Jeopardy?

[Koba]

Hello All;

Just wanted to add a note here about the latest poem I posted with the title "Jeopardy?". I wrote it in about an hour which is light speed for me. As I was posting it the thought occured to me that many people (especially those out of the country) would not have a clue as to what I was talking about, so I am posting this to explain.

Jeopardy is a game show here in the US. It is a game where three contestants are given a board with 6 categories and 6 answers each in each category. They pick one at a time and they are given an answer for which they must come up with a question. So, if a category was Capitol Cities, and the answer was Paris, the contestant must say "what is France?" That is a simple example. Many of the questions are much more challenging. It is a game which tests general knowledge about many subjects.

IBM developed a computer to actually play the game. They refined it so much that they were willing to challenge the two greatest players in the history of the game. Their computer was enormously complex and large, taking up several rooms in the building. It is capable of choosing, betting, speaking, and of course answering questions.

The game was played out over three days on national TV. The computer defeated the two bests players handily mainly because of the speed with which it is capable of punching in to answer. It was a bit embarrassing for the human players. But the computer had its moments. It answered once "What is Leg?" which got a big laugh from the audience because it made no sense. Secondly on a Final Jeopardy question under the category "US Cities" it answered "What is Toronto?" which brought gasps from the crowd.

My poem tells my thoughts about whay happened.

I also wonder what kind of poetry a computer might be capable of writing? THAT to me would be a real challenge for the IBMer's to meet. My guess is right now it might be capable of very simple basic stuff. But with enough programming can a computer have the talent to write a poem that might leave people gasping over its beauty and depth? Time will tell!

 

[Esperanza_Hidalgo]

Hello All;

Just wanted to add a note here about the latest poem I posted with the title "Jeopardy?". I wrote it in about an hour which is light speed for me. As I was posting it the thought occured to me that many people (especially those out of the country) would not have a clue as to what I was talking about, so I am posting this to explain.

Jeopardy is a game show here in the US. It is a game where three contestants are given a board with 6 categories and 6 answers each in each category. They pick one at a time and they are given an answer for which they must come up with a question. So, if a category was Capitol Cities, and the answer was Paris, the contestant must say "what is France?" That is a simple example. Many of the questions are much more challenging. It is a game which tests general knowledge about many subjects.

IBM developed a computer to actually play the game. They refined it so much that they were willing to challenge the two greatest players in the history of the game. Their computer was enormously complex and large, taking up several rooms in the building. It is capable of choosing, betting, speaking, and of course answering questions.

The game was played out over three days on national TV. The computer defeated the two bests players handily mainly because of the speed with which it is capable of punching in to answer. It was a bit embarrassing for the human players. But the computer had its moments. It answered once "What is Leg?" which got a big laugh from the audience because it made no sense. Secondly on a Final Jeopardy question under the category "US Cities" it answered "What is Toronto?" which brought gasps from the crowd.

My poem tells my thoughts about whay happened.

I also wonder what kind of poetry a computer might be capable of writing? THAT to me would be a real challenge for the IBMer's to meet. My guess is right now it might be capable of very simple basic stuff. But with enough programming can a computer have the talent to write a poem that might leave people gasping over its beauty and depth? Time will tell!

I liked the poem because I felt like you were making a statement that no matter the machine, it will never have a soul, appreciating beauty, art, poetry, or the horizon on a Spring Morning.

Really made me harken to an old Asimov series I read as a teen, the Robot series.

 

[UnderYourSpell]

Thanks for the explanation I already knew what Jeopardy is but not about the computer taking part!

 

[EroticOrogeny]

I heard this recently on the radio WILL COMPUTERS REPLACE SCIENTISTS?
The author holds to the position that some aspects of human thought can not be replaced.
One common test is the Turing test.
Passing this appears more ambiguous in terms of consideration of emotions - machine may lack them, but how can you tell?

 

[bflagsst]

Post a link to the poem next time.

The poem itself was pretty weak, journal entry and thoughts type of thing. As was mentioned, the computer had the advantage of speed. If they just asked each contestant every question independently I don't doubt that the human players would win.

 

[EroticOrogeny]

Post a link to the poem next time.

The poem itself was pretty weak, journal entry and thoughts type of thing. As was mentioned, the computer had the advantage of speed. If they just asked each contestant every question independently I don't doubt that the human players would win.

in something like Jeopardy?
The game has some associative aspects, but largely relies upon lookup - a task we often leave to computers,

 

[twelveoone]

Jeopardy is a game show here in the US. It is a game where three contestants are given a board with 6 categories and 6 answers each in each category. They pick one at a time and they are given an answer for which they must come up with a question. So, if a category was Capitol Cities, and the answer was Paris, the contestant must say "what is France?" That is a simple example. Many of the questions are much more challenging. It is a game which tests general knowledge about many subjects.


I also wonder what kind of poetry a computer might be capable of writing? THAT to me would be a real challenge for the IBMer's to meet. My guess is right now it might be capable of very simple basic stuff. But with enough programming can a computer have the talent to write a poem that might leave people gasping over its beauty and depth? Time will tell!

what is

I had a spider up my arse
bugs me, dontcha know
better than a blag flag staff
and empty in Idaho

0101

 

[twelveoone]

Post a link to the poem next time.

The poem itself was pretty weak, journal entry and thoughts type of thing. As was mentioned, the computer had the advantage of speed. If they just asked each contestant every question independently I don't doubt that the human players would win.

