I first "encountered" MENACE in a children's book on robotics after I got my first city library card when I was in the second grade; so around age 7 or so. The

I first "encountered" MENACE in a children's book on robotics after I got my first city library card when I was in the second grade; so around age 7 or so. The explanation of how it worked, from what I recall, was very brief, and I didn't understand it much at all. But it was my first introduction to the concept - outside of my experiences with "science fiction" of the time - that an inanimate "machine" could actually learn. This really ignited my passion for computing and robotics, something I have carried with me since. It ultimately led me to becoming a software engineer, and to exploring machine learning and artificial intelligence over the years as well.