EntreWolves Attire Of The Week
Is Artificial Intelligence our Friend or Foe?
‘Ava’ in Ex-Machina
Microsoft’s ‘Tay’
A computer would deserve to be called intelligent if it could deceive a human into believing that it was human,”-Alan Turner
By: Eli Karam
Lately I have found myself immensely inclined and fascinated with Artificial Intelligence, and the future of technology. Now before you say anything, this isn’t some crazy guy sitting in his PJ’s surrounded by empty Mountain Dew bottles (not yet at least) writing about a robot machine apocalypse as in the Terminator series. I am here to touch on the fact that we humans have evolved immensely from where we were 20 years ago. We are consumed by technology, and it is only advancing. I am so impressed by what we have accomplished that I really started thinking of a world where AI’s could interact with humans on a daily basis.
We have seen this slightly with Siri, Eva, or apps similar but are these intelligent? Turner said if a machine can deceive a human into thinking it was in fact human, then that machine can be labeled as ‘intelligent’. So for example when you interact with Siri, you know it isn’t human by her verbiage, and how her answers are more facts than opinion. So fascinated by this, I recently watched Ex-Machina (2015), Transcendence (2014), & Her (2013); which are films I highly recommend watching to understand more about AI in the future. Will Smith’s iRobot is also a classic must watch as well.
IBM has created their version of an AI named Watson, which is pretty impressive if you have seen the commercials of ‘it’ interacting with celebrities like Ron Howard. Microsoft has also been toying around with an AI of their own, named Tay. The article below is really a must read! It’s pretty funny to say the least but also kind of scary. Basically Microsoft had to shutdown Tay after she started commenting racial jargons to users on Twitter. They code AI’s to “learn from those it interacts with”. Turner believed machines have the capacity for creativity, which is exactly what Tay executed in a satire but degrading way. What do you think? Can you imagine a world with AI’s? Email me your thoughts or comment below!
The Pack Is Back…and We’re Hungry
Check out some photos of my transition: Graduation, Lebanon, Wall St.NY, Austin-TX
By: Eli Karam
It has been an arduous journey since my last post over a year ago. Where was I? What was I doing? Well I graduated from Bentley University, one of the top business school curriculums in the country. After that I wrapped up my internship and took a well needed vacation to my homeland…Lebanon! It was rejuvenating to say the least. I came back in August a new man, with a brand new perspective. I had time to meet old friends and family, relax on the beach, hike the illustrious mountains of the North, and ponder my future. For I knew once I came back to the states, the fun was over and it was time to start my career path.
I had the privilege to interview on Wall Street-NY, Austin-TX, and of course the city I was bred in…Boston-MA. After long nights of prepping for interviews, studying, and traveling, it boiled down to choosing the company that I felt I could grow with the most. I am currently working at HubSpot in Cambridge, doing a mix of Finance, Accounting, & Sales, and I can assertively say I made the right decision. ( I will release a post soon on the culture here and how we are changing the way businesses grow…more to come!)
It was tough for me to constantly update my blog while in the interviewing process and adjusting to a new job. For those who emailed me saying they needed more motivational advice or just some business wit to read, I can assure you the wolf pack has resurrected. We’re hungry, we’re ready, and we’re here to stay.
You Are Afraid of Being Different, I am Afraid of Being the Same
“All humans are entrepreneurs not because they should start companies but because the will to create is encoded in human DNA” –Reid Hoffman
By: Eli Karam
You connect with people who share the same interests as you, the same mentality, the same ferocity, the same HUNGER. A wolf pack cannot survive without working in a pack and that is what me and my networks have created and this is how we refer to ourselves. We boost each other’s motivation and drive each day, and work as a team to brainstorm lucrative business ideas. We call each other a pack and we watch out for one another. It’s more than a saying, it’s a way of life.
Some people might not understand this, or think it’s a waste of time. But to anyone reading this who has the fire in them to excel, the yearning to achieve success, and the mentality to make something of themselves, I tell you, DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM. People fear what they don’t understand.
