Interviewer: Tell me about your new job...
Techie: It's hard.
Interviewer: Your job is hard?!
Techie: Um no, my job is easy.
Interviewer: What's hard then...oh...never mind.
Most sucessful robots don't have human qualities?
on
Robo Sapiens
·
· Score: 2
I think we all need to reset our notions of what a robot should look like and how to measure the "intelligence of them". We should also explore why it so important to compare a machine to a man?
Voyager, Viking, Pioneer, and Galileo are examples of robots made in the last 20 years that don't look anything at all like a human. And that new robot lawn mower doesn't look like the neighbor kid pushing a steel and plastic frame. I think we applaud those designers that put aside the idea that a robot has to look like us and instead put it in the shape of a tool.
As for intelligence, for the most part people are pretty stupid. When the robot can't tell the difference between cat food and dirt it get's points marked off and is seen as "not intelligent." If Uncle Fred can't tell the difference we mark it down as "Uncle Fred just being Uncle Fred" and call it a day. If the neighbor kid misses a section of the lawn I might yell at him for being stupid. Yet if the robo mower misses a spot I might call tech support, ask for help and have them yell me for being stupid because I didn't RTFM.
1. Forget the PR firms. Save your money. They don't know, will never know or have any of the enthusiasm that any in your company has. You and your staff are your own best PR engine.
There is lot's of places to get PR. Online pubs, print magazines, daily news, local and national TV are news based. But don't forget the grass roots stuff. Speak at trade shows. Talk in front of user groups. Be active in online discussions. Start a column yourself. Write a book.
2. Get to know the press before you need the press. Figure out who writes specific columns and only send news worthy information to them instead of shot gunning to a thousand press people. Sure a PR company is supposed to do this for you but often they don't/won't understand your market/product/angle.
3. Don't 'work' the press. These guys are busy people. Respect them. If you have to call an editor don't do it more than once unless they invite you to do so.
4. Forget powerpoints, market speak, techno babble and speak about your product in very clear simple terms.
5. Assume that most editorial has rules about how much coverage you can get. In the day when it was around, MacWeek had secret policies about how much press a company would get. For example if you ANNOUNCED a new product they'd write an article. If you managed to ship a month later you'd be lucky to get a mention as your product had "already been covered."
This was why it was important to know all the writers. Beat guys covered announcements, ships and revs. Reviews Editors/Writers were a totally different part of editorial. Also knowing the Senior or Chief Editor meant you might get included in or influence a feature story.
6. Trade press isn't just the big 5 or 10. User groups, regional magazines and industry specific journals are likely to generate more "revenue related" business than an article in Wired.
7. Timing is everything. Avoid announcements at trade shows as you'll get written up with all the other noise. Holidays, end of quarters, April 15th, Summer, are just a other times when your 'news' will get less attention than it deserves. Not from the writers perspective but your potential customer might miss it because they've got other things on their collective minds.
8. Don't 'expect anything' from your PR effort. You will only get disappointed if you do.
9. When you finally do make the headlines, it's only for a short time. Next week, next month, tomorrow, five minutes (as is it is on/.), someone else will be there.
10. When all else fails rev your product from 2.0 to 3.0.
I thought about sad for the passing of Capcom and then I remembered--I haven't sought out an "arcade" in years! You know, hanging out with friends and saying "let's go to the arcade." I think the last time was maybe 6 years ago? Maybe longer. Could it be that long?
What replaced them? Four controller PlayStation hockey. Networked games at work. By-the-hour billiards tables and dart boards where a waitress brings beer. Outside golf. Sailboat racing on the bay.
Sigh....I guess it's MY fault they're quitting. Damn?! I feel bad about this! Sorry Capcom. Sniff. I ignored you and well...you're going away.
I've read through the comments so far and I've found a common thread, "we're smart, they're not so let's ignore the fact that they cared enough to offer us some suggestions." I hate having my code criticized as much as the next programmer. But, after taking a big breath and counting to ten, I reread what looked like an attack and find valuable information to make my product better.
