First you had Bill Joy claiming that the sky is falling, Kurzweil and Joy on the 21st century. Now Bruce Sterling with Ten Technologies That Deserve to Die"?

Yes, technology, and humans by their very nature themselves and their technology, are a fractious and two-edged lot. In Bruce's case better things need to replace the old tech. Plain and simple. It's all a matter of time. There's a meta-rule out there that says we do not fully adopt a new technology unless it is 10 times better than the old. For short term change, I agree with this. Anything else is just improvement on the current tech. Though constant improvement over time will make something very different.

A good example is house building technologies. The houses built today are vastly different from those built in the 50's (safer, energy efficent, etc). Those changes are mainly from small leaps instead of drastic ones.

Overall, not sure if I agree with Bruce's evaulation. Yes, things will change, but there are always chicken littles claiming that the sky is falling. This ties in with an earlier blog post, "individuality and how technology affects us".

TOPICS: tech, society

Am I becoming cynical, or just becoming more aware of corporate skullduggery? Examples:

• Verislime and their breaking of the internet.
  
• RIAA's draconian methods in suing p2p music swappers.
  
• SCO and their claims on Linux.
  
• Enron and the California "Energy Crisis".
  

TOPICS: tech, business

Chasing the demons over gay marriage

Adam and Rodrick had invited us to celebrate their commitment. It is the word "celebrate" that graced their invitation. We were not invited to tolerate their commitment. We were not invited to accept it. We were invited to celebrate it... I realized again that what seems to me so rich about America -- this great, open, changing, diverse society -- is what frightens and sometimes angers others. They see an assault of family values. We see family. Our family. Our values.

I saw this column and it make me think. What is it about gays that "frightens and sometimes angers others"? Is it a learned cultural trait? Misunderstanding? Is it just xenophobia? How does different ways to live threaten our way of life? Are certain people insecure about their, well, security?

Funny how one side can say that choice and diversity is what makes this country great. And the other side will say nearly the opposite things make this country great.

Admittedly I've seen very smart people with bizare ideas about life in general. In one case I know somebody who had the idea that a woman can't have a career and children too. "What?!?! Look around?" In his defense, he came from a region and family where this didn't usually happen, and thus didn't have role models. Luckily, he has come around since then. So is it a just matter of bizare ideas (thought up or heard from others) and blind spots?

*sigh* And it often comes down to the fact that many religions and societies preach tolerance, but do not practice it.

Maybe it is the Tipping Point's concept that some people just adopt ideas earlier than others. (I'm an early adopter.) Each person has their own "adoption quotient", at which point they will accept something new and different. Usually this is applied to technology, but it seems that it can be applied to ideas too.

TOPICS: society

A right to make annoying calls?

Finally, in this fractious, cranky country, Americans have something they agree on. Fifty million fed-up citizens signed up for the do-not-call registry.

Don't talk to me about voter apathy. Don't tell me that we're apolitical. Maybe Congress can't fix Medicare or prescription drugs. But your tax dollars at work actually solved a problem that infested more households than carpenter ants.

Heh. Good point.

TOPIC: Tech, politics, society

An article in need of a point? In need of a solution?

bynk: Homogenizing America http://www.insidevc.com/vcs/opinion_columnists/article/0,1375,VCS_223_2314739,00.html
bynk: Just read this column in the paper. And it seems more of a statement than commentary. What was his point?
bunnyhero: it's 'vaguely troubling'
bynk: Hehe, why yes it is. And the answer to the problem?
bunnyhero: hmmm
bynk: How much of a problem is it really?
bunnyhero: and is it really as homogenized as it seems to be?
bynk: Maybe it's a problem of his focus. And if you ask me, he's probably traveled too much. So his POV is skewed.
bunnyhero: heh, i think he listens to too much radio.
bynk: He should get an MP3 player.
bynk: I don't listen to radio, now that I have an mp3 player. I get tired quickly of radio with commercials.
bunnyhero: i dunno, i think the differences across the US are quite tangible, even if radio on the highways sucks.
bynk: So he was bored?
Bio-Death: i think he just needs ampedout streaming in his car
bynk: Yup. Hehehe
Bio-Death: :)
Bio-Death: problem....SOLVED
bynk: So the problem is his mental problem. And lack of good music in his car.

