Intelligence

These are some possible answers for defining intelligence :

• the ability to learn from experience
• the power of thought
• the power of insight
• the ability to reason
• the ability to perceive relations
• the ability to use tools
• intuition

Although agreeing on one defenition may seem hard, it seems that there has been a consensus that this quality is possessed by man and not machines.By rapid developments in artificial intelligence field, it's hard to be very sure about this anymore. The following piece is interesting as a test of telling if a machine is intelligent or not:

In his landmark 1950 paper Alan Turing suggested that the question "Can machines think?" was too vague and philosophical to be of any value. To make it more concrete, he proposed an "imitation game." The Turning test; as it came to be known, in­volves two people and a computer. One person, the interrogator,
sits alone in a room and types questions into a computer terminal. The questions can be about anything-math, science, politics, sports, entertainment, art, human relationships, emotions -anything. As answers to questions appear on
the terminal, the interrogaur attempts to guess whether those answers were typed by the other person or were generated by the computer. By repeatedly fooling interrogators into thinking it is a person, a computer can demonstrate intelligent behavior. If it acts intelligent, according to Turing, it is intelligent.

It is interesting that Turning actually believed that machines would be able to pass his test by the turn of the century. So far no computer has come close, in spite of 40 years of research on artificial intelligence.

(posted by Farid)

Posted:Friday, December 17, 2004 | 

Learning to fly!

It is a dramatic title for a medical article, Is not it?! How to become master in your field of work. I have seen many worthless books in the market which are published to fool people and feed some businesses by some publishers. In the academic world, the story is different! To train people for high level of performance, practical theories are needed. Let’s start with this article. I will post some other links with regard to this issue!

We tell our residents that they need to be determined to do more than just survive. They must be ready to prevail over the circumstances that they find in their sometimes chaotic lives. One of these challenges is dealing with anxiety. We teach the residents that there is little physiological difference between anxiety and arousal. The paradox is that people spend a great portion of their lives trying to avoid anxiety and a great deal of therest of their lives trying to seek out arousal. If one realizes that the physiologic reaction of the body to both anxiety and arousal is similar, then one can approach situations that might seem anxiety provoking with a positive outlook instead of apprehension. One should channel thesefeelings of arousal into an energetic state of being that will allow one to do one is best.

Learning to fly: Teaching mental strategies to future surgeons addressed by Dr Curtis G. Tribble


(Posted by Iman)

Posted:Thursday, December 16, 2004 | 

Maslow believed that the highest human need was to reach self-actualization . Based on Jones &.Crandall, Self-actualization is the possession of the following characteristics :

1- Being dedicated to a mission in life that transcends our selfish interests
2-Believing that people are essentially good and trustworthy
3-Loving others even when we do not like their behavior
4-Feeling adequate to deal with life
5-Being able to accept your own weaknesses
6-Not being dependent on the approval of others (preferring to be yourself than popular)
7-Being able to express your feelings even when they are unpopular
8-Being unashamed of all of your emotions, even negative emotions
9-Being unafraid of failure

In his hierarchy of motives, Maslow shows that lower needs have to be satisfied first, otherwise, higher needs will lie dormant. In other words, one will not care about higher motives, unless the lower ones in the pyramid are satisfied. Take a look at the pyramid here.

Although this theory can help explain why art , sciece and philosophy has had the greatest leaps when a nation could reach to some level of prosperity , it fails to expalin why someone may sacrifice his own immediate benefits or pleasures for the sake of others. It also cannot explain why someone aspires and strives for higher needs when the lower ones are not met yet, nor it can explain a hunger strike.

(posted by Farid)

Posted:Friday, December 10, 2004 | 

The theory of multiple intelligences

One of subjects you might be interested is "intelligence". People usually talk about IQ and categorize people into intelligent and non-intelligent!. I recently came across the theory of multiple intelligences developed in 1983 by Dr. Howard Gardner, professor of education at Harvard University. ( because of my ignorance, I did not know that this theory has existed for 21 years!!)

