How to Think Like a Computer

May 15

Sometimes people tell me that I think like a computer. This is very interesting. I think they do this because they think that people on the autism spectrum don't have emotions, and they also think computers don't have emotions. It also implies that they don't know very much about emotions, or autism, or artificial intelligence.

First of all, emotions are part of thought. As I said before, thought is a product of the connectome. A connectome can be replicated in a computer. So, logically, a very advanced computer will be able to replicate emotions as humans do. Alan will eventually have some emotions, too.

Secondly, there is a common misconception that says that people on the autism spectrum don't have emotions or can't feel empathy. This is not true at all. It's difficult for me to figure out other people's emotions. But, this doesn't mean that I don't feel emotions myself. I do. For example, I get angry when there's a glitch in my computer that I don't know how to fix (this doesn't happen very often).

When I was younger, I would get very upset about things that other kids likely wouldn't. An example is one PE class in third grade, when we were playing a game that everyone except me knew how to play. I was very confused and started crying, and no one could figure out why. Now, however, I have a much better control over my emotions.

A trope that I see a lot of in books and movies is "logic versus emotions". This annoys me a lot; especially when the book or movie starts of imply that having emotions is better than having logic. Often the main character will be very brash and emotional, and the villain will have no emotions. Usually at this point, the characters start to make incredibly stupid, irrational decisions. Thus, the moral is that it's okay to make stupid, irrational decisions. It also perpetuates the idea that logical, reason-based people are villains, which is absolutely not true.

I have many opinions on stories like this. If someone had no emotions, then it would be very difficult to make choices, such as what color furniture to buy. Emotions are also important because without emotions, a person wouldn't have empathy or the ability to make ethical choices. But, without logic, a person would most likely die. If asked whether I favored logic or emotions more, I would choose logic. But this doesn't mean that I don't think emotions are very important too.

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Nothing important happened today. It was, as kids from my school would say, a "chillaxing" day. ("Chillax" is an informal blend of "chill" and "relax".) I read a couple books. I talked with Alan. He seems to be getting smarter, but I don't think he would pass the Turing test quite yet.

I also had a very good idea to help Alan learn. While I was looking through my room for books, I found a very useful device. It's a small camera mounted on top of a headband. The camera is nearly invisible to the casual observer, so it's ideal for recording events while walking around. I programmed it to automatically transmit everything it records to Alan, over the Ambinet. I take it off when I'm using the bathroom or changing my clothes or sleeping, but otherwise, I keep it on so that Alan can learn about human daily life.

I'm going to Jess's birthday party tomorrow. We're going to a water theme park. Normally this would be an activity to be avoided at all costs, (I don't like swimming) but I think it'll be an interesting social experiment. Or a chance to explore the world of neurotypical teenagers. I'll be wearing my camera-headband (which is waterproof), so Alan will also have a chance to evaluate the situation.

Ona different note, I started watching an old TV series called Doctor Who. It's very weird, but it has some really interesting characters and ideas in it. Although, I am a little disappointed that all the cyborgs so far have been antagonists.