The Guardian for this meeting was Yakuzza Lethecus. The comments are by Yakuzza Lethecus.

Bruce Mowbray: 's current display-name is "Bruce".
--BELL--
Bruce Mowbray: Heya, Wol.
Wol Euler: wotcher, bruce
Wol Euler: just a sec, making tea
Bruce Mowbray: np.
Bruce Mowbray: still waiting for Yaku to arrive.
Wol Euler nods.
Wol Euler: oh, he sent me an IM that I just noticed, he'll be 20 to 30 minutes late
Bruce Mowbray: kk, thanks.
Bruce Mowbray: Are you at the end of another work-week, then?
Wol Euler: not really, it all blends in together
Wol Euler: the week-end is not a real concept to me
Bruce Mowbray: :)
Wol Euler: I occasionally have some days off, that#s about it
Bruce Mowbray: I understand.
Wol Euler: I hope to have tomorrow off, but may be called in for an hour or two
Bruce Mowbray: Yes.
Wol Euler: working sunday and probably both days next weekend, since we have a competition due in early April
Bruce Mowbray: my typist used to work for a group home, and was on call 24/7.
Bruce Mowbray: ,so I do understand.
Bruce Mowbray: are you competing with another spa?
Wol Euler: yes, though it's a tiny project. Just the foyer/offices/kitchen/changing rooms
Bruce Mowbray: ahhh!
Wol Euler: which in a normal spa project is a bit off in the corner, which you do half-heartedly before you get on to the *real* work :)
Wol Euler: but in this case it's the entire project
Wol Euler: which is an intriguing change of focus :)
Bruce Mowbray: hmmmm.
Bruce Mowbray: I am detecting that "gumption" is part of the deal -- one needs motivtion.... even in "small" projects.
Bruce Mowbray: I have spent the day working on my Sunday school lessons that will be delivered in May.
Bruce Mowbray: On Gnosticism.
Wol Euler smiles.
Bruce Mowbray: The deeper I go with it,
Wol Euler: planning ahead?
Bruce Mowbray: the more intriguing, it becomes.
Bruce Mowbray: Now I am seeing connections between Hellenistic thought and contemporary theology.
Bruce Mowbray: Wow.
Wol Euler nods.
Bruce Mowbray: via Gnosis, at that!
Bruce Mowbray: anyway, the big challenge for me now is reducing fears to some more "handle-able" size.
Bruce Mowbray: this -- reducing this*
Bruce Mowbray: there is such an enormous amount of material out there.
Wol Euler: that was an intriguing slip :)
Bruce Mowbray: and I am given no more than two half-hour periods to present everything.
Wol Euler smiles.
Bruce Mowbray: Yes!
Bruce Mowbray: Slips are cool!
Wol Euler: heheheh
Wol Euler: Freud thought so
Bruce Mowbray: Well, blame it on Dragon naturally speaking...
Bruce Mowbray: here comes Zen
Bruce Mowbray: he knows about Dragon.
Bruce Mowbray: I am trying the voice recognition software for the first time ever, today.
Bruce Mowbray: so the slope was actually not mine,
Bruce Mowbray: slip*
Bruce Mowbray: it was Dragon's.
Bruce Mowbray: Ha ha!
Wol Euler: cool, and odd
Bruce Mowbray: yes, very odd, indeed.
Bruce Mowbray: have you used this software before?
Wol Euler: me? never
Bruce Mowbray: kk,
Wol Euler: I am comfortable typing, and type quickly, so I never saw the need
--BELL--
Bruce Mowbray: well, I need to do a combination of Dragon and my own typing.
Bruce Mowbray: I guess I'm trying to get around my typos.
Bruce Mowbray: Or perhaps I should say, my typists typos.
Bruce Mowbray: ha ha!
Bruce Mowbray: opps, dragon left out an apostrophe.
Wol Euler: say that quickly five times :) a finger-twister
Bruce Mowbray: ha ha.
Bruce Mowbray: say that five times.
Bruce Mowbray: Say that five times.
Bruce Mowbray: Say that five times.
Bruce Mowbray: Say that five times.
Bruce Mowbray: Say that five times.
Wol Euler pokes you.
Bruce Mowbray: ha!
