Merry Christmas.
This Christmas has been an interesting one for me. (My first, in fact). I started off by religiously informing everybody who wished me Merry Christmas that I, in fact, do not celebrate Christmas. Nobody seemed to like that (at all).
I've been told more than a few times that Christmas has nothing to do with religion but that was never important to me. Those of you who know me know that I religion is not a major concern of mine.
Somehow, not celebrating Christmas, not singing the songs or decorating a tree seems to have seeped into my idea of who I am. I felt like a rebel for never having done it.
Anyway, exactly 1 Christmas later; I really have had a wonderful time.The gift giving was especially fun and although I still don't like the Christmas music, in the future I don't think that I will waste my breath telling people that I don't celebrate Christmas.
Merry Christmas guys (or happy Chanukah or happy holidays).
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Thursday, 25 December 2014
Monday, 24 March 2014
On Intelligence - the best book I've ever read!
On Intelligence
On Intelligence is a book about the brain. It is a book about how we think, how we remember and, most importantly, how we predict. On Intelligence was written by Jeff Hawkins, the man who founded palm, the company that produced these. Around 18 years ago, Jeff Hawkins decided that the brain was where it was at. He jumped the technology industry's ship and went back to university. The end result is a theory called the memory-prediction model of the neocortex.How the human brain works...
I'm not going to go into vast amounts of detail - that's all in the book. The basic premise is that the neocortex is the most interesting part of the brain. Humans have the largest neocortex in the animal kingdom and it is in here that we are able to store memories and to predict events. Imagination and creativity are also grounded in here.
The neocortex is wired directly to our senses and to our motor system. Input goes in in the form of vision, hearing or touch etc and output goes out in the form of movement. As the neocortex experiences these inputs, it causes cells in the neocortex to activate. The neocortex contains somewhere in the region of 30 billion cells and these cells have thousands of connections throughout the neocortex. It is in the connections that the magic happens.
As an input activates cells in the lower regions of the neocortex the connections are fired and other cells are activated in higher levels of the cortex and so on up the hierarchy. The hierarchy contains several layers. The easiest example is vision. V1 -> V3 -> V4 -> IT -> Association Levels. There are many association levels and they handle associations between vision and motion or vision and sound etc.
The fundamental unit of a thought is an invariant representation. A generic 'face' or 'square'. Those of you who are familiar with Plato may recognise these as forms and they are basically the same thing except they are not idealised, they are the amalgamation of experience and the more faces we see, the more generalised our invariant representation of 'face' becomes.
In the lowest levels of the hierarchy we will have very simple invariant representations. For example red or a line slanted at 24 degrees. There is a group of cells that handles every possible pixel of input. This raw information is sent higher up the hierarchy and is combined with information from other cells to form representations of corners, of colour gradients and other objects more complex than angles and colours. Step higher again and we start to find shapes. Higher again and structures and objects. Eventually you find a stage where you have an invariant representation of a face, or of your friends face or their voice.
The idea is that the brain builds a model of the world in your brain. The model is populated with invariant representations.
For me, the most interesting part of this whole theory is the hierarchical structure of understanding. These invariant representations can represent abstracts as well such as love and happiness and mathematics. The idea that we first start understanding only the very basic reality of what a thing is....
Take my computer mouse for example. The most basic understanding you can have of it is that it has a shape, a colour, a rollable wheel and clickable buttons. It is quite light and moves the cursor on the screen. If you step up in the cortical hierarchy you can understand it is an interface device allowing you access to the world in your computer. Take it another step up the hierarchy and you understand that it is a way for you to experience the world. It is almost an external muscle. A thing which allows you to influence a world and a part of reality over which you should by any rights have no control. I'd take it up another level but I'm not sure that I can...
It is this stepping backwards to see a grander picture that is the pure nature of intelligence and how the brain works. The more time you spend with a thing, the further down the hierarchy your brain will push the familiar stuff and the more room you will have at the top for new, beautiful and complex interrelationships.
It is the nature of intelligence to step back and wonder about the next link in the chain, the greater purpose... the next level of understanding.
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Saturday, 8 March 2014
Who wants to be a millionaire? The secret of the stock markets.
There are several paths to wealth and abundance in this life. I'm going to talk about one of them.
Investing in the stock market is a much lauded way to make millions but how do you actually do it?
Well I've been reading up on it and I keep hearing the same story. You buy them low and, when the price drops, buy more of them. Keep buying them so long as they're undervalued and then when the price finally rises 10-15 years down the line, then you can sell them.
The key to making your millions doesn't lie in knowing any secrets of the stock markets. The thing that will separate an average investor from a man like Warren Buffet is the ability to value a company. It is an ability that I do not yet possess but if you can properly value a company, you can know when to buy and when to sell.
Valuing a company is multi-faceted endeavor. Some of it is simply mathematical where you assess their assets but the vast majority of it is using your judgement to decide on a numerical value for the executive staff of the company. What value those people add or detract from the company. The skill of attaching a fiscal value to people, to products and to ideas is a niche skill that can offer you tremendous value if you want to get into the stock market.
Do you have it in you?
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Investing in the stock market is a much lauded way to make millions but how do you actually do it?
Well I've been reading up on it and I keep hearing the same story. You buy them low and, when the price drops, buy more of them. Keep buying them so long as they're undervalued and then when the price finally rises 10-15 years down the line, then you can sell them.
The key to making your millions doesn't lie in knowing any secrets of the stock markets. The thing that will separate an average investor from a man like Warren Buffet is the ability to value a company. It is an ability that I do not yet possess but if you can properly value a company, you can know when to buy and when to sell.
Valuing a company is multi-faceted endeavor. Some of it is simply mathematical where you assess their assets but the vast majority of it is using your judgement to decide on a numerical value for the executive staff of the company. What value those people add or detract from the company. The skill of attaching a fiscal value to people, to products and to ideas is a niche skill that can offer you tremendous value if you want to get into the stock market.
Do you have it in you?
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Sunday, 13 October 2013
The grass ain't greener, but the sky is!
So, after a week in Shanghai, oughtn't I have learnt something? Oughtn't I have done something remarkable?
Well to tell the truth, in between my social life and my Mandarin classes I've had precious little time (maybe this is why my blog entry is late this week) to do very much except complain about not having enough sleep. Most of what I've seen is the amazing night life here in Shanghai. Some of the best bars and clubs in the world are just 20 minutes away from me. Taxis cost a maximum of £4 and the tube is 30p a journey. Having said that I have spent a fortune since arriving. I'm going to learn to cook food like the Chinese do, because a lot of western vegetables are missing from Tesco's (yes there is a Tesco's here). My first attempt was a disgrace but it was a cheap disgrace. If I did decide to eat out everyday for every meal, I could manage that with about £3 in my pocket per day but I suspect that cooking would be even cheaper.
It is a place of subtle differences and it is remarkable how little culture shock I've experienced. If only I could speak Mandarin fluently I'm not sure I'd have any difficulty at all (apart from of course the squatty potty). Some of the food is fairly strange and my veganism has collapsed in on itself under the combined weight of being unable to communicate and wishing to try every single thing I see. It has been replaced with a partial drinking embargo in lieu of the fact that my heart is not beating like it should after a night out. I figure out of the two, alcohol will kill me much quicker.
The best part about living with a group of people in this way, all within a short walking distance from you, all with a shared goal and all with a shared isolation from the rest of the world is that very quickly you become a family. You develop intimate friendships very quickly and I can see that a few that are growing within me and I already have an invitation to a wedding in India. This city is constantly growing and I feel like I am too. It's ushering me along as it races ahead. It's a city that really is ripe with opportunity. It's a melting pot that's just getting started. Even though, or perhaps because the population is 95% Chinese, when you do meet a kinsman you have an immediate spark and connection beyond what you are likely to find in England, surrounded by English speaking, English thinking people.
