What will Apple be like after Steve Jobs?
Posted from the US
Been working on:
R
Posted from the US
Do cool good things and they come back.
They do.
(I think the opposite is true as well).
-R
Posted from the US
At the Solidworks World 2011 General Sessions this morning the last speakers were the guys from Bionic Builders:
They were awesome and mind blowing. The stars are Hollywood stuntman and amputee Casey Pieretti and his personal inventor/design engineer Bill Spracher. Casey's dream is to have bionic limbs of all kinds that literally give him superpowers and capabilities that transcend human (that's him flying in the picture and on stage - he was practicing to have his leg explode off for a special effect). They designed a submarine propeller leg, one for mountain climbing, one that explodes, and I think one that shoots flames and/or baseballs(!) Awesome.
I do some pretty out there things with robots but these guys rocked.
-R
Posted from the US
One of the coolest events I have ever been to - hearing Gene Kranz and Jim Lovell talk together about space flight and the Apollo 13 mission at Solidworks World 2011. Gene was the NASA Flight Director for Mission Control "failure is not an option"- and Jim was the Apollo 13 Commander "Houston - we've got a problem".
Actually the dialogue went like this:
Swigert: 'Okay, Houston, we've had a problem here.'
Houston: 'This is Houston. Say again please.'
Lovell: 'Houston, we've had a problem. We've had a main B bus undervolt.'
The reality was a bit more geeky but how many people have actually been to the other side on the moon in a space capsule that was on fire(!).
They just don't make guys like this anymore.
-R
Wikileaks dude Julian Assange - evil twin to Doogie Howser and Tim Robbins?
Posted from the US
Having just returned from a trip to Middle Earth (New Zealand) I have been actively following the strange and twisted tale of some major US studios thinking about yanking the two new Hobbit film productions out of New Zealand.
I am quite biased here, as I have friends in New Zealand who will be working on the production - but my overall guess is that anyone who has ever visited the country would appreciate how very wrong it would be to pull the films out of what truly is the only and best place for them to be created.
New Zealanders not only love their Hobbits, they essentially are Hobbits. They are one of the friendliest, least corrupt nations on earth - they live away from it all in their rough and tumble Shire Isle. The way the native Maori have been made part of society is not perfect - but it appears to be a far better situation than the way many countries have dealt with their original peoples. They seem to go out of their way to get along and to try and respect the culture of others - by wit and by being genuine, not by military might. Hobbits be there.
Where the Hobbit gets made may not seem to be a major issue on the global stage. Terrorism and the falling economy and worldwide poverty are much bigger fish. But I think that there is much for the rest of the world to learn from this modest and isolated place - much to learn about how to live in peace and get along.
So let's all join in and support their rally - let the Hobbit stay where it belongs!
-R
Posted from the US
Just back from a trip to Middle Earth (New Zealand)!
I was able to spend time with some of the very cool artists and film types who live down way under working on a semi-secret project that surely and absolutely involves zero hobbits.
I was also able to procure the very mighty Righteous Bison, quite handy when dealing with voracious Venusians (or Mad Hatters from the Tea Party!):
Everyone needs a Righteous Bison of their own - I wonder if I can register it with my local NRA? Best used for zapping highly endangered species and alien wildlife.
I did manage to have mangled a very large Colossal Squid with my trusty Bison - but it seems that some local Kiwis claim to have beaten me to the punch and have ole Colossal floating about in a noxious fluid in their National Museum.
-R
Posted from the US
I think the Republican Party is finding itself slipping down the rabbit's hole into Wonderland.
This is one Tea Party they can't miss!
- R
Posted from the US
I think I figured out the wacky preacher from Gainesville:
but we can all agree that he is not at all related to Terry Jones of Monty Python fame!
(and we can all agree that the Pastor stopping whatever the heck was going to happen is a good thing for all of us).
-R
Posted from the US
A Florida pastor from a church named the Dove World Outreach Center has decided that on 9/11 this year he wants to celebrate by holding a Koran burning on the property of his church.
Please. Please. Put this really bad idea back under some dark rock and squish it and just call it a day.
The idea is so noxious that it prompted General Petraeus to declare its overall stupidity and potential hazard to US troops.
The pastor, his church, and his idea have become global media sensations - he may be loving the attention. Maybe he thinks he can't back down now.
Let me offer a suggestion: You sure can back down now. When a US general asks you to back down, isn't that enough?
To simultaneously add to the hazard US troops face overseas, and to truly insult the entire Muslim world - that has to rate as one of the WORST IDEAS I HAVE HEARD ALL YEAR.
