Apple, Facebook, Women, Babies, Freezing!!!???

A thought that unsettled me to no end - Freezing babies (a.k.a human eggs, sperms, embryos,) and emotions for money (No, I am not seeing career here, I only see Capitalism) To what end is humanity are homo sapiens going in the name of Capitalism??!!

Can we even dare utter the word Career Goal/Achievement/Success/Any-other-crap to this appalling thought?

When I completed my Masters in Management, I too had seen my future a certain way. I too had dreams. Dreams that were made in a small town with whatever experience life had given then. A career dream that I almost achieved before life in the name of culture or culture in the name of life intervened and put a full stop it. It was hard swallowing reality but I managed that pill quite well, because to me life should not be packaged in work done for money.

I am a woman. My first grouping in the kingdom of homo sapiens. I am a woman with fertility issues. My second grouping within the group. I dreamt of having children, both my own and adopted even when I was a child. Yes, less than 15 was considered child. None of these dreams has seen the light of day due to the general reality called Life. This second pill was and is difficult to swallow - on an everyday basis. When there are some feelings that wont go away, how much ever you might try to think that they may eventually go away. Of course, the argument if I need to voluntarily do injustice to another life by bringing it into this world is a topic of lament for another day.

What could be more important in life than to fulfill our emotions or experience it in the few years that we are allotted here? Why is it that we as a race have failed to realize that we are here to just enjoy life. Capitalism is a by product of humanity. Of course, we have the Aye's and Nay's for Capitalism just like so many other things that are a by product of humanity. But with freezing babies, the human race has come to the point where it has chosen to become the by product of Capitalism.

When we are talking of animal rights for lab rats and guinea pigs, we are giving ourselves to becoming one. In the present generation, bringing babies to this world by itself has become a science experiment, when a few hundred years ago, the human race was no different from any other living thing. Who better than me to tell you that?!

If giving the option of freezing eggs is the liberation that the corporate world is giving women, I beg to please STOP. We are burdened enough with all that has been given to us that we can hardly move. True liberation to a woman would be for her to be free to choose to have her emotional needs fulfilled without the fear of losing all that she has worked for until then. If any corporate can guarantee that, I stand by such corporate and I believe all women will. The human race can thank you then for being thoughtful towards its well being.

Until then, All else that is handed down is Slavery in its Capitalist garb! 

Books, Authors and a Zombie..

Sometimes I dread the spell authors can have over me. Like I am their zombie carrying around their book like it possessed me. Totally, that is. They can make me sit through the night with my body aching on all counts, pleading me to keep that book away and go to sleep but I will still go on. Seriously, who controls me here??

This is not something that has cropped as a disease now. I think I have been hard wired to be zombied by authors. It started off with Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys. When going to school included a 7 km bicycle ride and a 30 minute school bus trip to reach school one way, I have spend most of my standing time in the bus with a book in one hand and lost in detective findings. I was one of those rare (not sure if it was really rare) creatures who would make a list of all the books in a series and check mark them as and when I complete each one of them.

The next one on the zombie list is no surprise - at least, for a major percentage of the reading population. Before you move any further, I declare myself a Potter fan. So, if you have heard enough of Harry Potter, please skip this, else continue. Being an adult when the Potter fever was everywhere, I totally believed that it was for kids. I didn't bother to even turn towards Potter-mania, until the day I said to myself - 'Let me try'. And I am so thankful that I did after all the books in the series were out. Otherwise, I don't know what would have happened to me during the wait for the next book. Another author who totally zombied me with her lesser known 'The Casual Vacancy' too.

The list continues with A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Fault in our Stars, The Goldfinch.. The list goes on - the zombie and her authors...

Note: A post half drafted in 2014 and completed today. Just to know my own heights of procrastination.

Essays from Coursera - II

The Question:

There are many people that feel that at some point in the future, computer intelligence will surpass human intelligence. The word for this moment is called the "singularity". There are endless movies and books about the time where technology will become the master of the human race. What do you think about the singularity? Is it coming soon? What will life be like after the singularity? Will the singularity never happen? Is there a point in time where the impact of technology on our lives will be reduced as shown in alternate future scenarios like "steam punk"? You can pick any position you like but make sure to write in a way to make your point and support your arguments.