The more of the world I see, the more clearly I see the 'Green Grass Fallacy'. The dream about thee grass always being greener on the other side. The grass here is by no means greener (although thanks to the pollution, the sky may be) and the sugar is no sweeter... but the food is better and I think there is more room for growth. Whether I stay after my 3 months remains to be seen, whether I enjoy my time here tomorrow the same way that I did yesterday remains to be seen. I'm keeping my eyes peeled and hoping to find some more answers. Or maybe just some more questions.
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Well to tell the truth, in between my social life and my Mandarin classes I've had precious little time (maybe this is why my blog entry is late this week) to do very much except complain about not having enough sleep. Most of what I've seen is the amazing night life here in Shanghai. Some of the best bars and clubs in the world are just 20 minutes away from me. Taxis cost a maximum of £4 and the tube is 30p a journey. Having said that I have spent a fortune since arriving. I'm going to learn to cook food like the Chinese do, because a lot of western vegetables are missing from Tesco's (yes there is a Tesco's here). My first attempt was a disgrace but it was a cheap disgrace. If I did decide to eat out everyday for every meal, I could manage that with about £3 in my pocket per day but I suspect that cooking would be even cheaper.
It is a place of subtle differences and it is remarkable how little culture shock I've experienced. If only I could speak Mandarin fluently I'm not sure I'd have any difficulty at all (apart from of course the squatty potty). Some of the food is fairly strange and my veganism has collapsed in on itself under the combined weight of being unable to communicate and wishing to try every single thing I see. It has been replaced with a partial drinking embargo in lieu of the fact that my heart is not beating like it should after a night out. I figure out of the two, alcohol will kill me much quicker.
The best part about living with a group of people in this way, all within a short walking distance from you, all with a shared goal and all with a shared isolation from the rest of the world is that very quickly you become a family. You develop intimate friendships very quickly and I can see that a few that are growing within me and I already have an invitation to a wedding in India. This city is constantly growing and I feel like I am too. It's ushering me along as it races ahead. It's a city that really is ripe with opportunity. It's a melting pot that's just getting started. Even though, or perhaps because the population is 95% Chinese, when you do meet a kinsman you have an immediate spark and connection beyond what you are likely to find in England, surrounded by English speaking, English thinking people.
The more of the world I see, the more clearly I see the 'Green Grass Fallacy'. The dream about thee grass always being greener on the other side. The grass here is by no means greener (although thanks to the pollution, the sky may be) and the sugar is no sweeter... but the food is better and I think there is more room for growth. Whether I stay after my 3 months remains to be seen, whether I enjoy my time here tomorrow the same way that I did yesterday remains to be seen. I'm keeping my eyes peeled and hoping to find some more answers. Or maybe just some more questions.
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Saturday, 5 October 2013
The White Devil
So far I've drunk Bai Jiu, seen numerous fish tanks including several on the back of a bicycle and one full of sharks. I've been propositioned by a prostitute and yelled at by a woman behind the grocery counter in Tesco. I've spoken with Austrians, Australians, Canadians, Americans, Indians, Spanish people, Polish People, Irish People and British people. I've eaten foods I've never seen before and tasted tastes I didn't know could be achieved.
I am in Shanghai and I am having the time of my life. There is a certain friendly energy that permeates the smoggy skies in Shanghai and there is a group of about 20 of us drinking in every oriental scrap of it. Whether it's the street musicians playing home-made instruments or it's the warm cacophony of a busy restaurant, everything from the culture to the subway system is the same but different.
I've only been here for 3 days, and there is still a great deal to see, but this city has the buzz of opportunity about it and I wanna see it all.
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
I am in Shanghai and I am having the time of my life. There is a certain friendly energy that permeates the smoggy skies in Shanghai and there is a group of about 20 of us drinking in every oriental scrap of it. Whether it's the street musicians playing home-made instruments or it's the warm cacophony of a busy restaurant, everything from the culture to the subway system is the same but different.
I've only been here for 3 days, and there is still a great deal to see, but this city has the buzz of opportunity about it and I wanna see it all.
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
Dan Dan goes to China.
Sorry that I havn't posted these last two weeks, I've been saving my mental and spiritual energy for this, my trip to China.
It started today at 3 in the morning when I woke up. I was supposed to wake at 5 but I couldn't get back to sleep again. My 9 am flight has just ended, dropping me at Abu Dhabi Airport and courtesy of their free wifi, I am now writing this blog.
I'm in China for 3 months, 2 months of which will see me as a medical research intern at a company called Devon. The first month is an intensive course in Mandarin.
I'll keep you up to date on the interesting stuff I see and do.
This is a trip that I've been planning for about 7 months now. I really appreciate the support I've had from my friends and my family.
Stay cool!
Dan.
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
It started today at 3 in the morning when I woke up. I was supposed to wake at 5 but I couldn't get back to sleep again. My 9 am flight has just ended, dropping me at Abu Dhabi Airport and courtesy of their free wifi, I am now writing this blog.
I'm in China for 3 months, 2 months of which will see me as a medical research intern at a company called Devon. The first month is an intensive course in Mandarin.
I'll keep you up to date on the interesting stuff I see and do.
This is a trip that I've been planning for about 7 months now. I really appreciate the support I've had from my friends and my family.
Stay cool!
Dan.
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Saturday, 14 September 2013
The Problem With Adverts.
Everybody wants to be a better person.
Not everybody realises just how harmful the effects of advertising can be though. The fact is the advertising companies (for the most part) are against you. They are taking advantage of every scrap of psychology they know because they want you to buy something. Even the Oxfam adverts are selling something, the only difference is that they LOOK like the good guys. Personally I don't trust them.
Every time you watch an advert, there are hundreds of little tricks in there to make you insecure, to make you believe that you need something. To make you angry, or sad, or excited and to connect these emotions to their products or to connect the solutions to their products. Remember that trope of a sleazy salesman who is good at their job, but you wouldn't trust as far as you can slide them across the ground on a trail of their own slime? That's advertisers!
All they want to achieve, is to make you need them.
They do this at great cost to the viewer and advertisements are a source of a great deal of psychological disorders (the obvious example being body dismorphia).
I watch a lot of youtube. Youtube used to be a great place. No adverts, can watch anything you like (almost) and it was a place where I felt like I could escape commercialism. Not anymore however. There are some youtubers that I watch such as Nerd3 who make their living from their youtube videos. This is of course funded by advertisements and he says [paraphrase] 'It's a 30 second advert for the sake of a 30 minute video'. Of course this is better than TV or radio or spotify but I just don't want to see them at all. I remember when advertising on youtube first started. The advertising companies were small fries, they felt less like the bad guys and more forward thinking. Now however, every single advert seems to come from Footlocker or HMV or some record label or yaddah yaddah yaddah. It seems like the price of these adverts has skyrocketed and it has shut out the small businesses once again.
There are some youtube channels that I watch exclusively to learn something, or to grow, or to think about things in different ways. Do you know what stands in between me and enlightenment? Youtube adverts! Well... and a few other things. But it is Youtube adverts that irk me the most.
I understand one thing though. I understand that capitalism is driven by advertising. It is driven and accelerated and has been very effectively. For better or for worse (for worse) we live in a capitalist society and advertising is a simple symptom of a larger disease. I don't have any suggestions where we can go - although the sort of oligarchy discussed in Plato's Republic has always appealed to my naive political sentiments - all I know is that this is not the last stop. We have been here for a long time but we are just waiting for the drivers to finish their coffee and scone.
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Not everybody realises just how harmful the effects of advertising can be though. The fact is the advertising companies (for the most part) are against you. They are taking advantage of every scrap of psychology they know because they want you to buy something. Even the Oxfam adverts are selling something, the only difference is that they LOOK like the good guys. Personally I don't trust them.
