Texting In Class... Finally, its OKAY! "Lyke OMG, rlly?"

I thought that the texting poll we did in class was really cool. I unfortunately was not able to participate since I am not able to send/receive text messages on my cell phone, but it was really neat to see other people trying out this interesting new capability. It seemed fairly reliable compared to the clickers we usually use for other classes. What did all of you think of the in-class exercise we did? Do you wish more classes used that technology?

Mister Splashy Pants Prevails!

I thought that last week's TedTalks video was really entertaining as well as very informative. I think that it is great that by hosting a public online voting poll, Greenpeace was able to get people involved in their whale-saving campaign, and most importantly, they were able to get people excited about their cause. People were so eager to have the name "Mister Splashy Pants" win that they advertised and really fought for it. It is always cool to see people get so passionate about something, even if it may seem a bit silly at first. In the end, so much hype was generated around the silly name and it won! Most importantly, Japan called off their whale-hunting. This is proof that sometimes it does pay to take yourself less seriously and have a little fun.

Sometimes I think it is important to provide comic relief, especially during very serious situations. One example which comes to my mind is a hilarious Saturday Night Live sketch I saw which aired during the 2008 Election. President Obama makes a guest appearance and actually pokes fun at himself by wearing a Barack Obama mask (if you search hard enough, you can find it online).

Anyways, below is a video of our First Lady and president showing off their sweet dance moves!

Lost Power Cord for MacBook Laptop Computer

Hello everyone,

I unfortunately seem to have lost my white power cord charger for my MacBook laptop computer and the last place I left it was plugged into the wall in the back of our classroom. If anyone has seen it please let me know.


Thank you very much,

Allison

Artificial Intelligence

Our discussion last Wednesday in class about Artificial Intelligence was really interesting and got me thinking more about this incredible technology. I had the Furby toys when I was a child, and what I loved about them was that they had quite a bit of "life" in them. They were so animated and interactive, which really gave the feeling that they actually had real personalities, when really they were just fake animatronic devices!

It is somewhat frightening to see how far we have come technology-wise in the past few decades in regards to animatronics and artificial intelligence. It seems as though every few years, toy companies and even major corporations such as Honda come out with a newer and better form of artificial intelligence.

A few years ago, I went to Disneyland in Anaheim and was lucky enough to witness an actual appearance of Honda's robot named ASIMO. I was stunned and amazed when I saw ASIMO. It walks, talks, features voice and face recognition, and can even walk up stairs accurately without falling. I really do think that robots are the wave of the future. There has been great talk of these robots one day being able to take care of and look after elderly people and also to provide companionship for those with dementia, Alzheimer's disease, disabilities, etc.

I think that AI can be helpful in advancing society and helping people. However, I do think that AI could possibly in the long-run replace humans in the work force for certain tasks. This could pose a huge problem in the job market. Luckily, I doubt that this problem will occur in any of our lifetimes since there still needs to be a lot of work done in the robotics industry.

Below is a video of ASIMO. I think that (he, she, whatever it is) is absolutely adorable. It seems really friendly, fun, and I would love to have ASIMO live in my house and help out with chores! And dance, too. Now THAT would be awesome!

Here is another video of a shockingly realistic human-like android created in Japan:

Self-Governance

Hellooo. Just wanted to let everybody know that definitions for the concept of "self-governance" which we shared in class last week are up on the class home page under the Class Notes tab for viewing!

"You Don't Get to 500 Million Friends Without Making a Few Enemies"

I finally watched the film The Social Network, which is all about the start-up of the Facebook website/company. I found it to be a really interesting movie. I am wondering how much of the story is fiction vs. non-fiction considering how unfavorably the film portrayed Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg.

What did you guys and gals think of the movie? I think my favorite part of the movie was the soundtrack featuring original music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The film score actually won an Academy Award this year. Here is my favorite song from the movie:

Also, below is a hilarious Saturday Night Live video which features the lead actor of The Social Network and also a surprise guest appearance by Mark Zuckerberg.

Tweets of Wisdom AND Compassion

I was really excited to discover that the Dalai Lama has an official account on the Twitter website!

Some background info on the Dalai Lama for those who may be interested: The 14th Dalai Lama is a peace-loving, Tibetan Buddhist monk who considers himself merely to be "an ordinary person" despite his extraordinary circumstances and huge influence/impact he has on millions around the globe. His words of wisdom and compassion have been an inspiration to people of different backgrounds/walks of life.

On his own website, more can be found about the Dalai Lama:

http://www.dalailama.com/

"His Holiness is both the temporal and the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. He frequently states that his life is guided by three major commitments: the promotion of basic human values or secular ethics in the interest of human happiness, the fostering of inter-religious harmony and the welfare of the Tibetan people, focusing on the survival of their identity, culture and religion."


His Tweets, rooted in Buddhist philosophies/teachings, provide great advice and encouragement:

"Cultivating a close, warmhearted feeling for others is the ultimate source of success in life."


"As well as restraining ourselves from negative thoughts and emotions, we need to cultivate and reinforce our positive qualities."

They are great snippets to read at the start of the day or when you may be feeling a little "down" and need a mood-lifter. They are also helpful in aiding in ones own thinking and self-reflection, and can be found here at this website:

http://twitter.com/dalailama

I think it is great that Buddhist monks are utilizing social media such as blogs, various Internet websites, etc. to modernize Buddhist teachings and to help make Buddhism more "mainstream" while at the same time trying not to stray too far from their traditions.

I will continue to look for other interesting/inspirational people to follow on Twitter.

Also, for any of you interested, here is a short video of the Dalai Lama speaking at the Stanford University campus about the importance of compassion and respect: