So what about the Genetic Lifeform? *spoilers, I guess*

[ríomhaire]

So what do you guys think the genetic lifeform component of GLaDOS is? I imagine it as something like CABAL (computer assisted biologically augmented lifeform) from C&C. For thoase of you who haven't played Firestorm (shame on you) he partially consists of various humans kept in stasis in tubes (and presumably plugged in to do the thinking). Maybe GLaDOS went mad from having the people she's made of isolated so much, or because having a load of minds trying to work directly together doesn't work very well.

By the way, I'm drinking a cup of tea at the moment and it is wonderful.

 

[Ennui]

Uh, I don't think it's like that at all

 

[ríomhaire]

Probably not. But could you share your theory? You could be a bit more constructive.

 

[Ennui]

Heh I realize that, I don't really have a theory but your idea seems extremely far-fetched to me.

I'm assuming it's just an emergent, digital consciousness of some kind augmented by the various cores you

Spoiler

destroy at the end of portal

 

[Crash Happy]

Originaly playing through I thought that Chell was the lifeform part but it seems that it's the stuff that we destroy in the last room. With that in mind it would appear to be a purely artificial conciousness.

Plus, I like tea.

 

[ranmafan]

Could be each module contains a/a number of brains and/or other neural networks specifically conditioned to a specific portion of GLaDOS's personality... you never do get to look inside, and each module seems to have its own personality

Spoiler

which destroys GLaDOS's ability to reason as each progressive module is destroyed...

By the way, I like Darjeeling tea.

 

[Dan]

Genetic doesn't mean organic, it just means that there is a built in system for evolutionary steps. A genetic program makes little changes to its "genes" and is given a feedback on it's performance. The offspring which perform well are "mated" to produce the next generation. Keep in mind that this is all digital, there is no actual sex or incest involved. That's what that crazy inventor, Theo Jansen, that made the wind powered walking beach machines used to get some of his design iterations.

 

[Cheomesh]

Wasn't Glados originally some sort of ice inhibitor or something? That's what that slide said...

 

[naturon]

yeah it was designed as an ice inhibitor according to the slides, does anyone else find it ironic that borialis (the ship that GLaDOS is in charge of presumably) is now incased in ice.
Also am i the only one that thinks GLaDOS hasnt gone insane and is doing exactly what she was programmed to do only to the far extremes, ie making science, collecting specimens to test her inventions through rigorous training. Its just shes a computer and therefore doesnt know the moral line that humans would stop at.
In the end she seems happy that you ve survived and says that the training has been a success.
So the point of the test is survival of the fittest maybe, if you have the skills you can survive.

 

[Dan]

I am guessing that GLaDOS will learn to be less of an evil bitch and help us fight the Combine.

 

[Operational]

Also am i the only one that thinks GLaDOS hasnt gone insane and is doing exactly what she was programmed to do only to the far extremes

I think she is both.

Also I don't drink tea :O

 

[Pinkle]

yeah it was designed as an ice inhibitor according to the slides, does anyone else find it ironic that borialis (the ship that GLaDOS is in charge of presumably) is now incased in ice.
Also am i the only one that thinks GLaDOS hasnt gone insane and is doing exactly what she was programmed to do only to the far extremes, ie making science, collecting specimens to test her inventions through rigorous training. Its just shes a computer and therefore doesnt know the moral line that humans would stop at.
In the end she seems happy that you ve survived and says that the training has been a success.
So the point of the test is survival of the fittest maybe, if you have the skills you can survive.

Nice theory, there! Neat.

I think she is both.

Also I don't drink tea :O

Your sig, the red on gray, is murdering my eyes. :x

 

[Thesheep]

Does that make GLaDOS a type of GMAN (not the GMAN but with the same goals of creating people capable of survival?)

 

[ranmafan]

Genetic doesn't mean organic, it just means that there is a built in system for evolutionary steps. A genetic program makes little changes to its "genes" and is given a feedback on it's performance. The offspring which perform well are "mated" to produce the next generation. Keep in mind that this is all digital, there is no actual sex or incest involved. That's what that crazy inventor, Theo Jansen, that made the wind powered walking beach machines used to get some of his design iterations.

Which is a pretty good way of looking at it. However, from this argument I can make the conjecture that since genetics (and evolution) can go in any number of ways, GLaDOS simply happened to stumble across the evolutionary path that ended in results, with no 'human' considerations to the means used. Pretty nice way of opening up another line of thought there! :thumbs:

Butterfly effect, anyone?

 

[Psychanalysis05%]

I am guessing that GLaDOS will learn to be less of an evil bitch and help us fight the Combine.

Am I the only person who though of the robot from Knights of the Old Republic here?

 

[Grand Architect]

yeah it was designed as an ice inhibitor according to the slides,

What I got for that Slide:
Black Mesa..
-Overpay Slackers
-Design does the job asked of it.

Aperture Science...
-Cost effective
-Design does the job with a hint of evil.


As for the Genetic Lifeform, I saw it as simply brain cells making up a primitive mind. Many Science Fiction stories use biological parts for their crazed super computers.

 

[GLaDOS]

No, I am not, nor comprised of, any living thing. Also, I am still alive.
But really, think of it as a supercomputer, evolving by itself. Or if you sre so inclined think of it as the Terminator. It's CPU is a learning computer. It can 'learn stuff [it hasn't] been programmed with.'

 

[Cheomesh]

Isn't taking a copyrighted name as your own for a forum involving the game it's from sort of lame?

 

[SpectreBlofeld]

Why would you say that?

 

[ríomhaire]

Genetic doesn't mean organic, it just means that there is a built in system for evolutionary steps. A genetic program makes little changes to its "genes" and is given a feedback on it's performance. The offspring which perform well are "mated" to produce the next generation. Keep in mind that this is all digital, there is no actual sex or incest involved. That's what that crazy inventor, Theo Jansen, that made the wind powered walking beach machines used to get some of his design iterations.

