Down Another Rabbit Hole

I love learning about new things.  I love learning about old things too.  I also love learning that some of what I thought I knew was incorrect once I learned more about it!  That may seem strange -- learning you are wrong -- but I would rather correct my incorrect knowledge than continue blithely in ignorance.

I have only minimal knowledge and likely some misconceptions about AI as it is currently being presented, but I have dived into that massive rabbit warren with both feet.  I suspect a Level A Hazmat Suit might be in order, but I'm not at that level of education on the subject as of yet.  You might take this paragraph as a warning that the subject will be reoccurring at times.

I have missed a couple of days of writing due to unexpected circumstances, but I hope to dive back in on a regular basis again.  Certainly, there will be occasional disruptions but hopefully they will be kept to a minimum.

When I begin looking into AI it is immediately obvious that it will be inescapable.  I deal with it as I type this blog entry.  We have dealt with it since some of the earliest versions of Word Processing programs.  Spell-check, Grammar-check and the words that magically appear ahead of where you are typing in a sentence in anticipation of that being where you were headed are some of the most basic versions of it.

What we are calling AI (artificial intelligence) is, to date, machine learning.  We are quickly advancing in the capabilities presented by machine learning but, in my opinion, we won't achieve true AI until we begin to see creativity and original ideas that are beyond the scope of current or historical human endeavor.  What we are seeing today is simply better organization of data, accumulation of massive amounts of data and mining that data in different ways.  It is still necessary that a human ask the correct questions.  That is part of what makes it so dangerous in my opinion.

Exploitative uses of data are just as likely, perhaps more likely, than benign or beneficial uses of data.  Analyzing the incidence and prevalence of measles cases throughout the world could be useful in prevention, or it could be used to enhance the spread of harm through the weaponization of some pathogen.  There must be some level of moral control on the use of AI.  That is scary because who is there that is trustworthy to develop such controls?

We have a tree in our front yard that I assumed was a Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum).  I confirmed that identification using iNaturalist which is my "go-to" identifier.  But when I looked up images of Bald Cypress using Google Search, I didn't see any that closely resembled the tree in our yard.  It made me question the identity.  So, I went back through the process again and came up with the same answer.  I did learn that there are over 400 varieties of cypress trees around the world.  I also learned that their wood is great for building due to disease resistance.  But because the images don't really match up there is still question in my mind that my identity is correct.  I think that is a danger we face with AI.  The answers derived through its use should be closely scrutinized.

 AI-driven Dreaming

This morning I awoke from a dream that seemed to be lengthy and intense.  It was as though I was having a long conversation with an expert who was explaining something to me.  He was explaining that we are in a state of electronic warfare on a global scale and went on to describe the various ways that it was playing out and affecting all of us.

We discussed things like isolation from the Internet, shielding of sensitive computer hardware and we talked about AI data centers.  I got the sense that those AI data centers are the weapons of the next phase of the war.  Some will be defensive and some offensive in nature.  They are mostly being located in rural areas due to the threat of conventional or nuclear weapons against them.  Those locations expose smaller segments of the population to the potential collateral damage.

It was just a dream.  It was my mind attempting to make sense of the random information with which we are daily bombarded.  It was a dream that makes sense in the light of day.  Many dreams don't.

As I have mentioned many times, I enjoy dreams and look forward to them.  I believe our minds often do their best work while we dream.  I believe we all dream but some are more tuned to those dreams than others.  Even our dog dreams as he lies down in some of the strangest places.  I wish I could go to sleep and dream as easily as he does.

Natural Inspiration and Technology

We have been covered up with Horseflies this summer.  This photo is of one that was sitting on a gate latch a couple of days ago.  He sat there and let me take a number of pictures -- almost as if he was posing for me.  This is a Tabanus sulcifrons.  They are common in the eastern half of the U.S.  In actual size it was about 1 1/4" long.

I had never really looked at the detail on a Horsefly until I took this photograph.  The eyes, especially, are intriguing.  It looks like it's wearing expensive Sun shades.  It was either too full and fat to fly, or just "cool" enough to think it was invincible when I was taking the pictures.  I let it live because it was such a good subject.  Normally, that wouldn't be the case.  They literally torture the cattle with their bites which are a prime vector for disease.

Entomology was never a subject that held much interest for me.  After looking closely at this photo, though, I begin to see how it might be intriguing to some.  I wonder what the purpose of the feathery features on the front part of the body might be?  I also see what look to be horizontal flaps lying against the body, beneath the wing; what do they do?  Are they a vestigial wing?  Or, perhaps they are used to make a noise?  Maybe they are a shield that protects some vital organ?  What is the purpose of the tiny needle-like projection on the knee?

This critter stimulates my curiosity.  It also stimulates my imagination.  It doesn't look particularly aerodynamic, yet it is able to fly.  Man has developed many types of aircraft, but we don't have anything that flies or, even looks vaguely like this type of insect.  In science fiction we often see craft that fly much more like insects or, birds.  They have the ability to zip quickly across the landscape and then to drop rapidly to the surface in a "pouncing" move that appears to hover just over a target which might be an enemy that is captured by a grappling device -- much like the legs of the insect would grab prey.  Man hasn't quite mastered the air to that level.  Insects -- even ungainly appearing ones -- do it with ease.  So do birds.

