Like most CS deadlines, I have a midnight deadline for this blog post. Also like most CS deadlines, this one has been extended multiple times. Right now, it’s 11.20 and I’m just starting to pick a topic.

In fact, why choose? So here’s what I’ll talk about: artificial intelligence and Prolog, Slaughterhouse-Five and Tralfamadorians, and, because I assume I write for people who know nothing about CS, recursion.

I’ll start with recursion. You have a stack. It’s a narrow empty column that you can put things into, one on top of the other. When you want something that’s inside the stack you need to pull out everything that’s on top of the item you need. When you’re putting things in to the stack you’re pushing. When you’re taking things out of the stack you’re popping.

Now, you have a box containing a ball point pen (Piano), and a box. Inside the smaller box there is another ball point pen and a box. Inside the third box there is another ball point pen and a box. And so on for some finite number of boxes. You want to count the number of ball point pens that write. Suppose the boxes are labeled N to 0, with 0 as the label of the smallest box (the one contained in all of the boxes). Logically, the total number of functioning ball points the Nth box contains is just the number of functioning ball point pens contained in N-1th box, if the pen the Nth box contains doesn’t work, or plus 1 if the pen it contains works. This definition of the number of functioning ball point pens is recursive. It’s recursive because part of the definition is using the definition itself.

But where does it all stop? What do I do when I’ve run out of boxes to open? Without any more boxes to open, how will I find out how many functional pens I have? There is no N-1th box! *Brief panic attack*

It’s OK. Eventually, when you have no more boxes to look in to, I will let you know if your pen is working or not without asking you how many your containing box contains. I’ll understand. Sometimes, a box doesn’t contain a box and a ball point pen. Sometimes, all it contains is a lonely ball point pen. In other words, I’ll have two definitions of the number of functioning ball point pens: one for boxes that contain a box, and one for boxes that contain no box.

Now, I have a stack full of things. I pop an item, perform some voodoo on it.  I now pop another item, an untarnished just popped thing. I take this untarnished just popped thing, perform some voodoo on it, and combine it with the previously voodoo-ed item I had just popped to create a new voodoo-ed item. I repeat till I have no items on my stack. I’ve just recursed using a stack. You could think of the voodoo-ing as the counting of functional ball points.

By voodoo-ing both before and after I’ve found a certain value, or by branching out at each level more than once (each box contains two or more boxes), I can do some truly awesome things with recursion that would otherwise be extremely hard to achieve. For example, I can figure out the best chess move to make, or draw pretty fractals.

In Prolog, which is a programming language for Artificial Intelligence, you don’t actually program your computer the way you would with a language like C++, or Java. You don’t tell it what to do. You ask it to determine if something is true or false on the basis of logical rules. For example, Maheen blogs when Kamil is nagging her and Maheen is not lazy. Now your computer will go through whatever values of Kamil and Maheen you have provided to it. Is Kamil nagging? Is Maheen lazy? If your computer finds the ideal combination of Kamil’s nagging and Maheen’s non-laziness, it will draw a new conclusion about Maheen – Maheen blogs. A solution would exist. Recursive definitions form a huge chunk of Prolog programming because they logically define where as the alternatives (for loops, etc) do not. The smarter the rules I create, the more correct my computer’s logical conclusions would be. Up till now, that’s what my intro to AI course has been about. Creating smarter and smarter rules for a computer to follow and fit in values for.

In another course, Discrete Geometry, I find myself wishing I could picture more than three dimensions in my head. Tralfamadorians, an alien species in Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, do exactly that and see the universe in four dimensions, with time as their fourth dimension. For them, all moments in time simply are, just as, for us, space in a given moment simply is - there are no alternatives for that moment. Tralfamadorians know that how you arrived to a moment in time and where you will go afterwards are immutable. Consequently, they find the idea of free will absolutely baffling. Though the idea isn’t exactly new (think interventionist gods), Vonnegut still manages to use the idea to create a wonderful and moving anti-war narrative. Here’s my favourite bit. It’s about the book itself.

“It is so short and jumbled and jangled, Sam, because there is nothing intelligent to say about a massacre. Everybody is supposed to be dead, to never say anything or want anything ever again. Everything is supposed to be very quiet after a massacre, and it always is, except for the birds.
And what do the birds say? All there is to say about a massacre, things like "Poo-tee-weet?" ”

And here’s my all time favourite viral video:

Have a wonderful day.


Maheen

Im still in Dublin for a few more days. Everyone here is either at work or school or college, so I got a map, charged the camera and headed into city. The video is really disappointing, experiencing these places first hand is entirely different. I hope you aren't very bored by it.


On another note, I'll have spent 3 weeks away from LUMS by the time I get back, and I'm thinking I'll be able to manage. Which means a lot because when I'm there it feels like theres no time to start anything new. UPDATE: its late here and it was taking too long to publish the movie so I published a low quality one. I will improve the quality first thing tomorow. After hours of uploading the quality is still pretty much the same. What you can do now is come here.

