Simplicity a bigger Key then acknowledged in AI design and development

image found on technewsworld.com

As AI devices become more integrated into our digital lifestyles today user frustration seems to build. When you look at reports about many new types of gadgets coming to market it seems that the manufacturers aren’t taking the time to give the devices to a regular person and watch what they do with the device. See how they interact with it. Because if they did they would soon realize it doesn’t matter if they unit has all the bells and whistles it doesn’t mean anything if the unit can do some simple requested tasks.

In a recent Wall Street Journal Article (“The Smartest Ways to Use Your Smartphone in the Car”, https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-smartest-ways-to-use-your-smartphone-in-the-car-1486496177). The writer looks at various options for AI devices in your car and one of the things she brings up is how frustrating it is to have just some simple requests done. The article is well written but the video speaks so many more volumes. When you look at a regular person using an app in their vehicle while they are driving and how frustrated they are at just requesting simple commands it shows that the creators missed the train big time.

I can see why people will stop using apps or AI devices when even simple commands for music, directions or even to make a note seem like a huge earth shattering task for the device.

As software developers we are problem solvers. Life is filled to tons of little things that speak huge volumes to us as designers and developers. But, we seem to miss the big picture. That is the human factor. I really wonder how many companies before releasing a device grab a regular person and sit them down and just watch. See how they interact and what they do or don’t. But most importantly what they say and how upset they get when even a simple request requires multiple yelling and screaming sometimes and it still doesn’t work.

As Mies said “God is in the details…” and this really shows how some great apps and devices missed the mark when it might be easier to still pull over if driving and manually put it in yourself instead of look like a crazy person yelling into your phone because of the frustration you’ve encountered from a naughty design.

Mirko Cukich 3.25.2017

An amazing book for all to enjoy and read "Never Quit"

An amazing book for all to enjoy and read Never Quit: From Alaskan Wilderness Rescues t... by Jimmy Settle http://amzn.to/2l1gfAt

Never Quit: From Alaskan Wilderness Rescues to Afghanistan Firefights as an Elite Special Ops PJ Hardcover – March 7, 2017

by Jimmy Settle (Author), Don Rearden (Author)

“That Others May Live” is a mantra that defines the fearless men of Alaska’s 212th Pararescue Unit, the PJs, one of the most elite military forces on the planet. Whether they are rescuing citizens injured and freezing in the Alaskan wilderness or saving wounded Rangers and SEALS in blazing firefights at war, the PJs are the least known and most highly trained of America’s warriors. 

Never Quit is the true story of how Jimmy Settle, an Alaskan shoe store clerk, became a Special Forces Operator and war hero. After being shot in the head during a dangerous high mountain operation in the rugged Watapur Valley in Afghanistan, Jimmy returns to battle with his teammates for a heroic rescue, the bullet fragments stitched over and still in his skull. In a cross between a suicide rescue mission and an against-all-odds mountain battle, his team of PJs risk their lives again in an epic firefight. When his helicopter is hit and begins leaking fuel, Jimmy finds himself in the worst possible position as a rescue specialist―forced to leave members from his own team behind. Jimmy will have to risk everything to get back into the battle and bring back his brothers.

From death-defying Alaskan wilderness training, wild rescues, and vicious battles against the Taliban and Al Qaeda, this is an explosive special operations memoir unlike any that has come before, and the true story of a man from humble beginnings who became an American hero.

Happy Birthday Steve Jobs, February 24, 1955

Steve Jobs was born in San Fransisco on February 24, 1955. After starting Apple Computer with Steve Wozniak in 1976, in the later years, he became a revolutionary tech leader. Under his leadership, Apple created revolutionary products like iPhone, iPad, MacBook Air, and iPad. After a long battle with pancreatic cancer, he passed away in 2011. Even today, this man, who was full of incredible passion continues to inspire people. Here are some of the most inspiring quotes from Steve Jobs to motivate you. Take a look:

15 Inspirational quotes From Steve Jobs

 1. “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow know what you truly want to become.”

 2. “Stay hungry. Stay foolish”

 3. “We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here?”

 4. “My job is not to be easy on people. My job is to take these great people we have and to push them and make them even better.”

 5. “Those who are crazy enough to think they can change the world usually do.”

 6. “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”

 7. “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”

 8. “Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.”

 9. “I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what’s next.”

 10. “Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.”

 11. “Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.”

 12. “Sometimes life is going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith.”

 13. “If you live each day as it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.”

 14. “Getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.”

 15. Last but not the least: "Think Different"



Text and photo originally published on fossbytes:

15 Inspirational Quotes From Steve Jobs On His Birthday That Could Change your Life

Today's Mathematician: Ryan Hynd

Ryan Hynd
Assistant Professor
Department of Mathematics
University of Pennsylvania

MLK Visiting Professor
Department of Mathematics
Massachusetts Institute of Technology


I was born in Kingston, Jamaica to a single mother. My mom and I moved to the United States when I was five years old in search of better opportunities. After moving around several times, we settled in a south Florida suburb. In those days, my mother worked as a private nurse for a nursing agency, and I was obsessed with playing sports. I became a decent basketball player in high school and ended up on the team for my local junior college, which was known as Palm Beach Community College (PBCC).

