a blank piece of paper...

Perception, reality and engineering!

This is a short article on the concept of reality and our ability to perceive it. 
This was inspired by a Digital Image Processing Engineering class I took and my experiences teaching a course on Academic Argumentation to freshmen college students where we explored issues such as the the effect of language and culture on each other and on society.


If the world that we perceive is limited by our senses and our perception of that sensing, is there a way we can use this understanding of our limitation to, maybe, sense things beyond what our physically limited sensing capabilities may allow?

   This would require more imagination on our part, in terms of having to go beyond trying to "explain" what we perceive and the oddities in them, and actually probing further into the darkness that surrounds the circle of light which is our present understanding of the world. We would have to use our imagination and the understanding of our limitations, as a flashlight to  explore and discover new things about the world, to rethink certain aspects our present knowledge to account for possibilities we may  have missed, and to design perception systems which will enable us, in the future, to overcome the limitations of human perception.

For instance, take the optical illusion of the hidden triangle, where our mind unconsciously connects the dots or joins the edges to create an illusion of a triangle which does not really exist. Where else, are we joining the dots to make up lines which seem so real to us that it seems preposterous to think that they may not exist? Or would an epistemologically objective ( from philosopher John Searle's definition of the term ) statement qualify as reality, despite the fact that we are aware that our senses are limited. To put it in simpler terms, would the fact that ten blind men think that a thunderstorm is nothing but a lot of rain and thunder, mean that lightening does not exist?  

It would be easy to argue that, being home sapiens, since we have physical limitations on our sensing abilities, it is futile , therefore to try and use them to understand our world completely. But can we rise above that temptation and argue that knowledge of those limitations can themselves humble us into more careful interpretation of the data we get from our sensing systems? Can the knowledge that we are subconsciously connecting dots, make us consciously think twice about where we may be doing that? Going back to the illusion of the hidden triangle, we were indeed able to disregard our earlier perception of a triangle after consciously being aware of the illusion and the limitation that caused it. So what if we can teach ourselves not to do that in other cases where we may still not be aware that we are doing it subconsciously? Would that result in a "reality" that is radically different from the one we know and perceive today? There is no reason it might not. 

When we talk about limitations of human perception, we often think about physical limitations of the brain and the sensory systems. Equally important, and often disregarded, is the effect that intangible things like our culture and language can have on human perception. Research has shown that even something basic like the language we grow up with, can greatly affect the way we see colors. This short clip from a  documentary talks about this fascinating research finding http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b71rT9fU-I . So in the spirit of scientific discovery, could we possible aim to sense objective reality or design systems which can do that for us, obscured not just by physical filters but also, cultural and linguistic ones? 

Advances in fields like ophthalmology, neuroscience, cognitive science and computer vision have brought us into an exciting era of scientific discovery where we are taking rapid steps in our understanding of how we sense, process and interpret visual data. Building on this understanding, we have started designing machine vision systems, which try to recreate the "signal to symbol" transformation which we do effortlessly, every waking second. Although present day systems may not be any match to the amazing powers of human perception, it is not hard to imagine a future where they can surpass human perception and shed light on things which were right there in front of us, but which we had no idea were present, simply because of those tangible and intangible filters which were blocking our perception. And it is this view of the future that makes this area of research so exciting to not just the engineer, but also to the philosopher, the scientist and every critical thinker.   

The prodigal writer...

I can feel the gears starting to turn. The cranky machinery starting to move again - creaking, squealing, protesting - but definitely moving. I can feel the familiar incredible shiver in my fingertips, the feeling of focus and energy that washes over me. As my fingers rush on, in their glorious release, I regret as always, in the back of my head, that I did not come back earlier, come back oftener. I knew that was a question that had no answer.  Or maybe it was that I already knew. It is the biggest gift I have, and also, maybe, the biggest curse that I have. I sigh. I shut my eyes and just give in. I know not when I will be back. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next month, maybe an year later, maybe never. But I know that when it does, I know it will seize me. It will suck me into the whirlwind and bring me here. Again. But all that matters is that I am here now. And I feel like this is where I was meant to be. I feel like a trekker who chances upon a bird of incredible beauty and grace and stands there motionless, too scared to breathe, lest he scare away the bird. He did not plan it, and he cannot in the future. The moment just happened and all that matters was that he is there , and the bird is there, and for that moment in space and time, he is witnessing something special, something amazing. I feel like him - trying to clutch on to this amazing but transient experience, trying to memorise its every detail, knowing fully well that his best efforts cannot quite recreate the magic of that moment. For now, I live the moment. And soon, it will pass. And as it does, all I can do is to hope to be back. Until then, its goodbye.

A quiet little comeback

The night is old. Its not dark though. The moonlight bathes the sleeping world with a faint silvery glow, which seems eerily too bright, to my wide-open eyes. I glance furtively around. There is no sign of movement. The night is still. The carpet of dry fallen leaves under the trees which crackle like gunshots at the lightest step all lie quietly, waiting for me to make my move to emphatically announce their acoustic disdain for my nightly pursuits.

I think again. Its been so long. I am ashamed. Do I even have a right to be back? Would those well-worn pathways and hand-plastered walls remember me? Would they hate me for abandoning them? Would they welcome me - the prodigal son, or disown me as I deserved? Deep down, I was scared to answer my own questions. I guess that was why I chose to come back at this un-godly hour. And that was why I was crouched uncomfortably in the fuchsia bush outside. I wanted this to be a furtive visit. I did not want anyone to know that I came back. I did not want anyone to ask me what it meant. I wanted this for myself - pure and simple.

I knew I had to make my move soon. The faint fingers of dawn were not too far away. I was running out of time. I took a deep breath. I stood up. As if on cue, a faint breeze started to blow. A whiff of an old familiar scent wafted through the cold night air towards me. I could not quite place what it was of, but I knew then, at that moment, that I was back home. I began to walk.

