The main divide
There are two kinds of people in the world. One uses the precedent as a reference for his job; the other destroys the precedent as a job. The former studies the field of humanities, the latter in science. Which one you choose is up to you.
By the way, those in humanities depend on science more so than you think. After a fashion, science still prevails.
Technology ahead of intellect
People always complain that technology will only bring destruction and a whole bunch of other problems: terrorism, overflowing landfills, personal privacy, global warming, etc. and science isn't helping to solve any.
Don't blame everything on science and technology. Science only has one noble goal; that is to help improve the lives of our fellow humans.
However, it's the dark side of human nature that rears it ugly head. Before humans could master higher technology, they should first overcome their own undying greed, lust for power, and overall sheer stupidity.
... continue reading
19 July, 2009
18 July, 2009
Humanity is so screwed
Half-robots?
Imagine: You're shambling down the avenue. Bluetooth stuck to your ear, thumbs-a-Twitter. Your GPS-enabled phone is piloting you to a meet-up with your soccer buddies, but the lecturer's IM interrupts with a snarl about your assignment so now you're pondering a new spin on "the dog ate my homework."
Meanwhile your calendar is pleading about overdued rentals. And at this moment, that girl from your high-school pings: She's friend-ing you on Facebook.
And with so much tech people are lugging around these days, should we consider ourselves robots? or maybe cyborgs?
What's the diff?
When most people think "cyborg", they're referring to a "humanoid robot", as in Chii from the anime Chobits.
Real cyborgs (as opposed to fictional) are more frequently people (or animals) who use cybernetic technology to repair or overcome the physical and mental constraints of their bodies. While cyborgs are commonly thought of as mammals, they can be any kind of organism.
Yes, even a person using a working, movable prosthetic limbs are considered as cyborg.
Robot sex?
That's an issue that will arise when we start developing very life-like humanoid robots. Something for the future generations to ponder on.
When people think of robot-human sexual relationship, instantly they think of social suicide. "Oh my goodness! We're all going to vanish!" We will have billions of people on Earth, more than we have ever had prior to this century! And through all of history before, we've had lower populations.
No one worried that we'd vanish from the Earth! And besides, if it looked as though we were going to vanish from the Earth, all that has to happen is the word goes out: have babies. And you'd be surprised how fast we can make it up. *winks*
What about technology for reproducing robots? It is still in its infancy. Self-replicating robots is by-product from the study on creating self-repairing robots.
Watch this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyzVtTiax80
Note: read my previous post on Mecha-musume.
Half-humans?
First, you need to know that there's a different between a humanoid robot and a humanoid cyborg. The former is a robot that looks like human. While the latter is a human that is enhanced with technology.
Cyborgs already exist in the real world. The fact that I can't live without my laptop or cellphone, has already made me a "honourary" cyborg.
Lets say if a person was born without limbs, but had his body supported by robotic arms and legs. Would it make that person any less human? Because of the fact he has robotic limbs or because he was born without limbs?
For millennia, great men have debated on what it actually means to be human, and the answer still inconclusive. We, however, can't judge a person's humanity based on physical values or appearances.
... continue reading
Imagine: You're shambling down the avenue. Bluetooth stuck to your ear, thumbs-a-Twitter. Your GPS-enabled phone is piloting you to a meet-up with your soccer buddies, but the lecturer's IM interrupts with a snarl about your assignment so now you're pondering a new spin on "the dog ate my homework."
Meanwhile your calendar is pleading about overdued rentals. And at this moment, that girl from your high-school pings: She's friend-ing you on Facebook.
And with so much tech people are lugging around these days, should we consider ourselves robots? or maybe cyborgs?
What's the diff?
When most people think "cyborg", they're referring to a "humanoid robot", as in Chii from the anime Chobits.
Real cyborgs (as opposed to fictional) are more frequently people (or animals) who use cybernetic technology to repair or overcome the physical and mental constraints of their bodies. While cyborgs are commonly thought of as mammals, they can be any kind of organism.
Yes, even a person using a working, movable prosthetic limbs are considered as cyborg.
Robot sex?
That's an issue that will arise when we start developing very life-like humanoid robots. Something for the future generations to ponder on.
