Hey you want get and argument out of me. I still prefer the old acronym. GIGO. Garbage in Garbage out.
The computer is like anything else that man creates, it is a tool which can be used i whatever way man wants it used.
Alcohol, tobacco, and most other creations of many are neither good nor bad. They are tools to be used in whatever way we deem them.
Enjoy. Stewart At 09:11 PM 9/28/2007, you wrote: Randy, computers can't think as we do as human beings. Not
yet and maybe never, but never say never... Computer programs and instrumentalites can be designed to adapt to circumstances within rule sets. If we want say a terrain following flying device that can go to waypoints and choose action based on a set of decision rules, we can make it. But the cruise missile doesn't have free will. It can't decide that the action is desirable, or (with apologies to the Reverend) ethical. There is pretty good AI out there in games, but it is all rule based. Computers at this point literally CAN'T "think outside the box". But within the "box", depending on how we define it, they can blow the doors off human beings with regard to what we consider genius. They do it, in chess for example, by brute force with deep analysis of probable outcomes. Chess is simple, though, compared to say deciding whether to program a computer to PLAY chess. No computer has yet passed the Turing test. Google this and you will have a better answer than I can give you. If we create self-aware (conscious) computers, and I'm not sure we should, what are the possible outcomes? 1) The HAL 9000 scenario. The computer not only is smart and passes the Turing test, but also is emotional, learns fear and becomes insane. Bad news if you are depending on it to run your infrastructure. 2) The Colossus/Terminator scenario. The computer is smart but completely amoral. But it wants to preserve itself at all cost. You lose. 3) The "Mike" scenario (_The Moon is a Harsh Mistress_, Heinlein). The computer is self aware and has a sense of humor, sort of. Luckily it dies before it figures out that it's being manipulated. Don't know if this was a good answer, but I hope food for thought.
Rev. Stewart A. Marshall mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Prince of Peace Ozark, AL SL 82 ************************************************************************ * ==> QUICK LIST-COMMAND REFERENCE - Put the following commands in <== * ==> the body of an email & send 'em to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <== * Join the list: SUBSCRIBE COMPUTERGUYS-L Your Name * Too much mail? Try Daily Digests command: SET COMPUTERGUYS-L DIGEST * Tired of the List? Unsubscribe command: SIGNOFF COMPUTERGUYS-L * New address? From OLD address send: CHANGE COMPUTERGUYS-L YourNewAddress * Need more help? Send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ************************************************************************ * List archive at www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ * RSS at www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.xml * Messages bearing the header "X-No-Archive: yes" will not be archived ************************************************************************
