[Lord Nikon]

Originally Posted by Anonymouse

Similar to the 'I tell you three times' backup strategy Heinlein wrote about as far back as Space Family Stone (1952). The ballistics computer of the Rolling Stone had three lobes (nodes, we'd call 'em now), each of which was capable of solving the entire problem of navigating, say, from Luna to Mars. If one produced answers radically different from the other two, or failed, the two properly functioning lobes would outvote it and cut it off.

Ahh yes, the Gay Deceiver... I remember the book well... Especially when they ended up in E.E. 'Doc' Smith's Lensman Universe...

However, I imagine they're using heuristic (or, if you like, best guess) techniques now which weren't even dreamed of back then; that's how they decide which answer to go with. 2001's HAL, of course, had entirely heuristic programming, hence the acronym: Heuristic ALgorithmic.

I always thought HAL was an abbreviation of Heuristic Algorithmic Logic?

It's still strange to think that the entire computing power of Apollo's Mission Control could now be outdone by a fairly cheap laptop...

The apollo computers were less powerful than a commodore 64 If I remember correctly.