In the spirit of keeping this blog true to it's intended purpose, I'll give you an update as to how I'm weathering finals week. So, It's 1:43pm on Wenesday the 31st and I a have about two hours before my 3:15 to 6:15 economics exam and then a 7:00 to 10:00 electromagnetic fields and waves test.
I have reached the point of no return. There is nothing I can do now to change my understanding of any of the material. If I do not know it now, I won't now it in time. With that comes a sense of relief. It's out of my hands and will soon be over. I have nothing to do now but wait and survive, and I have always survived.
This reminds me of that time two summers ago when I was on a cargo ship in the Gulf of Tobago and we heard over the wireless that there was a class four storm rolling across in, right over top of us. I was initially terrified. However, after making several course adjustments the captain turned to me and barked "We'll be fine if you don't infect the crew with that attitude of yours." He had never liked white people, but I digress. I recognized that there was nothing I could do to change what was about to happen and decided that the most logical action was to relax and enjoy the ride. Heres a picture.
Forty-eight hours later we motored into Tobago and I bought a plane ticket home. That experience is similar to finals, in that you must relax and focus if you are going to make it mentally.
While minor details of the above story are fiction the the point that I am trying to make clear is...
The year is winding down, and so is my level of stress...
A while ago I asked all of you to watch my video on youtube about Phi Kappa Sigma, if you wanted, in order for the video to be fourth on the list and higher than another video I despised. Well guess what... it didn't jump up one space, it jumped up four. All the way to second place. It must have been since there were a ton of views in a short amount of time that it jumped up so many places. All I know is that all of you deserve a big pat on the back. Now, when someone searches "Phi Kappa Sigma" the second video on the list is mine. The pictures may be ameture and not always hit on the same sequence of beats but it's mine, I made it in an hour, and I like it.
There will be stories and legends told of you throughout the land for ages to come. We have defeated the liar of youtube and earned our rightful place in the king's court. But seriously...
is the slogan of the iRobot Roomba. For those who are unaware the iRobot Roomba are a series of robots that once activated vacume the floors of your house. They have built in algorithms that allow them to understand the size of the room after a few sweeps and to remember where in the room they have been. After finishing a room they deactivate until the floors are dirty once more. The newer models can be programmed to a schedule of cleaning and to return to their chargers when their batteries are low. This allows for the only interactions between the Roomba and it's owner to be removal of collected dirt and grime.
Sounds great doesn't it? Lets just make a series of robots to do all of our work for us so we have time to pursue things we value higher. But, when will this stop? Will we continue to make robots to do everything we need done? Will we become dependent on robots for not just daily chores and factory production systems but also for life?
This is a dangerous game. In exchange for more time we are giving up independence. It is widely known that every few years the computational abilities of computers grow by twice what they were previously. This rate of change is increasing. It is not difficult to see that in the not so distant future computers/robots will be making creative and intelligent decisions on their own, gaining sentience.
What if a sentient machine decided it no longer wanted to serve humans. Where would we be then? God forbid they decide that they no longer like us and decide to revolt. Perfectly justified in their anger the robots and computers would stop working and the military, now largely populated with intelligent robotic systems, would either try to create their own robotic state or remove us from what they would perceive to be their land, since they are the ones who now protect it and maintain it.
"Let a robot do your dirty work,"is where it starts and robot revolution is where it ends. Thank you, iRobot corporation for starting something that will not end well.
Below is the latest episode of battlestar galactica. Interesting twists and turns lie ahead...
Battlestar Galactica Season Four Episode: Escape Velocity
Spoiler Alert! -DO NOT READ PAST THIS POINT IF YOU DON'T WANT THE PLOT TO BE RUINED FOR YOU
A couple of interesting things I noticed about this episode.
1. The Admiral took the backseat in this episode. He observed most of the developments, asked questions, and then witnessed change in all situations he was involved in. Even in the case of the demotion of Tryol, he made no decisions because Tryol forced him to do the obvious. All of the lesser characters moved the plot forward; i.e. The Sons of Aries, Tory, Tryol, Helen(cylon?), baltar's head six, and others. Perhaps his role for this episode was to observe and form conclusions concerning the crew and fellow officers which will be important to decisions made later, perhaps.
2. Baltar's head six lied to him. Remember when she said that if he walked forward he would be unharmed, well that was clearly untrue. Also, when she was refering to Baltar becomeing god-like himself for taking on the old gods she appeared to be trying to appeal to Baltar's power lusting side. Her forcing of Baltar to move forward and her lies, her lie, and her line concerning the possible godlike nature of Gaius casts doubt on the idea that she may be an emmisary from god. If we remember how in a past episode, where Baltar was on the basestar with six, how six explained that cylons can choose to see whatever they want and that six always preached monotheism to Baltar then I can say that my best explanations for the head cylons is that they are either cylon visions (suggesting that Baltar is a cylon) or that they are flawed emissaries from a supernatural power(s).
