Thinking Aloud: What shall we do when the Internet become aware of itself?

Discovered this page called The World Question Center (via Dan Gillmor). Fwah, amazing stuff. They pose questions and get notable people to comment. This piece by Terrence Sejnowski (from the "What is your Dangerous Idea?" segment) caught my eye -- "When will the Internet become aware of itself?":

Thus, the internet and our ability to search it are within reach of the limits of the raw storage and communications capacity of the human brain, and should exceed it by 2015.

[Perhaps due to page coding problems, the link to Sejnowski doesn't bring me to the right page. If you want to read his article, click here and scroll a little way down and you'll find Sejnowski]

If I understand Sejnowski correctly, he suggests that the Internet might achieve sentience sometime after 2015. That's in 9 years! : )

Sejnowski's Dangerous Question reminded me of the Arnold Schwarzenegger Terminator movies, where they mention SkyNet becoming sentient and starts taking over the world. Internet... SkyNet... creepy coincidence or deliberate reference?

As a Sci Fi fan, I tend to think about stuff like "Machine Sentience and Implications for Humanity". Whenever such themes are explored in movies, more often than not, the Machines are set up for confrontation against Humans.

What's becoming clear to me is that the really Dangerous Idea isn't about the Internet achieving awareness per se. What's perceived as danger could be the perceived impact of machines being self-conscious.

Think about it -- just being "aware" doesn't necessarily mean becoming violent. Maybe the Post-awareness Internet will be a benevolent presence, kicking the butts of spammers and email scammers.

The really Dangerous Idea might be this: "A Post-Awareness Internet inherently spells doom for humans".

Even without articulating it, most people will subsconsciously assume that any man-made construct that becomes 'alive' is automatically a threat. I don't think it has to do with robots only. Moreover, implicit in the term "Machine Sentience" is that Machines are more advanced and developed than Humans.

I think Humans are hardwired to be wary of Competition, and the instinctive reaction is to eliminate competition, more so when we think the other person is better than us. Survival of the fittest and all that. Perhaps jealousy is also something hardwired into us also. We can't stand to have more than one Sentient Being share the same planet. We're not big-hearted enough for that.

However, that's not to say there isn't hope for humanity. What humans have shown -- in fact it's a survival trait -- is that our behaviour can be changed. And that humans are perhaps the most adept in consciously modifying our behaviour.

So we have maybe 9 years to learn how to live with (the possibility of) another Sentient Being.

Meantime, I guess we can start by being nicer to the next Sentient Being that's already here with us.

Other Human Beings.


Tag: machine intelligence

Starting a new blog (Part 1)

In a previous post, I mentioned about creating another blog for my art-related stuff. Finally I made up my mind to start one. And since I'm conducting some blogging-related courses soon, I might as well blog about it to use as examples for sharing with course participants (btw, there's no definitive "blog-creation" process; this is just my perspective).

#1 - Asked myself what I wanted from a blog host?

• Free (I don't wish to pay to maintain a blog)
• Stability/ reliability (i.e. no frequent downtimes)
• Credibility/ trustworthiness (usually I look at who are the people using the service as an indicator of the service provider's credibility)
• Ease of updating (e.g. interface)
• Features
  

#2 - Choosing a (free) blog host: Narrowing down the list
Probably the most important consideration for me. I'm looking for a free and reliable blog hosting service. There are many free blog hosting services. Those that I've seriously considered are:

• Blogger.com
• Blogsome.com (based on Wordpress)
• Wordpress.com

Final choice -- Wordpress

Making the choice was more difficult than I thought. I'd really wanted to stick with Blogger because I can access my new blog with the existing user ID (single ID logon*). It's managed by Google and it's not about to close shop anytime soon. Plus, Blogger has also introduced several improvements in the past year (e.g. anti spam; linking) so I'm convinced more features would be introduced.
[* UPDATE: Wordpress.com introduces unlimited blogs, Apr 2006]

Blogger is great and I'd still recommend it to people who've never started a blog before. But I wanted to try something more complex than Blogger. I figured it's good to be proficient with more than one specific blogging platform. And really, what tilted in Wordpress' favour was the "Categories" feature. I wanted to "file" my stuff, you know?

