January 27, 2012 at 11:37 am · Filed under Masters, MSc Project
Now I’ve got a name: Agents, investigating environment perception, and that is it. Everything else is fuzzy, there are a couple of things that I would like to do but there are many more than I am not certain if I want to do or if I will have time to do.
Right now I want to create a basic model for what in the future might become a framework for simulating agents based on either Brooks’ subsumption or hybrid architectures.
The basic idea as I write is:
It should be possible to describe robots in terms of sensors, actuators, processors, messages, layers and connections between these processors and layers.
For example: we could say that the robot_a has two sensors that read integer numbers, a processor that uses the sensors’ data and output messages that are picked up by the actuators, which execute actions on the environment based on the messages.
Messages are overridden or suppressed by other layers/processors as described by the subsumption architecture.
I am using Templates and abstraction throughout the design, so we would be able to declare a wide variety of sensors and actuators. The implementation will use the immutable pattern extensively. The idea is to the whole architecture to be thread-safe in all its layers and components.
At the moment, how far I would like to go:
I would like to capture the interaction between the layers/processors and draw some figures with this data, the ideal case would be to find some patterns on the communication between layers/processors that would get on the way of the robot achieving its goals, if possible, from that point I could use evolutionary methods to explore different designs in order to find optimal designs.
The big challenge is time, I will have less then 3 moths to do all this, working at the same time… it is going to be tough and my biggest concern right now is if I will have to change the scope of the project in order to get graduated.
January 27, 2012 at 11:10 am · Filed under Day by Day
When you have the age of 10 you have roughly the same potential that all the other kids of your age, you don’t know that though, between 13 until 20 most of us are too busy trying to be cool and be accepted by the people we want to be friends with.
By the end of your time at university things are still quite even with most of people you know. But after that things start to change sharply. The job you take after uni, the decisions you make on your personal life (to mary, have a child, etc…) and the other stuff that life eventually throws at you with no advice whatsoever.
I was very fortunate (in a way) to have friends from all different walks of life and at the end of the day one thing is more important of all: Today, whoever you are, you have less potential that yesterday and tomorrow you will have less than today.
And you need to get the maximum of today to enjoy tomorrow.
Nietzsche would urge you to do something about it, (I didn’t finish this post)
July 11, 2011 at 9:40 pm · Filed under Day by Day
The driven factor for wealth ought to be human development. And that is the one and only major factor that sets Europe aside the rest of the world.
There are countries like Canada, Australia that already have realised that and enjoy a very comfortable life. In America everything is about profitability and wealth accumulation by certain groups of the society, the business is there to make money, here in Europe businesses are strong agents of development not only wealth accumulation.
Of course that there are sectors that this is not the case, take the Financial Market as an example.
In Brazil things are even worse, businesses are more than only money makers they are about control as well, and until the Brazilian people will not have universal access to education it will continue like that.
Brazilian love to think about their country as an important player, even more now that we actually have achieved some economical development. I believe that the majority of the brazilian people are short sighted when it comes to macro policies, which is not a big surprise when you look at the statistics on the Brazilian education system.
Brazil is the country of the future and it always will be if it doesn’t reinvent itself right now. Basic reforms on the Tax System and on the Political System are critical to the Brazilian aspiration of a better life for all, it is not about money anymore.
I would love to see the day when the young people in Brazil will not have to worry about their basic needs and will be free to live and dream like they European youth is able to do. (I don’t think I will though).
Greece is broken, but everyone goes to school.
August 12, 2010 at 9:35 pm · Filed under Day by Day
There are few turning points in your life, here are three of them:
- When you discover that your father is not the hero you thought he was.
- The moment you realise that it is to late to realise all the dream you always thought you would.
- When you decide to settle down, have a family and possibly not do achieve all your goals.
Some times the item 3 comes right after the second one, some times not.