It was there at PBCC that I discovered an interest in science. I decided to follow a course of study based on engineering in hopes of getting employed as a computer technician. However, I struggled mightily with my introductory calculus and physics courses. Nevertheless, I stuck with it and received a lot of encouragement from my physics professors at PBCC.

My grades at PBCC were good, but I was not admitted as a transfer student to various state schools; perhaps this was because of a poor SAT score. Fortunately, Georgia Tech admitted me as a transfer student. My intended major was computer engineering. However, I found that I really liked learning about math and physics, and I decided to change my major to mathematics even before arriving at Georgia Tech.

This change was somewhat of a gamble since I could not identify a clear career path, and I was taking out student loans to fund my education. However, I consider it one of the best decisions I ever made. I thoroughly enjoyed studying mathematics at Georgia Tech, and I encountered professors who recognized my abilities and who mentored me. With the help of Georgia Tech faculty, I did undergraduate research, I was encouraged to take graduate courses, and I learned a lot about the questions mathematicians were pursuing at the time. Moreover, these professors helped me prepare for graduate school in mathematics.

Now that I am a professor at Penn, I am constantly keeping an eye out for students who need encouragement and a chance to show what they can do. I have been especially on the lookout for those students who are traditionally underrepresented in mathematics. Recently, I have helped create a Bridge-to-PhD program at Penn with precisely with these students in mind. So along with teaching and doing research, one of my professional goals is to contribute to the development and cultivation of mathematical talent from all aspects of our society.

"Mathematically Gifted and Black"

Theoretical Physicist: Dr. Shirley Jackson

Dr. Shirley Jackson is a theoretical physicist & the 1st African American woman to earn a Ph.D. from MIT

Bigger Screen to see all your goodies

Nothing like a bigger screen to see all your goodies when online 
 Just saw this on Amazon: LG 32MA68HY-P 32-Inch IPS Monitor with Display by LG Electronics for $199.99 http://amzn.to/2lWDCLn

Great review of Seneca's book On the Shortness of Life

8 Ways To Not Waste Time And Procrastinate,
A great review of Seneca's book On the Shortness of Life: Life is....

Life is Long if You Know How To Use It, Seneca

Life is Long if You Know How To Use It

An amazing short book everyone should take the time to read.
Life is an amazing gift we all enjoy but many times we do things that cause our own defeat and failures. This book gives us some deep thoughts and ideas to ponder on so that we use our abundant life to its fullest and not squander in waste. Great short read and definitly a book you will come back to time and again for reference.

One the Shortness of Life: Life is Long if You Know How to Use It
By Seneca

Google cleaning house at the Play Store on March 15th

The crackdown begins.
Google has been hearing a lot of complaints from people when it comes to how apps are accessing data and privacy on peoples Android devices. There are many apps on the Google Play Store that access peoples private data without asking permission or even letting people know its happening.

This issue has been going on for a while now and Google has responded. They have sent out emails to developers letting them know that their app has been flagged for privacy policy violation and it "requires developers to provide a valid privacy policy when the app requests or handles sensitive information."

The permissions include areas like: phone access, account contacts, camera and microphone devices.

Google has told developers "If your app collects and transmits personal or sensitive user data unrelated to functionality described prominently in the app's listing on Google Play or in the app interface, then prior to the collection and transmission, it must prominently  highlight how the user data will be used and have the user provide affirmative consent for such use."

The deadline is March 15, 2017 for developers to update their store listings with a valid privacy policy or remove those features creating the issue from their app. If developers don't comply Google will take action from visibility restrictions to removal from the store.

Image found on greenbot.com

Congratulations to Google's first African Coding Competition winner: 17 year old Nji Collins Gbah

Photo from bbc.com


Congratulations to Nji Collins Gbah (17) of Bamenda, Cameroon Africa for being chosen as one of Google's 34 Grand Prize winners in the Google Code-in. The competition was open to students world wide from between the ages of 13 and 17. In this years competition there were more than 1,300 people from 62 countries that were part of the event.

Nji completed all five categories which has 20 tasks that were set by Google for students to finish. One task alone took a week to finish. The impressive thing about Nji was he is self taught from online resources and books. He was able to pick up things he didn't know quickly and on the fly.

When interviewed for the BBC he mentions he worked on the Google competition between November and Mid-January. Plus he was lucky enough to finish the deadline for final submissions the day before the internet went dead in his hometown.

Photo from bbc.com

One part of his prize is to spend four days at Google's Silicon Valley Headquarters and meet with their top engineers to learn some new things and gain more of an insight into Google.

Currently Nji is working on learning as much as he can about Artificial Intelligence, Neural Networks and Deep learning as he makes his way toward studying Computer science at a good university soon. He is shooting to develop his own model for data compression with a major goal of "huge step"s in the area of data transfer and storage.

I have a feeling we have just begun to see Nji's talents and the world will be a better place because of it.