The biggest problem with Harlen Ellison's writing is that you can't find it. From what I understand he hasn't allowed reprinting. Library's don't have his books because he's obscure. Thus used book stores are about the only place you can find them, but it's rare. Fan's of Harlen's writing almost never give up their copies.
Harlen is a 'Hollywood' writer. Which means that he has tenacity for getting paid. It's also something he writes about. He's gone on and on for pages about "getting credit" and "getting paid." From a Hollywood point of view he has a point. Because that town is all about money and credit.
Schools continue to pump out traditional degreed people that are clueless with regards to technology. As a Professor of New Media, how do you get your ideals to work in other areas of study? Are you advocating other departments to participate in "New Media" development?
Load up an Apple II emulator. Play the original Escape
From Castle Wolfenstien. The
classic that started it all. Bribe guards, kill guards, and talk to guards! All in glorious 1D!
This IBM laptop is nearly the same price and specs (no S-video out but so what and neither comes with a NIC) as the Nano. So if small, cheap, portable is the mission than I think I'd rather go with something that has batteries. Otherwise if you're trying to impress a client than this tiny box might be the ticket.
EA.com is leading the way...you need a Windows IE 5 or greater to play. Evidently "greater" doesn't mean that old joke that goes something like "so I installed Linux."
Imagine if the census was taken by examining the contents of people's refrigerators. From just a look inside the whole story about them is revealed. Whether a person is single or married. If they have kids and how old they are. How much money they made. Race, age, male, female, how many people are in the house hold--all is revealed by the fridge. The good thing about this is that nobody has to say a word to the bean counters. It's just a knock at the door and the guy says, "Hi, I'm from the Census and I'm here to photograph your refrigerator."
Everyone knows that only the "even" ST movies were worth seeing. Maybe the untold plan is to go back and fix all the "odd" ST's to make them watchable.
Once again a guy employed with tax dollars doles out a patent that isn't much more than a clever way to copy files. I'm sure that Symantec engineers came up with something that is effective and simple given the problem. But so would just about any other engineer working on a similar problem. Afterall a command like "copy f: *.* isn't a very efficient way to do updates.
This is the same message that Jeff has been saying for years. He developed a faceless OS-less app on an Apple II that was nearly "instant on". He tried to influence this idea while working on the Mac team. After leaving Apple he designed a product for Canon called a "Cat" that was instant on and simple, simple to use. A true information appliance.
In the article it doesn't point to other Raskin ideals that invisibility is key to the actually doing work. That the "computer" should manage files for you in the context of the work that you are doing. And not the other way around.
Anyway read more about that here: http://www.cfcl.com/jef/summary_of_thi.html or here http://www.best.com/~mxmora/JefRaskin.html
Software patent applications should be subject to a moderation process like Slashdot comments. This way the collective could toss out the unoriginal ideas.
As it is patents are awarded based on evaluation behind closed doors. Traditionally this is done to protect what may be insightful or original work from being stolen before it can reach market. However, in the case of software patents this method of evaluation isn't working. 'Things' are have clear prior art or methods are being awarded patents (one click, hypertext, etc).
Until a more open process is in place, many more patents will be awarded for things should never have been filed in the first place.
Traditionally it goes: "Two wrongs don't make a right."
But now it can be: "One wrong and one right and you've got "WHHHHAAAAAAA!."
And there's always casual sex: "Two rights make an opps."
It may be that you just don't understand it to the core yet. The one thing that I hate is taking over something that somebody else wrote. My way of definig variables, writing comments or use of a case statement might be different from another persons. More often than not just adding comments to what is already there helps fix problems like those mentioned. So before you go back to the drawing board, learn what has already been done. It may be brilliant.
Slashdot Mirror
Interviewer: Tell me about your new job...
Techie: It's hard.
Interviewer: Your job is hard?!
Techie: Um no, my job is easy.
Interviewer: What's hard then...oh...never mind.
