Embracing Ephemeralization: Paving the Path to a Brighter Future

Introduction:

In our relentless pursuit of progress, humanity's insatiable ambition to create better technology and improve life on Earth has led us down a path of innovation and discovery. One remarkable concept that aligns seamlessly with this drive is "Ephemeralization," a term introduced by the visionary thinker, R. Buckminster Fuller. At the core of ephemeralization lies our collective aspiration to do "more with less," revolutionizing the way we interact with technology and envision a brighter future for ourselves and the planet.


Defining Ephemeralization:

Ephemeralization embodies the very essence of human ingenuity and adaptability. It is the remarkable ability of technology to achieve greater efficiency while utilizing fewer resources, marking an unprecedented shift in our approach to problem-solving and sustainable living. As we aim to create a better world, ephemeralization becomes a beacon of hope, driving us to overcome the challenges that lie ahead.


Unleashing Human Potential:

The history of human progress is woven with tales of ingenuity and creativity. From the invention of the wheel to groundbreaking space exploration, our desire to do more with less has propelled us forward. Ephemeralization has been instrumental in unleashing human potential, empowering us to transcend limitations and push the boundaries of possibility.


Environmental Sustainability:

As we stand at a crucial crossroads in the face of environmental challenges, ephemeralization offers a lifeline for our planet. By harnessing cutting-edge technology and adopting sustainable practices, we can create eco-friendly solutions that minimize waste, conserve resources, and mitigate our impact on the environment. From renewable energy sources to efficient transportation systems, ephemeralization serves as a catalyst for achieving a greener and more sustainable future.


Social Impact:

Beyond its environmental implications, ephemeralization holds immense promise for social progress. Advancements in technology have transformed communication, healthcare, education, and accessibility, opening doors for improved quality of life and greater inclusivity. By embracing ephemeralization, we have the power to uplift communities, bridge disparities, and pave the way for a more equitable and compassionate society.


Conclusion:

In the grand tapestry of human endeavor, ephemeralization emerges as a guiding principle, weaving together our ambition to create better technology and improve life on Earth. With every innovation and groundbreaking discovery, we inch closer to a future where doing more with less becomes a reality. As we unite our efforts, driven by a shared vision, let us embrace the transformative power of ephemeralization and usher in an era of sustainable progress and a brighter future for all.

References:

1. Fuller, R. B. (1938). Nine Chains to the Moon.

2. McHarg, I. (1970). Design with Nature.

3. Hawken, P., Lovins, A., & Lovins, L. H. (1999). Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution.



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"Game Theory and Berge Equilibrium: The Hidden Forces Shaping Our Lives and the Economy"

Game theory and the Berge equilibrium are two concepts that have a significant impact on our lives, the business world, and the economy. Game theory is a mathematical study of decision-making and behavior in strategic situations, while the Berge equilibrium is a concept in game theory that describes the situation where all players in a game make optimal decisions given the decisions of the other players. Together, they help to explain why we make certain choices and how those choices can impact the broader economy.


The idea of game theory has been around since the mid-20th century when it was first introduced by mathematician John Nash. Since then, game theory has been applied to various fields, including economics, political science, and biology. The basic idea behind game theory is that it models decision-making situations as games, where each player is trying to achieve their desired outcome. The players must take into account the actions of the other players and make their decisions accordingly. 


The Berge equilibrium is a specific outcome in game theory where all players in a game are making their optimal decisions given the decisions of the other players. In other words, no player has an incentive to change their strategy, as doing so would result in a worse outcome for them. This equilibrium can be reached through various types of games, such as the prisoner's dilemma or the stag hunt game. 





Game theory and the Berge equilibrium play a crucial role in understanding many aspects of our daily lives. For example, in the job market, we can see the impact of game theory on negotiating salaries. Both employers and job seekers are trying to achieve their desired outcomes, and each party must consider the actions of the other. In this situation, the Berge equilibrium can be reached when both parties agree on a salary that meets their needs. 


