Shifting complexity from modeling to interpreting results

A typical AI problem involves quite a bit of tinkering before the model can start learning. Say you want to recognize objects; you need a fairly large number of pictures depicting the objects and associated labels (the names of the objects). The pictures must be curated, to make sure that

Different perceptions of reality

When attending a neuroscience meeting, one realizes how little we do know about brains. This is strikingly different from the feeling one gets at some AI meetings where even the ethical implications of the singularity are discussed, taking the singularity for granted. Here I'm mostly referring to Silicon Valley's hype,

Space: 1999

As a kid, Space: 1999 inspired me - and sometimes scared me. Back in the days, I watched as many episodes as possible, religiously waiting for the next episode to be aired. I don`t recall watching the first episode. I have now, thanks to the Internet. Here is what

A new generation of Internet services

Following up on the previous post, here are some of the problems that should be solved by a new generation of Internet services: * how do I keep information integrated as opposed to integrating different services developed with different objectives? * how do I become aware of the relevant dynamically evolving information

Traditional approach to model building

The previous post was about the historical perspective of the traditional approach to modelling. Here the objective is to devise a new approach to develop Internet services and to avoid the fragmentation of contexts that forces us to choose different silos to express our thoughts. The goal of science, mathematics

Is there a better way to description?

Humans constantly try to devise appropriate ways to describe their experiences. Many great thinkers have had their say: Man tries to make for himself in the fashion that suits him best a simplified and intelligible picture of the world. Albert Einstein. In our description of nature the purpose is not

Migration flows

November in Capri. Past glories tanning in the transparent water. One tends to forget how blessed southern Europe is, climate wise. In England by this time of the day, some retirees are having their second or third beer at the pub. Not all is great in southern Europe though, as

Artificial Intelligence and thought vectors

Since I sold my latest start-up, I have been looking into ways to make sense of the deluge of data created by new technologies; data that Google, Facebook, Twitter and the like only partially organize. I have had the privilege to take a journey without a PHD supervisor or having

Learning from worm brains

Recently I came across two papers about the C. elegans, a tiny translucent worm. The papers are interesting because they help shed some light on how brains work. In fact, despite the constant claims about robots taking over, ethical implications of AI and simulating or uploading brains, the truth is

About societies

Accelerating technology and its impact on societies, cultures and economies of the world is impossibile to ignore. Some societies refuse to embrace the future and consequently accept to change, others evolve: Stubborn societies, by refusing continuous adaptation, face revolution down the road. They do not see the big picture until

Advanced computer technology in 1968

For those interested in understanding where computers come from. Technology as humble as the keyboard, the mouse or hi-def CRT, video cameras, the word processor or video conferencing. This was the most advanced computer technology in 1968. Our mobile phones are orders of magnitude more powerful and do stuff unimaginable

Open Gov, corporations and git

This is a very well written article about how git and github could be used to re-engineer government processes. As with most innovations that the Internet has brought about, git was created by programmers (Linus) for programmers; but its potential use beyond the programming world is becoming apparent. I've been

Moved to Sevenoaks, Kent, UK

I moved a few months ago. Sevenoaks is a beautiful little town 25 minutes by train from London. Lots of green, great schools, very safe and good healthcare. As any town close to London, social life is not a strength, and it takes some time to get used to. For

Leaving Milan

This is not the first time, always came back. Maybe this time is different, maybe not!

Mind-wandering seems to have evolved from walking

I walk when I really want to concentrate and think about new ideas. And there is a reason why I do that: it seems that I am actually using the same brain systems to walk and think. Intuitively when we describe how we remember, we use verbs such as, travel

What I like about Bitcoin and my personal note!

Bitcoin was created to decentralize money and will probably be used to achieve decentralized trust with group authority. Defining rules, and making sure they are not tampered with, is what well established organizations do: notaries, lawyers, judges and many industry specific professions. Up until today, the consensus was that in

Ask Canadians if you want to understand Mr. Berlusconi

Non-Italian friends often ask why Italians have voted for Mr. Berlusconi for 20 years, and still do. I try hard, but it is next to impossible to explain; Italians, they say, are sometimes totally irrational. Well, it seems like Italians are not alone, thanks to Canadians! This is a pretty

That Altavista moment

Remember when the best search engine was Altavista? Remember how frustrating it was to look for something on the Net? Search results would be mostly unrelated to what you where looking for, sometime adding a search term helped, but, even if Altavista had found what you were looking for, it

The meta-organism: the Internet and us, is it real?

The Internet has become part of the fabric of our lives; if we want to create the next big thing we must understand the relationship between the Internet and us and take it to a whole new level. I have been pondering about this relationship since I sold my latest

Self and Cognitive Systems

I'll be in Wimbledon for the next three weeks. Fortunately it is much cooler here than in Italy, so I can work more efficiently! I was expecting to sleep without mosquitoes, but unfortunately I found two of them in the room last night; they have probably come all the way

The art of free society

Lately I cannot travel too far for personal reasons, though I expect this to change sooner rather than later; so when I found online about the Unconventional Computation Conference to be held at Bicocca University in Milan, I decided to attend. Bicocca is 8 km away from my place, so

The state of Neuromorphic Engineering as seen from an outsider

Last week I was in Sardinia at the annual Capo Caccia Cognitive Neuromorphic Engineering Workshop organized by the University of Zurich. This was my third time at the workshop, so I now know many of the participants and it was good to get an update on their research and personal

The brain is not a computer

Understanding the brain means being able to replicate some of its functions. A one page description, or a hundred pages will not do. Current technologies, that allow us to emulate the brain, are all based in a way or another on Turing's work. Modern processors are different from Turing machines,

Change, change and change

It is finally becoming mainstream. Economists are slowly appreciating the fact that the current technological progress is so fast and runs so deep into the fabric of our world that it does not allow for a smooth adjustment, but it is actually a revolution that is affecting the economy, society

Brains and computers

In a paper by Kozma, I found an interesting citation from The Computer and the Brain, the book that John Von Neumann was writing when he died: It is only proper to realize that language is largely a historical accident. The basic human languages are traditionally transmitted to us in