Meme

[ng_moonmoth]

This meme, which apparently sourced from journalmemes , arrived on my reading list from a number of places. I wanted to play. It seems appropriate to me to provide the opportunity to return the favor -- or for anyone else who'd like to play to join. So:

Leave a word, any word, in the comments below, and I will tell you a fact about myself relating to that word.

Comments

[tomakeanoffer]

anthropomorphic.

(SOrry this is a bit late, I hope you don't mind.)

Nope, don't mind at all

[ng_moonmoth]

A topic I'm following with a good degree of interest right now is the interplay between computationally-controlled devices and anthropomorphic characteristics of those devices. Subjects that were once the realm of science-fictional speculation are now becoming unavoidable realities.

For example, does giving a robot a name, a voice, or a human shape make it seem more human? It may be the same device, with the same capabilities, but our visceral reactions to it may well wind up determining what sort of treatment will be considered abuse.

Mix that up with anthropomorphism's blurring of the boundaries of humanity, which I suspect is a big part of the discomfort it can generate (especially among those who ideologically deny that we are just a certain kind of animal), and you've got a big, hot, steaming mess that's just itching to land on institutions that demand quick answers instead of thoughtful consideration, and is likely to cause considerable damage when it does.