biolyrics

Export

2009-09-14T21:37:18Z

I'm exporting the blog in preparation for a big move. There were a number of reasons I had used moveable type, but now, I feel like this site could move on. I have drafted up a visual re-design, along with getting the new structure together.

Some other problems I've had with this structure:

weird url patterns
Image uploading tended to be a pain

This project has been a few months in the making, and will take a lot of my free time to properly implement. Expect to see something completely different in the next couple of weeks.

Until then, feel free to browse around. For starters, I'd recommend looking at my entry on computational tools in university.

Also, my sister has been kicking it with some new pictures. Hop over and say hello.

Strep Throat and Other Woes.

2009-06-17T07:01:30Z

It's 1:30 in the morning, the time in itself becoming quite a load to bear. But I've been writing.
A lot.

I don't know why I haven't been keeping up with my content-creation (ie "blogging"), but this trip seems like one that's as good as any to kick back and put a few posts on the old biolyrics.

Unfortunately, this post probably won't be as long as I would have liked, but I am going to be adding more entries as the weeks pass. To be honest, I have been racking them up on an auto-post, but it's only to keep my readers entertained and my time freer.

Also, pictures. They used to be a huge part of the old site, and now they've all but faded away. So, from now on, more media in the upcoming posts. As a teaser, feel free to enjoy this drawing of a brain:

Enjoy.
Also: Happy Birthday, Leach. Try not to go too nuts for your 21st.

Mr. Bill Siksay Resonds to C-15

2009-04-07T00:18:41Z

After reading about the new Bill C-15 in Canadian Parliment on reddit I decided to write a letter to Bill Siksay, my local MP. I knew his stance on such bills, one that I agreed with, so I just wrote him a reiteration of what this particular member in his riding thought.

What I wrote him:

Dear Honourable Bill Siksay,

I am writing to you to express strong disagreement to Bill C-15, introduced by The Hon. Robert Douglas Nicholson.
This bill introduces mandatory minimum sentencing, a concept proven to not work as shown by overcrowding in United States prisons. Canadians know the drug war has failed, and 62% support the legalization of marijuana. Please take this into consideration when this bill is put to vote.
I am deeply concerned about the impact that such a law would bring to Canada's justice system and feel that any legislative action to this affect would turn otherwise stalwart citizens into imprisoned criminals.

Here's what he wrote back:

Peace in the Middle East: Not a Contradiction

2008-12-29T22:17:07Z

In the many posts on Biolyrics I've made over the years and the many political stances I've made on U.S. and world politics, it occurs to me that I've never spoken about my own past. The events in the Gaza Strip and some people I met today have motivated me to share a bit about myself and to propose my own ideas about the issues surrounding the Middle East.

If you've followed my posts, you should be aware that I am, culturally, Muslim. Today I no longer adhere to this faith, but previously I was a strict Muslim; I used to fast during Ramadan, go to Eid prayer, and find the time to pray five times a day. My family is still strongly Muslim, however, and I still consider myself Muslim by culture, if not by faith.

But how did this Muslim end up in Utah, of all places? It's a weird series of events that led me to Utah, and I'm always telling this story. Both my parents were born in Syria, however, my dad was raised in Canada -- we'll get to why later. My parents met in Syria through an arrangement by my grandparents and their families. They were married and moved to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where they had their first child: me. We lived with stability for a couple years, then in 1991, the Gulf War (the first one, not this fiasco) ignited. We fled to Winnipeg to wait out the war for what we thought would be a couple weeks. While weeks turned to months, my sister was born. In our household, she is the only one who is Canadian via birth. I am Canadian via my parents, my mother is Canadian via my father, and my father and his parents are Canadian through naturalization. I am not Saudi Arabian; their citizenship is only accomplished through royal decree or birthright.

When the storm of war finally passed, we returned to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to find that everything has changed. Although I didn't know it at the time, I'd have to say that in retrospect the attitudes of Saudis changed after the Gulf War. People became more nationalistic and started to collect together on religion and fear. Later, my father would tell me the many incidents where he was threatened for flogging if he didn't pray, amongst other incidents. That, on top of legal embezzlement of his wages by his Saudi boss and the constant harassment of the culture led to us moving to the United States.

