Eventide 2540
Explore

Learn

Map of the topics

Every topic on the site, and which ones lean on which.

The map shows the relationships between topics. A line from one topic to another indicates useful background for the second. You can start with any page; each introduces its topic and links to the background it uses.

Each page begins with an example from the setting, explains the numbers, and offers expandable sections with derivations and open questions.

Where might a newcomer start?

Choose a starting point by subject:

The six surprises provide another introduction. Each one is a question to guess at, followed by an answer and the pages that explain it.

To see where the physics happens, take the tour of the places: the black hole, the star, the swarm and its zones, a node and the Record. To see how big each thing is, scroll the scale ladder, from a galaxy down to the Planck length. To see where each topic shows up in the story, read the Record, chapter by chapter; every topic page also ends with links into the sim.

Terms are defined in the glossary, and every paper and book the pages cite is gathered under further reading.

A gram is a fortuneA gram is a fortuneEntropy is missing informationEntropy is missinginformationWhat is a black hole?What is a black hole?Feeding a black holeFeeding a black holeRecycling heatRecycling heatThe cost of forgettingThe cost of forgettingA pair too wide to hearA pair too wide to hearBlack holes glowBlack holes glowWhy the hole looks like thatWhy the hole looks likethatWhere you can live around a hole and a starWhere you can live around ahole and a starShips die of tides, not of curvatureShips die of tides, not ofcurvatureClocks near the horizonClocks near the horizonPushed by lightPushed by lightBits travel, atoms do notBits travel, atoms do notMining a spinning holeMining a spinning holeCooling is the economyCooling is the economyComputing without forgettingComputing withoutforgettingHow fast can anything think?How fast can anythingthink?Stopping from 0.1cStopping from 0.1cThinking in a cooling universeThinking in a coolinguniverseThe black hole is not your freezerThe black hole is not yourfreezerBig minds are slow mindsBig minds are slow mindsHow much can a region remember?How much can a regionremember?What a quantum computer is, and is notWhat a quantum computer is,and is notInward, not outwardInward, not outwardDoublingDoublingWhy they might be asleepWhy they might be asleepThe ultimate computer is a black holeThe ultimate computer is ablack holeCopy, merge, choose your clockCopy, merge, choose yourclock
Each topic sits to the right of the ones it leans on. Start anywhere on the left.

Every topic, by strand

Energy

Heat

Limits of computing

Black holes

The voyage

Ideas