Fill in the Blank

[Edwin Pilobello]

It's been said that the neantherthals perished because they did not have
the creativity of modern man.  The apes survived, but have no more than
a two-year old human capacity.

Along these lines, I've been thinking of a statement like "The computer
is not the creator"  Then I would add a line of reasoning starting with
the class "intelligence" along with other classes that could
super-class, "wisdom", "free will", etc.

I certainly would not choose to be the ad copy writer for the dynabook.
Although, by then, maybe increased use and familiarity with the computer
would make common sense of "Sentience is not in the computer".

I understand that based on wear patterns on stalactites inside the
painted caverns of France that neolithic man seemed to have played
music.  "Music is not in the piano" still rings the call to truth and
reason.


Cheers,
Edwin

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-squeakland at squeakland.org
[mailto:owner-squeakland at squeakland.org] On Behalf Of
G.J.Tielemans at dinkel.utwente.nl
Sent: Thursday, June 06, 2002 12:24 PM
To: squeakland at squeakland.org
Subject: RE: Fill in the Blank


In 1986 Bob Hart from England told a story:

When he was a child and hardly could read, he read a book of Edith
Brighton.

(According teachers was that not literature but all the children liked
it..)

Bob told us that he filled with his fantasy the parts of the book he
could not read.

Later when he could read better he read the bokok again... and it was
boring....

(Then he introduced an adventure-builder-game-for children: Thombs of
Arkenstone.)


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Michael Rueger [mailto:m.rueger at acm.org]
> Sent: donderdag 6 juni 2002 7:24
> To: squeakland at squeakland.org
> Subject: Re: Fill in the Blank
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Alan Kay wrote:
> > I'm curious as to your prefered choice. Also you might try
> to fill in
> > this blank first:
> > 
> >     "Music is not in the piano" as "(blank) is not in the book"
> > 
> > You could also ask yourself what is (are) the special
> thing(s) about
> > humans that the computer might be great at amplifying.
> 
> "Music is not in the piano" as "Knowledge is not in the computer"
> 
> I just ran accross an article by Phillip Armour in an older CACM
> (10/2000). There he argues that software is the fifth medium 
> for storing 
> knowledge: DNA, brains, hardware, books, software and that 
> software is 
> the only external knowledge storage that is active.
> 
> Michael
> 
>