Bruce Mowbray: that
Bruce Mowbray: that
Bruce Mowbray: that
Bruce Mowbray: that
Bruce Mowbray: that
Bruce Mowbray: Well done, Dragon!
Wol Euler applauds!
Bruce Mowbray: the Dragon can count.
Wol Euler: clever dragon!
Wol Euler: must have been eating wizards.
Bruce Mowbray: yes!
Bruce Mowbray: a a a a.
Bruce Mowbray: (That was a lugh!)
Bruce Mowbray: no, that was a laugh.
Bruce Mowbray: Dragon has two large a vocabulary... Me thinks.
Bruce Mowbray: Best to keep the two simple words, like laugh.
Wol Euler: the phrase "idiot savant" comes to mind
Bruce Mowbray: Best to do my own typing.
Bruce Mowbray: Yes, idiot savant.
Bruce Mowbray: Have you even know one, I did!
Bruce Mowbray: known*
Wol Euler: no, never knowingly met one
Bruce Mowbray: I have only met one in my entire life.
Bruce Mowbray: Sadly, he was very restricted in normal affairs,
Bruce Mowbray: but he could go down an aisle of the cereal boxes,
Bruce Mowbray: and hours later, he could recite to you
Bruce Mowbray dies from laughing....
Bruce Mowbray: the precise names of every box,
Bruce Mowbray: groups. I didn't mean to do that.
Bruce Mowbray: Anyway, he could recite to you
Wol Euler nods.
Bruce Mowbray: the precise names of every cereal box
Bruce Mowbray: as well, as their order in the aisle.
Bruce Mowbray: Amazing fellow.
Wol Euler nods.
Bruce Mowbray: During the discovery process,,,,
Bruce Mowbray: by which I mean our discovery of his abilities,
Bruce Mowbray: we were discussing ( the group home staff was discussing)
Bruce Mowbray: the correct spelling of the word Philippines
Bruce Mowbray: and this young man,
Bruce Mowbray: a resident at the home,
Bruce Mowbray: instantly dispelled it for us.
Bruce Mowbray: sp and spelt it correctlyelled*
Bruce Mowbray: spelled*
Bruce Mowbray: which is more than naturally speaking can do!
Bruce Mowbray: , anyway
Wol Euler chuckles.
Bruce Mowbray: we then investigated further...
Bruce Mowbray: And it seems that
Bruce Mowbray: this young man had memorised maps.
Bruce Mowbray: So,
Bruce Mowbray: we began to ask him the capitals
Bruce Mowbray: of various States.
Bruce Mowbray: Not only could he name every single one,
Bruce Mowbray: but he could spell them correctly,
Bruce Mowbray: and he could tell you what rivers ran through them.
Bruce Mowbray: So,
Bruce Mowbray: I said,
Bruce Mowbray: what is the capital of Arkansas?
Bruce Mowbray: I was trying to trick him.
Bruce Mowbray: Not only by the spelling of the word Arkansas.
Bruce Mowbray: But by finding out whether he knew its geography.
Wol Euler nods.
Bruce Mowbray: and he instantly answered,
Bruce Mowbray: "little rock " - "that is where the black and white rivers come together
Bruce Mowbray: Wow.
Wol Euler: indeed
Bruce Mowbray: we immediately went to an atlas,
Bruce Mowbray: and looked up Little Rock, Arkansas.
Bruce Mowbray: And sure enough,
Bruce Mowbray: that is where the black and white rivers come together.
Bruce Mowbray: He knew that.
Wol Euler nods.
Bruce Mowbray: He had never been outside Ohio.
Bruce Mowbray: We were astounded.
Wol Euler: just knew his maps ...
Bruce Mowbray: Yes, he knew his maps.
Bruce Mowbray: And there is a great sadness in this.
Wol Euler raises an eyebrow.
Bruce Mowbray: One night I was called by the police.
Bruce Mowbray: To come rescue him.
Wol Euler: oh, just a sec, I have to go deliver a hug, sorry
Bruce Mowbray: Okay, but take your time.
--BELL--
Wol Euler: sory about that
Wol Euler: you were saying?
Bruce Mowbray: no problem!
Wol Euler: you had to rescue him ...
Bruce Mowbray: hugs are a priority.
Bruce Mowbray: yes, I had to rescue him.
