Peter Kupfer's Blog

The Measure of a Man: What Defines a Sentient Being?

One of the reasons I enjoy watching Star Trek: The Next Generation is that it gives me an opportunity to think about the future and how our society might change and evolve. There are issues that are as relevant today, as they were in the past, as they will be in the future. This summer I have been watching the series from the beginning and today I watched an episode that is now one of my favorites of the series, and one that Entertainment Weekly list in its top 10, Measure of a Man.

The episode features Lt. Commander Data (played by Brent Spiner) who is an android who’s main ambition in life, according to counselor Troi’s psychological profile, is to “be more human and experience as much of that condition’s depths and shadows as his adaptive programming can approximate.” The episode ultimately is about whether or not androids should have the right to choose or if they are property.

The episode opens up with Data learning how to play poker. After studying all of the rules he determines that the game is simple because you would only ever bet if you had a good hand, so the winner should be clear. In the first hand we see that Data has three queens, but Commander Riker has an apparent flush (4 hearts showing with one card flipped over). Riker keeps matching Data’s bets until he folds and Riker wins the hand showing Data that there is more to the game or being human than just knowing the facts.

As the episode unfolds, Data is told that he must undergo an experiment that will require him to be disassembled. He refuses the experiment and when told he has no choice he, attempts to, resigns from Starfleet. He is then told that he cannot resign because he is the property of Starfleet. This is where the crux of the issue comes up. A trial is started by Captain Picard to determine if Data has the right to choose or if he is the property of Starfleet. The trial comes down to Picard (played by Patrick Stewart and we see him give a masterful performance in this episode) asking what the definition of sentience is. The officer who wishes to perform the experiment on Data lists three characteristics of sentience: intelligence, self-awareness, consciousness.

Picard goes on to show that Data is intelligent (clearly he is a huge computer), is self-aware (he indicates that he is knows he is at a trial to determine his rights), and then challenges that there is no test for consciousness.

This whole debate about what it means to be a sentient being really got me thinking about what it means to be “alive.” It seems like a silly argument to make that my computer should have the right to choose whether or not I open it to add a new hard drive, but in the future, if artificial intelligence technology progresses as science fiction would suggest, that line will start to get more fuzzy. Even now, if we use the three prong test of sentience as listed above, some of today’s technology might fit. My BlackBerry is both intelligent and self-aware (in so far as it can tell you where it is and what it is doing.) I would not argue that my BlackBerry is conscious, but I guess that depends on what that means (is Tivo conscious when it predicts programs?).

The path towards machines that can think is a topic that needs to be thought about as technology progresses. In The Matrix movie trilogy some of these same concepts are explored. Specifically in The Animatrix (which is a fantastic set of animated shorts about The Matrix world) we see two robots who are accused of a crime but then not given due process and a fair trial. This disrespect is what angers the robots and ultimately leads to the robots revolting and enslaving all of the humans (which is the whole premise of the movie.)

One my favorite lines from the episode asks about what happens when you go from having one Data in the universe to creating 2,000 of them. Haven’t you then created a new race?  And then, if you call that race property, aren’t you then denying a race their basic rights? (The undertones of slavery are rich throughout the episode highlighted by the appearance of Whoopi Goldberg as the ships bartender.)

The whole episodes raises some serious questions for me about how we should be proceeding with artificial intelligence as we go forward. Just because we can create a smarter computer, should we? And, if we do keep pressing forward, are we prepared to deal with the consequences? In the mid 2000′s several movies (The Matrix, I, Robot, Bicentennial Man) were released that dealt with some of these questions.We need to limit ourselves to stop from creating a new race of beings that become truly conscious. This is difficult to do as processor speed doubles every 18 months and we are constantly pushing the envelope, but at some point we need to start asking if we should be making the next step as opposed to can we. This restraint would be exemplary of the highest level of evolution and may be critical to the survival of mankind.

Popularity: 3% [?]

