Pinnacle of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Until recently, AI has been a neglected subject in the curriculum of most Indian Universities.  As times are changing, thanks to the frenzy of Machine Learning applications popping up everywhere, the interest in AI is gaining momentum.

My work on AI started, way back in 2001, but had to drop them, as there was lack of interest, applications, takers, market, and all...  So, whenever I get an opportunity for an invited talk (the topic would generally be of some jargon prevailing at that point of time - like Mobile Computing, Cloud Computing, Big Data, IoT etc..), I used to add a couple of slides on AI and will play to the gallery (as they say in Cricket Commentary). My objective was to spur interest on the subject.

I pepper the presentation with examples that the students can connect with. I therefore focus on applications of AI, and tell about how Facebook (as every student invariably has an account) uses algorithms such as DeepFace, IBM used Deep Blue, and now Watson - for creating a movie trailer (Morgan) etc...

I also give a brief history of AI, tell them the craze over today's programming languages such as Java - being an OOP language - were derived from Frames and Concepts (Ontologies) in AI.

Then coming back to AI, I also tell about the pinnacle of intellectual ability expected from AI systems, as we keep raising the bar of the required intelligence continuously. I introduce them to Alan Turing's test, (wherein a human tries to distinguish between a human and a machine through conversation) and then go on about the need for "contextual intelligence" that has been missing now, and go on and on and conclude with a still from the popular Tamil movie Enthiran, wherein a Robot tries to distinguish between a man and machine, which is probably the pinnacle of AI.

P.S: I used to wonder whether the story writer (and director) of the movie did this in full realization.

Horse Gram Vs Flax Seeds

Looks can be deceptive - if you don't care about the fine details. This may apply to Horse Gram and Flax Seeds, especially the brown variety. Some time ago, I gave an answer on Quora about the differences between the two, and owing to the popularity, thought of adding it here.

Here's a quick difference between the two:

* Flax seed is a seed, while Horse Gram is a pulse. (To make it clear, pulse is also a seed - edible seed - from the legume family; legume refer to the plants whose fruits are enclosed in a pod - like groundnut, soyabean etc...; There is an argument that Flax seed should also be included in the legume family - but let me not get into it.)

* Nutrient Value of 100 gram of Flax seed is: 50 calories, 20 grams of protein, 41 grams of fat, and 28 grams of fiber.

* Nutrient Value of 100 gram of Horse gram is:  321 calories, 22 grams of protein, 287 mg of Calcium, 311 mg of Phosphorus and 7mg of Iron.

* Flax seeds contain Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acid - PUFA) - the richest vegetarian food, containing this essential fat. 

* So, both Horse Gram and Flax seeds are rich in protein, both can help in weight loss.  But if you are looking for Omega-3 and/or Omega-6 fatty acids (Omega 3 and 6 are in the ratio of approx 4:1), then flax seeds should help. 

Source: 

  * Comprehensive Research Article on Horse Gram
  * Nutritive value of Pulses, Seeds and Nuts 
  * Recipes of Flax Seed and Horse Gram
  * Ratio of Omega 3 and Omega 6 in various foods

The Year 2017 for me

2017 turned out to be an interesting year (while looking back), with its share of surprises and unexpected things. The downs that I faced this year, got etched badly in my mind, and I was totally at loss, as I could not comprehend them with rational thinking.

On hindsight, I guess, this made my belief stronger that there are forces beyond us, and they work only for our own good - in a very very long term! - and these perceived bad things are a sort of 'balancing' act by them.

So let me get into it.

• Enjoying the luxury of high-bandwidth Internet in Mobiles through SIM (Cellular connections), Thanks to Jio for 4G LTE 
• Seeing the domain of Crypto applications getting expanded wildly (yes wildly), thanks to applications of Blockchain
• Happy to Conduct Brainstorming Discussions on topics related to Internet
• Joined Professional Societies as a member (IEEE, and ACM)
• Remote Presentation at IEEE ATC Conference
• Wondered (Did some ground work too, may end up as a publication) - how you can prove your financial reputation to some one for obtaining credit. 
• Opportunity to work (research) on DNS 
• Organized an IEEE Conference successfully (understood how much time and efforts are required despite having a team, and funds were not an issue)
• Learnt the value of Backup in a softway (yes soft and not hard :) ) - as I lost data when a pendrive suddenly stopped working, and thankfully I had a backup. 
• Got interested on privacy preserving payments and was exploring them. 
• Promotions - finally happened (after a long wait) in the institution that I am working for. It was almost a miracle on two counts, one it happened after a long hiatus, and then it was ante-dated; and an interesting thing is that it left many unhappy. Unfortunately I too was bitten by it, and the ramblings are there in the beginning of this post.  In this process, also figured out how my seniors rated me in my earlier years (last decade). 
• As usual, taught OOP using Java, Crypto programming, WWW Architecture etc... and gave lectures on Digital Signatures, PKI, Blockchain,  etc... at various prestigious forums. 
• Personal: Watching my kids growing up, Failing health of Mother 
• Places Visited: Guwahati, Delhi, Madurai, Hyderabad, Vijayawada , Bharachukki, Gaganchukki Falls,  Patna 

Models of God - Part 2

This is in continuation of my earlier blog post on Models of God, where I had mentioned that we use models to know the unknown.  In that post, I had mentioned that Modeling is a very common thing  and in the modern world, Scientists are the most common users of models. However models have been used for long by people of all races and societies for knowing, for positive purposes, and for negative purposes.

