I just saw an this article on Slashdot, and I have to say I am staggered. In many school assignments, I have talked about how robotics could go wrong, and how it is dangerous to trust weaponry to a machine. I have always ended my discussions about this with some phrase like "In the future, our society will have to be careful to choose what we will and will not allow in robotics."
This is now, though. If one of the first, tiniest steps in the creation of true robots can go wrong this seriously, I have serious doubts that future development will be safe. Why should we trust researchers to keep their creations under control when something this simple can go so horribly wrong? And when will people realize our government is spending millions creating killing machines that could malfunction at any time?
This tragedy makes a strong case for a ban on weapon bearing robots of any kind. This may be an over-reaction, but is better to err on the side of safety rather than military might.
10.18.2007
Gmail is Creepy
This is another of my writing pieces from last year.
Gmail is great for a lot of reasons. Unfortunately, it is also creepy. It has content-related-ads, which means that it scans your emails for keywords and chooses ads from a database that are related to what you are talking about. For example, I sent an email (just to test how far it would go) saying "My mom died. Would you please help plan the funeral?" and I got an ad that said "Bereavement packages: take advantage of airliner's policies!"
This, if my mother had actually died, would offend me. Some of the ads are OK, but when issues discussed become sensitive, I would rather not be bombarded with offensive offers. Perhaps Google should use less keywords, or deny some ads entry.
Gmail is great for a lot of reasons. Unfortunately, it is also creepy. It has content-related-ads, which means that it scans your emails for keywords and chooses ads from a database that are related to what you are talking about. For example, I sent an email (just to test how far it would go) saying "My mom died. Would you please help plan the funeral?" and I got an ad that said "Bereavement packages: take advantage of airliner's policies!"
This, if my mother had actually died, would offend me. Some of the ads are OK, but when issues discussed become sensitive, I would rather not be bombarded with offensive offers. Perhaps Google should use less keywords, or deny some ads entry.
Technology Ramblings
Ha ha, was I right or was I right? This is another of my writing pieces from last year, before Vista started forcing people to other operating systems. Fortunately, now we have better options besides Vista. Ubuntu's latest version is amazing, and will be easy for anyone to use.
As you may or may not know, Microsoft is developing the nexxt version of Windows, which will be released sometime next year. This is bad news for almost everyone.
The next version, called Vista, requires 1 gigabyte of RAM to run the full version. Almost no one has this. That means that people will be forced to buy new computers just to run basic programs. In a few years M$ (Microsoft) will drop backwards-compatibility, and all new programs will require Vista. So how does M$ get away with this?
By forcing people to buy new computers, M$ is doing hardware manufacturers a favor. The hardware manufacturers return the favor by not releasing drivers for their hardware, making other operating systems non-compatible with many computers, which gives M$ more business.
As you may or may not know, Microsoft is developing the nexxt version of Windows, which will be released sometime next year. This is bad news for almost everyone.
The next version, called Vista, requires 1 gigabyte of RAM to run the full version. Almost no one has this. That means that people will be forced to buy new computers just to run basic programs. In a few years M$ (Microsoft) will drop backwards-compatibility, and all new programs will require Vista. So how does M$ get away with this?
By forcing people to buy new computers, M$ is doing hardware manufacturers a favor. The hardware manufacturers return the favor by not releasing drivers for their hardware, making other operating systems non-compatible with many computers, which gives M$ more business.
A Natural Inclination Towards Order
This is another of my writing pieces from last year.
Recently, I have been reading a website which achieves humorous moments in IRC (a way for many people to chat online) history. One of the noticeable things (and I realize I use[d] that word way to much) was that the vast majority favored correct grammar and spelling.
This means that the original trend of the internet destroying traditional formatting is reversing. People are slowly realizing that grammar is designed to make reading easier on everyone. As a result, popular internet opinion now is saying that those who are rude (ie: make their comments hard to read) will be ostracized.
This rebirth of form indicates that proper syntax is not outdated; it is still relevant. today.
Around six months ago, I started to use correct spelling and punctuation in all my emails and IM conversations, and I will continues to do this. For all our sakes, lets home that others dos the same. It makes the online experience more enjoyable for all.
Recently, I have been reading a website which achieves humorous moments in IRC (a way for many people to chat online) history. One of the noticeable things (and I realize I use[d] that word way to much) was that the vast majority favored correct grammar and spelling.
This means that the original trend of the internet destroying traditional formatting is reversing. People are slowly realizing that grammar is designed to make reading easier on everyone. As a result, popular internet opinion now is saying that those who are rude (ie: make their comments hard to read) will be ostracized.
