Re: Empirical data surrounding guards and firewalls.

["Byron L. Sonne" <blsonne () rogers com>]

> That depends how you define sentience, but yes, humans often exhibit
> more, but only where they know to do so. The same is true of a well
> designed computer program.

Ah, no.

Computer programs (well designed or otherwise) are not, and have never 
been, sentient.  I'll go so far as to state that computer programs are 
fully incapable of ever being sentient(1).

I'm just waiting for all the cheesy AI fanboys to start yelling at me 
now, but then again, they'd probably be the same kind of clowns that 
think passing the Turing Test would mean possessing intelligence(2). 
Shit man, there's been mornings where I'd probably fail the Turing Test ;)

Regards,
Byron

(1) Sentient \Sen"ti*ent\, a. [L. sentiens, -entis, p. pr. of
    sentire to discern or perceive by the senses. See {Sense}.]
    Having a faculty, or faculties, of sensation and perception.

(2) Intelligence \In*tel"li*gence\, n. [F. intelligence, L.
    intelligentia, intellegentia. See {Intelligent}.]
    1. The act or state of knowing; the exercise of the
       understanding.



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