News
Micro Softy 67: Three Switches and a Song
1+ hour, 39+ min ago (736+ words) One of the first things computer engineers learn is digital logic and the'most fundamental is switching theory." We'll'give the answer to this Micro Softy next week.' Here's last week's Micro Softy.' 'Choose any three-digit number, say 567, and repeat it: 567,567. Divide…...
Micro Softy 66: Reducing Repetitive Repetition
6+ day, 22+ hour ago (727+ words) Good programmers have to be BFF's with numbers. With this in mind, here's this week's Micro Softy. It's tough and mathy. Choose any three-digit number, say 567, and repeat it: 567,567. Divide it by the prime numbers 13, then 11 and then 7. In each…...
Artificial Specific Stupidity is Easy to Find – Just Ask
1+ week, 2+ day ago (511+ words) Artificial Specific Stupidity is Easy to Find " Just Ask'mindmatters.ai Donald C. Wunsch II The grandiose claims of AI emergence keep coming. And certain aspects are true. It is possible to search for a much broader and more specific range of…...
Micro Softy 62: The Ordeal of Sisyphus Fats
1+ mon, 4+ day ago (681+ words) The best computer programmers and engineers must be good at scheduling. This week's Micro Softy tests this ability. Big Tony Mullins, known to his friends as Sisyphus Fats, exercises by pushing a giant bowling ball up a 100 foot hill. Every…...
The Core Problem with Large Language Models
1+ mon, 3+ week ago (506+ words) I have shared many examples of the unreliability of OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, and other large language models (LLMs). Recent examples include evaluating a rotated tic-tac-toe grid, and labeling a possum's body parts. Some correspondents have objected that no one…...
Why do chatbots lead learners astray?
1+ mon, 3+ week ago (510+ words) While LLMs may be "just math" and statistically choose the next word as "autocomplete on steroids," they aren't reliably connected to reality. They don't know the meaning of anything. In fact, they know precisely nothing (Big Tech propaganda notwithstanding). So,…...
Monday Microsofty 59: Alfred Hitchcock’s Low-Pressure Tire
1+ mon, 3+ week ago (983+ words) Editor's note: Due to seasonal travel issues, the Monday Microsofty could not be published until today. To be a good computer scientist or engineer, you have to be a nerd. Nerds like me are offended by flawed portrayals of mathematics…...
Monday Microsofty 58: Is a Famous Bassist His Own Grandfather?
2+ mon, 17+ hour ago (924+ words) Are you sharp enough to code for a top software company? Our Monday puzzles are based on the types of questions they are known to ask, hence the name of the series. Some of these questions include topics like "relativity....
The Chatbots’ Most Dangerous Correlations
2+ mon, 4+ day ago (654+ words) I am something of a Gary Marcus fan. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is not. Gary Marcus is a psychologist, cognitive scientist, and author. But, more recently, he is best known for his criticisms of Silicon Valley's love affair with generative…...
Micro Softy 54: A Plane Problem for Aspiring Engineers
2+ mon, 4+ week ago (797+ words) Today's Micro Softy tests whether you are clever enough with math to code computers or be an engineer. Here's the story: Senator Kornn did not like Governor Friar. Both were from Texas. When Kornn learned that Governor Friar was visiting…...