American Idol — May 25th, 2010: Top Two

And the end of American Idol is upon us. I’ve been very excited about the epic showdown between Crystal and Lee and a while now. It has been fairly clear for at least a month that these two would be in the finale and it was not a disappointment. Unlike the other weeks I’m writing this after the show so I can reflect on the whole episode at once. Ultimately, I have truly enjoyed American Idol Season 9 and I think it has produced one of the best final two contestants ever (neither were ever in the bottom 3, which I believe is the first time two contestants have had that distinction in the same season). It would rival the level of Carrie Underwood and Bo Bice or David Cook and David Archuleta.  After the top 2, the rest where probably weaker than other seasons, but there are a lot of good ensemble singers.

As for the two contestants here is my impression from the show:

Lee DeWyze
In some I would agree with the judges comments from the first song, that he didn’t seem to be bringing a very high energy. Granted, his first two songs didn’t really allow for a lot of energy, but I think you could say the same for Crystal’s first song but she had some high energy. Now, I don’t think that Lee isn’t bored or uninterested or giving up, I think Simon hit the nail on the head and said the Lee just nervous. In the last song, it seemed that he got over that a little bit, but he still needs to grow a little as a performer. The three songs he sang were quality and it is clear that he is ready to a recording artist and he will have a pretty decent career.

Crystal Bowersox
Ever since my first power rankings I have had Crystal on top of the charts. She has consistently performed at a high level. Tonight the only criticism I have of her is that she didn’t seem to be able sing and walk downstairs during Black Velvet. Out side of that all three of her songs were high energy and passionate. She connected more with the audience tonight than any other night during the season. She definitely is something that we don’t have in the music world right now as Ellen said and it would be interesting to see what she does after the Idol tour is over.

Conclusion
Truly I feel that Crystal is the one that should win this competition based on her skills as a performer and her singing ability. Lee seems to have the momentum and he has the potential to be more commercial, so he may win the popular vote. In any event, which ever of these two wins they were both great contestants and will most likely have great careers going forward.

I’ve really enjoyed blogging about this show this season. I don’t know if anyone besides me really ever read these posts, but that was never the point. I just needed a place to work out my thoughts about the contestants and a blog seemed like a cathartic place. American Idol has been a show I have devoted a lot of time to over the past nine years and after this season it will irreparable change. In the near future, I plan to post about that and the man that is Simon Cowell.

Popularity: 3% [?]

American Idol — May 18th: Top Three

Wow, here we are at the semi-final for American Idol Season 9. It seems like it has taken forever to get here, partially because it has been a clear Crystal/Lee finale for the last four weeks, but it is time to wrap this thing up with this second to last live blog:

Casey James — Ok, It’s Alright With Me
This exemplifies who Casey is and what I have been saying for the last few weeks; Casey is a good performer, but he has reached his plateau on Idol. He has really not progressed throughout much of the year, he came in as a good performer and he will leave as a good performer. The song itself was fine and could be on the radio without too much trouble, but it doesn’t set my heart racing.

Crystal Bowersox — Come to My Window
As soon as I heard her say she was singing this song I was excited. As I started to hear it my head it just seemed to fit with her. The arrangement was a little weird (as Randy said) but she crushed the vocal. From the first harmonica note I felt the passion of the song coming from here. However, ss the song started I was a little worried it wasn’t going to be anything really new. However, as the song progressed she did a great job with the vocals and brought the power and passion that song needs.

Lee DeWyze — Simple Man
In contrast with Casey, Lee has grown by leeps and bounds this season. It just goes to show how important confidence is in life. I am familiar with this song, but you could Lee’s connection to the song and it makes you get invested and enjoy the song a lot.

Casey James — Daughters
As stated above, Casey is a good singer and performer, but his songs aren’t getting me as excited as the others. He doesn’t have any big point that makes me say, “Wow, Casey should win!” So, I don’t think he will be in the finale but I do think he will have a good career.

Crystal Bowersox — Maybe I’m Amazed
I am digging that she is moving on stage. From start to finish this song blew me away. You could tell it was the same song as McCartney did, but she took the vocals to a whole new level. She shows that she can sing and her ability to move without a guitar for this song was great. She is the one to beat!

Lee DeWyze — Halleliah
Great job by Lee. The song was controlled and powerful and emotional and moving. (I’m trying to think of more adjectives, but I can’t.) He has arrived, and he is a competitor. A month ago, I would have said there was no one who could compete with Crystal, but next week is going to be a serious competition. Despite what others will say, I don’t think that was my favorite Lee performance. I personally preferred The Boxer, but this was a top notch performance.

The last two songs of the night where clearly the best and set the stage for next week. It seems like Lee has the momentum, and the judges seems to be pushing that way, but I hope everyone is not forgetting the consistently great performances of Crystal. She started the season at the top and has stayed there, so perhaps people are overlooking her because of Lee’s vast improvement, but next week is going to be musical thrown down!

Popularity: 8% [?]

American Idol Power Rankings: 5/12/10

Not much changed this week The solo performances were fairly similar and the duets were both great. Looking at the overall performance on the show leads to the following rankings:

1) (1) Crystal Bowersox — Consistently strong performances, great voice, phenomenal range of genres.
2) (2) Lee DeWyzee —  Has come into his own with solid, original performances.
3) (3) Michael Lynche — Pretty good singer but doesn’t seem to be comfortable outside of the R&B genre.
4) (4) Casey James — Will be successful, but he stopped growing and needs to work on moving on stage.

Popularity: 2% [?]

American Idol – May 11th, 2010: Top Four

Movie week and Jamie Foxx is back. He wad stellar last year and I’m looking forward to hearing his input. I think Crystal and Lee are in the drivers seat here tonight, but I suppose Casey and Michael to a lesser extent could make the top 3.

Ryan’s intro was not one of the best, but we’ll start the (late) live blog now…

Lee DeWyze – Rose on a Grave
Not the originality I expect from Lee each week, but it is a good performance and not just karaoke. I think Lee should avoid falsetto, it didn’t go real well. He had some other bad notes too. Overall, a solid performance but not the level of artistry I have to come to expect from him.

Michael Lynch – Hold Me
The start of the song has me excited. I like the low register. The first was one of his best performances to date, but the song digressed into yelling and screaming at the end. Michael tends to do this a lot but it seems to be to cover up his adequate singing ability. (I like Ellen’s comment about the being predictable and Kara’s that he could have done it in his sleep.)

Crystal and Lee – Falling Slowly
The symmetry of the two both with guitars and standing was cool. The dueling lines for the first third of the song was nice and then the rocker coming out in both of them was awesome in the middle. The tempo picked up and intensity was exciting. The harmonies at the end were great. This would go #1 if it came out tomorrow. (Can you say finale preview?)

Casey James – Mrs. Robinson
Casey really dislikes moving on stage. This is his second week sitting, seems odd. He is bribing a slightly unique sound to the song which is good, but it is still substantially the same. He looks sad too, or at least not happy, perhaps he is going for serious. This was a decent song, but I wasn’t blown away.

Crystal Bowersox — I’m Alright
Crystal came out up beat and rocking tonight. I don’t know this song, but this girl can sing. This is back to what Crystal does best and that is rock it out. I liked that she tried out some other things the last few weeks. After the performance she looked so relaxed and joking with her boyfriend. It looked like she maybe is starting to realize that there is good chance that she will be the next American Idol.

Casey and Michael — Have You Ever Loved a Woman
To start they aren’t really bringing each other out at all. They are both singing their lines just fine, but I would like more interaction. The second half the song is better in terms of working together, but the harmony seems a little off. I liked it. It was a good song choice and they looked sharp in the black clothes and the guitar playing was good. Crystal and Lee were probably better, but this was good.

Overall a very solid night of Idol. Tough to rank these because the songs were longer and there parts I liked better than others. I agree with the judges that the duets were better than the solos, and that is kind of the point of a duet, right?

Tonight’s Performances

1. Crystal Bowersox — Nice job bringing the rock!
2. 1st half of Michael’s song — I just really liked the first half of the song, but I could do without the rest.
3. Lee DeWyze — Good job by Lee more originality would have been nice
4. Casey James — Solid performance, but nothing to write home about

Popularity: 3% [?]

American Idol Power Rankings: 5/4/10

After last week’s stellar performances, this week was a let down. I don’t know if it was the contestants or the genre. I would tend to blame the genre of forcing contestants to sing songs that were popular 30 to 40 years ago. It is hard to show their ability to be relevant today with this catalog and a lot of the comments from last night can be attributed to that.

