The Machine on "Person of Interest"

[ma...@thehickmans.us]

Everyone who loves _The Moon is a Harsh Mistress_ should be tuning in this year to "Person of Interest. Because the computer appears to be taking its first steps towards self-awareness.

The season premiere was poignantly reminiscent of Mike's first baby steps towards consciousness. It may be wishful thinking, but it looks like they are going there with the computer on this show. If so, the ride may be worth taking.

--
Matt Hickman
Sometimes is difficult to reach a meeting of minds with machines; they
can be very pig-headed.
Robert A. Heinlein (1907 - 1988)
_The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress_ c 1966

[loupgarous]

And in TNoTB, we have Deety and Zeb musing about the "pathetic fallacy":

"Gay is not an 'it.' She's a person. You'll never know how relieved I was when it turned out that you two were going to be friends. If she had been jealous of you--May the gods deliver us from a vindictive machine! But she's not; she thinks you're swell."

"Zebadiah, you believe that?"

"Dejah Thoris, I know that."

Deety looked relieved. "I know it, too--despite what I said earlier."
"Deety, to me the whole world is alive. Some parts are sleeping and some are dozing and some are awake but yawning... and some are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and always ready to go. Gay is one of those."

Me, I'm an old programmer who believes any conflicts between men and machines are because most people confuse saying "do what I mean" with "programming."

Kipling had more and better to say on the subject than most SF writers:

"But remember, please, the Law by which we live,
We are not built to comprehend a lie,
We can neither love nor pity nor forgive.
If you make a slip in handling us you die!
We are greater than the Peoples or the Kings -
Be humble, as you crawl beneath our rods! -
Our touch can alter all created things,
We are everything on earth - except The Gods!"

So there - at least until the Singularity moots the question and we can upload out of machines that, while amazingly flexible, were never made to last.

Vance

[a425couple]

"loupgarous" <vfri...@forethought.net> wrote in message...

> (unknown) wrote:
>> Everyone who loves _The Moon is a Harsh Mistress_ should be

-- tuning in this year to "Person of Interest. Because the computer appears
-- to be taking its first steps towards self-awareness.

>> The season premiere was poignantly reminiscent of Mike's first

--baby steps towards consciousness. It may be wishful thinking, but it
--looks like they are going there with the computer on this show. If so,
--the ride may be worth taking.

Interesting. Thanks for posting.
http://www.poetryloverspage.com/poets/kipling/secret_of_machinery.html

[loupgarous]

On Tuesday, October 2, 2012 9:29:39 AM UTC-6, a425couple wrote:
> "loupgarous" wrote in message...

Thank YOU for posting a link to the entire poem, which I'd neglected to do.

Going back to the first post in the thread, I did see the episode of "Person of Interest" in question - and wonder if the scriptwriters mean to say that the programmer told his machine to stop protecting him without comprehending he was removing the last real protection he had against some very murderous people, or if this was purposeful suicide on his part.

It depends very much on the skill of those scriptwriters what they make of the machine's self-consciousness. It could well be worth following, which would be a new thing for drama on CBS's night-time lineup.

However, I've taken a vacation from CBS in general and encouraging everyone I know to follow suit. Watch any CBS entertainment program and you help pay for their news operations and the Late Propaganda Show with David Letterman.

[Klaatu]

<ma...@thehickmans.us> wrote in message
news:15a8c19f-c32d-4a8c...@googlegroups.com...

GREAT show, and I agree, The Machine is becoming sentient. Mike Lives!

[a425couple]

"loupgarous" <vfri...@forethought.net> wrote in message...

- a425couple wrote:
-> "loupgarous" wrote in message...

- Thank YOU for posting a link to the entire poem, which I'd neglected to
do.

-Going back to the first post in the thread, I did see the episode of
-"Person of Interest" in question - and wonder if the scriptwriters
-mean to say that the programmer told his machine to stop protecting
-him without comprehending he was removing the last real protection
-he had against some very murderous people, or if this was purposeful
-suicide on his part.
-It depends very much on the skill of those scriptwriters what they
-make of the machine's self-consciousness. It could well be worth
-following, which would be a new thing for drama on CBS's night-time lineup.

-However, I've taken a vacation from CBS in general and encouraging
-everyone I know to follow suit. Watch any CBS entertainment program
-and you help pay for their news operations and the Late Propaganda
-Show with David Letterman.

So, with that kind of 'mixed message', I do not know if
you followed that story or not.
(Now to be clear, the wife records & watches all of the
"Person of Interest" shows, I have in past watched some,
and pass through more recent occasionally.)
Fitch did get saved, and this could be credited some
to the computer machine showing some, ahh,, for lack
of a better word 'sentimentality' toward him.