Markov Chains Part 2: Poetic Boogaloo

Markov chains are useful for a lot of things. Economics, biology, predictive text, et cetera. But I thought, "Most people don't like writing poetry. Why not automate it?" I mean, loads of things are being automated nowadays, so why not poetry too?
Well, that really didn't work out well. Sure, there are results, and sure, they are hilarious, but that wasn't exactly what I was intending. But that's okay, and I'll explain why later. But first, let's hear some of these Markov-chain-generated poems!

Grapes gathering leaves no way by Maromas Kierkartar 
burned eyes can no worldliness,
by the slings and only my dreams set free.
On the spackle protrudes.
A sound of beaten trees,
the skinny moonlight.
Maid or athlete proud.
undemanding yellowness; what I done that clicking make amends.
It.

Now, it should be noted that I actually modified the Christmas card program to make this work, mostly because I really didn't want to recreate the original code. Also, I actually hand-selected many pieces of poetry (and other literature) to feed into the program, from many different authors. These include; J. Bennett, J. Berryman, R. Bradbury, C. Bukowski, Lord Byron, T. S. Eliot, R. Frost, A. Ginsberg, B. Jonson, J. Milton, A. F. Moritz, A. Munro, G. Orwell (E. A. Blair), E. A. Poe, D. Salvato, W. Shakespeare, E. Spenser, Lord Tennyson, W. Wordsworth, W. B. Yeats, J. M. Yen (me), and a few anonymous poets. Yes, I kept track of every single author. Yes, I included some of my own poetry. No, I am not a narcissist, in fact, I'm really more of a satisficer. Anyway, here's another poem!

Too much with us ode by Friomotle Maraoter 
best of blood.
Classic Pavlovian conditioning.
I died,
love,
when I could not your care.
Incarnate in a breathing ribcage.
With a sycamore I trust you had the eyeless road in de whites in some sturdy lead,
Just to think.

The fact that there is actual symbolism and one could actually derive meaning from this scares me. The way that I interpret it, this is a poem about betrayal and suicide. A formerly trusted individual had a blind lead in a project, and maybe something went awry. Maybe, some spiritual accident happened, or maybe there was a terrible divorce; let's say, lying and lack of empathy, lack of care. And this drives the narrator to develop a fascination in blood, gore, and, possibly, taking their own life. That's really dark, if I say so myself. I'm not saying that's what it means, I mean, given that it's basically just spouting out words it thinks goes together, I'm almost sure this has no meaning! But it's fun to analyze this kind of thing, even if it's pointless.

 She walks in beauty if by Ursulat Wittanov 
 shocks that is a sleep to me.
 Once upon a black void.
 No sound.
 Nothing to make a quaint and curious volume of the words await another voice.
 And to be wish'd.
 I desire to master,
 though it when I say.
 Falling,
 freely falling,
 I digress.
 It’s a worse mistake.
 Recoil in fear,
 ‘cause this,
 it when I understand now.

I don't know about this one. It just sounds like the narrator is having an existential crisis or something. It could be an out-of-body experience, judging by, "Once upon a black void" (Wittanov, 2), and, "Falling, / freely falling" (Wittanov, 8 - 9). Imagine this:

The narrator drops into a deep sleep. All of a sudden, they feel a shock, and they are sent down into a gaping hole. Spiralling down into a sea of depression and anxiety, with no hope of escaping. They're lost in a black void, no sound can be heard, and they're falling into the empty abyss miles below. They wait for another voice, another person to speak, but to no avail. They wish to see another person, to the light at the end of the tunnel, but once again, it is to no avail. Trapped in an ocean of emotion and regret, they strongly wish to master their emotions, to take control of the tide. They want to be able to use their emotions for the greater good, rather than being enveloped by them. In a moment of epiphany, they realize their mistake, and how it is much worse now. They are taken aback by this realization, which soon turns into an epiphany, for now, they finally understand.

Or maybe I'm looking too far into it. That's probably it.

