Can Your PC Become Neurotic? 336
Roland Piquepaille writes "This article starts with a quote from Douglas Adams: 'The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong, it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair.' It is true that machines are becoming more complex and 'intelligent' everyday. Does this mean that they can exhibit unpredictable behavior like HAL, the supercomputer in '2001: A Space Odyssey'? Do we have to fear our PCs? A recent book by Thomas M. Georges, 'Digital Soul: Intelligent Machines and Human Values,' explains how our machines can develop neurosis and what kind of therapy exist. Check this column for a summary or read this highly recommended article from Darwin Magazine for more details."
HAL's "Unpredictable Behavior" (Score:5, Informative)
So it is all completely logical, which is not a small feat for a Hollywood production...
wrong movie -- more like "Dark Star" (Score:1, Informative)
"Dark Star" asks the question - "How do you deal with a smart bomb that has a nervous breakdown?"
In the movie they set the nuke to go off and it doesn't feel like leaving the space ship. Someone had to go into the bomb bay and talk with the depressed nuke or it will just blow up inside the ship.
Self-Healing computer (Score:2, Informative)