I was just reminded of this in a brutal fashion. I was lying on the floor, unable to get up.
Now that I am 82, this happening more frequently. I bent over to pick something up, and splat! I was laying on the floor.
"That is all?" You may be saying, "A temporary discombobulation?" Yes that is all, but when you are the one it is happening to, it feels much worse, like the end of the world.
How is this related to a fast-changing world? Like all animals we were part of our world, an intimate part of it. And if it changes, we have to change with it. And change is stressful.
We have recently added that word to our vocabulary: stress, because we have so much of it. But we have added another complication - we are not aware of this!
The software industry has made this clear with a saying of theirs: "Move fast, and break things!"
But lots of people are wondering, if breaking things is such a good idea.
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Coping with Collapse
Today Ray is cleaning up the mess I made in my apartment yesterday. I don't know what I would do without that guy.
"What happened." You may ask.
Damned if I know, I ended up on the floor in the middle of the night, in a pile of shit.
I have a balance disorder, and sometimes I get so dizzy I fall down. And my guts are affected too.
I am learning about blockchain, which is about that same problem in software.
The people down here have their own solution: find a child to take care of. Maybe that is what Ray is doing: and I am the child.
"What happened." You may ask.
Damned if I know, I ended up on the floor in the middle of the night, in a pile of shit.
I have a balance disorder, and sometimes I get so dizzy I fall down. And my guts are affected too.
I am learning about blockchain, which is about that same problem in software.
The people down here have their own solution: find a child to take care of. Maybe that is what Ray is doing: and I am the child.
Saturday, November 2, 2019
Silicon Valley Is Over, Says Silicon Valley
New York Times
About a dozen venture capitalists recently took a bus tour through the Midwest, and a funny thing happened: They caught the heartland bug.
About a dozen venture capitalists recently took a bus tour through the Midwest, and a funny thing happened: They caught the heartland bug.
But they did not go to Ft. Madison, Iowa, my hometown. People have left there and they are not going back. It reached its peak in the Fifties and has been going down ever since.
This is not for lack of building space, there is plenty of that. But the people there are not eager to advance. They are stuck, and they like it that way.
Not Interested in Computers
And not interested in knowing this.
What are you interested in? Shopping and shopping Centers. And Authoritarian leaders.
This last item is puzzling, because it implies that thinking is involved. When this is not true at all; only believing is involved, and passionate believing at that.
They are emulating the early days of Christianity they will say, when they know almost nothing about this period of Christian history.
What are you interested in? Shopping and shopping Centers. And Authoritarian leaders.
This last item is puzzling, because it implies that thinking is involved. When this is not true at all; only believing is involved, and passionate believing at that.
They are emulating the early days of Christianity they will say, when they know almost nothing about this period of Christian history.
Friday, November 1, 2019
Another Tech Bubble Could Be About to Burst
Financial Times
This is about private markets and public markets. What companies try to get before they go public, and what they can get after that. Usually, it is much less.
I worked for a company in Silicon Valley in the Nineties (Adaptec) It benefited greatly from being an established company with a good track record - and the Tech Bubble that was about to burst.
I knew something was fishy, But everyone else was so happy stuffing money into their pockets, they didn't want to hear any bad news.
It did burst, and I saw accountants bagging groceries in the supermarkets. And young hopefuls going home with empty pockets, and college debt they could never payback.
This is about private markets and public markets. What companies try to get before they go public, and what they can get after that. Usually, it is much less.
I worked for a company in Silicon Valley in the Nineties (Adaptec) It benefited greatly from being an established company with a good track record - and the Tech Bubble that was about to burst.
I knew something was fishy, But everyone else was so happy stuffing money into their pockets, they didn't want to hear any bad news.
It did burst, and I saw accountants bagging groceries in the supermarkets. And young hopefuls going home with empty pockets, and college debt they could never payback.
Google is acquiring Fitbit for $2.1 billion
TechCrunch
You read that right - billions, not millions. Anything worth anything nowadays has that many zeros behind it.
Amazon has it for $144. You can buy a watch like the one I am wearing for $20.
These companies are getting in fast, while there are still obscene profits to be made.
Wikipedia says: In those who are overweight or obese, a 2016 study indicates that the use of wearable technology combined with standard behavioral interventions results in less rather than more weight loss after two years of use when compared to usual weight-loss interventions.
You read that right - billions, not millions. Anything worth anything nowadays has that many zeros behind it.
Amazon has it for $144. You can buy a watch like the one I am wearing for $20.
These companies are getting in fast, while there are still obscene profits to be made.
Wikipedia says: In those who are overweight or obese, a 2016 study indicates that the use of wearable technology combined with standard behavioral interventions results in less rather than more weight loss after two years of use when compared to usual weight-loss interventions.
Our Transition from Industrialization to the Computer
This has been a difficult transition, and may never be made successfully.
The Industrial Revolution took hundreds of years and changed who we were. And a big part of this change was the inability to recognize that this change had happened. We went through a big change but were not aware of it, because the change was so big and so enticing. Who could resist a car with a huge engine and tail fins?
This was true for most of us - who are not interested in the Computer now. Computer people, of course, are. And they are busy telling anyone who will listen about their latest inventions. They are aware of this transition because they are making it.
They are interested in the Computer because it is them. Take a look at this Consensus Mechanisms video. Aren't these computers acting like people?
Networked Computers are acting more and more like persons. So much so, they may replace us.
The Industrial Revolution took hundreds of years and changed who we were. And a big part of this change was the inability to recognize that this change had happened. We went through a big change but were not aware of it, because the change was so big and so enticing. Who could resist a car with a huge engine and tail fins?
This was true for most of us - who are not interested in the Computer now. Computer people, of course, are. And they are busy telling anyone who will listen about their latest inventions. They are aware of this transition because they are making it.
They are interested in the Computer because it is them. Take a look at this Consensus Mechanisms video. Aren't these computers acting like people?
Networked Computers are acting more and more like persons. So much so, they may replace us.
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