Re: Being Extropic

From: Brett Paatsch (bpaatsch@bigpond.net.au)
Date: Wed Aug 06 2003 - 10:35:46 MDT

  • Next message: Eliezer S. Yudkowsky: "Re: Dembski the what?"

    Amara writes:

    > Brett Paatsch
    > > I have learned, somewhat sadly, that things take
    > > far longer than I'd imagined they'd need to, and
    > > that the reason that this is so is that we are far
    > > less wise in the areas that matter than we often
    > > give ourselves credit for.
    >
    > Yes... but I have learned that the planting of a few
    > seeds and waiting can bring unexpected delights,
    > that is, if your mind is in a suitable state to notice the
    > result.
    >
    > Here's a flower that burst through my usual pessimism
    > regarding the Internet.
    >
    > I have a friend visiting the Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano
    > in Tanzania presently, and I was surprised last week
    > to find messages from him in my emailbox giving me
    > reports.
    >
    > "How are you able to send me email from there?,"
    > I ask (envisioning tents, and cooking pots and
    > scorpions on the ground in barren, deserted places),
    > and he writes the next day:
    >
    > "Arusha has HUNDREDS of Internet cafes: a local
    > phone call costs $0.5/min, an international call is
    > $3/min, while 30 minutes are $0.5. Two years ago,
    > all of the Internet cafes were full of American
    > tourists waiting for their safaris, this year Americans
    > are staying away, and the Internet cafes are full of
    > local people writing to their relatives around the
    > world."
    >
    >
    > Nice flower, hmmm?

    I like it. And the better because you do.

    - Brett
    PS: It's wondrous what blooms in s*i*. ;-)

    .

    .

    PPS: s O i L !!!



    This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Wed Aug 06 2003 - 10:43:20 MDT