When people think of robot-human sexual relationship, instantly they think of social suicide. "Oh my goodness! We're all going to vanish!" We will have billions of people on Earth, more than we have ever had prior to this century! And through all of history before, we've had lower populations.
No one worried that we'd vanish from the Earth! And besides, if it looked as though we were going to vanish from the Earth, all that has to happen is the word goes out: have babies. And you'd be surprised how fast we can make it up. *winks*
What about technology for reproducing robots? It is still in its infancy. Self-replicating robots is by-product from the study on creating self-repairing robots.
Watch this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyzVtTiax80
Note: read my previous post on Mecha-musume.
Half-humans?
First, you need to know that there's a different between a humanoid robot and a humanoid cyborg. The former is a robot that looks like human. While the latter is a human that is enhanced with technology.
Cyborgs already exist in the real world. The fact that I can't live without my laptop or cellphone, has already made me a "honourary" cyborg.
Lets say if a person was born without limbs, but had his body supported by robotic arms and legs. Would it make that person any less human? Because of the fact he has robotic limbs or because he was born without limbs?
For millennia, great men have debated on what it actually means to be human, and the answer still inconclusive. We, however, can't judge a person's humanity based on physical values or appearances.
... continue reading
09 July, 2009
Still in drafts
Currently faced with a backlog of 'drafted' posts.
Why is it so you ask? Well, I tend to post stuff which are rather 'factual'. So some articles may have to be proofread and re-edited. Then there's the occasional need to cross-refer with previous articles or outside sources.
It's not my style to post a bunch of pictures with little written content. I'll leave that to the more 'trendy' people. After all, posting without in-depth knowledge of the subject matter just goes to show a writer's ignorance.
Anyways, the ideas for some of the articles may have stem from my earlier ideas and writings. Searching through random scribbles, weird diagrams, and sketches found in hidden recesses of my room is like discovering messages left behind by a lost civilization. I taken upon the difficult task to decipher what I may have left behind more than a decade ago.
If I do find anything usable, only minimal editing shall be made as to preserve the original intent of the earlier writings. Hence, you may notice the similar but subtle difference in wordings and ideas, back then and now, especially those dealing with philosophy.
... continue reading
Why is it so you ask? Well, I tend to post stuff which are rather 'factual'. So some articles may have to be proofread and re-edited. Then there's the occasional need to cross-refer with previous articles or outside sources.
It's not my style to post a bunch of pictures with little written content. I'll leave that to the more 'trendy' people. After all, posting without in-depth knowledge of the subject matter just goes to show a writer's ignorance.
Anyways, the ideas for some of the articles may have stem from my earlier ideas and writings. Searching through random scribbles, weird diagrams, and sketches found in hidden recesses of my room is like discovering messages left behind by a lost civilization. I taken upon the difficult task to decipher what I may have left behind more than a decade ago.
If I do find anything usable, only minimal editing shall be made as to preserve the original intent of the earlier writings. Hence, you may notice the similar but subtle difference in wordings and ideas, back then and now, especially those dealing with philosophy.
... continue reading
31 May, 2009
Distance of Lighting Strike
A thunderstorm is approaching, and suddenly you hear an absolutely deafening clap of thunder. At times it becomes frightening! But how close is the lightning, really?
It is difficult to determine the distance of a lightning bolt just by looking at it, and the volume of the thunder isn’t a good way to tell either. Here's a potentially life-saving method you can use to approximate how far away lightning is.
Approximation
If we consider the atmosphere on a standard day at sea level, the speed of sound is about 330~340 m/s. Light travels in vacuum and space at approximately 299 792 458 m/s. We can use this knowledge to approximately determine how far away a lightning strike has occurred.
- Watch the sky for a flash of lightning.
- Count the number of seconds until you hear thunder.
- Divide the number of seconds by 3 (distance in kilometers).
We see the flash immediately as it happens. The speed of sound is more or less 1km per 3 seconds. If the thunder can be heard after T seconds, we can approximate the lightning strike was D ≈ T/3
Dependence on weather conditions
The speed of sound is variable and depends on the properties of the substance through of which the wave is traveling.
