What people say, what people do, and what people say they do, are entirely different things.
Friday, January 31, 2020
Margaret Mead in the Computer Age
Interaction Design
What people say, what people do, and what people say they do, are entirely different things.
What people say, what people do, and what people say they do, are entirely different things.
The Restored Gospel
It is a common belief in many Religions that the early years of the Religion were superior to the later years. And the Religion could be improved, by reverting its earlier beliefs.
This was the sales pitch used by the RLDS church, and later used by its successor, the Community of Christ. They thought the early Christian Church was described in the writings of the New Testament, and was being restored by them.
This belief was never written down, but only mentioned by other Church members in their writings. Such as Beatrice Witherspoon, which is still being copied by Amazon. Her husband, Captain Burton, was influential in the early RLDS church.
This approach is also by politicians (such as Trump) who want to restore a nation's power and purity.
This was the sales pitch used by the RLDS church, and later used by its successor, the Community of Christ. They thought the early Christian Church was described in the writings of the New Testament, and was being restored by them.
This belief was never written down, but only mentioned by other Church members in their writings. Such as Beatrice Witherspoon, which is still being copied by Amazon. Her husband, Captain Burton, was influential in the early RLDS church.
This approach is also by politicians (such as Trump) who want to restore a nation's power and purity.
Thursday, January 30, 2020
Joseph Smith III
Wikipedia
This has many photos, where many of the men are bearded.
Joseph Smith III had three wives: Emmeline Griswold, Bertha Madison. and Ada Rachel Clark; and had a total of 15 chidren, far more than he could relate to, as a father.
The family chart at the bottom includes David Hyrum Smith, who died in an insane asylum. The chart is in error here.
This has many photos, where many of the men are bearded.
Joseph Smith III had three wives: Emmeline Griswold, Bertha Madison. and Ada Rachel Clark; and had a total of 15 chidren, far more than he could relate to, as a father.
The family chart at the bottom includes David Hyrum Smith, who died in an insane asylum. The chart is in error here.
Owners and Managers of the RLDS Church
For my Grandparents (who lived in the first half of the 20th Century) this was simply God's Church. My Parents (who lived in the last half of the 20th Century) also believed this, but were beginning to wonder, as it transformed itself into the Community of Christ.
To explain this, I have to go back to the Church's beginnings, to the LDS church that was formed by Joseph Smith early in the 19th Century. This ended when Joseph Smith was killed by a mob in 1844. The Church then had no other leaders who could hold the Church together.
Many of them followed Brigham Young across the Rocky Mountains, with the intention of leaving the US entirely. They became successful in what would later become the State of Utah.
Meanwhile, back in Illinois, a group of Farmers, who had been members of the LDS Church, reorganized themselves as the RLDS church, They had money, but they needed a leader. Back in Nauvoo, Illinois, there was Emma Smith the wife of Joseph Smith, with three of his sons, who had been young boys when their father died, and had been mostly ignored by him, as he attended to his other interests. (He planed on running for the President of the US.)
Emma had remarried a man with no religious interests. She was left with Joseph's property (mainly Real Estate) but also his debts, which were extensive. And her sons were growing up, and marrying local women, with no way of supporting them. What to do?
Help came from the RLDS Church who employed all her sons, except Fredrick, who died in 1862, and David, who spent his life in a insane asylum. Especially Joseph Smith III, the oldest son, who became the Church leader. This was how the Church acquired its owners (Farmers in Northern Illinois) and its leader, JSIII.
JSIII considered the Church his Church, and greatly increased its membership. Farming, which had been the dominate industry, became less important, as the US industrialized. This was the situation at the beginning of the 20th Century. There were two Mormon churches, with the LDS Church in the West being much larger.
The LDS Church, which had been an empire, adapted to industrialization easily, but this was a problem for the RLDS Church, who had weak leadership. Eventually (late in the 20th Century) it became the Community of Christ,
This was stressful for RLDS Church members, and many of them left.
To explain this, I have to go back to the Church's beginnings, to the LDS church that was formed by Joseph Smith early in the 19th Century. This ended when Joseph Smith was killed by a mob in 1844. The Church then had no other leaders who could hold the Church together.
Many of them followed Brigham Young across the Rocky Mountains, with the intention of leaving the US entirely. They became successful in what would later become the State of Utah.
Meanwhile, back in Illinois, a group of Farmers, who had been members of the LDS Church, reorganized themselves as the RLDS church, They had money, but they needed a leader. Back in Nauvoo, Illinois, there was Emma Smith the wife of Joseph Smith, with three of his sons, who had been young boys when their father died, and had been mostly ignored by him, as he attended to his other interests. (He planed on running for the President of the US.)
Emma had remarried a man with no religious interests. She was left with Joseph's property (mainly Real Estate) but also his debts, which were extensive. And her sons were growing up, and marrying local women, with no way of supporting them. What to do?
Help came from the RLDS Church who employed all her sons, except Fredrick, who died in 1862, and David, who spent his life in a insane asylum. Especially Joseph Smith III, the oldest son, who became the Church leader. This was how the Church acquired its owners (Farmers in Northern Illinois) and its leader, JSIII.
JSIII considered the Church his Church, and greatly increased its membership. Farming, which had been the dominate industry, became less important, as the US industrialized. This was the situation at the beginning of the 20th Century. There were two Mormon churches, with the LDS Church in the West being much larger.
The LDS Church, which had been an empire, adapted to industrialization easily, but this was a problem for the RLDS Church, who had weak leadership. Eventually (late in the 20th Century) it became the Community of Christ,
This was stressful for RLDS Church members, and many of them left.
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
People are Not going to Make it
I thought of calling this "A pessimistic view of Human Nature" and maybe that would be a better title.
In any case, it is clear to me that most people do not know what is going on - and don't want to know.
But a few people are rushing ahead into the unknown, and training their Computers to be smarter than they are.
Maybe I could change that title to "People are not going to Make it - As they Are" And then explain what is holding them back. That should keep me busy for a while.
I am taking a course on Deep Learning from Coursera, that just started. These guys are typical of those I mentioned who are rushing ahead.
I have been part of other movements, over the years, that were going to make a better world. Needless to say, they have failed.
In any case, it is clear to me that most people do not know what is going on - and don't want to know.
But a few people are rushing ahead into the unknown, and training their Computers to be smarter than they are.
Maybe I could change that title to "People are not going to Make it - As they Are" And then explain what is holding them back. That should keep me busy for a while.
I am taking a course on Deep Learning from Coursera, that just started. These guys are typical of those I mentioned who are rushing ahead.
I have been part of other movements, over the years, that were going to make a better world. Needless to say, they have failed.
Monday, January 27, 2020
Benedict's Newsletter
This where most of my good ideas come from. I think of him as Saint Benedict.
I am no Saint myself, even if my family were Latter-Day-Saints. But I do believe in giving credit where it is due.
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Pupusas Jacky
This is a video you cannot click on, but other than that it seems ok. I'm having trouble with my laptop.
Jacky husband died recently, leaving her with three small children. She sets up this stand in front of the Church, where all the tourists come to visit.
I ate mine, sitting on the curb across the street from the stand.
Saturday, January 25, 2020
People who are Nothing are Powerful
And that is why so many people are nothing - they have instant power over everyone else, or almost everyone else.
They are also stupid, but if everyone else is stupid, that is not a problem.
They can help other people. if that makes them more powerful.
They can hurt other people, if this makes them more powerful.
They are also stupid, but if everyone else is stupid, that is not a problem.
They can help other people. if that makes them more powerful.
