August 6, 2023August 7, 2023 TCTJr Direct Thoughts|Human-Performance|Out In The Fringe

Quality Over Quantity

Dalle’s Idea of Quality Over Quantity

Be a yardstick of quality.

Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.
S. Jobs

First i hope this finds everyone safe. Second, your humble narrator has been incognito of late and re-emerged safe and sound as the CTO of a really cool company called BigBear.ai . Third, for some reason or another several folks have been talking to me about risks and reward in life as of late. i haven’t written a blarg in a while so i figured i would take the time to jot down some thoughts.

i dedicate this blarg to my parents. Here is why.

A long time ago in a land far away i lived in a modest ranch style house in Charleston,SC and in the den area there was a sign that said:

It is better to live one year as a lion than 20 years as a chicken.
Anonymous

This is a modified quote that can be tracked to several people in history. i am by no means referencing any political or religious views herewith so please check yourself. Someone somewhere could play the same music and someone would hate them for it on the internet.

i read this everyday coming in and out of the house and it had a profound effect on me later in life. Without me even knowing it i gravitated towards living on the creative side or maker side of life or let’s say risk taking side of life.

If you obey all the rules, you’ll miss all the fun.
Katheryn Hepburn

In the same fashion, for some unknown reason, people have been asking or talking to me about the creative process as well as having hobbies that appear to be risk taking.

For the record i don’t view anything that i do as a i hobby nearly as dangerous as driving. i’ll probably do a blarg on one activity everyone seems to be asking about is freediving but that isnt the subject of this blarg.

Life is to be lived folks. Social norms keep many from going and doing and living a life they DREAM. i hear you saing: “Well you know how it is life gets in the way.” Nope boys and girls your brain gets in the way and says “Oh you could never do that what would people think?”. “My <insert person here> would just disown me.”

What if you do it and you are truly happy?

The other thing people have been saying to me lately is “How’d you do that?” Well i just went and did it. Once again someone somewhere isn’t going to like whatever you do and you can’t please everyone so you might as well please yourself as the song says. (Rick Nelson – Garden Party).

Most people who really care about you just want you to be happy. They might not like or agree with you when letting your freak flag fly or even imagine how you could live in such a manner but i guarantee you show up to those you love truly happy then everything will be really OK. This is on YOU as it is on THEM. This is a two way street folks. You choose a difficult path not everyone is going to be “accepting”. The road will be strewn with stones to your path of righteousness. Trust me – Caveat Emptor.

The goal is living in a high quality life over a mundane mediocre life. The moments that take your breath away versus the number of breaths in a life. Where do you see a coffee table book entitled “Lives Of The Mediocre.”

Which is very closely related to the creation process. Putting yourself out there is scary. “Yes but i don’t have the courage or the skills.” You know what? Neither did anyone else who went and did The Thing.

Go do the thing that scares you the most then get the courage. That fine line is living. In fact it has been my experience it is a near life experience. Standing at the edge and looking down. Where you even surprise yourself.

“Yea but what if something goes wrong?”

Once again great question. It will. Yes Oh Dear Reader it will but guess what sitting in the recliner or couch every night for the rest of your life or looking out the window and thinking “I wish i would have done…” is way more painful than either pissing someone off for a little while or a broken leg, All will heal with love and happiness.

So put me on a highway
Show me a sign
Take it to the limit
One more time
The Eagles

Recently after a lengthy discussion about risk taking, mental gymnastics or physical hobbies someone asked me about my injuries. Here is a partial list:

Right shoulder replaced, Plates and 8 screws in my right forearm, Two left shoulder reconstructions, Two hip replacements, Broken right ankle and leg twice, Broke ribs, hernia operation, broken nose, cracked back, whiplashes, concussions, the list goes on…

Why would someone put themselves through this? I don’t know sounds like a startup co-founder huh? Because you MUST.

Because living at that level of passion is everything. There is nothing else. Because you know what? The crash is almost as amazing as making it! Quality Over Quantity Folks!

Taking this view In sports, companies and most importantly your relationships is crucial. Most will say they cannot live like that and they do not understand. Well just hand them a big cup of NOPE YA CAN’T. They will get very frustrated as well. Most people of that nature want their predictable life and the ability to dictate to others their lives.

So this morning i called my parents. Luckily both my parents are alive and very married. I told them thank you for having that sign in the den and it would be great if they could find the sign. They informed me it “wore out”. Get the symbology there? They said they had toted it from house to house.

After hanging up i went online to everyone’s favorite online retailer and bought this for my home gym:

Because i needed a reminder. Just like when i was a kid.

Enjoy it while you can
It’s just like the weather
So quit complaining brother
No one lives forever

Let’s have a party there’s a full moon in the sky
It’s the hour of the wolf and I don’t want to’ die

Oingo Boingo

So go create, make, live, and love like there is no tomorrow. You and the people around you will be better off and you will definitely find out who loves you when you are truly happy. Trust me in this area of life you will not have many if any followers just those who truly desire you to be happy.

Until Then,

#iwishyouwater <- near life at Mavericks in 2022.

@tctjr

Muzak To Blag By: Danny Elfman’s “Big Mess”. He is truly a genius. Yes the same person who created Oingo Boingo and all of the great soundtracks.

NOTE: i can also recommend several books on these views such as Tim Ferris’ “Tools For Titans” and Rolo May’s “The Courage To Create”, hit me up on the comments if you want more. Also please tell me a story where you put yourself out there. i’d love it hear about it.

What Is Love?

Love is a complex and multifaceted emotion that is often defined differently depending on cultural, social, and individual perspectives. At its core, love typically involves strong feelings of affection, caring, and attachment towards another person, often accompanied by a desire for intimacy, closeness, and mutual support.

Love can take many different forms, including romantic love, familial love, platonic love, and self-love. It can also involve a range of different experiences, such as joy, happiness, excitement, passion, and sometimes even pain and heartbreak.

