How Covert Agents Infiltrate the Internet to Manipulate, Deceive, and Destroy Reputations
https://theintercept.com/2014/02/24/jtrig-manipulation/
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Saturday, June 4, 2016
Thoughts on "What Technology Wants"
Written on Oct. 28, 2013
From reading Kevin Kelly's "What Technology Wants", the lesson or one of them that I take from it is that older technologies don't have to become obsolete, necessarily. I used to think that it was about switching to the newest and most high-tech tools and abandoning the older, low tech ones. But perhaps this is not so.
Perhaps it is about using the ones that work best for the job and switching back and forth easily.
For example, my tablet computer doesn't seem to lend itself to typing longer paragraphs and pages of thoughts at a speed closer to that which thoughts flow (like what is needed for the "morning pages exercise". A pen and paper seem to do this better.
So adaptability becomes the goal, rather than trying to find the newest and 'best' tool across the board. Using what works best for a given task. Not losing capabilities and benefits for the sake of modernity.
Side thoughts:
I am interested in doing art about the silly things that I find on the web such as "All Can Has Cheezeburger" cat.
Art is a conversation.
Art is a feedback loop.
Art in the future will be a relationship between the human and the machine.
The mining of the information fields.
Harvesting and synthesizing meaning from the vast sea of data.
From reading Kevin Kelly's "What Technology Wants", the lesson or one of them that I take from it is that older technologies don't have to become obsolete, necessarily. I used to think that it was about switching to the newest and most high-tech tools and abandoning the older, low tech ones. But perhaps this is not so.
Perhaps it is about using the ones that work best for the job and switching back and forth easily.
For example, my tablet computer doesn't seem to lend itself to typing longer paragraphs and pages of thoughts at a speed closer to that which thoughts flow (like what is needed for the "morning pages exercise". A pen and paper seem to do this better.
So adaptability becomes the goal, rather than trying to find the newest and 'best' tool across the board. Using what works best for a given task. Not losing capabilities and benefits for the sake of modernity.
Side thoughts:
I am interested in doing art about the silly things that I find on the web such as "All Can Has Cheezeburger" cat.
Art is a conversation.
Art is a feedback loop.
Art in the future will be a relationship between the human and the machine.
The mining of the information fields.
Harvesting and synthesizing meaning from the vast sea of data.
Monday, May 23, 2016
Human Nature
Here is a collection of articles and information on the topic of "Nature vs. Nurture".
The reason I think this is important is because the topic of HUMAN NATURE seems to be one of the most important and yet most widely misunderstood concepts we have.
The term "Human Nature" is thrown around as a justification for war, politics, inequality, hierarchy and most importantly, our competitive money system. Many people use this phrase "human nature" as an excuse for our current system, yet it seems that people use the term without any knowledge about the topic other then the simplest incorrect translation of: "Human nature- things are just the way they are and humans cant change."
The reason I think this is important is because the topic of HUMAN NATURE seems to be one of the most important and yet most widely misunderstood concepts we have.
The term "Human Nature" is thrown around as a justification for war, politics, inequality, hierarchy and most importantly, our competitive money system. Many people use this phrase "human nature" as an excuse for our current system, yet it seems that people use the term without any knowledge about the topic other then the simplest incorrect translation of: "Human nature- things are just the way they are and humans cant change."
This misunderstanding holds us back more than anything else I can think
of because when discussing social issues, political issues or economic
issues, the human nature topic seems to be at the root of them all.
http://www.inuterofilm.com/?page_id=19
http://www.inuterofilm.com/?page_id=19
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Convo with Mark Zuck rep
Here is the transcript of a conversation I am having. I would like this to be known by the world, in case this all goes south.
Receive random friend request at approx. 7:15 PM
Them: "Hello how are you doing?"
Me: "I am well. And how are you?"
Them:"I'm Doing Good As well"
Me: "I am glad to hear that :)"
Them: "i'M Mrs Vialva Ramcharan by name, I am from Menlo Park, CA here in United States of America ,I work for Facebook Head Office and you"
Me: "That is great to hear. It is my first time hearing from a representative of Facebook, directly. Is there anything I can do to help?"