The business world is also heavily influenced by game theory and the Berge equilibrium. Companies are constantly competing with one another for market share and profits. They must consider the actions of their competitors when making strategic decisions, such as pricing, marketing, and product development. In this situation, the Berge equilibrium can be reached when companies find a balance where each company's market share and profits are optimized.


In the broader economy, game theory and the Berge equilibrium can help explain the cycles of boom and bust that occur. For example, in the housing market, buyers and sellers are playing a game where each party is trying to achieve their desired outcome. When the market is in equilibrium, buyers and sellers are making their optimal decisions given the decisions of the other party. However, if there is a sudden change in the market, such as an economic downturn or an increase in interest rates, the equilibrium can be disrupted, leading to a bust in the market.


In conclusion, game theory and the Berge equilibrium have a significant impact on our lives, the business world, and the economy. By modeling decision-making situations as games and analyzing the Berge equilibrium, we can better understand why we make certain choices and how those choices can impact the broader economy. As we continue to face new challenges and changes in our world, game theory and the Berge equilibrium will remain essential tools in understanding and predicting human behavior.


References:


1. Binmore, K. (2007). Game theory: A very short introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

2. Fudenberg, D., & Tirole, J. (1991). Game theory. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.

3. Osborne, M. J., & Rubinstein, A. (1994). A course in game theory. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.

4. Serrano, R. (2008). A short course in intermediate microeconomics with calculus. New York: Cambridge University Press.


Recovery

The path ahead seems steep and long, 

A daunting road to walk alone, 

But with each step, you grow more strong, 

And through the struggles, seeds are sown.

The shadows of the past may loom, 


A weight that's hard to cast aside, 

But with each day, a new day blooms, 

And hope and faith will be your guide.


Though progress may be slow at first, 

Each victory is worth the fight, 

And with each milestone, quench your thirst, 

For peace and joy and renewed light.


So take each day, one step at a time, 

And trust the journey that you're on, 

For with each rise, a new sun will shine, 

And a new day will dawn.

DeepDetector is the new "Hello World"

Deep learning has become an increasingly popular field in recent years, and with it comes the need for powerful tools to create and train deep neural networks. Enter DeepDetector, a deep learning library that is quickly becoming the new "Hello World" for machine learning enthusiasts.

DeepDetector is a Python-based library that allows users to easily create, train, and deploy deep neural networks. With its intuitive API and powerful functionality, DeepDetector has quickly become a go-to choice for both beginner and advanced machine learning practitioners.

One of the key features of DeepDetector is its ease of use. With just a few lines of code, users can create and train a deep neural network, making it an excellent choice for those new to the field. Here's an example of how simple it can be to get started with DeepDetector:


  
from deepdetector import models

model = models.Sequential([
  models.Conv2D(32, kernel_size=(3, 3), activation='relu', input_shape=(28, 28, 1)),
  models.MaxPooling2D(pool_size=(2, 2)),
  models.Flatten(),
  models.Dense(10, activation='softmax')
])


model.compile(optimizer='adam', loss='categorical_crossentropy', metrics=['accuracy'])

model.fit(x_train, y_train, epochs=10, validation_data=(x_test, y_test))

Make sure to replace x_train, y_train, x_test, and y_test with your actual data.

In just a few lines of code, we've created a convolutional neural network, compiled it with an optimizer and loss function, and trained it on our data.

DeepDetector also offers a wide range of pre-trained models that can be easily imported and used for various applications. These pre-trained models are perfect for those looking to quickly add deep learning capabilities to their projects without spending the time and resources needed to train their own models.

In conclusion, DeepDetector has quickly become a popular tool in the world of deep learning, thanks to its ease of use, powerful functionality, and wide range of pre-trained models. Whether you're new to the field or an experienced practitioner, DeepDetector is definitely worth checking out. So why not give it a try and see what you can create?



Reflection.art - One of the worlds tallest 3D printed Kinetic Structure

In the summer of 2018, I shipped one of the largest 3D printed design and manufacturing projects I've ever undertaken.(Probably the largest in the world at the time) 

Here is a link to it :  www.reflection.art 

It is a large scale kinetic sculpture commissioned by a world famous designer name Zivo .

