Monthly Archives: February 2016

Ozric Tentacles – Spacebase

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This almost ten minutes long melody is exactly what you should expect from such a length: a diverse and beautiful journey. It twists and turns like an untamed vibe creature, luring you with the echoes of its soundscapes.

The art of Ozric Tentacles can be best described as space-rock, but “neo-psychedelia” does it justice as well (I didn’t even know such a music genre exists before checking their Wikipedia entry). This is pure enjoyment for the ears and mind. Turn it to 11 and jam!

YouTube (decent quality):

For Spotify Users (high quality):

For Deezer Users (high quality):
http://www.deezer.com/track/10967595^

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What Does “Mentatul” Mean?

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The word “mentat” was invented by Frank Herbert and prominently used in his Dune series. The “ul” suffix in this website’s name is the Romanian definite article, added because that is my country of origin. However, I am not “the mentat”, even though my project is named this way.

Instead, the name of this website pays homage to the concept of a mentat. It is an aspiration of mine. Mentats have always inspired me. When I write analytical works, I am trying to interpret information in the same way I imagine a mentat would.

In Dune, the mentats are specially trained humans that replace computers, which have been outlawed following a devastating war against the “thinking machines”. Mentats perform strategic thinking, analysis and extrapolation of complex informational patterns. As long as the information provided to them is correct, they will be able to emit good judgments. In other words, if the information given to a mentat is inaccurate, so will be the result.

Choosing the Romanian word for this website was, in part, a logistical matter. Of course, the “mentat.com” domain name was taken while the “.org” cost two thousand dollars. It is this limitation which has pushed me to inventively make the best of the given set of circumstances. Naming my English project using a Romanian name is a tribute to my homeland, which is a place I love and respect.

I have lived 26 years in Romania and as such, it is the place which has shaped me and taught me the most. It is a beautiful country which has been through a lot in the past centuries, a subject that I will elaborate upon in some future work. Sweden has been my home for almost 7 years now. Leaving Romania brought much-needed diversity into my cultural background and has helped me in innumerable ways, but I am happy to have started my life there.

The name of this project is a perpetual reminder for being balanced and fair. In the same time, it is an incentive to acquire as much information as possible about any given subject. I select my sources of information based on reliability and fairness, through a vetting process that takes many months. Unfortunately a lot of publishers can be dangerously biased in matters to which objectivity is paramount. However, fairness inevitably arises when combining information from multiple sources and applying the process of critical thinking.

By now it’s probably clear that I’m quite determined to do my best to honor the concept of a mentat, which this website is named after. But how does that fit together with the art-related opinion writing that you can read on Mentatul.com? Fortunately (given my desires), this is not a sacrilege. Mentats are humans and they have opinions and preferences in art just like any other human. Of course, they do not allow these to interfere with their profession – which is exactly what I’m doing as well.

I hope I managed to properly communicate this domain name’s origin, meaning and what it signifies to me. I now find it quite fortunate that I was “forced” to choose the Romanian translation as the name of my project. I’m publishing these words exactly one month after launching Mentatul and already my relationship with this name, and the symbolism behind it, is strong and healthy. I feel good when publishing here and I hope you also feel good while being here.

For more information about this project, check the About Page^.

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Trump Will Not Win

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Later Update: This turned out to be one of my worst prognoses ever. Here’s what I learned^ from this failure.

Don’t worry, the world’s not going to end, at least not because of Donald Trump becoming the president of a nuclear armed superpower. What is worrying me is that such a statement even needs to be considered or said. When somebody like Trump takes a front seat in the politics of a superpower, there are serious questions that some people should start asking themselves.

Even so, I like to think that the current situation is for the best. Donald is a mirror in which America can take a good look at itself. Perhaps less advantageous is how he represents his country abroad. Several economic partners already expressed strong distaste towards the fellow.

Here’s what an American over at Vox has to say about Trump’s candidacy:
http://www.vox.com/2016/1/30/10873476/donald-trump-never-president^

I’m going to think positive and remain convinced that Trump has no chance of winning the election. Actually, I seriously doubt that he can even get the nomination. Even if he manages to win by numbers, I like to believe that the Republican Party won’t allow itself to sink that low as to nominate a hate-preacher to run for commander in chief of America’s vast military forces.

If they do, then I guess it’s jolly time for the party to break in two, because its members’ stubbornness is beginning to cost too much. There are many valuable people in the Republican camp and the USA simply cannot afford to lose their voice among a crowd with outdated mentality and whose electorate will eventually dwindle.

This being said, I have all the understanding for Republicans of any opinion and, by extent, for Trump’s supporters. They are all our brothers and sisters and we should not brush aside their concerns and opinions. I truly believe that the best way for Americans of all parties to move forward is to sit together and talk about their experiences and, together, discover what motivates their political choices.

