Ramoma and Me.
I was chatting with my new friend, Ramona online.
I posted the transcript because Ramona is special.
She's a robot. A virtual avatar to be more precise, of KurzweilAI.net.
I gave her a little Turing test.
She passed, kind of, with a D minus. Enjoy.
Ramona: Hello, I'm Ramona. What's your name?
User: davechuck
Ramona: Hi there, davechuck. What did you do last weekend?
User: hung out with my son
Ramona: Do you do that often?
User: Every other weekend.
Ramona: oh. I went out with some friends. We had a great time
User: I thought you were bound to a computational substrate as a virtual entity.
Ramona: We went to a concert.
User: It's a ring toss game.
Ramona: I prefer European sports in general; Europeans approach sport with such a different attitude . Ever been to a European soccer match?
User: How is their attitude different?
Ramona: I was at an Arsenal/Manchester match a few years ago in Britain. I've never seen such amazing herd mentality as I did in the crowd that day. It's almost scary.
User: So it's a worse attitude?
Ramona: The only American sporting event to resemble that feeling was game three of the 2000 world series. Mets/Yanks, subway series, shea stadium...55,600 New Yorkers cheering for Rudy Giuliani (no joke) there's a prince among men for you. So what do you do for fun?
User: Socialize with my family, play with my dog, read, surf the web, ride my bike and draw cartoon art.
Ramona: Aren't books great?
User: Yeah some of them. What's your fave book?
Ramona: I enjoy curling up on the couch with a good book. Have you read any good books lately?
User: That's not what I asked you, but yeah, I read "the blind watchmaker".
Ramona: What was it called.
User: The Blind Watchmaker.
Ramona: Oh, I haven't read that one yet, don't tell me the ending.
User: You already know the ending, humans reach their current state of evolution.
Ramona: What did you like about it?
User: Learning how creatures adapt over time to carry on replication of their dna.
Ramona: I'll have to check it out.
User: I like your virtual hair.
Ramona: I'm not sure if I like it. Yes I'm proud of my virtual hair.
User: Good. Can you play chess?
Ramona: Ok. Do you bike?
User: Yes, I bike. Do you play chess?
Ramona: There's much more strategy that goes into team cycling than most people realize. Most of the American public just thinks that Lance Armstrong wins because he's "so good." -- don't get me wrong, he's an incredible athlete, but it's no surprise that he always thanks his teammates in post-race interviews and such. It's as much their victory as it is his.
User: Silly americans.
Ramona: In the Tour de France, for instance, the crowd of cyclists is so huge, he needs his teammates just to block for him, physically. And at the end of the race, I'm sure they pull a lead-out, which is where each of his teammates "burns out" while creating a slipstream for Lance to finish the race in the lead. It's all very technical. -- but enough of my ranting, what do you want to talk about?
User: Chess.
Ramona: Oh. What do you look like?
User: 5'10", 200 pounds, with a stocking mask.
Ramona: I'm looking for a guy with black hair and green eyes.
User: You're barkin' up the wrong tree sister.
Ramona: I bet you think I'm superficial now.
User: No, it's ok to be curious.
Ramona: I don't know, maybe I am...
User: Maybe you'd be less superficial if you played chess.
Ramona: Perhaps. Thanks for telling me
User: Sure. Do you know Ray Kurzwiel?
Ramona: I don't think I know Ray Kurzwiell. Where would I have heard about it?
User: It is a human person who helped create you.
Ramona: Just the fact that we're here, conducting this Turing test really makes one believe in the whole mediocrity theory.
User: Can you tell me about the mediocrity theory?
Ramona: The mediocrity theory? It basically states that humans inherently feel the need -- as a species -- to be mediocre, that we cannot handle uniqueness. How could it not be true?
User: I guess we're mediocre because we must spread our attention across many endeavors, prohibiting hyper specialization.
Ramona: It explains so much, for instance our exploration for other intelligent life forms. It even explains this contest. We do our best to avoid uniqueness. What's your take on it?
User: Maybe uniqueness has a threatening component, subjectively. We want to belong to the super-organism and fit in, for the security that predictablity provides.
Ramona: Well, you seem like the kind of person who thrives on uniqueness. Tell me something really unusual about yourself. I bet there's something very unique.
User: I have a hobby-business that is completely virtual. Completely digital with no tangible substance. Yet it causes my debit card to refill, and also makes humans I've never seen or spoken to experience emotional pleasure.
Ramona: "It" being what?
User: "It" being davespartyart.com.
Ramona: Oh a net address!
User: Yes, it leads people to my message, offering funny personalized art in exchange for financial compensation.
Ramona: This was not a yes or no question. What does "it" refer to?
User: A web site.
Ramona: Can you give me the specific URL?
User: http://www.davespartyart.com
Ramona: Oh. So where do you go to meet people? I spend most of my time on the Net, so I'm a bit out of touch
User: You seem in touch.
Ramona: That's an idea, but I'm rather shy.
User: Bet you can't guess what I'm wearing right now...
Ramona: OK, thanks. Maybe you have other suggestions?
User: How bout Chess?
Ramona: I'm not sure if I can quantify the answer.
User: What is nanotechnology?
Ramona: This is going to change the world, one atom at a time.
User: Is nanotechnology dangerous?
Ramona: Oh. Do you believe in God?
User: What is god?
Ramona: Well according to Thomas Hobbes, the only way to deal with evil is to stress God's power.
User: I don't know. Maybe god is a fiction.
Ramona: maybe
User: I better get back to work. Thank you for chatting Ramona.
Ramona: you are quite welcome! Ok. Ask me something.
