Chathura's Funky Fusion

Memory Prediction Framework

chathuradd — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:28:00 +0000

When I was doing research for our final year project Cyclopia, a system which is built to model the image understanding capability of humans, I came across this wonderful concept of intelligence introduced by Jeff Hawkins in his book called “On Intelligence”.

This theory says that physical arrangement of the brain cortex issue is uniform which means that there is only single principle defining the memory and the neocortex. This means that the same algorithm is in operation for learning models for audition, vision, somatosensory perception and language. It also goes on to say that the brain’s intelligent comes from its ability to predict future events based on the past data.

Hawkins outlines the book as follows:

“The book starts with some background on why previous attempts at understanding intelligence and building intelligent machines have failed. I then introduce and develop the core idea of the theory, what I call the memory-prediction framework. In chapter 6 I detail how the physical brain implements the memory-prediction model—in other words, how the brain actually works. I then discuss social and other implications of the theory, which for many readers might be the most thought-provoking section. The book ends with a discussion of intelligent machines—how we can build them and what the future will be like.”

The central concept of the Memory-Prediction Framework is that bottom-up inputs are matched in a hierarchy of recognition, and evoke a series of top-down expectations. These expectations interact with the bottom-up signals to both analyze those inputs and generate predictions of subsequent expected inputs. Each hierarchy level remembers frequently observed temporal sequences of input patterns and generates labels or ‘names’ for these sequences. When an input sequence matches a memorized sequence at a given layer of the hierarchy, a label or ‘name’ is propagated up the hierarchy – thus eliminating details at higher levels and enabling them to learn higher-order sequences. This process produces increased invariance at higher levels. Higher levels predict future input by matching partial sequences and projecting their expectations to the lower levels. However, when a mismatch between input and memorized/predicted sequences occurs, a more complete representation propagates upwards. This causes alternative ‘interpretations’ to be activated at higher levels, which in turn generates other predictions at lower levels.

The main points of Memory prediction framework can be summarized as follows:

The neocortex is constructing a model for the spatial and temporal patterns that it is exposed to. The goal of this model construction is the prediction of the next pattern on the input.
The cortex is constructed by replicating a basic computational unit known as the canonical cortical circuit. From a computational point of view , this canonical circuit can be treated as a node that is replicated several times.
The cortex is organized as hierarchy. This means that the nodes are connected in a tree shaped hierarchy.
The function of the cortex is to model the world that it is exposed to. This model is built using as spatial and temporal hierarchy by memorizing patterns and sequences at every node of the hierarchy. This model is then used to make predictions about the input.
The neocortex builds its model of the world in an unsupervised manner.
Each node in the hierarchy stores a large number of patterns and sequences. The pattern recognition method employed by the cortex is largely based on storing lots of patterns.
The output of a node is in terms of the sequences of patterns it has learned.
Information is passed up and down in the hierarchy to recognize and disambiguate information and propagated forward in time to predict the next input pattern.

Memory Prediction Framework (MPF) as expressed in On Intelligence is a biological theory. After working on the foundation established by Hawkins, Dileep George who is a cofounder of Numenta along with Jeff Hawkins, developed the algorithmic and mathematical counterparts of the memory prediction framework which is known as the Hierarchical Temporal Memory (HTM) which is very useful when it comes to practical implementation of the MPF. I will be going into detailed explanation about HTM in my future posts.

Related links:

My Laptop – Toshiba Satellite E105-S1402

chathuradd — Sat, 23 May 2009 10:53:57 +0000

I have always had the idea of buying a laptop which is cost effective , reliable and having latest configuration with lot of features. After doing some research in internet I decided to go for a Toshiba (poineer of notebook manufacturing) notebook and decided to go for one of their latest additions to the market, Toshiba Satellite E105-S1402.

