ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: A BRIEF ACCOUNT

Intelligence by definition is “the capacity for learning, reasoning, understanding and similar forms of mental activity”. However, “artificial intelligence” (AI) is intelligence exhibited by machine, a machine that mimics “cognitive” functions associated with human minds including “learning” and “problem solving”.

The four basic ingredients needed for making AI are:

1. Data at large scale and high quality
2. Computer resources (hardware)
3. Algorithms (i.e. software)
4. Talent to put it all together

The field of AI draws upon computer science, mathematics, psychology, linguistics, philosophy, neuroscience and artificial psychology. Artificial psychology is a largely theoretical discipline which addresses dysfunctionality of AI when it approaches certain level of complexity. The center of AI world has shifted from academic labs to applied research labs at large technology companies.

The examples of AI are as follows:

1.  The AI that takes part in conversation or dialogue such as Siri or other personal assistants.
2.  A mechanically embodied AI where intelligence moves and acts as seen in robots.
3.  AI as reasoner and problem solver achieving goals in a wide range of environments such as  playing  chess, solving logical proofs, and planning complex tasks.
4.  AI as big data learner (Deep learning) mining user data, recognizing interrelations and catering  to our needs.
5.  AI as a model builder, planning for development using local probabilistic models combining  an AI  planner with a real time system.
6.  The specialized AI which helps improve aspects of management such as productivity,  performance,  and talent mobility.
7.  Natural language processing AI which is the ability of a computer to understand and use  human  speech.
8.  Neural network which is a form of information processing that uses multiple nodes to imitate  and surpass the biology of the brain.
9.  The Strong AI when AI fully rivals, or even exceeds, our own

The machine’s ability is tested by Turing test which was originally developed by Alan Turing in 1950. The test states that if a human being can’t tell the difference between an AI and a real human over a chat program, the AI has passed the test. However, there is still plenty of controversy over the rules.

There are demands and suggestions for Open AI in order to avoid economic displacement and actual conflicts. The goal is to maximize the chances of developing “friendly” AI that will help, rather than harm humanity.

Sources

1.      Wikipedia

2.      Beau Cronin:

                     AI’s dueling definitions, June 2014.
                    The dynamic forces shaping AI, July 2016.

3.      Mike Loukides, Ben Lorica. What is AI? June 2016.

4.      MIT-Sloan. Using AI to humanize management, June 2016.

5.      Philippe Roi -Tristan Girard:
   A brief glossary of the ideas behind AI, July 2016.

CRYSTAL CLEAR!

My story about crystals goes as far back as when I lived and worked in South East Asia region. There, I observed people from all walks of life keeping a few pieces of crystals at home on their coffee table or elsewhere. When I asked them about this, almost all of them believed that crystals absorb negativity and protect them from negative energy. For that reason they also believed that we should rinse the crystals with salt water, every now and then, in order to wash away the negativity which they absorb. It was fascinating to observe this practice in every household and hear their convictions about crystals. In time, I started to search and read the available literature about crystals and, just for the fun of it, I even bought a few of them and kept at home.

Crystals by definition are “solids whose constituents, such as atoms, molecules or ions are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice (ordered set) that extends in all directions”.  A summary of what I learned about a few types of crystals are presented as follows:

1. Clear Quartz

Clear quartz is transparent and colorless. It is the second-most-abundant mineral in Earth’s continental crust after feldspar (rock-forming that make 60% of the Earth’s crust), and is most commonly used in the making of jewelry. 

There are many different varieties of quartz, several of which are semi-precious gemstones. The word “quartz” is derived from the German word “quarz” meaning “hard”. The ancient Greek referred to quartz as “icy cold” because some philosophers believed the mineral to be a form of supper cooled ice. Today, the term rock crystal is sometimes used as an alternative name for the clear and purest form of quartz.

Quartz is the most common material identified as the mystical substance. It is found regularly in passage tomb cemeteries in Europe in a burial context. It was also used in many countries as stone tools by prehistoric people. Quartz has also the ability to split light into a spectrum.

