Some Weeks

God, what a tough week.

I've made a decision to not write about office politics, but I can't think of time I've had less turmoil and grief. It didn't involve me, but once again I've been in the middle of firing friends without cause. It hurts and there's no way around it.

Let's hope for a better one next week. 'Nuff said.

Overthinking the Robotic Plumbing

I saw this article linked at Metafilter.com:Robotic Freedom. I'll agree, robots and hyperautomation are an interesting topic, but this author, Marshall Brain, though he may know How Stuff Works, he doesn't have the faintest inkling what the real effects of displacing 80% of the world work force.

First, an economy isn't just the flow of capital - it's a form or control. So, if literally millions of US workers get dumped and have no hope of ever regaining employment, do you think they're just going to sit around? They're coming to see YOU, Mr. Boss Man.

Let's return to the Common, shall we? I, as an English Lord of the Manor, want not just to profit from the work of the serfs, but to control them, keep them from getting out of hand. I can do that if I can keep them employeed and just above miserable. Make them too happy and they'll want more. Make them too miserable and they'll want EVERYTHING.

To keep them employeed, I need to limit their alternate means of employment or sustanance and provide them with a wage that is only enough to keep them buying from the company store. That's why the Common must be controlled, or enclosed, preferably.

Getting ahead is bad and a middle class is intolerable.

So, the perfect robots are developed, thanks, we don't need you any more. Good for business? Not exactly. Who the hell is going to buy your wares? Other companies with their own robot workforces? This isn't a minor economic disruption that a few new welfare laws will take care of. This is a completely new economy. Sorry, Mr. Brain, even super-taxing the super-rich ain't gonna cut it.

And disruptive it will be. But I'm not sure it's a bad thing.

To let my imagination run wild, I think we have a better than even chance of "blooming" the internet before they put in the Robotic Walmart greeters. Blooming? Yes, blooming.

The internet isn't a place, it's a group of interconnected computers and the associated networks. It's not intelligent, and it's not owned, but it is regulated and monitored. It's only a first step, the caterpillar. Imagine, if you will, an explosion of nanotech that makes the internet all the things it's currently not: a place (everywhere), intelligent, and unownable. Now, what would life be like if energy were free, access to information like the air (literally the air), and all of ones basic needs available to all. Food and shelter a true instant gratification. What exactly would most people need to work for?

This is the robotic revolution Mr. Brain speaks of, but from the ground up. Workers would displace themselves. Populations would shift and move without respect to jobs. The need for labor would vanish, but also the market economy. If this blooming is benevolent, governments would cease to function in their current state as well.

I for one welcome the arrival of our new robotic masters.

10 Propositions

We should have elected Uncle Walter president by acclamation 20 years ago.

Ten propositions for the Democrats

Just Got My Assignment

The Dante's Inferno Test has sent you to the First Level of Hell - Limbo!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Very High
Level 2 (Lustful)	Moderate
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	Moderate
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Very Low
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very High
Level 7 (Violent)	Low
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Moderate
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Low

Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test

A plan for the Weekend

I'm a bit more lenient with my definition - I prefer the Vodka martini. Over our anniversary on the 15th, Diane and I want to Legal Seafood in Boston. One of them anyway. Apparently they're a chain. Damn good seafood, though.

I ordered a "Flight" of Martinis - actually, I thought I was getting a bargain on a pitcher of Chopin. What I got was THREE martinis all at once. Frankly, that works too.

Shaken Not Slurred: "Shaking? Stirring? Whatever. Anyone who says they can tell the difference is a lying pompous twit. "

I usually drink mine up, with olive. My favorite is made with a gorgonzola stuffed olive, made with Chopin or Grey Goose.

Baghdad Burning

Wow.

I'm simply mucking about, posting a few random thoughts, not taking enough time. But this is real journalism.

Baghdad Burning

Classics?

Apparently, BookMagazine published a 2002 chart of the "best selling classics". OK, I'll buy the best selling bit, but what's their definition of classic?

eliot - Classic Bestsellers

In this annotated list, we also see the date when the book will enter the public domain, which is very interesting and somewhat disturbing. I'm a writer, trained as a playwright, and am very interested in copyright issues. I'm in favor of authors retaining copyright for life and their estate for up to by not exceeding 50 years after their death. Rolling copyright extensions aren't good for anyone.

