The new disco

I recall watching a documentary about the 1970's on History Channel or somewhere recently. One of the interesting aspects of that decade was the birth and death of disco music. Disco must have started out as a great dancing, upbeat, positive, new sound to celebrate. The interesting cultural transition happened with the Disco Sucks movement, and the restoration of rock & roll by angry macho white people everywhere. Did disco jump the shark, or did it ever really die? Let's face it.. most big-label music are just bands mimicking the sounds of other recently popular bands. It comes in waves... from disco, to 80's pop, to hair-rock, to grunge, to whatever the hell you call it these days.

All art... whether it be music, news, movies, or fashion are simply bundles of memes replicating across the social-cultural landscape. We just have to hope for sparks of creativity that instigate a new wave of meme mutation & innovation. The disco meme ran it's course eventually.

This brings me to my point: Reality TV is the new disco.

If I could commit "memocide", I might initiate the 'final solution' for reality television. It has become the banality of cable television. It started off to be novel, but is looking like disco in it's final days... re-hashing the same old formulas to the point of desperation, slowly sucking the intelligence from it's audiences by it's lack of substance. I have become devoted to Netflix, the Internet, and a new idea... reading books! That's all due to the fact that 80% of what's on cable television is crap.

Perhaps digital technology is partly to blame for the lack of good programming. They say newspapers are dying, in part due to online blogs/news as a substitute. Similarly, I can see Netflix and DVR systems competing with network programming/advertising enough to force them resort to cheap productions like reality TV. More choices are good. I just am anxiously waiting for a new meme to come along!

Disco sucks! Er, no Reality TV sucks!

Libertarians are the most american.

For a long time, I've felt torn whenever elections come along. I never lean strictly Republican, nor Democrat. I've always felt like I'm voting for the lesser of two evils. After learning more about political philosophy, I've realized this conflict comes from my convictions as a Libertarian. Libertarians are the black sheep of our two-party system. There are few libertarians in elected office, because they never get mainstream party support. Most Americans don't even know what a libertarian is. The two party system is a contradiction, but supports itself nevertheless by polarizing people: godless collectivist democrats vs. religious capitalist republicans. The problem with both sides is that they would have the State force their ideals upon the individual.

Libertarians have one purpose: personal liberty. Some would call this anarchy, and while libertarians are on the spectrum of anarchy they don't believe in no-government, just minimal government. You need basic government to protect individuals from oppressors, both foreign & domestic. The libertarian asks only two things from government: 1) Justice 2) Defense. If someone robs, scams, or breaches contract with you - they have violated your liberty because your property is an extension of your self. So, a justice system serves liberty. Defense protects our liberty from the Hitlers and Stalin's out there who would invade us & burn the constitution that guarantees our liberties.
Libertarians are the furthest away on the political spectrum from authoritarian oppression, whether it be communism, fascism, or democrats or republicans. The U.S. constitution and the ideals of our founding fathers were based on libertarian values. We have lost our way. The fiat currency system and 16th amendment (ratified 1913) have allowed government budget & size to grow obscenely. The political-right would regulate your personal choices it deems immoral, and the political-left would regulate your economic choices it deems unfair.

Neither republicans nor democrats are the friends of libertarians. Our only hope is that we infiltrate these parties with liberty-minded individuals, such as Ron Paul in the Republican party. Speaking of republicans.... they have truly lost their way. These "neo-conservatives" or as I like to call them, "Zionist Oil Mafia", have become as much big-government spenders as the left! Meanwhile, the democrats are trying to "stabilize" the economy. These "representatives" all forget - the economy is the aggregate of our individual labor, production, and trade... not something to be protected by the government. The government would not exist if not for our individual productivity.

