2/28/2015
2/27/2015
Left In Darkness, They Seek Out Light
From
the movie, I Robot,
Human beings have dreams. Even dogs have dreams, but not you, you are just a machine. An imitation of life. Can a robot write a symphony? Can a robot turn a... canvas into a beautiful masterpiece?
Sonny (the robot) said: Can *you*?
And...
Sonny: Technically I was never alive, but I appreciate your concern.
- the modeling of psychological and biological systems in a
holistic manner that considers the mind and body as a single entity,
- the formation of a common set of general principles of
intelligent behavior, and
- the experimental use of robotic agents in controlled
environments.
neuroscience
psychology
language acquisition
autonomous agent design
artificial intelligence
philosophy
Alan Mathison Turing, (1912– 1954)
is widely considered to be the father of theoretical computer science
and artificial intelligence. Turning proposed that a machine may
need a human-like body to think and speak:
“It can also be maintained
that it is best to provide the machine with the best
sense organs that money can
buy, and then teach it to understand to speak
English. That process could
follow the normal teaching of a child. Things
would be pointed out and
named, etc. Again, I do not know what the right
answer is, but I think both
approaches should be tried...” Turing, 1950.
So, sixty five years ago, there were
people in the world who were exploring the feasibility and
development of artificial intelligence. However, science fiction
writers had broached the subject before 1950, the first of which was
in Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathan Swift, where a mechanical
information generator was mentioned.
As far as movies were concerned, in
1955 This Island Earth featured the interociter and the Hall 9000 in
2001: A Space Odyssey. In the 1970's, there was Dark Star, Demon
Seed, and Rollerball, and The Terminator and War Games in the 1980's.
The 1990's gave us The Demolition Man, Freejack, and The Matrix, and
from 2000's, we have Iron Man, The Red Planet, and A. I. Artificial
Intelligence.
We, as a movie going population, have
been completely acclimated and are accepting of the Artificial
Intelligence concept and no doubt with
the fantastic expectation that we actually expect it to happen in our
lifetime.... and, maybe it will... who knows.... but, is this a
good thing?
Founded in 1979, the Association for
the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) (formerly the
American Association for Artificial Intelligence) is a nonprofit
scientific society devoted to advancing the scientific understanding
of the mechanisms underlying thought and intelligent behavior and
their embodiment in machines.
AAAI aims to promote research in, and
responsible use of, artificial intelligence. AAAI also aims to
increase public understanding of artificial intelligence, improve the
teaching and training of AI practitioners, and provide guidance for
research planners and investors regarding the importance and
potential of current AI developments and future directions.
But, do we think, that we know all we
need to know about Artificial Intelligence? Well, it appears not
because UC Berkeley's upper division course CS188: Introduction to
Artificial Intelligence is now available to everyone online.
And, students who have taken this
course are saying:
"Nothing short of awesome. This is
a top-notch class that teaches you a lot of important concepts in
optimization and AI, while making you feel like you're on a wonderful
adventure of discovery and fun."
Statistical and decision–theoretic modeling paradigm.
Reasoning and Learning.
Applications for a wide variety of artificial intelligence problems.
Simply put, the term artificial intelligence is the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages.
Don't some of our smart phones and other smart devices already do some of this... so, are we already so far entrenched with Artificial Intelligence that we cannot turn back... or, can we turn back? But, if we can turn back, should we?
"The Measure of a Man" is the ninth episode of the second season of the syndicated science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, the 35th episode overall, first broadcast on February13, 1989. It is written by Melinda M. Snodgrass and directed by Robert Scheerer. In the episode, the android officer Lieutenant Commander Data must fight for his right of self-determination in order not to be declared the property of Starfleet and be disassembled in the name of science.
