Ripples and Puddles (Hans Moravec): “Like little ripples on the surface of a deep,

turbulent pool, calculation and other kinds of

procedural thought are possible only when the

turbulence is quelled. Humans achieve quiescence

imperfectly by intense concentration. Much easier

to discard the pesky abyss altogether: ripples are

safer in a shallow pan. Numbers are better

manipulated as calculus stones or abacus beads

than in human memory.” Edge