Culture book series
Mind (The Culture) is a book series by author Iain M. Banks. A Mind was a type of Culture sentient machine characterized by its enormous computational abilities.
The Culture[]
Minds were the de facto leaders of the Culture. They were the hearts of spacecraft when embedded.
Structure[]
In 1331 CE the real space shell of a Mind was a ten metre long and two metre wide ellipsoid. The interior comprised of millions of components. The computational and memory components were particularly dense and were located in hyperspace. An internal warp unit was used to expand the memory space. Power was provided internally. Several field generators could be used for propulsion. The entire Mind massed 15000 tonnes.
Computation and memory[]
A 1331 CE Mind cognitive functions could take place in both four- and three-dimensional space. Three-dimensional operations relied on picocircuitry and photons and resulted in significantly inferior performance. Memory was stored in binary in the form of neutrons and protons. When operating in three-dimensional space the neutrons decayed into protons; memory was preserved but rendered unusable by wrapping it in fields. The memory capacity was in excess of 1030 characters stored within a volume of a few cubic metres.
Personality[]
A Mind's personality was influenced by the premise-state used during its creation. The personality may be shaped to better suit the Mind's intended role. For example, Mind's intended for warcraft developed a soldierly attitude toward martial action.
Relationships[]
Minds could have quasi-familials relationship with "child" Minds they helped create, with children possibly giving additional weight to the opinion of their parent. One strategy when making requests of difficult Minds was to route the requests through its parents.