The Atlantic Magazine
The subtitle is A small group of programmers wants to change how we code—before catastrophe strikes.
Why is this in the Atlantic Magazine - and not in a programming magazine?
I have read it carefully, it is a long article - and can find no fault it it. Except for one thing - the Apocalypse has already happened, and I have been in it. Several times.
Apocalypse has been redefined. It now occurs piecemeal - some things go down, and some things go up. This is a big improvement, a huge improvement. Before, when most things went down - everything went down. Because everything was tied to everything else.
We are now divided into two worlds - the Mechanical world, made of real stuff. And the Software world, made of - nothing but software.
The two are connected - but only loosely.
Saturday, September 30, 2017
Pre-Industrial Time and Space
Now I live in Latin America, in Costa Rica, - where Industrialization has not penetrated very deeply. And I can see what a crucial difference this makes.
To put it simply - Latinos cannot plan. Because the ability to plan presupposes a universe where time and space are infinitely large and infinitely small - and uniform. Where every unit of time and space is the same. This was an important discovery of the Industrialized World - but much of the world (especially the Islamic World) prefers to be pre-industrial.
In the North, in Industrialized countries - this is taken for granted - and has made them rich. In the South - the very idea is resisted strongly, and they are poor. Their social abilities are still strong - but their Industrial abilities are weak.
I just bought a Pupusa from family that sets up a tent in front of the church on Saturdays. This took much longer that it should have, because the wife had gone off to buy the ingredients - and returned with some of them missing. In America, she would have had a shopping list, and bought everything on the list.
Down here, shopping lists are unknown - and are not considered very nice!
To put it simply - Latinos cannot plan. Because the ability to plan presupposes a universe where time and space are infinitely large and infinitely small - and uniform. Where every unit of time and space is the same. This was an important discovery of the Industrialized World - but much of the world (especially the Islamic World) prefers to be pre-industrial.
In the North, in Industrialized countries - this is taken for granted - and has made them rich. In the South - the very idea is resisted strongly, and they are poor. Their social abilities are still strong - but their Industrial abilities are weak.
I just bought a Pupusa from family that sets up a tent in front of the church on Saturdays. This took much longer that it should have, because the wife had gone off to buy the ingredients - and returned with some of them missing. In America, she would have had a shopping list, and bought everything on the list.
Down here, shopping lists are unknown - and are not considered very nice!
Ethics in Software
Software Developers, like everyone else - tiptoe carefully around this issue, instead of tackling it head on.
They like to think of themselves, as making software better and better - and in many ways they are.
But they are also employees of the company they work for - companies that profess the highest standards (of course) but in practice, are not interested in standards at all. I have watched in amazement, as these mediocre developers waste their time producing worthless software.
The best developers, by contrast, will only be interested in working on things they are interested in. And if their present job does not do this - they will move to one that does - one that makes their skills better, and their software better.
They like to think of themselves, as making software better and better - and in many ways they are.
But they are also employees of the company they work for - companies that profess the highest standards (of course) but in practice, are not interested in standards at all. I have watched in amazement, as these mediocre developers waste their time producing worthless software.
The best developers, by contrast, will only be interested in working on things they are interested in. And if their present job does not do this - they will move to one that does - one that makes their skills better, and their software better.
Honesty
America has become a dishonest nation - and sees nothing wrong with that. In fact, they are pleased with themselves, to have pulled this off so successfully.
A short historical review is in order here. We have to go back in time to see where we went wrong - in the 19th Century. Two forces were a work, back then - and they can be seen as honest behavior, and the impulse to make money - or to become powerful.
These two are not necessarily incompatible - it is possible to be honest and wealthy. But it is easier to be dishonest and wealthy. The end result is a defective economy. Once they have robbed the country of everything of value (they think) - something else will come along, and fix everything up again.
But so far, this something else has not come along - and everything keeps getting worse.
A short historical review is in order here. We have to go back in time to see where we went wrong - in the 19th Century. Two forces were a work, back then - and they can be seen as honest behavior, and the impulse to make money - or to become powerful.
These two are not necessarily incompatible - it is possible to be honest and wealthy. But it is easier to be dishonest and wealthy. The end result is a defective economy. Once they have robbed the country of everything of value (they think) - something else will come along, and fix everything up again.
But so far, this something else has not come along - and everything keeps getting worse.
Friday, September 29, 2017
Things that are Impressive, but Do Not Work
Yesterday, I went to Cartago, the nearest large town - to shop at a Walmart store, and pick up my mail, that is flown in from Miami. While I was there, I observed some of its recent architecture - and wondered at it.
One example is the train station. Costa Rica is suffering from traffic jams, from workers commuting to their jobs in the Central area, where the jobs are - and then returning to their homes, where they live. It decided to restore some of the railroads, so that workers could commute on them.
One of these Railroads ran eastward towards Cartago. They patched up the tracks, and bought some self-propelled trains to run on them - and published a timetable - that looked impressive. The original train station still existed, and was adequate - but they decided it had to look better. And they added some bizarre structures to do this.
Then it shut down everything! The trains stopped running, the station was closed - and no explanation was given. I thought people would be upset about this - but no one was. The Government does strange things, they knew - and they did not question why.
The basic pattern here is familiar - make things look impressive, but don't bother to make them work.
One example is the train station. Costa Rica is suffering from traffic jams, from workers commuting to their jobs in the Central area, where the jobs are - and then returning to their homes, where they live. It decided to restore some of the railroads, so that workers could commute on them.
One of these Railroads ran eastward towards Cartago. They patched up the tracks, and bought some self-propelled trains to run on them - and published a timetable - that looked impressive. The original train station still existed, and was adequate - but they decided it had to look better. And they added some bizarre structures to do this.
Then it shut down everything! The trains stopped running, the station was closed - and no explanation was given. I thought people would be upset about this - but no one was. The Government does strange things, they knew - and they did not question why.
The basic pattern here is familiar - make things look impressive, but don't bother to make them work.
They Can Not Only Survive, They Can Thrive
In an completely crazy world - and they will have no other.
Once again, I am trying to understand the world I left behind, when I moved to Costa Rica. And am finding the going difficult. How do you explain insanity?
I can only do what others have done - classify different types of insanity. And make an attempt to describe the American Madness.
I am living in a little town, that had many Americans and Canadians - a few years ago. I liked this, because it gave me someone to talk to, in English. But recently they have left in droves, and I have no one left to talk to.
I am reduced to trying to remember my past, and writing about it in my blog. And reading whatever I can get my hands on.
Such as an article about Freud, in the London Review of Books: From Shtetl to Boulevard - this describes the German Madness, that he participated in - and understood not at all.
I participated in the American Madness, that Americans have resisted understanding, with all their strength. This is one way to classify it - as a reversal of values. People who are determined to not be. And to not be good. And to make a world that is not good.
Got it?
Once again, I am trying to understand the world I left behind, when I moved to Costa Rica. And am finding the going difficult. How do you explain insanity?
I can only do what others have done - classify different types of insanity. And make an attempt to describe the American Madness.
I am living in a little town, that had many Americans and Canadians - a few years ago. I liked this, because it gave me someone to talk to, in English. But recently they have left in droves, and I have no one left to talk to.
I am reduced to trying to remember my past, and writing about it in my blog. And reading whatever I can get my hands on.
Such as an article about Freud, in the London Review of Books: From Shtetl to Boulevard - this describes the German Madness, that he participated in - and understood not at all.
I participated in the American Madness, that Americans have resisted understanding, with all their strength. This is one way to classify it - as a reversal of values. People who are determined to not be. And to not be good. And to make a world that is not good.
Got it?
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Getting It Right
I have been thinking about this myself, and now Uncle Bob's new book - Clean Architecture, a Craftsman's Guide to Software Structure and Design - plopped into my inbox, and I am relieved to find he is thinking about this too. I quote from him:
It doesn't take a huge amount of knowledge and skill to get a program working. But getting it right is hard.
In my experience, lots of things (including lots of programs) don't even get working - and thinking about getting it right, strikes most people as shear lunacy.
Now I must back up and explain how I got all this. I subscribe to the O'Reilly Safari service (for $40 a month) that gives me unlimited access to practically every software book written - plus lots of videos, and lots of other stuff. Anyone serious about software has to have this.
They sent me an email, saying I really had to have this book. I had never heard of Uncle Bob before, but he is one of the bright lights in the field. And now he is shining light my way also.
Now I must back up and explain how I got all this. I subscribe to the O'Reilly Safari service (for $40 a month) that gives me unlimited access to practically every software book written - plus lots of videos, and lots of other stuff. Anyone serious about software has to have this.
They sent me an email, saying I really had to have this book. I had never heard of Uncle Bob before, but he is one of the bright lights in the field. And now he is shining light my way also.
The Latino Attitude Toward Junk
We sometimes wish we could get inside someone else's head - to see what is going on there. In the same way, we sometimes wish we could get inside of other cultures - who behave so differently.
Yesterday, when I was on my daily bicycle ride, I met a local policeman, whom I had known before. He speaks some English, because he had lived for awhile in Los Angeles.
He considers me his friend, because of these brief conversations. Down here, friendship is important - and people take advantage of the slightest acquaintance. This takes some getting used to.
I had met him once before, in front of his house - and he had introduced me to his two daughters, about six years old. This time he offered to show me his rancho - so I would know what they were like. I readily agreed.
The arrangement of some of the houses in Orosi, is strange. Most of the houses face the street, but other ones are back from the street, and only accessed by a driveway.
There is a locked gate, for his house, next to the street, that you cannot see through - so you have no idea what is behind it. Parked on his driveway was a beautiful new car, clean and polished. We went around it into the center of his property. That contained a tiny garden, that he was proud of - that contained a little lemon tree, an orange tree, and an avocado. All about three feet high. Also a row of lettuce, about eight feet long, and some other vegetables.
His garden was so small, it could not produce much food - but that was not the point - it was there. I was reminded of Americans that have tiny lawns, they are proud of, simply because they are there.
My next impression was of all the junk laying around everywhere - I wish I had a picture of it. There was so much worthless stuff laying around, you had to walk carefully to get through it. But he never noticed it - it must have been invisible to him. I remembered a car parked in the yard of the Police Station - it was a total wreck, and (to me) an eyesore. But it had been there forever - and no one noticed it.
Somehow, for Latinos, junk has a different status than it does for Americans. They don't seem to mind it lying around. This is true of unused buildings also - they are left standing, and no one notices them. In the States, these buildings are torn down completely - so not a hint of their existence is left. Wrecked cars are towed off, and disposed of.
Americans want their cities to look nice (and have zoning laws to enforce this) - but Latinos don't care.
Yesterday, when I was on my daily bicycle ride, I met a local policeman, whom I had known before. He speaks some English, because he had lived for awhile in Los Angeles.
He considers me his friend, because of these brief conversations. Down here, friendship is important - and people take advantage of the slightest acquaintance. This takes some getting used to.
I had met him once before, in front of his house - and he had introduced me to his two daughters, about six years old. This time he offered to show me his rancho - so I would know what they were like. I readily agreed.
The arrangement of some of the houses in Orosi, is strange. Most of the houses face the street, but other ones are back from the street, and only accessed by a driveway.
There is a locked gate, for his house, next to the street, that you cannot see through - so you have no idea what is behind it. Parked on his driveway was a beautiful new car, clean and polished. We went around it into the center of his property. That contained a tiny garden, that he was proud of - that contained a little lemon tree, an orange tree, and an avocado. All about three feet high. Also a row of lettuce, about eight feet long, and some other vegetables.
His garden was so small, it could not produce much food - but that was not the point - it was there. I was reminded of Americans that have tiny lawns, they are proud of, simply because they are there.
My next impression was of all the junk laying around everywhere - I wish I had a picture of it. There was so much worthless stuff laying around, you had to walk carefully to get through it. But he never noticed it - it must have been invisible to him. I remembered a car parked in the yard of the Police Station - it was a total wreck, and (to me) an eyesore. But it had been there forever - and no one noticed it.
Somehow, for Latinos, junk has a different status than it does for Americans. They don't seem to mind it lying around. This is true of unused buildings also - they are left standing, and no one notices them. In the States, these buildings are torn down completely - so not a hint of their existence is left. Wrecked cars are towed off, and disposed of.
Americans want their cities to look nice (and have zoning laws to enforce this) - but Latinos don't care.
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Crisis
The Rise and Fall of Neoliberal Capitalism
This book is written by an economist, mainly for other economists - and he takes great care to make a solid argument. But I would skip to the end, to where we are now - in a crisis, that he reports on, just as carefully.
The striking thing about this, to me - is that most people insist there is no crisis!
They do not read him, or much of anyone else - and consider that their greatest virtue. They keep their minds free - from ideas that would contaminate them - and make them different.
Americans Can Have It Both Ways
They can say everything is fine! Or everything is terrible! Both are equally true, for them - and they feel no contradiction. The meaning - one way or the other - depends on the situation it is used in.
This ambiguity is part of their national character. They think, their thinking is clear and logical - when in fact, it is as muddled as it can be.
This ambiguity is part of their national character. They think, their thinking is clear and logical - when in fact, it is as muddled as it can be.
We Do Not Understand Ourselves
And we do not want to. In fact, we have decided that not knowing anything is the best way to proceed in life.
This summarizes nicely my own observations and philosophy - that are pessimistic. But I also have my own theory, of how this situation came to be - and it is all about machines and technology.
I am not against either one - but I am against our determination, to not understand their effects on us.
Basically, this is a religious predisposition. We see supernatural forces at work everywhere. And there is no way we can, or should, rid ourselves of this basic impulse. There are invisible forces at work - and we should see them.
But we should also - see that we see them. And take careful notice of what we see. But we do not.
I must clarify this statement - most people (perhaps 99 percent of the population) do not. There are always a few, who do see what is going on - but they have little effect. I could cite a long list of critics of the system - perhaps going back to the Old Testament prophets, and ending with today's critics of the neoliberal economy. All of which - have been ignored.
