RE: SI Comparative Advantage [was Re: Free Will]

O'Regan, Emlyn (Emlyn.ORegan@actew.com.au)
Tue, 17 Aug 1999 17:07:16 +1000

> Since, once you have computed your trajectories, safety margins, etc.
> you don't have to stay "on", other than for routine maintenance tasks,
> the SIs could go into "sleep" mode. The best thing we could come
> up with at the Foresight Group Genius Weekend is that these entities
> are generally doing "nothing", but have a "wake me up when something
> interesting happens" alarm. If most of them are asleep, detecting
> them is going to be a real nightmare due to the low heat production.
>
> Robert
>
ah, if you have gone to the trouble of becoming an SI, why would you then snooze on the job? There's always something you can do with CPU/brain time. And wouldn't a permanently awake SI have an advantage over a strategically sleepy one, just because it's thinking more?

Or do you mean that doing "nothing" means doing entirely internal thinking, ie: not interacting with the outside world, but CPUs at 100%?

Emlyn
I just don't like the idea that SI's work like an office photocopier