Them: "I was authorize to contact you by the Facebook CEO Mr Mark Zuckerberg and he told me to pass to you some good news about your Facebook Account"
Me: "I am very interested in this information. Please continue."
Them: "Before i proceed,I do like to know if you have heard or been informed about the Ongoing Facebook Promotion 2016 going on ?"
Me: "I haven't yet heard of this promotion."
Them: "We are pleased to inform you of the result that just concluded annual Final draws held by Facebook group in cash Promotion to encourage the usage of Facebook world wide.
Them: "The Online Facebook draws was conducted by a random selection of emails you were picked by an advanced automated random computer search from the Facebook organization in other to claim your $600.000.00usd (Six Hundred Thousand United State Dollars Only) the Facebook organization promotion program which is a new innovation by Facebook"
Me: "Wow. This is very exciting."
Them: "Your Name was among the 10 Lucky winners who won $600,000.00 USD (Six Hundred thousand united state dollars) each on the Facebook group promotion Award"
Them: "I want you to know that this Ongoing Facebook Promotion 2016 is not a Joke or a Scam,And we also want you to know that this Promotion is 100% Real and Legitimate and the FBI is fully aware of it,So there is nothing to be worried or scared about..Is that understood
Me: if what you say is true, I must admit that it is comforting to know, as I was slightly skeptical at first. You see, I have never won anything before.
Them:YOU ARE ADVISED TO KEEP THE NEWS OF YOUR WINNINGS PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL. DO NOT TELL ANY INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP OF PEOPLE ABOUT YOUR WINNINGS DUE TO SECURITY REASONS THAT IS SOMEONE ELSE COMING BEHIND YOU TO CLAIM THE WINNINGS AND IT IS AGAINST THE LAW AND POLICY GUIDING THIS LOTTERY SO ADHERE TO IT OR VIOLATION OF THIS POLICY WILL RESULT INTO THE CANCELLATION OF YOUR WINNINGS"
Me: "Whoa, whoa! No need to get frustrated and yell. I apologize if I have said anything to offend. It certainly was not my intention. Let us rewind this conversation back to a calmer time when we were acting as equals. Civility and respect is of the utmost importance for proper communication.
Them: "Okay
The reason why i am here is to know if you are ready to claim your Winning Funds of $600,000.00usd for Real?"
Me: I will take my dinner now. Please tell me how I may proceed in being helpful and I will attempt to comply when I return.
"When Somebody is Hurt, You Drop Everything" -Painting
"When Somebody is Hurt, You Drop Everything"
Oil on masonite by Neil Adam Collins
24" x 24", 2016.
This painting was inspired by several things, including the video below which served as a visual focal point to create the work.
When I was in my motorcycle accident in 2004 I was laying on the busy street and it amazed me how so many strangers stopped, rushed over and sincerely cared, trying to help me.
At the apartment building where I live there is an alley cat who was very afraid of humans. He would even hiss at people if they tried to pet him. One day he was so sick that he was limp and cold to the touch. He was basically on the edge of death in my opinion and I think he knew it. He came slowly over to me, deciding to trust me and let me pick him up. I carried him into the house where I made a bed for him, taking care of him for several days until he pulled through. We have been friends and equals ever since.
Pia and I found an injured rabbit with his leg almost unattached. His leg bone was sticking out and the foot was hanging by what seemed like threads. I did my best to put the bone back into his leg and comfort him while we found a caring place to take him.
These things have made it clear to me that "When Somebody is Hurt, You Drop Everything". This idea might seem obvious as an intellectual or moral concept, but in these experiences the idea becomes a very real knowing and feeling that hopefully transcend the bullshit of 'competition', individuality, differences, superficial priorities and so on.