TOPIC: commentary, society

*** RANT = ON
I usually do not drive from work to home at 8:30 in the morning. (At 6am in the morning you are too groggy to figure out that you are sick, though I did have a suspicion.) Long ago I decided that post 7:30am driving is a drag and decided to get into work at 7am or earlier.

What does this mean? I don't experience the morning rush hour insanity. (A definitely oxymoron, "rush hour".) Everybody wants to go 5 miles an hour faster. This usually means more than 70mph. Today, being sick, I had no tolerance for such foolishness, and got into the slow lane. (Though the slow lane can be insane too; on ramps never ramp you up to 65mpg.)

Though the real insanity exibited itself at highway 12 and Farmers, a place where all traffic diverts through city streets. Occasionaly when I come home I will get the back-up here of 3 to 5 stop light cycles. And this morning was no exception. Though when you see somebody pull to an on ramp, and back down it, you know the insanity has set in.

What is it about highways, people, numerous cars, over a ton of rolling metal, and a rush to get to work that makes people lose their social behaviors? Is it the anonymity? (Eternal unanswered question.) That extra speed, attempt to bypass traffic illegally (off ramps, passing on the right), is never worth the real time or the tempting of a traffic ticket. If you are going 12 miles to work and you speed by 5mph, you only save a minute.

This is part of the reason why I have a dummy webcam in my back car window-- in hopes of beaning people in the head with some sense. It doesn't always do that, but there are a few instances in which it does.

*** RANT=OFF

TOPIC: rant, society

There seems to be an undercurrent regarding security and empowerment, in reaction to such things as the RIAA and the hijinx in our goverment. Heck, I ended up donating to the EFF and using their action center because of the RIAA's draconian ways. Right now this seems mostly at the alpha geek level (aka early adopters); it will be interesting to see how things pan out.

On a weird side note, it seems the EFF action center is using ASP.... somewhat befuddling.

How to Kill Spam Without the State from Slashdot.

How to Save the World by Taking Back Control of Our Data

SBC and Verizon are fighting the RIAA's attempts to monitor their customers. (Another from Slashdot)

EFF has just released our analysis of Trusted Computing. "We find that the technology could benefit computer security, but must be fixed to ensure that the computer owner is always in control. We also propose a specific way of fixing it."

Lawsuit Against Microsoft Over Insecure Software

TOPICS: tech, politics, privacy

From a Slashdot review on the book "The Map of Innovation":

Business has changed fundamentally since the dot-com boom even if investing hasn't. To be successful in the business world today, you absolutely have to incorporate some sort of technology. If you don't, your competitors will and they will have a lower cost of doing business because of it.

TOPICS: tech, business

The Surprising Benefits of Being Unemployed

I actually thought – and this is really silly when you consider that I've been working in the FEH for nigh on to a thousand years and so should know better – that companies feel the same sense of obligation and duty toward their employees that they insist their employees should feel toward them. If you contribute to your company's success and help it to advance its interests and financial health, often making sacrifices of your own time to do so, then your company will reciprocate by making sacrifices in bad times to take care of you by not depriving you of your paycheck and benefits. That's the way I thought it worked.

Interesting point here. Is there a solution? Or is this just a rant of a guy bit by the current times?

Read the article beyond this part. There are some interesting, sad, and funny observations by David.
(Found this one by way of Slashdot.)

TOPICS: humor, business, politics

Here's an O'Reilly (Not Really) parody that I hadn't seen before, "Designing Perl 6".

TOPICS: Humor, books, tech