Human - An Advanced "Robot"

The revolutionary invention of our era: The Computer procures us more information than any other source known to mankind. The development of artificial intelligence permits us to improve the behavior of a computing system. The term ‘robot’ includes any kind of automates that don't need any human intervention to perform their job and are able to learn. Perception and recognition, for example, are now some of the inherent characteristics of robots.

I notice a similarity between the evolution of robotic intelligence and that of biological intelligence.

Robots are being increasingly used in industry as they are able to perform tasks that even humans are not able to perform. One can even say that they act more intelligently than humans when the domain is specific. New robots can also be programmed to perform creative acts like dancing or playing a musical instrument. They can also be programmed to behave socially like in the case of robotic pets. And contrary to the common belief, robots are not replacing humans; but are creating a booming job market for engineers, software developers and other technical professionals.

Today, approximately 1 000 000 robots are being used around the world. Vacuum-cleaning robots, medical robots, surveillance robots, underwater robots and demolition robots are available today.

Japan is the leading producer and consumer of robots. Statistics state that for every 100,000 human workers, there are 500 robots in Japan. Germany and many Europeans countries follow Japan. Interestingly, USA finds itself at the bottom of the list of developed countries in this regard.

The number of robots increased by nearly 30% in the year 2004 showing an exponential increase compared to the previous years. If it continues to grow at this rate, it will soon surpass human population. Already, robots are able to create other robots. Soon, artificial intelligence in combination with the Internet will be able to perform abstract thinking as humans do and later may even outperform humans.

Robots could substitute for a workforce of 3.52 million people in Japan by 2025 to help cover a labor shortage in the graying society, the Machine Industry Memorial Foundation said. The foundation also said about 74 minutes of free time per household are expected to be created each day if robots that do household chores such as cleaning are introduced, helping more women to enter the labor market. Robots would thus replace humans in performing all the repetitive jobs. Hopefully, by then human brain would have evolved further and we would come up with new things that only a human mind can do.

Or who knows: one day human beings may evolve into advanced “robots”.

-Rakesh Kishore

Afghan Photo Exhibition -- A Must-See Event

Those of us who take keen interest in photography will be interested in making it to the Afghan Photo Exhibition that is being jointly organized by Max Meuller Bhavan, Bangalore and French Media Embassy (AINA), Kabul, Afghanistan at the Max Mueller Bhavan at Indiranagar in Bangalore. It is on till the 30th June, from Monday to Saturday betwewn 8.30 to 6:30 in the evening, . The exhibition is open to all.
A picture is equal to thousand words….. Probably true for the war torn and economically seized Afghanistan where the meaning of life is reduced to merely earning bread for the family. The social insecurity that has gripped this country, first owing to the barbarous and unruly Talibans and then the US aggression to suppress the Talibans has not only jeopardized the country’s external security, but also its internal security. Many have died due to internal and external warfare, daily riots between the Shias and Sunnis and the increased amount of terrorist activity by Al Qaeda. Many children have been orphaned. The film Kabul Express itself depicts the plight of these helpless people, their daily fight in order to restore their family life against all odds undoubtedly make them the bravest people on earth. To be in the midst of a battlefield in spite of being ordinary citizens, to listen to heavy artilleries flying over head and to wait for the sun to rise the following morning have become an integral part of their lives.
Many NGOs have come forward to help these people who are struggling for social stability. One of them is AINA (French Media Embassy at Kabul). AINA gives formal training to budding Afghan artists in Media and Photography that allow these teenagers to find meaning of life in lifeless Afghanistan. Some of the brilliant pictures taken by the talented youth of Afghanistan pushes home the point that the future to any country’s economic, social and political security lies in the hands of its talented youth; and war only destroys these resources as it destroys the infrastructure.
Most of the artists who have exhibited their photographs are in their early twenties. Some of them are Nadjibullah Zirak (Afghan Youth), Mohammad Ishaq Gulban (Religious Life), Massoud Hossaini (Not alone in Kabul - Life in an orphanage), Massoud Hasan Zadah (Living Rooms), Farzana Wahidy (Family Life in Afghanistan) and Ahmad Tamim Malik Asghar (Weddings) [Source: http://www.goethe.de/ins/in/bag/kue/bku/en3405949v.htm]. Their themes depict the daily struggle that the people of Afghanistan put in their everyday life.
The most appealing of these are those of Nadjibullah Zirak and Farzana Wahidy. Nadjibullah Zirak was born in 1984 as the son of Atta Mohammad in Wardag Province. He graduated from Omer-Farooq High School in 2003. He has been involved in cultural and literary activities for several years and occasionally writes literary pieces and articles on cultural topics for different publications. He got involved with photography in May 2004. [Source: http://www.goethe.de/ins/in/bag/kue/bku/en3406138.htm] His pictures that highlight the increasing unemployment in Afghanistan and the “Never say Die” attitude of Afghan youth catches your eye. The photos visualize the hunger in their eyes. According to the author, “….. as finding employment in Kabul is extremely difficult, more and more educated Afghan youth are taking to petty jobs like cart-pulling, book selling, selling TV and video sets. Starting such type of businesses doesn’t require a big rented building, a hand pulled cart or even a roadside will suffice.” These pictures pull out the naked truth of the socio-economic instability that the current population is facing.
Farzana Wahidy, daughter of Shir Ahmad, was born in 1984 in Kandahar. She is attending the last class of Abul Qasen Fardosi High School in Kabul. She started to photograph three years ago and was trained at the French media organisation AINA in Kabul. She is currently working as a freelance photographer for Agence France Presse (AFP) and a number of magazines. [Source: http://www.goethe.de/ins/in/bag/kue/bku/en3405976.htm] Her photographs are even more appealing as it describes the Afghan women. Universally women are the oppressed class and when the Afghan men are themselves oppressed, think about the conditions of Afghan women? When the Afghan men are struggling to make both ends meet, Afghan women naturally become the wrath of these Afghan men. Their condition is even more helpless and worse. In the words of one of these Afghan women, whom the author had interviewed, “….My life is hard. Life means as well that parents think about the future of their children. But we are not able to do this. Life for us is meaningless and without future.”
These harsh realities of Afghanistan make us aware of the hardships that these people are facing and we can only pray that peace returns to this neighboring country of ours at the earliest. This exhibition would be an eye-opener for all of us, who are still dissatisfied with the safe and secure lives that we lead!!
By Arunava Das