They can hurt other people, if this makes them more powerful.
Bitcoin and Ethereum in the Emergence of DeFi.
- Money and payments are built-in.
- Users can own their data, and your apps don’t spy and steal from you.
- Everyone has access to an open financial system.
- The internet is built on a neutral, open-access infrastructure, controlled by no company or person.
This is what it will be in twenty years or so. Right now it's a complete mess.
AWS, the Birth of the Cloud
Medium
Using third parties as a quality benchmark is a very interesting strategy. When you develop products and services internally, thinking of them as if they were going to be offered to third parties is a way of preparing them to be very competitive, because in internal use, on many occasions, we accept standards that would not necessarily be competitive in a hypothetical open market in which we are forced to compete with competitors. The same approach helps us when we need to keep the service competitive in a rapidly evolving market: the arrival of Amazon Web Services was a revolution that gave rise to cloud computing and what we might call chewing gum infrastructures that allowed payment based on real use. Amazon may not have invented” cloud computing as such, but it did largely make it the ubiquitous service we know. Its market leadership has a lot to do with the idea of designing a competitive product for use by the company itself, whose demands were far above those of the average customer at the time.
Using third parties as a quality benchmark is a very interesting strategy. When you develop products and services internally, thinking of them as if they were going to be offered to third parties is a way of preparing them to be very competitive, because in internal use, on many occasions, we accept standards that would not necessarily be competitive in a hypothetical open market in which we are forced to compete with competitors. The same approach helps us when we need to keep the service competitive in a rapidly evolving market: the arrival of Amazon Web Services was a revolution that gave rise to cloud computing and what we might call chewing gum infrastructures that allowed payment based on real use. Amazon may not have invented” cloud computing as such, but it did largely make it the ubiquitous service we know. Its market leadership has a lot to do with the idea of designing a competitive product for use by the company itself, whose demands were far above those of the average customer at the time.
Friday, January 24, 2020
Conservatism in the United States
Wikipedia
This is a long definition, and I will not copy it here. I will only copy the last paragraph:
Historians such as Patrick Allitt and political theorists such as Russell Kirk argue that the conservative tradition has played a major role in American politics and culture since 1776. However, they assert that an organized conservative movement with beliefs that differ from those of other American political parties has played a key role in politics only since the 1950s. The recent movement is based in the Republican Party; however, some Southern Democrats were also important figures early in the movement's history.
This is a long definition, and I will not copy it here. I will only copy the last paragraph:
Historians such as Patrick Allitt and political theorists such as Russell Kirk argue that the conservative tradition has played a major role in American politics and culture since 1776. However, they assert that an organized conservative movement with beliefs that differ from those of other American political parties has played a key role in politics only since the 1950s. The recent movement is based in the Republican Party; however, some Southern Democrats were also important figures early in the movement's history.
How Mormons Built the Next Silicon Valley While No One Was Looking
Medium
This a long read about a complicated subject: Mormonism, or the LDS church.
Back in the early 19th Century, there were Mormon Wars, which resulted in the death of their founder, Joseph Smith at the hands of an angry mob. Those were violent times, and many Indians suffered the same fate.
Now Mormons are successful businessmen at all levels - because they are honest.
As someone who grew up in the RLDS church, the comparison between the two churches is painful.
the LDS church was been a success, the RLDS a failure.
Many in my family will deny this, but this article tends to agree. They have money, they know how to use it.
And they know how to use Software.
This a long read about a complicated subject: Mormonism, or the LDS church.
Back in the early 19th Century, there were Mormon Wars, which resulted in the death of their founder, Joseph Smith at the hands of an angry mob. Those were violent times, and many Indians suffered the same fate.
Now Mormons are successful businessmen at all levels - because they are honest.
As someone who grew up in the RLDS church, the comparison between the two churches is painful.
the LDS church was been a success, the RLDS a failure.
Many in my family will deny this, but this article tends to agree. They have money, they know how to use it.
And they know how to use Software.
Chan and Zuckerberg
Reading about these guys on Wikipedia is a good way to start your day, by reading about some smart guys who are also good - an unusual combination.
I recommend starting with Priscilla Chan first, because this article does the best job of describing their philanthropy - which is considerable.
The article about Mark Zuckerberg does a good job of describing his religious background.
This also shows his technical expertise - also considerable.
He is also an expert at advertising himself. He spent 5 hours in front of a congressional committee, who ordered him to stop developing his Libra cryptocurrency.
He said nothing in reply.
I recommend starting with Priscilla Chan first, because this article does the best job of describing their philanthropy - which is considerable.
The article about Mark Zuckerberg does a good job of describing his religious background.
This also shows his technical expertise - also considerable.
He is also an expert at advertising himself. He spent 5 hours in front of a congressional committee, who ordered him to stop developing his Libra cryptocurrency.
He said nothing in reply.
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Feeling at Home
These are not the same thing, but what exactly is the difference?
I was thinking this morning about all the Gringos (Americans and Canadians) who have lived in my little town of Orosi, Costa Rica. Hoping to make a new life for themselves. And then gone back.
Why? They don't know, but they have to do it. They have to go home.
The same is true of Ticos (Costa Ricans) who live for a while in the States. They have to go home.
But some of them (such as myself) do not feel this way and stay here.
Again I have to ask, Why? What is the difference between these two groups of people?
I see how it is here, I like it, and I stay. The other group can also see how it is here, and they leave.
They like it, but that is not important to them. What is more important to them is that they are in the right place, someplace that feels like home.
I was thinking this morning about all the Gringos (Americans and Canadians) who have lived in my little town of Orosi, Costa Rica. Hoping to make a new life for themselves. And then gone back.
Why? They don't know, but they have to do it. They have to go home.
The same is true of Ticos (Costa Ricans) who live for a while in the States. They have to go home.
But some of them (such as myself) do not feel this way and stay here.
Again I have to ask, Why? What is the difference between these two groups of people?
I see how it is here, I like it, and I stay. The other group can also see how it is here, and they leave.
They like it, but that is not important to them. What is more important to them is that they are in the right place, someplace that feels like home.
People Own their Personal Information
This belief was caused by the Computer and its Information Economy.
Information (of any kind) was valuable. Especially to unscrupulous persons, who could use it to dominate other persons.
The solution for this was to make some information personal, make it the property of the individual. And forbid other people to use it.
Sounds simple, doesn't it? But this requires regulation by people who can tell what is private and what is not.
But this is difficult, and in many cases, impossible.
Take what I am writing now, in this blog. Who owns it? This one of the difficult questions of our time, that most people solve by not thinking about it.
Information (of any kind) was valuable. Especially to unscrupulous persons, who could use it to dominate other persons.
The solution for this was to make some information personal, make it the property of the individual. And forbid other people to use it.
Sounds simple, doesn't it? But this requires regulation by people who can tell what is private and what is not.
But this is difficult, and in many cases, impossible.
Take what I am writing now, in this blog. Who owns it? This one of the difficult questions of our time, that most people solve by not thinking about it.
Crypto is Crap
I discovered this the hard way: by trying to use it, and its many Wallets.
Before this, I was an intense admirer of the idea behind it: a financial system run equally by everyone. Sometimes called Distributed Finance (Defi).
I still admire the idea. But is implementation is defective.
I have found this to be true of many financial schemes. Such as the ones to bring packages from the US to Costa Rica.
As soon as money enters the picture, people go crazy!
Before this, I was an intense admirer of the idea behind it: a financial system run equally by everyone. Sometimes called Distributed Finance (Defi).