Here are the rankings:

1) (1) Crystal Bowersox — This was a solid performance, but she has now had two solid performances instead of amazing performances. She needs to bring something special next week to fend off a fast rising Lee.
2) (2) Lee DeWyzee —  Whatever shy kid started this competition off is now gone and he has found his groove. He could, at this point, beat Crystal if he keeps up the high level of performance he has the past three weeks. He is starting to remind me a little of David Cook. which is a good thing.
3) (4) Michael Lynche — I don’t really know if I think in the grand scheme of things he is a better performer than Casey, but at this point he is putting up a better show that Casey.
4) (3) Casey James — He can perform and is good with a guitar and will probably be a good front many for a country rock group. He is better than Aaron, but I don’t think he has the fan base to stay in the competition after two bottom three performances and a bad performance this week.
5) (6) Aaron Kelly — Sang as well as he can, but he is not as good as the other four. This isn’t necessarily a knock on the kid. He is survived longer than I thought he would but working hard and listening to constructive feedback.

Popularity: 9% [?]

American Idol — May 4th, 2010: Top Five

So, now the contestants are taking on Frank Sinatra under the tutelage of Harry Connick Jr. I am not a big Sinatra fan and I don’t really know why I should be impressed by Harry Connick Jr., but we can give it a go. The fact that he is arranging all of the songs and brought a big band with him makes me nervous that the contestants are going to be inhibited from making the songs their own. We’ll see.

Ryan says that Siobhan Magnus being eliminated is a “wake up call.” Why is that a wake up call? Ryan uses that phrase far too often. It was the top six last week and someone who people like was going to go and, honestly, I’m not sure who else would have gone besides her that wouldn’t have been a “wake up call”.

It is do or die time. In advance I would say that Crystal or Lee would really have to lay an egg to go home, but any of the other three could go with one false step. Here we go with the live blog:

Aaron Kelly — Fly Me To the Moon
This seems like the kind of song that the judges are going to call too theatrical, but that may be a common comment tonight given the genre. Aaron does a decent job with this song. He has some big notes and he seems to stay in tune, but I am still underwhelmed by his performance. He just doesn’t have the vocal strength to keep up with the rest. He is a solid performer, but he needs to get a little more mature before I am going to buy him as an artist.

Casey James — Blue Skies
Casey looks very uncomfortable without an instrument and actually moving on stage. His voice is a little shaky as well. The first part of the song was nice with a jazzy vibe and it felt like a song that he was making his own, but it digressed slowly throughout. Probably his worst performance on the show to date and it may be the touch of death for him after two bottom three appearances.

I am not a fan of this Harry Connick Jr. co-host setup they have. Did Rickey Minor and the band go on strike or is he off preparing for his new job? Harry trying to bail out Casey is shady vote tampering and I do not approve.

Crystal Bowersox — Summer Wind
Super classy in voice and dress this week is Crystal Bowersox. She owns the stage and it would appear that she can sing any song out there. The contestants this week are hindered by the songs. This is not a good theme.

I just noticed the crazy new Coke cups. I want one. (For the record I noticed the cup before Ryan grabbed it.)

Michael Lynche — The Way You Look Tonight
For a jazzy big band performance this was pretty good. It doesn’t make me want to vote for him any more than before, but I guess it was good. The first half of the song seems a little mumbled, but towards the end he started to hit some big notes and it went well for him.

Lee DeWyze — That’s Life
Lee is really into this song. I feel like he is singing the song about himself. This arrangement is really good and Lee is really fitting well into it. This is by far the best performance of the night and keeps establishing Lee as a force to be reckoned with. He really owned the song and I could almost hear this on the radio. His mannerism and style and phrasing of the song was very well done and very professional.

Overall I did not like this theme. This contest is trying to find the best popular singer in the country and this theme makes that hard to do. Maybe this would be an okay theme early in the season, but not at this point.

Tonight’s Performance Ranking:

1) Lee — Confident, smooth, powerful
2) Michael — This genre fits him well
3) Crystal — She is versatile and a skilled singer
4) Aaron — Gave his all and did okay
5) Casey — Awkward and shaky performance

Popularity: 2% [?]