Tag Archives: featured-image

Time for the Weekly Check-In!!!

This week was another week of smooth sailing for me. I was able to accomplish all of the Week 2 assignments that were posted and really enjoyed completing them. A lot of the assignments allowed for some creative magic which was interesting and fun to take part in. The first thing I started with this was actually the Daily Create for Monday. I wanted to see what kind of exercises were going to get posted and so I was able to login onto Mastodon and finish the first Daily Create. This one involved me creating a Fibbonaci poem where I talked about the dramatic nature of a tennis match and you can find that post here. I also did a daily create on Tuesday, which was to create a unknown language that you only know kind of like the Voynich Manuscript and that post is located at think link. Once I was able to figure out how the Daily Creates worked and what kind of exercises would be shown to us on a daily basis, I decided to get going on the some of the assignments that were on the board for this week. The first thing I did was read the article that talked a little bit about how to write our blog posts and what kind of information we should include in them to make them the most appealing to others. I also set aside some time to go in and comment on other people’s post to make sure that they were knowledgable that other people were reading and enjoying their work. I then moved onto the next task for the week which was to customize our blog so that it was more appealing to others and not everyone had the same default look to their blog sites. I really enjoyed this task for the week because I was able to go in and change my theme and make it more techy and something I enjoyed looking at and if you want to take a look at that, you can find it here. I also was able to come up with a new, more enjoyable and fun title for my website, “Creative Bytes: Exploring the World of DS106” which was better than just “Rishi Shankar’s DS106 Blog.” Once I finished customizing my website, I moved onto completing my assignment bank assignments which were assignments that we were free to choose whichever one we wanted and complete three of them from different categories while relating two of them to the field of AI. I created a animated gif which is located here, created a sports poster using AI here, and finished off this part of the week with a AI poster with a contradictory statement located here. Following this, then came probably my favorite assignment of the week; creating my course character. I have a formal introduction to Xander Neoteric on my blog site, but i would like to take another moment to introduce everyone to Xander, a tech genius and the CEO of Xander Technologies. Moving on, I met with Dr. Oblivion to talk about some AI topics that were in the Iron Man film to which I was able to come up with some more ideas to add to my film review and really enjoyed getting his thoughts on my ideas as well as the ideas in the film related to AI. While talking to Dr. Oblivion, I decided to also complete my summary and reflection on the Techno-Optimist Manifesto and I had a nice conversation with him about my analysis of the article as well as getting his thoughts on the matter. He seemed very impressed with my analysis and was point out all of the important points I made and explaining why they were important so that was nice to hear. He also made some points that I may have missed out on and he really like my connection of the manifesto back to the Iron Man film. You can read that blog for yourself at the link given above. Finally, I was able to complete my Weekly Summary, which is being finished as I write out this final portion of the assignment.

I did not encounter too many issues this week when completing my assignments. The only issues that I did encounter were very small, such as my WordPress site not loading and Mastodon not letting my login to my account. But each of those issue were 5-minute issues that were resolved pretty quickly and did not really hinder me in any way. Like stated before, my favorite assignment from this week definitely has to be the course character. I am not sure what it is but something about creating a persona around someone that no one knows exists in an artificial world and being able to create everything about him/her was really interesting and enjoyable to me.

I definitely think that I accomplished all of the requirements for all of the assignments for this week and I think I did them to the best of my ability. Like stated before, I enjoyed most of the assignments for this week and really allowed me to be creative and intentional with the work I was doing. I did learn that in order to complete the daily creates, you could not sit and think about them for a while because they were so simple that there was not much to think about to begin with. It was more just of a whatever came to your mind kind of situation. I would not do anything differently for the work that I did this week as it was completed with effort, time, and creativeness and there is no need to change anything in my opinion. I was able to get all my questions answered during the group talk that I had with Professor Bond and Professor Groom, so I currently do not have any questions about the course of its assignments. I believe that there are no larger issues at hand with my work and that they were done properly and with effort.

