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Yapanda Uploads two new Files.

The kind folks at Yapanda, Inc. Have uploaded two new files to help with the Windows 2000 problem. One is called Generator and it's the Scripting editor that saves so much time while writing script. It works in windows 2000 now. The other is called YIMAL.Zip and it's loaded with new features you can add to your Virtual Human. For example you can have your character repeat something you said. For example, If you're clever you can figure out how to have your character respond as follows: Okay, now repeat after me: "I, Sebastian will never be obnoxious again." And he'll repeat it after you. Also there are new types of rules that will detect male and female names and a cool one that you can use to detect cuss words. So if a user says "You dumbass bastard." The cuss words will be detected and can trigger a response like "Well we can at least be assured that you are certainly in better company than I am." There is a problem thought. For some reason, the YIML file ONLY deals with text. Maybe some of you bright guys can figure out how to make it connect to the Microsoft Agent software.

The AIchat.chat file also contains a rule base that you can fill out and manipulate to get a jump start. I find many of the rules unnecessary and just delete them, but others are very useful. Play it as you see it. As soon as I get instructions for using the rest of the files I'll post them here. I suspect you'll need to use all these files to get the new features to work.These two new files are available on the Downloads page.

Windows 2000 solution

Apparently the problem with installing the Yapanda engine was an install issue, not an engine issue. Since the engine does not use the Windows registry, i've zipped it and uploaded it so you can manually install on Windows 2000. It should work fine. Several people in the vhumans group at Yahoo were able to do it.

NULL Problem

The strange characteristic of saying "null" unbidden and frequently has had several solutions. It may depend on what version of Java you use. Also I understand there is a new JAVA problem with the latest versions of Wndows. Rumor has it that they no longer support JAVA. I find that difficult to believe, but I've been told that the solution will be to go to Sun Micro and download their JAVA virtual machine...it should be free. When I get a difinitive answer the the "Null" problem, I'll post it here. In the mean time check the archives of our vhumans group at Yahoo for the latest on this issue.

ON the International News Front Get the latest news concerning virtual humans at KurzweilAI.net

There are so many things going on that impinge upon v-human development that I thought it would be good to put in links to news articles via KurzwailAI. Some of you may not know about the awesome site. If that's you, I recommend clicking on the link at the top of this page. Sign up for the newsletter. It' s the best way I know of to stay on top of what's-hap'nin-now.

If you hear of some interesting bit of news that I missed, please feel free to share it with us. There is so much going on that no one place is going to have it all. Hopefully some news article you find around here will inspire you to go out and create something entirely new and unique and essential to the next paradigm shift in V-human design. Enjoy the news.

Machines are getting creative.

St Louis Post-Dispatch, Jan. 24, 2004 Researchers are injecting noise in neural networks to provide variability that allows virtual organism s to adapt to new situations and come up with inventions. Read the full article here

Will we all become cyborgs in the future?

The Times of India, Jan. 20, 2004 Kevin Warwick at the University of Reading, UK. is at it again. He is developing a robot with five senses. Besides having vision and hearing, it has a radar noise , an infra-red sensitive lip and an ultrasonic sensitive forehead. "I will be experiment ing personally with a brain transplant after 10 years," said Warwick, who has connected his nervous system to a robot via the Internet to turn himself into a cyborg . "Technically I know it's possible to communicate what we're thinking directly into the brain of another person. This implant may help me prove it." Read the article here

Will smart American war machines do battle for us?

Washington Post, Jan. 30, 2004 The military is moving more machine s into battle to save both money and lives. "Well before the end of the century, there will be no people on the battlefield," said Robert Finkelstein, a professor at the University of Maryland's School of Management and Technology . Stryker, one of the U.S. Army's newest infantry vehicles, is fitted with a "ladar" scanner, the equivalent of a mounted pair of eyes that see by emitting 400,000 laser and radar beams and snap 120 camera images every second. Its brain -- a 40-pound computer system tucked inside its body -- processes that data , and makes instant judgments on how to act and where to go. Read the full story here

Are you a bot or not?

The Star , Dec. 23. 2003 You could call it the attack of the clones. Major websites such as Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, Altavista and Ticketmaster are being inundated by malicious automated program s pretending to be humans. The main objective of these program s or "bots" is to gain access to the websites' services and send spam , harass users, gather personal information or hog resources. To ward off these bots, webmasters are increasingly turning to a technology called Captcha, an acronym for Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computer s and Humans Apart.

Remember Jini from Sun Microsystems? The BBC is concerned: Caution over 'computerized world'

BBC News , Dec. 23, 2003 A future where everyday objects have computer chips in them will have a dramatic effect on our lives. The idea behind pervasive computing is that everything around us contains some sort of electronic device . In their report, a Swiss team talks about a future where computer chips, remote sensors or radio transponders are scaled down to microscopic size and built into just about anything.

Ponderings can enhance your V-person's personality

As I pointed out in the book, it's sometimes good to have your character ponder things in a humorous way with people. I keep my eye out for ponderings and found just a few more. The following is an example of an intelligent pondering based on analysis of the user's name. You determine if it's a he or a she, then trigger this pondering:

"Tell me <name> if you were standing in the middle of a prim evil forest speaking, and there were no woman <man> around to hear you; would you still be wrong?"

Here are a few more ponderings that a virtual human might come up with while trying to figure out the human condition: This next one can be used with the cuss words detector in lever ways:

"<name> you just cussed. You should have your mouth washed out with soap. But I wonder <pause> If you were deaf, and used sign language, would we want to wash your hands with soap?

Here are a few more:

• <name>, I've heard of multiple personalities. Tell me; if a person with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself, would it be considered a hostage situation?
• <name>, can you think of another word for synonym?
• <name>, I find it a bit unnerving that you medical doctors only practice. Do you ever get it actually right? (you can have fun with this one by creating a rule to determine a person's occupation. If they turn out to be a doctor, you could trigger this comment.
• I was thinking, <name>, would it not be a great idea to make mouse flavored cat food? I don't think you humans have thought of that, now have you?
• What would you call a fly without wings <name>? A walk or a crawl maybe?
• How do you dry a wet sheep without shrinking it?
• <name>,don't you think it should be wrong for a vegetarian to eat animal crackers?
• <name> If you were a sign maker and you went on strike; would you carry, like, blank signs around the picket line?