Now I get to my key observation, that I cannot explain. Somehow, our machines got in control. And we ended up serving them - instead of them serving us. And the most successful people identified with them - and attacked ordinary people, as inferior beings.
What I am saying is "We are not our machines!" But everyone else is saying, without being aware of it "We are our machines, and we are better than you!"
This summarizes nicely my own observations and philosophy - that are pessimistic. But I also have my own theory, of how this situation came to be - and it is all about machines and technology.
I am not against either one - but I am against our determination, to not understand their effects on us.
Basically, this is a religious predisposition. We see supernatural forces at work everywhere. And there is no way we can, or should, rid ourselves of this basic impulse. There are invisible forces at work - and we should see them.
But we should also - see that we see them. And take careful notice of what we see. But we do not.
I must clarify this statement - most people (perhaps 99 percent of the population) do not. There are always a few, who do see what is going on - but they have little effect. I could cite a long list of critics of the system - perhaps going back to the Old Testament prophets, and ending with today's critics of the neoliberal economy. All of which - have been ignored.
Now I get to my key observation, that I cannot explain. Somehow, our machines got in control. And we ended up serving them - instead of them serving us. And the most successful people identified with them - and attacked ordinary people, as inferior beings.
What I am saying is "We are not our machines!" But everyone else is saying, without being aware of it "We are our machines, and we are better than you!"
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Schumann, played by the Biggest Breasts Yet
Medici select the Schumann Concerto on the right
The breasts belong to Khatia Buniatishvili - who is putting them on display here for the first time. I'm sure this was a carefully planned move - the competition among concert pianists is intense, and she needed something to make her stand out.
There must be some nasty political maneuvering behind this also - as explained in Wikipedia. Georgia is where Stalin himself came from, when it was part of the USSR. Khatia is a native of Georgia also - and the dress she is wearing must have cost a large part of the national treasury.
The Israel Philharmonic is playing - not one of the Russian Philharmonics, that belong to their enemy!
The breasts belong to Khatia Buniatishvili - who is putting them on display here for the first time. I'm sure this was a carefully planned move - the competition among concert pianists is intense, and she needed something to make her stand out.
There must be some nasty political maneuvering behind this also - as explained in Wikipedia. Georgia is where Stalin himself came from, when it was part of the USSR. Khatia is a native of Georgia also - and the dress she is wearing must have cost a large part of the national treasury.
The Israel Philharmonic is playing - not one of the Russian Philharmonics, that belong to their enemy!
The Student can now Evaluate the Teacher
Teachers don't like this - they are used to judging the student, an arrangement that puts them in a superior position. They want to be the authority - not the students. The really good teachers, however - have no problem with this. They don't care who does the teaching - as long as it gets done.
Take Wikipedia, for example. This accepts input from everyone - and is where everyone looks for information about everything. For most people this is great - except for teachers, who hate it with a passion. It is taking their jobs away from them!
I am now learning Angular, as I said before. And I am getting all my information from the Web - and can chose from a number of sources. There is so much good instruction out there, I get to pick and chose, and mix my learning from a number of sources.
This is a situation so different from the past - most people cannot comprehend it. In the past, information was scarce and expensive - now it is cheap and abundant!
It also provides a level playing field - instead of a hierarchical one. Most people don't like this - they want people around who are better than them - not equal to them!
I tell some of my young friends "You gotta get in the driver's seat!" But they don't get the message.
Take Wikipedia, for example. This accepts input from everyone - and is where everyone looks for information about everything. For most people this is great - except for teachers, who hate it with a passion. It is taking their jobs away from them!
I am now learning Angular, as I said before. And I am getting all my information from the Web - and can chose from a number of sources. There is so much good instruction out there, I get to pick and chose, and mix my learning from a number of sources.
This is a situation so different from the past - most people cannot comprehend it. In the past, information was scarce and expensive - now it is cheap and abundant!
It also provides a level playing field - instead of a hierarchical one. Most people don't like this - they want people around who are better than them - not equal to them!
I tell some of my young friends "You gotta get in the driver's seat!" But they don't get the message.
Pesto
This is an Italian condiment, used for flavoring Pasta. You might want to try it out.
There are imported brands (from Italy, of course) that are tasty, but come in narrow bottles, that are hard to work with. I use the Roma brand, that comes in a wide bottle - in two flavors: pesto rojo, and pesto ligure. It is also cheaper.
I mix it with equal parts of ground beef, and cook it in the microwave for two minutes. Then I add the hot pasta, and some shredded cheese. Yum!
I prefer the small shells pasta (about 40 grams) that I cook in boiling water for six minutes (not seven minutes) that makes it a little crisp, and not so soft.
There are imported brands (from Italy, of course) that are tasty, but come in narrow bottles, that are hard to work with. I use the Roma brand, that comes in a wide bottle - in two flavors: pesto rojo, and pesto ligure. It is also cheaper.
I mix it with equal parts of ground beef, and cook it in the microwave for two minutes. Then I add the hot pasta, and some shredded cheese. Yum!
I prefer the small shells pasta (about 40 grams) that I cook in boiling water for six minutes (not seven minutes) that makes it a little crisp, and not so soft.
Monday, September 25, 2017
A Strange Thing Happened in the Sixties
A lot has been written about the Sixties, most of it, in my opinion - useless. I am going to take a different look at it - and contrast the American attitudes, before and after - towards learning.
Young people, in the Fifties, were expected to go to college, and graduate with useful degrees. This meant they had to learn something - and often difficult somethings. Young people who did not, suffered from social stigmatism, and felt inferior.
In the Sixties - that, in fact extended from the late Sixties to the early Eighties - a startling change happened. People regarded learning not with enthusiasm - but with horror! This was especially noticeable in the Young - who may have gone to college, but learned nothing - but in any case, were content to have a simple job. They wanted to have fun - not to study.
Young people, in the Fifties, were expected to go to college, and graduate with useful degrees. This meant they had to learn something - and often difficult somethings. Young people who did not, suffered from social stigmatism, and felt inferior.
In the Sixties - that, in fact extended from the late Sixties to the early Eighties - a startling change happened. People regarded learning not with enthusiasm - but with horror! This was especially noticeable in the Young - who may have gone to college, but learned nothing - but in any case, were content to have a simple job. They wanted to have fun - not to study.
Angular
Software Development is amazing in two ways - (1) it pays a lot, and (2) it wants to spread that wealth around, by training more developers!
Yes, you heard me right - and for proof, visit the Angular site, as I did. Right away, they signed me up for a free course with Code School - that is doing their best to entertain me, as well as educate me!
Angular is a Web Application Platform developed by Google, using a language developed by Microsoft: Typescript. Those are a lot of heavy words, I know, but they underline a basic point - cooperation is now is better than competition. Shocking, huh!
If you are one of the one percent, who do not mind getting ahead. Check this out!
Yes, you heard me right - and for proof, visit the Angular site, as I did. Right away, they signed me up for a free course with Code School - that is doing their best to entertain me, as well as educate me!
Angular is a Web Application Platform developed by Google, using a language developed by Microsoft: Typescript. Those are a lot of heavy words, I know, but they underline a basic point - cooperation is now is better than competition. Shocking, huh!
If you are one of the one percent, who do not mind getting ahead. Check this out!
We Have to Accept Ourselves, As We Are
This was not how my parents operated - they would only accept people as they should be. Because as they were, was obviously inadequate. Everyone had to strive against worldliness.
This was one of the heritages of Christianity - as amplified by Protestantism, and that peculiar American religion: Mormonism.
For my parents. this was not peculiar at all - but part of their superiority.
I hardly need tell you. that this attitude was a failure - and resulted in the eventual disappearance of their little church.
And I hardly need tell you, that this is one of the reasons America has failed. Americans have not accepted people as they were - but as they wanted them to be - regardless of the facts.
They have the amazing ability to see things as they should be - not as they are.
This was one of the heritages of Christianity - as amplified by Protestantism, and that peculiar American religion: Mormonism.
For my parents. this was not peculiar at all - but part of their superiority.
I hardly need tell you. that this attitude was a failure - and resulted in the eventual disappearance of their little church.
And I hardly need tell you, that this is one of the reasons America has failed. Americans have not accepted people as they were - but as they wanted them to be - regardless of the facts.
They have the amazing ability to see things as they should be - not as they are.
Sunday, September 24, 2017
The Land of Lost Content
NY Review
This review is almost a book in itself. It secures Mark Ford's reputation - and at the same time, the Review's reputation as the premier arbitrator of English Literature - American and British.
I quote one stanza:
But from my grave across my brow
Plays no wind of healing now,
And fire and ice within me fight
Beneath the suffocating night.
I bought the Kindle version for $15.
This review is almost a book in itself. It secures Mark Ford's reputation - and at the same time, the Review's reputation as the premier arbitrator of English Literature - American and British.
I quote one stanza:
But from my grave across my brow
Plays no wind of healing now,
And fire and ice within me fight
Beneath the suffocating night.
I bought the Kindle version for $15.
They Do Not Want to Study, or Learn
I have been concerned about the plight of the Young, in America. They have no careers, and not much of an economic future.
In one generation, Americans have gone from being skilled people - to being unskilled people. Their parents do not seem concerned about this, and seem to find it normal - because they are the same way - they are not interested in learning anything either.
You may object, and point to the large number of courses online - that have thousands of students. But I will point to the millions, who could take these courses - but do not! If you do the numbers - you see about one percent of the population, are interested in learning!
This one percent is the wave of the future - not a very big wave, in the oceans of the past - but in the Computer ecosystem they are everywhere. Because they are learning, at a furious pace - and being well-rewarded for it.
In one generation, Americans have gone from being skilled people - to being unskilled people. Their parents do not seem concerned about this, and seem to find it normal - because they are the same way - they are not interested in learning anything either.
You may object, and point to the large number of courses online - that have thousands of students. But I will point to the millions, who could take these courses - but do not! If you do the numbers - you see about one percent of the population, are interested in learning!
This one percent is the wave of the future - not a very big wave, in the oceans of the past - but in the Computer ecosystem they are everywhere. Because they are learning, at a furious pace - and being well-rewarded for it.
The New Skype
Microsoft has completely rewritten this, and I have downloaded a preview, for me to try out.
It does look impressive - Microsoft wants to get on top of the pile, and knows this will be a big help.
Using it, you can make a video call to anywhere in the world - for free! Microsoft has bundled all the latest stuff (and I mean all the latest stuff) in this.
It makes Microsoft look good. And can make you look good too.
It does look impressive - Microsoft wants to get on top of the pile, and knows this will be a big help.
Using it, you can make a video call to anywhere in the world - for free! Microsoft has bundled all the latest stuff (and I mean all the latest stuff) in this.
It makes Microsoft look good. And can make you look good too.
Living With People You Cannot Stand
I don't know why it has taken me so long to write about this. But it is gradually dawning on me, that this has always been an important problem of mine - that began before I was born.
A fetus knows very well what its mother feels about it, and my mother was conflicted - she had two miscarriages before me - little beginners who decided, wisely - that they wanted out. She knew she had to promise something better - and decided on a compromise. She would let me be a healthy baby - but after that, I was on my own - she would not be on my side in a hostile world!
I grew up with a healthy body, but a seriously disturbed mind - in a seriously disturbed world. That thought it was a perfect world - which it was, but not perfect for people.
When I graduated from college, in 1959, as an Electronic Engineer - I believed in therapy, but my therapists, and I had many of them - carefully ignored the main problem we all had. Our world did not like us, and was not good for us. Now, looking back on it - that doesn't seem like such a difficult thing to see. But at the time, it was impossible.
And it continues to be impossible - we cannot see what our world is like. And we resist seeing this, with all our might! We all know something is wrong - but do know what that is, and don't want to know.
This normal human behavior - we became the dominant species on earth, because we believed in ourselves. And we are not about to give up this advantage. We are determined to survive - as a species. But we can also see - this is going to be difficult.
We are clever beings, but our cleverness has gotten us into plenty of trouble! We now rule the world -without the smarts to do this.
And without the smarts to realize - this is our problem.
A fetus knows very well what its mother feels about it, and my mother was conflicted - she had two miscarriages before me - little beginners who decided, wisely - that they wanted out. She knew she had to promise something better - and decided on a compromise. She would let me be a healthy baby - but after that, I was on my own - she would not be on my side in a hostile world!
I grew up with a healthy body, but a seriously disturbed mind - in a seriously disturbed world. That thought it was a perfect world - which it was, but not perfect for people.
When I graduated from college, in 1959, as an Electronic Engineer - I believed in therapy, but my therapists, and I had many of them - carefully ignored the main problem we all had. Our world did not like us, and was not good for us. Now, looking back on it - that doesn't seem like such a difficult thing to see. But at the time, it was impossible.
And it continues to be impossible - we cannot see what our world is like. And we resist seeing this, with all our might! We all know something is wrong - but do know what that is, and don't want to know.
This normal human behavior - we became the dominant species on earth, because we believed in ourselves. And we are not about to give up this advantage. We are determined to survive - as a species. But we can also see - this is going to be difficult.
We are clever beings, but our cleverness has gotten us into plenty of trouble! We now rule the world -without the smarts to do this.
And without the smarts to realize - this is our problem.
Saturday, September 23, 2017
Eudaimonics
Medium
By now, you might have heard: continuing a long string of jaw-dropping mishaps, Uber lost it’s license to operate in London. Let’s talk about it for a moment, because I think it’s a perfect mini case study in failing at the future.
Uber’s big mistake wasn’t losing it’s license, it was having poor eudaimonics. By eudaimonics, I mean a thing’s effects on life: on well-being, real wealth, and human possibility. And Uber is the poster child for poor eudaimonics, the canonical example of the old paradigm failing.
Now here’s the really big picture. Increasingly, organizations like Facebook and Uber — eudaimonically destructive, not constructive organizations — define America’s exports. And that’s a problem. It essentially means that America is exporting its own alarmingly low quality of life, democracy, and society to the world. Does the world really want that? I doubt it.