Every time you watch an advert, there are hundreds of little tricks in there to make you insecure, to make you believe that you need something. To make you angry, or sad, or excited and to connect these emotions to their products or to connect the solutions to their products. Remember that trope of a sleazy salesman who is good at their job, but you wouldn't trust as far as you can slide them across the ground on a trail of their own slime? That's advertisers!
All they want to achieve, is to make you need them.
They do this at great cost to the viewer and advertisements are a source of a great deal of psychological disorders (the obvious example being body dismorphia).
I watch a lot of youtube. Youtube used to be a great place. No adverts, can watch anything you like (almost) and it was a place where I felt like I could escape commercialism. Not anymore however. There are some youtubers that I watch such as Nerd3 who make their living from their youtube videos. This is of course funded by advertisements and he says [paraphrase] 'It's a 30 second advert for the sake of a 30 minute video'. Of course this is better than TV or radio or spotify but I just don't want to see them at all. I remember when advertising on youtube first started. The advertising companies were small fries, they felt less like the bad guys and more forward thinking. Now however, every single advert seems to come from Footlocker or HMV or some record label or yaddah yaddah yaddah. It seems like the price of these adverts has skyrocketed and it has shut out the small businesses once again.
There are some youtube channels that I watch exclusively to learn something, or to grow, or to think about things in different ways. Do you know what stands in between me and enlightenment? Youtube adverts! Well... and a few other things. But it is Youtube adverts that irk me the most.
I understand one thing though. I understand that capitalism is driven by advertising. It is driven and accelerated and has been very effectively. For better or for worse (for worse) we live in a capitalist society and advertising is a simple symptom of a larger disease. I don't have any suggestions where we can go - although the sort of oligarchy discussed in Plato's Republic has always appealed to my naive political sentiments - all I know is that this is not the last stop. We have been here for a long time but we are just waiting for the drivers to finish their coffee and scone.
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Saturday, 7 September 2013
What's a father?
What does it take to be a good father?
I'm young. Maybe you can forgive me for being idealistic. A good father teaches you what he knows. He guides you through troubles without being heavy handed and he looks to help you become who you want to and need to be.
For years now I've had this in the back of my mind with much of what I do. If I am a good person and I raise my kids well (assuming I have kids) then those kids will take the values I have learnt and keep them going in their lives and ideally will pass on modified and improved versions of those values when they have kids.
In this way, I can achieve that coveted human goal, immortality. Or at least... I can survive in some positive way. Through my children and their children. If you think about it, much of who you are is because of your parents, your grandparents, your great grandparents and even further back to people you have never even met, but who have taught those who taught you.
It is my opinion that the two primary goals of everybody's life should be:
This is a call out to take a second look at those things your gran is always saying to you. To take a second look and to reassess its usefulness. To analyse the layers of meaning which exist within each phrase and hopefully, to learn some tricks for yourself.
I'll see you on the other side.
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
I'm young. Maybe you can forgive me for being idealistic. A good father teaches you what he knows. He guides you through troubles without being heavy handed and he looks to help you become who you want to and need to be.
For years now I've had this in the back of my mind with much of what I do. If I am a good person and I raise my kids well (assuming I have kids) then those kids will take the values I have learnt and keep them going in their lives and ideally will pass on modified and improved versions of those values when they have kids.
In this way, I can achieve that coveted human goal, immortality. Or at least... I can survive in some positive way. Through my children and their children. If you think about it, much of who you are is because of your parents, your grandparents, your great grandparents and even further back to people you have never even met, but who have taught those who taught you.
It is my opinion that the two primary goals of everybody's life should be:
- Learn as much as you can about this world.
- Learn how to tell your kids what you have learnt.
This is a call out to take a second look at those things your gran is always saying to you. To take a second look and to reassess its usefulness. To analyse the layers of meaning which exist within each phrase and hopefully, to learn some tricks for yourself.
I'll see you on the other side.
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Saturday, 31 August 2013
A labour of love.
Ever heard of M. Scott Peck? He was a psychotherapist who wrote a book called 'The road less travelled'. It's a book about life, love and discipline (maybe some more stuff, I'm only half way through).
He talks at great length about spiritual growth and how only an action which enables or causes you or somebody to grow spiritually can be called an act of love. A labour of love is something which takes effort, but rewards you in kind. Something that you push all of your time into, but doesn't require any effort (something like television or in my case, tower defense games) is nothing but a time sink. It gives nothing back to you.
If it requires your effort, if it is an exercise of will then that is only half the requirements. At least, that's what M. Scott Peck says. He says the second requirement is that it somehow extends your boundaries. What I believe is that your boundaries are largely defined by the strength of your discipline and will, and by exercising your will, you strengthen it. In this way every act of discipline is an act of love. Love for yourself or love for another.
This blog is an exercise of will. I stumbled a couple of weeks ago when I did not post anything at all. The week before that I had written a blog entitled Gender roles in a broken world. It got just 7 views. I felt like I had failed because nobody had read my blog and this depressed me. I felt like my writing was not worthwhile and couldn't motivate myself to continue writing. I felt like I was not worthwhile and couldn't motivate myself to practice my guitar or my saxophone! It wasn't until two weeks later that I finally picked up the courage to write again and even longer before I picked up my instruments again. What I now realise is that my failure wasn't in writing a blog post which was not widely read, my failure was to let slip my discipline. To let such a thing as my number of readers affect me was to forget the true purpose of my blog, which is written for me.
I suspect everybody has their own reasons for writing. I write to solidify my ideas. To make sure that I understand what it is that I am saying and as a learning process. The reason I post them on the internet and show all my friends and family is so that I can stand by my beliefs no matter who reads them. I often write about overtly sexual or left-wing subjects. Things my parents and grandparents don't always understand or agree with. I sometimes write things which are overtly controversial like Was Adolf Hitler a Bad Man... Not sure how many friends that one bought me... but the fact is that my opinions and how I view the world is my ultimate labour of love, my search for the truth. It is this dedication to the truth that I will stand by my whole life if I can manage it.
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
He talks at great length about spiritual growth and how only an action which enables or causes you or somebody to grow spiritually can be called an act of love. A labour of love is something which takes effort, but rewards you in kind. Something that you push all of your time into, but doesn't require any effort (something like television or in my case, tower defense games) is nothing but a time sink. It gives nothing back to you.
If it requires your effort, if it is an exercise of will then that is only half the requirements. At least, that's what M. Scott Peck says. He says the second requirement is that it somehow extends your boundaries. What I believe is that your boundaries are largely defined by the strength of your discipline and will, and by exercising your will, you strengthen it. In this way every act of discipline is an act of love. Love for yourself or love for another.
This blog is an exercise of will. I stumbled a couple of weeks ago when I did not post anything at all. The week before that I had written a blog entitled Gender roles in a broken world. It got just 7 views. I felt like I had failed because nobody had read my blog and this depressed me. I felt like my writing was not worthwhile and couldn't motivate myself to continue writing. I felt like I was not worthwhile and couldn't motivate myself to practice my guitar or my saxophone! It wasn't until two weeks later that I finally picked up the courage to write again and even longer before I picked up my instruments again. What I now realise is that my failure wasn't in writing a blog post which was not widely read, my failure was to let slip my discipline. To let such a thing as my number of readers affect me was to forget the true purpose of my blog, which is written for me.
I suspect everybody has their own reasons for writing. I write to solidify my ideas. To make sure that I understand what it is that I am saying and as a learning process. The reason I post them on the internet and show all my friends and family is so that I can stand by my beliefs no matter who reads them. I often write about overtly sexual or left-wing subjects. Things my parents and grandparents don't always understand or agree with. I sometimes write things which are overtly controversial like Was Adolf Hitler a Bad Man... Not sure how many friends that one bought me... but the fact is that my opinions and how I view the world is my ultimate labour of love, my search for the truth. It is this dedication to the truth that I will stand by my whole life if I can manage it.
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Sunday, 25 August 2013
Robots will take over the world!
Give it 10 years and your breakfast will be waiting for you by the time you get downstairs. Your car will drive you to work and your cleaning lady will have found herself a new career.
There is a revolution coming and its name is robotics! We all know robots have been used on construction lines for years and years and we all know that a lot of people lost their jobs for it. It's only going to get worse. Whether it is Google's self driving cars or the creepy nurse's assistant, robots are increasingly able to work alongside humans. To interact with them directly and safely and this is really the key point.
Robots have always been able to do repetitive tasks but with the revolution in safety and the ability to understand their environment, robots have taken on new life and will begin to take on new roles. They are already being used extensively in the military for dangerous tasks such as mine sweeping and recon missions and there are future plans to use robots to repair nuclear facilities in ways that humans cannot without extreme risk. This is good.
There is however a more contentious result of the robotic uprising. As they begin to take over more and more roles that humans once will have filled, many people will be left jobless and without prospects. How can we resolve this? The only barrier I can foresee to this happening is cost effectiveness. But economically speaking, there is no reason for this to impede for long the march into the new reality that robotics will bring.
What sort of society will we live in, when half of us do not and cannot have jobs? There are only so many people who can work on maintaining the robots. Only so many people who can design and build them. What will the rest of us do? How will we survive without a paycheck and how will we stay sane without a job?
There are certain people who have foreseen this. Namely Jacque Fresco. In this video he talks about how humans will be displaced by robots and how they already are being displaced by robots (self-checkout anyone?). He also talks about what humans will be able to do in the future. How we will spend our time, how we will survive and how our quality of life will improve dramatically. If you enjoy your job (there are few enough of us that do) then there is no reason for you not to continue. Let's say you are a lumberjack and you absolutely love it. There is nothing in the world you would rather do! But there are all these robots who do the job faster than you! What are you going to do? Well... since you probably will be out of a job, like almost everybody, there is no reason you cannot continue to just chop trees down. You won't earn a wage from it but that won't matter. The move to a nanny state will become far more pronounced in the future as the money system collapses under the weight of robotics. (Nobody has any jobs -> nobody has any money -> nobody buys anything -> money itself is abolished under the threat of total and irretrievable economic collapse)
What we are talking about is not a restriction and it is not a loss. It is a massive gain. It is perhaps the greatest gain we have seen since the start of agriculture! We will get our freedom back! No longer strapped to a desk 8 hours a day, we can spend time with the people we love, with the things we love to do!
The future is bright! The future's robotic.
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
There is a revolution coming and its name is robotics! We all know robots have been used on construction lines for years and years and we all know that a lot of people lost their jobs for it. It's only going to get worse. Whether it is Google's self driving cars or the creepy nurse's assistant, robots are increasingly able to work alongside humans. To interact with them directly and safely and this is really the key point.
Robots have always been able to do repetitive tasks but with the revolution in safety and the ability to understand their environment, robots have taken on new life and will begin to take on new roles. They are already being used extensively in the military for dangerous tasks such as mine sweeping and recon missions and there are future plans to use robots to repair nuclear facilities in ways that humans cannot without extreme risk. This is good.
There is however a more contentious result of the robotic uprising. As they begin to take over more and more roles that humans once will have filled, many people will be left jobless and without prospects. How can we resolve this? The only barrier I can foresee to this happening is cost effectiveness. But economically speaking, there is no reason for this to impede for long the march into the new reality that robotics will bring.
What sort of society will we live in, when half of us do not and cannot have jobs? There are only so many people who can work on maintaining the robots. Only so many people who can design and build them. What will the rest of us do? How will we survive without a paycheck and how will we stay sane without a job?
There are certain people who have foreseen this. Namely Jacque Fresco. In this video he talks about how humans will be displaced by robots and how they already are being displaced by robots (self-checkout anyone?). He also talks about what humans will be able to do in the future. How we will spend our time, how we will survive and how our quality of life will improve dramatically. If you enjoy your job (there are few enough of us that do) then there is no reason for you not to continue. Let's say you are a lumberjack and you absolutely love it. There is nothing in the world you would rather do! But there are all these robots who do the job faster than you! What are you going to do? Well... since you probably will be out of a job, like almost everybody, there is no reason you cannot continue to just chop trees down. You won't earn a wage from it but that won't matter. The move to a nanny state will become far more pronounced in the future as the money system collapses under the weight of robotics. (Nobody has any jobs -> nobody has any money -> nobody buys anything -> money itself is abolished under the threat of total and irretrievable economic collapse)
What we are talking about is not a restriction and it is not a loss. It is a massive gain. It is perhaps the greatest gain we have seen since the start of agriculture! We will get our freedom back! No longer strapped to a desk 8 hours a day, we can spend time with the people we love, with the things we love to do!
The future is bright! The future's robotic.
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Want to start programming?
I don't know who among you knows that I love to program.... but I love to program. And I think you might too.
Are you the sort of person who enjoys su dokus? Who is fascinated by Rubick's cubes and who loves puzzle games?
I think there are a lot of people out there who would enjoy and benefit from learning programming and using it, both in their everyday lives and at work.
My job right now is to copy and paste data from one spreadsheet to another. I have to make sure that all the data is in all the right columns and that all the relevant data is present. Sounds boring, right? Enough to put you to sleep? Well I can quickly write a program that will do the job for me. Now it doesn't matter if they give me 10 spreadsheets or 10,000 spreadsheets. I can do them all with little to no effort because I have written to program to do it for me. Aside from this sort of application, you can just use it for fun, or use it competitively (CodeJam, Some Challenges, Project Euler).
I'm not going to teach you squat about programming today. I'm going to leave that to you. I just want to show you how easy it can be to get started. I recommend Python because it is straight forward and easy to learn.
If you want to just jump right into the questions and learn it that way then by far the best place you can go is to LearnStreet. This is like programming with somebody patiently talking you through the process of learning to program. The code is all typed into the website so nothing needs to be installed. It does require you to sign up after the first few problems but it is definitely worthwhile.
The next best place to go is http://www.learnpython.org/. This website again requires no installation. Just go onto that website and type: print 'I am gonna be awesome at this'.upper() + "!"*5
The website is designed to teach you python in a modular style. You start with the basics and move on to the harder stuff. It's basically interactive reading.
You can also look at Dive Into Python for pretty much the same thing with less interactivity (read: no interactivity). For this you will need to install python. There is a blog dedicated to that here.
A great resource for you will be the Python documentation. Any programming language will have a documentation. It is like a dictionary for the programming language and it will have all the information you need. But, at the end of the day, the best place to look is always Google.
Good luck and happy coding.
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Are you the sort of person who enjoys su dokus? Who is fascinated by Rubick's cubes and who loves puzzle games?
I think there are a lot of people out there who would enjoy and benefit from learning programming and using it, both in their everyday lives and at work.
My job right now is to copy and paste data from one spreadsheet to another. I have to make sure that all the data is in all the right columns and that all the relevant data is present. Sounds boring, right? Enough to put you to sleep? Well I can quickly write a program that will do the job for me. Now it doesn't matter if they give me 10 spreadsheets or 10,000 spreadsheets. I can do them all with little to no effort because I have written to program to do it for me. Aside from this sort of application, you can just use it for fun, or use it competitively (CodeJam, Some Challenges, Project Euler).
I'm not going to teach you squat about programming today. I'm going to leave that to you. I just want to show you how easy it can be to get started. I recommend Python because it is straight forward and easy to learn.
If you want to just jump right into the questions and learn it that way then by far the best place you can go is to LearnStreet. This is like programming with somebody patiently talking you through the process of learning to program. The code is all typed into the website so nothing needs to be installed. It does require you to sign up after the first few problems but it is definitely worthwhile.
The next best place to go is http://www.learnpython.org/. This website again requires no installation. Just go onto that website and type: print 'I am gonna be awesome at this'.upper() + "!"*5
The website is designed to teach you python in a modular style. You start with the basics and move on to the harder stuff. It's basically interactive reading.
You can also look at Dive Into Python for pretty much the same thing with less interactivity (read: no interactivity). For this you will need to install python. There is a blog dedicated to that here.
A great resource for you will be the Python documentation. Any programming language will have a documentation. It is like a dictionary for the programming language and it will have all the information you need. But, at the end of the day, the best place to look is always Google.
Good luck and happy coding.
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Friday, 9 August 2013
Gender roles in a broken world.
There is a wonderful documentary that you need to watch, and you can find it here.
The documentary is called The Codes of Gender and it breaks down the gender roles dictated by society and how we can see exactly what those roles are by looking at advertisements.
Okay, so what is a gender role? More importantly, what is a gender?
Don't make the mistake of confusing gender with sex. A person's sex is defined by their biology. Their gender however is societally imposed. In England and the western world, there are two main gender roles, male and female. The male gender role is one of a strong, dominant, active person. The female gender role is one of a weak, submissive and passive person.
Watching this documentary has caused me to look at again and really think about the type of man that I am, the type of women I am looking for and to compare this to how men and women are represented in society. To an extent, how they are expected to be and to behave.
I would argue that the greatest cause of misery and confusion is when a person does not fit into the slot provided by society. Maybe they have a few knobbly edges or sharp corners and they don't fit into the nice round hole that they are told to fit in. It seems almost juvenile and the answer most commonly given is that you should just be yourself. This is a naive response because the situation is not always that simple. What if I as an individual happen to like walking around barefoot? What if I hate shoes so intensely that if ever I wear a pair I break out in hives? Is it convenient to not wear shoes when out in town? Is it acceptable? What if I want to go to a nightclub?
There are a million situations comparable to this. Some more serious, some less so but the fact still remains that the rules that govern this situation are arbitrary. Why shouldn't I walk around barefoot all day? So long as I don't go on a building site I should be fine!
These arbitrary rules are laid down by society. Without them we would each be free to do exactly as we please. I will not accept the argument that all would be chaos because people are not chaotic. In general people like routine. People like simplicity and predictability (so long as there are interesting people about). Nobody wants to be navigating a riot on their way home and if there is a riot, then it must be for a good reason.
The Buddhists say that all life is suffering but I must disagree. Civilisation is suffering.
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
The documentary is called The Codes of Gender and it breaks down the gender roles dictated by society and how we can see exactly what those roles are by looking at advertisements.
Okay, so what is a gender role? More importantly, what is a gender?
Don't make the mistake of confusing gender with sex. A person's sex is defined by their biology. Their gender however is societally imposed. In England and the western world, there are two main gender roles, male and female. The male gender role is one of a strong, dominant, active person. The female gender role is one of a weak, submissive and passive person.
Watching this documentary has caused me to look at again and really think about the type of man that I am, the type of women I am looking for and to compare this to how men and women are represented in society. To an extent, how they are expected to be and to behave.
I would argue that the greatest cause of misery and confusion is when a person does not fit into the slot provided by society. Maybe they have a few knobbly edges or sharp corners and they don't fit into the nice round hole that they are told to fit in. It seems almost juvenile and the answer most commonly given is that you should just be yourself. This is a naive response because the situation is not always that simple. What if I as an individual happen to like walking around barefoot? What if I hate shoes so intensely that if ever I wear a pair I break out in hives? Is it convenient to not wear shoes when out in town? Is it acceptable? What if I want to go to a nightclub?
There are a million situations comparable to this. Some more serious, some less so but the fact still remains that the rules that govern this situation are arbitrary. Why shouldn't I walk around barefoot all day? So long as I don't go on a building site I should be fine!
These arbitrary rules are laid down by society. Without them we would each be free to do exactly as we please. I will not accept the argument that all would be chaos because people are not chaotic. In general people like routine. People like simplicity and predictability (so long as there are interesting people about). Nobody wants to be navigating a riot on their way home and if there is a riot, then it must be for a good reason.
The Buddhists say that all life is suffering but I must disagree. Civilisation is suffering.
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Saturday, 3 August 2013
That creative spark.
I've started writing my poetry again... well, actually I've started writing lyrics.
I used to write a lot of poetry a couple of years ago (over 200 poems). Here is one of my favourites. Lately however I have been feeling without inspiration. I have written some truly awful poems whilst trying to get back what I once had.
This stuff that I'm writing these days looks like my old poetry. The stuff I thought I had totally lost! It makes me wonder where creativity actually comes from. In this TED talk, Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love talks about the creative genius, not as an individual, but as something which accompanies an individual.
A genius, in the original sense, is a spirit which accompanies an individual and supplies them with the right words at the right time, or points them towards the right colour for the next brush stroke.
I think that this way of thinking is shared by a lot of the greats. There are some people who have talent pouring out their ears. They get such a great deal of inspiration that they reason the only way it could be possible is if an outside force was helping them.
It raises the question of How can you push beyond your ordinary limits without some external pressure?
As a creative individual, how can you rely upon your creativity? What happens if it abandons you like what happened to Metallica?
I'm going to keep writing as if each blog post, each lyric, each line could be my last.
Oh and by the way, I kind of have a job now - so Friday is suddenly no good for me to post blog entries. Saturday is the day buzzword on this blog.
I'll see you next Saturday.
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
I used to write a lot of poetry a couple of years ago (over 200 poems). Here is one of my favourites. Lately however I have been feeling without inspiration. I have written some truly awful poems whilst trying to get back what I once had.
This stuff that I'm writing these days looks like my old poetry. The stuff I thought I had totally lost! It makes me wonder where creativity actually comes from. In this TED talk, Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love talks about the creative genius, not as an individual, but as something which accompanies an individual.
A genius, in the original sense, is a spirit which accompanies an individual and supplies them with the right words at the right time, or points them towards the right colour for the next brush stroke.
I think that this way of thinking is shared by a lot of the greats. There are some people who have talent pouring out their ears. They get such a great deal of inspiration that they reason the only way it could be possible is if an outside force was helping them.
It raises the question of How can you push beyond your ordinary limits without some external pressure?
As a creative individual, how can you rely upon your creativity? What happens if it abandons you like what happened to Metallica?
I'm going to keep writing as if each blog post, each lyric, each line could be my last.
Oh and by the way, I kind of have a job now - so Friday is suddenly no good for me to post blog entries. Saturday is the day buzzword on this blog.
I'll see you next Saturday.
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Friday, 26 July 2013
Chloe
My dog died today.
We put her down because she has been ill for the past few weeks and the procedure is too painful and too expensive to justify.
I don't know how I feel about it. I saw myself begin to step through the 5 stages of grief. The bartering, denial etc. I don't know the order. I decided to shortcut it and jump straight to acceptance. Hopefully this won't have any dramatic implications on my psyche.
I wish I could show you a picture of my doggy dog but I don't have one.
Before you ask, I am okay.
I take comfort from knowing that it happens to everybody. It is not the end of life but a part of it.
To be honest it still hasn't quite sunk in.
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
We put her down because she has been ill for the past few weeks and the procedure is too painful and too expensive to justify.
I don't know how I feel about it. I saw myself begin to step through the 5 stages of grief. The bartering, denial etc. I don't know the order. I decided to shortcut it and jump straight to acceptance. Hopefully this won't have any dramatic implications on my psyche.
