Technology vs. Entertainment Pt.1

A few years ago some A.I. scientists developed a program called '20Q' that was a self-learning program based on the classic game of 20 Questions. You picked a Person, Place, or Thing and then answered 20 questions with either Yes, No, Unknown or Sometimes. If the program didn't guess correctly it would ask an additional 5 questions hoping to narrow it's answer.

20Q wasn't programmed with any inherent information, instead learning from every game played. And it was programmed with the ability to draw it's own conclusions even if some answers given were contradictory to what it already knew. In essence it can make 'educated guesses' and think laterally as the questions/answers required.

It ultimately developed enough knowledge to maintain about 80% accuracy at 20 questions, and an amazing 98% at 25 questions.

You can plan an online version of 20Q at their website: http://www.20q.net/ . Be warned though, it's pretty addictive (for awhile at least) trying to stump the bastard.

In 2004 a non-learning plastic handheld version with a condensed data-set was released, and went on to win a bunch of "Best Toy of the Year" awards for it's innovation.

I first saw it at a Toys-r-Us for around 20 bucks. I remember being surprised at how many times it was right, and how obscure some of it's successes were. I didn't buy one, though, as it was a bit spendy, despite the novelty of the technology.

However, when I saw the Special Edition 'The Simpsons Show' frosted doughnut with sprinkles & a bite taken out 20Q I bought it immediately (and one for Jason & Rebecca's Simpson collection).

It works exactly the same as the original 20Q toy, provided the Person, Place or Thing you're thinking of is somehow related to the Simpsons.

Now, if you know me at all you know I have given over a pathetically large amount of my memory to the Simpsons show. Simpsons quotes, Simpsons trivia, entire Simpsons episodes are lodged in my grey matter (much like the Powder Blue Crayon that Homer had Moe ("That's right, I'm a surgeon!") Szyslak re-insert into his brain in Episode BABF22, "HOMR").

The only person I know who has wasted as much brainspace on the Simpsons is my friend Chris Parker, who coincidentally runs one of the other Island Video stores. The two of us can have entire conversations without actually saying anything original, simply lobbing direct quotes from the show.

With that in mind I can swear to you this thing is disturbingly good.... Seriously, I couldn't believe the depth of info this thing can reach. There were only a few instances where I was able to stump the beast.

Besides the more obvious characters, items and locations the Simpsons 20Q knows almost every character that's ever been on the show, including dozens that only made one appearance. The same goes for odd businesses, unique one-episode items, almost everything imaginable. Here's a short list of some of the answers it got right:

• Blinkey, the 3-Eyed Fish
• Donny, from Donny's Discount Gas (who's prices always end in 7/8ths of a penny)
• Gil (Gil Gunderson, the ever-failing salesman based on Jack Lemmon's character from "Glengarry Glen Ross"
• Armin Tanzarian (the man who took over Seymour Skinner's identity after returning from Vietnam)
• Cecil Terwilliger, Sideshow Bob's brother (voiced by David Hyde Pierce who played Kelsey Grammer's brother Niles on "Frasier")
• Handsome Pete (the crazy little dancing sailor with a concertina)
• Hank Scorpio, the head of Globex Corporation bent on world-domination.
• the Springfield Monorail
• The Dome (the Dome! from the Simpsons Movie)
• Spider-Pig, natch
• Willie's tractor
• the Maison Derriere (the burlesque house)
• the Olmec Head, X'tapalatekettle (given to the Simpsons by Mr. Burns for the gift of Bart's blood)
• Cypress Creek, the planned community for the Globex Corporation's workers
• the Merciless Pepper of Quetzlzacatenango from Chief Wiggum's Chili
• the Leftorium
• Jay Sherman, from the show "The Critic"

There were a few little odd omissions, the 20Q couldn't come up with these:

• Globex Corporation, though it got Hank Scorpio and Cypress Creek
• Moe's Love Tester machine, though it did get the Lovematic Grandpa from the 'Simpsons Spin-Off Show' episode
• the Town Sundial (that featured so importantly in the 2-part Who Shot Mr. Burn's episodes), though it did get the Town Hall
• the Springfield Lighthouse


I find this little plastic doughnut delightful, and not just for the simple entertainment it briefly provides, but for the confluence of interests it represents.

Think about it: Computer scientists working on A.I. models of learning. Toy makers who recognize the entertainment (and profit) potential. The Simpsons, and everything related to the Simpsons. The artistic inspiration of a version shaped like a doughnut (the buttons are different colour sprinkles!), complete with a premolded bite taken out of it.

And I find it intriguing that the technology involved in making something like this would be put to use to, well, make something like this. It seems such an odd choice to spend the time & resources it must have taken to design this thing. Are there really enough people out there willing to spend $14.95 for a plastic doughnut that's smarter than them, at least in terms of Simpsons-trivia ability?

It's as if the cosmos decided to make a little gift just for Paul. Magic.