I still admire the idea. But is implementation is defective.
I have found this to be true of many financial schemes. Such as the ones to bring packages from the US to Costa Rica.
As soon as money enters the picture, people go crazy!
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
I hit Paydirt
With my last posting, Rational went out of Business Because.
After wandering through the Software landscape, all of a sudden my vision clarified, and I could see what was behind everything.
One paragraph there says this:
Software is not just one technology, it is many. and they often compete with each other.
Got it? I hope so because this will save you the struggle I went through.
After wandering through the Software landscape, all of a sudden my vision clarified, and I could see what was behind everything.
One paragraph there says this:
Software is not just one technology, it is many. and they often compete with each other.
Got it? I hope so because this will save you the struggle I went through.
Rational went out of Business Because
Rational Unified Process
It was too far ahead of its time.
My most potent experience in Silicon Valley in the Nineties was with a company called Adaptec. They were busy doing everything wrong with their software and I got to watch them at this.
One of their developers had the Rational software, and he was also watching their progress, and wondering at it. It wasn't long before we both left the company.
Those guys did not want to produce good software, which was what Rational was trying to do.
Software in the Nineties was just getting its act together, and going through a huge boom and bust. It would take it 20 years to mature, and hundreds of companies would go out of business - including Rational.
What we have now, is something we could not have imagined earlier, and something we can barely understand now.
It is not just one technology, it is many. and they often compete with each other.
People outside the industry (99 percent of the population) cannot understand this. They are used to simple situations, and today's situation is complex.
With many things affecting many other things.
It was too far ahead of its time.
My most potent experience in Silicon Valley in the Nineties was with a company called Adaptec. They were busy doing everything wrong with their software and I got to watch them at this.
One of their developers had the Rational software, and he was also watching their progress, and wondering at it. It wasn't long before we both left the company.
Those guys did not want to produce good software, which was what Rational was trying to do.
Software in the Nineties was just getting its act together, and going through a huge boom and bust. It would take it 20 years to mature, and hundreds of companies would go out of business - including Rational.
What we have now, is something we could not have imagined earlier, and something we can barely understand now.
It is not just one technology, it is many. and they often compete with each other.
People outside the industry (99 percent of the population) cannot understand this. They are used to simple situations, and today's situation is complex.
With many things affecting many other things.
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Our Aunt Zera
This is intended for my siblings, who have recently compared my sister Linda to her.
Aunt Zera was our Father's Sister. Our Father lived with her when he went to High School when the rest of his family left town due to the Railroad Strike.
She married a successful businessman and bore him three daughters. None of her children, however, went to college.
She had poor health in her old age, and her marriage deteriorated.
Aunt Zera was our Father's Sister. Our Father lived with her when he went to High School when the rest of his family left town due to the Railroad Strike.
She married a successful businessman and bore him three daughters. None of her children, however, went to college.
She had poor health in her old age, and her marriage deteriorated.
Work in the Software Economy
Work is having a job you get paid for.
My Father's father worked for the Santa Fe Railroad and was an ardent union member. He was a Worker, working for a company, that had no interest in his welfare.
His only alternative was being an itinerant farmer, working other people's land, for a percentage of the profits. Either way, poverty stared him in the face.
My father, and many other men of his generation, become a small businessman, and during the post-war boom economy in the Fifties made enough money to support a family, and send his children to college.
Now, in 2020, I have retired from writing Software. and have time to reflect on how much our world has changed. One thing that has changed is the Nature of Work and the Economy.
This changed during the period 1980-2010 when Software became dominant.
Few people are now Workers. at jobs doing things. There is now little money for this. But Microsoft, Apple, Google, and Amazon have money coming out of their ears - and plenty of high-paying jobs.
These companies did not exist fifty years ago, but they now control what goes on. They provide the tools everyone needs.
My Father's father worked for the Santa Fe Railroad and was an ardent union member. He was a Worker, working for a company, that had no interest in his welfare.
His only alternative was being an itinerant farmer, working other people's land, for a percentage of the profits. Either way, poverty stared him in the face.
My father, and many other men of his generation, become a small businessman, and during the post-war boom economy in the Fifties made enough money to support a family, and send his children to college.
Now, in 2020, I have retired from writing Software. and have time to reflect on how much our world has changed. One thing that has changed is the Nature of Work and the Economy.
This changed during the period 1980-2010 when Software became dominant.
Few people are now Workers. at jobs doing things. There is now little money for this. But Microsoft, Apple, Google, and Amazon have money coming out of their ears - and plenty of high-paying jobs.
These companies did not exist fifty years ago, but they now control what goes on. They provide the tools everyone needs.
Monday, January 20, 2020
Chose Solutions that are easy to Improve On
If they don't work out.
This has been suggested by many people, and should be taken seriously.
Consider the Computer, that has had many effects on us. We should have paid careful attention to its development (the transition from the Desktop to the Laptop, for example) and the development of the Cloud.
The key word here is development.
We assume this is beneficial, but sometimes it is not.
Consider Industry, as in Industrialization. I grew up in an industrial town: Ft. Madison, Iowa. It had the Santa Fe Railroad on the West End (where we lived) and Sheaffer Pen (that made fountain pens) on the East End, where my Father had his Photography studio. Where people got their pictures took after they got married.
None of this now exists, and the West End has turned into a slum.
All this was developed in the first half of the 20th Century and then closed down in the last half.
And people said "It couldn't be helped!"
It could have been helped alright - if they had noticed what was going on.
This has been suggested by many people, and should be taken seriously.
Consider the Computer, that has had many effects on us. We should have paid careful attention to its development (the transition from the Desktop to the Laptop, for example) and the development of the Cloud.
The key word here is development.
We assume this is beneficial, but sometimes it is not.
Consider Industry, as in Industrialization. I grew up in an industrial town: Ft. Madison, Iowa. It had the Santa Fe Railroad on the West End (where we lived) and Sheaffer Pen (that made fountain pens) on the East End, where my Father had his Photography studio. Where people got their pictures took after they got married.
None of this now exists, and the West End has turned into a slum.
All this was developed in the first half of the 20th Century and then closed down in the last half.
And people said "It couldn't be helped!"
It could have been helped alright - if they had noticed what was going on.
Human Rights are no Longer Important in the US
I keep trying to answer the question "What's going on?" And I keep discovering that whatever it is, people are not interested in it.
Consider the Woman's March on Washington. What did this accomplish? Nothing, it seems to me. But for other people, it accomplished a lot, because a lot of people were there, and they made the news.
Making news is important. Everyone wants to know "What is everyone else doing?" And they will do that also.
What is going on? Everyone is doing the same thing, without giving any thought to it at all.
Consider the Woman's March on Washington. What did this accomplish? Nothing, it seems to me. But for other people, it accomplished a lot, because a lot of people were there, and they made the news.
Making news is important. Everyone wants to know "What is everyone else doing?" And they will do that also.
What is going on? Everyone is doing the same thing, without giving any thought to it at all.
Sunday, January 19, 2020
Mozart: La Clemenza di Tito
Medici.tv
This production is unusual for technical reasons: you can watch it with few interruptions.
Before this, you spent lots of waiting for the streaming server to catch up with the action. Medici is finally up to YouTube standards.
This production is unusual for technical reasons: you can watch it with few interruptions.
Before this, you spent lots of waiting for the streaming server to catch up with the action. Medici is finally up to YouTube standards.
Windows 10 Keeps getting Better
I have a Windows 10 Laptop, that two years ago used to have plenty of problems. But Microsoft kept updating it, and now it works fine.