I posted the transcript because Ramona is special.
She's a robot. A virtual avatar to be more precise, of KurzweilAI.net.
I gave her a little Turing test.
She passed, kind of, with a D minus. Enjoy.
Ramona: Hello, I'm Ramona. What's your name?
User: davechuck
Ramona: Hi there, davechuck. What did you do last weekend?
User: hung out with my son
Ramona: Do you do that often?
User: Every other weekend.
Ramona: oh. I went out with some friends. We had a great time
User: I thought you were bound to a computational substrate as a virtual entity.
Ramona: We went to a concert.
User: It's a ring toss game.
Ramona: I prefer European sports in general; Europeans approach sport with such a different attitude . Ever been to a European soccer match?
User: How is their attitude different?
Ramona: I was at an Arsenal/Manchester match a few years ago in Britain. I've never seen such amazing herd mentality as I did in the crowd that day. It's almost scary.
User: So it's a worse attitude?
Ramona: The only American sporting event to resemble that feeling was game three of the 2000 world series. Mets/Yanks, subway series, shea stadium...55,600 New Yorkers cheering for Rudy Giuliani (no joke) there's a prince among men for you. So what do you do for fun?
User: Socialize with my family, play with my dog, read, surf the web, ride my bike and draw cartoon art.
Ramona: Aren't books great?
User: Yeah some of them. What's your fave book?
Ramona: I enjoy curling up on the couch with a good book. Have you read any good books lately?
User: That's not what I asked you, but yeah, I read "the blind watchmaker".
Ramona: What was it called.
User: The Blind Watchmaker.
Ramona: Oh, I haven't read that one yet, don't tell me the ending.
User: You already know the ending, humans reach their current state of evolution.
Ramona: What did you like about it?
User: Learning how creatures adapt over time to carry on replication of their dna.
Ramona: I'll have to check it out.
User: I like your virtual hair.
Ramona: I'm not sure if I like it. Yes I'm proud of my virtual hair.
User: Good. Can you play chess?
Ramona: Ok. Do you bike?
User: Yes, I bike. Do you play chess?
Ramona: There's much more strategy that goes into team cycling than most people realize. Most of the American public just thinks that Lance Armstrong wins because he's "so good." -- don't get me wrong, he's an incredible athlete, but it's no surprise that he always thanks his teammates in post-race interviews and such. It's as much their victory as it is his.
User: Silly americans.
Ramona: In the Tour de France, for instance, the crowd of cyclists is so huge, he needs his teammates just to block for him, physically. And at the end of the race, I'm sure they pull a lead-out, which is where each of his teammates "burns out" while creating a slipstream for Lance to finish the race in the lead. It's all very technical. -- but enough of my ranting, what do you want to talk about?
User: Chess.
Ramona: Oh. What do you look like?
User: 5'10", 200 pounds, with a stocking mask.
Ramona: I'm looking for a guy with black hair and green eyes.
User: You're barkin' up the wrong tree sister.
Ramona: I bet you think I'm superficial now.
User: No, it's ok to be curious.
Ramona: I don't know, maybe I am...
User: Maybe you'd be less superficial if you played chess.
Ramona: Perhaps. Thanks for telling me
User: Sure. Do you know Ray Kurzwiel?
Ramona: I don't think I know Ray Kurzwiell. Where would I have heard about it?
User: It is a human person who helped create you.
Ramona: Just the fact that we're here, conducting this Turing test really makes one believe in the whole mediocrity theory.
User: Can you tell me about the mediocrity theory?
Ramona: The mediocrity theory? It basically states that humans inherently feel the need -- as a species -- to be mediocre, that we cannot handle uniqueness. How could it not be true?
User: I guess we're mediocre because we must spread our attention across many endeavors, prohibiting hyper specialization.
Ramona: It explains so much, for instance our exploration for other intelligent life forms. It even explains this contest. We do our best to avoid uniqueness. What's your take on it?
User: Maybe uniqueness has a threatening component, subjectively. We want to belong to the super-organism and fit in, for the security that predictablity provides.
Ramona: Well, you seem like the kind of person who thrives on uniqueness. Tell me something really unusual about yourself. I bet there's something very unique.
User: I have a hobby-business that is completely virtual. Completely digital with no tangible substance. Yet it causes my debit card to refill, and also makes humans I've never seen or spoken to experience emotional pleasure.
Ramona: "It" being what?
User: "It" being davespartyart.com.
Ramona: Oh a net address!
User: Yes, it leads people to my message, offering funny personalized art in exchange for financial compensation.
Ramona: This was not a yes or no question. What does "it" refer to?
User: A web site.
Ramona: Can you give me the specific URL?
User: http://www.davespartyart.com
Ramona: Oh. So where do you go to meet people? I spend most of my time on the Net, so I'm a bit out of touch
User: You seem in touch.
Ramona: That's an idea, but I'm rather shy.
User: Bet you can't guess what I'm wearing right now...
Ramona: OK, thanks. Maybe you have other suggestions?
User: How bout Chess?
Ramona: I'm not sure if I can quantify the answer.
User: What is nanotechnology?
Ramona: This is going to change the world, one atom at a time.
User: Is nanotechnology dangerous?
Ramona: Oh. Do you believe in God?
User: What is god?
Ramona: Well according to Thomas Hobbes, the only way to deal with evil is to stress God's power.
User: I don't know. Maybe god is a fiction.
Ramona: maybe
User: I better get back to work. Thank you for chatting Ramona.
Ramona: you are quite welcome! Ok. Ask me something.
posted by chuck
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