I'm in Switzerland!

Hey viewers,

I'm in Europe for my second time this summer with my uncle Saagar. We arrived in Switzerland about 2 days ago landing in Zürich and taking the IR train directly to Luzern. Luzern has been pretty chill so far. The bus station which brings us downtown is only about a 5 minute walk from our hostel.  We had some authentic swiss fondue for dinner last night. At sunset, we walked across the famous chapelle bridge. Incredibly here in Luzern, all bus and train fares are free- they don't check your ticket. Probably because the country is so damn rich and the standard of living is so high. People even leave their scooters, mopads, and bikes unlocked on the streets without any theft problems. Anyway, after getting comfortable around the city, today we ventured to Mount Pilatis. The mountain has the steepest cograil system in Europe that brings you to the summit at 7,000 ft. Feeling confident in our young, brawny, brown bodies, we hiked up to 4,500 ft. The trail became incredibly difficult as we reached the halfway stop, and further climbing gear was required. People admired and complimented us for our impressive 4500 feat once we were tired and decided to catch a cog to the summit. At the summit we enjoyed the cool air and had a well deserved victory lunch. We came back later that day seriously energy depleted. Now, we're just chilling in the common room charging our laptops and surfing the web. Seriously, the swiss frank is really freaking expensive. I wanted to eat dinner at our hostel and the dude charged 15.5 franks just for 2 slices of pizza and salad. They won't even let us play pool without dropping 7 franks for a half hour. All in all, a solid day. We will head to Bern tomorrow. On a side note, we saw some more attractive women. But hopefully, we will catch some more dimes as we progress on our swiss journey. 

Italy Trip

A little over a month ago, I traveled with my parents to the incredible country of Italy. In just about 13 days we got a good absorbency of the Italian Culture. Our trip began in the ancient city of Roma. In Rome, we stayed at the Hotelle DeNazione, which was located literally about a minutes walk from the Trevi Fountain. The amount of people just sitting/mingling/gazing at the fountain was absolutely mind blowing. Seriously, I don't think I've ever seen so many people just stare at one fountain for such a long time. We also got to see the Spanish Steppes.

Anyway, the second day we took about a four hour walking tour of the Colosseum and Ancient ruins of Rome. The sheer size of the Colosseum and the amount of people touring it was incredible. When I stepped into the colosseum, it really felt like i could just go back about ten centuries and witness brutal gladiator fights to the death.

On the third day, we arrived in the Vatican City and toured Saint Peter's Basilica, where the Pope lives. That experience was also pretty crazy considering the size and height of the basilica and the amount of people there. The line to get in extended from the entrance all the way around the freaking basilica. Again, would have been impossible if you weren't on a tour to get in. We got to travel underground and see the full scale original of Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel painting. The Italian guards were shushing everyone to no end, and it was very gloomy down there. I also felt a little uneasy when I saw the bodies of popes preserved in a casket for over a hundred years. The whole tour of the Basilica did emit the sense of dominance, power, and absolutism the Roman Catholic Church had over the centuries. 

After that, we traveled to the island of Capri, about a fourty five minute ferry from Naples. Capri was spectacular. Upon arriving to the island, you were hit by the ragged edging of the mountain and its size. We then promptly got into another boat that took us to the Blue Grotto sea Cave. This cave is not an ordinary one. The cave's entrance is only about 4 feet high. So when there is rough sea, you cant get in. However, when inside the cave, you can see the sunlight reflect a brilliant emerald blue color off the ocean floor, basically making the cave glow. After that we traveled to the top of the island, to the town of anacapri. There are basically a lot of shops there, and of course, gelato. After our lunch, my dad adamantly suggested we go on the ski lift that brings you to the very top of Anacapri, literally a thousand feet higher. I pretty much soiled my pants at the sight of it. However, once at the top the view was really crazy. For only 8 euros/person it was worth it.

The view from entering Capri. Boom.

