inaudible speech

12.II.1430

The extension (LENGTHENING) of some consonants (e.g. kâf) (as opposed to the extension of a vowel, like a, where extending it produces a continuous sound) at the diacritical "Silence", known in arabic as Sokoun, produces not only an interruption in the sound's continuity (that is, an actual silence) but also an interruption of the mechanical act of pronouncing the consonants, in this case a kâf, or qâf; for a good example of this, it is demonstrated in the readings of the Quran by some well-known readers (cf. some tape i have). I think this qualifies as inaudible speech, in the sense that if there is such a thing as inaudible speech this's got to be it (or part of it).

on the difference between what drives technology in the west and the muslim worlds.

on advancement
technological advancement would lose its meaning when engineering design becomes automated. The term "advancement" implies discovery of a way to do something, an algorithm, such as a machine, or function, and is thereby an act of design. Automating the act of design would eliminate the need for technological innovation on the part of humans -- just as a perpetual source of food would supposedly eliminate world hunger, or a perpetual motion machine would eliminate the need for energy.

Technological innovation itself is an act for the sake of itself, or exists for its own sake. Just as software developers write frameworks where each new one simplifies the preceding programming interface, and new machinery simplify and facilitate tasking, by older machinery or technology. So design is a closed cycle where designers build successively sophisticated working models building on older ones, and importantly to enable them to carry out more design innovations. In other words, technological innovation directly begets more technological innovation. Thus far, this has been an act done only by humans and some animals or other lifeforms, if you believe in them.

Automated technological innovation, could in effect put an end of technological innovation -- that is, if we want to. Technological innovation (so far) is not like the act of manually typesetting a printing template, which has been quickly replaced by the personal computer. We, humans like to take pride in feats of engineering, little known designs that revolutionize or accelerate industry, etc. Engineers (and lately software developers) are ranked now higher on the social ladder, than the human typesetters of old (pre-late 80s) ((- they're just about the only job on the media that doesn't have hollywood films made about it.)) so automating software or machine design (maybe even architecture?) will not necessarily replace engineering design; design is closely linked with art, which dedicates a field to it. Humans would probably still look for the human touch and beauty of an architectural design, or the shape and functions of a kitchen blender or cd-player.

(continuation of last paragraph from previous entry)
What is potentially at an end, is the *need* for industrial-grade utility deisgn. Automating design, most likely beginning with software, as well as logic chip design, can thus be applied to communication systems, and other information systems, perhaps proteonics and even use biomimetic methods to contribute to its own design algorithmic repository. It is probably easy to apply automated design, but through human agency or intermediacy here, to the design of manufacturing, packaging systems, as well as abstracts such as urban planning systems. If nanotech or something else bring us into the informatic utilization of matter, design, automated design could push out our understanding of what is possible by an order or more of magnitude.