Why not Blogsome.com, since it's also based on Wordpress blogs? To be honest, the No. 1 reason was because Scoble is using it! His choice can't be wrong. Of course I also considered how Wordpress.com has been setup -- with a Feedback channel, a Wiki... basically they just seem to provide more help. Like I said earlier, the whole blog-creation process is subjective.

Ok, if you wish to know more about the different blogging plaftforms, here's a Blog Software Comparison Chart (discovered via Cowboy Caleb).

[Next: Part 2]

Failing to see libraries as a primary information source

George over at It's All Good posted this interesting piece titled "Public Use of the Library and Other Sources of Information". He compares two library-related reports and highlights the progress that libraries have made in the last 50 years:

• Public Use of the Library and Other Sources of Information. Angus Campbell and Charles A. Metzner. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, 1950.
• Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources. OCLC, 2005.

What made me pay attention was this:

The biggest consistency has been in people failing to see libraries as a primary information source. Librarians have not been able to make the leap from being a storehouse of recorded information (books, magazines, videos, audios) to being an active partner in the information gathering and evaluating process. The ubiquity of the web is making it even less likely that a formal institution like the library, with all our rules, service policies, limited hours, and other historical baggage, is ever going to change that.

I believe George isn't talking about using libraries as primary sources, but considering libraries as one of the first few sources for information. The development of the Internet and search engines is part of the reason, I'm sure.

But there's something else, I think.

Call it "lack of publicity" or "lack of awareness". I prefer to call it "lack of mindshare". I define "mindshare" as "being present on a person's mental radar screen". Having mindshare doesn't necessarily mean they would have to use the library. It's enough that they consider it.

The problem is systemic in nature. There's no one single root cause, and requires a multi-prong approach to deal with many issues at the same time.

I can attest that even librarians sometimes don't see libraries as the primary source for information. One time I asked a colleague, who was planning an overseas holiday, why he didn't seek information from the library (like books and also ASK!) first. He said it just didn't occur to him.

Say, you wanted to buy a new computer, or a new digital camera. Apart from using the Internet and seeking the opinion of friends, would it occur to you to look up the library or ask a librarian?

What George suggest is for librarians to be active partners in the information gathering and evaluating process. I agree completely. I remembered this post I wrote where I mentioned about the "Friendly Neighbourhood Librarian", where I suggested that librarians should make their presence known and felt in non-library discussion groups and forums. Establish credibility and trust. Join in the conversations. Then you can start talking about promoting the library.


Tag: perception of libraries, library promotion, marketing the library, librarianship

Frigid Ariston Fridges

I try not to rant in this blog, especially about personal stuff, but I've had it with Ariston refridgerators. As Cowboy Caleb likes to say, "you have a mouth but you can't scream" so you blog about it.

Nice looking fridge, right?


Stainless steel finish. Had the fridge for 5 years and still looks new overall. Just 2 months ago, it went kaput. The fridge couldn't keep cool and stuff had to be thrown away 'cos they went bad.

It took 2 visits from the repairman before it was repaired. First time the repairman came, he took a quick assessment and said the compressor unit and fan needed to be replaced but he didn't have the parts (didn't they bring along the commonly used spares?) So another appointment was made. Coincidentally, the warranty period was just 1 day shy of its 5 years, so we were able to replace the compressor unit for free, though we forked out over $100 for other replacement parts not covered under the warranty.