This project was a turning point for me, in terms of utilizing additive manufacturing to build large scale products; I had only ever used additive manufacturing to fabricate small parts, and reflections took me over the edge, not just from an engineering perspective but also from a design and artistic angle. I was forced to think out of the bounding box of my machine (3D printer ) and put together a work of art that accurately portrayed  the message  being conveyed.


Reflections is all about balance, the three sculptures directly correspond to a nuclear family - The father, The mother, and The son. 

Set at a towering height of almost 5 meters for the father , 4.5 meters for the mother and 4 meters for the son, the family is perched on a dome ( the dome of life) that functions just like a Rolly Poly toy, only magnanimous !!.


Weighing in over 3 tons, the entire sculpture moves when the figurines catch the wind just like a sail, they sway from side to side, rolling over till the edge of their world and then due to counterbalancing of the weight of the family, they all roll back in, representing  the ever present and balancing force of family in our Human lives. 


Reflections ask's us the question: Where are we without the ones we love ??


Up vote if you like my work.



How to configure Discourse on Amazon Web services (AWS)

This guide will help you install the Discourse forum software on Ubuntu 18.04.4 LTS AWS EC2 instance with domain routing on AWS Route 53, SMTP on AWS SES and SSL certificate.


About Discourse : Discourse is an open source, feature rich  forum software built and managed by one of the most amazing teams on the internet today. Its also led by the great Jeff Atwood, this guy is a genius, he is also the co founder and developer of stackexchange.com, yes he is great. I highly recommend reading his blog ( Source to his blog ), which is well written and maintained for over 15 years !!! Yes very few blogs like his on the internet. 

Discourse allows people like me, to have a fully functional forum software, almost like Wordpress for web sites, and its awesome. Check out this website I made with discourse in just a couple of hours to track and have a conversation regarding the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic :  colloquium-19 .

 

Hardware Requirements for Discourse:

  • modern single core CPU, dual core recommended
  • 1 GB RAM minimum (with swap)
  • 64 bit Linux compatible with Docker
  • 10 GB disk space minimum

Software and Infrastructure Requirements:

  • Email address 
  • Amazon Web Services account 
  • SMTP details from Amazon SES
  • A domain name 

Github link : https://github.com/discourse/discourse


For this set up we will be using the following services on AWS:

1- AMAZON EC2 - Ubuntu 18.04.4 LTS instance.

2- AMAZON Simple Email Service ( SES) - SMTP 

3- Route 53 domain hosting and routing.

Along with AWS we shall use the following software packages through their command line interfaces:

1- Docker 

2- Discourse 


Step 1 : Configure Ubuntu on AWS EC2

1- Login to AWS - https://aws.amazon.com/ 


If you do not have an AWS account , you can sign up for a free trial and you will receive 750 hours of EC2 compute hours, 5 GB of S3 storage and many other great Amazon Web services for free, for the first 12 months.


2- Once you have created your account navigate to the EC2 option under compute, when you click on the services menu.



Once your in the Instances dashboard, at this point my suggestion would be to select the correct region in AWS. For this example and many of my projects I use North Virginia Usa east-1, due to a host of reasons like : cost , latency , & features,


 3- Choose the region which is closest to you or your target market, from the drop down menu on the top right. 



4- Click on the instances option on the left menu bar.



5- Now select the blue colored launch Instance button 



Next you will find your self in the AWS market place , here you can find the list of all images of the operating systems available on AWS EC2. 


6- In the top search bar type in Ubuntu , the first option that will be displayed is the ubuntu configuration we are looking for : Ubuntu Server 18.04 LTS (HVM). Select the instance by clicking the blue select button on the right.



Select the instance type, for a fully functional website with 1000's of users, you should use at least a t3a.small instance with 2 GB of RAM memory and 2 Virtual cpus, that can be utilized to handle heavier work loads. For this example we will use a t2.micro instance, which is eligible for the free tier usage by AWS, it has 1 GB RAM and 1 Vcpu , the bare minimum required to run Discourse.


7- Select t2.micro , with 1 GB Memory RAM and 1 Vcpu. 



8- Next click configure instance details , do not change anything here, click on Next:add storage.