After getting back to Rome that night, we traveled to the Renaissance city of Firenze, or Florence the next day. Florence was incredible. Again, our hotel was centrally located about a five minute walk to Ponte Vecchio.  The view of the Arno river was also breathtaking. Walking on the same streets that Michelangelo, the Medicis, and other incredible artists that influenced an era was enlightening. The tour showed us basically the whole town, including Michelangelo's David. Everything in Florence wasn't cheap as you could imagine haha, even a simple dinner for three could cost you a $100. The next day from Florence, we got to travel to the village of Cinque Terre, basically a bunch of small buildings located on a cliff drop haha. The villages used to be regularly attacked and pillaged by pirates in the early centuries. Anyway, the villages were pretty crazy with the spectacular view of the ocean. Each town was connected by railroad which was also impressive. The day after, we got to have our own personal tour of Tuscany and its magnificent wines and vineyards. At first we couldn't find our tour bus. Then, this very knowledgeable British guy dressed in a suit and tie shows up with a black polished Mercedes E.V.O and we were off on our own personal tour. We went winetasting with another college group from somewhere in New York, basically just there to get drunk. Funny thing is they wouldn't tell us which college they were from because the T.A's didnt want to get in trouble haha. After seeing much of tuscany luxuriously, we saw the town of Pisa, and of course the leaning tower. We climbed all the way to the top of the tower and I was hit with a serious case of vertigo. Most surreal experience ever. 

The next day, we traveled to Venizia, or venice. That in itself was such a crazy experience. Seeing all the canals running through the island was weird yet thrilling. We had to get to our hotel from the train station by boat. The streets in Venice were so damn narrow. Literally like a maze. Even with a map, we got lost everytime the first two days. The second day, we traveled to a nearby island by boat and got to see how the locals make the widely treasured Murano glass. The dude was pretty good at what he did. Made a glass stallion, like the ones you see on the ferrari emblem, in about five minutes. That thing probably costed about 15 euros. Not a bad business. After that, the last day we had another tour that lasted about 3 hours. The tour featured an inside look of San Marco's Basilica. You know, after seeing so many Duomo's and Basilica's all over italy, i was just about burnt out and spaced out much of the tour haha. What did intrigue me about Venice though, were the Venetian parade masks. They looked creepy yet very fun to wear. I had trouble finding a good one, but eventually got a good one for about 10 euros. A steal. We ended our journey by getting our stuff and leaving to the airport by boat again. Awesome. 

more pictures will be added soon

New Update to Blog

Alright guys, I know it's been too long since I've last updated, but I've finally recovered from a long period of  indecisiveness. I'm going to be changing the theme of this blog. My original focus of this blog was to concentrate on everything that is related to the singularity theory, but I guess I just got too burnt out, frustrated, and annoyed to just exclusively talk about that. Instead, I will still talk about singularity, but I want more variety in this blog. That's the thing about us Aquarians, we are never satisfied with just one thing, we always want more variety. I also want this blog to be more about the things I encounter, with the same detail and analysis, being carried over. Such things as the Universe, Religion, Philosophy, Technology, and the unexplainable. With that in mind, be prepared for some mind blowing trippy shit!

IBM: Computers will aquire all 5 senses by 2018

“In its annual '5 in 5' predictions, IBM forecasted that in five years, computers will gain the five senses and be able to experience the world as humans do.” – CNN Money

          Imagine a world where you could feel that expensive polo or blouse you’ve always wanted without going to the store… perhaps even smell it. New research from IBM conveys an astonishing fact that computers will be able to acquire all five senses of sight, smell, touch, hearing, and even taste, by the year 2018. The study does not only apply to computers, but even smart phones.

See No Evil, Hear No Evil

             By 2018, computers will not only be able to match our sense of sight, but surpass it. In five years, computers will be able to interpret complex colors, textures, and patterns, while simultaneously compare it to other “visual media.” IBM claims that computers will be able to decode MRI and CT scans, X-Rays, and ultrasound images better than the abilities of well-trained physicians. By storing these images into its vast database, and then investigating them, computers will be able to diagnose healthy tissue from malicious.

