OK, I deleted all the words not to be trusted. Here is the rest: My dyslexic friend Lee wishes we were all able to read on the same page, flattening and thereby banning the dancing shadows and ghosts to clearly contrasted black letters on a white ground. On the other side, as Rigs points out, speech whitens itself on this ground. Neil's suggestion for a transparent hypertext in a contextualised world won't make any of the sides fade into meaninglessness then.
On Fri, Oct 5, 2012 at 5:50 AM, James <[email protected]> wrote: > We may be on the same page Gabby, my imagined future possibilities are still > clouded by unknowns (to me). That I consider a consequence of mental bondage > to current circumstances, and left unchecked can be demoralizing to creative > intelligence. As far as I can tell we are meant to invent solutions to > challenges, and hold on as long as possible until the opportunity arises. My > opinion is that we can do little to force change but as facilitators we can > pursue strategic challenges that will open those opportunities. > > If I said that in 10 years the technology should be accessible to refine > garbage, wood or any other fuel into electricity at 80+ conversion > efficiency from common household materials in your average (modern) garage > there is no shortage of engineers that would call me a quack. If I said that > you could do it today with moderate access to materials refining equipment, > with a net generated income over the winter months, and it could be boosted > by running a greenhouse and indoor fishery I would be surely nuts. SOFC, > steam reforming, plasma reduction, pyrolytic reduction are a few terms for > that type of nut. > > I think we are missing the spirit of engineering in our social and political > dialogue. It could just be me.. we seem to be able to redefine just about > any kind of waste into an asset, but we insist that primitive human traits > are superior and sacrosanct. > > Navigating awkward transitions, that is what I think we are doing (not > necessarily excellently, but making progress). Still passin' the buck here, > your turn. Sorry for no answer Archy, too bad telepathy isn't an option > because the picture is clear but I just don't trust the words yet. > > > On 10/4/2012 5:14 AM, gabbydott wrote: >> >> That's right. Us end consumers of your brilliant ideas need time to >> consume your complex theories in simple practice for you to see where >> we fail to get your idea for you to better educate and motivate us. :p >> >> On Thu, Oct 4, 2012 at 4:25 AM, James<[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> I was hoping we could evolve sociologically in step with technology, that >>> implies an intelligent management infrastructure that educates and >>> motivates >>> free agents to make contributions to the works of humanity. Suitably >>> educated in the workings of organisms (especially how they relate and >>> compare to man), the arts, sciences, elimination of destitution, poverty, >>> mental illnesses, the list goes on.. It requires that we manage things >>> intelligently, learn from mistakes and move forward. If this progress >>> happened in a 100 years I think we would likely reduce our population to >>> half within the next hundred, there is nothing logical about reproducing >>> ad >>> infinitum and by then the social costs should be obvious enough, added to >>> the lack of need as we extend the human lifespan. I think we have a large >>> potential in voluntary acts. >>> >>> Who is pie in the sky now? :p >>> >>> >>> On 10/3/2012 5:57 PM, archytas wrote: >>>> >>>> >>>> If workers aren't needed for work, what will happen to them? The >>>> animal and plant world answer is generally a 'return to nutrients'. >>>> >>>> On 3 Oct, 09:57, Shekila Tieschmaker<[email protected]> >>>> wrote: >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> how do you get out this group thing ? >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>> ________________________________ >>>>>> From: James<[email protected]> >>>>>> To: [email protected] >>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, October 2, 2012 10:26 PM >>>>>> Subject: Re: Mind's Eye thought experiments >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>> Well it is far worse (or better depending on who is looking at it), >>>>>> many >>>>>> of the older trades and crafts-people I've met had an appreciation for >>>>>> seeing their work as an artform. That would be my robot heaven, >>>>>> working >>>>>> toward a world where we can all pursue meaning and purposeful work >>>>>> without >>>>>> the burden of resource scarcity. What would it matter that someone >>>>>> wants to >>>>>> be a plumber or architect in a day when those positions are obsolete, >>>>>> if >>>>>> that