I loved the movie on Ansgar as it reminded me of myself when I am trying to learn new things on the computer and get stressed out. Sometimes in class, I want to just say "Stop-lets do that again. I haven't quite got it." The movie was quite comical. I found Bradford to be amazing as I'm sure that is the direction we are heading. The one thing we don't currently have today is the ability for our computers to interact verbally with us as if they were a virtual person who could assume the role of secretary for us taking messages and returning phone calls.
I found an article on AI under the link: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=technology&res=9401E2d71639F934A25,and according to it, Artificial Intelligence is coming to your personal computer in a sure but limited way. According to the article in the New York Times, new software is being released in the Fall of 2008 that will " allow the user to tell the computer in plain English what to do. It is being introduced by Symantek.
Another system available allows you to query your computer on a specialty topic with complex questions, and the computer will query back, "guiding one through the maze of stored knowledge. In addition, a program called Ractor is available that allows you to actually have a conversation with your computer by typing in questions. Your computer then responds to you. As you can see, Artificial Intelligence has arrived, and will be improving daily. I bet Bradford will be here before we know it.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Thomas Barnett: The Pentagon's New Map For War and Peace
I found this TED talk to be very interesting. I am the mother of a son who went to war twice, so this is a very personal topic for me. He was a front line soldier in both Afghanistan and Iraq with the 82nd Airborne. I am in complete agreement with Barnett that you cannot expect our soldiers one day to be shooting to kill, and then trying to make peace the next. You are messing not only with their heads but with the people of the countries that we are invading. As Barnett said "you can't ask a 19year old to do it all."
The world is well aware that we are a power to be dealt with.I agree that where we fail is in the aftermath. You cannot go in, tear a country apart by toppling its leader (No matter how brutal he was -for in most cases that is all that they have known), and then just expect to leave, and think they are going to pick up the pieces. Take Afghanistan and Iraq for example. These countries have been waging wars amongst each other for centuries.It is what they know, and will probably continue to do for centuries to come. They haven't the foggiest clue of what a democracy is. I think that you would have to bring many of those people here to this country,and plop them down for 6 months before they would even begin to understand the concept and the possibilities.
This is not to say that we should just ignore the atrocities and genocides going on in the world, but we cannot be the gatekeepers for everyone. I think Barnetts idea of an A-Z system is an interesting concept with its Leviathon Force and Sys Admin Force. As we have all seen, accessing the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq were never the problem. It is what do we do now to bring peace and stability? What is missing is that network system. Asking our 19-23 year old soldiers and older to do 4 and 5 tours is not the answer. The real test of Barnetts proposal will be if the two proposed forces can keep the peace with each other. One will always be ready to go to war-the other ready to compromise.
The world is well aware that we are a power to be dealt with.I agree that where we fail is in the aftermath. You cannot go in, tear a country apart by toppling its leader (No matter how brutal he was -for in most cases that is all that they have known), and then just expect to leave, and think they are going to pick up the pieces. Take Afghanistan and Iraq for example. These countries have been waging wars amongst each other for centuries.It is what they know, and will probably continue to do for centuries to come. They haven't the foggiest clue of what a democracy is. I think that you would have to bring many of those people here to this country,and plop them down for 6 months before they would even begin to understand the concept and the possibilities.
This is not to say that we should just ignore the atrocities and genocides going on in the world, but we cannot be the gatekeepers for everyone. I think Barnetts idea of an A-Z system is an interesting concept with its Leviathon Force and Sys Admin Force. As we have all seen, accessing the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq were never the problem. It is what do we do now to bring peace and stability? What is missing is that network system. Asking our 19-23 year old soldiers and older to do 4 and 5 tours is not the answer. The real test of Barnetts proposal will be if the two proposed forces can keep the peace with each other. One will always be ready to go to war-the other ready to compromise.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Carl Honore: Slowing down in a world built for speed
Finally,somebody else who feels like I do! By this, I mean that life does not need be a rat race. Carl Honore is a journalist who wrote a book on slowing down in life, and the benefits that it can provide to not only your health but also your diet, work, and relationships. He has found that "everyone wants to know how to slow down, but wants to know how to do it quickly." There seems to be something wrong with that.
