in reply to Re: Re: OT: Is Neo a Perl programmer?
in thread OT: Is Neo a Perl programmer?

Remember Cypher, who sold out? We wanted to go back to the Matrix, and one of his demands was what he would be when returning, indicating it's the Matrix what decides, and not the human.

And the Matrix isn't living in symbiosis with the humans, because a symbiosis is benefitial for both sides. Clearly this isn't the case, unless you want to see Neo and his comrades as highly evil people. The Matrix seems like a parasite, draining energy from the humans (they might use cows as well), with nothing real in exchange.

Morpheus compared living in the Matrix with experiencing a dream.

Abigail

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Re: Re: OT: Is Neo a Perl programmer?
by The Mad Hatter (Priest) on May 16, 2003 at 12:35 UTC
    symbiosis is benefitial for both sides.
    Bah. There are 3 types of symbiotic relationships: mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism. In mutualism, both organisms benefit; in commensalism, one organism benefits and the other is unaffected; in parasatism, one organism benefits and the other is harmed.

    Therefore, even if the Matrix is parasitic, it is still a symbiotic relationship.

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Re: Re: OT: Is Neo a Perl programmer?
by hardburn (Abbot) on May 16, 2003 at 14:02 UTC

    And the Matrix isn't living in symbiosis with the humans, because a symbiosis is benefitial for both sides.

    In biology, symbiosis can refer to any two (or more) creatures in a relationship. It is not limited to cases where both creatures are benifiting (mutualism). There is also parasitism, where one creature benifit and the other is harmed. And there is communitilisim (can't remember if that's the right term), where one creature benifits but the other isn't directly harmed.

    Spolier for Matrix Reloaded below. Read at own risk.

    Notice when Neo is talking to the high council member in the engeneering section of Zion. He brings out that humanity's survivial is tied to machines those, but other machines are trying to kill them (but not really, since those machines also need humans for their survivial, at least to some extent). (This also goes into Morpheous' comment in the first movie that humans have always relied on machines for survivial). So humanity is, in one sense, in a mutalistic relationship with the machines, and in another sense are the parisites, and in yet another sense are the hosts for parasites.

    ----
    I wanted to explore how Perl's closures can be manipulated, and ended up creating an object system by accident.
    -- Schemer

    Note: All code is untested, unless otherwise stated

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