A Modern Tale of Babel

There are some tasks that machines just cannot do. Take translating documents, for instance.

I was playing around on an on-line translation tool (http://babelfish.altavista.com) to see how it would work. Here's what happened when I tried to translate and then re-translate a simple phrase.

Original Phrase

Once upon a time in a kingdom by the sea there lived an old man named Frank.

English to French back to English

Il était une fois dans un royaume par la mer là a vécu un vieil homme appelé Frank.

It was once in a kingdom by the sea there lived an old man called Frank.

English to French to Spanish to English

Il était une fois dans un royaume par la mer là a vécu un vieil homme appelé Frank.

Érase una vez en un reino por el mar allí vivió un viejo hombre llamado Frank.

Érase once in a kingdom by the sea lived an old called man there Frank.

English to Greek back to English

Μια φορά κι έναν καιρό σε ένα βασίλειο θαλασσίως έζησε ένας ηληκιωμένος που ονομάστηκε το Frank.

A time and a time in a kingdom marinely e'zise a ilikjwme'nos that was named Frank.

I cannot say whether or not the initial translations from English are acceptable, but I can say that the end product makes no sense. Having said that, I suppose that the program is only living up to its name -- the results are reminiscent of the story of Babel.

I'm Back Home, Wherever That Is

I just got back from a week in British Columbia.

Prior to leaving, I told people I was going "home", but the reality is that BC no longer feels like home to me. True, it is where I graduated high school and attended university, and it is where 90% of my family resides. All the same, it does not feel like home to me. I guess the best way to describe it is as 'a place I used to live'.

I guess I don't really have any place in particular that I truly think of as home, with the possible exception of Canada itself. I was born in Saskatchewan, but have not spent any meaningful amount of time there since I was ten. I spent six years in the United States, but as a Canadian who was never anything more than a temporary migrant, I lack the connection with America that is so important to other immigrants. Since graduating from high school, I have split my time between BC and Ontario - I am on the 5th year of my current stint in Ontario - but I really don't have deep roots in either province.

There are times when I wish I did have a sense of home. Sometimes I envy people who have a sense of belonging to a particular place, but other times I am happy to be unencumbered. In a way, it allows me to consider the world to be my home - and I think I prefer it that way.

Gone Fishin'

I am going on vacation for a week, so the griot will be silent for a while.

A New Security

There is an international conference on AIDS/HIV going on in Toronto this week. The biggest story yesterday was not so much who was attending, but rather who was absent. You see, the Prime Minister of Canada was in the Far North asserting Canada's sovereignty.

I applaud Stephen Harper's efforts to strengthen our claim to the North. Canada has been lax in exerting control over our territories. I wish he had chosen a different week to show the flag, however.

Many activists are upset that Harper missed the conference and sent the Governor General in his stead. They feel it shows a lack of concern for the millions of people suffering from AIDS and HIV. I am not sure that this interpretation is true, but I think Harper missed out on an excellent opportunity to show leadership in a global forum. I also think he missed a huge opportunity to make the world a more secure place.

Lately, attention has been focused on the Middle East and on Afghanistan because that is where the fighting is and that is where the bombs are going off. There is potential for a greater catastrophe, though, if we do not attend to the global AIDS/HIV crisis.

How can you possibly describe the impact of the disease on the countries of Africa? Do you express it in babies left motherless? Do you speak in terms of villages left depopulated? Do you refer to the grandmothers who bury their children and raise their grandchildren? Do you express it in the cost of medication?

Or do you speak of the impact on world security? There is vast mineral wealth in many of the African nations suffering from the disease. As government and social structures weaken, they will become more and more attractive to powers that wish to exploit them. There may be little likelihood of an influx of barbarian tribes, but it is unlikely that power will shift peacefully.

Prime Minister Harper seems like a man who would like to see a peaceful world. He also seems like a realistic man who knows that peace comes at a higher cost than just buying the world a Coke and teaching it to sing in perfect harmony. I just wish he had been realistic enough to see that failing to stem the AIDS/HIV pandemic is undermining the stability of nations, a continent, and, ultimately, the world.

Keeping the Truce

I have avoided making any comments on the situation in Lebanon over the past month. (I had originally intended to say, "since it began" but the more I watch things, the more I realize that the current situation is merely a continuation of previous events.)

I am really torn by the situation. I believe that Israel has the right to defend itself. At the same time, I believe the Palestinian people have had a raw deal and deserve a viable independent state. And of course, I am saddened that Lebanon is once again being ravaged because it is in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I could go into far more detail about the situation, but I don't really see the point. I am neither Israeli nor Palestinian, neither Jew nor Muslim. I do not know what the ultimate solution to the overall conflict will be, but I am sure that keeping the peace will be a large part of it. Since there is no peace, I suppose the sides will have to begin by keeping the truce.

Focusing on Other Things

I have been a bit remiss in updating this blog over the past few days. In part, this is due to a long weekend (Civic Holiday); in part, this is because I got a new camera.

Originally, I was not terribly happy with the concept of digital photography. I am not sure why -- it is not as if I processed my own film. Perhaps it was just the romance of film. More likely, it was a deeply ingrained strain of Ludditism rearing its ugly head.

In any event, last week, I joined the rest of the world and purchased a digital SLR camera. This is not my first foray into digital. I have been using a digital video camera for a couple of years and have used that for taking photographs. However, the new camera will likely replace my 35mm film camera (at least for the near future).

Stormy Weather

Last night, we experienced a terrible thunderstorm. The sky was lit up with sheets of lightning that illuminated the entire horizon. Bright blue-white bolts of lightning struck the ground in an awesome display. It was the sort of night that makes one glad to be indoors.

The storm was over by the morning, and all that was left to show of it was trash scattered and boughs broken off of trees. A few coworkers had stories of power outages that lasted for a few minutes, but nobody was harmed.

This is the sort of storm that I like - a storm that humbles one with a reminder of the power of nature without causing terrible harm.

My Playlist

I have been marking exams at work -- 48 exams with three essay questions each.

To get myself through the day, I have been listening to the following albums:

• Music for THE NATIVE AMERICANS by Robbie Robertson and the Red Road Ensemble
• Logozo by Angelique Kidjo
• Wanita by Rokia Traore
• South Pacific Islands, a Putumayo compilation.