 Blessed be the windows revelation by Rices Asthman 
Drift forward,
and curious volume of another world.
On the neural ka’bah.
My light will forever shine.
Forever mock.
Forever say sorry to just click,
And the songs escape,
an end the trees look up,
And the hammock wraps me.

I'll leave this one up to you. After all, there are no wrong answers, only improvements.

Markov Chains

According to Wikipedia, a Markov chain is

a stochastic model describing a sequence of possible events in which the probability of each event depends only on the state attained in the previous event. In continuous-time, it is known as a Markov process. It is named after the Russian mathematician Andrey Markov

 or something. In short, this guy named Andrei Andreyevich Markov (or Markoff depending who you ask) created this probability model thing. The probability of any given event is only based on whatever directly happened before. For example:

Whiteboard example of Markov chain

From the diagram, here's what we know:

• Event A has a 50% chance of going to B, but also a 50% chance of going to C
• Event B has a 70% chance of going back to A, but also a 30% chance of going to D
• Event C must go to D (100% chance)
• Event D terminates the sequence (0% chance of going to anything)

Therefore, it is safe to say that event B can never lead to event C, and thus any sequence with B -> C is impossible.

Why do I bring this up? Well, back in August, I had an idea. What if, I could make randomly generated, but somewhat realistic sounding Christmas cards? Well, Markov chains are the solution. They are commonly used to auto-complete sentences or predict your next text, provided enough data. So, I went ahead and created a data set, a Python program, and some complicated thing called a transition matrix, and guess what? It didn't work. Not one bit.

Now, I'm not one to just accept defeat. But I could ask for help. And so I did; I called a colleague of mine proposing the idea. The plan was that she'd do the Markov chain stuff, and I'd do the formatting and creative design stuff. She, to my surprise, actually accepted the idea. So now, there are some Christmas cards, ready to send! I'll provide a link to a .zip file of all the cards, and (if I get permission) a link to a .zip file of all the source code.

Christmas cards: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AuPAO--hhotYgjU9gM-Z4hGcKTwk?e=XIg6Xw

Data sets: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AuPAO--hhotYgjZT3_3kr3bKy66z?e=Iqn18B

Python (my attempts, and the snowflake program I made): https://1drv.ms/u/s!AuPAO--hhotYgjcCYZ8SAm3tD070?e=IPp4di

Java (courtesy of L. Nadlia): TBA

[30MIN] On the Human Requirement of Love

Humans have engaged in romantic affairs since the dawn of their existence. But do humans really need love? Yes, because of three reasons; the biological need for love, the chemical effects of love, and the anthropological origins of relationships. Keep in mind that the term, ‘love’, is being used to describe all relationships, romantic or otherwise.
First of all, the obvious reason; reproduction. Humans must reproduce in order to keep their species alive for the generations to come, and thus must find a mate to begin copulating. What about adoption? Does that not invalidate the need to mate? No, for the adopter has to still raise the child, and that is statistically easier with two people. In addition, in order for a child to be adopted, the child must have first been born, as a result of others reproducing.
Secondly, humans derive pleasure from creating relationships. Relationships are often difficult to create, whether it be between colleagues, acquaintances, romantic partners, friends, or even family members. These take a lot of time to establish, so the human brain rewards people for achieving a relationship. Through bonding, the brain releases certain chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin; the chemicals responsible for the sensation of happiness. Without these chemicals, the individual in question will start to go into a depressive state, possibly driving oneself to insanity.
But why? Why will humans break down without social connections? Well, back when humans were hunter-gatherers, the power of groups was rather prominent. Groups would rely on each other for food, warmth, and most importantly, safety. If someone in the group refused to cooperate, they would be left behind to die. Despite not having the same risk of death now as they did back then, the anthropological need for bonding still remains. The human brain is conditioned to crave connection because of the influence of connections from long ago.
In conclusion, humans need love and relationships because biology mandates reproduction, chemistry rewards connections, and anthropology sets the desire for love, quite literally, in stone. Connections are important for both physical and mental health, so all humans should be encouraged to seek these relationships. Even if they do not come naturally now, love shall eventually find its way.

