04 Oct 2012
Creative Blocks

Fascinating discussion of the history and future of artificial intelligence research.

The lack of progress in AGI is due to a severe logjam of misconceptions. Without Popperian epistemology, one cannot even begin to guess what detailed functionality must be achieved to make an AGI. And Popperian epistemology is not widely known, let alone understood well enough to be applied. Thinking of an AGI as a machine for translating experiences, rewards and punishments into ideas (or worse, just into behaviours) is like trying to cure infectious diseases by balancing bodily humours: futile because it is rooted in an archaic and wildly mistaken world view.

(link) [Aeon Magazine]

09:55 /Technology | 0 comments | permanent link

How Browsers Work

For the terminally curious, in detail.

Web browsers are probably the most widely used software. In this book I will explain how they work behind the scenes. We will see what happens when you type 'google.com' in the address bar until you see the Google page on the browser screen.

(link)

09:52 /Technology | 0 comments | permanent link