Rep. Rush Holt takes down IBM supercomputer 'Watson' in round of Jeopardy!

[nofurylike]

By Matt Friedman
March 01, 2011

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/03...ibm_s.html

TRENTON — The answer is: This rocket scientist congressman from central New Jersey took down IBM supercomputer "Watson" during a round of Jeopardy!

Question: Who is Rush Holt?

-snip-

Four of Holt's colleagues — U.S. Reps. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Nan Hayworth (R-N.Y.), Jim Himes (D-Conn.) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.) — challenged Watson but couldn't compete with the computer.

-snip-

Holt, a physicist who was a five-time Jeopardy! champion long before he entered the House, parlayed his victory into a call to support math and science education and invest in new technology.

-snip-

###

[NJMaverick]

You need to beat a supercomputer call a Democrat

[nofurylike]

(03-02-2011 06:46 AM)NJMaverick Wrote:  You need to beat a supercomputer call a Democrat

hear hear!
yes, NJMaverick!!
thanks!

[NoPasaran]

I for one welcome our new rocket scientist overlords.

[nofurylike]

(03-02-2011 05:12 PM)NoPasaran Wrote:  I for one welcome our new rocket scientist overlords.

thanks, NoPasaran!

[RoyGBiv]

I want to see it play Ms. Palin.

I think we might see Watson start to evolve and show human traits. It would be so disgusted by the quality of its competition that just to entertain itself, it would let her appear to be winning and then finally beat her on the clue:

"This former state governor resigned after completing only half a term in order to embark on a more lucrative career of professional narcissism."

[nofurylike]

(03-02-2011 05:22 PM)RoyGBiv Wrote:  I want to see it play Ms. Palin.

I think we might see Watson start to evolve and show human traits. It would be so disgusted by the quality of its competition that just to entertain itself, it would let her appear to be winning and then finally beat her on the clue:

"This former state governor resigned after completing only half a term in order to embark on a more lucrative career of professional narcissism."

a "career of professional narcissism."
perfect, RoyGBiv!!
thanks!

[Cha]

Awesome! We have such intelligence in Democratic Party~

[nofurylike]

(03-02-2011 08:27 PM)Cha Wrote:  Awesome! We have such intelligence in Democratic Party~

it is!! and we do!!


thanks, Cha!

[janedrake]

Just another reason why I'm a proud Democrat! That's awesome.

[nofurylike]

(03-02-2011 10:46 PM)janedrake Wrote:  Just another reason why I'm a proud Democrat! That's awesome.

well said, janedrake!!
thanks!

me too

[DFW]

I know this guy slightly. He comes to the gathering I attend every New Year's (with Gabby Giffords and a thousand other people). His IQ is off the charts (nice guy, too).

As for Palin, I can imagine the first question.

Question: "What you see from your porch."
Palin: "What is Russia?"
Moderator: "No, sorry."
Holt: "What is her neighbor's house?"
Moderator: "DUH! Of course."

[nofurylike]

(03-02-2011 11:24 PM)DFW Wrote:  I know this guy slightly. He comes to the gathering I attend every New Year's (with Gabby Giffords and a thousand other people). His IQ is off the charts (nice guy, too).

As for Palin, I can imagine the first question.

Question: "What you see from your porch."
Palin: "What is Russia?"
Moderator: "No, sorry."
Holt: "What is her neighbor's house?"
Moderator: "DUH! Of course."

it's great that he goes to the gathering! and that he's a nice guy.
that IQ seems to come through in many ways and places.



"Moderator: 'DUH! Of course.'"

thanks, DFW!

[sandnsea]

Impressive. I remember his diligence on computer voting. Nice to know the legislation came from someone with this kind of IQ.

[nofurylike]

(03-03-2011 01:11 AM)sandnsea Wrote:  Impressive. I remember his diligence on computer voting. Nice to know the legislation came from someone with this kind of IQ.

yes! i remember it well, too, sandnsea!
and how others just didn't - don't - seem to get it like he does.

thanks!

[NJMaverick]

Anyone thing Sarah Palin or Michelle Bachman or George Bush could challenge the super computer?

[Born_A_Truman]

(03-03-2011 06:56 AM)NJMaverick Wrote:  Anyone thing Sarah Palin or Michelle Bachman or George Bush could challenge the super computer?

They couldn't challenge an iPod.

