The Sound of Silence

Posted on May 1 by admin

All too often in our everyday busy lives we get caught-up in life’s daily activities of doing ‘stuff’ and sometimes don’t get a chance to just slow down and reflect.

Recently I’ve experienced many life-changing events that has me reflecting more than ever on my life. These events have made me really think deeply about what is, and what isn’t, important in life http://storecialis.net/cialis-daily/.

These reflections have been sincere evaluations of my personal character, my actions, my legacy and how I can effect positive change for others.

In the middle of all these life-changing events has been my supportive and wonderful wife, Brandee.

So in casual conversation Brandee mentioned the other day that I should listen to this song by the group Distributed called “The Sound of Silence”. With the song title sounding vaguely familiar to me, I said something to-the-effect of ‘yeah, I think I like that song’. Then, of course, I head right on over to YouTube and find the song.

First, I like the title of the song itself. It’s very ironic. How can Silence have Sound? This is a powerful message and I love it.

Secondly, I like the sound of the song itself. It’s a beautiful mixture of calm and pent-up frustration.

Lastly, upon further research, the meaning of the lyrics makes this one of my all-time favorite songs. I will leave the true interpretation of the song for you. Just Google “The Sound of Silence Lyrics Meaning“.

However, as with most good music, the magic is in the interpretation of the listener. In this case I did not take the literal meaning of the lyrics; rather it applies to my current life situation – and this is a good thing. I feel this song exemplifies what is important to me most right now which is ‘actions’, not ‘words’. The Sound of Silence.

“People talking without speaking”

The Sound of Silence is a song written originally by the group Simon and Garfunkel. What I want to share with you is two cover versions of this song by the group Distributed. For those who might not know, Distributed is known as a hardcore heavy-metal band. However, in both of these videos they provide a powerful acoustic performance. Check them out for yourself as these are wonderfully composed renditions of this song. You will not be disappointed.

This first video is a live performance:

“People writing songs

That voices never share”

This second video is the official video where you can get more visualization on the true intent of the song:

Natural Language – Computer Understanding

Posted on April 17 by Kevin

Apple Siri, Amazon Echo, Google Voice, Microsoft Clippy or whatever you call them, the fact of the matter is that voice-control and virtual assistants are coming – and in a big way!

Why? To make the user experience better to interact with computers just like you would with humans.
So what’s the big deal? Having a computer understand human language is extremely difficult.

Every single major IT company including Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Salesforce, Apple (and many others) have invested significant efforts in the area of ‘Artificial Intelligence (AI), Neural Networks or Natural Language Processing (NLP)’. I will group these terms together of the purpose of this article, and I provide some specific definition below, but please know the essence is of machine-learning, where a computer thinks (and reacts) with logic and not an algorithm.

Artificial Intelligence definition: 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.
Neural Network definition: a computer system modeled on the human brain and nervous system.
Natural Language Processing definition: is a field of computer science, artificial intelligence, and computational linguistics concerned with the interactions between computers and human (natural) languages. As such, NLP is related to the area of human–computer interaction.

As I mentioned earlier there has been a lot of investment and research in the areas of AI and NLP, so the question begs why are we seeing such a big push in the consumer market of voice-control technology all of a sudden?

That is a reasonable question and I think it’s easily answered by two words: ‘The Cloud’! First, you need unimaginable amounts of data to ‘train’ a computer. For example, IBM Watson, at its core only knows two things which are binary (or 1’s and 0’s, yes or no, true or false). To make IBM Watson, Jeopardy-worthy it had to be pumped with years and years of library data for it to ‘learn’. My point is that without this very specific training, a computer system as powerful as Watson still cannot communicate like humans do naturally every day. Secondly, massive compute-power is required. ‘The Cloud’ offers both access to unimaginable amounts of data plus massive compute-power where, finally, computer systems an achieve machine-learning capabilities in earnest.

I was fortunate enough to work at a company called ABBYY for the past 4+ years. ABBYY is known in the industry as a leader in Optical Character Recognition (OCR), which is true and one of the reasons I decided to join the company, however and what I was pleasantly surprised to quickly learn, was that high-quality OCR was a result of a much bigger vision. This bigger vision was from David Yang, ABBYY founder, and his passion to help people understand each other. It might sound simple but with so many different languages, interpretations of language and structure of language it is impossible to apply scientific logic to understand meaning or intention that a computer might understand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPlV9mzqeFQ

Introduction of ABBYY Machine Translation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Gb9cgzxPWk (click here to see some great use case examples for NLP)

Eugene describes the use cases for NLP technology including:

Keyword vs. Semantic Search
Syntactic language parsing
Semantic indexing
Contextual understanding
Document classification
Similar documents

It was my great honor to work with some serious Linguistic scientists and learn a little bit about the complications of NLP, and true language understanding. Previously I had thought, probably like most of us reading this article, ‘why can’t Apple Siri understand what I’m saying?’. ‘Why is she so dumb about her answers?’. I do recall those reactions and it still happens to-this-day. The magic of Siri is not the voice recognition itself of word-for-word conversion, but rather the understanding of the complete question or command in a full sentence. I learned that to understand human language, meaning and intent is nearly impossible, even with the greatest scientific-minds and compute-power completely focused on such realization.

