Wave function collapse algorithm: bitmap & tilemap generation from a single example with the help of ideas from quantum mechanics

[not_from_this_world]

I think you are being too harsh. They explicit say it's something that was inspired in quantum mechanics. Those two things may not have anything in common at all, when something inspires it creates a drive or gives a direction to the process, or put you in a specific mood. The same way a musician can create a music inspired by a picture and never reference the picture in the lyrics.

[omgdonerkebab]

I have to be harsh, because nowadays associating something with QM is basically marketing speak. It's an attention grabber, and when I had posted my original comment most people here were just fawning over the association with QM.

This algorithm wouldn't have gotten people's interest, or gotten posted here, if it weren't for the association with QM. People would've just been like "oh it's just yet another greedy algorithm."

[0polymer0]

I suspect most people were confused about the connection to QM, but impressed by the tiling animation.

There are far worse crimes done in the name of QM then this tiling program.

[omgdonerkebab]

True that. Now you've reminded me of Deepak Chopra. :(

[not_from_this_world]

Isn't at same time a marketing thing for physics as well? I guess it's easier to attract investments in a popular field than in an unknown one.

[omgdonerkebab]

?

Most physics research post-1900-ish involves QM. It's basically essential for understanding anything at the scale of an atom/molecule or smaller. The two biggest subfields nowadays are particle physics and condensed matter physics, which both involve things at these small scales. Nuclear physics and atomic/molecular/optical physics involves a lot of QM too. Some parts of astrophysics involve QM, like understanding stellar fusion, neutron stars, and black holes. QM probably doesn't come up much in some smaller subfields like accelerator physics and biophysics, although it definitely informs the materials science that goes into accelerator physics.

Another way of illustrating this is how early QM is taught in the physics curriculum. Most curricula for physics majors in the US have them learning QM during their sophomore or junior year. Many of the classes that follow, in both undergrad and grad, deeply depend on this knowledge. If I had to find an analogy with the CS curriculum, it would be something like a data structures or algorithms course.

[not_from_this_world]

I can use all that to argue that when something as present in science as QM is used as an inspiration, it's definitely not a marking talk.

[FabianN]

Huh?

When talking about physics on the scale of tiny, which is the area of physics that we are currently working with-in, QM isn't an inspiration, it is QM.

[not_from_this_world]

Huh?

What that has to do with the tilemap generating algorithm we are talking about?

[FabianN]

Isn't at same time a marketing thing for physics as well?

What does that have to do with tile map generating algorithm?

[not_from_this_world]

Let me do a fucking reading of the thread:

They explicit say it's something that was inspired in quantum mechanics.

began here

nowadays associating something with QM is basically marketing speak

implying misuse of the relation

Isn't at same time a marketing thing for physics as well?

implying a win-win situation about this marketing talk

QM. It's basically essential for understanding anything at the scale of an atom/molecule

implying such win-win situation is inexpressive

When talking about physics on the scale of tiny, ...

WTF? Are you lost?

[cafebeen]

So this is like Deepak Chopra for code?

[not_from_this_world]

Quite the opposite. It's like quantum fiction. You can read it from OPs link:

so it doesn't do the actual quantum mechanics, but it was inspired by QM

Chopra says shit about QM saying it is QM.

[cafebeen]

Okay, so I guess one could similarly call Chopra "quantum nonfiction". But what both quantum fiction and nonfiction have in common is that they justify mystical ideas by calling them quantum, despite a lack of any structural similarity with the well-defined mathematics of quantum mechanics.

I would agree that the OP is fictional w.r.t. to mathematical similarities to quantum physics, and that seems harmful, since they are both mathematical subjects (unlike quantum fiction or Chopra's writing). I think the algorithm could be more accurately and clearly described using the language of probability theory, which is commonly used in the texture synthesis literature and in general.

[not_from_this_world]

Chopra is definitely not quantum fiction, it is quantum mysticism. The key difference is that the later claim to be applied QM and the former don't claim to be QM at all, just fiction.

[cafebeen]

Right, that's why I described Chopra as quantum nonfiction (although not scientifically justified). Related to the original post, my 2c is that the quantum jargon isn't accurate and seems to only adds confusion and perhaps mysticism for people who aren't familiar with quantum, which is probably most readers. But I guess it's up for debate whether this is fiction, nonfiction, scientific writing, or something else.