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Category: humanist

04/28/08 09:48 - ID#44166

Controversy is sure to follow...

Ok...

I know that my writing often strays off topic during it's course to finish line, but ultimately I hope at least that it gets there.

Might I point out the category of this posting. I know the postings I have under that banner are typically a bit numbing, I hope that this posting will enliven you all to the point of frantic scandal.

As quickly as I can.. the anecdote:

I was coming home from a busted bachelor party and had on NPR in a rare state of podlessness when I caught the headlines to what will describe this next image. Please allow your mind to wonder what this image could be of weather it exists, and what it means to you even if it does

What is that thang?
image

I'll tell you shortly, but first, answer this question in your head before proceeding. No, really answer it. Write it down in a notepad window or on paper (if you're feeling like a Flintstone, PS. The quickest way to boot notepad without touching the mouse is to hit window key + r, then type notepad and hit enter).

Think of the top 5 problems the world faces today. I'll give you some space so that my answers to this question don't spoil what you're coming up with...



















Ok here are my answers to that.

1. Overpopulation : I know, I know. Until recently you all have been only ever greeted by the mug of my drooler since she popped out seven months ago since last week, so I'm guilty of the worst crime, but the absolute worse thing you can do for the planet is make a new human for the world to have to support. It's hard fact to face as a human, but it's true. I won't get into why I decided to reproduce, maybe we can talk about that in a different post or in a response, but do some research. Nothing costs the world more resources than it's smartest creature reproducing. All this creature really has to offer is it's thoughts and those have just as much of a habit of screwing things up as the do for fixing things. In a nut shell, more humans means the world needs to produce more food, shelter (not much of a problem there's tons of space.. for now) water for it's life forms. Not just any water, but clean water that we can drink (try drinking salt water when you're thirsty young Skywalker... you will die). Which brings me to the next problem.

2. Clean Water: We've heard about this for along assed time too, and though most of our planet is covered in it, there's not enough of it to satisfy the needs of humanities needs. We don't just use it to drink, we use it for every thing. None the least is growing crops to eat (and I know I'm speeding along here, but) that brings us to the next one.

3. Food: How do we currently feed 6 billion peoples every friggin day? The answer is that we don't. This is why chubby assed Sally Struthers can cry in between shots of a kid that would be much better off it the camera man would just share a bite of the sandwich you know he had that day, but food is really hard to come by for most of the worlds population. This and most of these problems really don't effect us as humans since we're Americans, and we don't have to deal with the very poor class of person who cannot even afford homes and live in the streets to be squished by the reckless rich in their sleep (thanks (e:tinypliny) for that story, which btw ends with that rich dude never even being prosecuted, but I digress), though this next issue is one that no on on the planet is free from or can disagree with (I hope, at this point) and that is ...

4. The energy crisis : Ok, fossil fuel is expensive, finite, and corrosive to the limited amount of space that we have to live in (limited in comparison to the amount of reality there is, space, infinity etc, and how much of it we can occupy without dying or bringing something that can sustain us, a space ship for instance... don't let that last bit scare you off yet though, it's going to get really good soon). However, it's uses out strip the possibility of omitting it from our lives out right. We desperately need a new way of collecting/controlling energy that's not finite or destructive and one should exist since we understand that energy and matter cannot be created or destroyed it can only change forms. We just need a form that's not worsening the next issue.


5. The Carbon debt : I know you've heard it all before, but I'll explain it quickly and shortly. A byproduct of energy is carbon which traps the suns rays and is raising the temperature of world overall by a few degrees, which to the common man means nothing until you watch this youtube video that will probably be the subject of summer blockbusters after we run out of superheros and Saturday morning cartoons. Just check out the video I've babbled enough here:

[b]Part One of Five[b/


Ok, we're finally here. Every phase of humanities existence is marked by some technological age that pushes the capiblites of humanity to change in ways that makes all other way until that point pale in comparison, we mark them in ages(Stone Age, Bronze Age, ...Industrial Age, Information Age ). Currently we are in the information age and it's coming swiftly to a close, but not without leaving behind a world in many ways better, and quite a few more worse...

Ok go read this and come back amazed. I won't pretend I can do as good a job reporting as an NPR writer:

Spain Runs Europe's First Commercial Solar Plant

Yeah, It is a solar power plant, and it's real and capable of not only producing enough energy from solar power, but a byproduct of the energy's production is clean water, which can bring water to areas of the world that were until now to expensive to aerate, which could stem world hunger or at least this corn/rice/wheat crisis that's coming from the ethanol semi solution.

II think that as this technology spreads we'll be entering the Solar Age, and possibly a second Renaissance, but I'm getting all romantic. I really want to know what you peeps think...

Well, at any rate... happy grand theft auto 4 day, and may this uncontrollable source of free energy make fighting for finite resources I mean crime, I mean a war on terror a thing of the past...




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Category: humanist

01/15/07 10:43 - ID#37695

Milk Day

Humor Me,

Here's some mild controversy for you (e:peeps).

I'm at work. Cause I forgot about MLK day. Which is kinda sad, but maybe not. JayZee's here too...I mean Jon Zhang, but I don't assume he's much for any American holiday.

I'm a bit driven lately. I just want to get good work done. Plus I have no phone, which honestly is like my other brain. It keeps track of everything for me. I love it. I love it so much. (OK I'm not going to start that again).

I guess I can't blame this on the phone, or my on-again-off-again over consuming drive either. So, I should be excited that it's MLK day, right? Right?

I think that the spirit of MLK day and a part of what MLK stood for is challenging the status quo for the betterment of his people (and I by that I mean Americans. Who doesn't want to live in peace?).

I think it's a challenge to be a driven and contributing member of society being from the demographic I am from. (Check the photo. I'm a black dude). I've grown up around people who I know could and should have been much better off than they ended up. I won't start listing the reasons why, the obvious not withstanding. This is not to say that they're lives are lesser because of where they ended up, but it's sad all the same to see anything not reach it's full potential, needless to say half of it's potential for too many reasons. When someone dosn't become as amazing as they should have been we all loose. What if they were the ones that were going to invent the internet, or a wheel, or hot pockets?

Ok one example. My grammie, Jimmie Hardison (yeah her name is Jimmie), was a math and memory monster. She could total a grocery bill including tax an coupons as she shopped, often corrected the check out personnel, and told her where she made her mistakes. She was also artistically astute, but because of how she grew up she ended up being a housewife/baby-factory for a dude who was born with a speech impediment, a mean spirit, and who had general sense of nastiness about him. It was all she could do with her life. Nine kids sealed the deal (yeah 8 aunts and uncles and that's just on the moms side). I noticed all of her wonderful traits as her grandson and inherited some of them (thank the maker) to my chagrin, since I knew she was always held back from becoming the beacon of human excellence she was able to become. Weather it was because of my mean grampa, or because of what she was a Black, Irish, & Native American woman in 1920's - 40's USA leaves enough to be said. Still, it's sad one way or another.

I think I'm doing better than I ever thought I could, and I'm really glad for it. Not just because of the direct benefit of being compensated for my work, but for the example I set for my immediate family members, the next generation of humans, and anyone else who may happen to meet me who had a preconstructed idea of who I might be. Even if I'm not a millionaire or even a thousandaire, I'm really happy, and my work makes their world a better place, so at least I feel like I'm giving back to humanity in many ways (I hope... I think), and I don't think I could have been able to accomplish any of these things as easily and maybe at all without Dr. Kings life coming before mine. Hopefully someone in the future will be able to say that about something that occurred in my life.

So me ending up at work on MLK day cause I want to get some good work out or even that I forgot I was off because of the same reasons I guess ain't so bad, to me at least. I'm sure he's smiling down on me from where ever he is...

You peeps have a sweet Milk day, enjoy some human excellence and make some of your own as well, cause that's what today's about really.
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Category: humanist

01/13/07 05:17 - ID#37673

My Internet Appendage

Hey!

This one's really nerdy, but a least it's not whiny!

Me and (e:paul) were talking about the internet (picture that!) and he made a point that got me thinking. I didn't own [myfullname].com, and that was stupid for too many reasons.

A. I'm a web worker.
B. I'm a nerd
C. People will find you online no matter how badly you want them not to. What they find may be up to you depending on how much you've done about it before they get there.

Ok C sounded a little paranoid, but with good reason. Our latest scandal not withstanding. One time I had a crush on a girl and I posted it here and then she emailed me a link to my own effin' journal confronting me about it.... yeah.

On the flip side of "C" I've been having these philosophical epiphanies of late, normally to do with chemicals that aren't native to my brain, but epiphanies none the less. The way I've come to these ideas tend to make me question their validity until I discuss them with people in the real world who are not under the influence of such chemicals. Much to my delight they hold a considerable amount of water. Tell me what you think...