2. Clear Quartz Crystal Egg

Quartz crystal eggs are nicely cut and polished in China. They are known as “Master Healer” and they amplify any energy or intention including the power of other stones. They are used or held during meditation, they protect against negativity, attune to your higher self and relieve pain. Gazing into the crystal relaxes the mind and open it up to the vast energies of the other working stones. They are known as “Power Stones”.

3. Smoky Quartz

Smoky quartz is a grey, translucent variety of quartz. It ranges from almost complete transparency to a brownish-gray crystal that is almost opaque. Some can also be black. Smoky quartz is a silicon dioxide by natural irradiation. Sunglasses, in the form of flat panes of smoky quartz were used in china in the 12^th century.

This mineral draws white light energy from the crown down through the body to be deeply rooted into the physical plane. It initiates movement of primal forces within the body and activates one’s survival instinct in a purified way. It brings strength and stability, and a sense of personal pride in walking the Earth and inhabiting a human form. Has emotional healing energy and metaphysical properties. The healing properties include grounding, absorbing negativity, protection from negative energy and transforming them to positive energy. In general, it brings prosperity and good luck and helps in overcoming negative emotions.

4. Amethyst

Amethyst is a popular form and a violet variety of quartz often used in jewelry. The name comes from the ancient Greek which means “not intoxicated”, a reference to the belief that the stone protected its owner from drunkenness. The medieval European soldiers wore amethyst as protection in battle in the belief that amethysts heal people and keep them cool-headed. Amethyst is a semi-precious stone and is the traditional birthstone for February. Tibetans consider amethyst sacred to the Buddha and make prayer beads from it. Amethyst is the official state gemstone of South Carolina.

The World AUTISM AWARENESS DAY

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) was first diagnosed in the U.S. and since then the month of April is observed as autism awareness month. On the other hand, April the 2^nd is the world autism awareness day based on a WHO Resolution which was adopted by more than 60 countries in May 2014. The resolution is entitled “Comprehensive and coordinated efforts for the management of ASD”.

The need for such a resolution was based on the inadequate knowledge and misconceptions of health care providers about ASD, unmet health care needs and vulnerability of individuals with ASD for not having access to health care services, unjust deprivation of health, education and opportunities for individuals with ASD to engage and participate in their communities, significant emotional and economic burden on individuals with ASD and their families including being subject to stigma and discrimination, impact of ASD on social participation and employment opportunities of individuals, and the need for inclusive and supportive environment for people with ASD.

ASD begins in childhood manifesting during the first 5 years of life. It is an umbrella term covering conditions such as childhood autism, atypical autism and Asperger syndrome which is a developmental disorder but not delayed cognitive abilities. It is characterized by severely impaired social skills, repetitive behavior, and often a narrow set of interests. The level of intellectual functioning of individuals with ASD is extremely variable and the condition may be associated with depression, anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Available scientific evidence suggest that environmental and genetic factors can be the cause of ASD but on the contrary vaccination is not a risk factor at all.

Individuals with ASD often suffer from numerous co-morbid medical conditions which may include allergies, asthma, epilepsy, digestive disorders, viral infections, feeding problems, sensory integration dysfunction and sleeping disorders. About 40% of children with autism do not speak or might speak later in childhood. ASD is diagnosed more often in boys than girls.

Monitoring of child development and early childhood care is an important part of caring for individuals with ASD including providing relevant information, services, referrals and support based on needs assessment. Mortality among individuals with ASD is twice as high as the general population, in large part due to drowning and other accidents.

According to WHO 1 in 160 children has ASD and the prevalence appears to have been increasing globally in the past 50 years but at the same time awareness of people and diagnostic tools and reporting have also improved. Efforts are now focused on enhancing commitment of governments and international advocacy on autism, creating appropriate action plans and policies, and developing effective strategies for assessment and treatment of ASD and other developmental disorders.

