Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #05254
To: beam@sgiblab.sgi.com
From: Sean Rigter rigter@cafe.net
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 17:46:11 -0700
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: Something funny with the 1382 voltage triggers?
God speed Steven, and thanks for all the fish!
wilf
Steven Bolt wrote:
>
> 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
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> # sbolt@xs4all.nl # Steven Bolt # popular science monthly KIJK #
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Hey, come visit my homepage at
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Nebula/1710/
Southpark, Mechwarrior2, V&V, Al-Qadim, and Milla Jovovich!
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