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.
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