In this post, I would like to dwell about the positive use of Models - especially in the puranas - so as to show how ancient the art is. There are many other instances, but these two stand out significantly.

In Ramayan, Ram, after defeating Ravan, and sending his wife (Sita) to forest, decided to do a ritual (yagna) for the betterment of his citizens and the world and that ritual requires his wife to participate. Left with no option, a model of Sita is created and he does the ritual successfully.

In Mahabharata, Eklavya uses a model of Dronacharya, (though some texts says that he watches the lessons of Dronacharya to Arjun at a distance) and masters the skill of archery.

Now to conclude - that what we refer as God for worship - is a model of the divine energy and is an outstanding example of the positive use of models.

Short Verse on Price Value

எனக்கு தோன்றிய கவிதை

எது இன்று மலிவாக கிடைக்கிறதோ 

அதுவும் ஒரு நாள் அதீத விலையில் கிடைக்கும் 

எது இன்று அதீத விலையில் கிடைக்கிறதோ 
அதுவும் ஒரு நாள் மலிவாக கிடைக்கும் 

எனக்குள் எழுந்த கேள்வி
அப்படின்னா தங்கம் எப்பொதுழுது மலிவாக கிடைக்கும்  ?

எனக்கு தோன்றிய பதில்

கிடைக்கலாம்.  ஏதாவது ஒரு விண்கல் (எரிகற்கள்) மூலமாக அல்லது யார் அறிந்தது, மக்கள் மனம் மாறலாம்

***

Translation of the Quote
Whatever is cheap today may become costlier some day
Whatever is costlier today may become cheaper some day

Question:
So when can we expect Gold to become cheaper ?

Answer:
May be an asteroid can shower some Gold or who knows, people may change their mind (by losing their interest in Gold). 

Buying a Premium Product? - A lesson, I learnt

I was happy buying the Bosch Washing Machine - German Engineering, and did not mind the extra-premium that I had to pay. I was convinced about its quality, durability etc...

Yes, it is robust and works like a true dedicated machine. It reduced our workloads of washing clothes, and even wondered, how about having such durable machines for doing many of our other chores.

3 years later, the display panel showed error signs, and stopped working. We got so used to it, and found it difficult without it. I made a call to the service centre, who promised to send a personnel, but I have to pay Rs.850/- as a service fee.  Just to indicate how 'equal pay' it was, I had paid Rs.750/- as consultation fee for a specialist doctor at a premium hospital, two days prior to this call.

But here, I have no option, and I agreed. Despite agreeing for it, no one turned up. So I kept calling till they sent a guy on my 3rd call. He seemed to be a deputy to the service engineer, and discovered that he had just finished his diploma. I explained him the problem. He then explained to his 'Boss' over phone. He then told me that the board has to be replaced and it will cost Rs.12,000/- 1/3rd of my machine cost - that I paid 3 years ago. If I am agreeing, then I do not have to pay his service fee now, otherwise I have to. I paid him the service fee of Rs.850/- and sent him.

I was disappointed with the Authorized Service Centre. I figured out a guy who does washing machine repairs and he visited me and told that he can fix it for Rs. 9000/- and his service fee would be Rs. 1000/-. I said 'Thanks for coming', and paid him Rs.500/- for his visit.

I searched again, and through a neighbor, got hold of yet another guy. He came and checked it, and said the same - that the board has to be replaced. But he gave the reasons for failure of the board - either power fluctuation,  or could be a cockroach that might have entered into it and would have laid eggs leading to some shortage.  He also proposed an alternate solution, that he can get the existing board 'fixed', through a specialist and I would have to pay Rs.4000/- plus his service fee. I decided to take the risk.

Weeks later, he returned with the same board, and showed the soldering that was done by the 'specialist', and I paid Rs.5000/- (Rs.4000/- for specialist that he claims to have paid and Rs.1000/- for him). The machine worked, and has been working for more than 2+ years now.

Lesson: Go for a premium brand, only if you can afford it throughout its life cycle.

Philosophical Inquiry of a Colloquial Phrase

பிறந்து வரணும் டா / புறந்து வரணும் டா 

(Rough Translation: One has to be re-born to beat the sayer (or) None is there to beat the sayer; Used to emphasise supremacy of the sayer; )

This is a dialogue that you might hear, when some one wants to tell you that he can't be beaten in a particular field / art, and he is the 'supreme' guy in that subject and to beat him, some one is yet to be born - meaning, nobody is there yet, to beat him.

Of course, this is a very colloquial phrase, and I believe this is not being used these days, that frequently. However I have heard several times, when I was in school, probably due to the influence of a movie.

Now, let us leave that aside and do a quick philosophical inquiry.

Though, it gives a sense of the sayer's arrogance in display, it also means that the sayer acknowledges that he/she is adept/best only in the current time frame, and over a period, there may be some one who will emerge better than him.

Let me throw some few arbitrary examples.

When we all watched Kapil Dev in awe, there came another greater player - Sachin Tendulkar, after many years, and then when we believed that there can be never be another player like Sachin, we discovered Dhoni, and then Virat Kohli - all in overlapping and close time frames. Though the styles are different, almost everything is different, our beliefs on the best player changes over time.

If you like Ramayan, here's another: When everyone thought that Ravan was simply unstoppable and unbeatable, there came a Ram, in a different (but overlapping) time period, who destroyed Ravan and that too in a very unconventional and different style (Ram did not have the powerful armed force of Ayodhya with him, and he was not even a king, when he defeated Ravan).

Moral: There is always going to be a bigger force or person, than the current one, but only away in the time frame.