Okay, I think I see what you mean about engineering and self-modification, but I don't think its particularly important, it appears you're thinking in terms of two concepts:
Self-modification: Anything the AI does to itself, for a fairly strict definition of 'itself', as in, the same physical object' or something like that.
Engineering: Building any kind of machine.
However, I think that when most FAI researchers talk about 'self-modification' they mean something broader than your definition, which would include building another AI of roughly equal or greater power but would not include building a toaster.
Any mathematical conclusions drawn about self-modification should apply just as well to any possible method of doing so, and one such method is to construct another AI. Therefore constructing a UFAI falls into the category of 'self modification error' in the sense that it is the sort of thing TDT is designed to help prevent.
I think that when most FAI researchers talk about 'self-modification' they mean something broader than your definition, which would include building another AI of roughly equal or greater power but would not include building a toaster.
Sorry, I don't believe you. I've been paying attention to FAI people for some time and never heard "self-modification" used to include situations where the machine performing the "self-modification" does not modify itself. If someone actually took the initiative to define "self-modification" the way you say, I'd perceive them as being deliberately deceptive.
I don't know if this is a little too afar field for even a Discussion post, but people seemed to enjoy my previous articles (Girl Scouts financial filings, video game console insurance, philosophy of identity/abortion, & prediction market fees), so...
I recently wrote up an idea that has been bouncing around my head ever since I watched Death Note years ago - can we quantify Light Yagami's mistakes? Which mistake was the greatest? How could one do better? We can shed some light on the matter by examining DN with... basic information theory.
Presented for LessWrong's consideration: Death Note & Anonymity.