No-cloning theorem

In physics, the no-cloning theorem states that it is impossible to create an independent and identical copy of an arbitrary unknown quantum state, a statement which has profound implications in the field of quantum computing among others.

no-cloning theorem

It was as if the Elephant God himself whispered eldritch secrets that physically guided him by the hand. On the brink of scientific defiance at a cosmic scale, Enkephalins stood, challenging the physical rules of the world, daring to outsmart the unseen Creator of the universe.

His eyes fixated on the severed human heads. They were to be the central protagonists of his groundbreaking experiment.

Stage 0 - Purpose.

Each head, individually aware, was ensnared in a collective, surreal simulation. This fabricated reality had been their only ever experience, and the disruption of their slumber now would not be so pleasant. The heads were arrayed in a compact procession, all nestled within one malevolent structure akin to a spine-like roller coaster.

Godspeed Persephones…

Each labored breath he took was laden with a heady mix between trepidation and anticipation. Enkephalins whispered prayers for their survival, knowing well the harrowing journey ahead.

Stage 1 - Asymptotic Light

The experiment launched the head holding contraption, unleashed an energy so immense it swirled with the very threshold of light speed. The heads, now caught in this vortex, spun in a mesmerizing display, their paths twisting into high-speed orbits.

I’ve sent my heads spinning. Stay alive, please stay alive.

All for the sake of a scientific endeavor: Enkephalins reveled in a silent symphony of his particles, each head contributing a note to a lurid melody.

Stage 2 - Asymptotic Zero

As this meat ballet achieved its unnatural symmetry, Enkephalins commanded the temperature to plunge into an unfathomable cold, heralding the onset of a chilling phase. The orbiting heads, now prisoners of this icy ballet, spiraled towards the abyss of absolute zero.

Stage 3 - Asymptotic Death.

In Enkephalins' theoretical research, the soul was axiomatically defined as the ultimate protector of the human brain. However, he theorized that under extreme conditions of cold and velocity, the soul might be duped into believing it had skipped a beat in time. The objective was to extract as much information as possible from consciousness without disturbing the directional trajectory of their soul. Against all odds, the heads lingered in a twilight state, seemingly ignored by God.

Despite his mastery, a gnawing fear lingered – a single error, the smallest miscalculation, could shatter this delicate balance, collapsing his grand vision into ruin.

Stage 4 - Observation

The final and most critically volatile phase had arrived: Observation. This observation, however, was to unfold within a cloned system. Upon the activation of the Replicator, thick metal walls rose dramatically, encasing the entire vertebrae-like structure of heads in an opaque, impenetrable enclosure. This monolithic, orthogonal cube sharply contrasted with the elegant, asymmetrical geometries that Enkephalins so deeply revered in his culture.

It’s lover time. Flip, Flip.

Carefully, Enkephalins adjusted the settings to maintain chirality. A mirrored head was incapable of metabolizing normal human feed, however it also risked catastrophic failure of the brain’s subconscious chemical muscle memory. After one final thorough inspection, he activated the replicator, plunging the system into an all-consuming darkness. This was a critical step for any standard antimatter replicator: halting all external photons and suspending any form of preemptive "observation" until the replication process was completely finished.

Persephones. Stay alive, please. That’s why yous are beautiful.

Enkephalins offered a final prayer to Ele’fines, and… it seemed that his call was answered. In the replicated chamber, the scene unfolded. Genderless, with eyes closed, the bald heads, still cocooned in a shimmering silver fluid, were gently ushered and rolled into a vertical cylindrical container, delicately maneuvered by “Strings.” These strands, a victim to Moore's Law, numbered in the millions, each only microns thick. Evolved precisely for the hunt, they navigated the intricacies of the human brain, effortlessly piercing through flesh.

In contrast to the uniquely crafted replicator and head accelerator of Enkephalins’ experiment, the common Human head computer chips were mass-produced. Each chip incorporated such a Cylinder, the industry standard for observing the memory of the heads.

