Boy, sure is blog neglect up in here. Gotta get that "every friday update" going again, fo sho.
How can I do that?
Because I have some big announcements coming up. It's gonna be the tits.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Suddenly UPDATE OUTTA FREAKING NOWHERE
Sup, internet? I've been busy lately, which I would say is a good thing.
I'm a Supermod / unofficial Administrator of a website that promotes freedom of speech and freedom of information. The website is www.TOTSE2.com. It's one of the three major offshoots from the original TOTSE that closed in 2009. I've spent the past half hour enabling SSL on the site (as it currently doesn't support it), and will be doing the same for the IRC as well. After this, I'll be working on a promotional campaign to bring in new members.
Second thing I've been working on, is content for my own site. I have several things I'd like to do with it, one of which is teach people about the coming technological advancements that's going to shape our future. The main reason this needs to be brought up, is that we're not ready for it. Plain and simple. We're on the verge of astounding new tech that in the hands of the greedy, will make life more difficult for most. It's a future that we need to avoid, and for us to benefit from it, we must not continue down our current paths. We're preparing to enter a new age - with new ideas, and we can't simultaneously hold on to a selfish worldview and help all of mankind.
Third, is a neat little project. In an older post, I mentioned electric gloves that I built. When charged, they will deliver an electric shock to anything unlucky enough to be in the way of your fist. Another thing I have lying around is some home made body armor. It won't stop a bullet or blade, but it's fantastic against blunt attacks. I had a friend break a chair over my back while wearing it, without injury. So, what am I doing? I'm combining and improving them both. The new armor will contain metal plating, which will stop blades and tasers, and will house a couple UPS batteries, an inverter, and run 120v to the improved gloves. This will allow for more power more often. If I am feeling up to it, I may also install some fans of some sort, to make the armor cooling as well.
So this is what I've been doing. Look forward to your comments below!
I'm a Supermod / unofficial Administrator of a website that promotes freedom of speech and freedom of information. The website is www.TOTSE2.com. It's one of the three major offshoots from the original TOTSE that closed in 2009. I've spent the past half hour enabling SSL on the site (as it currently doesn't support it), and will be doing the same for the IRC as well. After this, I'll be working on a promotional campaign to bring in new members.
Second thing I've been working on, is content for my own site. I have several things I'd like to do with it, one of which is teach people about the coming technological advancements that's going to shape our future. The main reason this needs to be brought up, is that we're not ready for it. Plain and simple. We're on the verge of astounding new tech that in the hands of the greedy, will make life more difficult for most. It's a future that we need to avoid, and for us to benefit from it, we must not continue down our current paths. We're preparing to enter a new age - with new ideas, and we can't simultaneously hold on to a selfish worldview and help all of mankind.
Third, is a neat little project. In an older post, I mentioned electric gloves that I built. When charged, they will deliver an electric shock to anything unlucky enough to be in the way of your fist. Another thing I have lying around is some home made body armor. It won't stop a bullet or blade, but it's fantastic against blunt attacks. I had a friend break a chair over my back while wearing it, without injury. So, what am I doing? I'm combining and improving them both. The new armor will contain metal plating, which will stop blades and tasers, and will house a couple UPS batteries, an inverter, and run 120v to the improved gloves. This will allow for more power more often. If I am feeling up to it, I may also install some fans of some sort, to make the armor cooling as well.
So this is what I've been doing. Look forward to your comments below!
Friday, August 19, 2011
Tired.
All the time. It's not the best.
It is just shy of 6pm here, and I'm in bed, ready to fall asleep. I'm hoping that ~14 hours of sleep will fix this. So no updates on any projects or anything. I've been toying with Metasploit again as of late, but I haven't really learned anything besides how to use the program. Started playing guitar semiregularly again, so that's something. I just really don't feel like doing anything. Been neglecting this blog, and haven't been checking other's for this whole week - starting tomorrow, I'm hoping to pick this back up.
Hope you all are doing well. Goodnight.
It is just shy of 6pm here, and I'm in bed, ready to fall asleep. I'm hoping that ~14 hours of sleep will fix this. So no updates on any projects or anything. I've been toying with Metasploit again as of late, but I haven't really learned anything besides how to use the program. Started playing guitar semiregularly again, so that's something. I just really don't feel like doing anything. Been neglecting this blog, and haven't been checking other's for this whole week - starting tomorrow, I'm hoping to pick this back up.
Hope you all are doing well. Goodnight.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Donating plasma screwed up my arm...
Two weeks ago today, I went to donate plasma at a healthcare center that specializes in plasma. Long story short, they screwed up my arm. It's been bruised and sore ever since - I really hope nothing was permanently damaged.
