Alan Winfield's Web Log

A few weeks ago we had a visitor to the lab who asked a seemingly straightforward question: "what is a robot?". A perfectly reason...

Or, why GNU/Linux isn't going to take over the world just yet. I just spent a gruelling weekend installing the excellent open source Pla...

I came across the Edge website last week, whose home page declares the rather grand aim: To arrive at the edge of the world's knowledge...

Software is remarkable stuff. Ever since writing my first computer program in October 1974* I have not lost that odd but exhilarating sense ...

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed a spate of predictions of human-equivalent or even super-human artificial intelligence (AI) in rece...

Consider that humblest of automata: the room thermostat. It has a sensor (temperature) and an actuator (boiler on/off control) and some arti...

Just started reading Sue Blackmore's new book: Conversations on Consciousness. Great introduction - but I have stalled already on Q2 of ...

Gosh this is interesting. Although an internet user since before there was an Internet*, I am completely new to blogging; a newbie blogger i...