But back to the whole "classics" thing. A few years back, just when CD-ROMs were coming out, some friends and I talked about putting together a multimedia CD series called "Required Reading". The idea was to put together a genera specific reading list that would allow anyone that was interested in literature to take a guided tour of really terrific books, but often overlooked because they were shuffled off into a ghetto somewhere. We were all fans of science fiction, and all very well educated and widely read and could quickly come up with a list of books in just that genera that were terrific literature, that virtually anyone could enjoy and benefit from reading, but were largely unknown. The CDs would, when possible, contain the public domain works, but also provide "talking heads" to provide expert help and opinions on the works, influences, and what else to read.

Ah, so many good books, so little time.

But "Memoirs of a Geisha" is a classic? "The Clan of the Cave Bear"? "Watership Down"? "Interview with the Vampire"?

Somebody's definition of classic is way, way off.

25 or 6 to 4

Sometimes I puzzle over things, often for years, without ever thinking to ask someone, "what the hell does that mean?" That happened a while back with this song. I heard it on the radio, had heard it for years, hell, even played a pretty cool jazz version. But I'd never thought to ask.

Of course, until recently, there may have been no easy way to have the right person to ask. But sometimes the net does come through.

The answer: it's a time.

Oh. Now the song makes sense.

Now if I could only find that cartoon music.

"Not the Works!"

Today, while helping my oldest daughter mount some hooks to her bedroom wall, huming happily, she asked, "is that music running through your head all the time?"

You know the one. It's from that Warner Brothers cartoon - haven't seen it in years - the one with a cat and dog, probably, and the cat is being given various punishments and he keeps begging, "Not the Works!" as in being put through said works.

And yes, any time I'm doing anything skilled, or I'm planning anything devlish or overly clever, that's exactly the music that's running thorough my brain.

But the damn internet isn't quiet clever enough to find and play it for me based on this feable description.

Dum de dum, de dum, de dum dum

Marketing The Blog

I've been thinking about this. I spend all day marketing, so I'm sensitive and critical when people are trying to sell me a load of goods.

But this does look interesting. Seems harmless and might be fun.

Sign up for this great new Blogstakes contest and maybe we’ll both win a prize!

Behold, the power of the blog!

Or was that "Beware of the Blog!"

Distant Thunder

I'm usually the one in the theater, so I don't hear what it's like in the rest of the house. My daughter and her friend, Daisy, are down there now watching "Jumanji". As I sit here at the iMac, 2 full floors above, I hear an occasional rumble. It is supposed to rain later tonight, but this is coming, from the register.

I spent a lot of money to isolate sound, and the room does, for the most part. But when that big subwoofer kicks in, there's not much you can do to keep it from setting off the earthquake detectors long the Pacific rim. Especially when I play that scene from "Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring". You know the one. The Bridge of Kazadum.

OK, I exaggerate.

Wait, did you feel that?

Some links:

http://www.avsforum.com
http://www.svsubwoofers.com
http://www.designcinema.com

Mister Password Changing Man

One of the really unpleasant things about working in management is the occasional need to fire people. Not "Lay Off". Fire. Sometimes it has too happen.

Rarely have I needed to fire someone because they were bad at their job, lazy, incompetent. Those are easy. I don't mind that at all. Mostly I've been in the position of economic necessity or changing requirements staff reductions. That's what I've been doing today.

My day job is a small company and we had two offices - we kept the 2nd up till now because we really liked the people in the Minneapolis office and wanted to work with them. But as a small company it was very hard to manage and a big duplication of a lot of expenses. So we made the decision last week and today we made it happen. I'm back here in the home office. I held the meeting, alerted the staff, all of who were staying, and started the process of "changing the locks".

A lot of those people are my friends. It depresses me and honestly hurts. No easy way around it.

Simply a fact of life. So, all this afternoon I've been sitting with operations and changing accounts, passwords, logins, emails. Just like a funeral, but not as much fun.

So it begins

I've set out today to start the long process of losing weight. Of course, it's a bad time for such things (and perhaps I'll post more about this later this week). I feel like Lloyd Bridges in "Airplane!" - "Why did I pick today to stop sniffing glue?"

I haven't weighted in - not even sure I'm going to step up on the scale at all. Frankly, I don't care what I weigh. I only want to be trimmer and in better shape.

Today, I had two eggs with a dash of heavy cream and a slice of American cheese - a simple omelet. I also have a tall glass of water with breakfast, followed by a cup of coffee at work (more of a mug, really). We'll see how the day goes - I'm more interested in getting through the week than dropping pounds.

In other news, thinking about common ground. Diane and I spent the weekend (a very nice trip by the way) in Boston. We stayed in a downtown hotel and each morning had a muffin and coffee in Boston Common. We talked about the tour book history about the place and in English commons and their enclosures - what that meant for the "common" folk.

