I've heard about the book "The Man Who Lied to His Laptop: What Machines Teach Us About Human Relationships" by Clifford Nass and Corina Yen.

Nass' basic idea seems to be that humans interact with our electronic devices as if they were just another human. We feel the need to protect our relationships with our devices.

A scripted interaction between two real intelligences is difficult to control. When Nass replaced one of the two real intelligences with an artificial intelligence (manifested physically as a computer / user interface), he found out a ton of interesting things about the human psyche. This research is totally legit. It's like, lauded by dudes from Harvard, etc.

!!!!FAR OUT!!!!

To me, this seems like our need to protect our relationships with our pets.

To me, this seems like evidence that we are truly post-human. If we were to lose our devices now, the world would literally go into a global state of mourning/mental illness (plus our supply system would fail and we'd all die). Whenever I thought of the prospect of global computer failure before now, I never actually thought about mourning for the computers. Neat.

[Edited by - taby on September 8, 2010 12:25:48 AM]

The irony is that if technology dissapeared, the most educated and civilized ones would suffer the worst part. Happily, they represent a minority of the human race.

Quote: To me, this seems like our need to protect our relationships with our pets.

Hold on there. Someone thinks of their pets as family members and love them dearly. Don't tell me you do this with your computer too.

Quote: Original post by YoYoFreakCJ

Quote: To me, this seems like our need to protect our relationships with our pets.

Hold on there. Someone thinks of their pets as family members and love them dearly. Don't tell me you do this with your computer too.

I don't know, I much prefer my computers to the family's cat.

None of my computers have ever slept in the basket of clean laundry and covered it in hair. None of my computers have left random presents around the house. None of my computers has ever cried all night long while I'm trying to sleep, despite being given food, clean litter, fresh water, etc etc.





And none of my computers has ever tired to kill me on the stairs!

Cats are evil.

Quote: Original post by Talroth
Cats are evil.

I don't think so[smile]

Quote:
Nass' basic idea seems to be that humans interact with our electronic devices as if they were just another human. We feel the need to protect our relationships with our devices

What about Nass-I think that he (like any other mentally ill man) try to project his own mind to other (normal) people and suggest us that we are computer addicts.
Too much computers are evil.

[Edited by - Krokhin on September 8, 2010 12:43:53 PM]

Quote: Original post by YoYoFreakCJ

Quote: To me, this seems like our need to protect our relationships with our pets.

Hold on there. Someone thinks of their pets as family members and love them dearly. Don't tell me you do this with your computer too.

Actually, I just read an article about how Japanese dudes are going on little vacations to a resort in Japan with a virtual chick. I mean it's really involved.

Quote: Original post by Talroth
Cats are evil.

That's why you get a dog instead :)

Quote: Original post by InnocuousFox

Quote: Original post by YoYoFreakCJ

Quote: To me, this seems like our need to protect our relationships with our pets.

Hold on there. Someone thinks of their pets as family members and love them dearly. Don't tell me you do this with your computer too.

Actually, I just read an article about how Japanese dudes are going on little vacations to a resort in Japan with a virtual chick. I mean it's really involved.

You realize this requires a link. You're a mod, man! You should know better **wags finger**

Quote: Original post by Alpha_ProgDes

Quote: Original post by InnocuousFox

Quote: Original post by YoYoFreakCJ

Quote: To me, this seems like our need to protect our relationships with our pets.

Hold on there. Someone thinks of their pets as family members and love them dearly. Don't tell me you do this with your computer too.

Actually, I just read an article about how Japanese dudes are going on little vacations to a resort in Japan with a virtual chick. I mean it's really involved.

You realize this requires a link. You're a mod, man! You should know better **wags finger**

Not sure if you need an account or not... it's a WSJ article.

Only in Japan, Real Men Go to a Hotel With Virtual Girlfriends

Idoru. I wonder if it was an original "Made In William Gibson's mind" idea or if he took it from somewhere else.