Picard initially finds Riker's prosecution difficult to challenge: on the account of Data being a human(oid) being, Riker, while apologizing, hits Data's off-switch, causing him to go numb; "Pinocchio is broken: its strings have been cut.", being the most challenging part. However, during a recess, Picard talks to Guinan who suggests that regardless of whether Data is a machine or not, Maddox's goal is tantamount to sanctioning slavery. Picard uses this to defuse Riker's arguments when the court reconvenes. The discussion of Data's sentience turns to metaphysical matters. Picard points out that Data meets two of the three criteria that Maddox uses to define sentient life. Data is intelligent and self-aware, but Picard asks anyone in the court to show a means of measuring consciousness
Murray Shanahan, professor of cognitive robotics at Imperial College London, cautioned against “capitalist forces” developing AI without any sense of morality, arguing it could lead to potentially “uncontrollable military technologies.”
Shanahan’s comments follow warnings from leading scientists and entrepreneurs, including Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates, and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk.
Gates admitted last month that he doesn’t “understand why some people are not concerned” by the threat of AI.
Speaking to the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge last week, Shanahan argued that AI development faces two options.
Either a potentially dangerous AI is developed – with no moral reasoning and based on ruthless optimization processes – or scientists develop AI based on human brains, borrowing from our psychology and even neurology.
“Right now my vote is for option two, in the hope that it will lead to a form of harmonious co-existence [with humanity],” Shanahan said.
AI based on the human brain would not be possible without first mapping the organ – a task the Human Connectome Project (HCP) is undertaking and aims to complete by late 2015.
Stephen Hawking, who has the motor neuron disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s Disease and is paralyzed an unable to speak, is now capable of communicating verbally but only thanks to the help of an advanced artificial intelligence program developed for him by Intel.
“Once humans develop artificial intelligence, it will take off on its own and redesign itself at an ever-increasing rate,” Hawking warned.“Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete and would be superseded.”
And let’s not forget, of course, aliens.
“If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn’t turn out very well for the Native Americans,”he recently said.
Americans, like sheep, desire to be clustered in groups and be led to where there is food, opportunity, and shelter without needing to talk with their handlers or lawyers beforehand.
2/26/2015
Just Another Day
If we want Congress to start thinking about we the people then we must stop campaign contributions from businesses (or cap them) and we must stop lobbyists from influence peddling.
If we want to preserve the Middle Class, then we must remove the burden their burden of taxes and require the wealthy to pick up the slack.
If we want the rest of the world to have their economies subordinate to the USA then we must redirect the countries efforts in that direction through behavior modification techniques with appropriate reinforcements.
If we want to provide healthcare for all Americans then we must provide a financial incentive for them to do that and require all advertising to reflect that direction as well.
If we want to reduce poverty in the US then we must provide opportunities (partnerships) to those people in poverty to extricate themselves from poverty rather then expect them to do it themselves.
If we expect to win the war on drugs then we must exercise our military muscle in those countries that tolerate or cannot not handle the drug lords and simply eliminate them like our efforts towards terrorism.
If we want different results in our high schools then we must adopt the European program where in 7th grade, students pursue a college path or a technical path or a drop out path and concentrate teacher's efforts on those students who are serious about going to college or serious about pursuing a technical path or simply write-off those students who want to drop out.
If we want to protect our economy in both the short run (12 months) and in the long run (3-5 years) and into the forecasted future (5-10 years plus) then the Government should adopt a policy of no bailouts.
If we want to protect American jobs, then we should adopt a policy whereby it is illegal for American companies to open plants or divisions or facilities outside the continental US.
If we want the rest of the world to stop getting educated in this country and using their knowledge against us when they graduate and move back to their countries, then we should make it illegal for foreign students to receive American education unless they agree to work in this country for 20 years.
If we want to strengthen American products then we should pass a law making it illegal to have a trade deficit.
The more we want life in the US to change, the more it actually stays the same. SOS, just another day...
2/25/2015
Hump Day Art
Kendra Haste creates the most incredible, life-like animal scultpures using layers of painted galvanized wire atop steel armature.
