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Article 7307 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: ard@cs.bham.ac.uk (Antoni Diller)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: unpublished chapters of "The Turing Option"
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Date: 16 Oct 92 12:23:28 GMT
References: <1992Sep25.203827.17312@news.media.mit.edu>
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In article <1992Sep25.203827.17312@news.media.mit.edu> minsky@media.mit.edu (Marvin Minsky) writes:
>I have archived two unpublished chapters of "The Turing Option" by
>Harry Harrison and Marvin Minsky, published by Warner Books, August
>1992.  Use  
>  ftp wuarchive.wustl.edu  (and then login with name "anonymous")
>  cd doc/minsky
>  get option.chapters
>
>These chapters have a lot of far-out ideas about how to build a
>humanlike machine.
>
>A co-author does not have complete control.  These FTP chapters are
>part of the text I wrote that did not make it into the published book.
>Both Harry and the editor at Warner thought they would slow down the
>story too much.  At the time I disagreed, but now I think they were
>right...

After reading this I went out and bought a copy of this book; I think
using science fiction to promulgate ideas from computer science and AI
is a great one.  One of my interests is formal methods and I was wondering
if anyone wants to collaborate on a novel incorporating the ideas
of formal methods.  I've even got an idea for a plot.  We start off
with a new super-hero called Formal Methods Man (real name: Zed B. Tool)
whose superhuman powers include the ability to solve the halting problem,
being able to square the circle and to decide undecidable questions.
In the book he saves the world from the Spaghetti Monster.  He does this
by first infecting the Spaghetti Monster with the JSD virus which interfers
with its flow of control; then he proves to the Spaghetti Monster
that it is inconsistent and in its weakened state the monster cannot
argue back and disappears in a puff of smoke...  Meanwhile, Miranda---Formal
Methods Man girlfriend---has an identity crisis, becomes referentially
opaque and starts talking with a lisp....

Anyone want to collaborate?


Antoni Diller


