Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #05250
To: "'beam@sgiblab.sgi.com'" beam@sgiblab.sgi.com
From: Steven Bolt sbolt@xs4all.nl
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 23:51:54 +0200 (CEST)
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: Something funny with the 1382 voltage triggers?
On Sat, 10 Jul 1999, Wilf Rigter wrote:
> Since this specifically mentions my name, will thrust myself back into the
> fray. Steven, I submit that "tinkering" is the natural process of evolution
> through selective incorporation of random mutations. That selection process
> through reproductive success occurs in NATURE as well as BEAM land.
I'm sure you realize I intended no insult to those who tinker. I
enjoy tinkering!
---8<---
> The root of this functionality remains the optimized subsystems
> approach and certainly not complexity of the system for the sake
> of complexity.
Hear, hear.
Present BEAM tech, however, isn't scalable enough to allow much in
the way of optimized subsystems forming a greater whole. And that
state of the art, as far as this list is concerned, has changed
little since the beginning - now quite a few years ago - despite
plenty of tinkering. Imho Occam's Razor hasn't been applied much.
It has been mostly a matter of keeping component count low, and
looking at pretty much the same things happen over and over again.
But you have offered quite a few improved SEs and many other
circuits, together with good descriptions in text. Perhaps it is
time to design a complete Wilfbot?
There will always be room for the next photovore and 2-motor
walking device, but a few more ambitious, still perceived to be
BEAM projects would make a real difference.
On the other hand, as Jim V. pointed out, BEAM is not bad just as
it is. Perhaps it *should* stay the same forever, like Peter pan.
> Aside from many biological examples, one relatively complex
> circuit example of this is my ZX97 project, a reverse engineered,
> much improved version of the ZX81 legacy personal computer which
> can be seen at:
>
> http://www.xs4all.nl/~rodneyk/
Very nice project. Looks like design rather than tinkering :)
Btw, I'll soon be offline for a while, and off-list perhaps for a
longer while. Once again it has been entertaining and inspiring.
Thank you all, especially for making some of us dream up the
Robot Easter Egg Hunt!
Goodbye for now,
Steve
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# sbolt@xs4all.nl # Steven Bolt # popular science monthly KIJK #
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