Socks, Spoons and Neural Nets
[!0.987]2014-08-01

After my self surgery, I was given the opportunity to train as a medic. Human medics wouldn't come anywhere near us.

Can't say that I blame them. We go absolutely berserk when we're wounded.

I've often felt my battlefield success rate would have been higher if I hadn't needed to club my patients unconscious before I could treat them.

Color by George Peterson

Socks, Spoons and Neural Nets
[!0.987]2014-08-04

It wasn't long before we were banned. American battle lawyers overwhelmed ours with sheer numbers and got us classified as biological weapons.

That would have been the end of us except for a small group of humans whose motto was “Never again shall one generation of veterans abandon another.”

Apparently, being a fellow veteran is stronger bond than being of the same species.

Color by George Peterson

It is especially emphatic that the lawyers are not military, but martial. The author, as usual, caustically mocks the plagues (Robot Spike)

Socks, Spoons and Neural Nets
[!0.987]2014-08-06

They didn't abandon me, so I didn't abandon my fellow veterans. I'm a doctor. A psychotic, rage prone chimp doctor, but still a doctor.

Given that I'm not right in the head, I pursued neurology. Figured I could help others and myself at the same time. And that's what eventually led me here.

Is that enough background or do you need more? Seriously, I have no idea of what “normal” is any more.

Color by George Peterson

Socks, Spoons and Neural Nets
[!0.987]2014-08-08

This is as much touch as I'll allow. I'm doing really well so far. Don't let your guard down.

Speaking of which, I was expecting to hear from the Commander by now. Hey, Poopyhead, here's a hint. The comm system knows your voice. Madaline.

I really shouldn't give him hints, but the guy's dumber than John Von Neumann.

No, I'm not! Wait. Darn it! Yes, I am!

Color by George Peterson

MADALINE – A three-layer full-linked direct propagation artificial neural network for classification tasks, using ADALINE – adaptive linear neurons on the hidden and output layers. It's also a woman's name.. (KALDYH)
John von Neumann

Socks, Spoons and Neural Nets
[!0.987]2014-08-11

Madaline. 1959. First neural network to be applied to a real world problem.

Listens to and reduces noise on the phone line… why that cheeky little monkey!

He taught the comm system to recognize my voice and remove it as background noise!

What? Sorry, I wasn't listening.

Color by George Peterson

Socks, Spoons and Neural Nets
[!0.987]2014-08-13

I need to know when it took effect! At what point did you decide to turn against humans?

I didn't turn against humans!

You totally did! You ignored your mayor! You went against this Kornada guy to help non-human robots!

Am I broken?

No, though I was really hoping you'd go a generation or two before humans found out you could do that.

Color by George Peterson

Socks, Spoons and Neural Nets
[!0.987]2014-08-15

In nanotech, it's a “grey goo” scenario. On a larger scale, it's a “paperclip maximizer”. An A.I. with that programmed goal will try to turn everything in its reach into paperclips or paperclip production.

So what do you get with a system of autonomous robots that ALWAYS has human desires as its top priority?

A human maximizer.

Good news if you're a human. Bad news if you're anything else.

Color by George Peterson

Bowman talks about several mental experiments leading up to the end-of-the-world scenario – about uncontrolled growth self-replicating nanobots (Mityai)

Socks, Spoons and Neural Nets
[!0.987]2014-08-18

No one is smart enough to anticipate everything. Do you have any idea what this place is going to look like in a thousand years? I don't.

Organic life could go transcendent. Or super intelligent space hamsters might have taken over the galaxy! Your brains had to be flexible enough to cover all situations.

Super intelligent space hamsters?

Until one bit the director's finger and got the project canceled, it was a possibility.

Color by George Peterson

Terrible mutant hamster :)

Socks, Spoons and Neural Nets
[!0.987]2014-08-20

Take your safeguards. They're a constant neural weighting factor. As you grow and learn, you bring other factors in making the safeguards less of an influence on your overall decision making.

There were others who wanted your safeguards to always be the overriding factor. They were quite enthusiastic about what limits your thoughts would be capable of.

However, each was sure only they knew what the right thoughts were. I actively encouraged that until we ran out of time. That's how the monkey who was excluded from the process wound up making the decisions.

Color by George Peterson

Socks, Spoons and Neural Nets
[!0.987]2014-08-22

Are you getting along well with humans? Can you understand their instructions and gestures?

I like humans. I have very few problems understanding them.

Ha! That's because I repurposed a bunch of your mirror neurons to respond to the human form. Now, how about the other Bowman's Wolves? Do you like the way they look?

They're… kind of funny looking.

And there's the down side to repurposing your mirror neurons.

Color by George Peterson

Mirror neurons are responsible for imitation.
In fact, Bowman equated the wild wolf with the domestic dog. The dog has been forced to love humans more than its fellow dogs by purposeful selection. They experience an oxytocin euphoria, just as humans do when they fall in love. (Robot Spike)