Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Translation technology may let humans speak with dolphins

digitaltrends.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 64 posts

Re: Translation technology may let humans speak with dolphins

#51

Post by StavrosK »

bh42222 wrote: post #19
pasbesoin wrote: post #12

Did anyone see the recently circulating video of the cat on the dock interacting with dolphins. Including repeated and extended nuzzling and no signs of aggression. I immediate thought that, in part, the dolphins might be attracted by, intrigued by the cat's probably purring, sensing it through their jaws. But there seems to be a patience and curiosity there that speaks to significantly more than mere "animal instinc…

What will they say when we finally understand them? "Took you long enough." I don't believe that communication between dolphins and trainers has been strictly one way. I'm pretty sure a trainer can easily read a lot from a dolphin's actions, sounds, etc. And keep in mind, the other great apes are wicked smart, like smarter then small human children smart, way smarter then the smartest dog, but still not smart enough…

What does "long enough" mean, in that context? I think it's fair to assume that they don't have a cultural heritage, as we do, and thus no perception of time before they were born.

I agree with you, however, that communication is definitely two-way. Anyone with a dog knows that.

Re: Translation technology may let humans speak with dolphins

#52

Post by cbr »

dodo53 wrote: post #46
philwelch wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What they did say was more like this: http://www.koko.org/world/talk_aol.html

I always think Alex the grey parrot is impressive too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6KvPN_Wt8I

was, sadly

Re: Translation technology may let humans speak with dolphins

#53

Post by VladRussian »

rokhayakebe wrote: post #50
VladRussian wrote: post #42

every small step toward recognizing intelligence of others is a great leap for humanity. I think before human species is able to move any further in its development, the first step it must to make is to step out of the "i'm the top of the God's creation" closet. http://www.npr.org/2011/01/20/132650631/new-language-discove... : --------------- So he devised a test. He had four (human) volunteers walk through a prairie…

the first step it must to make is to step out of the "i'm the top of the God's creation" closet I want to give you 100 of my own karma points. I just do not know where this believe that we are better comes from. [This is totally hypocritical coming from me since I eat meat. Nevertheless]

thank you, i appreciate it :). In my understanding, meat eating is just a stage in the species development. I.e. eating meat, as a more efficient energy source, allowed a bunch of species move to the state of mental development we can observe among the advanced predators, ie. likes of wolves, cats, apes/humans, etc...

I think humans have exhausted how far the _extensive_ (ie. size increasing) brain development of meat eating species can go - it seems we're near the biomechanical limits - the brain consumes ~25% of our body energy. The further development seems to require to "shrink the die" of our brain and/or increase/improving of the energy intake.

"Shrinking the die" is biological evolutionary process that will take time on the scale of several generations at least (Einstein's brain, smaller, yet more densely packed and having more energy generating cells than the average human's brain, shows that it is a viable, in principle, option)

Wrt. improving of the energy intake - i think we're on the brink (ie. in the next few decades) of bio-engineering of the meat-comparable and, this is much more important, more effective-than-meat energy carrying and generating proteins (or whatever compounds it will result in) for human consumption, and in result - move of the humans past the meat (as meat eating would be an artificial dumbing down of yourself) and we'll see the world in the new light. Meat consumption would become just an ugly habit of the past, like torturous executions (ie. burning at stake, disemboweling, quartering...) that were an enjoyable public spectacle just few hundreds years ago.

Re: Translation technology may let humans speak with dolphins

#54

Post by pumpmylemma »

StavrosK wrote: post #3
dolvlo wrote: post #2

Somehow, this made me think of the Baby Translator from the Simpsons

Really? Not SeaQuest DSV?

I'll get down-voted -- correctly -- for saying something that adds nothing to the conversation, but YES! I think spending my childhood watching Lucas Walencheck was part of my inspiration to learn programming.

Re: Translation technology may let humans speak with dolphins

#55

Post by Lost_BiomedE »

One documentary on netflix had a couple training dolphins. They used signs to tell the dolphin to do different tricks. At the end of their training the dolphin had to invent a new trick. They then had two dolphins do the tricks together. At the end of the training, they asked the dolphins to do a new trick, and the dolphins would coordinate a brand new trick together on the fly and perform it simultaneously!

Re: Translation technology may let humans speak with dolphins

#56

Post by itistoday2 »

defen wrote: post #26
pavel_lishin wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So, which part of you doesn't feel that conscious and sentient beings ought to have equal protection?

The part that fears a warlike alien civilization.

If we ever encounter aliens more intelligent than ourselves, let us hope that we were able to show them that we knew how to treat other intelligent species with whom we cohabit Planet Earth. Otherwise, for the sake of avoiding hypocrisy, you should be OK finding yourself chopped up on a platter, or, enslaved in a zoo to be gawked at.

Remember the Golden Rule, and Uncle Ben's words:

https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Uncle_Ben#.22...

Re: Translation technology may let humans speak with dolphins

#57

Post by bitwize »

pasbesoin wrote: post #12

Did anyone see the recently circulating video of the cat on the dock interacting with dolphins. Including repeated and extended nuzzling and no signs of aggression. I immediate thought that, in part, the dolphins might be attracted by, intrigued by the cat's probably purring, sensing it through their jaws. But there seems to be a patience and curiosity there that speaks to significantly more than mere "animal instinc…

What will they say when we finally understand them?

"So long, and thanks for all the fish!"

Re: Translation technology may let humans speak with dolphins

#58

Post by RickHull »

defen wrote: post #49
ceejayoz wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Our laws already cope with warlike human civilizations, why would an alien one be any different from an equal protection standpoint?

Potential inability to understand or communicate with them in a (perceived) kill or be killed situation.

http://robinhanson.typepad.com/files/three-worlds-collide.pd...

Re: Translation technology may let humans speak with dolphins

#59

Post by bitwize »

Groxx wrote: post #29
hugh3 wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I prefer the dog translator from the Far Side cartoon. It turns out every barking dog is saying "Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!"

also: Dexter's Lab. "Mooooooooooon!"

"There's the thing! There's the thing! Right there, it's the thing! The thing!"

"Moonmoonmoonmooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon!"

Re: Translation technology may let humans speak with dolphins

#60

Post by StavrosK »

pumpmylemma wrote: post #54
StavrosK wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really? Not SeaQuest DSV?

I'll get down-voted -- correctly -- for saying something that adds nothing to the conversation, but YES! I think spending my childhood watching Lucas Walencheck was part of my inspiration to learn programming.

Lonnie Henderson was my first crush! So pretty.
Post reply on HN