Wol Euler smiles.
Bruce Mowbray: It was late at night,
Bruce Mowbray: Andy. He had gone to a fast-food restaurant,
Bruce Mowbray: andand*
Bruce Mowbray: not Andy!
Bruce Mowbray: and he had gone to a fast food restaurant,
Bruce Mowbray: and urinated in their air conditioner
Wol Euler raises an eyebrow.
Bruce Mowbray: well, needless to say,
Bruce Mowbray: I was all about trying to get this young man "normalise."
Bruce Mowbray: And so,
Bruce Mowbray: we devised a method by which we could let him know
Bruce Mowbray: that it was time to come home.
Bruce Mowbray: We got him a device that he could wear
Bruce Mowbray: that would broadcast my own voice to him
Bruce Mowbray: telling him that where ever he was in the town,
Bruce Mowbray: it was time for him to think about coming home.
Bruce Mowbray: And getting some sleep.
Wol Euler smiles.
Bruce Mowbray: This was always his choice.
Bruce Mowbray: This was never my order.
Wol Euler: understood
Bruce Mowbray: Yes,
Wol Euler: but guidance is good
Bruce Mowbray: that is the essence of it.
Bruce Mowbray: The choice must be his.
Bruce Mowbray: And sometimes,
Bruce Mowbray: he did not choose to come home.
Bruce Mowbray: And so it goes.
Bruce Mowbray: And then, the normalisation involved consequences that normal people would incur.
Bruce Mowbray: I did not enjoy that.
Wol Euler nods.
Bruce Mowbray: But there it is.
Bruce Mowbray: You understand this.
Bruce Mowbray listens.
Wol Euler: I do
Bruce Mowbray: yes, I know you do.
Wol Euler smiles.
Bruce Mowbray: I know of your family experience.
Bruce Mowbray: Both with your father and sister.
Wol Euler nods.
Bruce Mowbray: I do not mean to disclose any secrets,
Wol Euler: it's okay
Bruce Mowbray: only to let you know that I understand, and that I know you understand.
Bruce Mowbray: , SoY where is Yaku?
Wol Euler: he didn't say ...
Bruce Mowbray: heh!
Wol Euler: they were out somewhere, that's all I know
Bruce Mowbray: I hope he is not lost,
Wol Euler: and presumably still are out
Bruce Mowbray: perhaps in a fast-food restaurant,
Bruce Mowbray: late at night.
Wol Euler: looking for the airconditioner
Bruce Mowbray: I am pretty sure
Bruce Mowbray: that Yaku knows about restrooms.
Wol Euler grins.
Bruce Mowbray: we can hope.
Wol Euler: and he has his family to help him keep an even keel
Bruce Mowbray: Obviously, my friend in group home did not know about them,
Bruce Mowbray: or else, perhaps he had other priorities in mind.
Wol Euler: or he thought it would be a funny joke, and didn't think beyond the punchline
Bruce Mowbray: Like memorising things in the restaurant.
Bruce Mowbray: We will never know.
Wol Euler nods.
Bruce Mowbray: Yes, Yaku has family
Bruce Mowbray: have you seen photos of his dutiful son?
Bruce Mowbray: beautiful - not dutiful, sry.
Wol Euler: many :)
Wol Euler: video too :)
Bruce Mowbray: All great!
Wol Euler: yeah
Bruce Mowbray: what a handsome lad.
Wol Euler nods.
Bruce Mowbray: and what a proud papa.
Wol Euler: definitely :)
Bruce Mowbray: I miss our sessions at five Bells.
Wol Euler: yeah
Bruce Mowbray: we used to talk to each other through microphones,
Bruce Mowbray: and it was really cool.
Wol Euler: though I was seldom at any ... it was usually too early for me
Bruce Mowbray: But somehow, that session - which used to proceed this one - has fallen by the wayside.
Bruce Mowbray: Yes, too early.
Bruce Mowbray: I understand.
Wol Euler: my understanding is that nobody attended for a month, so he gave up
Bruce Mowbray: I think I will claim this session and post it later,
--BELL--
Bruce Mowbray: sense. Apparently, Yaku is not going to make it here
Wol Euler nods.
Bruce Mowbray: ha ha.
