I had to actually look up the term "symbiosis" since I was unaware of the meaning. "Symbiosis" means something of a close interaction between two biological species. Well, I know that computers are not biological in nature but I got he point. Humans and computers interract with each other and will continue to do so. It seems that they are now an inherant part of our daily lives at this point.
I had noticed about half way through my reading of the article that the work was published in 1960. My immediate response was that for an article of this nature to be published at that time was quite visionary. It is almost definite that computers were not even a household word at that point in time.
The author J.C.R. Licklider mentions concepts and ideas such as "artificial intellegence". A concept of machines that make intellectual decisions. In doing so, it mentions the decline of man in favor of thinking computers. I immediately thought of the Queen song, "Machines(or back to humans) during this portion of the article. Is it possible that someday man will become obsolete?
Most of the article reminded me of my tenure at Cabrillo College. A place where I studied computer science. I often found much of what I read to be quite a bore. I responded to sections of this article in the same manner. Sections such as Memory Hardware Requirements and Memory Organization Requirements. Sections like these mentioned seemed like an instructional handout to me. ZZZZZZZ!
Not all sections of this article put me to sleep though. Visionary concepts such as the section on "anticipated symbiotic association" and "voice recgognition" brought a lot of interest to me. It was just a few weeks ago that a new program was introduced to the Santa Cruz Police department. The department is currently using a new "probability program" in order to help them determine where crimes will occur. The Santa Cruz Police department has seen some success with the use of this tool. Also, everyone has used voice recognition by now. I know it drives me nuts to speak to a computer when all I want to do is get in touch with a real voice during a phone call to PG and E. It is so impersonal. Of course, it is what it is and we will see more of it in the future.
Obviously, Licklider had a great amount of insight in regards to the development of the computer. I'm not sure if he is still alive but it would be great for him to compare his initial assertions to how the symbiotic relationship between man and computers has become.
Yes I would have to agree with you that some parts of the article were very difficult to read and dreary. However, I also found it very interesting that the article was written in the 60’s and discussed technology that at the time seemed way ahead of its time. Reading this article now in an age that we rely heavily on computers for our daily lives really makes you wonder what is going to come in the future. I don’t know how much more I would want to rely on technology because I think we are too reliant as it is and I think that it is changing how we interact as a society. People have less patience and online forms of communication are making people less sociably apt.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I wasn't the only one who had to look up what symbiosis was! I totally agree with that "Humans and computers interact with each other and will continue to do so" Especially when it comes to the medical equipment that becomes more and more sophisticated. Where did you read about the police department and their new "probability program" that sounds really interesting! If you don't remember I'm sure I could google it to find the article. I agree with you when it comes to talking to use voice recognition for customer service on the phone, most of the time it won't take my commands which can be frustrating. It is one of those things you hope gets better with time! I also agree with you that it would be such an interesting thing to see how Licklider would feel about technology now. It reminds me of this book about a Native American man who grew up in the wilderness and in his adult life was able to ride in an airplane. I want to read it because that must have been such an incredible thing to see the transition of technology.
ReplyDeleteBeing an engineering major, reading an article like this was more like reading a textbook entry about the philosophy behind computers and its relationship to man than an article relating to new media. (I could infer what symbiosis was by reading the first few parts of the article, so I didn't have to really look it up since the vocabulary didn't detract from the points the article was making. I didn't want to get so hung up on a silly word like "symbiosis," anyway.)
ReplyDeleteI agree that even though it was written in 1960, the article was written in such a way that it was visionary in its aspirations and becomes very hypothetical with the explanations of communication, memory storage, etc. I took the approach that the author's "vision" hasn't been fully realized yet, which is true -- the advancements in technology haven't reached that symbiosis point yet, but it's getting close. Voice recognition is one example of something that’s already impacted many people’s lives, and it can only get better from here on out.
I agree this article was boring and I also had to look up the definition of Symbiosis. I also talked about the difficult process that can take place when a person calls to pay a bill over the phone. Which we all know can become very frustrating. But overall the article was not the easy for me to completely understand. When I was writing my blog I thought he was talking about having computers solve human problems and I thought he meant any problems someone might have. But I'm not really sure now that I have read responses on other students blogs.
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