Friday, June 3, 2011
Lyrics to "The Song People Talk Through" a.k.a. "185"
A.K.A. "Drill Bit*"
Full alternate title: "Drill Bit: (Amalgamated, Exonerated, Consolidated, Collective-activated, and Recapitulated)"
Labels: guitar, inter-faith, John 3:17, music, prayer, song material, tattoos, technology, theological sources, theology, Universalism
Sunday, June 6, 2010
In case the Gulf Leak Cannot be Plugged...
I've been thinking that if the Gulf of Mexico gets so very contaminated with oil and dispersants and toxins--or if the leak cannot be successfully plugged--the Gulf may need to be quarantined off from the rest of Earth's oceans.
I introduced this thusly on Facebook:
I guess that's kind of suggesting an oceanic amputation of sorts. I'm morbidly fascinated by the logistics of the endeavor and I wonder at the idea of what this would do to weather patterns, habitats, and oceanic currents. The reason for building the causeway(s) would be trying to make the best of a potentially globally-catastrophic situation.
It would require an astonishing amount of Earth to do it. Assuming a height-width ratio of at only 1-2, of a trapezoidal prism-type shape where the top is steadily 100 meters wide, and the depth varies from about 20 meters at the coasts to 1850 meters at the deepest parts of the Florida Strait and the Yucatan Channel. Also assuming that the causeways would total about 430km (270 miles), doing a little math gives a rough estimate of the rock mass required would be to take a simple triangular prism 1850m deep, 430,000m long and 3700m wide at the base.
1.85km^2 x 430km => 1472 cubic kilometers of rock.
To put that number in perspective, that much would be the equivalent of digging out a section of Earth about the size of a major metropolis (including its suburbs) to a depth of a kilometer deep. But that estimate is a little in the high side, because we used a simple triangular prism instead of trying to work out the volume of a trapezoidal prism with varying depth, plus it's all an estimate, since I can't seem to find the proper bathymetric mapping online (Would it be too difficult to have oceanic topography freely accessible to anyone with an internet connection?). I studied math at University, but I forgot how to do double-integrals sometime around the time I received my diploma. Also, I estimated on the high side, because I doubt that the causeway could be built so steep and have integrity, so likely a causeway would need to have a lower rise/run ratio.
I realize digging up that much earth and rock would have a tremendous impact on the sources, the rock-mining sites, so we'd need to be really careful where we dig from. My guess for the Florida Strait is there's some land in Cuba, and some of the southernmost Appalachians. Though nobody really wants to hear the news that you need to tear down their mountain and toss it bit by bit into the ocean. We could get some of the finer Earth and sand from Florida to fill in between the boulders.
It would require new thinking and new scales of labor--I envision an army of solar-powered Earth-moving robots, specialized into miners and movers. The former dig it up, and the latter haul it like lorry trucks--in fact, you could haul them in electric trucks with human drivers as well. (Hooray for creating jobs!) Alternately, there could be underwater solar-powered Earth-moving robots that could mine and scour up some of the Earth below the waters of the Gulf, most notably the continental shelf just north of Cancun.
This page shows how amazingly complicated all this is because the entire Mississippi River basin flows into the gulf, yet the gulf is not large enough to dissipate off that much water into the air, so it would want to flow out from the causeway, which would essentially work like a dam unless we can find a way to use up most of the freshwater that flows through the Mississippi....
So obviously before we go into a plan like this, we need to get an honest assessment of the possible environmental impacts from the gulf leak. And the environmental impact of a big drastic change like this, plus the impact of actually implementing it. In addition, perhaps there are ways to do this other than a causeway. Perhaps the Dutch could come in and help build some serious dams.
pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel
I introduced this thusly on Facebook:
[Me] wonders how quickly a causeway could be built from the tip of Florida to Cuba, and another from Cuba to the Eastern Mexican peninsula at Cancun, in order to close off the Gulf of Mexico, if need be. Also wondering about the environmental impact of doing that, versus not doing it.
Friend: It would have to be one hell of a causeway as parts of those routes are very deep. Then, we could extract the oil caught there, process it, and open it back up?
Me: My reason for bringing it up is to protect the rest of the world's oceans, and limiting the damage from that area. If it were to continue gushing for several years or heaven forbid the leak grows in size, there's the potential that the oceans could die [and us all with them].
Me: Here's a view of what I was thinking (map (c) 2010 by Google Maps: TerraMetrics, Google, INEGI, and LeadDog Consulting).
I guess that's kind of suggesting an oceanic amputation of sorts. I'm morbidly fascinated by the logistics of the endeavor and I wonder at the idea of what this would do to weather patterns, habitats, and oceanic currents. The reason for building the causeway(s) would be trying to make the best of a potentially globally-catastrophic situation.
It would require an astonishing amount of Earth to do it. Assuming a height-width ratio of at only 1-2, of a trapezoidal prism-type shape where the top is steadily 100 meters wide, and the depth varies from about 20 meters at the coasts to 1850 meters at the deepest parts of the Florida Strait and the Yucatan Channel. Also assuming that the causeways would total about 430km (270 miles), doing a little math gives a rough estimate of the rock mass required would be to take a simple triangular prism 1850m deep, 430,000m long and 3700m wide at the base.
1.85km^2 x 430km => 1472 cubic kilometers of rock.
To put that number in perspective, that much would be the equivalent of digging out a section of Earth about the size of a major metropolis (including its suburbs) to a depth of a kilometer deep. But that estimate is a little in the high side, because we used a simple triangular prism instead of trying to work out the volume of a trapezoidal prism with varying depth, plus it's all an estimate, since I can't seem to find the proper bathymetric mapping online (Would it be too difficult to have oceanic topography freely accessible to anyone with an internet connection?). I studied math at University, but I forgot how to do double-integrals sometime around the time I received my diploma. Also, I estimated on the high side, because I doubt that the causeway could be built so steep and have integrity, so likely a causeway would need to have a lower rise/run ratio.
I realize digging up that much earth and rock would have a tremendous impact on the sources, the rock-mining sites, so we'd need to be really careful where we dig from. My guess for the Florida Strait is there's some land in Cuba, and some of the southernmost Appalachians. Though nobody really wants to hear the news that you need to tear down their mountain and toss it bit by bit into the ocean. We could get some of the finer Earth and sand from Florida to fill in between the boulders.
It would require new thinking and new scales of labor--I envision an army of solar-powered Earth-moving robots, specialized into miners and movers. The former dig it up, and the latter haul it like lorry trucks--in fact, you could haul them in electric trucks with human drivers as well. (Hooray for creating jobs!) Alternately, there could be underwater solar-powered Earth-moving robots that could mine and scour up some of the Earth below the waters of the Gulf, most notably the continental shelf just north of Cancun.
This page shows how amazingly complicated all this is because the entire Mississippi River basin flows into the gulf, yet the gulf is not large enough to dissipate off that much water into the air, so it would want to flow out from the causeway, which would essentially work like a dam unless we can find a way to use up most of the freshwater that flows through the Mississippi....
So obviously before we go into a plan like this, we need to get an honest assessment of the possible environmental impacts from the gulf leak. And the environmental impact of a big drastic change like this, plus the impact of actually implementing it. In addition, perhaps there are ways to do this other than a causeway. Perhaps the Dutch could come in and help build some serious dams.
pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel
Labels: environment, globalism, indifferent corporations, renewable energy, salvation, sci-fi, technology, water justice
Thursday, November 19, 2009
A new look at the Solar System
.
Including this link as a personal bookmark because, "Wow, come to think of it, I haven't really gotten to look closely at the solar system planets since junior high. Not really..."
lyrics: "Power of the Holy Ghost. Woof, woof, woof!"
From Burning Beard, by Clutch.
pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel
Including this link as a personal bookmark because, "Wow, come to think of it, I haven't really gotten to look closely at the solar system planets since junior high. Not really..."
lyrics: "Power of the Holy Ghost. Woof, woof, woof!"
