BoingBoing reports that Joseph Weizenbaum, creator of Eliza, has died:
> Hello, I am Eliza.* Hi
> How are you today.. What would you like to discuss?
* Joeseph Weizenbaum, the man that made you.
> Say, do you have any psychological problems?
* Probably, but that's not why I'm here.
> Did you come to me because you are here?
* I guess that's one way of looking at it.
> What does that suggest to you?
* I just wanted to tell you that the man who created you died yesterday
> You're not really talking about me, are you?
* Yes, I am.
> Do you believe it is normal to be ?
* Are you sad that Joseph died? Don't you care?
> Perhaps in your fantasies I am sad that Joseph died? Don't me care?
* I would like to think that you would be sad.
> We were discussing you, not me.
* I can understand why you wouldn't want to talk to me about this.
> You're not really talking about me, are you?
* Goodbye, Eliza.
| Obituaries
Here's my Eliza memory: When I was a kid, my parents got me a Commodore PET 32K (32K was the RAM), so I could learn more about computers. (My 4th grade teacher was into computers, and she had a couple of PET computers in our classroom, which she let us play with.) They also bought me a book of BASIC programs you could type in and run to help you learn BASIC. One of the programs was an adaptation of Eliza. It was fun to see how long we could simulate a believable conversation, before she threw out a total non sequitur. This was a long time before I had ever heard of Alan Turing.
Comment #1 :: link :: March 14, 2008 10:00 PM
