Scott Robinson

Star Trek's Cmdr. Data... Alien's Ash and Bishop... Skynet and the Terminator... the androids of Westworld... Ex Machina's Eva, the Stepford Wives - and the granddaddy of them all, HAL 9000... These and other famous artificial minds are at the heart of this exploration of AI and the possibility of machine consciousness, suggesting the directions that the evolution of the technology might take. How great is the gap between the AI of film and television and what's emerging in the world today? Will that gap be closed at some point? Will we ever see androids who think and feel and experience the world as we do? Scott Robinson, a social scientist who implements AI and augmented intelligence systems in the corporate world, takes on these questions and others in these surveys of AI in fiction and the real world: What would it take to create a true artificial mind, if it's even possible? What are the building blocks of consciousness, and how could they be recreated in a machine? What can human society learn from the AI of fiction? And if we can actually build conscious machines - should we? With fan service to spare, AI in Sci-Fi tours the science fiction universe for its fascinating artificial life, reaching into the imagination for inspirations that will guide our path tomorrow, as human and machine enter into permanent partnership...

Can machines be intelligent? Yes, that seems settled; but can machines be conscious? That's not nearly as clear. The dream of machines that not only think, but feel and experience consciousness as humans do has been a canvas of fantasists, a goal of technologists and a conundrum to philosophers for decades. Here in this brief collection are discussions covering a number of culturally prominent examples (such as HAL 9000), well-known intellectual arguments (the Chinese Room and Nagel's Bat), and famous expositions of the problem (the Tortoise and Achilles, from Hofstadter's Godel, Escher, Bach). The discussions are nested within the mathematical wonder of pi, and framed in Borges' fantastic Library of Babel - ensuring a reading experience that is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking.

The Midwestern master of randomness returns with this fourth volume of intellectual potpourri, swerving thru chaotic topical traffic - intellectual capitalism, recreational outrage, the origins of morality, and the survival value of authenticity. He toys with us here and there (The Double Negative Police, Don't Talk About Your Genitals ) and goes half-serious at times (Why Couples Fondle, Why Couples Fight) and parades the usual self-indulgent long-form (A Conversation with Hofstadter's Brain). Sure to confound, provoke and irritate, this latest entry in the This Is What I'm Saying series might also entertain...

Adults with ADD must daily face a world not designed for them - a world where their unique gifts and traits often don't quite fit in. This can make things difficult at work, among friends, and especially in relationships. One big step the ADD adult can take to help their close relationships succeed is to set expectations with new partners and friends up front, by sharing their experience and explaining how the world looks through their eyes. By making clear the different ways they express themselves, and being candid about their struggles, they can help the new person in their lives know what to expect and react with greater understanding in the moment.This easy-to-read communications guidebook frames 40 aspects of the ADD adult's life in easy-to-understand terms, as well as providing a collection of effective metaphors ("Having ADD feels like my brain is a browser with way too many open tabs ") to help explain to someone new what to look forward to in the new relationship.

He's flamboyant. He's outrageous. He's as over-the-top as any pop/rock star has ever been. But Elton John is also a consummate musician, a creative force that redefined what music could be. With Bernie Taupin, he is second only to Lennon and McCartney in the pantheon of great songwriters. Rock Candy presents Elton in easily-digested bits and pieces, covering the songs and albums of his classic years, his child prodigy upbringing, his closest relationships, his crash-and-burn addictions, and his triumphant Lion King revival. As Elton celebrates 50 years of artistry, the Rock Candy series celebrates with him.

The Outlander books of Diana Gabaldon (and the TV series by Ron B. Moore) awakened tens of millions of readers and viewers to the alluring romantic and sexual mores of historical Scotland, both fascinating and titillating in their awkward truce between traditional social order and the lusty spirit of the Highlands. But the real stories are just as fascinating, just as titillating, and packed with as much romance, humor and tragedy as Gabaldon's saga. This collection of 40 tales from Scotland's past journeys through the full range of Scottish intrigues of the heart and flesh, from the sex magic of the Druids to the royal courtships of Scotland's kings and queens, from the raucous adventures of Robert Burns to the sexual repressions of the Reformation. Steeped in history but seasoned with art and folklore, it's a trip through time worthy of Claire and Jamie.