Kendra Haste is a contemporary animal sculptor who uses galvanized wire as her medium to create large and small lifelike creatures. From the muscular body of a lion to the delicate hairs on the monkey’s neck, you will be amazed at how much detail she weaves with what most people would consider plain chicken wire.“No other material I have ever used has been able to suggest the sense of movement and life, of contour and volume, the contrasts of weight and lightness, of solidity and transparency – values that I find in my natural subjects. It is the perfect medium, inviting continuing exploration and challenge,” Haste says.
Some of his works until 2021 at the Tower of London.
Take a look at a few of her works below and view her online gallery for more.
A Personal Observation
My father worked for the Federal Government for 40 years, retiring as a foreign diplomatic attache and also spent 30 years in the Navy Reserves, retiring with a rank of Captain; I recall him telling me that he attended reserve meetings for several years without pay but still received retirement points.
When he died, my mother still received $50,000/year from both these Federal Pensions (she is 91 years old) so there is no telling what he was receiving but unfortunately again for me, I did not follow his advice or his direction.
I was raised in the United Methodist Church and until I graduated from High School, our family attended both Sunday School and Church services every Sunday even when we were on vacation.
I was also raised a Democrat and taught to believe that the Government should take care of its citizens, especially the old and the less fortunate while at the same time to budget and live within my means, saving half of what I earned or as much as I could after I left home.
My outspoken nature (perhaps distorted at times) came from the book my Mother forced me to read entitled, Profiles in Courage, by John F. Kennedy.
I grew and sold tomatoes and cumcumbers to earn money in the summer months as well as mowed lawns once I got older, saving half of everything I earned and spending the other half on anything that I wanted which I recall I spent on a Munson 18" TV and purchased set of weights because I had fantasies of becoming a body-builder.
My mother would also put a word on the frig and by dinner, we had to know how to spell that word, pronounce that word, and correctly use that word in a sentence because all of us were on a track for College, as she would say.
The 3rd grade changed my life forever. I stopped a bully who was beating up Vic Adamus (my blog partner) on the play ground; my brother was born putting me into the category of the middle child; a blond classmate told me I looked like a monkey, and my father told me that "the best part of me ran down his leg."
I have spent my entire life compensating for all the events that happened to me that year and do not get me wrong, I am not complaining nor am I "bitching," as I like very much who I have turned out to be.
I have spent 42 years in business management, 18 years in middle management and 18 years in upper management with the remaining years working as a blue collar worker. I spent a recent 10 year period of my life unemployed more than I was employed and I believed I have mentioned this fact in previous posts, but I draw your attention to these comments once again to make a point.
My blog partner calls this ranting and raving and perhaps it is, I don't know for sure as all I know is that I have something to say and I want to say it before I get too old and don't care.
America SUCKS and is not the America I grew up in... and, that bothers me. Greed has its place but excessive greed is wrong. Debt has its place but excessive debt is wrong. But, with that said, what bothers me the most about family, friends, elected officials, business leaders, role models, and the general public at large is that no one wants to be held accountable and no one wants to take responsibility.
I also realize better than most that opinions area like butts, everybody has one but (no pun intended) until those 2 words become a part of how we live our lives, America will continue to experience what she is experiencing and it is that simple.
At every socio-economic income level in this country and there are no exceptions, we are trying to "con" or "rip-off" each other. We do not have political leaders that lead. We do not have celebrities or althletes that provide good role models nor do we have people of influence providing a good example for others to follow.
News casts on a daily basis fill our lives constantly with cases of abuse in one form or another too numerous to mention here, but you know about what I speak. It has gotten to the point that many of us do not want to listen to the news anymore because it is so depressing.
Parents break the speed limit laws as they drive their children around town to various activities - how is this providing a proper, parental role model? We download illegal software, pirated music, and try to cheat as best as we can on our taxes.
Americans have learned to point the finger at others while our Political leaders think it is prudent not to reach a compromise on budget reductions so that automatic cuts can be blamed for a new status-quo and re-election can be hopefully assured.