Sound travels through air at slightly different speeds depending on air temperature, relative humidity, altitude, pressure, wind conditions, etc. However, the difference is fairly small and won’t substantially affect your calculations.
Points to note:
- The speed of sound in dry air at 0 degrees C is about 330 m/s
- Water vapor in the air increases this speed slightly.
- Sound travels faster through warm air than through cold air.
... continue reading
22 May, 2009
Is knowledge boring?
Most people just don't appreciate it
One of the reasons I don't react much to jokes, trivia, or scary stories is probably because I had already read, heard, or know how the it works. Random stuff just doesn't surprise me much as it used to be. The initial "WOW" factor has loss much of its edge. Especially true if you claim to have accumulated almost half a century worth of knowledge. You'll tend to feel old and weary, mentally.
Being brought up behave courteously and considerately, I'm much obligated to keep these thoughts to myself. A simple test of patience. No matter how terrible the countless misinterpretation of facts or literary misquotations I had to endure.
Ignorance isn't bliss
Regardless of your race, nationality, family background, and financial standing, as long as you disregard the importance of knowledge, you're should consider yourself being at the lowest tier of societal structure.
Some of us would think that being cool and having money is all that are needed. They think they're hip, they can't read; they can't write. They're laughing and giggling, but they're going nowhere.
If your impression of a good life is an endless cycle sleep, eat and sex, then life is not worth living. The community, the country, and Mother Earth certainly doesn't need you.
Knowledge is power
The war that you face on the battlefield call life; the ever-raging conflicts of will and destiny can be survived, side-tracked, and out-maneuvered with reliable information and good planning. That is to say that 'knowledge' is not something to be afraid of, or to be ignored.
After all, Knowledge is the grease to the spinning axle-wheel of Human Civilization. The accumulation of various forms of knowledge brings forth the advancement of civilization as a whole. Underestimating knowledge will give rise to ignorance. And it is Ignorance that shall herald the decline of civilization as we know it.
Cycle of history
The Rise and Fall of great empires and ancient civilizations repeats itself. The revered founders, intelligent and cunning men of previous generations, could do nothing stop the rot caused by their foolish descendants. This is all different now.
No more are there secluded cities of the past. The modern civilization that we refer to is a global one. All the more important to encourage the pursuit of knowledge lest we forget the horrors of the Dark Ages.
... continue reading
One of the reasons I don't react much to jokes, trivia, or scary stories is probably because I had already read, heard, or know how the it works. Random stuff just doesn't surprise me much as it used to be. The initial "WOW" factor has loss much of its edge. Especially true if you claim to have accumulated almost half a century worth of knowledge. You'll tend to feel old and weary, mentally.
Being brought up behave courteously and considerately, I'm much obligated to keep these thoughts to myself. A simple test of patience. No matter how terrible the countless misinterpretation of facts or literary misquotations I had to endure.
Ignorance isn't bliss
Regardless of your race, nationality, family background, and financial standing, as long as you disregard the importance of knowledge, you're should consider yourself being at the lowest tier of societal structure.
Some of us would think that being cool and having money is all that are needed. They think they're hip, they can't read; they can't write. They're laughing and giggling, but they're going nowhere.
If your impression of a good life is an endless cycle sleep, eat and sex, then life is not worth living. The community, the country, and Mother Earth certainly doesn't need you.
Knowledge is power
The war that you face on the battlefield call life; the ever-raging conflicts of will and destiny can be survived, side-tracked, and out-maneuvered with reliable information and good planning. That is to say that 'knowledge' is not something to be afraid of, or to be ignored.
After all, Knowledge is the grease to the spinning axle-wheel of Human Civilization. The accumulation of various forms of knowledge brings forth the advancement of civilization as a whole. Underestimating knowledge will give rise to ignorance. And it is Ignorance that shall herald the decline of civilization as we know it.
Cycle of history
The Rise and Fall of great empires and ancient civilizations repeats itself. The revered founders, intelligent and cunning men of previous generations, could do nothing stop the rot caused by their foolish descendants. This is all different now.
No more are there secluded cities of the past. The modern civilization that we refer to is a global one. All the more important to encourage the pursuit of knowledge lest we forget the horrors of the Dark Ages.
... continue reading
