Of scholars and bonds

If you understand a construct precisely in one way, say what does the word “understanding” mean? It’s a difficult word because no sooner do you claim you understand it. You run straight into a philosophical hall of mirrors.

Here’s what I think “understanding” really means and I will try my level best to gut out the jargon. Most of us know how to add, subtract and multiply numbers. It’s a language of sorts to express the size, quantity or volume and how they may behave under a given set of conditions.

So if I asked you what is 2 times 2, you will say 4, that’s the traditional benchmark of “understanding” in the traditional sense. But if I asked you what do you “understand” from this video (and pls take yr time bc if you miss this part. I will lose you!) :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ_N-lRyltM

Now again what is 2 times 2? Now we are all in Babeland. Here the familiar is taken away and replaced by the alien – so again, what do you understand?

So if you understand something in only one way, then I claim you don’t understand it at all: you know it by rote i.e like a monkey trained to pick coconuts or a parrot repeating meaningless words. Where is the value added there?

So you could even say that what you consider to be understanding in this 2 times 2 context is a product of memorization or mugging. You don’t really understand it not at the level of abstraction that allows you to comfortably manipulate it or imagine how it would behave under a set of parametric conditions. Again where is the value added there?

Now just in case some of you think that’s a math trick, lets use another imagery; what do you understand about the Singapore river? Again if your understanding is limited to just a lined drawing in geography book – where is value added there?

Alternatively you might have an image of seeing someone dump a dead body in the middle of the night or some of you may even have rowed your dragon boat there. Images like that are very good for helping you to make sense of stuff. So each of you probably has a dozen different ways to formulate your “understanding” of the Singapore river. The point is that if you have 5, 10, 20 or 40 different meanings or representations of the river, then when you hear somebody talking about it you won’t be having a fuzzy image in your mind. You’ll probably get stuck, but in a few seconds your brain will reboot and scan through 5, 10, 15 of various scenarios to filter the most accurate terms of reference that completes the jig-saw.

This is why philosophers and very literal people constantly mull over the meaning of “understanding,” 80% of what Socrates wrote was just based on words, like “meaning” or “what is it?” So if you understand something in just one way, then you don’t functionally understand it at all.

Again how does this relate to creativity and innovation in the context of product development? You go figure it out yourself! All I am saying is if you understand something in just one way, then you are like a man who only knows how to use a hammer. You are just not going to make money – impossible. Think about that!

Again I really wonder what sane person would even take what I say seriously? I don’t even take myself seriously enough to even believe in what I write so why should any of you?

I am stuck in the traffic again!

Greets ICM bum buddies,

Why am I not surprise to see Chandra’s ICM wing of the light bulb brigade turning up in Aaron’s blog even using our SLF to even post!

Firstly let me just say to all of you in the ICM. I consider AI robotics research a dead end. If I had my way I program all of them to head towards the sea to repopulate the coral reef in the West coast in the US. What perplexes me no end is all over the world there are probably three thousand Phd students working on making robots doing the things humans are already doing using 1/100,000,000 of the brain juice to pick their noses, yawn and wink with their programming. Nothing seems ever to be learnt from all this and for some reason the IC mafia troupe for some reason continues to insist that it is ground shattering research.

Every time, I visit Chandra, he rolls out his robots and invites me to either play chess or ask whether I would like to see a striptease. It became clear to me when I asked a few pointed question, these nuts and bolts couldn’t do very much except clap like seals and walk through walls or give some obese student a slip disc.

Since the late 80’s robotics has returned in full force – I can’t for the life of me understand why this should be the case. Because in the last 20 years, maybe there have been less than 7 interesting refereed papers, the rest you use as BBQ starters. Chandra will tell you all sorts of things about AI, how he has pioneer genetic algorithms to zero the decision heuristics, but till today he can’t even replicate results at a consistency or level of reliability that makes all this stuff commercially viable.

That’s why you’ll find that these robotics people always have the best video cams, they treasure their videos – because if it works, it’s a one off wonder tomorrow everyone is on their knees praying again for the same results.

Pls don’t believe me go and verify this yourself. You put a physical robot snake or dinosaur over the same failure analysis parameters. But in every trial run you will never be able get to do the same thing twice. There’s no science there, no mystery here. There’s no replicable experiment. It’s just like studying tea leaves, meaning usually outcomes are the controlled based on tweaking parametric highs and lows to yield a desired outcome, it works only because the parameters are set to allow it to do so – in my book, that’s cheating.

Now that to me is the whole crux of why we keep getting this question you asked cropping up like the return of the zombies regularly in my inbox (what I cannot seem to understand is every time I knock u guys dead, he just sends more zombies. Despite that nice to see you chaps again. ICM pls join us for our weekly cycling rides in BT and do send my warmest to Chandra – he knows I like trash his robots in Urbana from time to time)

Fascinating! Tq for the article. Mmmmmh there is $ huh!

Forget kopi I will buy you a nice jap dinner, heard of nobu? He is a buddy of mine – I mean this “go” thing – there is a bounty right – $1.4 mil????

I need more current links pls. pls supply

lkh,

I didnt step off the banana boat from yesterday.

