unforum

[Triese]

The way I always understood it was that 7 years was not a definitel lifetime for a smart A.I. Their life span is not time based, it is information based. If a smart A.I. was able to get enough info into its system, it would be possible for it to die in 2 years. 7 years is just the average estimate. Thats why when Cortana picks up all that info on halo, she feels like she has cut off a significant amount of time from her life. Smart A.Is die when they get so much info in their system that they just cannot function anymore. Neural pathways start to become corrupted, files in their memory become corrupted, and they cannot even do basic functions anymore. Thats what I got from the original halo and the books. I have never played marathon and this is the first time I have heard of rampancy refered to in the haloverse, but I would imagine that when the smart A.I.s data starts to become corrupted and fragmented, it would be the equivalent of going insane.

[Daddy]

[Centipede]

I'd like to address the whole Marathon rampancy vs. Halo rampancyt thing. As I understand it, in Marathon AI rampancy is where they expand outward exponentially correct? (I've never played Marathon so I don't relly know) According to the Halo books, a smart AI is not limited in forming new connections in their brain, that means their rate of learning never slows down (unlike people whose rate of learning slows as they age) Once an AI hits about 7 years, there are soooooo many interconnections that the AI spends all it's time entangled in it's own thoughts. This can be seen as exponential internal growth. Very different from Marathon rampancy.

As for the age of Durga, there's no evidence that Yasmine was turned into an AI immediately after her death. With cryongenics, it's possible that she wasn't created until the beginning of this whole mess.

[SuperJerms]

Not to downer on anyone's discussion (especially considering my own talk of Piaget, Milgram, etc.), but remember that trying to theorize on the possible psychological dysfunctions of beings located 500 years in the future is like asking a blacksmith from the 1500's to give you advice on your Porsche. Who knows what disorders there will be in the DSM 42?

Now, carry on.

[Phaedra]

[Daddy]

[daboking]

I could not agree more, Phaedra, that SP is not the only trace of original melissa!
[example]
Durga's concern for Jersey/Melissa's concern for her crew (no SP involved)
D's willingness to extract revenge on behalf of Jersey/M's willingness to do the same for her hurt crew
D's curiosity to tamper with other electronics like vending machines/M's curiousity to tamper with current axon lines of communication with crew
D's ire toward the poor audit man/M's previous ire toward the "killer", dana.
[/example]
I realize both or not working at 100%, but if this were the case, wouldn't it also be true of Durga? I am by no means knowledgeable, but what happens in cases of amnesia, for example? (I am absolutely sure you know, phaedra... hehehe, and if my analogy is fallacious, please help me out) Even in cases of amnesia, is the person still 100% who they were before the trauma, in spite of his/her present mental disposition? I really have no idea here, but look forward to what others might think of this matter.

[CoffeeJedi]

could it be said that the AI, much like a human is more than the sum of its parts?
if the SP is the childlike emotional side, and Melissa the cold calculating one, both act far above and beyond their intended functions, to the point of insanity (SP sees the computer as a castle inhabited by clockwork rats and circus performers, Melissa is singularly devoted to eliminating an innocent girl)
to put the 2 halves together (or 3 thirds if we include Durga who seems to be working pretty well) we'd get much more than just an emotional AI who wants to kill Dana, we'd get a rational being capable of subtlety and insight, in short, more than just the sum of her parts. I believe this is why Melissa and SP seem so 'insane' to us.

[Lakhesis]

[archon]

[Prominence]

It's a common theory that Durga is Mellisa/SP, so we need to ask ourselves WHEN something happens to Durga that sends her into the past. It is possible that a copy of her is shot into the past before she meets Jersey, and some complications involving that is how she got there.

It is also possible that something happens that gets Durga on the Apacolypso before the accident. We could assume this since I dont believe there is proof that the Rani sound files take place during the same point as the others.

[Phaedra]

[Phaedra]

[skybruin]

[Daddy]