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Archive for the 'General' Category
Duvet-Dayz: Upgrade of site 2
We are still working on the site upgrade and it now seems like there is light at the end of the tunnel. The first part of the upgrades should become available during tomorrow night or latest during next Monday. After that we will also be able to resume posting new stories to the site. Many [...]
Duvet-Dayz: Upgrade of site
We are currently upgrading this site and it is taking longer than expected. New posts will be back during the second half of this week. Sorry for the delay…but that upgrade was overdue for more that a year and we unfortunately have to do most of it manually – meaning we have to touch each [...]
Joseph Weizenbaum is dead
Joseph Weizenbaum died yesterday in Berlin as a result of a stroke at the age of 85.
Throughout his life he has provided many outstanding contributions to computer science and AI. After he created the first banking computer in the world while working for General Electric he took up a position at the MIT as professor for applied and political science. In 1966 he published “ELIZA” – his best know work – and the first computer program demonstrating natural language processing. His academic contributions include the creation of the SLIP (symmetric List Processor) programming language and research on pointers, list structures and garbage collection schemes.
Over the years he also became one of the strongest critics of computer science and a society that blindly believes into technology. His influential book “Computer Power and Human Reason: From Judgment To Calculation” displayed his grown ambivalence towards computer technology. Many concepts from this book have by now become common understandings like, for example, how programmers are seen by society or his critics of the promises by AI.
In one of his last mails “Joseph Weizenbaum” wrote: (translated from German)
“…our death is the last service we can provide to the world: Would we not go out of the way the following generations would not need to re-create human culture. Culture would become fixed, unchangeable and die. And with the death of culture humanity would also perish…“
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Humor: (Dada) Time Waster web sites (2)
Also in the best tradition of the “dadaist nihilistic movement” from the 1920s, this site neither does anything nor provides any useful information – but in difference to the two others we have introduced in a “previous post” this one also has some kind of political aspect and if it’s just a name.
The web site with the title “B.O. Is Your New Bicycle” provides you with a new teaser line every time you click on the text.
Our favorite so far: “B.O. spent the afternoon setting up your router”…
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Quote of the day: Know your enemy
One of Sun Tzu’s maxims from his book The Art of War:
“If you are ignorant of both your enemy and yourself, then you are a fool and certain to be defeated in every battle.
If you know yourself, but not your enemy, for every battle won, you will suffer a loss (half and half).
If you know your enemy and yourself, then you will win every battle.
“Sun Tzu”, Chinese general and strategist ca. 500BC
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Happy Holidays from Duvet-Dayz.com
We would like to thank all our readers for their support and their feedback.
Best wishes and safe, happy holidays!
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