Computer scientist Arthur Boran was ecstatic. A few minutes earlier, he had programmed a basic mathematical problem into his prototypical Akron I computer. His request was simply, Give me the sum of every odd number between zero and ten. The computers quick answer, 157, was unexpected, to say the least. With growing excitement, Boran requested an explanation of the computers reasoning. The printout read as follows: THE TERM ODD NUMBER IS AMBIGUOUS. I THEREFORE CHOOSE TO INTERPRET IT AS MEANING A NUMBER THAT IS FUNNY LOOKING. USING MY AESTHETIC JUDGEMENT, I PICKED THE NUMBERS 3, 8, AND 147, ADDED THEM UP, AND GOT 157. A few moments later there was an addendum: I GUESS I MEANT 158. Followed shortly thereafter by: 147 IS MORE THAN 10, ISNT IT? SORRY. Anyone doing conventional research would have undoubtedly consigned the halpess computer to the scrap heap. But for Boran, the Ackron Is response represented a startling breakthrough in a little-known field: artificial stupidity.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 16:30:39 +0000
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