From Burning Beard, by Clutch.
pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel
Labels: astrophysics, personal bookmarks, technology
Monday, September 7, 2009
Eleven Geek Myths about Putting an Idea to Work
.
The post at this link is written by a geek turned venture capitalist, but I am wondering how much of it is applicable to new theological work? My thoughts regarding "brilliant idea", "money" and "make you rich" are, of course, quite a bit different. Perhaps someday I'll write on what I think "the rich life" really means to me as a Universalist.
A couple notable items:
*His condescension noted -- he is blogging for inventor-class thinkers here, but no need to call people "dumb". Perhaps "uncurious" "uninsightful" or "less creative" would be better terms. And the jab at Republicans obviously unnecessary and a simplified view for sure -- I have met many very intelligent Republicans, though I can only assume that the reason they vote as they do is that they start from a different set of assumptions. I have also met both Republicans and Democrats (and people of other political stripes as well) who seemed they might have difficulty thinking their way out of a wet paper bag....
Several of the other myths (6, 8, 9, and 10) make sense from my perspective as well. Of course I don't consider what I'm doing "business" nor do I consider the outcome as a "product."
And this comment by John:
lyrics: "Look out honey, 'cuz I'm using technology!"
From Search and Destroy, by Iggy and the Stooges
colors: crystal clear
mood: tired. spent the whole long weekend rearranging our apartment to make room for baby-care
chant/prayer/mantra: "Shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine." Repeat until baby sleeps (first part of the Seraphims' Lullaby).
pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel
The post at this link is written by a geek turned venture capitalist, but I am wondering how much of it is applicable to new theological work? My thoughts regarding "brilliant idea", "money" and "make you rich" are, of course, quite a bit different. Perhaps someday I'll write on what I think "the rich life" really means to me as a Universalist.
A couple notable items:
Myth #4: What you think matters.My real take-away from this myth is that Unitarian Universalists have such an open theology and put the burden on parishioners to figure it all out. It's no wonder they're not getting more traction. Most people don't have the time or inclination to go off on a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning" and would prefer to offload that to religious professionals and spiritual leaders, so they can live their lives within the context of direct experience. Until someone who knows UU theology puts it together, it won't catch on like wildfire. In fact the rain and wind of the current environment might just blow it out. UU is still putting flint and steel to the contents of its tinderbox one candle at a time. Its a lovely diversity of candles and does light up the room, but it's not a roaring fire -- not yet.
Reality: It matters not one whit that you and all your buddies think that your idea is the greatest thing since sliced pizza (unless, of course, your buddies are rich enough to be the customer base for your business). What matters is what your customers think. It is natural to assume that if you and your buddies think your idea is cool that millions of other people out there will think it's cool too, and sometimes it works out that way, but usually not. The reason is that if you are smart enough to have a brilliant idea then you (and most likely your buddies) are different from everyone else. I don't mean to sound condescending here, but the sad fact of the matter is that compared to you, most people are pretty dumb (look at how many people vote Republican ;-) and they care about dumb things.* (I just heard about a new clothing store in Pasadena that has lines around the block. A clothing store!) If you cater only to people who care about the things that you care about then your customer base will be pretty small.
I wonder how many people in the world exist in the true market for my theology. There's a huge disparity between folks of different religious backgrounds, ranging from theologies as revealed by prophets (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Mormon,...), to more formalized theologies brought together by church fathers (Catholicism and the Nicene creed, through a variety of councils), to rational theologies (Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Humanism...) and many other forms of perhaps a less organized nature. And to be fair, each of the aforementioned is much more than the categorizations I described. Ultimately, for the theology I'm proposing to come to success, it needs a very large number of people on board, and a significant handful of influential leaders as well.
Myth #5: Financial models are bogus.
As with myth #2 there is a grain of truth here. As Carl Sagan was fond of saying, prophecy is a lost art. There is no way to know for sure how much money your business is going to make, or how much it will cost to get to market. The reason for doing financial models is to do a reality check and convince yourself that making a return on investment is even a plausible possibility. If you run the numbers and find out that in order to reach break-even you need a customer base that is ten times larger than the currently known market for your product then you should probably rethink things. As Dwight Eisenhower said: plans are useless, but planning is indispensible.
*His condescension noted -- he is blogging for inventor-class thinkers here, but no need to call people "dumb". Perhaps "uncurious" "uninsightful" or "less creative" would be better terms. And the jab at Republicans obviously unnecessary and a simplified view for sure -- I have met many very intelligent Republicans, though I can only assume that the reason they vote as they do is that they start from a different set of assumptions. I have also met both Republicans and Democrats (and people of other political stripes as well) who seemed they might have difficulty thinking their way out of a wet paper bag....
Several of the other myths (6, 8, 9, and 10) make sense from my perspective as well. Of course I don't consider what I'm doing "business" nor do I consider the outcome as a "product."
And this comment by John:
...To the point you were trying to make about who you know...the reciprocal is more accurate; people have to know YOU. Are you a flake who's only thought is getting to that early exit...the one with the golden parachute? Or are you someone with acumen and resolve ready to see it through to profitability? And, by the way, no one will care to know WHO you are if you DON'T have the technical prowess to back it up.
lyrics: "Look out honey, 'cuz I'm using technology!"
From Search and Destroy, by Iggy and the Stooges
colors: crystal clear
mood: tired. spent the whole long weekend rearranging our apartment to make room for baby-care
chant/prayer/mantra: "Shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine, shine." Repeat until baby sleeps (first part of the Seraphims' Lullaby).
pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel
Labels: slashdot, song material, technology, theological sources, theology
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Cutting through the Email
.
I have over 10k unread email (stuff that isn't in my spam box). Some of it is from listservs I couldn't get to, some is from causes I signed up for that seem to send stuff my way weekly. Some is actually valuable. And each time I open my email inbox, I have a little trepidation because I know there will be more there than I can get to, and I'll need to triage.
Gmail is quite helpful in many respects. I have come to rely on the search features, the tags, and wish I had the time to set up real distribution lists in my contacts. I'll make time for that at some point (but then I have several hundred contacts to weed through...).
Anyway, here is a blog post by the folks at Google with some great advice for managing email.
lyrics: "And every day the paper boy brings more..."
-Pink Floyd
pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel
I have over 10k unread email (stuff that isn't in my spam box). Some of it is from listservs I couldn't get to, some is from causes I signed up for that seem to send stuff my way weekly. Some is actually valuable. And each time I open my email inbox, I have a little trepidation because I know there will be more there than I can get to, and I'll need to triage.
Gmail is quite helpful in many respects. I have come to rely on the search features, the tags, and wish I had the time to set up real distribution lists in my contacts. I'll make time for that at some point (but then I have several hundred contacts to weed through...).
Anyway, here is a blog post by the folks at Google with some great advice for managing email.
lyrics: "And every day the paper boy brings more..."
-Pink Floyd
pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel
Labels: google, personal bookmarks, sustenance, technology
Sunday, June 7, 2009
The Latest on Nuclear Fusion
.
While I still remain skeptical about the actual likelihood of success for this iteration of the process of creating contained nuclear fusion at Lawrence Livermore's National Ignition Facility (NIF), I am also hopeful that this will help guide our research.
Lasers, lasers, and more lasers. And amazing amounts of instantaneous energy. Wow. Maybe a little scary too.
I'm just thinking of all the good we could do with all the energy nuclear fusion could provide us. We wouldn't have to bat an eye about the high energy costs of desalinization. We could power an energy grid that could mean we have clean trains running from every city on each continent, and we could even power boats and individual transit eventually once we get the battery technology up and running. Of course, sadly, there's probably also a lot of bad we could do with that energy, and I'm not going to devote my own energy toward considering it. But what awesome/awful wars we could have with that much energy! But all sardonic attitude aside, with all that energy, we'd have a surplus of it, and energy wouldn't be a scarce resource. Without scarce resources, the reasons for going to war are greatly diminished.
chant/prayer/mantra: Let there be light.
pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel
While I still remain skeptical about the actual likelihood of success for this iteration of the process of creating contained nuclear fusion at Lawrence Livermore's National Ignition Facility (NIF), I am also hopeful that this will help guide our research.
Lasers, lasers, and more lasers. And amazing amounts of instantaneous energy. Wow. Maybe a little scary too.
I'm just thinking of all the good we could do with all the energy nuclear fusion could provide us. We wouldn't have to bat an eye about the high energy costs of desalinization. We could power an energy grid that could mean we have clean trains running from every city on each continent, and we could even power boats and individual transit eventually once we get the battery technology up and running. Of course, sadly, there's probably also a lot of bad we could do with that energy, and I'm not going to devote my own energy toward considering it. But what awesome/awful wars we could have with that much energy! But all sardonic attitude aside, with all that energy, we'd have a surplus of it, and energy wouldn't be a scarce resource. Without scarce resources, the reasons for going to war are greatly diminished.
chant/prayer/mantra: Let there be light.
pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel
Labels: astrophysics, desalinization, pax hominibus/bright shiny future, renewable energy, technology
Saturday, April 4, 2009
From Recent News
New Batteries created by bacteriophage:
I really do think it won't be too long before we have battery technology that is clean to make and clean to use, and requires no disposal. Two decades, though we've got to keep the R & D coming. Plenty of jobs to invest there -- get the kids in higher education for free, and make sure we've got housing, food and clothes for everybody.
Offshore wind farms which more than meet US energy needs:
While I think its high time we turn to renewable resources for energy production, I wonder why the big push for putting wind farms offshore? It seems they'd be a lot of work to set up, and then get the energy back to the mainland, even if only in relatively shallow water. Looking at this wind map (the multi-colored one on the left) and this one of South Dakota (with a legend explaining the colors), it appears there's a LOT of wind energy to be had in the middle of the country, though from the first map, it really does look like there's even more just offshore. All I know is that if there's wind there and we know it, it's a lot better than drilling for oil and not knowing how much is going to be there.
And astrophysics geeks talking about the science behind FTL warp drives:
The comment by Geckipede is a helpful explanation of what I was talking about in an earlier post.
lyrics: "Space, I believe in space... Jefrey, with one f, Jefrey."
From Space (I Believe in), by Pixies.
pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel
I really do think it won't be too long before we have battery technology that is clean to make and clean to use, and requires no disposal. Two decades, though we've got to keep the R & D coming. Plenty of jobs to invest there -- get the kids in higher education for free, and make sure we've got housing, food and clothes for everybody.
Offshore wind farms which more than meet US energy needs:
While I think its high time we turn to renewable resources for energy production, I wonder why the big push for putting wind farms offshore? It seems they'd be a lot of work to set up, and then get the energy back to the mainland, even if only in relatively shallow water. Looking at this wind map (the multi-colored one on the left) and this one of South Dakota (with a legend explaining the colors), it appears there's a LOT of wind energy to be had in the middle of the country, though from the first map, it really does look like there's even more just offshore. All I know is that if there's wind there and we know it, it's a lot better than drilling for oil and not knowing how much is going to be there.
And astrophysics geeks talking about the science behind FTL warp drives:
The comment by Geckipede is a helpful explanation of what I was talking about in an earlier post.
"The problem is that in order to have a region of spacetime moving in relation to the outside universe, space has to expand behind it and contract in front, which demands negative and positive gravity in those regions. You need a large negative mass held in place in front of you, and a large positive mass behind." [Joel adds: All you have to do is carry around your own quasar and black hole, and you're set. But put the black hole at the front, and try and scale it back a bit so it doesn't actually tear a hole.]
lyrics: "Space, I believe in space... Jefrey, with one f, Jefrey."
From Space (I Believe in), by Pixies.
pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel
Labels: astrophysics, education, renewable energy, slashdot, technology, USA
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Indoor Skydiving
I've been skydiving one time, and it was one of the most intense things I've ever done. But it took a lot of training and had the possibility of serious injury.
Looking at this site, apparently one can do freefall simulations in a wind tunnel for $50.
I'm right now imagining spending an hour a day at a local community rec center, doing stretches, yoga poses, etc, all while buoyed up on air. And if the fan was operating off of solar power, all the better.
chant/prayer/mantra: Take some time out for fun.
pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel
chant/prayer/mantra: Take some time out for fun.
pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel
Labels: heaven on earth, recreation, sustenance, technology
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Encouraging Stories: Gravitational Waves, Net Neutrality, and Flashlights
.
This one is about how a guy actually discovered gravitational waves back in 1987.This one is about the new FCC chief.
This one is about wind-up LED flashlights that last for 17 minutes after 2 minutes of hand-cranking.
lyrics: "Oh this burning beard, I have come undone."
lyrics: "Oh this burning beard, I have come undone."
from Burning Beard, by Clutch.
colors: red, white, and blue
mood: ready for bed.
chant/prayer/mantra: what holds us separate? what keeps us separated? as we walk the streets, what still connects us? (faithful fools mantra)
pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel
colors: red, white, and blue
mood: ready for bed.
chant/prayer/mantra: what holds us separate? what keeps us separated? as we walk the streets, what still connects us? (faithful fools mantra)
pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel
Labels: astrophysics, personal bookmarks, politics, renewable energy, technology
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Timeline of Inventions
To put our lives in perspective of history, here is a quote from Butthead: "Don't be stupid Beavis. There's *always* been television."
pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel
pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel
Labels: technology, theological sources
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Google Starting to Suck?
Well, I'm starting to wonder about Google. Not that they're distrustable with respect to all the sensitive information they hold, like they might use it for nefarious purposes. I'm starting to wonder about their programming practices.
I've been coming across bugs and unresolved issues lately. While I realize that these aren't as big of a problem as world hunger, race-relations, etc, they are little things that add up.
1. When trying to update the description up near the top that talks about the 70s PSA and the Wagon Wheel, blogger straight up fails, and shows me this error page. The Google Help group I'm invited to visit is vaguely reminiscent of other methods of shunting tech support off into a no-man's land. I don't expect somebody to come visit me, but a real place to report a bug would be nice. I have a feeling this help group is not one of those.
2. Firefox 2.0 just updated itself to 2.0.0.18, and now Gmail doesn't load, except when using https, and my Google bookmarks don't load. I tried using Firefox 3, but the Google bookmarks just silently fail there as well.
3. Google's own browser (a beta, naturally) doesn't even support Google bookmarks in any integrated way. I just need to browse to them on my portal page.
4. And for cryin' out loud, I've been requesting this for years. I can't be the only Gmail user who wants this, and Google has got to know that users would want it. PLEASE ADD A PREF TO HAVE THE AUTOSIG AT THE TOP OF THE MESSAGE INSTEAD OF AT THE BOTTOM LIKE SO MUCH ASCII DETRITUS. Whenever I respond to somebody's message, I have to scroll down to the bottom and retrieve it, and cut/paste it to the top where it belongs. Otherwise a long thread between me and another Gmail user ends up having TEN of these autosigs all just kind of hanging out at the bottom.
For example:
I do realize that in the scope of problems in the world, this is relatively small, but being among many users who have begun to really like and trust Google and use their software tools every day, I am hoping that they will turn out fully-fledged tools, and work to get things from 90% done to 99% done. And I know there are diminishing returns, but those returns are the difference between abandonware and stuff that is adopted. So I ask again, is Google nearing (or getting to) the point where they're big enough that they don't care when their products are starting to perform poorly?
pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel
I've been coming across bugs and unresolved issues lately. While I realize that these aren't as big of a problem as world hunger, race-relations, etc, they are little things that add up.
