X-Files meets Code Lyoko: Interesting connections

[Dreamscape offline]

Erynn is a good friend of mine offline (though we *tear tear* no longer live near one another) and she's completely to blame for the fact that I'm <s>obsessed with</s> a fan of The X-Files... Especially as of late, because I've been going on a rampage looking for episodes at my video rental store, and a few other places.

But recently, I saw two episodes that reminded me very much of Code Lyoko.

The first and more interesting one was called (I think) "Kill Switch" where essentially there's this conciousness living in the Internet that is exceedingly dangerous. It can control a DoD satellite (that was the first thing that made me think of CL) and is very Xana-ish in general. But the main thing that seemed really Code Lyoko-like was "uploading" which, as one of the characters described, is "transfer of memory consciousness into the distributed system maintained by the A.I."

Magniliquent enough for you?

In any case, in the episode, when you "upload" yourself, just your soul (or whatever you want to call it) goes... not your body. Which raises an interesting question: In Code Lyoko, where do their bodies go when they're transferred to Lyoko? It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, if you ask me. But then, it's a kid's show, and I suppose having their bodies disappear is more magical... What do you all think?

The second and less interesting and/or discussion-triggering connection is in regards to the episode "Monday" where the characters are stuck going back in time and living the same day over and over again, much like CL's "A Great Day." (However, in comparison, not much is similar between the two episodes beyond the theme of re-living each day over and over again.)

Anyway, I kind of doubt many of you will read all of what I just wrote, so if you did.. um... I commend you. Have a cookie.

[Star Way]

I noticed that too! I wonder if any of the writers of CL are XF fans... Could be!

I've often wondered myself what happens to their bodies when they're virtualized; it really doesn't make sense that their physical form would also be uploaded to Lyoko.

Monday/Just in Time were both awesome episodes IMO; most people think that Monday was boring (just because they went through the day again and again like... 20 times) but I really liked it because it was so angsty. *loser*

If you change 'bank robbery/someone getting shot/huge bomb' to 'Sissi snooping' they are somewhat alike, though... Haha.

[Dreamscape offline]

Sissi is equal to a horrible tragedy. How cruel.

But going back to the topic of uploading, I find it interesting that CL barely even talks about Artificial Intelligence, though that is probably one of the biggest themes of the show. Probably just so that the kiddies can understand what's going on...

CL actually raises an interesting question related to AI; is it possible? Moreso, does it exist without anyone knowing about it? Just how far has our technology gone? We've built computers that can think faster than the human mind... computers that can simulate all kinds of things. Is it really too out there to think that we may also be able to create a computer with a consciousness, or intention?

Of course, some would argue that such a creation would be immoral because playing God is bad. But personally, I find it fascinating.

[YDV offline]

Sissi is equal to a horrible tragedy. How cruel.

But going back to the topic of uploading, I find it interesting that CL barely even talks about Artificial Intelligence, though that is probably one of the biggest themes of the show. Probably just so that the kiddies can understand what's going on...

CL actually raises an interesting question related to AI; is it possible? Moreso, does it exist without anyone knowing about it? Just how far has our technology gone? We've built computers that can think faster than the human mind... computers that can simulate all kinds of things. Is it really too out there to think that we may also be able to create a computer with a consciousness, or intention?

Of course, some would argue that such a creation would be immoral because playing God is bad. But personally, I find it fascinating.

Yes, AI is possible. I don't agree with the argument that creating an artificial intelligence is playing God, for the sheer fact that it is ARTIFICIAL intelligence-- not real life, like cloning and genetic engineering (which I say is okay for curing diseases, not okay for creating humans.)

Anyway... I think being transferred to Lyoko uploads both your mind and your body. Let me explain. In my theory, the process works liek this:

1.) Virtualization Program begins after you enter the scanner.
2.) The "Scanner: Ulrich/Yumi/Odd/Aelita/one-time-Jeremie" part occurs. During this part, your body, and essentially your DNA, is scanned, plain and simple. It creates a digital "copy" or avatar of your body, if you don't have a pre-created one. If you do, it skips this process and uploads your body's condition-- heart rate, brain waves, vital signs, etc. It has to do this every time; that explains why a XANA ghost going into the scanner would mess up your virtualization-- it has extra "vDNA" that adds to the overall digital code that is being created with every scan. This information is stored in the "cards" that appear on Jeremie's screen.
3.) The "Transfer" part occurs. It is during this process that by some currently-SF mechanism, your consciousness is "uploaded" to the computer. Consciousness being the "mind" part of the brain-- your thoughts, personality, feelings, memory, inherent instinct, and sense of being, along with your physical senses. I don't know exactly how it works.. it might have something to do with recording your brain waves up to that moment and "recreating them" so-to-speak in a digital form. It is also during this portion that your "mind" is matched up with the Lyoko avatar that is supplied with the information from the scan, so it wouldn't necessarily feel any different internally. I think the "matching up" part of the program is a little stupid, because didn't Odd and Yumi go into each others' bodies when they got sent to Lyoko after beign swtiched?
4.) Virtualization. Essentially, your body is de-materialized completely, possibly molecule by molecule, and converted into data for storage. After all, your avatar is the vessel your mind will be using on Lyoko-- otherwise they wouldn't have all those nifty powers. The "Ulrich" or "Yumi" or whoever packet is completed-- consisting of biofeedback, virtual DNA, consciousness, and the data that forms your avatar finally combined together. It is my belief that they are kept separate before being virtualized. After being finalized, the "packet" is then sent from the Super Calculator's hard drive and memory to Lyoko. (this would be the "whooshing" sensation) Finally, your avatar is downloaded into the Lyoko visual interface, and you drop down onto the ground (usually).

[4lpha0mega offline]

well those were 4 pretty long posts... kinda intimidating actually
i never really used to watch the X-files though... but i liked the theme tune, which this thread inspired me to download...

but onto the topic of uploading, i too dont really get where their bodies go... they seem to be able to make matter appear and disappear... unless of course they are transferring the matter of the people's bodies into energy on lyoko

Oh, i only just read the post by Your De-Virtualization...
and yeah, i kinda agree about what you said... although i really...really...really doubt it could store a human as memory/data; see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yottabyte
apparantly it would take 590,000,000,000,000,000,000GB to store a human as memory

[MY85 offline]

but onto the topic of uploading, i too dont really get where their bodies go... they seem to be able to make matter appear and disappear... unless of course they are transferring the matter of the people's bodies into energy on lyoko

I'm thinking somehow about accelerated molecular transfer, with some sort of temporal alteration while staying at Lyoko.

[bduddy offline]

Too... many... big... words...

But even if their bodies are split into molecules, where exactly do the molecules go? They still weigh the same amount, after all...