This might seem a bit off-track but a blog inspired, even loosely, by Alan Turing, can hardly not mention Kurt Gödel. In simple terms, it could be said that Gödel was to Mathematics what Turing was to Computer Science but even that’s a pretty one-dimensional portrayal. Both were intrigued by what was possible in science and mathematics and both shed light on how one area of research could be used to model another. Turing’s work with the patterns of nature has parallels with Gödel’s models of the universe. Both were intent on considering the ‘bigger picture’, whether spiritual or part of a ‘master program’. Turing saw order in chaos; Gödel saw God in science. Continue reading
Daily Archives: Monday 15th April 2013
‘The Singularity’ is Coming … Or is it?
(The first of two posts distilled from a talk given at the 2011 Wrexham Science Festival. The second part, ‘Dawn of the Intelligent Machines?, appears separately. However, both have a common thread and share some material.)
It’s sometimes said in the media and entertainment world that you haven’t made it until you’ve been ridiculed on South Park. The technological equivalent is probably that a concept isn’t mainstream until it’s featured in Dilbert. If that’s the case, then ‘the singularity’ has passed a necessary (if not sufficient) condition. But does that make it any more real? Continue reading
Under the lamp
Turing's Radiator 