Solo travelling

The idea of travelling alone is really intimidating. Doing things in a foreign country, alone and with no safety net is terrifying, and at this stage I am having a lot of trouble convincing myself that I should do this.

I also understand that travelling alone is exactly what I have been telling myself I need for so long. That is to put myself so far outside my comfort zone that I become a better person.

I guess this is what they call the flinch and I need to learn to flinch into the fear.

2012
08/15
CATEGORY
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Growing old

Watching inception again I noticed that I have a weird reaction to the idea of Limbo. So the main character Codd mentions that he was stuck in limbo for 50 years, also the rich Japanese businessman, Mr Saito, gets stuck down there and grows old before being rescued..

Right so I hear that Codd spent 50 years there and I go “50 years!! It sucks that I can’t grow old then become young again”.

Imagine how much time you would have to dedicate to literally everything imaginable. You could read every philosophical book, become incredibly wise, then become an amazing at *insert activity here*.

I mean becoming wise is awesome and hopefully one day I will stop being an immature child, but I don’t want to lose the openness and confidence associated with youth! Nor do I want my body to become fragile.

I really really hope they invent anti-aging drugs sooner rather then later.

 

 

 

 

2012
08/13
CATEGORY
Future
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Mechanics

While I was working at the university all campus leaders had to take a personality test. There was no real reason behind us doing it, I guess it was more for the hell of it, but the result I got was that I was the ISTP. The first career they recommend for ISTP’s is that of a mechanic.

Now this is funny, because since I was young I have always enjoyed pulling things apart to see the inner mechanics behind them. Adding that a good few of my close relatives have a lot to do with cars (Even my dad); and to top it off recently I pulled apart an engine, which I found it to be the most fun thing in the world.

It would seem that the prediction that I should be a mechanic is correct. However I could never do it.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the concepts behind cars and engines. But in reality they are super fiddly. To get into anything you need specialised tools and it takes a lot of effort to get a single stupid piece to ‘fit’.

It’s ridiculous and take hours to achieve anything meaningful. Working on car’s sucks.

So I conclude that the Myers-Briggs personality test is wrong (If only a little).

**********

I love cars but I’d hate to own one again.

2012
08/12
CATEGORY
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To Thailand

So it is almost confirmed, my mate from home and I are planning on a trip to Thailand in 2ish weeks. We have heard a lot of good stories about the place (Mixed in with some horror stories) it’s pretty exciting.

It is also making me a little nervous because the plan is for him to return once his uni break is finished, but I am to stay over in South-East Asia.

I think I will check out Vietnam (possibly couch surf); for a relative introvert this is pretty out there because I have no real plans.

All I can think of is to take it one day at a time.

2012
08/11
CATEGORY
Travel
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Visa applications

The world is so distrusting. I applied for my first Visa today and the effort required is intense. How the hell are we supposed to start populating new solar systems and planets in the near future if the effort to travel within our own planet is so difficult?

I get the whole security and terrorists thing but hasn’t that argument held us back for too long? I mean if ‘cracking down’ on bad people and increasing security worked then the prisons wouldn’t have illegal substances inside. Prison guards have all the time in the world and are allowed to be as intrusive as possible yet somehow stuff always slips through.

Now if the ‘ideal’ security situation can’t stop the flow then what hope does anything less ideal have.

Eventually we are going to have to be gone with all the crap that is associated with international border crossing and we will have to stop thinking of ourselves as individual countries, rather we need to become a unified planet.

We used to have this stuff when crossing state borders before the Federation of Australia and we look back and say “Why did all that pointless harassment exist over something so little?”  I believe future people will look back on Visa’s and airport security and think the exact same thing.

2012
08/10
CATEGORY
Future
Travel
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The purpose of it all

This is the question that has existed for millennia, one I previously thought was answered by evolution, that is we exist to survive and reproduce. But this is a pretty empty answer, it essentially leads to the conclusion that it doesn’t matter what you do because in today’s society because neither of those conditions are difficult to fulfil.

But thinking about it some more, this answer only applies to the concept of a living entity. Human beings exist to survive and reproduce (To pass on their genes) but individuals don’t, yes it’s nice if your genes live on a long time but who cares about that, that only happens after you die. Unfortunately for us the answer to the meaning of life is only useful to individuals while they are alive.

So this leads to the next idea, because the actual meaning of life is irrelevant all that is left is a blank space. Making our purpose to fill this blank space!