Before the mouse only worked intermittently, now it works fine.
Before I could not upload pictures from my digital camera, now I can.
Before I kept losing tabs in the Google Chrome browser - very annoying.
But you have to get a Laptop with Windows 10 already installed in it, and 8 Gb of RAM, so you can install the Google software in it. This will set you back about $400.
Before the mouse only worked intermittently, now it works fine.
Before I could not upload pictures from my digital camera, now I can.
Before I kept losing tabs in the Google Chrome browser - very annoying.
But you have to get a Laptop with Windows 10 already installed in it, and 8 Gb of RAM, so you can install the Google software in it. This will set you back about $400.
Software People are Very Social
Agile is Dead
Software Developers go to a lot of conferences, to see and be seen - and to learn.
This youtube video was made at one of them. The speaker is very fat, but that does not matter.
This video got 36K views because he is saying something important to them.
The right-hand column is full of videos that are critical of the Software Industry. I cannot think of another industry that is so critical of itself! This is a huge advantage, and it is racing ahead.
The US has failed in many ways, but it leads the world in Software.
China wants to catch up, but it cannot give its People (which include its Software People) freedom of thought.
The Way Things are Done Now
The way things are done in the US, the UK, and the EU is self-destructive. Things are done this way because this way feels right. And every other way feels wrong,
"Yes," You may say, "But these feelings are wrong!"
This makes no difference to most people, because for them because what most people want, is the way things have to be done - right or wrong.
I am speaking of the situation in the last half of the 20th Century. When things were really bad, but no one noticed this.
We knew something was wrong, but we did not know what this something was. And most of us still do not know.
Global Warming is happening, but most of us deny this. And we elect leaders who deny this.
The Human Race will soldier on, we will still be around, but our computers are getting smarter.
Whether they will save us, remains to be seen.
Saturday, January 18, 2020
What We Really Are
Many people keep their real selves carefully hidden. I knew a woman like this, her name was Carol.
I was working in Silicon Valley then, in the Nineties. I met her at a clothing-optional resort. I didn't know the place existed, I probably went there to attend some kind of workshop. That is what people did back then, they attended workshops of all kinds, every weekend.
Everyone in this workshop was fully clothed. But Carol stood out because I could see she knew her mind. We started dating, and I got to know her. She had worked in publishing in NYC and knew about the most interesting books.
But then her mind changed. She became obsessed with dietary supplements. She bought harmonically-induced clay solutions, that had classical music played to it. She tried it, and it made her feel better. She tried to sell it to other people, and she was frequently invited to parties as one of the local interesting people, where she exhibited a whole suitcase of these products.
She was so poor, she was sleeping in her car underneath bridges. Housing was a problem, but she was clever and she was soon cooking muffins for breakfast at a resort on an island near Seattle because she could get up early, and cooking them was so easy.
But then her mind deteriorated some more and she stopped emailing me in Costa Rica.
Because she didn't want me to see what she had really become.
I was working in Silicon Valley then, in the Nineties. I met her at a clothing-optional resort. I didn't know the place existed, I probably went there to attend some kind of workshop. That is what people did back then, they attended workshops of all kinds, every weekend.
Everyone in this workshop was fully clothed. But Carol stood out because I could see she knew her mind. We started dating, and I got to know her. She had worked in publishing in NYC and knew about the most interesting books.
But then her mind changed. She became obsessed with dietary supplements. She bought harmonically-induced clay solutions, that had classical music played to it. She tried it, and it made her feel better. She tried to sell it to other people, and she was frequently invited to parties as one of the local interesting people, where she exhibited a whole suitcase of these products.
She was so poor, she was sleeping in her car underneath bridges. Housing was a problem, but she was clever and she was soon cooking muffins for breakfast at a resort on an island near Seattle because she could get up early, and cooking them was so easy.
But then her mind deteriorated some more and she stopped emailing me in Costa Rica.
Because she didn't want me to see what she had really become.
Crazy Making
This when we deliberately drive other people crazy. A common mode of behavior, but one we are not usually conscious of.
It is common in the business world where the intention is to confuse the Customer (or User) so he (or she) becomes helpless, and not able to cause any trouble.
She will take the safest route out, and become nothing.
The company will fail, but this is considered a minor handicap. Or even be converted (by some kind of mental alchemy) into a success!
I saw this frequently when I worked in Silicon Valley in the Nineties.
I was a tech writer at the time, and I had followed the Computer as it worked its way down the coast from Ventura County to San Diego. The destructiveness I witnessed (especially in Orange County) was awesome. But not noticed by anyone else.
This also happens in Latin America, in fact, it was perfected here (in Mexico) before moving northward across the border.
I am trying to use a local company to import my packages from Amazon (in the US) to Costa Rica. You would not believe the hassle I have gone through. It was crazy-making incarnate.
It is common in the business world where the intention is to confuse the Customer (or User) so he (or she) becomes helpless, and not able to cause any trouble.
She will take the safest route out, and become nothing.
The company will fail, but this is considered a minor handicap. Or even be converted (by some kind of mental alchemy) into a success!
I saw this frequently when I worked in Silicon Valley in the Nineties.
I was a tech writer at the time, and I had followed the Computer as it worked its way down the coast from Ventura County to San Diego. The destructiveness I witnessed (especially in Orange County) was awesome. But not noticed by anyone else.
This also happens in Latin America, in fact, it was perfected here (in Mexico) before moving northward across the border.
I am trying to use a local company to import my packages from Amazon (in the US) to Costa Rica. You would not believe the hassle I have gone through. It was crazy-making incarnate.
The Toxic Bubble of Technical Debt Threatening America
Medium The Atlantic
I just tried to subscribe to the Atlantic Magazine, but could not. Their subscription software is defective.
How often this is the case: their software is defective! But this is just an indicator of the much larger problem this article is about.
Our entire (highly technical) culture is defective. In ways beyond number.
I just tried to subscribe to the Atlantic Magazine, but could not. Their subscription software is defective.
How often this is the case: their software is defective! But this is just an indicator of the much larger problem this article is about.
Our entire (highly technical) culture is defective. In ways beyond number.
Friday, January 17, 2020
Your Personal History
This is the history of my youngest sister, Linda. She will be making corrections to it.
You were the youngest child in the family, an unexpected pregnancy 10 years after the rest of us were born.
You went to Graceland College, and to the San - two institutions of the RLDS church everyone in our family belonged to. How long you went there, or why you quit, I do not know.
You then went to live with our parents. until our father died. After this, you were a different person.
You married a seriously defective man, went to live with his family in Southern Texas, and had three children by him, after adopting a boy. He then remarried a number of times.
You gained a lot of weight and developed Diabetes. You had cancer and had both breasts removed. Recently you developed lung cancer and have to be connected to an oxygen tank constantly.
In short, you are the youngest member of the family, but you have more problems than the rest of us put together.
My brother Steve added:
Not only was she a member of the church, but a faithful member through a time of lots of change, a time when significant others around her couldn't remain. Linda is a deeply spiritual person, sensitive to spirits (sometimes to the point of personal distress); that sensitivity and gentleness led her to native American flute playing and drumming both for personal soothing of spirit and as a ministry to others. She was a school librarian who made her library a refuge for students as well as a place of special learning. She has borne her troubles with dignity and perseverance. She is a lovely lady.
My Sister Rogene adds:
I should also mention she is the best looking of the bunch and I think she looks like aunt Zera now and has Aunt Zera's gentle accepting soul.
You were the youngest child in the family, an unexpected pregnancy 10 years after the rest of us were born.
