Is Howard Wolowitz a 'good' engineer?

The Big Bang Theory has been around for some years now, making more than ten seasons has given the general public a lot to contemplate. Each of the characters are unique in their convictions, and they can bring a different element of humour to the award-winning show.

This is all about Howard, the Beatle-haired, hoochie-pants-wearing, guy, with a need for intimacy, however crude it might be. His background has been well explored, coming from a Jewish single mother provided the core of his humorous activities for the first half the show's seasons. He is not what society recognises he should be, instead, he is keen to woo any lady that are close enough to be verbally attained. In the first season, he is up for dating the blond-beauty across the hall from his friends' apartment. My beef is not about the fact that he is a 'lady-killer', but that he is bordering on engineering's version of the pretend executive. He is unable to complete tasks, making errors that would see him cast out, and with that, a definite NO to space travel. That's right, if you are unaware of this character, he is also, as of the end of season 5, an astronaut. This was to fix engineering issues and then maintain them in the International Space Station. This is baffling in its own right. A quick mention should also go to his disregard for that which he has access. He once used a government recon-drone to find the 'Next-Top-Model' household, and if that wasn't bad enough, he then decided to break communication with a Mars Rover, just because he was attempting to impress a girl. The man is a threat to national and global security!

Mars-Rover Mayhem!

So, let's look at the evidence for my theory that Howard is only half the engineer, and not the storming one that he achieves the accolades for. Thus, here we go...

Howard's Toilet Mishap:

In season 2, Howard is tasked with producing a zero-gravity toilet that ultimately ends up on the ISS. This toilet is later found to have issues, namely the release of excrement within the confines of the space station. After an evening of problem solving, he finds a solution to it, but not without a lot of messing about, and considerable help of his 'doctor' friends. This is okay if it is a singular mishap, but it is the beginning of many issues that serve to evidence my, eventual, theory. The end of this episode, incidentally, sees the ISS in orbit and the astronauts claiming that they need to leave the station for a space walk; they then alert Houston to the pending poop-fest that is now inside the capsule. This shows that, even with a lot of effort, it all failed anyway.

The Drone Dismemberment:

After Raj purchases a drone, Howard and Sheldon discover that it doesn't work properly. What does Howard do next, yes, he takes it apart. It is at this point that Sheldon reminds him of the toilet. Howard then makes the excuse that it worked, but it wasn't designed for the 'Russian potato-based diet'. Even after the eventual phone call to customer services, the drone picks up another signal and goes AWOL from their control. Another mess up from a skilled engineer? In his defence, Howard is also asked to fix Sheldon's train, informing the viewer that there is a notable skill in him that Sheldon can see, that's high praise, given the nature of Sheldon's character.

Miss-Use of Government Funds and Inventory:

This is a storm, so keep your hats firmly held on your heads. The largest misdemeanours that occur, other than the Next Top Model house, are:

• Robotic Arm: This is taken home and used to massage his shoulder. With his perversion taking hold, he then decides to use it for extras. Getting stuck, he is whisked to hospital, where the nurse frees is with the escape key. This happens a second time before the end of the episode.
• Creation: Howard makes a networked pair of mouths, for kissing! Creates Bernadette's diamond ring, with his mother's back hair, on the University's hydraulic press. He cooks his paninis to perfection with a heat-cupboard, offering this service to his buddies.

So, it isn't a great problem, pressing the diamond, and he is actually quite skilled at jewellery. This was evidenced when he joined the girls, and Raj, on one of their get-togethers. In this episode, they are making jewellery; he excels at this. The materials? They come from the University, where else?

Professor Hawking's Service:

Howard's skills are called upon by Professor Stephen Hawking. Making a visit to Pasadena, he is here to do a series of lectures and requires Howard to keep his chair in tip-top condition. After one of his servicing trips, he is found with a left over sprocket, and he doesn't know where it belongs! Another piece of evidence to show that he is inept!

On the Defence!

As a character, he is very funny and his absence whilst visiting the ISS was noticed. The show lacked the ludicrous outcomes of a needy nerd, hyped up on the fun with his wife and friends. There is no true answer to this, he must be good at some parts of his job, if not all. If NASA approve of him, and the University use him on loan from the Space Administration, then there has to be an engineering genius within him, possibly shown away from the contexts of the episodes that we see.

He is quite clearly engaged for humour, and I know that this is a silly question really. I like the character, and believe the show could offer up some of Howard's 'excellence' for a while. Even though the humour might lack a little, not being a mummy's boy, a pervert, and a doormat to Sheldon, would be a breath of fresh air. The latest offerings that see him as an inventor, creating a working radar system for use by the military, is closing in on this. The choice to make him need his friends to contractually keep him in the loop is a little sad, though. This was another way to show that he is a dependant, not able to survive without the hand of another to stabilise him.

