Cognitive Machines Help Decision-Making

Roland Piquepaille writes "At Sandia National Laboratories, new "smart" machines can accurately infer your intents and help you to take better decisions or avoid mistakes. They could change in a near future how we interact with computers, according to this news release. The team who developed the concept associated cognitive psychologists and robotics researchers. The Sandia team thinks that "it's entirely possible that these cognitive machines could be incorporated into most computer systems produced within 10 years." This summary contains more details, including a photo of a "Sandia software developer operating a simulation trainer while a cognitive model of the software runs simultaneously.""

Comments

Yeah

[Anonymous Coward]

But can they First Post?

Well good, because neither can I.

Re:Yeah

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, you win on the first post, but fail on predicting the winning of the failure of the first post. You broke even. You, sir, are in direct violation of the law of thermodynamics and may xpect a hefty fine shortly.

this congnitive can be a problem..

[Anonymous Coward]

just kidding I didn't read the article.

Hey at least I'll admit it.

(ms)BLAST to the MOON

[Anonymous Coward]

Help MS BLAST to the MOON! Install MSBLAST.EXE today, and help against tommorrow's WindowsUpdate DownloadFest!

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Download u-gnome 0.1.

[Anonymous Coward]

As announced, I have now forked the Gnome desktop into the u-gnome [sf.net] (usable gnome) desktop. I will be releasing the files on ftp.debian.org/pub/u-gnome/0.1/ as soon as possible. Please help report bugs at bugzilla.gnome.org (search for u-gnome). HIG zealots are not allowed and anyone cought trying to follow the HIG will be banned and placed on the hall of zealots on the about dialog.

Thanks.
Bjoerg Klaessenist - u-gnome project leader.

ruh row

[cetan]

Yes, thank you Mr. Data. I'm glad you warned me about that worm before it infected the power plants computers...

Blackout 2003: The search for answers

[CaptainSuperBoy]

As we all know, Thursday August 14, 2003 marked the start of the single largest electrical blackout ever. While power is being brought back and critical services restored, we turn our attention to a question: What was the cause of the blackout? We have conflicting reports from multiple sources. Was it lightning? A fire at a power station? Multiple downed lines in the Mid-West? Electricity insiders are now indicating a different source for the problem - a certain company in Redmond, WA.

Microsoft Corporation, to say the least, has struggled with its image over the years. The company has a slight reputation for putting security on the back burner while concentrating on flashy features that will appeal to the home user, such as MAPI and COM+. Security experts have criticized Microsoft in the past for a practice known as "full disclosure." Security expert Bruce Schneier accuses, "Microsoft is leading the charge to ... the free flow of computer security vulnerabilities." Against the advice of experts, Microsoft provides comprehensive information on the causes and inner workings of their security problems. This is so that other developers will be able to write fixes themselves, freeing Microsoft of the responsibility.

Microsoft, in its insistence on releasing detailed explanations of vulnerabilities, is enabling attackers to write exploits! Is no one surprised that Microsoft's infantile approach to security concerns has finally caused real financial damage?

I am speaking, of course, of the "MS Blaster" computer virus that has been terrorizing Microsoft computers of late. The word from electricity industry insiders is that the Microsoft worm is the most likely cause for the historic blackout of 2003.

Canadian officials have determined that a power control computer, responsible for adjusting the flow of electricity across the US/Canada border, was attacked on the afternoon of August 14, 2003. The computer was even behind a firewall but as we know, a firewall does not protect you from inside attacks. Network traffic indicates that a Canadian user on-site was playing the popular computer game Everquest during working hours, which caused the virus to be downloaded to his hard drive - effectively bypassing the firewall. From there, it was on to the operations servers, which remained vulnerable. When the infected PC went haywire, operators were forced to shut it down, which completely disabled the flow of electricity across the US/Canada border. This had a ripple effect on the already beleaguered power grid, causing the blackouts in major cities such as New York, Detroit, and Cleveland. Boston was largely unaffected due to its reliance on GNU/Linux and open source software.

Do you want to hear the real kicker? Some time last month, Microsoft posted a detailed explanation of the "RPC bug," the very security hole that Blaster uses to infiltrate computers. Coincidence? Microsoft releases an explanation, and less than a month later a massive worm is sent onto the Internet that exploits the very same hole! Is anyone still convinced that "full disclosure" is a good idea?

Tell me this: If Microsoft hadn't released the details, how on earth would an attacker have known how to write an exploit for the "RPC hole?" If you think full disclosure is a good idea, tell that to the families of the victims in New York, Detroit, and Cleveland. Microsoft has willingly provided the tools necessary to cripple the United States' information infrastructure. These tools are accessible to anyone - even our terrorist enemies. Tell me, how does this make Microsoft any better than the terrorists themselves? The answer here is clear: Full disclosure is information terrorism. I urge you all to write to your legislators and end this dangerous practice once and for all. We need to make companies take responsibility for their security issues, and end the information terrorism known as full disclosure. God Bless America.

The religious fanatics are at it again

[Eric Ass Raymond]

Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice defies the separation of the church and the State.

"Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore yesterday defied a court order...on the grounds that God's law supercedes state and even federal law."

Re:Hi!

[BrynM]

You seem to be a Microsoft Exec reviewing a grant proposal. Would you like to:

• Find a third party with the same proposal and aquire it?
• Search your patent portfolio for related works that you can leverage ageanst the applicant?
• Approve the grant on the condition that the applicant no longer develop this threatening idea and simply works in the mailroom?
• Sic your lapdog SCO on the applicant for patent infringement or any other silly thing SCO can come up with?
• Reply to the applicant that more evangelizing of MS products on Slashdot is required and that he/she should come back when their Karma hits absolute zero?

Microsoft

[Anonymous Coward]

bought Sandia National Labs

Re:Slashdotted?

[jack torrence]

"...that could think like a person." How about first just trying to make it 'think'. If you can ever work this out, then the next two stages: a. think like a machine, and (so then on to) b. think like a person, might happen. I suppose you really mean think like a 'human' - it was not too long ago that blacks, native people, and women were not considered to be 'persons' (i.e., posssessors of most rights and the ownership of the Self).