Comic #2479: 2012-02-29
Description
Here's the transcription of the comic:
Panel 1:
- Character 1: "Do you think we’re in a simulated reality?"
- Character 2: "The real question is whether we can simulate reality here."
Panel 2:
- Character 2: "If we can make a simulation, then we’re not in the least complicated reality."
- Character 1: "And if that simulation can contain another simulation, then we’re at least two from the bottom."
Panel 3:
- Character 1: "If we assume each simulation is, at most, one thousandth the size of the 'universe' it’s in, and that the smallest possible volume from the perspective of our universe is one Planck-volume, then we are…"
- (Display: "61st from the bottom!")
Panel 4:
- Character 1: "So, are there any simulations above us?"
- Character 2: "Well, for that we’d just have to find signs that are optimized for good computation."
Panel 5:
- Character 1: "Like maybe a minimum temperature or a maximum speed or a rule that position and momentum are only knowable to certain tolerances."
- Character 2: (muffled) "Oh my GOD! I’m just a program! And I’m not even a good one!"
Panel 6:
- Character 1: "Hey now, that’s not true."
- Character 2: "The universe is a program. You’re just a subroutine."
If you need additional details or context, feel free to ask!