A machine to humble humanity!
the brain of a butterfly

By jove, I think he said he was a new writer, look a trick. Done twice, couldn't have been random.

 

[Esperanza_Hidalgo]

Post a link to the poem next time.

The poem itself was pretty weak

Respectfully, I counter.

The language is part of the genius of this piece, supporting the overarching theme--machine cannot create beauty.

It is an amazing poem, actually sophisticated IMHO. A contradiction of language use with stilted phrases.

 

[twelveoone]

Post a link to the poem next time.

The poem itself was pretty weak, journal entry and thoughts type of thing. As was mentioned, the computer had the advantage of speed. If they just asked each contestant every question independently I don't doubt that the human players would win.

thoughts yes, organized to a degree, I thought that was the point of poetry.
Journal entry - no.

 

[bflagsst]

A machine to humble humanity!
the brain of a butterfly

By jove, I think he said he was a new writer, look a trick. Done twice, couldn't have been random.

Notice in the quote, I use the defining term 'poem'. The poem was weak, typical off the cuff journal entry. Man vs. Machine, how fascinating not venturing out 19th Century Romanticism. There's nothing new in his/her language, certainly aren't saying anything in a fascinating way.

 

[Koba]

I think Esperanza is the only one who got it right, it is truly a work of genius! Lol. Probably not. As I said I wrote "Jeopardy?" in less than an hour after watching the second show. I didn't think much of it myself at first so I wasn't gonna post it. Then I thought, "Hell, it's ok; and if it gets a bunch of 1's for scores, so what! I'll live!" So I posted it. Then I thought that some people may not understand it (not knowing about the game show) so I started this thread.

Well, lo and behold, more people have read "Jeopardy?" than the last three poems I have posted combined. Seven times as many people voted on it than a previous poem which I thought was better and which took me five days to write. And the poem received an "H" which most of mine don't so I guess there is something about it that has some appeal.

It is definitely not genius. It may be weak but so what? It is a poem. It is poetic.

The title is the name of the show with a ? mark. Am I talking about the name of the show or am I asking if mankind is in jeopardy because of what occured on the show? " "A show trial!" Am I talking about the fact that this is a trial run of a computer on a show, or am I comparing this to a Stalinist show trial? Then a machine "humble humanity"! But with poetic alliteration? There are then a few lines which are "choppy" and undoubtedly journalistic. And that was done on purpose because those lines are concerned directly with the computer which by the theme of the poem is not capable of being poetic. The second strophe is more general, getting to the crux. We can contemplate a butterfly's brain but we can never understand it. I don't know how a butterfly's brain came about, whether by God or by some evolutionary force, but whichever, everything that man "creates" is but a poor fascimile of the creation of the marvels in Nature of which man is a part. And this applies to even the greats like Mozart and Michelangelo. And even of this new computer given the human name of "watson" who was "created" over a period of four years by a team of IBM geniuses.

Like all "poets" I am a bit sensitive about my work but I try to not take it all too serious whether the grades are good or bad. BUT, it is a poem! That I am sure of. And I am tempted to make a statement here about what I feel about the opinion of an effete intellectual wannabe, but I won't.

 

[twelveoone]

And I am tempted to make a statement here about what I feel about the opinion of an effete intellectual wannabe, but I won't.

Me, yeah, I know. I always had problems with being an effeteist elitest.
Anyway just between one who doesn't know WTF is going on to another. (shuts the door 'cause this is private convo.)
Here is what you did, you had fun, other people had fun. The poem was not overdone, and looking at it again, it has more structure than I remembered, you also managed to move from the specific to the general, which I just happened to learn about yesterday. ( I always manage to move from the specific to the disaster)
To be fair to bflagsst and company, it is a little lacking in the "poetic elements", but you did manage to miss "boron" which is a sure killer. And also to be fair, considering the source material, it probably would have been better as a mere essay. Somebody like Billy Collins could have made a good poem of the material.
On a minor note, an off page reference like a name "Watson" can give you trouble, I had no idea what it was until I finally got around to reading the papers.
You got an "H", don't let it go to your head, you do have miles to go as Frost said. We all do.

 

[theognis]

I also wonder what kind of poetry a computer might be capable of writing? THAT to me would be a real challenge for the IBMer's to meet. My guess is right now it might be capable of very simple basic stuff. But with enough programming can a computer have the talent to write a poem that might leave people gasping over its beauty and depth? Time will tell!

It's just my opinion, but I think computers will eventually be able to do far more than we can even imagine. The possibilities are limitless. I think it's even possible we may one day merge with them; we may give them a heart, and they may give us a brain.

 

[bflagsst]

I want my star trek next generation realities.

Hey, I wasn't trying to be a snot. I could've been more specific on why I agreed the poem had been written hastily and to me, haphazardly. Writing on man vs. Machine is a pretty stale topic, much older than computing.

 

[butters]

I want my star trek next generation realities.

Hey, I wasn't trying to be a snot. I could've been more specific on why I agreed the poem had been written hastily and to me, haphazardly. Writing on man vs. Machine is a pretty stale topic, much older than computing.

i just want to find some good examples of iambic tetrameter quatrains to choose one for Lauren's glosa challenge it's not easy! i'm getting tons of quatrains, but mostly as sonnets, pentameter, not the abab or aabb scheme i need, and a damned virus tried to hop aboard as well that i recognised from before so shut it off quickly!