Questions computers can't answer etc.

Anthony Simon · Post by **Anthony Simon** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:59 pm

As not a lot seems to be happening at the moment, may I suggest an idle game? Sci Fi has a fair number of examples of computers (or robots) being flummoxed by questions they can't answer or situations that prove beyond them. The computer or robot then grinds to a halt or explodes in the most gratifying way. Of course, when it happens to us and our computer screen freezes up, it's less gratifying, but still.

I know people have said that it's impossible (or nearly so) to beat the computerised spammers who have prevented us having new members here but...Even if that's so, at least we can slightly amuse ourselves thinking up ideas to do so. Or maybe not... The idea I had was to get people to read instructions for signing up phonetically (Like you'd have to read aloud to make sense of them). Not particularly exciting, but still.

I confess to getting a bit fed up of just waiting around. I'd even be prepared to chip in a share to buy some new software, as that seems to be what's holding us up. Or maybe not...

Paula G · Post by **Paula G** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 3:15 am

I do remember Doctor instructing a computer to calculate Pi - but can't remember which Doctor it was.

As one who struggles with much computeresse, I fear that if a "bot" can't do it then I probably wouldn't, maybe we could draw a picture?

Anthony Simon · Post by **Anthony Simon** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 5:01 am

Yeah, something creative would be difficult for a computer, I imagine. The knack is though, to find something just about all humans can do and computers can't. I mean my drawing is amongst my (numerous) weak points - like stick-figure level. On the other hand, recognising drawings (even of the stick figure variety) might prove more difficult for computers and possible for human beings. At the moment, one of the security questions involves recognition of pictures of numbers and letters (rather than text of them - in order to flummox text-based programmes) but I find that seems to suffer from legibility problems (like I'm not sure what some of the characters are).

A very basic creative test (for here) would be to get new subscribers to write an intro to their CDing, which would then be their first post (if it wasn't spam). Which is more or less what people are supposed to do anyway. The only difference would be that you'd have to have some sort of filtering process. Either moderators would have to read all these newbie first posts before they were posted or you'd have to have some sort of computerised recognition thing for spam on this site. So then you'd be using computers to beat computers, which might prove problematic.

SilverLady(SO) · Post by **SilverLady(SO)** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 7:45 am

You have some valid points, Anthony, but the forum's software is not designed for proposed new members to 'write an intro to their CDing...". This software is generically designed, to be used by forums of any nature.

Over the years we have had a few proposed new members give some of their history in their 'signature box' for me to read (which I deleted before activating them), but more often than not they do not. We cannot require (or force) anyone to divulge information if they do not desire to do so. More than half of our members here - old and new - rarely make a post, but do come here to read the posts.

We do have a CAPTCHA program as part of the registration page, but spammers and spambots are clever enough to have 'cracked' just about all such CAPTCHA programs available. No, the best way to truly defeat the spammers/spambots is to know what to look for in their registration, and to rely on good intuition (which you may call 'gut instinct'). In my tenure as Site Admin, only 1 spammer has ever slipped through; he was caught, deleted, and banned with his very first post which he made within 30 minutes of his account being activated.

- SL