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What is the purpose of computers?
Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2019 8:53 am
by Dontaskme
Maybe the answer is to create a computer that can think about the question of it's own existence
Would that make it human? or make us computers?
.
Re: What is the purpose of computers?
Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2019 2:04 am
by Impenitent
the purpose can only be drawn from a series of on and off switches...
-Imp
Re: What is the purpose of computers?
Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2019 1:29 pm
by commonsense
The formula bar of an Excel spread sheet is the original purpose for a computer. Currently, computers are used to solve large or hard problems.
No, by any definition of human, computers are not human nor are humans computers.
Re: What is the purpose of computers?
Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2019 2:51 am
by Arising_uk
Oh! The youth today.
You'd have to decide which computer you want to call the original computer but say we start with Babbage's Difference Engine(although they could never get it to work due to materials problems) that was built to tabulate polynomial functions or you could choose ENIAC and that was for building artillery plotting tables and then thermonuclear weapons research or Turing's Colossus for cryptography, etc, but basically for solving mathematical problems.
Re: What is the purpose of computers?
Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2019 3:27 am
by Greta
Computers are extensions and (imprecise) reflections of the human brain.
Re: What is the purpose of computers?
Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2019 3:58 am
by wtf
Greta wrote: ↑Wed Mar 27, 2019 3:27 am
Computers are extensions and (imprecise) reflections of the human brain.
They have apps to find a parking spot for your car.
https://www.wisebread.com/the-11-best-p ... -your-city
Re: What is the purpose of computers?
Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2019 12:27 pm
by Dontaskme
Greta wrote: ↑Wed Mar 27, 2019 3:27 am
Computers are extensions and (imprecise) reflections of the human brain.
And what is a human brain a reflection of?
.
Re: What is the purpose of computers?
Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2019 9:35 pm
by Greta
Dontaskme wrote: ↑Wed Mar 27, 2019 12:27 pm
Greta wrote: ↑Wed Mar 27, 2019 3:27 am
Computers are extensions and (imprecise) reflections of the human brain.
And what is a human brain a reflection of?
The simpler brains of other species.
Re: What is the purpose of computers?
Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2019 1:10 pm
by commonsense
Dontaskme wrote: ↑Wed Mar 27, 2019 12:27 pm
Greta wrote: ↑Wed Mar 27, 2019 3:27 am
Computers are extensions and (imprecise) reflections of the human brain.
And what is a human brain a reflection of?
Computers.
Re: What is the purpose of computers?
Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2019 3:42 pm
by Dontaskme
commonsense wrote: ↑Thu Mar 28, 2019 1:10 pm
Dontaskme wrote: ↑Wed Mar 27, 2019 12:27 pm
Greta wrote: ↑Wed Mar 27, 2019 3:27 am
Computers are extensions and (imprecise) reflections of the human brain.
And what is a human brain a reflection of?
Computers.
That means brains are not the source of consciousness, because computers are not conscious.
Re: What is the purpose of computers?
Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2019 7:05 pm
by commonsense
Dontaskme wrote: ↑Thu Mar 28, 2019 3:42 pm
commonsense wrote: ↑Thu Mar 28, 2019 1:10 pm
Dontaskme wrote: ↑Wed Mar 27, 2019 12:27 pm
And what is a human brain a reflection of?
Computers.
That means brains are not the source of consciousness, because computers are not conscious.
Interesting.
Re: What is the purpose of computers?
Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2019 7:18 pm
by Logik
The purpose of computers is to compute.
Re: What is the purpose of computers?
Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2019 10:25 pm
by surreptitious57
Dontaskme wrote:
Maybe the answer is to create a computer that can think about the question of its own existence
Would that make it human ? or make us computers ?
Computers have processing capability and memory retention that is way beyond human ability
They however cannot yet think for themselves and therefore have to be operated by humans
Computers can only be computers but the human mind is actually a biological computer also
Everytime you use logic you are using the biological computer otherwise known as your mind
Re: What is the purpose of computers?
Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2019 10:44 pm
by Impenitent
Arising_uk wrote: ↑Wed Mar 27, 2019 2:51 am
Oh! The youth today.
You'd have to decide which computer you want to call the original computer but say we start with Babbage's Difference Engine(although they could never get it to work due to materials problems) that was built to tabulate polynomial functions or you could choose ENIAC and that was for building artillery plotting tables and then thermonuclear weapons research or Turing's Colossus for cryptography, etc, but basically for solving mathematical problems.
thus spake abacus...
-Imp
Re: What is the purpose of computers?
Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2019 10:54 pm
by Logik
Arising_uk wrote: ↑Wed Mar 27, 2019 2:51 am
You'd have to decide which computer you want to call the original computer
The original computer is "the original computer".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_computer
The term "computer", in use from the early 17th century (the first known written reference dates from 1613),[1] meant "one who computes": a person performing mathematical calculations, before electronic computers became commercially available
Human computers were used to compile 18th and 19th century Western European mathematical tables, for example those for trigonometry and logarithms. The computers, often educated middle class women who society deemed it unseemly to engage in the professions or go out to work, would receive and send back packets of calculations by post
Human computers, both men and women, were involved in calculating ballistics tables during World War I
The word has evolved somewhat since then and people tend to forget that Turing observed human computer at work before he came up with his concept.
And lets not forget that Human Computers are used to this day:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Mechanical_Turk