Shutaro Aoyama

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Delusion of a Virtual Timeline

Jul 05, 2024, 4 min read

In a slightly futuristic world, all the information from the sensory organs passes through a membrane of information processing. The visible world and the sounds we hear are all processed freely, allowing humans to edit virtual reality as they please. Below is a fantasy about a world where not only the editing of sensory information but also the perception of “time” can be freely edited. (I wanted to write a little poetic passage)

  • Currently, “physical time” dominates the reality that people experience.

    • There are some advantages to physical time.
      • It naturally exists.
      • (At least for now) everyone follows it, enabling synchronous communication.
      • Physical laws can be described simply with mathematics.

  • However, physical time has many inconvenient constraints. - It only moves forward. - The speed at which it moves is constant (here, “speed” refers to the speed compared to “time for others”). - Movement along the timeline is not freely possible.

    • Being scolded for oversleeping, having to stop at a red light, the difficulty of synchronous communication, and the inability to pause a class in school are all due to the constraints of physical time.

  • Therefore, I propose the concept of a “virtual timeline” that moves independently of physical time.

    • In reality, there are various elements that have timelines.
      • The timeline of a clock.
      • The timeline of the color of the sky.
      • The timeline of lectures at school.
      • The timeline of a music concert.
      • etc… (The list can go on and on.)
    • Currently, all these timelines are dependent on physical time, but I am considering a world where they have independent existence.
    • If we can freely synchronize our sense of time with any timeline and switch between synchronous and asynchronous modes as needed, we can live a life free from the constraints of physical time.
      • We can freely move between timelines, and engage in synchronous or asynchronous activities as required.
    • Related: /blu3mo-public/没入できるvirtualな時空間軸の話 (Discussion on Immersive Virtual Spacetime Axis)

  • The reason why these timelines can be considered as “virtual time” (or essentially time) is that in a world where reality and virtual reality have become blurred, the essence of “time” is “believing that you exist on a timeline” (probably).

    • As long as the Believability of being on a timeline is maintained, it can be considered as time.

  • Life with virtual timelines

    • (This assumes a world where everyone lives in a virtual world.)
    • University lectures
      • Lectures have independent timelines that synchronize with your own timeline when you enter the classroom.
      • On the lecture timeline, you can freely move, pause, rewind 10 seconds, fast forward, etc.
      • A system that automatically adjusts the speed of time synchronizes your timeline with the people around you.
        • With this system, even if each person has an independent timeline, it is possible to engage in two-way dialogue with people sitting nearby.
      • As you walk towards the teacher, your timeline gradually synchronizes with the teacher’s timeline.
    • Multiplayer sports
      • When playing traditional sports like soccer that do not involve time manipulation
        • When you step onto the field, you synchronize with a timeline where time manipulation is disabled.
        • (Time manipulation is not allowed in the game.)
      • When playing new sports that require time manipulation
        • There are sports where you can move along the timeline or where the stage is a looping timeline.- Synchronize with others to play in a time axis that matches the settings of the game rules.

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