1. When trying to update the description up near the top that talks about the 70s PSA and the Wagon Wheel, blogger straight up fails, and shows me this error page. The Google Help group I'm invited to visit is vaguely reminiscent of other methods of shunting tech support off into a no-man's land. I don't expect somebody to come visit me, but a real place to report a bug would be nice. I have a feeling this help group is not one of those.
2. Firefox 2.0 just updated itself to 2.0.0.18, and now Gmail doesn't load, except when using https, and my Google bookmarks don't load. I tried using Firefox 3, but the Google bookmarks just silently fail there as well.
3. Google's own browser (a beta, naturally) doesn't even support Google bookmarks in any integrated way. I just need to browse to them on my portal page.
4. And for cryin' out loud, I've been requesting this for years. I can't be the only Gmail user who wants this, and Google has got to know that users would want it. PLEASE ADD A PREF TO HAVE THE AUTOSIG AT THE TOP OF THE MESSAGE INSTEAD OF AT THE BOTTOM LIKE SO MUCH ASCII DETRITUS. Whenever I respond to somebody's message, I have to scroll down to the bottom and retrieve it, and cut/paste it to the top where it belongs. Otherwise a long thread between me and another Gmail user ends up having TEN of these autosigs all just kind of hanging out at the bottom.
For example:
2008/11/10 Joel wrote:- Hide quoted text -
Yep, I just got it today. I sure do wish I could update the text on the most visible part of my blog.
Grrr,
Joel
2008/11/4 Chuck wrote:
Oh, I hear you. Did you get the bX-rvly7y error message yet? That's the pits.
Chuck
2008/10/30 Joel wrote:
Yeah, I'm pretty good. Except that my Google bookmarks aren't working so well in Firefox or Chrome, and I'm upset about racism, sexism, homophobia, poverty, prison conditions, and the complicity of the media in these issues not getting a fair conversation. Having my Google bookmarks not working slows me down from being as effective as I'd like to be.
Joel
2008/10/27 Chuck wrote:
Hey Joel -
Super. U?
--- On Mon, 10/27/08, Joel wrote:
> From: Joel
> Subject: Hi
>
>Hi Chuck, how you doin?
>
>--
>pax hominibus,
>agape to all,
>joel
>
> http://revjd.blogspot.com/
>
> "The purpose of art is to lay bare the questions which
> have been hidden by
> the answers."
> -James Baldwin
>--
>Hugs and kisses,
>Chuck
>
>"When I do pushups, I'm not pushing myself up. I'm pushing the earth down."
>
>
>--
>pax hominibus,
>agape to all,
>joel
>
> http://revjd.blogspot.com/
>
> "The purpose of art is to lay bare the questions which
> have been hidden by
> the answers."
> -James Baldwin
>--
>Hugs and kisses,
>Chuck
>
>"When I do pushups, I'm not pushing myself up. I'm pushing the earth down."
>
>
>--
>pax hominibus,
>agape to all,
>joel
>
> http://revjd.blogspot.com/
>
> "The purpose of art is to lay bare the questions which
> have been hidden by
> the answers."
> -James Baldwin
>--
>Hugs and kisses,
>Chuck
>
>"When I do pushups, I'm not pushing myself up. I'm pushing the earth down."
>
>
I do realize that in the scope of problems in the world, this is relatively small, but being among many users who have begun to really like and trust Google and use their software tools every day, I am hoping that they will turn out fully-fledged tools, and work to get things from 90% done to 99% done. And I know there are diminishing returns, but those returns are the difference between abandonware and stuff that is adopted. So I ask again, is Google nearing (or getting to) the point where they're big enough that they don't care when their products are starting to perform poorly?
pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel
Labels: anti-oppression, C-Nor, google, indifferent corporations, technology
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Regarding a couple WTFs from my spouse...
First, my sweetie asked what was up with the last post -- x(-1)...x(1.5)...x(3). She said it was nutty and nonsensical. Then again, she hasn't been studying Christology the last few weeks.
My basic response is: A) the nomenclature may actually be better as x-sub-n (with the n running from -1 to 3 and being a subscript, rather than expressed within the parens. B) the numbers -1 through 3 are mostly just to convey the general order of the expressions of the christos/logos, beginning with an initial kiss upon wisdom, and at x(0) being that wisdom incarnate in an unfriendly environment, and all positive numbers seeking to retrain the environment and grow in it such that the entire environmental context becomes the logos itself.
If that didn't make sense, perhaps we're going to have a bit of a longer sit-down to discuss this, because my model does make certain assumptions that take the original ideas of Arius and Origen into a more Universalist vector.... Stages x(2) and especially x(3) are represented by these words from US forefather James Madison:
I'm not sure why he leaves out women. Perhaps they are already angels? Um, probably not across the board.
The second thing she asked about was "What does the Mary Tyler Moore theme (referred to in the title bar of this page) have to do with anything?" It's basically a message of hope that me and you and Mary are going to make it. Well, here's the lyrics:
Who can turn the world on with her smile?
Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?
Well it's you girl, and you should know it
With each glance and every little movement you show it
Love is all around, no need to waste it
You can have a town, why don't you take it
You're gonna make it after all
You're gonna make it after all
How will you make it on your own?
This world is awfully big, girl this time you're all alone
But it's time you started living
It's time you let someone else do some giving
Love is all around, no need to waste it
You can have a town, why don't you take it
You're gonna make it after all
You're gonna make it after all
lyrics: see above.
colors: a flashing rainbow .gif (I just drew a new tattoo design yesterday, based on the mathematical proof element "And then a miracle occurs!" (I have no idea what's going on with that second link, but found it interesting that there was a seven-pointed star there.) When I get the chance, I'll upload my pic, hopefully.
mood: eh.
chant/prayer/mantra: a little prayer for positive communication.
pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel
My basic response is: A) the nomenclature may actually be better as x-sub-n (with the n running from -1 to 3 and being a subscript, rather than expressed within the parens. B) the numbers -1 through 3 are mostly just to convey the general order of the expressions of the christos/logos, beginning with an initial kiss upon wisdom, and at x(0) being that wisdom incarnate in an unfriendly environment, and all positive numbers seeking to retrain the environment and grow in it such that the entire environmental context becomes the logos itself.
If that didn't make sense, perhaps we're going to have a bit of a longer sit-down to discuss this, because my model does make certain assumptions that take the original ideas of Arius and Origen into a more Universalist vector.... Stages x(2) and especially x(3) are represented by these words from US forefather James Madison:
"If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary."
I'm not sure why he leaves out women. Perhaps they are already angels? Um, probably not across the board.
The second thing she asked about was "What does the Mary Tyler Moore theme (referred to in the title bar of this page) have to do with anything?" It's basically a message of hope that me and you and Mary are going to make it. Well, here's the lyrics:
Who can turn the world on with her smile?
Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?
Well it's you girl, and you should know it
With each glance and every little movement you show it
Love is all around, no need to waste it
You can have a town, why don't you take it
You're gonna make it after all
You're gonna make it after all
How will you make it on your own?
This world is awfully big, girl this time you're all alone
But it's time you started living
It's time you let someone else do some giving
Love is all around, no need to waste it
You can have a town, why don't you take it
You're gonna make it after all
You're gonna make it after all
lyrics: see above.
colors: a flashing rainbow .gif (I just drew a new tattoo design yesterday, based on the mathematical proof element "And then a miracle occurs!" (I have no idea what's going on with that second link, but found it interesting that there was a seven-pointed star there.) When I get the chance, I'll upload my pic, hopefully.
mood: eh.
chant/prayer/mantra: a little prayer for positive communication.
pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel
Labels: Christianity, christology, pastoral care, tattoos, technology, theological sources, Universalism
Monday, May 5, 2008
MS API Crappy, Apparently...
Huh, who'da thunk it? Granted, the article above is linked to from /. and they don't like Microsoft so much, so it take it with a grain of salt.
