Stray Birds

God & Golem, Inc: A Comment on Certain Points Where Cybernetics Impinges on Religion , published in 1964, has been penned down by Norbert Wiener. Wiener (1894-1964) happens to be the coiner of the term ‘cybernetics’ in its modern sense. Wiener is a well-regarded mathematician and has a vast number of technical papers to his credit. However God and Golem Inc, has very little to do with the subtleties of theoretical physics or mathematics, it concerns itself majorly with socially relevant issues of cybernetics that intersect with religion. The author here refrains himself from using any highly technical phrases to prove his points. Some of the ideas do remain rather vague, as a result of this approach. But it seems necessary as the book caters to a much wider audience this way.  The three main issues, discussed throughout a number of short essays in the book, are:  Machines which learn themselves Machines which have capacity to reproduce themselves The relation bet...

I want to make it clear that, through this article I do not wish to support nor condemn Operation Bluestar. I just wish to report the reasons, operation itself and its aftermaths, trying not to take up sides with any particular party. Another thing I want to make clear is that the operation itself was not much different from any other regular army mission, it's the reasons and the aftermath which makes it much more significant, as much more disturbing. This incident has, indeed, hurt both the Indian army and the community of Sikhs throughout the period of time. In the decade of 1980’s Pakistan  backed terrorism had acquired major proportions in Punjab . The demand for Khalistan, a separate nation for Sikhs, was increasing with every passing day, and so was the number of  innocent common civilians  killed in the terrorist activities. Sikh terrorists killed Hindu political leaders, common Hindus, Sikhs, migrant workers and all who dared oppose their deman...