[ESSAY] On A Barber and The Justification of Murder

What does it mean to be a good person? This question has been debated throughout most of human history, and yet no one has a definitive answer. Philosophers like Immanuel Kant and Søren Kierkegaard have very specific ideas on the objective standards of being a good person, and nowhere else are these traits exemplified as much as they are in the barber from Hernando Téllez’s short story, “Just Lather, That’s All”. In fact, the barber is objectively good from two standards; deontologically, epistemologically, and existentially speaking.

To start, what is deontology? In layman’s terms, deontology is a viewpoint of ethics that actions themselves are good or bad, regardless of any other factor. The question then is, ‘how would one know that an action is good or bad?’ Well, a priori knowledge, of course! A priori knowledge is knowledge derived from reasoning or experience, exempli gratia, ‘2 plus 2 is 4’, or ‘apples grow on trees’, or ‘murder is wrong’. Most people believe murder is wrong; even the Bible says it in Exodus 20:13, “Thou shalt not kill”. Likewise, the barber believes that murdering another human being is immoral. When questioning himself about the ethical qualms of murdering his rival, Captain Torres, he rhetorically asks, “What do you get from it? Nothing” (Téllez, 50). He believes that there is no point in murdering another individual, not unlike the famous philosopher Immanuel Kant. Kant believes that humans should be considered as ends in themselves, and thus, “[one] cannot, therefore, dispose in any way of a man” (Kant, 26). This means murder is pointless, given that human beings are invaluable. The barber is not wrong for saying one gets nothing from murder, because he does not see human beings as simply objects for disposal. He should not see humans this way, after all, “[he is] a revolutionary, not a murderer” (50). 

Second, he is epistemologically good. What is epistemology? Epistemological ethics is an approach to ethics that attempts to justify actions using reason and logic. The most well-known example of epistemological ethics is the argument that, ‘the ends justify the means’, an idea popularized by Niccolò Machiavelli in his fictional story, “The Prince”. Using Machiavelli’s logic, a case could be made that Torres deserves to die. For instance, one could bring up that winning the civil war would be a great triumph for the entire nation. In order to win the war, the leader of the opposing side must be either (a) killed or (b) overridden. Ergo, Captain Torres deserves to die because the ends justify the means. However, when the barber considers killing Torres, he says, “he deserves it. Does he? No… No one deserves to have someone else make the sacrifice of becoming a murderer” (50). He believes no one deserves to die, that winning the war is not necessarily the biggest priority if a life is on the line. It should also be noted that killing or overriding a great leader is not the only way for a nation to triumph, for they could form a truce, similar to the Christmas truce of 1914.

Third, he is existentially good. Now, existentialism does not usually mix with ethics, but in this case, they work together. The existentialist philosopher Søren Kierkegaard has insisted that every individual has their own ethical responsibility in life, a moral duty, one might say. This ties into deontology quite well, as each individual must follow their moral obligations set by a priori knowledge, among other factors. The barber knows his duty; “Just lather, that’s all… [he is] only a barber” (51). If Torres wants his beard shaved, the barber is morally obligated to complete the task. He even says himself, “I perform my work honorably… I don’t want blood on my hands” (51). He knows his place, his moral duty, and is following Kirkegaard’s teachings by putting his moral responsibility over his pleasure. It may as well give him more pleasure to kill Torres and bring triumph to his side of the war, but he puts that aside to fulfill his responsibilities as an individual.

To conclude, the barber is good in three ways; he shares Kant’s deontological view of not murdering another human being, he refutes Machiavelli on the grounds that the ends do not justify the means, and he is on board with Kierkegaard’s ideas of moral duty. Everyone has a moral compass, but that does not mean that all people are moral. The barber sets a good example for all human beings on how to be a morally good individual, and that is what is important.