Right now I'm on a bus back to my school in Vancouver. I said my good-byes to my friends in Utah, and it got me thinking, could I ever have imagined myself here? Did my parents know, 20 years ago, that they'd be living in Utah 20 years from then? So I asked my Dad, and he offered a sage question, "Do you know what the next 20 years will bring?"

So we ended up in Portland. Still not Utah, but we're getting to that. Portland didn't last for many reasons. Firstly, my homesick mother couldn't stand the weather, and coming from the constant sun of Saudi and Syria, I could see why. Secondly, my Dad couldn't find a stable job. He's a software engineer, but he had some pretty bad clients and was let go for not playing with office politics. We lived in a low-income apartment, which was a pretty stark contrast to the luxury enjoyed by Saudi citizens today. When the jobs didn't come through, we ended up going to, of all places, Brigham City, Utah.

Why Utah? Why Brigham City? Brigham City's primary employer is Thiokol / ATK a rocket manufacturing plant in the middle of nowhere, Utah. My Grandfather was employed there as a consultant. When things got bad in Portland, my family ended up living with him temporarily, while my Dad found a job. For a few months we lived at my grandparent's house, but soon my Dad found the job he still works at to this day in Logan, Utah. After the steady job, we moved to a house in Brigham City, in order to stay close to our grandparents.

All this moving about leads to the Canadian aspect of things. And as I write this, I am passing by beautiful Everett, Washington, on my way to my Canadian university: SFU. Canada is the place where I've claimed citizenship for the last 20 years, but only now do I live there. Vancouver is my new home now, but I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for events that happened years before I was born, and barely after my father was born. Mind you, I still haven't been able to get all the details, as this is still a tender subject for some of my family members, so the dates may be off. This is a tough story, and I only tell it with the absolute respect and pride I have for my grandfather and grandmother.

In the 1950s, two events changed my family completely. The first was the Syrian-Israeli war in 1948. My grandfather and his family lived in Syria for hundreds of years; in August, at a family reunion in Montreal, we traced back our family roots to places all across the Middle East to many nomadic and Bedouin tribes. In the months leading up to the war, my grandfather would receive accounts of Jewish people settling in the neighbouring villages. This was greeted with apprehension, but not outright protest; people were more optimistic about what this meant for Syria. Unfortunately, in the villages next to my grandfather's, families started disappearing. Not the disappearing that comes from fleeing town, but the kind that comes from mob-lynching and home invasions. Houses would be found empty, but with belongings bashed around and looted. Soon after, a family who had escaped the disappearances gave warning to my grandfather's village. They fled to Damascus.

I won't go into the gruesome details of the autocracies commited in those days. I do not admire sensationalism and honestly want to put all this behind us. I will say this, however, people in fear, whether it be settlers or refugees, are cruel. Fear-based decision-making never leads to anything positive in society.

The event that pushed my family into North America, however, was an execution. In Damascus, my grandfather's father's brother participated in and later failed to overthrow the Syrian government. He was publicly shot as an example to the Syrian people. The rest of my family, fearing their lives, fled, one by one to America. My father ended up in Winnipeg, where he was raised. He was naturalized soon afterwards.

This is a personal and difficult story, but I bring it up because today the Israeli government continues this oppression and slaughter, while I enjoy my life in North America. I do not fault the Israeli people, nor the members of the Jewish faith. I don't even fault the Zionists. I fault those who gain any money from this ongoing war, and those who seek to mislead others. The American media never covers this, but Israel treats the Muslim population with the worst aspects of second-class citizenry. And while the rest of the world acknowledges a conflict, the United States (including Obama) still pegs the blame on militant parties such as Hamas. Let's get something clear, Hamas, even if they truly represented the people, are not the civilians who are dying. The United States must stop writing a blank-check of destruction to Israel.

