PM, I've been the DB route with DrEliza.com. Vanilla SQL was hopelessly weak for the application because of its severe limitations on user-defined functions, but the VB/Jet interface to SQL was powerful enough for DrElia, but with one BIG problem. Once the search criteria got complex enough to do the job, it became necessary to look at many/all of the records to find which fit. This is because SQL, with or without VB/Jet, does NOT have the equivalent of associative lookup, e.g. where you can match what you are interested in, and wildcard the remainder. Hence, just throwing everything into arrays and searching sequentially would work better!!!
Indexing is the BIG challenge. I see two conceivable avenues of approach: 1. Try to find SOME (presently unknown) way that works with SQL without having to read (al)most eveything, or 2. Propose SQL enhancements that would fill the gap, for which there would be MANY other applications that would also benefit. My own preference would be to optionally allow wildcards in indexes, both in records that are stored and in specifying records to be accessed. For each character or numeric field in an index, everywhere a record had a wildcard or the SQL statement specified a wildcard, would NOT be compared, but rather would be handled as if they were equal to whatever they were being compared with. It would also be necessary to sometimes override this, e.g. sometimes you are ONLY interested in information about red fire trucks, and not all fire trucks. Another reasonable implementation might be the ability to have NULL or empty fields act this way. Anyway, it looks to me like SQL is a nonstarter for AGI without some absolutely necessary enhancements. Note that there are some shareware SQL engines, like Postgres, that could easily be modified once someone figures out how to make wildcards work this way. Any thoughts from other SQL hackers out there? Steve =================== On Wed, Apr 3, 2013 at 4:49 PM, Piaget Modeler <[email protected]>wrote: > If you use standard database technologies to create indexes into the flat > file of facts then > you can navigate the file randomly and efficiently. > > I propose that you choose a format for your facts, then add facts to your > "database" however you want. > The important thing is that you have a representation that is accessible > and searchable. > > ~PM > > ------------------------------ > Date: Wed, 3 Apr 2013 15:20:03 -0700 > Subject: Re: [agi] What is "understanding"? > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > > PM, > > I'm not sure I see what you are saying here. A "flat file" of facts would > take forever to navigate - you would need some carefully designed structure > to handle real-world complexity in real-time. > > Perhaps if you provided a few lines of example it would be more obvious > what you are proposing. > > Steve > ================== > On Wed, Apr 3, 2013 at 8:48 AM, Piaget Modeler > <[email protected]>wrote: > > Steve Richfield: "So, what the heck can we compile NL into that would > support prospective AGI operation?" > > One suggestion is that you compile language into a "database of facts" > using a propositional representation. > In addition, you convert all sensory input to the AGI into the same > propositional representation. > Then you do inferencing within and generate behaviors from the aforesaid > representation. > > ~PM > > > *AGI* | Archives <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now> > <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/10443978-6f4c28ac> | > Modify <https://www.listbox.com/member/?&;> Your Subscription > <http://www.listbox.com> > > > > > -- > Full employment can be had with the stoke of a pen. Simply institute a six > hour workday. That will easily create enough new jobs to bring back full > employment. > > *AGI* | Archives <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now> > <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/19999924-5cfde295> | > Modify <https://www.listbox.com/member/?&;> Your Subscription > <http://www.listbox.com> > *AGI* | Archives <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now> > <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/10443978-6f4c28ac> | > Modify<https://www.listbox.com/member/?&;>Your Subscription > <http://www.listbox.com> > -- Full employment can be had with the stoke of a pen. Simply institute a six hour workday. That will easily create enough new jobs to bring back full employment. ------------------------------------------- AGI Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/21088071-f452e424 Modify Your Subscription: https://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=21088071&id_secret=21088071-58d57657 Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com
