Vier Semester bis zum BSc (Bachelor In Science Of Engineering) habe ich jetzt schon hinter mir und zwei werden noch folgen bis zum Abschluss dieses Studiums. Ganz einfach werden diese zwei letzten Semester auch nicht werden. Man kann diese ungefähr so zusammenfassen:

Gleich zu Beginn des Semesters fanden sich die Gruppen für diverse Anwendungsprojekt zusammen und Betreuer wurden diesen zugeteilt. Manche konnten schon beginnen, andere, so wie meine Gruppe, warten noch immer auf einen Termin für ein KickOff-Meeting mit dem Betreuer, um Kontaktdaten und Ansprechpartner übermittelt zu bekommen.

Für die Bachelorarbeit mussten sich alle Studenten einen Betreuer nach dem Prinzip "First come, first serve" suchen, denn nicht alle Betreuer nehmen gleich viele Studenten auf und die Plätze sind meist rar bei den persönlichen Wunschbetreuern. Für mich stand mein Thema schon seit einem Semester fest. Ich wollte mich inhaltlich mit beiden Bachelorarbeiten mit künstlicher Intelligenz beschäftigen. Bachelorarbeit 1 eher theoretisch halten, Bachelorarbeit 2 praktisch halten und Beispiele anhand des neuen Mindstorms NXT 2.0 zeigen. Mein Wunschbetreuer war begeistert von dieser Idee, da auch persönliches Interesse an diesem Gebiet besteht ... oder vielleicht mehr an diesem genialen Speilzeug (Mindstorm). Und so sieht beispielsweise ein Mindstorm aus:

Der Mindstorm kommt mit einer Box von "Bausteinen" und einer Anleitung für ein paar weitere Modelle, die man beliebig nachbauen kann. Standardmäßig werden sogar Sensoren mitgeliefert. Lichtsensor, Tastsensor, Farbsensor, usw. Das Herz dieses Mindstorms ist der/das NXT der mittels der Programmiersprache LabView und bunten Flashbausteinen programmiert werden kann. Verbindung zum Rechner erfolgt mittels USB, Infrarot oder Bluetooth. Wahlweise kann der NXT aber auch mit Java, C++/C, und ähnlichen Programmiersprachen programmiert werden.

Anfang dieser Woche fand eine Konferenz statt in der Betreuer und Thema fixiert werden sollten und nun warten alle Studenten auf gründes Licht, um mit ihren (wissenschaftlichen) Arbeiten starten zu können.

Ich habe bereits begonnen mich näher in mein Wunschthema einzulesen und sehe die einzige Problematik darin, dass eine solche Bachelorarbeit nur aus 20 - 25 Seiten besteht und das Fachgebiet der künstlichen Intelligenz jedoch sehr umfangreich ist. Die Kunst meiner Arbeit wird also darin bestehen alle wichtigen Informationen, auch teils überleitend in Bachelorarbeit 2, gut, kurz und prägnant zu erfassen.

Somehow, it looked like there wouldn´t be any holidays for me, but now I know that I´m going to Sardinia for some weeks. We will start Friday afternoon and come back at the 26th of September.

I´m really looking forward to some time to relax at the beach, read some good books, swimming in the sea, and enjoying the culture there. I do hope I´ll see some pictures like that:

I think we´ll stay at first at Olbia for one week. Further plans will be made there...

... but at the moment we´ve got guests from Switzerland with a bernese mountain dog. That dog is huuuuuuge, but I´ve never seen a friendlier and more well educated dog than she is. I only have to get used to the swiss dialect. It´s quite funny and bings always a smile to my lips :) However, if they are speaking among each other I don´t understand them.

But that doesn´t matter ... I love listening to that dialect :D

Just uploaded one of my first pics made with my new camera :)

If you´d like to see the official vidoe: official video

new colors: metallic orange, white, metallic blue...

I just ran over some sites of Kawasaki sports engines and asked myself: "Do I like the new Er-6n?"
There are some significant changes concerning visual appearence, chassis and motor management, but it´s still the great 650cc eingine with parallel twin-cylinder and 72 hp. However, I really like the appearance and drive of my predecessor

                                      Kawasaki Er-6n 2007/2008       

                                        Kawasaki Er-6n 2008/2009

But what makes the Er-6n 2008/2009 different?
Here some changes:

• Kawasaki changed the style. It´s a new aggressive racy style to make it - and I quote: "... a nastier bike!".
• They also made changes on the chassis and developed a new steel pipe construction
• the 2008/2009 version also has got LED rear lights and also headlamps were changed
• I really appreciate the new sportive cockpit design and the fuel indicator which was missing at my predecessor
• As far as i know they also worked on the motor management. It´s the same motor like the 2007 one (72 hs, 8.500 rpm, max. speed 162 km/h), but there were some modifications made, let´s call it "fine tuning". Fuel injection was overhauled for better response at lower speed ranges and that bike is also available with ABS, like the older version.

All in all the new Er-6n is the same a manoeuvrable naked bike and it´s fun to ride it, there are one some little changes and we will see if it´s right, wheter "vibrations" are minimized or not... however, I haven´t ever recognized such "vibrations" at my bike...

On Friday we celebrated my birthday... I´m 21 now and all I´ve got to say is: "I´m not old! In spite of crackin´ bones, sometimes! Call me "old" with 70! One year older... the most asked question during the last few hours was: "how do you feel now!" ...
...damn, why should I feel different now?!"
However, I spent that weekend in IC ("Iron City") with some friends and didn´t expect presents or so on. Just was happy to be with them. But, here´s what I got:

• a song and a necklace
• 2 special whiskey glasses from leonardo
• a bushmills, 10 year old (whiskey)
• a dinner at old boy´s in sopron... great pub with an awesome location and great food
• some litres of fruits (mango, ananas and lichie) with "korn" ... great "fruitcocktail"! :) I loved it ... thanks to Neipal
• and, at a later hour, some massages for my tensed up back xD

While having some glasses of whiskey we recognized the pregnant woman on my loved jameson bottle for the first time xD -->

Went snowboarding with a friend of mine on one of the most beautiful days in december... got some great pictures :)

                                
Near-real-time simulation of small mammal brain using cognitive computing algorithms with IBM’s BlueGene supercomputer...
C2S2 (Cognitive Computing via Synaptronics and Supercomputing)

A current project of IBM - Systems of Neuromorphic Adaptive Plastic Scalable Electronics (SyNAPSE) - is about how to simulate the humain brain with all it´s neurons and synapses, to get a nervous system and a "consciousness" like the one of humain beings. The aim of that project is creating a computer, which is somehow a bit similar to ASIMO, but is in addition also able to feel, to cognize, to interact and to understand like we humans do.
IBM’s cognitive computing research team works together with five universities and will create, in the framework of DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) a system which has the ability to develop cognitive abilities.

The C2S2 project concentrates on "research in areas including synaptronics, material science, neuromorphic circuitry, supercomputing simulations and virtual environments the next few months."

But the question is, how long does it really take until "humanoid robots" like asimo are equiped with artificial intelligence, which could replace our human brains? As IBM mentioned, one of the aims of that project is to create a "gloabl brain", which could replace other computer applications and also bring together our knowledge.

To be honest... we don´t know exactly what consciousness is, but we try to copy it for AI and in addition, can such computers grow up and make experiences like we did, and how do we describe or program it?! Let´s assume, it´s possible, that a computer has got the abilities of consciousness, interaction, ... will he/it accept itself as a machine, a computer?