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If we all exist in a simulation, what will happen once we start running out of RAM? (lemm.ee)

submitted 9 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Assuming our simulation is not designed to auto-scale (and our Admins don’t know how to download more RAM), what kind of side effects could we see in the world if the underlying system hosting our simulation began running out of resources?

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 9 months ago (1 children)

These answers are all really fun but I didn't see anyone point out one thing: why should we assume that our creators' "computer" architecture is anything remotely similar to our technology? I'm thinking of something like SETI—We can't just assume that all other life is carbon-based (though evidently it's a pretty good criterion). The simulation could be running on some kind of dark matter machine or some other exotic material that we don't even know about.

Personally I don't subscribe to the simulation theory. But if it were true, why would the system have any kind of limitation? I feel like if it can simulate everything from galactic superclusters down to strings vibrating in Planck Time, there are effectively no limits.

Then again, infinity is quite a monster, so what do I know?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

all other life is carbon-based (though evidently it’s a pretty good criterion)

The short version is that the only other element that allows 4 covalent bonds is silicon, but nobody has been able to find a solvent that allows complex silicon-based molecules to form without instantly dissolving any structures they form.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

I remember reading about how silicon is theoretically possible, but I had (erroneously) assumed there were more potential candidates. Thanks for the additional info. This stuff is so fascinating!