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From: ba672@lafn.org (Arthur T. Murray)
Subject: Brainiac in memoriam (was "algorithmic" vs "heuristic")
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References: <850699908snz@longley.demon.co.uk> <58pbq2$btj@ux.cs.niu.edu> <850439432snz@longley.demon.co.uk> <58qfeg$eti@ux.cs.niu
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 03:18:25 GMT
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Xref: glinda.oz.cs.cmu.edu comp.ai.philosophy:50030 comp.ai:42798


In a previous article, David@longley.demon.co.uk (David Longley) says:

>In article <jqbE2Fvwr.Du5@netcom.com> jqb@netcom.com "Jim Balter" writes:

>> In article <850616211snz@longley.demon.co.uk>,
>> David Longley <David@longley.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>> >In article <58qfeg$eti@ux.cs.niu.edu>
>> >rickert@cs.niu.edu "Neil Rickert" writes:
>> >
>> >> In your near complete ignorance of the history of computer science,
>> >> you have the gall to proclaim yourself an expert.
>> >> 
>> >
>> >I  remind you that I've taught university level courses  in  this 
>> >area
>> 
>> So much the worse.  So where is your evidence that the Mark I,
>> ENIAC, EDVAC, ORDVAC, ILLIAC, SEAC, SWAC, MANIAC, WHIRLWIND, or
>> Univac I were "explicitly designed to emulate the human mind"?
>> Or perhaps you were thinking of ...
>> Brainiac?

Brainiac?  Mirabile dictu!  Someone remembers the old Brainiac?!!
Being twelve years old at the time I received the toy Brainiac at
Christmas in 1958.  It helped to channel my life-ambitions during
my teenage years,  when I tried to make computers out of electro-
mechanical relays,  and when the resolve slowly formed in my mind
to ignore all other "parerga" in favor of artificial intelligence
as a grand challenge that seemd worthy of my own and thousands of
other lifetimes.  I failed miserably and here is all I have left:

  /^^^^^^^^^^^\ The First Detailed Theory of Mind /^^^^^^^^^^^\
 /visual memory\           ________   semantic   /  auditory   \
|      /--------|-------\ / syntax \  memory    |episodic memory|
|      |  recog-|nition | \________/<-----------|------------\  |
|   ___|___     |       |    |flush-vector      |    ______  |  |
|  /image  \    |    ___V____V___  word-fetch   |   /      \ |  |
| / percept \<--|-->/ conceptual \--------------|->/ stored \|  |
| \ engrams /   |   \ mini-grids / for thinking |  \ words  /   |
|  \_______/    |    \__________/  in language  |   \______/    |

http://www.newciv.org/Mentifex/ run periodic Mentifex Web search.
http://www.complex.com.pl/~venom/science.html public-domain Meme.
