Q & A
.
How to create an account on this website?
Creating an account or profile is a standard procedure, like on any other website where registration is needed. You only need to provide your email address and a password. No other information is necessary.
What’s going to change if I register? What I get is theoretically clear: I create my account that can later be used to make a copy of myself. But what’s in it for the project developers?
The project will benefit from each and every account since it increases traffic to Vita Si Fi. The more traffic we have, the higher the potential revenue from showing the ads. All revenue will be used exclusively to create a full-scale simulator of the human brain.
How to use the website? What do I enter and where? Where is the Memories section?
The website contains three big sections.
First, it’s the Profile itself where you can enter your biography, interests, etc. In other words it’s like a Wikipedia page that describes you.
Second, it’s the Journals & Memories section. Here you can either make current notes (write articles), or record your memories. By default each article can be viewed only by you. But you can open them to your friends or general public, like it’s done in other social networks. The edit window to enter articles and memories is the same. Under the window you simply select the type: Journal or Memories. It’s just a nominal separation, to sort out things easier for the user.
Finally, there is the File Manager, which allows you to create folders and upload any files except executable files.
The website interface may not be the most convenient, but if the project generates some interest, the interface will be enhanced.
Who is the developer of the neural network simulator?
Kirill Ageev is a software design engineer, and he came up with an idea of the simulator. Kirill has over 25 years of software development experience including 15 years as a consultant at Microsoft. The simulator currently exists in two variations.
- The first one – a stand-alone program that can support neural networks up to 1000 neurons and can run on a PC.
- The second one – a client-server configuration where the number of neurons is practically unlimited.
The website design and development is by ES Interactive.
What about current state of the project? What’s the progress?
The current state is this. Using the stand-alone simulator on neural networks containing from 500 to 800 neurons, the repeatable positive results have been achieved which show noticeable progress during network development. For the simulator of the second type (a client-server configuration) the proof of its stable operation has been established for smaller neural networks consisting of a few thousand neurons. It included testing the data exchange protocol between client and server, the data compression, as well as communication with the web server to display current results to the users of Vita Si Fi.
What ideas were used for the simulator? Is there anything like this on the Internet? Can I google them? If so, why do you think that this project is unique?
Here are some books that have been studied, and ideas from them (or rather a somewhat modified combination of the ideas) have been used to create the simulator.
- Genetic Programming: On the Programming of Computers by Means of Natural Selection. John R. Koza. ISBN-13: 978-0262111706 ISBN-10: 0262111705
- Fuzzy and Neural Approaches in Engineering. Lefteri H. Tsoukalas, Robert E. Uhrig, Lotfi A. Zadeh. ISBN-13: 978-0471160038 ISBN-10: 0471160032
- The Singularity Is Near. Ray Kurzweil. ISBN-13: 860-1400936764 ISBN-10: 0143037889
How do I know it’s not fraud or a fishing scheme to collect my data to be sold for profit to a third party?
If you have an account in social networks, your data is already being used as we speak – by your friends visiting your page, by the general public, etc. The social network administrators have unlimited access to your data, yet nothing terrible happens. The goal of the Vita Si Fi project is the development of the neural network simulator, and this, in turn, depends on the maximum number of the happy users, which won’t be possible if the users’ data is used without their permission. In other words, safety of the users’ data is the guarantee of success for Vita Si Fi.
How do I know that the copied personality will still be me? It seems that anonymity cannot be maintained and I need to provide my personal data.
As it has been pointed out above, this question is not technological, but rather philosophical (Ship of Theseus). Just imagine that this technology already exists and there is your avatar, right next to you, with a freshly uploaded memory from your brain and all you need is to push a button to turn it on. Remember that his perception will be exactly like yours. Who is it going to be?
In regards of the personal data, if you mean your name or your date of birth, then it’s not really needed. There are optional fields in your profile, but you don’t have to fill them out. Much more important is your memories, your perception of the world, your view on various things and situations.
When I create an account here and begin adding my notes and memories, I’ll be spending my precious time. When and where can I see some results? Is there a guarantee that my time is not wasted?
There are psychological tests that will be added soon to your profile. This way you’ll get instant and quick results that might help you learn something new about yourself.
But most importantly, you can consider Vita Si Fi website simply as another social network, because you can make notes, write and share articles, add friends, exchange files, etc. In other words, by saving your data here you receive an extra guarantee that memories about you will not disappear, that your “backup copy” will be saved for the future and the more data you provide, the more chances are that it will be really you.
What you suggest is impossible yet. Looks like you are charlatans, aren't you?
There are two answers here.
1) No, we are not charlatans. Your reaction would definitely be - All charlatans say so!
2) Yes, we are charlatans. Your reaction would be - Aha, I told you so!
Seriously though, right now the neural network simulator is barely able to imitate an insect brain, leave alone a mouse or bigger mammals. But it is clearly stated above and in Learn More section - the brain simulator is an R&D project.
As for the website, it's already working, and you can use it now. It's pretty clear that if you don't leave any memories anywhere, then after your death nobody but a few close friends and relatives would ever remember you, and after they are gone too, you disappear without a trace. With Vita Si Fi you can create a snapshot of your mind, or a virtual copy of yourself that can stay in hibernation indefinitely, that is until the technology becomes operational.