Does anyone else donate blood / plasma? I'm lucky enough to go to a place that reimburses you for your time - I can make as much as $50 a week doing it. I haven't for the past two, since my arm's been bruised and sore, but I'm looking forward to starting it up again. Nothing like helping people, even if you can't get anything back out of it :)
Does anyone else donate blood / plasma? I'm lucky enough to go to a place that reimburses you for your time - I can make as much as $50 a week doing it. I haven't for the past two, since my arm's been bruised and sore, but I'm looking forward to starting it up again. Nothing like helping people, even if you can't get anything back out of it :)
Saturday, August 6, 2011
I'll never forget - that minute, that second.
There are quite a few things in my life that I take for granted. Things I've realized or been told that at the time, really had a "Wow" effect on me. The details of each span many a subject, and I can't even begin to describe them all here. But the ones that are really resonating with me right now (interesting thought on that in another paragraph) are that from an anime series called Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Everyone that I know that has watched has came away with the same thoughts - AWESOME. MANLINESS. WILLPOWER. Generally a combination of all three. I'm going to tell you about the show, because it is much more relevant that most people realize. It's the story of a man who has yet to realize his destiny.
Simon is a boy that lives in an underground village. The village chief has him (and quite a few others) dig daily to expand the village. However, no matter how much they dig, one day, the ceiling will collapse and kill them. It was a certainty of living underground. A rebellious youth named Kamina tells Simon of a surface world, where people live without ceilings. The chief tells them that there is no surface. Due to a major plot point (a giant mecha crashing through the ceiling into the village) they're able to escape, only to find the surface full of creatures called Beastmen. They pilot Mechas and kill any humans that make it to the surface. I'm not going to get in to the nitty gritty of this, but most people see the main conflict of the story as their fight against them - which is understandable. Kamina has an unbreakable willpower to fight against them - and every case I've seen of people watching this series, it's always made a huge impact on them.
Spoiler alert time! Middle of the show. It was discovered that a man named Lordgenome aka "The Spiral King" created the Beastmen to contain the world's population. Why, is unknown at this point. After the defeat of the Beastmen, The Spiral King, and his generals (Thymilph, Cytomander, Guame, and Adiane) they build a giant city for mankind to live on the surface. After the population reaches 1 million, a new enemy appears - the only information they know is that they are highly advanced, and call themselves "Antispirals". Humanity creates new technology to combat them, but ultimately, the antispirals have a superweapon capable of destroying all life on the earth, so humanity must take the fight to them, in space.
Spoiler alert number two! Fast forward to the end of the series. It is discovered who the antispirals are. They were once humans, who feared that technology was advancing much too quickly, and that it would be the cause of not only humanity's destruction, but the destruction of the universe as well. They violently fought against humanity (aka spirals) to suppress their will to create.
There is a recurring theme in this show, of "Spirals". Most people equate the "Spiral Energy" that the mechas operate on as meaning manliness, but it was always much more symbolic than that. Even in the beginning, when Simon was just a digger, his Drill would slowly work through any obstacle that he put before it. With each revolution, he'd make little gains, until suddenly, he'd be able to break through. Throughout the series, in a matter of years after humanity first starts living on the surface, their rate of technological advancement increases. They go from fighting with small guns (a nearby village underground had them in storage) to having higher tech mechanized warriors, to having spaceships, to the last few episodes, where they are required to take inter-dimensional relativistic physics into account in order to properly attack their opponents. All of their advancements are due to this "Spiral Energy". This concept is explained in the show briefly, but no one that I know that has watched it has really taken it to heart.
This "Spiral Energy" is not just willpower - it is humanity's spirally-structured DNA. With each revolution (generation) we'd make little gains, until there was an intelligence explosion, with new technologies. The humans finally defeated "The Sprial King" and his generals (which if you abbreviate, are TAGC - the same proteins that make our DNA) they were able to rapidly and positively change their future. In the end, they triumphed over the antispirals, and changed their future into a long, and prosperous one.
What I've been getting at is this. As of late, the idea that Mankind is capable of improving itself beyond the limits of our slow microevolutions is becoming more and more popular. It's something that I see as a firm and unstoppable future for us. It's simply a matter of which future we will build - one that is oppressive by those who are fearful, or a prosperous one. The first idea of Gurren Lagann was of willpower - that through thick and thin, Humanity was capable of breaking through all obstacles - and isn't that exactly what we've done, as a species? The second is that we're capable of building a much brighter future for ourselves, and we're already on that path.
I've had this idea in my head for quite some time now, and I must say, it made me LOVE watching this show, and seeing how the Transhumanist ideals were represented in it. Additionally, I would like to say that it is one of the single most motivating things I've ever watched! Not even on a transhumanist level, but the passion it fills you with, to excel in everything that you do! Kamina is probably one of the best role-models ever, even if he is a fictional character.
