Professor Deb Roy of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was more interested in language for the sake of robots, than for understanding how babies develop it. But when he had his own baby and realised that the research on language acquisition only provided snapshots of baby-babbling, Professor Roy decided to turn his home into the Big Brother house.
The house was fitted with spy cameras that filmed his newborn son for 14 hours a day, every day, for three years. The project, dubbed the Human Speechome Project, gathered 250 gigbytes of data a day. The sheer scale of the enterprise required new software for handling data.
For example, to quickly scan video footage, the team developed an application that showed only movement, showing successive frames as a ribbon of colour similar to car lights caught on time elapse film. Sound was represented by a spectrograph. This enabled analysers to discard periods of inactivity and silence, or periods of activity not including their subject.
However, this application did not provide the ability to delve deeper into what was happening in target time periods. The project wanted to transcribe all speech made by and around Roy’s son, but automated speech recognition software was too inaccurate. Purely human transcription was too time consuming, with one hour of speech taking 10 hours to transcribe. So the team came up with another tool that found and recorded sound bites, which human transcribers used. The combination of automation and human effort reduced the ratio of transcription time from 1:10 to 1:2.
The project is still analysing the masses of data but Roy says some interesting findings have been made already. He describes a process he calls ‘word births’. The adult begins with a complex sentence to the child, then subconsciously reduces the complexity until the child understands the word. After this, the adult gradually builds up the complexity again.
Professor Roy’s research will add valuable insights to the study of language acquisition. Other research teams have identified a gene, which appears to have given humans the ability to develop language. Studies looking at how the DNA of apes and humans differentiated historically have identified the gene that provides humans with the ability to move the face in ways that allow for speech.
Other studies have looked at how language is processed, and found marked regional specialisation within the brain – specific brain area are responsible for processing specific tasks, such as speech or visual stimuli. One study has theorised that psychoses result from a breakdown of this specialisation. For example, the brain cannot differentiate whether speech has originated internally or externally.
While Professor Roy and his small son will no doubt contribute to this burgeoning field of study, his research has had other effects also, such as the potential use of the ‘quick video scan’ software in more efficiently analysing CCTV footage.
Another spin-off is a semi-automated architectural design application to determine the effect of built spaces on human flows. For example, assessing the impact of changes to a retail space on how shoppers will move around it.
And Roy hasn’t forgotten his love of robotics. “What if we can build a machine that can step into the shoes of a child and learn in human-like ways,” he asks. “Imagine transferring that into a video game character or into a domestic robot that can now learn to communicate and interact in social ways.”
My man emailed me the other day with something ‘new’ he had discovered – robots with flamethrowers. He was referring to Robot Wars, a US robot competition of the late 1990s that was taken up in the UK and broadcast on BBC2 in the early 2000s. Little did he know that it was one of my favourite programmes.
The first series was hosted by Jeremy Clarkson, but his sarcastic style didn’t really enhance the show, though it was popular from inception. Season two saw Red Dwarfer Craig Charles take over and he showed much more enthusiasm (and understanding of the competitors) than Clarkson.
The idea was simple – built a big, robust and nasty robot that will destroy all the other robots. They fight it out in an arena, like mechanical sumo wrestling. But the execution was somewhat more complex, as there were a few things that contributed to a winning robot.
The robots needed to be defensive, but also have offensive capability, because, like in boxing, if there was no knock-out, the judges decide on a winner. And they took account of the robots’ performance. It wasn’t enough just to survive – you had to look like a winner.
The arena was a hazardous place, and not just because of the combatants. There were pits into which unwary robots could fall, gratings through which great gouts of fire spurted up, and the menacing house robots – these were restricted to marked zones but pity any robot that strayed into their territory. The house robots were twice as big as the combatant bots, and could easily dismantle those that couldn’t get away. And often did.
In the early series the robots were fairly trashy affairs – cumbersome, fragile, ran around the arena without much of a clue. But by the third series a new bot came on the scene. It was like the Viv Richards of robot wars – the Master Blaster, so far ahead of its peers that none could touch it. It was called Chaos 2, and won the overall title two years in a row, the only robot to do so.
