"Is it usually sliced or carved?"

[avram]

I’ve been playing with this Twenty Questions AI that Boing Boing pointed to. After 29 questions (not counting those to which I answered “Unknown”) it still couldn’t figure out that I was thinking of cactus.

 1. It is classified as Vegetable .
 2. Is it crunchy? Probably .
 3. Can it fit in an envelope? No .
 4. Is it usually green? Yes .
 5. Is it used to make salads? Yes .
 6. Can you peel it? Yes .
 7. Is it found in salad bars? No .
     Do the rabbits eat it? Unknown .
 8. Is it a type of fruit? Yes .
 9. Is it furry? No .
10. Are there many different sorts of it? Yes .
11. I guess it an apple? No .
12. Is it round? Yes .
13. Does it contain a liquid? Yes .
14. Is it green? Yes .
15. Does it taste sweet? Yes .
16. I guess it a melon (fruit) ?No .
    Does it come in different colors? Unknown .
17. Does it have bumpy skin? Yes .
    Is it orange colored? Unknown .
18. Do you make something with it? Yes .
19. I guess it an orange? No .
20. I guess it a pear (fruit) ?No .
21. Does it come from trees? No .
    Is it hard? Unknown .
22. Is it usually sliced or carved? Yes .
23. Does it have anything to do with salad? Probably .
24. Does it usually live on a farm? Doubtful .
25. Does it grow on a vine? No .
26. Can it be used to season foods? Yes .
    Is it heavier than a pound of butter? Unknown .
    Does it change colours? Unknown .
27. Does it grow on a tree? No .
    Does it have a hard outer shell? Unknown .
28. Would you touch it with a 10-foot poll? Probably .
29. I guess it celeriac (celery root) ?No .

And what’s with the pound of butter? Do pounds of butter weigh something other than 16 ounces?

It took 24 questions to correctly guess bridge, and disagreed with me about some of my answers:

You were thinking of a bridge.
You said it is classified as Mineral, I say Other
Is it shiny? you said Usually, I say No
Does it bring joy to people? you said Sometimes, I say No
Do you clean it regularly? you said Yes, I say No

And 29 guesses for a tarot card, though it guessed “a deck of cards” on question 16 and “a playing card” on 20. Again, disagreement:

You were thinking of a tarot card.
Is it used for communications? you said No, I say Yes
Do you use it in your home? you said Depends, I say Yes
Can you use it at school? you said Probably, I say No
Does it help accomplish tasks? you said Doubtful, I say Yes
Can it float? you said No, I say Probably
Can it fit in an envelope? you said Yes, I say Doubtful
Can it affect you (cause an effect to you) ? you said Doubtful, I say Yes
Is it used in a game? you said Maybe, I say No

I guess it’s right about floating, but it’s clearly never heard of the various games played with tarot cards, or attended any school with lots of bright curious kids. I don’t know why it doesn’t think a single tarot card could fit in an envelope.

Comments

[cattitude.livejournal.com]

I've been having fun with this one, too. It took a real long time to guess "bubble gum."

Two quick notes: Pounds of butter weigh sixteen ounces. Pounds of gold weight fourteen, and they're troy ounces. A pound of gold weighs less than a pound of butter, but an ounce of gold weighs more than an ounce of butter.

And no, they don't clean the most of the bridges regularly around here. Grumble.

[avram]

Yeah, I know about troy ounces. It makes for a great trick question to use back on the smart-aleck who tries to trick you with "Which is heavier, a pound of feathers or a pound of lead?" when you're in fifth grade.

[zoe-trope.livejournal.com]

I am in the process of writing a lengthy letter to you. I just thought you would appreciate the warning.

[avram]

Cool! I was just expecting like a postcard or something.

I make no promises about writing a lengthy letter back. (Where'd I pack that stationery...?)

Re:

[zoe-trope.livejournal.com]

I don't expect a response at all, although it would certainly be appreciated.