So that was a lot longer than I expected. Heh. So to get back to my first paragraph, the ideas that have been resonating a lot with me recently of Humanity's future, and how we are a spiral race, capable of overachieving beyond what we're currently able to do. But the future that's in our hands is dynamic, and if we do not make a conscience effort towards a utopia, and let the decisions of the future fall into the hands of those who are greedy or fearful, we will soon enter a state of dystopia. It is my fear that unless the world as it stands today is changed, we will not make it out on top. But even now, there is hope for man.
Simon is a boy that lives in an underground village. The village chief has him (and quite a few others) dig daily to expand the village. However, no matter how much they dig, one day, the ceiling will collapse and kill them. It was a certainty of living underground. A rebellious youth named Kamina tells Simon of a surface world, where people live without ceilings. The chief tells them that there is no surface. Due to a major plot point (a giant mecha crashing through the ceiling into the village) they're able to escape, only to find the surface full of creatures called Beastmen. They pilot Mechas and kill any humans that make it to the surface. I'm not going to get in to the nitty gritty of this, but most people see the main conflict of the story as their fight against them - which is understandable. Kamina has an unbreakable willpower to fight against them - and every case I've seen of people watching this series, it's always made a huge impact on them.
Spoiler alert time! Middle of the show. It was discovered that a man named Lordgenome aka "The Spiral King" created the Beastmen to contain the world's population. Why, is unknown at this point. After the defeat of the Beastmen, The Spiral King, and his generals (Thymilph, Cytomander, Guame, and Adiane) they build a giant city for mankind to live on the surface. After the population reaches 1 million, a new enemy appears - the only information they know is that they are highly advanced, and call themselves "Antispirals". Humanity creates new technology to combat them, but ultimately, the antispirals have a superweapon capable of destroying all life on the earth, so humanity must take the fight to them, in space.
Spoiler alert number two! Fast forward to the end of the series. It is discovered who the antispirals are. They were once humans, who feared that technology was advancing much too quickly, and that it would be the cause of not only humanity's destruction, but the destruction of the universe as well. They violently fought against humanity (aka spirals) to suppress their will to create.
There is a recurring theme in this show, of "Spirals". Most people equate the "Spiral Energy" that the mechas operate on as meaning manliness, but it was always much more symbolic than that. Even in the beginning, when Simon was just a digger, his Drill would slowly work through any obstacle that he put before it. With each revolution, he'd make little gains, until suddenly, he'd be able to break through. Throughout the series, in a matter of years after humanity first starts living on the surface, their rate of technological advancement increases. They go from fighting with small guns (a nearby village underground had them in storage) to having higher tech mechanized warriors, to having spaceships, to the last few episodes, where they are required to take inter-dimensional relativistic physics into account in order to properly attack their opponents. All of their advancements are due to this "Spiral Energy". This concept is explained in the show briefly, but no one that I know that has watched it has really taken it to heart.
This "Spiral Energy" is not just willpower - it is humanity's spirally-structured DNA. With each revolution (generation) we'd make little gains, until there was an intelligence explosion, with new technologies. The humans finally defeated "The Sprial King" and his generals (which if you abbreviate, are TAGC - the same proteins that make our DNA) they were able to rapidly and positively change their future. In the end, they triumphed over the antispirals, and changed their future into a long, and prosperous one.
What I've been getting at is this. As of late, the idea that Mankind is capable of improving itself beyond the limits of our slow microevolutions is becoming more and more popular. It's something that I see as a firm and unstoppable future for us. It's simply a matter of which future we will build - one that is oppressive by those who are fearful, or a prosperous one. The first idea of Gurren Lagann was of willpower - that through thick and thin, Humanity was capable of breaking through all obstacles - and isn't that exactly what we've done, as a species? The second is that we're capable of building a much brighter future for ourselves, and we're already on that path.
I've had this idea in my head for quite some time now, and I must say, it made me LOVE watching this show, and seeing how the Transhumanist ideals were represented in it. Additionally, I would like to say that it is one of the single most motivating things I've ever watched! Not even on a transhumanist level, but the passion it fills you with, to excel in everything that you do! Kamina is probably one of the best role-models ever, even if he is a fictional character.
So that was a lot longer than I expected. Heh. So to get back to my first paragraph, the ideas that have been resonating a lot with me recently of Humanity's future, and how we are a spiral race, capable of overachieving beyond what we're currently able to do. But the future that's in our hands is dynamic, and if we do not make a conscience effort towards a utopia, and let the decisions of the future fall into the hands of those who are greedy or fearful, we will soon enter a state of dystopia. It is my fear that unless the world as it stands today is changed, we will not make it out on top. But even now, there is hope for man.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Transhumanism, and our Accelerating Future
First, what is Transhumanism? Transhumanism is the idea that humans have or will have the capability to transcend our biological limitations, and supersede our slow, natural evolution with one guided by our own hands. It's a seminew idea that officially started as it is today around the 1990's. A prominent supporter of this concept is futurist and inventor Ray Kurzweil. He has several books on the topic, the latest being The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology. I haven't finished it yet (still working through The Holographic Universe atm), but it's been quite an interesting read thusfar. On the wiki page about the book, it gives a good summary of what it is, and what his predictions about the future are. The books main focuses are as follows:
https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikiped...larity_Is_Near
I'm currently writing a text file on this subject, but am interested in seeing how others feel about this concept. Let us making the discussion, no?