You went to Graceland College, and to the San - two institutions of the RLDS church everyone in our family belonged to. How long you went there, or why you quit, I do not know.
You then went to live with our parents. until our father died. After this, you were a different person.
You married a seriously defective man, went to live with his family in Southern Texas, and had three children by him, after adopting a boy. He then remarried a number of times.
You gained a lot of weight and developed Diabetes. You had cancer and had both breasts removed. Recently you developed lung cancer and have to be connected to an oxygen tank constantly.
In short, you are the youngest member of the family, but you have more problems than the rest of us put together.
My brother Steve added:
Not only was she a member of the church, but a faithful member through a time of lots of change, a time when significant others around her couldn't remain. Linda is a deeply spiritual person, sensitive to spirits (sometimes to the point of personal distress); that sensitivity and gentleness led her to native American flute playing and drumming both for personal soothing of spirit and as a ministry to others. She was a school librarian who made her library a refuge for students as well as a place of special learning. She has borne her troubles with dignity and perseverance. She is a lovely lady.
My Sister Rogene adds:
I should also mention she is the best looking of the bunch and I think she looks like aunt Zera now and has Aunt Zera's gentle accepting soul.
How to make a User Interface Work
This is so simple, no app should be without it.
Whenever the app is communicating with the user, it should include a little window, asking him "Having trouble with this?"
If the user clicks on the window, it will open up and provide space for him to answer. After he answers, his input will be sent to a special company-wide location, where it will have a tracking number assigned to it.
The user is given this number and asked to refer to it in any future correspondence. It is also sent to someone in the company to answer. This problem will be taken seriously because it will make the app better (and the reputation of the company).
The user will be informed of this and thanked for his help.
Whenever the app is communicating with the user, it should include a little window, asking him "Having trouble with this?"
If the user clicks on the window, it will open up and provide space for him to answer. After he answers, his input will be sent to a special company-wide location, where it will have a tracking number assigned to it.
The user is given this number and asked to refer to it in any future correspondence. It is also sent to someone in the company to answer. This problem will be taken seriously because it will make the app better (and the reputation of the company).
The user will be informed of this and thanked for his help.
Thursday, January 16, 2020
People Behave the way Other People want them To Behave
There are plenty of exceptions to this, but these exceptions prove the rule.
There are not many criminals, but everyone knows who they are.
I once mentioned Al Capone when I was in Costa Rica (thousands of miles away) and everyone knew who he was.
People's reputation spreads far and wide very quickly (almost the speed of light).
But who they really are may be unknown, even to themselves.
There are not many criminals, but everyone knows who they are.
I once mentioned Al Capone when I was in Costa Rica (thousands of miles away) and everyone knew who he was.
People's reputation spreads far and wide very quickly (almost the speed of light).
But who they really are may be unknown, even to themselves.
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
The Dam Has Broken
daily kos
I’ve been waiting for this moment. I knew it had to come, there wasn’t any other available option. Y’all know me, and I’m not shy about putting my head out there and leading with my chin on a subject, making a prediction. But not this time. This time I wanted to keep my powder dry and see exactly how it shook out, and who actually made the move first. And now I know.
This guy, who calls himself Murfster35 is setting a new style in journalistic writing. Read on, and see what I mean.
Destruction and Construction
These are opposites but in many people's minds, they are the same thing.
This is hard for me to understand, so I have to make a mental jump and accept other people's values. This is not easy, but it has to be done.
But my mind still resists, when it was built, millions of years ago, being logical made me successful. And I still want to be successful.
I have to accept that we are no longer as successful as we were, and we might not be successful at all.
There are many reasons for this, most of which are beyond my comprehension. All I have to do is accept they are there.
This is hard for me to understand, so I have to make a mental jump and accept other people's values. This is not easy, but it has to be done.
But my mind still resists, when it was built, millions of years ago, being logical made me successful. And I still want to be successful.
I have to accept that we are no longer as successful as we were, and we might not be successful at all.
There are many reasons for this, most of which are beyond my comprehension. All I have to do is accept they are there.
How can we be Nothing?
This is not the same as being bad (or being good), it is not being at all. A state of being that is new to our times and is very attractive to us.
It has the tremendous advantage of making its people invisible, They are in control, but cannot be blamed for anything that happens.
To see this in action, observe President Trump. He seems crazy, but there is a method to his madness. He is trying, to the best of his ability, to be nothing. He often fails at this, but he is trying.
His people are watching him, to see how well he succeeds at this. Unfortunately, this also results in destructive behavior. As his people see it, an unfortunate side effect.
If their world is going to hell, all is well.
It has the tremendous advantage of making its people invisible, They are in control, but cannot be blamed for anything that happens.
To see this in action, observe President Trump. He seems crazy, but there is a method to his madness. He is trying, to the best of his ability, to be nothing. He often fails at this, but he is trying.
His people are watching him, to see how well he succeeds at this. Unfortunately, this also results in destructive behavior. As his people see it, an unfortunate side effect.
If their world is going to hell, all is well.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
I got my Samsung Phone working
Was this a hassle! But since it is an Android device, I got a lot of Google services (such as Gmail) with it.
My laptop is only working intermittently. I had to go to Cartago (via the Bus) to get a special connector, get my SIM card moved from my old phone to the new one, go back home and follow the online instructions (several times) to get the thing working.
This one is much quieter. I will have to stick it in a pocket to hear if I have a call. The old one would wake me up in the middle of the night.
I downloaded and installed WhatsApp. Now I have free Internet calling anywhere in the world. My number is (506) 8704-9505.
My laptop is only working intermittently. I had to go to Cartago (via the Bus) to get a special connector, get my SIM card moved from my old phone to the new one, go back home and follow the online instructions (several times) to get the thing working.
This one is much quieter. I will have to stick it in a pocket to hear if I have a call. The old one would wake me up in the middle of the night.
I downloaded and installed WhatsApp. Now I have free Internet calling anywhere in the world. My number is (506) 8704-9505.
Monday, January 13, 2020
I got into Computers too Early
I made the transition from being an Electronic Engineer to Software Developer in 1980. When I should have waited until 2010.
A difference of 30 years, which in today's fast-changing world is practically forever.
I want to comment on the phrase "fast-changing world". We do live in a fast-changing world, something Human Beings are poorly adapted to. We were formed in a world that evolved slowly, over millions of years.
The world we have now is stressful, and we do not like it. We are attracted to dictators, who promise to turn back the clock for us.
This is what happened in the 20th Century, and the first part of the 21st. We made a very determined effort to mess things up. And we have succeeded at this.
A difference of 30 years, which in today's fast-changing world is practically forever.
I want to comment on the phrase "fast-changing world". We do live in a fast-changing world, something Human Beings are poorly adapted to. We were formed in a world that evolved slowly, over millions of years.
The world we have now is stressful, and we do not like it. We are attracted to dictators, who promise to turn back the clock for us.
This is what happened in the 20th Century, and the first part of the 21st. We made a very determined effort to mess things up. And we have succeeded at this.
Sunday, January 12, 2020
People have taken a Turn for the Worse
At least it seems that way to me. And I have a strong urge to say so.
We have a powerful new tool, the Computer, but not the urge to understand it or use it properly. People feel if they are ignorant, they are better people, especially if they are ignorant of the Computer - which is seen as Evil.
There are good reasons for feeling this way, unconscious reasons. But we should become conscious of them. The Computer (and its networks) have created lots of problems for us, and we should be aware of them.
