Tsundoku Psychohazard  

hot take:
documents should never have an embedded turing-complete language that runs automatically or without the informed consent of the user.

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Spencer Alves  

@enkiv2 ban TTF

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Spencer Alves  

@enkiv2 like I know you're probably talking about Javascript in HTML or maybe Word macros, but Truetype also has a turing-complete hinting system, Postscript is a whole scripting language, Excel and PowerPoint have ways without macros or VB, apparently templates in MediaWiki qualify, and at some level instructions in your computer are translated to something opaque anyway… What I'm saying is, there's precedent.

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Tsundoku Psychohazard  

@impiaaa
Yeah. This was specifically in reference to @natecull's post about excel macros, but with an obvious side-eye to javascript.

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Tsundoku Psychohazard  

@impiaaa @natecull
It's also, however, related to "weird machines", which I feel like don't get enough press.

Accidental turing completeness in any format is literally a vulnerability, and happens all the time.

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Nate Cull  

@enkiv2 @impiaaa

I suspect there's a link between chaos in hydrodynamics and Turing-completeness.

Anytime we get a small equation whose results we can't easily predict without iterating it? It's probably a physical Weird Machine.

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Wu-Lee
Follow

This idea of "accidental Turing Completeness" reminds me of "Wang's Carpets", a short story by Greg Egan:

timeteam.github.io/fiction/201

His fiction trades somewhat crappy characterisations (but to be fair, mostly of post-humans) for mind-blowing SF ideas.

The only online version I can find is probably illegal:

bunny.xeny.net/life/Egan-Carpe

@natecull @impiaaa @enkiv2

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Nate Cull  

@wu_lee @enkiv2 @impiaaa

I always think of Greg Egan's fiction as:

"Here's this cool comp-sci/physics idea!"
"Neat, what does it imply?"
"... I dunno. But probably soul-crushing depression and paranoia."
"Ah yes, the two great forces of the universe."

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Wu-Lee  

I reckon there's an whole subculture of Goth right there, @natecull ...

@impiaaa @enkiv2

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Nate Cull  

@wu_lee @enkiv2 @impiaaa

we need a gothsindatacentres.tumblr.com

gothsuptrees.net/

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Wu-Lee  

😮 Holy fuck... 😮 up... trees... 😮

@natecull @impiaaa @enkiv2

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Tsundoku Psychohazard  

@natecull @wu_lee @impiaaa
Greg Egan & Peter Watts clearly need to collaborate on something.

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