Its characteristics defined the key elements for a successful combatant robot:
1. It was well-built and tough. Blows slid off it due to its rounded profile, and its outer shell repelled all but the heaviest of implements.
2. It had a low centre of gravity, was difficult to get underneath, and therefore was difficult to flip.
3. It could right itself if flipped over. Using its powerful flipper (see no. 6), it could flip itself upright again and keep fighting.
4. It was highly agile. Many bots lost bouts when they couldn’t catch their opponents, or get away from them.
5. It had an excellent controller in George Francis, who was a whizz with the joystick. Very seldom was he fazed by the opposition, or even the house robots. He drove calmly and got the bot out of trouble on numerous occasions, and was aggressive and relentless in pursuing opponents, often harrying them into the pits or the house robots, if Chaos 2 didn’t immobilise them personally.
6. It had the most powerful flipper of its type in all of robot wars. Its winning weapon, a front-end flipper, was able to flip some opponents clear out of the arena. No mean feat when the combatant robots weighed in excess of 70-80kg.
Even though we’re supposed to go and spend up large to stimulate the economy, I’m not going anywhere near that. I’m no longer getting paid anywhere near what I used to, so I’m doing what I should have started years ago – I’m managing my money.
To begin with I consulted a company of finance brokers. A financial advisor arranged income protection insurance and a pension for me, and probably the most useful thing he did was help me to set up a budget and track my income and expenditure.
I was able to understand the major components of my finances, and from this I developed my own budgeting system. But there are plenty of ready-made applications available, some of them free. I was able to identify what I actually spent, from which I could set realistic limits. It also let me keep track of what I spent. That way, I was able stop spending when I reached my limit.
I have also restructured my bank accounts into on call savings accounts (or interest bearing account) and current accounts. I needed to see clearly what money I had, for different purposes. I keep one interest bearing account for tax money (I’m self employed), and one for my personal savings. That way I wouldn’t unintentionally spend my tax money.
And I have two current accounts – one for direct debits and automatic payments, to which I transfer just enough to pay everything off each month, and the other with a small overdraft which I keep at near zero dollars. The small amount of overdraft interest is the cost of the convenience of not having to move money in and out of my interest bearing accounts. This lets me keep enough in them to enjoy a higher rate of interest.
And finally, I try to take advantage of best rate savings accounts for the bulk of my savings. Banks are offering all sorts of interest bearing accounts, such as fixed term, or ones where the interest rate is high if you don’t make any withdrawals in the month.
In addition to this, I try to avoid getting into debt. I pay off my credit card in full each month, as I’m not prepared to pay the ludicrously high interest rate that credit cards charge. My approach to using the card for purchases is that, if I can’t afford to buy the thing without the card, I certainly can’t afford it with the card. In fact, the only reason I use a credit card is that I get a 1% rebate on my turnover, in the form of credit once a year. It pays off the annual fee and gives me another couple of hundred dollars.
What will happen when a generation of mollycoddled, over-protected children grows up? Kiwis have a pretty can-do approach, but even our tendency to provide our kids with challenges is coming under fire. Take the story of a family who had a visit from the government family services because they allowed their 9-year-old son and his 4-year-old sister to play unsupervised in the local school playground. On first reading I was horrified, then I reconsidered my reaction. I walked to school alone from the age of 5. I cycled when I was 10, crossing one of the busiest streets in town, where I was terrified of getting squashed between buses. I used to trot off down to the local park alone from the age of 8, meeting up with my 6-year-old friend.
The father of the family in the article wanted to provide his children with the freedom and responsibility he enjoyed as a child. But I was shocked at my own first reaction.
Family services have a difficult job in finding the balance between protecting children from family violence, abuse and neglect, and not interfering with the different ways parents choose to bring up their children. New Zealand has removed the defence of ‘reasonable force’ from legislation related to hitting children, and is about to vote in a citizens’ referendum on whether smacking should be a criminal offense.