We can begin by learning how the Computer works - finding out what it really is. I have tried doing this, with scant success. Either people already know this - or they don't know this, and don't want to know this. The later kind, are the most of the people in the population.
Companies, such as the Banks, should have a desk with someone who understands computers sitting there. with a laptop (this is already the case). Customers should feel free to bring their own laptops in and put them on the desk, and explain any problem that they might have.
Costumers should be considered part of the company, and their needs also the Company's needs.
We have a powerful new tool, the Computer, but not the urge to understand it or use it properly. People feel if they are ignorant, they are better people, especially if they are ignorant of the Computer - which is seen as Evil.
There are good reasons for feeling this way, unconscious reasons. But we should become conscious of them. The Computer (and its networks) have created lots of problems for us, and we should be aware of them.
We can begin by learning how the Computer works - finding out what it really is. I have tried doing this, with scant success. Either people already know this - or they don't know this, and don't want to know this. The later kind, are the most of the people in the population.
Companies, such as the Banks, should have a desk with someone who understands computers sitting there. with a laptop (this is already the case). Customers should feel free to bring their own laptops in and put them on the desk, and explain any problem that they might have.
Costumers should be considered part of the company, and their needs also the Company's needs.
Saturday, January 11, 2020
An Incident at the Meat Market
The competition between these stores in Orosi has become intense.
Yesterday I went to the newest one (a tiny place) to buy a pound of Carne Molido (ground beef). To my surprise, the man behind the counter wanted to shake my hand! I could see he wanted to please his boss by showing him he was bringing in a new customer (me). He looked familiar, but I didn't know where I had met him before.
A young woman appeared to take my money (about 3 dollars) she looked familiar also, probably from another market that had shut down.
I saw some sausage, cut up in 4-inch pieces, and said I would like some of that also. The owner stepped forward and said I could have one for free!
I will go back there whenever I buy more meat, which is not often.
The Customers and the Company
Too often companies exploit their customers, trying to get as much from them as they can while giving them as little as possible, in order to maximize profits.
They will produce defective products deliberately because they can get away with this when producing effective products could be done just as easily.
They think little of their customers, and consider them inferior beings, who are dependent on them.
This situation produces poor mental health in everyone; those at the top, and those at the bottom. This is a stressful world, full of violence.
There are many kinds of companies, many kinds of organizations; who are more interested in themselves than anyone else.
This is clearly seen in trade agreements, where the rich and powerful seek to make themselves more rich and powerful. The alternative is free trade, that everyone says they want but never seems to happen.
They will produce defective products deliberately because they can get away with this when producing effective products could be done just as easily.
They think little of their customers, and consider them inferior beings, who are dependent on them.
This situation produces poor mental health in everyone; those at the top, and those at the bottom. This is a stressful world, full of violence.
There are many kinds of companies, many kinds of organizations; who are more interested in themselves than anyone else.
This is clearly seen in trade agreements, where the rich and powerful seek to make themselves more rich and powerful. The alternative is free trade, that everyone says they want but never seems to happen.
Defective Tutorials
I have run into a bunch of these lately, from people who should know better, such as Microsoft.
Microsoft has some excellent tutorials and some that could not be worse. And doesn't seem to know the difference.
For the good kind, it asks for each one "Is this ok?" All it has to do to make all of them good, is ask this question for all of them.
GitHub is another example. It really wants to help its users and has apps to do this. But they do not work. This makes me wonder what is going in their corporate grey matter
Microsoft has some excellent tutorials and some that could not be worse. And doesn't seem to know the difference.
For the good kind, it asks for each one "Is this ok?" All it has to do to make all of them good, is ask this question for all of them.
GitHub is another example. It really wants to help its users and has apps to do this. But they do not work. This makes me wonder what is going in their corporate grey matter
Thursday, January 9, 2020
What does "Worker" mean in the Software Economy?
It means nothing like it meant during the Industrial Era, parts of which are still with us today.
Amazon, for example, sells goods from its warehouses, using robots and people it treats as robots. They work hard and are paid poorly.
At the same time, it hires Software Developers to do DevOps (it invented this occupational specialty) and pays them well. Those higher-ups on the food chain get paid more.
If asked about its workers, it points to the later. An overall model clearly derived from Industrialization and Slavery.
In fact, the Model-View-Controller Pattern is now common. With the Model containing all the Business logic. The View is what the User sees and responds to.
The Worker is in the middle of this.
Amazon, for example, sells goods from its warehouses, using robots and people it treats as robots. They work hard and are paid poorly.
At the same time, it hires Software Developers to do DevOps (it invented this occupational specialty) and pays them well. Those higher-ups on the food chain get paid more.
If asked about its workers, it points to the later. An overall model clearly derived from Industrialization and Slavery.
In fact, the Model-View-Controller Pattern is now common. With the Model containing all the Business logic. The View is what the User sees and responds to.
The Worker is in the middle of this.
Online Learning
The advantages of College learning are well known, they have been developed for hundreds of years, ever since the Modern World began. But now they cost too much, for the average family. Which has been divided into two groups: those who have attended college, and those who have not.
The disadvantages of not going to college have developed rapidly. in the last fifty years or so. But its solution has developed rapidly also: Online Learning.
This now the best way to learn about Software, which is the best way to earn money. So why are most people not doing it?
Beats me. I have no way of looking into their minds and finding out. But they are afraid of something. And that fear is very great.
Perhaps it is fear of being abandoned. This was the fear I got from my mother "If you do not behave, I will deny your existence," This was the last thing I heard from her when she was dying from cancer.
We have a fear of being overtaken by the Computer (by AI) and we do not want to be like it.
This is not an entirely unreasonable fear, and we should be aware of it.
The disadvantages of not going to college have developed rapidly. in the last fifty years or so. But its solution has developed rapidly also: Online Learning.
This now the best way to learn about Software, which is the best way to earn money. So why are most people not doing it?
Beats me. I have no way of looking into their minds and finding out. But they are afraid of something. And that fear is very great.
Perhaps it is fear of being abandoned. This was the fear I got from my mother "If you do not behave, I will deny your existence," This was the last thing I heard from her when she was dying from cancer.
We have a fear of being overtaken by the Computer (by AI) and we do not want to be like it.
This is not an entirely unreasonable fear, and we should be aware of it.
UC Berkeley’s Ultra-Popular ‘Adulting’ Class Shows Just How Badly Our Society Has Failed Young People
Inc.
Here I am, in Costa Rica, where people can learn about parenting, by watching other people do it. Some of them do not do it very well, but the results are there for all to see.
This is also true in the States, but there bad parenting is covered up - usually successfully.
Any therapist knows this and has her own method for dealing with it.
Here I am, in Costa Rica, where people can learn about parenting, by watching other people do it. Some of them do not do it very well, but the results are there for all to see.
This is also true in the States, but there bad parenting is covered up - usually successfully.
Any therapist knows this and has her own method for dealing with it.
Understanding Finance
Much of what goes on with our money goes on behind closed doors. This necessary, we are told, because it is complicated: millions of transactions a second all over the place.
But Life itself is complicated, with millions of interactions all over the place. But somehow it keeps working.
And we, as people, are stuck in the middle, between Life and Technology. Money is a big part of our Technology.
And much of what goes on with our money, goes on without our knowledge. Contracts have been made, and they have to be fulfilled.
Much of this is a good thing: I get my retirement income once a month, and I live off of that.
But much of that money sloshing around is not so benevolent. And sometimes it stops moving, and we have a very hard time: a Depression.
We should be asking ourselves "How can we have an economy that works correctly?"
But instead, we have dictators who tell us "I will take care of that. All you have to do is follow me!"