We are a society that is obsessed with speed. The faster the better. We have speed-dialing, speed-dating, speed-walking, speed-reading, and even speed-yoga. Honore says we are a society of "road runner living" and are "hurrying through our lives instead of living them." I could not agree more. In our society, time is money, whereas in other societies, time is based more on the cycles of living. For instance, in Europe people work much less than here in the West (6 week vacations are the norm). The outcome-productivity goes up. The Nordic countries are a prime example of this.
This is a topic I have thought about quite often. It seems everybody has to be on 24/7. Cell-phones are attached to ones body almost as if they have grown another appendage. We have to constantly be on the go. Family dinners around the dinner table are practically non-existant. I worry about children the most. It is like they are on overdrive all the time with homework, extra-curricular activities, camps, jobs, cell-phones, text-messaging, or video games. Nobody knows how to just sit and daydream anymore. Even the idea of just sitting and reading a book seems to make people nervous. It is like they cannot physically slow down enough to just sit. Even people who go on vacations seem to take the first 2-3 days just to unwind enough to relax. I think there is alot to be learned from the Europeans and the way they live life.
As mentioned previously, they all take six weeks of vacation. The shops in most countries shut down in the afternoons for 2-3 hours, and people go home and take naps or just rest. This is a fact in Italy. Around 5, the shops reopen.Europeans take time to shop the markets for their foods, cook them themselves, sit down to family meals, and just enjoy what they are eating and eath others company. Rushing through fast food is not their normal way. They just seem to savor the simple ways of living and you can tell just by looking at them that they they seem more relaxed. Americans on the other hand, always seem to have a nervous energy about them. Maybe it is time for us all to remember that we are all going to die one day, and that life is not so much about the race, but enjoying the journey. Take the time to just look up at the sky on a sunny day, or really look at a flower that is blooming in a garden. Notice the birds singing, and pay attention to that piece of cake or slice of pizza you are eating.You might be pleasantly surprised.
We are a society that is obsessed with speed. The faster the better. We have speed-dialing, speed-dating, speed-walking, speed-reading, and even speed-yoga. Honore says we are a society of "road runner living" and are "hurrying through our lives instead of living them." I could not agree more. In our society, time is money, whereas in other societies, time is based more on the cycles of living. For instance, in Europe people work much less than here in the West (6 week vacations are the norm). The outcome-productivity goes up. The Nordic countries are a prime example of this.
This is a topic I have thought about quite often. It seems everybody has to be on 24/7. Cell-phones are attached to ones body almost as if they have grown another appendage. We have to constantly be on the go. Family dinners around the dinner table are practically non-existant. I worry about children the most. It is like they are on overdrive all the time with homework, extra-curricular activities, camps, jobs, cell-phones, text-messaging, or video games. Nobody knows how to just sit and daydream anymore. Even the idea of just sitting and reading a book seems to make people nervous. It is like they cannot physically slow down enough to just sit. Even people who go on vacations seem to take the first 2-3 days just to unwind enough to relax. I think there is alot to be learned from the Europeans and the way they live life.
As mentioned previously, they all take six weeks of vacation. The shops in most countries shut down in the afternoons for 2-3 hours, and people go home and take naps or just rest. This is a fact in Italy. Around 5, the shops reopen.Europeans take time to shop the markets for their foods, cook them themselves, sit down to family meals, and just enjoy what they are eating and eath others company. Rushing through fast food is not their normal way. They just seem to savor the simple ways of living and you can tell just by looking at them that they they seem more relaxed. Americans on the other hand, always seem to have a nervous energy about them. Maybe it is time for us all to remember that we are all going to die one day, and that life is not so much about the race, but enjoying the journey. Take the time to just look up at the sky on a sunny day, or really look at a flower that is blooming in a garden. Notice the birds singing, and pay attention to that piece of cake or slice of pizza you are eating.You might be pleasantly surprised.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
William Kamkwamba:How I built my family a windmill
Everyone should listen to this TED talk and learn from this humble, gentle now 19 year old about how the most simple basic thing that we all take for granted-electrical power, can bring such joy. We live in such a fast paced world where everyone wants the latest gadget, technology, or wants things instantly. We all forget that there is a whole world out there that doesn't even have the basics such as a simple light bulb, running water, or the luxury of hearing a radio much less downloading their latest ITunes or movies.
