The difference between having it and using it
on
Entertaining Your Brain?
·
· Score: 2, Informative
Many of us have great potential, be it intellectual or otherwise, but the issue is whether we actualize it or not. Most of us don't, and we either get by on our natural inclinations - OR we remain limited by our own inability to get beyond those same inclinations.
I have studied with, and now work for, a human potential program that is great for intelligent people - it gives you the ability to really explore what you know on a deeper level and learn how to critically think - what they DON'T teach you in school....
It's increased my brain capacity greatly, and helped me become more successful in my intellectual endeavors.
I think it's the next logical step in a person's mental evolution. You can keep gathering data and information and increase what you know, but it won't really impact you until you can increase your ability to THINK.
If you want to know more about it, email me or read the websites:
I actually implemented the B-4000 in my office's "cafe space" - it works really well for a very small wireless business model, in my opinion. Besides the highlights above, the benefits are: - Auto configure of a user's wireless card - no need to do anything except to give the user the name and password to log on with - You can set your SMTP server on the router end so that users can send emails without having to reconfigure their accounts, which is really cool.
The only downside is that the usernames and passwords are random, and you can't make your own to keep track of who's who....
But for 400 bucks and a really easy (for both the user and administrator) setup, you can't beat it.
I was just about to post a comment recommending Until the End of the World when I found your comment... I loved this movie! It was long and odd, but the technology (and its implications)was really neat, and the soundtrack really was futuristic sounding.... Plus, the scenery was beautiful, and the woman that played the lead was just weird. If you don't have horrible ADD, and can sit through a 3 hour film, everyone should rent it - if you can find it....
What really struck me about this article was the fact that this guy did a lot of whining and blame throwing, but never really took responsibility for his part in what happened - because HE made the choice to take the job, even though there was plenty of data out there to support that this type of thing could happen to him. We make our own choices, and thusly we need to accept responsibility for what happens as a result.
When I first got started in the tech sector 4 years ago, I chose to take a job with a start-up consulting firm that offered me next to nothing, but gave me an opportunity to learn a great deal. After a while, the company didn't have the money to pay me and I nearly got evicted from my apartment - meanwhile, I was working 12-14 hour days, 7 days a week.....
And when the company went to hell, and they fired me - claiming that I wasn't a good worker, though in reality they just couldn't afford to keep me - I threw a pity party for about five minutes. Then I realized that I had learned a lot, not only about computers, but about how business works (and especially the shady side of it). That kind of knowledge is invaluable.
Plus, I recognized that I had no one to blame but myself. I had seen this coming for a long time, and yet I chose to stay. I could have gotten another job any time I wanted. The guy who wrote the article could have left, too. He even admits that early on, he "began to see through the veneer"...He chose to stay, and now we're supposed to feel sorry for him because he ignored the reality of the situation, even though it was staring him in the face, and continued to live in a idealistic and self-indulgent fantasy.... ignoring, all the while, the fact that we all have free will.
Our world has a habit of blaming the effects rather than the causes. We have created such "dehumanizing" tools because that is what we desire - the fact that we DESIRE these things is the real problem. Well, maybe. Another way to look at it is that the Net et al is not dehumanizing in itself - but society has created people that want to dehumanize each other.
But all in all, the real problem is that we are living in a world where technology is growing rapidly and our ethics are dropping. We can't stop the growth of technology (which is what these idiot politicians seem hell-bent on trying to do) - and even if we did, we would only be stopping an effect of a more powerful cause - soon, something else would pop back up (kinda like a game of Whack-A-Mole). We need to fix the cause of this behavior - so ALL WE CAN DO, realistically, is try to raise our ethics to match it. I'm involved in a proactive group of people who are trying to do just that - many of us are geeks, but all of us want to change the world.
If anyone wants to help, or has any interest in what we're trying to do, feel free to email me. I'd love to chat with any and every ethical geek, and the world needs all the help it can get!
