Do you remember that old story about John Henry? You know, the one where he uses his own body and muscles to compete against a steam-powered machine only to be victorious and collapse and die from exhaustion?
Oh yeah, that one.
Well, I had this relatively grandiose plan to use that piece of American folklore as an analogy for man versus machine until I checked Wikipedia. I had failed to realize that that particular story is “usually seen as an archetypal illustration of the futility of fighting the technological progress that was evident in the 19th century upset of traditional physical labor roles.” Once I read that, combined with the fact that he keels over at the end, my innocuous little idea of using the man versus machine analogy as my literary device du jour just seemed to be missing the point of what I wanted to make in the first place.
All I wanted to say is this: If you want to see a computer named Watson compete against a pair of humans, then be sure to watch Jeopardy tonight at 7 pm. This is the third (and final) day of their showdown and it is must see tv for nerds everywhere.
I have posted a link here so you can get your geek on about all things Watson.
The Adventures of ALS Boy 
Totally. And if you can find it on YouTube, “Watson” was also on Conan last night, as well, talking smack to Andy Richter. Hilarity ensued. Good stuff.
Jason,
Just a couple of nerds over here enjoying every minute of it. How ’bout that room full of wires?! I get a kick out of how the IBM team is so dedicated to the project. The emotion on their faces when Watson misses an answer! Fantastic.
I love the part when Alex told Watson when he repeated an incorrect answer that “Ken just said that”
LOL. I bet that all the IBM nerds in the audience shot him dirty looks the moment he said it.