A very very short Blog

I forgot to thank the Russian Space Agency for taking all those astronauts and cosmonauts including one Canadian to the international  space station.

Also let us all feel for our American friends , they are in pain and seem lost. Sooner or later they will see the light.

I could go on and on but what I really know is how to build robots and that is the only subject I will comment on as I have done in the past.

Pius  

( told you it would be short, not too worry I am already thinking about the next long blog!!)

The End and The Beginning

To all those who have kindly read these words I place down on pages of paper and the transfer to my blog, a most pleasant holiday season. Whatever is your situation, enjoy the warmth and kindness of your fellow man.

As this date approached I felt that it was necessary for an entry. Tomorrow is the last day of the Mayan Calender. Before I go on let me state that I really know a great deal about building robots. I have been fascinated by them for decades and so when I speak about robots I do know what I am talking about. Stating that , I have also looked into the famous date much talked about namely, December 21, 2012.

I know we as a species are facing great challenges and very serious problems. These are approaching us from too many fronts and they seem a bit overwhelming. However I am an optimist. I know that we will live beyond any date made in the past about the final day. It is the manner of how we live that is changing. The is in great flux and our collective future is defined by the choices we make. Our leaders make decisions every single day  and they contribute to the direction our future takes. However it is the great uncountable , myriad choices each individual makes that will be the major force determining this future.

 I have witnessed great cruelty and malice in this human species. However I have seen with my own eyes, amazing acts of kindness and generosity. Sadly bad news makes the headlines and good news is rarely reported. I have found  that people can be very rude and self-centered  but others are kind and thoughtful. This is man's nature and it has to change. Again this has to occur at a very personal level. I cannot be legislated or imposed from without.

This brings me to a point that people tend to take for granted. I have struggled for decades with the problem of how to implement an intelligence into a sentient robot. It has consumed my time and I relish the challenge. My blog Robots and Nothing But deals with this in a more technical way. I have never understood why homo homo sapien, blessed with such an incredible intelligence is still struggling. This wonderful universe after fifteen billion years of evolution has placed this species at the summit. It makes me sad when I see what we could have accomplished and have not. Tomorrow will not be the last but the beginning. One like the world has never seen. One in which we will see a new world slowly, gradually, inevitably emerge from the old one.

Pius

SO Sorry !!

All my life I have tried to express myself in a way that would make me clearly understood. Well I have noticed a lot of traffic on one particular post. I realized that the title was a bit misleading. As such I have renamed that one post.

Now do not get me wrong I am pleasantly surprised when people all this world look at my blog and read my words. I am honored to have so many diverse individuals sharing my thoughts on particular subjects.

At the same time I doubt my blog will be viewed as many times as PSY's  video. However I am alright with that and though I have not blogged a lot lately I shall shortly. 

I know that not everyone will agree with everything I write and that is great. There is nothing, nothing like freedom of thought and the means of expressing it.

I am pleased that so many have viewed my tribute to the Russian moon rover. That robot deserves more attention and a lot of you out in the real world agree.

Take care and I promise to blog shortly.

Two Months till the END of the Mayan Calender !!

I would like to comment on something that is completely out of the media's radar. On December 21, 2012 the Mayan Calender ends and this means that everything we know will change. I got a feeling a few days ago that will not go away. Something is afoot in this world and I cannot get my finger on it.

Now I firmly believe that the world and all the poor humans on this planet will live on. However something will occur that will make us think more than twice about what it is to be human. If only we realized that in this vast , vast universe we truly are miracles of creation, we would treat ourselves and others maybe just a bit better.

Now those who read this will say where do robots come in here. After almost three decades of studying and building robots this fact has come up too many times. To do the most simple human action takes a great deal of effort.

So remember to appreciate who and what you are !!!

CURIOSITY IS ON MARS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is so early in the morning and I can breathe again! The people at JPL deserve congratulations! I have just seen pictures of the rovers wheels covered in Martian dust. Curiosity landed safely and survived its seven minutes of terror. Though it is an American effort we all can share in the pride of having another robot on another planet in the solar system.

It makes me very sad that the majority of people on this planet are not noticing this historic event. Even when it is brought to their attention they will shrug their shoulders and say or think so what !! I for one cannot wait to see what this machine will discover!!

In the big picture we see that robots are trailblazers for us mere humans. They go bravely ahead of us to prepare the way for us. Even though we have lost the vision and will a time will come when humans will be on Mars. In order to do this we must put aside our differences an concentrate what makes us one species, and robots are helping in this as well. What marvelous little creatures.

Rest Curiosity, there will be tomorrow for you to begin your work. Thank you for giving us all a new night.!!!!

Gold Goes to Curiosity !!

The Olympics is all well and good. However it occurs every two years and it sure takes up a lot of media time. Because of this stuff the brilliant event about to take place is being overshadowed. NASA is about to land another robot rover on Mars. I find this a lot more exciting than just mere sports.

