So if you’ve downed a few beers with me over the last couple of years you’ve probably found yourself engaged in a conversation about how computers are changing the way we think in dramatic ways that aren’t generally recognized. I often bring this up in meetings when I’m trying to convince skeptical instructors that there is a reason to bring new technologies to bear in the process of teaching students. The way explain this to them runs something like this: think about the invention of the calculator, and how the general population can no longer perform anything but the most basic math in their heads. Now think about how computers displaced typewriters as the way we produce text, and how the general population can no longer really spell. In both cases the machine has removed the need for us to know how to do those things anymore. We don’t need to know how to spell, we just get the computer to fix it.

The same thing is happening with the internet. The bulk of the world’s knowledge is at your fingertips. It’s no longer neccesary to commit the various facts you find important to memory, all you have to do is ask the computer. Who hit the game winning single in the 85 world series? Off to google I go. What the heck is 1066 all about again? Oh, google knows. What the hell does Loquacious mean? dict.org has the answer.

So, it’s a useful exercise to think about these things and it does often help me convince instructors that there are larger societal trends at work that they should try and glom onto. But I’m mentioning this today because there’s an interesting article in the guardian that extends this and imagines what the world might look like in 30 years or so given these sorts of changes that are taking place. The disturbing thing is, it’s really pretty damned scary. I mean yeah, this jetsons future is cool and all on some levels, but I’m still scared as shit that the predictions that started emerging in the 60’s about how the machines will eventually supercede us are really destined to come true. Sobering and scary stuff. The worst thing is this article leads me to conclude it could actually happen in my lifetime.

Damn Moore’s law! Yeah, I’m getting killer framerates in quake now, but if the fucking machine is going to be bossing me around in 15-20 years, I want out!

😉

So check this out. KBToys lost a lawsuit and is giving 30% off to buyers in store from Oct 8-14. That’s 30% off on anything you choose to buy. Like, say, an Xbox, for around $120 after the 30%. Or some games for a videogame system. Or presents for your friend’s or your own kids. Or whatever. I’m either going to buy another xbox so I can really go to town modding the one I have, or another playstation 2 with the better DVD drive in it.

In a world of problems. Sorry on the long time between updates. Work has absolutely exploded, leaving me surly, unhappy, and not much interested in talking frankly about things. I keep trying to remind myself that from the seeds of adversity spring opportunity. That was definitely true roughly 5 years ago when things started to go south at Gannet; I keep hoping that will turn out to be true here at Bowdoin, and there are little hints that there might be some possibilities, but for now I need to keep quiet about them. So. I’ll still try and get back into a groove with posting but bear with me through this stuff.

For a couple of hours worth of work, would you do it? There was a time when I would without a second’s hesitation. Now I’m ambivalent. In this case the money to be made is again off of ebay. Toys R Us is having a buy one get one free deal. Two of the games sell for $35-40 on ebay, so for $50 I can get games which have a resale value of $70-80. All I have to do is list them on ebay and the money is mine. Will I bother doing it? You decide 😉

Here’s an alternative view, and it’s not what you think. De-regulation and the axis of weasels are to blame, not the $50 billion to repair aged transmission system the president would have you think is at fault. More lining of greedy weasel’s pockets, or paranoid ‘the black helicopters are circling’ from the left? You decide. Me? I’d love the opportunity to go weasel hunting with a 12-guage.

What’s tragic is the same millions of brain dead idiots who bought the ‘we must stop the weapons of mass destruction’ in Iraq will buy the ‘we have to raise rates to the tune of 50 billion to cover the expense of transmission line upgrades’ and suck it up and pay still more for electricity while the axis of weasels line their pockets with the dividends this will pay for them. God I wish people weren’t so fucking stupid.

Ever read the cryptonomicon? You should, any science fiction/WWII history buff ought to. One of the premises of the book is that ultimately offshore ‘data havens’ will enable companies to hide transactions and communications from government and law enforcement, sort of in the way that financial transactions can be concealed in the Swiss banking system. A side effect of this could be that you could conduct ‘unauthorized’ data transactions on these networks without fear of repercussions from the authorities. I’ve become mostly convinced that ultimately these data havens will come into being – countries outside of the sphere of interest of ‘western’ capitalism will build data infrastructures because they have the potential to be hugely profitable. I’ve actually been mildly obsessed with this ever since I read Cryptonomicon.

What might these data havens look like? Well, they might for example look like this. Want to download first run hollywood movies? Perfect copies of music CD’s? Audiobooks? Fine, get busy. Several enterprising palistinians in the west bank are providing you with a supposedly anonymous way to go about ‘stealing’ copyrighted materials to your heart’s content.

I was pleased as punch to discover this. I still remain convinced this is one of the shapes of things to come, it only makes sense. Why should billions of Indian or Chinese or african citizens follow US copyright law? It’s in their financial interest not to, and maybe from them will spring a more rational method of compensation for artists.

In the end I dropped a little over $900 on the media box I recently built to serve as a ‘tivo on steroids’ in my home theater setup. I had started the process thinking I would be able to do it for $5-600 so by the end of it I was bumming about it. But after spending the last several weeks using it I’ve concluded it’s totally been worth it, just for the fact that I get to watch the Daily Show every night while I’m eating supper. I know that sounds foolish, but man, there is definitely something to be said for laughter. I finish supper in a great mood every night now. If you’ve never bothered with the Daily Show it’s definitely worth checking out. Meanwhile the media box has nothing but upside potential since I haven’t even gotten around to installing things like the emulators (M.A.M.E. – Robotron and Raidan on the big screen!), and my htpc. Great stuff, if you’ve been considering building a home media pc, all I can say is go for it, I’m really digging mine.

How’s that for an obscure title. Score yourself some teflon tape for the feet of your mouse super cheap, as in under $5 shipped. This stuff helps make your mouse have as close to zero friction as you can get. Think this is all too silly for words? check out a review then. Oh, and compare prices – this stuff is precisely the same as the stuff dan is reviewing, with the exception that he paid a little more than twice as much for only a few inches of the stuff. Stocking stuffer this xmas? Spontaneous gift for that geek friend of yours? Whatever floats your boat, it’s super cheap.

Football season is starting in less than a month, whoohoo!. I’ve already caught a couple of preseason games, but tonight is the first worthy game – the Giants are back in town. Will the more experienced secondary live up to its hype? Can the offense sustain the roll they were on during the second half of last season? Can Tiki carry the running game again? Has Keith Hamilton recovered or is he done? The first chance to look at these and other issues comes tonight on ESPN, you know I’ll be glued to it 😉

Longtime readers probably recall my annual football predictions, worth roughly the price of the paper they’re printed on (ie nothing). Still, I’ll get to them in a couple of weeks after I’ve had a chance to watch a good number of preseason games and digest all the roster changes the teams have gone through.

Ok so these aren’t as cool as the ones my brother put together a few weeks ago, but still, check out these excellent Aerial shots of Maine. For those of you who have tagged along on one of my favorite kayaking trips, check out the shots of Bailey’s Island, I’ve circumnavigated that island at least a half dozen times. The same site also has shots from numerous other New England locations. Link courtesy of the usually excellent metafilter