By now, you might have heard: continuing a long string of jaw-dropping mishaps, Uber lost it’s license to operate in London. Let’s talk about it for a moment, because I think it’s a perfect mini case study in failing at the future.
Uber’s big mistake wasn’t losing it’s license, it was having poor eudaimonics. By eudaimonics, I mean a thing’s effects on life: on well-being, real wealth, and human possibility. And Uber is the poster child for poor eudaimonics, the canonical example of the old paradigm failing.
London specifically said: “a lack of corporate responsibility” caused Uber to lose it’s license. Translation: your eudaimonics are pretty awful, and we don’t want you here anymore, because you contribute little in real terms to our well-being, therefore, sorry, but you’re out.
He may doubt this, but I am not so sure. Plenty of people, the world over - can tolerate a mediocre life - if that makes their enemies have even less of a life.
Immediate Wants and Long-term Goals
This is the problem I am facing as I try to lose weight. Instead of eating sensibly, I binge - because it makes me feel better - any thoughts of the future vanish, under the pressure of what I want now.
I have a lot of company here - obesity is a common problem in much of the world. And it is all caused by the same problem - our need to feel good now, is stronger than our ability to take care of ourselves. Short-term gains at the expense of long-term losses.
We all know this, and solemnly promise that we will do better - but don't.
This problem is one of the big problems we have to face. That can be summarized easily - keeping our wits around us, and behaving sensibly. Even when immediate gratifications are more powerful!
So far, I am sure you are with me - but I will probably lose you in the next step, when I speak of the destructiveness of our time. People everywhere have turned against their world (the world they were brought up in) - and are destroying it. They have been treated badly - and are responding appropriately (they think) by destroying it - even if that means destroying themselves!
I am speaking of the difference between conscious behavior and unconscious behavior - that is more powerful, but hidden. One of the trends of our time, is to deny that the unconscious exists!
This morning, I am reading How Trump is Ending the American Era, an excellent article in the Atlantic magazine. He also says things are much worse under the surface. But does not say much more about this.
Mr. Cohen should, because what's under the surface is more important than what's above it.
For all the visible damage the president has done to the nation’s global standing the American Ere American Er
I have a lot of company here - obesity is a common problem in much of the world. And it is all caused by the same problem - our need to feel good now, is stronger than our ability to take care of ourselves. Short-term gains at the expense of long-term losses.
We all know this, and solemnly promise that we will do better - but don't.
This problem is one of the big problems we have to face. That can be summarized easily - keeping our wits around us, and behaving sensibly. Even when immediate gratifications are more powerful!
So far, I am sure you are with me - but I will probably lose you in the next step, when I speak of the destructiveness of our time. People everywhere have turned against their world (the world they were brought up in) - and are destroying it. They have been treated badly - and are responding appropriately (they think) by destroying it - even if that means destroying themselves!
I am speaking of the difference between conscious behavior and unconscious behavior - that is more powerful, but hidden. One of the trends of our time, is to deny that the unconscious exists!
This morning, I am reading How Trump is Ending the American Era, an excellent article in the Atlantic magazine. He also says things are much worse under the surface. But does not say much more about this.
Mr. Cohen should, because what's under the surface is more important than what's above it.
For all the visible damage the president has done to the nation’s global standing the American Ere American Er
Friday, September 22, 2017
Consumed by Sensory Overload
Sensory overload. This is a term I just invented, I think - and I think it has fantastic potential, if I include mental sensations.
Consider a person watching television - he (or she) is probably being shown more highspeed information than their minds can process and understand. How can it respond? Usually, it goes into a trance, becomes helpless - and demands more! And this makes him more helpless, ignorant, and stupid.
"It doesn't affect me that way!" You may say, and you are probably right - and you are probably wrong also. I have watched a lot of TV watchers - and I was once one myself. My wife was very sensitive to TV stimulation - and I had to turn off the sound and use headphones, if I wanted to watch. Later, after watching its effect on others - I stopped watching altogether. And I have never regretted this decision.
Television is addictive, and I have seen people go to great lengths to get it - no matter what was on. It had become their world - and they could not do without it.
What I have just described is common to all social animals - they identify with their group. And people are extremely social.
Consider a person watching television - he (or she) is probably being shown more highspeed information than their minds can process and understand. How can it respond? Usually, it goes into a trance, becomes helpless - and demands more! And this makes him more helpless, ignorant, and stupid.
"It doesn't affect me that way!" You may say, and you are probably right - and you are probably wrong also. I have watched a lot of TV watchers - and I was once one myself. My wife was very sensitive to TV stimulation - and I had to turn off the sound and use headphones, if I wanted to watch. Later, after watching its effect on others - I stopped watching altogether. And I have never regretted this decision.
Television is addictive, and I have seen people go to great lengths to get it - no matter what was on. It had become their world - and they could not do without it.
What I have just described is common to all social animals - they identify with their group. And people are extremely social.
A Phone for $42
Amazon sells this: Alcatel Ideal 4G LTE Unlocked 4060A Android 5mp 8GB Quad Core Desbloqueado
But what it is, in fact, is the AT&T GoPhone - that has been unlocked. But all the paperwork that comes with it, has not been changed - which makes it useless for anyone who tries to use it.
I managed to pry the back off, and insert the battery - that was already partially charged. But since there is no SIM card, I can do nothing with it. In a few days, I will take it to my Wireless provider, here in Costa Rica, and they will provide a SIM card, for the phone number I already have - from a previous phone.
This this deceitful advertising? As far as I am concerned: Yes. AT&T wants to break into the Latin American market - that is tightly protected, with higher prices. And this is their way of doing this - on the sly! Many people here, bring in purchases with their luggage - without declaring them to Customs.
I had to pay $24 to bring it into Costa Rica - but the company who is flying my purchases in from Miami, is under considerable pressure - and may go out of business. Latin America is corrupt, in many ways - and living down here, you learn how to deal with this.
Today, about week later, I took this phone to my Cellular provider, down here in Costa Rica. I explained I needed a SIM card for my new phone. No problem. The nice lady took the back off my phone, removed the battery, so she could access all the phone info printed behind it. And plugged a new SIM into my Phone.
Then she went through a long process of getting my Phone registered with their computers. Everything has to talk to everything else, and all kinds of information has to be transferred back and forth. She was swiping right, swiping left, swiping up - and doing similar things on her computer also.
I now have the only GoPhone in Costa Rica. But it works just like any other Android.
But what it is, in fact, is the AT&T GoPhone - that has been unlocked. But all the paperwork that comes with it, has not been changed - which makes it useless for anyone who tries to use it.
I managed to pry the back off, and insert the battery - that was already partially charged. But since there is no SIM card, I can do nothing with it. In a few days, I will take it to my Wireless provider, here in Costa Rica, and they will provide a SIM card, for the phone number I already have - from a previous phone.
This this deceitful advertising? As far as I am concerned: Yes. AT&T wants to break into the Latin American market - that is tightly protected, with higher prices. And this is their way of doing this - on the sly! Many people here, bring in purchases with their luggage - without declaring them to Customs.
I had to pay $24 to bring it into Costa Rica - but the company who is flying my purchases in from Miami, is under considerable pressure - and may go out of business. Latin America is corrupt, in many ways - and living down here, you learn how to deal with this.
Today, about week later, I took this phone to my Cellular provider, down here in Costa Rica. I explained I needed a SIM card for my new phone. No problem. The nice lady took the back off my phone, removed the battery, so she could access all the phone info printed behind it. And plugged a new SIM into my Phone.
Then she went through a long process of getting my Phone registered with their computers. Everything has to talk to everything else, and all kinds of information has to be transferred back and forth. She was swiping right, swiping left, swiping up - and doing similar things on her computer also.
I now have the only GoPhone in Costa Rica. But it works just like any other Android.
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Better Machines, Worse People
I'm sure I'm on the right track here - but it's so faint, I have a hard time following it. Let me rephrase it - when we made a world that was better for machines, we also made a world that was worse for us. Machines were taking things that we needed - and needed badly.
One of those needs was our need to be important, as people. Machine people thought machines were important - and people were less important. This was a subtle shift of emphasis, and seemed reasonable enough. Machines were doing so much for us - why not do something for them? And give them some of our power and resources.
I'm sure no one thought this way explicitly - but in retrospect, we can be sure they did, anyway. And we can be sure this process snowballed - and got worse and worse. And no one noticed it - because no one wanted them to.
As people, we have plenty of faults - but also something nothing no other species has - our creativity. And we should not give that up - and pretend our machines (especially our Computer) has this.
One of those needs was our need to be important, as people. Machine people thought machines were important - and people were less important. This was a subtle shift of emphasis, and seemed reasonable enough. Machines were doing so much for us - why not do something for them? And give them some of our power and resources.
I'm sure no one thought this way explicitly - but in retrospect, we can be sure they did, anyway. And we can be sure this process snowballed - and got worse and worse. And no one noticed it - because no one wanted them to.
As people, we have plenty of faults - but also something nothing no other species has - our creativity. And we should not give that up - and pretend our machines (especially our Computer) has this.
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Reading Kindle books on the new Fire Tablet
I'm just getting used to this, and have more to learn - but I like the new capabilities this is giving me.
I can highlight part of the text, and the way it does this is neat. You rest your finger for a little while, somewhere in the text - and and zap! a new little display appears, with a little box that shows where the cursor is - and black icons that show where the highlight begins and ends. You have to see this in action to appreciate it.
I keep telling people "You gotta get this!" But telling people to do something because it is good for them - is a sure way to get them to not do it.
I can highlight part of the text, and the way it does this is neat. You rest your finger for a little while, somewhere in the text - and and zap! a new little display appears, with a little box that shows where the cursor is - and black icons that show where the highlight begins and ends. You have to see this in action to appreciate it.
I keep telling people "You gotta get this!" But telling people to do something because it is good for them - is a sure way to get them to not do it.
Making Software Ethical
This cannot be done, because software is just a tool, a technology - like a hammer. It can be used to do good things and bad things.
However, once it has been put into operation - it is possible to see if the results are good, or bad - or some kind of mixture. And the results, in the case of Software - are often unethical, and in the worst way.
For example, I am reading Flash Boys about a fiber optic cable that was laid between New York and Chicago - that made it possible for computers (that were owned by the companies, that owned this cable) to outbid human traders - because they could do that faster, and smarter. This was enriching them - at the expense of everyone else.
This, however, is part of an overall development, called Artificial Intelligence (AI) that Software companies, are pissng in their pants over - thinking this will make it possible for them to also grab a lot of money.
After dabbling in this myself - I can reassure you that this threat is vastly overhyped - right now, but after they get their act together - it might be something worth worrying about.
However, once it has been put into operation - it is possible to see if the results are good, or bad - or some kind of mixture. And the results, in the case of Software - are often unethical, and in the worst way.
For example, I am reading Flash Boys about a fiber optic cable that was laid between New York and Chicago - that made it possible for computers (that were owned by the companies, that owned this cable) to outbid human traders - because they could do that faster, and smarter. This was enriching them - at the expense of everyone else.
This, however, is part of an overall development, called Artificial Intelligence (AI) that Software companies, are pissng in their pants over - thinking this will make it possible for them to also grab a lot of money.
After dabbling in this myself - I can reassure you that this threat is vastly overhyped - right now, but after they get their act together - it might be something worth worrying about.
The Importance of an IDE
In my opinion, no software developer, or team. should work without an IDE - and a good one, at that.
Right now, the Python language, Jet Brain's PyCharm IDE, and the Google Cloud, seem to be the best combination.
An IDE supports software projects - and project management is critical here, as it is anywhere else. Consider this page of the PyCharm documentation that explains the kinds of projects it supports. This includes a Google App Engine project - that puts this project on the Google Cloud. This is a huge advantage!
Microsoft's Visual Studio IDE, by comparison - does not do this in its Azure cloud, despite what they say. In fact, my account in Azure was cancelled, because I violated their User Agreement - probably because I noticed this.
Little old me, in faraway Costa Rica, living on my Social Security - is a threat to Microsoft, with its millions!
Right now, the Python language, Jet Brain's PyCharm IDE, and the Google Cloud, seem to be the best combination.
An IDE supports software projects - and project management is critical here, as it is anywhere else. Consider this page of the PyCharm documentation that explains the kinds of projects it supports. This includes a Google App Engine project - that puts this project on the Google Cloud. This is a huge advantage!
Microsoft's Visual Studio IDE, by comparison - does not do this in its Azure cloud, despite what they say. In fact, my account in Azure was cancelled, because I violated their User Agreement - probably because I noticed this.
Little old me, in faraway Costa Rica, living on my Social Security - is a threat to Microsoft, with its millions!
Americans are Bad - But they Resist Knowing this, With all Their Strength
They are in denial, and in fact - and have invented a kind of denial, by inventing a new form of being - not being.
They have erected an impenetrable barrier around themselves, that the facts cannot penetrate - using the simplest strategy imaginable. It's so simple, people cannot even believe it exists.
They will demand "How can not being, be?" But the reply is simple "Just look at the people around you, and report on what you see!" But they will reply "I don't see anything - and you must be full of shit!"
This is where we stand - two cultures, that cannot talk to each other. Because one of them - is not there!
They have erected an impenetrable barrier around themselves, that the facts cannot penetrate - using the simplest strategy imaginable. It's so simple, people cannot even believe it exists.
They will demand "How can not being, be?" But the reply is simple "Just look at the people around you, and report on what you see!" But they will reply "I don't see anything - and you must be full of shit!"
This is where we stand - two cultures, that cannot talk to each other. Because one of them - is not there!
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
The First Effect of The Economic Downturn in America
Will be on the unskilled young. And this downturn has already begun.
Not too long ago, it was clear that an economic downturn was going to happen - and we wondered how it would happen. Now we know more - we know how it is happening, and who it is happening to.
What do I mean by the unskilled young? The young that have no skills, or training, that employers want. There are also unskilled older people, and they have economic problems. But this hits the young hardest, because they had greater expectations - and they have young families to support.
I can see this in the children of my siblings - my nieces and nephews. They are surviving, economically - but just barely.