They do not want you to know about the secret contracts that are siphoning off our money.
I have been talking about the mega-economy here - a very big subject. I now want to talk of something much smaller: the economy of our individual lives - that we should understand.
We should know what is going on with our money, all the time. But our Banks do not want us to know this.
They give us credit (or debit) cards that let us spend our money invisibly, and very easily. They take care of the details behind the scenes for us. This is great, I use mine all the time.
But sometimes other people use my money (without my permission) and I want to know about this. I want to have control of my money.
This should not be hard: I could be notified (by email) whenever money is withdrawn from my account. Is this too much to ask?
According to the Banks, it is. They want to have control of my money, not me. They will not come right out and say this, but it is not hard to look behind the Financial Curtain and see what is going on.
This sounds like a theory proposed by Marx long ago. And many people since then are pointing to Wall Street and saying "You are bad!"
And there is some truth to this, money has been known for its bad effects for two thousand years, ever since the dawn of Christianity and Islam. But Money has not gone away. If anything, it has grown in importance.
We tried getting along without it (in the Middle Ages) but this was a disaster.
The disaster we have now is almost as bad: people who do not know what is going on.
But Life itself is complicated, with millions of interactions all over the place. But somehow it keeps working.
And we, as people, are stuck in the middle, between Life and Technology. Money is a big part of our Technology.
And much of what goes on with our money, goes on without our knowledge. Contracts have been made, and they have to be fulfilled.
Much of this is a good thing: I get my retirement income once a month, and I live off of that.
But much of that money sloshing around is not so benevolent. And sometimes it stops moving, and we have a very hard time: a Depression.
We should be asking ourselves "How can we have an economy that works correctly?"
But instead, we have dictators who tell us "I will take care of that. All you have to do is follow me!"
They do not want you to know about the secret contracts that are siphoning off our money.
I have been talking about the mega-economy here - a very big subject. I now want to talk of something much smaller: the economy of our individual lives - that we should understand.
We should know what is going on with our money, all the time. But our Banks do not want us to know this.
They give us credit (or debit) cards that let us spend our money invisibly, and very easily. They take care of the details behind the scenes for us. This is great, I use mine all the time.
But sometimes other people use my money (without my permission) and I want to know about this. I want to have control of my money.
This should not be hard: I could be notified (by email) whenever money is withdrawn from my account. Is this too much to ask?
According to the Banks, it is. They want to have control of my money, not me. They will not come right out and say this, but it is not hard to look behind the Financial Curtain and see what is going on.
This sounds like a theory proposed by Marx long ago. And many people since then are pointing to Wall Street and saying "You are bad!"
And there is some truth to this, money has been known for its bad effects for two thousand years, ever since the dawn of Christianity and Islam. But Money has not gone away. If anything, it has grown in importance.
We tried getting along without it (in the Middle Ages) but this was a disaster.
The disaster we have now is almost as bad: people who do not know what is going on.
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
When the RLDS church became the Community of Christ
This was a big change, and caused the departure of many church members.
I had already left the church, when I graduated from the U of Illinois in 1959, so I know little of the details. But a few things were obvious.
The church in the Fifties supported three institutions: Graceland College in Lamoni, Iowa. The San in Independence. Mo, a teaching hospital where young women could learn to become nurses. And also Rest Haven for its Senior Citizens, in the same place. Dad's mother ended her life there, and also his wife.
None of these institutions are now supported financially by the church.
Any comments on these changes are welcome.
JSIII, and the RLDS Church
Joseph Smith III (referred to here as JSIII) joined the RLDS church, that had been reorganized from former church members by rich farmers in Plano, Illinois, in 1860. Plano is in northern Illinois, almost as far north as Chicago.
His father JSII (usually referred to by church members as Joseph Smith, the Prophet) was killed by a mob in 1844, in Carthage, Illinois. Many of his followers followed Brigham Young to the present State of Utah, where they became the LDS church.
The farmers who organized the RLDS church bought land in southern Iowa. They built the town of Lamoni there, built a fine residence for JSIII (now referred to as Liberty Hall) and moved the church headquarters there.
They later moved again, to Independence, Missouri. Also the home town of President Truman. Where JSIII died, having expanded the church rapidly.
His father JSII (usually referred to by church members as Joseph Smith, the Prophet) was killed by a mob in 1844, in Carthage, Illinois. Many of his followers followed Brigham Young to the present State of Utah, where they became the LDS church.
The farmers who organized the RLDS church bought land in southern Iowa. They built the town of Lamoni there, built a fine residence for JSIII (now referred to as Liberty Hall) and moved the church headquarters there.
They later moved again, to Independence, Missouri. Also the home town of President Truman. Where JSIII died, having expanded the church rapidly.
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
Time in Latin America
Runs much slower. Except when someone is behind the wheel of a car.
This means less stress, but also less money.
Money is slippery stuff, and you have to make sure it doesn't get away from you and end up in someone else's pockets.
"Yes," you will agree, "But it will leave you if you want it too much!"
This means less stress, but also less money.
Money is slippery stuff, and you have to make sure it doesn't get away from you and end up in someone else's pockets.
"Yes," you will agree, "But it will leave you if you want it too much!"
Monday, January 6, 2020
People who are Not People
This is the big problem we have to deal with.
This problem is big but invisible. People cannot see it. And they cannot even imagine its existence.
Everyone, since they were a small child, has asked themselves (unconsciously) "How can I live with this situation?" And then lived with the solution they came up with.
I have a cousin who went through this problem. He went to college and graduated into a profession he could not stand. He was a married man with children at the time. His wife divorced him and left with the children.
His sister, who lived in a better part of the country, invited him to live with her and her husband for a while until he got his life straightened out. He took Adult Education classes, that included tests to see what careers he was suited for. He went back to work in one of those careers and remarried.
To this day, he does not know what he went through, and cannot understand how he recovered.
This problem is big but invisible. People cannot see it. And they cannot even imagine its existence.
Everyone, since they were a small child, has asked themselves (unconsciously) "How can I live with this situation?" And then lived with the solution they came up with.
I have a cousin who went through this problem. He went to college and graduated into a profession he could not stand. He was a married man with children at the time. His wife divorced him and left with the children.
His sister, who lived in a better part of the country, invited him to live with her and her husband for a while until he got his life straightened out. He took Adult Education classes, that included tests to see what careers he was suited for. He went back to work in one of those careers and remarried.
To this day, he does not know what he went through, and cannot understand how he recovered.
Sunday, January 5, 2020
It Had to be Her
NY Review
I want this blog to only refer to the best. This is second-best, but it will do.
She spent part of her time in Hollywood, which also made second-best good enough.
Who am I talking about? Click here to find out.
I want this blog to only refer to the best. This is second-best, but it will do.
She spent part of her time in Hollywood, which also made second-best good enough.
Who am I talking about? Click here to find out.
Lean In
Wikipedia
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead is a 2013 book written by Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook, and Nell Scovell, TV and magazine writer.
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead is a 2013 book written by Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook, and Nell Scovell, TV and magazine writer.
This is an important book (especially for women) and this Wiki summarizes it nicely.
The Business Suit
When Beth and I lived in Manhatten, in the Sixties, I wore one of these when we went out, which was often. It was so convenient, I could wear the same thing anywhere. Until the seat of the pants wore out.
This outfit included a business tie, that no one noticed but had to be there.
Now that Trump is President, that tie has grown and represents his empty mind.
When I worked in Silicon Valley in the Nineties, no one wore a suit or anything like one. Facebook was not part of the Valley but got most of its publicity.