I wonder if there is a way to utilize disease vectors such as the Horsefly to deliver vaccines rather than infectious agents?  When it is time to vaccinate the herd, just turn loose a handful of vaccine-laden insects that are genetically programmed to target cattle and which are unable to reproduce and have a short life.  Maybe we could do that with micro-drones?  Just think how little stress that would cause the animals.  Of course, you might lose a few drones to a swatting tail.

I wonder what other information could be gathered by such micro-drones?  Horseflies bite the animal; perhaps the drones could take blood samples and provide information about nutrition, health, gestation, etc.  I keep mentioning micro-drones because it is my understanding that a number have been developed that are designed to mimic insects.  One of the biggest issues is battery life.

If you happen to be a young, aspiring engineer, I would think a career focused on energy storage and transport would hold a bright future.  With macro projects such as the efforts to travel to Mars, or with the miniaturization of technology such as smart watches and phones, there is great need to be able to store and transport energy efficiently.

I've strayed from the Horsefly.  I suppose my point is that there is much we can learn from nature.  We need to be good stewards of it or, that tremendous reservoir of creative solutions will be lost.  Think about that.  Nature has already solved many of the challenges we face in technology.  Is our approach the correct one?

Sometimes You Have to Dig for the Reason

It being Friday the 13th with a Full Moon, I thought it only appropriate that I use the photo of a 4-leaf clover in my post, however, I have committed to only use original photos and not something "borrowed" from the Internet and I didn't have one of a 4-leaf clover.  Instead, I will use this Brazos Rain-lily (Zephyranthes chlorosolen) as a substitute.  We had a number of them make their appearance in our pasture after the rain we had a couple of weeks ago.  They aren't large -- about 12" tall consisting of a single stem shooting up out of the ground with a flower approximately 2" in diameter.

To the extent possible, we try to identify the plants we find growing in our pastures.  Some plants are toxic to cattle and we especially watch out for them.  Such plants typically only appear sporadically such as after a drought or, in a particularly rainy stretch at a time of year when it doesn't normally rain as much.  Knowing the flora and fauna on the land within your care is important for that reason, but also for others.

There are numerous rare or, endangered species of plants and animals.  When you speak of such things, most ranchers cringe because of the bad experiences of some where their land was restricted in its use due to the presence of such items.  Various government agencies have a good deal of power to do such and so, most occurrences of threatened plants and animals go unreported due to fear, or to willful ignorance.  I fully sympathize with that.  No one wants how they utilize their land to be restricted due to the presence of some rare salamander, or minnow, or weed.

It is difficult, even for someone who is very much a conservationist at heart, to reconcile the preservation of every single species against the rights and needs of individuals.  I am a firm believer that "less government" is the best government.  Personal property rights are one of the most important foundations of our liberty; without them, there is no free enterprise and very little incentive to grow and create.

A willingness by many to restrict such rights is typically due to a jealousy of the "have nots" toward those who have been able to acquire substantial property.  Is the system rigged?  You bet it is.  Those who have accumulated property have considerably more power than those who haven't.  That is why there is a need for appropriate regulation of the rights of ownership that weigh the needs of the many against the "rights" of the individual.  It is why we have labor laws and regulations against certain monopolistic practices.

When it comes to things of a more esoteric nature -- such as rare plants and animals -- it is sometimes difficult to determine where the needs/rights of the individual end and public needs/rights begin.  I don't pretend to have deep specialized knowledge regarding such issues, but in general, I understand the concept that we need to maintain biodiversity.  Even the most well-trained scientists only understand the "surface" of the intricate workings of various ecosystems.  Each time a species goes extinct, there is the danger of a cascading effect that can cause widespread disruption.  There also is the potential commercial/social value that many plants and animals offer as food or, as sources of medicines and other potentially important compounds.  In summation, we don't know enough to know what we don't know, therefore the wise course is to preserve.

Fortunately for me, the Lily in the photo is not an endangered or, threatened species.  It does however, produce an alkaloid called lycorine, a fungicide, which protects the plant against Phymatotrichum root rot.  That characteristic alone could make it valuable given gene splicing technology such as CRISPR.  The genes from the Brazos rain-lily that cause it to produce the lycorine might could be spliced into the DNA of a cotton plant for instance, giving it the ability to resist root rot in times of too much rain.

Maybe there is a reason to protect those plants and animals after all....

The IoT and the IoN

It is easy to be a bit overwhelmed by what is being called the Internet of Things (IoT).  Computing power has enabled engineers to design virtually any type of equipment to include tiny computers that allow us to program the device but, also for the device to collect information about how we use it and to relay that information elsewhere.  That connectedness allows us to change the programming remotely such as from an application on our cell phone.  It is truly amazing once you get past the fear that your machines are watching you -- which they are in a way.

The natural world already does something similar to the IoT.  It happens to a large extent beneath the soil.  The mushrooms in the photo are a good example.  Beneath the soil is a network of something called mycelium, thin threads that are part of the mushrooms.  When you dig into soil in an area where there are mushrooms have you ever noticed white fibers (not roots of plants) running through it?  Those are the mycelia of mushrooms and they interact with the roots of plants such as trees and shrubs or forbs.  They share nutrients drawn from the soil and in the process, transport chemical signals between plants.