How About A Dino Pet?

Technology changes at a fast pace and each time you turn around there are new gadgets promising a better and easier life. In today’s fast moving world many of us cannot spare time to care for a pet, but would still like to have the companionship of a pet.. For such people a pet robot would be an ideal mate.

Pet robots with artificial intelligence may serve as a good substitute for those pet lovers who do not want a biological one. These pets are designed to recognize and reason, to show emotions and also to respond to certain stimuli in the same manner as live pets.

And if you are one of those who always look for the unique ones you could have a Dinosaur.

Yes, you read it right – Dinosaurs. A robotic Dinosaur.

Pleo: My Pet!!

Pleo is a type of pet robot, he looks like a Tyrannosaur (Not to worry as he is not carnivore).

Well if we were to venture to classify him in a way that a zoologist would, you would have something like this:

Kingdom : Robotae

Division : Robotechna

Class : Pleochida

Order : Pleotales

Family : Pleotaceae

Genus : Pleo

Let me not name the species. Will leave that to you. But if you ask me.. I would go with Tyran.

By Rakesh Kishore

Irrigate, Don’t Irritate!!

Internet is like a vast ocean and there is so much that we can see with just a click of the button. As a result, we seem to be spending more and more time in front of the computer. But this convenience comes at price. Millions of people are blaming the time spent in front of the computer for dry, irritated eyes and computer vision syndrome (CVS). Even children are affected by this problem. Though many of us do not develop serious vision problems, the minor problems too can prove to be a nuisance.

So, what is the solution?

Blink your eyes!!

Yes, just blinking your eyes frequently can help ease the irritation. If we do not blink often enough, we expose our eyes more to dryness as the fluid in the eye would evaporate. Blinking lubricates the film that lies over the cornea.

Here are some easy tips to keep your eyes healthy:
· Signs:
1. Tiredness
2. Fatigue
3. Eye irritation
4. Light sensitivity
5. Tearing
6. Itching.
· Protection :
1. Use eyedrops to ease burning and redness.
2. Take frequent breaks from your screen.
3. Don't forget to blink.
· Glasses
1. Ask your eye doctor about eyeglasses made for computer use.
2. Get an anti-reflective coating on your regular glasses to cut glare from bright office light.
· Workspace issues:
1. Cover up air vents that may be drying your eyes.
2. Keep your screen at arm's length
3. Tilt the monitor down to reduce glare.

Hey, wait!!

How many times did you blink your eyes while reading this post…?

By Rakesh Kishore

The Seagull - The Story That Moved Me

When I read Anton Chekhov’s - The Seagull, I was very eager to enact this classic drama that deals with rejected love, broken trust, romantic triangles, restlessness, frustration, betrayal, and struggle for fame. This drama depicts the conflict between hope that keeps man going in all kinds of difficulties and the same hope that at times is futile and prevents a person from moving on. This drama is a blend of the contrasts in life! It is this portrayal of life that I found endearing in the play and I read it several times. When I first read the book, I did not get out of my bed until I finished reading the whole play. The suicide of Kostya (Konstantin Treplyov) at the end of the play was really tragic! The one thing that I learnt from Kostya’s character is that mere “ideals” are not enough it is only when our ideals have a touch of reality that we can use them to battle all challenges and survive all hardships

