This is actually a blog simulator

The old joke goes: "On the Internet, no one knows you're a dog." Better minds than mine have extrapolated deeper meanings from this truism, specifically as it applies to the lack of true identity in this here world of textual blather, but I was reminded of it recently for a couple of reasons. For one, James (kawaiiryuko) recently analogized his lack of knowledge of a local language to a lack of distinction between him and an animal. I disagreed, but there's something to be thought about there. In addition, though, the return of a chatterbot to our IRC hangout had me thinking back to forgotten trains of thought about conversational machines and simulated humanity. It has been known (or, at the very least, rumored), that the odd unwary chat wanderer has stumbled, unknowingly, into conversing with an automated chatting program, much to the hilarity of those in the know. But I can also say, from personal experience, that I have known such programs to occasionally make more sense than their carbon-based counterparts.

There is a point to all this, I think. Originally I had thought it was this: that much of what's unique about online existence is the ambiguity of identity...the uncertainty of what I'm "really" like, or if, indeed, I really am at all. As much as you may be convinced that there's someone writing this blog, these could just as easily be recycled sentences, cobbled together from a near-infinite store of other people's words and run through a grammatically aware blender made to crap out a result. It's been done before. And really, in a way, that's all any of us have. But to frame the experience in such terms, I've come to think, sort of misses the heart of the matter. To say that my existence as you think of me is in question is to obscure the larger issue. The real point, to me, is that it doesn't actually matter if I'm really here or not. The words and sentences and thoughts that you're reading are still the same, regardless. Who cares if there's a mind like yours behind the creation of this paragraph? The only thing that matters is that there's a mind like yours that's reading it. Party on, thinking being! :)

This somewhat rambling introduction, by the way, is just to encourage everyone to check out the Chatterbox Challenge that's currently underway, where you can converse with various artificial chatting agents and vote for your favorites. Rest assured that the minds behind those conversations are not actually aware of themselves, and so can be safely regarded as non-identities.

...Probably.

( Lexical ramblings )

( My last couple days )

( Of blogs and Friends )

( Links and ramblings...starting with computer security and a crappy analogy )

So, yeah...it's clear that I still have no editing skills. :) It's been revealed to me from time to time that I spew so much garbage here that people can't always get through it all. I've long understood this to be a problem, and I just wanted to let you all know that there's no hard feelings. I'd probably have a hard time reading me, too. :)

In closing, then, a PSA: Don't forget to spring forward an hour this weekend for Daylight Savings Time. Ah, Daylight Savings Time. How well I've grown to know you as the years have gone be. I swear on the sword of my father...one day, I will destroy you.

Peace out, party people. :)