This is what happens when a company has a monopoly on a market. Yes, there's Apple (mentioned in the article), and that's kind of great, but they're not really in the same market, and Apple have got their own issues of being welcoming to third-party developers.
And Microsoft's codebase is now crufty as all hell and bloated and slow and not necessarily secure, and if you don't re-install or re-ghost windows once in a while it really gets slow. Decisions made decades ago for Windows 3.1 still are hounding them, and while they have such an enormous codebase that a developer can probably find stuff within their library that will call for a pizza, take a credit card number, and sprinkle red peppers and parmesan on top when the pizza guy delivers, that same codebase is old and overworked, in ways that people who have passed on from the company probably didn't figure for. So it's a question of architecture.
With sufficient resources, time, and dedication, somebody else could come along and do a whitebox design of a new OS with all the functionality of Windows (and Mac, and Be, and Unix), plus some forward-visionary stuff and really intuitive (non-kludged) developer (and user) interfaces, and they wouldn't have to carry around decades-old baggage, ready to make changes on a dime (or maybe a silver dollar, these things still take time).
What does all this have to do with theology, you may ask? Well, replace the word "decades" above with "millenia," and that might provide some insight. A theology based on functionality, not having to call all the way back to Adam, Noah, Moses, Hagar, Jesus, etc. Of course, its good to have people to tell stories about, and to have some type of a rudder/constitution, but going to them as sources of wisdom is disempowering to the voice within.
lyrics: "you are sleeping, you do not want to believe. you are sleeping." rubber ring, the smiths
colors: blue, brown, black, green
mood: stressed, procrastinating in the worst way possible.
chant/prayer/mantra: stay on target.
pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel
This is what happens when a company has a monopoly on a market. Yes, there's Apple (mentioned in the article), and that's kind of great, but they're not really in the same market, and Apple have got their own issues of being welcoming to third-party developers.
And Microsoft's codebase is now crufty as all hell and bloated and slow and not necessarily secure, and if you don't re-install or re-ghost windows once in a while it really gets slow. Decisions made decades ago for Windows 3.1 still are hounding them, and while they have such an enormous codebase that a developer can probably find stuff within their library that will call for a pizza, take a credit card number, and sprinkle red peppers and parmesan on top when the pizza guy delivers, that same codebase is old and overworked, in ways that people who have passed on from the company probably didn't figure for. So it's a question of architecture.
With sufficient resources, time, and dedication, somebody else could come along and do a whitebox design of a new OS with all the functionality of Windows (and Mac, and Be, and Unix), plus some forward-visionary stuff and really intuitive (non-kludged) developer (and user) interfaces, and they wouldn't have to carry around decades-old baggage, ready to make changes on a dime (or maybe a silver dollar, these things still take time).
What does all this have to do with theology, you may ask? Well, replace the word "decades" above with "millenia," and that might provide some insight. A theology based on functionality, not having to call all the way back to Adam, Noah, Moses, Hagar, Jesus, etc. Of course, its good to have people to tell stories about, and to have some type of a rudder/constitution, but going to them as sources of wisdom is disempowering to the voice within.
lyrics: "you are sleeping, you do not want to believe. you are sleeping." rubber ring, the smiths
colors: blue, brown, black, green
mood: stressed, procrastinating in the worst way possible.
chant/prayer/mantra: stay on target.
pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel
Labels: computers, technology, theological sources
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Center for Islamic Studies now Open
I'm so excited. I didn't get to go to the opening of the Center for Islamic Studies, but am very much looking forward to its presence at the GTU, and hope to take at least one class there, if possible. Read the article at the link above to find out more about why this is so important (hint, hint: pax hominibus).
Also, I'm excited because I may get to take a class at my own school on the Art of Sufi Storytelling. It would complement my Intro to Preaching course quite well I hope.
pax hominibus,
joel
PS - in entirely unrelated news, this opinion piece about the "outsourced brain" rings strangely true.
Also, I'm excited because I may get to take a class at my own school on the Art of Sufi Storytelling. It would complement my Intro to Preaching course quite well I hope.
pax hominibus,
joel
PS - in entirely unrelated news, this opinion piece about the "outsourced brain" rings strangely true.
Labels: Islam, pax hominibus/bright shiny future, technology
Sunday, October 28, 2007
So sick of computers and networking... (and the bene's of community)
Hi Friends-
In our household, I am the IT guy, in charge of helping our computers work as a workgroup, and to each see the Internet through the router and cable modem. I am not a computer expert, so I do a lot of tinkering to hold things together. I am supposed to be working on homework, and writing applications for chaplaincy residency at hospitals, but computer woes have been sidetracking me mightily.
Yesterday evening, our Internet connection completely bit it (the workgroup still could all see each other through the router (when the wireless aspect was actually working--it's always been spotty even though our apartment is only about 20x20)) and I called our ISP and after an hour or two we got it to a point where now everything could see each other and the Internet.
Now today, when I booted up my audio computer, it failed to recognize the external USB/Firewire hard drive. After unplugging and replugging and rebooting FOUR times, I finally got it working by just hooking up the drive through USB only which is significantly slower, but worked. Then when iTunes fired up, it played, but I got no sound. Checked the Control Panel, and the only option is "Bluetooth Audio"... What's frustrating about that is that I have a perfectly good Firewire soundcard that wasn't being recognized. I tried in vain for two hours to get it to work, reinstalling drivers, checking in the Hardware Device Manager, unplugging and replugging, and nothing works. Windows says everything's working fine of course.
I used to work for a company that made audio software, and they made it for Windows only. That's why I've been sticking with Microsoft, but now Windows Vista's kernel plays poorly with the software that had worked nicely on Win2k, Win98, and WinXP. I *might* buy a Windows XP computer and keep it completely clean. But then again, I might be done with Microsoft. Their OS is turning into such a morass of difficulty for me that I can't see sticking with them much longer.
So, do I switch to Linux or Mac? Well, there is now FINALLY multitrack audio software (Ardour) for Linux, so maybe that if there are drivers for my audio device. Doing a google search for "linux firepod drivers" brought me to this forum, and this advice, which is bafflingly complex for a person like me. I'm computer literate, even computer savvy, but not that much of a geek to compile and build my own Linux distro, compile audio drivers, and then tweak them as this person does (though I am certainly envious of his skills). I really wish that the Linux community could find a way to make one or more installable highly stable versions of the OS that are inviting for people who know how to use computers AND have a straightforward way for people to install drivers and software using compiled executables, not requiring them to compile from source, seeking out special libraries and adding compile-time switches.
Switching to Mac might not be a bad idea, but then I need to find, pay for, and learn some alternate software. I'm not against that, as long as it's less frustrating and limited than the version of Garageband I used last year on my boss' Mac mini. Ugh.
What I really would love to see would be living communities develop with specialists in them. Imagine if you lived in an apartment building (or similar multi-unit domicile) with 40 people, one (or more) of whom was a computer specialist, one (or more...) who loved to cook, one who could repair guitars and electronic equipment, one who would take care of the garbage, one to keep the bathroom clean, one to be the treasurer, one who works the garden, one who does the political advocating, one to take care of the pets, several to work at jobs for pay, etc. As it is, with a family of two (as we are), it gets to the point where we're doing all of the jobs above, plus much more. Keeping the living rooms and bedrooms in separated quarters might be nice, but having a common dining area and kitchen would help make the community more efficient. Perhaps the dining area could double as a meeting space and movie theater. I think if human families were to try that on for size, it could make our way of life much better overall, as we'd be able to share 2 or 3 hammers between 10-15 families, cook large-scale meals and keep fresh foods and leftovers from going bad with a dedicated cook on staff. I still think having restaurants and individual family (and individual person) meals would be a good idea as well, of course. To think otherwise, IMO, would be a little myopic and confining.