My Answer:

Singularity:

Quote from Wikipedia:
[The first use of the term "singularity" in this context was by mathematician John von Neumann. In 1958, regarding a summary of a conversation with von Neumann, Stanislaw Ulam described "ever accelerating progress of technology and changes in the mode of human life, which gives the appearance of approaching some essential singularity in the history of the race beyond which human affairs, as we know them, could not continue"]

Though the word is new to me, the concept behind it has not been new to me. Even-though I don't watch many science fiction movies, I let my mind travel to unknown places where I let it wander to seek answers to questions it raises. Singularity is mostly defined as computer intelligence surpassing human intelligence, I would see singularity as 'The Single Event' or 'Series of Events' when human intelligence deteriorates to a level where computer intelligence has to supersede. 

Technology surpassing humans is happening as many 'Single Events' and the power of human brain losing its abilities is happening as 'Series of Events'. By the end of this essay, I hope to elaborate that we are rapidly in that path where this is already happening. 'The Single Event' or 'Series of Events' as I see it has already been initiated.

Advanced Technology's rapid accent (The Single Event)

The human race as a whole is moving towards a language called programming. We in this course group are a standing example of it. We are collectively going to aid in the technological advancement of many small and big things in this world, but individually, we will only be aware of the minuscule programming code we will be writing. Effectively we will be creating something huge piece by piece, but once built in its totality, one individual (human) is not going to be able to handle it in singularly. But once this technology is born, it will be able to exist on its own in Singularity. This will end up making it, more powerful when compared to all the humans that put it together. In that 'Single Event', the technology born out of so many humans supersedes the creator.

Here, I would like to bring an example where a TED Talk (link provided in the reference section) speaks of a technology where a computer (program) reads the brain signals of the monkey and acts accordingly. The monkey need not even do the task with its hands. In the near future, replace the monkey with a human. A computer reads the human brain, understands it and behaves accordingly. Effectively we will be uploading all our brain signals to a computer which has the capacity to NOT forget. Putting all that information into a computer brain over a period of time is going to effectively make the computer intelligence more powerful than the human intelligence. Including cloud storage and data transfer technology, the thought of shutting down such a system also might not be in the control of humans. In that 'Single Event' Singularity might occur in that place and time.

Deteriorating Human Brain Power (Series of Events)

The human race as a whole has lost a lot of inherent knowledge that we once possessed. Let me elaborate this from what I know, from the present age to the not so distant past. We have become so dependent on technology for every need of ours from finding directions to doing basic calculations. People are more prone to take their smartphones to find which direction they are facing than look at the sun and find out. We are dependent on calculators for every calculation and spell check for any spelling in any language. Finding an address is totally dependent on technology for most of the world. Remembering phone numbers or other basic data came easily to humans earlier but not so much today. From these few instances, though minor, it is clear that we are handing over ourselves to computers. A little earlier in time, my grandparents could tell the time of the day, precisely from the angle of the sun irrespective of the weather. That knowledge is lost forever. Now we are dependent on the technology of the clock to tell us that. 

By going further into the past, the earlier nomadic humans had more knowledge of natural calamities and ways to safeguard themselves without any technology to aid them. Native Americans survived in extreme temperatures of the northern hemisphere with the little they had whereas a single snowstorm could make us feel very vulnerable today, specially if we lost connectivity or our phones drained battery. When the tsunami struck the south east Asian countries, it was the indigenous people who could 'see it coming' much before it actually came and they took the necessary precautions to safeguard themselves. Today, we are so dependent on the weather forecast provided by technology to even take an umbrella for the evening when we can actually see an overcast sky.

In this manner, we are voluntarily handing over ourselves to technology. Thus, over time, by not using the human brain power to its full capacity, we are letting it deteriorate in a 'Series of Events' to the level where computer intelligence supersedes it and Singularity occurs.

Life after Singularity:
Extrapolating this to other technologies, (check the other TED technology talks) we, as a human race will have to accede our throne as the superior being on the planet. Though this new being might not be living, it could have superior control over the whole human race, (like the prediction in the 1984 book by George Orwell) with all that information that we have created and stored in the form of internet, free for this being to access it and act accordingly. 

P.S: Not to sound too pessimistic, probably, that is when, humans might have to start moving to Mars en masse. :) Am I giving away the human race by mentioning it in this essay for our future rulers to find us?

References:

http://www.ted.com/talks/miguel_nicolelis_a_monkey_that_controls_a_robot_with_its_thoughts_no_really 
(Monkey is said to control the robot but what it effectively means is that the machine is able to read the thoughts, a.k.a brain signals of the monkey)
http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-hawking-warns-artificial-intelligence-could-mean-end-of-humanity-...
(Stephen Hawking thinking on the same lines is not surprising)
Some interesting reads:
http://io9.com/5534848/what-is-the-singularity-and-will-you-live-to-see-it
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/the-great-singularity-debate/3029

Essays from Coursera - I

The Question:

What is the impact of programming on our world? Does everyone need to learn programming? How might individual lives and society as a whole be changed if we found a way to include programming and technology at all levels of education? It is acceptable in your essay to disagree and say that programming should not be for everybody. Make sure that whatever position you take, that you support your argument.