Dr. Oblivion’s Thoughts on Iron Man

The movie that I chose to watch in relation to the field of Artificial Intelligence was the Marvel Studios’ Iron Man. I really enjoyed watching this movie again, as I enjoy all of the Marvel movies and so it was nice to have another one to watch for this assignment. I find the storyline pretty interesting on how Stark is kidnapped and it really changed the way he was as a human and changed his outlook on life. He was pretty self-absorbed before but after the kidnapping situation, he decided that his weapons were too dangerous and so he had to stop manufacturing those kinds of weapons. Overall, it was really interesting and enjoyable to watch this movie.

Although I have already watched this movie on multiple other occasions, it was interesting to watch it while trying to see how AI was being incorporated into the movie. Other times, I just watched the movie just to enjoy it, but this time I was able to determine that Jarvis, the automated system that is incorporated into Tony Stark’s suit, plays a big role in the functionality and usage of the suit. With simple commands spoken to it by the user, Stark was able to accomplish many tasks while trying to accomplish the various tasks he was trying to do. Dr. Oblivion pointed out that this was of one the main themes that most people pick up on in this movie due to its highly technological nature. He also agreed with me on the fact that with the use of Jarvis, Stark was able to easily and efficiently accomplish various tasks with simple commands, and Dr. Oblivion also made a connection to the real world and stated that is very similar to how things are done in real life. The user asks the AI bot to help with a certain task, a simple command is given, and the AI bot outputs a result that can be used by the user to help them in whatever situation they are in.

One of the questions that we are trying to explore is “How can we use AI applications to enhance human creativity in storytelling and making art on the web?” and so this movie help inspire some thoughts about this question. Although it is not exactly the same situation, the use of the Iron Man suit and its ability to integrate an AI agent into the suit so that the tasks become more automated helps enhance what humans can do with the assistance of AI. Using AI, humans can discover new ideas and go through with creating new works of art so that the field can be expanded over time. The Iron Man suit is an example of this situation because Stark was able to make a suit of armor that is able to protect the user from almost all weapons and danger which allows the user to be able to do acts of good while also being protected. In a sense, the suit itself is a work of art created by Stark. Dr. Oblivion also agrees with this statement because he says that AI can be used to enhance human creativity while also helping humans learn and become more knowledgable in various fields of study. However, Dr. Oblivion also makes a very important statement saying that humans should not overuse AI because that could be proven to be detrimental to the creativeness of humans. I agree with this fact because humans are unique because of how creative each individual is and how creativity differs from person to person.

When Dr. Oblivion was asked if there were any themes in the Iron Man film related to the field of AI, its response was similar to mine. He stated that the creation of Jarvis was the main overarching theme that was related to AI. With the help of Jarvis, Stark could compute complex calculations, resolve almost any situation, and even offers “witty banter” like a real human would. However, Dr. Oblivion also foreshadowed a little bit because it made a point about how Ultron, another AI bot made by Stark that would eventually feel threatened by humans and set out to destroy Earth, should represent how AI can still be dangerous and provide unintended consequences if not developed and used correctly. That is one theme that I glossed over in this film and while not directly related to the film, the movie “Avengers: Age of Ultron” shows how Ultron was developed and eventually became sentient and wanted to prove to the world that humans were dangerous. THis represents the ability of AI bots to become sentient and possibly pose threats to the human race that would not have been considered when first developing such technologies. Overall, I think that AI should definitely be used in the human life and be used to come up with new ideas and works of art, but should also be sure to not to overuse the capabilities of AI so that the sense of creativity can manifest in humans.

Technology: Beneficial or Detrimental?

Over the years technology has definitely taken leaps in its advancements with new phones coming out every year, new gaming consoles, smaller and more portable laptops that contain the same processing power of the old, clunky looking ones, however, it is also important to note that many believe that the rate in which technology is advancing could be a bad thing. The “Techno-Optimist Manifesto” stated that all of the reasons as to why technology advancement should be slowed down or stopped entirely are lies and we should not be listening to these fake rumors. The manifesto argues that we should look down upon the pessimistic views on technology and that technology is doing a lot of good in world and technological advancements lead to progress, economic growth, and various solutions to ongoing real-world problems.