I can even see this, in young computer people with mediocre skills - who are better off, because they do have jobs, but they get paid much less, than those with good skills.
They are surviving - but they wonder how much longer they can make it.
Not too long ago, it was clear that an economic downturn was going to happen - and we wondered how it would happen. Now we know more - we know how it is happening, and who it is happening to.
What do I mean by the unskilled young? The young that have no skills, or training, that employers want. There are also unskilled older people, and they have economic problems. But this hits the young hardest, because they had greater expectations - and they have young families to support.
I can see this in the children of my siblings - my nieces and nephews. They are surviving, economically - but just barely.
I can even see this, in young computer people with mediocre skills - who are better off, because they do have jobs, but they get paid much less, than those with good skills.
They are surviving - but they wonder how much longer they can make it.
Business and War
This is something that is taken for granted by Americans today - that the natural state of man is War - and it follows naturally, that this is the natural state of Business also. And the Nation itself exists to further Business and War!
Everyone will agree this is not the ideal situation - but they cannot conceive of an alternative. When, in fact, alternatives are readily available.
One of these alternatives would be a change in our ultimate objectives - what are we trying to do? The answer now is "Grab everything, and the Devil take the hindmost!"
This is not the official attitude, of course - but anyone can see it is the unofficial one. And is behind the political developments in the US and the UK.
In the US, this is shown in its relationship to Mexico. Fifty years ago, Mexicans could easily get jobs in the States - to the benefit of both Mexicans and Americans. They could both share in the benefits of the Economy. A win-win situation.
But things have changed drastically - Americans want to keep Mexicans on their side of fence! And deport all who have remained here, quietly working away, and bothering no one. They want to keep everyone else (including Mexicans) away from their money.
They have reverted to a view of the Economy that predates that of Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations, that was published in 1776. These people thought there was only a fixed amount of wealth available - when, in fact, there was more of it all the time - in the Industrial Economy!
When this economy faltered, after the Financial Crisis of 2008 - things changed drastically. The Gravy Train was no longer running - and Americans backed anyone who said they could bring it back!
Everyone will agree this is not the ideal situation - but they cannot conceive of an alternative. When, in fact, alternatives are readily available.
One of these alternatives would be a change in our ultimate objectives - what are we trying to do? The answer now is "Grab everything, and the Devil take the hindmost!"
This is not the official attitude, of course - but anyone can see it is the unofficial one. And is behind the political developments in the US and the UK.
In the US, this is shown in its relationship to Mexico. Fifty years ago, Mexicans could easily get jobs in the States - to the benefit of both Mexicans and Americans. They could both share in the benefits of the Economy. A win-win situation.
But things have changed drastically - Americans want to keep Mexicans on their side of fence! And deport all who have remained here, quietly working away, and bothering no one. They want to keep everyone else (including Mexicans) away from their money.
They have reverted to a view of the Economy that predates that of Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations, that was published in 1776. These people thought there was only a fixed amount of wealth available - when, in fact, there was more of it all the time - in the Industrial Economy!
When this economy faltered, after the Financial Crisis of 2008 - things changed drastically. The Gravy Train was no longer running - and Americans backed anyone who said they could bring it back!
Monday, September 18, 2017
The Ascent of Those, who Do Not Think
This has been the most remarkable development of our time - from those who prided themselves on the quality of their thinking, to those who prided themselves on not thinking very much at all. Because that allowed more important things to assume command.
What were these more important things? They would not, and could not think about that. But they knew they were there - and they were very powerful! What they were, was easy enough to see - but there were no words to describe them. At least no words, that they would accept. Whatever this was, it was the ultimate reality - similar to that of God!
Actually, these forces had been described, in considerable detail, for some time - by people who were critical of them. But their analyses were not accepted by those in power - because they would have made them less powerful. And the majority of the people did not accept them either.
They supported Power, by not being critical of it. By not thinking!
What were these more important things? They would not, and could not think about that. But they knew they were there - and they were very powerful! What they were, was easy enough to see - but there were no words to describe them. At least no words, that they would accept. Whatever this was, it was the ultimate reality - similar to that of God!
Actually, these forces had been described, in considerable detail, for some time - by people who were critical of them. But their analyses were not accepted by those in power - because they would have made them less powerful. And the majority of the people did not accept them either.
They supported Power, by not being critical of it. By not thinking!
Sunday, September 17, 2017
The Irish Question
NY Review
The simplest way to understand how radically Irish identity has changed is to consider the country’s new prime minister, Leo Varadkar. He is thirty-eight and in many ways a typical politician of the European center-right. He is also part Indian—his father Ashok is originally from Mumbai. And he is gay... Now Varadkar leads an Ireland in which over 17 percent of the population was born Elsewhere. The ultraglobalized Irish economy sucks in migrants from all over the world, notably Poland, Romania, the Baltic states, and Nigeria.
Yet in 2015 Ireland became the first country to introduce same-sex marriage by referendum—62 percent voted in favor. It was in the run-up to that vote that Varadkar, already a senior government minister, came out as gay. The public reaction was overwhelmingly supportive.
The simplest way to understand how radically Irish identity has changed is to consider the country’s new prime minister, Leo Varadkar. He is thirty-eight and in many ways a typical politician of the European center-right. He is also part Indian—his father Ashok is originally from Mumbai. And he is gay... Now Varadkar leads an Ireland in which over 17 percent of the population was born Elsewhere. The ultraglobalized Irish economy sucks in migrants from all over the world, notably Poland, Romania, the Baltic states, and Nigeria.
Yet in 2015 Ireland became the first country to introduce same-sex marriage by referendum—62 percent voted in favor. It was in the run-up to that vote that Varadkar, already a senior government minister, came out as gay. The public reaction was overwhelmingly supportive.
This article does not mention another important fact about Ireland - its economy is one of the world's worst - only topped by Iceland and Greece. Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World, goes on and on (quite accurately) about the disreputable Irish.
Don't tell anyone, but I am part Irish myself - on my father's side. His father was a likeable chap, by all accounts, but a terrible businessman. Dad took after his mother - a dour woman no one liked, but had a good way with money.
I was born in a house Dad's mother owned, in Ft. Madison, Iowa - where they had moved to get a job on the Santa Fe Railroad. When I was born, in 1936, at the height of the Depression, my parents could not afford anything else.
I am Learning Machine Learning
I have been forced into this, because everyone else is doing it - everyone else, that is, who wants to be where it is.
It is interesting - if you have the right people to show you the way. Machine Learning is nothing like Human Learning - and since we are now so dependent on it, it behoves us to know something about it. When we ask a computer to look at our data, and tell us something about it (which is what Machine Learning is) we better know what is going on, under the hood!
We have been dragged into a new world, the Computer World - where we have no idea what the landscape is like. But the Computer does. We might as well be honest about this (and perhaps humble, to boot) and let it lead the way.
The App that was going to do this was Anaconda, that I downloaded and installed. I then tried to install the Anaconda Navigator - that would help me use all this. But all it did is give me an error message, and suggested that I report this to Git Hub - but that would not accept this, it just spun its little wheel around, endlessly. But I did report this to the Anaconda Google Group - where I noticed a lot of other problems. Anaconda has bugs - and quite a few of them.
This problem should have gone directly to Anaconda itself - this is standard practice now, to include the user in the development process.
Once again, Software has bit me in the ass.
It is interesting - if you have the right people to show you the way. Machine Learning is nothing like Human Learning - and since we are now so dependent on it, it behoves us to know something about it. When we ask a computer to look at our data, and tell us something about it (which is what Machine Learning is) we better know what is going on, under the hood!
We have been dragged into a new world, the Computer World - where we have no idea what the landscape is like. But the Computer does. We might as well be honest about this (and perhaps humble, to boot) and let it lead the way.
The App that was going to do this was Anaconda, that I downloaded and installed. I then tried to install the Anaconda Navigator - that would help me use all this. But all it did is give me an error message, and suggested that I report this to Git Hub - but that would not accept this, it just spun its little wheel around, endlessly. But I did report this to the Anaconda Google Group - where I noticed a lot of other problems. Anaconda has bugs - and quite a few of them.
This problem should have gone directly to Anaconda itself - this is standard practice now, to include the user in the development process.
Once again, Software has bit me in the ass.
Saturday, September 16, 2017
The Software Bubble
I got caught in this myself, and now I realize this - I do feel ashamed of myself, for being so stupid. However, I had plenty of company, and most of that company is still as enthusiastic as ever!
The Software Bubble is part of a global bubble, I will call the Development Bubble. Where the Developed World believes it has discovered the secret of Eternal Growth. Things are not only Great - they are always going to be getting Better - forever! At least for them - and the rest do not matter.
There is some truth to this. They have moved from limited religious concepts, to unlimited scientific concepts - from relative positioning to absolute referencing. That has made them able to analyze their situation and plan their future. But this has not stopped their bubble from getting bigger than ever.
For the rest of this posting, I will restrict myself to the Software Bubble. Much of Software Development is perfectly sane, and makes perfect sense. And has been getting better all the time. But part of it is just plain crazy!
Some of this craziness is technical, and hard to explain - but I will restrict myself to the obvious - startup fever! Companies, large and small, that have the latest gadget, you cannot live without. An example is the iPhone X, for one thousand dollars. Everyone thinks this is crazy - except for Apple!
I will move on to a bigger subject - the Cloud, the biggest bubble ever, and you can quote me on that. I have been thrilled by this, as much as anyone - but now I have wandered around in a few, and felt what they are really like - I have to wonder if it isn't a Trojan Horse?
The Software Bubble is part of a global bubble, I will call the Development Bubble. Where the Developed World believes it has discovered the secret of Eternal Growth. Things are not only Great - they are always going to be getting Better - forever! At least for them - and the rest do not matter.
There is some truth to this. They have moved from limited religious concepts, to unlimited scientific concepts - from relative positioning to absolute referencing. That has made them able to analyze their situation and plan their future. But this has not stopped their bubble from getting bigger than ever.
For the rest of this posting, I will restrict myself to the Software Bubble. Much of Software Development is perfectly sane, and makes perfect sense. And has been getting better all the time. But part of it is just plain crazy!
Some of this craziness is technical, and hard to explain - but I will restrict myself to the obvious - startup fever! Companies, large and small, that have the latest gadget, you cannot live without. An example is the iPhone X, for one thousand dollars. Everyone thinks this is crazy - except for Apple!
I will move on to a bigger subject - the Cloud, the biggest bubble ever, and you can quote me on that. I have been thrilled by this, as much as anyone - but now I have wandered around in a few, and felt what they are really like - I have to wonder if it isn't a Trojan Horse?
Friday, September 15, 2017
The Implosion of the Global Economy
I know what an implosion sounds like.
Back in the Sixties, I was working as a Factory Inspector for the FAA. It was buying huge displays from Raytheon, about five feet in diameter - that would show the progress of airliners, as reported by FAA radar's. FAA controllers would push little plastic squares (called shrimp boats) along with the images on the displays. All this was done in darkened rooms (as had been done ever since WWII).
Factory workers were mounting this horizontal display in its wooden frame - when BOOM, it imploded - with a noise like a 12 gauge shotgun going off. They were fully protected, and suffered no injuries - but everyone in the room got a bad scare.
Compare this with
I got this book in a roundabout way. I bought an Amazon Fire tablet, that had a Good Reads app on it - and I got this book from there, for free!
It's entertaining reading.
Back in the Sixties, I was working as a Factory Inspector for the FAA. It was buying huge displays from Raytheon, about five feet in diameter - that would show the progress of airliners, as reported by FAA radar's. FAA controllers would push little plastic squares (called shrimp boats) along with the images on the displays. All this was done in darkened rooms (as had been done ever since WWII).
Factory workers were mounting this horizontal display in its wooden frame - when BOOM, it imploded - with a noise like a 12 gauge shotgun going off. They were fully protected, and suffered no injuries - but everyone in the room got a bad scare.
Compare this with
The world is now pocked with cities perched on top of bombs.From the book: Boomerang. After reading it, I can see why a lot more people should be scared. And why people avoid going into downtown San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica - they can feel the bomb is about to go off. My home town, of Ft. Madison, Iowa - is a town where the bomb has already gone off. And where no one knows this.
I got this book in a roundabout way. I bought an Amazon Fire tablet, that had a Good Reads app on it - and I got this book from there, for free!
It's entertaining reading.
Enrollments, budgets fall short at universities known for ‘social justice warfare’
Washington Times
America has fallen on hard times, and especially its liberal arts colleges.
The very idea of Education is under attack - and people who are not too smart (but know how to get along) are preferred for most jobs.
The colleges who are doing the best - such as MIT, on the East Coast - and Stanford on the West Coast - mix advanced technologies, such as software development, with advanced social programs.
They have plenty of money, and plenty of students.
America has fallen on hard times, and especially its liberal arts colleges.
The very idea of Education is under attack - and people who are not too smart (but know how to get along) are preferred for most jobs.
The colleges who are doing the best - such as MIT, on the East Coast - and Stanford on the West Coast - mix advanced technologies, such as software development, with advanced social programs.
They have plenty of money, and plenty of students.
What People Want Most
The people I am referring to here, are the Americans I grew up with, in the Fifties. In a time when their values were changing - and they were doing their best to not see this - or much of anything at all.
My first job was with the Federal Aviation Agency, as a newly graduated Electronic Engineer. in 1959. What I saw there amazed me - these were people on a gravy train, getting as much gravy as they possibly could! They did keep the planes flying - but they did this in a way designed to benefit them the most!
This was the dominant pattern - a group serving the public, while really serving themselves. And the dominant group was quickly becoming: Business. Big Business at first, but soon any kind of business, as long as it was the right kind - one that grabbed everything it could, regardless of the ethics of the situation.
When I went to work for the Computer Industry, in the Eighties, I saw the same thing going on - Computer companies, who were advancing new technologies (the good part) while ripping everyone off (the bad part).
