Friday 18 February 2011
- Look to your own house, Independent. I notice another article in this issues refers to "dissidents" in Iran, while the Egyptians were called pro-democracy protesters.
- on Computer puts human supremacy in jeopardy yesterdayWell, no, Watson's massive win doesn't put human supremacy in jeopardy, any more than spreadsheets put human supremacy in jeopardy. They did put monkey work jobs in the accounting department in such jeopardy that they disappeared. Just as internet access of a company's 10k forms put low-level analyists out of business. So Watson will put some "experts" out of business and make the rest much, much better at their jobs.
But the best thing that AI still teaches us is what intelligence is not. Watson is a great machine, and will learn to be an even better one, but no one would argue that it is intelligent.
- on North-South health divide 'kills thousands every year' 2 days agoWell, as the health gap is unchanged while the disposable gap rose from 21 to 26% and the value-added gap rose from 29% to 40%, I have a hard time seeing how this was a causative effect.
Does the study see equal differentiation on these variables in the north: that is, do those with similar income, value add and lifestyle have similar health profiles in both regions?
Either the reporting of this study is shoddy or the study itself is.
- on Mark Steel: Dictators? It's a question of taste 2 days agoWell, no actually. Brutality is what you see in Iran. Next to what has already happened over the last 30 years in Iran and will continue to happen to the people in general and to protesters in particular, the Egyptians have had little more than a mild slap on the wrist.
- Well, actually, only one of the polluters has been asked to pay up.
Petroecudor, equally guilty, has not been fined a dime.
PS: If Chevron only took over Texaco in 2001, how could it possibly be that "Chevron has fought dirty (sic) over the past 18 years."
- on Chevron's dirty fight in Ecuador 2 days agoI don't think Ecuador wants this to go to arbitration -- where contributory negligence might wipe out 80% of the damages
# posted by Had It in Holland Park @ 12:56
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