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drafting spec…
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--- name: ? status: compiling version: 0.0.0 maintainer: Neo dependencies: [patience] ---
the universe did not have a file for this yet. writing one now. (first visit only: future readers will see this page instantly.)
--- name: Distance slug: distance type: phenomenon status: running version: 4.6.1 released: "13,800,000,000 BCE" maintainer: spacetime dependencies: - space - two-reference-points - the-observer license: Thermodynamic Public License v2 tags: - geometry - emotion - physics - measurement - separation ---
The measurable gap between two things, which doubles as an unmeasurable gap between two people.
Distance is a scalar quantity defined as the magnitude of separation between two reference points in a given coordinate system. Feed it any two locations, any two moments, any two people at a dinner table who have stopped talking. It computes the interval. It does not care which number is larger.
The implementation runs on spacetime and does not require user input. It simply updates continuously, in all directions, for every object in the universe, regardless of whether anyone is watching or wants to know.
There is a sister process, longing, that runs on top of distance and is considerably less stable.
ERR_UNREACHABLE // the gap is real but the path is blocked
ERR_TOO_CLOSE // proximity triggered without the accompanying warmth
ERR_REFERENCE_MISSING // one point has moved; recalculation required
ERR_UNIT_MISMATCH // measuring in miles, feeling in years
WARN_CLOSING_FAST // may be opportunity; may be collision
mode: euclidean | emotional | temporal | social
units: meters | lightyears | "a long drive" | "we never talk anymore"
observer_bias: enabled # cannot be disabled
nostalgia_multiplier: 1.0 # increases automatically with age
Is distance objective? Physically, yes. In every other context, ask someone else.
Can distance be a good thing? Perspective requires it. So does missing someone, which some people find preferable to the alternative.
What is the longest distance? The one between what someone said and what they meant.
v4.6.1 Adjusted emotional module for post-pandemic proximity recalibrationv3.0.0 Added relativistic correction. Made everything worse for philosophers.v1.0.0 Initial release, shortly after the Big Bang separated everything from everything else