1. Axolotls 2023

     Imagine this. You are one of the Impossible Mission Force (IMF) in the Mission Impossible movies. You stand beside your famous and talented friend, Ethan Hunt as he and his friends Simon Pegg and Vegh Rhames, search for a way to fix their intricate machine. One with the powers to create a shape of any person’s face just by selecting their picture and inputting a few lines of code. The face mask comes off clean and Ethan wears it, fitting him perfectly. What he is planning to do next, is frame his enemies and use his new identity for scavenging for clues or finding some information useful to him. This is how everyday runs at the IMF, but in today’s reality, it may not completely work that way.      The fictional story describing the creation of a new identity, a face mask, to help Ethan Hunt in his hunt for information is an example of the powers of misusing one’s biometric identity. According to thalesgroup.com , biometric identity is a way in which a ...

           Our language is an essential part of our identity and helps you communicate and connect with people who share the same language as you. Language is predominant in the expression of cultural identity. It is more than words or a form of communication; it symbolizes our beliefs, customs, values, and traditions. Furthermore, language is also a form of cultural preservation. But what happens if you lose touch with your mother tongue?      My parents were born in India while I was born in the United States. Usually, most people only have one mother tongue, but I would consider my mother tongue as both Telugu and English as my parents spoke and taught me both  simultaneously while growing up. My mother would speak to me in Telugu and I would respond back in the same language, while my dad would speak to me in English and I would respond back in English. I was fluent in both languages as a toddler.      H...

In the age of social media, platforms like Instagram and Tik Tok have become platforms to share entertaining content. An emerging trend involves the cutting edge Deepfake technology. Often seen in examples where public figures are seen saying obscure statements while conversing to one another. While these videos have a comedic taste, they still bring up the question of what if this technology was used in a malicious way? This raises the question: are identities at risk of being stolen by digital clones? Addressing this concern, the article “ Determining Authenticity of Video Evidence in the Age of Artificial Intelligence and in the Wake of Deep Fake Videos, ” written by Marie-Helen Maras from the College of Criminal Justice, digs into the risks and implications of this new technology. One misuse of this technology, deepfakes, has been used for superimposing faces of actors and public figures onto explicit videos (Maras, 3). This practice can irreparably damage and harm a public figure’...

I—like many other habitants of the United States of America—speak the holy language of English. Created in approximately the year 500 CE, English has reigned supreme over the world as the most widely spoken language since the conclusion of World War II, and it gives every indication that it’s here to stay. Since birth, I have been indoctrinated into the American language, as well as many of the practices that come along with it. These practices and cultural elements helped shape who I am today, to a degree. The language we speak differentiates us from others and helps us form our unique identity in various ways. Language is often a determining factor (at least to an extent) of who we make friends with. We will more naturally resonate with people around us that not only speak a common language, but also speak the same dialect of that language or speak it with a similar accent. All of my friends speak English, but that’s not to say I hate people who don’t speak English. It’s just easie...

      Photo by Noah Berger via  UCSF . Since childhood, I was only able to connect with one of my grandparents. However, he could not hear or comprehend what I would say to him. Growing up in the Bay Area, I had trouble speaking my own cultural language which made it difficult for me to communicate with my own grandfather. It was only the small hand gestures and the exchange of bright smiles that helped me express my love for him. When I encountered the discovery of how AI gave a woman her voice back, it made me curious to know if it could help me get to know my family and culture a bit more through communicating with my grandfather in a way that involves using AI. According to an article from the Stanford University Medical Center, a research participant, Pat Bennett, was connected to computers in order to translate her brain signals as she tried to speak. Bennett used to love riding horses and jogging every day; but, all of this stopped right when she lost her voic...

    Our identity is the summation of our surroundings. From the people we talk to, to the places we live, to the stories we tell, we are the result of our surroundings. In my life, I attribute every redeeming quality to the lessons I have learned from the people around me.  I transform myself into a magnet: attracting bits and pieces of information to form my identity.      One day, after I had gotten into an argument with my brother, my dad told me, "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it." My magnet was activated. To say I never uttered a reprimanding remark would be an exaggeration, but I always try to hold myself accountable for every one of my disparagements. I find it fascinating how these little phrases and seemingly unimportant moments are able to have an immense contribution on who we are.      To this day, Bollywood music and films embody my soul and enhance my emotions to a point I did no...

                            Identity is an intricate and multivarious idea that best encapsulates the true meaning of who we are. It is influenced by a wide range of factors, such as cultural heritage, individual experiences, interpersonal relationships, and societal expectations. Our identities are what makes each and every one of us unique, however, it can be challenging at times to truly accept who we are, and embrace our culture. My family has always taught me to embrace who we are, and so I have always been proud of my culture, and have done my best to represent it whenever I can.  A couple of weeks ago, I got the opportunity to attend and participate in the Fog India Day Parade through my Boy Scout troop, and I got to see many different kinds of people come together as one to represent our country. However, there were protestors, stationed in several different locations, and I got to see a di...

 Mahesh - Week 1: An Endless Horizon         Language is also known as the medium in which many communicate. This word has the most impact on anyone's life, being a single word. I love studying languages and interacting with cultures. My parents have placed special emphasis on the learning of my mother tongue, Tamil. Even last summer, I visited India and got to speak Tamil for the entire summer. I started my summer off by visiting my grandparents' house in the city of Trichy. While in Trichy, my relatives had organized a festival that we attended together.      When I attended the festival, I realized the number of people I did not recognize. I made it my objective to meet everyone and engage in conversation. My relatives were surprised at how well I spoke Tamil; they thought as an American-born Indian, I would not have the capability to speak my language. My relatives and I played a word game as a competition to see who could name the most ...

     There's been something that I've been curious about for quite some time–do we all act differently towards different people? Or is it odd to act differently in front of certain people? If it’s normal to change the way we act around different people, then what is our true personality? An “identity” is defined as “something that you give yourself. It has to do with what you stand for, morals, values, etc. It is who you are physically and legally,” while “personality” is defined as “the combination of characteristics or qualities that form an individual's distinctive character” and it “is how you portray or ‘live in’ your identity.” If personality is the way you choose the convey your identity and you choose to act differently around different people, do you have a set personality? This has always made me curious, especially considering how many people are portrayed. To some people, I’m considered hyper, to others I’m shy. I bet other people see me in a multitude of diff...