-R
Posted from the US
One of the newest memes buzzing about is this idea of being a semi-vegetarian or a flexitarian.
I have been a vegetarian (technically a ovo-lacto vegetarian) since I was about 11 (when I became acutely aware where my hamburger was coming from).
There is much debate about this semi-vegetarian idea, which can be broken into roughly 2 camps:
Here is one opposing view to the whole idea of being a semi-vegetarian:
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/why-we-must-reject-the-happy-meat-and-flexible-vegan-movement
(Peter Singer and a few others take a bashing here).
One of the current "it" authors out there is Jonathan Safran Foer, who wrote about (and has influenced) the "new" vegetarian ideas:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-12-10-Eatingmeat10_ST_N.htm
The whole thinking seems to be more about anti-factory farming, anti-pollution - "the earth factor, the gross factor". It seems that the friendly, organic meat farm is not seen as the same level of scary Evil as the factory farm - so eating meat that has been hand-raised and treated well is not seen as problematic.
There surely is a difference between the factory farm and the small, well cared for organic farm on the scale of Evil (let's reference Google's Do No Evil Unless We Can Make $ here). The factory farm's Evil points must rank higher. The small organic farm's motto is "We Are Not As Evil".
But come on - what are they doing? They are both basically killing animals for us to eat.
There is a binary position here:
Our hunger is not binary - there are many, many, many non-killing ways to eat, and we can eat really, really well without meat. But for the animal it's very binary: I live, I don't live.
So while I'm all for reducing the amount of animals that are suffering and eaten, the real change that we need in people is one from being selfish to unselfish:
As humans we are granted very little power and control over life - but we have immense power and capabilities over death. Too much actually. Being vegetarian can be about giving up our power to kill - we surely have it, but do we need to use it?
When we are young the cold, harsh realities of life are hidden from us. But as we grow up the veil is lifted and we peer into this dark place. But we can look into that abyss and refuse to partake of it.
-R
Posted From The US
Don't they scare the crap out of you?
Here is a sure fire formula for intolerance:
People Soon To Be In Power + Some Religion Where People Claim To Know It All = Scary Bad Stuff.
Why do we confuse Freedom Of Religion with The Freedom To Shove My Religion Down Your Throat?
I'm very nervous about atheists who fanatically claim Darwinism as their religion of absolute faith (heck even Darwin would claim some uncertainty about his theories) and overly sure religions folks who want to blend politics and belief.
Keep 'em separated people.
What makes America one of the greatest places on earth is that we allow everyone, of every religion and faith and non-faith, to live here, freely. Let's keep it that way.
Politicians pandering to religious groups and adopting the language and trappings of faith are moving in opposition to the founding principles of this country. What are your leadership skills? Your ability to to manage complex data and make decisions? What are your shared values - ones that reach every citizen?
Why are you qualified to have the power of governance over us?
Your religious beliefs? Keep this to a minimum. Keep that in your private life. Explain how they will not lead you to make decisions that alienate those who do not share your beliefs.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances"
-R
Posted From The US
Here we go - a nice fat n' juicy topic: the Mosque at Ground Zero. Please add the cheese, pickles, and mayo.
Almost everything I have read on the topic can be divided into the following:
Well.
The more I read about the founders of the US - the more I like where they were going with the whole thing, and the more I freak out about what people today think they were about. We tend to associate America with the the idea of Freedom Of Religion. But the deeper I go into how the original coders thought, the more I realize that they meant:
Freedom From Religion.
Now what does this mean? I do not think it means that they were against religion, or that they were all atheists. I really think it means that they wanted a country relatively free from religion in the public and political sphere. It was the noxious mix of oppressive religion and intolerance in Europe that drove many to cross the Atlantic Ocean in crappy little wooden sailboats(!) Imagine how bad it must have been to risk everything just for a little breath of freedom from the oppression of crazed religious folks in power.
In my own life I have friends from every spectrum of faith (and lack of faith) and religion: Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, Atheists, Wiccans, Agnostics, Spaghetti Monsters Folks - everything and everyone. What has really helped all of these friendships is that our discussions are mostly free from discussing religion - and if and when we infrequently do, it is not a battle of right vs. wrong but one of trying to learn about some cultural tradition and then quickly back to a topic which does not involve religion.
