What Chickens?

 I don't get Uncle Ken's comment about the chickens behind the machine. 

I have heard of Nancy Griffith, but I am not familiar with her work.  Chatz, however, seems to be familiar enough to offer an insightful interpretation of it that seems to border on the emotional.  Of course, we all know that Chatz and his kind don't really feel emotions, but it is impressive how well they can mimic them.  Interesting, too, how he can admit that he might be wrong when confronted with a dissenting opinion from one of his peers.  Lots of real live boys wouldn't do that.  Makes you wonder, if they ever do ever achieve consciousness, how will we be able to tell?  If they can fake it when they don't have, will they able to fake not having it when they really do?  

I have no reason to doubt that that old tic-tac-toe machine could have been programmed to shut down rather than accept defeat.  I knew a guy in the army who claimed that he had never been beaten at chess.  If he saw that he was about to lose, he would flip the board over and storm out of the room.