From: Tatiana Racheva (racheva@wam.umd.edu)
Date: Wed Feb 20 2002 - 07:16:34 MST
Why do you get so excited about the artificial life and computers capable
of writing their own software? IMO, there's *already* more than enough
life on this planet. As for computers... Will they be writing software for
people or for their own use? I wonder what their choice of variable names
would be, heh.
> I find it particularly interesting that others think, as I do, that we are
> not far from the point of having to recognize that "artificial life" has
> rights and that these rights may not be very different from those we
assign
> ourselves.
Not before we recognize the animal rights.
Also, how can we be "not far from the point of having to recognize that
'artificial life' has rights" when we're still far from the point of
*creating*
artificial life (admit it)?
> As for banning robotic insects, while their uses are obviously vast, I can
> see a bird getting severe indigestion from one. Perhaps a better idea
would
> be a built in bird scarer.
Built-in bird scarer is different from a plain old scarecrow - I'm sure the
birds
are going to be dying of heart attacks if you realize this idea.
Eventually they'll adapt, but.....
Anyway, here's some links to the most recent news that I find a little more
interesting than predictions about the creation of the artificial life:
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_523499.html
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_522638.html
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_524435.html?menu=
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_523138.html?menu=
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_521761.html
etc.etc.
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