Wow, I don't know what to say to your post except - what the hell is wrong with wanting to make money with music? I am a musician, and right now I have a job as a programmer to support myself. However, music is my true love, and it's a talent I am blessed with, and I would love to do it fulltime someday. Why can't I try to make a living making music? If you are saying that there is no value in my hard work writing songs and touring, and therefore I don't deserve to get paid for it, then I suppose that other people with "hobbies" in the humanities shouldn't get paid either - actors, writers, painters, sculptors.....
"There's lots of jobs out there, and why should you be exempted from being a productive member of society?"
In your view of the world, there is no inherent value in creativity. I don't really need to point out how ridiculous that is, do I? The world would suck without music, books, movies, art..... Artists ARE productive members of society. We create value, and all we ask is compensation for that value. It's just plain silly to ask that we get "normal" jobs in order to support our "hobbies" so that you can enjoy the fruits of our labor for free.
Mad props to you guys for getting this story out.... I know some people bitch and moan when there is a "non-techie" article posted, but screw it. We Slashdotters have a LOT of power in our little mouse-held hands, and it's time we put it to good use (instead of just taking down servers-grin!).... Those little guys break my heart. I'm sending a check right now!
Girlie programmer here! Not only am I a geek girl, I'm a (cute)gay geek girl, and I spend my weekends hanging out at bars with REAL people and playing gigs (I'm a musician).... Most people consider me to be VERY social (i.e. I never shut up!)and easy to get along with.... they are usually shocked when I reveal my coding alter ego! Though I will admit to large chunks of time holed up in my apartment, splitting my time equally between programming and recording my music....
Actually, I think my severe case of ADD lends itself well to programming, as when I get "in the zone" I am so well focused that nothing can disturb me. But when I'm hyper, I just go out and party.... or something
Oh, since I'm trying to stay on topic (snort!)... I hate pr0n!
I realize that it's all already been said, but I still wanted to contribute my 2 cents.... After reading all of this, I was struck by how nasty people got about this topic - since I'm a bit of a fence-sitter on the issue, I read all posts with an open mind. What if Singer were to contribute part of his income to the care of disabled people? "Mercy killings" wouldn't even be an issue if the government assisted their families in caretaking. Most families of disabled people find themselves emotionally and financially drained from the needs of the disabled person - an argument used by many here as a good reason to kill them at birth. But if we could work out a way to finance a support system for these families, part-time institutions or the like, then the point becomes moot. Elimianting the emotional and financial burdens leaves everyone free to unconditionally love a disabled person without the baggage. Idealist? Perhaps. But if Singer, and others with the means to do so, would turn their donations to this sort of cause, it could happen. Siobahn www.siobahn.com
I can live up to those standards, with an average FPH of 210 (on Q2, that is).....And own my own copy of bladerunner..... Too bad I'm a lesbian....sigh..... But I feel the pain! I can't find any geek girls either!
I agree. I think the author of the article really missed the point of the site. When I posted my songs on MP3.com, it wasn't because I want to be a world famous rock star. Rather, I wanted to contribute to a revolution not unlike that of OSS. There is a larger variety of music at MP3.com that you could ever find on some big-name record label. It's an uncensored, do-what-you-feel atmosphere that remains untainted by the generic nature of the corporate world. I love the fact that people can download my music (and, hopefully enjoy it) for free. I don't even care where my songs "rank" on the MP3.com charts. I just think it's a great little community of musicians, no more and no less. It makes sense on its own merits, merits which the author is obviously missing the point of.
"You forget that while a country may or may not have weapons of mass-destruction, they also need the delivery vehicle to bring that weapon to its enemy. Iraq does not have the missile technology to hit us or most anyplace in Europe. "
Do we know this for a fact? We DO know that Saddam is a sick, twisted dictator that hates the U.S. And I'm sure he doesn't give a damn whether or not his mission critical systems (like missiles) are Y2K compliant, because he'd LOVE an excuse to nuke us. That's the only point I'm trying to make here.
"If there does end up being a meltdown of the government or financial institutions, it's going to be due to attitudes like yours and not any direct result of a Y2k-related bug."