Either way, he is a great character. Long live Howard Wolowitz! What do you think? Are there any parts of The Big Bang Theory that show him in a stronger light? For now, I hope that he is given some strength in future episodes, at least before the last one airs.

Written for @beingSTEM - 2017

Can Assistance based AI change the way that we exist?

Our lives are surrounded in technology. The very notion of putting our phones down depicts the end of the world. As a late-night screen-reader, I am often kept awake by the emitted glow of blue light.
Putting this aside for a moment, our very nature as human beings is changing, we are less likely to communicate than we once did, and we have become more self-affirming than ever before. If for nothing else, social media is a great way to show off. The very idea of 'keeping up with the Jones's' is unfathomable to me; I see no real point in comparison to others, let alone trying to be like them.

Small processors could still help!

So, the very emergence of this technology might be the new age of humanity. There have been many key moves in our history, the things we like and the ideals that spark our curiosity have all been altered in some way. I think about the floating chairs in Wall-E's world as a possible future, although it should be mentioned that even this has, at least, a social aspect to their existence.

This post is all about how technology could assist us in more than just imaging what we had to eat. At what point did we decide that friends and family, and the greater population, would like to know what our baked potato looked like during dinner, or how healthy your oats, with tangy fruit bits, looked this morning?
The game has been raised with personal assistant modules, our Mobile phones harbour Siri, or Windows being the bearer of Cortana. These assistants may still be in their infancy, but how can they form the basis for a better existence?

Siri is seldom used on my phone, though the concept is very intriguing to me. A.I. has handed me a warm, funny, feeling, since I was asked a question that regarded the socially anxious aspects of such a thing. Back in the day, some twenty years ago now, I was asked: "If an A.I. was advanced enough to replicate that of a human being, and that said technology was installed into a machine that has the appearance of a specific individual, would they BE that person if THEIR memories could also be added?" This holds a big dilemma, humans would understand that this person is now synthetic, but holds the potential wisdom of the real person that is known prior.

So, even if people would not accept this dilemma, what if our assistant software was built upon A.I.? The world that is pictured in iRobot shows the open use of helper droids, there are even friendships built on synthetic connections, creating a society of human to A.I., and A.I. to A.I. companionship. This world is capable of using technology for good, we are hounded by stories of rogue machines and failing societies, all because of a device that finds its own voice and destroys them.

Okay, this has gone a little awry, the use of our personal devices should become more than just an excuse for capturing our daily monotony; what about them running our errands and keeping us on our feet? 'We can download an app for that!' This is what we hear all of the time on TV, the ever beloved big Bang Theory have even addressed the concept of writing apps to do specific jobs, in their case, reading equations in an instant! What apps exist right now? Fitness ideals are matched to your body's needs, nutrition can be managed, and even the calendar has its place in our day to day lives.

What was that? Can I hear you shouting? "Get on with it you muttering fool!" Okay, here we go! If our lives are anything, they are a busy entanglement of business, pleasure, and a small bit towards the progress of our self. Even though the technology and software exists to provide help in many areas of our lives, there is a lot of room for improvement. I am quite outspoken about my distaste for many of modern societies whims, and the very thought of many of today's quips feels like hives in my brain! I have come to a conclusion that we are often looking at the negative, imagine a world that foresees negativity and adjusts you with small, mental, alterations. If A.I. was specifically tendered to the user, as it learns, it helps you to move forward; as it strives to help you, it makes ideal suggestions to 'bypass' the very problem in the first place.

I first had this concept a few years ago. The emergence of QuInt, was an idea based on one premise, 'Questionable Intelligence'. Ultimately though, the software was a personal companion, the technological and funding limitation is what stopped any further extension of it. The following is the theory base that I wanted to work on:

• QuInt is a companion based A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) that serves to both adapt and adjust to the user. The personal outcomes that are expressed by this entity are built from what it knows about you. Key focus is based on shrinking the overall processing, meaning that the end result is 'small-brain' compliant. (Concept derived and highlighted by G. Rudd, July'2014) [The term 'small-brain' is given in reference to the use of smaller computer processors. This is when comparing them to the large A.I. systems that make up the 'super-computer' realms of technology.]

This idea is still sitting in my own, 'small', brain. There may be a use for it some day, but for now, I truly believe that the use of A.I. could be used to aid in humanity, not accelerate the application for social prowess or build ways for us to create destruction.

What are your thoughts on A.I., will it destroy us? Are there any ways that you have thought of for using A.I. in a 'positive' light? Until the assistance is compiled, let those of us that care, keep doing so!

On an extra note, I am intending to further my understanding of A.I. Visit beingstem.uk to see the progress, and even be a part of it.

Written for @beingSTEM - 2017