Crisis aborted?

                                                          Meltdown

 Part 1 of four FRONTLINE documentary exposés chronologically unveils the causes and effects of the 2008 global financial crisis. A litany of finite research consistently points to the coagulation of negligence and deregulatory actions of government, culminated by greed and corruption on Wall Street, nearly spelling a depression. The origin of the world wide credit boom in the 1990's is examined by defining what credit derivatives and synthetic collateralized debt obligations are. Members of the JP Morgan Bank team responsible for inventing the first credit default swap in 1994 are interviewed. Gillian Tett, the first journalist to uncover this scheme explains “they began to look for ways to enable financial institutions to pass risk between them[…]another way though, was to separate out the risk of a loan going bad from the loan itself, and out that came this drive to develop credit default swaps". This documentary sheds light of the attempts and vocalizations of regulators and select government employees prophetically warning the public of the possible calamity if no regulations are implemented. In a linear steadfast, the ire then focuses on Alan Greenspan, then chairmen of the Federal Reserve, advising President Clinton to repeal the Glass-Steagall Act in 1999. This directly lead to the inception of mortgage credit risk and predatory mortgages; causing the housing bubble. In 2008 the bubble burst and as Roy Barnes, the former (D.)Governor of Georgia proclaims "The greed of Wall Street broke Main Street."

Onward and Upward

                                                         To Infinity And Beyond

Is Google making us stupid? To me, this is equivalent to asking whether dictionaries make us stupid! The answer is a resounding no. What Nicholas Carr, an Atlantic Magazine journalist attempts to convey in his long winded article “Is Google Making Us Stupid? What The Internet Is Doing To OurBrains” the notion that the internet is causing irreversible change to a person’s attention span, and ability to focus. Consequently, deep, comprehensive reading is yielding to the quicker skimming approach, similar to that of an internet browser. Accordingly, the internet is the culprit, just the same as the first clock, the first written transcriptions of ancient Greek philosophy, and the typewriter. Whether you realize it or not, computers already have an invaluable footprint on you daily life. All road vehicles are managed by a power control module (PCM). Traffic lights are controlled with an automated system. The magnetic strip and microchip on your credit card enable them to be accessed by computers. All cell phones are computers. Life as we know it has been irreversibly changed by computers. A person’s bad habits, developed by surfing the net, that perhaps have unintentionally permeated into other psychological realms, are not a justifiable reason to step backwards on the progression of computers or any technologies. 

   

The Human Touch

2007, A Brain Odessey


It seems to me that technology and curiosity are innately interwoven in the fabric of human evolution, and are perhaps the leading drivers in the human condition. It is not by accident that Linnaeus classified humans as genus; Homo, and species; sapiens. Homo meaning man or person, and sapiens roughly translating as wise, sensible, judicious. The speaker of the conference linked to above is Kwabena Boahen, a PhD. of Computation and Neural Science and MSE of Electrical and Computer Engineering (Kwabena Boahen). The narrative of the lecture is his ongoing development of the most efficient computer possible, without sacrificing processing power. In his eyes, the model of the human brain is the answer. The ramifications of releasing a computer that equals, and potentially exceeds the output of a human brain are exponential. Will the pros outweigh the cons? What will we learn about our brain in order to accurately replicate it's capability? The point in time when this technology is widely available to the public is inevitable. It is my opinion the human-computer relationship should always be modeled as the metaphor of a sophisticated race car, which is depicted as the human always being the stop. In other words, the machine operates optimally with constant calculations from computer sensors, allowing for faster and safer races, but humans are the integral component and beneficiaries of technological improvements. The fruits of computing have positively contributed to diminishing human suffering, and in my opinion, will continue to enable our successful existence, and ensure our survival.

The steering wheel of a Formula 1 race car.

Micheal Micheal, Motorcycle!

                                                                   The Bug   

Words cannot explain the joy I experience when I'm on two wheels. I've now had my motorcycle for a year and 4 months. There were many inspirations for me to own a bike, stemming as far back as childhood. My best friend growing up had a father who was a semi professional enduro racer. On several occasions I would have the privilege of joining them on a day long adventures through either sand pits, forests, fields, or quarries near my hometown of Kirkland, Quebec, Canada. The father would have one of us on his All Terrain Vehicle (ATV), while the other would blast away on their motocross. Just thinking of odors of those experiences: exhaust, dirt, wild flowers, brings a smile back to my face. I can even remember the first time I learned how to use a clutch, I was 7! The seed that was planted definitely took root, and as a graduation gift from university, I knew what I wanted; a street bike. It is true, with motorcycle riding comes increased risk. I am glad that the state of Florida requires, as of 2008, new motorcyclists to pass a comprehensive safety course, that includes both theoretical and practical examinations. I have learned that the key to success when riding, anywhere, is to keep constant vigilance to your environment. That means being alert at all times, because the more you can anticipate, the easier it will be to react. Another important tip is sobriety, as being under the influence of any substance hinders judgement and reaction time. There are many advantages to using a motorcycle, prime among them is efficient fuel economy. On average I spend $14 on premium gasoline a week. Another advantage is the climate in Florida, which enables one to ride year long. In general, I encourage people to try riding a motorcycle before they scratch if off their bucket list because at minimum it will increase awareness towards motorcycles.

You don't have to understand Italian to enjoy this clip!

The GOAT(greatest of all time) vs Lorenzo