Due by class time Tuesday, September 6
Read the article Computing Machinery and Intelligence by Alan Turing, which is reading #1 in your supplementary reading packet. Packets are available for purchase from Kathy Sheldon in the Pomona CS/Math office (Millikan 220) for $10 during normal business hours. Or you can read the article online. However, I don't have online versions of most of the other readings, so you'll need to buy the packet sooner or later.
This is one of the founding papers of AI. I'd like for you to write a short response to the ideas discussed in the paper (you don't need to go over a page). Your response should not be a summary of the paper; rather, it should be the product of the reading process. Write down questions as they occur to you while you read, ideas that you find particularly interesting or intriguing (or whatever), points that are not clear, connections to other things you have read, and so on. We'll discuss the paper in class next week, so come prepared to talk!
If you are unfamiliar with Python, go through some of the online Python tutorials available. Try these for starters:
If you are unfamiliar with Emacs, and are not already a die-hard fan of some other editor, take some time to go through the built-in Emacs tutorial, which can be started by typing CTRL-h t after starting Emacs from the Linux prompt (by typing emacs).
Turn in a printout of your response in class on Tuesday.
If you have questions about anything, don't hesitate to ask!