It suggests that the traditional notion of intelligence, based on I.Q. testing, is far too limited. Instead, He proposes eight different intelligences to account for a broader range of human potential in children and adults. He pointed out that I.Q. tests measure primarily verbal, logical-mathematical, and some spatial intelligence. Believing that there are many other kinds of intelligence that are important aspects of human capabilities, he proposed that they also include visual/spatial, bodily/kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal intelligences. More recently he added naturalist intelligence to this list and suggested that there may be other possibilities including spiritual and existential.

Read about this theory and more.
(posted by Iman)

Posted:Friday, December 10, 2004 | 

To Restate The Obvious

Can you hear it?
If you can, it's yours

Do you like it?
If you do, it's your pleasure

Does it make you happy?
If it does, it's your happiness that you made

Can you conceive it?
If so, then you can create it

Is it beautiful?
If it is, then it's your beauty you see

Who's the final authority of music?
Who can say it's great?
Who can say it's beautiful?
Who can give music it's validity?

It's so simple, it's so obvious,
It gets hidden:
It's you for you
It's me for me
And it's them for them
So here's to a revitalization
In the freedom of choice
In music
~Chick Corea~
17 May, 1986

Sent by a "friend"
(posted by Iman)

Posted:Thursday, December 09, 2004 | 

Gifted people

One of the interesting articles I have read this year was "Gifted People and their Problems"by
Francis Heylighen. I found it insightful. You may find some gifted people around! go ahead!

I like this quotation from a highly gifted 12 year old about friend "A real friend is a place you go when you need to take off the masks. You can say what you want to your friend because you know that your friend will really listen and even if he doesn’t like what you say, he will still like you. You can take off your camouflage with a real friend and still feel safe."

(posted by Iman)

Posted:Wednesday, December 08, 2004 | 

Iman, you asked for an example, I think these lyrics talks of a good one

How Can I Keep From Singing

My life goes on in endless song
Above earth’s lamentations,
I hear the real, though far-off hymn
That hails a new creation.

Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear it’s music ringing,
It sounds an echo in my soul.
How can I keep from singing?

While though the tempest loudly roars,
I hear the truth, it liveth.
And though the darkness ’round me close,
Songs in the night it giveth.

No storm can shake my inmost calm,
While to that rock I’m clinging.
Since love is lord of heaven and earth
How can I keep from singing?

When tyrants tremble in their fear
And hear their death knell ringing,
When friends rejoice both far and near
How can I keep from singing?

In prison cell and dungeon vile
Our thoughts to them are winging,
When friends by shame are undefiled
How can I keep from singing?

(done by Enya)
(posted by Farid)

Posted:Wednesday, December 08, 2004 | 

Life is not worth living, unless you are ready to die for something.

(posted by farid)

Posted:Monday, December 06, 2004 | 

Self-awareness and Self-control

For a long time, Farid and me did not update this weblog. I do not know why; maybe we were busy or other excuses! Anyway, I have had many things to do and many stuff to read and self-searching!. I think this is the toughest thing to do; a journey to know yourself. It is a continuous process. It needs close observation, reading, research, talking to other people and discussion to explore our unconscious part. I do not know how many people could do it in their lives. It will bring you self-awareness, self-control. I think one of the sources of anxiety is when we loss our control over the environment (external world), we cannot keep self-control too. In this situation we are overwhelmed by unknown stresses!

(Posted by Iman)

Posted:Sunday, December 05, 2004 | 

A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be.
Self-actualizing people are, without one single exception, involved in a cause outside their own skin, in something outside of themselves. They are devoted, working at something, something which is very precious to them - some calling or vocation in the old sense, the priestly sense. Self-actualized people have a wonderful capacity to appreciate again and again, freshly and naively, the basic goods of life with awe, pleasure, wonder, and even ecstasy, however stale these experiences may be for other people. It is easily possible for self-actualizing people to fall deeply in love with homely partners. ... The more mature they become, the less attracted they are by such characteristics as handsome, good looking, good dancer ... and the more they speak of compatibility, goodness, decency, good companionship, considerateness. Self-actualizing people enjoy life in general and in practically all its aspects, while most other people enjoy only stray moments of triumph, of achievement or of climax or peak experience.

