Tag: Technology

Topic of discussion

Today’s question is what topics do I like to discuss?

Over the years, my choice of discussion topics have changed considerably. I used to like technology quite a bit, but I’ve been in the tech career for more years that I can remember, so it’s gotten a little boring to me. In some ways, I also feel like technology has headed down paths that make me a little nervous about our future. At this point, I feel like I could write a pretty good dystopian novel, just based on what I know right now. I can talk the talk today, but it’s gradually fading, and one day I might decide to just go off the grid.

Another topic that I used to discuss a lot was politics. A few years ago, I had a couple of friends who were pretty extreme in their political beliefs. I had to follow lots of news just to keep up with the conversation. Honestly, I wasn’t that political before I met them. It was a stretch for me. I have since moved away from them and we have lost touch. I miss them sometimes, but I don’t miss the political discussions at all. In my opinion, politics have grown too extreme over the years, and have taken on the persona of a fanatical religion. It’s a toxic subject matter at this point, as far as I’m concerned, and I try to shy away from it.

Over the past few years, I have kind of evolved into a different kind of person, and my favorite topic has changed considerably. I have come to realize that every human being is experiencing life in a very different way from me, based on their own unique memories and life experience. I don’t even think I experience life in the same way I did in years past. When I look back on the person I used to be, I barely even recognize him honestly. I respect and love him, but he’s just not me anymore. It’s like sharing memories with a lifetime I never lived, but for the first time, I can understand why he did what he did.

In line with this new perception, my favorite discussion topic has been the many ways we differ. For instance, I love striking up a conversation with a complete stranger, because you don’t really know what to expect. I’ve also had a couple of really close friends in the past few years who were incredibly open with me about how they really felt. It was sometimes shocking, taboo, and even a little disturbing. I began to understand them though, and even empathize with them. In the end, I think it was an important source of change for me.

What is your favorite topic of discussion? Are there any topics you try to avoid? Do like hearing unique life experiences? Do you see a dystopian future ahead, or a utopian future? Do you ever look back on your life and not recognize yourself? Do you think politics have become too extreme? What was the biggest catalyst for change in your life? Let me know in the comments, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!

How I manage screentime.

A few months back, I posted about how I unplug. I feel like it explains what I do to manage screen time. I haven’t really changed much since that time. I’m going to reblog it here for reference. I think it has some pretty good pointers if you find yourself too absorbed in your phone.

How do I unplug?

Do you have any additional pointers? Is phone distraction a big problem these days? Let me know in the comments, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!

What I would pay to go to the moon.

I like reading Sci-fi from time to time, but I honestly don’t want to live it. I would not pay anything to go to the moon, or at least not presently. It’s a barren rock and the trip wouldn’t be without danger. If there was a thriving community established on the moon, and the rocket ride was comfortable and safe, then maybe I would take a vacation up there, but right now there’s just no incentive for me. I would also be risking my life and endangering my health. I wouldn’t even go if it were free. You would honestly have to pay me quite a bit of money to get in that rocket. I would say I would need maybe $250k guaranteed just to feel like the trip was worth it for me.

If you had asked me to take a trip to the moon as a child, I would have probably jumped on the opportunity immediately. When I was young, I had an incredible thirst for adventure, which I think most children do, and danger would have meant nothing to me. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t have had much money to pay for the trip, but I would have gladly thrown caution to the wind and busted open my piggy bank.

This brings to mind an early childhood memory I have. When I was very young, probably barely able to read, I remember the school library had a very old and ragged copy of Destination Moon from The Adventures of Tintin series. I loved that book! The artwork was superb, as I recall, and the drawings of the rockets and other equipment really made my tiny childhood imagination spin like a top. I spent countless hours looking at the images in that book, and I think they greatly influenced how I perceive space and technology, even till this day.

I’m surprised to see that the book still appears to be in print and available on Amazon.com, a testament to how good this comic series actually was. I might just have to pick up a copy for my growing library. I’m sure it will cause countless old memories to resurface. Thank you, Herge.

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The world’s most famous travelling reporter discovers that Professor Calculus is building a space rocket. Tintin and Captain Haddock are amazed to find that Professor Calculus is planning a top-secret project from the Sprodj Atomic Research Centre in Syldavia. And before our intrepid hero knows it, the next stop on this adventure is …Space.

What would you pay to go to the moon? Do you think this will be a common thing for people one day? Did you ever dream about space flight this as a kid? What about a Mars trip? Do you read science fiction? Did you ever read The Adventures of Tintin growing up? What early books really influenced you? Let’s hear about it in the comments, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!

The historical events I remember.

