The Computational Universe

In using the scribbler robot, it really becomes apparent how dumb robots are. Everything has to be explained to a robot. There is no room for thinking or adaptation; therefore, the robot is only as good as its programmer. In spite of this, it really is amazing how a robot is able to perform such complicated tasks with such limited capabilities and “intelligence.” I really feel bad for my ELE buddies who have to do car lab.

Although contemporary robots are ostensibly very complex machines, they are still very limited in their abilities. Robots are primarily limited by their programs. The programs can instruct a robot to behave in a particular way, but they cannot teach a robot how to think for itself. Artificial intelligence cannot account for unexpected events that would call upon a robot to act autonomously. Essentially, robots are incapable of understanding; thus they are fundamentally bound to their programs. Another limitation deals with the large amount of energy needed to run a robot. The more complex robots become, the more power they need. The immense size of the power supply needed to operate the robot further limits the machine and what it is capable of achieving. Finally, robots are limited by their programmers. Humans are still not fully aware of the mechanics of thinking. The processes associated with reasoning and learning are still beyond the grasp of many humans and thus cannot be integrated into robotic programs.

In a decade, robots will probably be doing similar things to what they currently do, only more efficiently. Until humans make great strides in their understanding of intelligence, robots will not be able to make huge strides in their abilities. While robots will probably still be used for military purposes, manufacturing, farming, etc., they will probably be performing the same functions only faster and better.

Fundamentally, the “Tower of Babel” dilemma concerns the multitude of incompatible computing languages that are used by programmers throughout the world and the associated problems. In many instances, programming limitations arise when programmers know one computing language and not another. To some extent, pseudocode presents a solution to this problem associated with the “Tower of Babel.” Pseudocode uses standardized English phrases to instruct and direct program behaviors. These phrases are in essence both summaries and consolidated versions of more complex code. It would be possible to assign different computer language codes that perform the same functions to the phrases within pseudocode. In this sense, pseudocode becomes an umbrella language to which all other computer languages could be assigned. Pseudocode would therefore be a universalized language for programming.

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Hey guys, my name is Al, and I was raised in the great state of Maryland. Maryland does primarily two things: football and crabs. If you don’t believe me, watch the movie Wedding Crashers; you’ll gain a new appreciation for the state of Maryland. Most people, in their discussion of the East Coast, typically forget the importance of Maryland. Those people, however, don’t like football and have probably never feasted on crabs smothered in old bay seasoning from the Chesapeake Bay. Although I think Maryland is a great state, I am still interested in visiting/living in other places; and Hawaii sounds appealing.

Everything that I know about Hawaii is founded in the stories of my roommate Will who hails from those distant isles. According to Will, when he was younger, he rode a wide boar to school each day because there were no roads in the “Aina.” Obviously this is true; who would make something like this up? Any place where you can ride a wild boar sounds like paradise. He also claims that he hunted a wild cow with a Civil War era cannon. Although ridiculous sounding, it is true. In the slight chance that his stories are lies, I would be devastated. Devastated.

So how did I end up in COS 116? I’m a junior and a history major that had an ST requirement to fulfill. I figured that COS was a good choice for an ST because it would impart some practical knowledge that would be useful in life. Although my knowledge of the computational universe is limited, I do have a little experience in basic internet languages. In high school, I dabbled in HTML, java, and PHP. I don’t remember how to do any of it, but hopefully this course will refresh my memory.

Edit 2/14/2006 1:19am

I forget to metion that I use a Dell Dimension 8300 desktop with Windows XP.