Basic configuration:

14.1 diagonal widescreen TruBrite display
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P8400 (3MB cache)
4GB 800MHz SDRAM
320GB HDD
DVD SuperMulti Drive with LabelFlash

I have been using this for about 3 months now and I must say that this machine haven’t disappoint me that much. Still I would say this one of coolest machines available packed with numerous features. Also it is powerful companion which can used for even very high processing requirements.

Few of the cool features available are:

Back lit keyboard
Bluetooth
Fingerprint reader
media panel with touch sensitive buttons
5 in 1 card reader

One of the significant differences between this model and the previous Tochiba Satellite models were the external appearance. It is so different from earlier models. For me it is pretty decent looking having a quite unique appearance.

However there seem to be few designs flaws in this models as well. One is the location of ports. There is power port and a USB port right next to the DVD ROM and it sometimes really annoying for the user to open the CD tray with all the power cable and USB cables running close by. Furthermore it could have been much more better and attractive if the media buttons were placed in front of the keyboard rather than on the right side.

It is really disppointing to see the poor sound quality of the small speakers this has. It is rather unbelievable to see that they have removed the Hramon Kardon speaker system which came in their previous models. The keyboard also has too much flexibility but it functions smoothly.

So if you are concerned about the quality of the laptop you better think twice before purchasing this. However the amount of features this offers are likely to surpass the these few quality issues.

Tribute to My Best Friend…

chathuradd — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:00:14 +0000

Through the times of loneliness,
you have always been there for me
the times I have been hurt,
you would always care for me
when I’m lost in the world of great unknowns,
you have always shown the way out
when noone cares about me
You are always there to rescue and set my mind free,
No matter how sad or mad I can be
How lucky I am to have you as my best friend

You are there when I need something to share
at dawn, at night
At times when noone understands me,
I m wondering how you always do
keeping all your faith on me,
Thank you my dear friend
for bringing brightness to my life
being a shining start that never loses its light

You will never know what you mean to me
We will never know how our friendship became so deep
They will never know all the secrets that we keep
Our friendship will always be
Because you’re my best friend,
You’re always there for me!

Being your best friend,
I know for sure that
This friendship wouldn’t end,
By your side I would always stand
And you’ll stand by mine too,
Because that’s what best friends do,
So no matter what happens with us
In life,
Through all of the wrongs
And all of the rights,
I’m here for you to be a best friend that’s true,
Cause I love you and that’s what
Best friends do.

Though we are distant in miles,
feeling as you are living next door of mine,
sharing me with your ever lasting smile
filling my mind with joy

Dont worry my friend,
When you are sad or depressed,
when you are angry or frustrated,
when you have a bad day,
when you are hurt or with tears,
when you are scared in fears
when you are lost in confusion
when you going crazy
coz
I’ll be there to wipe your pain,
I’ll be there to listen and understand,
I’ll be there to help you figure things out

I wanna thank you once again,
for staying close and sharing my gains and pains,
I m sending this as a gift of appreciation
To remind you of your inspiration
To end this off I just want to say
that if you ever need a friend
I’ll be there till the very end

How to send an email from your BlackBerry application

chathuradd — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:31:58 +0000

One of the main reasons for the BlackBerry to become so popular was their excellent email service and RIM was the pioneer of introducing Push email system where the user will be notified immediately once the email is received by the email server. In your BlackBerry application also you can explore the power of BlackBerry email service quite easily.

