Conversation

What makes a machine interesting (as opposed to useful)? Consider spectra from pure software to pure hardware machines and from simple (nut and bolt, addition algorithm) to complex (IC engine, Linux). What kinds of machines do you find most interesting? Why?
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Ones that feel “alive,” probably because you can’t fully predict their output from their input without doing a very deep stack trace... an image-generating GAN, a plane with autopilot, TARS from Interstellar
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i wonder if we can swap the classic Turing adage, if a machine is expected to be infallible, it cannot also be interesting but! projects relating to Esoteric Codes is interesting to me, there’s so much mystery and mysticism that it makes the world of machines fun
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A piece of technology is most interesting when it's purpose is least directed. Though, a highly directed piece of technology can become most interesting if its wielder elects to forget what it is for and then repurposes it!
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Machines whose underlying principle is simpler than I anticipated. Machines that use physics I don't have a good intuition for.
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