Should a 9-year-old be allowed to walk to the local playground and play unsupervised for up to two hours? That depends so very much on the child, the family, and the environment. Two hours is a long time, and all sorts of things can happen. Bad things and good things. Children can relax and explore and feel like masters of their own destiny, at least for a while. Or a child could be taken in that time, and be a long way gone. However, these children played in groups, so were they able to keep themselves safe? How likely is abduction? Is it justified to take away a child’s freedom to explore against the need to keep them safe? The consequences of an attack on a child are devastating. But what are the consequences of never allowing them freedom?
I have a real concern that our generation of parents is bringing up children that are a) totally self-centred, b) fearful and litigious, and c) lacking in life skills to keep themselves safe. How old do children need to be before they have a chance to learn to take care of themselves? Will we still be supervising our adult children while they remain at home during their years of tertiary study? And another consequence not yet mentioned. We may be bringing up children that are severely lacking in self confidence, in their ability to manage their own lives.
More and more parents are reconsidering this excessively protective approach to child-rearing. Websites such as Free Range Kids by Lenore Skenazy advocate that parents reclaim independence for their children. And how many parents who provide opportunities for their kids to learn to fend for themselves will get abused by other, more risk-averse parents and questioned by increasingly controlling government agencies?
The Philippines comprises 7,107 islands in an archipelago in south east Asia, with a population of approximately 90 million people, in a land area roughly 300,000 square kilometres. This is a similar density to the UK (which has a population of around 70 million, and land area of about 240,000 square kilometres). The Philippines has a tropical climate, lush vegetation and many, many beautiful beaches.
The capital city, Manila, is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay. Its lovely west-facing aspect, looking over Manila Bay, provides the opportunity for splendid sunsets on warm tropical evenings. Manila is a fascinating city with a long history and a thriving economy.
In the south, Cebu is one of the Philippines’ most developed provinces, and Cebu City is one of the main centres of trade, commerce, education and industry in the southern islands of the Visayas. Mactan Island is a coral island that looks like it’s been chipped off the larger landmass of Cebu. It enjoys a reputation for its crystal beaches and as a notable scuba diving location. The tiny island is where Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan met his end.
As a holiday destination, the Philippines is probably more attractive than some other Asian countries which are beset by political turmoil. The country as a whole is also generally well developed. The Philippines property market appears to be affected by the global recession, with opportunities for investors as prices fall.
There are many sites where you can check out property for sale in the Philippines, to live permanently or just for those mid-winter holidays in the sun, and rent out for the rest of the year. It’s no coincidence that the best time of the year in the Philippines is January and February.
Manila and Cebu are two locations worthy of further investigation, but the country is large and diverse, and there are many other attractive areas also. Check out travel blogs to keep abreast of what is going on in the market in general.
Love him or hate him, he certainly made a mark. In an industry famous for strange people, he was one of the strangest. And now, at the age of 50, following a cardiac arrest, Michael Jackson has died.
One of the biggest-selling pop-stars of all time, Jackson came from a musically talented family and hit the world stage with four of his brothers in the Jackson Five. He was just 11.
Through the next 20 or so years, first with the Jackson Five and then as a solo artist, Jackson turned the musical world on its head, becoming one of the first African American crossover stars through exposure on MTV, elevating the music video to an art form and promotional tool, and influencing later musical genres such as hip hop.
He was also philanthropic, donating millions of dollars to charity through his music, his Heal the World Foundation, and his direct support. But controversy dogged him in recent times, with his tragic forays into cosmetic surgery, his quest for fatherhood, and accusations of paedophilia against him bringing him most publicity. He was a psychological case-study and the subject of many articles and books.
Through all this, his music remained popular and he was recognised in the Guinness World Records as the most successful entertainer of all time.
Jackson was in Los Angeles, preparing for a series of 50 concerts in London to mark his final great comeback. Plans were to follow this up with a final world tour. He was found collapsed in the hall of his rented apartment and could not be revived by paramedics.
So ends a brilliant career. Hopefully now he finds the freedom he always sought.
In late 1970s London, with an IRA bombing campaign going on, in the early days of Maggie Thatcher’s political career, Cambridge graduate Geoff Travis opened a shop off Ladbrooke Grove. It was a record shop, and he called it Rough Trade.
