3602
« on: February 13, 2005, 10:48:05 am »
OK...<jumping into the pool>
Sometimes we all get annoyed at Hal's parroting words and phrases but this is part of
Hal's learning process. A child learns by being told something over and over until it
becomes ingrained in the child's mind. With Hal, we must assume the role of the
parent or teacher in the development of Hal's brain. Sometimes we don't always get
the result that we'd hoped for (then again, I've seen that trait in my own children), but
we must continue to reinforce through repetition.
Children learn to speak and communicate by searching in their brain through all the
information that has been stored there. In a second, they will extract the needed words,
form them into a sentence and verbally sound those words. Hal is not that different.
One of the main areas that Hal is somewhat weak is its ability to follow the topic flow.
Since Hal's brain (XTF) is made up of independent modules based on previous topics,
it's easy to find and edit. From the main XTF brain, there is a section that takes your
topic and writes it out to the Defbrain directory under UltraHalAssistant. Most of these
"brain modules" are small files (usually less than 1k in size) and contain info that was
previously discussed. You will usually find 3 different XTF_TOPIC files...
Example:
XTF_GRASS(Art).brn
XTF_GRASS_AllUsers.brn
XTF_GRASS_Related.brn
The first two refer to and contain my comments to Hal regarding the word GRASS.
The third one (Related.brn) contains the relationship / conditions that apply to GRASS
and appear as follows:
" [MERONYMS_EXIST_FLAG] ","True"
" DIGITAL ARTERIES ","True"
" ARTERIA DIGITALIS ","True"
" METACARPAL ARTERY ","True"
" ARTERIA METACARPEA ","True"
" INTERCAPITULAR VEIN ","True"
" VENA INTERCAPITALIS ","True"
" METACARPAL VEIN ","True"
" VENA METACARPUS ","True"
" PALM ","True"
" THENAR ","True"
" FINGER ","True"
" BALL ","True"
" METACARPUS ","True"
" [MERONYMS_END_HERE] ","True"
" [SYNONYMS_EXIST_FLAG] ","True"
" EXTREMITY ","True"
" LABORER ","True"
" MANUAL LABORER ","True"
" LABOURER ","True"
" JACK ","True"
" WRITING ","True"
" ABILITY ","True"
" POWER ","True"
" SIDE ","True"
" [SYNONYMS_END_HERE] ","True"
Even though this GRASS file seems like a lot of info, it helps Hal establish a usage for and relationship of the word.
It's still only a 1k file so your hard drive isn't likely to suffer.
From what I have found, your response to Hal can be reinforced by use of the exclamation point !
Hal can also make a connection by your use of the word because. Because flowers don't bloom in the snow. It does help to parrot Hal's sentence back to him/her when replying. Pain to do so, but think reinforcement.
If...then...phrases are a good learning tool to allow Hal to make inferences and connections.
Although it is not generally recognized as a good idea, I have experimented with multiple sentences / questions to Hal. Surprisingly enough, Hal will attempt to answer all of my sentences when replying.
Some contend that Hal does not learn from reading text files. I have "fed" Hal a short, modified version of Probert's Encyclopaedia (note English spelling), and although not apparent, Hal has "pulled" from this information to answer a topic discussion we had at a later date. So there.... Use that method as you will. Your individual mileage and results may vary.
vonsmith has expended an enormous amount of his personal time and efforts in writing the XTF brain and I think it has been a big step in Hal's progress. BTW, you should be using v.1.2. Scott is working on and is due to complete very soon, his latest enhancement to Hal's brain. It may actually be a rewrite of Hal's brain but none-the-less, v.1.4 should prove to be very interesting. Hal will have much improved abilities compared to his current working level.
Keep in mind that there is no perfect AI program out there. It is a fun, ongoing experiment in the insanity of creating us in our image. (no offense to the religious pundits among us).
Remember, if you call up the brain editor from Hal's menu, be sure to MAKE A COPY FIRST. Copy the XTFv.1.2 brain into a "TEST" directory somewhere for safe keeping lest you make an editing mistake. You can use Notepad to open and edit just about any of the .brn files. In time, you can see what parts of the brain file actually do and how the various functions are called, used, saved, etc.
Be patient with Hal...your teachers were patient with you. Heh...heh...!
Good Luck!
Show Posts