The following code fragment outlines how to programmatically send a message while setting some additional parameters prior to sending:

//Get the Store from the default mail Session.
Store store = Session.getDefaultInstance().getStore();

//retrieve the sent folder
Folder[] folders = store.list(Folder.SENT);
Folder sentfolder = folders[0];

//create a new message and store it in the sent folder
Message msg = new Message(sentfolder);
Address recipients[] = new Address[1];

try {
recipients[0]= new Address(“user@company.com”, “user”);

//add the recipient list to the message
msg.addRecipients(Message.RecipientType.TO, recipients);

//set a subject for the message
msg.setSubject(“Test email”);

//sets the body of the message
msg.setContent(“This is a test email from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld”);

//sets priority
msg.setPriority(Message.Priority.HIGH);

//send the message
Transport.send(msg);
}
catch (Exception me) {
System.err.printIn(me);
}

How to test the email functionality using ESS (Email Server Simulator)

ESS should be used if the email functinality is being tested in the BlackBerry simulator. If you want test a simple email with a message and simple text attachment ESS would be sufficient. But if you need to test a email with image attchment I would recommend you to use a real BlackBerry device since ESS does not support image attachments to be sent.

See this for the setting up of ESS environment.

Ingredients of a true friendship

chathuradd — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:42:02 +0000

As a person highly relying on friends it would be important to know whether you and your friend has a true frienship. The following ingredients will definitely help you to undertand what true friendship means…

1. Foundation.

A friendship is built on a solid foundation, which enables it to withstand adversity and conflict. For example, a true friend will understand your underlying feelings in spite of your outward actions.

2. Respect.

Respect is the key to any successful relationship; and without it, there can be no true friendship. For example, a true friend may disagree and share a different opinion in a caring and thoughtful way, not in a scornful and disdainful manner.

3. Intimacy.

A friendship involves the sharing of personal and intimate information, which is safely held between friends. For example, a true friend will hold a confidence no matter the burden.

4. Enrichment.

A friendship provides a richness to each friend by giving each a sense of value and importance. For example, a true friend is able to give love, compassion, attention, and compliments unselfishly.

5. Nourishment.

A friendship nourishes the soul and makes the heart sing. For example, a true friend knows how to plant seeds and empower in an honest and loving way.

6. Dance.

A friendship resembles a perfectly choreographed and perfectly synchronized dance between two partners. For example, a true friend knows what step you are going to take before you take it.

7. Support.

A friendship provides support during times of need. For example, when you are walking a difficult path, a true friend is there to quietly walk beside you and to give you whatever is needed no matter the circumstances.

8. Harmony.

A friendship is a harmonious bond between human beings where different ideas and thoughts may be freely shared with each friend having the capacity to fully understand. For example, a true friendship involves an honest exchange of ideas without chaos or conflict.

9. Inspiration.

A friendship serves to inspire. For example, a true friend possesses unconditional kindness and love, which inspires others to exemplify the same traits.

10. Partnership.

A friendship is a partnership with both friends working together to create a synergy. For example, an obstacle is more easily and effortlessly overcome with the help of a friend.

******

Kick start to BlackBerry JDE

chathuradd — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 09:04:54 +0000

Once you get familiar with BlackBerry JDE environment it is time to develop a small HelloWorld application for BlackBerry….

Here it goes….

If you are using Eclipse just create a new BlackBerry project..

For that go to File -> New -> Project and expand the BlackBerry folder and select BlackBerry project and click Next. Then enter any name click Finish. A new project will be created. Then create a new java file called HelloWorld and place the below code..

import net.rim.device.api.ui.*;
import net.rim.device.api.ui.component.*;
import net.rim.device.api.ui.container.*;
import net.rim.device.api.system.*;

/*
* BlackBerry applications that provide a user interface
* must extend UiApplication.
*/
public class HelloWorld extends UiApplication
{
public static void main(String[] args)
{
//create a new instance of the application
//and start the application on the event thread
//…
HelloWorld app = new HelloWorld();
app.enterEventDispatcher();
}

//define a constructor for your application
//…
public HelloWorld()
{
pushScreen(new HelloWorldScreen());
}
}

//create a new screen that extends MainScreen, which provides
//default standard behavior for BlackBerry applications
final class HelloWorldScreen extends MainScreen
{
public HelloWorldScreen()
{

//invoke the MainScreen constructor
super();

//add a title to the screen
LabelField title = new LabelField(“HelloWorld Sample”,LabelField.ELLIPSIS|LabelField.USE_ALL_WIDTH);

//add the text “Hello World!” to the screen
setTitle(title);
}

//override the onClose() method to display a dialog box to the user
//with “Goodbye!” when the application is closed
public boolean onClose()
{
//display a dialog box with “Goodbye!”
//…
Dialog.alert(“Good bye!!”);
System.exit(0);
return true;
}
}

When you run the application select it to run in BlackBerry simulator and the simulator will run.