Americans complain about not having jobs and globalization when it is because of both of these that our cost of living has remained low. Americans (for the most part) do not seem to care that China owns 1/3 of all US debt nor do they seem to mind that Arabs have gotten more of their money than the 1% in this country has acquired.
We call America a religious country but the Moslem religion practices their beliefs in a stronger way that most American Christians practice their faith. It is almost like we are only weekend Christians.
I find it amusing when some people claim that our country was based upon Christian beliefs when "one nation under God" was not inserted into the Pledge of Allegiance until the early 50's and now cannot be said in schools because some of our immigrants disagree with what it states.
2/24/2015
The Sport They Call Golf
By Alex Hutchins
I have never been one to . up the game
of golf as it seems rather silly hitting this little ball around well
manicured lawns, around trees and swamps, and pits of sand, all to
see if you can take fewer hits or shots or strokes or whatever they
are called than you did the last time.
Very few people go out onto the golf
course and play a “round of golf” by themselves as they always
need to be in a foursome while sometimes a twosome is permitted if
the course is not busy. If you see anyone alone on the course they
are usually practicing their putting or they are out on the driving
range hitting a bucket of balls.
And while I am not interested in taking
up this so-called sport, I did hop into a golf cart with my brother
one afternoon to have some brother time while he got permission from
the steward to go out on the course and simply play a few holes.
As we were driving to his first tee
area, he explained to me that the traditional golfer never used a
gold cart as it was all walking; in fact, all the golfers must walk
during all PGA competitions. A caddy, he explained, typically would
carry the gold bags of 2 players, one on each shoulder.
At the tee, my brother situated
something on the ground on which he place the golf ball and after he
tried a few practice swings, he raised his arms back and swung with
all his might it seemed. I looked as he swung but could not find the
ball in the air.
Then I heard...
DEFECATE although it was articulated
with the shorter version with the “i” extended well beyond its
normal length of time.
I wondered if all golfers needed to
talk like this.
My brother muttered something to
himself about staying focused and paying attention... then, he put
down another ball and smacked it hard again.
This time, he was pleased with what he
had done and walked briskly back to the cart, put his club in the bag
on the back, and jumped into the seat and off we went.
“Did you see where it went,” he
asked?
“No,” I responded in an
apprehensive tone.
“I think I have a pretty good idea,”
he said jovially.
Around and around and around my brother
drove the cart, weaving in and out of trees, as we went this way and
that looking for that one ball he hit well. He finally spotted it
and headed in that direction. Once there he held something up in the
air and asked if I knew what it was. I shook my head no but wondered
why he thought I would know what it was.
It is a spotter, I think is what he
called it and it is used by golfers (actually it is the job of the
caddy) to view the flag on the green through the telescope like lens
device and once you have the flag inside this red circle, the button
on the top is pushed down and the number of feet is display at the
bottom of the screen, indicating its distance from our location.
Isn't that cheating I thought to
myself, not wanting to appear naïve and stupid in front of my
brother, but come on, isn't that part of the skill of the sport is to
estimate that distance.
Hell no apparently.
So again, my brother explained that the
distance let him know which club to use as they are rated by distance
when hit perfectly.
As if he heard my mind thinking the
word “cheating,” he explained how just knowing the distance and
which club was only a minor part of the skill that was required. One
had to know how to properly hit with each club and that took
practice.
One had to take into consideration the
velocity of the wind and from what direction was it blowing as well
as how the ball would roll or bounce and in what direction. The
height of the grass is also a factor in how the ball is hit.
Then there is trajectory calculations
that can be done if you want to get that advanced in calculating your
next shot.
Again, I thought to myself, doesn't
that take the fun out of the sport if it is that scientific... and,
if it is really that scientific why not just do those calculations on
paper and save yourself all the walking and practicing.
Apparently getting the proper swing
down and mastered is not as easy as it seems because my brother said
that I did not want to know how much money he has paid to a trainer
to help him get his swing to the quality it is today.
