Technology thoughts

TL;DR -- We look at four bits of disparate themes; or it appears to be seemingly so. For one thing, we have to mention SIGGRAPH. If you haven't heard of that, well, it's part of the evolution of the computer. Then, we find ourselves in the "cloud" age which spawned many marvels, such as ChatGPT. On the other hand, engineering is the basis for this progress. We need to lift that to awareness, commonly. Then, technology in action? Let's hear from a Spanish view on the Roanoke venture. 

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This posts gathers a few items pertaining to our interests and technology. These are widely varied? It seems, but they deal specificially with current methods and means. 

To start the list, we have to mention SIGGRAPH. This is an old meeting. In two months, Sydney will host, again. My first exposures to the meetings was decades ago. It is interesting to see how the focus has gone from graphics to interactive means which pertain to human and machine interfaces among other things. 

• ACM SIGGRAPH is the sponsoring organization. SIGGRAPH ASIA is doing the 2023 meeting. I like to tell the tale that back in the '80s, AAAI got about 1,000 attendees while, even then, SIGGRAPH pulled in 30, 000. 
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  ACM COMM, this month, had this article: Generative AI as a New Innovation Platform. The author is a Dean at MIT and ought to know better. "generative" has been in use for a long while, including as the pits of the mathematics involved in this round of AI (which, John likes to remind every one about, is mostly AIn't - as the Dean notes, things seems to have gotten out of hand). We have to give the Dean his chops. In October of 2019, he published this: The Cloud as an Innovation Platform for Software Development. Sure enough, we have seen lots of advancements related to the cloud. John's reminder: lots of issues came to fore, as well. 
  
• KBE design methodology at undergraduate and graduate levels - This is from 1999 and is important for several reasons. One main reason is that it shows the use of "generative" long ago. Also, one motive is that the likes of ChatGPT (and its cousins which we can go into at any detail necessary) took over the concept of AI in a gradual mode over the past 10 years. "learning" is emphasized, as if this is what a machine (bucket of bits can do). My argument is that we have many examples of people learning and doing it well. Engineers are the best example where STEM comes to fore (the "E" for engineering), albeit these disciplines are examples of applied mathematics in action, therefore right at the forefront. It's ironic that engineers set the stage for xNN/LLM to show its stuff. Now, the common theme seems to have moved toward that approach coming in as oracle (which can be characterized otherwise, too). 
• Spain and the Roanoke Colony - This article is not a mere aside and appeared recently on Quora. We pay attention to the space that is devoted to discussions of Spain. Quora is one of several examples of modern sites that will continue into the future, hopefully helping maintain sanity. But, New Spain will be a regular theme for discussion which then brings in old Spain. 

Disparate little bit of info, it may seem. Not, "omni" is the looming threat with many manifestations. One of which would be omniscience. The training approach and jargon sure seems to convey that notion to its fullest. Lots to discuss. 

Remarks: Modified: 10/13/2023

10/13/2023 --