Archive for the ‘ The World ’ Category

Blank Slates

Something I quite like is the idea of is making a clean start. Sometimes things just get so messy and complex that the best option is just to simply wipe the slate clean and start over. The most frequent place I do this is my computer, if you use the same computer for an extended period of time it gathers viruses, junk programs, unused files etc. These take forever to sort and if you can’t immediately remember to back them up then its likely that you actually don’t need them.

Same applies to projects, if you are working on something that is messy sometimes the best option is simply to throw it out and start over, you may cringe at the lost hours but it is likely that the “extra hours” will contribute greatly to the projects quality.

You can apply this to almost anything in your life, if your workplace is filled with people who aggravate you and you are stuck in a rut, unable to progress in your career, usually it is best to quit and start over.

Often letting go drops a huge weight off your shoulders, your head will be clearer and you will easily be able to overcome that plateau that has been plaguing you.

Don’t hold onto something that is dead weight (Be it your computer, your stalled project, or your dead-end job)

2013
01/29
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The World
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Why I got an Iphone

In short: network towers.

My old phone, a HTC Wildfire was designed for Telstra’s next-G network. This means that the radio towers it picks up are unique to telstra (HSDPA 850/2100). I found this out the hard way when I tried moving to another Australian network and could hardly get reception in the middle of the city.

There are multiple frequencies of 3g radio towers (Four I think, maybe five) and most phones are only designed to pick up a select few (The ones that the network provider uses). However if I am planning on travelling and want to use the local networks I need to have a phone that can pick up as many providers as possible.

The popular phones (Iphones, also the samsung galaxy S) are designed to be homogenous, while the less popular phones try to save costs by making the same phone in different versions (Each version picks up different networks eg the HTC Wildfire A3335 vs the HTC Wildfire A3333). So the popular phones can pick up a greater range of radio frequencies.

Which means I can change between networks easily with an Iphone, while my oldphone was essentially useless on anything but telstra.

2013
01/18
CATEGORY
IT
The World
Travel
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Little truth behind everything

Nothing anyone says is ever without a grain of truth. All jokes, lies and backhanded statements have a slight element of truth influencing the words said.
There needs to be motivation for someone to speak, whether from internal or external sources there is always a catalyst that causes you to say what you have said.
If something was to be completely untrue then it would be without a catalyst. It would be as if they had said something completely random for no reason at all. “Jokes” that supposedly have no truth behind them are within context however, they always fit into the natural flow of the conversation. Usually you can see what has been said or done that sparked their words but you need to look deeper into what internal forces have contributed.
After looking hard its usually obvious that, although tiny, their words are true (Even if they hardly believe it themselves).

2012
12/20
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The World
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How Global Warming Will Play Out

Early on in Issac Asimov’s prelude to foundation he mentions how the empire’s capital ended up living on a completely domed planet. Between this and many other science fiction novels the consensus is that on a planet with uninhabitable climates, colony’s will have to live somewhere artificially maintained (Living in domes).

Then it clicked, scientists have said for a long time that if we don’t reduce our footprint lots we are going to reach a “point of no return” where our climate is completely ruined. They also have given specific levels that need to be achieved (Or Else), however the worlds governments have completely dismissed these levels, saying that it is impossible to reduce it that much.

My conclusion, we have no hope.

We are definitely, 100% in the future going to live on a world where the natural climate cannot sustain life (Except for the extremely tough). But it probably isn’t going to be so bad.

It probably won’t be instantaneous like in the day after tomorrow. But may take a few generations from being able to go outside frequently to the summers being unbearably hot and winters being terrible storms.

So we will keep doing as we are doing, we will gradually start staying inside more as outside becomes more “uncomfortable”; they will create undercover parks (Like the professional stadiums) so people can enjoy the outdoors without dealing with the terrible weather. Underground roads (and subways) will become more common because exposed roads will become dangerous more often, and Innovation will be driven by the demand to avoid the uncomfortable climate.

Then a generation will grow up without ever really going outside.

At this stage they won’t care about the whole outdoors concept, all us people who say “you need to go outside and see some sun” will sound like old people whining about the  “Good ol days”.

Then they will start building these “domes”. They will be small at first, slowly get bigger as the technology develops. The cost of tall buildings will skyrocket (Because they are more exposed, low ceiling domes cheaper etc). Which will further drive the technology of underground buildings.

Because most people will live in a small area (The domes), the concentration of people will reach a point where public transport will be incredibly efficient (Just like in Japan).

Then its a clear path towards the whole world living in these artificially maintained climates.

Gradually is how the global warming issue will play out.