I think we all need to reset our notions of what a robot should look like and how to measure the "intelligence of them". We should also explore why it so important to compare a machine to a man?
Voyager, Viking, Pioneer, and Galileo are examples of robots made in the last 20 years that don't look anything at all like a human. And that new robot lawn mower doesn't look like the neighbor kid pushing a steel and plastic frame. I think we applaud those designers that put aside the idea that a robot has to look like us and instead put it in the shape of a tool.
As for intelligence, for the most part people are pretty stupid. When the robot can't tell the difference between cat food and dirt it get's points marked off and is seen as "not intelligent." If Uncle Fred can't tell the difference we mark it down as "Uncle Fred just being Uncle Fred" and call it a day. If the neighbor kid misses a section of the lawn I might yell at him for being stupid. Yet if the robo mower misses a spot I might call tech support, ask for help and have them yell me for being stupid because I didn't RTFM.
1. Forget the PR firms. Save your money. They don't know, will never know or have any of the enthusiasm that any in your company has. You and your staff are your own best PR engine.
/.), someone else will be there.
There is lot's of places to get PR. Online pubs, print magazines, daily news, local and national TV are news based. But don't forget the grass roots stuff. Speak at trade shows. Talk in front of user groups. Be active in online discussions. Start a column yourself. Write a book.
2. Get to know the press before you need the press. Figure out who writes specific columns and only send news worthy information to them instead of shot gunning to a thousand press people. Sure a PR company is supposed to do this for you but often they don't/won't understand your market/product/angle.
3. Don't 'work' the press. These guys are busy people. Respect them. If you have to call an editor don't do it more than once unless they invite you to do so.
4. Forget powerpoints, market speak, techno babble and speak about your product in very clear simple terms.
5. Assume that most editorial has rules about how much coverage you can get. In the day when it was around, MacWeek had secret policies about how much press a company would get. For example if you ANNOUNCED a new product they'd write an article. If you managed to ship a month later you'd be lucky to get a mention as your product had "already been covered."
This was why it was important to know all the writers. Beat guys covered announcements, ships and revs. Reviews Editors/Writers were a totally different part of editorial. Also knowing the Senior or Chief Editor meant you might get included in or influence a feature story.
6. Trade press isn't just the big 5 or 10. User groups, regional magazines and industry specific journals are likely to generate more "revenue related" business than an article in Wired.
7. Timing is everything. Avoid announcements at trade shows as you'll get written up with all the other noise. Holidays, end of quarters, April 15th, Summer, are just a other times when your 'news' will get less attention than it deserves. Not from the writers perspective but your potential customer might miss it because they've got other things on their collective minds.
8. Don't 'expect anything' from your PR effort. You will only get disappointed if you do.
9. When you finally do make the headlines, it's only for a short time. Next week, next month, tomorrow, five minutes (as is it is on
10. When all else fails rev your product from 2.0 to 3.0.
It's the cat's meow! Is now obsolete. From know on the saying will get written and said as, It's the cat's purr!
Somehow it doesn't have that "ring" like the old saying had.
I thought about sad for the passing of Capcom and then I remembered--I haven't sought out an "arcade" in years! You know, hanging out with friends and saying "let's go to the arcade." I think the last time was maybe 6 years ago? Maybe longer. Could it be that long?
What replaced them? Four controller PlayStation hockey. Networked games at work. By-the-hour billiards tables and dart boards where a waitress brings beer. Outside golf. Sailboat racing on the bay.
Sigh....I guess it's MY fault they're quitting. Damn?! I feel bad about this! Sorry Capcom. Sniff. I ignored you and well...you're going away.
I've read through the comments so far and I've found a common thread, "we're smart, they're not so let's ignore the fact that they cared enough to offer us some suggestions." I hate having my code criticized as much as the next programmer. But, after taking a big breath and counting to ten, I reread what looked like an attack and find valuable information to make my product better.