In summary, and probably in the not so distant future, I can imagine the reality of our everyday lives being controlled by voice-command. It is an undeniable trend. The domain names of NLPIsAFad.com, AIisAFad.com and ArtificialIntellingenceIsAFad.com will become hot comities as collectors gobble-up such forward-thinking treasures. A day where you walk in your front door and say something such as ‘summer-time’ and your stereo immediately starts summer-time music, then the shades automatically turn to a sandy-location and then your television instantly clicks on-to a refreshing beach sunset! Ahhhhh, so tropical. This is all within our grasp now and will soon be a realization for you.

Posted on April 5 by admin

The Event

My younger brother, John, got married to his terrific fiancée, Rachelle this past weekend at a gorgeous venue of the Butte County Country Club. In attendance for our immediate family where John (the groom), Haiden (his son), me (Kevin Neal), my stunning wife Brandee and our eldest/wisest brother Mike. We all enjoyed a marvelous Wedding between two wonderful people and a coming together of two families. John and Rachelle, Brandee and I sincerely wish you the very best on your newly combined family. We look forward to many years of great times and fantastic memories.

As a starter let me please recap my memories of your fabulous day in the article below:

The Venue

There were roughly 200 people in attendance and the ceremony was held on the lawn of the Country Club just outside of the clubhouse under two large oak trees. All the logistics of the Wedding were clearly well-arranged and it was absolutely the perfect place for John and Rachelle’s special day because of the careful planning. In retrospect I’m in even more in awe of how they planned to keep 200+ people’s attention in one area for hours to participate in pre-ceremony activities, the ceremony itself, photos, dinner, dancing and after-party!

The Arrangements

Rachelle is a member of AIFD, or American Institute of Floral Designers, and has owned her own floral shop, Flowers by Rachelle, for many years. Therefore, as you can imagine, she is well-connected with a talented professional network of gifted friends that specialize in various areas of event presentation such as floral (obviously) but also lighting, sound and photography.

The Pre-Ceremony

The weather on the day of John and Rachelle’s wedding was absolutely perfect. It was about 75 degrees with a light breeze and sunny in Chico, California.

Before the actually ceremonies started, and as people arrived for the wedding, there was some time for the attendees to mingle and meet each other. It was absolutely amazing to participate in such a diverse group of people, who did not know each other previously, freely gather and have fun to celebrate John and Rachelle’s special day.

One thing that I must absolutely share is my extreme gratitude to Rachelle herself, Rachelle’s family and Rachelle’s friends for their great caring of John and my parents; Floyd and Sharen Neal. So many strangers came up to introduce themselves to Mom and Dad.

Rachelle made an extra special effort to include them on her special day. That is simple precious; thanks Rachelle. You made a lifetime wonderful memory for Mom and Dad.

The Ceremony

As excitement for the ceremony mounted and nearly everyone had arrived just before the 4:00pm start-time, there was a buzz among the attendees. Then, after years of courtship and months of preparation, it was time for John and Rachelle’s Wedding to begin. Everyone was asked to take their seats and The Ceremony began viagra tablets india. The music started and family members walked down the aisle of flower-pedals which was a subliminal theme (I think at least) for bringing two individuals together as a bigger family.

The Vows

Another very special moment was the wedding vows themselves. Both John and Rachelle read their vows to each other with a personal touch, sincerity and passion. This was clearly an emotional moment for both of them where their love for each other was never more evident. After John had read his vows to Rachelle, Travis, who is one of John’s best friends from college and his best-man for the Wedding, delivering the ring to place on Rachelle’s finger. Rachelle then recited her emotional vow to John and Haiden (John’s 7-year old son) delivered the ring for Rachelle to place on John’s finger. I like tadacip

The Photos

After such a great Ceremony the only way to truly capture such essence is through photography. I am still collecting photos but there is a huge collection already of fantastic pictures. The few as ‘Mr. John & Rachelle Neal’ photos that I’ve seen from the photographers are stunning. I cannot wait to see the entire collection.

A fabulous future

Overall, the Wedding was an incredible success. It was beautiful, obviously, as you can see in all the photos in this blog post. Then all the positive social interaction between friends and family was so refreshing.

John, Rachelle and Haiden could not have established a more solid foundation for their future. I am so happy for my brother! John, you are a good person and deserve the best. And you have the best in Rachelle. Rachelle, please take care of my brother now, tomorrow and into the future.

But for now, forget all this long-term commitment junk and just go enjoy yourselves on your well-deserved honeymoon! I’m so happy for my brother’s happiness and I’m so grateful to gain the sister I’ve always wanted in Rachelle! Welcome to the family Rachelle, for better or worse, we are family — and I couldn’t be more proud to have you as my sister.

Love,

Kevin

Black Sabbath – SAP Center, February 9, 2016

Posted on February 10 by Kevin

Note: All credit for this article is attributed to Jim Harrington jharrington@bayareanewsgroup.com

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Review: Black Sabbath delivers powerful farewell

Ozzy Osbourne stalked the stage with manic delight. Tony Iommi burned through one face-melting guitar lead after another. And Geezer Butler’s basslines were as heavy as heavy can be.

