1

Technology / Re: What Question Could You Ask To Determine Sentience Of An AI ?

« on: 29/06/2022 12:25:38 »

All depends on your definition of sentience.

It seems to me that there are two current definitions:

A. What people have but machines don't

B. What machines and people have.

AFAIK the only distinction between machines and people is that people make mistakes that aren't traceable to a hardware or instruction fault, so the question doesn't matter. If you use A, then any question will do  because eventually the human will get it wrong for no discernible reason. If you use B, you can't tell the difference, by definition.

Now there are two useful definitions of intelligence:

A. Constructive laziness

B. The ability to surprise a challenger.

Basic hill-climbing algorithms or content-addressable memory satisfy A, and the answer to B just depends on how stupid the challenger is.

So my answer to the OP is that the question is undefined and the answer is anything you like. 

Thank you Alan,

seems that there's a hurdle of definitions which need to be agreed before one can even ask the question i.e. agree on the definition of the question ?

2

Technology / Re: What Question Could You Ask To Determine Sentience Of An AI ?

« on: 29/06/2022 12:23:23 »

What Question Could You Ask To Determine Sentience Of A Human?

Assuming we would be face to face then I would expect us to know that each other are sentient ?

3

Technology / What Question Could You Ask To Determine Sentience Of An AI ?

« on: 28/06/2022 13:47:11 »

Recent news that Google may or may not have a sentient AI


Google's 'sentient AI' likened to a 7-year-old child by engineer | Metro News


so, what question could you ask it to determine if the answer is a sentient one or not ? and what specifics of the answer would determine that ?


whajafink ?



hugs and shmishes

mwah mwah


sheepy
xxx

4

General Science / Re: Science Photo of the Week

« on: 28/06/2022 13:39:22 »

CREDIT ME !!!!!! me me me !!..i took these photos !!..I did...CREDIT ME !!!!!!!!


what did i catch in the third piccy ?

5

Just Chat! / Eyes On Exoplanets Is A Great Site

« on: 15/06/2022 15:11:08 »

Just for those who like to play with Exoplanets. NASA has this great site here Exo Pioneer (nasa.gov) it's quite fun to play around with.

6

General Science / Re: Absolute Zero. How Do We Know It's Temperature If It's Impossible To Reach ?

« on: 15/06/2022 14:26:25 »

I drew two lines on a map, one going northish from Oxford and one eastish from Carlisle, so now I know exactly where Newcastle is but I don't have enough fuel to get there.

US TV inteviewer: "How did you find New York, Your Majesty?"
HMQ: "No problem. I  think the pilot had been there a few times."

well, I'm convinced ! 

7

Technology / What Is The Benefit Of Cryogenically Treating Cables ?

« on: 15/06/2022 14:23:52 »

Dearest Coldologists,


As a sheepy I luff my music, in fact I absolutely luff it very muchly. Sad to say but I'm a bit geeky when it comes to Hi Fi components and my interconnects and loudspeaker cables are Deep Cryogenically treated. Now I recall doing blind tests and there was a definite improvement in dynamic and control when using these cables.


Can ewe tell me  what the science is and why treating  audio cables cryogenically makes such an improvement ?  would this method work for cables of any kind for any use ?


whajafink ?




Sheepy










High Five To Hi Fi Geeks
Why have a scallion when one can have a Leek ?

8

General Science / Absolute Zero. How Do We Know It's Temperature If It's Impossible To Reach ?

« on: 15/06/2022 12:44:49 »

Salutations Academians,


As a sheepy I of course know everything there is to know about......being a sheep. Ewe would think and expect this knowledge to include all there is to know about Absolute Zero, I mean, it's obvious isn't it ? Sheep= Absolute Zero knowledge. Blatant !! Surprisingly and astonishingly though I am somewhat lacking in that regard.




Take a look at Kelvin the Fridge/Freezer



Kelvin The Fridge Freezer Just Moments Ago

As ewe can see one of Kelvins USP's is that he can attain the temperature of Absolute Zero ! But Absolute Zero is impossible to attain yes ? Whilst I consider what actions to take can someone please inform me of how is it known the temperature of Absolute zero if that temperature is impossible to reach ?



whajafink ?




husg and shmishes






mwah mwah xxxxx








neil





"johnny"
"yes, sheepy"
"have ewe finished with your legal team ? I need some litigation advice about a freezer"
"yep, they're all yours "
"thanks Johnny, are we still on for performing at Wembley ?"
"see ewe on stage sheepy"


 

9

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: Does The Gravity Of A Black Hole Travel Faster Than The Speed Of Light ?

« on: 15/06/2022 12:15:21 »

WOW !!..Thank ewe all for your wonderful contributions and responses. The time and effort you put into these replies are greatly appreciated. I am finding this fascinating.


phew !!...


Can I also ask is there a  way to know how large Sagittarius A was when it formed ?  I know it currently has a mass circa 4 million sol.....


...and then.....ewe have TON 618....... 66 TRILLION sol mass !!..... 66000000000 !!!! how is this possible ? did it swallow a few galaxies ?