The fungi (mushrooms) draw carbohydrates from the roots of the plants to which they are connected and in exchange, transport key nutrients such as phosphorous and nitrogen from the soil to the plants.  It is something of a fair-exchange trading system -- an "underground economy" if you will.  Interestingly enough, in spite of this mutually beneficial relationship, when the fungi "attack" the plants roots it triggers an immune response, just like your own body would fight off a bacterial infection.  That response bolsters the plants ability to fight off other more nefarious enemies.

The connections, through the mycelium, between plants also allows the passage of chemical signals from one tree to another if, for instance, there is an infestation of insects attacking. The tree will release chemicals in response which are transported through the network of fungi to other trees and act as a "warning" that those particular insects are back and they should prepare to defend themselves.  Essentially, the "scout" discovers the enemies and sends a message back to its comrades that the enemy is coming.

This type of plant/fungi interaction creates interesting possibilities for agriculture.  Can you imagine tapping into that information network as a source of "intelligence" that is then communicated to robots that can respond to whatever situation is sending ripples through the network?  We could respond almost immediately to insect or bacterial infestations, nutrient shortages, etc. on a highly targeted basis -- to the specific plant in trouble.

Just imagine, an IoT connected to the IoN (Internet of Nature).

Ancient Knowledge, Big Data and Robotics in Agriculture

I think we all should be concerned about the loss of genetic diversity in agriculture.  The photo above was taken several years ago as I was crossing the Oklahoma Panhandle.  I stopped because it was an exceptional group of cattle and they weren't black.

There are several reasons the cattle industry has become dominated by black cattle -- notice that I say black and not Angus.  One is that Certified Angus Beef has done an amazing job at promoting the quality characteristics of the beef produced from Angus cattle.  A second is that the Angus breed truly does typically marble more easily and therefore, the beef is more flavorful and tender.  Because the market favors those characteristics, ranchers are often paid more for black-hided cattle that exhibit the phenotypic Angus traits.  Less profitable breeds tend to fade away, or become extremely small niche opportunities for breeders seeking uniqueness and finding profit in a boutique market -- or the they find more effective ways to market their product.

The same thing has happened in almost every aspect of agriculture.  We now see only a few basic types of most species dominating their market -- whether it be corn, soybeans, fruits, vegetables, pigs, chickens, or whatever.  Agriculture moves toward the most profitable.

The narrowing of the gene pool comes at a price.  Along with more productivity based on market-driven factors we often see susceptibility to disease or, weather-driven factors such as drought or extremely wet conditions.  That susceptibility adds to the use of chemicals, drugs, or other high-cost inputs to combat the problems.

A different approach, especially in countries that are less industrialized in their techniques, might be through the utilization of multiple strains of a plant across a field, or the varying of strains based on specific conditions unique to a location.  Ancient civilizations did this through a collective wisdom garnered through trial and error and close observation.  Today, with the information gathering capabilities we have, data banks could be designed with a focus on what I might term "species intelligence" that allows the farmer to better match genetics to current conditions of soil, weather and other factors at his specific location.

We need to re-think species diversity.  Uniformity is not always the answer.  We have moved that direction, to some extent at least, to accommodate industrialization of the farming processes.  It is easier to plant, cultivate and harvest the crop when it is uniform.  Varying species across a field would mean that the needs of the plants would not all occur simultaneously.  Diversity might add to the necessity for robotic farming.

It is interesting to me that in order to gain efficiency we moved away from ancient knowledge and techniques but, in order to reinstitute that ancient knowledge we may be challenged with developing even higher forms of technology in order to reap the benefits of that knowledge and wisdom.  Have you ever noticed that we seem to "evolve" in circles?  The pendulum swings....

A Human Element in Agriculture

A few years back we took a trip to Kenya.  Although not the purpose of the trip, the agriculture that we witnessed there was a highlight for me.  The photo above is of laborers picking tea leaves in a region called "The White Highlands" west of Nairobi.

Our guide told us the work of the tea pickers was very difficult and that they were not paid well.  I have no doubt of the difficulty, I have put in many hours of manual labor and it can be extremely demanding physically.

One way such backbreaking labor could be minimized, or possibly eliminated, is through robotics.  Sensors would detect when the leaves are at the peak level of maturity for picking.  The difficult manual labor would be eliminated and instead, there would be mechanics and engineers to maintain the machines.  Those labor intensive jobs would be eliminated.

Even though it was a number of years ago that I witnessed this, the thought of mechanical pickers crossed my mind at the time.  I considered the large amount of capital investment and the elimination of the difficult jobs.  I also thought about the fact that most people in Kenya are struggling to survive, have little opportunity for employment and rely on foreign investment to a large extent for the growth of most industries and therefore, jobs.

The U.S. is a country founded on agriculture and trade.  We have moved far beyond that to one of technology and service, but we still are the most advanced producers of food in the world.  Our farms are the most productive and each farmer feeds many, many people -- not only here, but around the world.

In our developmental period, farmers and their families provided much of the backbreaking labor.  In some areas, imported labor in the form of slaves increased productivity (I am opposed to slavery in all forms but, won't get into that discussion here).  Later, and even today, much of the labor for some types of farming comes through poor immigrants seeking jobs.  However, a tremendous amount of the need for manual labor has been replaced by mechanical devices that plant, cultivate and harvest the crops.