Its been an interesting trip so far. If you miss me (:P) I will be back (hopefully) on tuesday, maybe wednesday. Here is a bit from our tournament.

Sorry for the lack of science. My next trip is to the Dublin zoo, so lots of flora, fauna and conservation heading your way real soon.








Hassan

I wonder if it says much about my laziness when the only time I sit down to write a blog post is when Kamil begins to shed his outer covering of simple nagging and fast crosses the verge to nastiness.

Anyway, this post is inspired by the Biochemistry course I'm taking this semester. It could, however, be a sort of continuation to my last post. Then, I mentioned DNA and RNA, but now leaving the realm of nucleotides, we move on to proteins. Proteins are an incredibly diverse set of molecules, taking on such 3D shapes and performing such amazing functions, and in some cases at such extraordinarily high speeds and even achieving 100% efficiency, that its a joy to know that its all happening inside of you.

Proteins are a translation of the genetic code. They are the means by which the information stored in the genetic material is utilized. At this point, I cannot stop myself from repeating how awesome RNA is by mentioning tRNA molecules. Even though they work in sync with many different proteins, tRNA molecules are the only molecules that can 'read' the genetic code and know what its saying.

Even though there are many cool proteins about - almost all of them essential since they help us survive - let me try to explain something about two protein families that got me especially interested:

1) Infectious proteins? Not quite, but close. So we generally know bacteria and viruses to wreak havoc and spread infectious diseases. However, one of the greatest surprises of modern medicine is that certain infectious neurological disease can be transmitted by proteins (I don't know if that comes as a shock to people, certainly surprised me). Back in the 90's, these proteins had their bit of fun in England and caused an outbreak of Mad Cow Disease or formally bovine spongiform encephalopathy. The proteins causing such diseases are called prions and what makes it slightly ironic is that they are derived from a 'normal' protein called PrP. What happens is that something goes wrong with the folding of the PrP and these misfolded proteins clump together. These clumps then become nuclei of evil activity and attract normal proteins towards themselves forming larger aggregates that disrupt normal function. Now, the transfer of these protein aggregates can cause the disease to become infectious.

The interesting thing about PrP is that its usually found in the brain and prions are associated with long-term memory. So, as it turns out, these pestering proteins are also the cause of (though non-infectious) some neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, having toxic effects on neurones and causing loss of memory and motor control.

2) As if I didn't think cancer was already too intelligent for our good, I discovered this new devilry on the part of tumor cells. These cells not only have the nerve to become resistant to drugs that were originally quite toxic to them, but resistance to one drug gives them the ability to become less sensitive to other drugs also. This is known as multidrug resistance. Tumor cells have this ability because of the expression of a protein, aptly named multidrug-resistance (MDR) protein. So, when these cells are exposed to a drug, the MDR pumps the drug out of the cell before the drug can exert its effects, which is extremely clever of the protein even though its such a traitor.

Proteins can be so cruel.

Nayab

The following insight into SSE life is an aside from our usual nerdy fare, and gives certain background as to where most contributors of this website come from. Any controversy (possibly regarding the lack of female representation), of course, should be directed to the author Mehdi Mujtaba, a first-time contributor to The Box Move (chuckle).

Disclaimer: Addition of missing cults is possible.  

BSS-LGS-KGS Nexus:

SSE's most energetic cult. Members are well represented in all LUMS societies. Interests range from film-making, netball, debating, MUN-ing, tennis, soccer, rugby arranging concerts, working for SPADES academic events, celebrating birthdays in front of Rausing, singing at open house to just hanging around campus. Unlike other cults, all majors are well-represented here (Physics, Math, CS, Biology, EE), so this group is ripe for inter-disciplinary scientific innovation should they get together on a project (like Shabbir Marzban's proposed Portable Ultrasound Machine project). Members regularly crack nerdy jokes and like to make funny poses for photographs. A cult which is living LUMS life to the fullest.

The GCU Group:

A group that wears its alma mater on its sleeve. Its members hold on to their former school more than members of other cults, which makes me very curious about Government College University. Its members largely stick together: can be seen studying in large groups or indulging in their favorite past time, DOTA. Exclusively EE and CS, this cult provides some of SSE's intellectual leaders. While not a regular fixture in LUMS social or sports life, they have a great affinity to cricket, even though that has waned over time. However, some members have contributed greatly to SPADES. In fact, one of my personal favorite events from PsiFi '10 - Gear Up - was pulled off by members of this cult.

The Bro Society:

A cheerful and harmless group of day scholars from LGS JT and Resource Academia. An interesting aspect of the cult is their physical diversity, with some members breaking the 6-foot, 80 kg. barrier and others being decidedly feather-weight. Prominent members of the PsiFi '10 team, members could be seen contributing in a variety of capacities. The blockbuster RoboWars was headed by one of their own. Though exclusively EE, this cult has some Physics and Math luminaries, with well-publicised accomplishments from their A-Level days. Perhaps due to their day scholar status, they are not a regular feature of the LUMS social and sports life, although one of their members is a keen footballer always intent on setting up day scholar vs. hostelite matches (the results of which are never in doubt). A soft-spoken, well-mannered and approachable cult.