Every time I bring this up to someone, they always talk about why it wouldn't work. I loathe that attitude. Its the attitude of "haters" as in, "why you gotta be all up and hatin' in my business?" What I want to hear from people is how it could work. What WOULD it take for humanity to develop more communal and cooperative lifestyles? What impediments are there, other than the same old examples shown to us in popular media, and dictated by the Defense of Marriage Act? I'm sure that if the government, and the people who elect their government, wanted to, they could provide incentives for people to live cooperatively. And for corporations to be more cooperative as well. (Oh I have a big long thing to write about corporate cooperativity, but that's for another day.)
OK, I got the computer exasperation whining off my chest for now, and have since digressed into a community-sharing tirade, so I guess I'll sign off. Thanks for reading. Love yr neighbor.
--
pax hominibus,
agape to everyone,
joel
http://revjd.blogspot.com/
"Strephon kissed me in the spring, Robin in the fall,
But Colin only looked at me And never kissed at all.
Strephon's kiss was lost in jest, Robin's lost in play,
But the kiss in Colin's eyes Haunts me night and day."
-Sara Teasdale
Once in a while, the time will come
To surrender everything you have to give
Once in a while, the time will come
To surrender everything you have to give
-Flaming Lips, "Superhumans"
In our household, I am the IT guy, in charge of helping our computers work as a workgroup, and to each see the Internet through the router and cable modem. I am not a computer expert, so I do a lot of tinkering to hold things together. I am supposed to be working on homework, and writing applications for chaplaincy residency at hospitals, but computer woes have been sidetracking me mightily.
Yesterday evening, our Internet connection completely bit it (the workgroup still could all see each other through the router (when the wireless aspect was actually working--it's always been spotty even though our apartment is only about 20x20)) and I called our ISP and after an hour or two we got it to a point where now everything could see each other and the Internet.
Now today, when I booted up my audio computer, it failed to recognize the external USB/Firewire hard drive. After unplugging and replugging and rebooting FOUR times, I finally got it working by just hooking up the drive through USB only which is significantly slower, but worked. Then when iTunes fired up, it played, but I got no sound. Checked the Control Panel, and the only option is "Bluetooth Audio"... What's frustrating about that is that I have a perfectly good Firewire soundcard that wasn't being recognized. I tried in vain for two hours to get it to work, reinstalling drivers, checking in the Hardware Device Manager, unplugging and replugging, and nothing works. Windows says everything's working fine of course.
I used to work for a company that made audio software, and they made it for Windows only. That's why I've been sticking with Microsoft, but now Windows Vista's kernel plays poorly with the software that had worked nicely on Win2k, Win98, and WinXP. I *might* buy a Windows XP computer and keep it completely clean. But then again, I might be done with Microsoft. Their OS is turning into such a morass of difficulty for me that I can't see sticking with them much longer.
So, do I switch to Linux or Mac? Well, there is now FINALLY multitrack audio software (Ardour) for Linux, so maybe that if there are drivers for my audio device. Doing a google search for "linux firepod drivers" brought me to this forum, and this advice, which is bafflingly complex for a person like me. I'm computer literate, even computer savvy, but not that much of a geek to compile and build my own Linux distro, compile audio drivers, and then tweak them as this person does (though I am certainly envious of his skills). I really wish that the Linux community could find a way to make one or more installable highly stable versions of the OS that are inviting for people who know how to use computers AND have a straightforward way for people to install drivers and software using compiled executables, not requiring them to compile from source, seeking out special libraries and adding compile-time switches.
Switching to Mac might not be a bad idea, but then I need to find, pay for, and learn some alternate software. I'm not against that, as long as it's less frustrating and limited than the version of Garageband I used last year on my boss' Mac mini. Ugh.
What I really would love to see would be living communities develop with specialists in them. Imagine if you lived in an apartment building (or similar multi-unit domicile) with 40 people, one (or more) of whom was a computer specialist, one (or more...) who loved to cook, one who could repair guitars and electronic equipment, one who would take care of the garbage, one to keep the bathroom clean, one to be the treasurer, one who works the garden, one who does the political advocating, one to take care of the pets, several to work at jobs for pay, etc. As it is, with a family of two (as we are), it gets to the point where we're doing all of the jobs above, plus much more. Keeping the living rooms and bedrooms in separated quarters might be nice, but having a common dining area and kitchen would help make the community more efficient. Perhaps the dining area could double as a meeting space and movie theater. I think if human families were to try that on for size, it could make our way of life much better overall, as we'd be able to share 2 or 3 hammers between 10-15 families, cook large-scale meals and keep fresh foods and leftovers from going bad with a dedicated cook on staff. I still think having restaurants and individual family (and individual person) meals would be a good idea as well, of course. To think otherwise, IMO, would be a little myopic and confining.
Every time I bring this up to someone, they always talk about why it wouldn't work. I loathe that attitude. Its the attitude of "haters" as in, "why you gotta be all up and hatin' in my business?" What I want to hear from people is how it could work. What WOULD it take for humanity to develop more communal and cooperative lifestyles? What impediments are there, other than the same old examples shown to us in popular media, and dictated by the Defense of Marriage Act? I'm sure that if the government, and the people who elect their government, wanted to, they could provide incentives for people to live cooperatively. And for corporations to be more cooperative as well. (Oh I have a big long thing to write about corporate cooperativity, but that's for another day.)
OK, I got the computer exasperation whining off my chest for now, and have since digressed into a community-sharing tirade, so I guess I'll sign off. Thanks for reading. Love yr neighbor.
--
pax hominibus,
agape to everyone,
joel
http://revjd.blogspot.com/
"Strephon kissed me in the spring, Robin in the fall,
But Colin only looked at me And never kissed at all.
Strephon's kiss was lost in jest, Robin's lost in play,
But the kiss in Colin's eyes Haunts me night and day."
-Sara Teasdale
Once in a while, the time will come
To surrender everything you have to give
Once in a while, the time will come
To surrender everything you have to give
-Flaming Lips, "Superhumans"
Labels: computers, LGBT, paradigm shift, religious community, technology
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Outdoor Advertising in Sao Paulo, Brazil and in Oakland, USA
In Sao Paolo, over 70% of citizens voted to work against air, water, noise, and visual pollution. That means they're nixing thousands and thousands of billboards.
Meanwhile, in Oakland.... Yesterday, we were driving west across the Bay Bridge, and it was around 7:00 in the evening. The new dynamic LCD-style billboard was SO AMAZINGLY BRIGHT that I had to cover up my rear view mirror with my arm. It was way brighter than any SUV or pickup with its brights would've been. I thought they got that "oops, too bright" issue ironed out. When we came home later that evening, it was less bright again. But it certainly was still outdoor advertising.
I don't care much for commercial advertising, even if some of the proceeds go toward a good cause. My reasons are too complex to go into this morning before I have my coffee.
lyrics: Click and Clack on Car-Talk
colors: yellow, blue, red
mood: sleepy. i woke up in the middle of the night for an hour or two, and had a weird dream shortly before waking up.
chant/prayer/mantra: tell the truth.
pax hominibus,
joel
Meanwhile, in Oakland.... Yesterday, we were driving west across the Bay Bridge, and it was around 7:00 in the evening. The new dynamic LCD-style billboard was SO AMAZINGLY BRIGHT that I had to cover up my rear view mirror with my arm. It was way brighter than any SUV or pickup with its brights would've been. I thought they got that "oops, too bright" issue ironed out. When we came home later that evening, it was less bright again. But it certainly was still outdoor advertising.