How i miss thee...

Talking animatedly to my mother at home today, it took a while for her weird looks to make me realize that I was dancing circles around her. The culprit was a tennis ball I had found lying around, and unbeknown to me, I had started dribbling(not the nasty kind). Sidestepping the furniture with deft in-steps and out-steps, playing an imaginative 1-2 pass with the wall to outfox the solid defense of the coffee table's legs and faking a shot on goal to fool the chair before finally neatly stepping away from the flummoxed four-legged defender to unleash a trademark left footer into the far right top corner.. sigh.. i miss football...

Its been exactly four months since I broke my ankle in that fateful match, and I havent still stepped onto the football field. The ankle has healed pretty well, but still the weakness is hard not to miss. Whether the ankle is ready or not, the heart yearns to get back on to the field.. Aaaahh.. the joys of football.. the thrill of outthinking the opponent.. the rush of adrenalin at the sight of a goal chance.. the feeling of pure and utter freedom when u beat the opponent for sheer pace as you race ahead with the ball on the counter attack.. the sense of oneness of purpose and the true and complete understanding with your teammate that makes the perfect pass.. the indescribable warmth of pure joy that washes over you when u see the net bulge with the power of your shot.. the split second heart stopping moment just after taking a shot on goal when time seems to stand still as 22 eyes bore into the ball willing it with all their might to move an inch here or an inch there... the sense of camaraderie in the team huddle.. the bitter lead-heavy disappointment of a missed chance.. the heartbreak of an undeserved loss.. .. the sheer tears of joy after a hard earned win...the gentle ache of tired muscles after a great game.. the biting smell of the muscle relaxant sprays which shrouds the team bunker at half time.. the unforgiving remorse that a goal which you missed could have won your team the match.. the unimaginable ecstasy of a come-from-behind-victory.. aaaahhh.. how i miss them all!

the sheer joy of winning the ball from an opponent with a hard tackle and having it at my feet with the opponent half lying invitingly ahead as the wingers stream ahead along the flanks and the midfielders quickly get into position for tat pass that would launch the attack.. If only you could freeze time in that one instant, that just might be the most focused you will ever find me..and one of the happiest too..

The trouble with dreams...

Its been just one day into the 30 day challenge, but I am already enjoying it immensely. Got in touch with Ay, AMC, J, AC, An and a senior whom I havent spoken to in four years ( i know that is slightly more than one, but who cares! ). And the best part is, he got in touch with me after reading about the challenge :) Today was great...there's something about catching up with old friends that seems to just life your spirits up.. which takes you to that special warm place where snapshots of the days gone by and the fun you had seem to swim in front of you for a while..its a strange but great feeling..Is it just me or do memories seem to be stored in the mind mostly in the form of pictures? Maybe its the overkill of pictures everywhere thanks to the digital camera, but when I look back at my past now, it seems to flash in my minds eye in the form of pictures, snapshots of life, love, laughter and tears. And the harder I think about it, the more they seem to fly about in a choreographed slideshow of frozen action scenes...The mind sure is a weird and wonderful thing...

I ve always wondered at its intricacies.. like, for instance, the way it concocts this elaborate and intricate web of reality and fools itself into believing in its validity when we dream.. The mental picture of one part of the brain (responsible for engineering this remarkable deception) rolling around in laughter watching the other part trying to make sense and survive in the illusion that it created is both wacky, and deeply disturbing.

And another thing about dreams... ever wondered how tat alarm bell or shake or fall that woke u up got so intricately and seamlessly woven into the plot of the dream? Classical dream theorists such as Nolan would suggest that its just the sub conscious adjusting to external stimuli but what if the explanation is not tat simple? What if, our mind actually can work backward in time while creating its version of reality? What if, the whole dream started with the stimuli that woke you up and worked backwards into the story in reverse time? Is there any reason that the unidirectional nature of time followed by the physical world should be extended into the metaphysical? Maybe that is the reason why the story seems so smooth..so continuous.. And if by a huge stretch of imagination, we could in fact assume that this is true, what great ramifications this could have in our understanding or realisation of our ignorance in the way our mind processes information and constructs solutions? Could this ability to engineer a version of reality be harnessed to affect some tangible physical process? There are no end to these questions.. its the answers that are hard to come by... What do you think?

Maybe its the pitter patter of the rain outside my window or the increasingly complex dreams that I have been having, but my mind is abuzz with many more ramblings but I guess I better stop for now... cos I know when I close my laptop and sink into my inviting bed, a whole new world awaits me... and its an intellectual and creative adventure which I am loving :)

P.S: Thanks An, for all the motivation and quite undeserved praise. I was both flattered and shamed into posting today by you :D

the 30 day challenge

Keeping with my routine of eating, sleeping, cracked.com, web comics, watching tv shows and a little of cooking and cleaning, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself on my fav site after a long long time - ted.com. Found this great idea on TED.. do check it out http://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days.html . The simplicity of the whole idea struck me. Take something u always wanted to do and challenge yourself to do it for 30 days. Simple as that. It can be as small as reading the newspaper everyday or blogging everyday or as big as volunteering at a local NGO or learning a new instrument. It can be both an experiment of your will power and an exercise for it. Also, you get to have great fun and at the end of it, can look back in satisfaction :) tat got me thinking.. I am never gonna be as vetti (free) as I am right now..so y not? Being the procrastinator I am ( right M ?) , I decided to start off light.. Heres the plan so far:

1. Get in touch with one old( or relatively new) friend everyday.

2. Nah.. dont wanna jinx this one.. but its big.. hope I do well enough to tell u i did it after 30 days :)

so wats your plan?