Yesterday evening, as my wife was putting the groceries in, the top hinge broke. Entire door would've fell had she not been able to hold it up, but just barely. She hollered; I ran there. Helped to hold it up and clear the things from the door to lighten it. Turned out the metal hinge was fine. It was the plastic parts that supported the hinge that broke (see below images for comparison -- right image shows broken outer piece placed back for illustrative purposes):


The service centre advised that it will cost $500 to replace the door (half the cost of a new one). I don't mind paying for necessary repairs. That's not what frustrated me.

Tonight, about 2 hours ago, we found that stuff in the freezer melted. That's when we discovered the fridge wasn't working properly again (compressor problem? Wasn't that and other parts recently replaced?).

Just spent the last 2 hours frantically chopping up all the vegetables and meat we bought yesterday (2 or 3 meals worth) and made stew for tomorrow. Thank goodness for vaccum pots; at least they will keep food warm till tomorrow. But there's only so much that could be cooked. We ate our second dinner tonight -- 2 salmon steaks, quart of yogurt, 500g of cherries, a carton of fruit juice that couldn't keep. It was that or wait for the food to spoil. But other stuff will have to be thrown soon.

So I'm frustrated from the entire chain of events. Could Ariston have prevented it? I don't know. Maybe a better hinge design. Maybe some Ariston employee will do a Google or Technorati and find my blog piece. Maybe they will do something about the design.

But they sure won't hear it from me direct via their formal feedback channel (if any). Why should I when I'm not going to try my luck with another Ariston fridge again, no matter how good it looks.

Once bitten, twice shy.

And there's only so much second dinners that my wife and I can eat.

Pair of monkeys spotted at Yishun Park

[Update 3 Jan: Siva has picked up this post, and I've added the Macaca_fascicularis tag as Siva suggests.]

My wife and I visited Yishun Park today and we spotted a pair of wild monkeys in a tree. I happened to have my digital camera along and snapped a few pictures. Decided to blog it because:

1. I think Siva (Habitatnews) & friends might be interested to know about this
2. To demonstrate how blogs (and related online tools) can be used as a means for information sharing and exchange
3. It's not everyday that I get to see wild monkeys and capture them on camera (what luck!)
   

There are two monkeys in the picture, at the top-left corner and bottom-right. Click on the image for a better view (I've used the 'Notes' feature to point them out):


This was the one at the top-left corner:


Same one again:


Pictures were taken at about 5:54pm, 2 Jan 2006. If I had my bearings right, it's at the edge of the park at the junction between Yishun Ave 11 and Yishun Ring Road.

Tag: Macaca_fascicularis

High Browse (print) Issue 10 is available at libraries

The Dec 2005 issue of High Browse is available at all public libraries. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that some readers make it a point to collect such things (sell on eBay in a few years time? LOL).

If you can't find it at your nearest public library, you might want to email to the HB editorial team.

I wonder if you pick up such stuff from the public library. Whether you do or do not, or not aware etc., I'd be interested to learn what you think of such "reader advisory" lists.


Tag: high browse online

Ranganathan on Melvil Dewey, 1964 tape recording transcribed

Librarians interested in Ranganathan (of the Five Laws of Library Science) would be interested in this:

Learnt (via David Weinberger) that William Denton has digitised a 1964 recording of S.R. Ranganathan's fifteen-minute talk about his connections with Melvil Dewey.

David Weinberger has transcribed Denton's MP3 recording (try reading the transcipt while listening to the audio -- I found that it helps to following the recording).

From William Denton's webpage:

This was on cassette in the collection of the Faculty of Information Studies at the University of Toronto and I digitized it. It's a 1964 recording of the great librarian S.R. Ranganathan giving a fifteen-minute talk about his connections with Melvil Dewey*. They never met, but they did correspond, and Ranganathan recounts that and four other anecdotes, including an amusing one he was told about Dewey conniving so that his female employees could enter his library by the front door and not the fire escape. (Ranganathan jokingly relates the number five to his Colon Classification.)

More on Colon Classification here. In case you aren't aware, Melvil Dewey invented the Dewey Decimal system, in use in many libraries today, including NLB's.