I don't care much for commercial advertising, even if some of the proceeds go toward a good cause. My reasons are too complex to go into this morning before I have my coffee.
lyrics: Click and Clack on Car-Talk
colors: yellow, blue, red
mood: sleepy. i woke up in the middle of the night for an hour or two, and had a weird dream shortly before waking up.
chant/prayer/mantra: tell the truth.
pax hominibus,
joel
Labels: Capitalism, dream recollection, media, politics, technology
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Until its as easy to use as a TV or toaster
I got a new Pentium M laptop for school a few months back. The integrated wireless card that came with it seriously sucks. As I'm typing this, I wonder if the connection will remain strong enough to send the bits through the wireless router when I send it. The wireless access point is about 12 feet away, just below me in the basement. I needed to update drivers earlier, and presently don't feel comfortable trying to access my Ximeta NDAS single hard disk server from the wireless laptop connection. Even when two feet from the wireless access point, the laptop behaves like somebody fed it lock-up pills when I try to connect to the NDAS server. I got the NDAS single hard disk server for the express purpose of being able to store and access my files on a lighter weight server than a full 300 watt box running all the time. Fortunately, the NDAS works great with the wired computers, so I can transfer files to the laptop by first transferring them to a desktop and then sharing the folder that the files are in. But for the most part, that defeats the purpose -- I could've just gotten an extra hard drive for my desktop and turned it on when I needed to share it.
Simple. The new technology is sometimes painful. How often do we accept that our cell phone connection drops out and our conversation gets cut off? Or our PDA falls to the ground and we lose three weeks of data since the last hotsync? Sync it up more frequently, that's the ticket. Getting to and from work requires a heck of a lot of effort. Either I drive and have to fight among traffic and obey stoplights and the rules of the road, or I bike or walk and have to fend off drivers without my own 1000 pound exoskeleton. A somewhat reliable one at that. Our car had a lot of issues the first 80000 miles, but the last 30000 have been pretty trouble free. Still, it's no secret that a car drains you head to feet.
This laptop has another issue. When I type, about once every few sentences, keys will registter twice -- that last instance wasn't intentional. I'm a great typist, and never have that problem with other keyboards. Unfortunately, this means that if I want to make sure that I don't have typos, I actually have to read the words as I type, even if I type them perfectly. Kind of a hassle.
I used to think that it would be so exciting when we finally have bionic ears, so that when our hearing is totally shot, or if one is deaf, there can just be a microphone membbrane within the auricle that sends an electrical signal to an electrical-neural junction where it's parsed direct by the brain. Unfortunately, I bet it will have a few bugs at first. Bleeding edge always does. For those who havve been deaf all their lives it will be a true miracle and I will sing hallelujah alongg with them. BUT even though my ears are overly sensitive to sounds and I could probably hear better, I wouldn't want to trade them for the new technology until it "just works" and is maintenance free enough that I'd have to get them checked on as frequently as I go to the audiologist, which isn't very often.
The point I guess I was getting at is that technology hasn't really arrived until it "just works". I think we're all excited about progress, or at least we should be in most cases, but there's a reason that cable TV, broadcast TV, TIVO, and FM radio are going to be around for a long time, while intternet streaming and downloads will be popular for some who swim upstream, but not entirely ubiquitous. When people can go to the local Target/Shopko/Walmart, pay $300 for a device that they plug into the wall, switch it to Channel Slashdot or Channel Wikipedia, or Channel HotOlderAsianLadies, it will catch on. Better yet instead of a channel changer, there'd be easy, configurable AND acquiescent portals that help guide you to the information/bits you really want or need, rather than funnelling you to the highest paying advertiser, then we'll be at a real level of maturity in the information age.
Right now, computers and the internet are a powerful medium, but I see them also as a hostile environment. Yes, yes, I can build a computer up from parts. With a bit of time I could configure a Linux distribution if I could spare the time, but I'd rather do otherwise. Put Linux inside of a $300 configurable internet appliance that "just works" on a communication system that is outside of the spamosphere, where it's not about buy and sell, but about free information trade. That will have people lining up ffrom Beijing to Helsinki to Los Angeles. Of course, in addition to having a browser, it'd be nice to havve it ship native with an email program, a newsreader, an instant messaging program, multimedia software for editing pictures, audio, video, flash, html, C++, formatted documents, etc. While we're dreaming here, why not roll them all into the OS, so they load when the OS loads, and feel truly integrated, rather than as separate disjoint programs? I suppose you'd need more memory in this system, but maybe these programs could be much more dynamic about allocating memory, so when they initially load, only the outer shell of the program's functionality is actually up. When accessed, it loads up the parts that it needs and deallocates as the code path gets far enough away from functions. Yeah, that's the ticket. And of course, to the stupid user, it all "just works," and they don't need to know anything more about it than they need to put toast in the toastter, or to turn on the hot water. And they don't need to type, since the OS has a microphone and logic that helps it to identify your speech as well as one human can tell what another is saying. Sure, it would all be rudimentary at first, only understanding the words you say to it, but eventually as it learns your movements and gestures and has a couple decent CCDs for parallax viewing, it'd be able to decipher body language and the tone of your voice.
Not long after that, we'll have ourselves a real rational AI. And of course, not just any rational AI, but one that will be able to ascertain what needs to be done better than we do, and maybe one that can control its base desires, or is entirely naive to the idea that impure motives could ever exist. Then, programmed correctly, that AI can run the world (as a steward with the best interests of the Earth and all inhabitants firmly in mind/logic), and we can just go about living our lives, following our recreational, vocational, and avocational desires, while the show runs itself.
Sure, it's idealistic to think all that, but somebody needs to set some goals. That's where I see us in a hundred years if we make it through the mess today, and can choke off all the bad seeds before they grow.
And yes, I know there are a lot of other checkpoints that we need to hit before we get to that state. Point A will always be where we are at. Point B is where we are trying to get to. It requires frequent progress updates of the direction and the magnitude of the current vector we're on. Are we heading toward point B? Has anyone really set up a point B that we can come to a consensus on?
Some people think that point B is not for us to define, or for us to experience the Rapture(tm) -- I think the "Left Behind" publishers should be allowed to claim that as (tm) if not actually (r).
Some people think that point B is for them to assume control over others -- the Taliban, the major corporations, the leading world governments, the financial elite, to name a few.
Some think that point B is to live out in the stars, but it will be a while until we're ready for tthat -- once we get the nuclear fusion thing figured out (my guess is it'll be "just works" in 70 years. Sad that I likely won't live to see it).
But on a serious note, none of us will live to see it if we are not able to collectively focus focus focus focus focus focus focus on the problems that beset us on all sides today. From every direction the sirens are loud, and I'm just pointing them out.
From a triage perspective, the short list of seeds that must be planted and sprout quickly (next five years):
1. Peace. Fucking dammit. Peace. Now.
a. This comes through security
b. Peace comes through justice.
c. Peace comes through forgiveness of others' past injustices.
d. Peace comes through repentance and atonement on the part of all who commit injustices (include self here please - a very rare ffew indeed are beyond reproach)
2. Secure and dismantle every weapon of mass destruction, then every weapon that can blow off somebody's limbs or put holes in their skin (knives excluded).
a. Make it understood to all that we are one collective community, spread across continents and island.
b. Remove the idea of bombing, shooting, and murdering from the list of tolerable behaviors. Not ever should these things be done. If we find that humans need to slowly wean off it, take it into virtual reality. Quake 3 or Halo or Doom should help. Just stop killing real people.
3. Put major funding toward securing biological dangers, including viruses, disease, genetic mutation, etc.
4. Keep our eyes on the sky in a serious way to watch for asteroids, and develop means to prevent them colliding with Earth.
5. We need to collectively ascertain reasons WHY its important that our civilization continue and thrive.
a. Our existence here and now is a miracle, in and of itself.
b. When we're here on Earth, we can think of a lot of ways to have fun.
6. Start living within our true means, at sustainable levels of resource use.
a. This one, I fear, will be tough for everyone. When I was young, we were told to conserve energy. Until we find ways to tap more powerful, safe energy sources and use raw materials judiciously, we need to conserve resources. Take pride in being efficient with resources, not in earning money from them.
b. Curb population growth (drastically). Encourage others to have fewer children, so we'll use less resources. We need to get down to ~4 billion by 2050, and eventually hit stasis somewhere around 1.5 - 2 billion.
