The paper is an interesting read, but people must remember that this theorem still does not distinguish between Free Will or Randomness. It merely says that if a property X, is exibhited by the scientist conducting the experiment, then X would be present in the particles too.
As regard to whether X, is Free Will or randomness, Conway does not know. He gave it the provocative title of ``Free Will'' out of his own free will, or randomness, or what have you;-)
See this page and go to the last section entitled ``Questions,'' where Conway admits to this in a seminar at the University of Auckland.
I think ideas like this should definitely be encouraged. Personally, I don't think a band of semi-qualified people will be able to accomplish much. These problems require a very deep knowledge of mathematics to understand and appreciate them, let alone solve them.
However by involving everyone, including the layman in these fascinating problems will help increase appreciation for the beauty of mathematics amongst the general public and that to me is equal in worth to actually solving these problems.
you wrote: First of all Language (Computational Linguistics) to Biology (Computational Biology) are not branches of mathematics. Maybe you could say algebra and analysis are. I seriously doubt you'll see an number theorist suddenly turn into functional analyst.
Hey buddy! Nowhere in my writing have I claimed that they are branches of Math. I've said that learning math allows people the freedom to work in plenty of other subject areas and offered Computational Linguistics and Computational Biology as examples.
you wrote: It is understandable that very specialized fields like Management would go through changes much faster and some of it's theories would be obsolete much sooner when compared with basic field such as Mathematics.
I don't think that you can call a field specialized merely on account of the changes that occur in it. By your reasoning, something like History would be an extremely specialized, exotic field on account of it constantly being in flux:-)
you wrote: Might as well say Programming keep having newly hyped languanges, newly introduced techniques and buzzwords so you are better off learning Mathematics.
Well, Math teaches you the underlying principles behind those programming languages so they don't seem new and unfamiliar. Shunning stuff like Turing machines, Finite State Automata merely on account of them being very mathematical isn't so great. So yeah. That's exactly what I'm saying. Having a good background in math, does help you understand CS better.
Math is truly the most awsome among all subjects. Learning it offers you the kind of freedom that is unmatched by learning any other subject. Have you noticed how a mathematician can switch easily between multiple areas of study? That's cuz one can apply math to almost every field imaginable from Language (Computational Linguistics) to Biology (Computational Biology). I don't mean to dismiss learning other subjects (it's important to be well rounded) but can any other subject gift you you with such amazing flexibility?
There's beauty and elegance in a mathematical result which will always remain true forever. School kids even today, study about the Pythogoras theorem - a mathematical result that was established more than 2 thousand years ago. You're learning Calculus that was discovered by Newton & Liebniz several hundred years ago. Compare this with other fields like Management where the MBA syllabus keeps changing as newer management techniques and new buzzwords/MBA jargon are invented.
Again, I don't mean to dis MBA dudes. It's just that in an fast paced information age where paradigms are constantly being challenged and new ones being invented, it is reassuring to have a body of knowledge that you can always depend on no matter what.
Seriously! You don't have to be good at math (I'm just a lowly Master's and that too in CS:)) to appreciate the beauty and elegance of this amazing subject.
If *I* get a Google job, I am never leaving!
Never say never. As Lennon said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans". Suddenly, working for Google (or some other great company) may not seem like great idea as before because your interests have shifted, or you may wanna spend more time with your family.
We want them to discover new and exciting things when they grow up right? But inorder to do that they need to learn what we have already discovered.
20 years ago. It was possible for a single person to be awarded the Nobel Prize. Nowadays its won by a group.
There is already a tremendous learning curve required before you can contribute to research. Why do we want to lengthen the time by asking kids to do silly problems when they could be taught much more. Learn them how to use a calculator. Use this opportunity to teach them the concepts on how a computer does additon, multiplication, binary arithmetic etc., instead of wasting time mechanically doing the sums in their heads.
The idea of spending time doing something the hard way is total BS. If this was true then why doesn't everybody still program in assembly then?
The US government is perfectly justified in wanting to have better safeguards to ensure that sensitive knowledge is used for the appropriate purpose. Most nations, including my own have similar or even stricter safeguards than the US has, about the sharing of sensitive information.
As an Indian grad student studying in the US, I have absolutely no problem with an extra pair of eyes checking to see if what I'm doing is legit. I suspect that many international students don't either. What I fear though is that there may be too much red-tape to deal with.
If they can just make they process more streamlined and less painful then there won't be as many people complaining about this bill as there are now.
As an Indian grad student here in the US, I have found many of my US classmates to be way ahead of majority of my peers back in India when it comes to algorithmic ability.
Perhaps its got to do with the current job situation where only the people who are truly interested in Computer Science, major in it. So you have students of much higher quality.
Judging from the total disregard for the job market shown by some of my US friends shows that the US still has a very bright future in Computer Science as long as these "anomalies" are around.
These companies have vested interest in outsourcing cheap labour. Don't believe what they say. They just wanna keep salaries low and their bottomlines high. The anomalies are more common than they would have you believe!
Slashdot Mirror
Does anybody know how we can help? There does not seem to be a fund-raising page up yet.
The paper is an interesting read, but people must remember that this theorem still does not distinguish between Free Will or Randomness. It merely says that if a property X, is exibhited by the scientist conducting the experiment, then X would be present in the particles too.
As regard to whether X, is Free Will or randomness, Conway does not know. He gave it the provocative title of ``Free Will'' out of his own free will, or randomness, or what have you ;-)
See this page and go to the last section entitled ``Questions,'' where Conway admits to this in a seminar at the University of Auckland.
Fantastic explanation.
Sorry for being a grammar nazi guys, but it's spelt "Escherichia coli". It's one of the most common bacteria.
