Advances in Science and Technology !!!

Ladies and gentlemen, as you all know, research in technology and science is changing the way we live in this world. Science continues to redefine what is possible and what is impossible in our lives. While this is true in every aspect of life, in this post I am going to be focusing on one specific aspect of our lives which will never be the same in the next few decades. Sex. Science is contributing significantly to enhance (?) our sex lives, and here I am looking at a few technological innovations that might change the way humans think about sex and emotional relationships...

1. Love and Sex with Robots: The Evolution of Human-Robot Relationships by David Levy I first heard about this book on Comedy Central's popular show Stephen Colbert Report, last Thursday. We all know that there exists a bevy of sex toys and gizmo that cater to the needs of many people in various walks of life. I hear that it is actually a flourishing industry with seemingly great potential for future investment and returns !!! Anyways, in this book, author Levy explores many aspects of human relationships: the reasons we fall in love, the reasons we feel a need for emotional attachments, and why these same attachments could extend to love for robots. He even goes further when he claims that humans would eventually end up marrying robots and feel emotionally satisfied. This may not surprise all of us, as we had seen Jude Law playing the role of a Gigolo in Stanley Kubrick's/Steven Spielberg's movie A.I. While I haven't read this book yet, my basis for aforementioned statements rests solely on various reviews about this book and David Levy's interview on Colbert Report. Some reviews about this book could be found http://www.powells.com/biblio?show=hardcover:sale:9780061359750:17.46 (of course you could google it as well), and his interview could be found http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_colbert_report/videos/most_recent/index.jhtml , and if you scroll down the section where it says new videos and look for interview with David Levy: dated 1/17/08. I hope you can find it, as it is a laugh riot. This interview starts with Colbert expressing his skepticism and contempt at the very thought of humans making love with robots (rather sex-bots, I should say), getting concerned about the role of men in man-woman relationships, and finally getting downright hilarious when he expresses his concern about the sexuality of robots as told by GOD ( for those who don't know Colbert, he is a brilliant comedian who supports Republican party and holds conservative views compatible with the GOP), and is overjoyed when he learns that one day he could get one such robot for 100$ in Best Buy !!! I must say that I was very concerned on how Colbert is going to navigate his show during this writer's strike period, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/19/arts/television/19writers.html?ref=business , this episode of Colbert report has given me optimism that Colbert can indeed manage the show without his key writers. However, I may have to write another post to express solidarity with striking writers, as I feel their demands are genuine and needs to be addressed.
   
2. Tech and Adult Entertainment industry ( euphemism for porn industry ) While hosting the recently concluded Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Vegas also hosted the Adult Entertainment Expo. This expo was held to showcase (apparently) the advancements in the intersection of technology and adult entertainment. If Steven Soderbergh was to remake his Sex, Lies and Videotape ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098724/ ), he would call it as...yes, you guessed it right, Sex, Lies, HD Dvd and Blue Ray Disks !!! If you were to listen to porn actress Jesse Jane, she says "I like HD, it's more realistic... It's a perfect picture. It's a crazy picture it's real", more reasons for you to dump your idiot-box and get a 56" flat panel HD, if you don't have one yet. Mobile porn is apparently gaining momentum, thanks to smart phones like iPhone, and iPod Touch (what a name !!!). You could read more at http://www.cnbc.com/id/22578009
3. Reality Romps at Big Sister This is definitely the most depressing of the 3 articles I am reporting here on technology and sex. Big Sister is basically reality TV on prostitution, where the protagonists get free experience, and in return have their exploits filmed and posted on the internet. I personally hate all kinds of reality TV shows, such as Big Brother and other crap. And now you got to contend with likes of Big Sister. You can read more at http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=a6C0QuB5G6Ys&refer=exclusive

Certainly, we are living in Kaliyug. For every great invention and discovery in science and technology that improves the quality of our lives, there seems to be an ugly counterpart that finds a savior among us. At the end, we are entirely responsible for the decadence and destruction of our society. And the truth is, there is not much we can do about it !!!