It leads me back to thoughts of "cheap labor" conservatives. And of the future.

Much thinking about that to do - to early to say anything here that doesn't make me sound like a crackpot.

I am, of course, a crackpot. I just don't like to sound like one.

Under Pressure

I may not get visibly emotional when under pressure, but as a friend of mine points out - I eat. And it's getting to the point where I have to do something about the extra weight. Even my watch band is getting tight.

So.

Starting Monday, I'm going to use this blog to keep a diet and weight record - that's right, in public and for the permanent record. I don't necessarily look forward to it, but I'll be damned if I go out and buy another pair of jeans because I can't fit into the ones I have.

What's the emoticon for a big sigh?

Naive

Our next rule comes from an observation I made at the Ohio State Fair this weekend. In a moment when I was by myself, waiting for my youngest daughter who was on a ride, I watched the people around me. As much as I am a great believer in the fundamental equality and worth of all people, I sometimes despair at what I see. I wonder, with the coming age of technical advancement far beyond all that we've achieved in the past, if the "digital divide" will be made real, a true gulf and separation into a new species, with the old following the road of our cousin, Australopithecus, Neanderthals, Cro-Magnons. Or worse, that Homo Sapiens survive, subservient and enslaved by our successor race.

What makes me despair? Naivete. Sit and watch the crowd go by. Do they know how the universe functions, how it came to be? Do they know our 20,000 year history, why we distrust our neighbor, how the economy works, who makes the news? Do they know what lies ahead, what is possible?

I may not know all of these things, but I do know the limits of my knowledge and work at finding the answers - or at least where to go when I need an answer. But what of all those who don't know, don't want to know, or think that they do and refuse any question of their beliefs?

"The state or quality of being inexperienced or unsophisticated, especially in being artless, credulous, or uncritical."

Why are so many people so clueless? The bottom reason, because it is easier and less painful. Easier to follow than to lead. And if you wish to be followed, it is easier for the mass to be simple, unquestioning. Those that question things are dangerous.

It is so difficult for a child to say, "There is so much I don't know." The typical, or perhaps stereotypical teenage reaction is to assume that no one has every experienced what he or she is currently thinking or feeling. So few realize that every one that has gone before walks the same road, eyes open or closed.

So how to defeat naivete? Skepticism, not cynicism. Question everything, but do not assume that everyone or everything is aligned against you. True enemies are rare and valuable.

Use these rules of thumb:

• Find others that have gone before you and study them.
  
• Read outside your areas of interest (someone else may have solved your problem, but not in your terms)
  
• Librarians are more useful than philosophers.
  
• Anyone or anything that claims to have all the answers is probably wrong about almost everything.
  
• Your ideas and plans will be better by tempering. Some things don't sound as unique when you say them out loud.

A Grievous Insult

Perhaps I shouldn't let things like this get under my skin. But at the risk of turning this blog into a Miss Manners column I'd like to share a little something with you, gentle reader.

An accepted personal invitation my not be disregarded.

Last night, Diane had invited some of her staff over to the house for dinner and a movie. She asked me to cook and host, which I agreed to gladly. Since it was a weeknight I decided on simple, but quality fare - porterhouse steaks, grilled, a side of roasted spaghetti squash with a simple tomato sauce, among other items. Although she had invited more, three had accepted invitations (a single and a couple). The first guest arrived relatively on time, but Diane received a call, after the invited time, that "Bill" was running very late, occupied with something else, but not an emergency. We took our time, then ate, and finally, after an hour and a half, I asked Diane to call him. He was still "busy". I asked her to tell him and his wife not to come.

These are people that Diane works with, so part of my impotent fury is that I can't directly address them. But here's why I'm angry and insulted:

• An invitation to our home requires us a large amount of effort and expense.
• We have to clean, arrange for the kids to be transported or cared for, and in this case fed.
• We purchased food and drink, at no small expense.
• I left work early to prepare the meal and expend a considerable effort in making the evening enjoyable and entertaining.
• A dinner party planned for 5 is an very different dynamic when only one guest appears.
• Other people were not invited that could have attended.

This person will NOT be invited again. It is my understanding that he runs a side business and became busy at a customer site. I do not accept this as an excuse. Once he accepted the invitation he was obliged to present himself at the appointed time, save for grave personal emergency. If this person was under my influence, this would severely bar his advancement. I would not consider it shabby or petty to shun avoid their company.

Behave with consideration and you're welcome in my home and table. Piss me off and you'll end up in this blog.