Click add storage, the next part is important as AWS by default allocates only 8 GB of SSD memory to your instance. The required memory is at least 10 GB, not including back ups. My recommendation is to allocate at least 20 GB of memory to your EC2 instance, in case you will be utilizing heavy images and expect many users.

9- Allocate 20 GB of memory to your instance.


Next configure the security group, this is a very important step for AWS instances and is a major source of errors and wrong configuration problems, we have to make sure HTTPS, HTTP, SSH, and SMTP protocols are receivable by the instance.

 10- First name the security group, here we have name it as: launch-wizard-Discourse, then click add rule and add HTTPS, HTTP, SMTP, with default port numbers 443,80, and 25. SSH will be enabled by default , but my recommendation is to white list only your IP address, in the source section, to prevent any attacks.



11- Click review and launch, take the time to check your instance settings.


12- Click Launch.


At this point you will be prompted to select an existing authentication key or use a pre-existing one. For the sake of safety I would suggest you to create a new key pair, this is important as using the key is the only way you will be able to login to your instance.


13- Select create a new key pair from the drop down menu, and name the key pair, here we have used : Discourse_key1. Then click the download Key pair button and save the .PEM file in a secure location, your file will be name : Discourse_key1.pem.



14- Then click launch instances.




Instances should take any where between 2 minutes and 10 minutes to launch.


15- Navigate back to your instances in the EC2 menu, then select your new instance, give it a name for easier identification, here we have named it : Discourse_Tutorial. Note down the public DNS address ours is ec2-3-89-121-152.compute-1.amazonaws.com.
   



Step 2 : Configure SMTP on  Amazon Simple Email Service.


Configuring SMTP is a very important step, as Discourse will not be able to send the account activation email without it.


1- Navigate to the Amazon Simple email service ( SES) Dashboard. On the left menu click on SMTP settings.


Save the details:
Server Name: email-smtp.us-east-1.amazonaws.com
Port:25, 465 or 587
Use Transport Layer Security (TLS):Yes



2- Click on create my SMTP credentials and download the access key and username in the excel sheet format. Select the default IAM user name. Save the SMTP username and password safely. 


Next Verify the email address that shall be used to create the admin account on the discourse server.


3- Click on Email addresses on the left menu , and then click verify a new email address, enter your email address and you will
receive a verification mail from AWS , click on the link and now your email address is configured to interact with  Amazon SES SMTP.



Step 3 : Configure DNS and hosting on Amazon Route 53.


1- Navigate to Route 53 under the services menu in AWS and  purchase a domain name if you do not already have one, then click on Hosted zones button.



2- Select your  domain name and then click create record set , enter www in the Name section and choose A- IPV4 address in the Type drop down menu , then paste your public IPV 4 address in the Value section.


3- Click save record set.




Step 4 : Installing Discourse on Ubuntu 18.04.4 LTS ( AWS EC2 instance)


1- Login to your Ubuntu instance, open an SSH client (connect using PuTTY)


2- Locate your private key file (Discourse_key1.pem). The wizard automatically detects the key you used to launch the instance.


3- Your key must not be publicly view-able for SSH to work. Use this command if needed :


chmod 400 Discourse_key1.pem

4- Connect to your instance using its Public DNS,for our instance it will be :

ssh -i "Discourse_key1.pem" ubuntu@ec2-3-89-121-152.compute-1.amazonaws.com

5- We should always start by updating our installation package and make sure all system packages are up to date. Run the below commands:

sudo apt update 

sudo apt upgrade -y 

6- Install Docker, Run the below command to install the latest version of docker :


wget -qO- https://get.docker.com/ | sh 

7- Check your docker version and running status with the below commands :

docker version


systemctl status  docker



Now we have docker installed , next we deploy discourse.


8- Create a directory /var/discourse 

sudo mkdir /var/discourse


9- Copy the official discourse Docker image into the newly created directory:

sudo git clone https://github.com/discourse/discourse_docker.git /var/discourse

10- Run Discourse Set up tool to bootstrap Discourse.

sudo su -
cd /var/discourse

11- RUN
./discourse-setup

12- Provide the Domain name configured earlier , SMTP verified Email for admin , Smtp email server , SMTP port , SMTP user name , SMTP password , and an optional email for lets encrypt email for SSL certificate renewal. Your entries should look like the below.