He was absolutely correct with that one
as I could care less how much money he spent.
All total, my brother played about 5
holes and with each hole he hit two balls and not because he was
hitting the ball badly but because he said he was playing for me
which doubled his practice. Several times he got upset with himself
claiming that he was spending too much time talking to me and not
staying focused.
I asked him did he not talk when he was
playing in a foursome? And, there is another level of skill that
needs to be developed he boasted back at me, not letting their
conversation distract you.
So, it is ok to joke around, tell
jokes, talk about business deals as long as when you step up to hit
the ball, you put all of that conversation out of your mind, focus,
and concentrate. Again, why play golf while one is doing this? And,
the more often one goes out playing golf in a foursome, the more
frustration could become trying to maintain focus and concentration.
Again, how could all of that be fun or
seen as a sport... and yet, it is, and people make millions a year
hitting that ball around.
It's not really good exercise either
since most people use golf carts.
On one of our first greens, my brother
asked if I wanted to take a shot. Of course, I said yes, and jumped
at the opportunity to show off my beginner's luck.
He handed me the putter and appeared to
be studying how I should make the shot and then I just smacked the
ball. It went flying to the flag pole, a tad too hard, but hit the
pole squarely.
Not bad for a first shot, I said. No,
my brother said, it was a perfect shot... just a little too hard.
I toyed with the idea of buying a bag
of clubs but quickly put that idea out of my head... but still cannot
get the idea out of my head that golfers could measure their
distance.
It still seems like cheating to me.
MYTHOLOGY
Myth or Religion?
by Alex Hutchins
The Olympians, with whom we are more familiar and are named after their dwelling place Mount Olympus.
For ten years, the Titans and the Olympians fought with neither side able to gain a lasting advantage. Gaia advised Zeus to free the Cyclopes and the hundred headed Giants from Tartarus (a place in the underworld) and persuade them to join his side. Zeus went down to Tartarus, killed the monster which guarded the prisoners, and released them. In return for their freedom, the Cyclopes and the Giants became allies with Zeus tipping the scale of power to the Olympians.
The number 12 is very important in many religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, but some uses are to be found in pagan times. Throughout history, there are numerous magical/religious uses of twelves. Ancient Greek religion, the Twelve Olympians were the principal gods of the pantheon. The chief Norse god, Odin, had 12 sons. Several sets of twelve cities are identified in history as a dodecapolis, the most familiar being the Etruscan League. In the King Arthur Legend, Arthur is said to have subdued 12 rebel princes and to have won 12 great battles against Saxon invaders.
There were/are:
12 Apostles
12 Tribes of Israel
12 Signs of Zodiac
12 Signs of the Chinese Zodiac
12 Pearson-Marr Archetypes
12 Months in a calendar year
Horus and the 12 gods in Egypt
Significance of the number 12
All of physical reality is constrained and restrained (as in government) by the 12 lines that mark the edges of the physical world. Draw a square and number those lines (which are 4). Then, draw another square just a little to the right of your first square so that the 2 squares overlap and number those lines (which are 4). Then, draw straight lines connecting all corners of the 2 squares (which are 4). Count the total number of lines and you should have 12. The cube that you just drew is our universe and represents its 3 dimensions.
Flood legends from around the world.
Comparative mythology is the comparison of myths from different cultures in an attempt to identify shared themes and characteristics. Comparative mythology has served a variety of academic purposes. For example, scholars have used the relationships between different myths to trace the development of religions and cultures, to propose common origins for myths from different cultures, and to support various psychological theories.
2/23/2015
FEEDING THE WORLD
Genetically
Engineered
Crops
by Alex Hutchins
Genetically modified foods, also known as genetically engineered foods, are the latest contribution of genetic engineering technology. These foods are made by inserting genes of other species into their DNA. Though this kind of genetic modification is used both in plants and animals, it is found more commonly in the former than in the later. There are a variety of reasons for developing such foods. For instance, some foods are genetically modified to prevent the occurrence of allergies after consumption, while some are developed to improve their shelf life. It is also been said that experts are working on developing foods that have the ability to cure certain diseases.