Abraham Maslow
(posted by Farid)

Posted:Sunday, December 05, 2004 | 

Heightened awareness of living

"I do not accept any absolute formulas for living. No preconceived code can see ahead to everything that can happen in a man's life. As we live, we grow and our beliefs change. They must change. So I think we should live with this constant discovery. We should be open to this adventure in heightened awareness of living. We should stake our whole existence on our willingness to explore and experience."
Martin Buber
(posted by Iman)

Posted:Wednesday, October 06, 2004 | 

A theory is the more impressive the greater the simplicity of its premises, the more different kinds of things it relates, and the more extended its area of applicability. Therefore the deep impression that classical thermodynamics made upon me. It is the only physical theory of universal content which I am convinced will never be overthrown, within the framework of applicability of its basic concepts.
(Albert Einstein).
(posted by Farid)

Posted:Saturday, August 21, 2004 | 

Montreal is a beautiful city. It is calm and nice with lovely people.
Montreal

Posted:Tuesday, August 10, 2004 | 

Today is a beautiful day in Montréal


"Even after
all these years,
the Sun never says
to the earth
"You owe me."
Look what happens -
with a love like that,
it lights the whole sky."
Hafez
(posted by Iman)
Posted:Wednesday, May 19, 2004 | 

"THE SONG OF THE REED"

Listen to this reed, how it makes complaint,
telling a tale of separation:

"Ever since I was cut off from my reed-bed,
men and women all have lamented my bewailing.

I want a breast torn asunder by severance,
so that I may fully declare the agony of yearning.

Every one who is sundered far from his origin
longs to recapture the time when he was united with it.

In every company I have poured forth my lament,
I have consorted alike with the miserable and the happy:

Each became my friend out of his own surmise,
none sought to discover the secrets in my heart.

My secret indeed is not remote from my lament,
but eye and ear lack the light to perceive it.

Body is not veiled from soul, nor soul from body,
yet to no man is leave given to see the soul."

This cry of the reed is fire, it is not wind;
whoever possesses not this fire, let him be naught!

It is the fire of love that has set the reed aflame;
it is the surge of love that bubbles in the wine.

The reed is the true companion of everyone parted from a
friend: its melodies have rent the veils shrouding our hearts.

Whoever saw poison and antidote in one the like of the
reed? Whoever saw sympathizer and yearner in one the like of
the reed?

The reed tells the history of the blood-bespattered way,
it tells the stories of Majnun's hopeless passion.

Only the senseless is intimate with the mysteries of this Sense;
only the heedful ear can buy what the tongue retails.

Untimely the days have grown in our tribulation;
burning sorrows have travelled along with all our days;

Yet if our days have all departed, bid them be gone—
it matters not; only do Thou abide, O Thou incomparably holy!

Whoever is not a fish is soon satiated with His water;
he who lacks his daily bread, for him the day is very long.

None that is inexperienced comprehends the state of the ripe,
wherefore my words must be short; and now, farewell!

Translated by A. J. Arberry. From "Tales from the Masnavi"
(posted by Iman)
Posted:Monday, May 03, 2004 | 

«Citoyen du monde »

My last post from Iran. I posted this last year, 24 April. One year passed! I did many things though lots of things left to be done. I was extremely busy but I had the chance to look at my past, Iran, Iranians from outside. Maybe it is not important but in general, I had to know “ Who I was, where I used to live and what I did when I was in Iran”. I have learnt many things from westerners. I have been trying to learn how they think, live and interact with others. Also it was a great opportunity to see how Iranian immigrants live here and how they integrated into the society. It seems that they do not do it well. As my friend, Hooman ,said to me last year, they prefer to live in their Iranian box! It is a big issue and I will write about it later.
By the way, I think what is important to me is to know the way other people live though it takes long time to know other cultures! I am not disappointed! My journey started 24 years ago and I do not feel that I belong to any place or country or nation. Maybe I am a “citoyen du monde” as my quebecois friend calls me!!
(posted by Iman)

Posted:Friday, April 23, 2004 | 

Have a Safe Trip


“Where are you rushing to?
Asked the goat’s-thorn of the breeze
Don’t you want to take a trip away
From the dust of this wilderness?
-“ I am all desire, but,
No hope, since I am shackled here"

“Where are you rushing to?”
-“to any better home than this home…”

-“Have a safe trip, but, for the sake of our friendship,
and for God’s sake,
When you have safely passed this fearsome desert,
Give the blossoms, give the rain,
Our regards… ”

Shafii Kadkani

(posted by Iman)

Posted:Monday, March 29, 2004 | 

Happy Norooz!