I wish I could show you a picture of my doggy dog but I don't have one.
Before you ask, I am okay.
I take comfort from knowing that it happens to everybody. It is not the end of life but a part of it.
To be honest it still hasn't quite sunk in.
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Sunday, 21 July 2013
Are video games addictive?
I missed my Friday deadline! I apologise and come back to you with an interesting article on the addictiveness of videogames.
The culprit? Dota 2. This game has been tearing through Steam on the back of free gameplay and outstanding game mechanics. It is a joy to play... Kind of. It can also be stressful but never in a demotivating way. Mostly I just feel the need to prove myself after a bad game.
Dota 2 is a multiplayer arena game. It is two teams of 5 fighting head to head on a battlefield punctuated with defensive towers and neutral forces. The core gameplay is blah blah blah boring.
Don't get me wrong, the game is fantastic but I've played a lot of fantastic games. What is the difference with this game?
It's really about the social mechanics at play. It's less about playing for yourself and more about playing with or for your friends or teammates. There's no easy way to describe the feelings you get when everything is going well and everyone on your team is happy. Similarly when it's all going down the toilet because their Sniper has killed you for the 50 billionth time and he already has his Mjollnir, Butterfly and Shadow Blade and you are totally powerless to stop him from building Daedalus.
Let's take 3 examples of fantastic Role Playing Games.
World of Warcraft. I'm sure this game needs no introduction. It has consumed the lives of countless people and even claimed a couple of lives. It is a wonderful game which is superbly built and has a sprawling community to keep it afloat. I played this game 14 hours straight for several days running at one point. I did nothing else. Needless to say, I was addicted. But why? I had an awful lot of friends (in the game and in real life) who I would play with. When I wasn't playing with them, I was playing for them so that when I did see them I could talk about what I had done and where I was up to. Recently I came back to the game. It is still the same game with the same mechanics and the same sprawling, vibrant community however I had no interest beyond a passing curiosity. My friends had stopped playing. Even signed into my old account, I could see that none of my old friends were online. I played for about 30 minutes before turning it off and uninstalling it.
Dota 2 has been a running obsession for me and for a lot of my friends. We first met when I was fourteen. She was just known as DotA back then or Defence of the Ancients. From humble beginnings as a custom game type for a popular game called Warcraft 3, the game was picked up by a company called Valve (developers of the Half Life series, Team Fortress 2 and the Portal games) who developed the game professionally and released it through Steam (an online game store) as Dota 2. My friends and I have never really stopped playing. The most significant breaks being due to lack of stable internet connection or due to examinations and degree pressures. I find myself constantly returning to this game whenever I get a chance. The reason I had not written my article in time was because I was playing Dota 2 for about 6 hours today. I actually completely forgot about my promise to publish every Friday. My addiction, I believe, stems not from well crafted gameplay elements or reward systems in the game. My addiction stems directly from the social aspects of the game. It is a chance and an excuse to spend time with my friends who are physically separated from me by over an hour's drive. It is the hearthfire that we all gather around to discuss the weather. It is my way of staying connected.
This sort of social addiction spreads beyond 'hardcore gaming' into the world of casual gaming. Who would play Candy Crush if everyone they knew didn't play as well? How does farmville even work without a social aspect? These games are hardwired to have a strong social dynamic because the developers know that this is what gets people to play their games and then to come play and play again. Every game gets boring if you have nobody to tell about it.
We do not become addicted to games. Games become boring as the challenge decreases. We instead become addicted to the social rewards we get from playing them.
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
The culprit? Dota 2. This game has been tearing through Steam on the back of free gameplay and outstanding game mechanics. It is a joy to play... Kind of. It can also be stressful but never in a demotivating way. Mostly I just feel the need to prove myself after a bad game.
Dota 2 is a multiplayer arena game. It is two teams of 5 fighting head to head on a battlefield punctuated with defensive towers and neutral forces. The core gameplay is blah blah blah boring.
Don't get me wrong, the game is fantastic but I've played a lot of fantastic games. What is the difference with this game?
It's really about the social mechanics at play. It's less about playing for yourself and more about playing with or for your friends or teammates. There's no easy way to describe the feelings you get when everything is going well and everyone on your team is happy. Similarly when it's all going down the toilet because their Sniper has killed you for the 50 billionth time and he already has his Mjollnir, Butterfly and Shadow Blade and you are totally powerless to stop him from building Daedalus.
Let's take 3 examples of fantastic Role Playing Games.
First, Runescape. Sure, it is an old game and many have described it as boring and repetitive but there was a time when I would play this game every waking hour that I could. Why? I had friends who would play with me. With whom I could compete. With whom I could share the joy of the good times and laugh with hindsight at the bad. Recently I have begun playing again and it is still the same game although much improved. I cannot however bring myself to play it all that much. I don't think about it when I'm doing other things. I don't obsess over how to improve at it. I play it for 10-15 minutes at a time and the log off to play Dota 2 (or go outside... one of the two).
Second, Skyrim. This game is again fantastic and I have played it an awful lot. But without any sort of community to get involved with, I see very little reason to actually play it. I really want to level my archery to 100 but I don't see any real reason to. Who would I tell? Who would care?
World of Warcraft. I'm sure this game needs no introduction. It has consumed the lives of countless people and even claimed a couple of lives. It is a wonderful game which is superbly built and has a sprawling community to keep it afloat. I played this game 14 hours straight for several days running at one point. I did nothing else. Needless to say, I was addicted. But why? I had an awful lot of friends (in the game and in real life) who I would play with. When I wasn't playing with them, I was playing for them so that when I did see them I could talk about what I had done and where I was up to. Recently I came back to the game. It is still the same game with the same mechanics and the same sprawling, vibrant community however I had no interest beyond a passing curiosity. My friends had stopped playing. Even signed into my old account, I could see that none of my old friends were online. I played for about 30 minutes before turning it off and uninstalling it.
Dota 2 has been a running obsession for me and for a lot of my friends. We first met when I was fourteen. She was just known as DotA back then or Defence of the Ancients. From humble beginnings as a custom game type for a popular game called Warcraft 3, the game was picked up by a company called Valve (developers of the Half Life series, Team Fortress 2 and the Portal games) who developed the game professionally and released it through Steam (an online game store) as Dota 2. My friends and I have never really stopped playing. The most significant breaks being due to lack of stable internet connection or due to examinations and degree pressures. I find myself constantly returning to this game whenever I get a chance. The reason I had not written my article in time was because I was playing Dota 2 for about 6 hours today. I actually completely forgot about my promise to publish every Friday. My addiction, I believe, stems not from well crafted gameplay elements or reward systems in the game. My addiction stems directly from the social aspects of the game. It is a chance and an excuse to spend time with my friends who are physically separated from me by over an hour's drive. It is the hearthfire that we all gather around to discuss the weather. It is my way of staying connected.
This sort of social addiction spreads beyond 'hardcore gaming' into the world of casual gaming. Who would play Candy Crush if everyone they knew didn't play as well? How does farmville even work without a social aspect? These games are hardwired to have a strong social dynamic because the developers know that this is what gets people to play their games and then to come play and play again. Every game gets boring if you have nobody to tell about it.
We do not become addicted to games. Games become boring as the challenge decreases. We instead become addicted to the social rewards we get from playing them.
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Friday, 12 July 2013
Let's eliminate poverty!
Good morning John! It's Friday and today, I'm going to talk to you about poverty.