This rebirth of form indicates that proper syntax is not outdated; it is still relevant. today.
Around six months ago, I started to use correct spelling and punctuation in all my emails and IM conversations, and I will continues to do this. For all our sakes, lets home that others dos the same. It makes the online experience more enjoyable for all.
Reaction to the Movie 'V for Vendetta'
This is another of my writing pieces from last year.
Why do so many people not realize that this movie is an allegory to the US government? I read a critic's review of V for Vendetta, and he said it was hard to watch, because he kept getting bashed over the head with metaphors. I agree with this; metaphors were everywhere.
Why then, do so many people not understand this? It seems like people become aware of their government's actions around fifty years after they are completed. For example, nobody cared about Japanese Interment Camps till much to late to help.
Today, no one cares about Guantanamo Bay, etc... In fifty years it will be clear to everyone that the government does horrible things.
Why can't we realize what is happening immediately for once? Wake up people!
Why do so many people not realize that this movie is an allegory to the US government? I read a critic's review of V for Vendetta, and he said it was hard to watch, because he kept getting bashed over the head with metaphors. I agree with this; metaphors were everywhere.
Why then, do so many people not understand this? It seems like people become aware of their government's actions around fifty years after they are completed. For example, nobody cared about Japanese Interment Camps till much to late to help.
Today, no one cares about Guantanamo Bay, etc... In fifty years it will be clear to everyone that the government does horrible things.
Why can't we realize what is happening immediately for once? Wake up people!
Reaction to Mass Hysteria
This is the first in a series of entries I wrote for a class last year. The following was written shortly after the Virginia Tech shooting.
People are stupid. Every time something happens, they all over-react and make rules that are more hindrance than help.
Take, for example, locking classroom doors. This rule is designed to keep students sage, but it results in students having to jump up every tem minutes to let another student in.
If someone wants to kill students, for whatever reason, it will happen. There are so many ways, unfortunately, that it could happen that trying to compensate would be ridiculous. To account for this, schools make some random rule to make parents and the media happy. The result of this is that every time something happens somewhere, thousands of students are inconvenienced a little more. Every time, ti seems like this will be the last inconvenience, but then another thing happens, and we are pushed further towards total uselessness.
People are stupid. Every time something happens, they all over-react and make rules that are more hindrance than help.
Take, for example, locking classroom doors. This rule is designed to keep students sage, but it results in students having to jump up every tem minutes to let another student in.
If someone wants to kill students, for whatever reason, it will happen. There are so many ways, unfortunately, that it could happen that trying to compensate would be ridiculous. To account for this, schools make some random rule to make parents and the media happy. The result of this is that every time something happens somewhere, thousands of students are inconvenienced a little more. Every time, ti seems like this will be the last inconvenience, but then another thing happens, and we are pushed further towards total uselessness.
10.14.2007
10.04.2007
Artifical Neural Networks
Doing research for a school assignment just now, I found an article on Artificial Neural Networks.
An Artificial Neural Network is an attempt to simulate the human brain, and, when used with a process called Back Propagation is much better at identifying patterns than a computer built upon rules of logic. Back Propagation is a method in which the computer is given a large set of things to look for in an image, and then told to complete that command. At first, the results are random, because the sets are random, but when the results are processed, it can be determined which sets of points are significant to the task of the Neural Network. In this way, it is easy to correct the computer, so that in the next cycle, it focuses more on the important aspects of the images. Eventually, a clear definition of what to search for can be developed, and much more easily than it would be to do the same with a logical computer, creating strict laws for it to search for. Essentially, an Artificial Neural Network is capable of training itself.
I find this fascinating, and it seems like a much more feasible way to create an artificial intelligence than most. I highly encourage you to read the original article, which you can find here.
An Artificial Neural Network is an attempt to simulate the human brain, and, when used with a process called Back Propagation is much better at identifying patterns than a computer built upon rules of logic. Back Propagation is a method in which the computer is given a large set of things to look for in an image, and then told to complete that command. At first, the results are random, because the sets are random, but when the results are processed, it can be determined which sets of points are significant to the task of the Neural Network. In this way, it is easy to correct the computer, so that in the next cycle, it focuses more on the important aspects of the images. Eventually, a clear definition of what to search for can be developed, and much more easily than it would be to do the same with a logical computer, creating strict laws for it to search for. Essentially, an Artificial Neural Network is capable of training itself.
I find this fascinating, and it seems like a much more feasible way to create an artificial intelligence than most. I highly encourage you to read the original article, which you can find here.
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