I've finally figured out BFL's name and logo

[Meni Rosenfeld]

I'm not sure if it was clear to everyone but me up to this point, but I've only now consciously realized it.

It's a chaos theory theme. The logo is a simplified plot of a solution in the Lorenz attractor. This is related to butterflies in two ways, hence the name:

1. The plot resembles butterfly wings.
2. Chaos theory is popular for the butterfly effect.

So why chaos? Probably has something to do with the pseudo-random nature of hashing.

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[nedbert9]

I'm not sure if it was clear to everyone but me up to this point, but I've only now realized it.

It's a chaos theory theme. The logo is a simplified plot of a solution in the Lorenz attractor. This is related to butterflies in two ways, hence the name:

1. The plot resembles butterfly wings.
2. Chaos theory is popular for the butterfly effect.

So why chaos? Probably has something to do with the pseudo-random nature of hashing.

Duude, that totally makes waiting 9 weeks for BFL gear worth it!!

[imsaguy]

So why chaos? Probably has something to do with the pseudo-random nature of hashing.

Meanwhile, back on the farm...

[rjk]

[||bit]

I'm not sure if it was clear to everyone but me up to this point, but I've only now realized it.

It's a chaos theory theme. The logo is a simplified plot of a solution in the Lorenz attractor. This is related to butterflies in two ways, hence the name:

1. The plot resembles butterfly wings.
2. Chaos theory is popular for the butterfly effect.

So why chaos? Probably has something to do with the pseudo-random nature of hashing.

Good CSI work to relate the two. It makes sense now.

It also makes me wonder how much this apparent affinity or aptitude towards mathematics has anything to do with how well their product efficiently hashes compared to others FPGA approaches.

[punningclan]

I'm not sure if it was clear to everyone but me up to this point, but I've only now realized it.

It's a chaos theory theme. The logo is a simplified plot of a solution in the Lorenz attractor. This is related to butterflies in two ways, hence the name:

1. The plot resembles butterfly wings.
2. Chaos theory is popular for the butterfly effect.

So why chaos? Probably has something to do with the pseudo-random nature of hashing.

Let's hope it's less pseudo and more random, the logo is strangely attractive though..

[ModusPwnd]

So why chaos? Probably has something to do with the pseudo-random nature of hashing.

Chaos however is not random at all.  It is completely deterministic.  Chaos is when slight changes in initial conditions lead to big changes in final conditions.  Of course big and slight are relative terms and accordingly chaos can only be relatively defined.  But one thing it is not is stochastic.

[Meni Rosenfeld]

So why chaos? Probably has something to do with the pseudo-random nature of hashing.

Chaos however is not random at all.  It is completely deterministic.  Chaos is when slight changes in initial conditions lead to big changes in final conditions.  Of course big and slight are relative terms and accordingly chaos can only be relatively defined.  But one thing it is not is stochastic.

So is hashing, that's why it's pseudo-random. It's deterministic but any change in the input changes the output completely, in a way that to the unaided eye (and to any statistical test) seems random.

Saying that "chaos is completely deterministic" is meaningless. Chaos can exist in a theoretical deterministic system, but nature isn't deterministic, and chaos is what translates microscopic randomness to macroscopic randomness.

In fact chaos can be precisely defined, it's when the accuracy required in the initial conditions to obtain a given accuracy in the final conditions is exponential in the time span between the start and finish, as opposed to normal systems where it's polynomial.

[ModusPwnd]

Chaos can exist in a theoretical deterministic system, but nature isn't deterministic,

That means nature is not chaotic.  Or better, that chaos theories, like all theories of nature (or observations) are models and not blueprints.

[Meni Rosenfeld]

Chaos can exist in a theoretical deterministic system, but nature isn't deterministic,

That means nature is not chaotic.  Or better, that chaos theories, like all theories of nature (or observations) are models and not blueprints.

If the working definition of a chaotic system is that it's sensitive to initial conditions, then a stochastic system certainly can be chaotic (eg, take any deterministic chaotic system and superimpose a randomizing element). I think you're confusing "chaos isn't about randomness (and the study of chaos typically deals with deterministic systems)" with "a chaotic system must by definition be deterministic".

[ModusPwnd]

I think you're confusing "chaos isn't about randomness (and the study of chaos typically deals with deterministic systems)" with "a chaotic system must by definition be deterministic".

Thats new to me.  I think there would be some dispute about that...  Some dispute that a stochastic system can exhibit chaos.  Or if it can, it is a function of the determinism in the system.  In any case, Ill try to pose my statements more carefully.

[Meni Rosenfeld]

I think you're confusing "chaos isn't about randomness (and the study of chaos typically deals with deterministic systems)" with "a chaotic system must by definition be deterministic".

Thats new to me.  I think there would be some dispute about that...  Some dispute that a stochastic system can exhibit chaos.  Or if it can, it is a function of the determinism in the system.  In any case, Ill try to pose my statements more carefully.

It's purely a matter of definition, I don't think there is any question about the underlying facts. I'm certainly not a chaos expert and some care might be required to give a precise definition that can encompass the stochastic case. I'm guessing it could have something to do with the accuracy required in the initial conditions to reach a certain accuracy in the distribution of the final condition.

[imsaguy]

And once again, the thread is off topic from the OP

[rjk]

And once again, the thread is off topic from the OP

subed

[imsaguy]

And once again, the thread is off topic from the OP

subed

+1

[fizzisist]

sadpandatech already figured the logo out ages ago.

[Meni Rosenfeld]

sadpandatech already figured the logo out ages ago.

The logo is the Lorenz attractor as I stated in the OP, and I see no mention of this. Async labs almost certainly based their logo on the Lorenz attractor; I don't know what is the relation between Async and BFL, but I wouldn't be surprised if BFL independently came up with the idea of using the Lorenz attractor. Even if the BFL logo was inspired or inherited from the Async logo, it was done with full knowledge of what it represents.

This link to the Lorenz attractor was posted in the first few pages of the first BFL thread.

Nice. It didn't come up in search because of the underscore.

[Matthew N. Wright]

sadpandatech already figured the logo out ages ago.

Really?

Why was he quoting me if he figured it out? lawl

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=48863.msg632409#msg632409

[P_Shep]

I suspected it was this some time ago

[Matthew N. Wright]

sadpandatech already figured the logo out ages ago.

Really?

Why was he quoting me if he figured it out? lawl

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=48863.msg632409#msg632409

my post was a month before yours... im pretty sure i was first. not that it matters...

hehe. I wonder who did it before you.

I bet if we 'backtrace' it, we'll find that Butterflylab's first post was like:

"Hi gaiz. Our logo is the same as this company. herp derp"