A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.

from John Keats' epic poem, Endymion, 1818

Life is full of riveting contrasts. Brightness:darkness, success:failure, happiness:sorrow, boisterous laughter:requiem, and many more... We tend to appreciate the bright side of life only if we experience or did experience the dark side at some point in our lives. Almost all the time, transition(s) from a regime of negative things to more positive things are aided by a stimulus/(stimuli) ( analogous to Newton's 1st law of motion), either exogenous or endogenous, either intentional or unintentional... For instance, to avoid a recession or a downturn in an economy, the Fed has to cut interest rates, to overcome inflationary pressures the Fed has to do the opposite. To overcome pressures from both the factors along with massive credit crunch and a possible risk aversion among investors, the Fed has to pump in $ 100 billion or more to revive ailing financial markets, as we face today http://money.cnn.com/2008/01/17/news/economy/fed_bernanke/index.htm and
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/01/17/ap4544823.html

Of course, by no means this is exhaustive. But once in a while, certain events occur that are deemed to be called special. My definition of "special" is "rare", odds of which are very close to zero, if not zero, as from probability theory, an event with zero probability is defined as an impossible event, and one that gives unbounded happiness to those who follow it. One such special event that we happened/happen to witness was/is the performance of the brilliant bunch of New England Patriots in 2007. And it didn't require any stimulus from our side. All we had to do is to turn on the telly on Sundays and savor Patriots ripping apart conventional wisdom about American Football. Sundays have never been more enjoyable !!!

Yes, winning the Super Bowl in Glendale, AZ is the big deal and big goal. That is definitely a pathway to immortality to this great team of winners. In the event of New England falling prey to San Diego Chargers or later in Super Bowl, that should not take any credit away from what they have achieved this season, as we might never get to see a team winning 17-0 in this world of salary caps and free agency. I think this is a truly remarkable feat under any standards, a feat that is tough to replicate. This is a testament to the dedication and toughness of the players, and innumerable hours of preparation that went into winning 17 games.

My great thanks to all those associated with the New England Patriots for the unparalleled entertainment they offered this year, right from Bob Kraft, Scott Pioli, the genius Bill Belichick, Tom Brady to the unsung players like Kyle Brady, Heath Evans, Russ Hochstein and all the backroom staff, who have a played a huge role in this successful year. Images that come to my mind readily include those of destroying the Miami Dolphins, outplaying the Washington Redskins, grinding out the Philadelphia Eagles and surviving the physical pounding of the Baltimore Ravens, and will stay in our thoughts for a long time to come. But if I had to name one game and one play that will be impossible to forget, that would the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the "guarantee" by Steelers Safety Anthony Smith, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22173105/
The standout play I am referring to is the "double lateral" play by Tom Brady and Randy Moss, and the eventual touchdown by Jabar Gaffney to burn Anthony Smith. Truly a sight to behold for all purists of all sports.

In this light, it is very interesting to go through what went behind in transforming one of the most under-performing teams in the NFL to the 1st dynasty of this century. This is an article that I had come across a while back that details humble roots of this wonderful organization called New England Patriots. http://www.forbes.com/free_forbes/2005/0919/122.html

As Bhagavad Gita says that "impermanence is permanent", like all dynasties in the past, this one will not be on top for ever. But lets rejoice the beauty while we have this moment.

Bhutto Legacy and Nawaz Sharif

On my most recent post, I had commented about political feudalism, and had briefly touched upon Benazir Bhutto blood-soaked legacy in Kashmir and Afghanistan. I want be clear that I am neither gloating her death nor sympathizing with her. I am just indifferent due to her controversial past. Definitely she is no martyr in my eyes. All this talk of wiping out Taliban, and creating a moderate Pakistan sounds good when she is not in power. But she never nudged Pakistan along moderate Islam when she was in power twice.

A column in NYTimes dated 1/4/2008, talks about Bhutto's legacy in greater detail. For those who think I am biased, take a look at the link
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/04/opinion/04dalrymple.html

One would be wise to note that no Pakistani politician had done anything to improve the economic status of Pakistan. It looks as if the state of Pakistan exists just to counter everything that India does. It is as if they have no direction or sense of their own. Nawaz Sharif, another comical Pakistani leader, seems to have improved the art of pimping quite well during his enforced (by Musharraf) exile form Pakistani politics. Few days back, he said he is not averse to working with Bhutto's PPP party in the coming elections. Incidentally, there was no such talk before Bhutto's death. Why would there be one, as Bhutto and Sharif hated each other !!! Now that whichever incompetent guy steps forward in the name of Bhutto is likely to win the elections due to sympathy wave, Sharif has probably realized that he doesn't stand a chance otherwise !!! A clear case of political opportunism...you can read this in the following article
http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage_c_online.php?leftnm=10&bKeyFlag=IN&?&autono=31908

By now you might think, can people be any more shameless? I am sure you will ask this question many more times as events unfold in Pakistan :-)