Actually, it's the attitudes of the uneducated general public - feeding on the Y2K horror stories PLUS all of the well-publicized ramblings the religious cultists who think it's the end of the world anyway - that's making me stock up on pork and beans. I don't think the technology is gonna be what kicks our butts, and that's not really what scares me; what frightens me most is the chaos that will occur because of the human propensity to dumbly listen to these tales of Armageddon, and the ensuing riots that will happen when the power goes out. Which is very likely.
Well, first I'd like to point out that in the two weeks since that article in the Nation (which I read - and thought it was unnecessarily nihilistic), the US and Russia have agreed to work together on the issue, including a constant monitoring of systems from Dec. 99 thru Jan. 00, to ensure that even if radars erroneously show a "missile", the lines of communication will be left open to make sure any mistaken data is cleared up. Also, kids, please remember that the Cold War really IS over
But then again, Iraq's got nukes, and we ain't exactly friends with them..... THEY are the ones I am worried about, not the Russians or, hell, even the Chinese
But my other point is that even though I am trying to be optimistic, I am quite the survivalist and will be heading for the hills - and I am heading up the Y2K section of my consulting firm right now!!!!
Just goes to show that being educated about the problem doesn't make it less scary
- Cybergrrrrrl
MP3's Rock For Unsigned Bands
on
MP3 Testimonial
·
· Score: 1
I agree with this guy's comments about the ability of MP3's to get your music out there.... I am an unsigned artist too, with few hopes of getting my music heard - but now I've got people from all over the world listening to my music! That's pretty damn cool. Hey guys! Don't forget about another great site - www.Brainkick.com - The Unsigned Artists Consortium..... It's not as big as MP3.Com, but the music there is quality stuff.
Slashdot Mirror
Many of us have great potential, be it intellectual or otherwise, but the issue is whether we actualize it or not. Most of us don't, and we either get by on our natural inclinations - OR we remain limited by our own inability to get beyond those same inclinations.
I have studied with, and now work for, a human potential program that is great for intelligent people - it gives you the ability to really explore what you know on a deeper level and learn how to critically think - what they DON'T teach you in school....
It's increased my brain capacity greatly, and helped me become more successful in my intellectual endeavors.
I think it's the next logical step in a person's mental evolution. You can keep gathering data and information and increase what you know, but it won't really impact you until you can increase your ability to THINK.
If you want to know more about it, email me or read the websites:
nxivm.com
espian.net
I actually implemented the B-4000 in my office's "cafe space" - it works really well for a very small wireless business model, in my opinion. Besides the highlights above, the benefits are:
- Auto configure of a user's wireless card - no need to do anything except to give the user the name and password to log on with
- You can set your SMTP server on the router end so that users can send emails without having to reconfigure their accounts, which is really cool.
The only downside is that the usernames and passwords are random, and you can't make your own to keep track of who's who....
But for 400 bucks and a really easy (for both the user and administrator) setup, you can't beat it.
I was just about to post a comment recommending Until the End of the World when I found your comment... I loved this movie! It was long and odd, but the technology (and its implications)was really neat, and the soundtrack really was futuristic sounding.... Plus, the scenery was beautiful, and the woman that played the lead was just weird. If you don't have horrible ADD, and can sit through a 3 hour film, everyone should rent it - if you can find it....
What really struck me about this article was the fact that this guy did a lot of whining and blame throwing, but never really took responsibility for his part in what happened - because HE made the choice to take the job, even though there was plenty of data out there to support that this type of thing could happen to him. We make our own choices, and thusly we need to accept responsibility for what happens as a result.
When I first got started in the tech sector 4 years ago, I chose to take a job with a start-up consulting firm that offered me next to nothing, but gave me an opportunity to learn a great deal. After a while, the company didn't have the money to pay me and I nearly got evicted from my apartment - meanwhile, I was working 12-14 hour days, 7 days a week.....
And when the company went to hell, and they fired me - claiming that I wasn't a good worker, though in reality they just couldn't afford to keep me - I threw a pity party for about five minutes. Then I realized that I had learned a lot, not only about computers, but about how business works (and especially the shady side of it). That kind of knowledge is invaluable.