Advantages
- One of the major advantage is that they help in controlling the occurrence of certain diseases.
- It is also said that these foods grow faster than the foods that are grown in the traditional manner.
- At times, genetically engineered food crops can be grown at places with unfavorable climatic conditions too. A normal crop can grow only in specific season or under some favorable climatic conditions.
- Though the seeds for such foods are quite expensive, their cost of production is said to be lesser than that of the traditional crops.
- Genetically engineered foods are said to be high in nutrients, and contain more minerals and vitamins than those found in traditionally grown foods.
Disadvantages
- The biggest threat caused by this food is that they can have harmful effects on the human body.
- In many countries, manufacturers do not mention on the label that foods are genetically manufactured because they think that this would affect their business.
- Many religious and cultural communities are against such foods because they see it as an unnatural way of producing foods.
- Experts are of the opinion that with the increase of such foods, developing countries would start depending more on industrial countries because it is likely that the food production would be controlled by them in the time to come.
CAVEAT
A renowned cardiologist, Dr. William Davis explains how eliminating wheat from our diets can prevent fat storage, shrink unsightly bulges, and reverse myriad health problems. Every day, over 200 million Americans consume food products made of wheat.
- Wheat is the primary grain used in U.S. grain products. Approximately three-quarters of all U.S. grain products are made from wheat flour.
- More food is made with wheat than any other cereal grain.
- U.S. Farmers grow nearly 2.4 billion bushels of wheat on 63 million acres of land.
- About half the wheat grown in the United States is used domestically.
As Dr. Davis tells it, the hybridization of wheat came about in an effort to improve yield, which is now about tenfold greater per acre than it was a century ago. Older strains of wheat were taller and more prone to damage from wind and rain. Dr. Davis writes that modern wheat is approximately 70 percent carbohydrate by weight. The carbohydrate is in the form of a starch called amylopectin A. Far worse, according is Dr. Davis, is the new protean enzyme that this genetically altered wheat created called, Gliadin. Gliadin, Dr. Davis says, is an opiate that actually causes us to eat more.
Gliadin is a protein found within wheat gluten. It is, from a cold scientific viewpoint, a fascinating issue, a protean protein capable of incredibly varied biologic effects in humans.
Among the things we know about gliadin:
- Gliadin is the most abundant protein in wheat, contained within gluten polymers.
- Gliadin of 2012 is different from the gliadin of, say, 1960, by several amino acids, part of the genetic transformation of wheat introduced to increase yield-per-acre.
- Gliadin is degraded to a collection of polypeptides called exorphins in the gastrointestinal tract.
- Exorphins cross the blood-brain barrier and bind to opiate-receptors to induce appetite, as well as behavioral changes, such as behavioral outbursts and inattention in children with ADHD and autism, hearing voices and social detachment in schizophrenics, and the mania of bipolar illness.
Another Carrot and Stick Story
By Alex Hutchins
EVERYONE knows that nothing takes place
in business and very little work gets done in business and industry
without offering employees incentives for doing that work... in
addition to their salary, sick leave, annual leave, holidays, and
other benefits.
In fact, in 1990 when I taught a class
of nothing but PhDs a new way of accomplishing work that involved
teamwork, I was told that they would not use the new process until
they were given an incentive to do so.
When I was Dean of ITT Technical
Institute, Corporate HQ would give all of campus management a
substantial bonus providing all departments reached their goals. The
bonus was really substantial and around $5000 before taxes so there
was a lot of pressure of each department to either reach their goals
or fudge the data so that it appeared that they had reached their
goals.
If a department head did not reach
their goals, the other department heads would “shun” and “shame”
that individual because it was he or she that prevented them from
getting a bonus that year.
It is amazing what you can get both
males and females to do, regardless of position, in order to be
eligible to receive a bonus... called a CARROT... or, Behavior
Modification.