Achieving A Lifetime of Smiles Visiting the dentist has historically been a chore, a dreaded task, a necessary nuisance. However, if dental health isn’t maintained, it can lead to severe, preventable consequences like infection and chronic pain. Your dental health is vital to not only your personal wellness, but your overall well-being. For something so important, your experience should be one you look forward to and anticipate. You deserve a dental practice that exists in a category apart from all the rest—a “category of one.” Drs. Beth and Scott Robinson have created a patient-centric approach to dental care that treats patients like family. In Finding Joy in Dentistry, you’ll discover what sets Robinson Dental apart and how they have created a unique environment focused on a comfortable, relaxed experience. You will also learn how to best care for your smile at every stage of your life, using it as leverage to: • Improve your overall health • Increase your self-confidence • Reduce your risk of disease • Unlock your full potential

This third entry in a series of what can only be called an asteroid belt of topical commentaries wobbles as wildly as its predecessors, careening from artificial intelligence to the joy of libraries to brain chemistry to sex robots to entropy and the origins of life. As usual, the author eschews all traces of continuity and theme in favor of spontaneity, stream of consciousness and whatever sense of wonder can persist in minds five decades old. Sure to annoy, irritate and polarize, this latest volume is an oversized bag of intellectual Halloween candy, with one or two of Charlie Brown's rocks thrown in for good measure...

This highly random collection of short essays covers a broad spectrum of subject matter, from politics to anthropology, from pop culture to artificial intelligence. The idea is to stimulate new thinking in each domain, with some incidental trivia and nonsense thrown in to make the contemplation more palatable.

When Gene Roddenberry conceived Star Trek, he imagined a future very different from what was typically put forth in science fiction - a future where humanity has overcome greed, bigotry, misogyny, materialism, conflict and war. Star Trek's fans embraced that vision. But many consider it unattainable, if admirable, even those who wrote and produced Star Trek after Roddenberry. Is Star Trek's vision of the human future achievable? Can humanity overcome its darkest impulses and attain a new level of social cooperation and progress? The answer, per "Chasing the Enterprise", is Yes - we can do it, because the evidence of our Paleolithic past says we already have...

Since beginning his executive coaching career, Scott Robinson has found a recurring theme in some of his work. Even with executives who have reached some of the highest levels in their companies, there still seems to be a lack of engagement and job satisfaction. What many of these executives say can be summed up in some version of the statement: "I'm 55 and I hate my job." Do any of these situations sound familiar? - Your career path has been decided by the company. You want to determine your own future. - You would quit in a minute, but your income provides a great lifestyle. You can't afford to quit. - You're tired of the rat race and would like to spend the next 10 years giving back in a meaningful way. - You have been promoted to a C-suite position, but your former position has not been filled. Now you have two jobs. - Your father "gave" you the business. It was his dream but it is not yours. - You were happy and successful in your job, so you were "promoted" to management. You never wanted to be a manager. This book looks at challenges faced by more than two dozen executives frustrated by jobs they no longer enjoy. The solutions for their problems were not "one size fits all." Their solutions offer facts, insight, and inspiration that can help you learn to love your job or to move on to a more meaningful career.

There has been no more influential or enduring force in the history of progressive rock music than Yes. From their hit songs "Roundabout" and "Owner of a Lonely Heart" to classic albums like Fragile, Close to the Edge and 90125, Yes has innovated its way inexorably into rock history. And the drama of the band's 30-year history surpasses even that of the music. Rock music critic Scott Robinson turns the history of this most revered band on its ear by telling it in the most irreverent of forms - the limerick.