The People outside of the Valley (most of the People) never noticed the difference. And knew nothing about Programming.
There are now two worlds in our world, and the New World is the Computer World.
This outfit included a business tie, that no one noticed but had to be there.
Now that Trump is President, that tie has grown and represents his empty mind.
When I worked in Silicon Valley in the Nineties, no one wore a suit or anything like one. Facebook was not part of the Valley but got most of its publicity.
The People outside of the Valley (most of the People) never noticed the difference. And knew nothing about Programming.
There are now two worlds in our world, and the New World is the Computer World.
Crypto BS
Bitcoin.com
I was once involved with Gestalt Therapy, and its Guru came up with the idea of various degrees of nonsense, or in plain language, shit. The smallest stuff was chicken shit, and the biggest stuff was elephant shit. With bull shit somewhere in the middle.
This idea has migrated easily to India, where it has lived for a long time.
The advocates of cryptocurrencies are a passionate bunch, and they are out to change the world.
They are changing it, but how they are changing it, and how much they are changing it - remains to be seen.
I was once involved with Gestalt Therapy, and its Guru came up with the idea of various degrees of nonsense, or in plain language, shit. The smallest stuff was chicken shit, and the biggest stuff was elephant shit. With bull shit somewhere in the middle.
This idea has migrated easily to India, where it has lived for a long time.
The advocates of cryptocurrencies are a passionate bunch, and they are out to change the world.
They are changing it, but how they are changing it, and how much they are changing it - remains to be seen.
Saturday, January 4, 2020
When you Begin to Understand them, They change the Subject
They do not want to be understood, because in today's fast-changing world they are hopelessly out of date.
This is a complicated statement, and I want to unpack it a bit. And I can do this most easily with the example of the Computer Cloud.
This was constructed rapidly, early in this Century. And now forms an essential part of the global economy. Without the people in it, having the slightest idea of its existence!
They do have a slight idea, enough to make them ashamed of their ignorance. And Shame is such a powerful motivator, they can go completely crazy, and even harder to understand!
This is a complicated statement, and I want to unpack it a bit. And I can do this most easily with the example of the Computer Cloud.
This was constructed rapidly, early in this Century. And now forms an essential part of the global economy. Without the people in it, having the slightest idea of its existence!
They do have a slight idea, enough to make them ashamed of their ignorance. And Shame is such a powerful motivator, they can go completely crazy, and even harder to understand!
Was what I was at 60, what I am now?
No.
I am now an entirely different person. I am still alive, but I do not want to do much.
This, I think, is what the younger folks cannot understand: the desire to do anything is less intense. This is probably a good thing because our ability to do things is not as good. We can relax and let younger folks push things along.
At one time, age implied wisdom. But things change so fast now, this is no longer the case. And old folks are useless.
We form a subpopulation, with our own needs and interests. And in bad situations, which are all too common, we may be abandoned and left to die.
I am now an entirely different person. I am still alive, but I do not want to do much.
This, I think, is what the younger folks cannot understand: the desire to do anything is less intense. This is probably a good thing because our ability to do things is not as good. We can relax and let younger folks push things along.
At one time, age implied wisdom. But things change so fast now, this is no longer the case. And old folks are useless.
We form a subpopulation, with our own needs and interests. And in bad situations, which are all too common, we may be abandoned and left to die.
Thursday, January 2, 2020
People cannot imagine Too Much of Anything
I just finished cleaning the extra coffee up from the Kitchen sink. Sometimes my Espresso Machine does not know when to stop.
People are the same way about their children; sometimes they don't know when to stop.
They are certain the universe will take care of them somehow, why else would it make them?
The computer is different, it only wants young people whose minds can run at top speed. It does not care what happens to them after that.
People are the same way about their children; sometimes they don't know when to stop.
They are certain the universe will take care of them somehow, why else would it make them?
The computer is different, it only wants young people whose minds can run at top speed. It does not care what happens to them after that.
Keep the box your Package was Shipped in
Because you may have to return it.
You may feel your new item is perfect - but all too often it is not.
You may feel your new item is perfect - but all too often it is not.
Learning about Computers
This something everyone should be doing, but few people are.
Why? I have no idea, but there seems to be a deep-seated resentment to doing this. This a very different kind of world, and people do not feel comfortable there.
They can use the computer (especially their smartphone) but they do not want to understand it. That is going too far.
And one more thing: you gotta have a young mind, not older than 50, but being in your Twenties is better.
Why? I have no idea, but there seems to be a deep-seated resentment to doing this. This a very different kind of world, and people do not feel comfortable there.
They can use the computer (especially their smartphone) but they do not want to understand it. That is going too far.
And one more thing: you gotta have a young mind, not older than 50, but being in your Twenties is better.
Making the World Better, or Making it Worse
Without knowing it, most people are making it worse. This, it seems to them, is the right way to do things.
Other people may disagree, but they are a minority and can be ignored. The majority rules, and minorities can even be killed.
Other people may disagree, but they are a minority and can be ignored. The majority rules, and minorities can even be killed.
Craziness we cannot recognize
This certainly affects me. I woke up in the middle of the night lying on the floor, having no idea how I got there.
But this time I didn't poop all over the place like I did before.
All I have to do now is rearrange my bedding, which is now lying on the floor, so it will keep me warm the rest of the night.
I have a crazy streak in me, I just hope it doesn't get out of control.
But this time I didn't poop all over the place like I did before.
All I have to do now is rearrange my bedding, which is now lying on the floor, so it will keep me warm the rest of the night.
I have a crazy streak in me, I just hope it doesn't get out of control.
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
Google’s Censorship Of Cryptocurrencies Goes Way Beyond Youtube
Forbes
I got this while viewing Google News, a service I can recommend.
This encouraged me to add DuckDuckGo, and MetaMask to my Chrome browser.
You should notice the irony in all these references to Google. They make Google a Good Guy, and a Bad Guy, both.
My Very Old Mind is feeling overloaded.
I got this while viewing Google News, a service I can recommend.
This encouraged me to add DuckDuckGo, and MetaMask to my Chrome browser.
You should notice the irony in all these references to Google. They make Google a Good Guy, and a Bad Guy, both.
My Very Old Mind is feeling overloaded.
Creative and Crazy
This is Human Nature. and I must say I am human myself: perhaps being more crazy than creative,
Other qualities can be added to that list: tolerance, for example. Or even more fundamentally: the ability to be.
Much has been written about today's problems, but this problem is seldom mentioned. And if I mention it, all I get is blank looks: what on earth am I talking about?
I am talking about a kind of group insanity that is all too common, sometimes called Fascism. In my family, it was called Mormonism. I call it: the inability to be.
An inability is just the reverse of ability: they are both sides of the same coin. But this one is a human tragedy.
It can be partial: a person can be competent in some ways, but not in other ways.
If a person (or group of persons) cannot be in one of these ways, they can become violent in their defense of this inability.
Other qualities can be added to that list: tolerance, for example. Or even more fundamentally: the ability to be.
Much has been written about today's problems, but this problem is seldom mentioned. And if I mention it, all I get is blank looks: what on earth am I talking about?
I am talking about a kind of group insanity that is all too common, sometimes called Fascism. In my family, it was called Mormonism. I call it: the inability to be.
An inability is just the reverse of ability: they are both sides of the same coin. But this one is a human tragedy.
It can be partial: a person can be competent in some ways, but not in other ways.
If a person (or group of persons) cannot be in one of these ways, they can become violent in their defense of this inability.
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