Now that I am retired, and living in Costa Rica, I can see the same struggle going on - in Software, of all places! And the struggle here is brutal - if you do not play along with them, they will kick you out of the nest - as Microsoft has done for me.
My first job was with the Federal Aviation Agency, as a newly graduated Electronic Engineer. in 1959. What I saw there amazed me - these were people on a gravy train, getting as much gravy as they possibly could! They did keep the planes flying - but they did this in a way designed to benefit them the most!
This was the dominant pattern - a group serving the public, while really serving themselves. And the dominant group was quickly becoming: Business. Big Business at first, but soon any kind of business, as long as it was the right kind - one that grabbed everything it could, regardless of the ethics of the situation.
When I went to work for the Computer Industry, in the Eighties, I saw the same thing going on - Computer companies, who were advancing new technologies (the good part) while ripping everyone off (the bad part).
Now that I am retired, and living in Costa Rica, I can see the same struggle going on - in Software, of all places! And the struggle here is brutal - if you do not play along with them, they will kick you out of the nest - as Microsoft has done for me.
Thursday, September 14, 2017
Losing Your Mind
This happens frequently - but usually in a way that no one notices - or even in a way that people approve of.
I am listening to: World War I: The Great War - when much of the world lost its collective mind, and couldn't stop slaughtering each other. They were all convinced, they were doing the right thing - even as a whole generation was lost forever.
"Yes," People will say, "But that was a long time ago, and we know better now!"
In fact, we don't know better - we haven't changed that much. We can easily forget things that happened - and remember things that did not happen! Our minds do what they are supposed to do - please others. And if that means dying for the good of the country - to die gladly!
There were others, of course, who saw things differently - and departed for places where this craziness had not penetrated.
I now speak of situations not so extreme - but more common - where people are only slightly crazy, not completely crazy.
I will speak of my family's religion - Mormonism - that should named after the man who started it - Joseph Smith. This guy was a compulsive liar. He wrote a book, The Book Mormon, that was a complete fabrication - but when it was shown to people in Industrial England - they concluded it was a work of God, the writer was a prophet of God, and crossed the ocean, to be his followers.
This was a new idea to Joseph, but he quickly became used to it - and agreed with them, completely. And formed a church where they were all Latter-Day Saints! A church that still exists - even after Joseph was killed by an outraged mob, in 1844.
I am listening to: World War I: The Great War - when much of the world lost its collective mind, and couldn't stop slaughtering each other. They were all convinced, they were doing the right thing - even as a whole generation was lost forever.
"Yes," People will say, "But that was a long time ago, and we know better now!"
In fact, we don't know better - we haven't changed that much. We can easily forget things that happened - and remember things that did not happen! Our minds do what they are supposed to do - please others. And if that means dying for the good of the country - to die gladly!
There were others, of course, who saw things differently - and departed for places where this craziness had not penetrated.
I now speak of situations not so extreme - but more common - where people are only slightly crazy, not completely crazy.
I will speak of my family's religion - Mormonism - that should named after the man who started it - Joseph Smith. This guy was a compulsive liar. He wrote a book, The Book Mormon, that was a complete fabrication - but when it was shown to people in Industrial England - they concluded it was a work of God, the writer was a prophet of God, and crossed the ocean, to be his followers.
This was a new idea to Joseph, but he quickly became used to it - and agreed with them, completely. And formed a church where they were all Latter-Day Saints! A church that still exists - even after Joseph was killed by an outraged mob, in 1844.
A Mixed Economy of Industry and Information
Our world has become complicated - it was complicated before, but it is very complicated now - with the Coming of the Computer. Everyone is saying "Nothing has changed!" As loudly as they can, but almost everything has changed - and continues to change.
At the same time, our ability to understand this, has radically decreased. The power centers of our world have moved out of our world, and now reside somewhere else - where they cannot be questioned or examined.
They can only be obeyed. And many specialists have sprung up, to inform us of what the Divine Will wants us to do. .
I will get practical. I got up this morning, and made coffee in my espresso machine. This is my life in the Industrial Economy that has provided both coffee and machine. This is real stuff.
Meanwhile, my Windows Computer is busy updating itself from the Internet - completing thousands of individual instructions, that make my Computer more useful and safer. It is part of the Information Economy - that is not real at all.
You may object, and say you can see this information on the screen of your computer - clear as day! But this, dear friend, is only what the computer wants you to see - everything else it is doing (most of what it is doing) is in another world - inaccessible to the human senses.
Before, we had the Mind and Body question. Now we also have the Software question - just what is it?
I have struggled with this question, ever since I was lured into the Computer Industry in the Eighties - because it had jobs! And there are still plenty of people there, happy with their jobs - but giving no thought to what those jobs are doing to them, or to everyone else.
I have been part of them, resume in hand, rushing from the parking lot, to a job fair - where many companies awaited us with open arms! We all knew we were in the right place, doing the right thing.
But the end result, I was soon to see - was not right at all. But very wrong.
At the same time, our ability to understand this, has radically decreased. The power centers of our world have moved out of our world, and now reside somewhere else - where they cannot be questioned or examined.
They can only be obeyed. And many specialists have sprung up, to inform us of what the Divine Will wants us to do. .
I will get practical. I got up this morning, and made coffee in my espresso machine. This is my life in the Industrial Economy that has provided both coffee and machine. This is real stuff.
Meanwhile, my Windows Computer is busy updating itself from the Internet - completing thousands of individual instructions, that make my Computer more useful and safer. It is part of the Information Economy - that is not real at all.
You may object, and say you can see this information on the screen of your computer - clear as day! But this, dear friend, is only what the computer wants you to see - everything else it is doing (most of what it is doing) is in another world - inaccessible to the human senses.
Before, we had the Mind and Body question. Now we also have the Software question - just what is it?
I have struggled with this question, ever since I was lured into the Computer Industry in the Eighties - because it had jobs! And there are still plenty of people there, happy with their jobs - but giving no thought to what those jobs are doing to them, or to everyone else.
I have been part of them, resume in hand, rushing from the parking lot, to a job fair - where many companies awaited us with open arms! We all knew we were in the right place, doing the right thing.
But the end result, I was soon to see - was not right at all. But very wrong.
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Digitization
The Computer is changing the world, and this is the process that made it all happen. It takes almost anything, and changes it into a series of numbers - into digits.
This such a simple process, most people cannot comprehend its importance. But it is absolutely vital - without a digital input, the Computer can do nothing. With it, it can do almost anything.
The adoption of the Computer has happened so quickly, in less than fifty years - most people regard it as a kind of magic. Magic is a religious idea they are comfortable with - and they don't want it explained.
I have watched people, who are fascinated by a game on their Phone. Their Phone is clearly performing magic for them, and it must be supernatural!
What is happening, is not nearly so marvelous. An excellent example is streaming video - that is nothing but a series of colored dots that form the visual display - and another series of sound levels that form the sound. All this happens so rapidly, the brain integrates what is sees and hears - and we see a football game going on - complete with cheerleaders!
A game takes more explaining. The output is the same - a moving display with coordinated sound - but what is shown is virtual - not real at all. No matter, people adapt to it almost instantly - and start playing the game!
This is an example of what people have been doing forever - playing. Only some of their games are not so pleasant - involving the death of millions of people!
This such a simple process, most people cannot comprehend its importance. But it is absolutely vital - without a digital input, the Computer can do nothing. With it, it can do almost anything.
The adoption of the Computer has happened so quickly, in less than fifty years - most people regard it as a kind of magic. Magic is a religious idea they are comfortable with - and they don't want it explained.
I have watched people, who are fascinated by a game on their Phone. Their Phone is clearly performing magic for them, and it must be supernatural!
What is happening, is not nearly so marvelous. An excellent example is streaming video - that is nothing but a series of colored dots that form the visual display - and another series of sound levels that form the sound. All this happens so rapidly, the brain integrates what is sees and hears - and we see a football game going on - complete with cheerleaders!
A game takes more explaining. The output is the same - a moving display with coordinated sound - but what is shown is virtual - not real at all. No matter, people adapt to it almost instantly - and start playing the game!
This is an example of what people have been doing forever - playing. Only some of their games are not so pleasant - involving the death of millions of people!
People are Destroying Their World, Because Their World has Destroyed Them
This, as you probably know, is one of my favorite themes - and it seems to be unique to me. No one else is the least bit interested in it.
I am reading, for the second time, The Mind and the Market: Capitalism in Western Thought. It is excellent, but I forgot it, and set it aside, because it did not answer the burning question in my mind - "Why are things now in such bad shape?"
Lots of books have been written about this - but they have overlooked the main issue - people's reaction to the economy of their time. They did react, and react strongly - but these feelings were not acceptable - and had to be pushed into their collective unconscious. Where they continue to act, as strongly as ever. It remains for people like me - to determine what is going on, in there.
I must return to where I left off, in 2001, in Silicon Valley. I knew something was wrong, and badly wrong - but no one else was helping me discover what this was. I had to bail out, and move to Costa Rica - so I could get some perspective on the problem. Moving here, was like going back in time - to before Capitalism took off in the North. The South remained poor, but still liked people. A huge difference, that I liked immensely.
What happened, in the developed countries - was more development, at the emotional expense of the people in them. People needed to feel important - but they no longer were!
Obviously, the kind of development needed to be changed - to make it more people-friendly. Everyone agrees with this. But how to do this, while retaining its ability to create wealth, is a tricky issue. The people who got rich in the old system, want to retain their wealth (or even get more wealthy) in the new one.
Americans need to clarify their objectives: what are they trying to do? The answer would seem to be - make America better for every American! But there is a huge resistance to this simple objective - other things - a lot of other things, are more important!
And Americans do not want to think about what they are.
I am reading, for the second time, The Mind and the Market: Capitalism in Western Thought. It is excellent, but I forgot it, and set it aside, because it did not answer the burning question in my mind - "Why are things now in such bad shape?"
Lots of books have been written about this - but they have overlooked the main issue - people's reaction to the economy of their time. They did react, and react strongly - but these feelings were not acceptable - and had to be pushed into their collective unconscious. Where they continue to act, as strongly as ever. It remains for people like me - to determine what is going on, in there.
I must return to where I left off, in 2001, in Silicon Valley. I knew something was wrong, and badly wrong - but no one else was helping me discover what this was. I had to bail out, and move to Costa Rica - so I could get some perspective on the problem. Moving here, was like going back in time - to before Capitalism took off in the North. The South remained poor, but still liked people. A huge difference, that I liked immensely.
What happened, in the developed countries - was more development, at the emotional expense of the people in them. People needed to feel important - but they no longer were!
Obviously, the kind of development needed to be changed - to make it more people-friendly. Everyone agrees with this. But how to do this, while retaining its ability to create wealth, is a tricky issue. The people who got rich in the old system, want to retain their wealth (or even get more wealthy) in the new one.
Americans need to clarify their objectives: what are they trying to do? The answer would seem to be - make America better for every American! But there is a huge resistance to this simple objective - other things - a lot of other things, are more important!
And Americans do not want to think about what they are.
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
Banking in Costa Rica
In the last few days, I have been given a crash course on this.
I use the Wells Fargo bank in the States. This where my brother, who has a better feel for money - does his banking. My Social Security annuity, gets deposited there, on the third of every month.
I spend a lot of my income online, mainly at Amazon - and I use my Wells Fargo debit card for that. I also use my debit card down here, to get the Costa Rican money (Colones) - I use to buy everything down here. Plastic money is being used down here more and more - but paper money is still more convenient. Each store has a ultraviolet light they use to see if the money is not counterfeit.
Banco National is the National bank here (as its name implies) and it has offices everywhere. I used to take my Wells Fargo card to the ATM here, and walk off with cash in my pocket - a nice feeling!
Until last week, when the ATM gave me nothing! I tried in another location - same thing. I asked Wells Fargo what was wrong - they didn't know, and didn't seem interested in finding out.
So today, I used the little machine provided by Scotiabank - a Canadian bank, that also operates here - that was located on the premises of the Walmart supermarket, in the nearest large town (Cartago) where I go shopping once a week. No problem! It changed me three dollars for their service, but gave a stack of the local money.
I use the Wells Fargo bank in the States. This where my brother, who has a better feel for money - does his banking. My Social Security annuity, gets deposited there, on the third of every month.
I spend a lot of my income online, mainly at Amazon - and I use my Wells Fargo debit card for that. I also use my debit card down here, to get the Costa Rican money (Colones) - I use to buy everything down here. Plastic money is being used down here more and more - but paper money is still more convenient. Each store has a ultraviolet light they use to see if the money is not counterfeit.
Banco National is the National bank here (as its name implies) and it has offices everywhere. I used to take my Wells Fargo card to the ATM here, and walk off with cash in my pocket - a nice feeling!
Until last week, when the ATM gave me nothing! I tried in another location - same thing. I asked Wells Fargo what was wrong - they didn't know, and didn't seem interested in finding out.
So today, I used the little machine provided by Scotiabank - a Canadian bank, that also operates here - that was located on the premises of the Walmart supermarket, in the nearest large town (Cartago) where I go shopping once a week. No problem! It changed me three dollars for their service, but gave a stack of the local money.
Business has Taken Over Everything
It had taken over nearly everything in the Fifties, when I was growing up - but with the advent of the Computer, it now reigns supreme.
Everyone knows this - but doesn't want to know it, because this is too frightening to contemplate. For one simple reason - Business is Bad for People. We now live in a world that is bad for us.
How this happened, is not hard to understand. The Reformation spawned the Industrial Revolution and the Scientific Revolution - and produced enormous wealth. And the resulting institutions, took Social Power into their hands.
My theory concentrates on the examination of Power - which is basically what Business is all about. It asks the question "What is in control, here?" And the answer is scary. So scary, I hesitate to go into it.
We have believed that God gave us control of the world. That we (with the help of God) were in control. But gradually, other forces - appeared, that were not part of this divine plan. And they gained control.
This can be clearly seen in the history of the United States in the 19th Century - as it emerged far different, from what it had been, when it went into it. Something happened to it - and that something was far-reaching! It now had a different Economy. An Industrial economy - and Big Business was born.