Even with all the issues and conflicts, I still believe that the Middle East will see peace. Maybe even in my generation. One of my greatest dreams is to travel back to the places my family was raised without the constant threats of violence and instability.

It may seem hopeless now, and it may seem complicated, but today has changed my mind. Today, on my flight from Salt Lake City to Seattle I spoke with a young woman named Laura. Laura is a Jewish Zionist currently dating a Muslim in Africa. Perhaps I'm being too romantic, but I believe that love can surpass all conflicts and place everything in perspective. On top of that, think of all the advancements we've made and use today: today I am writing this on a laptop, a Turing machine with electricity; posting this on the Internet, a series of Turning machines in communication; while in transit from one country to another. I'm travelling to a border between two countries that share a few differences, but still maintain peace with one another, to a point where a conflict between the two would be laughable.

And in a sea of blog entries and news stories with despair, I hope I can set up a raft of optimism, because I, the Canadian Muslim from Utah, remain quite hopeful for peace in the Middle East, even if I never live to see it.

Thanks for reading this, and I hope it puts perspective in my life story.

Until next time,

Peace,

~Siraf

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What is Cognitive Science: A Field Guide for Cognitive Scientists and Students of Cognitive Scientists at Parties

2008-11-29T00:39:13Z

Of the many great experiences I had in Syria, some of my favourites were at family gatherings and parties. Of course, the sort of reunions that happen in the "Old Country" are far more lively than the usual Christmas get-togethers that North Americans participate in. For one thing, because I was the only one from my household in Utah to visit family in Syria, I was constantly taken from relative to relative, meeting people aged from less than a month to 80+ years. Family in Syria means not just one's aunts and uncles, but also their children's relatives. It means that I not only met people distantly related to me by 2^nd or 3^rd generational gaps, but also be met every friend, distant relative, and acquaintance of everyone else's friends, relatives, and acquaintances. I probably met 100+ different people from a wide array of backgrounds and professions: from business to dentistry. The family dynamic in Syria is broad, to say the least.
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With the meeting and greeting of so many people, the same questions always pop up, "How's your family? How old are you now? Where are your parents living now?" ; etc.

However, there was one question that always befuddled me, not because I didn't have an answer, but because the answer always took time to explain: "What do you do right now?"

This question I'd always answer with a similar response; something along the lines of, "I'm a student of Cognitive Science".

Now, there's one more thing about Syrian culture that I really love, and that is: we're a curious people (at least my family is; excuse any generalizations I make: I only make them to give you a sense of the cultural background). So every time I answered this, without fail, came the question, "Wait, how do you pronounce that?".

Another thing that you have to realize about all of these salutations, small talk, and exchanges is that, for the most part, they happen in Arabic. I'm not that great at speaking Arabic, but I can usually get this far into a conversation before switching to English. So, upon making sure that this member of my family can speak my more competent tongue, I repeat the subject that I study, "Cognitive Science: c-o-g-n-i-t-v-e s-c-i-e-n-c-e".

At this point my poor relatives, still wanting to comprehend my subject of study, will grab a paper and pencil and write it down.

Now, you have to remember that all this confusion stems from just the name of the subject that I'm studying, at this point of the conversation we haven't even gotten to the best question, "What is Cognitive Science?"

This question is one that every single Cognitive Scientist I've spoken to has had to simplify and answer. The problem is, not only is the term, "Cognitive Science" new, but it's also the most concise term we can come up with for the broad study that it entails.

Indeed, even when I go out with friends in Vancouver, the same question always comes up, mainly, "What is Cognitive Science?".

You'd think that, even though I've been fascinated with Cognitive Science for years and am the president of the Cognitive Science Student Association, that I'd have an easy answer to this question -- but I didn't.

There was a Halloween party I went downtown with some floormates and, again, the question came up, "What is Cognitive Science?" And once again, with me dressed up in my costume, a stereotypical SFU resident (towel, bathrobe, and sandals), and with this particular questioner dressed as an M & M, I made the same mistake of diving right into answering this question, without forethought or regard to jargon. Needless to say, I received the most puzzled look I've ever seen an M & M give.

