30 NOV 2013 by TGAW
Elridge Cleaver on Prison's Effect of Sense of Self
You may find this difficult to understand but it is very easy for one in prison to lose his sense of self. And if he has been undergoing all kinds of extreme, involved, and unregulated changes, then he ends up not knowing who he is. Take the point of being attractive to women. You can easily see how a man can lose his arrogance or certainty on that point while in prison! When he's in the free world, he gets constant feedback on how he looks from the number of female heads he turns when he... 1 
notes
notesElridge Cleaver talks about how prison has a detrimental effect on one's self esteem
16 JUL 2013 by ideonexus
Constant Surveillance Builds a Better Identity
There are some who argue that individuality
suffers under universal surveillance. When everything
about you is known, and you have little or
no control over how your identity is presented to
others, you become just another person in a mass
of similar persons. With no way to define yourself,
individuality is eroded. We all become everyman
and everywoman, or so the argument goes. To the
contrary, the amount of detail provided to everyone
around us in a transparent society helps to show
all of t... 1 notes
notesIf people know a great deal about you with a simple web search before they meet you, social interactions are smoother.
02 MAY 2013 by ideonexus
Stand Alone Complex
Laughing Man: Who knew that copies could still be produced despite the absence of the original? If you had to give a name to this phenomenon, what would you label it?
Motoko: It would be "Stand Alone Complex"
Laughing Man: Yes, it's the stand alone complex. From the start the very nature of our current social system has contained the mechanisms to trigger such an amazing occurrence. Personally however, I feel this marks the beginning of a new era of despair. What's your opinion?
Motoko: I ... 1 notes
notesThe concept of many people getting the same idea, giving the appearance of either coordination or copycat behavior, but there is no originating even to copy.
02 MAY 2013 by ideonexus
AI Philosophizing
Tachikoma: So, will we be sent back to lab too?
Batou: Wha...? Who's been telling you that?
Tachikoma: Well, it's just that the way the Major's been looking at us lately is kinda scary.
Batou: Oh, is that all? The major's always scary, remember? I think you guys are doing a fine job.
Tachikoma: You really think so?
Batou: What, you're still worried about that?
Tachikoma: Yeah... It just seems like the Major is angry about what we've acquired recently.
Batou: "Acquired"? Acquired what?
... 1 notes
notesNot deep, confusing, but I like the idea that AIs are digital, but humans are analog.
28 JAN 2012 by ideonexus
Science is Built on Numerous Small Contributions
The history of semiconductor physics is not one of grand heroic theories, but one of painstaking intelligent labor. Not strokes of genius producing lofty edifices, but great ingenuity and endless undulation of hope and despair. Not sweeping generalizations, but careful judgment of the border between perseverance and obstinacy. Thus the history of solid-state physics in general, and of semiconductors in particular, is not so much about great men and women and their glorious deeds, as about the...Folksonomies: science contributions
Folksonomies: science contributions
1 notes
notesQuote by Ernest Braun about how semiconductor physics is the result of hard work and dedication by many many scientists, all of whom are heroes even if they are not recognized.
03 JAN 2012 by ideonexus
Jaron Lanier's Suggestions for Taking Action Online
Every save-the-world cause has a list of suggestions for “what each of us can do”: bike to work, recycle, and so on.
I can propose such a list related to the problems I’m talking about:
Don’t post anonymously unless you really might be in danger.
If you put effort into Wikipedia articles, put even more effort into using your personal voice and expression outside of the wiki to help attract people who don’t yet realize that they are interested in the topics you contributed to.Po... 1 notes
notesThese are habits you can adopt to maintain your individuality. Seems like good advice for lots of people on Facebook and other sites.
08 JAN 2011 by ideonexus
Total Liberty Would Reduce Our Liberty
To have free play for one's individuality is, in the modern view, the subjective triumph of existence, as survival in creative work and offspring is its objective triumph. But for all men, since man is a social creature, the play of will must fall short of absolute freedom. Perfect human liberty is possible only to a despot who is absolutely and universally obeyed. Then to will would be to command and achieve, and within the limits of natural law we could at any moment do exactly as it please...Folksonomies: centrism
Folksonomies: centrism
1 If we had the liberty to kill, then everyone's liberty to move about free of fear would be impacted.
03 JAN 2011 by ideonexus
Reading the Music of Science
Is nobody inspired by our present picture of the universe? The value of science remains unsung by singers, so you are reduced to hearing--not a song or a poem, but an evening lecture about it. This is not yet a scientific age.
Perhaps one of the reasons is that you have to know how to read the music. For instance, the scientific, article says, perhaps, something like this: "The radioactive phosphorus content of the cerebrum of a rat decreases to one-half in the period of two weeks." Now, what...Folksonomies: science ionian echantment
Folksonomies: science ionian echantment
2 People aren't amazed by scientific discovery because, maybe, they don't understand it.