Rule #3. You can believe whatever damn stupid thing you want*

*as long as you claim no authority to enforce it.

Yes, here the crux of the matter. Virtually all of humanity's problems boil down to matters of belief. Very few issues are purely greed or lust (and frankly, they're much more fun and less damaging than the whole belief thing).

And it's the followers that are the problem. Leaders are powerless, but followers, or "functionaries" as my good friend Penny calls them, are the ones that shed the blood and attempt to force all into behavioral boxes.

Why? Because of one word: SHOULD. I've been inside the belief structure - I was raise that way. But from the very start, from my earliest memories, I was struck with the hypocrisies. Christianity has a big problem here and it isn't alone, but it's the one I know best. The complete practice of Christianity is incompatible with modern life. In it's current incarnation it is structured around allowing people the most minimal contact with religious life while exercising the maximum behavioral control. If one were to actually follow the precepts of Christianity as recognized by most of the major brands, you'd quickly be labeled either a fanatic or a nut. Do you really expect me to give up everything, accept everyone, turn the other cheek, and here's the big one, pretty much ignore all authority and hierarchy? And when you in turn look at those that do follow their religion religiously, you have the extremes that we find both humorous and dangerous.

Jesus, as presented in the New Testament, was a dangerous man. Why? Not because of the reported miracles or for anything he said. He's portrayed and the most unthreatening man you could imagine, even to his death. But his FOLLOWERS were becoming the threat. Frankly, they were right to be scared. I can't find any measure that will provide evidence of positive good done by these followers that can't be outweighed by a hundred times the evil they've perpetrated in his name.

Alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees, hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin; but you have overlooked the weightier demands of the Law, justice, mercy, and good faith. It is these you should have practised, without neglecting the others. Blind guides! You strain off a midge, yet gulp down a camel!

Alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of cup and dish, which you have filled inside by robbery and self-indulgence! Blind Pharisee! Clean the inside of the cup first; then the outside will be clear also.

Alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like tombs covered with whitewash; they look well from outside, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all kinds of filth. So it is with you: outside you look like honest men, but inside you are brim-full of hypocrisy and crime. . .

Matthew, 23rd Chapter

I'll admit, it's damn difficult to face that there's no purpose to human existence. This life we have is it. There's no second change, next round, higher plane. And building a life that has its own meaning, that is satisfying and is creditable (I'm not sure I'm ready to tackle laying that one out yet) is a challenge that most simply can't or won't face.

And frankly, I don't care if they do or don't, as long as they leave everyone else alone!

See? There's a good reason they haven't made me supreme ruler of this little galaxy.

Rule #2 - Use The Scientific Method

Listen, that old adage of "there are many ways of discovering the truth" and laments of "Western ways of thinking", I'm sorry about it, but poppycock. The Scientific Method is the only way.

I'll repeat, I'm not looking for arguments, so argue amongst yourselves. Here's the test: Demonstrate an instance when a method or practice other than the Scientific Method has uncovered and explained any physical phenomenon.

This rule is like unto the first. It is based on skepticism and does not rely on authority. The results are available to all who follow the experimental steps.

And while we're at it I'll tip my hat to Rule #3. You can believe whatever damn stupid thing you want as long as you claim no authority to enforce it.

See how this is working out?

Free Sheet Music

Wow - now here's something worthwhile - Welcome to the Mutopia Project.

Over 320 pieces of musice available, to date - and best for me - 170 piano works!

Ah!

Rules To Live By

First, there are no rules.

That may be the most difficult step to take.

"What, then how do I know if I'm doing it right?"

Well, you'll have to determine that yourself. If you expect me to tell you if you're a good person, if you're successfully, if you're smart, beautiful, or worthy, then you're in a heap o' trouble.

And if I can't tell you these things, who can?

No one.

More specifically, here's my first rule, restated and clarified: Always, without exception, mistrust and challenge anyone or anything that claims authority or seeks positions of command or control. Distrust more those who seek to be governed and attempt to include you within the body.

Chaos? Anarchy? No, not at all. I do not say resist authority, only to question it.

All other rules may be derived from this one alone. It is the central component of my philosophy.

The hard part is this: rejoice in this task. To not allow despondency and despair to rule. Peeling back the layers, discovering the real mechanism of the universe, of the affairs of men, or your very heart and soul is a joyous task. Revel in it. For every belief you leave behind, for every misconception and lie you shatter, for every step you take in sharpening the focus on your vision and understanding, declare victory and gain strength.

There are things I could tell you. But I won't rob you of the joy of discovery.