It's times like these where I realize that I should really sit down and define, for anyone who wants to know, what Cognitive Science is. So let's give it a go, shall we?

The first thing to understand about this sort of quick party definition is that it's always going to be lacking in one area or another; it's impossible to sum up all the aspects of Cognitive Science into a definition that will keep your inquisitive co-partygoer entertained. So you're going to have to drop any discussion about that pet-project your working on; and leave any talk about Steve Pinker at the door, at least for now.

The other thing you'll need to do is subtly assess your questioner's background: is she or he a college student, university student, a graduate, which subject? ; etc.

And don't forget that even English can have its language barriers if you're caught up in jargon (and I was in Syria, so there's the Arabic language barrier as well).

In fact, when it gets right down to it, Cognitive Science's definition is partially up to your audience. Being able to connect ideas and concepts using metaphors is a start, but what people don't realize is just how broad and interdisciplinary Cognitive Science really is. Of course, as any Cognitive Scientist will tell you, the reason for this is that every task that humans do involves the human brain, and everything that involves the human brain can be studied in order to gain insight of the brain's functions.

Actually, that's a good place to start. Remember the focus of Cognitive Science: to study the human mind.

Keeping the focus of Cognitive Science allows us to examine the reason that people find this subject so fascinating: people are more introspective than we give ourselves credit for. People want to learn more about themselves, they want to understand why they make the decisions that they do, and the want to understand why others make the decisions they do.

But if people find Cognitive Science so interesting, then why don't they know what it is?

The way I see it, people actually do know about the study of Cognitive Science, it's the nomenclature that garners confusion. From Socrates to Descartes; Leibniz to Turing: the philosophy of mind has always been a part of our academic existence; we've just approached it in different ways; primarily, we've approached the philosophies of cognition with introspection, rather than experimental science. And the field has taken new turns with computational advancements, especially in the insights of factor analysis in psychology and biology.

At the same time, it takes abstract thought to approach Cognitive Science from the many disciplines that we do. The study of arts and philosophy have proven to be essential in many approaches to learning about cognition, adding further confusion to our modern definitions.

So what is Cognitive Science? How do we answer this dreaded question? Well, again, it all depends on your inquisitor, but perhaps I may offer a good way to sum it up: The next time you're caught at a party, glass in hand, milling about, making small-talk, meeting new people, and the inevitable question props up, get back to the basics:

Cognitive Science is the study of mind as a problem-solving tool, requiring the close study of interactions both inside and outside the mind in order to gain insight into thought-processes: it is the quest for self-knowledge.

This way, you can answer the question in a way that both leaves the conversation open and makes you seem like a hopeless romantic: partygoers love hopeless romantics.

So until next post, I hope your lives are full of people, parties, and thought-processes.

Being Poor

2008-11-27T08:00:00Z

I just read an amazing little poem by John Scalzi. Made me think of lots of the things that people take for granted. Even in a place like Vancouver it can be difficult to live in. And it doesn't help that Vancouver has the poorest postal code in Canada.
Somehow, though, there's still hope; humans are smarter and stronger today than most people give us credit for.

Bio - Lyrics: "Lately" -- The Helio Sequence

2008-11-20T02:37:27Z

"Lately"
The Helio Sequence

Lately,
I don't think of you at all.
Or wonder what you're up to,
Or how you're your getting on.
I never think of calling you,
Or how things could've been.
Or wonder where you sleep at night,
Or whose arms you wake in.

I'm living alone, living alone.
I don't need you anymore.
Living alone, living alone.
I don't need you anymore.

Lately,
I don't get lost in daydreams.
I never lay awake at night,
Staring in my bed.
And I don't think about your face,
Or anything you say.
And I don't think twice,
When someone says your name.
Or twist my mind in circles,
Wondering which of us to blame.

I'm living alone, living alone.
I don't need you anymore.
Living alone, living alone.
I don't need you anymore.