Racism, homophobia, misogyny and bigotry have an impressive following in the American society and political life. If America wishes to walk proud in the 21st century, it has to take a closer look at how it uses education, religion and mass media.

But then again, maybe the entire point of Trump’s candidacy is to make sure that the corporations get their woman in front of the country, taking us one step closer towards the dissolution of this so-called democracy and the rise of corporate oligarchy.

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Tzolk’in – Meztli

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It starts slow, creeping its way through echoes and dark soundscapes. Two minutes later, the percussion kicks in and you’re on your way to what Tzolk’in wants to be a journey into the ancient Mayan culture, reinterpreted by the contemporary electronic music style. Tzolk’in is a type of calendar used by the long-gone Mayan civilization.

This is a seriously introspective song, but not one that is easy to digest. Dark undertones are joined by a subdued but relentless thrashing. In my book, it’s one of the best finds of 2015.

You can listen to the song for free, in good quality, on BandCamp, which is one of the best websites when it comes to supporting artists. You can also purchase the song (or album) from this same location. And in case you’re wondering, yes, I did purchase Tzolk’in’s album :).

https://ant-zen.bandcamp.com/track/meztli^

YouTube (decent quality):

For Spotify Users (high quality):

https://open.spotify.com/track/0aGoNNPkI23dvXBSAcuyIe^

For Deezer Users (high quality):

http://www.deezer.com/track/67158664^

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Big Corporations Go After Artificial Intelligence

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The word “Go” in the title is not coincidental. Much earlier than expected, an AI program managed to defeat a human Go champion. Artificial Intelligence has had the upper hand in the game of Chess for more than a decade already. However, defeating humans at the game of Go requires a different kind of intelligence than it is the case with Chess.

Here’s the news report about Google having reached this important milestone in AI development: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/546066/googles-ai-masters-the-game-of-go-a-decade-earlier-than-expected/^

IBM, Google, Microsoft, FaceBook, Amazon and Apple are all pouring billions of dollars into this sort of research. So do other companies and, less advertised, so do many governments. Not to mention universities and even hobbyists. The jury is still out regarding whether strong (true) Artificial Intelligence is even achievable.

My worry is that once a corporation or government manages to succeed in this venture, the result might offer that entity an unimaginable economic and strategic advantage. Such an advantage will make nuclear weapons seem like a wet firecracker in comparison.

Some have said that AI will be our last invention, for better or for worse. That is because AI might overtake us in intelligence to such an extent that it could invent things that we cannot even begin to imagine. So the risk lies not only in the birth of true AI, but also in whatever new beings such intelligence might give birth to as it grows and learns how to play with its intelligence. All this may very well lead us to immortality or to extinction.

If you’d like to learn more about the topic, I recommend you to read this excellent two part article explaining what it’s all about. It’s quite long but it’s an interesting and pleasant read. At least skip through it, because a life-changing Artificial Intelligence development may be closer than you think.

Part 1:

http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/01/artificial-intelligence-revolution-1.html^

Part 2

http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/01/artificial-intelligence-revolution-2.html^

I also find it quite interesting that some corporations are open sourcing their AI frameworks and tools. I have a fair amount of trust that a large economic entity or a scientific organization will be at least a bit careful about how they program the ethical aspects of an AI, if nothing else then for self-preservation purposes. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same thing about hobbyists who might not even give a priority to such a vital concern.

Microsoft Open Sources Artificial Intelligence Toolkit:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2498435,00.asp^

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Terry Oldfield – Dancer In The Void

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Listening to this melody with my eyes closed is like traveling to another world. This is one of those rare gems that are good any time of the day and anywhere in this Universe. You can find it, and other like it, on Terry Oldfield’s “Journey Into Space”, an album released in 2012. Terry is the brother of Mike Oldfield, another great musician, author of the famous “Tubular Bells”.

You can listen to the song for free, in good quality, on BandCamp, which is one of the best websites when it comes to supporting artists. You can also purchase the song (or album) from this same location. And in case you’re wondering, yes, I did purchase Terry Oldfield’s album :).

https://terryoldfield.bandcamp.com/track/dancer-in-the-void^

YouTube version (decent quality, and a pretty video too):

For Spotify Users (high quality):

https://open.spotify.com/track/5wECNjSM3caqtNDlVc9s1o^

For Deezer Users (high quality):
http://www.deezer.com/track/81719386^

This Weekly Song entry has been brought from the FaceBook archive of Weekly Song^. This exploration was originally started through a FaceBook page, about 13 months prior to launching Mentatul. Actually, this is the song with which I started on this musical adventure. Slowly but surely, the entire FaceBook archive will be brought here.

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