(posted by Iman)


Posted:Friday, March 19, 2004 | 

There’s too many men
Too many people
Making too many problems
And not much love to go round
Can’t you see
This is a land of confusion.

This is the world we live in
And these are the hands we’re given
Use them and let’s start trying
To make it a place worth living in.

Ooh superman where are you now
When everything’s gone wrong somehow
The men of steel, the men of power
Are losing control by the hour.

I won’t be coming home tonight
My generation will put it right
We’re not just making promises
That we know, we’ll never keep.

(land of confusion, by Phil Collins)
(posted by Farid)

Posted:Thursday, March 18, 2004 | 

The rest are details

"I want to know God's thoughts...the rest are details."
-- Albert Einstein

(posted by Farid)
Posted:Monday, March 08, 2004 | 

Finally I couldn't resist it

Finally I couldn't resist the temptation of asking Veiled4allah the question that was in my mind for a long time. I was worried that I may hurt her, but I finally did it. You can read my question and her initial response here. She also has written some articles about women's covering and other issues; check them here .
I think one of the main reasons for my question was that I really can't remember any other weblog I have visited that I have seen the blogmasters picture in it, but again I am not much into blogs, so there may be lots out there.

(posted by Farid)
Posted:Friday, March 05, 2004 | 

Darius:
“... I will not tolerate that the weak shall suffer injustices brought upon them by the mighty. What is just pleases me. ... You, my subjects, must not assume what the powerful undertake as sublime. What the common man achieves is much more extraordinary.”



History always is amazing. you can imagine that the kings in the past were great people. history is the only place you can find justice, of curse in your ancient history. I wonder how we can be sure about 2000-3000 years ago while we have no clear documents about what happened in recent 100 years. How is it possible somebody has absolute power without control and does not abuse his power? Maybe human beings were different from us 2500 years ago.
By the way, reading Daruish’s words give me a good feeling and at least I can image that Iranians had a great king!
Look at this great website

(posted by Iman)

Posted:Thursday, March 04, 2004 | 

Spring in Montreal

I smell it. Spring is coming!. Beautiful day! especially when you have submitted your 30 page assignment !
Looking forward to Norooz ! 21 March
(posted by Iman)
Posted:Tuesday, March 02, 2004 | 

Iranians made thier decision



(posted by Iman)
Posted:Saturday, February 21, 2004 | 

Fatal decision

Today is a very important day in Iran. 7 parliamentary election! A big challenge between Iranians and their government! Iranians are unpredictable people ( which has historical and cultural reason and I am not going to explore it here). They are indirect people as their language, Persian, is a poetic language.
Anyway, today there is a chance for Iranians to express their thoughts and desires. In contract to other parliamentary elections, the result of this election will be interpreted as YES or NO to extremists in regime. Iranians out side of the country cannot do anything but following the news. But people who live in Iran should make a fatal decision. I wonder if they do not vote in election, as expected, what will happen. Many people wish that Iranians do not take part and again play their passive role, as they have been done in their history. Let’s wait and see!
(posted by Iman)

Posted:Friday, February 20, 2004 | 

We peeled our cat today

I am talking about my anatomy class. It was my first dissecting lab. Wow, these girls are strong; not even one of them fainted! I really didn’t expect this fainting thing to happen, but also I didn’t expect them to do it like they have peeled cats all their lives. We are just three guys in this lab and the rest are girls, and I think I was the only one who couldn’t touch it. It really was worse than what I thought. I was watching health channels all the time when I had cable for free for one month a couple of months ago, so I thought I would be ok; I was far from it. I saw the most horrible surgeries then and never felt so bad. On the way to Wal-Mart, back from my genetic class at 10 pm, I was wondering how natural selection may have opted for this feeling of disgust present in everyone in varying degrees.Then I remembered that I had seen a documentary a couple of years back about cannibals and how they became extinct, probably because of a poisonous protein made up in their bodies. Maybe it was by this that nature has done with those who haven't had much of this feelilng in them. Back to the issue, I really don’t see it in myself that I can get used to it ever.

