Author: Albert Silver
Date: 13:15:27 01/14/00
Go up one level in this thread
On January 14, 2000 at 15:52:58, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>On January 14, 2000 at 12:52:14, Alvaro Polo wrote:
>
>>FHS should build the machine. He said he has the resources to do it alone. He
>>would also find some money to help him, I am sure. He doesnt need to become a
>>millionar out of it, so I don't see reasons not to build the new machine.
>
>
>It would be a speculative venture. Would you spend $100,000 of your own
>money on such a project, "just because"? I only know of one computer chess
>person that came close, and that was Bruce, buying his own personal quad
>xeon. that is a non-trivial expense. With little hope of getting anything
>back. I would (myself) probably consider buying a quad xeon, for $10K+,
>but my wife would probably shoot me if I started talking about a 100K 8-way
>xeon box (she might not like the quad, but it would sound better than the
>alternative.)
>
>So saying "he should do it" is easy. It isn't your (or my) money. But with
>no assurance of a Kasparov match, no chance to get some financial support to
>return part of that money, I'd think long about it. IE I would think of this
>as a sort of investment, since it is a lot of money. And with the potential for
>zero return, it would be questionable, IMHO...
I agree it is always so easy to spend the money of others. Such-and-such have
the cash so they should spend it. This argument might not work but I would argue
plenty all the same.
The decision is very non-trivial. He might try to get some help from a company
to produce it though the chances they would be interested are slim, not because
the end-product would be less than fantastic, but because he hinted at the fact
that the card would invariably be far more expensive than was initially hoped
and this would seriously cut down on the market available.
In the end I think my fictitious debate with him would be to appeal to him as
both a scientist and man. Deep blue's matches against Kasparov are permanently
etched in the annals of history as well his role in them, yet to see the fruit
of this arduous road he chose for himself, all those years and all that work,
sit forever on a shelf (metaphorically speaking).... I cannot believe he is
satisfied with that, given he can take it a step further. I would argue and
argue because it is unquestionably a dream worth arguing for, but I too am no
better as I am also arguing to spend someone else's money. Worse yet, I cannot
honestly say I would unstintingly leap forward into this grand adventure in his
place, though I would like to believe I would for "Oh what a dream!". :-)
Albert Silver
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