Hostname for your Discourse? [discourse.example.com]: www.forgify.io // use activated domain email//
Email address for admin account(s)?: admin@example.com, // Use verified email //
SMTP server address? [smtp.example.com]:email-smtp.us-east-1.amazonaws.com
SMTP port? [587]: 465
SMTP user name? [user@example.com]: Aasdwfewfc@#$#@ **
SMTP password? [pa$$word]: BL3456gdsDFEFS
Optional email address for setting up Let's Encrypt? (ENTER to skip) [me@example.com]: admin@example.com

The details should be filled out extremely patiently and correctly, any mistake in the username and password will result in SMTP not being configured properly. 

All this data is stored in a file called containers/app.yml and every time you make a change , you will have to rebuild Discourse by running :

./launcher rebuild app

And then fill out the information  again.



13- Once the installation is complete , just enter your domain name into a web browser and you should get the discourse welcome screen.


14- Follow the installation wizard and you are ready to go .


Thanks , If this works for you , send me a thumbs up and upvote !!






About Me - Axel Joaquim Fernandes


Axel Joaquim Fernandes

Chief Operating Officer at Immensa Technology labs, Dubai, UAE.
 
Axel Fernandes majored in Computer Science Engineering at the
National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra, India where he also took courses in Industrial engineering & Organization, Manufacturing processes, and Business management.
 
For his final year project, he assembled his first Desktop 3D printer (Prusa Mendel i2) and won a NASSCOM 10,000 Startups competition hosted by Weekend Ventures, now a part of Venture catalyst (VC firm) in India. This start up competition win, laid the foundation for his career in Additive Manufacturing with the founding of his services company: Forgify 3D technologies, in New Delhi, India.
 
As Founder and CEO, Axel was responsible for the quick growth of Forgify3D and lead important partnerships at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, and Maulana Azad Medical College for the early adoption of medical 3D printing for pre-surgical planning in the Orthopedics and Craniomaxillofacial department. The practice has become an industry standard now.
He also built partnerships with leading Indian industrial companies and the Indian government.
 
Observing the lack of local 3D printer manufacturers in India, Axel designed and developed the Arya series of 3D printers in partnership with Cadx tools and Technologies, New Delhi.
The Arya Series of 3D printers is a market leader in 450 X 450 X 450 millimeter build volume space, 400 + installations to date, and with heavy penetration in Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns in India.
 
Axel joined Immensa Technology labs, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, as the First Engineer and Technology lead. Immensa has grown to become the largest Additive Manufacturing company in the Middle east and provides services across all major AM Technologies. Axel leads team building, new product development, operations, and strategy. He develops the Digital inventory services platform and is a Partner and Chief Operating Officer. He represents Immensa and the interests of the Additive Manufacturing community at major events and has contributed to develop the internationally accepted guidelines for the adoption of AM across the marine and oil & gas industry with DNV GL and major Industry partners.
 
Axel's expertise is in leading lean technology teams to achieve product market fit.
Having 6 + years of experience working in multiple countries, environments, difficult markets,new technologies, among diverse multicultural teams, and with a deep technological educational background he can solve any challenge that comes his way.
 
Technologies well versed in:
Operations: Additive manufacturing (SLA, SLS, FDM, DMLS, Binder jetting) machinery management, operating, materials selection, CAM and Gcode generation.
3D design, data preparation, and simulations: CAD Design for additive manufacturing, Polygon Mesh data repairing, Manufacturing data preparation, and simulations.
Software development: Machine learning data preparation, Machine learning algorithms, Artificial intelligence, Web development, Devops, Firmware design, and path algorithm improvements.
 


Where The Mind Is Without Fear

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high

Where knowledge is free

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments

By narrow domestic walls

Where words come out from the depth of truth 

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way

Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit

Where the mind is led forward by thee

Into ever-widening thought and action

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.


- By Rabindranath Tagore