I've come to a conclusion that the internet is the single greatest invention that human beings have created since the beginning of time. Which is not to say that there are not other great ones that we've invented in the past, or that there won't be greater ones one the future, but right now the information super highway is the bees knees.

Allow me to expand upon that idea (so I don't just sound like a webby fanboy).

If you view intelligence as a biological tool, like gills, teeth, or arms it's got some unique qualities that as a result set human beings apart from every other creature on the planet, epically since we have such a well developed intelligence (en mass not per individual, as well all know that some of us are a bit defunct in that category).

The best thing about intelligence is the fact that with it we can create artificial organisms that modify our base abilities and attributes and allow us to become more than we are at birth. The telephone and the network that supports telephonic communication for instance is an artificial organism (else wise known as a device), that allows us to communicate in ways we never could. So to does the airplane, automobile, microwave oven, nintendo wii (ok maybe not the later as much...), etc. But more than our ability to create and expand our capabilities in our world we have the ability to benefit from the intelligence of past and current members of our species (or population) from outside of our physiology because of these devices.

If the very first frogs as we know them's legs allowed them swim and hop where before they could only swim, the only way they were able to pass his new found abilities on to his offspring is by reproducing and hoping that the offspring will inherit those traits. Sometimes the traits aren't even passed, sometimes they are to no effect, and sometimes to detrimental effect. Not passing traits at times is for the best since I've seen images of frogs who's eyes grew inside their mouths instead of on top of their heads (here's an article). Ok maybe that'd be better than the current configuration, but my point is that there's very little way for future frogs to benefit from any new development that a frog can come up with in it's lifetime.

Intelligence on the other hand can be recorded and improved upon, such that none of the time and energy of creating anything that has been created by intelligence need ever be spent again. This applies not only by our offspring, but by other members of the current generation. So now our lives will benefit the lives of others, even if we don't reproduce.

This phenomenon It has it's down falls too. Should a development occur in a life form that would endanger it, hopefully it would die before it got a chance to reproduce and spread that trait. We have other technologies that help us simulate this "natural selection" like markets and such but it doesn't always work, but I digress.

The ability to pass our created abilities makes us super organisms, or um.... humans. We've been doing this for centuries and as a result we advance at an exponential rate compared to the other organisms we share the planet with.

Now fast forward to the current time and this here internet thing.

All it really is is a collection of creations, albeit abstract creations, but even the most abstract creation on the internet has some concrete equivalents (ie. you and I having this here (e:community) my (e:peeps)), and/or aid in the creation of other more complex creations at an accelerated rate. It catalogs and stores our creations in an organized manner that allows for efficient recall of creations beyond the creators ability to organize and store. If anything is on the web for just a day sometimes, it may never go away for better or for worse.

I have more of this dribble to expound but I should probably break this one off here. If this were a turd it'd be snaking out of the bowl by now, but I promise to return to this topic (weather or not you're interested since you're clearly not the only one who can or will read this... he he he).

Wrapping this post up. I figured I should by my names URL and point it someplace that would at least better describe me, and aid the process of accelerating humans.


PS. On a warm and fuzzy tip. This here internet may be around well after your great grandkids are long gone... and what you do here will be all that is left of many of us. Leave as much as you can behind for them to see since they will find you too.

--this is forever.
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Category: humanist

01/09/07 04:11 - ID#37613

I'm am just a rat

Ok,

Aside from any issue with having anything to do with heart breakers who sleep with ex-bestfriends I have upped my level of ratttiude!

First, however, I am not going to be banding with said heart breaker, the party of the 2nd part decided that it would be bad form to join forces with me for good reason that need not be stated here (there will be no underwear airing on my laundry line). I'm sorry for any ill will that might have been caused by it, but that's all behind us now...

Ok... now recently as a part of my humanist philosophy to better humanity I agreed to donate some blood to an experiment here at work (Roswell Park Cancer Institute), but I didn't want to just sign up blindly, or be constantly harassed to be included in future experiments so I did some probing and the research sound quite fascinating.

I could go on but why not just rep the doctor who's conducting the experiment and put some text from one of my messages to the research scientists up here for you to read:

... For this particular study, an investigator is developing the methodology to look for very common damage to DNA of a particular sort that can than be used in studying some specific hypotheses regarding cancer risk.

We really appreciate your helping out...

I'll go deeper into my ideas about humanism and such latter, but check this dude out, and check out what research you can aid that might cure a disease in your great grand kids by just giving up some blood, and some time to someone like Dr. Box (::snicker::..., yeah his name is Dr. Box!).




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