I never walk alone,
And think of all the empty words.
Or wonder when the day will break,
Or when the tides will turn.
And I don't break down,
When someone says your name.
Or twist my mind in circles,
Wondering which of us to blame.

I'm living alone, living alone.
I don't need you anymore.
Living alone, living alone.
I don't need you anymore.

Lately,
I don't think of you at all.
Lately,
Lately,
Oh lately.

I know that this is a bit mushy, but I just realized that it's November 19th. Those who know me personally know exactly what I was doing last year.
For those who don't: let's just say that today sparked a chain of events that resulted with me being at SFU, and I'm damn happy to be here.

Bringing the lyrics back.

2008-11-19T01:21:16Z

I'm going to start posting lyrics that are in keeping with my current life's playlist. This will probably be a twice a week feature, we'll see how it goes.
I'll still be making normal posts to this site, so stay tuned!

"Two Ghosts"
Boy Eats Drum Machine

woke up in time to see you turn into a ghost
from the top of the world
theres a view of sun so clean you can only look once
I see you carried away by the wind now
no matter what we say the things we claim dry out and blow away
its over my love
now were just a piece of the scenery in a painting signed anonymous
over my love
over just out of reach in retrospect I guess I loved you too much
loved you too much
loved you loved you when all I really needed was someone to touch
someone to touch
someone someone coarse enough to resist any powerful force
I hear a sound I think maybe youre here somewhere now
sometimes you hear sometimes you see but youre only imagining
if theres a season theres got to be a reason for it
you make your peace you make your mistakes
sometimes the world gives sometimes it takes

More to come.

The Story So Far

2008-11-03T05:48:01Z

Ok, well, it's been some time since I've posted, which gives some indication as to how busy I've been, so let's use this post to update everyone on what I've been up to.
Firstly, SFU (Simon Fraser University):

This school has been amazing. Between the Cognitive Science Program and the excellent residents in its dorm community I've had a more rewarding experience in the last two months than my entire time at the university of Utah. Professors listen to students, there are numerous opportunities to expand and learn, and being on the hill is an island in a sea of urban Canada.
Another excellent thing to note about SFU's location is that I'm less than two minutes (walking) from Burnaby Mountain Park, A magical place with an excellent view of both the city and the Pacific Ocean.

Check out the view:

It's even better at night.
Now that I've posted a mini-update, I'll feel better about making updates later.
Cheers.

The New Chapter

2008-08-20T21:27:57Z

Today is a big beginning for me. I'm moving to Vancouver. Though I do so for school right now, who knows? I may live there if I enjoy the city. I certainly won't be moving back to Utah.
I hope to keep everyone updated on this blog; it will be one of the many ways to keep in touch.
I've been in Montréal for the last week for a family reunion, and even now have been startled by many new, wonderful things.
In moving from the United States to Canada, an outside observer may note little to no difference, but in living it personally I've noticed that there are some significant changes I'm making.
Firstly, I have always been a Canadian citizen, but I only lived in Canada during the gulf war. My dad's work forced us to stay in Utah. Utah has many issues that I may never come to terms with, the least of which being the general ignorance and lack of culture that turns that society into a state full of "white-breaded zombies": lacking personal thought and having to append full utility to all of their actions; i.e. art and philosophy are considered past-times and not pursuits of knowledge.

Some other observations I've noted are in the different societal norms between these two countries. Health care is considered a human right, not a privilege; indeed, humanity is far more respected here. Also, sexual topics are not as taboo in Canadian society. Alcohol is consumed responsibly, and in British Columbia, one only has to be 19 to purchase it (though I still disagree with that age).

Being in Quebec for the last week has made me regret not learning French, though I have resolved to learn it; I've signed up for a beginning French class in Vancouver.

Another difference of note is technology, mainly communications. Internet access is difficult and often expensive, many internet providers do only allocate limited amounts of data; i.e. 20 megabytes a day; 10 gigs a month. I find this ridiculous, but I hope it will be resolved by the time I move out of the dorms. Also, I had to purchase a cellular phone, in the U.S. all calls in the U.S. are considered "local" and do not add extra to the bill, but in Canada, I have to purchase an extra plan just to call Winnipeg from Vancouver with a limited amount of minutes.