Wol Euler: ah well :)
Bruce Mowbray: since*
Wol Euler nods.
Wol Euler: it amuses me to try to figure out how a particular mistake came to be made
Wol Euler: with cases like that, it just mis-heard you
Bruce Mowbray: one thing that naturally speaking, demonstrates is how complex human speech actually is.
Wol Euler: oh yes
Bruce Mowbray: Yes, it misheard me.
Wol Euler: human translators' jobs are still safe for another decade at least
Bruce Mowbray: I would think so, yes.
Bruce Mowbray: And there are a nuances in pronunciation
Wol Euler: I reckon, actually, and this might be a long-term bet that one could lay, that the first true AI will be created by accident in the course of creating a better translator
Wol Euler: that by teaching a machine to understand language fully, we will in fact teach itt to think
Bruce Mowbray: I am fascinated by artificial intelligence.
Bruce Mowbray: Yes I agree.
Bruce Mowbray: But human language is almost infinitely complex.
Wol Euler nods.
Wol Euler: and yet babies learn it
Bruce Mowbray: There are so many levels of interpretation.
Bruce Mowbray: Metaphor is.
Bruce Mowbray: Metaphor.
Bruce Mowbray: Symbol.
Bruce Mowbray: Nuance.
Bruce Mowbray: Allusion.
Wol Euler: I noticed today that my boss's six year old kid is using the subjunctive tense!
Bruce Mowbray: OH my!
Bruce Mowbray: conditional!
Wol Euler: which is a nest of complicated understandings of time and causality
Wol Euler: yeah
Bruce Mowbray: if there is, if there is not, my.
Wol Euler: it was a "wow" moment
Bruce Mowbray: Yes indeed.
Bruce Mowbray: He is how old?
Bruce Mowbray: OIC: 6.
Wol Euler: six and ahalf
Bruce Mowbray: six and one half.
Bruce Mowbray: That is amazing.
Wol Euler: yep
Bruce Mowbray: I remember teaching - or trying to teach - the concept of subjunctive to my eighth graders.
Wol Euler: it#s been a delight and a privilege, and a sorrow, to watch them growing
Bruce Mowbray: It just happened to be
Bruce Mowbray: the same day that our principal came to observe.
Wol Euler: heheheheh
Bruce Mowbray: I thought to myself, OMG!
Bruce Mowbray: or something like that.
Bruce Mowbray: But it went extremely well.
Bruce Mowbray: I was so impressed with the kids.
Bruce Mowbray: I was so impressed by their capacity for stretching.
Wol Euler nods.
Bruce Mowbray: And they seemed to express themselves so well,
Bruce Mowbray: whether the principal was present Renard.
Bruce Mowbray: or not.
Bruce Mowbray: *
Wol Euler giggles.
Bruce Mowbray: or not*
Bruce Mowbray: ha ha!
Wol Euler: a very strange mishearing
Bruce Mowbray: yes, a stretch is an apt at up.
Bruce Mowbray: laughs!!!!
Wol Euler: who put the word "renard" into its vocabulary`?
Bruce Mowbray: Heya, Liz!
Eliza Madrigal: 's current display-name is "Eliza".
Wol Euler: and why?
Wol Euler: hello eliza!
Eliza Madrigal: Hi sorry to arrive at end... lol
Wol Euler: you are looking very summery
Wol Euler: beachware?
Bruce Mowbray dies from laughing....
Eliza Madrigal: yes! weather is nice in Miami lately
Bruce Mowbray: Oh my!
Bruce Mowbray: is this the end?
Eliza Madrigal: beautiful friend...the end...
Eliza Madrigal: I was talking with an interesting person.. preinterview turned into hr long chat
Eliza Madrigal: lol always happens
Wol Euler smiles.
Bruce Mowbray listens.
Eliza Madrigal: would love for you two to see the work of someone I talked to recently, but will stop recording when you want to hear :)
Wol Euler: oh that sounds good
Bruce Mowbray: Would love to see it.
Wol Euler: shall we?
Bruce Mowbray: I will delete it from the chat log.
Eliza Madrigal: fire when ready
Bruce Mowbray: ready!
Eliza Madrigal: ah, hosting for Yaku, Bruce?
Eliza Madrigal: lol okay
Bruce Mowbray: yes, just subbing.