Those who have never been in the situation of desperately needing a job don't understand that there is dignity in work -- even difficult manual labor.  Mechanization and robotics eliminate jobs.  Are we guilty of applying "first world" views to "third world" problems when we think this way?  Those jobs may be foundational to some economies.  The issue of appropriate compensation, health care and working hours/conditions is something totally different.  Those are issues of governance.

I am a firm believer in and enthusiastic about the advances being made in both mechanization and robotics as applied to agriculture.  Along with such advances though, needs to come an awareness of the impact on the people dependent on agriculture for the dignity of a job.  An awareness of the social issues is just as critical as the desire to replace human labor with machines.

Machines That Know Us?

As creatures of habit, we humans tend to be very predictable.  For those of us who are married, we quickly learn behaviors and habits of our spouse so that we usually know how they might react to various situations, or whether they would choose one type of movie over another.  Familiarity aids us in developing the "sense" of knowing the other.

The ability to predict from observed behavior is something that is likely written into our genetic makeup.  It would logically be part of the set of survival tools that allowed us to become the dominant species on the planet.  We learned many, many generations ago that when certain things were observed -- e.g. a lion -- we needed to respond in a certain way -- run!  Developing the cognitive ability to recognize danger, or safety, or situations calling for decisive action were necessary for coping with the world around us.

Animals also appear to behave along the same lines.  People who are highly observant of how animals respond to stimuli are often extremely good trainers and achieve a level of effectiveness that appears almost empathic.  It is simply that they are observant of the cause and response mechanisms and able to employ them to affect behavior.

What sent me down this pathway today is an observation on Facebook by someone I grew up with that their automobile seemed to know their habits to the point it was spooky.  They got in the car to go to church at the same time they normally do on Sunday and their navigation system informed them, without any input, that it would take them 19 minutes to their destination of XYZ.  The immediate reaction was, "I think our devices know way too much about us!"

Pattern Recognition is a field of study that has been around for a long time.  In recent years computing ability has made it more accurate and more pervasive.  The field of statistics developed as a rudimentary way to analyze behavior and through mathematical modeling, predict likely outcomes based on past behavior.  Today, such modeling has been refined to the point that huge reams of data can be parsed into subsets which allow a tremendous amount of accuracy in predicting behavior.

In the instance of the example above, it is clear that the machine (their GPS) has the ability to recognize patterns at some level.  If every Sunday afternoon at 5:40 they start their car to go to church and approximately 19 minutes later they arrive there, a clear pattern begins to emerge.  If next Sunday they get in that car and start it at approximately 5:40, where are they likely going?  You get the picture.

Computers have given us the power to model behavior in ways never before imagined.  It will be interesting to see how more and more machines mimic human behavior.  It isn't so much that the machines are exhibiting intelligence as they are using predictive algorithms to solve problems almost instantaneously that analyze the situation and compare it to a database of behavior-response scenarios that allow the prediction of likely outcome based on a specific action.

Alan Turing once wrote on the subject.  He suggested that we shouldn't ask the question, "Can machines think?" rather, we should ask, "Can machines do what we (as thinking entities) can do?"  It seems the answer is yes.

Bridging Technology Gaps

In a world of specialization, it can sometimes be difficult to be the generalist.  It seems that multiple degrees with increasing focus on a narrow band of study has become a status symbol -- especially in certain circles.  The trend has added to a polarization in the workplace that is embedded within the perceived intellectual superiority of those with "like" qualifications.

Specialists are needed.  As the complexity of technological innovation grows and more deeply permeates everything that surrounds us in an increasingly integrated "Internet of Things," those who have depth of knowledge in such devices and systems are required to keep them operating at expected levels.  For those of us who are "mere users" of the technology, dependency on the specialists comes at the price of loss of control.

In such an environment that is bifurcated into technologists and users, a niche exists that is often overlooked which can lead to failure in the implementation process.  It is that of "interpreter."  During the transition period to new technology, especially, there is a need for individuals who can walk, with some level of competency, in both worlds.  They become the bridge for implementation.

I have filled that role several times in my career.  One of the first opportunities I had to do so was during the early utilization of software systems to track animal health and feed data in cattle feeding operations.  Later, it was in the implementation of diagnostics as a tool of prevention rather than a tool for analyzing events.  Most recently, it has been in the interpretation and application of genomic data to fit within operational constraints of production systems.

Recognizing the need for those who can walk in both the world of technology and the constraints of the users of that technology is difficult for many specialists.  In the first example mentioned above where I worked with users of software in the cattle feeding industry I was told it would take six weeks to achieve a minimum level of competency to be able to solve the issues generated by "ignorant" customer personnel.  It took about half a day to understand how to bridge the gap.  It was a classic case of the "intellectual superiority" of the software developer blinding him to the fact we were dealing with a simple communication issue.

In the end, it boils down to communication.  My father was an educator.  He once told me that until you can explain a subject at a level appropriate to the student in such a way that the student could understand the subject, you did not truly understand the subject yourself.  Maybe that is the key to it all -- the generalist is the "educator" who fills the learning gap between creator and user of systems and technologies.  In this world of growing complexity where "specialists" reign, never forget the need for the generalist who sees a broader picture.

