eighty-twenty

Some people tell computers what to do. When they do, they have to talk about what the computer is to do each time it hears something new. They can’t easily talk about how the computer can learn which other computers are in the area. The computers can’t see each other, so usually computers find each other by talking to each other and listening to see if anyone talks back. Exactly how this should work is hard to explain to the computer.

My work is to try to find a way to let computers see each other. I want to let them see which other computers are near without the need for them to talk to each other about who is around and who is not all the time. That way we can tell computers how to do their job without needing to explain, over and over, the hard stuff about how they can learn which other computers are near.

We will be able to tell computers not only what to do when they hear something new, but also what to do when they see their friends come and go. It will be quicker and easier to tell computers how to do their jobs right, and harder to tell them wrong things to do.

I used this to make sure I only used allowed words. See also http://xkcd.com/1133/!