Shadows of the Mind

Every year, I try reading at least one "epic" work that challenges my thinking processes. Last year, it was "On Intelligence" by Jeff Hawkins. That was a great work emphasizing a new approach to understanding and perhaps simulating intelligence: rather than being the result of computational procedures, intelligence is actually based upon the retrieval of stored memories that are utilized to make forward-looking predictions.

This year, I've been working through "Shadows of the Mind" by Roger Penrose. Like Hawkins, Penrose has little faith in computation (either human or computer) in order to understand such attributes as human awareness, consciousness, and intelligence. The difference is that while Hawkins lends some hope for a computer simulation of intelligence, Penrose explicitly rules it out. In fact, he mathematically proves that there are cases where an algorithm can't be proven, but the human mind can comprehend its inner workings and end results (see pp 74-75). He demonstrates this with a procedure that points to an algorithm that allegedly never halts, and thus continues forever. What he shows is that there are cases where the procedure simultaneously indicates the algorithm will halt and will not halt, hence inducing a contradiction that can only be resolved by admitting it continues forever.

Penrose discusses the famed Gödel Incompleteness Theorem and it's implications for formal systems established for proving mathematical propositions. He states that Gödel showed that the consistency of the formal system can't be proven by the rules or axioms of the formal system itself; that in effect, the proof of this consistency is external to the formal system. This is different than other interpretations I've read about his Theorem, namely that there will be at least one general theorem, based upon those rules, that will be true but can't be proven. In any case, he discusses these implications for computer intelligence and robotics and concludes that they can only be programmed with human directives and can't "think for themselves".

Step by step, Penrose dismisses any linkage between algorithmic computation and human awareness. Regardless of whether the system is sound or unsound, or is known or unknown, he is steadfast in his conviction that it can't be simulated. I have to say that I have some reservations about his claims. I'm not convinced with the complete soundness of some of his arguments here (have I myself fallen prey to Gödel's Theorem?!) and feel that he might be missing some logical cases that would weaken those arguments; but I myself wouldn't be able to construct a counterargument to them. Nevertheless, I'm impressed with his general line of reasoning -- he's a brilliant thinker and theoretical mathematician.

Penrose classifies 4 types of views of human awareness, consciousness, and intelligence:
1) These attributes are the results of computational processes. This is the strong view of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
2) These attributes can be simulated by computational processes. This is the weak view of AI.
3) Science can describe these attributes, but they are neither the result of nor can be simulated by computational processes. This is Penrose's position.
4) Science can't even describe these attributes. This is the "mystical" position, and Penrose claims that Gödel himself falls in this camp. He argued that Gödel's Theorem might point to the existence of a "mind" distinct from the brain, outside of the formal system!

The second part of the book, which I haven't read yet, starts with the assumption that consciousness can't be described in classical terms. Rather, it's based upon the indeterminism of quantum mechanics. Consciousness is the result of the collapse of quantum wave functions and the superposition of these events! He argues that these events occur in cellular structures called microtubules.

Well, I'll have more to say when I'm finished with the book. But for now, I recommend you read this book. It's more difficult reading than "On Intelligence" because of the formal arguments and mathematical reasoning presented here. Feel free to comment on the subject matter.

Fred Rogers - RIP

After an eventful trip to New England, we returned home on Thursday evening. It was a long day, too long of a day. I was ready to pack it in when I received an email entitled "Sad News". I didn't recognize the recipient, but "cautiously" opened it. It was from the uncle of an old acquaintance/friend, Fred Rogers. To my dismay, the email mentioned that Fred passed away on Wednesday. I'm very saddened by this news.

We grew up together at Peninsula Temple Beth El in San Mateo. I remember him in Hebrew School class, volunteering to answer questions in Hebrew. What a brave soul! I'll never forget the visit I made to the kibbutz he was staying on in Israel: Mishmar Ha'Emek, a kibbutz like no other for a soul like no other. I feel his kibbutz experience really opened him up. After that, when he returned home, Fred spoke about raising chickens and bees.

