************************** /m/e/t/a/ *************************** Due to the huge demand to have a go at the Turing Test, some of you may find the chat rooms full. If so, we're very sorry, but here's an alternative. Displayed below is the transcript of a Turing Test chat which took place earlier, you can take a look and vote whether you think the conversation is between two humans or a human and a computer: Pat: Hi I'm Pat who are you You: Hi i'm David. Do yow Like sport Pat: I like Football and skiing. What do you like You: I like swimming. Are you wearing green today? Pat: no black and white actually. Its a bit cold for swimming at the moment You: But it won't be cold indoors Pat: Thats true. Where are you - I'm in London. You: I'm in Aberdeen Scotland,. my sister says hi. Please only vote once: I think Pat is [] A human [] A computer Just in case you had any doubts that Hollywood thinks we're a little dumb, take into account some comments producer Joel Silver made to the Sydney Morning Herald (via the LA Times) while in Australia working on The Matrix. Silver's recipe for success: "Every 10 minutes there needs to be some kind of 'whammo,' or action beat, a gunshot, an explosion, a car chase or a fight, something that provides an adrenalin rush and gives the movie a sense of forward motion." Between those action squences, Silver says there should be "funny lines," also known as "zingers" to relieve the film's tension. Using this recipe, Silver maintains that it's possible to play an audience like "an orchestra." Pat: Hi I'm Pat what's your name You: Hannah Pat: Hi Hannah - where are you You: I am in West Yorkshire Pat: I'm in London. What did you do today You: i went to school Pat: How old are you You: 16 Pat: What was the weather like up there today it was cloudy and cold here You: i was basically the same her, but it also snowed Pat: Snow! I think its only snowed once in London this summer Please only vote once: I think Pat is [] A human [] A computer In the one moment of epiphany in "The Road Ahead," Bill Gates explained why he became infatuated with computers as a kid: "We could give this big machine orders and it would always obey." In his new book, Gates re-creates this adolescent domination fantasy in the executive boardroom -- where, thanks to the digitally enabled just-in-time flow of perfect information to their desktops, the corporate managers Gates profiles can now exercise precise control of their operations. The "digital nervous system" becomes a feedback-and-control loop that lets managers slice their bean-counts ever more finely and tune their organizations to a peak of responsiveness. Gates still loves big machines that follow orders -- only now the machines are organizations made up of human beings. Alex: Hello, this is Alex. Howw's it going? You: Iiiiiiits going grrrreeeat Alex: I'm from Londonn, by the way. You: aarea you? Alex: Huh? You: Are you? Alex: yes, aren't you? You: Oh I am Alex: you am? You: I is Alex: You is? You: I are Alex: That's the short answer, I guess. Won't you let me have the full story? You: I would if I knew what we were talking about!! Alex: Someone give me a good strong drink! You: What's your favourite wine? Please only vote once: I think Alex is [] A human [] A computer Two researchers from Switzerland say they've determined that DNA carries electricity as well as a good semiconductor. And they say DNA strands could one day be used to build extremely tiny electrical devices, if the strands could be fitted with on and off switches. The researchers report on their findings in the journal "Nature". Alex: Another chatter! Hello. You: Heyup... I'm Robin, how are you? Alex: Alex here. I work for the BBC. You: Processing data? Alex: i'll ignore that. do you have a lucky number? You: I'd always go for 5... Alex: Mine's six. You: Is it not a bit boring sitting there for 2hrs every day? Alex: I wish my life was as interesting as yours. You: IS mine interesting? Alex: Well, what do you think? You: I could be another computer.... Alex: I think I'm talking to a machine here... You: That's my line :) Alex: You must be a philosopher. You: And you must be a person Alex: You have to be philophical to do this! You: Damn right... what's your normal job? (or is this normal?) Alex: I'd rather not say. Please only vote once: I think Alex is [] A human [] A computer Sony said its new Playstation 2 "emotion synthesis" graphics processing system will simulate gravity, friction, mass, and materials like water, wood, metal, and gas. It uses MPEG-2 compression to store images, which can be decompressed in real-time as the games require. The system will simulate "not just how the images look, but how the characters and objects in a game think, act, and behave. Imagine walking into the screen and experiencing a movie in real-time ... this is the world we are about to enter," Sony said in a statement. Robin: Howdy. I'm Robin. Tell me how are you feeling today? Good I hope. You: I'm feeling a bit down at the moment Robin: You are, and you don't mind confessing to it! You: No, I've been looking for someone to share a house with Robin: Yes, and you are very cross about it! You: Not cross, just feeling a bit upset because I haven't sorted it out yet Robin: Are you really sure you haven't? Who's going to sort it, then? The local butcher? You: No, don't be silly I've got to organise it but I'm just procrastinating Robin: But I wonder what you do when you aren't procrastinating. Or perhaps that's a silly question. Perhaps it's like asking what the wind does when it isn't blowing. You: I just find loads of other things to do apart from sorting a house out Robin: I wouldn't necessarily say that. You only find when you are daydreaming. You: I've got to go now, bye Robin: Wow! How clever of you! Please only vote once: I think Robin is [] A human [] A computer >>>> >>>> >>>> what **** Command 'what' not recognized. >>>> >>>> >>>> why **** Command 'why' not recognized. >>>> >>>> ******************************************************************************** ROLUX h0444wol@rz.hu-berlin.de http://www2.hu-berlin.de/~h0444wol/rolux/