[Gamma on...] Isolation

In this age of unparalleled connectivity, where anyone in the world can connect to and communicate with, often times with at least voice (if not visual) communication, many of us find us inexplicably isolated. Perhaps this is, for some, a choice. Not everyone enjoys being immersed in the sea of social interaction. Surely all of us, however, enjoy sharing a connection with another human being, even if it’s only one. Why do we find ourselves, even for short periods of time, disconnected or even completely severed from human connections? Why do we experience loneliness? Why do we feel, for lack of a more specific term, sadness brought on by lack of connection?

[Texanna on...] Ubuntu Philosophy

Most of you probably don’t know what Ubuntu is, and if you think you do, let me clarify: I’m not talking about the Linux operating system. No, I’m talking about the African Philosophy.

The word "Ubuntu" comes from one of the Bantu dialects of Southern Africa.

Broken down in simplest terms, Ubuntu is a philosophical belief in the cohesion of positive human interaction. It’s the ethical responsibility that flows from interconnectedness and common humanity. Basically, the existence of human interaction is the basis for Ubuntu. 

[Johnathan on...] It's SCIENCE!

A fundamental issue in Quantum Mechanics is known as the "Measurement Problem", or more commonly referred to as "The Observer Effect". It is simply the unavoidable effect of "observing" subatomic particles using light. We can't see any object or event in nature without first bouncing light waves off of them. This "bouncing" is what directly disrupts the outcome when observing such tiny objects. It's like hitting a basketball with tennis balls in order to measure it's position. The act of measuring it (or the method used) directly effects the outcome.

[Johnathan on...] Dreams

The body is but a vessel, but the mind is just as much a vessel. When we sleep our brain lights up and dims down, seemingly random activation can bring about a conscious experience while the rest of our mind sleeps. This is what happens when we dream. We, the individual, the owner of our consciousness remains awake. And in this new world we may visit places in the past or future. We may talk to old friends or even exploit our own mind. This is quite the gift, the gift of dreams. The gift of another world to escape to, the world within all of us.

[Johnathan on...] Subjective Importance

I suppose I’m writing this for fun.
     I’m not sure what keeps me "down to earth". It's probably my consistent conscious experience, however I feel this is a flawed system. I dislike being "restricted" to my everyday life. I'd much rather live my thoughts and dreams as if they were real. I don't see a place for this kind of "thinking" in today's life. People constantly riding the stream of reality without questioning the nature of the stream itself. I can't help but look at the world from a physicist's prospective. One in which only facts matter, facts that explain what it is that does matter. However subjective this may sound, I believe the term "matter", or what it is that is "important" should come from just that; subjectivity. This prospective explains more however, such as what it means to exist, and what it means to be simply "aware".

[Johnathan on...] His Religious Views

Hmm where to start... how about the beginning?

I was raised on Sunday church going. I believe my parents once told me they wanted me to see for myself. I thank them for such open-mindedness. Anyhow this didn't last long for me. My teachers told me there was a God, i said where? They said "In Heaven of course!" I said where's that? "Well... up? somewhere?" I couldn't help but laugh at this concept, i didn't know if they were implying higher dimensions or if they even knew.

[Gamma on...] Common Ground Communication

I was sitting at our local Starbucks today, enjoying a scorching hot chocolate with a few shots of chai (try that shit out, it’s fucking awesome) with my lovely associate, Rin, when an older gentlemen with a buzz cut and some nice shades came up and sat down at the table next to us. He was muttering half to himself and half to Rin and I about the heat and his boss. His extroverted nature was refreshing in this age of isolationism, so I asked him about what his job was. Over the course of the conversation that followed I was bombarded with all sorts of information that I couldn’t really tell you what all was said. Throughout the entire exchange, I tried my best to keep up with the industry tips and life advice he was offering me, but it just didn’t seem to stick. I couldn’t help but feel like what he was saying was going to be important someday.

[Gamma on...] Artificial Hearts

Synthetic organs: the holy grail of the biomedical technology. With the ability to produce organs artificially, we eliminate the need for donor organs from recently dead things. There are a number of issues that crop up when you try implanting foreign objects into the human body. Rejection, clotting, and infection are just of few of the biological issues that such procedures have. You also have to make sure the device is small enough to fit in the body without squishing anything, and then there are the issues with maintenance and power. It’s all very complicated, rest assured, but we have a few working artificial organs out there. Most notably--the Jarvik artificial heart, which has been the super star of the artificial organ world for a while now. However, as with all things in life, a challenger has appeared. Drs. O. H. Frazier and William Cohn have developed a new and way more awesome system than the shit that Jarvik has been working with.

[Rin on...] Eben Moglen, Her Latest Hero

     Eben Moglen is probably a name you've never heard of. To be honest, until today, neither had I. Mr. Moglen is a professor of law and legal history at Columbia University, and is the founder, Director-Counsel and Chairman of Software Freedom Law Center, whose client list includes numerous pro bono clients, such as the Free Software Foundation. Now, you may be wondering "Why this guy? Why this random professor?" Well, I'll tell you why. I was stumbling across the internet, into various small-time news providers, websites, other blogs, and stumbled across a video titled: The alternate net we need, and how we can build it ourselves.

