what's next -- soul for computers?

This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill – you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.

Google teaching computers to mimic human brain
Agence France-Presse

SAN FRANCISCO—Google on Tuesday said it was dabbling with getting  computers to simulate the learning process of the human brain as one of the unusual projects for researchers in its X Lab.

Computers programmed with algorithms intended to mimic neural  connections “learned” to recognize cats after being shown a sampling of  YouTube videos, Google fellow Jeff Dean and visiting faculty Andrew Ng  said in a blog post.

“Our hypothesis was that it would learn to recognize common objects in those videos,” the researchers said.

“Indeed, to our amusement, one of our artificial neurons learned to respond strongly to pictures of… cats,” they continued.

“Remember that this network had never been told what a cat was, nor was it given even a single image labeled as a cat.”

The computer, essentially, discovered for itself what a cat looked like, according to Dean and Ng.

The computations were spread across an “artificial neural network” of 16,000 processors and a billion connections in Google data centers.

The small-scale “newborn brain” was shown YouTube images for a week to see what it would learn.

“It ‘discovered’ what a cat looked like by itself from only unlabeled YouTube stills,” the researchers said.

“That’s what we mean by self-taught learning.”

Google researchers are building a larger model and are working on ways to apply the artificial neural network approach to improve technology for speech recognition and natural language modeling,
according to Dean and Ng.

“Someday this could make the tools you use every day work better, faster, and smarter,” they said.

Dean and Ng conceded that there is a long road ahead, since an adult human brain has around 100 trillion connections.

Google X Lab headed by company co-founder Sergey Brin is known for  its work on innovations such as a self-driving car and “Terminator” film  style glasses that provide Internet information about what is being  seen.

From Inquirer

xxx

Google made it big once again! This invention is not as if it's just another Manitowoc ice maker of sorts -- this is a thinking software. Have you decided which pill to take when the time comes? Hehehe.

This is Eks, writing a guest-post for Mordsith. Thanks, Mordsith!

Haggardo Versoza

That should be my name now.

I guess most of us have our hands full of so many different things. Children. Work. And for me, mostly books and cases (and work). I still could not believe I have made it to fourth year. I guess ora et labora has its miracles. I certainly hope it will still work this, hopefully, last year of law school.

I won't complain anymore of lack of time. I wanted to take on these things (by the way, I also joined our school's legal aid bureau and we'll be handling actual cases), so I guess I just have to make do. Gadgets could really help in my day-to-day activities, especially a tablet with flash, but I don't have that so I'll manage with my pen and old notebook. I guess that is the message to you, friends: WE WILL MANAGE!

And from time to time, find something to laugh about,. Like the title of this post. Gotta log off now coz it's time to meet Stress Drilon. =)

everyone dies

It was superb. Nothing more I could expect from him.

I just watched the last episode of the last season of House. I deferred watching it for months, knowing that this season would be the last. I guess I really have problems with goodbyes. But sooner or later, I know I have to face it, you know, "the end." What would be more fitting than to watch it with the person I have started watching it with. Thanks, eks.

I know it's just television, but this is how I am -- I get attached a little too much.

The ending left me in awe. The series has had its ups and downs, the first was definitely great, one or two seasons were so-so, but the last season (especially the last 5 episodes) was a minefield of emotions! And all throughout, House (the doctor) was never a disappointment. An interesting character, a great actor.  Gregory House was a genius doctor, a prankster, a selfish ass who would steal workers compensation insurance when he feels like it, logical to a fault, brutally frank, a pain in the ass, sarcastic, egotistic, and lost.  I have watched the series not only for its storyline, but mostly for House's clever retorts and humorous insults. His points of view were unique but quite true, most notable of which is that "everybody lies." He may be so many "bad" things, but he was never boring.

Looking back, the whole House was a person's journey to life -- or to what is life. And in the end, you just have to accept, everyone dies*.





*The very last episode's title.

The Duchess of Waves

Thank goodness I haven't spend the whole summer at home. Just most of it.

I drank with friends until about 2.30 a.m. At about 2 a.m., we were talking of going to Baler at 10 a.m. I woke up at 7 a.m. to finish all my jobs due so I'd be ready to leave by 10 a.m. Actually, despite the beers, I couldn't sleep well. I was so excited to try surfing. I was so anxious to go.

