Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Madam Butterfly - my first brush with AI
Myself, Youtube ^ | 8/25/2025 | johnny generic

Posted on 08/27/2025 10:42:16 AM PDT by johnnygeneric

While in college back in the mid-1970s, I wrote a short story on AI. I give a little background on the early mini-computers I operated with a photo of the Honeywell H200 I took.

I don't have the original short story anymore but I wrote a pretty good summary highligting the major theme.

Essentially, a computer operator was given the opportunity to train a computer as it discovers the world and asks questions.


TOPICS: Books/Literature; Computers/Internet; Education; History
KEYWORDS: ai; artifical; computers; intelligence

Click here: to donate by Credit Card

Or here: to donate by PayPal

Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794

Thank you very much and God bless you.


1 posted on 08/27/2025 10:42:16 AM PDT by johnnygeneric
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: johnnygeneric

That was pretty good.


2 posted on 08/27/2025 10:51:55 AM PDT by reed13k
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: johnnygeneric

AI of the 70s/80s/90s and even 2000s was a lot different from the AI of today. A single breakthough paper from Google (’Attention is all you need’) change the course of AI. It was a quantum jump.


3 posted on 08/27/2025 10:52:08 AM PDT by libh8er
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: libh8er
changed
4 posted on 08/27/2025 10:52:44 AM PDT by libh8er
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: johnnygeneric

Good story!


5 posted on 08/27/2025 10:59:27 AM PDT by Jamestown1630 ("A Republic, if you can keep it.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: libh8er

Prolog was the AI language I used in the 80’s.


6 posted on 08/27/2025 10:59:35 AM PDT by Waverunner (Torah! Torah! Torah! my favorite IDF radio code.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: reed13k

Thanks, reed13k!!


7 posted on 08/27/2025 11:06:57 AM PDT by johnnygeneric (Blocked website)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Jamestown1630

Much appreciated, Jamestown1630


8 posted on 08/27/2025 11:07:56 AM PDT by johnnygeneric (Blocked website)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: libh8er

libh8er, I crack up everytime I think of the Karl Maldin movie “Billion Dollar Brain...” LOL!!! Whenever I watch an old movie that ultimately shows a bunch of blinking lights, I yell out loud to the family “That’s a computer! Do you want to know how I know??” Nobody ever asks me “How??” But I telll them anyway.


9 posted on 08/27/2025 11:13:33 AM PDT by johnnygeneric (Blocked website)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: johnnygeneric

Wow, obviously you were so ahead of your time which is why I must assume you were picked up in a government van and whisked away until the time was right to release you into the emerging AI landscape you “prophesied”.

How do you feel now?


10 posted on 08/27/2025 12:11:33 PM PDT by Racketeer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: johnnygeneric

Lost in space was my first encounter with AI in the 1950s.

Barbarella (1968) is broadened by understanding.

Terminator completed the understandig. Cyberdyne lives.


11 posted on 08/27/2025 12:18:53 PM PDT by spintreebob
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: johnnygeneric

A good but underrated movie.


12 posted on 08/27/2025 12:25:05 PM PDT by wally_bert (I cannot be sure for certain, but in my personal opinion I am certain that I am not sure..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson