Anybody who has had a baby in Canada in the past couple of years, has been given the drill about making sure they only use brand you infant carrier car seats that have been manufactured in Canada. Even if the exact same seat was available in the States, Canadians could only get the ones with the Canadian maple leaf sticker on them.
At the time, expecting parents were told that the Canadian standards are different from the States and the only way to ensure safety was to obey the law. Well, how the tables have turned. Now the Canadian government has finally admitted that the U.S. standard is more stringent and have said that they will be adopting the new standard here.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Cyberpunk: How Technology Drives Humanism
There are some people that are able to see the future. They are not wizards or oracles. They just have great insight into human nature. William Gibson is one of these people. When the Internet was even younger than it is today he foresaw the dangers of becoming too dependent on technology. He foretold both the appeal and the dangers. Over the next thirty years we have come closer and closer to the world he created. Gibson was a pioneer in his view that while machines see things in binary, on and off, black and white, good and evil, right and wrong, the rules by which they do this were created by humans.... humans who despite their best intentions always have an agenda that isn't always in everybody else's favor.
Through cyberpunk we were able to see a window into the future where people and machines merged into single beings, inseparable yet constantly at odds with each other. On the one hand, a tool, on the other having a growing consciousness and desire to exist in its own right. Separate and apart from its human creators.
At its core, the cyberpunk genre was all about the unavoidable need to point the finger at the duality of the human consciousness. It argues that it is foolhardy to ignore that the very humans who are fallible, each having the capacity for both good and evil, are attempting to create "perfect machines". So, the flawed are attempting to create the Gods that will rule us all.
Artificial intelligence (AI) introduces the concept that for the benefit of mankind machines should be given a certain level of autonomy to make common sense decisions. Decisions, in the framework of a computer are necessarily based on a code of yes and no. Yet, who is to define those systems of judgement? The very same creators of the machines. Are these technical wizards then so all knowing and all powerful that their own sense of right and wrong is perfectly balanced and completely neutral?
Back then, when Gibson first introduced Neuromancer, people laughed. Many thought it was pure fiction and fantasy. The workings of a paranoid and overactive imagination. Yet, today nano technology is very real. It is able to detect and destroy cancer cells without harming good cells. Robotic arms are able to repair space ships and perform virtual surgery. Microchips are implanted in pets and prisoners to track their whereabouts. Although, there is much good that can be realized through technology, there is also cyber stalking and identity theft.
Consider that although much of the civilized world understands the risks involved with human cloning and development of nuclear weapons, others are moving full steam ahead. There is little most of us can do to guard against the evil of others. There is virtually nothing that can be done to prevent those people from becoming computer literate enough to pose a serious threat to our way of life.
The advent of Cloud Computing, with its rapid development and many issues around metadata ownership and security, has made Cyberpunk literature all the more relevant. Its exploration of the duality of human consciousness should be mandatory reading not only at the university but, also the high school level. Its lessons should be discussed at legislative assemblies when developing policies for dealing with emerging technologies. Let us return our attention to just how far we are willing to let technology control our lives. Let us once again ask the question about who is really making the decisions that affect us all.
Through cyberpunk we were able to see a window into the future where people and machines merged into single beings, inseparable yet constantly at odds with each other. On the one hand, a tool, on the other having a growing consciousness and desire to exist in its own right. Separate and apart from its human creators.
At its core, the cyberpunk genre was all about the unavoidable need to point the finger at the duality of the human consciousness. It argues that it is foolhardy to ignore that the very humans who are fallible, each having the capacity for both good and evil, are attempting to create "perfect machines". So, the flawed are attempting to create the Gods that will rule us all.
Artificial intelligence (AI) introduces the concept that for the benefit of mankind machines should be given a certain level of autonomy to make common sense decisions. Decisions, in the framework of a computer are necessarily based on a code of yes and no. Yet, who is to define those systems of judgement? The very same creators of the machines. Are these technical wizards then so all knowing and all powerful that their own sense of right and wrong is perfectly balanced and completely neutral?
Back then, when Gibson first introduced Neuromancer, people laughed. Many thought it was pure fiction and fantasy. The workings of a paranoid and overactive imagination. Yet, today nano technology is very real. It is able to detect and destroy cancer cells without harming good cells. Robotic arms are able to repair space ships and perform virtual surgery. Microchips are implanted in pets and prisoners to track their whereabouts. Although, there is much good that can be realized through technology, there is also cyber stalking and identity theft.
Consider that although much of the civilized world understands the risks involved with human cloning and development of nuclear weapons, others are moving full steam ahead. There is little most of us can do to guard against the evil of others. There is virtually nothing that can be done to prevent those people from becoming computer literate enough to pose a serious threat to our way of life.
The advent of Cloud Computing, with its rapid development and many issues around metadata ownership and security, has made Cyberpunk literature all the more relevant. Its exploration of the duality of human consciousness should be mandatory reading not only at the university but, also the high school level. Its lessons should be discussed at legislative assemblies when developing policies for dealing with emerging technologies. Let us return our attention to just how far we are willing to let technology control our lives. Let us once again ask the question about who is really making the decisions that affect us all.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Technology is making us lazy
Technology has the capacity to automate redundant tasks and provide endless hours of entertainment. It negates the need to leave the home, the room, the chair we sit in. Well, let's face it: Unless it's a really comfy chair it's probably a sofa.
Back in the summer of 2003 the entire Eastern sea board went without electricity. People panicked! They had no idea how to exist without something that powered so many of the things now considered essential. Some, did the truly unusual: They gathered everything that could go bad in their fridge and that of their neighbors, went outside, fired up the barbecue, hibachi, and the crank radio and had a picnic. When the power came back on, they rushed back inside and went back to surfing the net and watching TV.
Certainly, there are many perks and positives to having such an unprecedented array of tools that are so readily available for relatively little expense. They are used to save lives, bring clean water to places that have none, allow people to have a voice where they are being suppressed and denied basic human rights. Technology is clearly a great thing.
Nobody is saying that we are now lazy because we do not have to go out to the well for fresh water each day, or stand in line at the market early each morning because there is no such thing as a refrigerator. We can warm up food in seconds using microwaves and stand in the middle of a forest and call for help on a PDA. We can call the police from half a world away because somebody we don't even know is crying out for help in a chat room. Sure, there are benefits.
But, let's be realistic. Most people do not simply use technology for essential needs. They have turned it into life sustaining tools and avoid tasks and chores by flicking a switch or pressing a button. Society has become helpless when unplugged. We used to have to get up and go to the library to research projects for school. Now, libraries are depleted of truly useful volumes. Even librarians point to the web as the place to go instead of aisle EE 647 - 749. Anybody who has ever tried to find information online should be able to attest to how easy it is to get distracted and find far more and far less than what was aimed at. While we are on the topic, the quality of information put out there is not the same. Much of it is unreliable and unverified. Anybody can publish anything and we are all too busy multitasking to dig deep enough to get true insight.
Technology is making us lazy. Flat out. There is no denying it. We cannot ignore the trend toward mediocrity. Too many people are now satisfied with status quo and no longer strive for excellence. There is more value placed on quantity rather than quality. It is a sad state of events and is the reason why bridges fall down and planes fall out of the sky. It is the reason why carbon offset credits are considered an effective way to save the planet. Technology is making us lazy.
Back in the summer of 2003 the entire Eastern sea board went without electricity. People panicked! They had no idea how to exist without something that powered so many of the things now considered essential. Some, did the truly unusual: They gathered everything that could go bad in their fridge and that of their neighbors, went outside, fired up the barbecue, hibachi, and the crank radio and had a picnic. When the power came back on, they rushed back inside and went back to surfing the net and watching TV.
Certainly, there are many perks and positives to having such an unprecedented array of tools that are so readily available for relatively little expense. They are used to save lives, bring clean water to places that have none, allow people to have a voice where they are being suppressed and denied basic human rights. Technology is clearly a great thing.
Nobody is saying that we are now lazy because we do not have to go out to the well for fresh water each day, or stand in line at the market early each morning because there is no such thing as a refrigerator. We can warm up food in seconds using microwaves and stand in the middle of a forest and call for help on a PDA. We can call the police from half a world away because somebody we don't even know is crying out for help in a chat room. Sure, there are benefits.
But, let's be realistic. Most people do not simply use technology for essential needs. They have turned it into life sustaining tools and avoid tasks and chores by flicking a switch or pressing a button. Society has become helpless when unplugged. We used to have to get up and go to the library to research projects for school. Now, libraries are depleted of truly useful volumes. Even librarians point to the web as the place to go instead of aisle EE 647 - 749. Anybody who has ever tried to find information online should be able to attest to how easy it is to get distracted and find far more and far less than what was aimed at. While we are on the topic, the quality of information put out there is not the same. Much of it is unreliable and unverified. Anybody can publish anything and we are all too busy multitasking to dig deep enough to get true insight.
Technology is making us lazy. Flat out. There is no denying it. We cannot ignore the trend toward mediocrity. Too many people are now satisfied with status quo and no longer strive for excellence. There is more value placed on quantity rather than quality. It is a sad state of events and is the reason why bridges fall down and planes fall out of the sky. It is the reason why carbon offset credits are considered an effective way to save the planet. Technology is making us lazy.
Can eBay overtake Craigslist and dominate the free classified ad market?
The Internet was initially created as a cross-platform, free knowledge-sharing tool. It's development was intended to be collaborative and a for the people, by the people type of thing. That changed because big business got involved and saw potential to convert what was free into what costs money. Craigslist was born out of a backlash against this approach to the World Wide Web. For this reason alone, eBay will not succeed.
Put simply, eBay preceded Craigslist. It was all the rage until people realized that it didn't have to be so complicated to connect with people who live near enough to come by and pick up your stuff from you. Craig always cared far less if there is money to be made, and far more about creating local networks to bring humanity back to the web.
Where eBay is a bit of a dehumanizing experience requiring almost a college degree to make the most of it, Craigslist is nothing more than a tool that is more immediate and less costly than placing an ad in the local paper. In order for eBay to truly compete they would have to get rid of a large portion of their overhead and completely rework their entire foundation. The two forums are built based on opposing ideologies and the only way that they might go head to head is in the arena of marketing.
In fact, the two sit on opposite sides of the Internet. It is a bit like comparing the far Right to the far Left. Both are 'isms but, and ultimately both get the job done. But, depending on where you sit on the issue one tool may be more suitable than the other. There are definite benefits associated with eBay. It is not a giant for nothing. But, any attempt they may make to take over Craigslist would be for one reason and one reason only: to shut it down.
The biggest threat to eBay is their eroding customer base. But, it is unlikely that people with stop using eBay. Instead, there will likely form a division of classes. Probably people wanting to reach a wider audience or sell more premium or rare goods will remain on eBay. In truth, eBay has much larger fish to fry. There are a number of copycat services out there such as bing.com, and even things like priceline.com.
There are some very good reasons for why eBay should be paying more attention to online auction sites serving commercial clients instead of worrying about public garage sale sites like Craigslist: There are already a large amount of businesses selling their goods through eBay. For some, this is like an extension of their online store while others use it as a way to get rid of overstock. But, more importantly, the value of the goods is larger and being new, attract more visitors. This alone is worth billions in online ad revenue.
Put simply, eBay preceded Craigslist. It was all the rage until people realized that it didn't have to be so complicated to connect with people who live near enough to come by and pick up your stuff from you. Craig always cared far less if there is money to be made, and far more about creating local networks to bring humanity back to the web.
Where eBay is a bit of a dehumanizing experience requiring almost a college degree to make the most of it, Craigslist is nothing more than a tool that is more immediate and less costly than placing an ad in the local paper. In order for eBay to truly compete they would have to get rid of a large portion of their overhead and completely rework their entire foundation. The two forums are built based on opposing ideologies and the only way that they might go head to head is in the arena of marketing.
In fact, the two sit on opposite sides of the Internet. It is a bit like comparing the far Right to the far Left. Both are 'isms but, and ultimately both get the job done. But, depending on where you sit on the issue one tool may be more suitable than the other. There are definite benefits associated with eBay. It is not a giant for nothing. But, any attempt they may make to take over Craigslist would be for one reason and one reason only: to shut it down.
The biggest threat to eBay is their eroding customer base. But, it is unlikely that people with stop using eBay. Instead, there will likely form a division of classes. Probably people wanting to reach a wider audience or sell more premium or rare goods will remain on eBay. In truth, eBay has much larger fish to fry. There are a number of copycat services out there such as bing.com, and even things like priceline.com.
There are some very good reasons for why eBay should be paying more attention to online auction sites serving commercial clients instead of worrying about public garage sale sites like Craigslist: There are already a large amount of businesses selling their goods through eBay. For some, this is like an extension of their online store while others use it as a way to get rid of overstock. But, more importantly, the value of the goods is larger and being new, attract more visitors. This alone is worth billions in online ad revenue.
Think Twice About What You Give Your Kids
The next time you take your kids for ice cream, or contemplate which offering to pick from the grocery store freezer, consider not only the joy on their face. Think, too, about what exactly they are eating.
It may taste yummy but, are all those toxins and chemicals really worth it? While homemade ice cream is a different story, even premium store brands contain a shocking disregard for the health and well being of the children that will be eating them.
Part of the problem is the need to keep production costs down. Let's face it, quality and healthy eating are a lot more expensive than what is actually being sold. Perhaps the justification is that ice cream is so high in fat and sugar, anyway, that people are already being remiss by allowing their kids to eat it, so all gloves are off.
Aside from the obviously questionable choices such as rum raisin and amaretto triple fudge, let's take a look at bubble gum, cotton candy, and that oldie-but-goody, cookie dough. There are also some fairly new choices such as Superkid, which basically looks like what happens when you take red, blue, yellow, and purple Play Dough and smooth it together, as well as all the cornucopia of candy bar inspired offerings. We can be sure that the old adage about the less ingredients, the healthier it is, is blown way out of the water on any of those options.
Aside from the preservatives, the artificial colors used should give any parent pause. Pay particular attention to the "may contain" line at the end of the long list of undecipherable contents. Sure, there are the obligatory may contain peanuts, milk, egg, but, there are bigger culprits such as tartrazine.
There is a disturbing trend in the overwhelming use of soy and lecithin. Although soy is touted as healthy, it has some serious impacts on hormone development, by simulating the effects of estrogen. There is some buzz about early onset of puberty in today's kids. So, aside from rotting their teeth and their tummies on questionable ingredients, frozen treats should be evaluated for their part in why girls are growing breasts and getting periods earlier than what is considered normal. For the very same reason, boys are not as susceptible. In fact, they are likely to experience delayed puberty. Well, since people expect boys to be less mature than girls nobody has started paying too much attention yet.
It may taste yummy but, are all those toxins and chemicals really worth it? While homemade ice cream is a different story, even premium store brands contain a shocking disregard for the health and well being of the children that will be eating them.
Part of the problem is the need to keep production costs down. Let's face it, quality and healthy eating are a lot more expensive than what is actually being sold. Perhaps the justification is that ice cream is so high in fat and sugar, anyway, that people are already being remiss by allowing their kids to eat it, so all gloves are off.
Aside from the obviously questionable choices such as rum raisin and amaretto triple fudge, let's take a look at bubble gum, cotton candy, and that oldie-but-goody, cookie dough. There are also some fairly new choices such as Superkid, which basically looks like what happens when you take red, blue, yellow, and purple Play Dough and smooth it together, as well as all the cornucopia of candy bar inspired offerings. We can be sure that the old adage about the less ingredients, the healthier it is, is blown way out of the water on any of those options.
Aside from the preservatives, the artificial colors used should give any parent pause. Pay particular attention to the "may contain" line at the end of the long list of undecipherable contents. Sure, there are the obligatory may contain peanuts, milk, egg, but, there are bigger culprits such as tartrazine.
There is a disturbing trend in the overwhelming use of soy and lecithin. Although soy is touted as healthy, it has some serious impacts on hormone development, by simulating the effects of estrogen. There is some buzz about early onset of puberty in today's kids. So, aside from rotting their teeth and their tummies on questionable ingredients, frozen treats should be evaluated for their part in why girls are growing breasts and getting periods earlier than what is considered normal. For the very same reason, boys are not as susceptible. In fact, they are likely to experience delayed puberty. Well, since people expect boys to be less mature than girls nobody has started paying too much attention yet.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
TMZ - You're so much better than that!
This just in: While out with her daughter Lily in L.A. this weekend, Kate Beckinsale dangled her dog more than two feet off the ground from its leash.
Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2009/10/05/kate-beckinsale-hangs-with-her-dog?icid=sphere_tmzcom_inline#ixzz0TB658oNv
Are you kidding me?!?!?!? What is the big deal? That's how bitches carry around their pups anyway. The dog didn't look all that uncomfortable, either. It's in a harness for God's sake! I guess this is what a slow news day at TMZ looks like.
Come on, boys and girls you can do better than that! I think you're just looking for excuses to feature Kate because she's hot and you're tired of talking about the Kardashian clan. Not only is Kate smoking sexy wearing even in a potato sack, it's kind of hard to dig stuff up on her because she's actually a fairly normal person and has a, yes, I'll say it again, sexy accent. What is not to like about Kate?
So, get off her back and leave room for her creep show of a hubby. That guy, you should go after on all fours! Not only does he grab her ass but gives a big grin for the camera.... because, you know he's just saying "guess what I go home to tonight!" Lenny boy, you're a geek.
TMZ, you put yourselves out there as the respectable paparazzi, sitting in an ivory tower and passing judgment on the rest of the bottom feeders. Yet, here you go with some really dumb story. Even Pamela Anderson would have a hard time following this line of thought.
Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2009/10/05/kate-beckinsale-hangs-with-her-dog?icid=sphere_tmzcom_inline#ixzz0TB658oNv
Are you kidding me?!?!?!? What is the big deal? That's how bitches carry around their pups anyway. The dog didn't look all that uncomfortable, either. It's in a harness for God's sake! I guess this is what a slow news day at TMZ looks like.
Come on, boys and girls you can do better than that! I think you're just looking for excuses to feature Kate because she's hot and you're tired of talking about the Kardashian clan. Not only is Kate smoking sexy wearing even in a potato sack, it's kind of hard to dig stuff up on her because she's actually a fairly normal person and has a, yes, I'll say it again, sexy accent. What is not to like about Kate?
So, get off her back and leave room for her creep show of a hubby. That guy, you should go after on all fours! Not only does he grab her ass but gives a big grin for the camera.... because, you know he's just saying "guess what I go home to tonight!" Lenny boy, you're a geek.
TMZ, you put yourselves out there as the respectable paparazzi, sitting in an ivory tower and passing judgment on the rest of the bottom feeders. Yet, here you go with some really dumb story. Even Pamela Anderson would have a hard time following this line of thought.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Ruby Dhalla - How The Mighty Can Fall
This is a story of a little girl who had a dream and reached great heights because she looked good and spoke well enough. So, she got hand picked. Now, she's getting hand pecked.
Poor Ruby, she's really had a string of bad luck in recent years. First she was the crowning jewel in the Liberal crown. Now, they are looking for opportunities to disown her. To be fair, she's not helping her own cause.
So, here's another conspiracy theory: Dhalla is a lot less interested in getting re-elected and a lot more interested in leaving a legacy. She genuinely wants to give back to the community that has done so much to support her. She wants to be remembered for doing something for the people and really doesn't care about any political fall-out.
Poor Ruby, she's really had a string of bad luck in recent years. First she was the crowning jewel in the Liberal crown. Now, they are looking for opportunities to disown her. To be fair, she's not helping her own cause.
So, here's another conspiracy theory: Dhalla is a lot less interested in getting re-elected and a lot more interested in leaving a legacy. She genuinely wants to give back to the community that has done so much to support her. She wants to be remembered for doing something for the people and really doesn't care about any political fall-out.
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