Works Cited:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._D._Ross

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niccol%C3%B2_Machiavelli#The_Prince

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/apriori/

https://philosophy.stackexchange.com/questions/2455/is-it-possible-in-any-way-to-justify-murder-using-reason-or-logic

https://zachzueger.wordpress.com/2012/04/02/kants-view-on-suicide-murder-deep-reading/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_S%C3%B8ren_Kierkegaard#Ethics

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/existentialism/#KieSinInd

Kant: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/b2a1/f5dcbf8bf21674acdffa76bd50db05d9ea4a.pdf

[ANNOUNCEMENT] Debates

I love debates. Even on inconsequential topics, exempli gratia cats v. dogs, the meaning of life, religion, animals, movies, philosophical bents, et cetera. This is why I will be starting some debates with myself. Now, you may be asking; "Won't you be biased towards one side or the other?" That is a good question. As a mostly neutral individual, I strive to give both sides good merit using research and facts. For instance, if I were to be arguing as a Catholic (I'm not), then I would back myself up with the Bible, catechisms, and various other sources.

So, that's something to which to look forward.

SquareSpace and Advertising

*This post was not sponsored by SquareSpace*

Okay, look. Everything is sponsored by SquareSpace. Gregory Austin McConnell even made a video about it. But the point I'm trying to make isn't why, it's how. How do ad reads work? Well, for one, you need to follow a template and provide all the necessary information. SquareSpace uses the phrase, "beautiful designer templates". Most Hello Fresh or Blue Apron ad reads contain some variation of, "if a stupid YouTuber like me can do it, you can too!" Honey has, "one simple click and you're done!" So, all you need is some information and a catchy phrase? Doesn't that make this an ad read:

Product X. It's simple, but effective!

Well, actually, no. Not really, anyway. If we went back a decade or two, sure, it would be serviceable. Just repeat it a few times with a visual it'll be fine. Wait. A visual? Of course! You can't just have text on the television screen or dull words coming through the radio; You have to catch the listener's attention. Maybe a wacky font, or a diagram of how the product works. I mean, if this isn't top-level marketing, I don't know what is:

An ad with a wacky font and a diagram

Yeah, okay, okay. That... was perfectly fine. It wasn't good, but it also wasn't bad. You know, do you know that I know that you probably know that most viewers of advertisements are using mobile devices? You need to make an advertisement that is mobile-friendly. Also, you know that most mobile users are kids, right? That means that through the transitive property, most advertisements are seen by children! Children do not have high attention spans! You know what this means, right? We have to catch children's attention with something that they want to see, regardless of the actual product is. Something so eye-catching that they cannot look away. So, flashy colours and candy! That's what kids like! Here we go:

Ooh! The 90s are back in style!

Not good enough. What are we missing here? Oh, right, of course! In order to appeal to children, we must use the language of the kids and teens! Maybe we should update the font to the modern day too, that might be helpful. Also, also, also! We should make it look like a real phone screen! Like those Blackberry's that people have today, or their Zune's! Here's a good one! Add one of those newfangled "meme"'s the kids are always talking about! This will be a success:

Okay, if you just died from this image, it's okay, I did too.

But no, really. Everything I've said up until this point has been satire. Do not follow the advice past Product X. Here is some real advice:

Keep it simple, stupid.

If you're selling something, get right to the point. Don't add any unnecessary visuals. Don't go overboard with effects. Most importantly, understand your target audience. The majority of kids don't actually use the words 'fleek' or 'woke' unironically. Understand what your audience actually wants before trying to appeal to them. The examples shown weren't completely fictional. Advertisements that use the basic structure of Product X94 actually exist. If you use Product X94's advertisement strategy, you are setting your company up for failure. You will give the company a bad reputation and no one would ever want to buy your product. Just... keep it simple.

The Quest for The Quadruple Venn

In this post, I will document my findings in the quest to create a quadruple Venn diagram. Now, what is that you say? Just put 4 circles together and call it a day? No, good sir or madam! If you do such an action, 2 out of the 15 required combinations are lost! It's not so easy now, is it? Also, I set a boundary for myself that I cannot Google it. That would be the easy way out, and as a junior mathematician, I am not taking the easy way out. Now, for the chronological sequence of events that occurred during this quest:

June 23, 2019
I attended a math summer camp for students all over Canada to have fun, and perhaps learn a few things.