In the play Nina’s character angered me as she rejected Kostya, who was truly in love with her and was dedicated to her till the end! Nina chose Trigorin - a well-known writer, who loved Madame Arkadina, Kostya’s mother! Nina married Trigorin and faced the worst days in her life as her husband abandoned her for his former love Arkadina. Kostya, in turn, never realized an unrequited love Masha had for him! Masha despite getting married to someone else, always had love and concern for Kostya, which she never disclosed to him as she was aware that Kostya loved Nina immensely! At the end of the play Nina talked to Kostya and told him that she was forced to tour with a second-rate theatre company after the death of the child she had with Trigorin. And as she talked to Kostya she got a new confidence in herself. She compared herself to “The Seagull”, the bird Kostya would have killed long ago. Kostya begged Nina to stay with him but she was in such awful confusion that his request meant nothing to her, and she just slipped out quietly from his room. At the end of the play when Chekov describes how Kostya started tearing up his manuscript and shot himself, my eyes welled up with tears!

This is the best written play on a touching love story and a person’s tragic quest for his love! This play is so true to life and so full of real emotions that the actor in me was fascinated by it. I got the much desired opportunity to enact this play when I was 22 years old.
By Shilpa C Nangali

Valentine’s Day – The Reds and The Blues

India is catching on to V-Day in a big way! We get to hear snippets about people violently opposing this “culture” by going on marches, or more prominently, RJs babbling about love on the radio. Not to be outdone, if you are a Vodafone user, you will at least get 5 messages per day that urge you to send your “heartfelt message.” If yours is the “prize-winning message,” it will be displayed on a huge hoarding in the centre of the city! Talk about excesses.

The rage of the day seem to be quick-beauty-fixes that will plump up your lips so that you look more kiss-worthy to your valentine, or quick-Botox treatments that will give you smoother skins, quick-fix weight-loss and trimming solutions, and so on and so forth - all this in the name of something very elusive - beauty. Looking at this craze as a distant observer, one is left with an impression that the beautiful, and the beautiful alone, are lovable!

Are we now looking at a culture obsessed with love – something akin to past cultures that were obsessed with wars? If so, this certainly is a good time to be living!

But, looking deeper under the tumultuous, wind-swept, stormy waves of love on this particular day, I can’t help seeing an ocean of loneliness. As “individuals,” each one of us seems to be looking for that one person who will understand, care, forgive, and accept, and on top of it, also manage to be the handsome/beautiful man/woman of our dreams. Few people seem to be smiling in contentment at just “being.” We search, search, and search. And most of us give up, because that’s what we learn to do. We learn to be afraid of giving too much of ourselves, since we are not sure that the person we give our love to will know its value. Thus, we put a lid on our natural feelings. Alas, loneliness is self-pity behind a mask.

We also realize that the beautiful are worshipped. Whoever heard of a God that was not divinely beautiful to look at? And whoever heard of film stars who are not as divinely beautiful as gods or goddesses? And therein lies the trap! We realize that making ourselves beautiful is “possible” – thanks to the advances in cosmetology! And thus, we learn to hide behind masks, both physically and mentally. In our attempts to be physically beautiful and thus worshipped, we hide our real selves that are so amazingly more beautiful. This is why people strive to make themselves more “presentable.” “Impressing” becomes all-important. People hide behind masks, both physically and mentally. And when we do find someone who seems to be the kind of person we seek, we go all out to impress, own, and possess. Alas, love can not be possessed.

Most of us, being practical, accept our failings, find someone who seems okay (easy to live with perhaps?) and settle down into the institution of marriage. We learn to smother our dreams since dreams don’t come true and “adjust,” and being educated people, we blame ourselves day in and day out for not living our dreams! Sometimes, we also choose to be sensible and try to create love where there was none before. Sometimes we succeed, sometimes we fail.

And sometimes, something happens to make us see things in a slightly different way and we join the ranks of the few who are smiling in contentment. It might be a very simple thing - maybe a sudden desire to give a box of chocolates to the kids performing acrobatics on the street signals in the hope of getting a 1-rupee coin from you? Or it may be a sudden impulse to buy a nice saree for your grandma or a kurta for your grandpa? Or maybe, you get the sudden insane desire to buy gifts for all your dearest friends and family on your birthday? That’s your real self shining through the cracks in the façade that the world sees. And that is the person your loved ones know and treasure.

Sometimes, we suddenly realize that love comes in all shapes and sizes and myriads of colors - not just red! It comes in the shape of the small puppy huddled at your doorstep. Sometimes it comes in the shape of a delicious treat prepared by your mother as a surprise for you, or a watch from your father when you win a competition. Sometimes it comes in the shape of a small hand-crafted pendant your spouse made especially for you on V-Day. We feel “touched.” Maybe this one word explains the warm feeling of having our real self appreciated? At moments like these, no one wants make-up, Botox, a fancy dress, fancy cards or gifts, or a candle-lit dinner at a fancy restaurant to feel beautiful – and loved!!

By A Geeta