In general though, I'm finding I enjoy Canada's environment more and more. I will continue to write more and more about my experiences here.

The best birthday -- I have it.

2008-08-08T07:00:00Z

So for those outside the know, I have pretty much the best birthday in the Universe! I'm now 20, and once again all the 8's in my life line up again. Apparently 8 is a lucky number in China (which is one reason they start the Olympics today).

Happy 08/08/08 everyone!

Another hello to you!

2008-07-09T23:06:42Z

So, it's been about two weeks since I updated the site-software, so I'm going to take a moment to thoroughly elaborate on why I did.

The Original Site

The old site had many issues that start to gather up more and more until I Finlay became too lazy, busy, and tired to do all the tasks that it took to make a single post.

Previously, in order to make a post, I had to:

Write up the post
Reformat it to HTML
Ensure that all of the css, javascript, and links were connected correctly
Repeat the whole process in a template.
Make a new spot in the forums
Link the index and other pages back to the new post

So I then thought to myself, "hey Siraf, why don't you write your own scripting program to do this?" And spent the next three months without updating the site and realizing that this is a far more daunting task than I originally intended. When asking for advice, I found that most people recommended I simply use a pre-built Content Management System (CMS).

Choices

But which one to use? After a bit of research, I narrowed it down to three choices:

Drupal was too complicated to install with my web host, and was impossible without the adjustment of a couple shell scripts, so it was counted out.

Wordpress is an open-source blogging tool and although Wordpress was recommended by my host, I found it to be a bit too intensive in SQL queries and scaling. It would have been a bit slower.

Movable type's use of perl in their cgi ensured that I could have a faster site and still maintain the core features of a CMS-based site.

In Sum

The issues I ran into Movable type installation were mostly a result of the plesk-based system and a lack of understanding of where the root of the site was located. This was quickly resolved with some google searching. I'm planning on writing up a bit more on how I managed this in a later post.

Until then, cheers!

A Broken Idea

2008-06-25T20:15:04Z

The military lies

If you're male, live in the United States, and are between the ages of 16-25, you have definitely received a phone-call or some other form of obnoxious solicitation attempting to get you to join the military.

Don't get me wrong, there are cases (though very few) where war is justified -- but the U.S. hasn't met these cases for along time (at least, not in my lifetime). If you're in the lower-classes, then this problem becomes two-fold:

Fighting for "freedom" or "your country" is the right thing to do.
The military will pay for your school, plus a bonus signing offer.

These are lies.

The fight for "freedom"

Everyone has an inclination to fight for something higher than themselves,everyone wants to fight for a greater good than themselves.
Unfortunately, the military, any military (with the exception of a few extreme scenarios) feeds an idea of defense. In the United States, this is the defense of freedom and liberty.

In Iraq (as is our current dilemma) this defense is of your country and your family's lives. In Iraq, you or someone you know has lost a life, a home, a job, or their dignity to violent "Americans." Though we don't intend this to be the case, sadly it becomes the case: in war people die. The blame of course, will be shifted around, but in the end, it is your fault. As an invading party getting into or supporting the fighting, you hold the blame. Their perception is actually reality.

Iraqi sectarian violence is only the result of a U.S.presence that creates and catalyzes an uneasiness about those forced into power. It exemplifies the differences and causes war. These people can't go outside without the fear that their head will be separated from their body, that they may never see their children again.

Insurgents do not fight because they fear their own deaths, for why would they commit a suicidal act? No, it isn't the fault of their fear, but a fear of their children and family. They believe that this is the only way to protect their lives and as long as the US remains committed to its war of terror, they are right.

]]> Yet we fight for freedom?

