Independent Artificial Intelligence

  Yes, I do believe Robots and the machine would be developed to assist Mankind to a certain degree (Or harm depending on how the machines are used), but for the last time and for the love of Pete my fellow humans, they will not develop their own sense of judgement or feelings. It is technically impossible, because the command: go out in the world and learn. Is too vague a command to give a machine. It is not the way the formulas work. Programmers can pitch in here as they like and explain the process if I failed to. 

  If you wish to give a robot the command to go out and learn (so that it would develop as a human), you'll also have to define the command 'learn'. What does learning entail? How will it be programmed to learn? If you program the machine to pick the right choice, there will have to be a set of rules it would have to be programmed on in order to make its decision. These rules are calculated, not blindly (randomly) picked through intuition (because that sort of thing cannot be instilled in a machine)(unless the commmand was pick randomly, but even then there is certain to be a probability formula involved)... not only because machines are technical material.. but because we humans ourselves do not know what feelings are or where they come from. 

I believe feelings come from the brain...and that the brain is a complex organ that still needs to be studied. But until the complexity of feelings is cracked, robots will not feel. End of story. 

Robots will calculate and be programmed to possess human-like qualities. But these qualities will be programmed qualities instilled into them by humans. Of course one would like to believe otherwise... humans never sieze to dream but well... try to be logical about it.

I just rolled my eyes enough in the past few weeks. I had to express my annoyance here.

A Question of the Soul

Before a few months I've had to undergo some sort of X-ray to check out whether I had any infections in the stomach and so on. That was the first time I've been put under anesthesia. The first time I experienced....nothing. Literally nothing, other than perhaps a few hints of what had been done to me by the time I woke up.
All I remember was hearing the Doctor say, 'and now...sweet dreams to you... 1...2...3..' and I was still there...or was I? I asked her... yes??? 1...2...3 what? (they were just standing there, so I asked)...what's supposed to happen?
I don't know whether the question baffled them, but they didn't answer until I asked: 'When's the X-ray going to begin?'
The nurse said: 'We're already done with the X-ray' And I go like...'what?? but I was awake the whole time.' After which she says: 'No you've been under anesthesia'

I understood the magnificence of this discovery of surgical anesthetics in 1846. Before, surgeries used to be performed without, which is a scenario I don't even want to imagine. So humour me for a moment when I start putting 1 and 1 together. Why is it that I felt nothing? Did I experience non-existence?
It was definitely not sleeping. It was a mock death. Not only because of the biological procedures that were being undertaken, but because the very aspect of time is negated. I did not feel myself go to sleep and wake up. I felt as if that very portion of time they used to X-ray me, was almost non-existent. Does that mean that time only exists when we do? And being dead would then mean, that time no longer is....

I ask you to humour me because it made me wonder. Just for the sake of argument lest any religious lunatic read this blog. It's always been a question whether the soul existed and was a seperate entity from the biological body. When they 'anesthetized' me, why did I not feel my existence, had I had a soul? The anesthesia is supposed to work biologically... not spiritually. So not being able to feel myself's existence at all..
Is it a hint that perhaps the soul does not exist?
Or would the religious argue that it did affect my soul?
Or would you say souls disappear with your consciousness?

I know no one can answer this philosophical search for the meaning of life. But I feel a part of the answer lies within the anesthetics. 

The Fruits of My Boredom and Lack of Respect

This is a poem I wrote during uni's most boring lecture given by the most boring professor.
Someone I recently lost respect for... why?
because I have a feeling I know more about the subject he's teaching than he does. All he ever did was read from the book and explain what he was reading in a very unprofessional and bad way. I actually believe some students would be able to explain things better than him.

