Dominoes, Our Perception Of Time And Blockchains
I'm mesmerized with dominoes. I could watch a carefully crafted domino unfolding, piece by piece, for hours. There is something hypnotizing in the uninterrupted, predictable tile-by-tile-by-tile falling that builds amazing visual structures as they unchain, in a whirlwind of controlled, exact positioning.
There is also something deep down in our own perception of time which falls under the same rules. It's like the precise hit of one tile to the other is mirroring the exact, unstoppable ticking of a clock.
Tile by tile, second by second.
Immutable Past
In our perception of time, past is immutable. It cannot be changed. Whatever you did 21 years, 5 months, 2 days, 1 hour, 23 minutes and 1 second ago will always be the same. In the inextricable fabric of space and time, those events are trapped for ever.
Alas, our own limited hardware and software will never be able to remember exactly what will happen. Our memory fails us and our limited shells, our bodies, are constantly decaying. We will live not with the exact structure of the event, but with our memory, with our perception of it and that perception is itself subject to change, to evolution, and, eventually, to decay.
Second by second, like in a huge, all-pervasive domino, we're one tile closer to extinction, while all the tiles behind us cannot be raised again. With each and every breathe, we're leaving behind a frozen, immutable version of ourselves, much like a snake will leave its skin, in an unstoppable race started by the drop of the initial tile.
Immutable Code
If you know at least a few things about the blockchain you will know then that each and every transaction is immutable. Once in a block, it cannot be changed. Just like our own domino-like lives: once an event consumed, it cannot be changed anymore.
The immutability of the blockchain mimics in an almost frightening way the immutability of our lives. It's like in each and every blockchain, from Bitcoin to Ethereum and from Steem to EOS, we're trying to replicate our own understanding of the universe. Like a self-replicating intelligent machine, we build structures more and more similar with the structure of time and space that we're temporarily inhabiting.
Trapped in the fabric of the peer to peer networks, the blocks of our blockchains are carrying the same immutable causality that is driving our current conditions as sentient beings.
Maybe that's why they're so popular. They're the closest replication of our own perception of present, past and future.
image source - Pixabay
I'm a serial entrepreneur, blogger and ultrarunner. You can find me mainly on my blog at Dragos Roua where I write about productivity, business, relationships and running. Here on Steemit you may stay updated by following me @dragosroua.
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If you're new to Steemit, you may find these articles relevant (that's also part of my witness activity to support new members of the platform):
Hey @dragosroua , I was just checking steem.supply and I am getting a few PHP errors! Is there a problem with the website or is this a client-side issue? I would be happy to send share some screenshots.
I apologize for deleting the exact same comment of mine and re-replying using esteem, I wanted to increase the chances of you viewing the reply. Here is a screenshot of the error:
Got it, solved it, thanks for the heads up.
What errors are you getting? I can't see anything on my side.
When you write data to a Blockchain, it is just like etching the data into stone, no one can change what’s already written.. which is one of the greatest benefit of Blockchain... Thanks @dragosroua for bringing back the memories of Dominoes.
very deep post and I do agree with you, the one thing though that is better about the blockchain (and is kind of comforting) is that perception can not change it.
We are constantly rewriting our past (whether we want to admit it or not) and very much enforce our perceptions and beliefs to brushstrokes of our past.
As a total aside you should check out this post by @holoz0r bit of serendipity going on as your post and his definitely feel related.
The principal! He will give me TP! I would hate for my bungholio to get polio....Where I come from, we have no bunghole.
A complete stranger has the capacity to alter the life of another irrevocably. This domino effect has the capacity to change the course of an entire world. That is what life is; a chain reaction of individuals colliding with others and influencing their lives without realizing it. A decision that seems miniscule to you, may be monumental to the fate of the world.
Ok dis is one perfect explaination of the life of blockchain. Good.
Very interesting article. Life is just like dominoes each event leading to another and another until death. Every action has an effect and this is true also for the block chain and we cannot go back and change anything once its done :) Smart analogy
I haven't read such an interesting short article for a long time!
Your domino analogy reminded me also of one of some of my most meditative experiences. When you're sitting up high on a hill on a partially cloudy day, and watching as the cloud's shadows move across the landscape. You can see which villages are going to be in the shade before they know themselves. You can see sheep blocking the road (for example), long before a vehicle driver can, and know his future involves this delay. I can't say exactly how these things relate, but they do seem to.
Blockchains are also like diaries, and who knows how many hours of human labour have been spent recording the 'transactions' of history? It somehow seems through this 'proof-of-work', to be a valuable endeavour.
Thanks for sharing that insight and I think yes, it does relate, as it is a way to identify causality. You get to know what will happen because your context enlarged, but just because you know it, that will not prevent that specific thing to happen.
Very interesting, thanks again :)
Wow what a great retrospective post @dragosroua
It seems like if we do look at it deeply humans, as well as blockchain technology, are almost parallels and that may be the reason we love it so much and wish to pursue it.
@dragosroua,
This is the best example for the question of "What is BLOCK CHAIN?" OMG friend this is absolutely great idea! Actually this is the 1st time I have got a real idea about what is BLOCK CHAIN! Thanks you very much for sharing this with us! Really appreciate your work!
And any news about HUBCOIN?
(My voting power is still regenerating, therefore please allow me three more days to provide 100% upvotes for your posts)
Cheers~
Thoughtful article.