The Star Trek: TNG episode with the particle fountain and the exo-comps highlighted an approach that might be useful at some point: software that can rewrite itself (m/l). They even noted the process frequently went awry as I suspect if such a feature (tee hee) were possible, that would be a frequent result.
I also note that when Data was describing how many operations per second his internals could do, it pretty much to me defined Data as non-living. Any device that is executing instructions as Data seemed to be describing could be imitated by vast numbers of people with pencil and paper doing the same processing. It might take millions of people centuries and centuries to 'boot up' a Data analog on paper, but the principle would be the same, and the rest of us would NEVER described the resulting cubic miles of pencil marks on paper as 'alive'.
I also note that when Data was describing how many operations per second his internals could do, it pretty much to me defined Data as non-living. Any device that is executing instructions as Data seemed to be describing could be imitated by vast numbers of people with pencil and paper doing the same processing. It might take millions of people centuries and centuries to 'boot up' a Data analog on paper, but the principle would be the same, and the rest of us would NEVER described the resulting cubic miles of pencil marks on paper as 'alive'.
The granting of a pardon is an imputation of guilt, and the acceptance a confession of it.