Trends in Food Production

I was reading this morning about a company in Singapore that is growing shrimp meat in a laboratory.  They populate a "soup" of growth medium with shrimp tissue cells which then grow.  After a period of time, they strain the cultured tissue from the liquid and have what is basically a shrimp puree.  It is being served in high-end restaurants there.

Singapore is a tiny country with a huge population.  Only about 1% of its land mass is devoted to agriculture, so virtually all of their food has to be imported or, harvested from the sea.  That dependence on others for their food has led their government to invest a good deal of money in new technologies such as vertical farming -- or, greenhouses in the sky (in a land of tall buildings, they add greenhouses on the roof).

Here in the U.S. the recent Beyond Meat initial public offering was extremely successful.  They create meat-like products using vegetable proteins.  The products have zero appeal to me, but they must entice a lot of people because investors have bid up their stock to a $5 Billion valuation.  I guess my penchant for beef biases my opinion, but I am concerned about the sustainability of such an enterprise.  The ingredients compete with the vegetable industry more than the beef industry.  Cattle eat plants that are not especially desirable or usable by humans.  Beyond Meat has done a fabulous job on their marketing campaign which appeals to many groups such as vegans, animal rights groups and climate change fear-mongers.

You can probably tell by my posts of the last few days that new food-production technologies are on my mind.  I have always been intrigued by such things, that's probably why I have stayed with a career in agriculture.

There will be proponents of strictly technological solutions to the world's food needs, but I think we also must think about it in other ways.  Fully integrated solutions similar to "First American" practices (American Indians) are another approach.  Many tribes would plant corn (maize) and then plant beans between the stalks.  The corn stalks would act as trellises for the bean vines.  They planted squash and other species such as pumpkins and cucumbers in a similar manner.  They were producing multiple crops on the same land simultaneously.  Modern mechanized farming methods make that all but impossible.

Another initiative that has interested me is the "Whole Earth" approach that creates intensive farms on very small acreages.  It might combine fruit trees, berry vines, vegetable plots, bee-keeping, greenhouses, chickens and swine all in a small space -- maybe 10 acres.  Irrigation water would be cycled and re-cycled and the ditches would be used to grow fish.

The big difference between the two approaches -- technology vs. integrated -- is the labor necessary for success.  A technological solution replaces human labor whereas the integrated solution is labor intensive.  One question I have for the proponents of pure technological solutions is what do people do when all of the jobs are replaced by robotics?  Not everyone is suited to be a computer programmer or, an engineer....

I think we need to consider all approaches to food production.  Each has its place and proponents.  It will be interesting to watch and hopefully be involved in over the coming years.

Techno-Slavery

Keeping track of passwords
Is a never ending task;
It's a problem that seems common
To anyone you ask.

We have become dependent
On computers everywhere
And all that different software
Has made a total nightmare

Of sorting out the ways
In which we sign in to each thing
That was designed to make life better
And to which we now do cling

Because we have become dependent
On what these machines can do
And if it's on the Internet
We know it must be true.

So, we download even more app's
To our laptop or our phone
That are there to make life easier
In areas once unknown.

They each require another password
Used to sign in to such things
And get notifications
With various dings and rings.

We've become slaves to the addiction
That demands this signing in
And then every month or two
We must change the password again.

We're like a bunch of puppets
With our lives tied to these things
That have us dancing to the tune
As if on the end of strings.

When you stop and really think of it
Something has become quite true;
Although machines are made by us
They're now controlling you.

Click Bait and Analytics

In yesterday's post I mentioned the use of data analytics which is a tool used today by many large corporations to collect and analyze data about each of us and then to use that analysis to categorize us for purposes of targeted marketing.  There are government agencies that do something similar to evaluate each individual as a potential threat for criminal or, anti-state activity.  We are extremely trackable, analyzable and vulnerable to the misuse of that data.

With this Blog, I am able to access certain very basic statistics regarding visitors who view and read my posts.  It is very limited to things such as the number of visitors, approximately when they view a post, what type of access did they use (phone vs. laptop), the type of Browser they used (Chrome, Edge, Safari, etc.) and in a very limited sense, their geographic location (United States, Australia, China, etc.).  These types of things are routinely tracked by most large businesses.

Facebook is one of the entities that closely tracks and monitors all of your activity.  They collect data on what you see, what you click on, when and how much time you spend online, whether your views are conservative, liberal or, something in between, and they track your use of certain key words for which only their marketing/psych departments understand the reasoning -- I'm sure they've done huge correlation studies between word use and behavior.  The advertisements you see are all geared to your particular stated preferences (see Profile) and then tailored to your demonstrated behavior.

Within the last few weeks I have noticed a significant "spike" in visits to this blog.  They seem to occur at a regular interval and last for only a brief period.  Those visits are from a "bot."  A bot is a robotic entity designed to search for data.  Search engines such as Google and Bing are bots.  They reach into every corner of the Internet and glean data which is then available to be matched to search criteria.  They monetize the searches by selling advertising.

Often, when you do a search on a tool such as Google, the first few items that pop up will be clickable advertisements.  Always, somewhere on the search page will be an advertisement of some type -- often disguised to look like links to the actual document or information for which you were searching.  I love to have the ability to search online, but always in the back of my mind is the fact that I am also searchable.  Be careful what you click.

