Computers are fundamentally flawed, as with most mathematically modelled systems.
Godel's Incompleteness Theorem (yawn, I know) shows us that no mathematical system can be complete or provable if it has the ability to self-reflect - i.e. can describe aspects of itself or abstractions of other systems within itself.
The fundamental flaw in computer software is that we stupidly assume that our programming languages are complete, provable and are running on an idealised machine capable of reliably repeating instructions ad infinitum.
Computer software is merely a final layer of abstraction on top of a teetering tower of already leaky abstractions. We cannot possibly expect software to run reliably when we do not understand how an abstraction at one level affects an abstraction at another level.
E.g., Silicon designers make decisions that impact on application programmers. A CPU speed stepdown to conserve energy on a mobile PC could cause a time-critical event to be delayed, causing a program to fail. The programmer has no knowledge that this is the root cause, as he/she only thinks at the level of the programming language and assumes (has to assume for sanity's sake) that the language is running on an idealised computer.
How do you check for bugs when you cannot even identify a problem as being within the domain of the abstracted layer with which you are dealing?
This path leads to fudges, fixes and kludges.
That is why our software doesn't do what it says on the label. And the bigger it gets, the harder it falls.
Current finite-state automata based computing is fundamentally doomed. It is time for more radical approaches to how we abstract and map real world problems on to machine hardware.
I've used a lot of PDAs and they have all been crap.
Especially the latest offerings from Palm, HP-Compaq, etc.
PocketPC sucks - a crippled Windoze.
There are two main problems with most PDAs - screen size and handwriting recognition.
PocketPC just adds unreliability and unusability to the list.
Now, there is one PDA that can rightly call itself an Assistant. One PDA to rule them all.
The Apple Newton 2100 MessagePad.
This baby has everything - large screen, the best handwriting recognition ever to grace a computer, a huge base of applications to choose from, PCMCIA slots for storage/wireless/bluetooth etc, IRDA, a fast ARM processor, an in-built OO scripting interpreter and a bunch of peripherals.
The best thing of all is that these beauties are 7 years old and are dirt cheap on eBay.
Because of the failings of current PDAs, I have reverted to the Newton, along with thousands of other savvy people around the world.
I wouldn't be without my Newton now, it keeps me organised, informed and entertained.
1. Solaris 2. Metropolis 3. Until The End of Time 4. Demon Seed 5. The Lawnmower Man 6. Slaughterhouse 5 7. Fahrenheit 451 8. 1984 9. Final Fantasy 10. They Live
Assuming they do, I would think slightly more out of the box about this.
After all, taking into account Moore's Law and its variants as they pertain to technology, teaching this kid anything based on current technological reality is probably a waste of time.
Just looking at current trends (nanotech, genetech, superconductors, gravity propulsion systems, non-Von Neumann machines, etc.) we can see the shape of technology's future. There are however a number of more interesting fields that have not been sufficiently rigourously investigated.
I would suggest that your pupil should focus on areas related to human-machine interface and consciousness. The aim should be to give your pupil a solid grounding in how humans and machines interact, with the objective of coming up with novel ways of assimilating machines into humans.
This would include thought-controlled machines (study of brain waves and ESP), consciousness-altering machines (ala Prof. Michael Penninger's electromagnetic arrays), supra-light quantum communication, Eastern philosophy (chakras, Chi, etc.) and AI (inference engines, neural nets, goal-directed reasoning, etc.)
With a little bit of football thrown in, this kid will have mind, body and spirit all nicely covered and might actually come up with something of benefit to the rest of us dullards who write flakey operating systems and like playing with soldering irons.
Slashdot Mirror
Computers are fundamentally flawed, as with most mathematically modelled systems.
Godel's Incompleteness Theorem (yawn, I know) shows us that no mathematical system can be complete or provable if it has the ability to self-reflect - i.e. can describe aspects of itself or abstractions of other systems within itself.
The fundamental flaw in computer software is that we stupidly assume that our programming languages are complete, provable and are running on an idealised machine capable of reliably repeating instructions ad infinitum.
Computer software is merely a final layer of abstraction on top of a teetering tower of already leaky abstractions. We cannot possibly expect software to run reliably when we do not understand how an abstraction at one level affects an abstraction at another level.
E.g., Silicon designers make decisions that impact on application programmers. A CPU speed stepdown to conserve energy on a mobile PC could cause a time-critical event to be delayed, causing a program to fail. The programmer has no knowledge that this is the root cause, as he/she only thinks at the level of the programming language and assumes (has to assume for sanity's sake) that the language is running on an idealised computer.
How do you check for bugs when you cannot even identify a problem as being within the domain of the abstracted layer with which you are dealing?
This path leads to fudges, fixes and kludges.
That is why our software doesn't do what it says on the label. And the bigger it gets, the harder it falls.
Current finite-state automata based computing is fundamentally doomed. It is time for more radical approaches to how we abstract and map real world problems on to machine hardware.
Q-bits anybody?
I've used a lot of PDAs and they have all been crap.
Especially the latest offerings from Palm, HP-Compaq, etc.
PocketPC sucks - a crippled Windoze.
There are two main problems with most PDAs - screen size and handwriting recognition.
PocketPC just adds unreliability and unusability to the list.
Now, there is one PDA that can rightly call itself an Assistant. One PDA to rule them all.
The Apple Newton 2100 MessagePad.
This baby has everything - large screen, the best handwriting recognition ever to grace a computer, a huge base of applications to choose from, PCMCIA slots for storage/wireless/bluetooth etc, IRDA, a fast ARM processor, an in-built OO scripting interpreter and a bunch of peripherals.
The best thing of all is that these beauties are 7 years old and are dirt cheap on eBay.
Because of the failings of current PDAs, I have reverted to the Newton, along with thousands of other savvy people around the world.
I wouldn't be without my Newton now, it keeps me organised, informed and entertained.
You can never beat an original.
Hey, maybe I should do an Apple ad?
1. Solaris
2. Metropolis
3. Until The End of Time
4. Demon Seed
5. The Lawnmower Man
6. Slaughterhouse 5
7. Fahrenheit 451
8. 1984
9. Final Fantasy
10. They Live
I hope this kid does get a normal upbringing.
Assuming they do, I would think slightly more out of the box about this.
After all, taking into account Moore's Law and its variants as they pertain to technology, teaching this kid anything based on current technological reality is probably a waste of time.
Just looking at current trends (nanotech, genetech, superconductors, gravity propulsion systems, non-Von Neumann machines, etc.) we can see the shape of technology's future. There are however a number of more interesting fields that have not been sufficiently rigourously investigated.
I would suggest that your pupil should focus on areas related to human-machine interface and consciousness. The aim should be to give your pupil a solid grounding in how humans and machines interact, with the objective of coming up with novel ways of assimilating machines into humans.
This would include thought-controlled machines (study of brain waves and ESP), consciousness-altering machines (ala Prof. Michael Penninger's electromagnetic arrays), supra-light quantum communication, Eastern philosophy (chakras, Chi, etc.) and AI (inference engines, neural nets, goal-directed reasoning, etc.)
With a little bit of football thrown in, this kid will have mind, body and spirit all nicely covered and might actually come up with something of benefit to the rest of us dullards who write flakey operating systems and like playing with soldering irons.
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Three men walk into a bar...yawn