The biggest problem with Harlen Ellison's writing is that you can't find it. From what I understand he hasn't allowed reprinting. Library's don't have his books because he's obscure. Thus used book stores are about the only place you can find them, but it's rare. Fan's of Harlen's writing almost never give up their copies.
Harlen is a 'Hollywood' writer. Which means that he has tenacity for getting paid. It's also something he writes about. He's gone on and on for pages about "getting credit" and "getting paid." From a Hollywood point of view he has a point. Because that town is all about money and credit.
Schools continue to pump out traditional degreed people that are clueless with regards to technology. As a Professor of New Media, how do you get your ideals to work in other areas of study? Are you advocating other departments to participate in "New Media" development?
from the feature creep department...
>All we have to do is change the name on the button
>from "Foward" to "Quote"
>and then nobody is breaking any laws.
Load up an Apple II emulator.
Play the original Escape From Castle Wolfenstien.
The classic that started it all.
Bribe guards, kill guards, and talk to guards!
All in glorious 1D!
This IBM laptop is nearly the same price and specs (no S-video out but so what and neither comes with a NIC) as the Nano. So if small, cheap, portable is the mission than I think I'd rather go with something that has batteries. Otherwise if you're trying to impress a client than this tiny box might be the ticket.
4004 not found.
EA.com is leading the way...you need a Windows IE 5 or greater to play. Evidently "greater" doesn't mean that old joke that goes something like "so I installed Linux."
Imagine if the census was taken by examining the contents of people's refrigerators. From just a look inside the whole story about them is revealed. Whether a person is single or married. If they have kids and how old they are. How much money they made. Race, age, male, female, how many people are in the house hold--all is revealed by the fridge. The good thing about this is that nobody has to say a word to the bean counters. It's just a knock at the door and the guy says, "Hi, I'm from the Census and I'm here to photograph your refrigerator."
In the future chip burning protests will be hot.
Coming soon. Cat juggling!
Everyone knows that only the "even" ST movies were worth seeing. Maybe the untold plan is to go back and fix all the "odd" ST's to make them watchable.
Once again a guy employed with tax dollars doles out a patent that isn't much more than a clever way to copy files. I'm sure that Symantec engineers came up with something that is effective and simple given the problem. But so would just about any other engineer working on a similar problem. Afterall a command like "copy f: *.* isn't a very efficient way to do updates.
It's too bad it ended so soon. I was so looking forward to getting the latest kernal in a box of cereal.
This is the same message that Jeff has been saying for years. He developed a faceless OS-less app on an Apple II that was nearly "instant on". He tried to influence this idea while working on the Mac team. After leaving Apple he designed a product for Canon called a "Cat" that was instant on and simple, simple to use. A true information appliance.
In the article it doesn't point to other Raskin ideals that invisibility is key to the actually doing work. That the "computer" should manage files for you in the context of the work that you are doing. And not the other way around.
Anyway read more about that here: http://www.cfcl.com/jef/summary_of_thi.html or here http://www.best.com/~mxmora/JefRaskin.html
Software patent applications should be subject to a moderation process like Slashdot comments. This way the collective could toss out the unoriginal ideas.
As it is patents are awarded based on evaluation behind closed doors. Traditionally this is done to protect what may be insightful or original work from being stolen before it can reach market. However, in the case of software patents this method of evaluation isn't working. 'Things' are have clear prior art or methods are being awarded patents (one click, hypertext, etc).
Until a more open process is in place, many more patents will be awarded for things should never have been filed in the first place.
....the TV crashed again. Honey, will you press the reset button for me.
Traditionally it goes: "Two wrongs don't make a right."
But now it can be: "One wrong and one right and you've got "WHHHHAAAAAAA!."
And there's always casual sex: "Two rights make an opps."
It may be that you just don't understand it to the core yet. The one thing that I hate is taking over something that somebody else wrote. My way of definig variables, writing comments or use of a case statement might be different from another persons. More often than not just adding comments to what is already there helps fix problems like those mentioned. So before you go back to the drawing board, learn what has already been done. It may be brilliant.
Yoda: Judge me by my size?