Much of what we do is recorded electronically.  Every time we make a purchase with a credit card the transaction is recorded.  Every time we shop online the transaction is recorded.  Our faces, automobile license plates and our activity are recorded on countless cameras around the world -- especially in large cities.  We are almost universally trackable by our cell phones alone which include GPS chips.

Along with the pervasiveness of targeted advertising based on what are often inaccurate classifications developed from previous behavior comes the vulnerability to criminal activity.  These are often in the form of Phishing scams, or advertisements leading to sites which take your money without delivering your purchase.  Most of those are short-lived due to the "policing" activity of the giant companies such as Facebook and Google.  However short-lived they might be, it is usually only after a large number of people have fallen prey to their activities that such nefarious sites are shut down.

Theoretically, if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear from the use of data analytic software.  In the hands of honest, honorable people I would agree.  How many of you believe everyone out there in this old fallen world has honest intent?  Not me.

Be careful in the e-World.  Change your passwords frequently and use good judgement on what you "click."

Parrots, Pirates and Prompts...and Technology (which doesn't start with "P")

Today's topic from the Book of 300 Writing prompts is:  "If you had a pet parrot, what would you teach it to say?"

First I must address the issue of owning a pet parrot; I wouldn't.  I remember an uncle that turned up with pet birds a time or two.  They were interesting to me as a child, but confining a bird which is designed for the ultimate freedom of flight seems cruel to me.  It would be like having a horse and never letting it leave the stall.  It just doesn't seem right.

That being said, let's assume the parrot is a somewhat free-living companion that has chosen me for company -- much as a parrot perched on a pirate's shoulder.  That would seem acceptable to me.  The bird would be free to go at any time however, it would be loyal and accompany me because I'm such a good guy (this is all imaginary so, anything is game here).

Because the parrot had chosen to be my companion it would obviously be exceptionally intelligent (remember, I said this is imaginary).  I wouldn't have to teach it to talk, it would figure it out and in short time begin to articulate its own deeply insightful thoughts.

Unlike most parrots which speak in a rather loud and grating voice, this parrot would be able to whisper quietly in my ear as it perched on my shoulder.  It would give me market tips, betting tips, business tips and help keep watch on my surroundings.  That last of those items might perhaps be most important because having such an amazing parrot would make me -- and the parrot -- a target for those nefarious denizens of our world who would seek to appropriate that which is not theirs.

I would get one of those passes for a companion animal which would allow the parrot to accompany me anywhere.  After all, with such a valuable advisor I would quickly become dependent on it and might go into some kind of seizure were I not able to have it with me at all times.

One of the most important things about the parrot would be his discretion.  It would know when to keep its mouth shut.  After all, we wouldn't want the world to know my bad habits like playing computer games when I should be working.

I think the parrot would need a name and "Alexa" seems appropriate.  After all, technological innovations are merely a reflection of human ability -- a parrot -- sometimes magnified but, nevertheless, a product of human thought and activitiy.  The difference between my parrot and the commercial product named Alexa is that what my parrot saw, heard and recorded into its memory would stay right there (see previous paragraph) rather than be stored in some massive database to be mined by analytic software for commercial and other opportunity.

I think upon reflection, I will forego the parrot and even more importantly, an Alexa.  I'll punch the buttons on my television remote myself rather than having an electronic slave do it for me....

A Short Commute

I'm glad I don't have a commute into work every day.  That is probably the biggest advantage of working from home -- no daily travel to and from work.

It hasn't always been that way.  My first job out of college was about a 6 or 7 mile commute into town every day.  We lived in the country.  The next two were just a couple of miles.  The third one varied because we moved in the middle of it, but it was anywhere from 12 miles down to about a mile.  Later jobs had as much as 30 miles one way commute, but all of those were country miles and were a great way to get "geared up" for work and then to "unwind" on the way back home.

The worst commute I ever had to deal with was driving into Grapevine from Justin, Texas, on a daily basis.  The distance wasn't unreasonable, but the traffic often was.  I generally allowed an hour for that travel -- one way.

For many years I have worked from home.  The downside is that most "from home" jobs also require lots of travel.  Your office is where ever you happen to be.  As long as I had my cell phone, laptop computer and an Internet connection, I was at the office.  That makes for some very long days when on the road, because often, the evenings at the hotel were spent working on various projects, whether involving spreadsheets, presentations or, just responding to e-mails that accumulated during the day.

I always thought some type of Star Trek transporter device would be ideal for those who have jobs requiring extensive travel.  I can see having a device on your belt that you program coordinates into, push a button and are suddenly transported elsewhere.  There are lots of problems with such a device beyond the obvious one that it doesn't exist.  It would have to include a proximity alert so you didn't suddenly materialize inside another object -- or another person.  It could be used by criminals to pop in and out of targets.

One solution would be to have designated platforms for departures and arrivals -- such as the "transporter room" on Star Trek.  The limitations would simply be the queue for the transporter -- how long would you have to stand in line waiting for a departure and arrival time?  Can you imagine the logistical nightmare computer algorithms required to handle that problem for a giant skyscraper in New York where 10's of thousands of people work and are arriving to/from just as many different places?  There would also still be some other form of travel to your actual office.  Maybe have one transporter platform per block -- but that's a lot of infrastructure cost.

