Technology is a fascinating playground of geometric constructions. Every pixel on your screen, every circuit in your computer, even the architectural design of the building you're in, are all examples of geometric structures. Their patterns and proportions define our digital and physical world. In Austin, Texas, a revolution is underway that aims to reinvent these geometric principles into a language and methodology that could redefine our approach to manufacturing and resource utilization.
The movement is led by the pioneers of Geometron, a geometric language and philosophy that extends beyond the conventional arithmetic that drives our computers today. At its core, Geometron is a paradigm shift, a re-imagining of technology as fundamentally grounded in geometry, and driven by it. This approach values the visual symbols displayed on a screen or the path traced by a manufacturing tool over the usual ones and zeros of traditional computing.
The vision of Geometron extends beyond just the theoretical or aesthetic. Geometron aspires to close all the loops in machine fabrication, using geometric programming language to design and fabricate simple circuits, which in turn run the geometric programs that create more circuits. The goal? To create self-replicating machines, capable of perpetuating their own technology without external input.
This concept of self-replication aligns beautifully with the principles of the Trash Magic movement, also popular in Austin. Trash Magic advocates for building civilization entirely from repurposed trash and things we can grow, turning what we would usually discard into valuable resources. With Geometron, Trash Magic finds a compatible ally: an approach that promotes the recycling and reusing of materials to construct new objects based on geometric principles.
The language of Geometron extends into an innovative tool called the Geometron Virtual Machine. This machine interacts with a pair of imaginary cubes in space, referred to as the Geometron Hypercube. This machine has physical operations built into its structure, making it distinctly different from conventional computers that work with "pure" numbers. Its design prioritizes human interaction, allowing the user to control geometric virtual machines and understand their operations through readable symbols.
These symbols and geometric principles can be adapted across different physical fabrication machines. A simple set of instructions to create a square, for instance, can be executed at any size with any tool once a virtual machine model maps those movements to what the motors do. This is crucial for the Trash Magic movement, as it helps to adapt programs from one salvaged machine to the next, aiding the evolution of the system.
Geometron is more than a shift in mathematical philosophy – it's a moral and philosophical change as well. It represents a move towards an economy based on replication rather than production, communication instead of domination, and a sharing economy of abundance. In Austin, this geometric language and the Trash Magic movement are making waves, turning the city into a hub of sustainable innovation.
From the streets of Austin, the Geometron movement speaks of a hopeful future where technology serves the community better by repurposing waste and valuing the geometric language of the universe. It's a future we can all aspire to, where trash is not just waste, but magic, and where the hypercube is not just a shape, but a revolution.