I think ideas like this should definitely be encouraged. Personally, I don't think a band of semi-qualified people will be able to accomplish much. These problems require a very deep knowledge of mathematics to understand and appreciate them, let alone solve them.
However by involving everyone, including the layman in these fascinating problems will help increase appreciation for the beauty of mathematics amongst the general public and that to me is equal in worth to actually solving these problems.
I highly recommend Finney and Thomas' Calculus. It's very visual and easy to understand. Good luck.
you wrote: First of all Language (Computational Linguistics) to Biology (Computational Biology) are not branches of mathematics. Maybe you could say algebra and analysis are. I seriously doubt you'll see an number theorist suddenly turn into functional analyst.
Hey buddy! Nowhere in my writing have I claimed that they are branches of Math. I've said that learning math allows people the freedom to work in plenty of other subject areas and offered Computational Linguistics and Computational Biology as examples.
you wrote: It is understandable that very specialized fields like Management would go through changes much faster and some of it's theories would be obsolete much sooner when compared with basic field such as Mathematics.
:-)
I don't think that you can call a field specialized merely on account of the changes that occur in it. By your reasoning, something like History would be an extremely specialized, exotic field on account of it constantly being in flux
you wrote: Might as well say Programming keep having newly hyped languanges, newly introduced techniques and buzzwords so you are better off learning Mathematics.
Well, Math teaches you the underlying principles behind those programming languages so they don't seem new and unfamiliar. Shunning stuff like Turing machines, Finite State Automata merely on account of them being very mathematical isn't so great. So yeah. That's exactly what I'm saying. Having a good background in math, does help you understand CS better.
Math is truly the most awsome among all subjects. Learning it offers you the kind of freedom that is unmatched by learning any other subject. Have you noticed how a mathematician can switch easily between multiple areas of study? That's cuz one can apply math to almost every field imaginable from Language (Computational Linguistics) to Biology (Computational Biology). I don't mean to dismiss learning other subjects (it's important to be well rounded) but can any other subject gift you you with such amazing flexibility?
:)) to appreciate the beauty and elegance of this amazing subject.
There's beauty and elegance in a mathematical result which will always remain true forever. School kids even today, study about the Pythogoras theorem - a mathematical result that was established more than 2 thousand years ago. You're learning Calculus that was discovered by Newton & Liebniz several hundred years ago. Compare this with other fields like Management where the MBA syllabus keeps changing as newer management techniques and new buzzwords/MBA jargon are invented.
Again, I don't mean to dis MBA dudes. It's just that in an fast paced information age where paradigms are constantly being challenged and new ones being invented, it is reassuring to have a body of knowledge that you can always depend on no matter what.
Seriously! You don't have to be good at math (I'm just a lowly Master's and that too in CS
If *I* get a Google job, I am never leaving!
Never say never. As Lennon said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans". Suddenly, working for Google (or some other great company) may not seem like great idea as before because your interests have shifted, or you may wanna spend more time with your family.
Was your supervisor Einstein? ;-)
Perhaps that's one of the many reasons why it's among the nation's top 10 universities for a PhD in Computer Sciences.
Sorry Dude,
That larry ellison speech has been proven to be a fake
Completely agree with you on all your points.
Like you, I too believe the the "hard way" should be taught first and then introduce the timesaving devices.
But the time spent doing the hard way is far too long and it could be well spent learning more stuff IMHO.
We want them to discover new and exciting things when they grow up right? But inorder to do that they need to learn what we have already discovered.
20 years ago. It was possible for a single person to be awarded the Nobel Prize. Nowadays its won by a group.
There is already a tremendous learning curve required before you can contribute to research. Why do we want to lengthen the time by asking kids to do silly problems when they could be taught much more. Learn them how to use a calculator. Use this opportunity to teach them the concepts on how a computer does additon, multiplication, binary arithmetic etc., instead of wasting time mechanically doing the sums in their heads.
The idea of spending time doing something the hard way is total BS. If this was true then why doesn't everybody still program in assembly then?
That was a nice gesture dude. The poor kid must have been disheartened by all the dumb posts out here. There should be more like you on /.
That was a good thing you did dude. The poor kid was getting beat up by all the stupid jealous posts.
Fantastic art! BTW I'm an amateur scientist as well ;-)
Dude thanks for the links.
Quite an eye opener!
Are you working in this field? Could you direct me to more material on bacterial computation? I'd love to know more.
If you insist on believing that your smarts are all you have...
You hit the nail on the head.
Good post.
The US government is perfectly justified in wanting to have better safeguards to ensure that sensitive knowledge is used for the appropriate purpose. Most nations, including my own have similar or even stricter safeguards than the US has, about the sharing of sensitive information.
As an Indian grad student studying in the US, I have absolutely no problem with an extra pair of eyes checking to see if what I'm doing is legit. I suspect that many international students don't either. What I fear though is that there may be too much red-tape to deal with.
If they can just make they process more streamlined and less painful then there won't be as many people complaining about this bill as there are now.
As an Indian grad student here in the US, I have found many of my US classmates to be way ahead of majority of my peers back in India when it comes to algorithmic ability.
Perhaps its got to do with the current job situation where only the people who are truly interested in Computer Science, major in it. So you have students of much higher quality.
Judging from the total disregard for the job market shown by some of my US friends shows that the US still has a very bright future in Computer Science as long as these "anomalies" are around.
These companies have vested interest in outsourcing cheap labour. Don't believe what they say. They just wanna keep salaries low and their bottomlines high. The anomalies are more common than they would have you believe!
You mean like his womanizing? ;-)
I thought it funny that he apologized for not covering his tracks better rather than for plagarism. ;-)
Man! You just blatantly copied what BWJones had written about a month back.
Jones earlier post
Passing other's comments as your own gets you respect from no one.