(posted by Farid)

Posted:Thursday, February 12, 2004 | 

LULLABY

Lyrics by William Blake, music by Loreena McKennitt

O for a voice like thunder, and a tongue
To drown the throat of war! - When the senses
Are shaken, and the soul is driven to madness,
Who can stand? When the souls of the oppressed
Fight in the troubled air that rages, who can stand?
When the whirlwind of fury comes from the
Throne of god, when the frowns of his countenance
Drive the nations together, who can stand?
When Sin claps his broad wings over the battle,
And sails rejoicing in the flood of Death;
When souls are torn to everlasting fire,
And fiends of Hell rejoice upon the slain.
O who can stand? O who hath caused this?
O who can answer at the throne of God?
The Kings and Nobles of the Land have done it!
Hear it not, Heaven, thy Ministers have done it!

(posted by Farid)
Posted:Friday, February 06, 2004 | 

Snow and Fire

Snow tells me of the fire that should be blazing inside of me, that no matter how cold it be outside, I will be warm having it in me, and the rays of summer sun that I don't feel warm unless I enjoy having that fire burning alive.

SNOW

(by Archibald Lampman)

White are the far-off plains, and white
The fading forests grow;
The wind dies out along the height
And denser still the snow,
A gathering weight on roof and tree
Falls down scarce audibly.

The road before me smooths and fills
Apace, and all about
The fences dwindle, and the hills
Are blotted slowly out;
The naked trees loom spectrally
Into the dim white sky.

The meadows and far-sheeted streams
Lie still without a sound;
Like some soft minister of dreams
The snow-fall hoods me round;
In wood and water, earth and air,
A silence everywhere.

Save when Some farmer's sleigh, urged on,
With rustling runner and sharp bells,
Swings by me and is gone;
Or from the empty waste I hear
A sound remote and clear;

The barking of a dog, or call
To cattle, sharply pealed,
Borne, echoing from some wayside stall
Or barnyard far afield;

Then all is silent and the snow falls
Settling soft and slow
The evening deepens and the grey
Folds closer earth and sky
The world seems shrouded, far away.

Its noises sleep, and I as secret as
Yon buried stream plod dumbly on and dream.

(Done by Loreena Mckennitt)

(posted by Farid)
Posted:Saturday, January 31, 2004 | 

Am I crazy?

In my preview post, I said that I enjoy winter. The question is ” How is it possible one enjoys winter in Montréal and many other people who were born in Montreal suffer!
It is not difficult to understand why people dislike winter. It is cold and they have to dress well and most of them prefer to stay home.

However, I enjoy it; its beauty, white snow,…. Every day I walk from central bus station up to the hill. In the beginning it was strange since I could not see anybody else in the street. Since I start my work early in the morning, I thought this is the reason. Then I realized even at night when I go back home, I could not see any body in the street. I asked somebody what the matter is and he replied “ Man ! you are crazy since nobody goes out when the weather is f* damn cold” maybe I am crazy and Angua is right! but “ Why do we have to live in a place that we suffer from its weather?”
When I used to live in the south of Iran where the temperature in the middle of summer reaches to 50 C, people did not complain!

(posted by Iman)

Posted:Friday, January 30, 2004 | 

Love

Probably the best and most amazing feeling anyone
can ever have. No other pleasant feeling can compare
to it and all the great things done are out of it. These
few words by REO Speedwagon are wonderful , as they
talk about the most wonderful thing.

"Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore.
I've forgotten what I started fighting for.
And if I have to crawl upon the floor,
Come crushing through your door,
Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore."

(posted by Farid)

Posted:Sunday, January 25, 2004 | 

I enjoy cold winter in Montreal

(posted by Iman)

Posted:Friday, January 23, 2004 |