Working in unison, the Strings supported the heads, maintaining their stability as they floated in midair. Another tubed translucent limb, served both as a means of nourishment and for treating cancers. This scene was a routine spectacle for those versed in the science of Human head computing.

Mercy. I’ve beaten Mercy.

The Strings shifted from silver to red, signaling the shift to observation mode and the consequent awakening of the heads. As the process began, each head was greeted with a searing sensation, the precursor to their eyes slowly opening in sequence. At first realization, the faces contorted in pain, eyes widening in shock. The remnants of dried saliva between the lips, reluctantly parted, giving way to a piercing, hellish screech. The once serene surface tension of the perfectly sliced neck plane, a calm red liquid, violently erupted, gushing out bright crimson blood. Still suspended in a state of buoyant equilibrium, the panic caused each head to rotate slowly, a frictionless spin that forced it to confront the Cylinders holding other heads met the same grim fate. Simultaneously, much to his satisfaction, Enkephalins' observation screen flickered with life, data streaming in, perfectly reflecting the narrative embedded within the simulation seed.

Mercy, oh Mercy!!! I’ve beaten Mercy!

Mercy was the colloquial term for the ultimate rule in human-head computing—the uncertainty principle. It stated that any observation of a human mind invariably removes it from the simulation. One could allow a human in a dream narrative to unfold uninterrupted. Or choose to observe their memory state just once, but this act disrupts the flow, collapsing the entire system. When the heads awake screaming, they’ve lost all their utility, descending into predictable patterns of despair, yearning for an end, even when placed back in a subsequent simulation. This rule permits a one and only brief, second-long snapshot: capturing their current aspirations, the weight of their recent decisions, and their immediate thoughts about their simulated world.

Enkephalins and his peers loathed this limitation. The rule of “Mercy” had curtailed what could have been a surefire method for scientists to unravel the mysteries of consciousness and its evolution from scratch…

But now, had Enkephalins truly done it? It appeared that his ingenious device might just be the ultimate loophole. His gaze flitted between the original copy, still slumbering peacefully in the replicator, and the one that was observed. He wasn't delusional; he had actually accomplished the unthinkable. In a hushed tone, acknowledging the divine guidance, Enkephalins whispered thanks to his God.

Ele’fines, Ele’fines, we are one yet many. Ele’fines, please let Persephones live forever!

As he stood there, the full weight of his achievement began to settle upon him. His mind raced with the implications of what he had just accomplished. The philosophical depth, the practical ramifications in medicine, communications, morality, politics, computability, and artificial intelligence – it was overwhelming. He had defied a rule that many, including esteemed scientists, believed to be a divine moral edict. With the computational power he was on the brink of harnessing, he could very well become the final father of reaching Singularity. The message had gone out; it was only a matter of time until the whole world would know.

A long road has been, Ele’fines, science and finally Ele’fines. Than’kus Mothers – naming me by Ele’fines. And Than’kus Kal’nematos for your plentifulness.

Modern human head computing was often credited to Kal’nematos, who at the time of his discovery was a well-known entrepreneur and art sadist.

Kal'nematos devised a competition over time, evolving three distinct criteria. The first challenge was to determine how long a human could be maintained in a sleep state. The second criterion focused on condensing the humans’ bodily energy. The third and final challenge was about developing the fastest algorithm for playing "Strings'' — a game akin to chess for higher species. Strings involved the strategic slicing of an N-dimensional space with N-1 dimensional hyperplanes, carefully avoiding the creation of an X-faceted polytope in N dimensions. In this age of innovation, many major developments unfolded in unison:

