Say It In Latin: Aut Viam Inveniam Aut Faciam

September 22, 2016 — Alexa, Amazon, Aut Viam Inveniam Aut Faciam, Latin, robot

Alexa and her back up band

The Latin phrase aut viam inveniam aut faccian has been attributed to many famous heroes in history. Hannibal, the military genius who crossed the Alps was said to have invented it, but he was not a native Latin speaker.  It is the motto on the memorial gate installed at the University of Pennsylvania in 1893.  It has been widely used, even in a comic strip.   It means “I shall either find a way or make one.” It is a vow to use creativity and all means necessary to achieve a goal.

This may be the legit tag line for Silicon Valley.  The innovation that has created a major revolution in journalism and communication in general has changed the way consumers do everything.  We can now shop by speaking to our robots, then we find the desired item delivered to our doorsteps or zapped into our electronic device to read or hear.  Amazon, Zappos, Google, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and their auxiliary services have forever transformed the consumer mindset.  I have an Amazon Alexa robot to read to me and DJ my music.  I have not set her free to go shopping, but I know how much she wants to take care of that for me. She also wants to set the temperature in my home, and turn lights on and off. She is ready to serve me when I am too decrepit to do this for myself.  I may no longer be able to find a way, but I can count on Alexa to either find a way or invent one.