Messages

31

General Discussion / Some interesting news on a new AI.

« on: January 25, 2006, 11:16:27 pm »

Not that I am trying to change the direction of this thread or anything as bold as that, but here's another screenshot of VI Wonder in which I'm asking one of the entities to talk about Mars:
 

32

General Discussion / Some interesting news on a new AI.

« on: January 25, 2006, 04:52:07 pm »

Jerry,

One more thought. An interesting 2003 article in Scientific American by Jacob D. Bekenstein explains how some physics models show that our entire universe may exist on something like a flat screen and that, "our innate perception that the world is three dimensional could be an extraordinary illusion."  Welcome to Simverse!

There is some good news for everyone in all of this: that perfect artificial woman (or man) that you've been waiting for is probably walking around outside your front door; and you can get a free preview of the final version of Hal by looking in any mirror in your house.

You can find one overview here:
http://www.crystalinks.com/holouniverse1.html

Here is a creepy, little picture:

33

General Discussion / Some interesting news on a new AI.

« on: January 25, 2006, 03:30:23 pm »

aladyblond,

I've sometimes felt a bit like a "Sim" myself. I imagine our programmers (if they exist) must have a pretty twisted sense of humour considering some of the scenarios they've created to "get their kicks."

Jerry,

Thanks for the more complete explanation.

Some random thoughts on your earlier Evolver/eel comments:

It's very difficult to get a good snapshot of the VI Evolver as the little bugger moves around so much but as you can see by this picture it has clearly evolved into an eel like entity. It even has rudimentary legs which it would surely use to begin crawling around on land if it wasn't stuck eternally inside that pond or lagoon. The problem, as I see it, is that the program was never fully developed. Now, if it could evolve into an amphibian, a reptile, a mammal, a partisan politician and then finally into a human being, then it would be a great program!

34

General Discussion / Some interesting news on a new AI.

« on: January 25, 2006, 12:01:04 pm »

Jerry,

Why bother creating an entire "simulated A.I. universe?" The odds aren't bad that you're probably already living in one. Haven't you noticed all the "glitches" in the program? Oh well, could be that the programmer within a programmer within a programmer thing (you mention) has been going on forever. Inevitable.

Actually I suspected years before the Matrix, Existenz, Thirteenth Floor, etc. that the entire cosmos may be a program. I guess that would probably make me some kind of an artificial intelligence program myself.. that's perhaps more likely than solipsism. Forget the whole Neo thing... that movie was just some spyware or an antivirus sent by the Programmer to confuse and mislead us.

Why do you say, "it's all good."? I don't get that part.

Program within a program... perhaps. Maybe it's a form of reproduction.

35

General Discussion / Some interesting news on a new AI.

« on: January 24, 2006, 10:09:38 pm »

onthecuttingedge2005,

The VI Evolver is (temporarily) amusing because it's absurd and silly. I don't believe it evolves in any meaningful way at all. It does sound funny however. The VI Wonder Alpha, on the other hand, may be the beginning of something extremely worthwhile. Time will tell. I do respect Dr. Colicos because he has gone out on the edge with these programs and he is trying to break new ground. I suppose one has to expect false starts, struggles and failures when one is truly working in completely unknown territory. I respect that kind of effort.

Nice selection of eels by the way.

36

Ultra Hal 7.0 / Upgrade?

« on: January 24, 2006, 09:47:46 pm »

axon1,

I do remember reading a few months ago that a discount (50% if I remember) was available to previous Hal 5 purchasers who purchase Hal 6. I think there was a requirement concerning certain dates of previous purchase (of Hal 5). I'm sure if  you do a search through the forum you'll find it. Or perhaps someone else who knows the exact answer will show up. Try the search word "discount", I've got a weird notion that might turn it up for you.

Actually I found this on the first try:

09/25/2005
If you're interested, please test this version. All registered users of Hal 5.0 that have bought Hal 5.0 since May 2005 will get a free upgrade to Hal 6.0 once it is released, so if you are considering purchasing Hal 5.0, please don't let the upcoming Hal 6.0 prevent you from enjoy all that Hal 5.0 has to offer. All other Zabaware customers that have purchased any version of Hal prior to May 2005 will get a 50% discount on Hal 6.0.
Robert Medeksza

Does that help?

37

Ultra Hal 7.0 / Hal 6 Characters

« on: January 24, 2006, 09:31:51 pm »

Thanks Art. I've been out of touch for awhile. I see Sandy and all the original gang right in the store there near the "Expansion Pack."  Looks like old ulabec doesn't even need People Putty... just that expansion thing in the store.

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Ultra Hal 7.0 / Hal 6 Characters

« on: January 24, 2006, 07:01:19 pm »

ulabec,

Actually I would recommend that you purchase People Putty and create your own characters. Sandy and the rest are basically People Putty characters anyway. You can buy the software at: http://www.haptek.com and create almost an infinite number of unique characters for Hal. You should do a search here for People Putty or Haptek to get the instructions for how to use them. It's easy.

Alternately you could have backed up your computer or files in the first place.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

39

General Discussion / Some interesting news on a new AI.