- A technological-evolutionary point known as "the singularity" exists as an achievable goal for humanity.
- Through a law of accelerating returns, technology is progressing toward the singularity at an exponential rate.
- The functionality of the human brain is quantifiable in terms of technology that we can build in the near future.
- Medical advancements make it possible for a significant number of his generation (Baby Boomers) to live long enough for the exponential growth of technology to intersect and surpass the processing of the human brain.
- 2020's - computers (not components, but whole, functional computers) smaller than 100nm will be possible.
- 2020's - nano-sized bots will be capable of being injected into the bloodstream, filtering out disease, pollutants, and supplying oxygen/neutrients to cells.
- Late 2020's - nanotech-based manufacturing will be in widespread use, radically altering the economy as all sorts of products can suddenly be produced for a fraction of their traditional-manufacture costs.
- late 2020's - The threat posed by genetically engineered pathogens permanently dissipates by the end of this decade as medical nanobots—far more durable, intelligent and capable than any microorganism—become sufficiently advanced.
- 2030's - Recreational uses aside, nanomachines in people's brains will allow them to greatly expand their cognitive, memory and sensory capabilities, to directly interface with computers, and to telepathically communicate with other, similarly augmented humans via wireless networks.
- 2030's - Mind uploading becomes possible.
- 2040's - utility foglets in use.
- 2040's - Organs are completely replaced by superior cybernetic implants.
- Want to know how fast things are going to happen after around 2045, according to Kurzweil? Kurzweil predicts that machines will have the ability to make planet-sized computers by 2099, which underscores how enormously technology will advance after the Singularity.
https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikiped...larity_Is_Near
I'm currently writing a text file on this subject, but am interested in seeing how others feel about this concept. Let us making the discussion, no?
Change how you look at all things, and what you see will change.
I've been stalled more times than I think I care to admit. Be it on health issues, financial issues, or optimization issues (more to come on that subject in a later post), I've consistently found myself not where I want to be. I'm not going to get into the nitty gritty in this post, but man, things are not working for me, the way I've been trying them. So what do I need? What's my solution to fix my problems? I don't have the money to eat healthy. I don't have the energy or ambition to work out. I DID until I donated plasma the other week, and they fucked up my arm. I've had a sore arm for the past week, and some wicked bruises. It's made that much more difficult, though I don't really have an excuse for why I haven't at least been running. I think I will do that tonight, just to prove a point to myself. What point do I need to prove? If I'm going to stand in front of the world and say "I'm going to change you for the better - whether you like it or not" I need to be able to do the same to myself. I'm out of shape, and though I want to change that, I'm quite resistant to this change. So I think that is my next goal. My workout has had no cardio since I started, but I have some great muscles to show off once this layer of fat is off.
So what's my motivation? Defiance. I'm saying "fuck you, body" and gonna make it do what I want it to, not what it wants me to do. I started this post just gonna mope about how rough things have been for me. You know what? Fuck that. Yeah, things have been rough. So what? I can't name one legitimate reason why that should slow me down.
Step one: Get this weight off that's been pissing me off.
Step two: Pay off these stupid loans that keep me broke.
Step three: Electronics. I will know how to build more complex machinery before the end of this year. I plan on researching schools as well. After these bills are paid, I'm gonna see what kind of classes I can take to learn things that I can and will use. Programming and Electrical Engineering are my priorities.
So watch the fuck out, world. I am great. I am dangerous. You think you can keep up with me? Well, you can't. Because I am too damn fantastic.
So what's my motivation? Defiance. I'm saying "fuck you, body" and gonna make it do what I want it to, not what it wants me to do. I started this post just gonna mope about how rough things have been for me. You know what? Fuck that. Yeah, things have been rough. So what? I can't name one legitimate reason why that should slow me down.
Step one: Get this weight off that's been pissing me off.
Step two: Pay off these stupid loans that keep me broke.
Step three: Electronics. I will know how to build more complex machinery before the end of this year. I plan on researching schools as well. After these bills are paid, I'm gonna see what kind of classes I can take to learn things that I can and will use. Programming and Electrical Engineering are my priorities.
So watch the fuck out, world. I am great. I am dangerous. You think you can keep up with me? Well, you can't. Because I am too damn fantastic.
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