This is an amazing event yet it will get only second or third page notice. I feel that as a species we have our priorities a bit mixed up. Once it lands it will explore the surface for evidence that there once may have been life on Mars. In a word WOW!!!!

Once the London games are history it will plod along for many years making one discovery after another. Now come on people this deserves some attention.

In His Image

   
      What inspires us to do the really important things in our life ?? These are the things that make a big difference to us and to our world. Inspiration is what happens to us usually when we are young and is not easy to forget. Inspiration makes us wiser, enlightens us, expands our vistas and does not limit us in any sense of the word. Change abounds within us and all around us. Time presses forever forward and we ride its crest into the future. Yet through all of  this, deep within our soul something remains unchanged. In turbulent times we stand upon it so that we do not falter. In happier times we rejoice we are in possession of it for it helps define who and what we are. It guides our actions and we emerge into our true selves. That is our inspiration.

      Each person on this planet can recall a moment when they realized that their life was going to change. When younger we were more open to new ideas and ways of thinking about things. This not to say that we are hardened to the point of insensitivity as we age. Let us just say that anything new is usually filtered and we add more complex filters as the years march forward. I remember as a youth being surprised and greatly impressed by what went on about me.

      I was a child in the sixties. The history in North America was very much in flux back then. I remember being very confused. This was a combination of growing up and understanding more of the outside world. As I matured I had great stretches of time when I was just trying to figure things out. Leaders that showed sensitivity , vision and hope were dramatically killed. New technologies were born and we were all excited by the great adventure of going to the moon. However this was also the era of Vietnam and the cold war. So mixed with going to school and learn the mathematics, science were the messy politics of the time.

      As a young person I looked to see what I could learn. Fortunately for me television was beginning to show how powerful a medium it would become. Most of the shows were used to keep us entertained. However even back then it was used by some gifted individuals to teach very important life lessons and broaden our minds.

      One such individual was a prolific writer, director, producer and certainly a genius in this new field of television, Rod Serling. His writing was amazing in the sense that although it was used by mass media, it actually spoke to us as individuals. He used fiction to hold a mirror to society and those of us who dwell in it. It was never done in a scolding manner but an enlightened fashion. He had many productions but the one I remember vividly was his show  The Twilight Zone. I shall not now try to explain in few words on so few pages what subjects it dealt with, for it would not do it justice. It was held by its viewers to high standards but at times it was inspiring to watch.

      A good story teller weaves a magical tale that is embedded with gems. We are certainly entertained as
 we watch but behind is a lesson which , if we are fortunate is quickly learned. The great stories are told throughout history because each generation must learn the lessons and not repeat costly mistakes and live well.  A story that has stayed in my mind was about one individual who tried to improve himself. He wanted to remove his flaws, as he saw them. The story begins with this person waiting in a New York subway platform. As he begins to suffer from a mental episode he is questioned by a religious zealot. He snaps back to reality but as she talks he begins again to slip and pushes her onto the tracks as the train arrives. A very disturbing beginning  and we are reassured that this not a dream by the introduction narration of Rod Serling.

      The title of this episode is In His Image. He goes to meet his girl-friend of four days. They go back to his home town but it has changed beyond his recognition. His aunt does not exist and there is an empty field where the school  where he was employed  was supposed to be. An unknown person is living in his house and people that he knew have been dead for years. Once again, as he is being driven back to New York by his friend he begins to lapse and he persuades her to leave him and take the car and go. Now we are coming to the unforgettable part that really, really shocked me when I was younger, oh so much younger. As he ran into the road a car comes from behind and barely misses him as he jumped clear. The person driving runs out in a panic and helps our hero. He does get up and looks at his left wrist where there is a huge gash, but no blood. The closeup of his face was unforgettable as he slowly looks at his injured arm. He pulls back a flap of skin to reveal not skin and bones and blood but electronic parts, circuits and a few flashing lights.

   

      He is shocked to see that he may not be what he thought he was. Later it is revealed by his creator, who looks just like him, that he is a mechanical device. His creator wanted a perfect copy of a human being, not a robot.  It is strange that I recall that moment of discovery with vivid detail. I also remember that I would check myself every time I was hurt to see if I was human. As children we wonder about so many things and this story had a huge impact on me. It made me think about what it was to be human. Is it because we have a body ?? Is it because we have consciousness ???  What is life ? Could we build robots with such sophistication ??

      These very questions guide me today. I have taken a path that was influenced by that show so long ago. I find the work of robot building completely absorbing and fascinating and look back with a sense of joy at this one episode. A last comment as I bring this long essay to a conclusion. Recently I got a copy of this very show and I watch it regularly. An excellent production, well crafted, well acted and I have it from beginning to end!! I usually do not look at it as I work away in my robotic workshop. However I stop and always look directly at the television at the moment he looks at his arm. Interesting that I would do that after all these years.