly subtle shift in perception may have profound consequences. "May have?" Our findings are especially timely given recent pronouncements by tech industry leaders for more surveillance. For example, Larry Ellison, the world’s fifth richest man and CEO of computer technology company Oracle, has pitched his vision for an always-on, AI-powered surveillance state. I do have concerns about combining so-called AI tech with universal surveillance. It's one thing to know my every move and breath is being recorded. It's another thing entirely to know that there's a supercomputer that can flip through my (and everyone else's) surveillance data and spit out a pattern in seconds. My criticism of the methods aside, it does seem like an idea worth pursuing further, with larger studies. But there's a potential problem to be resolved: how do you convince the control group that they're not being watched, during a study that's specifically about people being watched? Or maybe there's a better way I could put it, but I can't think of one right now. Basically, if you know you're in a study, you can assume you're being monitored, whether they tell you or not. Because someone is watching. Always. Without exception. |
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