The Turing Test

The Turing Test
I propose to consider the question "Can machines think?" This should begin with definitions of the meaning of the terms "machine" and "think."
Alan Turing (1950) "Computing Machinery and Artificial Intelligence", Mind vol. 59
What is the Turing Test?
The Turing Test was developed during the 1950's by a man by the name of Alan Turing. Basically, it is a test for artificial intelligence. Turing concluded that a machine could be seen as being intelligent if it could "fool" a human into believing it was human.
The original Turing Test involved a human interrogator using a computer terminal, which was in turn connected to two additional, and unseen, terminals. At one of the "unseen" terminals is a human; at the other is a piece of computer software or hardware written to act and respond as if it were human.
The interrogator would converse with both human and computer. If, after a certain amount of time (Turing proposed five minutes, but the exact amount of time is generally considered irrelevant), the interrogator cannot decide which candiate is the machine and which the human, the machine is said to be intelligent.
This test has been broadened over time, and generally a machine is said to have passed the Turing Test if it can convince the interrogator into believing it is human, without the need for a second, human, candidate.

So far, you've seen computers in schools as things for kids to do spreadsheets or, gawdhelpus, Powerpoint presentations on. A combined typewriter and adding machine. But in fact, you already use one supercomputer regularly; it's called Google. In future you will use many more without even thinking about it. And just how super do I mean? According to futurologist Ray Kurzweil, we can expect computer intelligence to match our own by 2013 (see graph) - just six years from now.
Try this thought-experiment. Thinks of fairly complex web search, the sort where you are not confident Google would give you the answers you need. Now imagine that Google gets a program that would allow it to write back to you and ask questions about your search, to understand it better. Plausible? Good. Now imagine that over four or five years, Google refine this program to the point where you can't really tell whether it's the program asking you questions, or another human being. Still plausible? Well guess what, your imaginary Google has just passed the Turing Test, the best-established benchmark for human-like intelligence in computers.

Blank Screen, Help

"test entry due to blank screen", Oh dear where is my blog?

Well all seems to be o.k now and the niggle did allow me to experience the use of a proxy server site which at least allowed me to view my own blog " What a thrill" 1/3/07

The Macdonald’s Science Laboratory

"Most teachers waste their time by asking questions which are intended to discover what a pupil does not know whereas the true art of questioning has for its purpose to discover what the pupil knows or is capable of knowing"
Albert Einstein

The present strong emphasis on examinations in education has spawned a process-product metaphor of education. Lumby (2003 pg 3) argues, "government initiatives in the further education sector have aimed at embedding new ways of thinking about students as customers, communities as markets and leaders as enacting nationally designated standards. " The process of education appears to operate within a framework that ensures an end product of positive academic achievement, manifested through "good grades " Lumby argues that the leadership of educational organisations has become big business while governments worldwide strive to provide a recipe that will transform our educational leaders into agents that can deliver the required performance. Ritzer (2000) called it "Macdonaldisation" of education, a term which graphically represents our changing views of education depicting it as a product which can be bought and sold.
Lumby, J. (2003)"Leadership for learning:the case of further education" The inaugural lecture of Professor Jacky Lumby, University of Lincoln, 15th May 2003.
Ritzer, G. (2000) The McDonaldization of Society : An investigation into the changing character of contemporary social life. London : Sage Publications

Bird Flu Fear Hits College.

Well not really however one of my colleagues who is an avid " Bird watcher" had his desk placed in quarantine.

ClustrMap Added

Well I managed to venture into a little HTML editing and included a ClustrMap in my page, now if you view my blog I will be able to track which country you are in, Well thats what its says on the wrapper " Test it and Find Out!!"