We went to College of San Mateo (CSM) together. At CSM, we attended a "History of Jazz" class. We went to the UC Berkeley jazz festival and other jazz concerts. He opened the door to a better appreciation of music in general. There were many times we went out, sometimes with Raya and their friends. I remember when we drove up from UCSB, in his jeep. We had some fun times.

Fred was a novel thinker. He was often thinking about new products and technology usage. He had great knowledge about the inner workings of businesses, financial markets and trends.

Most distinctive about Fred was his friendliness. He was one of the friendliest, good-natured people around. He was uplifting, and I always enjoyed seeing or running into him.

The last 1 1/2 years of his life, he was living with and was the caretaker of his elderly father, Maurice. There can be no higher mitzvah (good deed) than to take care of one's parent who's in need. That is a testimony to Fred and serves as a reminder of his worth, character, and goodness.

I will miss him. May his life be for a blessing.

New England trip - Portland, and final days

Tuesday, August 21st. We left Hallowell late morning and headed to Freeport. Shopping had to be done!

We made it to Portland and spent a few hours in the Old Port area. The buildings are well preserved, sporting some classic New England architecture. It was nice to walk up and down the streets. We ate near the harbor -- had tasty soft-shell lobster.

After Portland, we headed to Lake Sebago where Nancy grew up. This is a gorgeous lake. What a beautiful setting.

Then, we went to Lovell where Nancy's parents live. This house is in the wilderness. Say no more! Beautiful country area. We spent the night there, though her parents were away at the time.

Wednesday, August 22nd. We left Lovell pretty late (1 pm). We spent time in Conway, New Hampshire. We were going to take a scenic train ride, but it turned out to be an almost 2 hour ride which was too long, since we needed to return to Burlington before dark. From Conway, one can see the beautiful White Mountains.

The ride back was pretty, of course. We stopped at Willey Pond, right smack in the middle of the White Mountains. Great spot.

Next, we drove by Mount Washington. There's the Mount Washington Hotel there, which resembles the Coronado in San Diego.

We stopped in Littleton, New Hampshire, and Lisbon, New Hampshire, where we heard a Dixieland jazz band perform.

Stopped for a few minutes in Barre, Vermont. Nice buildings there.

Finally, we picked up Thai food in Montpellier, the capital of Vermont. Too bad we arrived there in the dark. It would have been a great spot to take photos.

We arrived back in Burlington after 9:00 pm. A fitting end to our travels.

Pemaquid Point and Camden, Maine

Monday, August 20th. Travelled with Nancy's friend Dave, and his daughter Gabby, and also Benjamin (Glenn and Sarah's son). We continued to explore the Maine coastline. On this day, we drove out to Pemaquid Point, named after the Pemaquid Indians who inhabited the Maine coastal region. The "Point" features a famed lighthouse, a great lookout point of the Atlantic Ocean, and some interesting rock formations. We stayed there for about 1 hour.

Next, we went to Pemaquid Beach. This crescent-shaped beach is quite beautiful. The sand is nearly pristine white, the shape almost the Platonic Ideal of a perfect curve. The bay that it confines features some small islands and houses situated along the rim. I dipped my feet in the water and it was almost warm. It was a short stay; we would have gone swimming if we arrived there earlier and the weather wasn't getting bad.

At this point, Dave, Gabby and Ben returned to Hallowell. Diana, Rachel, Nancy and I headed towards Camden. We stopped in Rockport for a brief stay, just enough time to take some shots of the harbor and look around town (there's an old-style Opera house on the main street). Next up was Camden. It was getting dark, so the photos and DVD footage didn't come out as well. But there's enough there to get a taste of a classic New England town. The churches, shops, colonial houses, the harbor -- all paint a pleasing picture for the flock of visitors (yes, many tourists were there even though it was getting late and many places were closed). We ate at the Village restaurant.

Five Islands, Bath, & Freeport, Maine

The Maine coast could take weeks or months to explore, since there are so many peninsulas (and fiords) that aren't connected by bridges or tunnels. This makes it a more environmental friendly place for the local inhabitants; but not for the tourists. So we had to pick and choose our places, primarily close to Augusta/Hallowell.

