Threats of computers

Let us first define what we mean by thinking in humans. Thinking, according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, is “ to exercise the powers of judgment, conception, or inference” (2008). Since it is to exercise the powers of judgment, from a technical standpoint, computers can think. Through very well designed software, computers are able to simulate how humans think. This is called artificial intelligence. It is a well thought of process where a computer is able to decide given a set of conditions as inputs.

This ability to correlate and make decision from a large number of inputs is a clear example of the capability that computers are able to think. For example the “ deep blue”, a chess program, was able to defeat Gary Kasparov, the world chess champion (IBM, 1997). The simulated chess player uses the moves of Kasparov and an algorithm to process from a database of moves to play chess. The result is a chess thinking computer that is better than Kasparov.

Yet, if we look at thinking from the perspective of what makes humans unique, there is another factor that we need to add to thinking. We need to add human emotions and the moral or ethical standards by which our decisions are influenced. For example, there are cases where we use the less logical decision in favor of an ethical standard. Or sometimes, our feelings would determine the final decision. Since ethical standards and human emotions are most likely beyond the ability of computers, therefore we say computers are really not able to think.

Computers rely on fixed answer, normally arriving only at one decision per set of conditions because it is based on logic of 1 and 0 which can never be wrong. Therefore for every set of conditions, the computer will always have one decision, no matter how you do it again and again. Human thinking on the other hand involves judgment that normally does not involve a clear answer. It may even be partly guess. Therefore if given the same set of conditions, the decision is sometimes not the same all the time, unless otherwise if the situation is just very simple.

This is again because human thinking involves a lot of freedom to choose which normally just dictated by human emotion or by the ethical standards. Through this freedom, human thinking is able to cover almost anything, with the capacity to learn from it. Might Computers Be Able to Think in the Future? If we are talking of exactly the same computer that we have like the RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) or CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computer) based processor computers utilizing 1 and 0, definitely computers will not be able to think even in the future.

Computers will still be stuck with the same limitation of one fixed answer for a given set of conditions. It is something like not having the freedom of choice. Although there may be new technologies in the future that revolutionize the way computer decides like incorporate some levels of uncertainty in the final outcome, then it might be possible for computers to really think. So that if they are able to add programs that simulate emotions and simulate how we follow ethical standards then we can finally say that computers can think.

Right now the computer logics that we have are basically just a combination of “ if then else” with only two possible outcome of 1 or 0, which is true and false, if we are to use the same logic in the future, even with the most complex computer program, computers will not be able to think like humans. Another factor that limits our computer is that most decision making computers utilizing random generators are still based from either a fixed random table or an algorithm that generates pseudo random number, which is not really random.

This makes the final decision, in the real sense, not like human thinking. Human thinking sometimes involves incorrect decision, either by mere mistake or as dictated by our feelings or by some ethical standards. Discarded computers parts: whose problem is it? what can be done to ensure that computers are disposed of safely? should government manage? Discarded computer parts are concerns for everybody. It is a problem for companies who use a great number of computers and for anyone who uses it. One very compelling reason is for the environmental issues that discarded parts may bring.

Although the ROHS (reduction of harmful substances) is addressing this but the resulting material that makes this part still poses some threats to the environment. Companies should make disposal of computer junks as a priority. It should be part of major company’s environmental policies to have some waste management for their computer junks. Individuals should also be aware of the environmental hazards that discarded computer parts may bring. Manufacturers of computers, aside from reducing harmful substances from it, should also implement measures that would reduce indiscriminate disposal of computer junks.

One of this is programs like recycling and offering of trade of new models with older computers to reduce cost. Government should also intervene to insure the proper disposal of discarded computer parts. Day by day, older computers are being junk as new computers come. According to Moore’s law the computing powers of these devices increase almost twice in every two years (Wikipedia, 2008). This is also the rate by which old computers are being junk and replaced with a more powerful model. With this in mind, government should put this as one of the major element in the environmental programs.