From Newsgroup: alt.tv.star-trek.tos   
   From Address: graemecree@aol.com   
   Subject: Re: The Practical Joker (TAS): my review   
      
   On Nov 14, 1:04apm, "Steven L."  wrote:   
   > "Graeme"  wrote in message   
   >   
   > news:ade718eb-d20f-451e-ac85-ecde64c1659e@k5g2000pre.googlegroups.com:   
   >   
   > > This one is my #4 episode, after Slaver Weapon, Yesteryear, and   
   > > Pirates of Orion. aI still don't buy the idea of a computer   
   > > accidentally becoming sentient, but even Asimov wrote stories around   
   > > that premise, so we can let it pass.   
   >   
   > Computers that unexpectedly become sentient is a staple of science   
   > fiction for at least 50 years. aLots and lots of short stories, movies,   
   > and novels. aAlso a couple of TV episodes of "The Twilight Zone."   
   >   
   > An example is "When Harlie Was One," written by David Gerrold in 1972.   
   > It dealt with a robot programmed with artificial intelligence to the   
   > point that it could act like a person. aAnd when it became necessary to   
   > switch it off, the question arose whether it *was* a person, so that   
   > switching it off would constitute murder.   
   >   
   > And yep, that theme appeared later in a TNG episode involving Data--"The   
   > Measure of a Man," I think it was.   
   >   
   > -- Steven L.   
   It's kind of a dumb story, across the board, though.  In The   
   Bicentennial Man, I think the android was sentient through a   
   manufacturing defect or something.  In Star Trek:  The Motion Picture,   
   V'ger is said to have achieved consciousness because it acquired "so   
   much knowledge".  A hard drive doesn't become conscious when you store   
   enough files on it.  Consciousness is just a lot more complex than the   
   writers think it is.   
   As for turning off a sentient computer, even if one existed, that   
   could hardly be murder so long as you can switch it back on at any   
   time.   
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