Plus, I recognized that I had no one to blame but myself. I had seen this coming for a long time, and yet I chose to stay. I could have gotten another job any time I wanted. The guy who wrote the article could have left, too. He even admits that early on, he "began to see through the veneer"...He chose to stay, and now we're supposed to feel sorry for him because he ignored the reality of the situation, even though it was staring him in the face, and continued to live in a idealistic and self-indulgent fantasy.... ignoring, all the while, the fact that we all have free will.
/exit soapbox
Our world has a habit of blaming the effects rather than the causes. We have created such "dehumanizing" tools because that is what we desire - the fact that we DESIRE these things is the real problem. Well, maybe. Another way to look at it is that the Net et al is not dehumanizing in itself - but society has created people that want to dehumanize each other.
But all in all, the real problem is that we are living in a world where technology is growing rapidly and our ethics are dropping. We can't stop the growth of technology (which is what these idiot politicians seem hell-bent on trying to do) - and even if we did, we would only be stopping an effect of a more powerful cause - soon, something else would pop back up (kinda like a game of Whack-A-Mole). We need to fix the cause of this behavior - so ALL WE CAN DO, realistically, is try to raise our ethics to match it. I'm involved in a proactive group of people who are trying to do just that - many of us are geeks, but all of us want to change the world.
If anyone wants to help, or has any interest in what we're trying to do, feel free to email me. I'd love to chat with any and every ethical geek, and the world needs all the help it can get!
Wow, I don't know what to say to your post except - what the hell is wrong with wanting to make money with music? I am a musician, and right now I have a job as a programmer to support myself. However, music is my true love, and it's a talent I am blessed with, and I would love to do it fulltime someday. Why can't I try to make a living making music? If you are saying that there is no value in my hard work writing songs and touring, and therefore I don't deserve to get paid for it, then I suppose that other people with "hobbies" in the humanities shouldn't get paid either - actors, writers, painters, sculptors.....
"There's lots of jobs out there, and why should you be exempted from being a productive member of society?"
In your view of the world, there is no inherent value in creativity. I don't really need to point out how ridiculous that is, do I? The world would suck without music, books, movies, art..... Artists ARE productive members of society. We create value, and all we ask is compensation for that value. It's just plain silly to ask that we get "normal" jobs in order to support our "hobbies" so that you can enjoy the fruits of our labor for free.
Siobahn
www.siobahn.com
Mad props to you guys for getting this story out.... I know some people bitch and moan when there is a "non-techie" article posted, but screw it. We Slashdotters have a LOT of power in our little mouse-held hands, and it's time we put it to good use (instead of just taking down servers-grin!).... Those little guys break my heart. I'm sending a check right now!
Siobahn
http://www.siobahn.com
Girlie programmer here! Not only am I a geek girl, I'm a (cute)gay geek girl, and I spend my weekends hanging out at bars with REAL people and playing gigs (I'm a musician).... Most people consider me to be VERY social (i.e. I never shut up!)and easy to get along with.... they are usually shocked when I reveal my coding alter ego! Though I will admit to large chunks of time holed up in my apartment, splitting my time equally between programming and recording my music....
Actually, I think my severe case of ADD lends itself well to programming, as when I get "in the zone" I am so well focused that nothing can disturb me. But when I'm hyper, I just go out and party.... or something
Oh, since I'm trying to stay on topic (snort!)... I hate pr0n!
Siobahn
www.siobahn.com
I realize that it's all already been said, but I still wanted to contribute my 2 cents....
After reading all of this, I was struck by how nasty people got about this topic - since I'm a bit of a fence-sitter on the issue, I read all posts with an open mind.
What if Singer were to contribute part of his income to the care of disabled people? "Mercy killings" wouldn't even be an issue if the government assisted their families in caretaking. Most families of disabled people find themselves emotionally and financially drained from the needs of the disabled person - an argument used by many here as a good reason to kill them at birth.
But if we could work out a way to finance a support system for these families, part-time institutions or the like, then the point becomes moot. Elimianting the emotional and financial burdens leaves everyone free to unconditionally love a disabled person without the baggage.