2012
12/11
CATEGORY
Future
The World
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Weekends are the most boring

I have recently joined the majority of the population as someone who works through the week and has 2 days off on the weekend. I have always suspected but now have confirmed, that Saturday and Sunday are the most boring days of the week to have off.

Firstly because most places don’t stay open very long or at all. Probably because most people don’t work on the weekend.

Secondly because there are so many other people around, everything gets crowded.

What results is that the days we do get off have very little to do and have too many people trying to do the few things that are available.

The only positive is that friends also have these days off, having days off without anyone to spend them with makes the day significantly less fun.

 

2012
11/25
CATEGORY
The World
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Important because they are important

The De Beers company had a stranglehold on the diamond industry in the early to mid 1900’s. They had a monopoly on all diamond mines but their product had no demand, diamonds by themselves have no value (You can’t eat a diamond).

So they set out on a huge marketing campaign to make diamonds a symbol of love and commitment. And it was largely successful.

Today society demands that an engagement requires the exchange of a diamond engagement ring. The bigger the diamond, the more he loves her. Why is this? Because society says so. Why does society say so? Because De Beers once had a huge stockpile of diamonds that they needed to sell.

It is an example of something that is important because it is important.

Hallmark holidays, scoring a century in cricket*, getting a good job etc are all example of things that are socially created. When something is socially created you can become a theoretical “outcast” by not taking part (Being shunned by your social group, the fear of what your neighbours will say), but there are rarely benefits for partaking (unless you count social validation).

Caution has to be taken with socially created stuff because they are often stressful and expensive. You can easily run yourself into the ground by being involved in too many things that are unimportant the second they are over. However completely avoiding these things does lead to one to isolation, which is never a good thing. The trick is in understanding what you actually gain so you can find a balance between the two extremes.

 

*****

In the game of cricket, once a player scores 100 runs he has achieved a landmark score and takes a bow to the crowd. However the difference between someone who scores 100 and someone who scores 99 is negligible.

2012
11/23
CATEGORY
The World
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Growing up with safety

Many people grow up dealing with traumatic events, having family members get really sick and/or pass away, witnessing abuse or tragic accidents, all these things shape a persons view of the world in a negative way.

I feel especially fortunate that I never had any of these things happen to me. I understand that it actually is incredibly rare that someone is able to grow up and see so little of the bad shit that exists in this world.

These days I can truthfully say to myself that the world is a safe and good place to live in, and that everyone in it is equally good. This is mostly because I never learned to fear anything that exists in this world.

 

2012
11/22
CATEGORY
The World
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What the older generation don’t realise

There was a lot of talk about how generation X was raised by the television and what it meant for society. I would like to point out that generation Y is being raised by the internet.

Whenever I have had a question or a problem that needed answering the first place I always went to was the internet. If I feel sad I go watch funny YouTube videos or read my favourite blog. If I am excited by something or did something awesome I post it on-line. In general, the internet is my go to for everything. And it is a kind guardian that never disrespects, unlike most people.

When politicians talk about “restricting the internet” what they don’t realise is that they are restricting an inanimate objects ability to raise people. They think that learning values from a computer is bad, but it really isn’t. Our generation is informed and critical of the old ways exactly the same as every generation before us.

When gray-haired people say society doesn’t need faster broadband connections they are speaking for themselves, not the people who are actually restricted by the slow connections.

The problem is that most of the people who were raised in a internet society still aren’t old enough to vote. So their opinions don’t count. We can only hope that something so beneficial to the future of society isn’t destroyed by those who won’t be affected by its loss.

 

2012
11/15
CATEGORY
The World
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More Beauty in the world

It happened again. I’m here working on this raspberry pi tutorial which creates an operating system that shows a changing gradient pattern.

That was all it did. A simple coloured image. However for the tutorial you had to talk directly to the graphics processor. So it was as minimal as possible. Really simple and clean. There was nothing on this computer except the ability to print a colour gradient to the screen.

And I stared at it, and I went “It’s so beautiful..”

Note: Not the colours or anything. Its beautiful because the code was so simple and minimalistic.

2012
11/14
CATEGORY
The World
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Attacking the opponent

Following the results of the US election I kinda feel, as an Australian, that the logical candidate won. However I believe my opinion was shaped a lot by the media.

Both presidential candidates spent a mass amount of money painting the opponent in a negative light. I felt that Obama did an okay job for the last 4 years, so Romney’s stuff came across as slanderous. However Obama’s propaganda made Romney look like a douche (which he kinda was – labelling 47% of the population as having no-hope).

In every sport you get penalised for going after the player rather than the ball, and considering that so much effort was made by both parties to capitalise on this technique, I have lost a little faith in our world.

2012
11/07
CATEGORY
The World
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