What do you feel when you get to the point of one of the items above? I would thought, some would say, that it is natural, it is part of life, etc…
May 25, 2010 at 5:46 pm · Filed under Day by Day, Life in London, Routine
Everybody knows that it’s difficult to leave home, and many people ask me how I cope with the distance. Needless to say that it is quite hard and that at some point every single person that took their chances stopped and doubted if they had got it right. After a good time away from a place you spent a reasonable amount of time of your life small things take you to the places that you used to live.
It was quite hot this weekend here in London and on my way to the King George’s Park the smell of the asphalt reminded me when I used to cycle to my school and I could actually feel the heating rising from the street.
Music, food, language and many more will have the same effect.
The hardest part is when you feel that you belong nowhere. That is definitely the worst feeling that you can have when you are away from the place you used to call home.
The only thing that can make it even worse is that you might be alone. If you are alone you are going to feel bad and you will question yourself why did you leave everything behind then.
All natural, you have to expect to feel all this; It is part of growing up, what you should do at this point is to try to see what you have gained so far and what are all the opportunities that you have now. If you didn’t try something new you would be feel frustrated now and ask yourself if you made the right decision to not to try something new.
This is the human nature, so you need to learn to live with it.
(Revised by Alena)
February 23, 2010 at 12:24 am · Filed under Day by Day, Life in London
There is one thing that really impresses me and it’s how people run after you without thinking twice when they’re in need of something, but they don’t move a finger when they are the ones that should help you out.
Note, I’m not talking about asking for a kidney, but about small things that wouldn’t be hard to do if you only wanted to help a bit.
I’m quite sure my father in this situation would say: “You know, I must be the wrong one, there must be something wrong with me…”, I’m starting to think like him…
I’ve got a friend from uni that says: “amigo e’ amigo e filha da puta e’ filha da puta”, which means that a friend is a friend and never will let you down, you shouldn’t expect anything from anyone else.
For more than I spend time here in the blue ball I’m more convinced that he is right and people that get at where they want to are aware of that and it helps to deal with all the rubbish other people is capable to throw at you.
February 15, 2010 at 11:55 pm · Filed under Book, Day by Day
I’ve just finished reading Bad Science by Ben Goldacre, honestly I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun reading a book, and even better it’s about something important, it’s not only a good romance.
The chapter about homeopathy was particularly interesting to me because of I used to take homeopathy until I was 19 and it’s impressive how it stopped working after I stopped believing in it. My family still uses it though (what doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t take any conventional drug if necessary).
It makes completely sense to me that the whole process, that is, go to see the doctor, the conversation, etc… is what makes all the difference. It’s quite clear when my Mum has to go under any treatment, it’s evidently important to her to talk to the doctor and feel that she can recover.
Alternative medicine was another subject trending topic that was quite enjoyable to read. I always wonder about this pseudo-degress and Ben has the right words to contest many issues out there.
I’d recommend you to read it not only because it address important questions, I think I won’t look at the media with the same eyes ever again, but because it will make you feel relieved because there still are people out there doing amazing things only because they love what they do and can’t stand still when they see something wrong.
October 23, 2009 at 11:28 pm · Filed under Book, Routine
It’s been some time since the last post. Well, I was robbed in August (if I’m not wrong), I was at KFC talking to a friend and when I realised my bag was gone. Notebook, ipod, 2 books and digital camera.
I still don’t have my visa and nobody has any idea when I will get any news.
Readings since the last post:
- God Delusion, Richard Dawkins
- My Life, Bill Clinton
- The accidental president of Brazil, Fernando Henrique Cardoso
- Irrationality, Stuart Sutherland
July 20, 2009 at 11:26 am · Filed under Eukleia, Life in London
Cricket: As explained to a foreigner…
You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that’s in the side that’s in goes out, and when he’s out he comes in and the next man goes in until he’s out. When they are all out, the side that’s out comes in and the side thats been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out.
When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out, and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in. There are two men called umpires who stay all out all the time and they decide when the men who are in are out. When both sides have been in and all the men have out, and both sides have been out twice after all the men have been in, including those who are not out, that is the end of the game!
May 31, 2009 at 12:42 pm · Filed under Book, Routine
Down and Out in Paris and London
Past reading:
- A little History of The World
- The Music of the Primes
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