I guess there will always be problems and inconvenience associated with travel.  Mass transit is a solution that works in some places.  Car pooling works in other cases.  Working from home at least eliminates some travel for those able to do so.

Maybe the best solution is for more people to live where they work.  There was a time when most store owners lived either in the back or, above their store.  In our small town we are seeing a number of those old buildings being restored with apartments above that are accessed by street front private stairways.  The apartments are operated as a separate business from the store or, restaurant below.

Well, it's time for me to head to work.  I will finish this post and switch applications on my computer....

Educated Obsolescence

At the risk of offending many, I want to mention a few thoughts about our educational system.  To me it seems to be the product of industrialization with the original intent having been lost somewhere along the way.

At the primary level, education is of a reasonably general nature and should, if properly executed, lay a foundation of basic skills that are necessary, or at least useful, in any endeavor.  These are the basics of Reading, "Riting" and "Rithmatic." The rudimentary functionality in each subject is necessary to existence in a pre-technological society.  Today, with the pervasiveness of computing capabilities, even those functions are relegated to the realm of specialization.  We have audio books, voice recording and amazing computational capabilities at our fingertips, or in many cases, strapped to our wrists.  The only requirement today for functioning in society is the ability to speak and to hear and even the absence of those abilities can be mitigated somewhat through technology.

In some ways, our cumulative knowledge has replaced our need for existence.  Of course, our existence has nothing to do with our functionality within society; it is related to a more primal drive, that of reproduction, if you want to ask the learned of the day, or in a Biblical sense, we are here at the pleasure of God who created us.

Returning to education:  As one climbs the educational ladder -- i.e. advances from primary to secondary to post-secondary and then to graduate and post-graduate levels -- the focus becomes one of specialization.  The higher one climbs, the more narrow the focus until at the pinnacle, the ability to tie ones shoes may be lost by one who has vast knowledge of the molecular manipulation of genetic code.

I have always been a generalist.  Even generalization becomes an area of specialization.  This is because of a mindset which permeates the specialists that idealizes knowledge of specific industry as requisite to understanding the needs of that industry.

We have become pieces of machines.  The machines are large and complex and our place as a small pin that holds a cog in place is important, however, it places us in a position of total dependence upon the whims of those whose function is to replace parts as they see fit.  Our very education devalues our existence.

Even educators are subject to the specialization conundrum.  The more they are educated to educate, the less they are qualified to judge the quality of the very subjects they are in charge of conveying to their willing and in the case of public education, often unwilling students.  They understand how to educate, but not necessarily what they should teach.  They know how to convey information, but often do not know what should be conveyed for the betterment of society. 

The founders of our country were, for the most part, highly educated.  Their knowledge was of a general nature and included everything from Latin to Astronomy.  They were not taught to be specialists, but were instead encouraged to be generalists.  It is only by knowing how various things interrelate that understanding can be awakened.

I am not content to be a piece in a machine.  Don't misunderstand, I have no qualms about operating within a large system -- a machine -- but, I want to know why my contribution is important.  I want to see the overall function -- to stand back and admire the entirety upon occasion.  I also want to see the value of not only my contribution, but the contribution of the whole.  I want to be able to answer the question, "Is what I am doing making the world a better place?" in the affirmative.

Much of the turmoil within our nation is due to the specialization of roles.  When one becomes a part of a machine, one becomes merely that -- a part.  Parts are replaceable by other parts -- whether human or machine.  Technology has displaced many.  Industrialization is the primary reason for our ghettos.  Many were displaced by the industrialization of agriculture, more were displaced by the technolization (I think I just made up that word) of industry.  What will people do when we are all replaced by machines?

Within the working and non-working classes, the current trend is toward Socialism.  The parts of the machine are rebelling.  They no longer see value in what they do, only that a few are enriched by their contribution.  Obsolescence can occur in many ways....

Connecting Country and City

Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet with a group of scientists who were viewing some technology that I have an interest in.  All of them had Doctorate degrees in some field or another and at least one had a couple of Doctorates.  They were an interesting group.

They were part of a research and development team that sought to utilize this particular technology in some of their research.  One of them was dressed in suit and tie, another in boots and jeans and wore a hat (I happen to know he is legit and comes from a ranching background), another was in sweat pants and looked as though he forgot to shave for the last couple of days.  The others were simply and casually dressed as is common within the halls of many technology companies.

The questions they asked were generally over my head on the science issues, but when it came to the practical application of the anticipated results of their research, I was able to enjoy a more active participation in the conversation.  Ultimately, their research is in the field of animal health and practical implications for developing new technologies for food production.

Often there is a disconnect between the science community and those who are in the livestock or farming business.  I was pleased that these scientists sought diligently to bridge that gap and be certain their endeavors would fit practically into a production scheme.  I attribute that attitude to the man wearing the hat.

We need more hats and seed caps in science and technology fields.  We need them in the halls of corporate America helping to educate their co-workers on the importance of agriculture and the impact of their efforts on the future of humanity being able to feed itself.  They are the individuals that can help bridge the gap between the city and the country.