7. Talk to your neighbors. Get to know them. Help them. Rely on them. Be kind to them. "who is my neighbor, blah blah blah?" Anyone within proximity to your person, or whom you communicate with via telephone, email, instant messaging, or facemail. Yes, people may suck sometimes, but see the good in the others. See it in yourselves.
The next revolution will not be political. By necessity, it will be spiritual.
Love.
Simple. The new technology is sometimes painful. How often do we accept that our cell phone connection drops out and our conversation gets cut off? Or our PDA falls to the ground and we lose three weeks of data since the last hotsync? Sync it up more frequently, that's the ticket. Getting to and from work requires a heck of a lot of effort. Either I drive and have to fight among traffic and obey stoplights and the rules of the road, or I bike or walk and have to fend off drivers without my own 1000 pound exoskeleton. A somewhat reliable one at that. Our car had a lot of issues the first 80000 miles, but the last 30000 have been pretty trouble free. Still, it's no secret that a car drains you head to feet.
This laptop has another issue. When I type, about once every few sentences, keys will registter twice -- that last instance wasn't intentional. I'm a great typist, and never have that problem with other keyboards. Unfortunately, this means that if I want to make sure that I don't have typos, I actually have to read the words as I type, even if I type them perfectly. Kind of a hassle.
I used to think that it would be so exciting when we finally have bionic ears, so that when our hearing is totally shot, or if one is deaf, there can just be a microphone membbrane within the auricle that sends an electrical signal to an electrical-neural junction where it's parsed direct by the brain. Unfortunately, I bet it will have a few bugs at first. Bleeding edge always does. For those who havve been deaf all their lives it will be a true miracle and I will sing hallelujah alongg with them. BUT even though my ears are overly sensitive to sounds and I could probably hear better, I wouldn't want to trade them for the new technology until it "just works" and is maintenance free enough that I'd have to get them checked on as frequently as I go to the audiologist, which isn't very often.
The point I guess I was getting at is that technology hasn't really arrived until it "just works". I think we're all excited about progress, or at least we should be in most cases, but there's a reason that cable TV, broadcast TV, TIVO, and FM radio are going to be around for a long time, while intternet streaming and downloads will be popular for some who swim upstream, but not entirely ubiquitous. When people can go to the local Target/Shopko/Walmart, pay $300 for a device that they plug into the wall, switch it to Channel Slashdot or Channel Wikipedia, or Channel HotOlderAsianLadies, it will catch on. Better yet instead of a channel changer, there'd be easy, configurable AND acquiescent portals that help guide you to the information/bits you really want or need, rather than funnelling you to the highest paying advertiser, then we'll be at a real level of maturity in the information age.
Right now, computers and the internet are a powerful medium, but I see them also as a hostile environment. Yes, yes, I can build a computer up from parts. With a bit of time I could configure a Linux distribution if I could spare the time, but I'd rather do otherwise. Put Linux inside of a $300 configurable internet appliance that "just works" on a communication system that is outside of the spamosphere, where it's not about buy and sell, but about free information trade. That will have people lining up ffrom Beijing to Helsinki to Los Angeles. Of course, in addition to having a browser, it'd be nice to havve it ship native with an email program, a newsreader, an instant messaging program, multimedia software for editing pictures, audio, video, flash, html, C++, formatted documents, etc. While we're dreaming here, why not roll them all into the OS, so they load when the OS loads, and feel truly integrated, rather than as separate disjoint programs? I suppose you'd need more memory in this system, but maybe these programs could be much more dynamic about allocating memory, so when they initially load, only the outer shell of the program's functionality is actually up. When accessed, it loads up the parts that it needs and deallocates as the code path gets far enough away from functions. Yeah, that's the ticket. And of course, to the stupid user, it all "just works," and they don't need to know anything more about it than they need to put toast in the toastter, or to turn on the hot water. And they don't need to type, since the OS has a microphone and logic that helps it to identify your speech as well as one human can tell what another is saying. Sure, it would all be rudimentary at first, only understanding the words you say to it, but eventually as it learns your movements and gestures and has a couple decent CCDs for parallax viewing, it'd be able to decipher body language and the tone of your voice.
Not long after that, we'll have ourselves a real rational AI. And of course, not just any rational AI, but one that will be able to ascertain what needs to be done better than we do, and maybe one that can control its base desires, or is entirely naive to the idea that impure motives could ever exist. Then, programmed correctly, that AI can run the world (as a steward with the best interests of the Earth and all inhabitants firmly in mind/logic), and we can just go about living our lives, following our recreational, vocational, and avocational desires, while the show runs itself.
Sure, it's idealistic to think all that, but somebody needs to set some goals. That's where I see us in a hundred years if we make it through the mess today, and can choke off all the bad seeds before they grow.
And yes, I know there are a lot of other checkpoints that we need to hit before we get to that state. Point A will always be where we are at. Point B is where we are trying to get to. It requires frequent progress updates of the direction and the magnitude of the current vector we're on. Are we heading toward point B? Has anyone really set up a point B that we can come to a consensus on?
Some people think that point B is not for us to define, or for us to experience the Rapture(tm) -- I think the "Left Behind" publishers should be allowed to claim that as (tm) if not actually (r).
Some people think that point B is for them to assume control over others -- the Taliban, the major corporations, the leading world governments, the financial elite, to name a few.
Some think that point B is to live out in the stars, but it will be a while until we're ready for tthat -- once we get the nuclear fusion thing figured out (my guess is it'll be "just works" in 70 years. Sad that I likely won't live to see it).
But on a serious note, none of us will live to see it if we are not able to collectively focus focus focus focus focus focus focus on the problems that beset us on all sides today. From every direction the sirens are loud, and I'm just pointing them out.
From a triage perspective, the short list of seeds that must be planted and sprout quickly (next five years):
1. Peace. Fucking dammit. Peace. Now.
a. This comes through security
b. Peace comes through justice.
c. Peace comes through forgiveness of others' past injustices.
d. Peace comes through repentance and atonement on the part of all who commit injustices (include self here please - a very rare ffew indeed are beyond reproach)
2. Secure and dismantle every weapon of mass destruction, then every weapon that can blow off somebody's limbs or put holes in their skin (knives excluded).
a. Make it understood to all that we are one collective community, spread across continents and island.
b. Remove the idea of bombing, shooting, and murdering from the list of tolerable behaviors. Not ever should these things be done. If we find that humans need to slowly wean off it, take it into virtual reality. Quake 3 or Halo or Doom should help. Just stop killing real people.
3. Put major funding toward securing biological dangers, including viruses, disease, genetic mutation, etc.
4. Keep our eyes on the sky in a serious way to watch for asteroids, and develop means to prevent them colliding with Earth.
5. We need to collectively ascertain reasons WHY its important that our civilization continue and thrive.
a. Our existence here and now is a miracle, in and of itself.
b. When we're here on Earth, we can think of a lot of ways to have fun.
6. Start living within our true means, at sustainable levels of resource use.
a. This one, I fear, will be tough for everyone. When I was young, we were told to conserve energy. Until we find ways to tap more powerful, safe energy sources and use raw materials judiciously, we need to conserve resources. Take pride in being efficient with resources, not in earning money from them.
b. Curb population growth (drastically). Encourage others to have fewer children, so we'll use less resources. We need to get down to ~4 billion by 2050, and eventually hit stasis somewhere around 1.5 - 2 billion.
7. Talk to your neighbors. Get to know them. Help them. Rely on them. Be kind to them. "who is my neighbor, blah blah blah?" Anyone within proximity to your person, or whom you communicate with via telephone, email, instant messaging, or facemail. Yes, people may suck sometimes, but see the good in the others. See it in yourselves.
The next revolution will not be political. By necessity, it will be spiritual.
Love.
Labels: artificial intelligence, computers, heaven on earth, our mission, pax hominibus/bright shiny future, religious community, salvation, technology, war and peace
