Artificial Intelligence :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Artificial Intelligence "My name is Dorothy," said the girl, "and I am going to the Emerald City, to ask the Oz to send me back to Kansas."   "Where is the Emerald City?" he enquired; "and who is Oz?"   "Why, don't you know?" she returned in surprise.   "No, indeed; I don't know anything. You see, I am stuffed, so I have no brains at all," he answered, sadly.   "Oh," said Dorothy; "I'm awfully sorry for you."   "Do you think," he asked, "If I go to the Emerald City with you, that the great Oz would give me some brains?"   "I cannot tell you," she returned; "but you may come with me, if you like. If Oz will not give you any brains you will be no worse off than you are now."   -L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful World of Oz1 As Dorothy and the Scarecrow begin their search for a "brain," we can catch a glimpse of an issue that has been bouncing around our culture for centuries: can man make a machine think? While Baum's story does not focus on the Scarecrow as the possibility of a thinking machine, he does raise the question of whether a human brain is necessary for thinking. This question of the brainÕs vitality is first exposed to our culture with what many literary critics feel is the birth of Science Fiction, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.  Ã‚   Frankenstein is the story of dead body parts being brought to life through the use of electricity. After witnessing the creature's action readers are left asking if the human brain is sufficient for thinking or if there is more to thinking than a brain? Other Science Fiction writers took this to a different level and "created" the robot, a non-human thinking machine. Frankenstein is on the cusp of humans and non-humans and the beginning of the debate of what it means to artificially think. These imagined ideas caused others to think about making these ideas a reality. Marvin Minsky, one of the original scientists involved in establishing artificial intelligence, cites Science Fiction as one of his major motivators to enter the world of AI. It was not until the summer of 1956 that scientists felt that it might be possible to write non-fiction accounts of robots at some point in the near future.  Ã‚   During the summer of 1956 at Dartmouth College, scholars, who would later be considered the founding fathers of

Edgar Allan Poe and Momentary Satisfaction Revenge

Revenge; Justified or Momentary Satisfaction Revenge is such a common thread in today’s society. It is evident in television, movies, literature, politics, and even among friends at school. Everyone wants revenge. Revenge is a common tendency of human nature, but revenge is never justified. Many people live their lives with the philosophy of â€Å"an eye for an eye†, but as Mahatma Gandhi said â€Å"An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind. † When you think of all the little things people do to â€Å"get back† at those who hurt them in some way, you begin to see a pattern of destruction, even if it is on a small scale.The point here is that revenge very rarely serves its true purpose, which is a sense of self-satisfaction. Seeking revenge ends up making you look like the bad guy and usually backfires. Humans have an urge to get even with one another for what the other has done. Often time’s karma is a better judge of people than t hemselves. The quote from Robert F. Kennedy that states â€Å"Don’t get mad, get even. † is wrong; as revenge is just a case of self- satisfaction. In â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† by Edgar Allen Poe, in paragraph 29 it states â€Å"Once more let me implore you to return.No? Then I must positively leave you. But I must first render you all the little attentions in my power. † Montresor is mocking Fortunato and then leaves him, he then states (last paragraph) â€Å"My heart grew sick- on account of the dampness of the catacombs. † I believe that he is saying he regrets doing what he did, and that revenge only satisfies ones need for a moment. Revenge is short lived, and has no long term use in this life. It is simply a temptation beating on our door of reality.No matter what level of hurt one does to another; killing a loved one or simply stealing your pencil at school, it is never justified to do something back. In â€Å"A Poison Tree† by W illiam Blake, someone does another wrong; He tries to get even by poisoning him. â€Å"I was angry with my friend, I told my wrath, my wrath did end, I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow. † His foe makes him angry so, to get back at him he poisons him with an apple. â€Å"And into my garden stole, when the night had veiled the pole; in the morning glad I see my foe outstretched beneath the tree. He got even with him by killing him; this is taking it to the extremes. There is always another way; â€Å"She got even in a way that was almost cruel. She forgave them. † – From Ralph McGill (about Eleanor Roosevelt). This is saying that instead of revenge do the opposite, forgive. Maybe they want one to do something back to them, but don’t give them the satisfaction of seeing one’s self try to get even. They are not worth it. Forgiveness is not revenge but the willingness of one’s self to move forward with their lives, and not live in the past of what has been done to them.Two wrongs don’t make a right. When someone does another wrong and one’s self does something wrong back it will never make one fully happy. In the Mentalist when Red John kills Patrick Jane’s wife and kid, he joins the C. B. I. team to one day seek revenge on Red John. When he finally captures him, he says he doesn’t feel much better. Revenge is never justified, no matter what. It is a human’s self- satisfaction that drives them to get back but, in the end no one wins; everyone suffers.

