[net.emacs] Computers are smarter than we think

thoth@tellab2.UUCP (Marcus Hall) (10/22/84)

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On PLATO at the University of Illinois, there was a program that was used
to inquire whether a program was on the restricted list.  If the program
was listed, it responded "not allowed", otherwise it responded "allowed",
thus it claimed that drinking was allowed, and wild sex was allowed, etc.

Also, if you requested lesson "god", it claimed:

no, does not exist.

Finally, when PLATO converted a lesson from tutor (yuk!) into its intermediate
form, it was called "condensing" the lesson, so if you request lesson "milk",
PLATO responds:

Now condensing milk.

And this is a teaching computer??

marcus hall
..!ihnp4!tellab1!tellab2!thoth
-- 
marcus hall
..!ihnp4!tellab1!tellab2!thoth