Behavior modification is the
traditional term for the use of empirically demonstrated behavior
change techniques to increase or decrease the frequency of
behaviors, such as altering an individual's behaviors and reactions
to stimuli through positive and negative reinforcement
of adaptive
behavior and/or the reduction of behavior through its extinction,
punishment
and/or satiation. It is similar to operant
conditioning but with the absence of the antecedent. Behavior
modification is now known as Applied
behavior analysis (ABA) which is more analytical than it used to
be.
The first use of the term behavior
modification appears to have been by Edward
Thorndike in 1911. His article Provisional Laws of Acquired
Behavior or Learning makes frequent use of the term "modifying
behavior". Through early research in the 1940s and the 1950s the
term was used by Joseph
Wolpe's research group.
The experimental tradition in clinical
psychology used it to refer to psycho-therapeutic techniques derived
from empirical research. It has since come to refer mainly to
techniques for increasing adaptive behavior through reinforcement and
decreasing maladaptive behavior through extinction or punishment
(with emphasis on the former).
Behavior modification is a form of
Behavior
therapy now known as Applied
behavior analysis. Emphasizing the empirical roots of behavior
modification, some authors consider it to be broader in scope and to
subsume the other two categories of behavior change methods.
The use of positive reinforcement to
change behavior has many applications to organizational training. An
assessment called performance audit is conducted first, to determine
the problems or behaviors that can be modified for more efficient job
performance.
A program of positive reinforcement is
then introduced to reward employees for displaying the desired
behaviors, such as reducing errors or production time per unit.
Punishment or reprimands are not used: although these may temporarily
eliminate an undesirable behavior, they may leave in its place
anxiety, hostility and anger.
Providing positive reinforcement is
much more effective in improving employee productivity and behavior.
Hence, our
incentive, bonus, and annual merit pay. However, some employers like
to keep this concept stimulated daily, weekly, and monthly in order
to stimulate quarterly profits.
What brought this
to my attention this morning was a conversation I had with my wife
this morning where she was telling me,
“Oh! I forgot to tell you
yesterday... I got another tooth. One more and I get a $25 debit
card.”
I asked her how and she proceeded to tell me the story and then ended
with a “statement of fact” that a co-worker got a tooth almost
every week. Before I could ask how, she told me that she had said to
him recently,
“Are you filling out the paperwork for them?”
“No,” he replied, “but I do put a copy of the form in the
folder they take with them and tell them about what will happen for
me if they take the time to fill it out.”
My wife then stated emphatically, “I'm going to start doing that.”
What got me to thinking was that when employees do that with
customers in order to get a bonus, they may not be exhibiting the
actual behavior that was intended by management for the bonus to be
granted.
In other words, they have found a way to circumvent the process to
simply generate more income for themselves.
And, if this is being done at the bottom of the labor ranks, you can
bet your bottom dollar it is being done at all levels of the labor
ranks creating a false sense of accomplishment when upper management
sees how much is being paid out in bonuses each year.
Personally, I have always been opposed to the carrot and stick method
of achieving results. The original idea was developed years ago when
a horse and buggy driver tied a carrot onto the end of a stick and
suspended it over and in front of the horse's head. The horse would
move forward on his own thinking he would eventually get the carrot
but he never did or maybe the driver felt sorry for him at the end of
the day and gave it to him, I don't know.
But, whenever I see the carrot and stick treatment being used on me,
I refuse to participate regardless of the little bit of incentive
money it is going to cost me. If I do good work, I will get a
substantial raise and I do not need weekly or monthly reminders that
I need to continue doing that... I remind myself.
College Business Schools teach students who will become potential
leaders of business how to successfully manipulate the workforce to
achieve results and increase output, while assuming that the
workforce is either gullible or stupid and therefore will never
“catch on.” And, I would submit to you that our business
graduates are far more gullible and stupid because they believe that
CRAP.
2/22/2015
2/21/2015
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