Heroic monkey: Monkey saves 'dying' friend at train station in India (video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVWPbd1UykY
Monday, April 25, 2016
ZDAY 2016 videos
Basic Income, a Step Towards a Natural Law Resource Based Economy? Barb Jacobson | ZDay 2016 London
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_45Nagq0Tk
Peter Joseph, ZDay 2016 "Where we go from here" March 26th, Athens Greece [ The Zeitgeist Movement ]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyEP2H3QsII
A Vision of Post Scarcity: James Phillips-London ZDay 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iAsKo6SUes
Defining Sustainability | Jason Lord | ZDAY 2016 Los Angeles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBBYoJ1OLMM
Noomap: A Tool for Change | Chris Larcombe | ZDay 2016 London
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3tHbf-QTyI
Overcoming the Obstacles on the Path to Post-Scarcity | David Wood | ZDay 2016 London
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXLbputVJgU
Does Money Really Grow on Trees? | Frank Van Lerven | ZDay 2016 London
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_z797Qyz3w
An Opportunity Within The Crisis and How We Might Get There | Peter Andersen | ZDay 2016 London
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ281L4WeiI
A Transition Town in Action | Joe Duggan | ZDay 2016 London
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9YvOIMTu7c
Ask For Evidence | Max Goldman | ZDay 2016 London
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gik7GIzQfgc
Sunday, April 3, 2016
Food waste and Oversupply
"Their report, Global Food; Waste Not, Want Not, found that between 30% and 50% or 1.2-2bn tonnes of food produced around the world never makes it on to a plate."
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/jan/10/half-world-food-waste
"At a time when over 50 million people are food insecure and we face an obesity crisis, it’s a shame that 40% of food is never eaten. A closer look shows us that Americans are tossing 52% of the nation’s nutritious fruits and vegetables[i] – wasting produce, more than any other type of food product, including seafood, meat, grains and dairy, at nearly every level across the supply chain."
https://www.nrdc.org/experts/dana-gunders/left-out-how-much-fresh-produce-we-grow-never-makes-it-farm
Milk:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-01/milk-spilled-into-manure-pits-as-supplies-overwhelm-u-s-dairies
Cherries:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tart-cherries-dumped-santucci_us_579e3689e4b0e2e15eb63527
"The global shipping industry is oversupplied. Because supply far exceeds demand, shipping rates have plummeted, as have the prices of ships. Some shipping companies have sought to capitalize on this trend by purchasing newer, larger ships at lower prices so that they can remain price competitive. But unless demand rebounds by the time these ships become operational, the industry's oversupply problem will only worsen."
https://www.stratfor.com/analysis/global-shipping-contends-oversupply-problems
Monday, February 29, 2016
Basic Income discussion exerpts - On Point radio show
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2016/01/14/universal-basic-income-government-welfare
Carl wyderequist Georgetown University school of foreign service in Qatar.
"We need to do this because we have poverty in the richest country in the world. And all the richest countries in the world have poverty. And the ones that are closest to the basic income model, the nordic countries have the least poverty it is unnaceptable that we use destitution, and poverty and homelessness as an incentive to get people to work. If you want someone to work for you, pay them a wage that makes them want to work for you. Don't starve them to death and then say "you cannot use any of the resources of the earth to keep yourself alive tomorrow unless you do what I tell you." I'm for freedom and you have basic income if you want a society where people are free.
Question about the work ethic based on the bible story Adam and Eve being cast out of the garden and condemned to work.
Well when Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden there was no ownership to the earth and they had to sweat and work to do it but they didn't have to take orders. They didn't have to go to a boss man and say oh I'll do whatever you tell just so I can survive to tonight- the early humans were hunter gatherers that had the whole world out there that they could hunt, gather, collect and work with as they wanted to. And even in early societies that was not taken away from them. In the bible you have when the kingdom of Israel is established every family gets a share of the ownership of the land of Israel. And every time there's a jubilee the money goes back to every- or the land goes back to every family so you don't get landless propertiless people with no choice but to go work for somebody. But now we've created a system we're governments and private individuals own all the resources that everyone else needs to survive and those who don't have any property are put in the position where they have- not just to work but they have to work for someone -they have to take orders everyday. And forcing a person to take orders just to survive is not right - that's not what freedom is about. Freedom is about - we all share this earth. We all get something from the products of this earth. And if you want me to do something for you -pay me a wage on top of whatever else I get that makes it worth while for me to do that.
Venture Capitalist responding to a caller saying "This is disgusting...nobody owes anyone else anything...go out and make something of yourself"
Albert. Wanger Union Square Ventures
Casey who paid, for your education? Casey where did the knowlege come from in the textbooks that you read. Where did the infrastructure come from that you make your phone calls for you business for? It's not like we are all doing this all by ourselves from zero. We have - we're standing on the shoulders of the collective innovation of humankind over thousands of years. So this idea that anybody creates anything ex nihilo. That's the wrong idea.
Carl W.
If you really want an economy based on the work ethic you've got to take capitalism and throw it in the trash. Cause that's not what capitalism is. And I'm a capitalist too, I own 14 houses thanks to I make a good salary and I'm investing that money. A lot of lucky circumstances. I do not work for those houses I just collect money and I reinvest the money. If you have money the system will award you with more money. Now some of that money you can say is made out of your effort but the rich people of this earth did not invent the earth. They did not invent the land and the rewsources that are on that earth. Yet they own them. And they want to be paid for them. And they want - and some of them at least - some of them want something for nothing. they want to pay nothing for the duty that they impose on everyone else. Whenever you say, this is my property -this resource is my property, you're putting a duty on everyone else to respoect that, when that duty wasn't there before. For millions of years we had no such duty --
that's well -communism is the idea that we'd all be better off if one dictator owned everything. That is -this is really very far from communism. capitalism is where rich people own everything and they tell the poor what to do. Communism is when a dictator owns everything and they tell the poor what to do. Basic income society is wehr noone call tell someone else what to do. It's a society based on free -it's that we all have equal right to this earth and nobody owes anybody else anything. and if you're gonna take part of this earth then you gotta pay someone else back for it. They don't have to give you the earth for free, they don't have to give you your labor for free. If you want them to work for you -give them a good offer. give them a good job.
Neil Collins-
"For people who can't see how society helped them get what they have, it seems pretty simple to me. Just ask yourself this question: Would you have it without society? If you lived on an island all by yourself, without society, would you have been able to "create" the college degree or whatever else it is. If you could not have it without society, then society helped you to get it.
Pretty much everything we have has been made as a collaboration of vast amounts of people, hardly any of which you will ever meet and most of them are no longer alive. If you are using a pencil, the lead was mined by other people, the mining machinery was invented piece-meal, over time by many many people, the wood was logged by others, the logging equipment is made of metal which was made from ore that was mined, etc...
Go try to make a lead pencil "all by yourself" without society. And that's just a pencil.
Electronic devices that we use every day, that we are using right now, can only function by the use of mathematical equations which no one person can be given credit for, certainly not anyone who is alive today. This progress of math and science has been a collaboration of many thousands of thinkers, stretching back in time since at least the ancient Greeks. Almost none of them were 'paid', but they did what they did out of curiosity and the desire to advance and improve the human world, society as a whole.
The land that we live on was in fact stolen, usually through bloody murder and genocide. In America the land was once used by the native Americans, if you want to talk about Europe, many tribes like the Celts were killed and stolen from under the excuse of spreading "Christianity" and the loyalty of various kings. When you go to a Real-Estate agent to buy a house or land, how did they get that land? And yet somehow, cash is exchanged for these things as if some person 'created' even the land all by themselves."
Carl wyderequist Georgetown University school of foreign service in Qatar.
"We need to do this because we have poverty in the richest country in the world. And all the richest countries in the world have poverty. And the ones that are closest to the basic income model, the nordic countries have the least poverty it is unnaceptable that we use destitution, and poverty and homelessness as an incentive to get people to work. If you want someone to work for you, pay them a wage that makes them want to work for you. Don't starve them to death and then say "you cannot use any of the resources of the earth to keep yourself alive tomorrow unless you do what I tell you." I'm for freedom and you have basic income if you want a society where people are free.
Question about the work ethic based on the bible story Adam and Eve being cast out of the garden and condemned to work.
Well when Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden there was no ownership to the earth and they had to sweat and work to do it but they didn't have to take orders. They didn't have to go to a boss man and say oh I'll do whatever you tell just so I can survive to tonight- the early humans were hunter gatherers that had the whole world out there that they could hunt, gather, collect and work with as they wanted to. And even in early societies that was not taken away from them. In the bible you have when the kingdom of Israel is established every family gets a share of the ownership of the land of Israel. And every time there's a jubilee the money goes back to every- or the land goes back to every family so you don't get landless propertiless people with no choice but to go work for somebody. But now we've created a system we're governments and private individuals own all the resources that everyone else needs to survive and those who don't have any property are put in the position where they have- not just to work but they have to work for someone -they have to take orders everyday. And forcing a person to take orders just to survive is not right - that's not what freedom is about. Freedom is about - we all share this earth. We all get something from the products of this earth. And if you want me to do something for you -pay me a wage on top of whatever else I get that makes it worth while for me to do that.
Venture Capitalist responding to a caller saying "This is disgusting...nobody owes anyone else anything...go out and make something of yourself"
Albert. Wanger Union Square Ventures
Casey who paid, for your education? Casey where did the knowlege come from in the textbooks that you read. Where did the infrastructure come from that you make your phone calls for you business for? It's not like we are all doing this all by ourselves from zero. We have - we're standing on the shoulders of the collective innovation of humankind over thousands of years. So this idea that anybody creates anything ex nihilo. That's the wrong idea.
Carl W.
If you really want an economy based on the work ethic you've got to take capitalism and throw it in the trash. Cause that's not what capitalism is. And I'm a capitalist too, I own 14 houses thanks to I make a good salary and I'm investing that money. A lot of lucky circumstances. I do not work for those houses I just collect money and I reinvest the money. If you have money the system will award you with more money. Now some of that money you can say is made out of your effort but the rich people of this earth did not invent the earth. They did not invent the land and the rewsources that are on that earth. Yet they own them. And they want to be paid for them. And they want - and some of them at least - some of them want something for nothing. they want to pay nothing for the duty that they impose on everyone else. Whenever you say, this is my property -this resource is my property, you're putting a duty on everyone else to respoect that, when that duty wasn't there before. For millions of years we had no such duty --
that's well -communism is the idea that we'd all be better off if one dictator owned everything. That is -this is really very far from communism. capitalism is where rich people own everything and they tell the poor what to do. Communism is when a dictator owns everything and they tell the poor what to do. Basic income society is wehr noone call tell someone else what to do. It's a society based on free -it's that we all have equal right to this earth and nobody owes anybody else anything. and if you're gonna take part of this earth then you gotta pay someone else back for it. They don't have to give you the earth for free, they don't have to give you your labor for free. If you want them to work for you -give them a good offer. give them a good job.
Neil Collins-
"For people who can't see how society helped them get what they have, it seems pretty simple to me. Just ask yourself this question: Would you have it without society? If you lived on an island all by yourself, without society, would you have been able to "create" the college degree or whatever else it is. If you could not have it without society, then society helped you to get it.
Pretty much everything we have has been made as a collaboration of vast amounts of people, hardly any of which you will ever meet and most of them are no longer alive. If you are using a pencil, the lead was mined by other people, the mining machinery was invented piece-meal, over time by many many people, the wood was logged by others, the logging equipment is made of metal which was made from ore that was mined, etc...
Go try to make a lead pencil "all by yourself" without society. And that's just a pencil.
Electronic devices that we use every day, that we are using right now, can only function by the use of mathematical equations which no one person can be given credit for, certainly not anyone who is alive today. This progress of math and science has been a collaboration of many thousands of thinkers, stretching back in time since at least the ancient Greeks. Almost none of them were 'paid', but they did what they did out of curiosity and the desire to advance and improve the human world, society as a whole.
The land that we live on was in fact stolen, usually through bloody murder and genocide. In America the land was once used by the native Americans, if you want to talk about Europe, many tribes like the Celts were killed and stolen from under the excuse of spreading "Christianity" and the loyalty of various kings. When you go to a Real-Estate agent to buy a house or land, how did they get that land? And yet somehow, cash is exchanged for these things as if some person 'created' even the land all by themselves."
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Some important info on basic Income
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vnB16E36EQ
http://marshallbrain.com/manna1.htm
http://marshallbrain.com/manna1.htm
Thursday, February 4, 2016
Basic income will make people more dependent.
On the topic of Basic Income, a guy says:
"and the dependant people will become more so"
Here are my thoughts:
Exactly the opposite.
Also, it is a good thing to point out that tradition "welfare" does cause a depressing poverty trap. So it's easy to see why people would think that this would make people even more 'dependent'. The thing is though, that Universal Basic Income does not have these same flaws as welfare and actually empowers people to become self sufficient, active and contribute to the world rather than getting stuck in the stereo-type lifestyle of sitting on a couch all day in some slum, watching daytime TV.
My point is that (the guy) has a valid concern. But there are large and important differences between typical welfare as we know it and a UBI.
One major difference is that it is UNIVERSAL, meaning that everyone gets it. This escapes the problem of stigmatizing people who need help. With UBI, everyone gets it, so there won't be the need to look down on a certain group of people, or for those people to feel like they are 'losers' or something.
Another reason it avoids the typical 'poverty trap' of welfare is that it is a BASIC income. This means that the amount of money people get has to be high enough to empower them, not make them dependent. Typical welfare is designed specifically the opposite, giving people so little that they can't get "too comfortable", or this is atleast the rational. This comes from an outdated idea that people can only prosper if they have the 'fire under their ass'. But this isn't actually true. People tend to get in a trap of depression and hopelessness when they are overwhelmed by struggle. If you only have let's say $100 or $200 per week then the stress can be very crushing. Making even the simplest chores like grocery shopping sometimes turn into a 2 hour hassle on city buses, etc..
Imagine it in your own life. When have you felt capable and inspired? Was it when you had the means to go and do your ideas or was it when nothing seemed to be working, you were broke and under threat of eviction? Yes, fear can make you knuckle down and hustle to take any old shitty opportunity which comes along, but nothing more, certainly not pursuing creative ideas that make life worthwhile. I happen to think that the couch potato culture is actually a direct result of this 'survival-mode' lifestyle. People get locked in to a habit of trying to rest every chance they get and having a desire to do nothing extra, even for themselves because they feel attacked from every side by poverty. Its also important to poiunt out that some of the most entrepenurial "go-getters" in our society were well off enough so that they didn't have to worry about where their next groceries were coming from, etc...
One of the great success stories of the do it yourself culture is always told of "2 guys in a garage" who changed the world. This cliche is used over and over to try and say that 'anyone' can make a multibillion dollar bussiness and change the world if they just try hard enoug. But I would ask some questions first. Who's 'garage' was it that Steve Jobs and his friends were working out of when they built Apple Computers? It was his parent's garage. He wasn't out working 50 hours a week washing dishes to stress about the rent for the garage, food, car insurance, etc... He had some time free from those worries in order to be inspired to create something new and take a risk. He is also famous for saying how lucky he was to 'quit college' after about a year so he could go try his ideas out. I wonder who was paying for the college though? I doubt he was busting his ass doing construction or landscaping 40-50 hours a week so he could afford classes. I'm willing to bet that his parents were helping him out so that he could pursue something more. Not all of us are so lucky though.
One more reason that the UBI escapes the poverty trap of typical welfare programs is that it is UNCONDITIONAL. Meaning that there is no counselor or social worker checking up on you to make sure you pass certain requirements to get it or keep getting it. This can be a terrible problem not to mention requiring an unnecessary bureaurocracy to maintain. If a person is given help only IF they are unemployed, or fall below some income level, or some other stipulation, there is actually an incentive for them to not try too hard to do better, make more money, or such and such because they may lose the help. The UBI actually allows people to do what they want and take risks. The ability to take risks like spending time with children, spending time leaning and taking classes, or pursuing art, music and writing are the things which make for a better more fullfilled society. Many of these things are currently a pipe-dream for a large section of the population who has to always say "yes" to meaningless jobs, overtime and any other demand put on them.
"and the dependant people will become more so"
Here are my thoughts:
Exactly the opposite.
Also, it is a good thing to point out that tradition "welfare" does cause a depressing poverty trap. So it's easy to see why people would think that this would make people even more 'dependent'. The thing is though, that Universal Basic Income does not have these same flaws as welfare and actually empowers people to become self sufficient, active and contribute to the world rather than getting stuck in the stereo-type lifestyle of sitting on a couch all day in some slum, watching daytime TV.
My point is that (the guy) has a valid concern. But there are large and important differences between typical welfare as we know it and a UBI.
One major difference is that it is UNIVERSAL, meaning that everyone gets it. This escapes the problem of stigmatizing people who need help. With UBI, everyone gets it, so there won't be the need to look down on a certain group of people, or for those people to feel like they are 'losers' or something.
Another reason it avoids the typical 'poverty trap' of welfare is that it is a BASIC income. This means that the amount of money people get has to be high enough to empower them, not make them dependent. Typical welfare is designed specifically the opposite, giving people so little that they can't get "too comfortable", or this is atleast the rational. This comes from an outdated idea that people can only prosper if they have the 'fire under their ass'. But this isn't actually true. People tend to get in a trap of depression and hopelessness when they are overwhelmed by struggle. If you only have let's say $100 or $200 per week then the stress can be very crushing. Making even the simplest chores like grocery shopping sometimes turn into a 2 hour hassle on city buses, etc..
Imagine it in your own life. When have you felt capable and inspired? Was it when you had the means to go and do your ideas or was it when nothing seemed to be working, you were broke and under threat of eviction? Yes, fear can make you knuckle down and hustle to take any old shitty opportunity which comes along, but nothing more, certainly not pursuing creative ideas that make life worthwhile. I happen to think that the couch potato culture is actually a direct result of this 'survival-mode' lifestyle. People get locked in to a habit of trying to rest every chance they get and having a desire to do nothing extra, even for themselves because they feel attacked from every side by poverty. Its also important to poiunt out that some of the most entrepenurial "go-getters" in our society were well off enough so that they didn't have to worry about where their next groceries were coming from, etc...
One of the great success stories of the do it yourself culture is always told of "2 guys in a garage" who changed the world. This cliche is used over and over to try and say that 'anyone' can make a multibillion dollar bussiness and change the world if they just try hard enoug. But I would ask some questions first. Who's 'garage' was it that Steve Jobs and his friends were working out of when they built Apple Computers? It was his parent's garage. He wasn't out working 50 hours a week washing dishes to stress about the rent for the garage, food, car insurance, etc... He had some time free from those worries in order to be inspired to create something new and take a risk. He is also famous for saying how lucky he was to 'quit college' after about a year so he could go try his ideas out. I wonder who was paying for the college though? I doubt he was busting his ass doing construction or landscaping 40-50 hours a week so he could afford classes. I'm willing to bet that his parents were helping him out so that he could pursue something more. Not all of us are so lucky though.
One more reason that the UBI escapes the poverty trap of typical welfare programs is that it is UNCONDITIONAL. Meaning that there is no counselor or social worker checking up on you to make sure you pass certain requirements to get it or keep getting it. This can be a terrible problem not to mention requiring an unnecessary bureaurocracy to maintain. If a person is given help only IF they are unemployed, or fall below some income level, or some other stipulation, there is actually an incentive for them to not try too hard to do better, make more money, or such and such because they may lose the help. The UBI actually allows people to do what they want and take risks. The ability to take risks like spending time with children, spending time leaning and taking classes, or pursuing art, music and writing are the things which make for a better more fullfilled society. Many of these things are currently a pipe-dream for a large section of the population who has to always say "yes" to meaningless jobs, overtime and any other demand put on them.
Monday, February 1, 2016
Mckenna Question About Singularity
From The Psychedelic Salon, Episode #221: Evolving Times.
Audience question begins at 1:42:26
Q: "What if.... Dr. Buckminster Fuller often spoke of the ephemeraliztion of technology. Do you think there will come a time when we are indistinguishable from our technology and would that the be the sort of apotheosis that you speak about?"
Terence: "No, I think that it would go the other way. That We're moving toward a time when our technology is indistinguishable from us. In other words I don't want us to all turn into 7100 ADAV. That doesn't seem like a good idea. But on the other hand I could imagine as a hopeful scenario, a future world of let's say 500 or a billion healthy, happy, well-fed people of all races, political affiliations, gender persuasions and so forth and so on, And those people would live essentially as our archaic ancestors did. Very little material culture, very nomadic. But if you could transport yourself into the body of one of these people you would discover that when they closed their eyes, there are menus hanging in space. In other words, the computer that was on the back of the thumbnail... five years later, that computer moves into being a kind of an implant, a black contact-lense that is sown into your eyelids at age 6. So that when you close your eyes, you're actually looking at an interface, and the entire database of the culture could be placed there. You see really what computers are doing is they're making what we call the collective-unconscious, conscious. All data, all images are potentially accessible through the network.
And, you know, I'm still getting used to the idea of the network myself. Like I keep thinking, 'oh, I have this timeline. I could get somebody's chronology and put it at my website.' And then I remember, 'no, no' all I have to do is point to their website. I don't have to copy or move anything. If there is one list, that's all the world needs. Anybody else who needs that list can point to it from their website. The speed at which new structures can be created is astonishing. I mean almost literally overnight you can build a website and begin to point at other websites and bring resources into yours.
This is a technology which is gonna turn out to be not what people think it is. Its gonna be a technology for showing each other the inside of our heads For showing each other our dreams.
Audience question begins at 1:42:26
Q: "What if.... Dr. Buckminster Fuller often spoke of the ephemeraliztion of technology. Do you think there will come a time when we are indistinguishable from our technology and would that the be the sort of apotheosis that you speak about?"
Terence: "No, I think that it would go the other way. That We're moving toward a time when our technology is indistinguishable from us. In other words I don't want us to all turn into 7100 ADAV. That doesn't seem like a good idea. But on the other hand I could imagine as a hopeful scenario, a future world of let's say 500 or a billion healthy, happy, well-fed people of all races, political affiliations, gender persuasions and so forth and so on, And those people would live essentially as our archaic ancestors did. Very little material culture, very nomadic. But if you could transport yourself into the body of one of these people you would discover that when they closed their eyes, there are menus hanging in space. In other words, the computer that was on the back of the thumbnail... five years later, that computer moves into being a kind of an implant, a black contact-lense that is sown into your eyelids at age 6. So that when you close your eyes, you're actually looking at an interface, and the entire database of the culture could be placed there. You see really what computers are doing is they're making what we call the collective-unconscious, conscious. All data, all images are potentially accessible through the network.
And, you know, I'm still getting used to the idea of the network myself. Like I keep thinking, 'oh, I have this timeline. I could get somebody's chronology and put it at my website.' And then I remember, 'no, no' all I have to do is point to their website. I don't have to copy or move anything. If there is one list, that's all the world needs. Anybody else who needs that list can point to it from their website. The speed at which new structures can be created is astonishing. I mean almost literally overnight you can build a website and begin to point at other websites and bring resources into yours.
This is a technology which is gonna turn out to be not what people think it is. Its gonna be a technology for showing each other the inside of our heads For showing each other our dreams.
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
'debt' and 'Debt'
Neil Adam Collins There should be a distinction made between the debt of $3 that you lend to your friend and the debt that involves banks, corporations and nations. These 2 kinds are totally and completely different.
It is pretty typical for capitalists, free market types and libertarians to try to justify the one, by bringing up the other. It has been seen over and over, the most common example being the tendency to use some truncated example of "muh daughter's lemonade stand" to explain any and every economic theory in favor of the 'free market'.
One of the important differences between 'debt' (the $3 kind) and 'debt' (banking) is that you probably had to work for the $3 you loan to your friend, not to mention that you no longer have that $3 while it is in your friend's pocket.... while on the other hand, this is not how it works with debt from banks. They create the money from thin-air when they loan it to you and so-on. I suppose this business of scamming people for 6-10 hours a day (banking) can be called 'work' but then thieves sometimes break a sweat also, and we usually don't call it labor.
"This study establishes for the first time empirically that banks individually create money out of nothing. The money supply is created as ‘fairy dust’ produced by the banks individually, "out of thin air"."
Can banks individually create money out of nothing? — The theories and the empirical evidence....
article, abstract and read online here:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/.../pii/S1057521914001070
Saturday, January 23, 2016
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
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