This is scary! So scary, we don't want to see it. But whether we see it or not - it happened, and is happening, right now.
It is only interested in making itself more powerful - and is not interested in making people more powerful.
Everyone knows this - but doesn't want to know it, because this is too frightening to contemplate. For one simple reason - Business is Bad for People. We now live in a world that is bad for us.
How this happened, is not hard to understand. The Reformation spawned the Industrial Revolution and the Scientific Revolution - and produced enormous wealth. And the resulting institutions, took Social Power into their hands.
My theory concentrates on the examination of Power - which is basically what Business is all about. It asks the question "What is in control, here?" And the answer is scary. So scary, I hesitate to go into it.
We have believed that God gave us control of the world. That we (with the help of God) were in control. But gradually, other forces - appeared, that were not part of this divine plan. And they gained control.
This can be clearly seen in the history of the United States in the 19th Century - as it emerged far different, from what it had been, when it went into it. Something happened to it - and that something was far-reaching! It now had a different Economy. An Industrial economy - and Big Business was born.
This is scary! So scary, we don't want to see it. But whether we see it or not - it happened, and is happening, right now.
It is only interested in making itself more powerful - and is not interested in making people more powerful.
Monday, September 11, 2017
I am the Most Wonderful of Persons - a Customer with Money
The American economy is so advanced - it might as well be another world - up in the sky somewhere.
To this is added the usual hamburger ingredients - a slice of ham, a slice of cheese, tomato, onion, ketchup, lettuce, mayonnaise - and, of course, a hamburger bun.
Today, I was the only person in the place buying anything. Everyone else was trying (with all their strength) to sell her something. But she wasn't buying.
Her little business was all she had - and she was not about to give it up.
I paid my 1,500 Colones (about three dollars) and took it home for delicious lunch.
Including Morality and Mortality in Design
Design is the new buzzword in Software Development. It implies that our Software (and by implication, our world) can be designed - more or less satisfactorily.
This is a dubious proposition - and people throughout history have questioned it.
I picked up a book that has languished on my desk (a tribe of tiny ants have made it their home, meanwhile). It is Dickinson, by Helen Vendler.
Poem #423 is about a mental collapse that she suffered from - and never fully recovered from. No one seemed to have noticed this.
Let me repeat that last sentence - no one noticed this - one of the most important events in her life! Her family had no intention of hurting her - but hurt her, they did.
The same thing happens in any business - it doesn't intend to hurt people - but it does!
This is a dubious proposition - and people throughout history have questioned it.
I picked up a book that has languished on my desk (a tribe of tiny ants have made it their home, meanwhile). It is Dickinson, by Helen Vendler.
Poem #423 is about a mental collapse that she suffered from - and never fully recovered from. No one seemed to have noticed this.
Let me repeat that last sentence - no one noticed this - one of the most important events in her life! Her family had no intention of hurting her - but hurt her, they did.
The same thing happens in any business - it doesn't intend to hurt people - but it does!
People are Full of Contradictions
I used to believe that we developed our personalities as we aged - and they became more stable all the time. Now that I am 79, and paying close attention to what is actually happening in my mind - I am learning that I am a bundle of contradictions, that change constantly. And this is completely normal.
And people, acting in groups, are equally unstable. In only one day, they can change completely. And predicting what these changes will be, is notoriously difficult.
Saying this, will not make me many friends - because people have always believed they were better than they were. Perhaps it is time to be more realistic. Because this emotional instability seems to be getting worse. Probably because the social media works so fast - and over such large areas.
Everyone has a TV and a Phone, and pays more attention to them, than anything else.
What we have to admit is simple enough - we are (1) emotionally unstable, and (2) we are social beings that learn from each other - usually without bothering to check on the facts, if they are available.
We are unstable, because the human brain is unstable. It developed rapidly, and made us the most successful species on earth. Now that we have covered the earth, and are interacting with each other more intently - the same things that made us so successful, are working against us.
And people, acting in groups, are equally unstable. In only one day, they can change completely. And predicting what these changes will be, is notoriously difficult.
Saying this, will not make me many friends - because people have always believed they were better than they were. Perhaps it is time to be more realistic. Because this emotional instability seems to be getting worse. Probably because the social media works so fast - and over such large areas.
Everyone has a TV and a Phone, and pays more attention to them, than anything else.
What we have to admit is simple enough - we are (1) emotionally unstable, and (2) we are social beings that learn from each other - usually without bothering to check on the facts, if they are available.
We are unstable, because the human brain is unstable. It developed rapidly, and made us the most successful species on earth. Now that we have covered the earth, and are interacting with each other more intently - the same things that made us so successful, are working against us.
Sunday, September 10, 2017
Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla conducts Beethoven, Stravinsky, and Barry
In a highlight of the 2017 BBC Proms, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) and their music director the young Lithuanian conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla explore the theme of political and artistic freedom through three great works by Beethoven and Stravinsky, and a world premiere from Irish composer Gerald Barry.
The City of Birmingham, the center of Industrialization in England! This shows its greatest achievements also - in classical music.
A woman is conducting this symphony orchestra, and a Lithuanian one - at that! You got to see her in action.
How young people join violent extremist groups — and how to stop them
TED
This is an excellent talk - that everyone should listen to. With other talks about the same subject shown on the right of the YouTube screen.
Something can be done about this problem - and is being done.
Unfortunately, few people will watch it - because it does not appeal to them. It's too serious!
This is an excellent talk - that everyone should listen to. With other talks about the same subject shown on the right of the YouTube screen.
Something can be done about this problem - and is being done.
Unfortunately, few people will watch it - because it does not appeal to them. It's too serious!
The Tablet and the Computer
I just bought a new tablet, the Amazon Fire HD - probably the best of the breed. Only one thing doesn't work - Alexa. She still thinks she is in Seattle!
It competes with the Smartphone, that is a combination of a cell phone, and an Internet computer - with a touch interface.
The touch interface was a huge improvement for most users, and it has taken the industry by storm! Everyone wants the world in the palm of their hands - where they can touch it, and be entertained by it!
I also have a another device - a Windows 10 computer, with a keyboard - and a screen that can be detached, and used independently as a Windows 10 tablet! This is the wave of the future - devices that have everything but a cell phone. They don't need it, because WiFi is everywhere.
It won't be long before the cell phone will be replaced with the internet phone - where free calls can be made to anywhere - even including video!
Meanwhile, software developers continue to use their laptops to do their heavy lifting. These are the guys, working quietly behind the scenes - that are remaking the world!
It's too early to tell if this will be a better world - but it will be a different one. Of that - you can be sure!
It competes with the Smartphone, that is a combination of a cell phone, and an Internet computer - with a touch interface.
The touch interface was a huge improvement for most users, and it has taken the industry by storm! Everyone wants the world in the palm of their hands - where they can touch it, and be entertained by it!
I also have a another device - a Windows 10 computer, with a keyboard - and a screen that can be detached, and used independently as a Windows 10 tablet! This is the wave of the future - devices that have everything but a cell phone. They don't need it, because WiFi is everywhere.
It won't be long before the cell phone will be replaced with the internet phone - where free calls can be made to anywhere - even including video!
Meanwhile, software developers continue to use their laptops to do their heavy lifting. These are the guys, working quietly behind the scenes - that are remaking the world!
It's too early to tell if this will be a better world - but it will be a different one. Of that - you can be sure!
The Superego and Big Business
Freud's Superego was a theory similar to Nietzsche's Ubermensch - and both were made necessary by the huge social changes created by Industrialization and Capitalism, in the late 19th Century.
These changes created new kinds of people - ones that benefited from them, and ones that suffered from them. And new mental compartments in which they could reside.
The most important of these was the division into the conscious and unconscious (where uncomfortable, but necessary operations could be performed, without being noticed). But the new social hierarchy also demanded its recognition. And most dominant among these was Big Business - whose importance cannot be overemphasized.
These social changes were based on a new technology - machines powered by fossil fuels, that made the Railroads and the Steamships possible. And more importantly, but hardly noticed - another technology that involved a new social ordering - with the Captains of Industry on the top.
Let me remind you that Abraham Lincoln, was a successful Railroad lawyer, who became a successful politician - who presided over the first Industrial War, the American Civil War - with huge numbers of casualties - that resulted in the triumph of the Industrial North.
This set a pattern that would be repeated in WWI, the Depression, and WWII. Huge numbers of casualties, and the triumph of Big Business.
And the triumph of the Superego - that ran everything. This terminology was not used by businessmen - but they were acutely aware of it. They knew they were the Boss - and they had their own smaller bosses who helped them run things.
In my Father's case, this resulted in my Father rejecting his family, as working class people - as he became a small businessman - a huge step upward, in his eyes.
This was the world I was born into, in 1936, in Ft. Madison, Iowa. The West End of town was dominated by the Santa Fe Railroad - and the East End of town by the Sheaffer Pen Company. We were part of a manufacturing complex that made most of the world's products - the Industrial Midwest.
Let me repeat that - we made most of the world's products! Which meant most of the world's wealth flowed toward us. A very desirable state to be in. But one that did not last!
If I go back to that country now, the people there have no memory of their past - of only fifty years ago. And, of course, no memory of what happened to it. They have a faint realization, that there are few jobs for their children now - but why this happened, they have no idea.
Let me return to my subject - the triumph (and domination) of the superego. Or the reappearance of the supernatural. The supernatural has always been with us - we have always known that some superior being (God, perhaps) was in control of things.
There was now a new supernatural force in control - and its presence was evident in the people who were in control - who were not interested in those below them - who were only people!
The sudden appearance of these people, in only one generation, should have been noticed. But this kind of change includes a non-awareness of what is going on. They showed up, took over - and no one noticed!
These changes created new kinds of people - ones that benefited from them, and ones that suffered from them. And new mental compartments in which they could reside.
The most important of these was the division into the conscious and unconscious (where uncomfortable, but necessary operations could be performed, without being noticed). But the new social hierarchy also demanded its recognition. And most dominant among these was Big Business - whose importance cannot be overemphasized.
These social changes were based on a new technology - machines powered by fossil fuels, that made the Railroads and the Steamships possible. And more importantly, but hardly noticed - another technology that involved a new social ordering - with the Captains of Industry on the top.
Let me remind you that Abraham Lincoln, was a successful Railroad lawyer, who became a successful politician - who presided over the first Industrial War, the American Civil War - with huge numbers of casualties - that resulted in the triumph of the Industrial North.
This set a pattern that would be repeated in WWI, the Depression, and WWII. Huge numbers of casualties, and the triumph of Big Business.
And the triumph of the Superego - that ran everything. This terminology was not used by businessmen - but they were acutely aware of it. They knew they were the Boss - and they had their own smaller bosses who helped them run things.
In my Father's case, this resulted in my Father rejecting his family, as working class people - as he became a small businessman - a huge step upward, in his eyes.
This was the world I was born into, in 1936, in Ft. Madison, Iowa. The West End of town was dominated by the Santa Fe Railroad - and the East End of town by the Sheaffer Pen Company. We were part of a manufacturing complex that made most of the world's products - the Industrial Midwest.
Let me repeat that - we made most of the world's products! Which meant most of the world's wealth flowed toward us. A very desirable state to be in. But one that did not last!
If I go back to that country now, the people there have no memory of their past - of only fifty years ago. And, of course, no memory of what happened to it. They have a faint realization, that there are few jobs for their children now - but why this happened, they have no idea.
Let me return to my subject - the triumph (and domination) of the superego. Or the reappearance of the supernatural. The supernatural has always been with us - we have always known that some superior being (God, perhaps) was in control of things.
There was now a new supernatural force in control - and its presence was evident in the people who were in control - who were not interested in those below them - who were only people!
The sudden appearance of these people, in only one generation, should have been noticed. But this kind of change includes a non-awareness of what is going on. They showed up, took over - and no one noticed!
Saturday, September 9, 2017
The Religious Dysfunctional Family
I came from one of these families, and I know them well - and would like to add my knowledge, to those who have studied other types of dysfunctional families.
My role model, will be Beth, my wife of five years, in the Sixties - whose parents had serious emotional problems - but were also as religious as they could be. Her father was a successful doctor who had his own maternal hospital - very advanced for his time. His was involved in reforming the insane asylums in Missouri - that were a disgrace.
But he was diagnosed with Liver Cancer - and had the option of an operation, with a 50% success rate. He decided to go with that, but his wife intervened - and decided they would set up a medical clinic in Honduras instead!
His wife was an amazing person - whose mother had died, and left her, as the oldest child, to raise the family herself, without much help from her father. Somehow, she went to college, and married the young doctor who become Beth's father.
So off to Honduras they went - to a remote location, and established their clinic - that they called La Buena Fe (the good life). They were supported financially by people in their RLDS church.
But the Father died of his cancer - and the Wife went crazy. Her two sons also went crazy, and are permanently incarcerated in mental institutions. Beth stayed with my family when she was in High School, then went to the church college (Graceland College), then went to a college in Grenoble, in France.
She had turned into a beautiful young woman - that was attracted to men and women. She came back to the States, and we got married. in New York City, in 1965.
The next five years were hectic - since Beth insisted on doing one strange thing after the other. I should have left her - but I was in love! She insisted in moving to California, which I have to say was a good move! We ended up in Santa Barbara - beautiful place, at the time.
Where she had a complete nervous breakdown, was committed to a psych ward, filled with powerful anti-psychotics - and, when she had recovered from those - ordered me out of her life!
I left her in Los Angeles, with her strange friends - and went to a new job in Denver. Two years later, she killed herself!
Now that I have related that sad story - I am wondering how much of it was caused by our religious families?
Hard to say, because their religion was mixed in with so many other things. But their religion made all their other problems worse! I can say that with confidence.
My role model, will be Beth, my wife of five years, in the Sixties - whose parents had serious emotional problems - but were also as religious as they could be. Her father was a successful doctor who had his own maternal hospital - very advanced for his time. His was involved in reforming the insane asylums in Missouri - that were a disgrace.