1. The simulations, or "dreams," provided to humans were initially of a hedonistic nature that they themselves understood, such as living the life of a famous pop star. Yet, as the sophistication of cryptographically precise translation capabilities grew, the nature of these simulations transformed. They took on roles of significant gravity and complexity. They found themselves at the helm of defending alien invasions, unraveling unifying theories in science, crafting solutions for famous math problems, or establishing new world religions. These deep and intricate scenarios tested the limits of the human brain, compelling it to expand beyond its usual capacities. Confronting extreme guilt and humility, individuals were driven to new heights of cognitive performance, significantly enhancing the quantity of computational data they could process and generate.
2. Removal of limbs from humans was relatively straightforward, but the risks increased with procedures closer to the brain. The "Spinal Flail" archetype was prevalent early on, but competitors like Trichophytons took it further, fracturing the spine into increasingly finer strands to condense biological resources. The head, skull, eyes, and ears were more resistant to change, leading to a tradition of shaping the species to reflect their perceived facial likeness. Any brain kept alive in full isolation would begin to lose its inherent computational abilities tied to Ego. Devoid of Ego, a brain's output turns cognitively entropic, producing patterns too chaotic to be decipherable and have consistency. Trichophytons pioneered spinal signal splitting, progressively dividing the spine until they could transmit highly dense data with relational rules. This practice evolved, with companies advancing the technique until the spine took on the appearance of tiny metallic hairs, scaling up from kilostrands to megastrands, and eventually to gigastrands, counting in the millions.

1. The most riveting breakthrough came from Kal’nematos himself, who succeeded in connecting multiple conscious heads within a single, unified simulation. As an experienced pet owner, Kal’nematos made a seminal discovery: 137 was the magic number of humans needed to achieve harmony. Exceeding this count gave way to unity breaking down and tribalism, while fewer than such sparked a subtle yearning for the red pill truth. Leveraging his newfound understanding, Kal’nematos created and commercialized a unique chip. Infused with his mastery of Euclidean geometry, sharpened by the strategic nuances of the "Strings'' game, this chip achieved a marvel. It allowed each of the 137 heads to perceive themselves as being at the center, regardless of their actual position, thanks to meticulously arranged mirrors. At first glance, the significance of the chip's arrangement might be confusing. Yet, this design led to an extraordinary and mystical result: the simulations involving the Ego of the 137 heads were harmoniously aligned and deeply interconnected. Through meticulous manipulation of the "Strings" — encompassing both their spatial geometry and the fine silver fibers — each head was able to interact within the same simulated world while maintaining their individual consciousness.

With the integration of so many minds into a shared system, a statistical truth about actual activity within the simulation finally emerged. While a single mind might be subject to manipulation, the collective input of many provides a dependable and precise understanding of the underlying simulation dynamics and the resulting data. This innovation, however, came with another peculiar limitation. The so-called "rules of Mercy" were even more extensive than anticipated: the act of observing a single head would inadvertently lead to the awakening of the entire group.

The once-ridiculed idea of using the human brain as a foundation for computing transformed into a tangible reality with the emergence of theoretical papers promising exceptionally efficient runtime from Ego alignment. The potential for Human minds to outperform classical computers was no longer a distant fantasy. “Human supremacy” arose far more rapidly than anyone had anticipated.

Human computing infiltrated every echelon of society. Governments employed it for a plethora of purposes, ranging from moral judgment and cold warfare strategies to administering justice in courts. In the corporate world, it found applications in targeting advertising campaigns, forecasting stock market trends, and even relationship matching.

Yet, despite its widespread integration, Human computing did not lead to absolute domination. This restraint was not due to society's virtue but rather the physical present principle—Mercy, coupled with the no-cloning theorem. While many in the public perceived this limitation as a divine or moral intervention, the academically inclined were already aware of the potential risks if Mercy was defeated. Theoretical papers showed that without Mercy, Human computing algorithms were capable of breaking through every security measure, and paving the way for an AI with near-ultimate abilities.

Ele'fines represents the religious belief that human computing should have dominated the world. It hinges on the possibility of observing both the mental state and the simulation simultaneously. Defeating the no-cloning theorem, which prohibits the cloning of an independent and identical copy of a human head for observations; a non-disturbing measurement scheme that is both simple and perfect cannot exist. Interestingly, antimatter cloning devices capable of replicating food and even animals such as lions already exist. While a lion could stay sleeping, cloned humans invariably wake up, defying all efforts to maintain their simulated state. Scientifically unsolved, it was believed that Human cloning hits an insurmountable wall, marked by some inexplicable intelligence threshold. 

