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Nathan Myhrvold, Do-Gooder
theodp writes "Perturbed by a GigaOm item which likened him to 'Darth Vader doing some charity work as he completes the Death Star,' Intellectual Ventures CEO Nathan Myhrvold talks about the goals of his 'Global Good' program and fires back at critics in an interview with GeekWire's Todd Bishop. The technology industry is a little too obsessed with 'sending little messages to each other and having fun on a social network' for Myhrvold, who hopes to tackle bigger problems like malaria, polio, and HIV with the help of funding from buddy Bill Gates. 'I don't mean to call Zynga out in a negative way,' says Myhrvold, 'but is Zynga doing God's work? Is Facebook doing God's work? Even setting aside what God's work means, I think it's pretty easy to say, those companies are doing wonderful things, but they are for-profit ventures. It's either tools or toys for the rich.' BTW, if you're ready to do God's work, IV's looking for a Vice President, Global Good."
I'd rather they do good, than God's work.
'Darth Vader doing some charity work as he completes the Death Star',
Slashdot editors need to stop posting what is clearly rebel rhetoric. The first Death Star was used on Alderaan to save lives. The planet was partly hollow and heavily fortified; A great many imperial lives would have been sacrificed to end the war in a conventional ground-based attack. By destroying Alderann with the Death Star instead, billions of lives were saved. After that, the galaxy enjoyed its longest period of peace and prosperity in centuries.
The second Death Star was blown up before it was even completed, and it's construction was solely as a deterrent against future war -- it would have reduced the cost of maintaining a fleet of thousands of flag ships as fewer would have been needed for routine patrols. There were not many military personnel on the base at the time, most of those people were contractors working during the recession, caused by supply shortages because funds were diverted to combat the constant terrorist attacks by the rebels. When the Death Star fell, millions of contractors and private citizens lost their lives in an unparalleled terrorist attack. The Empire had no choice then but to respond to these right-wing religious nutjobs with overwhelming force.
Never Forget the Liberty Star disasters!
#fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
I'm ready to do God's work.... just, erm, how much does it pay?
Not directly related, but whenever an evil asshole starts prattling on about "God's work" or anything similar, it brings to mind this C.S. Lewis quote
âoeOf all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.â
>> is Zynga doing God's work? Is Facebook doing God's work?
Yes, Nathan, you're doing a lot of wonderful work. But that doesn't excuse *how* you're getting your money these days. Your business practices are hurting the entire industry, and putting a big crimp on innovation. The end does not justify the means.
Anyone who has not yet listened to This American Life's episode on Mr. Myhrvold really ought to:
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/441/when-patents-attack/
More intellect than he knows what to do with, and he chooses to leave MS and start a patent troll company... ugh.
"Myhrvold was born in Seattle, Washington. He attended Mirman School,[4] and began college at age 14.[5] He studied mathematics, geophysics, and space physics at UCLA (BSc, Masters). He was awarded a Hertz Foundation Fellowship for graduate study and he chose to study at Princeton University, where he earned a master's degree in mathematical economics and completed a PhD in theoretical and mathematical physics by age 23."
Here's to the crazy ones
From the article:
So what somebody says, why don’t you tell me which patents you have, Nathan, so I can avoid them, you’re supposed to be avoiding all of them! You’re saying, Nathan, I’d like to be honest with you but cheat everybody else. What’s up with that?
That's an interesting twist.
Of course it's my responsibility as a developer to avoid all of them. Specifically, all 8 million+ of them. What I can do, then, is start researching my idea now... and many lifetimes from now when my descendents have evaluated every patent that may be relevant, they can bring my product to market. Oh, wait - the number of patents will have grown by then...
Considering how smart he is, I find it difficult to believe that he made such an absurd statement -- and even more preposterous that he thinks it's a reasonable, realistic expectation.
Collect the patents... ALL the patents...
Good! Then he can pay for the courts, police, and the military to enforce them.
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
Putting aside the question of what is or isn't God's work, I think it would be more effective to establish and fund a nonprofit foundation to develop technology for solving the problems of the world's poor (and problems that potentially affect everybody like climate change and antibiotic resistance).
Running a little bit of charity work out of a for-profit corporation creates a conflict of interest between the need to generate profit for the owners/shareholders and the needs of those who are served. And if you can work full-time on the pro-bono technology, you'll get it done faster and better than if you are diverting time from your "real job."
Maybe you really believe that and aren't just trolling. But if you take the wanton destruction left in the wake of Stalin and Mao (hint: some of the strongest modern nation-wide waves of atheistic popular movements combined with persecuting and murdering untold millions of people), you find an apt counterexample to your generalization. The attribute of religiosity is orthogonal to evil. You find religious people who are some of the most humanitarian and wonderful people on earth, and you find religious people whose consciences allegedly require them to persecute other people. And you find both of the same kinds of people among atheists -- some wonderful and some evil.
This is the guy who dreamed of charging for all Internet based transactions with his own money scheme.
When he starts saying the word God several times in a row I start getting violently nauseated.
I also question his statement, "We’re going to have to find who’s the best company in China to manufacture our malaria diagnostic device" while "using first world invention, product development, and business development techniques."
I state this having helped projects to reduce malaria and treat the sick in Cambodia. When $5 would buy mosquito nets. Does he really need to develop advanced technology, or could the money not be spent on existing projects using low technology? The key really is not Chinese manufacturing. The key which he hinted at is having motivated, experienced problem solvers on the ground who can see what things will work and why, and get immediate feedback and support from home base.
The idea of structuring it as a for profit venture, no matter what reasoning he gives, is just the way a shark smiles. It distracts you. Just like how he is pushing the God button. You have to wonder why. Is he a wacko? Maybe, but it is most likely because that is where he plans on getting money. Religious figures do sometimes put money into these things.
Darth Vader doing some charity work as he completes the Death Star
Which is not unthinkable. Humans are complex creatures, very few of us are entirely black or white. The main damage that religion has done to us is not the omnipotent father nonsense, but the strict seperation of the world into "good" and "bad". Which you don't find in the real world if you open your mind and really see. Even your worst enemy has some interest or some trait that you'd consider positive if it weren't for your dislike of the man. And even your best friend and ally has a skeleton in the closet.
So, aside from the nonsensical choice of words (there can be no such thing as "god's work", because an omnipotent being could get its own work done with no effort), why not simply take the guy at face value?
Because, you know, he's kind of right about Zynga and Facebook, too. Yeah, maybe he's an evil business bastard, but if he genuinely wants to do good - shouldn't we encourage and welcome that?
Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
paying for services is what poor people do, not rich patent attorneys. To paraphrase Gore Vidal: Socialism for the rich, dog eat dog capitalism for the poor....
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Anyone, of course, except the Catholics. One of the chief doctrinal divides between Catholics and Protestants is the nature of salvation. Catholic theology very much insists that works are a part of salvation.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
Read James chapter 2. Rome didn't invent their theology just for fun, an even Martin Luther could never adequately explain away James.
But hey, keep repeating long defunct anti-Catgolic nonsense.
14What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
23And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
24Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.