Ultimately, love is a powerful and transformative force that can have a profound impact on our lives, shaping our relationships, beliefs, and sense of self.
~ ChatGPT

First Oh Dear Reader, i trust you are safe. Second, we are taking a slight detour into squishy, non-exact, messy, and truly complicated land: Emotions. This comes on the heels of Snake_Byte[14] Coding In Philosophical Frameworks. Also if you haven’t seen the news, the Cognitive Computing Arms Race with Large Language Models is in full swing. Boy Howdy Do We Love Us Some Anthropomorphism! ( i personally think its funny the parlor trick of auto-typing makes ChatGPT and all the other ones appear human to most. )

Turns out there is a class at Stanford on Computational Philosophy which is in the same realm as what i would love to discuss however slightly obtuse. It is a good read.

If we can compute Philosophical frameworks, could we or do we need to compute emotions in the future?

It was not random i started with the terseness of Stoicism. As this philosophy trends towards being objective in your emotions, akin to a more recent philosophy, “Objectivism.” We can quantify the aspects thereof. Or at least we think we can quantify them to some extent.

We know from a physiological standpoint that bodily metrics and chemicals can be measured for systematic responses to emotions. Dopamine, Vasopressin, Oxytocin, Serotonin, heart rate, sweat level, skin clamminess, and eye dilation are just a few measurable considerations.

However what does it mean?

Let’s take some bookend emotions: Love, Hate, Fear.

Some consider Fear to be the only true emotion. Flight or Fight. i’m also positive we can duplicate this in a machine or at least make it plausible to appear the machine is scared. (Also, it will make humans “feel” better one day but that is for a different discussion and different blog.)

Being that Spring Is In The Air let us choose LOVE.

There are so many types and kinds of Love.

Love of a Mother to a child
The Love you have for your pets
The Love of eating a doughnut.

i’m not referring to these types i am referencing:

You are the Love of My Life Companionship – Love

Books, signs, poetry, and yes, humans’ most deplorable creation War has been created over Love of Another. It is genuinely innate in the Human_Condition.

People acting a fool, if you will. You have seen it many times, and maybe (hopefully) you have done it.

As the famous song says, “What does love have to do with IT? What is love but some secondhand emotion?”. Great questioning Tina. We love you.

Have you ever been in The Love? How do you know that person Loves YOU?

i asked one of my progeny that question:

Me: “Do i Love you?”

Them: “Yes.”

Me” “How do you know?”

Them: “Dad i just know.”

This is not to be confused with infatuation, which is in and of itself an extremely intense feeling usually associated with a physically idealized version of the receiving person. Infatuation is initially overwhelming but then quickly fades. Love, on the other hand, appears to be a much deeper, almost seemingly “infinite forever-giving” emotion.

i was wondering how many times “Love” has been mentioned over the years. Below is a plot thereof:

i thought the drop in the 1980’s was interesting. If anyone was around in the United States in the 80’s that was the period of certain illegal chemicals, neon, 80’s metal and madonna. The Me Generation.

So what has happened in this area with using technology of Love? Well we scan our noggin:

**From The Journal of Frontiers in Human Neuroscience**

When I take you in my arms gathered forever. Sometimes it feels like a dream. Sometimes it feels like a dream; to be with you.
~ Feels Like A Dream Lyrics

Research has shown that certain brain regions are activated when a person is in love or experiencing strong feelings of affection, including the insula, anterior cingulate cortex, and striatum. These regions are associated with reward, motivation, and emotional processing. Brain scans have also revealed that the levels of certain neurotransmitters, like dopamine and oxytocin, can change in response to being in love. So while there is no one-size-fits-all image of someone in love, there are certain brain patterns and chemical changes that can be detected in those experiencing the emotion.

Furthermore on the chemical brain related activity research has shown that during the early stages of romantic love, there is a decrease and increase in serotonin levels in the brain^[1]. Serotonin can have direct affects on anxiety, insomnia and depression. For men there is a decrease and for women and increase in serotonin. Strangely this is similar to what is observed in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder, suggesting that the intense focus and preoccupation with the loved one may be related to changes in serotonin levels. Additionally, it has been found that long-term couples who remain in love have higher levels of serotonin than those who have fallen out of love. This suggests that serotonin may play a role in maintaining long-term relationships.

Our study provides the first evidence of love-related alterations in the underlying architecture of the brain, and the results shed new light on the mechanisms of romantic love.
~ Professor Xiaochu Zhang

So if there are (and there are injectable adjuncts to all of these chemicals) that can be augmented and tailored with specific dosages, this led me to ask the questions:

can we compute a model of Love?
can we fool the brain into thinking it is in Love?
do we want to augment the brain so we feel like we are in Love?
Do we want to make Love a thing of the past with future tech?
The list could go on…..

Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight / For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.
~ That Romeo Guy

When people meet, go on a date, shack up, get hitched or get married, i have heard it said:

“You will grow to love them.”
“Well, the person doesn’t really have the attributes i am looking for in a mate, but i can adapt.”
“They share the same interest as you!”
“They can cook or fix stuff for you!”

Why would we want to change or have that person change? Are social norms so strong that there are unwritten rules that we as a so-called society must follow, With a hard rule of it must be two consenting adults in a relationship, what is it of anyone’s business? Do most want to do what they feel they should do? Do we want a best friend to watch the big game with or play golf? Why not a companion that you can dance with now and when your old and just look at each other? To idealized? Oh life gets in the way. i see it is hard and you have stuff to do – yep i get it. Then is Love that important? If not then what is?

Love in a relationship is it needed?

How do you know when you’re really in Love? Do violins play when you’re touching the one your Lovin?
~ The Tubes

Most often, love is due to their connection with their partner. This connection can be emotional, physical, spiritual, or intellectual (or hopefully all of them). People may also fall in love or grow into love because they appreciate their partner’s qualities or values, such as kindness, honesty, or intelligence. Sometimes, people are drawn to others who are different from themselves because they find them intriguing or exciting.