On Sunday, August 19th, we ventured out along highway 27 & 127 towards Five Islands. It's a nice, scenic drive out to the coast. We passed Reid State Park and drove the final mile to Five Islands. Five Islands is a quaint fishing village that, indeed, features five small islands forming a natural harbor. It also is the spot to get some tasty lobster. Needless to say, we all had lobster for lunch.

Afterwards, we were thinking of going to Reid Beach at the state park; but due to the fact we missed the turnoff (there was no sign on the way back), time constraints, a sleeping toddler, and high admission price per person, we decided to forgo the experience. Instead, we headed to Bath. Bath is a nice town with old buildings and a nice waterfront. Unfortunately, most of the town was closed. We stayed there for about a couple of hours, mostly at the local market and walking around.

By late afternoon, we arrived in Freeport and found Gritty McDuff's, a brewery pub / bar & grill that has a great play area for the kids. We met cousins Donna and Savannah, who drove up from Haverhill, MA (thanks for coming up cuz!). We had a nice time together and Savannah (who just turned 6) had fun playing with Rachel. It was a good experience for the young cousins to meet each other. After lunch, we headed a short distance down Highway 1 to L.L.Beans, one of the largest clothing outlet stores on the East coast and based in Maine. We spent a few hours walking around Freeport which, surprisingly, was a nice old town with colonial-styled buildings housing outlet stores!

Drive out to Maine

We left Burlington late morning on Saturday, August 18th. It's a beautiful ride, first along highway 89 and then highway 2. Very green, idyllic, sometimes pastoral route. We briefly stopped in Saint Johnsbury, a nice small town. A few miles further up the road is Joe's Pond. I had to get out and take some pictures of the pond, which I thought was a lake because I didn't know at that time it was a Joe's Pond. In any case, it's a beautiful, scenic, peaceful spot.

Right after crossing the New Hampshire border is Lancaster. This too is a nice, small town. Churches, colonial buildings, and so forth. There was an outdoor wedding reception at one of the churches. The remainder of the ride through New Hampshire winds through Santa's Village and features the "backside view" of the White Mountains (part of the northern Appalachians).

Once we passed into Maine, we stopped at a gas station to stretch out and enjoy the view. It's very green there. We passed through Wayne, Maine, and then along some lakes and plenty of pine and maple trees.

Finally, early evening, we arrived at our destination of Hallowell, Maine, which is very close to the capitol Augusta. We stayed at Glenn (Nancy's brother) and Sarah's place. It's a remodeled house that was originally built in 1820!

Trip to New England & Montreal - the first few days

We just returned from a nice trip to New England (8/14/07 - 8/23/07). We stayed with our dear friend Nancy in Burlington, Vermont. Burlington is situated right on the shores of Lake Champlain, one of the more picturesque places I've ever seen. The first day, we walked through the downtown mall, ate at a Thai restaurant and of course indulged in the delights of the town's landmark Ben & Jerry's ice cream parlor. A couple days later, we spent some time along the waterfront and took Rachel to the Echo museum, which has all types of water exhibits and an aquarium for the kids. Late in the day, we attended services at Temple Sinai (a reform synagogue in Burlington, near where we were staying). The Rabbi wasn't there, but services were led by the Temple educator and the sermon (about the period leading up to Rosh Hashana) was given by her husband.

Between these two days, we took a day trip to Montréal. It's a nice drive up there, highlighted with the pastoral settings of Northern Vermont and the rural environment of southern Quebec. Arriving into Montréal is a treat. The visitor is greeted by the Saint Lawrence river and the site of the biosphere, a giant geodesic dome housing an artificially controlled ecosystem. Also, there's the La Ronde amusement park on Sainte-Hélène Island.

The weather wasn't too great. We dodged thunderstorms throughout the afternoon; but there were enough breaks for us to explore the area. We ate lunch near the waterfront and preceded to walk around the old city. There are many nice streets with restaurants, shops, and old dwellings. With all of the outdoor cafes and signs in French, one can easily get the impression of being in Paris. The buildings that are most visually noteworthy are the Hotel dé Ville, the Chapelle Notre Dame de Bons Secour, and the silver domed Marche Bonsecours (Bonsecours Market).