My Answer:

I remember reading or hearing somewhere that, in the history of human existence, we as a generation are living the most blessed life. (of course, not considering the many miseries the less privileged are suffering) Our life is filled with comforts beyond our imagination, a life where we can communicate to any other human on the face of this earth, the possibility of being aware of how our day is going to be tomorrow, even if it is just the weather :) and many other such endless possibilities.

Wondering what relevance this has when asked about the impact of programming?
In my humble opinion, the hands and the brains of programmer is what is permitting us to live this life of betterment from what it has ever been in the history of mankind.
In my NOT so humble opinion, if God has created the world, we have come to the time and age where programmers behind computers are running (literally) it.

This is precisely the impact of programming in our world today. From taking this class online to finding the availability of water in some remote part of the world, programmers have enabled and eased different processes all over the world and beyond. 

Does everyone need to learn programming?
I don't think so. There is no NEED for everyone to learn programming unless they WANT to. Like anything in this world, too much of anything does no good or rather harms more than good. We are already moving rapidly in that direction where the ability of humans to use their mind to do some basic calculation or to remember a few numbers is turning out to be a tedious task. We instantly turn to google or our phone for everything. We lack the intelligence that our previous generations possessed since we pass all of it to machines and let it do things for us. We lack the ability to find our way through a new town or city without the aid of a phone/device. Reading maps and knowing directions may very well become a thing of the past if all of us were to write programs for everything.

Human brain gets better with use. If we use it only in the language of computers which is very basic, we will, in the long haul, change the awesome human brain to a not so awesome computer brain. In that far future in time, the computers, that is, artificial intelligence MAY take over humans.

Including programming and technology at all levels of education: It has its Pros and Cons
Pros: Computers will form part of every activity in the future. Hence, it is imperative that we need to provide the young with the basic knowledge, for them to cope with the world that they will be entering. Since programming is more of an individualistic work which gives a sense of accomplishment, it gives a sense of fulfillment to the person doing it. 

Cons: Having said that it, without intending, this type of work alienates the person from everything else. When a young mind is set on a task in programming, it tends to move in that direction and without even them knowing, they would have passed a lot of their youth in front of a computer when they should have explored the world around them.

Considering the above, as an effect of introducing programming at various levels of education, we might bring about a generation which will be an expert in programming but which might not know how to enjoy the small joys of life or even understand what it is.

References:

A good article on the pros and cons of programming early
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/16/opinion/should-young-children-learn-coding.html?_r=0
"I learned to code at about 12, but it took over my life. I don't think I talked to a single girl between the ages of 12 and 19, never mind went to parties" from this page below:
http://www.itworld.com/article/2725112/enterprise-software/how-young-is-too-young-to-start-programmi...

Writing, Resolutions and Me!!!

New Year and Me go in tandem with Resolutions. Sometimes I keep them and many times I don't. One resolution I have successfully kept over the last many years is to be a vegetarian 5 days in a week. SO, that is a success story, according to me. For a person born and brought up in a coastal town, fish was staple food, everyday. And I do love fish.

This year's primary resolution has been to write. Haven't I heard this before?!! Well, so what if it is my first step again?! I have been keeping first steps on this space and every time the second step goes missing. One more try, one more time and I intend to keep trying, without letting myself down. Isn't failure to get up after a fall, the actual failure?

The last year has been a little encouraging to me to pursue my thoughts in writing ever since I took the Programming for Everybody Course in Coursera.com. I know what anyone should be thinking now. Though my programming skills may not have taken a cheetah's leap, my faith in my writing skills have taken, at least a kitten's leap. I need to specially thank all the wonderful souls that read my essays in the course and for unanimously appreciating my thoughts and encouraging me with their kind words. I never seemed to have believed all my wonderful friends who have been doing precisely the same thing over the ages. I somehow told them and myself that they were being too kind to me. To all my dear friends, I am sorry for not taking you seriously over the ages. I am trying to, now. Specially since I so enjoy writing and reading it again after a long time and wondering and remembering what made me write what I did. Hope it is not too confusing. :)

By the way, this isn't the only resolution either. I will come out with the others in public with myself when I have the guts to do it. Until then, I will keep this resolution and enjoy it while I do.