This room is bare
This night is cold
We’re far apart, and I’m growing old
But while we live
We’ll meet again
So then, my love
We may whisper once more
It’s you I adore
~ Palabras de Amor from Queen

Other factors that contribute to love include shared experiences, common interests, and mutual respect. When people feel like they’re a team with their partner and can rely on them, it can deepen their love. Additionally, physical attraction and chemistry can significantly influence romantic love.

However, what if it is all of these with the same partner? Isn’t that what you truly desire? ALL THE THINGS! To truly know that there is one – what would you do to have that person show up on your porch?

This is what i believe we need to understand as we trend toward a world of distributed disconnected artificial intelligence.

In one kiss, you’ll know all I haven’t said.
~ Pablo Neruda^[3]

Even post the pandemic, we see people hug and kiss less. There is less physicality which as we all know for most, a hug feels good for both and releases several proof-positive chemicals. i would tend to think at some point you want to rub against your significant other instead of smooching in cyberspace or sleeping in separate beds.

Is Love now an algorithm? i know in the age of match.com and tinder this appears to be monday morning quarterbacking but at least i believe there is something more to it than a list of attributes. In fact one of the startups i worked at started with the premise, “What are the three main questions you ask someone on a blind date?” Here they are:

What is your favorite travel spot?
What is your favorite wine (assuming one drinks)
What type of music do you like?

From a cognitive standpoint the most difficult one was music recommendations. This by the way Oh Dear Reader was circa 2001 before Pandora, Shazam or any other music recommendation system. We based it on a cognitive model of music perception and cognitive psychology of inter-relations^[2].

If we already know the future and can match it aren’t we living in a world of no surprises? What happens to that special glance? That special smile or touch or a good morning hug? That true everlasting one that loves you for you and only you not because your father mother or your in-laws approved. (If course it has been said you marry the family not the person. )

i am sure by now you have heard of the term Twin Flame. This is different than a soul mate. A Twin Flame is a mirror of oneself, a yin-yang type entity. The biggest distinction between a twin flame and any other type of soul mate is that twin flames are two halves of the same whole. A soul mate, on the other hand, can be thought of as someone cut from the same cloth as you. There’s a deep familiarity, and you feel very close, but you aren’t the same soul.

i wonder if we can compute and create a Twin Flame Agent of oneself?

i’m not sure i want to work on those future algorithms folks. Some things i want to be a mystery^[4].

i’d love to hear some stories, comments, and possibly even rants as this is some very esoteric area we have paddled into so to speak. i’d love to know if you have the love of your life, twin flame or a tinder swipe of the night, i hope you just know.

Until Then,

#iwshyouwater <- alexy molchanov sets a new world record in Bonaire. i was just in the same spot freediving.

Muzak To Blog By: All The Love Songs by Queen. i miss you Freddy and recently brian may was knighted.

References:

[1] Scans Say Its True Love Link

[2] For the record, i tried the system, and no one liked strict cathedral organ works.

[3] Pablo Neruda is the most prolific poet when it comes to love and beaches i have ever read. there is a connection there.

[4] In blade runner, harrison ford knows full well racheal is a replicant yet he Loves her. Question is – Is He? That would be a twin flame. robot love.

Snake_Byte:[14] Coding In Philosophical Frameworks

Your vision will only become clear when you can look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes. Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people. We cannot change anything until we accept it.
~ C. Jung

(Caveat Emptor: This blog is rather long in the snakes tooth and actually more like a CHOMP instead of a BYTE. tl;dr)

First, Oh Dear Reader i trust everyone is safe, Second sure feels like we are living in an age of Deus Ex Machina, doesn’t it? Third with this in mind i wanted to write a Snake_Byte that have been “thoughting” about for quite some but never really knew how to approach it if truth be told. I cant take full credit for this ideation nor do i actually want to claim any ideation. Jay Sales and i were talking a long time after i believe i gave a presentation on creating Belief Systems using BeliefNetworks or some such nonsense.

The net of the discussion was we both believed that in the future we will code in philosophical frameworks.

Maybe we are here?

So how would one go about coding an agent-based distributed system that allowed one to create an agent or a piece of evolutionary code to exhibit said behaviors of a philosophical framework?

Well we must first attempt to define a philosophy and ensconce it into a quantized explanation.

Stoicism seemed to me at least the best first mover here as it appeared to be the tersest by definition.

So first those not familiar with said philosophy, Marcus Aurelius was probably the most famous practitioner of Stoicism. i have put some references that i have read at the end of this blog¹.

Stoicism is a philosophical school that emphasizes rationality, self-control, and inner peace in the face of adversity. In thinking about this i figure To build an agent-based software system that embodies Stoicism, we would need to consider several key aspects of this philosophy.

Stoics believe in living in accordance with nature and the natural order of things. This could be represented in an agent-based system through a set of rules or constraints that guide the behavior of the agents, encouraging them to act in a way that is in harmony with their environment and circumstances.

Stoics believe in the importance of self-control and emotional regulation. This could be represented in an agent-based system through the use of decision-making algorithms that take into account the agent’s emotional state and prioritize rational, level-headed responses to stimuli.

Stoics believe in the concept of the “inner citadel,” or the idea that the mind is the only thing we truly have control over. This could be represented in an agent-based system through a focus on internal states and self-reflection, encouraging agents to take responsibility for their own thoughts and feelings and strive to cultivate a sense of inner calm and balance.

Stoics believe in the importance of living a virtuous life and acting with moral purpose. This could be represented in an agent-based system through the use of reward structures and incentives that encourage agents to act in accordance with Stoic values such as courage, wisdom, and justice.

