Frank- Given your anecdote, I strongly recommend watching the Spike Jonze's movie HER which has all the earmarks of a dystopian near-future but not to be a spoiler, it actually resolves very sweetly. I believe the voice of "Her" is Scarlett Johannson. Alan Watts makes an interesting Cameo.
- Steve > My grandson uses his Echo Dot extensively. A soft female voice > answers his questions about spelling, arithmetic, geography, etc. The > other day he asked, understandably, "Alexa, will you marry me?" She > said, "I've decided to wait until Mars is colonized before making that > commitment." Good thinking. > > --- > Frank C. Wimberly > 140 Calle Ojo Feliz, > Santa Fe, NM 87505 > > 505 670-9918 > Santa Fe, NM > > On Tue, May 5, 2020, 5:39 AM Prof David West <profw...@fastmail.fm > <mailto:profw...@fastmail.fm>> wrote: > > Came across this yesterday afternoon: > > /"Psychology is not a science because it is too difficult. The > scientific mind is usually orderly, with a natural love for > order. It resents and tends to ignore fields in which order is not > readily apparent. It gravitates to fields in which order is easily > found such as the physical sciences, and leaves more complex > fields to those who play by ear, as it were. Thus we have a > rigourous science of thermodynamics but are not like to have a > science of psychodynamics for many years to come."/ > > From a Robert A. Heinlein book, /Sixth Column/, I read when I was > an impressionable child. Not that he is correct, but I see where > my antipathy to some science comes from. > > davew > > > On Tue, May 5, 2020, at 5:27 AM, Prof David West wrote: >> Allow Nick to say "a computer behaves as if it is thinking, >> therefore it is thinking." >> >> How does a computer behave? Or, what is a computer's behavior? I >> am looking at my computer - actually four of them (iPhone, >> tablet, laptop, and desktop) and the only behavior I see any of >> them exhibiting is precisely identical to the behavior of the >> glass paperweight that also occupies space on my desk. >> >> What is this thinking behavior y'all are ascribing to the >> computer? Am I the only one that cannot see it? >> >> davew >> >> >> On Mon, May 4, 2020, at 9:34 PM, thompnicks...@gmail.com >> <mailto:thompnicks...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>> Yup. That’s what he would say. What */persuades/* you that a >>> super competent computer can’t think? Can a dog think? How >>> would a Martian convince you that it (he, she) can think? >>> >>> >>> >>> Nick >>> >>> >>> >>> Nicholas Thompson >>> >>> Emeritus Professor of Ethology and Psychology >>> >>> Clark University >>> >>> thompnicks...@gmail.com <mailto:thompnicks...@gmail.com> >>> >>> https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/ >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> *From:* Friam <friam-boun...@redfish.com >>> <mailto:friam-boun...@redfish.com>> *On Behalf Of *Frank Wimberly >>> *Sent:* Monday, May 4, 2020 9:08 PM >>> *To:* The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group >>> <friam@redfish.com <mailto:friam@redfish.com>> >>> *Subject:* Re: [FRIAM] Warring Darwinians for Glen, Steve >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> Maybe I missed something that makes this redundant but if a >>> highschool student asked me what the /hard problem/ is I would >>> say: There appears to be no limit to how competent computers >>> can be. They seem to be able to do just about anything that >>> people think requires thought. But I am persuaded that they >>> can't think. What makes the difference between thinking people >>> and hypercompetent computers? >>> >>> >>> >>> Nick would say if it behaves as if it thinks then it thinks. I >>> think. >>> >>> >>> >>> Frank >>> >>> >>> >>> On Mon, May 4, 2020 at 7:50 PM Steven A Smith <sasm...@swcp.com >>> <mailto:sasm...@swcp.com>> wrote: >>> >>> >>> I thought this was a support group for recovering (or just >>> self-indulgent) metaphorists... you mean it's not? Why do >>> I feel like >>> I'm in a scene from "Fight Club"? I guess that would make >>> me more of >>> an allegorist? >>> >>> > Is it? You people can't help yourselves. It's compulsive. >>> You might want to get some help for that. >>> > >>> > On 5/4/20 10:47 AM, Frank Wimberly wrote: >>> >> Choosing one's rifle is so concrete. It makes me want to >>> run out and blow away a few cacti. Oh, it's a metaphor! >>> >>> .-. .- -. -.. --- -- -..-. -.. --- - ... -..-. .- -. -.. >>> -..-. -.. .- ... .... . ... >>> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv >>> Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam >>> <http://bit.ly/virtualfriam> >>> unsubscribe >>> http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com >>> archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ >>> FRIAM-COMIC <http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/FRIAM-COMIC> >>> http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> >>> >>> Frank Wimberly >>> 140 Calle Ojo Feliz >>> Santa Fe, NM 87505 >>> 505 670-9918 >>> >>> >>> .-. .- -. -.. --- -- -..-. -.. --- - ... -..-. .- -. -.. -..-. >>> -.. .- ... .... . ... >>> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv >>> Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam >>> <http://bit.ly/virtualfriam> >>> unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com >>> archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ >>> FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ >>> >> >> .-. .- -. -.. --- -- -..-. -.. --- - ... -..-. .- -. -.. -..-. >> -.. .- ... .... . ... >> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv >> Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam >> <http://bit.ly/virtualfriam> >> unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com >> archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ >> FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ >> > > .-. .- -. -.. --- -- -..-. -.. --- - ... -..-. .- -. -.. -..-. -.. > .- ... .... . ... > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam > <http://bit.ly/virtualfriam> > unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ > FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ > > > .-. .- -. -.. --- -- -..-. -.. --- - ... -..-. .- -. -.. -..-. -.. .- ... > .... . ... > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam > unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ > FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/
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