RE: flame wars

From: Paul Grant (shade999@optonline.net)
Date: Thu Jul 17 2003 - 21:38:14 MDT

  • Next message: Paul Grant: "RE: Optimism [Was: flame wars]"

    On Wednesday 16 July 2003 22:03, Paul Grant wrote:
    > >On Wed, Jul 16, 2003 at 07:26:37AM -0400, Harvey Newstrom wrote: The
    > >list has a lot of software types, and surely the professional
    >
    > programmers must be having a severe case of Custer Syndrome: "Where
    > are all these frigging Indians coming from?"
    >
    > I wish :) I was let go and haven't even been able to get an interview
    > for a software position :)
    >
    What surprises me is that more people don't question the economic theory
    and
    practice that produced the current pattern of > 1 million trained
    software
    people being out of work and without much of a prospect in the US.
    Since
    in fact we are short of all levels of software skill or believed we were
    a
    few years ago, the loss of this many workers is a tragedy to extropic
    dreams
    on more than a personal and humanitarian scale. We have a
    monetary/financial crisis but we act as if it is only a small
    fluctuation in
    demand/need. It is not. The need did not change. The financial
    resources
    to operate changed a lot. Demand and finances are not as well and
    cleanly
    connected as some might like to imagine.

    Me: Definately have to say I agree; fundamentally I think its the
    artificial
    inflation of the US dollar versus other countries... Until that
    equalizes,
    pretty much the only way for us to remain dominant is either services
    that
    can't be out-sourced, straight out consumption [we control the major
    market]
    , or our "patent" portfolio as we sign more and more countries into the
    rope-a-dope strategy of the century [against under-developed countries].

    > >Dynamic and practical optimism has been more difficult in the last
    > couple years, has it not?
    >
    > I don't necessarily agree; I'm optimistic insofar as I think that
    > eventually I'll be able to extricate myself out of the current mess...

    > and certes, it doesn't
    > really effect my ability to read and contemplate current and "future"
    > technologies/paradigms in that the cost (at worst) is TV and other
    > mindless activities....
    >

    I hope not too much of that. :-) Really, the one major resource you
    have
    right now is time. Please use it as wisely as you can.

    Me: HEHEHE :) Don't worry about me :) My current sticking point
    for some basic projects is space; other more complex projects require
    extensive preparation in applied science. In any event, I've been
    using my last year or two "off" too do a complete circuit in terms
    of whats out currently out there :) Further development requires
    movement into the application phase which will be (finally) starting
    august 15th or so with my move to California :)

    > I do have to say though, as a person who is extremely dedicated to
    > pursuing his own ideas out to their logical conclusion, resources,
    > *particularly* people resources, are next to impossible to come by
    > [barring government/univ funding (where they get copyright/patent), or

    > being fabulously independently wealthy]. Plus, to do anything
    > significant, certain skills [which require a serious amount of effort
    > and time to pickup] are currently beyond my ken. Currently :) But I
    > do remain optimistic, that given enough time on this planet [- sudden
    > death or illness], I'll hit my critical point in a couple of years :)
    >
    > More than anything else though, its the lack of a skilled [and
    > dedicated] labor supply (read: architects rather than technicians).
    > Unfortunately, I have yet to actually find a good (reliable) source
    > for such [people] material.

    You need good technicians in greater abundance than architects. But the

    architects are certainly crucial.

    Me: I prefer elegance than brute strength.

    Ergo, one of the MAJOR problems i have with a field such as (say)
    medicine, is that alot more of it should be automated. I've got
    my out for such endeavors (stuff that fundamentally fixes broken
    strategies in regards to what is currently termed "treatment").
    Of course, I'm predisposed to that route of parsing problems
    because of my particular affinity to computers and search/signal
    stuff :)

    One final point regarding technicians; I'ld rather have someone
    focused, imaginative and perceptive rather than someone trained
    to do a set of tasks particularly well, particularly when you plan
    on doing stuff that may or may not run counter to the current
    intuitive mindset. Ergo the classic difference of training
    someone to do something urself as opposed to attempting to co-opt
    a preexisting set of routines...

    On the plus side, I am slowly starting to penetrate into the
    strata of older people, who, IMHO, are far more useful than
    todays youth, both in regards to knowledge, people networks,
    funding sources and keen intellect :) I'm expecting the next
    4-5 years to be particularly important as they will probably
    found the next 10-15 years worth of private research.

    To be quite honest, the biggest problem I have with the
    current framework of science (both applied and theoretical)
    is that to do anything, you basically have to give your research
    away. Something I'm not willing to do, given the amount of
    interesting technologies that are not allowed to progress
    to fruitful conclusion due to either government or corporate
    agendas. If I can make a difference, I want it to be done
    outside the current (imho, broken) system that seems
    to govern my current environment, preferentially to be
    applied equally on a triage basis.

    Like I said earlier, in general, I'm optimistic :)
    Barring sudden death, mutiliation or (fatal) diseases.

    Charlie Rose had a nobel laureate on TV, Wattson I think
    (the guy who "discovered" DNA), and he pretty much said
    the same thing :) Ergo alot of the problems we currently suffer
    from have a basis in our genetics, and that given a certain amount of
    cash, the genetic basis could be determined via sequencing and
    a good patient history. To be DOUBLY honest, the largest
    problem relating to such an endeavor, would not be the sequencing
    (which require a certain amount of money X), but rather, a computeable
    patient history sans border/language constraints. The current system
    (in place in the US), CPT codes and diagnostics, is insufficient both
    in its granularity, and its ability to form a self-consistent
    knowledge base [e.g. computeable logic (knowledge base +
    inference engine)].

    I personally think all the money going into defense and politics should
    be forcibly appropriated into the 21st century medical equivalent of
    Roosevelts(or whichever presdient did it) hiway program. Something this

    important should not be left up to the whims of private development,
    especially considering the intellectual property rights nightmare it
    represents.

    I also think the US's notion of democracy is utterly broken, and needs
    some serious voter reform. Not to mention our (often terribly cruel)
    foreign policy. It really sucks that in this day and age, the concept
    of nation-states is STILL not resolveable. Mind you, I don't want
    a homogenous world government, but rather, a general system which
    supersedes cultural boundaries in areas which require it [beneficial
    to humanity as a whole], but leaves a majority of the population
    with the ability to generate local settings as they see fit.

    I haven't even begun to think of how to reform the education system,
    or rather, how to teach people effectively... I'm good with one-on-one
    development, but multiple children/adults [simoultaneously] generally
    degrade my performance.

    A bit longer than I intended, but :) c'est la vie :)

    omard-out



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