So given a definition of Stoicism we then need to create a quantized model or discrete model of those behaviors that encompass a “Stoic Individual”. i figured we could use the evolutionary library called DEAP (Distributed Evolutionary Algorithms in Python ). DEAP contains both genetic algorithms and genetic programs utilities as well as evolutionary strategy methods for this type of programming.

Genetic algorithms and genetic programming are both techniques used in artificial intelligence and optimization, but they have some key differences.

This is important as people confuse the two.

Genetic algorithms are a type of optimization algorithm that use principles of natural selection to find the best solution to a problem. In a genetic algorithm, a population of potential solutions is generated and then evaluated based on their fitness. The fittest solutions are then selected for reproduction, and their genetic information is combined to create new offspring solutions. This process of selection and reproduction continues until a satisfactory solution is found.

On the other hand, genetic programming is a form of machine learning that involves the use of genetic algorithms to automatically create computer programs. Instead of searching for a single solution to a problem, genetic programming evolves a population of computer programs, which are represented as strings of code. The programs are evaluated based on their ability to solve a specific task, and the most successful programs are selected for reproduction, combining their genetic material to create new programs. This process continues until a program is evolved that solves the problem to a satisfactory level.

So the key difference between genetic algorithms and genetic programming is that genetic algorithms search for a solution to a specific problem, while genetic programming searches for a computer program that can solve the problem. Genetic programming is therefore a more general approach, as it can be used to solve a wide range of problems, but it can also be more computationally intensive due to the complexity of evolving computer programs².

So returning back to the main() function as it were, we need create a genetic program that models Stoic behavior using the DEAP library,

First need to define the problem and the relevant fitness function. This is where the quantized part comes into play. Since Stoic behavior involves a combination of rationality, self-control, and moral purpose, we could define a fitness function that measures an individual’s ability to balance these traits and act in accordance with Stoic values.

So lets get to the code.

To create a genetic program that models Stoic behavior using the DEAP library in a Jupyter Notebook, we first need to install the DEAP library. We can do this by running the following command in a code cell:

pip install deap

Next, we can import the necessary modules and functions:

import random
import operator
import numpy as np
from deap import algorithms, base, creator, tools

We can then define the problem and the relevant fitness function. Since Stoic behavior involves a combination of rationality, self-control, and moral purpose, we could define a fitness function that measures an individual’s ability to balance these traits and act in accordance with Stoic values.

Here’s an example of how we might define a “fitness function” for this problem:

# Define the fitness function.  NOTE: # i am open to other ways of defining this and other models
# the definition of what is a behavior needs to be quantized or discretized and 
# trying to do that yields a lossy functions most times.  Its also self referential

def fitness_function(individual):
    # Calculate the fitness based on how closely the individual's behavior matches stoic principles
    fitness = 0
    # Add points for self-control, rationality, focus, resilience, and adaptability can haz Stoic?
    fitness += individual[0]  # self-control
    fitness += individual[1]  # rationality
    fitness += individual[2]  # focus
    fitness += individual[3]  # resilience
    fitness += individual[4]  # adaptability
    return fitness,

# Define the genetic programming problem
creator.create("FitnessMax", base.Fitness, weights=(1.0,))
creator.create("Individual", list, fitness=creator.FitnessMax)

# Initialize the genetic algorithm toolbox
toolbox = base.Toolbox()

# Define the genetic operators
toolbox.register("attribute", random.uniform, 0, 1)
toolbox.register("individual", tools.initRepeat, creator.Individual, toolbox.attribute, n=5)
toolbox.register("population", tools.initRepeat, list, toolbox.individual)
toolbox.register("evaluate", fitness_function)
toolbox.register("mate", tools.cxTwoPoint)
toolbox.register("mutate", tools.mutGaussian, mu=0, sigma=0.1, indpb=0.1)
toolbox.register("select", tools.selTournament, tournsize=3)

# Run the genetic algorithm
population = toolbox.population(n=10)
for generation in range(20):
    offspring = algorithms.varAnd(population, toolbox, cxpb=0.5, mutpb=0.1)
    fits = toolbox.map(toolbox.evaluate, offspring)
    for fit, ind in zip(fits, offspring):
        ind.fitness.values = fit
    population = toolbox.select(offspring, k=len(population))
    
# Print the best individual found
best_individual = tools.selBest(population, k=1)[0]

print ("Best Individual:", best_individual)

Here, we define the genetic programming parameters (i.e., the traits that we’re optimizing for) using the toolbox.register function. We also define the evaluation function (stoic_fitness), genetic operators (mate and mutate), and selection operator (select) using DEAP’s built-in functions.

We then define the fitness function that the genetic algorithm will optimize. This function takes an “individual” (represented as a list of five attributes) as input, and calculates the fitness based on how closely the individual’s behavior matches stoic principles.

We then define the genetic programming problem via the quantized attributes, and initialize the genetic algorithm toolbox with the necessary genetic operators.

Finally, we run the genetic algorithm for 20 generations, and print the best individual found. The selBest function is used to select the top individual fitness agent or a “behavior” if you will for that generation based on the iterations or epochs. This individual represents an agent that mimics the philosophy of stoicism in software, with behavior that is self-controlled, rational, focused, resilient, and adaptable.

Best Individual: [0.8150247518866958, 0.9678037028949047, 0.8844195735244268, 0.3970642186025506, 1.2091810770505023]

This denotes the best individual with those best balanced attributes or in this case the Most Stoic,

As i noted this is a first attempt at this problem i think there is a better way with a full GP solution as well as a tunable fitness function. In a larger distributed system you would then use this agent as a framework amongst other agents you would define.

i at least got this out of my head.

until then,

#iwishyouwater <- Alexey Molchanov and Dan Bilzerian at Deep Dive Dubai

Muzak To Blog By: Phil Lynott “The Philip Lynott Album”, if you dont know who this is there is a statue in Ireland of him that i walked a long way with my co-founder, Lisa Maki a long time ago to pay homage to the great Irish singer of the amazing band Thin Lizzy. Alas they took Phil to be cleaned that day. At least we got to walk and talk and i’ll never forget that day. This is one of his solo efforts and i believe he is one of the best artists of all time. The first track is deeply emotional.

