JimPinto.com eNews 12/4/00 - Bizarre Projects
Dec 5, 2000 4:33 pm, by Jim Pinto
Subject : Information
from the Automation List dept.
Text :
Automation Listers : The latest JimPinto.com eNews is on the web at : http://www.jimpinto.com/enews/dec04-2000.html Contents: Machine intelligence will equal human capabilities Newsweek - 2001 Tech Odyssey Matchbox PC E-Paper Speech-enabling the Internet Book : Joel Kotkin's "New Geography" eFeedback - Bizarre Projects Regarding the last point, Bradley Timm from South Africa [timmb@iafrica.com] has suggested that we could discuss "Bizarre Projects": "How about showcasing/including some of the more interesting projects that people are currently doing or have done? For example: I am currently programming and commissioning a system which comprises of a 200 metric ton remotely operated vehicle on bulldozer tracks. It is launched from a 150 meter ship (which has a large process plant on it) lowered a 100 meters into the sea and then driven and operated remotely from a control room onboard the ship via an umbilical cable. The purpose: Its a huge 1800 kW undersea vacuum cleaner whose sole purpose is to suck up diamonds immersed in the soil. I have found the project very interesting and others may as well. If there is an interest I could elaborate, and security permitting, include some photos." Can anyone bring up anything to match that? Cheers: jim ----------/ Jim Pinto email : jim@jimpinto.com web: www.JimPinto.com San Diego, CA., USA ----------/ ***************************************************************** YES! You can get digests, or limit messages by topic. See http://www.control.com/control_com/alist/ for details. Before posting, please read http://www.control.com/control_com/alist/faq_html. The Automation List is managed by Control.com Inc.
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• Re: JimPinto.com eNews 12/4/00 - Bizarre Projects
  Dec 7, 2000 1:03 pm, by Anthony Kerstens
  Jim, An interesting thought came to me that you may consider worth chewing on. When talking about extrapolating moores law and growth towards human-like capability, chaotic development would seem to be a key ingredient. However, it seems logical that this key ingredient would disallow duplication, similar to the way that no two people are the same (even twins for those with tape backup). That might very well mean that being able to produce one successful human skills-capable machine does not confirm being able to produce a second successful machine. Not unless there's a way to precisely (without errors) copy a presumably excessively massive database. And for how long could such a database survive without degredation or catastrophe within it's home environment. :-) Such systems could well be as fragile as humans, and spawn a whole legion of digital doctors. There must be a movie or tv show in there somewhere... nagh, Star Trek's already been there, damn Starfleet engineers. :-) Anthony Kerstens P.Eng.
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• Re: JimPinto.com eNews 12/4/00 - Bizarre Projects
  Dec 7, 2000 1:04 pm, by Davis Gentry
  > That might very well mean that being able to produce > one > successful human skills-capable machine does not > confirm > being able to produce a second successful machine. > Not unless there's a way to precisely (without > errors) > copy a presumably excessively massive database. What constitutes an excessively massive database? The CAD database at our company is several GB in size - ten years ago this would have been excessively massive - now it is pretty mediocre as dbs go - what will be too big in another 20 years? Davis Gentry Applications Engineer Delta Tau Data Systems
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• Re: JimPinto.com eNews 12/4/00 - Bizarre Projects
  Dec 8, 2000 11:19 am, by Anthony Kerstens
  Whatever the storage capabilities are years from now, I'd fully expect that such systems would tax them. If it's available, it'll get used, presumably. Anthony Kerstens P.Eng.
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