William was simply a 14 year old who wanted to provide power to his mud hut for his family. He comes from a small village in Tanzania. He decided to read a book called "Using Energy", and from there he built a windmill using a bicycle frame, pulley, plastic pipe, and wooden poles.He basically used scraps that he found. It provided enough wattage for 4 light bulbs and a radio. When questioned about the windmill, he replied simply " I tried, and I made it."
How many other average 14 year olds would even think about taking on this project? In our society,they are all too busy text messaging, playing their latest video games, or worrying about their MySpace.The idea of not even having power probably never even crosses their minds. It is a given. I think our society today is too wrapped up in themselves. This boy now wants to build a bigger windmill that will pump water and irrigate crops for his entire village.His focus is on "What can I do for others?" Only by watching the TED video can you see the joy on his face in having been able to build this first windmill,and you can tell that he realizes what the second windmill could mean to the life of the village. Our modern world here could do well to learn lessons from this young man. It is not always about having the latest and wanting more.Sometimes, we need to stop, and be grateful for all that we do have and maybe start focusing more on how to help those who are just looking for the basics. There should not be such disparity in the world.
William was simply a 14 year old who wanted to provide power to his mud hut for his family. He comes from a small village in Tanzania. He decided to read a book called "Using Energy", and from there he built a windmill using a bicycle frame, pulley, plastic pipe, and wooden poles.He basically used scraps that he found. It provided enough wattage for 4 light bulbs and a radio. When questioned about the windmill, he replied simply " I tried, and I made it."
How many other average 14 year olds would even think about taking on this project? In our society,they are all too busy text messaging, playing their latest video games, or worrying about their MySpace.The idea of not even having power probably never even crosses their minds. It is a given. I think our society today is too wrapped up in themselves. This boy now wants to build a bigger windmill that will pump water and irrigate crops for his entire village.His focus is on "What can I do for others?" Only by watching the TED video can you see the joy on his face in having been able to build this first windmill,and you can tell that he realizes what the second windmill could mean to the life of the village. Our modern world here could do well to learn lessons from this young man. It is not always about having the latest and wanting more.Sometimes, we need to stop, and be grateful for all that we do have and maybe start focusing more on how to help those who are just looking for the basics. There should not be such disparity in the world.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Phishing/Internet Scams
Although many people have run into problems with both Phishing and Internet scams on their computers, I have been very fortunate to not have had experiences with either.I don't know if that is because I do not use the internet alot or if I don't email alot (most of my family and friends live right in Tappahannock with me). Maybe,I have just been lucky. I do know that it has been a real problem for many people esp. the elderly who fall for the internet scams offering them money if they send in a certain amount of money first or forward a bank account number. You read about it in the paper all the time. It is heartbreaking and infuriating to see people lose what money they have to these scams and to the phishing that goes on with people falling victim, and giving out their personal information. I do get surprised by the number of times that this does seem to happen. It seems that enough information is posted in newspapers, magazines, and on the TV warning people about these problems. Nevertheless, people still fall for them. Hopefully, if people can keep reading about it, be warned by family members, or see it on TV enough,these incidences will lessen.
Monday, January 28, 2008
A Voyage Inside The Cell
David Bolinksky is a medical animator who is the creator of a fascinating movie that recreates the life that goes on inside the basic living cell.He helps people understand truth and beauty in the biological sciences through animation.I think in a sense that he wants people to realize that although we all think we see something when we look at it, we are not really looking at it and truly seeing. Bolinsky wanted to create for medical students "a mental image of the cell as a large bustling city of micromachines". One need only watch the film to see that he certainly succeeded.It is an amazing film showing how the most basic simple thing that is the start of all life is really a network of "micromachines" all working together to provide the cell what it needs to survive and thrive. Without them, there would be no cells, and hence no life. It forces one to really visualize and use their imaginations to realize that nothing is so simple. There is complexity in everything but one must really take the time to look, and see. Upon doing so,one must then be willing to contemplate upon the real wonders of life, its beginnings, and the possibilities and secrets that it still holds.
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