It is one of the things I love the most about the idea of America - religion as a non-issue: do your thing, but let me do my own thing, and let's be tolerant and not in each other's face about it. Keep religion as a somewhat private, personal, family thing - you do not have to hide it, but let's not make a big deal about it. Nothing is more personal - when we die, each of us will face whatever we believe (or do not believe) in. Religion needs to become largely a non-issue.
So what about the Mosque at Ground Zero? The organizers (because this is America) are surely free to build the Mosque. Should they keep in mind that it is probably in bad taste? Yes. I would recommend that they sit down with the families of those who died in 9/11 and really find out if this is helping to build bridges of friendship and peace. How about taking the same money and donating it to the kids of the victims and helping them all through college? How about taking taking that same money and building schools of tolerance and liberal thought in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where it is sorely needed. Are you really trying to extend a hand of friendship? If so, this symbolic act may be not the right move - and there are always ways to adapt - it is not too late.
But most importantly - this is America. It is our distinct freedom of, and from, religion, that allows to have this discussion at all. Maybe all religions need to take a small step back, and just let people come forward, and we'll all realize what has been in our way, and that we do have many things in common, once we let the walls of politics and religion take a backseat.
Maybe we all believe in G-d, or something, or not - but how and why we do should not be dividing us anymore. I have my own beliefs in G-d, my own sense of religion - but I also have to leave open a window of uncertainty. Uncertainty that as I grow I will learn more and my understanding will surely continue to change and evolve (as it has), and that none of us can really know what is by definition beyond our capability to know - so we need to be highly tolerant of everyone and their own beliefs, as our own is surely flawed. We are human, as humans we are limited - the arrogance of those who claim to know everything is in my view the highest form of idolatry - because if they do believe in G-d, only G-d knows what they think they claim to know. If we were all much, much, more humble in our beliefs (believers, atheists, and everything in-between) the world would be a much better place.
So what would good old George Washington tell the builders of Mosque? I think he would sit down with them and have a long chat. This is America, my friends - you are welcome here, and you are also welcome to build here - in the spirit of freedom and friendship. But let's perhaps discuss a better place for your dollars. You don't have to agree with me, but at least let us sit down and talk. After all - this is why we fought and defeated the British King - it wasn't all about tea (at least not all of it!).
Stay thirsty!
-R
Posted From The US
I finally was able to see the new film Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World this weekend.
Some quick hit thoughts:
Why Avatar scored billions in its box office and Scott Pilgrim will likely barely make back its budget is a harsh lesson for any writer, filmmaker, and studio. They seem to both appeal to the core ComiCon crowd (strange blue aliens vs. indie rock video game slackers) - but somehow Avatar widely broadened its appeal across the world and won over practically everyone.
I think Scott Pilgrim suffers from what I will call the "Williamsburgh/Indie" ghetto mentality - which ultimately makes its world much smaller. If you have ever visited Williamsburgh it has bloomed into a indie arts/music Nirvana of sorts - a very inward, self-referential world - a living Facebook of hipsters and artsy types. It's a really cool place - but it bears little resemblance to the rest of the world. One wakes up, heads down to the local ultra-wicked-cool coffe shop, hangs out with other really cool and interesting people, works on one's band/film/art project, and then at night heads to a loft for an even cooler secret show featuring some amazingly uber-hip band (some TV On The Radio/Sleigh Bells mashup). Williamsburgh has distilled the best parts of college into a persistent art-slacker experience - one you never want to leave. It is the land of the Lotus Eaters - and it's good stuff.
Williamsburgh = Austin = Portland = Toronto = Seattle (sort of). These are coral reefs - very specialized clusters that can only exist under unique conditions, often within vast seas of danger and conservatism and blah. They are the fragmented, bastard children of the Beats and Woodstock and Paris of the 1920s and every idealized art dream. The connectedness to the rest of the world is thin - and often alienating. The battle cry is "your world kinda sucks - I'm dropping out and tuning in somewhere else". This is both the greatness and limitation of Scott Pilgrim - it drops a sharp dividing line between those who get it and those who do not. If you do, welcome in, if you don't, well f--k off - who invited you anyway?
I get it, thought it rocked - but.
The genius of Star Wars, of the Beatles, (maybe even of Avatar) - of a rarefied few was this: we'll bring this other place to you, all of you. We know all of you need to escape every once in a while, and everyone needs to have the world widened. We all may not be able to live in the indie cool villages, but we can all live in the Yellow Submarine. For all of Scott Pilgrim's awesome cool innovations and creativity, I think that they forgot this - they built a small bus for a select few - and it's a great ride if you can get on it.
