Postcards from the Bleeding Edge
Wednesday, October 22, 2008

  Wednesday grabbag

Causes for optimism: The TED spread has declined below historic levels...

Geo-engineering is getting some sane attention again, SO2 injection being the method described as most likely to succeed.

A bunch of starry eyed transhumanists have started a new magazine. It's light on substance and heavy on pictures, but that's print for you.

The IMF reports negative growth prospects for everywhere but Central America. Looks like I'm in the right place, after all..

Google's Android has been released. A new age of high integration with your cell phone is upon us. Gone is the need for developing memory or math skills - Our cellphones, Ourselves!

Jerry Pournelle has released 10 books for $20 dollars as ebooks. I snapped up the bundle and read Lucifer's Hammer last night. I couldn't put it down. Best. End of the World Novel. Ever! The positive attitude towards humanity, and technology, and the battle with the dark forces of religion and ignorance that dominates the 2nd half of the book, was welcome antidote to Brunner's "The sheep look up", which also ranks high on the best of lists, but is considerably more depressing.

Lucifer's Hammer was a zillion times better than the knock-off movies that followed it. Worth 20 bucks all by itself. Recommended.

One maxim of mine about new technology is that if it can be used for talking or sex, it will succeed. While it disturbs me that the outlook for the pr0n industry isn't good, a friend of mine has encouraged me to compose songs for a whole new medium!

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Comments:
I love the 'geo-engineering' approach. "You think we've screwed up the earth now? You haven't seen anything yet!" What a great idea!

I too, greatly enjoy Lucifer's Hammer. I think it's best in it's class. However, the Lucifer Hammer scenario is a wholly unavoidable, and out of
our hands. The Sheep Look Up scenario, otoh, is wholly of our making, and completely avoidable. Why the message of SLU is so depressing, imho, is because of these things. It's our doing, and we REFUSE to do anything to avoid it.

The Lucifer's Hammer scenario is the one case I can think of where nukes would come in very handy.

Again, I can see having 2 per continent. Really big ones. There is logic, albeit quite a reach, but still there, for that kind of nuke deployment. This nuke in every kitchen approach is insane. Yes, insane. No good will come of it. None at all.

Buddy of mine told me this week, that just as anything Internet (with a capital 'I') was 'the thing' last decade, next decade it will be anything Energy with a capital 'E'.

Interesting. But how does that tie in with pr0n? I've heard of jiggling boobs powered iPods, maybe an extension of that tech?
 
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David Täht writes about politics, space, copyright, the internet, audio software, operating systems and surfing.


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