I admit I am terrible at current events, and current events often become historical events. The reason why is I tend to think most news is negative or geared toward creating an atmosphere of fear. This is especially true during an election year.

Honestly, if you look back at history, I think it is largely a timeline of tragic events, this war, that riot, this catastrophe, that natural disaster, this charter to reduce freedom, that civil war to increase it, etc. Taken as a whole, it doesn’t really appear to be a very positive read. At least fiction usually has a happy ending.

Below are a few major historical events that I have experienced. I believe most of them are fairly positive.

  1. The emergence of advanced AI.
  2. The emergence of advanced robotics.
  3. The emergence of virtual reality.
  4. The rise of online shopping.
  5. The rise of the smart phone.
  6. The rise of social media.
  7. The rise of Internet culture.
  8. The birth of Ken.

What historical events have you experienced? Do you think the news is mostly negative? Do politicians use fear too much to get into office? Do you dread election years as much as I do? Let me know in the comments, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!

The trait I value most about myself.

There’s a lot of traits I have that might be considered valuable, but I don’t know that I notice them too much. They are things that other people would notice more than me, because they are external traits, not internal traits. I live on the inside, not the outside. Here are few external traits that people might notice about me.

  1. I am calm under fire. Several of the people working under me noticed this about me. They sometimes worry about the outcome, and I just stay the course unwaveringly. It is impressive to them that I am fearless and calm. When something does go astray, I gently bring it back on course. It’s an odd trait I picked up over the years. I think it also comes from shifting to a growth mindset.
  2. I have some degree of charisma. It’s not overwhelming, but if people are around me for a while, we begin to unite. I think it’s because they figure out that I’m an empathic person who listens to them, and I can also be pretty fearless under normal conditions. I once read that this is what charisma is all about. It’s a combination of presence, power, and warmth.
  3. I have extensive knowledge in a wide range of fields. I spent half of my life reading textbooks, encyclopedias, and other books. I know quite a bit about computer science, electronics, engineering, psychology, biology, philosophy, etc. I’ve even studied subjects that would be considered esoteric. This is on top of degrees in business and information technology.

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The trait I value the most.

After thinking about it, the trait I value most about myself isn’t any of these. The trait I value most about myself is an odd trait that is at the core of my being. I believe it might drag me down, but I still value it. If I lose it, I will lose some aspect of what makes me into the person that I am.

As I went through life, I met a couple of people along the way that I really came to love on a very deep level. When that occurred, I become very scared that something would happen to them. It caused me to try and keep them in my life and take care of them. I think a lot of people hate this type of behavior, calling it clingy, but to me this feeling is the equivalent of deep love.

I believe this is something that was accidentally taught to me growing up. My grandmother was the closest person to me in my childhood and she was very overprotective. She wouldn’t let me out of her sight for fear that I would get hit by a car, or drown in the pool, or burn myself alive, or catch some awful disease, or you name it. I heard that what was modeled to you growing up is what you think is normal, and what I experienced most was the watchful eye of caring grandparent.

This trait probably causes trouble for me because if you are one of these special people it might feel very clingy. I honestly didn’t always appreciate it growing up either, but it still translates to love in my mind. It is definitely something I like about myself, but other people may not. Basically, I want to take care of a special person and help them survive and thrive because that is how I was raised.

What trait do you value most about yourself? Are you calm under fire? Would you consider yourself charismatic? Do you have a trait that’s misunderstood? Are you a clingy person? Do you avoid clingy people? What subjects do you know the most about? Let us know in the comments, and please like, share, and subscribe! Also, thanks for reading!

The profession I admire the most.

The profession I admire most would be the profession of an author or a similar creative professional. I would also include all content creators, like artists, poets, crafters, inventors, architects, script writers, song writers, musicians, actors, web designers, photographers, etc. I would even include system and app developers. All these professions add tremendous value to our civilization. I guess I’m an arts kind of person, with some computer programming mixed in.

What profession do you admire the most? Let me know in the comments, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!

The dinosaur I would bring back.

I don’t think I would bring back any dinosaur. I believe they would dramatically change the ecosystem they are introduced into, possibly driving present day animals into extinction. I also think that if they are extinct, there is probably a good reason. They either gradually evolved into some modern animal, or they were an unviable species.

I think it’s sad when any animal goes extinct, but I also believe that it’s just the way nature works. Life is not static like people want it to be. It is dynamic and everchanging. If an animal can’t properly adapt, it has to make way for animals better fitted to the changing environment.

That being said, and to play along here, I believe the best dinosaur to bring back to life would be one that is relatively small and only eats plants. I believe they would be the least likely to cause much harm to humans. I also like the ones that are evolved enough to have feathers like modern birds. I suspect these dinosaurs would be very colorful and interesting to watch. They should probably be confined to zoos and care should be taken to not release them into an ecosystem where they could harm the natural balance.