[Rin on...] #AntiSec

     I promised to blog about George Hotz, and promised myself to do a back to the basics of hactivism by blogging about Anonymous. I'll get to those later. Right now though, via my connections to the world of the internetz, I've discovered the latest mission from our friends LulzSec. Now, I normally would have skimmed over it, writing it off as LulzSec's latest shenanigans. However, there was a feeling I got that this was something a little more important--a little more relative. This isn't just LulzSec, this is big shots like Anonymous and WikiLeaks as well as contribution from smaller hactivist groups.

[Rin on...] Facebook's Latest Fuck-You

     This will be a relatively short article, as I haven't been able to garner too much research on the subject. What I mean when I say this is Facebook's latest "Fuck-You," I'm referring of course to their policies that have no inclination towards protecting its users--oftentimes exploiting them. Some of it is harmless, using the information in research towards internet culture and what kind of people like what sort of things. Some, on the other hand, is a bit more malicious, like selling your information to companies from under you. Of course, most people don't take the time to read through the newest privacy statement whenever Facebook redrafts it, but I'm sure if you took the time there would be plenty of little clauses you wouldn't approve of. But what's your choice in the matter? If you say "I disagree" then you can't access your Facebook, right? I'm not entirely sure on this as I'm guilty myself of just clicking "I accept" after a frustrated two seconds of scrolling through the privacy statements.

[Rin on...] L.A. Noire

     I'll admit, I was skeptical when I first heard about this game--and for purely aesthetic reasons. Call it fickle, but don't expect me to be anything but unapologetic about it. I'd heard about the plethora of actors they hired for the faces and was impressed by this new, unprecedented dedication. Nonetheless, when I first saw the trailer I was unimpressed by the graphics--especially considering this game had been in the works for almost four years. After playing it, my opinion changed. The graphics matched the faces, blended together so well one could hardly tell that they'd been rendered from real people. And yet, when one watched the miniscule facial movements, you could see the dedication put into it. It especially became clear when you recognized an actor, recognized the little quirks of their facial expressions. For me, I was blown away when I saw Greg Grunberg. Greg played a fellow named Hugo Moller, one of your P.O.I.'s in "The Golden Butterfly" case. I knew him better as Matt Parkman from Heroes. Recognizing the actor brought to my attention exactly how well they had done this game and how effectively they had captured facial expressions.

[Rin on...] Her Introduction to LulzSec

LulzSec Logo

     LulzSec is easily my latest internet obsession. Rather, the latest thing that has gotten my attention. Wikipedia defines them as a "gray hat" hacker organization that did this and that. However, LulzSec themselves despise to be labeled in such a manner, and, I quote: 

"We aren't hacktivists, whitehats, greyhats or blackhats - categorizing deflates the lulz lizard creativity lasers."

     I think perhaps, that quote says more than I possibly could on the matter. LulzSec, short for Lulz Security, first got my attention when they hacked Sony. They then did it five more times. They did this in response to Sony's lawsuit against PS3-hacker, George Hotz, which I'll blog about within the next few days (late as it may be).

[Kahlib on...] Voltaire's Candide

I just recently started and finished Voltaire's Candide, or Optimism. It was my first novel by the (in)famous Voltaire, and I read it with reserved expectations. I was thoroughly amused, and actually impressed. The story follows Candide and his revolving door of colorful companions in the pursuit of his love, Miss Cunégonde. It seemed that everything that could go wrong, indeed did. This happens as Candide holds onto his optimism taught by his beloved Pangloss, his favored philosopher. The book moved quickly and almost whimsically, while discussing the worst of human nature and the most vile of human interactions. It is the black comedy of an older time.

Pangloss had the idea that this world was the best of all possible worlds. My favorite retort comes from Candide himself, "If this is the best of all possible worlds, what are the others like?"

I thought of Vonnegut while reading it, not only in the philosophy of determinism (soft or hard, never got to ask him), but almost in tone. I laughed through most of the book, but at times I felt guilty for laughing. This was probably the intent. The satirical humor gave way to the seriousness of blind optimism, and made you think of all the ways this world, or that one, could be better. The seriousness of the book crept upon me, or slapped me in the face; either way, I was surprised.

Pangloss today would probably be found narrating for The Secret, a self-help movement asking people to simply think about what they want. This sort of pseudo-scientific optimism is rather dangerous; it encourages a lazy world view. One that shirks responsibility for cosmological faith, and hard work for wishful thinking.

Transcendental justice starts to appear; karma and sin are ways to balance the world while still having free will. Pangloss pokes at the idea that humankind's free will is what causes all of the suffering in the world. It is hard to rectify the two ideas- that free will and a "perfect" world are not mutually exclusive. Voltaire does well in addressing this.

I think the main itch I have about all this is: the best possible world can't be any better. Also, this excuses everything unjust and vile as being the best we can get. This world- our world, can only be better with our will, and let's leave the abstract philosophies out of this one- "We must cultivate our garden."