Who is David Sternlight?

[Timothy C. May]

Anonymous asks:

> Hi,
> 
> Being new to this list, I've got a ways to go before I understand
> everything I'm reading.  But one thing I'd like to know today, is
> JUST WHO IS DAVID STERNLIGHT?  I've seen his name mentioned here
> for the first time, and many times since.
> 
> Tanks

"David Sternlight" is actually an experimental neural net program
which is linked to the Net through Netcom. It has a long way to go
before being mistaken for a real person, though it seems to have
perfected the "rancor-mode" behavior seen in Net flame wars. 

This near-AI is especially active in sci.crypt, alt.privacy.clipper,
alt.security.pgp, and has its own special test area,
alt.fan.david-sternlight. Questions about the source code for the
"David Sternlight" program should be addressed there.

Like most computer programs, it is tenacious and has seemingly
inexhaustible patience in repeating arguments over and over again.
When challenged, it always responds. When challenged further, it
invokes subroutines which cite its knowledge base, its credentials,
and its general superiority to carbon-based intelligences.

Some say the program, which is nominally based in the Los Angeles
area, is actually one of the "Blue Ice" programs developed by the NSA,
similar to the Serdar Argic program deployed by the State Department
and the Ludwig Plutonium program being tested now by the National
Science Foundation.

I hope this helped.

-Tim May

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