Facebook-link Philosophizing

[moon_custafer]

So, IBM is still seeing what they can do with Watson the computer. Recently they've tried feeding in data about foodstuffs and how humans react to different flavours, and tried having the machine generate recipes. It's rather reminiscent of Eddie, the Heart of Gold's computer, trying to make proper tea (as opposed the usual sweet brown liquid almost-but-not-quite-totally-unlike-tea), based on Arthur's descriptions. Watson's BBQ sauce is said to be quite good.

The comments, I notice, seem to contain a lot of complaints that this is a waste of time, seasoned with the occasional argument that creating a recipe is meaningless if the computer itself can never taste it as a human could.

Later the same day, in another article on a different topic, someone snarked about how if (people who are not them) have the time to indulge in (a hobby that is not theirs), they should be spending that time volunteering with local service groups instead. So apparently the world is full of people who dedicate all their free time to Good Works. Well, good for them. I guess we can forgive them the time they spend each day to running down other peoples' activities on the internet.

Meanwhile, IBM will not be mass-producing Watson's BBQ sauce, as the computer declined to use any filler ingredients (the AI was told to make something tasty, not inexpensive). They've posted the recipe, however, for those who'd like to try it: Bengali Butternut BBQ Sauce.

Comments

[serizawa3000.livejournal.com]

I heard someone's commentary on NPR's Fresh Air this afternoon... it was pertaining to the recentish story about an AI passing the Turing Test. He mentioned factors such as the AI's "personality" being that of a 13-year-old boy from a non-English-speaking country, and for whatever reason I kept thinking of HAL 9000 and his creator (as essayed by Bob Balaban)... But the commentator (a linguist whose name escapes me) singled out the recent film Her as an example (featuring audio of the "break-up" scene where Joaquin Phoenix's character is flabbergasted by "Samantha" (the AI, voiced by Scarlett Johansson) sighing as she speaks. "You don't need to breathe! Why are you doing that?" "It's... I guess it's an affectation..."

I don't know. I rather like Watson for some odd reason.

But as for the other thing... well... I don't know. I figure if I think about things like that I could probably compose some towering, rage-based rant about how we're all being turned into automaton drones who aren't allowed to like things anymore or have the time to Do the Things We Really Want to Do (within Reason).

I've said that I draw because I have to. I sometimes think about maybe producing something that could sell, or go on a T-shirt, or other things, but mostly I draw because there's stuff in my head that needs to be put on paper (sometimes there's notes scribbled alongside the doodles... because I am one of those terrible artist-writer amalgamations with stories and characters and things demanding to be scribbled into being. Now if I could just finish something... ;)) In my work (because, well, money reasons)... I have to stand in line a lot and otherwise wait for things to be done. Two years into this, I finally put two and two together and bought a little sketchbook (I always had a sketchbook and a notebook in my satchel wherever I go, but I could never get either of them out to work on) and started drawing in it while I waited. I've filled up ten sketchbooks this way, and am on the home stretch of filling up an eleventh.

Speaking of Good Works, though... I don't watch wrestling as much as I used to, but the WWE does a LOT of charity work. If you're interested, read up on Mick Foley (he used to wrestle under the assorted monikers of Dude Love, Cactus Jack, but most famously (or not) as Mankind), who is a one-man Good Work.