As he was explaining something about the meaning of linguistic intuition. He only explained how linguistic intuition could be acquired... but he apparently couldn't explain or define what linguistic intuition was in the first place... I mean I KNEW what it was... but I wanted to see how he would explain it... so I asked. He answered with.... 'you get it after going through experience in a language'.... so I asked again by saying... I know how it's acquired... my question was... what IS it??
His answer then was.... 'This means you didn't read....'
Was asking for a simple definition too much to answer?? And perhaps people read but they don't understand?? Is it not his job to explain it?
It was obvious that he didn't know how to answer the question and went into something completely irrelevant. The other students realized that as well... since it was not the first time he blamed the students for not reading as an excuse for not having to answer the question.

Can I really learn from someone like that? Can I actually have any respect whatsoever towards him?
Unfortunately not...
to prove to you how easy answering that question is. linguistic intuition is having a feeling for a language after getting used to it. If someone used the wrong grammar in their sentences you would get a feeling that it sounds wrong even though you're not sure why. That's exactly what intuition for language is. And that's all it takes to explain it.

Anyway... I got bored... cuz I had no interest in reading through a book in class which I could read better by myself at home. So I wrote this poem to pass time instead

Here I sit and words fly by
Through one end and out the other
It's hard to hear those words that fly
They're more dull than rainy weather

I'm so bored, extremely bored
I may not wish to offend
Though he's writing on that board
I've no mind to comprehend

This is it, I've lost the will
To live and sit inside this room
I am going under hill
Bursting to escape this doom

I can't wait, but here I am
Counting seconds till the end
Finally I'm out and damn!
Now I know hell's latest trend!

TripleTee
2009

First Experience

This week was the first I got to know University life in... being away from the house was something that delighted me before... however now that I know how different it is I start to get homesick... I start missing the city life... I am so not a country girl... Nizwa Uni is in the middle of nowhere and the students living there are just different... they're definitely country girls... the only thing I look forward to is the lessons and activities... so far the professors appear to be pretty good...
What I'm looking forward to even more is the new constructions and buildings that'll be built for the future plans of Nizwa Uni. Said to be ready in around a year... the uni will take place in a completely different area.
Another thing that amazed me was the technology. Every student gets an electronic card to be used around for almost anything... from buying things to ordering... what you do is fill the card like you fill up credit in your prepaid Hayyak.
Aside from that is the Library... they have ebooks we could read through the emails we'll get through the university... so we can take and read the books whether we're there or anywhere outside...
The other thing is the wireless connection available all around the area... so you can use your laptop anywhere in the Uni whether it be in or out and still have a connection.
I believe there's more to come... but these things are pretty promising already... ;)

So that's it?... It's over?

Yes... Today was the last normal day of school... the last day I'll be carrying my bag full of books into that building again... the last time I'll be having lessons with my friends, the last time I'll be coming in the morning and leaving at 2 pm. The last time I wear this uniform!!!...
The last time I have to abide by certain school rules! ... it's the last breath of youth I have left...
now... I just feel different... and the difference I feel does not provide me with a peaceful state of mind...

Usually in school I knew the way I was to follow... simply cuz my job was to pass classes to reach where I am now!... and now that I've reached this stage... the road suddenly splits into several pathways I find hard to choose from.
I confess I am TERRIBLE in knowing my way... :(... I confess even more, I'm terrible in considering what others have to say about my way. So here I am... and for once, I don't want opinions or advices or lectures... I want information... I want to know where I stand now and what I'm supposed to do exactly... I want this laziness in me to go away and push me to figure out what I need to know to make my decisions and suit myself... I feel like a little chick trying to break off that egg-shell... the chances of it breaking depends on how much force the chick exerts on it... the force here would be reperesented by marks... the more marks I collect the greater the force there would be for me to break that shell... but breaking that shell would also mean a lot more... it would mean more challenging battles to fight regarding more difficult issues... that's when I remember some people saying... "I wish that having to study was the only problem I had"... making known that studying was supposed to be the least of problems... now I understand what they mean... and though I dread the future and the possibility of its outcome... I can just hope for the best and dwell on past memories I can cherish :)...

may all those who pass through the same stage next year find their way with less struggles and more achievements :)... cheers to everyone... and happy end of school day!!...