[From Rick Marken (920301)]
Well it's been pretty quiet out there. I hope that means everyone
is working hard. I have been. I've finished maybe 5 pages of
"the book" -- not much but at least I was concentrating on it.
I didn't catch the aurora -- but I saw one when I was up there
in the North -- good ol' Minnesota. But one incredible
astronomical phenomenon per year (the July eclipse for me)
is enough for me.
I hope we get more of the Beer/Powers stuff soon. I don't
know about others, but in only two or so posts so far the
difference between the PCT approach and the conventional
approach is becoming crystal clear -- and in a very detailed
way. Note how the Beer approach relies on stimuli to GUIDE
behavior. In the PCT approach, we try to imagine what
sensory variable the animal might be controlling if we are to
see a particular behavior. The PCT approach would be a lot easier if
there were data on the kinds of variables that bugs actually
control. Now we are in the position of doing "the test" in a
kind of roundabout way; we guess at the controlled variable
based on our undserstanding of what the organism "does" (what
we see as its actions) and what we know of how the environment
works (the latter being the toughest part). Then we make the
model control these variables in this kind of environment.
This approach is problematic because lack of success could be a
result of 1) poor choice of controlled variable or 2) insufficently
detailed environmental model. The best way to do this modelling,
I think, is to start by determining some controlled variables.
One last infuriating comment -- related to jury duty. I have
not yet been selected for a jury -- but the two I was almost
selected for were cases where no crime was committed --
well, a law was broken but there was no crime from my
point of view; nothing was hurt other than some sensibilities.
Do we really need to spend all this time and effort trying
to stop people from violating our good taste?
By the way, one was a prostitution case; the other a drug case.
There are people begging on the streets, shooting each other
regularly, robbing, hurting, abusing and being abused. And
I'm supposed to waste my time deciding whether or not someone
put the wrong kind of thing into their own mouth. Jeez.
Ok, this isn't PCT but, then, we had so much fun
with religion, maybe we can get some excitment stirred up
on victimless crime.
Best regards
Rick
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Richard S. Marken USMail: 10459 Holman Ave
The Aerospace Corporation Los Angeles, CA 90024
Internet:marken@aerospace.aero.org
(310) 336-6214 (day)
(310) 474-0313 (evening)