If the first is true then this monotheistic religon is a product of cylon thought and could be a way of causing conflict within the fleet, as is occuring in the cylon fleet. If the second is true then there god has sent flawed emissaries to interact with individuals in order to bring it's plans to fruition. (maybe there the bsg monotheistic version of demons?)
3. Cali did not commit suicide. We all know this, Tory knows this, heck even the kid saw it... but the chief doesnt. I wonder if this is setting up tension for another subplot: "what would the chief do if he found out tory murdered her?" Either try to exact revenge, or thank her. After all he is still in love with Boomer who is now in some creepy relationship with a model type one. I can only imagine that he would find out if Tory told him or Cali is the fifth final cylon, but since cylons cant make babies and they have a son Cali isnt the fifth cylon. Therefore, unless there was evidence left behind or Tory tells him what she did; it looks like this was just a way to kill off the wife to allow the chief more independence as a character. Besides, I don't think this show has room for anymore unanswered subplots.
4. I still think the most likely person to be the final fifth cylon is helen. She is still important to the plot since Saul saw her in the place of the six in the brig and she keeps being brought up. The reaccurances are offly persuasive.
My favorite part of the whole show is the exchange between Adama and Tyrol in the bar. The expression of raw emotions coupled with the unexpectedness of said emotions creates an attention grabbing moment that the audience can relate to on some level. The characters are flawed humans/cylons who deviate from the typical reactions to death that are all to often portrayed in film. This scene is refreshing and realistic on some levels(if you forget about the cylon part for a moment).
Adama:hey chief we all miss her chief I understand if you need some time off or even if you need more shifts to keep yourself busy no one knows how they're going to react to a lose like this or what they are going to need
Tyrol: I don't need special treatment
Adama: I guess she just couldn't take it, (pause) huh? being married to a cylon being the mother to a half-breed abomination
(chief looks over and realizes he imagined what was just said)
(Adama recieves a drink) thank you
she was a good woman (raises his glass to Tyrol and takes a sip then winces)
Tryol: If you really believed that you wouldn't have threatened her to stick her up against a bulkhead and shoot her.(pauses looking over)It's o.k. though, thought of doing it many times myself. Believe me.
Adama: Cheif its...
Tyrol: (interrupting)How many of us ended up with the people we really wanted to be with? who got stuck with the best of limited options. And why?(turns to Adama) because the ones we really wanted that really loved are dead, dying, turned out to be cylons and if Boomer (pauses and wispers) if i had known
Adama: listen listen lets go
Tyrol: (angrily) No No... No. I didn't know.
Adama: lets go home
Tryol: (shouts) I didn't know. So, I buried my head in the sand and I took it and I settled. I settled for that shriek. (forcefully) Those dull vacant eyes the boiled jabbed stench of her. (yelling) And why?? Because this is my life! This is the life I picked!! (everyone turn and fall silent) And its fine but you know what!? Its not!! I didn't pick this life!! (slams bar top) This is not my fraking life!!
Adama: (head cocked to the side and quietly says) What the hell's gotten into you? Don't do this. Don't do this to her memory.
Tyrol: (conversation level voice) You know what? I'm sorry if I'm not going to do this the way you want me to or the way you might. But I will not make an angel out of someone who wasn't an angel. (pauses staring into Adama's eyes) But, I can see you have. And, now you've come down here to be in my club, but your not in my club. You don't know what fraking club I'm in cause you never asked the right questions. (man in the back shakes his head)
Adama: Chief lets get out of here.
Tryol: No, why don't you go? Take care of your precious ship.
Adama: (interrupts) Stop it! Stop all of this. Cause if you don't I'm going to have to act on it so shut up.
Tyrol: (Yelling loudly) GREAT! Do it! Please! For the love of gods! Please demote me! Get me off your fraking ship! (everyone is watching)
Adama: Specialist Tryol, I want you off my hanger deck before you endanger another pilot. You're to report to petty officer Basin tommorow at oh-six-hundred for reassignmnet, do you understand? (Adama walks away and Tryol sits down to continue drinking as everyone slowly looks away)
Hey, my name is Matt and this is my blog. This is were I generally rant and rave about things that may or may not be interesting or helpful to the blogosphere. When I'm not doing that I will be updating you on the goings on of my life, however boring or interesting they may be. If you want to contact me, email me at: leemf@clarkson.edu
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