If you’re thinking “Ok guy, take it down a notch, don’t get ahead of yourself”. All I’m saying is it doesn’t hurt to brainstorm, it doesn’t hurt to believe, it doesn’t hurt to network with people who give you that drive & motivation that many people don’t have. I wouldn’t be where I’m at if I didn’t have a family that raised me to be a gentleman and predominantly pushed me to be the best that I can be. I wouldn’t be where I’m at if I didn’t have the right professors, mentors, or friends, to educate me on new ways of thinking and motivate me to succeed.
HubSpot CTO & Co-Founder Dharmesh Shah said “success is making those who believed in you look brilliant”. Don’t you love that feeling when you teach someone something, or do something in front of someone, and you then see them execute it sometime after? Well it is the same way for everyone who pushed us to be great, and believed in us when others didn’t. It’s time EntreWolves, let’s make everyone who brought us to where we’re at today look brilliant. The future is here, it’s knocking on your front door. It’s up to YOU to decide if you want to open it or calmly sit back and ignore.
EntreWolves Attire Of The Week
What is EntreWolf What Is This Blog For?
Sorry guys, I forgot to shave in this pic!
By: Eli Karam
When I first started this blog, it was just out of curiosity and for me to express what was on my mind. I sporadically came up with the word EntreWolf and after a couple months of saying it to my friends, and #hashtagging it on my posts, it caught on. (If you’re curious as to what an EntreWolf is, well click the ‘About’ section and you will find out!) I don’t consider myself a savant of a writer, but I enjoy writing.
Yes I went to school for finance and people associate me with the numbers but I loved writing, especially for the Venture Capital club in the Bentley Vanguard weekly newspaper. When other students in college preferred exams over papers, you could look over and see a smirk on my face. So I thought, just because I graduated, doesn’t mean I have to stop. I do this as a hobby.
I enjoy taking 15% of my psyche and sharing it with my friends, networks, and who ever else wants to listen. And if there is one thing I took away from Bentley University, it was the power to MARKET yourself & NETWORK. So here I am Falcons. I am still getting used to running a blog and learning all the functions on this site. So it will get better and more organized throughout the weeks.
Click on the direct ‘Title‘ for a blog you want to share on other social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Reddit, etc. I would greatly appreciate it….Stay tuned!
If You Don’t Have a Dream, You Don’t Got Nothing
By; Eli Karam
What is it that you want? Money? Fame? Success? Everyone has a dream they want to accomplish and don’t ever feel like you can’t achieve it. An artist once said “if you don’t got a dream, you don’t got nothing”. The verity of this quote made me look at my career in a different perspective. I started asking myself, what is it I want exactly in life? You may know what you want to do as a career but what are YOU trying to accomplish? You know you want to focus on Finance, great! But what is YOUR dream? To be a financial analyst? Work in Private-Equity or Mergers & Acquisitions? Achieve your CFA? Be rich? Or even if you’re flipping burgers…do you want to open up your own place? Work on getting your culinary degree and become a renowned chef?
Do not be that person that just says, “well I’ll figure it out down the road”. NO! If you’re 18 years or older that is not an acceptable answer. Leave that to the kids in middle school or high school who are still figuring out what they want to do in life. Don’t wait for an opportunity to arise. That’s not EntreWolf mentality!
Buddha once said, “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment”. While I do follow a lot of Buddhism practices and believe in meditation and concentrating your thoughts, I only minimally agree with this statement. Without an image of who you want to be, how can you draw your path in life? Going forward, every person, student or not should sit down and ask themselves, “where do I want to see myself 5 years from now?” And “how can I implement it to succeed?”. Good Luck!
New Season…New Dress. EntreWolf Attire of the Week
It’s Not Personal…it’s Just Business
By: Eli Karam
Anyone in business or on their way to a path in the business world will hear this expression “it’s not personal, it’s just business”. Notoriously known from the Godfather, it pretty much saves any argument that is yet to come between a family member or friends. Why? The reason being is when a friend does business with you it’s all fun and games at first and you’re excited to be making money together but what happens when one learns the ropes better than the other? Or if one person gets the opportunity for a more lucrative deal that will help them grow their net potential and expand their business? Us wolves must work together as a pack! If we feel something is unjust, we will work it out together. If not, well…its not personal, it’s just business.
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