Author: Dann Corbit
Date: 14:37:26 12/30/99
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On December 30, 1999 at 17:16:33, Michael Cummings wrote: [snip] >There was some interesting discussion about the mental state of US Sports poeple >at the recent Pan Pac Swimming meet in Australia a couple of months ago. The US >team had a we are the best, win means everything mentality. Whereas the team >that should of won the meet if that loser Michael Klim did not break in the >relay has a whole different attitude. > >It derives from how the kids in the US are treated at school with competitions, >everything is about results, it has turned into a result based for rankings >system. Also money driven, make the biggest name, and get the most money. Your statement reminded me of something about competition and how the whole thing has gone sour quite a bit. When I was a kid, parents said, "It's not whether you win or lose -- it's how you play the game." and they meant it. Now days it's "Just win, baby." Even to the point of "The ends justify the means." I think that money and fame have meant the end of sportsmanship. The same is true in Chess. We would like to see Kasparov play the top players of the world with titles at stake. But it does not happen. It is because the money in the sport of chess no longer drives to better competition (formerly it did, by supporting those who wanted to engage in it) but actually stifles it. So how might this relate to computer chess? I see two arenas where competition is taking "modern day hits" and also some who have parried the negative thrusts. 1. People are so intent to win, that they will cheat by directly copying someone else's program and stamping their name on it. This stifles the desire to share what is known with others. 2. A related problem is that people are secretive about what they learn. Because livlihood is at stake, nobody shares information and progress stagnates. New discoveries are less likely to become manifest because they give a competitive advantage. Some parries to ward off these problems include: 1. Creative copyright schemes that do not prohibit learning but do prohibit stealing or misuse. 2. Exposing cheaters so that the goal of 'glory' is replaced with shame. 3. Partnerships like Ed & Christophe so that very good ideas can be shared and both tools can advance. In general, I do not like the recent general trends as far as competition are concerned. But then again, it mirrors all the other things that are going on in the world, so I guess it should not be surprising. Hopefully, those interested in disseminating knowlege or in improving their tools can continue to find creative solutions to the problems at hand. [snip]
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