Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 Fluke 1/4/84; site fluke.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!mgnetp!ihnp4!zehntel!tektronix!uw-beaver!ssc-vax!fluke!moriarty From: moriarty@fluke.UUCP (Jeff Meyer) Newsgroups: net.flame Subject: Re: interesting news article - AT&T AI projects Message-ID: <1174@vax2.fluke.UUCP> Date: Fri, 27-Jul-84 12:49:23 EDT Article-I.D.: vax2.1174 Posted: Fri Jul 27 12:49:23 1984 Date-Received: Mon, 30-Jul-84 00:02:19 EDT References: <292@ihlpf.UUCP> Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Everett, WA Lines: 52 For the sake of posterity, I think we should mention several of the earlier, more pioneering projects: 'the rich rosen / dick dunn parallel abuse device' This was one of the more famous of the early "random name-calling" devices, where a 'rich rosen' process was created which gainsaid everything its prototype stated; the process ID for this complement program was 'dick dunn' (notice the common use of first name/last name identical initials). Both were programmed to escalate their co-abuse at an exponential rate; a great deal of new ground was broken by the programmers, who had to delve deeply into medical textbooks to provide enough data for the processes' constant derogatory references to the other's sexual limitations. 'One of our most exciting experiments', said one enthusiastic researcher. 'obscure subject virus program' This project developed a process which would travel from one site to another, post news about a pre-selected, fantastic subject. "No one is quite sure WHO decided the subject would deal with demonic Wombats", sam$Halloway, "but there is no doubt that this was a true winner, if only for a limited time. Other subjects, like mangos, just haven't caught on." 'net egging-on process' "This is probably the project with the most potential for long-distance profit", said a Bell Labs official. "We have a watchdog process which notices when a topic for conversation begins to die out from lack of interest. The watchdog, whose prototype name is currently 'moriarty', then posts several outrageous (and often moronic) notes with the intention of resparking the initial argument; it often posts simple messages saying how much it is enjoying arguements posted by our parallel name-calling processes." Some of the features in this project include a poor spelling generator and a device which creates phrase embedded in many levels of parenthesis. "A power so great, it can only be used for Good or Evil!" Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc. UUCP: {cornell,decvax,ihnp4,sdcsvax,tektronix,utcsrgv}!uw-beaver \ {allegra,gatech!sb1,hplabs!lbl-csam,decwrl!sun,ssc-vax} -- !fluke!moriarty ARPA: fluke!moriarty@uw-beaver.ARPA