First off, is poverty relative or absolute? Is there a certain absolute poverty line below which is poverty and above which is prosperity? Some sort of permanent threshold? I don't think so, I think it's more like that poverty is comparative. As an example I'll talk two different imaginary lower class families. Both are below the poverty line in the UK but both have different outlooks. The first looks out of the window and complains about not having enough, about living in poverty and how hard it is. The second watches the news and reads the papers and looks at third world countries and is thankful that they do not live in such poverty.
I'm going to introduce you (or re-introduce you) to The Bell Curve or Gaussian Distribution.
Before we continue, you must understand that when talking about poverty, about resources, about wealth distribution... this curve is god. Let's say that there are 100 people in the world and they are represented on that graph. We can see that 68 are in the blue area (the areas are separated according to something called standard deviation). These 68 people are neither exceptionally rich, nor are they exceptionally poor. They are the white collar workers. If we step out further from the peak, we come to the red areas, together counting for 27 people. The people in the rightmost red region are the wealthy ones. The lawyers, the doctors, the businessmen. In the leftmost region are the labourers. The builders and binmen. The store staff at Tesco's. Go further afield and we hit the green areas. On the right are the fabulously wealthy. We are getting into the ranks of investment bankers, venture capitalists, CEOs of multinational corporations. On the left we have the unemployed, the people living off benefits etc. If you really want to push it out to the 0.1% tail end we hit both the homeless and the FTSE CEOs.
First off, is poverty relative or absolute? Is there a certain absolute poverty line below which is poverty and above which is prosperity? Some sort of permanent threshold? I don't think so, I think it's more like that poverty is comparative. As an example I'll talk two different imaginary lower class families. Both are below the poverty line in the UK but both have different outlooks. The first looks out of the window and complains about not having enough, about living in poverty and how hard it is. The second watches the news and reads the papers and looks at third world countries and is thankful that they do not live in such poverty.
I'm going to introduce you (or re-introduce you) to The Bell Curve or Gaussian Distribution.
 |
| It figures that the first picture I put in a blog in the past 3 months is a graph. |
Before we continue, you must understand that when talking about poverty, about resources, about wealth distribution... this curve is god. Let's say that there are 100 people in the world and they are represented on that graph. We can see that 68 are in the blue area (the areas are separated according to something called standard deviation). These 68 people are neither exceptionally rich, nor are they exceptionally poor. They are the white collar workers. If we step out further from the peak, we come to the red areas, together counting for 27 people. The people in the rightmost red region are the wealthy ones. The lawyers, the doctors, the businessmen. In the leftmost region are the labourers. The builders and binmen. The store staff at Tesco's. Go further afield and we hit the green areas. On the right are the fabulously wealthy. We are getting into the ranks of investment bankers, venture capitalists, CEOs of multinational corporations. On the left we have the unemployed, the people living off benefits etc. If you really want to push it out to the 0.1% tail end we hit both the homeless and the FTSE CEOs.
The economy is a self correcting system. There is a famous quote about the economy concerning an invisible hand and the point is if we raise the income of every one of these 100 people to the same level, the myriad mechanisms guiding the economic system, this invisible hand, would soon re-establish a Gaussian distribution.
Eliminating poverty is no more possible than eliminating death and disease. Both are laws of nature. The Gaussian distribution is a law of statistics. To eliminate poverty would be to subvert the laws of mathematics. Mathematics is more than just the universal language, it is also the language the universe itself uses to write the rules.
There is one thing that I am sure of. Eliminating poverty within capitalism is impossible. Within another type of societal structure it may be possible, but I lack the knowledge to really say.
Just as some supporting evidence, here is a graph of estimated incomes across the globe.
You can see that not only does each individual sub-population have a Gaussian distribution of income, but the world as a whole (the light purple line) has a Gaussian distribution. How do you like them apples?
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Friday, 5 July 2013
What does it take to be a leader?
I attended a leadership course this week called Frontrunner for disabled students and met an awful lot of amazing people. All of us had different backgrounds and different goals and, seemingly, a different idea of what a leader is and should be.
We can all basically agree that the perfect leader has a certain set of characteristics (considerate, thoughtful, just, strong, resilient, intelligent, strategic, personable, charismatic etc.) but as individuals we all lead differently.
What is the goal of a leader? Is it a constant path towards identifying which qualities they posses and then learning how to use them or improve upon them? Is it picking which of these qualities they want and drawing that quality into their repertoire?
For me, being a leader is keeping an open mind, throughout all things you might experience. It is trying to gain something from every encounter. It is the day in day out struggle of every person to decide where they want to go and what they want to do.
I'm glad to know that there are 36 talented, ambitious and inspiring leaders stepping back into the real world to testing their strength; because without leaders where would we be?
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
We can all basically agree that the perfect leader has a certain set of characteristics (considerate, thoughtful, just, strong, resilient, intelligent, strategic, personable, charismatic etc.) but as individuals we all lead differently.
What is the goal of a leader? Is it a constant path towards identifying which qualities they posses and then learning how to use them or improve upon them? Is it picking which of these qualities they want and drawing that quality into their repertoire?
For me, being a leader is keeping an open mind, throughout all things you might experience. It is trying to gain something from every encounter. It is the day in day out struggle of every person to decide where they want to go and what they want to do.
I'm glad to know that there are 36 talented, ambitious and inspiring leaders stepping back into the real world to testing their strength; because without leaders where would we be?
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Friday, 28 June 2013
Does structure aid creativity?
Here I am; Friday. I have no idea what to write for my blog today... nothing amazing seems to have happened. A couple of weeks ago I promised to write a new post every Friday. Some of my favourite things to do are regularly updated (that sounds a little odd...). Things like Ctrl-Alt-Del which I haven't read in years. Things like the vlogbrothers. In other words, creative work. The idea is twofold. Since I'm updating regularly, you no longer need to see my post on facebook to know I have a new blog entry, you just have to check back on Friday. The second part is that it pushes me to write and to come up with interesting content even when I'm perhaps not inspired to. It's a step towards more professional creative work and I hope it works out for you and for me.
In other news - I'm now the proud owner of a physics degree :) Yay me! Now what?
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
In other news - I'm now the proud owner of a physics degree :) Yay me! Now what?
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Friday, 21 June 2013
What's wrong with sex?
We live in the tennies and ever since the sixties, we have been reminding starch collared conservatives that, "Hey man, it's the sixties.... relaaax!" and we have! We have calmed down and become more accepting. Interracial couples, gay marriage and mens' cosmetics. There is a whole new climate of sexuality, gender identity and individuality which is now allowed and accepted by the majority of people.
So I'll take this moment to congratulate everybody on being more accepting, more diverse and more open minded than perhaps we have been for thousands of years. It is wonderful to live in a time like this.... but we are not finished yet.
There are still stigmata to be tackled, feminism is still a developing movement and the LGBT movement can now be known by FABGLITTER to include a whole range of orientations.
One serious stigma is the sexual assault stigma. The quiet murmur that somehow, the victim wanted it, that somehow they are to blame. This is a view pushed forwards by ignorant people who presumably have never been raped themselves. It is almost a Christian viewpoint, the whole guilt complex surrounding sex in many sects of Christianity is deeply ingrained in society and underlies a lot of our opinions on sex. The point is that, although most people disagree with this viewpoint, it is still being said and THAT ALONE is enough to spring the question in the victim's mind - "What did I do to deserve this?". I believe this doubt is the reason so few rapes are reported, particularly when the victim is assaulted by somebody they know and I believe that this doubt is the reason why so many sexual assault victims seem to take it out on themselves. Just as a disclaimer, I am not saying that every rape case is the same, that every case is black and white. I am just saying that every time somebody shouts out this opinion, ignorantly waving it around like a dead rat in the city centre, everybody is affected.