June 25, 2019
On the last of three days, Professor Ian Vanderburgh from the University of Waterloo got to be a guest speaker for the entire day. He proposed a challenge to the 32 attendees; Is a four-set Venn diagram possible, and if so, what is a possible design? (not his actual words, I'm paraphrasing) From this point forward, I attempted to create such a design.

June 29, 2019; 1:00
I woke up quite early in the morning. I don't exactly know why, but somehow my brain was subconsciously working on the challenge, and I woke myself up to write it down.

Theoretical Quadruple Venn

It's a three-dimensional design, which means that it is a little bit less practical than I was hoping. Regardless, I scribbled it down anyway, hoping that it would make at least some sense.

June 30, 2019; 13:51
I sent an email to the professor, basically asking for validation.

June 31, 2019; 10:00
I got a response. It essentially just said, "Good try, try again in two dimensions". I'm going to attempt to create a computer program to get the solution for me. Not only will it be more efficient, but it would generalize the case for more than one scenario.

That's it for now. Check back for more updates as they happen.

Blue's Clues

Blue's Clues is one of those TV shows that you just can't forget. The style of positive reinforcement works with young children, and even with adults. Sure, Steve is responding positively no matter what the audience says, but it's nice to have some sort of validation, at least once in a while, right? Also, in my personal opinion, Steve as a host is great, while Joe manages with a decent take on the character. Don't get me wrong, Donovan Patton is an amazing actor, but he doesn't quite capture the charm like Steve did. The topics discussed in Blue's Clues are good morals for all audiences, and I can appreciate that.
On the topic of Blue's Clues, I will be starting a bit of a scavenger hunt myself. In various pages, clues will be scattered to reveal a secret message. See the 'Events' page for more information. Good luck!

Meditation

I don't like meditation. Well, not in the traditional sense, anyway. Have you ever closed your eyes and saw the infinite recursions of the Mandelbrot set just zooming by? Isn't that just relaxing? I'll even link a video of the Mandelbrot set below, just so you can experience the true mathematical beauty of it. Now, I know what you're thinking. Math? Beauty? What does that have to do with meditation? Well, you see, the mathematics is shown in brilliant colours, and not the dull, boring number style that you're probably used to. Anyway, I've gotten this to happen with guided meditation a few times... until my class started TUZA.
What is TUZA? It's a breathing exercise that gets you to focus on your breathing. Unfortunately, when I attempt to focus on my breathing, I forget how to breathe. Thus, this is how I instinctively suffocate myself during meditation. Yay! You know, everyone else in my class feels calm, peaceful, sometimes even tired. But I feel, well, anxious, self-conscious, and sometimes even light-headed. It is absolute torture.
All hope is not lost, however. I often find menial tasks such as washing the dishes or yelling philosophy into the streets extremely calming. Actually, ever since I started volunteering at my school's library, I have become more halcyon. Seeing the books disappear from the cart in alphabetical order, and watching the Dewey Decimal System in action is extremely soothing.

Mandelbrot set zoom: https://youtu.be/pCpLWbHVNhk

Passenger Pigeons

One of my favourite birds is the passenger pigeon. I have absolutely no clue why, I just like the shape of the passenger pigeon. Its nomadic nature makes it quite interesting, and the preserved specimens look astonishing! Too bad they're all extinct.

Welcome!

Hi! My name is Julian Yen, and I think about random things. I'm not really special, a lot of people think about things, and a lot of people have things to say. This is the companion to the Cup of Sprites podcast that will be released soon, as soon as I can get the intro sequence working. Here, I will just talk about random things and give updates to things happening on my Youtube channel, that I don't feel comfortable posting there. This includes opinionated pieces, retrospectives, poetry, and a bit more. Stick around if you want to. Or don't. I don't care.