The Computational Universe

I would have to guess that most people, never having taken a class like ours, overestimate the capabilities of computers and specifically artificial intelligence by a lot. To begin with, it’s not an easily understood subject, and even as we have seen experts within the field cannot even agree on the capacities, now and in the future, of AI.

When we were asked to identify the main argument that Searle makes against AI I initially felt that his article really highlighted the difference between syntax and semantics. Perhaps that is what struck me as the most interesting point he made since for me, that really accentuates the difference between us humans who have the capacity for both while AI only syntax. After our class discussion, however, I realized that while that may be an issue, it’s not the real problem. The Turing test is the problem. Since the Turing test is used to try to determine the difference between human and AI behavior, it is in fact very possible that a computer could do something as well as a human and that an expert would not be able differentiate between the two. The real difference between human behavior and AI is the principle of thinking and the actual thought process that goes on in a human mind. This is just never going to be the same in AI, and the Turing test is thus not a valid test. Brooks approaches the topic from a very different perspective, which in my opinion is too simple. You cannot just look at a human as a body, you must realize how complex the mind is and realize that no form of AI will be able to replicate the intricacies of human thought process.

The web is something that I, and I’m sure many others of my generation, have come to take for granted. It has become a part of everyday life in so many ways. It’s become what I use to communicate more than anything else, including the phone. Instant messenger, e-mail, etc… Unfortunately, I can’t say that I have ever taken the time to seriously think about where it all comes from and who created it. On April 5^th I was given the opportunity to actually hear the man that was responsible for creating the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee. I must admit that I found the lecture rather confusing, as it seems many others in the class did. I don’t really have much experience with computers so many of the technical terms he used were rather difficult for me to grasp. Not surprisingly, I turned to the web to look further into what he was discussing.

One thing that I have never really understood is the difference between the web and the internet. Doing a little research online allowed me to come across a rather simple explanation from Tim Berners-Lee himself. The internet is merely a network of networks connected by cables, but the web is something that operates using the internet like E-mail. Both, strangely enough, were initially created for academic uses but have ultimately come to be used for so much more. The World Wide Web is something that was an incredible opportunity for the mutual benefit of many since it made intellectual resources so easily available. Unfortunately his early image of the web has become somewhat tainted through such things as spam and web pages that spew anything but reliable information.

My scribbler experience so far has essentially been an introduction to the workings of simple robots seeing as I’ve never had any experience with them before. I have to say that I am amazed at how such a simple looking toy can be programmed to do so many things. Going into the second lab I was doubting whether or not the scribbler would be able to do most of what we had discussed in class, and further to what I was reading in the lab tests. Once I figured out how to use the program installed on the computers thee lab moved along smoothly. I found it interesting in the second lab between the 6^th and 7^th tests, how similarly the scribbler reacted to a light source and an obstacle being in front of it. In both instances the scribbler reacted in the same way, with its LED lighting up when neither a light nor an obstacle was in front of it. I was a little surprised to find out that the robot couldn’t detect any obstacles from behind, however, considering that it can move in reverse. Moving into the 3^rd lab, things got slightly more complicated in the testing of the scribbler. At first I thought that my lab was in a bit of trouble considering how off my scribbler seemed to have gone while in the box, but after some calibrating it seemed to run a little better. Drawing the square didn’t take too long to figure out, but I had some trouble with the gaps between the lines. When it came to the star, however, my scribbler seemed to have a lot of trouble. Calculating the time for which the scribbler had to spin wasn’t as easy as I had thought. I simply thought that I could take a fraction of the 90 degree turn from the previous test with the square, but this didn’t end up working. After several more or less random attempts it seemed to draw a star to the best of its ability. The circle seemed to be the easiest thing for my scribbler to draw since it worked on the first attempt. After just 2 labs working with the scribbler, I have to say that I am quite impressed. It seems to be that the computer in the scribbler must be similar to that that you can find in these new vacuums that clean all by themselves, detecting and avoiding obstacles. It seems that the scribbler may be a slightly more advanced version of the Tortoise robot that Brooks describes in his book. A main difference being that the Tortoise could not make sounds like the scribbler.

I have always found these types of compositions interesting, rather hard to write. My name is Josh Wolfe and I’m a sophomore from Montreal. I have to say that I’ve enjoyed my time at Princeton so far. Compared to some of the other students I don’t have much of an international background. All my life I’ve basically grown up between Florida and my house in Montreal. I went to a small all boys school in Montreal for 11 years, and then transferred to prep school just outside Boston for my last two years of school before coming here. One of my main interests has always been track and field. Growing up I competed for the Canadian national team and got to travel quite a bit, mostly in Europe. I’m actually taking a break from the sport this year, and it has been quite a change. As for why I’m taking this course, I was looking to fulfill my ST requirement and came across this class in the course guide. It seems to be the most practical option for me, and I’m looking forward to trying to understand the things that I use everyday and take for granted.

Update 10:15 pm on 2/13/06: I use a dell XPS laptop