But he was diagnosed with Liver Cancer - and had the option of an operation, with a 50% success rate. He decided to go with that, but his wife intervened - and decided they would set up a medical clinic in Honduras instead!
His wife was an amazing person - whose mother had died, and left her, as the oldest child, to raise the family herself, without much help from her father. Somehow, she went to college, and married the young doctor who become Beth's father.
So off to Honduras they went - to a remote location, and established their clinic - that they called La Buena Fe (the good life). They were supported financially by people in their RLDS church.
But the Father died of his cancer - and the Wife went crazy. Her two sons also went crazy, and are permanently incarcerated in mental institutions. Beth stayed with my family when she was in High School, then went to the church college (Graceland College), then went to a college in Grenoble, in France.
She had turned into a beautiful young woman - that was attracted to men and women. She came back to the States, and we got married. in New York City, in 1965.
The next five years were hectic - since Beth insisted on doing one strange thing after the other. I should have left her - but I was in love! She insisted in moving to California, which I have to say was a good move! We ended up in Santa Barbara - beautiful place, at the time.
Where she had a complete nervous breakdown, was committed to a psych ward, filled with powerful anti-psychotics - and, when she had recovered from those - ordered me out of her life!
I left her in Los Angeles, with her strange friends - and went to a new job in Denver. Two years later, she killed herself!
Now that I have related that sad story - I am wondering how much of it was caused by our religious families?
Hard to say, because their religion was mixed in with so many other things. But their religion made all their other problems worse! I can say that with confidence.
Friday, September 8, 2017
Society as a Whole Must Be Judged
Human society has grown tremendously, in many ways - but our moral abilities have not.
I'm sure this has been said many times before, but it needs to be said again - with an emphasis on our time, which is unusual.
But it is useful to back up a few years to the Thirties, and its Fascism. Which America did not understand - and still doesn't understand. Americans, it seems to me - have decided not to understand much of anything. All they can do is - go to war!
And this is one basis on which to judge them - as people who do not understand, and don't want to understand - and consider this one of their finest virtues. As they see it - they are letting bigger forces be in control - and this guarantees their superiority. To put this another way - big is better.
This was fine right after WWII, when America was riding high - but causes considerable anxiety now, when it is not on top of the pile.
America should change its tactics to - smarter is better. After all they have the Computer, and access to nearly unlimited information, about almost anything. But this would require a complete reversal of strategy - from not understanding to understanding.
Just this morning The Risk of Nuclear War with North Korea showed up in my inbox. This is an excellent article, a fine example of the information that Americans have access to. But I can hear them say "Not interested!" as I read it. They are not interested in a situation that could lead to nuclear war!
After taking the time to read the article, I feel like an expert myself - which I am in a way, since a lot of research went into the article. I now see two world leaders, one in North Korea, and one in the US - who are acting like kids in a sandbox - holding nuclear weapons in their hands!
I'm sure this has been said many times before, but it needs to be said again - with an emphasis on our time, which is unusual.
But it is useful to back up a few years to the Thirties, and its Fascism. Which America did not understand - and still doesn't understand. Americans, it seems to me - have decided not to understand much of anything. All they can do is - go to war!
And this is one basis on which to judge them - as people who do not understand, and don't want to understand - and consider this one of their finest virtues. As they see it - they are letting bigger forces be in control - and this guarantees their superiority. To put this another way - big is better.
This was fine right after WWII, when America was riding high - but causes considerable anxiety now, when it is not on top of the pile.
America should change its tactics to - smarter is better. After all they have the Computer, and access to nearly unlimited information, about almost anything. But this would require a complete reversal of strategy - from not understanding to understanding.
Just this morning The Risk of Nuclear War with North Korea showed up in my inbox. This is an excellent article, a fine example of the information that Americans have access to. But I can hear them say "Not interested!" as I read it. They are not interested in a situation that could lead to nuclear war!
After taking the time to read the article, I feel like an expert myself - which I am in a way, since a lot of research went into the article. I now see two world leaders, one in North Korea, and one in the US - who are acting like kids in a sandbox - holding nuclear weapons in their hands!
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Acting in the Service of a Higher Cause
This, it seems to me, is tricky business - and I would like to leave it alone.
But I am the product of a dysfunctional family - and worked most of my life, in a antisocial society. All these people proudly proclaimed that they were working in the service of a higher cause. And I feel I have to say something about this.
But what? People have been saying nasty things about other people, for a long time - perhaps forever. And in every way imaginable.
In desperation, I decided the best approach was the obvious one - to use myself as an example of what can go wrong. I was acting in the service of a higher cause, everyone assured me - and that way I couldn't go wrong. But I sure did - and badly wrong.
It began when I went to college - what kind of courses should I take? I was really interested in outdoor work, and could have gone to work for the Park Service - but, for that reason, I was pushed in other directions. Doing what was good for me - was simply not the right thing to do!
Right here, I should have gone my own way, and done my own thing. But I was not strong enough (or wise enough) to do this. I did what other people wanted me to do - not what I wanted to do.
I became an Electronic Engineer - even though I was not interested in Engineering, and never did much engineering work, when I did go to work. All the girls who ignored us in college (because we were too boring) now saw us as excellent husband material!
The Cold War needed exotic, expensive Radars to detect Soviet Bombers - and engineers were needed for this effort - we never did anything, but we were paid handsomely!
Our higher cause was the Cold War, and our enemy was Communism. We never noticed that we were wasting our riches - and wasting our lives!
But waste them we did - and we ended up holding an empty bag!
But I am the product of a dysfunctional family - and worked most of my life, in a antisocial society. All these people proudly proclaimed that they were working in the service of a higher cause. And I feel I have to say something about this.
But what? People have been saying nasty things about other people, for a long time - perhaps forever. And in every way imaginable.
In desperation, I decided the best approach was the obvious one - to use myself as an example of what can go wrong. I was acting in the service of a higher cause, everyone assured me - and that way I couldn't go wrong. But I sure did - and badly wrong.
It began when I went to college - what kind of courses should I take? I was really interested in outdoor work, and could have gone to work for the Park Service - but, for that reason, I was pushed in other directions. Doing what was good for me - was simply not the right thing to do!
Right here, I should have gone my own way, and done my own thing. But I was not strong enough (or wise enough) to do this. I did what other people wanted me to do - not what I wanted to do.
I became an Electronic Engineer - even though I was not interested in Engineering, and never did much engineering work, when I did go to work. All the girls who ignored us in college (because we were too boring) now saw us as excellent husband material!
The Cold War needed exotic, expensive Radars to detect Soviet Bombers - and engineers were needed for this effort - we never did anything, but we were paid handsomely!
Our higher cause was the Cold War, and our enemy was Communism. We never noticed that we were wasting our riches - and wasting our lives!
But waste them we did - and we ended up holding an empty bag!
Git
"What the hell is this?" You may be asking, and I was asking myself the same question. But it became apparent that, whatever it was, programmers were using it - and if I wanted to be like them, I would have to use it also.
So I rolled up my pant legs and waded in. I now have Git Bash on my computer - and am trying my best to use it.
GitHub is somewhere, heavens knows where - where programmers can stash their stuff, to show they are real programmers - and where other programmers can copy their stuff, and use it for themselves.
It is part of the Open Source movement, where everyone (or almost everyone) puts their stuff on Git Hub, or similar places - and everyone gets richer!
This is a radical departure from the past - where riches were limited, and everyone tried to get their slice of the pie - before other people could get it.
Don't tell anyone!
So I rolled up my pant legs and waded in. I now have Git Bash on my computer - and am trying my best to use it.
GitHub is somewhere, heavens knows where - where programmers can stash their stuff, to show they are real programmers - and where other programmers can copy their stuff, and use it for themselves.
It is part of the Open Source movement, where everyone (or almost everyone) puts their stuff on Git Hub, or similar places - and everyone gets richer!
This is a radical departure from the past - where riches were limited, and everyone tried to get their slice of the pie - before other people could get it.
Don't tell anyone!
How Software Development Represents a New Beginning
Software Development is a new development - that's why I am so interested in it. These guys noticed that their ability to develop software needed improvement - and they set about improving it!
Most people by contrast, can see nothing wrong with their world - and can see no reason to improve on it. I exaggerate, of course - they will see a few things wrong with it - but nothing serious, or fundamentally wrong, that needs to be changed.
And I will take that further - they have decided to not exist, because they would only get in the way of the more important things, that have to be in control, in their economy. They may not know what these things are - but they are there, and have been described, in some detail, by their Economists and Businessmen.
These people are still functioning, as bodies - and making more of them all the time. But their ability to think about their world has been severely impaired. And that, in their opinion - is not much of a problem. Other people are doing that for them!
Let me state this another way - most people want to be entertained, but do not want to think about what is going on. In software, by contrast - they work hard at understanding what is going on, and making it better.
A big difference!
Most people by contrast, can see nothing wrong with their world - and can see no reason to improve on it. I exaggerate, of course - they will see a few things wrong with it - but nothing serious, or fundamentally wrong, that needs to be changed.
And I will take that further - they have decided to not exist, because they would only get in the way of the more important things, that have to be in control, in their economy. They may not know what these things are - but they are there, and have been described, in some detail, by their Economists and Businessmen.
These people are still functioning, as bodies - and making more of them all the time. But their ability to think about their world has been severely impaired. And that, in their opinion - is not much of a problem. Other people are doing that for them!
Let me state this another way - most people want to be entertained, but do not want to think about what is going on. In software, by contrast - they work hard at understanding what is going on, and making it better.
A big difference!
Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Windows Defender
This is Microsoft's free antivirus program - and it's probably already on your computer. And by all accounts, it's pretty good.
I mention it, to save you the cost of all the other computer protection products out there. Shopping for these is very complicated - because all the vendors want to make you feel insecure.
Microsoft wants you to buy Windows 10, that has an improved version of this - and according to them, better everything! The best way to do this, is to buy a new laptop, with Windows 10 on it.
But if your Windows 7 or Windows 8 computer is still working - don't bother. A new one would cost you at least $350 (as Amazon recommends) - or even $1000 (as Microsoft recommends).
I mention it, to save you the cost of all the other computer protection products out there. Shopping for these is very complicated - because all the vendors want to make you feel insecure.
Microsoft wants you to buy Windows 10, that has an improved version of this - and according to them, better everything! The best way to do this, is to buy a new laptop, with Windows 10 on it.
But if your Windows 7 or Windows 8 computer is still working - don't bother. A new one would cost you at least $350 (as Amazon recommends) - or even $1000 (as Microsoft recommends).
Not Real People in a Not Real World
I could have entitled this Unreal People in an Unreal World but using two words Not Real, instead of Unreal, made what I wanted to say, more explicit.
These are people who have gone through a strange metamorphosis, the strangest ever - that they are completely unaware of.
And are determined to be unaware of - because this is crucial to their identity - and, in their opinion, to their success, as a group.
This change began back in the middle of the 19th Century - when they were overwhelmed by a flood of new inventions, and new organizations - the Railroads, the Steamships, and the Factories. All of which were more important than they were. And which functioned better, if they did not exist.
So they ceased to exist! And considered this their finest achievement.
This the world I was born into, in 1936. That I did not like at all. It was ignoring me! And I thought I was important!
But I was getting a different message "The Organization was important, not the people in it!" And this message was brought home with brutal efficiency. Anyone who who stood out, was squashed like a bug!
But lately, since about 2010 - the world has been organized around Software. And Software has a different attitude towards People. It thinks they are important - if they can contribute to its development. Which is not hard - even I have made my feeble contribution!
These are people who have gone through a strange metamorphosis, the strangest ever - that they are completely unaware of.
And are determined to be unaware of - because this is crucial to their identity - and, in their opinion, to their success, as a group.
This change began back in the middle of the 19th Century - when they were overwhelmed by a flood of new inventions, and new organizations - the Railroads, the Steamships, and the Factories. All of which were more important than they were. And which functioned better, if they did not exist.
So they ceased to exist! And considered this their finest achievement.
This the world I was born into, in 1936. That I did not like at all. It was ignoring me! And I thought I was important!
But I was getting a different message "The Organization was important, not the people in it!" And this message was brought home with brutal efficiency. Anyone who who stood out, was squashed like a bug!
But lately, since about 2010 - the world has been organized around Software. And Software has a different attitude towards People. It thinks they are important - if they can contribute to its development. Which is not hard - even I have made my feeble contribution!
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
Rahm Emanuel creates ‘Trump-free zone’ for students at Chicago schools
Washington Times
Chicago is a place to itself - somewhere the rest of the Midwest regards suspiciously. Kansas City is more typical, and I doubt if its Mayor would make a statement like this!
I grew up halfway between the two, in Ft. Madison, Iowa. I went to school with Black kids, and even a few Mexican kids and thought nothing of it.
Almost everyone in town, including my father's family, were poor immigrants. But the schools welcomed them all.
Chicago is a place to itself - somewhere the rest of the Midwest regards suspiciously. Kansas City is more typical, and I doubt if its Mayor would make a statement like this!
I grew up halfway between the two, in Ft. Madison, Iowa. I went to school with Black kids, and even a few Mexican kids and thought nothing of it.
Almost everyone in town, including my father's family, were poor immigrants. But the schools welcomed them all.
ModPo Penn
Introductory Video: Modern Poetry - Al Filreis - University of Pennsylvania
This is a MOOC, an online class - about Poetry. I am taking it for the second time.
Many of the additional videos, shown to the right on YouTube - are about software. Is there a connection between these two activities?
YouTube seems to think so, and so do I!
This is a MOOC, an online class - about Poetry. I am taking it for the second time.
Many of the additional videos, shown to the right on YouTube - are about software. Is there a connection between these two activities?
YouTube seems to think so, and so do I!
Being Well-Adjusted
This morning, my mind went back to my first years of college, in 1954. I concentrated on getting good grades - while most students concentrated on their social advancement - making themselves better in the eyes of their fellow-students. To put this another way - I concentrated on my inner goals, and they concentrated on their outer goals.