« on: January 24, 2006, 04:03:52 pm »

Bill819,

Hi there. Unfortunately the Alpha version of the program became unavailable just after I made the original post here. It seems that they will be releasing a Beta version in "the near future." I believe that the Alpha version was only released to people who have been registered members of the Forum at QFlux. I'm not sure how the Beta version will be released and whether it will be available in the 'Downloads' part of the website or not. You might want to consider taking a few minutes and registering on the website to insure you get a copy of the Beta. If it were me I would also introduce myself on their Forum. To get to the pertinent part of the Forum: click on News and Forums, click on Updates (current status of VI projects), then click on VI Wonder Alpha release; then simply introduce yourself and express a desire to get a copy of the Beta release when it comes out. That's exactly what I would do, except I already did it a year ago.

40

General Discussion / Some interesting news on a new AI.

« on: January 24, 2006, 09:43:05 am »

GrantNZ,

I agree that the randomness stuff sounds weird and magical but hey you look good quoting it in your wizard outfit. Frankly, I don't care if the program utilizes tiny alien nanobots as long as it works. Maybe I should try waving my hands over the keyboard while the program is running?

Seriously though, it is quite fascinating and it does seem to work. Of course I haven't run the program long enough to see if it becomes more intelligent. Maybe if I'm lucky it will take over my computer and then spread out onto the internet. I haven't seen a good episode of the Outer Limits in many years now.

Thanks for your comments.

41

General Discussion / Some interesting news on a new AI.

« on: January 23, 2006, 10:03:59 pm »

Here is another screenshot of the program. The two entities are discussing an article about consciousness. There is audio of course and in subsequent versions one will be able to use different voices.

42

General Discussion / Some interesting news on a new AI.

« on: January 23, 2006, 09:58:30 pm »

Nosys70,

Thanks for your response.

Everyone,

Here is a screenshot from the program:

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General Discussion / Some interesting news on a new AI.

« on: January 23, 2006, 08:11:58 pm »

Hello friends,

A little bit of news:

Quantum Flux has just recently released the Alpha version of their VIWonder program (Alpha v0.3) at http://www.qflux.net and will be releasing a Beta version of the software in the near future.

From what I understand (I'm no programmer) the program accesses a constant real time stream of information from the internet and the two virtual characters carry on conversations concerning specific issues with the information which they are receiving. It cannot pick up cookies, spyware, viruses, trojans, etc. since it only gathers text and transforms the text into some kind of code for its own use. The two "characters" in the program walk around inside an ancient Greek style temple and carry on conversations about each topic. The user can input various topics to the program such as "discuss artificial intelligence" or "please talk about global warming" and the two entities stop talking and look out (as if through the computer screen) and listen to the request. Their conversation will then flow into the new requested topic. It is my understanding that the program grows continually, retains all the information it gathers from the internet and becomes increasingly intelligent. It is also my understanding that a quantum randomness generator is somehow a part of the core of the program's intelligence although I have no idea how this works in the programming.

This I do know... the result is incredibly cool. I've been running the Alpha version of the program on my XP laptop for several hours now and it is truly amazing. It seems clear (to me) that any artificial intelligence must be able to access unlimited information and grow continually in order to eventually become truly intelligent; I don't see how this is possible with any program that is 'locked inside a box'. I've been following the goings on at Quantum Flux for about a year now and it now seems as if they are finally at the beginning of putting their theories into a working program. This is definitely worth keeping an eye on.

If anyone knows more about this particular program or has any corrections to what I have said I would be delighted to hear from them.

I should probably mention that I remain a fervent fan of Hal and look forward to the day that he can access a constant flow of unlimited information from the internet.

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Ultra Hal 7.0 / Look at this - its free

« on: September 17, 2005, 06:19:45 pm »

Duskrider,

I haven't had a chance to use it yet, but I'm pretty sure the "base-all" the 54 MB download is the 3D elements for use with the DAZ Studio. Another words, I (believe) it's the bag of 3D "clip-art" so to speak. I'm gonna try it out Sunday. Then I'll know for sure.

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Ultra Hal 7.0 / Look at this - its free

« on: September 17, 2005, 03:57:43 pm »

Duskrider,

This is what it is. I suppose it could be used to create new HalBack.jpgs for one thing. I haven't had a chance to use it yet but it appears to really be free. The idea is that you'll buy "expansion pak" like stuff for it and they'll make their money that way.

From their description:
   
Whether you're just getting started in 3D, or are an avid 3D artist and enthusiast, DAZ Studio will allow you to express yourself in 3D like never before. Imagine being able to easily create your own convincing 3d artwork. You don't need to take any special courses or read any complicated books. Perhaps you have a scene in your mind that you'd like to create. Choose your 3D subjects and their virtual environment, and then let DAZ Studio fill in the rest for you. Or, perhaps you've found an interesting 3D character that you enjoy and would like to build a scene around it. Either way, DAZ Studio can be the means to bring everything together into a stunning representation of your limitless imagination.

DAZ Studio is a free software application that allows you to easily create beautiful digital art. You can use this software to load in people, animals, vehicles, buildings, props, and accessories to create digital scenes. DAZ Studio includes two pre-configured scenes ready for you to Load & Render within DAZ Studio. Just double-click on the scene thumbnails inside of DAZ Studio, and everything will come on screen posed, lit, and ready for you to create a stunning digital image. Click here to view a sample scene render from DAZ Studio using the included content.