In Tuesday's discussion, we talked about the difference between computers and humans.  I think it might be safe to say that most people believe the difference to be our concept of free will and the confinement that computers experience because they run accordingly to their program coding.  The computer outputs whatever the coding of its program tells it to.  However, what if we stretch this idea of a program in a broader sense?  What guides us in our actions, what we say and our behavior is due to our morals, principles, beliefs, etc.  We develop this code of ethics due to influences from out respective cultures, parents and other institutions (educational system, religion, etc).

I am speechless at the accuracy and speed of Watson. If I were just listening to this broad-casted on the radio, I would not recognize Watson as a supercomputer. I wonder whether an algorithm could be written so that the computer's random behavior (outcome) has the capacity to socially interact with humans and to learn from its experiences.

This clip speaks for itself:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFR3lOm_xhE

Thursday’s discussion with Professor Dalke touched briefly on the concept of memes, which Dennett describes as “a handy word for a salient (memorable) cultural item, something with enough Design to be worth saving—or stealing or replicating” (143). Memes are an important part of what separates humans from other species. Dennett states, “we are different. We are the only species that has an extra medium of design preservation and design communication: culture” (338). Without culture, that which has been designed by humans would not be maintained. As described by Dennett, “a meme’s existence depends on a physical embodiment in some medium; if all such embodiments are destroyed, that meme is distinguished”(348).

Our discussions this week featured Watson, the computer who won Jeopardy! and thoroughly trounced its (or his) human opponents. On Thursday, my group considered how similar humans are to computers. Because of the other class I'm taking with Professor Dalke, Gender and Technology, I've learned to be wary of drawing boundaries between things without serious consideration. Therefore I suggest that we are not very different from computers – they are extensions (or perhaps even mirrors) of ourselves. Computers' abilities seem as limitless as the human imagination; already with computers we are able to communicate more efficiently, explore our interests and try on roles with relative anonymity, and complete tasks that would otherwise be impossible.

On Tuesday, we discussed how humans think, and whether our lives are ruled by just a bunch of algorithms. Computer intelligence is possible because of these algorithms, but does our brain work the same way? While discussing this concept with a friend, she told me about a documentary she had watched about a grand chess master (which can be watched online for free.

 In class on thursday we briefly discussed one of the issues inherent in our understanding of any given work or piece of text, especially older ones: the fact is, words evolve just as much as anything else does. The definition of any given word can change over time, but more than that, the connotations of any given word will change over time, and quite quickly. Because of this, when reading just about anything, one must understand and remember that there is no single, definitive meaning  for the words on the page. The connotations of that word might be different for the author than they are for the reader, or even for general society.

One of the things I like best about Darwin's idea is the fact that it's conceptual.  I mean that you don't have to have a strong background in biology or chemistry to understand what he's talking about  You couldn't read and really comprehend someone like Newton or Einstein without a strong background in physics and math.  Dennett underlines this perfectly.  He's a philosopher, not a biologist, but he can still change the way we think about evolution and natural selection. 

Also, Dennett has a series of awesome TED talks, <http://www.ted.com/speakers/dan_dennett.html> that I definitely recommend watching. 

I happen to agree with Dennett in that memes are essential for biological evolution.  In order to have biological evolution, we first must have something that instigates this change.  And as we see in our daily-life, culture, or memes, are a very important part in the process of our development.  We see people change because of the culture they have acquired or because of the culture they are developing.  As Dennett states, culture has truly set us, humans, apart from any other species.  We have the ability to evolve in more ways than one, which is incredible but also very much a mystery.  A mystery because we are all individuals with individual thoughts and actions; therefore, there is a very large spectrum for our cultural evolution.  This is why I b

Our conversations in class this past week reminded me of an installation I heard about at the SFMOMA called "Sonic Shadows." The artist, Bill Fontana, is a San Francisco-based "sound artist" who uses sound as a sculptural medium. The exhibit itself transforms the museum's circular skylight and fifth-floor bridge into musical instruments.