References:

[1] A list of books on Stoicism -> click HERE.

[2] Genetic Programming (On the Programming of Computers by Means of Natural Selection), By Professor John R. Koza. There are multiple volumes i think four and i have all of this but this is a great place to start and the DEAP documentation. Just optimizing a transcendental functions is mind blowing what GP comes out with using arithmetic

Look Up Down All Around!

Your Brain 3D Printed ^[1]

The effects of technology do not occur at the level of opinions or concepts. Rather they alter patterns of perception steadily and without any resistance.
~ Marshall McLuhan

First i hope everyone is safe. Second, this blog is more meta-physical in nature. The above picture is a present i received from a dear friend who 3D printed it for me. A transhumanist pictorial if you will for accelerating our wetware. This brings us to the current matter at hand.

i was traveling recently and i couldn’t help but notice how many humans are just sitting, walking, running and even biking looking at their mobile devices. Families no longer talk to each other, couples no longer kiss. Kids no longer day dream. All no longer LOOK UP, DOWN and ALL AROUND.

i must confess at this juncture that, as a technologist, i am conflicted. As they say we make the guns, but we don’t pull the trigger. As a technologist, i truly love using and creating with mathematics, hardware, and software. it is an honor as far as i am concerned, and i treat it as such, yet when i have time to sit and ponder i think of the time i held the first telegraph in my hands. Yes, the FIRST telegraph that read:

What hath God wrought!

Invented and sent by Samuel Finley Breese Morse 24 May 1844. I held it. Of course it was behind plexiglass, and this is a link to said telegraph.

Why is this important? It converted numbers (morse code in this case) into a readable document, content if you will. Even if you do not believe in higher-order deities or some theistic aspects what was transmitted and received via the message of the telegraph herewith was multi-modal and carried some weight to the message.

There seems to be a trend toward a kind of primitive outlook on life a more tribal attitude and i think its a natural reaction to industrialization. Unfortunately i think it is a bit naive because the future is going to become more mechanized, computerized as you call it and i dont think there is any turning back.
~ Jim Morrison

Intelligence it seems, is now but a search engine away or if you will a “tic-tok” away. It also seems due to this immediate gratification of content and information that, we no longer talk to anyone. “The Pandemic” seems to have modified several aspects of our existence. The results of this i believe will take decades of evolution before this change is truly understood from a systems theory and first principles engineering view.

We have been sequestered into a living environment tethered to the LazyWeb_^(TM). Per my commentary about seeing families with their heads buried in their phones during all modes of so-called social engagement, this is creating considerable fractures in how we deal with friends, families, and most importantly ourselves.

Now in recent times, Humans are going into the office or “back to the hybrid workplace” and taking a zoom call in the adjacent meeting room to where the REAL PHYSICAL meeting is occurring. So the more i pondered, the more i thought i would post a bunch of pictures and talk about cyberspace vs real space.

i have read all the books: “Neuromancer, Cyberspace, SnowCrash,Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (DADOES), Super Intelligence, 1984, Brave New World, Realware etc”, i first worked on full Virtual Reality applications in 1993. Yes there were computers back then, big red ones called Silicon Graphics Crimson machines. These augmented with fixed point digital signal processing equipment created the first six degrees of freedom ( 6DOFS) head tracked stereoscopic renderings complete with spatial audio. So it is nothing new just executed in a different fashon.

i recently went to the NASA Astronaut Training Experience at the Kennedy Space Center with my eldest daughter and we took a walk on Mars and did some trivial tasks. It was tethered environment with mono-based audio however it was impressive from a simulation standpoint. When the alert system informed me that a sandstorm was coming, i was non-plussed. Having worked on top-secret systems, i understand the need for simulations entirely. Simulate all the emergencies over and over again that you can think of when going into an environment of conflict.

On a regular basis “Humans being” and living do not constitute simulation unless you buy into Bostrom’s theory that we are living in a simulation, then what of it? Please make the most of IT. Talk to that person across from you. What color do they love? What is their favorite food? Do they like puppies? If they are close friends and family, above all – show them how you feel. Hug them.

I believe that computers have taken over the world. I believe that they
have in many ways ruined our children. I believe that kids used to love
to go out and play. I believe that social graces are gone because
manners are gone because all people do is sit around and text. I think
it’s obnoxious.
~ Stevie Nicks

If you are not the talkative type go outside build a fire, Walk through the city. Go sit under a tree. If you live in a place where you can see the sky go outside and just stare at the sky and let your eyes adjust. The stars will come out and think about the fact you are made of the same substances.

Reflect on and into yourself. Shut down all the noise and chatter. Listen. What do YOU hear?

I can’t fax you my love.
I can’t e-mail you my heart.
I can’t see your face in cyberspace,
I don’t know where to start.
~ Jimmy Buffet

When you get up in the morning, don’t start the Doom Scroll. Contemplate. Get a notebook and write some thoughts. The visceral act of writing activates differing neural patterns that allow us to remember and learn. Think about what you would like to accomplish. Hopefully, you made your bed. That is at least one thing you can check off that you did accomplish, and your parents would be proud.

i wrote a blog a while ago called Its An Honor To Say Goodbye. Many seemed to enjoy it for several different reasons. As you look up from your phone and are around, folks play a game. What if that person just disappeared as though they were shot by a BFG (Big F-in Gun) in one of the first-person shooting games and could not re-frag? Just gone from the simulation? Poof!

How would you feel?

i’ll have to say if this is a simulation, it is pretty good and has to be some quantum information theoretic manifestation^[2]. Yet! Feeling that embrace from a friend or loved one, feeling the spray from a wave, smelling and touching a rose, A dog licking you in the face, tasting that steak, the carnality and sensuality of it all transcend, at least for me, the “meta” aspects of the online experience.

