Re: [sl4] Complete drivel on this list: was: I am a Singularitian who does not believe in the Singularity.

From: Robin Lee Powell (rlpowell@digitalkingdom.org)
Date: Tue Oct 13 2009 - 03:15:23 MDT


On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 01:37:53AM -0700, Robin Lee Powell wrote:
> On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 01:32:10AM -0700, John K Clark wrote:
> > On Tue, 13 Oct 20 "J. Andrew Rogers" <andrew@ceruleansystems.com>
> > said:
> >
> > > The undecidability of the Halting Problem is predicated on
> > > infinite memory.
> >
> > Yes, so if you have limitations even with infinite memory you sure
> > as hell are going to have limitations with a real computer with
> > finite memory.
>
> ...
>
> You don't actually know anything about formalized computation, do
> you?
>
> The halting problem occurs *BECAUSE THE MEMORY IS INFINITE*.
>
> Jesus. You're not even trying to listen, are you?

To expand on this:
http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1052796.1052798

The halting problem *is*, in fact, decidable for finite computers,
says that paper.

The ACM is not in the habit of publishing things that haven't been
*very* thoroughly reviewed.

I don't have an ACM account these days, so I'll have to leave it to
others to personally review it should they wish.

Anyways.

John: the problem you're talking about simply doesn't exist in real
computers. Sorry.

-Robin

-- 
They say:  "The first AIs will be built by the military as weapons."
And I'm  thinking:  "Does it even occur to you to try for something
other  than  the default  outcome?"  See http://shrunklink.com/cdiz
http://www.digitalkingdom.org/~rlpowell/ *** http://www.lojban.org/


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