The meaning of life is to decide what you want to do with your life. But that help anyone..

2012
08/09
CATEGORY
philosophy
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Almost there

I doubt I am the only one who thinks to themselves that they are ‘almost there’ when learning new things. I find it happens a lot with my programming. I finish one book on the topic, but then I need to read another because I feel so close to knowing everything I need to know.

But I guess this is the problem, focusing on the finish and not the journey.

However it would be nice to know how far up on the progression ladder I actually am.

2012
08/07
CATEGORY
IT
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THE FUTURE!

So I found this info-graphic on how technology is going to progress in the next 30 years or so and I am pretty happy with what it predicts. The future is going to be awesome but it is going to turn everything upside down.

The playing field will become level, it will be impossible for anybody to have any advantage over another. Let me explain, as construction gets more advanced things will be easier to build. Eventually someday we should be able to convert plentiful molecules and maybe even elements into the more useful ones. So the annoying greenhouse gases and the garbage we produce will be converted literally into gold.

This makes everything physical easy to make, all that you need is the blueprint to ‘print’ the awesome product you want and energy to do so (Because your garbage can be used as the construction material). Now as the info graphic shows things like the Enernet which will make energy easy to get a hold of, if photovoltaic glass and paint exists then theoretically every artificial construction could produce electricity. Then if you need energy to do something (Build anything) you can just borrow it from your neighbours who may be creating a surplus.

Also if online piracy has proved to everyone how hard it is to ‘protect’ information, the blueprints of anything worthwhile will be available on the internet.

So any material can be used to make anything, energy will be plentiful to utilise these materials, and you will probably be able to download blueprints (Of say an awesome car) for free off the internet.

The future is awesome!

2012
08/02
CATEGORY
Future
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Software Patents

When the first spreadsheet program was made it revolutionised business. It became known as a ‘killer application’ because it alone made having a computer worthwhile to many businesses. If software such as this is made the owner should get recognised. It is ground breaking and the creator should be rewarded for his/her amazing talent.

However these days rarely does software gets created that is of this calibre. But the low quality software that is created is treated as if it has the right to the same spotlight.

If you talk to a programmer you will always hear how the profit driven managers always push them to create code cheaper. This profit motivation leads to low quality software. In fact programmers trying to create solid code will often be scolded for wasting company time.

If an individual or team creates a killer application that is coded well they should be rewarded. They should have market dominance to allow them to recoup the costs of the application and be profit for their contribution to society.

Companies that push for lower quality code then create a vague patent should not be rewarded, this is not innovation nor is it contributing to society.

Until patent cases learn to distinguish the two legislation will always be messy and will never promote innovation.

********

Patents should probably be awarded to people, not to companies. Company patents lead to hoarding while personal patents would lead to companies hiring amazing developers so they can create the innovative products.

2012
08/01
CATEGORY
IT
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Being valuable rather than qualified

It seems the ‘local’ opinion of getting far in your career is to have as many bits of paper (Certifications) as possible. I have heard from more than a few people that they can’t move up in their career because they don’t have the relevant qualifications.

Conversely Steve Jobs never finished college, neither did Bill Gates, in spite of this they reached the top of the food chain.

In Job’s biography it mentions many apple employees who were ‘key personnel’. These people aren’t mentioned because they have the most qualifications, they are mentioned because they are valuable. It seems key personnel quitting it is a tragedy, it also seems that head-hunters always try to recruit them.

To emphasize how the capitalistic world views key employees vs regular employees a reference to ‘dressage‘ was made in one of my classes. I would like to highlight a quote from the Wikipedia article:

“At the peak of a dressage horse’s gymnastic development, the horse will respond smoothly to a skilled rider’s minimal aids. The rider will be relaxed and appear effort-free while the horse willingly performs the requested movement.”

The metaphor can be applied with executives (And valuable employees) being the riders while everyone else is expected to act like the horses. Internal strife within the company (Requesting pay raises) is akin to a horse being unwilling to perform the requested movements.

Anyway the point is that if a rider complains about something, his needs are catered for because he is trying to ‘focus’ on more important things (The movements to be made). If a horse complains it gets replaced (or corrected).

Conclusion, BE THE RIDER NOT THE HORSE. If you are valuable it doesn’t matter if you are lacking the stupid bit of paper, but if you aren’t then the qualification simply dictates the highest position you are suitable for.

2012
07/31
CATEGORY
Business
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