Tag: librarianship, ranganathan

Bloggers Wishlist for 2006 (or, "Identity Theft in the Blogosphere")

[Update, Jan 2: Tony emailed to say he's included my comment as part of his post (thanks!) Adds that one of his wishlist is also for biz bloggers to make sure they write an 'About' page.]

Toby Bloomberg (Diva Marketing Blog) posted a wish list from some bloggers on what they’d like to see in 2006 on blogs (via Scoble).

Seems that most of the wishlist has less to do with the technical side of blogging, and more on the quality of writing in the Blogosphere. To me, that's a sign that blogging is evolved beyond its "Hey-check-out-this-cool-Technology" phase and into something more entrenched. Kind of like e-mail.

Left a comment in Toby's blog on what would be on my wishlist, which turned out to be technical-related (though it can be argued that it has to do with social development as well):

I don't think my wishlist will materialise by 2006 but here goes: I wish for a more robust Web Identification system in the Blogosphere. It scares me that it's so easy to pretend to me be someone else, e.g. posting a comment.

There are services like Typekey but what if someone grabs my desired user ID first? In fact, I discovered that my "ramblinglibrarian" ID has been taken up in Typekey -- now I can't remember if it's me who signed up for it, or someone else (any advice?).

Ok, is "Blog Identity Theft" really a problem? I think so. In the online environment, we have nothing else to back us up other than our credibility and reputation. Which is linked to our Blog ID/ name/ site.

I don't think I'm important enough to have someone pretend to be "ramblinglibrarian" and leave nasty comments all over the Blogosphere. But who's to say it won't happen? And what if it's not a nasty comment but a plain stupid uneducated comment? Something that doesn't really warrant a rebuttal but leaves an impression that "this fella's stupid; I'll ignore".

Can't think of any 100% full-proof solution to prevent "Blog Identity Theft". For each idea, I can think of at least one possible loop-hole.

Maybe if we can't prevent it, we can at least think of ways to monitor it. Perhaps services like Technorati could develop a way for people to track comments, like how they can track keywords in blog posts.

For now, all I can do is just accept that I have no control over this problem, and be prepared to deal with it as it comes.


Tag: blog identity theft, identity theft, blog ethics

Upcoming book -- Naked Conversations : How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers

Congratulations to Robert Scoble and Shel Israel on the publication of their book. I've not read this book yet (release date 24 Jan 2006):

Publisher: Wiley
ISBN: 047174719X

A catalogue entry has already been created for NLB OPAC. The book would be made available in the public libraries. Too bad NLB doesn't provide RSS alerts on book arrivals (if you've always wondered why and want to get it off your chest, go submit a feedback/ suggestion).

Must remember to ask Shel (meeting him in a few week's time) if he and Scoble considered putting up the book online, like what Dan Gillmor over at his blog for "We the Media". I know the book chapters were written and refined by posting them over at Naked Conversations, but that's not quite the same.

Meantime, Jeremiah Owyang shares what he considers as the juicy bits from the book (thanks for the heads-up, Jeremiah). I hope to get my hands on the book soon, and will post something over at RawNotes. If you want to "listen in" to more related discussions and posts about the book, click on this technorati tag: naked conversations.

BTW, Scoble wrote that he ended 2005 in a book store. I wonder how many Singaporeans ended their 2005 in libraries (library staff not withstanding).


Tag: corporate blogs

Only humans mark time (or "2006: Happy New Year")

First post for 2006. Happy New Year and all that.

Don't mind my lack of enthusiasm. I'm nonchalant when it comes to New Years and birthdays (my own, not my wife's -- and our wedding anniversary is a die-die-must-remember thing).

It just occured to me that only human beings mark time. 'Time' is afterall a human concept, isn't it? Perhaps there's something to do with our mortality.

Anyway, to you reading this post, Happy New Year. Stay safe. Stay healthy in mind and body. Be good to life. It's what we make of it.


Tag: happy new year