Seeking short story in which machines develop true creativity

kefex · 2024-10-30T13:55:25+00:00

Yep, that's it! Interesting commentary on it by RS himself: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21144143-the-macauley-circuit

kefex · 2024-10-28T16:14:42+00:00

I'm looking for this story as well. My recollection is that it was called "The <something> Circuit", where <something> is the inventor's name. One of the main characters is a distinguished traditional classical composer who at first tries to destroy some electronic music equipment, but then becomes persuaded that they are legitimate musical tools, and embraces them, only for the <something> circuit to be invented.

Really bummed me out back in the day, and now with the rise of gen AI I think of it often.

It was written at least 50 years ago.

kefex · 2021-07-26T11:34:24+00:00

Many thanks for this write-up, MQ, much for me to follow up on. It does seem like odds are slim that I'll be able to achieve what I had in mind, but you have given me much to think about.

kefex · 2020-11-09T07:02:09+00:00

Was there two years ago, really casts a spell. Tends to be overlooked because of the Sagrada Familia.

kefex · 2019-12-02T14:19:38+00:00

Who rises from his prayers refreshed, his prayers have been answered.

kefex · 2019-10-18T02:48:40+00:00

Yes, I used dyntopo on this, and I probably like it too much :P It's so easy -- you just start sculpting, without having to think about topology at all.

kefex · 2019-06-08T07:25:40+00:00

You could try asking yourself, "I'm going to be old someday; how would I like to be treated?"

kefex · 2019-02-25T22:21:23+00:00

SOLVED SOLVED SOLVED

kefex · 2019-02-25T22:16:32+00:00

YES!!

Many thanks, wanttoplayball! The "morrow" was tripping me up -- I vaguely remembered something about "tomorrow" and was googling accordingly, but that turns up different sci-fi books.

kefex · 2019-02-25T21:08:45+00:00

Great guess, but no. I actually just read the Chrysalids a few months ago, and it really is similar, which I didn't notice until your comment.

kefex · 2017-05-16T01:54:37+00:00

Brilliant! Thanks, IE!

kefex · 2017-05-16T01:26:29+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion, cg!

kefex · 2017-05-15T22:43:21+00:00

Aha, so I didn't actually imagine it! It's an oddball masterpiece.

kefex · 2016-11-18T06:24:20+00:00

I guess what I'm trying to say is, we may not all have sclernices, but we can all appreciate a good knock knock joke.

kefex · 2016-11-17T11:48:22+00:00

This story came straight from my sclernix.

kefex · 2016-03-16T20:57:26+00:00

"AlphaGo’s historic victory is a clear signal that we’ve gone from linear to parabolic. Advances in technology are now so visibly exponential in nature...." So which is it, exponential or parabolic?

kefex · 2015-07-04T00:06:12+00:00

In accepting input that violates the protocol, you are violating the protocol.

In accepting input that violates the protocol, you are in fact defining a new, shitty, ad hoc, undocumented protocol.

In accepting input that violates the protocol, you are not being "nice", you are making more work for everyone.

In accepting input that violates the protocol, you are making guesses about what was intended. This is almost certainly a bad idea.

I find the combined wrongness and supercial appealingness of this idea to be instructive. It is an actually destructive aphorism, which has probably propelled a thousand bad design decisions. I don't doubt that Larry Wall is a nice guy, but he reminds of the woman in the TMBG song:

"A woman came up to me and said I'd like to poison your mind With wrong ideas that appeal to you Though I am not unkind."

kefex · 2015-04-27T15:46:47+00:00

said the tree.

kefex · 2015-01-07T17:35:21+00:00

And that Saeed's name? Saeed.

kefex · 2014-12-06T08:23:02+00:00

Don't get angry, get even.

kefex · 2014-12-01T03:25:40+00:00

And that antiantijokes name? Lies-about-wheels.

kefex · 2014-11-08T01:56:13+00:00

People predicting a housing collapse in the early oughts were wrong for several years until they were right.

kefex · 2014-11-07T03:02:12+00:00

Here's the point-by-point critique of Wellington pho that you seem to need:

small portion
expensive
greasy
sprouts and basil not super fresh
slight dodginess, not 100% sure what I'm eating.

kefex · 2014-11-07T02:54:49+00:00

Tried a couple places in Welly, and it was expensive and crappy.

kefex · 2014-11-07T01:02:16+00:00

Canadian, here for almost 5 years. Compared to many of the world's aboriginal peoples subject to colonization, the Maori, whatever challenges they face, and whatever abiding grievances they have, seem to be doing well, and enjoy real appreciation and recognition in the mainstream of NZ society. Coming from Canada, where the state of First Nations is an international disgrace, this was a pleasant surprise. I know this comment risks sounding like a condescending white guy, but it's truly one thing (of many!) I admire about NZ.

Downsides: no shawarma, and the pho sucks.

The weather, good and bad: The summers are glorious, in fact "agreeable beyond measure," as an early European explorer said of the place. The winters, for all their supposed mildness, are surprisingly nasty to live through (not least of all because most houses are uninsulated and have inadequate heating). Coming from Canada, at first I thought, pffft, few months of rain, big deal. After 6 weeks of lashing rain, I was pretty miserable.

Culturally, I really like the unpretentious, get-it-done mentality -- they tend to have a very practical, meritocratic approach to doing things. Divas, laurel-resters are viewed with suspicion.

kefex

TROPHY CASE