The manifesto argues that technology will bring good real-world change and argues against centralized planning for the economy because the system of production and consumption is too complex. However, the article also states that with the use of free markets, technological advancements are fostered and advocates for this idea, while arguing the more centralized economic planning idea as stated before. With the use of free market planning, the articles states that the quality of life for humans increases by a lot and leads to an abundance of energy efficiency practices and intellectual enhancement. The article also states that with the use of technology our outreach as humans can expand beyond just Earth. With the help of technology, starvation and disease rates can be reduced, the quality of life for humans and the standard of living in many areas can increase, and the economic growth of various places from around the world could prove to be benefits for advancement of technology. The expansion of human potential is a big theme in this article because with the advocacy for the advancement of technology, there brings new opportunities for us humans to advance as a race and move into a more beneficial world.

Looking back to the film review, for which I watched Iron Man, this article actually fits in pretty well. At first, the movie starts out with mercenaries stealing highly dangerous weapons to use them for bad purposes but are eventually overthrown. The main character, Tony Stark, then realizes the true detriments for his weapons and decides that he will no longer create technologies that are detrimental to the world. Looking forward into the movie, he is able to use his mind and love for technology to build a suit that can help keep people safe from various dangers and eventually build even more suits to keep other people safe as well. He always advocated for a “suit of armor” around the world because he knew what kind of dangers could fester within the world of technology if the wrong people for their hands on it. Relating back to the article that advocates for the advancement of technology and the benefits that come with up, the Iron Man film fits in perfectly with that theme. The advancements in technology made by Stark eventually lead to a situaiton where he is in a suit of armor that is used to save the Earth and eventually, the universe. The article states that there is a better quality of life and standard of living for humans when advancements in technology are made, and Stark proves that when in “Avengers,” uses his suit that he created in the Iron Man film to reroute a missile that was headed for the city of New York into space so that nothing bad ever happens to the city. Personally, I think that I agree with the manifesto and that we should keep striving for excellence within the field and try out best to bring in more and more beneficial ideas to the world so that everyone can be better off. When Dr. Oblivion was asked what his thoughts on the matter was, he stated that people believe that AI is very good and will solve all of our problems but he also heavily stated that we should proceed with caution because sometimes technological advancements bring about unwarranted issues and dangers. When reviewing my analysis, Dr. Oblivion pointed out that my analysis was very in-depth and he noticed that from my writing style that was I was agreeing with the points made in the manifesto and he was correct. He also pointed out that it the Iron Man example was a good example to use for the manifesto because it fit in quite “snuggly” to the main ideas being made in the article. Overall, the manifesto was a good read and really challenged the views of pessimists in the field of technology while accurately and efficiently advocated for the advancements of technology and the benefits that they bring.

Wellness Check 101

In order to complete this assignment, we had to explore the assignment bank and select three distinct assignments from three different categories. The “My Wellness Check” assignment I selected has a difficulty rating of two stars. Since I wanted to complete a writing assignment, I decided to tackle this one since it seemed like an excellent opportunity for me to discuss my present and future well-being.

“What worries me most about the future?” is the first question posed by the author. My biggest concern for the future is beginning a job in the fall. I intend to graduate from college in May, and after I do, I will give up a lot of freedoms. I’m going into the real world, which can be very daunting. After graduating from college, I fear that adjusting to working nine to five every day will be difficult. Only time will tell.

“What am I doing about the things that matter most in my life?” is the following question posed by the author. The things that are most important to me right now in my life are tennis, school, family, and my girlfriend. I’ve started my final semester of college and am trying to make the dean’s list at UMW for the eighth time. But once in college, it would be awesome to be on the President’s list. I communicate with my family on a daily basis to let them know how much I value and cherish them. I’m currently planning a graduation trip to Italy with my girlfriend. I make an effort to live every moment of my tennis career as if it were my last. Although it isn’t the case yet, it soon will be. I believe I give everything that matters to me priority.

The author proceeds to ask, “What do I want most in life?” I’ll respond in the most clichĂ© way possible, but all I want is happiness. Happiness, in my opinion, stems from memories, family, and friends. Sometime in my 30s, I would like to get married and have a few children. And I want to maintain my friendships with everyone I currently know.

The author then poses, “When did I last push the boundaries of my comfort zone?” as the next question. I honestly don’t remember; I spend most of my time in my comfort zone. I essentially talk to the same people and do the same things every day. I don’t usually take chances or step outside of my comfort zone too often.

