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...

Its been a year since I began contemplating seriously about getting into a film school. A series of confusions ensured that I miss the FTII 2009 dates. The binduest of all being the fact that I had to leave my peanut salary and start with an empty bowl again. It made me think over and over. My mind almost threw my heart out of head one day until I re-read a famous advertising quote inscribed on my office wall. The one we often use to describe our profession to non advertising people, especially women as that might impress/intrigue them. Who knows? Whatever. Doesn’t matter. What matters is the quote : “ Don’t tell my mother I work in advertising. She thinks I play the piano in a whorehouse”. Wait a minute !! whorehouse. Oh yes!! thats what whorehouses (agencies) do. They hook us, enchant us and keep us shut out from the real world. If you got to find your voice and truth, you got to get out of that cushy creative department of yours. With that note I decided I have to take the plunge. ...