Go Outside! The Graphics are Great!
~ Sensai Todd

So folks, when in doubt, put that device down for a bit. Go for a walk. Say hello to that person across the room and ask how the day is going, and mean it and listen. Go outside and sit against a tree at night, or take a walk near the ocean or body of water (my favorite). Draw. Shut your eyes and deeply listen to music. Dance. Make stupid sounds. Try something you have never done before. Do something besides being fed programmed content.

Look UP DOWN and ALL AROUND.

So question for all of you:

Q: Would you prefer a telegraph, facsimile or simulation of this life?

Until Then,

tctjr

#iwishyouwater <- Nathan Florence on a hellish scottish slab paddle out. He aint worried about who clicked like….

Muzak To Blog By Forestt “Into The Woods”. i would classify this as Martial Folk if i may use genre classification liberally.

[1] Someone i really respect technically and now consider a dear friend printed this out for me. He also prints body parts. Heavy stuff. He is a practicing ER doctor and also codes.

[2] On the above commentary concerning simulations, i do believe in the Minowski multi-verse theory and view of The Universe. Its all happening NOW with multiple probabilities, our noggin cant sample fast enough to reconstruct all of the information simultaneously. Also, remember, girls and boys, YOU are the universe.

[3] i took all of the pictures included herewith except the last one.

references:

[1] this is a great interview with The Lizard King (aka Jim Morrison when he was 26 in 1970. Listen. This isn’t hippie stuff. Click HERE.

September 11, 2012 TCTJr Direct Thoughts|Out In The Fringe

In Memoriam – Steven Swenson March 13, 1967 – September 11, 2005

“With heart and hand I pledge you while I load my gun again, you will never be forgotten or the enemy forgiven, my good comrade.”

~ A.S.L.

As is usual this time of year most think of heading back to school, the coming of autumn and even some are contemplating the winter holidays. I am usually stuck betwixt the mental gymnastics of the proverbial Indian Summer and the Weather Channel fervently watching for the next storm barreling up the Carribean Corridor. True waterman know that one should never take your eye off the ocean or take your gaze off the skyline. The relationship a waterman has with the ocean is an extremely complicated Mars/Venus – Love/Hate – Yin/Yang existence especially for those that would love to see The Kracken, Leviathan or Neptune emerge from the deep. Secretly I believe we are ‘Oceanic misogynist’ as most watermen look at the ocean as a lady and actually dislike her yet at the same time are drawn to Her love and terror.

Yet as much as I truly love this time of the year when most start tweeting – “We will never forget!” – in honor of the 9/11 terrorist attacks my mind wanders to few days before 9/11 and the last time I talked to the waterman and my comrade: Steven Swenson (aka Sven).

Some of you know that I write this dedication every year. It is neither cathartic nor is it pining in squalid sorrow for my lost commrade. I cannot bring myself to such pitiful acts when I know the loss is much greater for his family. In some ways it reminds of the book by C.S. Lewis – A Grief Observed.

I do find it curious that such independent men could forge such a relationship as ours.

Even so, it is not, shall I say upstanding character in the truest sense in the manner that I sometimes react. My melancholy compassion or even sometimes, sheer anguish, lies in the mere fact that, The Sven was an Elite Performer and was a better person than most and honestly there are others who would have been better off going into the great sleep – than him. So maybe its anger yet I digress here is a succinct example of how Brutally Honest he was with people.

For example in discussion:

Person 1: Well here is my idea and blah blah blah blah… What do you think?

Sven: You know what i think? I think its fucking stupid. (laughs)

yet another:

Person2: Hey man how are you today?

Sven: Like shit – how are you?

Person 2: no response just keeps walking.

(to me: see exactly as you said they dont even pay attention)

Most people dont have the cajones or they are caught up in their own pathetic, self referenced heads to say anything out of the ordinary, for fear of reprisal or what others might “think” of them.

Some of you know that I wear a Skeleton Head Ring on my right hand. I believe in the ethos: Life The Great Indulgence! I do not go the for the Gothic ‘I want to die” crap nor is it some Rock N Roll Hootchie Coo affect. So why do I wear it? It came from a discussion the Sven and I had years ago. We were talking about Schrodinger’s Cat. The Sven once said the Cat is dead because he destroyed the box.

So one day we were talking about the cat, women, boats and music, mixed in with a little software engineering, and he drew a skeleton face on a napkin and threw it over to me. He said, “It all comes for us.” I folded the napkin up and kept it and had a ring made out of it. Solid Silver. Of course the Silver Smith took some artistic freedoms and added some realism and ferocity. It is beautiful to me. It is a constant reminder that the Great Reaper is after us. It is also a reminder concerning the discussion he and I had that day.

It is also a reminder the feeling of immortality should be crystallized and adored.

A feeling of immortality was occurring the last day I talked to him.

Sven was sailing around the world and being a true waterman he was prepared. He owned a satellite phone for his sailing trip around the world. I never could stand that damn satellite phone he had and he loved that damn thing for whatever reason. Probably because it provided him total freedom. On numerous occasion I tried to call him and he tried calling me etc. I finally sent him a message via carrier pigeon to just wait and call me when he gets settled in the port of call we had decided to meet. As a note we had planned all of this years earlier to meet around the world whenever Sven bought his boat which in an of itself is a great story. So finally I suppose he was settled and one day…

(Phone Ringing)

Me: Hello?

Sven: Hey man!

Me: I hate that piece of shit phone of your’s where are you?

Sven: I have been hanging out at this cantina all day long and the guy is letting me use his phone to call you. You guys have your tickets?

Me: Not yet.

Sven: Man go get them! It is crazy they have been playing Latin music all day and when I just called you they started playing “Gimme Back My Bullets” its a sign!

Me: Well then it must be so. Yeah I will get them today. So tell me something man how is it?