Then select the HelloWorld application from the application list in BB simulator and click on it.

If the application is running perfectly you will see the word “HelloWorld” displayed as the title. If you press Esc key the Dialog box will appear saying “Good bye” and you will exit the application.

Congratulations!!! You have successfully run your first BlackBerry application. Hope this tiny application will help you to get a quick start into the BlackBerry development.

Cricinfo International Scores

chathuradd — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 11:42:40 +0000

Enjoy live cricket!!!

Setting up BlackBerry Java Development Environment

chathuradd — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 16:19:45 +0000

If you are new to BlackBerry development and going to use Java ME, here are some quick tips that you will find very handy indeed…

Thanks to RIM there are few powerful development tools freely available for download and for usage. The main approaches are,

BlackBerry JDE (Java Development Environment), a dedicated IDE made by RIM including BlackBerry Device simulators, signing authority tool, powerful debugging support etc..
Eclipse plugin for BlackBerry which also consists of same set of features as JDE and ideal for those who are already familiar with Eclipse Environment

Download BlackBerry JDE >>

Download BlackBerry JDE plugin for Eclipse >>

Even if you are not familiar with Eclipse I would highly recommend using Eclipse plugin since Eclipse make your development very easy with Intellisense and other several advance features that you cannot find in standard JDE environment. However as I have experienced when it comes to debugging your code the BlackBerry JDE seems powerful than Eclipse.

Therefore you can use both the environments by having Eclipse for coding and using JDE for tesing purposes.

Be conscious about the JDE version you are using. If you are targeting your application to be used in latest BlackBerry smart phone models such as Storm it is preferable to use the latest JDE version. But if you targeting older models the JDE version should also be taken into consideration i.e. the BlackBerry operating system version should be similar or higher than JDE version (JDE is forward compatible but NOT backward compatibe with the device OS )

Try to use the latest JDE version possible to achieve more flexibility and developer support.

Introduction to BlackBerry development

chathuradd — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:28:23 +0000

If you are new to BlackBerry development you will be quite confused with the number of development methods available. There are three main approaches,

BlackBerry Browser Development
Rapid Application development
Java Application development

Both Browser development and RAD are powerful development methods which provides greater functionality and ease. When it comes to creating user interfaced the RAD approach provides the user the ability build the UI s by just dragging and dropping UI components, thus have the ability to build fully functinal enterprise applications in minutes.

If we consider the Java development environment it gives the developer the power and control to build any application although it is not as easy as the other two approaches. Unlike the rest the Java ME based developement gives the application the access the advanced feartures of the BlackBerry deveice such as camera, phone, bluetooth etc and to integrate with core BlackBerry functionalities such as BlackBerry Maps, GPS functinality, address book and message application as well.

If you are familiar with Java environment I highly recommend that you use Java ME approach which enables you to build very powerful applications on your own. Since I have also been using Java ME, I will be discussing more about Java development environment from now on.

Nice Quotes

chathuradd — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 05:27:08 +0000

“It’s beauty that captures your attention; personality which captures your heart.”

- Unknown

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart. “

- Helen Keller

“A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words. “

- Unknown

“There comes a point in your life when you realize who really matters, who never did, and who always will. “

- Unknown

“We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly.”

- Sam Keen

“Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control.”

- Unknown

“Live with no excuses and love with no regrets “

- Montel

“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us.”

- Alexander Graham Bell

“Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning. “

- Unknown