Another stigma is men who are attracted to fat girls, chubby chasers, often being mocked in films or television. This is tied in to a whole body image thing that both women AND men have to deal with. Women are more obviously affected by body image problems with bulimia and anorexia running rampant in certain circles however men are also affected by it. It's a pet theory of mine that the emo movement sprang up as a direct response to the apparent need for a man to be masculine and manly. The reality of the world is that people come in all shapes and sizes (Hello cliché!) and so do sexual preferences and attractions. The sooner we can admit that we ourselves have some esoteric attractions (I know a man in Israel who finds women more attractive if they don't shave their legs and armpits) the sooner we can accept our own bodies and minds for what they are and not constantly punish ourselves because we are not what we think we should be.
The last stigma I will discuss is the stigma associated with having many sexual partners. Why is it a bad thing for people to have a lot of sex? There are an awful lot of reasons for people to chase sex like the hour hand chases 12 o clock. When we judge a person for how many partners they've had we are reaching back to archaic ideals of purity and virginity. The fact is that sex is the most important part of your life because it defines the relationship you have with your partner and by extension the way you relate to the world around you. Mastery of sex is much more important than many people realise and many people admit. There is a reason the karma sutra and tantra have survived for thousands of years... There is no objective reason that I can see why it is advantageous to have sex with few partner many times as opposed to many partners few times. If you know a reason, please tell me in the comments...
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
So I'll take this moment to congratulate everybody on being more accepting, more diverse and more open minded than perhaps we have been for thousands of years. It is wonderful to live in a time like this.... but we are not finished yet.
There are still stigmata to be tackled, feminism is still a developing movement and the LGBT movement can now be known by FABGLITTER to include a whole range of orientations.
One serious stigma is the sexual assault stigma. The quiet murmur that somehow, the victim wanted it, that somehow they are to blame. This is a view pushed forwards by ignorant people who presumably have never been raped themselves. It is almost a Christian viewpoint, the whole guilt complex surrounding sex in many sects of Christianity is deeply ingrained in society and underlies a lot of our opinions on sex. The point is that, although most people disagree with this viewpoint, it is still being said and THAT ALONE is enough to spring the question in the victim's mind - "What did I do to deserve this?". I believe this doubt is the reason so few rapes are reported, particularly when the victim is assaulted by somebody they know and I believe that this doubt is the reason why so many sexual assault victims seem to take it out on themselves. Just as a disclaimer, I am not saying that every rape case is the same, that every case is black and white. I am just saying that every time somebody shouts out this opinion, ignorantly waving it around like a dead rat in the city centre, everybody is affected.
Another stigma is men who are attracted to fat girls, chubby chasers, often being mocked in films or television. This is tied in to a whole body image thing that both women AND men have to deal with. Women are more obviously affected by body image problems with bulimia and anorexia running rampant in certain circles however men are also affected by it. It's a pet theory of mine that the emo movement sprang up as a direct response to the apparent need for a man to be masculine and manly. The reality of the world is that people come in all shapes and sizes (Hello cliché!) and so do sexual preferences and attractions. The sooner we can admit that we ourselves have some esoteric attractions (I know a man in Israel who finds women more attractive if they don't shave their legs and armpits) the sooner we can accept our own bodies and minds for what they are and not constantly punish ourselves because we are not what we think we should be.
The last stigma I will discuss is the stigma associated with having many sexual partners. Why is it a bad thing for people to have a lot of sex? There are an awful lot of reasons for people to chase sex like the hour hand chases 12 o clock. When we judge a person for how many partners they've had we are reaching back to archaic ideals of purity and virginity. The fact is that sex is the most important part of your life because it defines the relationship you have with your partner and by extension the way you relate to the world around you. Mastery of sex is much more important than many people realise and many people admit. There is a reason the karma sutra and tantra have survived for thousands of years... There is no objective reason that I can see why it is advantageous to have sex with few partner many times as opposed to many partners few times. If you know a reason, please tell me in the comments...
Well that's my lot. Have a good Friday!
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Friday, 14 June 2013
Why do people thing being gay is a choice?
So, hopefully you are one of those people who believe being gay isn't a binary thing, it is a spectrum of gay and everybody sits somewhere on the number line between 0 and 1 (see fifty shades of gay).
A lot of people find themselves in a position where they have the power to make a decision about how to live their life. They may decide to ignore the gayer parts of themselves and only date heterosexually and hook up heterosexually and for all intents and purposes, 'BE' heterosexual. These people have chosen to 'BE' straight. Similarly I imagine some people choose to 'BE' bisexual and 'BE' gay based on a multitude of reasons.
There are two problems that can arise from this.
1st.
Some people will take offence. In my eyes, it is a simple miscommunication. When people say that being gay is a choice (under this explanation) what they really mean is having gay relationships is a choice, as per the argument outlined above. Actually being gay A.K.A. being attracted to the same sex is no more a choice than liking blue cheese or preferring Art Garfunkel to Paul Simon; it might not be the most common preference but it is both your prerogative and part of your identity, not a choice.
2nd.
Some people use this to put down gay people and try to deny them rights. This is hateful and childish and I will say no more of it.
This is by no means a tried and tested theory, it's just my experience and my understanding. If you have another explanation, please let me know in the comments.
When I really think about being gay in terms of a spectrum, the words gay and straight start to lose their meanings except in terms of a decision people make. Every man and woman who is out of the closet has made the decision to associate with the LGBT community and in this respect they are LGBT. Outside of that context, does it make sense to call an individual lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans? Maybe we should employ a number system. You could introduce yourself as L1G2B8T9 depending on how much you associate with each facet of lgbt?
Labels have their uses. We use them to associate with each other. "Oh you're a fan of Metallica? Me too!" is much easier than saying "Your list of songs that you like by Metallica matches with my list with 73% accuracy! That's cool!". The dark side of labels always have to be handled carefully and, when exploited, the whole community has to stand and be exploited together, to fight against it together, rather than let one of their number fall (I may have gotten slightly off topic here).
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
A lot of people find themselves in a position where they have the power to make a decision about how to live their life. They may decide to ignore the gayer parts of themselves and only date heterosexually and hook up heterosexually and for all intents and purposes, 'BE' heterosexual. These people have chosen to 'BE' straight. Similarly I imagine some people choose to 'BE' bisexual and 'BE' gay based on a multitude of reasons.
There are two problems that can arise from this.
1st.
Some people will take offence. In my eyes, it is a simple miscommunication. When people say that being gay is a choice (under this explanation) what they really mean is having gay relationships is a choice, as per the argument outlined above. Actually being gay A.K.A. being attracted to the same sex is no more a choice than liking blue cheese or preferring Art Garfunkel to Paul Simon; it might not be the most common preference but it is both your prerogative and part of your identity, not a choice.
2nd.
Some people use this to put down gay people and try to deny them rights. This is hateful and childish and I will say no more of it.
This is by no means a tried and tested theory, it's just my experience and my understanding. If you have another explanation, please let me know in the comments.
When I really think about being gay in terms of a spectrum, the words gay and straight start to lose their meanings except in terms of a decision people make. Every man and woman who is out of the closet has made the decision to associate with the LGBT community and in this respect they are LGBT. Outside of that context, does it make sense to call an individual lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans? Maybe we should employ a number system. You could introduce yourself as L1G2B8T9 depending on how much you associate with each facet of lgbt?
Labels have their uses. We use them to associate with each other. "Oh you're a fan of Metallica? Me too!" is much easier than saying "Your list of songs that you like by Metallica matches with my list with 73% accuracy! That's cool!". The dark side of labels always have to be handled carefully and, when exploited, the whole community has to stand and be exploited together, to fight against it together, rather than let one of their number fall (I may have gotten slightly off topic here).
*******************************
By having read this article, you agree
that I am not responsible for any
distress, discomfort, enragement or
offence caused by your reading
of this article. DFTBA.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Follow me on twitter @dancohen447
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)