Sven: Well it took me about 3 months just to realize that I didnt have a fucking schedule. It is so stupid running around like a squirrel.

Me: I hear ya man. So tell me somethin’ ya’ happy?

Sven: Yea man if I would have known how this was going to be I would have done it a long time ago. It really puts things in perspective. The responsiblity is all on you but it places different responsibilities that are more real than the rest of the stuff, ya know?

Me: Yeah man I know its the crap that is what they lead you to believe – the stuff that is all important. I just wanted to know that you are happy.

Sven: Yea man really. I am. Thanks.

Me: You dont have to thank me. Ok man we will see you soon! Go Big!

Sven: Ok man I’ll see you soon.

Never again did I get to tell him how stupid his phone was or that I believed he did destroy the cat in the box.

sven in boat — **Yea it looks like what you are thinking. We were laughing.**

In the last months Steven experienced life that most dream about and yet are to scared to go after for fear of so called personal failure. Most cling to the fallacy of societies trappings and the “thou shalts” of our existence which most deem rules created by so called social norms. Living outside of those social norms brings great freedom and at the same instance great responsibilities that most are afraid to experience.

He died doing what he loved – free diving in the ocean he so loved.

“You Only Suffer As Long As You Want To
Men Like Us Do Not Let Each Other Drown
We Share The Sweetest Black Bread
That Delicate Grain Of Scorn
No God, No Master, No Master Slave.”

~ Rome- “We who fell in love with the sea (Jérôme Reuter)

“Our life passes like idle chatter.” ~ Karl Maria Willgut

Here is the infamous PC Destruction video:

This was one of the songs he liked off the Fight Club soundtrack. We used to listen to it everyday at Apple.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EOb7lcto0k

And if he was here I believe he would like this song or then again he would tell me it was fucking stupid and laugh.

Rome – We Who Fell In Love With The Sea

I miss him.

ALL HAIL STEVEN!

September 11, 2012 TCTJr Direct Thoughts|Out In The Fringe

In Memoriam – Steven Swenson March 13, 1967 – September 11, 2005

“With heart and hand I pledge you while I load my gun again, you will never be forgotten or the enemy forgiven, my good comrade.”

~ A.S.L.

I do find it curious that such independent men could forge such a relationship as ours.

For example in discussion:

Person 1: Well here is my idea and blah blah blah blah… What do you think?

Sven: You know what i think? I think its fucking stupid. (laughs)

yet another:

Person2: Hey man how are you today?

Sven: Like shit – how are you?

Person 2: no response just keeps walking.

(to me: see exactly as you said they dont even pay attention)

It is also a reminder the feeling of immortality should be crystallized and adored.

A feeling of immortality was occurring the last day I talked to him.

(Phone Ringing)

Me: Hello?

Sven: Hey man!

Me: I hate that piece of shit phone of your’s where are you?

Sven: I have been hanging out at this cantina all day long and the guy is letting me use his phone to call you. You guys have your tickets?

Me: Not yet.

Sven: Man go get them! It is crazy they have been playing Latin music all day and when I just called you they started playing “Gimme Back My Bullets” its a sign!

Me: Well then it must be so. Yeah I will get them today. So tell me something man how is it?

Sven: Well it took me about 3 months just to realize that I didnt have a fucking schedule. It is so stupid running around like a squirrel.

Me: I hear ya man. So tell me somethin’ ya’ happy?

Me: Yeah man I know its the crap that is what they lead you to believe – the stuff that is all important. I just wanted to know that you are happy.

Sven: Yea man really. I am. Thanks.

Me: You dont have to thank me. Ok man we will see you soon! Go Big!

Sven: Ok man I’ll see you soon.

Never again did I get to tell him how stupid his phone was or that I believed he did destroy the cat in the box.

He died doing what he loved – free diving in the ocean he so loved.

“You Only Suffer As Long As You Want To
Men Like Us Do Not Let Each Other Drown
We Share The Sweetest Black Bread
That Delicate Grain Of Scorn
No God, No Master, No Master Slave.”

~ Rome- “We who fell in love with the sea (Jérôme Reuter)

“Our life passes like idle chatter.” ~ Karl Maria Willgut

Here is the infamous PC Destruction video:

This was one of the songs he liked off the Fight Club soundtrack. We used to listen to it everyday at Apple.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EOb7lcto0k

And if he was here I believe he would like this song or then again he would tell me it was fucking stupid and laugh.

Rome – We Who Fell In Love With The Sea

I miss him.

ALL HAIL STEVEN!

December 14, 2011 TCTJr Complete Stupidity|Out In The Fringe

Elite Computing

So recently I saw a H I L A R I O U S post on Quora: What do all of the Mediocre People Do In Silicon Valley? I was so pleased by this that I decided to write yet another blog on what I am now calling Elite Computing. As a matter of fact this is a moniker that I cannot claim. Someone who I had a long discussion with said and I quote, ” I like the fact that you talk about Elite Computing and acknowledge people when they are smart.” They went on to discuss the differences between The Valley and almost everywhere else was that in The Valley you better know and show your smart or else.

A while a go I wrote a blog on Social Darwinism and Software Development. Lets take an excerpt from this Quora article that appears to be a little more palatible:

“They work in less important roles at larger companies. Certain parts of Yahoo, AOL, Oracle, Microsoft have lots of these people. The companies actually make reasonably productive use of them. They generally have structures in place that prevent them from doing too much damage and make sure they are always making forward progress, even if it’s slow”

Then if you go down in the comments there is the usual bitching about “Why do you have to have over confidence? So what IF just WHAT IF? The same pathetic atitude existed in 1) The Military 2) The Police Force 3) Sports.

Stronger Better Faster More. You want a 1x return on your investment or you want a 10x? Think about that the next time some of the top performers seem overly intense, passionate or crazy.

It put the whole 99% and 1% argument in a different light.

To the victor go the spoils. May the best company win and live large.

