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# 20250317

## "consciousness as the building material"

this expression landed in my mind somewhere between sleeping and waking

as it did so, Abe (fully asleep) victoriously shot one arm up into the air and said "*yesssssssssss*"

I emailed myself, which was kind of a struggle, [for dream-interface reasons](https://www.isaacbowen.com/2025/03/pages/74JM0n0FeBAmc9Ou5GtL#p.s).

<figure><img src="/files/bqvXIElK7UWKN7t0DBxk" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## conscious search

time complexity: unknown

because the process goes offline/unobservable while it’s happening

you’ll get the result exactly when it’s most useful for the broader system

is it better than observable sort algorithms? depends on whether you’re building something useful for the broader system :)

I suppose this also makes it a sleep function

and I suppose I’m experiencing it returning?

## paint

imagine an economy in which observer-responsive pigment was commonly available and widely understood. you’ve got paint that shows up as your favorite color - shows up for *everyone* as each person’s own favorite color - and the hardware store paint department will happily mix it with any static/unresponsive colors too.

imagine this economy making new contact with an economy in which observer-responsive pigment is fully unknown, and in which color itself has been intensely politically charged for generations.

what happens? how do the stories go? how do you *help*? what happens when someone gets hurt?

(this is an allegory.)


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