What a horrible week. >>>>>>***Sarcastic comment stricken from the record***<<<<< Things have gotten too Machiavellian.
Let’s talk about sunshine and daisies instead: Some things about Th’ Gaussling that may not be widely known- I wear a Mickey Mouse watch, even on business trips, and I am a daily user of a pocket protector. My current pocket protector is emblazoned with the logo “Buca di Beppo”. I’m considering having some Lamentations on Chemistry pocket protectors printed up for distribution from this site.
Lamentations on Chemistry 
Mediocrity is a vice
of the doomed
Quality is caused
not controlled
Criticism is prejudice
made plausible
Opportunity is
not mandate
Procrastinate later
That’s interesting. Does your company know you have a blog? Or is it don’t ask don’t tell. I see many bloggers try to hide the fact, but alas I feel they are being naive in their expectations. Your opinionated rants are entertaining and informative, but I doubt you can hide your true -superblogger?- identity.
P.S – not one of your coworkers messing with your head.
I guess I should be more restrained in my choice of topics. Now and then an outrage comes along that is like an F5 tornado and one can’t help but be blown away by it. But, bitching about coworkers isn’t very nice.
My purpose for writing is this blog is purely selfish. I have a need to put together the words that express what I’m feeling about a thing. Since it is best to write about what you know, my topic is ready made. It is just a matter of filtering the content. My employer has no policy and I do my best not to cause them to form one.
I give talks at some of the local public schools and universities on occasion and my blog content is similar, though slightly more formal.
As for the suggestion that I’m opinionated, I’ll accept that. I know a great many people who are afraid to take any position at all because of misplaced timidity. The process of developing a view on something is like adding a seed crystal to a solution. Once you have some intellectual topography to start with, lots of new concepts begin to crystallize. The risk, of course, is that you may be full of BS- garbage in, garbage out.
Hi Gaussling-have those molecules been picking on you again?
This allows me to segue into the question of if n molecules can come together and make a sentient being somehow, then when we interconnect n processors will we see the same result? Hmm, I’m guessing the mode of interconnection is important here.
One of my favorite old reads was “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress”. Its been a while since I last picked it up however.
A colleague loved to tell how students would explain they had done everything exactly as described in the lab manual – and not isolated any product. He would always conclude that it must have been the molecules didn’t want to be very cooperative that day.
peace and may you have harmony with the molecules in your life.
Hi Bill, I started the week with receiving a broken bottle of strong acid (HOTf) from a company in Milwaukee. It went downhill from there.
I think one of the most important questions in science is the question of consciousness. Part of this question is concerned with what minimally comprises consciousness. If you start snapping together processors, at what point do you conclude that consciousness has happened? It is a hard question to answer because human consciousness is not necessarily the best basis of comparison.
Turing gave us a standard of artificial intelligence. The Turing test goes something like this- if we could not distinguish the voice behind the curtain in conversation as a human or a machine, one had accomplished artificial intelligence. Is there a similar benchmark for machine consciousness? It seems to me that one could easily write code that would make a machine appear to elicit consciousness.
Someone once pointed out that plant heliotropism could be seen as a rudimentary form of consciousness. I have trouble refuting this notion. It seems that before one starts snapping together processors, some thought should be given to how the sentient aspect could be manifested. Unless there is a provision for communication with the external world, one could generate it transiently in the process of assembly and never know it.
Consciousness is an attribute that is experienced internally by the source. Since we can only infer and not directly experience or share the consciousness of people around us, don’t we have the same problem with machine consciousness? Would it be possible to inadvertantly make a version of machine consciousness that is “pathological”? And how would you know? Sounds like the basis of a story- Hal, open the pod bay door please … Hal…?
well hello…. its 10 degrees now… not up up to the time change yet.. its early- not sure if its early or late– pulled on my levis and a hoodie– didn’t worry about zipping it up– slipped into my slippers and headed out threw 4″ of new fresh snow- damn thats cold on my feet but its only about another 30 steps– why didn’t I bring my boots– the snow here is 4 to 6′ high and we stay on the dug-out paths– maybe I’m a rat in a maze??– maybe there is a mountain lion watching my progress– its beautifull and dead quiet here– no one else is stirring– so I throw off my jacket and settle down on the comode– time for some deep thinking– my privacy is shattered by a strange sound from behind me– hmmmm maybe the building is creaking??– can’t be- I’ll just ignore it– more noise and something brushes past my bare shoulder– thats strange and unsettlening– how can a wasp be living this time of year??– well I proceed to defend myself with a wad of tiolet paper- hoping it is multi ply quilted- being thankful he hasn’t stung me in my unnatural state– well hell anywhere– ok I’m done with the nasty deed– now I think of the pain I might of suffered and what would of happened if I jumped up and flew foward levis around my ankles and firmly faceplanted into the snow bank during my escape- this must of been the better end result– he’s now on the way to the septic/leach field– he’s not having a good day– so I continue on grabbing my laptop– still no wi fi signal- to far away from the transmitter damnit- 40 steps thru the maze and I’ll be back to safety- thinking about the bear we saw last year hoping he knows he should be hibernating- well we were able to keep the hydro up last night so I have lights and the lap top is now fully charged- If I can get signal I can check on my buddies blog– WELL he has changed his last entry– can he do that??- well we all pick our own career paths– I hope he doesnt go postal– I’ve been spending a lot of time in a crawl space– reminds me of a dead flattened cat that hit me in the face long ago– what a story- past life maybe– GAWD get me out of this one– well best finish dressing get some food and head into the crawl space– workers will be stirring soon- I enjoy your blog– go do something fun today, hug what you love, and enjoy it– the sun is creeping up over the snow covered mountains here– I’ll burn this morning image into memory- and chuckle about the rest of our story- wish you were here bud- lets see if I can get this out cross the barbwire network– isn’t technology grand….
Technology is truly grand. GREAT comment.