“What goals do I need to have to get where I want to be?” is the author’s final question. I believe I only need to set very basic goals in order to attain where I want to go in the future. I’m going to keep learning in my line of work since growth is possible through education. This will enable me to fulfill my career objectives. In order to prepare myself for the future, I also need to simply manage my money wisely while I’m still young.

I had fun completing this work for the assignment bank. I was able to consider who I wanted to be in the future as I went along. One day, I hope to be able to reflect on all of my responses to these questions and realize how many of them came to reality.

My Wellness Check

Here is the assignment I worked on!

A GIF you wouldn’t believe unless you watch it!

For my second assignment I chose to create a GIF of the best sports play in my opinion from this past year. This GIF is Nikola Jokic hitting a buzzer beater to win the game. This is one of the best highlights from this past year given how difficult the shot was. First off Jokic had less than 3 seconds to get the shot off over his defender with the game on the line. The Warriors and Nuggets are to very competitive teams. Secondly, location of the shot was not your average shooting distance or range. Jokic knew he had to take the shot with the game tied he threw it up and sunk it. Even with the pressure of the game, shot clock, and being guarded he managed to put up an impressive shot to seal the game for his team.

The New York Yankees but Through the Lens of an AI

Background

For my first assignment I was tasked with creating a sports poster for a professional sports team. Sticking with the theme of AIs in DS106 I decided to use an AI to generate this poster. I asked the AI to produce a sports poster of the Yankees using a modern theme with nature elements. I felt a modern theme would really grab audience’s attention given the futuristic looks of the poster. I threw in the nature theme as a twist. If you look at sports poster in today’s society there is a lack of a nature elements. I’m not saying nature themed sports posters don’t exist, but I felt including this would draw more attention due to the uncommon presence of it.

Why the Yankees?

I chose the New York Yankees for my example for a couple reasons. First reason is this is my favorite sports team of all time. I grew up watching some of the greatest players to ever play for the Yankees. For example, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, and countless more. Another reason I chose the Yankees was how iconic they are. All over the world people have heard of the New York Yankees. This poster came out great. It gives a futuristic vibe with hints of nature elements, something different from a boring generic poster that will turn heads and grab the audience’s attention.

Daily Create 1/22/24

Here is my Fibonacci poem I created for today’s Daily Create.

How
can
I show
you the light
that I see within you,
that you shed delicately to brighten my world,
when you are suffering deep inside a dark maze with seemingly no exits?
You allow the sun to shine, beyond all the troubles of the world. I wish I could help you see it.

I’m not going to go into depth on it, it’s sort of a vent and personal thing, but the context is that one of my friends is hurting right now, and isn’t very comfortable with themself, and I wish I could find a better way to help them see themselves in the light that I see them. It’s really hard not knowing exactly what to say, and I don’t mean to make it sound like it’s about me, because it definitely isn’t, but I’m just hoping that they can one day see themselves as the person who helps me feel bright.

Meet the Innovator – Xander Neoteric

Meet Xander Neoteric. Xander was born on December 25th, 1995 and raised in San Francisco, California to Hannah Neoteric and Thomas Neoteric. From a young age, Xander was always in love with the field of technology, thanks to his father’s devotion to creating and transforming the world of technology. Unfortunately, his dad was never able to accomplish his dreams. Xander’s father always saw something in his son that no one else did, he was always wanting to learn more and experiment with his various ideas that were always rushing through his head. Xander is a big man, standing at a tall 6-feet 6-inches, and weighing in at about 250 pounds, Xander is not your ordinary techno person.

Xander currently lives his life single without any care for the world about having or being in a relationship due to the fact that he is always occupied with his work and his own mind. He is trying to innovate and change the world of technology while living up to the legacy his father left behind. After graduating from MIT as his class’s valedictorian, Xander was on a mission to hit his first big milestone of his career and started his own technology company Xander Technologies. He company took off quicker than it even started after he invented a new way to perform difficult surgeries by having an AI bot built into the surgery table that gave in-depth x-rays to the surgeon so that he could carefully carry out highly difficult surgeries. Xander has a lot more to show for him and this is only the beginning of his legacy-starting story. Xander is also a little self-absorbed due to the fact that in an interview, he once said that his favorite possession was his mind. I am sure that we will see and hear a lot more of Xander in the future.