is pursuing meaning, it would matter little more than what >>>>>> restaurant >>>>>> someone likes to the next guy. In a world that valued human >>>>>> contribution it >>>>>> might be a plus, there is a name associated with the foundation of my >>>>>> home, >>>>>> or certain furniture or I tweaked my engine to respond exactly the way >>>>>> I >>>>>> like in a curve, finding a way to shield a planet from gamma >>>>>> radiation, >>>>>> optimizing resource allocations in complex evolving environments from >>>>>> nanotech on up to transport vessels for interplanetary mining and >>>>>> settlement, etc.. >>>>>> Back to the present time and scale there is the matter of plotting a >>>>>> course of innovation by meeting challenges. >>>>>> Laziness might be a challenge, and frailty, I haven't met many people >>>>>> who have had to wash clothes in a bathtub complain about the >>>>>> advancement of >>>>>> the washing machine, or get whimsical about enduring ailments we've >>>>>> found >>>>>> remedies or therapies for. We seem to be in a transitional stage, not >>>>>> quite >>>>>> coming to grips with the world we could create. Psychology is >>>>>> important to >>>>>> survival, nonproductive time as some call it, I eye some of them as >>>>>> suspect >>>>>> sociopaths. Being motivated can be very rewarding, it is too bad that >>>>>> out >>>>>> word for meaningfully motivated is "naive". I'm taking the long way >>>>>> 'round >>>>>> with this. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>> On 9/19/2012 5:56 PM, archytas wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Thought experiments are devices of the imagination used to >>>>>>> investigate >>>>>>> the nature of things. Thought experimenting often takes place when >>>>>>> the >>>>>>> method of variation is employed in entertaining imaginative >>>>>>> suppositions. They are used for diverse reasons in a variety of >>>>>>> areas, >>>>>>> including economics, history, mathematics, philosophy, and physics. >>>>>>> Most often thought experiments are communicated in narrative form, >>>>>>> sometimes through media like a diagram. Thought experiments should be >>>>>>> distinguished from thinking about experiments, from merely imagining >>>>>>> any experiments to be conducted outside the imagination, and from >>>>>>> psychological experiments with thoughts. They should also be >>>>>>> distinguished from counterfactual reasoning in general, as they seem >>>>>>> to require an experimental element. >>>>>>> http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/thought-experiment/ >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>>> One I like is the notion of robot heaven. It's easy enough to >>>>>>> imagine >>>>>>> a time when machines grow our food, build our shelter and do our >>>>>>> work. The interesting stuff comes in thinking what this would mean >>>>>>> for wealth distribution and the nature of society. What work would >>>>>>> be >>>>>>> left to do? One can also wonder what place any of our work ethics >>>>>>> would have in such a society. There may be some deconstructive >>>>>>> effect >>>>>>> on just what current work ideologies are in place for. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>>> One of the great improvements technology brought to my life is more >>>>>>> or >>>>>>> less never having to go into a bank. The only real innovations in >>>>>>> banking are the ATM and electronic banking. This kind of technology >>>>>>> and similar in agriculture and industry fundamentally reduce the >>>>>>> amount of human effort to grow and make what we need. We are in >>>>>>> partial state of robot heaven. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>>> Our ideologies are not up to speed. Real unemployment is massive and >>>>>>> education does little to provide job skills. We are sold life-styles >>>>>>> and products by insane advertising. Job creation seems to be in >>>>>>> perverse areas like financial services or bringing back attended gas- >>>>>>> pumps. With more efficient production we should be able to afford a >>>>>>> bigger social sector and I can't for the life of me understand why we >>>>>>> allow competition through crap wages and conditions. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>>> A great deal of what we pay for could be available more or less free. >>>>>>> Educational content and utility banking are examples - these are >>>>>>> areas >>>>>>> that could be ratinalised like agriculture and manufacturing. >>>>>>> Millions of jobs would go. We should be asking why jobs are so >>>>>>> central to out thinking on wealth distribution and how we might >>>>>>> encourage work without the rat race. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>> -- >>>> >>>> >>>> >>> >>> -- >>> >>> >>> >> > > -- > > > --
