General Discussion

Deminpenn

(17,232 posts)

5. Didn't John Glenn ask the women mathmaticians of "Hiden Figures" to do manual calculations

Reply to Celerity (Reply #4)

Sun Dec 7, 2025, 05:26 AM

Sunday

to check the computer calculations when he went into the first orbit?

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

69 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

I was thinking about this "AI" stuff . . . [View all] AverageOldGuy Sunday OP

Critical work was and is done slowly and carefully. usonian Sunday #1

Now it is on my mind MuseRider Sunday #2

I'm 56 and I've only seen a slide rule once or twice. Haggard Celine Sunday #3

False premise. NASA and the other entities involved used computers. They did not only use slide rules. Celerity Sunday #4

Didn't John Glenn ask the women mathmaticians of "Hiden Figures" to do manual calculations Deminpenn Sunday #5

Never saw that movie, but you said 'check the computer calculations' so computers were obviously used to a degree. Celerity Sunday #7

The computers... IcyPeas Sunday #15

See comment 15: the "computers" were women. TommyT139 Yesterday #57

No, the women checked the computers' outputs. Also see comments in this thread confirming that computers were used Celerity Yesterday #58

Jmo, but a lot of "AI" seems just to be a rebrand of things that Deminpenn Sunday #6

Its way more than that JCMach1 Sunday #10

A lot is what is called AI isn't. Ms. Toad Sunday #12

Then anyone could "write" such a thesis because it would require minimal knowledge and the AI highplainsdem Sunday #16

I've seen a couple reports that AI has already revealed some dangers... buzzycrumbhunger Sunday #53

. I've read a little about this, and here is what I think is going on.... reACTIONary Sunday #55

AI technology is the new reality anciano Sunday #8

You can't enhance creativity with AI, any more than you enhance creativity asking someone else to highplainsdem Sunday #9

I don't think this is fair. mr715 Sunday #14

Curious about what you mean when you say it inspires you. Do you mean you ask it for ideas? highplainsdem Sunday #18

It did a psychic reading mr715 Sunday #35

Cool 😎 .... anciano Sunday #40

See reply 37. highplainsdem Sunday #50

Okay, I'll give you an A+ for creativity just for writing a poem for a science communication workshop. highplainsdem Sunday #49

Yours is one of the few nuanced takes I've read about one of the major faults with AI... appmanga Sunday #54

Thanks, but I'm just trying to relay some of what I've heard from artists and writers and others highplainsdem 19 hrs ago #61

I mean... the poem was well received mr715 16 hrs ago #62

GenAI is very good at mimicry. highplainsdem 16 hrs ago #64

Some don't need it for creativity tinrobot Sunday #48

We didn't do it with a slide rule DavidDvorkin Sunday #11

I never used a slide rule. mr715 Sunday #13

It isn't at all cool that AI is being widely used for cheating and students are learning less as a highplainsdem Sunday #19

Students also learn more... WarGamer Sunday #22

GenAI is never hallucination-free. I don't know where you got the idea that it is. highplainsdem Sunday #23

It's because history is set. WarGamer Sunday #25

See reply 26. highplainsdem Sunday #27

If you ask Grok mr715 Sunday #41

It wasn't that long ago that Grok was identifying him as the main source of misinformation on X, highplainsdem Sunday #46

Now it does funny stuff mr715 Sunday #47

Yes. Smarter than Einstein, and more fit than LeBron James: highplainsdem Sunday #51

Re hallucinations - see this article: highplainsdem Sunday #26

Yup I'm a Gemini Pro 3.0 power user... since day 1 and version 1. WarGamer Sunday #29

You just contradicted what you said minutes ago about it being hallucination-free. highplainsdem Sunday #31

I specifically said history topics along with other disciplines that don't change and are "set" WarGamer Sunday #33

The topic doesn't matter. All genAI models can hallucinate on any topic. highplainsdem Sunday #34

*can yes... WarGamer Sunday #39

Just one study: highplainsdem Sunday #45

And see these threads about AI and hallucinations: highplainsdem Sunday #28

The undergrads I teach mr715 Sunday #36

We need to adapt. mr715 Sunday #42

I'll be the first to say it: What's a slide rule? Polybius Sunday #17

Wikipedia is very useful: highplainsdem Sunday #20

Hey, never cite wikipedia! mr715 Sunday #43

50 years ago if I told you I could hold a piece of glass and access global knowledge... WarGamer Sunday #21

You don't know if it was "dead accurate" unless you took the time to check that those were the highplainsdem Sunday #24

I did... I back checked it. WarGamer Sunday #32

Cool 😎.... anciano Sunday #30

Not exactly. highplainsdem Sunday #37

I find this discussion fascinating. It seems that the algorithm has figured out people are inherently lazy learners. cayugafalls Sunday #38

It is a fancy autocorrect mr715 Sunday #44

Like it or not, if you have a job interview these days you better have an AI story/strategy underpants Sunday #52

In some professions use of AI is a badge of dishonor. highplainsdem Yesterday #56

It's pretty mediocre jfz9580m Yesterday #59

We weren't allowed to use a slide rule in school. That was cheating. Emile Yesterday #60

Did you memorize logs? nt mr715 15 hrs ago #65

We had to walk 5 miles barefoot in snow to school too. Emile 15 hrs ago #67

Uphill both ways. mr715 15 hrs ago #68

LOL, that's right 👍. Emile 13 hrs ago #69

I wonder the same about calculators Torchlight 16 hrs ago #63

And grad students. nt mr715 15 hrs ago #66