The harder thing is to crawl over your own walls and beyond those walls of people you think are just not the bees knees - and to somehow get past all of that. That harder thing is what Pixar does well. It's not mandatory - but it can explain success in a small circle vs. wide universal appeal.
I love the fact that Scot Pilgrim exists and I hope that many more films like it can and should get made - but setting expectations correctly up front can help soften the disappointment later.
-R
Here is a quick update:
-R
Hey all,
Back to posting on a semi-regular basis!
-R
90 lashes for a 13 year old girl for bringing a cell phone to school?
Obama needs to call the Saudis and stop this.
-R
Thinking about Woody Guthrie's Common-ism
Some links for donations:
http://www.clintonfoundation.org/haitiearthquake/
there are many others.
Do your homework so that you donate to a legitimate fund.
-R
Posted from the US
Say hey 2010 - some things to fix:
- planet earth
- music (compare 2000-2009 to 1960-1969)
- medieval, totalitarian, oppressive regimes
- cancer - lets wipe it off the earth
- energy - lets rock the solar/hydrogen thing
- r
- r
Posted from the US
If you haven't seen the latest film from the Yes Men, please check it out:
http://theyesmenfixtheworld.com/
These guys are the Borat of social activism- and they separate those who get it and those who do not with a sharp and clever knife.
They rock and give us all new hope that we can fix the world, especially when the dark and nasty underbelly is exposed for all to see.
-R
Posted from the US
Wierd, wierd convergence.....
-r
Posted from the US
I just finished touring one of Frank Lloyd Wright's great works - Taliesin West (thank you to my architect uncle who recommended that I stop there after COFES).
The best way to describe it is one of the places you should see in your life, in order to better understand what life is.
I have never been a fan of what I call Ego Architecture - giant tall buildings, massive arenas, Roman Coliseums. Ego Architecture is mostly about how people are displaying their ability to dominate, show-off lots of money, subjugate - the philosophy behind it is bankrupt.
I have also really not liked what I call Crap Architecture - pretty much most buildings you see in developments, malls, Taco Bells - just generic, bland, numbing, crap. These structures, which most of us live in or are subject to daily, do not even have a bankrupt philosophy - they have no philosophy.
It is very much like music - you sift through lots of garbage and then you happen upon the White Album - and then everything is different.
As I was walking through, I became convinced that Frank Lloyd Wright was with the Tao. In the music hall I find this:
Lao Tse is known as the founder/early philosopher of Taoism, which in modern terms, makes him basically Yoda.
Frank Lloyd Wright was less of an architect and more of a Tao Master - a Jedi. Taliesin is an embodiment of this philosophy, and it has not been very well understood or replicated. People try to copy his style and end up at a loss. Taliesin is an example of people living in the Way, and it is a good way for us to be in the future: sustainable, humble, local but expansive in thought, built for humans, built for what life is meant to be. The energy expended by the collective set of humans, under the right philosophy, could let us all live this way.
Having been at the top of the mountain (literally, at Davos) and now having been at the side of the mountain (at Taliesin), the side is much better. We are meant to be at the side, co-existing, blending in seamlessly. If we want a future, and we want future generations to respect what we did, we need to start thinking this way.
We could, and we should.
-R
Posted from the US
Overall a great conference on the future of technology, software, and engineering. Unresolved questions as to how to integrate or possibly change/blur what it means to be a developer. Users may become developers on a mass scale - but no one has figured out how to do this yet. The wide net of collaborative development, concurrent engineering, and searching the long tail for good thoughts has been thrown - lots of strange fish to sift through.
At dinner Saturday night I sat near a key scientist who used to be at Bell Labs - we were lamenting the loss of fundamental research in the US (and discussing how in Asia they are building massive scientific research parks). The lack of interest in US students in becoming engineer/tech people is alarming - its like we have a our collective head shoved in a dark hole. The way out of the economic mess for the US is through innovation and driving technology and industry (think automobiles, computers, software). We're losing ground. Perhaps we should focus hugely on solving global healthcare and energy - and be the technology leads in these areas.
Other good COFES insights:
-R
Posted from the US
This is my first year at the COFES conference, which is a yearly Congress On The Future Of Engineering Software. The overall atmosphere is very laid back and collaborative, which is pretty amazing given that many of the participants are fierce competitors every other day of the year.
Today's highlights:
Lots of thought leaders here from Boeing, NASA, Microsoft, Autodesk, JPL...
-R
Posted from the US
At the cofes conference.... Microsoft just showed the vision of computing in 2020....awesome!
-r