Sources:

1. WHO fact sheet, Jan. 2016

2. National Autism Association fact sheet

HAPPY SPRING CELEBRATIONS!

The Persian New Year called NOROOZ is the first day of spring which is Sunday March 20th. 2016. NOROOZ has no religious affiliations, is a cultural celebration and it is an ancient Persian Festival dating back to 1700 BCE.

The last Wednesday of the year is called “Wednesday of Light” and in the evening everyone jumps over the fire saying purification rite.

On New Year’s Day families gather around a traditional table-setting called HAFT-SEEN to observe the rituals of spring season. The name of the items on the table each start with the letter “S” in Persian language and each have their own significance. At least seven items or more from the following list should be on the table:

1.      Sabzeh: Sprouts grown in a dish symbolizing rebirth

S       Seeb: Apple for health and beauty

3.      Senjet: Dry fruit of Lotus tree symbolizing love

4.      Seer: Garlic symbolizing medicine

5.      Sumac berries: Symbolizing sunrise

6.      Samanoo: Wheat germ pudding symbolizing new life

7.      Sekkeh: Coins for affluence

8.      Sombol: Hyacinth flower for constancy

9.      Serkeh: Vinegar symbolizing age and patience

In addition to the above people may also use some other items including:

1.       Gold fish swimming in water symbolizing life

2.       Painted eggs symbolizing spring celebration

3.       Mirror symbolizing the sky

4.       Candles symbolizing fire

5.       Cookies for sweetness of life

6.       Other decorative items

The traditional food of New Year's Day is vegetable rice with white fish.

HAPPY NOROOZ!

GOALS AS OUR LONG-TERM VISION - A BRIEF ACCOUNT

Successful business people and achievers in all fields have sets of goals because they know that having goals minimizes stress, improves decision-making and maximizes personal effectiveness. Goals help people to concentrate their efforts, spot distractions and utilize their time and resources effectively.

According to Maxwell Maltz "we find no real satisfaction or happiness in life without obstacles to conquer and goals to achieve".

Goals are the motivating factors in our day to day life and they are set based on priorities and in terms of personal performance and not expected outcomes. Our goals should be SMART which means specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time bound. They should also be periodically reviewed and adjusted based on what we learn in the process of implementation.

In an online business a goal represents a completed activity, called a conversion, that contribute to the success of the business. Defining goals is a fundamental component of any digital analytic measurement plan. Without goals it is impossible to evaluate the effectiveness of our online business. In this case every goal has a monetary value, so we can see how much that conversion is worth to our business. Using values for goals lets us focus on the highest value conversions, such as transactions with a minimum purchase amount.

When a site user performs an action defined as a goal, that action is recorded as a conversion. The conversion data is then made available in special purpose reports to improve the process of goal achievement in its totality.



Sources:

1. Mind Tools. Essential Skills for Excellent Career
2. About Goals. Google Analytics Help. Conversion Reports

EVOLUTION IN BRIEF

The word evolution is derived from the Latin “evolver” meaning to roll forth. It is defined as a gradual, orderly, and continuous process of change and development from one condition or state to another. It encompasses all aspects of life, including physical, psychologic, sociologic, cultural, and intellectual development, and involves a progressive advancement from a simple to a more complex form of state through the processes of modification, differentiation, and growth.

In genetics it is the theory of origin and propagation of all plant and animal species, including humans, and their development from lower to more complex forms through the natural selection of variants produced through genetic mutations, hybridization, and inbreeding.

Natural selection is the natural evolutionary processes by which those organisms best suited for adaptation to the environment tend to survive and propagate the species, where as those unfit are eliminated. On the contrary, the artificial selection is the process by which the genotypes (the full set of chromosomes; all the inheritance traits of organism) of successive plant and animal generations are determined through controlled breeding.