Some of our readers have been following us for over 5 to 6 yrs – and they run into the thousands – u have made up your mind so stick to it – it is a life choice – I never ever self post, go and ask inspirid, Aaron etc (we never ever hide anything from them), they know how we work – I do not have the time explain – no time means no time- it is all there in the internet if you google hard abt our history how we typically manage our communication and why it has to be this way, but if you never bothered with the homework – what can I say? – I am very sorry, I dont want to come across as rude, but I just do not have the time.

Calligrapher (Amateur)

Ok this is very good work – I like to deal with ppl who r on the ball. Let me go thru the stuff you linked, give me 48 hrs – meanwhile leave a message with inspirid in his inbox in the IS- I will get harphoon or someone to contact u.

Greetings all,

The question at the back of every persons mind is why have we come here? What is our objective? What are we trying to accomplish? Is this beginning of the invasion of the body snatchers?

I cannot answer these questions, but many of you can. The reactions have been mixed. Some have used the word “intrusion, invasion, disruptive etc.” Others appear to adopt a neutral bearing, suggesting even that it is “interesting, mind provoking and even colorful.” Then there are others who believe this is simply a way to encourage “diversity” or even “deepening” the level of discussions by introducing a much needed level of intellectuality (I really think they are just very confused to be honest with you, bc I have absolutely nothing clever to say!).

Whatever the feelings and sentiments it has evoked (most people I am sure have lapsed into a comatose state), its all there for all to draw your own conclusions – I really cannot comment.

Otherwise I will be telling you how and what to think and I really don’t feel that I have the right to do that!

But please understand this is what the internet scene is all about. The internet isn’t like the real world where a individual or group of people can hide behind a bureaucratic wall or carve out their own secret garden or private fiefdom – its an open environment – so if I say something, anyone can amble into your room, squat down and challenge you. This includes the likes of lkh (btw, I didn’t put him here to create the atmosphere, this guy actually hates me, but that’s good, people who usually take a position are usually very passionate, that’s a sign that Aaron has successfully managed the level of diversity in this blog and I am happy that he is not building another Soviet Union or North Korea).

Neither do I have a right to vanquish lkh or for that matter anyone either. He has every right to challenge me or for that matter anyone here! And even take pot shots at me, that’s his right. If I threaten to sue him etc, then people will simply say, I am a man who has no sense of proportion. He doesn’t even know how to manage conflict with the power of reason and they will be 100% right. So if one cannot even manage or mitigate the level of conflict – my advise is go somewhere else. If everyone starts suing everyone here, then at the end of the day, we might as well all switch off the lights, pack up our bags and go back to our board games – it will be a very boring place. So the internet must always be nourished and encouraged, that is perhaps one of my greatest regrets in my internet that we may not have given “soft” power more attention, but have instead used “cold” and “metallic” logic to always win. Most of the time we win the battle but lose the war – the hearts and minds that is – and we must simply take responsibility for this.

So any one can come here and challenge anyone including me. I am not god and to be very honest with you none of you should listen to me either. You would have to be a complete idiot to take my word or for that matter anyone who you simply met in the internet and run with it without first checking it out yourself – doesn’t matter whether it is a Minister, MP, CEO, religious leader or even a street vendor blogging. I say check it out, do your own research and due diligence – think it through and if you have a different opinion go back and challenge that guy – if he doesn’t reply, then at least on the record, you asked and no one can erase that! Then and only then do you make an informed decision. That’s how mature people make decisions.

So please understand you can say what you want here. You can even create a community. Or even a micro environment of liked minded people who share the same values, but you cannot stop people from coming in and squatting at your site. And if they hear you say something that rubs them the wrong way. You cannot stop them from challenging you any more than you can stop the sun from rising tomorrow.

The same rule applies to me. I cannot say something and if I get challenged, then I just say, “Trust me, in my experience blah blah blah….I am darkness you people should know who I am.” That kind of bankrupt strategy only works in the Soviet Union, but here in the internet, someone will say, “why the hell should I trust you darkness, can you please explain X,Y and Z?” And they will be both wise and right to do so.

In my view the same approach should apply in the real world with regards to your dealings with leaders in work, life and play. Otherwise you may just end up joining an extremist faith movement or a political cult unwittingly that is bent on destruction and mayhem, bc you never bothered to stop, question or even think.

Above all the internet should not be taken too seriously – look blogging to me is just like reading a magazine. On average I surf roughly 30 to 40 min a day, maybe divided between traffic jams, waiting for inconsiderate clients who cannot be bothered to be punctual or just when I am sitting on the golden throne in the toilet. It’s a way of ventilating the mind. I am not saying it will remain in the doldrums forever. Or that one day it will not yield the prospects of great economic promise. I wouldn’t be here if I believe that.

But for the time being at the current rate of tech and readership, it still has some way to go before the clever $ decides to park here. So it is important to have a sense of scale, you may make friends or enemies here, but at the end of the day, if you want the relationship to go to the next stage, get their number call them and do lunch or go bowling or play a round of golf – there is no substitute to having a real holistic human relationship.

I will be leaving this blog, but before I do so please allow me to thank Aaron and as for the rest of you.

You can draw your own conclusion why I came and why I am going now, but always remember I am just a stone’s throw away. Good luck and thank you for reading this boring yarn (yawn! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUo3D6XTjsA

Darkness 2007