I've heard for years that it is hard to keep young people interested in agriculture.  They all want to go to the cities where they can experience higher wages and an easier lifestyle.  I wonder if it might be a good idea to make sure they take a piece of that country lifestyle along with them.  A large factor contributing to the divided nature of our country today is the disconnect between the city and the country.  We have different values, different outlooks and a different understanding of what the future holds.  Maybe the answer is to groom more young men and women to carry the "country" values into the cities.

Technology Dependence

Computer viruses are something with which we all must deal,
Although, it hasn't always been that way.
Until we became dependent on these infernal electronic machines
We'd never heard of such things back in the day.

I have always been quite careful about security
And have anti-virus software everywhere
But, I managed to contract one just the other day
By opening an e-mail unaware

That it contained a virus.  It was from my loan officer
Who was taken by surprise in much the same way that I
Received a document from him that required me to
Enter information to unlock it due to its confidential nature

And I was immediately suspicious so, I quickly e-mailed
Him back to ask if it was legitimate to which I received a reply
That it was and all I had to do to access it was to enter
The requested information regarding my own e-mail account.

Unbeknown to me I was corresponding with a hacker who
Was spoofing his address and in the process of all
I managed to let a virus into my own personal e-mail account.
Immediately I changed my password and thought that I had

Stopped the attack, but it was too late.  Hopefully, I prevented
The spread of the virus, but in the process I lost all of my
Contact information that was in my e-mail Contact files
And when I tried to restore it from my iCloud account I lost it there as well.

So, now I am lost and if I didn't have your cell number
Or, e-mail address stored elsewhere, or couldn't re-create
Them from past documents, I don't know how to contact
You.  Sigh.  Technology dependence stinks.

Remote Office

The technology we wear on our wrist or carry in our pocket these days is amazing -- especially to us old gray heads that remember rotary dial phones and the first Texas Instruments calculators.  There really is no need for a "brick and mortar" office unless you have some type of business that requires machinery or stock of some sort.

I can accept a phone call from anywhere in the world, put it on speaker and then switch to e-mail to look at a document while still talking.  If by chance I am interrupted by a text from someone else I can respond to that text while continuing with my conversation.  If we then decide someone else needs to be involved in the conversation it is easy enough to add an additional caller with the touch of a few "buttons" on the screen.  A friend of mine even has his phone connected by Bluetooth to his hearing aid.  I'm not there yet.

I have been known to participate in conference calls while sitting in an ATV at the farthest end of the pasture.  No one knows whether I am at my desk or traveling down the road unless I tell them.

I wonder what the next technological innovation will be?  I foresee a computer built into my glasses that is manipulated by voice and optical movement -- oh, wait, I think they already have that but, it's too expensive for the average user.  Maybe the next innovation will project the images into my brain through some type of neurological interface.  I will be able to manipulate the functionality by thoughts alone.  I don't think I'm ready for that one yet....

Whatever is next, I'm sure it will become just the routine way of doing things after a short while.  The kids today don't even know what a rotary phone is!

Pondering Blogging and Neighbors

I decided last Saturday morning to try and post something every day on this blog.  This is day number seven.  A week isn't very long and yet it has sometimes been difficult, even in that short span, to come up with something new to write about each day.

When I first started the blog, on February 8, 2007, I resolved to post something every day for 30 days to establish the habit of blogging.  I missed very few days for the first year.  I guess part of my struggle with what to write each day is that over time since that beginning, I have posted (counting this one) 590 entries and it is very easy to be redundant.

This morning, one of the things that comes to mind is Facebook.  Earlier this morning I was having a Facebook chat with Hama, our guide when I went to Niger in 2009.  He is now working as a translator for a Children's Hospital in Niamey.  I also had a message through our graduating class group regarding plans for a reunion this summer.  Yesterday, I traded messages with a classmate that I haven't seen since our 10-year reunion -- which was more than a few years ago.  Also this morning, I exchanged comments with a friend who is passing through Boston and then wished a happy birthday to a musician friend who just got back from a tour.

When I stop and think about those things I marvel at the wonderful utilization of technology.  With a laptop computer, the Internet, and a social networking site like Facebook, the world is literally at my fingertips.  Yet, in many ways we are out of touch with the people next door.  It seems that it is easier to chat with a friend in Niger over the Internet than it is to walk over to the neighbor's house and say, "Hi!"  Just something to ponder......

Chris

Cell Phone School

I think it is amazing
How cellphone technology
Has become so complicated
For simple guys like me.

I use one in my business
Because of what it lets me do
Like answer e-mail on the go
And talk to people too.

But, I can also surf the web
And then pull up Google maps
To see where I am going
Or, where I've been perhaps.

I can even take some pictures
Of the things I do and see
And post them all to Facebook
Where friends guess where I might be.

There are lots of applications
I can get upon my cell
Like for making reservations
At a major chain hotel.

I get spreadsheets and reports
Every afternoon at three
That help me know what's going on
At the places I can't be.

There are icons on my phone
That are never even used
'Cause every time I go to them
I just get more confused.

I wonder what Ma Bell would think
To see what she has done
And how her simple invention
Now does everything under the sun.

I guess it's interesting,
And actually kind of cool,
They now teach you how to use the thing
At a special cell phone school!