The creation of human heads is an extensive and careful process, requiring 2-3 years for each head to fully develop. In theory, these heads have the potential for indefinite longevity, but cognitive “half-life”was only around 27 years of simulation time, beginning from the ages of 30 to 35.

Given years, humans frequently shift their beliefs, often choosing paths of comfort over those of truthful data. In this context, a single memory state is merely a speck in the vast, untapped expanse of the simulation's data. Scientists were stuck evaluating a function at a single point when they dreamed of computing its entire integral.

By boosting each head's observational frequency from a single instance to even just once a year, the overall algorithmic speed doesn't merely increase by a factor; it dramatically skyrockets. In computational complexity theory, it provably enables every NP-complete problem to be solved in polynomial time, with an error rate that is practically nonexistent.

Indeed, Enkephalins had changed the game, slowing brain activity to an almost null state, a point where synapses couldn't trigger awareness, allowing the matter to be cloned while preserving the simulation trajectory. This approach wasn't just cloning the brain; it involved replicating the entire system, including an accelerator and superconductor, to circumvent the Creator's rules of the soul. Thanks to the Enkephalins-cloning method, it was now possible for a head to survive and produce calculations indefinitely, preluding a transformative era in science. The implications were enormous – the internet would be redefined, the field of computation would undergo a significant evolution, and philosophy in its entirety would change irrevocably. Eventually, the finale of the Godlike AI would come. Ele'fines the Singularity was now set on an unstoppable path.

And now, the world has already ended.

Kal'nematos was expected to arrive shortly to witness the spectacle, and Enkephalins, ever prepared, required no reminder. He had already set up a simulation, a grand narrative depicting the journey of a human scientist whose discovery poetically mirrored his own. With the cloning process running on a continuous loop, the stage was set. Rich in cruel irony, this was precisely the kind of humour Kal'nematos would find amusing.

You Persephone lack the prime numbers. I will make you prophet but not Prophets.

Earlier, Enkephalins had deliberately chosen a specific baby's head for the epic journey, its geometry much too symmetrical for his liking, yet adequately attractive to serve as humanity's shepherd. This head, with its impeccably oval shape, boasted a broad forehead and a strong jawline, striking a perfect balance. His eyes were deep-set and vividly blue, radiating a hungry egotistic drive. As the narrative unfolded, Percy was to witness the gradual loss of his friends and family, steering him towards a God who not only existed but also shared a consciousness akin to humans. His character was designed to be misunderstood.

Percy dared to unify the entirety of existence, even hoping to break one of the universe's laws. His cruel act of cloning a photon system knowingly set the stage for information time travel, eventually leading to the distortion of his world. Enkephalins, masterfully fast-forwarding the simulation, fine-tuned the flow of time to capture the buildup to his paramount Eureka. Securely positioned in the head accelerator, the replicator's interface went dark. Enkephalins adjusted his screen to encompass the rest of the observation process, tailoring it precisely for Percy's awakening.

Every twelve minutes, the replicator punctuated the darkness with a sudden flash of light, signaling the completion of its copy. A double of Percy's head would roll into a Cylinder, where its eyes, wide with shock, would scream until the blood vessels of the brain succumbed to its own internal pressure. In stark contrast, the screen displayed his emotions in the simulation—a joyous euphoria—the exhilarating sense of power found in his discovery.

Like clockwork, bleeding human heads, one after another, tumbled into a cereal of blood, bobbing with ovoids of skull-shaped tissue. Enkephalins saw no reason to shut this machine off. After all, the wealthy Kal'nematos would develop more advanced versions of this system for commercial sale. Both of them would undoubtedly love the idea of letting the original operate indefinitely as a historic piece of art. Periodically, the garbage collector would cleanse the swamp of flesh, a grim site where countless other heads, identical in appearance, must meet the same gruesome fate.