Idealist? Perhaps. But if Singer, and others with the means to do so, would turn their donations to this sort of cause, it could happen.
Siobahn www.siobahn.com
I can live up to those standards, with an average FPH of 210 (on Q2, that is).....And own my own copy of bladerunner.....
Too bad I'm a lesbian....sigh..... But I feel the pain! I can't find any geek girls either!
Cybergrrrrl
www.capital.net/~dwa/dwa.htm
I agree. I think the author of the article really missed the point of the site. When I posted my songs on MP3.com, it wasn't because I want to be a world famous rock star. Rather, I wanted to contribute to a revolution not unlike that of OSS. There is a larger variety of music at MP3.com that you could ever find on some big-name record label. It's an uncensored, do-what-you-feel atmosphere that remains untainted by the generic nature of the corporate world.
I love the fact that people can download my music (and, hopefully enjoy it) for free. I don't even care where my songs "rank" on the MP3.com charts. I just think it's a great little community of musicians, no more and no less. It makes sense on its own merits, merits which the author is obviously missing the point of.
- Cybergrrrrrl
www.siobahn.com
"You forget that while a country may or may not have weapons of mass-destruction, they also need the delivery vehicle to bring that weapon to its enemy. Iraq does not have the missile technology to hit us or most anyplace in Europe. "
Do we know this for a fact? We DO know that Saddam is a sick, twisted dictator that hates the U.S. And I'm sure he doesn't give a damn whether or not his mission critical systems (like missiles) are Y2K compliant, because he'd LOVE an excuse to nuke us. That's the only point I'm trying to make here.
"If there does end up being a meltdown of the government or financial institutions, it's going to be due to attitudes like yours and not any direct result of a Y2k-related bug."
Actually, it's the attitudes of the uneducated general public - feeding on the Y2K horror stories PLUS all of the well-publicized ramblings the religious cultists who think it's the end of the world anyway - that's making me stock up on pork and beans. I don't think the technology is gonna be what kicks our butts, and that's not really what scares me; what frightens me most is the chaos that will occur because of the human propensity to dumbly listen to these tales of Armageddon, and the ensuing riots that will happen when the power goes out. Which is very likely.
Well, first I'd like to point out that in the two weeks since that article in the Nation (which I read - and thought it was unnecessarily nihilistic), the US and Russia have agreed to work together on the issue, including a constant monitoring of systems from Dec. 99 thru Jan. 00, to ensure that even if radars erroneously show a "missile", the lines of communication will be left open to make sure any mistaken data is cleared up. Also, kids, please remember that the Cold War really IS over
But then again, Iraq's got nukes, and we ain't exactly friends with them..... THEY are the ones I am worried about, not the Russians or, hell, even the Chinese
But my other point is that even though I am trying to be optimistic, I am quite the survivalist and will be heading for the hills - and I am heading up the Y2K section of my consulting firm right now!!!!
Just goes to show that being educated about the problem doesn't make it less scary
- Cybergrrrrrl
I agree with this guy's comments about the ability of MP3's to get your music out there.... I am an unsigned artist too, with few hopes of getting my music heard - but now I've got people from all over the world listening to my music! That's pretty damn cool. Hey guys! Don't forget about another great site - www.Brainkick.com - The Unsigned Artists Consortium.....
It's not as big as MP3.Com, but the music there is quality stuff.
Cybergrrrrl (Siobahn Hotaling)
http://www.mp3.com/music/Folk/9117.html
Wow, never thought that among the "intelligent" people that frequent Slashdot that there would be such bigoted schmucks in the crowd....
Being Christian is about loving your fellow man, NOT judging their lifestyle.
I'm no butch dyke. I look like every other "straight" professional female out there. But I'm still hurt by these remarks.
Jerry Falwell is not a TRUE Christian. He has a bizarre, Klannish agenda all his own. Whatever happened to "loving your fellow man"????
Makes me sad that people judge me without even knowing who I am. Guess that's just the way it is, but I don't have to like it......
Cybergrrrrrl