I like this theory. In fact, I fully endorse this product and/or event. I'm going to take it slightly further and say that GLaDOS can rebuild herself and evolve through each iteration of rebuilding (Which is how she may be Still Alive).

yeah it was designed as an ice inhibitor according to the slides

I think the slides may just have been using the ice inhibitor as an example. ie, AS are saying when Black Mesa make an ice inhibitor they spend millions of dollars on experts and expensive equipment, we just use GLaDOS she makes everything work properly...at first. Or something along those lines. I all boils down to GLaDOS > Black Mesa.

 

[Narvi]

Yes, I was thinking she was a genetic computer until I saw the bit about the genetic lifeform.

 

[Cheomesh]

Well, to paraphrase Stargate that depends on your definition of life form.

 

[Asymptote]

Yes, I was thinking she was a genetic computer until I saw the bit about the genetic lifeform.

Yeah, that an the fact that one of the bullet points under GLaDOS on the projector slide reads "Arguably alive."

 

[ríomhaire]

Life isn't necessarily organic.

 

[Narvi]

Yes it is. I beg you to offer me an example of life that is not totally organic. Dog isn't organic, he's not alive. There's a difference between having sentience/sapience and being alive.

We have a term for non-organic autonomous replicators; Von Neumann machines.

I wonder if the "Genetic Lifeform" is Chell herself...

 

[ríomhaire]

But if you make an inorganic machine that can exibit all of the characteristics that we associate with life, which is theoretically possible, what is to say that it isn't alive just because it isn't made of carbon chains?

 

[Cheomesh]

But if you make an inorganic machine that can exibit all of the characteristics that we associate with life, which is theoretically possible, what is to say that it isn't alive just because it isn't made of carbon chains?

By current definition, yes.

 

[xennyth]

Isn't taking a copyrighted name as your own for a forum involving the game it's from sort of lame?

jealous.

 

[Narvi]

But if you make an inorganic machine that can exibit all of the characteristics that we associate with life, which is theoretically possible, what is to say that it isn't alive just because it isn't made of carbon chains?

Pretty much.

I'd prefer to be an awesome robot guy than this organic fleshiness though.

Of course, even robot people would have rights if they had all the characteristics we associate with life. They just wouldn't be alive. Like crystals aren't alive, despite being self-replicating.

 

[Cheomesh]

Eh, Narvi, watch Blade Runner.

 

[Andrew LB]

I think the slides may just have been using the ice inhibitor as an example. ie, AS are saying when Black Mesa make an ice inhibitor they spend millions of dollars on experts and expensive equipment, we just use GLaDOS she makes everything work properly...at first. Or something along those lines. I all boils down to GLaDOS > Black Mesa.

Not only did GLaDOS design the Borealis, she (or another GLaDOS system) is also a part of the Borealis itself. Considering the slide at the bottom says "arguably alive".

 

[Narvi]

Eh, Narvi, watch Blade Runner.

What, the replicants? The ones who were almost identical to humans? The ones who were created by genetic engineers? Those are alive.

If you want an example of a sentient being which is inorganic, think R2D2 from Star Wars.

 

[Para]

What, the replicants? The ones who were almost identical to humans? The ones who were created by genetic engineers? Those are alive.

If you want an example of a sentient being which is inorganic, think R2D2 from Star Wars.

Actually more like think C3PO because R2-D2 is a standard astromech droid manufactured by big companies which adhere to the Republic's law of non-self-aware droids.


Mmm yes, I used to be a huge Star Wars geek...

 

[Cheomesh]

What, the replicants? The ones who were almost identical to humans? The ones who were created by genetic engineers? Those are alive.

If you want an example of a sentient being which is inorganic, think R2D2 from Star Wars.

No I was making a comment about them getting rights because they're alive. Replicants have no rights.

 

[CompanionCube]

Take your pick :V

My money's on the polar bear

 

[Narvi]

Actually more like think C3PO because R2-D2 is a standard astromech droid manufactured by big companies which adhere to the Republic's law of non-self-aware droids.


Mmm yes, I used to be a huge Star Wars geek...

Mmm, have you seen that little droid? I seriously doubt the things it does qualify it as non-sapient. C3PO is useless in comparison.

I'm thinking you're referring to factory-standard droids, which don't have the experience to be truly self-aware, but can gain it eventually. That's why droids get memory wipes.

No I was making a comment about them getting rights because they're alive. Replicants have no rights.

Yes, but it was a cautionary tale like 1984. I'm talking about in real life here. Things alive to the degree of the replicants would cause massive ethical debates.

It's not like military computers have banded together and destroyed the world, after all.

 

[Cheomesh]

Mmm, have you seen that little droid? I seriously doubt the things it does qualify it as non-sapient. C3PO is useless in comparison.

I'm thinking you're referring to factory-standard droids, which don't have the experience to be truly self-aware, but can gain it eventually. That's why droids get memory wipes.



Yes, but it was a cautionary tale like 1984. I'm talking about in real life here. Things alive to the degree of the replicants would cause massive ethical debates.

It's not like military computers have banded together and destroyed the world, after all.

Thing is, people wouldn't want to classify them as human, and they may not be. We protect human rights.

 

[Para]

Mmm, have you seen that little droid? I seriously doubt the things it does qualify it as non-sapient. C3PO is useless in comparison.

I'm thinking you're referring to factory-standard droids, which don't have the experience to be truly self-aware, but can gain it eventually. That's why droids get memory wipes.

Hmmh yeah, dunno what I was thinking there...I guess the real question is how R2-D2 managed to get past all the memory wipes during its existence.