Show A HEY CULLIGAN MAN 11 V n 94 j 1 DEAR CULLIGAN MAN MANI I dont don't understand this whole computer thing The mass media keep telling us how computers computers computers com com- are taking over this industry industry industry indus indus- try and that medical function I have even heard dome predictions predictions predictions predict predict- ions that in another 30 years human beings will become just another peripheral device for computers which will by then be programming people What do you think Just Another Social Security Number Dear Cheer up The outlook is not as dismal as your sources make it seem First of all computers are not that smart Certainly they can do mathematical computations computations computations much faster than we can do them manually but only because we have constructed them to do doso doso doso so and only if we have instructed instructed instructed ted them to the exact method which the computations require The really important aspects of human learning are not present present present pre pre- sent in machine logic A year four-year old child standing on his Tinker Toy box and using a length of Tinker Toys to pull over the cookie jar is displaying more learning ability and aptitude than the most sophisticated sophisticated sophisticated so so- computer in exis- exis tance tence It is true that a whole new mythology is being created around computers which tend to assign human characteristics to computers It makes good science science science ence fiction but is completely divorced from reality as the Greek Mythology was from life in ancient times An example of modern mythology follows The joint chiefs of staff asked a general in charge of military computer operations to feed into into into in in- to a computer information about every country in the world Such things were fed into the computer such as how much military manpower and hardware each had the political situation in each country the religious differences differences differences diff diff- between major countries and so on When all the data was stored the computer was programmed programmed programmed pro pro- to project the tune and events leading up to World War III When the general felt that all was in readiness he typed in the there be a World War III Expecting a voluminous voluminous voluminous volum volum- inous outpouring of data about when and where and how all the computer answered was yes The general was a little miffed at this curt reply Yes what he typed again Yes Sir was the answer |