"Siri? Tell the creature that I need to see its I.D."

Hi ATS,

I'll keep this as short as possible so as to get to the meat.

Hanging around ATS I have developed an interest in what DARPA is up to. DARPA themselves make this pretty easy as they are lately known for 'out-sourcing' their projects as they try to garner the best talent for their research, and plenty of blogs out there have lists of DARPA project descriptions just because they are so damned interesting.

Hang with me, I have to get through a few details. So NLP (Natural Language Processing) is a huge part of these DARPA projects and some of you may remember that NLP is what is behind Stremor's Sloth. Fun, right?

What I want to share with you today is this video produced by NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology). It is about technology that NIST developed for a DARPA project called TRANSTAC (Spoken Language and TRANSlation System For Tactical Use) that uses NLP to help soldiers translate languages in war zones.

I also want to share with you how I find this particular application of this technology, and the accompanying introduction video to be shamefully misguided. I also hope to express that this video and the ethos that drives it represents some of the standard disinformation that we are fed on a regular basis and I hope this short thread will help to deconstruct it a bit. I will get to that at the end but keep it in mind as we watch the crew from the U.S.S. Enterprise...



You saw that, right? The way the soldier asks the phone to ask the driver for his I.D.

And then the ridiculous Siri-like delay and *plink*, it translates in to Pashto? And of course you saw him ask the phone to ask the 'native' ('creature', as you will see) to see inside its truck?

OK? Folks? Who in an occupied war zone does not understand, "I need to see your I.D" or "I need to look in the truck" or "Get the # down!"

I can imagine such a thing could be useful during a long term occupation but there is just something about the process shown in the video that just magnifies the degradation. There is something in it that just insults the human spirit. People know when they are being crushed under the thumb, "But let me pull out my smart phone so i can show you how convenient it is to keep you under our thumbs", know what I mean?

And finally...

Spock: "It simply translates its findings in to English"

Jump Suit Guy: "You mean it speaks?"

James Tiberius Kirk: "With a voice (flippantly), or the approximation of whatever the creature is 'sending' in"

Star Trek: The Metamorphosis

Ah, there we go with the creature again. Yeah, it translates to whatever those people are speaking in.

So, I just wanted to take a moment, to be an armchair DARPA critic and say, nice try DARPA, but it just makes it worse. I was really surprised that some public relations person let the Star Trek 'creature' thing fly.

Anyhow, folks, I think that the most interesting thing, more than the usual 'they are aliens' disinformation that seems to permeate our military executive culture, is the NLP.

It's huge and getting huger (more huge) and will be one of the biggest tools at our disposal for understanding ourselves, our societies and how to make them better. Human happiness could be greatly increased by its application, but it has to be used for good by the right people.

If you want to read more, check wiki and here is an article that I am enjoying presently...

Historic Paradigm Shifts or Shift-Enablers

A series of discoveries and developments over the past years has resulted in major shifts in the discipline of Natural Language Processing.

Some have been more influential than others, but each is recognizable today as having had major impact, although this might not have been seen at the time. Some have been shift-enablers, rather than actual shifts in
methods or approaches, but these have caused as major a change in how the discipline accomplishes its work.

Very interesting, it looks to me like it has much promise if done right.

Human happiness could be greatly increased by its application, but it has to be used for good by the right people.

I concur with your statement above but I don't expect much from any military application to help improve life...

Did you notice I refrained from saying "Fascinating"?

Excellent Thread and I appreciate the work you put into it, all new information for me to digest.

It will take me some time to read the PDF Link you provided as it is almost bed time here, but be assured I will read it and respond.



S&F
Regards, Iwinder

Originally posted by Xoanon
OK? Folks? Who in an occupied war zone does not understand, "I need to see your I.D" or "I need to look in the truck" or "Get the #### down!"

Hmm. OK. So you think it is "degrading" to attempt to speak to someone in their own language with some sort of translation device because they really ought to know English phrases such as "Get the #### down!" already. I mean, who doesn't know that, right? And that's not degrading, but trying to interact with them in their own language is.

The Star Trek episode featured is Metamorphosis. The "creature" is an advanced being with advanced powers who winds up saving the Enterprise crew.

Great post.


Digital walls are the future.... or is that the past?

reply to post by schuyler


Exactamundo!

I can see this being very handy in common situations considering the influx of non-English speaking tourists, migrants, Australians, refugees and other welcomed passersby. do not analyse that it will give you a migraine.

I might be able to go to parts of my city and actually buy some bread and milk, and not have to point and motion and make signs at the young ladies behind the counter.

Maybe this is leading to a world without language. We all speak in siri.

iPod docks in the back of your head so you can plug yourself in and have a talk to the kids.

I mean we've all but lost the art of hand writing. We've lost grammar. Next, actual language.

It's a slope and rather slippery...

Winofiend is write.

Here is my thread on cursive.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

I'm sorry you missed it when i posted it.

reply to post by schuyler

Hmm. OK. So you think it is "degrading" to attempt to speak to someone in their own language with some sort of translation device because they really ought to know English phrases such as "Get the #### down!" already.

No, Captain Reading Comprehension, I think it is degrading because it is assumed that they do not know the universal language of "We-own-your-ass". Adrenaline uploads it right in to your brain.

I did say that I could see the usefulness of the system during a long term occupation.

I normally would not answer this but I'd like to give you another go.

Have a re-read and try again.

I asked Siri her opinion on gun control.

To that she said "I would rather not say."

That would be fun, an encounter that I could say, would be interesting.

Perhaps some day, but until first contacts are the norm, I doubt it will happen in our life times.

Originally posted by ADVISOR
That would be fun, an encounter that I could say, would be interesting.

Perhaps some day, but until first contacts are the norm, I doubt it will happen in our life times.

Hi Advisor,

I was just wondering what you are referring to? I just wanted to make sure you are not ignored. Your reply seemed a bit as though it would be on a UFO thread. Or do you mean contact with Siri?

Originally posted by Xoanon
Or do you mean contact with Siri?

Yes, Siri.

LoL

reply to post by Xoanon


I was always under the impression that NLP, stood for Neural Linguistics Programming, or are we on the wrong NLP here? However, Tennessee state doesn't have a stop and identify law; so no occifer, you don't need to see my ID

Originally posted by VeritasAequitas
or are we on the wrong NLP here?

Maybe we all are, because I was thinking of "National Lampoon Presents"...[insert movie].... lol

reply to post by ADVISOR


I haven't seen a National Lampoon, since........Vegas Vacation, lol....I can't believe I didn't think of that!

I actually have sort of asked Stremor for an NLP (National Lampoon Presents) version of the Sloth, but I never hear back.

*shrug*