Our freedom is only under attack by those who want you to believe it's the fault of those abroad. The people in power would rather have a rallying against a foreign entity, and use that rallying to create a state of fear. Are we really fighting for freedom? Does the U.S. really stand for freedom? NO. Between wire-tapping of civilians, and the removal of human rights, between the wars we create, and the ones we make worse it becomes clear that the US has one answer for the preservation of freedom: NO.The only thing this country stands for is its revoking of other peoples' freedoms, and the military is just another tool to do so.

So much for freedom.

Freedom isn't free, but we'll pay for your school anyways

It's drilled into every ROTC cadet's head: "I get to serve my country and pay for school" This is the mantra of brain-washing that convinces otherwise good people to go and take part in the "necessary" evils of the military. If more people knew the following fact, their structure would fall apart: There is more than one way to serve your country, and actually achieve a higher good. If you really want to do "good" in the world and still get paid, you could engage in many, many other activities.There are plenty of scholarships for many different backgrounds, but they're not advertised as much as the military's constant ad-campaigning.

Selling the fight: the mantra of brainwashing

The most disgusting aspect of the military, to me, is the mantra of those already in the military. One can find and talk to people in the military who really don't want to be there (though they wouldn't let you quote them directly). But those who are "committed" will shut down everything you say with pre-packaged words, thoughts, ideas, and"values" -- no of which has truly come from them, but is rather forced into them in such a way that they believe they come up with these ideas on their own. There is another term for this practice: brainwashing.There are a few whom have actually taken the time to think about their decision to join the military, and have committed to it in the hopes of making things better for the human race. I respect these jewels, these icons of human being. But they are a dying breed, because more and more idiots continue to eat up the idea that this is a good way to live your life.

It is sad to think that once in the military, these people don't stand a chance of re-formulating their ideas, goals, and values without losing a part of their sanity. For how can one live with the guilt that they were used as a tool to annihilate the lives and well-beings of others? Unfortunately, I've seen this person too,shell-shocked and constantly depressed. They never stood a chance.Between the constant torrent of marching hymns to the propaganda of movies and speeches these women and men of the military have lost contact with the reality of what makes a homo-sapien a sentient human being.

Conclusion

I live right next to a military base on my campus. I hear the screamed orders and the rank-and-file treatment of human beings. Today, a whole platoon of troops jogged across campus, in a mini-celebration of being the highest ranked Army ROTC in the United States. Nothing that out of the ordinary, until they started towards the library. Fuck them. Stay away from my final haven, away from your stupid decision.
If you're in the military now, get out while you still can. If you can't, then I know you can find a way -- go to Canada, join the Amish, something, anything. And I'll think about you often. Just get out.

On Datamining and its relevance to Artificial Intellegence

2008-06-15T07:59:45Z

Well, before I begin this post, let me first fill everyone in on my new academic pursuits. Namely, Cognitive Science at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. For those not in the know, (like everyone I met from Syria, and numerous others here in Utah) Cognitive Science is the study of the mind that combines the main streams of linguistics, philosophy, computational science, and psychology. One of the main pursuits is building a computational model of the mind: AI (artificial intelligence). Along with this, I'm hoping to add the little biology experience I have in order to progress this field.

With all this in mind, I've been thinking a lot about our definitions of artificial intelligence lately. You see, one of the greatest problems of artificial intelligence is that we probably won't know we have it when we do. The problem of cognitive definition isn't new either; one of the greatest issues in ethics is abortion, and this stems mostly from when a fetus becomes a "child." I'm not going to make a political statement on this issue, but only use it as an example.

The reason this is such an issue stems from our current computing capabilities. That is to say, we may have stumbled upon a road to artificial intelligence; an indefinite singularity -- and not even know it! I was speaking to some Google employees, and a discussion came up on whether or not datamining is one of the "senses" of the artificial intelligence. They told me (and I'm not going to name names here) that there is a running rumour that the google servers may reach its own singularity in the next 15 years.

Just stuff I've been thinking about. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Biolyrics 3.0

2008-06-10T23:25:08Z

So, on this fateful day, I have installed a CMS system. This will make it easier to manage biolyrics, and hopefully allow posts to go up more quickly. Also, Comments, FTW.

Let me know your thoughts.

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