Due to my relatively high proficiency in tech-y stuff including electronics, circuitry etc. (thanks to my dad, and the Physical Computation class taken in my last quarter at UCLA, taught by professor Reas) compared with most of the staff and volunteers at our site, in addition to my natural geekiness*, I have been titled/nicknamed Jobot.
I have rarely been nicknamed in my life. Making fun of my last name ‘Liao’ (which in cantonese sounds exactly the same as urine) has seized after around primary four. Jobot - my new nickname, at age 23 - got me to wonder. I wonder whether this is a title/nickname to be proud of. Afterall, Jobot is no human. How do robots compare to human? I think this is a profoundly interesting question.
I often, consciously or not, compare real-life situations with computer programs. In fact, the Philosophy of Mind (another class I took during my last quarter at UCLA) has encouraged me significantly to believe that human conscience is but a very sophisticated program, running on biology rather than machinery(in its common sense). These biological machines that run our softwares (consciences) connect to each other on a platform that is known as reality. Resources are exchanged, opinions expressed, received, responded. Very much the same way we use our internet today. In the same way we update our softwares, upgrade our computers, our body expires and are replaced by newer generations. Just as there is human selection for computers, there is natural selection for human. Human “may or may not” live forever(forever? We may not!), even to survive as a mutated, evolved specie, our time will run out, eventually. I haven’t seen Wall-e yet, but nonetheless I have the impression that robots could(or will be able to) stand more extreme condition than humans in general, thus survive longer than us.
Some time ago I ran into an article from MIT about how we’re much more likely to find robots trying to communicate with us rather than life forms. That’s why we’re, really, searching for extra-terrestial “intelligence”. It seems like that robots are likely to live longer than any particular biological organisms.
What does it mean to live? Does anything that have a ‘life span’ lives? Does living longer make a life better? Are we better than robots? Actually, how are we different?
* btw, 57% Geek
July 28th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Just to tease you a bit.
Wall E is GOOD. It’s well made, into the details, funny, kinda romantic with limited conversation involved. It is also educational to kids and, properly, to adults too.
I’m gonna watch batman tomorrow at imax — all my friends said it is VERY GOOD. btw do you have cinema in africa?
July 28th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
I really want to watch WALL-E, and I am telling Sandy to bring me a dvd or something when she comes. I haven’t seen a cinema here, but I think there should be one, or so I heard. On the other hand, DVDs that have multiple movies burnt into one is common on the streets here.
July 28th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
We did not stop making fun of you last name till form 4/5… hahaa
i remember in a biology lesson we even joked about the potential names of your kids! (liao yi.. or something like that.. haha)
jobot i think it’s a pretty name;) shows what you contribute there!
July 29th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Jobot, not bad, shows that you are handy.
August 3rd, 2008 at 10:50 am
I am handy. I know.