July 12, 2005

Lego Turing Machine. You know, that thing. Principles. The Turing machine was an abstract machine devised in 1936 by Alan Turing to give a mathematically precise definition of an algorithm or 'mechanical procedure'. In other words he formalised the concept of the algorithm. He was also dead sexy.
posted by Chyren 19 years ago
  • I suppose this proves that the concept of 'Lego computability' is formally equivalent to Church's Lambda calculus. Poor Turing could still have been alive but for his Cinderella suicide, and would presumably have been heaped with accolades and awards during the old age he never had.
  • The man who built that Lego Turing machine is a bit scary.
  • but for his Cinderella suicide I prefer a nice "big fat hard cock -- too big for you!!!111" suicide. Attracts less messy comments later in the day.
  • Come to think of it, I meant 'Sleeping Beauty' suicide (poisoned apple). All these Disney characters look alike to me.
  • Sorry, I must have been thinking of Feargal Sharkey.
  • ...Snow White.
  • I often mistake ole Feargal for ole Whitey, c'est de rien.
  • What can we learn from Turing machines? The main question is related to artificial intelligence. The Turing machine can perform any computation. Well, does the brain performs computations? If so, it is possible to imagine one day a computer that will have the same cognitive capabilities than a human. We could converse with it, it could discover new insight about physics, about the human nature... Quite the mind-boggling concluding remarks here. I can't quite figure out whether he's seriously misguided, just getting carried away, or half joking. It would be kind of cool to watch the Lego contraption at work, though.
  • Curious, here. Numbers and stuff baffle me so, is that lego thingy a sorta three-dimensional model of what those teachers were trying to say the slide-ruler was supposed to do? /goes back to her abacus.
  • dxlifer - What o/s does your abacus use? I'm thinking of upgrading from fingers and toes, but am hesitant to take the plunge...
  • ...101 Dalmatians
  • It's " Snow White " you spanners. Check your algorythms or whatever.
  • Dx, a slide rule is an application of logarithms: the notion that log a + log b = log (ab). The Turing machine was a formal model meant to describe any processes that can be computed by a machine. /still waking up, sorry *blinks sleepily*
  • *in shock* /if I don't have a clue what a f*cking algae rhythm is how does goetter think I understand the concept of logs with rhythm? I faked my way through numbers all through high school and never bothered again until I hit stats and methodology. Now that stuff I could get my mind around. Give me some stats and I can work miracles. I just can't add two and two and get two answers the same.
  • *buys dxlifer a drink*
  • ...The Little Mermaid
  • mct I don't know what I'd do without you. *chug-a-lugs* /now, two red sticks and two green sticks and you put them together and have... oh, all sorts of things.ΞιШם∑◊ /I don't do straight lines.
  • And I always read your nick as d/dx lifer. Ach, the irony.
  • Lego Turing machine, hah! Here is a Turing Motorcycle.
  • goetter what's the irony? mermaids? Does this all have something to do with that slide ruler? Numbers, money: they're all abstract nonsense to me. I keep telling people that money isn't real. My bank keeps pretending it is and throwing finite values in.
  • In Calculus, d/dx represents the derivative of a function wrt the variable x, that is, the rate of change of values of that function over every value of x. To take a very concrete example: if a function f(t) computes the number of rabbits surviving in a colony at the time t, then the derivative of f() over t is the rate of population change in the colony at any given t. So d/dx lifer is either a Tupac Shakur type with GEEK LIFE tattooed on his abdomen, or else the rate of change in your own life. And now you know. Mea maxima geekissima culpa.
  • Lego, as we all know, is one of our culture's paradigm "metaphysically-satirical" critiques: a joke on the idea of physical reductionism in all its building-block forms - the periodic table, the sextet of quarks, the G-A-T-C of the genetic code, and so on and so forth. The most obvious performance of this satire can be found in any "legoland" - I was at the one outside Munich two days ago. This "legoland" contains within its attractions a "miniland", consisting of lego representations of various famous cities of Europe - but one-eighth the size. The Venice was particularly well made. However, one of the cities represented is Munich itself, which (therefore) contains a lego sculpture of legoland, and so on ad infinitum. The quidnunc kid was thus presented with the phenomenon of a lego quidnunc kid, looking at a lego quidnunc kid, and etc and etc; thus indicating that the entire universe was merely smaller and smaller lego bricks - and hence, the whole universe was originally fashioned in Denmark. Who knew?
  • Lego touring.
  • The quidnunc kid was thus presented with the phenomenon of a lego quidnunc kid, looking at a lego quidnunc kid Ah, like this guy (with a less fabulous coiffure, of course).
  • AAAAAIIEEEE MY EYES THE BURNING
  • dx = diagnosis. As in: Rx = prescribe Hx = history. A life sentence, diagnosed as officially crazy. Hence dx/dt. Yes? Nice visual, bone. I'm still blinking.
  • I don't have the faintest idea what any of you are on about. Carry on.
  • I tried using goetter's formula to reconcile my bank statement. I should have stayed with the lego. Anyone have a dime? *begs beseechingly*