Junaid Amin's cult:

A cult that pulls its members from a diversity of schools and cities (Islamabad, Peshawar, Multan, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait City) but which sticks together - as in, together together. Classes together, PDC together, sports together. A predominantly tall and fair group which makes the cult stand out physically. Though slightly reclusive (members rarely venture beyond PDC and Sports Complex), this cult is among the most energetic and happening, with each member having a quirky sense of humor. Among their salient features is a passion for watching soccer, with two members bearing strong allegiance to Arsenal and one to Chelsea. The others are currently auditioning clubs, as no one wants to be left alone on M5 second floor's famous EPL Big Four and Champions League nights. Like most other cults, the group is exclusively EECS, though two members are prominent Computing and Life Sciences enthusiasts. Furthermore, most members of this group display supreme athletic ability. Almost all are fearsome table tennis players (they use their large wing spans to good effect). Also among them is a highly-gifted tennis player, a LUMS team basketballer and a LUMS team cricketer, who also happens to be a leading light of our amateur hostelite football team. Yet again, the cult is not a regular feature of LUMS' social life, but some members pulled off PsiFi's marquee event, Tour de Mind, commendably.

The 6-foot Group:

A mixture of day scholars and hostelites, all members tower above 6 feet except a few. Athletic ability is common among all, with almost all having had stints in the LUMS football team and recently winning a Futsal tournament. Furthermore, the cult contributes two more members to the Arsenal fan base, tribute to the beautiful football played by the gunners. Minus a couple, they shun the LUMS social life and are all EE majors save one whose side interests range from Data Structures to Biochemistry. Furthermore, the cult has made the backbenches of 10-301 and 10-401 their own. Little else is known of this cult.

Reclusive Geniuses:

Pulling its members from both sexes, little can be said of this cult. Are they arrogant? Anti-social? Nerdy? Guess we'll never know. They quietly skip in and out of lecture halls, are rarely seen in PDC let alone around campus and seemingly talk to no one. They sit smugly on the side rows of auditoriums quietly absorbing lectures (and absorb they do, scoring near perfect marks) and while others hang around and catch up with friends at the end of classes, they disappear without a trace.


Mehdi

To counter the wave of increasingly abstract-sounding-cliquish-intellectuals taking over this place(Kamil-ism on the rise?), I am delving into something relatively more pertinent - at the risk of sounding like a Pak Studies book of course.

Amidst looming summers, post-Psifi exhasution, load-shedding after every one hour - which is apparently a little small compared to the tau: time constant of a UPS (couldn't resist that bit) - and our very mature and responsible media having nothing better to discuss than the wedding plans of two sports celebrities, I got a chance to enlighten myself on Pakistan's energy crisis and its most promising solution: the Thar coal.

Today 41% of the world's electricity is produced by coal-fired power stations- the highest share by any power source, followed by gas and hydro respectively. With China producing 75% of its electric power from coal and US 50%, the fact that Pakistan stands at a meagre 0.7% despite possessing the world's seventh largest coal reserves(almost 175bn tonnes) is clearly a case of criminal neglect on part of the government - and in my opinion also - on the part of the scientists and engineers associated with whatever R&D sector we have in this country. The potential of these reserves to produce thousands of megawatts of power that can cater to our energy-deficit for years to come was discovered back in 1992; and here we are in 2010 and things still haven't moved forward except for a few companies' "expression of interest in exploiting the reserves". 
Why? Well, first, there was the long-drawn fight between the Centre and the Sindh government over the ownership of the reserves; then there are our oil-obsessed policy-makers who in their great wisdom still find it convenient to import and sell petroleum at mammoth prices and divert funds towards the super-expensive rental power projects instead of tapping what's lying underneath Thar.

The questions that the scientists would perhaps be more concerned about are the coal's sulphur content and the environmental impact of its exploitation etc. Considering the extent of Pakistan's industrialisation, the country's contribution to global carbon emissions are still far below what's dictated by the Kyoto Protocol, so the environmental issue isn't much of a problem at this stage. Coming to the science of making use of these reserves, Undergound Coal Gasification(UCG) is the most recent and ambitious task undertaken by Pakistani scientists in that regard. In simple words UCG or in-situ gasification decribes the process of converting coal into a mixture of combustible gases- notably hydrogen and methane- that can be used to drive turbines in a power station to produce electricity. While, the process requires an initial high input of energy as gasification needs hot steam and oxygen, an interesting alternative lies in an emerging area of biotechnological research. The action of certain fungi followed by chemicals can yield the useful gases from the coal at much lower temperatures than that required by conventional UCG. According to an article published in the DAWN Business and Economic section, the employment of this strategy could actually turn out to be a profitable venture for the country. I really hope, the studies or projects we do over summers or in our senior year explore further in areas such as above, in order to do something concrete about the energy crisis. Check out http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/21423/?a=f

Meanwhile, I am glad there is more than just its folklore and Sufis to fancy about Thar.

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