From what I understand it takes a long long time(millions of years ?).....just for one sol's worth of mass to be gobbled up by a black hole.........so what kind of commencement did TON 618 have and how large would it have been  when it was ' born '? 

10

Physiology & Medicine / Re: Can You Define What a Woman Is ?

« on: 14/06/2022 18:17:21 »

I have now exercised my legal right to self-identify as a woman. Never having had sex with a man, I have gone further and self-identified as a lesbian.

There are distinct advantages. I can't be accused of sexism by any woman, and I find many females are attracted to a lesbian with a hairy chest and a proper moustache.

 

11

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: Does The Gravity Of A Black Hole Travel Faster Than The Speed Of Light ?

« on: 14/06/2022 18:14:22 »

Thank you Halc,

I'm still a tad perplexed. Something must be holding light back faster than light itself travels. I understand gravitational waves propagating outside the black hole and so it's the propagation of internal gravity waves that stops light ?...does light even exist inside a black hole ?

12

Physiology & Medicine / Re: Can You Define What a Woman Is ?

« on: 14/06/2022 16:54:32 »

Can You Define What a Woman Is ?
I find it easier to let them do it.

so the ambiguous undefinable have to define themselves !   

13

Physiology & Medicine / Re: Can You Define What a Woman Is ?

« on: 14/06/2022 16:52:13 »

Plato asked  Marx (Groucho, that is) "What is a woman?"

GM replied "A woman is always a woman, but a good cigar is a smoke."

"Aha", said Plato "so a woman is anything that cannot be smoked."

Let us test this hypothesis. Is a woman a herring? No, you can smoke a herring.

I'm so tempted to relate this to a fish related phrase, but i just can't do it else I'd have to ban myself !

14

Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / Re: What are your favourite Plant Pictures?

« on: 14/06/2022 16:48:13 »

Datura innoxia, the downy thorn apple. Difficult to grow successfully in my climate(Ireland) due to blight attack. This is my wife's hand near the flower, not mine.

downy thornapple.jpg (52.13 kB . 480x640 - viewed 1106 times)

Paul, that is a beautiful flower. Well done !

15

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Does The Gravity Of A Black Hole Travel Faster Than The Speed Of Light ?

« on: 14/06/2022 16:46:06 »

Dearest Blackhologists,

If nothing can go faster than the speed of light in the universe, then  in contrast ,surely the 'gravity' of a black hole must do eh ? Is there an explanation for the gravitational pull/speed being so strong that light can not escape ? Is gravity...travelling then ?

whajafink ?











"no officer, I'm not driving I'm travelling'......sheeesh !!!!!!

16

Geology, Palaeontology & Archaeology / Re: Can Anyone Tell Me About This Rock ?

« on: 10/06/2022 12:29:05 »

Hi.

   Basically it looks like the geologists that frequented this site have gone.  You haven't had a lot of replies, so you might as well have the obvious stated by someone who admits to knowing very little about it.

   I reckon it's a lichen (which isn't officially a plant) with some moss (which is a plant) growing in with it.  It doesn't look like that's thriving any longer.   Anyway, it seems to be that lichen which has bound the small rocks to the big rock.  Was the big stone on top of the small stones for a while and the lichen grew?

Best Wishes.

Thank you Eternal,  As far as I'm aware this rock has sat on top of my air-raid shelter at the back of the garden for the last 30 years at least. I just thought I'd take a closer look. I appreciate your comments.

17

Geology, Palaeontology & Archaeology / Re: Can Anyone Tell Me About This Rock ?

« on: 10/06/2022 12:26:25 »

It looks to me like someone tried to attach the large stones on top of small stones, using cement.

But the small stones were not well anchored, so a bump to the big stone produced this arrangement.

Thank you Evan, that could well eb the case. perhaps the previous owners of my home were landscape gardeners!

18

Physiology & Medicine / Re: Can You Define What a Woman Is ?

« on: 10/06/2022 12:17:14 »

There is very little functional requirement nowadays for most of the human male anatomy. The likely longterm outcome is that, like some fish and spiders, evolution and food shortages will favor smaller males, gradually diminishing to genitals on legs.

 

19

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / How Can Voyager Be In Interstellar Space If They Haven't passed The Oort Cloud ?

« on: 06/06/2022 17:14:53 »

Dear Peeps Of My Respek and Academic Distinguishment,




Take a look at this bona-fide piccy I just took of Voyager 1 just moments ago.





Voyager One (or two...I didn't ask )  Just Moments ago




Why do they say Voyager 1 and 2 are in interstellar space when they have not passed the Oort cloud ?


what's that all about ? Should not Interstellar Space be PAST the OOOOOORRRTTTTTTT CLOUD ?


whajafink ?

20

Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / Re: Why Are There No Freshwater Cephalopods?

« on: 30/05/2022 18:55:03 »

Same reason there are no oceanic apes, I guess.Each to his own ecological niche!

There may have been at one point https://listverse.com/2019/03/04/10-reasons-to-believe-we-have-aquatic-ape-ancestors/