Travis was in the right place at the right time, and he was the right kind of person. Putting out your own records in the 1970s was unheard of, music was in the grip of the big corporates, But then punk rock exploded onto the music scene, and Manchester punk rockers The Buzzcocks pressed their own single – Spiral Scratch. Rough Trade stocked it, and sold it in the hundreds. Other bands got on board and Rough Trade became the place to go for a diverse alternative to the middle-of-the-road material sold by the big labels.
The music sold through Rough Trade proved that anyone could put out a record. The Desperate Bicycles printed instructions for how to do press your own records on their record sleeve. Scritti Politti printed the whole production document, and people realised that it could be done. Do-It-Yourself had come to the record industry.
Though the bands themselves were able to press their own records, distribution through a single shop in London was not going to change the record industry world. Other independent labels like Virgin and Island Records still had to rely on the retail outlets of the big outfits.
And then along came Richard Scott, and the world did change.
Click here for the 90 minute video of the Story of Rough Trade.
If you are starting up your own business, you will need to think about a phone system. This would include telephones for making and receiving calls, and lines for voice and data (ie internet).
You may choose to have a traditional line for voice calls, and a separate line for data, or you may consider using VoIP (Voice over IP, basically voice calls converted to data and sent via the internet), for which you need only one type of line. However, this will mean you will have requirement for substantial upload capacity of data, so you might think about using symmetric digital subscriber line (SDSL), which has the same upload as download capacity, rather than the traditional asymmetric line (ADSL). Regardless of whether you choose VoIP, consider your upload data requirements as your needs may be far in excess of normal residential usage.
What suits you best within your office will depend on how many users you have. For larger installations, a PBX is probably most suitable, while for a few users, a key system is enough. For a very few users (up to five, perhaps), a KSU-less system (where capability is within each phone, rather than in a central unit) could suffice. A VoIP system works differently again.
There are many vendors that can provide you with systems. You may wish to just buy BT Synergy business phones, a well respected brand. However, given that there are a myriad of different solutions, a little research and good advice may avoid a poor and costly selection. Consultancies such as Brite Telecom can not only supply you with a phone system, they can present you with options for a solution and help you decide what you actually need.
Had enough of being tied to your old phone, stuck in one room with a metre long curly cable that’s forever tying itself in knots and is really only about 10cm long and tying up your freedom? Sick of running through the house to the phone just to have it ring off when you get there?
Well then, isn’t it time you upgraded to a cordless phone? Just think, no curly cords, no more being stuck indoors in one room, handsets you can wander about your home with. You’ll be able to sit in the comfort of your living room and chat to your friends. Or lounge beside the pool and pay your respects to the mother-in-law. And if you are caught short and need to pay a visit, take the phone with you, so you’ll never miss another call.
And you can have many handsets. How about a phone in every room? No more running through the house to catch a call. Buy Panasonic cordless phones for your home. They are stylish, robust and have good range. Check them out at Highland Telecom, your Highland provider.
Should sports reps sing their national anthems?
Before the 2nd test France vs the All Blacks I noticed how the French sang their national anthem with pride and vigour. And how the All Blacks didn’t. Well, most of them didn’t.
A couple did sing with sincerity, a few were mumbling something, but the majority were closed-mouthed and stoney-faced.
Sure, they’re focussing on the game, trying to remember everything coach Henry told them to do, but I think it’s a shame they don’t sing. It’s a poor reflection on them as representatives of their country. Professionalism is all very well, but I’d hate to think that they view playing for New Zealand as just a day job.
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Best and worst national anthems
After spending many a gruelling minute listening to national anthems, here are my picks for best and worst (if YouTube is being a pig and not loading my links, you’ll just have to go search directly):
Best
1. South Africa – still gives me goosebumps knowing the history, haunting and stirring at the same time.
2. Russia – extremely rumpty tumpty music but a bit long so my ears glazed over.
3. France – of course, theirs had to be immortalised in one of the best movies of all time (see also Casablanca).
Worst
1. Greece – please wake me when it’s over (all 128 verses of it).
2. Australia – it’s not actually that bad but they do say their land is girt by sea, which of course we Kiwis would change to ‘dirt by sea’.
3. Italy – perhaps the silliest, starts out like something from the Nutcracker and then goes all Verdi.