Hearing is another expected quality that computers will acquire. New apps will be able to detect baby frequencies and then distinguish whether they are distress or comfort signals. In fact, the technology is supposed to become so precise that computers will be able to determine whether the child is hungry, cranky, or ill. However, its not just limited to babies. By translating different pressures, vibrations and frequencies, computers will predict pending landslides, car accidents, and perhaps tsunamis even before humans can. Computers are already achieving this for example in Galway bay Ireland, where IBM researchers can capture underwater frequency levels to assess its impact on oceanic life.

The Proof is In the Pudding

            Computers will also be able to break down the chemistry of food to a molecular level. By comparing its composition to its database, computers will correctly be able to mimic which taste of any particular entrée is most appealing. IBM claims that by making healthy foods “taste better” it will help people “eat better.” Although I do not necessarily think this is true, it is definitely an interesting idea. Although its not actually “tasting” we see this technology being used today. For example, microchips are being programmed in nuclear plants to sense chemical and biohazards in the air.

Breathe into that iPhone

            Today, computers are practically “smelling” things. For instance any police officer can have you breathe into a Breathalyzer, which will detect your level of intoxication. Also, agricultural sensors analyze soil to determine crop conditions and museum sensors detect the ideal gas levels to preserve paintings. However, IBM is trying to take it a step further in developing technology that will be able to analyze odor in people’s breath to identify particular infections or diseases. If computers can compare molecules in a persons breath and associate it to a disease, then they will be able to achieve “taste.” The next time you think you have a fever, forget about that thermometer and just breathe into your iPhone 10.0 to find out.

The 5 Senses

In Summary, But What Does it Mean for Us? 

        According to IBM, computers are supposedly going to become super humans. Are we really supposed to believe by 2018 that computers will have fantastic vision, impressive sight, phenomenal taste, and amazing hearing capabilities? The facts seem to be there today even though it may be on an elementary level. According to Fortune Magazine in May of 2012, IBM was ranked as the second largest U.S firm in terms of number of employees-- over 430,000, #9 in most profitable, and #19 in largest revenue.  In 2011, Forbes ranked IBM as #31 largest global revenue. With revenue of $106 Billion (2011), IBM seems confident in paving the way of the future of technology in the coming five years. Regardless of its reputation, the company will surely be around by 2018. If IBM can pull off such a prodigy then our world is definitely going to change dramatically within the coming decade. A computer achieving human sense is only the beginning of what we know of singularity. We are at the stage where computers have already out performed us numerically. Now, they have achieved human qualities. It is only a matter of time until computers develop intellectually, and absolutely reign as its own species. 

Sources:

Goldman, David. CNN Money. "By 2018, computers will touch, see, hear, and smell."

CNN Money Fortune 500: Most Profitable of 2012 

Rama, Gladys. RPC Magazine. "Intel, IBM Exceed Earnings Estimates; Google falls short."

Mind-controlled robotic arm

Medical progress through technological advances has been one of the prominent areas that showcases the idea of singularity. Check out this article on mind controlled robotic arms. 

Singularity is Here

To All,

These past few months, upon much reflection, I have arrived to an extraordinary, shocking, yet inevitable enlightenment about the world we live in, our twenty-first century. We are living in a world filled with technology that is deliberately binding its genetics and lineage onto our human traits. Now, I know this may come across as comical, extreme, bizarre, unorthodox, or whatever you may have it, but I assure you this is not some type of sci-fi, biased, or partisan idea. This is the reality, nonfiction, and soon to be world we live in. That is, in the near future, throughout our human legacy and timeline, there will come a particular point in which humans will fuse with the very species we have created, machines.

We have bloomed into a time, in mankind, where the future is now. We are creating the very fabric which will soon be woven by our close yet distant relatives, the androids, to achieve technological progress like no other being in our solar system, or even galaxy. Now is the time where we must appreciate, learn, and accept what is to be our destiny, this theme of singularity.

Man and Technology

"Man Touching God"

Man/Machine Touching God?