And this conflict continued throughout my life - unbeknown to me. I insisted on being me - even if that meant I would be undesirable to others - especially to the young women everywhere around me.
I inherited this conflict from my family - who were ambivalent about the world around them. They were religious, and saw the world as full of sin - but they also wanted to be esteemed by that same world.
They were not aware of this conflict, which they never solved, and resulted in the failure and disappearance of their little church - the most important thing in their lives.
Meanwhile, I ended up in the Computer Industry, in the Eighties and Nineties. Where I had the same problem - I could see how incompetent they were - just as my parents could see how sinful they were. I did not fit in - I was not well-adjusted.
I left in 2001, when things were beginning to change in the Computer World - especially in Software. Software developers were becoming more competent at building software - and better at understanding themselves also.
I am now reading Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned: The Myth of the Objective - that I learned about from a software site.
My world and their world seem to be merging!
And this conflict continued throughout my life - unbeknown to me. I insisted on being me - even if that meant I would be undesirable to others - especially to the young women everywhere around me.
I inherited this conflict from my family - who were ambivalent about the world around them. They were religious, and saw the world as full of sin - but they also wanted to be esteemed by that same world.
They were not aware of this conflict, which they never solved, and resulted in the failure and disappearance of their little church - the most important thing in their lives.
Meanwhile, I ended up in the Computer Industry, in the Eighties and Nineties. Where I had the same problem - I could see how incompetent they were - just as my parents could see how sinful they were. I did not fit in - I was not well-adjusted.
I left in 2001, when things were beginning to change in the Computer World - especially in Software. Software developers were becoming more competent at building software - and better at understanding themselves also.
I am now reading Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned: The Myth of the Objective - that I learned about from a software site.
My world and their world seem to be merging!
Monday, September 4, 2017
Socially Unaware
I am still trying to understand Americans - because I still am one - even though I have moved out of the country.
I wanted a simple description of them, and this is the best I have come up with, so far. They are Socially Unaware.
This even applies to professional people-watchers, who should know better. Such as Paul Bloom, who wrote Just Babies: The Origins of Good and Evil. He is an academic, and has never had a real job - where he would have been exposed to adults, who are not innocent little babies.
By contrast, I can recommend the NY Times article Is Houston Still a Model City? Its Supporters Aren’t Backing Down.
I have to ask myself "Are both of these groups, members of the same species?" The answer has to be "They are members of different subspecies - that hardly recognize each other."
What I am saying here, is nothing new - people have been this way for a very long time - probably forever. We know what group we belong to - and this affects all our social interactions.
In our time, two groups have evolved - those that think, and those who do not think - the larger group, by far. Among their other traits, it can definitely be said that - they are not socially aware.
I wanted a simple description of them, and this is the best I have come up with, so far. They are Socially Unaware.
This even applies to professional people-watchers, who should know better. Such as Paul Bloom, who wrote Just Babies: The Origins of Good and Evil. He is an academic, and has never had a real job - where he would have been exposed to adults, who are not innocent little babies.
By contrast, I can recommend the NY Times article Is Houston Still a Model City? Its Supporters Aren’t Backing Down.
I have to ask myself "Are both of these groups, members of the same species?" The answer has to be "They are members of different subspecies - that hardly recognize each other."
What I am saying here, is nothing new - people have been this way for a very long time - probably forever. We know what group we belong to - and this affects all our social interactions.
In our time, two groups have evolved - those that think, and those who do not think - the larger group, by far. Among their other traits, it can definitely be said that - they are not socially aware.
Some People Enjoy Being Bad
Perhaps I should say "Many people Enjoy Being Bad!" Or in some situations: "Most people enjoy being bad!"
In any case I can say, with complete confidence: "Most people do not want to think about this."
This is quite a change from the Enlightenment, when people thought about this a lot, What happened, to effect this huge change?
I am not smart enough, to answer this question. I can only say "It happened!" People changed drastically - but were not aware of this change. And were determined to not notice it.
Let me rephrase this - people changed, for the worse - but were determined to not notice this.
This change was not entirely for the worse - there was a lot of good mixed in with it. But it was clearly not good for people. And was not intended to be good for people - other things were more important. But no one wanted to say what these other things were.
But whatever they were, they arrived in the period between the middle of the 19th Century and the middle of the 20th. And little old me (who was born in 1936) was plopped down in the middle of them.
I didn't understand what was going on - who did? But I sure as hell didn't like it.
I wish could say, I responded correctly - but I didn't. I made wrong decisions right and left - but I did make a few correct ones - and ended up, badly battered, in a small town in Costa Rica.
With this laptop, and a fast Internet connection. Both of which are a good thing.
In any case I can say, with complete confidence: "Most people do not want to think about this."
This is quite a change from the Enlightenment, when people thought about this a lot, What happened, to effect this huge change?
I am not smart enough, to answer this question. I can only say "It happened!" People changed drastically - but were not aware of this change. And were determined to not notice it.
Let me rephrase this - people changed, for the worse - but were determined to not notice this.
This change was not entirely for the worse - there was a lot of good mixed in with it. But it was clearly not good for people. And was not intended to be good for people - other things were more important. But no one wanted to say what these other things were.
But whatever they were, they arrived in the period between the middle of the 19th Century and the middle of the 20th. And little old me (who was born in 1936) was plopped down in the middle of them.
I didn't understand what was going on - who did? But I sure as hell didn't like it.
I wish could say, I responded correctly - but I didn't. I made wrong decisions right and left - but I did make a few correct ones - and ended up, badly battered, in a small town in Costa Rica.
With this laptop, and a fast Internet connection. Both of which are a good thing.
Sunday, September 3, 2017
The Google Cloud
I have been scared of this - but now I am playing with it, I see it is easy to use and understand. It is well-designed and user-friendly. What more can I say?
I also have downloaded all the packages used by the Go language from golang.org. And installed the gogland IDE - so I can program in Go to my heart's content. I think it is the best language out there.
Using gogland with the Google Cloud will be easy - compared to using Visual Studio with Microsoft's Azure Cloud.
I also have downloaded all the packages used by the Go language from golang.org. And installed the gogland IDE - so I can program in Go to my heart's content. I think it is the best language out there.
Using gogland with the Google Cloud will be easy - compared to using Visual Studio with Microsoft's Azure Cloud.
Any Successful Technology has Powerful Social Consequences
And these are usually not noticed by those most affected by it. We are strange creatures - we make our technologies, but then they make us.
I am thinking about this today, because I am trying to understand my complicated relationship to the Computer. I am trying to understand it - while most people are trying their best to not understand it.
They know, in their unconscious minds, that it is effecting them profoundly (and not always in the best of ways) - and they have compensated for this, by saying - it has had no effect on them at all!
They know how to use it, and for them, that is enough.
For them, the Computer is something out there - and they are something in here. Two separate worlds, that do not interact. A separation that can only exist in their minds.
On a practical level - how can I delete computer services I no longer want? It's amazing how determined they are, to keep getting into my bank account.
They may not like me - but they sure like my money!
I am thinking about this today, because I am trying to understand my complicated relationship to the Computer. I am trying to understand it - while most people are trying their best to not understand it.
They know, in their unconscious minds, that it is effecting them profoundly (and not always in the best of ways) - and they have compensated for this, by saying - it has had no effect on them at all!
They know how to use it, and for them, that is enough.
For them, the Computer is something out there - and they are something in here. Two separate worlds, that do not interact. A separation that can only exist in their minds.
On a practical level - how can I delete computer services I no longer want? It's amazing how determined they are, to keep getting into my bank account.
They may not like me - but they sure like my money!
Saturday, September 2, 2017
She Don Know How to Dress, But She Do Know How to Talk
TED Niki Okuk
This gal got to be the worst-dressed gal in South-Central Los Angeles - and her body is nothing to look at. But she sure can talk!
She believes worker-owned companies are the new Capitalism - and they are going to save the world!
I doubt that, but they may be forming a new niche in the Economy - in the worst places in the Economy - such as the black ghetto where she lives - in her parlance, in the hood.
This gal got to be the worst-dressed gal in South-Central Los Angeles - and her body is nothing to look at. But she sure can talk!
She believes worker-owned companies are the new Capitalism - and they are going to save the world!
I doubt that, but they may be forming a new niche in the Economy - in the worst places in the Economy - such as the black ghetto where she lives - in her parlance, in the hood.
Computer People, who are Also People People
TED Zeynep Tufekci
There aren't many of these - but this gal is definitely one of them. She asks questions about AI you aren't supposed to ask.
I am also studying Gestalt Psychology, and Cryptocurrencies. And there are similar approaches in all three fields.
You gotta be careful with superficial appearances - they can bite you in the ass!
There aren't many of these - but this gal is definitely one of them. She asks questions about AI you aren't supposed to ask.
I am also studying Gestalt Psychology, and Cryptocurrencies. And there are similar approaches in all three fields.
You gotta be careful with superficial appearances - they can bite you in the ass!
The British Royal Family, as Seen from Below
Matriarch: Queen Mary and the House of Windsor
And one can see how the British Empire - the largest empire ever - was bound to fail.
This book was not intended as an exposé. But, after reading it - one cannot help but feel, that it is.
And one can see how the British Empire - the largest empire ever - was bound to fail.
Here is a quote about Queen Victoria:
She ruled her family with dedication and unswerving attention, and overlooked their faults with the same devoted blindness that kept her from seeing the faults of her nation.
Too Much of Too Much
You know what I am talking about here, before I say anything else.
Sometime back in the 19th Century, as far as I can tell - we ended up with too much of everything, and didn't know how to handle this. This drove us crazy, in all kinds of ways.
And most importantly - we were not able to recognize this.
It's not hard to see how this happened. We ended up with so many wonderful things - we forgot about ourselves. To put this another way - our better self was delicate, and easily damaged - and it got smashed in the mad rush to get more.
This explains the affluent countries, such as the US - what about the rest? I am in a good position to answer that question, since I now live in Costa Rica, in Latin America - that ended up holding the short end of the stick. Latinos are not rich, far from it - but they very much want to be - and will do almost anything to get there.
This desperation only makes their situation worse. They cannot stop, and ask themselves what they really want - all they can do is point at the affluent countries, and say "We want to be like them!"
They can see, easily enough - that these people who have so much, live a life they cannot stand. But, on the other hand - they cannot see this. Something about that wealth blinds them also.
Sometime back in the 19th Century, as far as I can tell - we ended up with too much of everything, and didn't know how to handle this. This drove us crazy, in all kinds of ways.
And most importantly - we were not able to recognize this.
It's not hard to see how this happened. We ended up with so many wonderful things - we forgot about ourselves. To put this another way - our better self was delicate, and easily damaged - and it got smashed in the mad rush to get more.
This explains the affluent countries, such as the US - what about the rest? I am in a good position to answer that question, since I now live in Costa Rica, in Latin America - that ended up holding the short end of the stick. Latinos are not rich, far from it - but they very much want to be - and will do almost anything to get there.
This desperation only makes their situation worse. They cannot stop, and ask themselves what they really want - all they can do is point at the affluent countries, and say "We want to be like them!"
They can see, easily enough - that these people who have so much, live a life they cannot stand. But, on the other hand - they cannot see this. Something about that wealth blinds them also.
Friday, September 1, 2017
Your Digital Identity
You got one, but it's probably been corrupted.
Take me, for example. I been kicked out of the Cloud twice! First, out of the IBM cloud - that didn't matter too much. Then out of the Microsoft Cloud - and that did matter! I was trying my hardest to learn its .NET framework, especially its F# language. But Microsoft decided I was an undesirable person - and gave me the boot.
I know what it feels like to be a nigger - even if all my family is a white as the driven snow.
"Tough shit!" You may say, "You shouldn't be looking at those bad things so much. Keep your mind clean, and no one will know you are there!"
But I gotta be me. And I have powerful ways of making people see me. They can look other ways - but I am still here.
Take me, for example. I been kicked out of the Cloud twice! First, out of the IBM cloud - that didn't matter too much. Then out of the Microsoft Cloud - and that did matter! I was trying my hardest to learn its .NET framework, especially its F# language. But Microsoft decided I was an undesirable person - and gave me the boot.
I know what it feels like to be a nigger - even if all my family is a white as the driven snow.
"Tough shit!" You may say, "You shouldn't be looking at those bad things so much. Keep your mind clean, and no one will know you are there!"
But I gotta be me. And I have powerful ways of making people see me. They can look other ways - but I am still here.
We Really Must Start Behaving Ourselves
We have been behaving like spoiled children.
Ortega y Gasset observed this back in the Thirties, when Fascism was on the rise in his own country of Spain - and was spreading rapidly. He looked around him, saw what was happening, reported his findings - and was ignored.
Maybe his diagnosis of spoiled children was not so good - he was trying to describe a complex phenomena - but there is an element of truth in it. Industrialization had made them rich - but treated them badly - and now they were going to get even, by destroying the world that had destroyed them.
I think this is a better way of looking at the problem - by looking at the widespread destructiveness that is going on everywhere. And ignored everywhere.
I can holler all I want about this - but I am wasting my breath. At certain times in history - everything falls apart, and nothing can put them back together. Humpty Dumpty has fallen of his wall.
All we can do is look at the results - a bunch of little pieces that used to form a whole - and marvel at them.
Ortega y Gasset observed this back in the Thirties, when Fascism was on the rise in his own country of Spain - and was spreading rapidly. He looked around him, saw what was happening, reported his findings - and was ignored.
Maybe his diagnosis of spoiled children was not so good - he was trying to describe a complex phenomena - but there is an element of truth in it. Industrialization had made them rich - but treated them badly - and now they were going to get even, by destroying the world that had destroyed them.
I think this is a better way of looking at the problem - by looking at the widespread destructiveness that is going on everywhere. And ignored everywhere.
I can holler all I want about this - but I am wasting my breath. At certain times in history - everything falls apart, and nothing can put them back together. Humpty Dumpty has fallen of his wall.
All we can do is look at the results - a bunch of little pieces that used to form a whole - and marvel at them.
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