Evolution does not conform to an uniformitarian principle. When animals originated in a bewilderingly fast and psychedelic 30-50 million years, was an event in which evolution pushed itself to greater heights. The evolution of sight, of burrowing, of active predation, all these innovations allowed animals to explore evolutionary avenues that were until then closed off.

Evolution is a cumulative process where each step builds on the previous steps. The best evidence for evolution through natural selection is comparative molecular biology. By comparing the genomes of all species, you can create an exact tree of “cousinship” by literally counting the number of letters (of DNA) that they have in common. The molecular evidence is overwhelming and the chimpanzee – human resemblance is over 99 percent, however, all this has happened over a long period of time.

The genes affect the body in which they sit. The effect or the physical manifestation of the genes on the body is known as phenotype. In other words, the genes that sit in the body survive by virtue of making the body survive and everything about a body is part of its phenotype. The phenotypes by which genes survive don’t have to be in the body. For example, a bird’s nest is made by the bird’s behavior but the nest is not part of the bird’s body and it is considered an extended phenotype. Natural selection is working on the bird’s genes to influence the phenotype of the bird to make a perfect nest.

Some organisms can change their appearance, physiology and development in response to changes in the environment. This is called phenotypic plasticity. Examples are body builders in humans, water fleas that develop a spiny helmet in the presence of predators or even the effect of learning on the brain – it’s a ubiquitous phenomenon.

The most phenotypically plastic organisms are plants. Unlike animals, plants are evolved to be plastic in their physiology and development, with the best example of this being heterophylly, the ability of many wetland plants to change leaf structure and physiology in global warming, drought and in flood conditions. (Hetero = different; Philly = related to leaf). Phenotypic plasticity is one of the larger areas of current research from developmental biology, ecology, and evolution.

The evolution of genes, a system of heredity and information flow and storage, fundamentally changed how evolution worked. The evolution of multicellularity blew open the concept of individuality. The evolution in unicellular organisms is radically different than in multicellular organisms. Similarly, the evolution of language and culture are representative of new domains for evolution to grow into, where it will work in new ways.

Major evolutionary transition is the coming together of individuals into a single reproductive group: from genes to genome, genomes to cell, cells to multicellular organisms to eusocial colony. Major evolutionary transitions could also be defined by an increase in complexity. A multicellular eukaryote is more complex than a unicellular bacterium. Some transitions are characterized by new inheritance mechanisms - this unites the origin of life, genes, and language. The discoveries of endosymbiosis and of widespread horizontal gene transfer led to acceptance that evolution is no longer as simple as gene frequency changes between populations.

When developmental biology was brought into the picture it led to a major evolutionary transitions paper in 1995. A new Synthesis that acknowledges and explicitly includes all of these developments, has not yet been reached. According to professor Richard Dawkins: “we understand the whole life but we need to understand how that first step was taken – (how we got to) the first self-replicating molecule. There are lots of theories and the truth probably lies somewhere around the ones we’ve already got".

SOURCES

1. McNamara, Alexander. A life in science – An interview with Prof. Richard Dawkins. Focus Science and Technology, November 3, 2015

2. Srour, Marc. Teaching Biology. Phenotypic Plasticity, May 2, 2013

3. Srour, Marc. Teaching Biology. Major Transitions in Evolution, November 7, 2015

ANY FIRM RESOLUTION FOR 2016?

To create what you really want to achieve in the coming New Year, here is what you do:

1. Identify your intentions and what is important to you.
2. Talk about your intentions with others to become more clear.
3. Pay attention to your feelings and have no fears. Feeling good about what you want to do is a high energy vibration and you will attract more of what you want to yourself.
4. Remember, where you are going is where you are standing now. Don't let negative beliefs distract you and know that your bad memories have no significance at this time.
5. Appreciate what you already have and what is around you. Remind yourself that every morning is a new birth.
6. Connect to your inner being by spending time with yourself to receive the inner wisdom.
7. Be passionate about your resolution and keep following up the steps you take at every moment and with eagerness.

IT WORKS!