The 7 Koans of Bits

What are Koans?

Koans are the seven truths about bits. They are grave simplifications and generalizations that recount a developing world which has not yet fully emerged.

It's All Just Bits

Koan 1)

It's All Just Bits

Everything is made up of bits. For example movies, songs, phone calls and letters.

Our computers are designed to store bits simply in different forms.

All bits are the same; they travel through the air using radio waves.

Perfection is Normal

Koan 2)

Perfection is Normal

With computers, every copy is perfect. Much unlike humans, a computer will very rarely make an error in terms of copying, however errors are not impossible. An example would be digital copies are perfect only to the extent that they can be communicated at all.

Networks do not just pass bits from one another, they check to see if the bits appear to have been damaged in transit, and correct them or retransmit them if they seem incorrect.

A large problem this causes is that people can accuratly copy original pieces of work leading to piracy. After copies are made, they can be sold online, harming the profits of many industries like the film industry. If you give someone your bits, you wont have any fewer.

There is Want in the Midst of Plenty

Koan 3)

There is Want in the Midst of Plenty

The world-wide data storage will increase exponentially in the future, despite it already being so large.

As we are entering a digital era, we are consisistantly using computers to organize and sort immense amounts of data, as well as to quickly find information, making a transition from physical copies of data to digital.

In todays day and age, we have reached the point where if it cannot be found online, it may not exist at all. This is especially true for news and other current events,

This could possible have catastrophic results since not everything can be remembered by humans, unlike computers which may lead us to losing very important information.

Proccessing Power

Koan 4)

Proccessing Power

The speed of a computer is usually numbered by the basic operations, such as additions, which can be performed in one second. This is called proccessing power. Since the first computers were made, they have evolved immensly in speed. Currently, the fastest computer can perform around one trillion operations in a second.

For at least 3 decades, the increase in computer speeds has been monumental, following Moore's Law. Moore's Law essentially states that computers became twice as fast every couple of years. Since 2001 however, processor speed has not followed Moore's law. Instead, we are now using newer methods to speed up computers like using multiple processors on the same chip so the work can be split up and completed at the same time.

The rapid increase in processing power means that inventions can be on the market sooner, where they can then be used. The power comes not just from the bits, but from being able to do things with the bits.

Koan 5)

More of the Same Can be a Whole Mew Way

Koan 5 mainly discusses exponential growth.

Exponential growth is something doubling at a smooth and steady rate; it takes only a short while for the change to pass from unnoticeable to visibly apparent.

Once exponential growth is noticed, it can leave very little time to respond to. However, those who notice the changes can reap the immense benefits. Nevertheless, those who move too slowly may be overwhelmed by the time they try to respond.

Any form of exponential growth can make the world look distinctly different than what it had been. After this threshold is passed, changes that appeared to be simply quantitative can appear qualitative

In the rapidly changing world of bits, it is crucial to pay close attention to even the smallest of changes, and to do something about them when they occur.

Nothing Goes Away

Koan 6)

Nothing Goes Away

The capacity of the disks we are creating to store valuable information about consumer activities and patterns have been doubling every 2 - 3 years

Federal laws now require this extreme data collecting to help in audits and corruption investigations

In current times, data is very easy to acess. Every single purchase you make, the time of day, the location, product, method of purchase, who made the purchase etc. is now recorded every single time one is made. Since it is so easy for companies to access data, they want more of it and are creating things like loyatly cards to find it.

The data will all be kept forever; unless there are policies to get rid of it.

While data is stored in secure locations, data leaks can occur. Once data gets out onto the internet, there is no going back.

Bits Move Faster Than Thought

Koan 7)

Bits Move Faster Tha Thought

The Internet existed before there were personal computers and it was orginally designed to connect university and military computers. No-one could have dreamed of the immense scale of it today, making network connections across the globe.

The internet cas caused huge changes in the buisness field. Due to its speed, it has allowed many buisness to outsource their work to countries and places where labour is not as costly. An example would be India. It is very cheap and takes minimal to send bits representing your voice there.

In our world of bits, they can travel so fast that distance is no longer a hurdle needing to be overcome. In less than a second they can connect people together from different corners of the globe. People froma different country could be reading somethign you posted online or seeing pictures you took.