Until Then,

Go Big or Go Home!

@tctjr

December 14, 2011 TCTJr Complete Stupidity|Out In The Fringe

Elite Computing

A while a go I wrote a blog on Social Darwinism and Software Development. Lets take an excerpt from this Quora article that appears to be a little more palatible:

Stronger Better Faster More. You want a 1x return on your investment or you want a 10x? Think about that the next time some of the top performers seem overly intense, passionate or crazy.

It put the whole 99% and 1% argument in a different light.

To the victor go the spoils. May the best company win and live large.

Until Then,

Go Big or Go Home!

@tctjr

August 24, 2011October 18, 2023 TCTJr Out In The Fringe

Software: The Great Human Endeavor

I was having a moment of self reflection and truly thought about the essence of humanity. Without straying into a value or ethics system or some meta-physical looney tunes land, I have come to realize that the creation of software (besides being the quickest way to make a boat-load of money) is also one of the ultimate expressions of “being human”.

One interesting aspect of software is that it can realize an ephemeral idea into a novel useful process and at the same instance can easily be destroyed with a simple command such as this : rm -f -r {file-name} POOF! – all the ideas are gone!

It is in fact the creation and destruction duality that make this so human.

Humanity basically accomplishes two things: Creation and Destruction.

Software also exhibits a level of self determination and elitism that I must say these days does not exist in many aspects of our society. The intelligent, fast and strong usually make the mark. Software is stratifying – that alone is an outlier.

The balance and duality of software creation (and destruction) are not really addressed across the industry. I recently read Coders at Work. This is a great tome from some of the best-of-the-best in the software industry. The great ones interviewed in this tome continually discussed the creation and destruction aspects – as well as adapting of software. Also they eloquently discussed getting rid of the tripe or things that did not appear worthy of creation. Most are bothered by this duality. Most are bothered by the extreme individualistic nature of software creation/destruction.

No one needs to tell you that you “can” create a piece of software. Grab Eclipse or IDLE etc and go to it with your idea. Some of the best software ever written has never been experienced outside the compiler,interpreter,browser, desktop or mobile.

Why? Brutal Honestly – because some deemed that most cannot deal with the results of a piece of software. Just dont eat your own tail.

Until Then,

Go Big Or Go Home!

@jaxsoncreole

March 27, 2011 TCTJr Out In The Fringe

A Couple of Lessons – Responsibility For The Responsible

Hello all:

I trust this finds everyone well. We have all the usual worldwide things going on: disasters, wars etc and then in the valley we have huge funding events happening e.g. Color getting $41M. I was thinking ’bout some lessons lived and learned whilst reflecting on past lives and a couple of items came out of the “wet-ware” subconscious: 1) Do The Right Thing 2) Make Decisions Like Your Paycheck Is Irrelevant. (style note: after all these years of Mac programming and working at Apple I still use object style capitalization). Whilst these item do not appear to be tech worthy or money making – someone said I should teach a Tech Psychology 101 class.

Do The Right Thing

A very successful person in the tech industry who at this point I consider close to iconoclastic said, “Just Do The Right Thing.” I am not going to get into the metaphysical aspects of Right/Wrong here suffice to say what this person was making a comment on was have a clear conscience and do not be biased as to the correct technical and business decision. In the long run you will benefit and you can always look back and know that what you did as a technical professional was well and just. This was coming during a very complicated and involved several people with agendas. For those who are not in the tech industry you would be amazed at how emotional coders, architects and program directors are with respect to some of these decisions. Then I think that nowadays they are very close to rockstars so what not be emotional? That said when you have a difficult decision to make “Do The Right Thing.”

Make Decisions Like Your PayCheck Is Irrelevant

Once again someone well known in the industry was walking with me at a conference trade show and due to the level of their success and the amount of well tech power they possessed I used this time to ask questions. I asked them what is consistent in your success? Without missing a beat this person said, “Work like your paycheck doesn’t matter.” Of course your probably saying if this person is that successful they can afford it. Well dear readers they were not talking about money they were talking about reputation. Money is temporary. Reputation lasts a long time – possibly until the big sleep. It took me a while to truly get my head around this because well time is money and money is time. Yet the more I pondered this statement the more it made sense (and cents). Time went on and I started espousing some of these tenets. Eventually I came upon a situation where I knew one of my colleagues was going into a meeting that could change the face of I/O connectors (think USB and FireWire wars) and I told him say what you know and operate like you do not need a paycheck. He came out of the meeting and said you know I will always operate in that manner. It completely freed me from figuring out what to do in high pressure situations.

Responsibility For The Responsible!

First and foremost one thing I do wish is I could have met the person who espoused this statement. I actually came very close when I was in The Valley circa 93′. Yet that is a story for another time and place. The two previous items roll up into this tenets. For those that are changing the world via technology we have the power to create and destroy. For some this is the game because well they have made millions and billions, just as the artist who can create to destroy which is part of the art. Yet even though we create technologies that change the very social fabric of humanity we are still dealing with the human form on a daily basis (caveat emptor for better or worse) and as such we have decisions that will live with us. Conflict is a given. It is going to happen. Humans adore war. Many a people in the tech industry have destroyed many an art – books could be written on the amount of code and product that hit the trash and <delete>. Part and parcel of this is the aspect of doing what your told instead of being responsible and doing the right thing. Software is the most scalable industry period. There may never be another industry as scalable (smart grid maybe but not yet). The multi-cast nature of changing entire groups of people via one application or a widget is phenomenal not to mention the monetary reward. As I am fond of saying – Idea2Bank as fast as possible yet this comes with some aspect of Responsibility For The Responsible. There are those that can and those that cannot its a very stratifying industry.

At the end of the day do what you know – say what you think – create the software you know is true. Software only knows brutal honesty – either it works or it doesnt and you should be a reflection of that creation.

Until Then,

Go Big Or Go Home!

@jaxsoncreole