From: Ross A. Finlayson (extropy@apexinternetsoftware.com)
Date: Fri Sep 13 2002 - 01:58:01 MDT
The other day I was thinking about the discussion about the keyboard
sampling to get "random" numbers. Those numbers or statistics aren't
particularly random. In fact, they're almost completely signature, for
a large enough sample of keyboard or mouse activity two different
persons' entry would reveal which person it was.
One thing I've written in the past is something along the lines of "you
are what you write", or "you are what you say". This is about how what
you say about other people reflects your understanding. Basically that
is about the difference between fact and opinion, when there is a
difference, and the understanding and comprehension of fact.
Anyways, by studying a variety of a person's personal discourse,
particularly with regards to discussion of other people and themselves,
it's possible to truly derive an at least superficial caricature of that
person.
It's like moving in with Eskimos. After a harsh winter living and
working with the Eskimos, the Eskimos conclude you are a novice
fisherman. When they sit around talking about fishing, and they discuss
you, they say you have a lot to learn about fishing. They're fishermen.
In a way the subject header is reminiscent of the playground taunting
response to taunt: "I know you are but what am I?"
The more you hear from a person, the easier it is to derive their
personality, and even motivations.
At some point in time it's possible to turn this sort of thing into a
study, and an art, and a science. There are computer programs that
extract phrases from text and reconstitute statements of similar
attitude. You may have heard of graphology, the study of the written
signature, in a way it is like that, the study of the written signature.
A keyboard and mouse are the beginnings of an instrumented workstation,
personal analog input to a computer device. The computer readily
tabulates moderate amounts of information.
Have you had your vision checked recently? There is a new machine at
the optometrist. You look into a pair of goggles on the machine, and
the picture starts blurry and snaps into focus. I was impressed with
how it calculated a prescription. The doctor compared the prescription
with a regular prescription from the spinning lenses mask. I wonder if
it worked with the principle of immediate optical characteristics of
recognition or coming into focus. Otherwise if you know how that device
works please say.
There are certain physical tell-tale responses to mental evaluations,
conscious and subconscious. These vary. The brain itself is a physical
construct that is non-physio-invasively scannable, the responses refer
to various muscle activations, facial movements, blood pressure,
breathing, and as well neural electrochemical activity reflected in skin
characteristics.
Where does this go? in a way it is similar to the consideration of
impacts of mind-reading.
Ross
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sat Nov 02 2002 - 09:17:00 MST