Are You A Computer?

I picked up a new book earlier this week after seeing the author on The Daily Show. The book is entitled (no underline?) The Most Human Human: What Talking With Computers Teaches Us About What It Means To Be Alive. The book follows the author's involvement in the 2009 Turing Test, attempting to convince a panel of judges that he is, in fact, a human (not a computer). In his interview with Jon Stewart, author Brian Christian discusses part of his book that deals with the problem of redefining intelligence that arises in the advent of this age of computers and artificial intelligence. Having been interested in philosophy of mind and things like the Turing Test when I was in school, I knew I'd enjoy reading this book.

I was right. I'm flying through this thing. The author has a triple-major hybrid of philosophy, computer science, and poetry, and the book really showcases each simultaneously. I found the following paragraph particularly engaging (I probably am not going to quote this correctly, as I was taught way back when... que sera, sera):

"Thus, says Aristotle, the human arete (fulfillment of purpose) lies in contemplation-- 'perfect happiness is a kind of contemplative activity,' he says, adding for good measure that 'the activity of the gods ... must be a form of contemplation.' We can only imagine how unbelievably convenient a conclusion this is for a professional philosopher to draw--and we may rightly suspect a conflict of interest. Then again, it's hard to say whether his conclusions derived from his lifestyle or his lifestyle derived from his conclusions, and so we shouldn't be so quick to judge. Plus, who wouldn't have some self-interest in describing their notion of 'the most human human'? Still, despite the grain of salt that 'thinkers' praise of thinking' should have been taken with, the emphasis they placed on reason seemed stick."

I didn't sit down at the computer intendind to write a synopsis of the book, so I'll wrap up by say that this book is awesome and, most of the time, quite funny. I highly recommend it.

Diet Coke

The following goes for all "diet" junk foods. I'm sorry if you're a fan of them, I don't mean this as a personal affront, merely an observation... A very intense observation:

Diet Coke is stupid! Have a Coke or don't have a Coke. If you are concerned with the calories/sugar/yada yada, then perhaps you should be having a glass of refreshing water. Or milk.

That's all I have to say about that.

On a happier note, I had quite the good road ride today. I was finally able to take my day off, so I used the morning to run a few errands leaving my afternoon free for a ride. Road riding was my only option for today as my cross bike Duchess is all dressed up in roadie gear. My mountain bike Camille and my newly-acquired cross bike Ramona are single-speeds, effectively leaving them out of the picture as I would have to ride them to the trails in order to ride. Weather.com reported 10mph winds out of the NW, which turned out to not be entirely (or even partially) true, but I nonetheless headed north and west.

Within only 40 minutes of the leaving my house, I was out in a totally unrecognized wilderness. I guess I've driven through the area a few times, but the countryside northwest of Amarillo is surprisingly hilly! I found myself in the small chainring far more than I would have expected. It turned out to be a really challenging ride of somewhere in the neighborhood of 45-50 miles (I don't know exactly, I guess I could Google it. I thought my computer was freaking out giving me unrealistically high speeds and distances so I reset it several times over the ride. The problem with this is I never saw the flashing KPH in the corner... The issue has since been resolved.)

Topped off the ride with some Frazzle Berries fro-yo (newest Hills Sport Shop jersey sponsor). It was delicious but a tad pricey. Maybe we'll get some coupons.

Preparation continues for 24 Solo. Suggestions and comments are highly appreciated.

-Ian

Focus and Fear

I have sold my car and am commuting solely by means of bicycle. It's mentally exhausting at times, but it's also great to start and end every work day with a 5-7 mile jaunt through town. I can also feel myself getting stronger on the bike. A wise (though tiny) man once told me not to discount my commuter miles. It has tripled my weekly mileage!

I'll need all the base miles I can get, though, because I've decided to do 24 Solo at 24 Hours In The Canyon. I've deluded myself into thinking I can make it through such a grueling event. I'm terrified, and I only have 90-some-odd days to prepare...