Geographical and Historical Overview of Poland

Poland is a country located in central Europe to the east of Germany. It lies along the Baltic Sea and today has a growing economy centered on industry and the service sector. Fast Facts: Poland Official Name: Republic of PolandCapital: WarsawPopulation: 38,420,687 (2018)Official Language: PolishCurrency: Zlotych (PLN)Form of Government: Parliamentary republicClimate: Temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowersTotal Area: 120,728 square miles (312,685 square kilometers)Highest Point: Rysy at 8,199 feet (2,499 meters)  Lowest Point: near Raczki Elblaskie at -6.6 feet (-2 meters) History of Poland The first people to inhabit Poland were the Polanie from southern Europe in the seventh and eighth centuries. In the 10th century, Poland became Catholic. Shortly thereafter, Poland was invaded by Prussia and became divided. Poland remained divided among many different peoples until the 14th century. At this time it grew due to a union by marriage with Lithuania in 1386. This created a strong Polish-Lithuanian state. Poland maintained this unification until the 1700s when Russia, Prussia, and Austria again divided the country several times. By the 19th century, however, the Polish had a revolt due to the foreign control of the country and in 1918, Poland became an independent nation after World War I. In 1919, Ignace Paderewski became Polands first prime minister. During World War II, Poland was attacked by Germany and Russia and in 1941 it was taken over by Germany. During Germanys occupation of Poland, much of its culture was destroyed and there were mass executions of its Jewish citizens. In 1944, the government of Poland was replaced with the communist Polish Committee of National Liberation by the Soviet Union. The provisional government was then established in Lublin and members of Polands former government later joined to form the Polish Government of National Unity. In August 1945, U.S. President Harry S. Truman, Joseph Stalin, and Britains Prime Minister Clement Attlee worked to shift Polands borders. On August 16, 1945, the Soviet Union and Poland signed a treaty that shifted Polands borders west. In total, Poland lost 69,860 square miles (180,934 square kilometers) in the east, although it gained 38,986 square miles (100,973 square kilometers) in the west. Until 1989, Poland maintained a close relationship with the Soviet Union. Throughout the 1980s, Poland also experienced a large amount of civil unrest and strikes by industrial workers. In 1989, the trade union Solidarity was granted permission to contest government elections and in 1991, under the first free elections in Poland, Lech Walesa became the countrys first president. Government of Poland Today, Poland is a democratic republic with two legislative bodies. These bodies are the upper Senate, or Senat, and a lower house called the Sejm. Each of the members for these legislative bodies are elected by the public. Polands executive branch consists of a chief of state and a head of government. The chief of state is the president, while the head of government is the prime minister. The legislative branch of Polands government is the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Tribunal. Poland is divided into 16 provinces for local administration. Economics and Land Use in Poland Poland currently has a successfully growing economy and has practiced a transition to more economic freedom since 1990. The largest economies in Poland are machine building, iron, steel, coal mining, chemicals, shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, and textiles. Poland also has a large agricultural sector with products that include potatoes, fruits, vegetables, wheat, poultry, eggs, pork, and dairy products. Geography and Climate of Poland Most of Polands topography is low lying and makes up a part of the North European Plain. There are many rivers throughout the country, the largest being the Vistula. The northern part of Poland has a more varied topography and features many lakes and hilly areas. Polands climate is temperate with cold, wet winters and mild, rainy summers. Warsaw, Polands capital, has an average January high temperature of 32 degrees (0.1 C) and a July average high of 75 degrees (23.8 C). More Facts about Poland †¢ Polands life expectancy is 74.4 years.†¢ The literacy rate in Poland is 99.8 percent.†¢ Poland is 90% Catholic. Sources Central Intelligence Agency. CIA - The World Factbook - Poland.Infoplease. Poland: History, Geography, Government, and Culture - Infoplease.com.Ullman, H.F. 1999. Geographica World Atlas Encyclopedia. Random House Australia.United States Department of State. Poland.