By 9 a.m., none of my friends were texting me to confirm our trip. It seemed like just a conversation of drunks! By 12 noon and no messages from anyone, I have accepted that the summer will be over without Baler.

So I was so thrilled when by 1 p.m. I received a text that we will be going to Baler! In no time, I had already prepared all my stuff!

When we arrived at Sabang Beach, it was almost dark. We got out of the car and immediately paid for surfing lessons. About 10 minutes, we were already in the water, each with an instructor and a surfboard. When I was able to stand in the board, I knew why so many people love to surf. It's a unique experience playing with the waves - that you can actually play with it!

I appreciate more the surfers I see on movies and those in pictures of Hawaii. It must be more fantastic to watch them in 3D and with a home theater system. Better yet, I wish I could see real surfers in action in giant waves in real life. They seem like dancing with the waves. The surfer pros' stance are really graceful and the balance, wonderful.

I have always been in love with the water. But surfing, it's a newfound love. Half-jokingly, I told my grandmother I will no longer study law. I said, I'd have a better life surfing than lawyering. ;p

My friends and I fell in love with surfing, It was only our first time to try to surf, and we all wanted to learn more. We even fancied ourselves to be surfer royalties, hence the name. =)

pambato

My family has always teased me as pambato. You'd think I am like the superstar of the family in academics or in sports or in beauty contests. Well, I'm not. I am just their best bet in eat-all-you-can restaurants. haha.

And indeed, I could eat for hours. In Yakimix, my family's and my friend's favorite buffet restaurant, I have already mastered the art of eating a lot. I think I have discovered what to eat first and what to eat last. I knew which food I should not eat, so that I would not feel full already.

Even in fiestas, I can be at my "best", only it's a little more embarassing to consume all the food in the table, especially when I look familiar to people. haha. From afternoon until the globe string lights are on at night, I could keep my mouth busy and full. =)

One time, when I with my parents and eks ate at the same resto, eks and I ate for three hours (right, eks?). The table beside ours has had three batches of customers already, and we were still pigging out!

I actually do not know how much maki, Korean beef, and ice cream I can take. At least i know it's A LOT. It's supposed to be embarassing for a lady to be called pambato at this kind of game. But I am proud of it. I think it's really a talent. =)

life changing

I haven't seen my high school barkada for a few years now (and I haven't seen my college friends for a long time, too) until this week. So, if there would be any change in their personalities, I would notice.

As I have expected, and wanted, nothing much has changed. It was like we were still in high school once again, just with more pounds and rounded bellies. Well, I guess the topic our conversations changed a little, but we were still talking about music, comics, and books, and I kept on asking about gadgets (being tech-dumb!) and motion sound amplifiers for sale. It made me wonder if it's true what they say that people change.

I guess not. At least not at the surface. Or maybe, at least not in its core. I guess people would develop a keener understanding of life, and love, as they grow old, but the funny ones remain funny, the witty ones remain witty, and the gloomy ones remain gloomy. I guess it takes more than growing old to change attitudes and more than a few common problems to switch "modes". It has to be something life-changing or a life (continously) changing.

Now, I ask myself, have I changed?

still

Eduard and brother Eric playing with soda crowns, flatting them with stones

It was Eduard's birthday the other day. We had a simple celebration in our house. Mom cooked her classic spaghetti for the 12-year-old celebrant, and there were some fried chickens, too. Only the immediate family members were present, but it was nevertheless a lovely day.

Once again, I am happy that my cousin (who is more like a son to me) is growing up to be a simple boy, who never asked for anything his family couldn't afford. He never asked, not even wished, for a PSP, Wii, or a Nike shoes or anything a boy his age would naturally want to have. Even custom design t-shirts will make him happy. Actually, I don't have a gift yet, and he understands I'm broke these days, and I never heard a tantrum from him. (On my last birthday, he broke his piggy bank to buy me a gift.)

I like looking at the photo above. It's a good memory frozen in time. I hope they could stay children forever. Or at least, I hope they remain pure in heart.