[nofurylike]

(03-03-2011 12:25 PM)Born_A_Truman Wrote:  

(03-03-2011 06:56 AM)NJMaverick Wrote:  Anyone thing Sarah Palin or Michelle Bachman or George Bush could challenge the super computer?

They couldn't challenge an iPod.

thank you for the LOL, Pat!

[nofurylike]

(03-03-2011 06:56 AM)NJMaverick Wrote:  Anyone thing Sarah Palin or Michelle Bachman or George Bush could challenge the super computer?

omg. i got an image of it.


thanks, NJMaverick!

[atomic]

(03-03-2011 06:56 AM)NJMaverick Wrote:  Anyone thing Sarah Palin or Michelle Bachman or George Bush could challenge the super computer?

Nope. Even a hamster could outsmart them.

[DFW]

Along with Howard Dean, Rush Holt was one of the loudest voices warning of electronic voting machines that are easily manipulated (and that's just about all of them).

My brother, who does stuff for DARPA, said in 2004, "give me a cell phone and a laptop, park me across the street from a building with one of those machines, and I'll have it display any result I want it to."

I was gonna say "a write-in victory for Daffy Duck," but in 2000 and 2004, that's pretty much what we got.

[nofurylike]

(03-04-2011 02:06 AM)DFW Wrote:  Along with Howard Dean, Rush Holt was one of the loudest voices warning of electronic voting machines that are easily manipulated (and that's just about all of them).

My brother, who does stuff for DARPA, said in 2004, "give me a cell phone and a laptop, park me across the street from a building with one of those machines, and I'll have it display any result I want it to."

I was gonna say "a write-in victory for Daffy Duck," but in 2000 and 2004, that's pretty much what we got.

very true about Holt warning. i remember it well. i didn't remember Dean on it, though, thank you for that.

fascinating, what your brother said. maybe he ought to be saying it to congress. i wish, ah. i know it's not so easy to do, if even possible.

or maybe if he just made it so the vote count totaled some multiple of the entire population, or something ...

just wishful.

thanks, again, DFW!

[DFW]

Howard wasn't taken seriously on a lot of issues, from Iraq to electronic voting. I think he scared the media something fierce, still does. Except for the "scream," they wanted him to go away badly, and ignored him to the extent possible.

As for manipulating the machines, remember Ohio, 2004? All the hard drives of the electronic voting machines (except one) were collected by the firm owning them and wiped clean after the "results" were announced, so that no forensic testing could be done. Only one hard drive was ever examined after the election in Ohio 2004. It showed Bush getting 3000 votes--out of a possible 600 registered voters in that precinct. It was labeled a "glitch," and 2400 votes were magnanimously subtracted by Kenneth Blackwell from Bush's margin of "victory" in Ohio. NONE of the other machines were allowed to be tested by their owners, all avowed Bush supporters. Obviously. Otherwise, it was President Kerry.

Before the 2004 election, over here in NATO-land, I was asked repeatedly what I thought would be the outcome of the election. I said, "Kerry wins the election, and Bush remains in office." They all asked, "how could that possibly happen?"

After the election, they said, "NOW I see what you meant, and you were right."

[nofurylike]

(03-07-2011 12:32 PM)DFW Wrote:  Howard wasn't taken seriously on a lot of issues, from Iraq to electronic voting. I think he scared the media something fierce, still does. Except for the "scream," they wanted him to go away badly, and ignored him to the extent possible.

As for manipulating the machines, remember Ohio, 2004? All the hard drives of the electronic voting machines (except one) were collected by the firm owning them and wiped clean after the "results" were announced, so that no forensic testing could be done. Only one hard drive was ever examined after the election in Ohio 2004. It showed Bush getting 3000 votes--out of a possible 600 registered voters in that precinct. It was labeled a "glitch," and 2400 votes were magnanimously subtracted by Kenneth Blackwell from Bush's margin of "victory" in Ohio. NONE of the other machines were allowed to be tested by their owners, all avowed Bush supporters. Obviously. Otherwise, it was President Kerry.

Before the 2004 election, over here in NATO-land, I was asked repeatedly what I thought would be the outcome of the election. I said, "Kerry wins the election, and Bush remains in office." They all asked, "how could that possibly happen?"

After the election, they said, "NOW I see what you meant, and you were right."

i sure do remember about the machines, DFW. i might remember Dean warning about the machines, deep in the back of my mind.
i agree media screwed Dean.

"Kerry wins the election, and Bush remains in office."
how right you were!!! how terrible it was.
i will never forget it.

thanks, again, DFW!