It was a thing of thundering beauty, made all that more poignant by the knowledge that there won’t be many more opportunities to experience it again.

It was the beginning of a long goodbye for local fans, as the legendary heavy metal band Black Sabbath brought its farewell tour to the SAP Center in San Jose on Tuesday. The other shoe is scheduled to drop when Ozzy and crew return to the Bay Area to perform on Sept. 15 at Oracle Arena in Oakland.

The British band managed to underscore all the reasons why it will be so dearly missed during Tuesday’s show. Indeed, Sabbath sounded so strong that, at times, it seemed like an absolutely ludicrous idea for these guys to even be thinking about hanging it up. Yet, if the goal is to go out on top — in peak fighting form — then Sabbath is right on track.

Following the opening set by Rival Sons, the main attraction took the stage and slowly uncurled its namesake song, the epic title track to the 1970 debut “Black Sabbath.” Osbourne’s vocals, which have ranged greatly in quality over the years, sounded comparatively strong on this night — powerful, confident and (mostly) clear. The 67-year-old former reality TV star also showed a goodly amount of energy, running about and clapping his hands.

The group then charged through “Fairies Wear Boots,” from the 1970 quadruple-platinum effort “Paranoid.” Iommi starred in this song, like he did in so many others. The supremely talented guitarist, who has battled cancer in recent years, was a regular volcano of riffs, firing off leads so hot they should’ve come with warning labels.

The sold-out crowd, numbering some 13,000 strong, reacted with great enthusiasm to the heavy metal onslaught. The fans, many of whom were old enough to possibly remember buying “Paranoid” on eight-track tape, sang along at top volume and pumped their firsts in air for much of the approximately two-hour show.

The set list drew almost exclusively from the band’s first three albums. Unfortunately, Sabbath only played one track (“Snowblind”) from what is, by far, its best album — 1972’s “Vol. 4” — and it entirely skipped over 1973’s “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.” Hearing the title track to the later, after all, should be required at all Sabbath shows.

Sabbath did find time for “Dirty Women,” a tune that stands as one of the few reasons for listening to the band’s seventh studio album, 1976’s “Technical Ecstasy.” It also remembered “God Is Dead?” from “13,” the band’s 19th — and supposedly final — album.

Supporting Iommi, Osbourne and Ward — three founding members of the band — was Tommy Clufetos, a powerhouse drummer who has worked with Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie and others. Clufetos was handling the beats and rhythms originally made famous by Bill Ward, who left the fold in 2013.

The band closed the main set with an epic run through “Children of the Grave,” which featured more fireworks from Iommi, and then returned for an encore of “Paranoid.”

Fans who missed this show — or simply want more — should think about attending the Black Sabbath show on Sept. 15 at Oracle Arena. Tickets are $45-$150, www.ticketmaster.com

Follow Jim Harrington at http://twitter.com/jimthecritic and www.facebook.com/jim.bayareanews.

Roadtrip(s) – Q1’16

Posted on February 9 by Kevin

What a crazy past few weeks this has been! It’s been an interesting time of change that has encompassed a full-range of emotions from professional enthusiasm to personal reflection.

First of all I would like to thank my wonderful wife for her terrific support and patience. Our life this past month has consisted of lots of car travel, hotel rooms and many other impromptu activities. From a personal reflection standpoint it’s truly amazing how karma treats us all.

As I mentioned previously much of our time has been in the car traveling to-and-from various locations all over the state of California. Fortunately, Brandee had strongly encouraged me to purchase a new car last year and, in retrospect, was this never a better decision. I could not have imagined the horror of having to travel such distances in our other vehicle(s) without air conditioning, heating or other comforts (not that this travel is luxurious in any way, but it’s less suffering indeed). Having a reliable automobile for the insane travel we’ve experienced recently is refreshing so that we can focus on other more important priorities.

One of the fringe benefits for all this road travel is that you start to notice particular road-show landmarks. A significant landmark that we noticed recently was the NATIONS Giant Hamburgers in Tracy. I had been to a NATIONS long-ago but couldn’t recall anything notable about the experience so Brandee and I tempted-fate with a visit on the road home recently. Brandee ordered a cheeseburger, I ordered a bacon-cheeseburger with a side of onion rings and drinks. Something for sure is that you better bring your appetite when going to NATIONS because they certainly bring quantity. After a delicious breakfast of burgers, ‘rings and drinks we were back on the road home.

Above all else, and most importantly, it’s the love of family that is what truly matters in life. Floyd Neal, is my wonderful Dad and the proud father of four sons. His amazing mentorship, encouragement and support is a son’s life-dream. I am so grateful to spend some quality time recently with my eldest brother. His amazing spirit and awesome inspiration is truly infectious. Mike, you are a terrific person; thanks! John, you are an excellent role-model for your son and we look forward to your exciting near-future! And Robert, Dad loves you more than anything and you surely must know that. Dad has been so good to everyone in his life that I nominate him for the Best Dad Ever Award!

Family First,