The species of dinosaur I have selected is called Kulindadromeus. It lived on the plains of northern Asia in the late Jurassic period, about 160 million years ago, and was about 4 of 5 feet long and weighed around 20 or 30 pounds. It was also feathered like birds are today. I selected this one from a long list of small plant eating dinosaur species found in this article.

Image of a Kulindadromeus by Andrey Atuchin.

Kulindadromeus / Andrey Atuchin

What dinosaur would you bring back to life? Did dinosaurs capture your imagination growing up? Which one was your favorite? Do you believe it’s dangerous to tamper with mother nature? Human beings are probably the most adaptable creatures due to their technology, but do you think we are in danger of going extinct? What would cause it? Let me know your thoughts! Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!

What is exciting about the future.

From a personal perspective, the thing I am most excited about for the future is that one day I will be able to retire, and hopefully have enough time to enjoy other pursuits. I entered the workforce at a young age and have been employed almost continuously since exiting high school. The time horizon for retirement isn’t anywhere near, but it is in the future somewhere, and I’m looking forward to it.

One of the things I am most excited about for the future is what technology can potentially bring to humanity. We are at a crossroads, and I suppose humanity has always been at a crossroads, but this one seems a bit different. It appears that in the next few years robotics and AI will have the potential to take over almost all the manual jobs, and maybe most advanced jobs.

This technology could lead to total chaos, or usher in a new golden age where people are freed up to actually live as human beings. I’m hoping for the later. I’m also hoping that people actually know what to do with themselves. Up until now, I believe most people have primarily been supporting the systems that keep us alive. I’m hoping that when these systems are automated, people will turn to creative and positive pursuits.

I do believe this transition is going to be a bumpy road for humanity. People do not do change well. Politics and greed can also drag us down a very dark path and the technology that is evolving has the potential of being used for very evil purposes. This could bring on a horrific long-lasting dark age or an end to humanity.

Agree or disagree? What do you think the most exciting thing is going to be? Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share!

A future that worries me.

There are many concerns that I think we should be worried about. It would be hard to say what I most worry about for future generations. Below are the ones that I think might be at the top of the list.

You might notice that technology plays a part in many of them. I think technology is one of those things that always poses an extreme danger to humanity, but no one can stop its progress. That is probably because we are living in a highly competitive world, and technology grants tremendous power.

  • Technological advancements will outpace humanity. I think we are reaching the point where most of the population struggles to understand its own technology. Do people even understand all the technology that goes into their cell phone?
  • Most of the human population will become obsolete. Some people predict that rapidly advancing technology will eventually displace almost all human workers, leaving them to starve without a source of income for survival.
  • There will be a population implosion. There is some concern that family sizes have been shrinking over the past few years. I also hear that breeding in general is at an all time low for the younger generation. This could be very dangerous if it continues.
  • There will be a pollution and garbage overload. The Earth is a big place and it does a good job of cleaning up waste, but I feel like if we continue to generate massive amounts of plastic waste we will eventually overload it’s capacity.
  • People will become too self-centered. I feel like there’s a danger that people will become so self absorbed that they will become very bad at taking care of people who need it, like children and the elderly. The world could become a very cold place.
  • Nefarious people will gain influence and power. The world always has some bad actors who are up to no good. They may gain enough influence and power to stage some heinous crimes against humanity. It’s happened many times before in history.
  • The world will become completely capitalistic. Currently, human labor is king, but if robots and AI do all the work in the future, the ones who own those machines will be able to capture all the world’s wealth and income and exclude everyone else.
  • Social manipulation will trigger catastrophes. Social media and news outlets have shown tremendous power in manipulating the masses. Terrible things could be instigated by virally spreading the wrong message.
  • Extreme natural disasters will cause huge fatalities. It is very conceivable that a major natural disaster is looming on the horizon. If a large enough asteroid collided with the Earth, it could literally extinguish all human life on the planet.
  • Tampering with DNA will cause major harm. We have the ability to genetically engineer animals, plants, and diseases. Super diseases could be created, or the introduction of new species could wipe out old ones, including the human species.
  • We will never evolve past our biases and prejudices. Humanity is plagued by a lot of isms, like racism, sexism, ageism, etc. I believe our future is very bleak if we never learn to put aside our differences, let go of all our biases, and treat each other as equals and friends.

Do you agree or disagree? Do any of these really stand out as a major concern for you? Have any other worries you would add to the list? Let me know in the comments, and don’t forget to like and subscribe!