- Need help with topic
- Posted by C. Supha on October 18th, 2004
I need a little help with a paper topic that I'm trying to research.
Here's the topic:
As we know everything in the digital world is stored and transmitted
as a string of bits. The meaning of these bits is determined during
the manipulation of information.
Here's what the prof. wants to me to research:
1) Discuss the implications of this paradigm
2) Describe what would be the pros and cons to computing if
information were stored and transmitted with specific meaning.
I've got #1 down. But I'm having difficulty trying to find good
sources for #2. The prof. is no help, as he just says keep
researching. Does anyone have a clue what #2 mean, or has any source
that can help me out here?
Thanks
Charles
- Posted by John on October 18th, 2004
C. Supha wrote:
He's probably trying to get you to think about the difference between
syntax and semantics. Syntax is the string of bits, semantics is what
the message 'means' in some sense.
My opinion is that trying to reason about the 'meaning' of something is
futile, and that we can simply translate between the syntaxes (?) or
different languages.
This seems to be more an exercise in thinking than research, but the
above should get you started.
John
- Posted by °Mike° on October 18th, 2004
Go back to your professor and tell him that you
don't understand the question, not that you want
help with it; once you understand it, you will be
able to proceed with your research.
On 18 Oct 2004 08:19:47 -0700, in
<170d13c3.0410180719.176d8bd1@posting.google.com >
C. Supha scrawled:
--
Basic computer maintenance
http://uk.geocities.com/personel44/maintenance.html
- Posted by Rôgêr on October 18th, 2004
C. Supha wrote:
I interpret it as saying that instead of a string of 0's and 1's, what
if computers thought in abstract terms the same as humans. A computer
does not and cannot (until some drastic design changes take place)
understand anything. It doesn't "know" what a car is or what happy
means. It can only manipulate 0's and 1's and translate the results back
into human terms.
- Posted by Charles Supha on October 19th, 2004
"Rôgêr" <abuse@your.isp.com> wrote in message
news:tMSdnUeifeC1kuncRVn-pw@pghconnect.com...
I'd like to thank you all for your responses...They have given me at least
something to write about for the 2nd part....
C.
