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It stumbled on a lot of stuff in its early days a year or so ago. It's got a ton of information stored inside, but it had no context for its data. Last year, it confused a clue about the commander of a seventeenth century ship called 'Paramour Pink' with 'The Pink Panther' and answered "Who is Peter Sellers?" instead of "Who is Edmund Halley?". When Watson was wrong, it was laughably wrong. The engineers had millions of 'rules' programmed in the machine, but it still wasn't enough to get Watson in the running. Then they programmed in 'machine learning', gave the computer lots of examples, told it when it was wrong, and let Watson figure out the patterns that would make it right. Often enough to compete on Jeopardy anyway. It's been doing a lot better ever since, and is now leading two of the best Jeopardy players in history. I think IBM is executing an excellent marketing strategy here. They're leaping to the top of the heap of companies that can turn information into answers. Or, in the case of Jeopardy, questions. Tomorrow is Watson's third and last night appearing on Jeopardy. It's trying for a million dollar prize.

Missed Jeopardy last night, but sure glad I'm watching it tonight. Watson, IBM's new computer, is leaving the other two contestants in the dust. More later . . .

Hi! Hi! Which one of you boys ordered the fluffer?

You mean you haven't been using auto-post? I'm impressed!

Great article. Thanks for posting. I like the fact that they encourage modest donations too. Can't hurt to put a few bucks in the mail. Also loved the part about the Federal Office of Personnel Management issuing him an apology on behalf of the U. S. government, and his immediate return letter asking them for fifty years of back pay. My kind of guy!

Back in the '90's, I vaguely recall getting Virtual PC running on a Mac, and that was the last time I needed or wanted to try. Have heard that Parallels is a good choice for folks who want to run both O/S's but, since Boot Camp comes free with the Mac, I thought it might be helpful in at least getting Windows files over to a Mac. I thought TPL was just looking to bring data files over for munching by Apple programs. But, if he's looking to bring Windows applications over too, I'm definitely out of my depth.

I'm very sorry to hear it, Lucky. You know we're here for you.

Here's how Apple says to do it. Haven't used Boot Camp myself, so I can't vouch for Boot Camp Assistant. But I have used Apple's Migration Assistant for transferring files from one Mac to another Mac, and it couldn't be easier. If Boot Camp Assistant comes even close, it may not be as bad as you think. Good luck! > = > = >

Not as knowledgeable as others, but that's never stopped me from kibitzing before, so, here goes. When I find a site I enjoy, like this one, I bookmark it. After that, I don't care what the domain name is. Unless, I get redirected some weeks later and there's a new banner on top and the page looks a little different. If I like what I see, then I'll keep coming back. If I don't happen to like what I see that particular day, I'd figure somebody else bought the domain and the site's not as good any more. So I might not go back to that bookmark ever again. That might be why you lose some traffic with each name change. If that's what's behind the lost traffic, I'd suggest not changing the name too much. Or, if you do decide to change the name, add something like (formerly allmaleonline.com) under the new name. Or you could find a tagline that always rides along with every name change. ("The Perv's Playground") is one suggestion, but that's just me. To me, the current name seems targeted toward a younger audience than yours truly. I know what OMG means and I've learned what NSFW means, but I don't often hear them used among my fellow sixty-somethings, assuming you're trying to bring us in also. I think allmaleonline.com sounds like a really inclusive name that could build a strong identity while still allowing for future shifts in content and audience. Wish I knew more about how the business works, as these are some fun things to think about.

I tend to agree with you, FourAces. But then I wonder if my grandparents felt the same way about my generation . . . And their grandparents about theirs . . .

I'd be interested in hearing what you think he ought to do. So far, I can't think of any particular suggestions I'd make. He's been pretty clear that he wants no harm to come to the Egyptian people and that Mubarak's days are numbered. That feels right to me. And I sure don't think I'd want the U. S. to get all heavy-handed like we did with Iraq. What would be your advice to him?

Wow. I'd never have guessed that.

He has been a little quiet lately. You don't suppose he's off organizing something in the Middle East?

RA1, that's a very good question and one that's been on my mind for at least the past two years. I'd be interested in what others have to say. Personally, I'm very comfortable in confrontations about issues and ideas, but I'm not comfortable in personal confrontations, especially when folks are belittled or demeaned. But just because I'm uncomfortable with something doesn't mean I wouldn't do it if there were a good reason. I just haven't yet been able to find a good reason for negative personal confrontations. If there's someone I don't care for, it's been very easy for me to just ignore him, especially on an anonymous message center. What I'm trying to figure out is why I so strongly feel one way and others seem to feel a different way entirely. What is it that they understand that I don't? Or what is it that gives them a payout that seems to elude me? One thing I'm pretty sure of is that there must be some kind of a payout in ad hominem attacks, or people wouldn't do it. (Unless, of course, there's some form of mental illness involved; but those percentages are quite low in our society and certainly wouldn't account for the number of personal confrontations seen on some bulletin boards.) By the way, I'm not directing this question at RockHard, in either Edition, although I'd certainly appreciate any thoughts he may care to share. I'm asking anyone who has given this issue some thought to weigh in. Any insights would be most welcome. Last but certainly not least, my apologies to lurkerspeaks for the highjack. He started a terrific heartfelt thread and has provided a wonderful example of how to become involved and help nurture a healthy social group. My thanks to him and to all who make it so.

It does appear that some guys are able to pull it off.

Not to mention having it rub against a metal filling. (Oops! Have I shared too much? )

I would gladly resin their bows any day! (Don't fret, MsGuy, no strings attached. )

Same here. I'd also like to add my thanks for the gracious email I got this morning from the MER Team. One click and I'm in! This truly is an exceptional site. . . . and a brief side note to those who were hoping for fewer posts now that I've scored the big one . . .

He was a very brave man. Thanks for the links.

Very true. And even when there's the occasional difference of opinion, it usually gets worked out. (Not to highjack my own post, but I think this makes twenty-five. )

All very delightful pleasures, no doubt, but they seem a bit tame to feel guilty about. I was expecting something a little . . . I don't know. Juicier.

He probably figures everybody knows about that.

You are blessed to have so much good food at your fingertips. I used to like the local Fresh Choice, but now the nearest one is a half-hour away. Maybe tomorrow.

I think and hope you're right, TO. His views spawn public debate, if nothing else. I agree with most of them, although he's annoying to watch for more than a few minutes at a time. If his voice disappears from the landscape, I think we'll be the worse for it. Well, some of us anyway.

I'm sorry, AdamSmith, for my poor attempt at humor earlier. I didn't realize how close you felt to this man. I should have. You've mentioned other men you've studied and bonded with. My science and engineering professors typically held forth from a raised platform and were dry as dust. It must have been a blessing for you to sit with these talented creative men and swap life stories. I apologize for not being more aware of what the experience must have been like. Thanks for the links. I found this interview too. He sounds like a good guy to spend time with. . . . . . INTERVIEWER: So you have people being charming and roguish and loving with one another. PRICE: I think ideally we're constantly involved in a kind of benign seduction of one another. This ties in with my notion that we're partly here to entertain one another, certainly to make one another's passage as interesting, suspenseful, and painless as we possibly can.