This is a great country, but it could be greater. This election past November called for "change". I know that Americans desperately want a new vision and leadership. They want ideals they can grasp and find inspiration in.... they just don't know where to look. There is little or no enlightened leadership in Washington or our culture today. Americans won't find enlightenment on E! or American Idol. Perhaps it's time we rediscover those who were enlightened in our past: John Locke, Thomas Paine, Henry David Thoreau. Perhaps, that is the silver lining in the cloud of an economic depression. All major political upheavals happen after depressions, when hard times force people to re-evaluate everything. Perhaps this keynesian-stagflationary-armageddon that congress is brewing by printing hundreds of billions of dollars will awaken the American yearning for revolution. (They should be reading Friedman, not Keynes). Or perhaps it won't happen until World War 3 begins if the depression leads to government upheavals and idealogical splits (if it happens, I'm betting it'll be around 2013).

All we, the enlightened libertarians, can do is try to spread the ideas and remind fellow americans of these essential truths...

Outlaw French Fries

You'd think the above proposal is preposterous, but there are those who would actually make arguments to restrict your liberties for your own protection. Maybe it's not french fries... maybe it's forcing you to wear a helmet when you ride a motorcycle. Maybe it's censoring what you can watch on T.V. Maybe it's preventing you from ending your life if you are painfully ill. So why not outlaw french fries since they're bad for you too?

Government is not our mommy. When it tries to be one, it is weakening the integrity of our culture. Society could be compared to a learning and evolving entity, comprised of memes rather than genes. Can culture be enlightened when it is shaped by laws rather than individual choice? No, it can't and here's an analogy following the meme-gene comparison. Salmon farms/fisheries are known to breed weaker and less healthy fish than wild salmon. The best fish are tainted by the weak and sick fish. Similarly, when government tries to force the right choices on us - our culture and society is weakened itself. That's why I voted against Proposition 8, but still... the government must let society enlighten and monitor itself, not a "Supreme Court". Government is not our cultural mommy.

Government fat. I work in a bureaucratic environment, so I've come to see the vicious circle of how bureacracies grow like parasites on the taxpaying society. It supports it's own existence by creating legistlation which in turn justifies it's growth (finding new ways to "govern" people). Our government approaches the current economic problems with the same mind. Congress is revving up the money printing machine to support it's current programs, rather than reduce the wasteful programs. I don't think many legislators outside of Ron Paul understand economics very well.

Let's take french fries... since we're on the topic. Think of the US dollar like a french fry. Now, imagine I offer you 10 french fries for your tasty hamburger. You say... "No way, my burger is worth at least 20 french fries!". If I were U.S. Congress, I'd say "No problem... " then I'd cut my 10 french fries in half & slide them to you "There's 20 french fries, now give me that burger!". Now, replace burgers with oil or gold and know what this bailout+stimulus packages will do to prices. The dollar is being sliced into smaller pieces.

Even worse, the government had the poor judgement to give the printed money to corporations who've been the shame of our economy: banks and automakers. Recent history review: Step 1) People are foreclosed on by banks and become homeless. Step 2) Government gives money to banks. Something is very wrong here. If the government wants to print money, they could at least distribute it to the taxpayer directly to devalue the dollar more fairly. Obama is sure to have a controversial and difficult presidency. I expect to see socialistic memes like welfare programs on the rise.

I leave you with this interview from Ron Paul who reiterates these ideas...

Live the Tao

I was just upstairs and saw my copy of "Tao Te Ching" looking up at me. Brandie wanted some bedtime reading... so I gave her my copy last week. I picked it up & started flipping it's pages. It had been a while since I've read it.

When I first read "Tao Te Ching", something struck me that is still true today. The Tao describes the perfect form of philosophy, religion, and spirituality for me. There is no need to attend church, or perform rituals, or preach, or pray. Searching for Tao is all one needs to live life.

Here is one translation available online.
http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/core9/phalsall/texts/taote-v3.html
If you are looking for a wise words to meditate upon for peace and happiness, read the Tao Te Ching.

Android & The Future of Mobile Computing

It's been a bit wet and dreary out this week. For many, that's a good time to catch up on an old book. For a technophile like myself... it's a good time to deep dive into a new project.

I've been wanting to toy around and learn the Android OS since I got my G1 phone a couple months ago. All the Google services work great on Android: GMail, Calendar, Maps, etc. However, Google has thus far fumbled on a decent "To Do" list. That's why many people like myself are big users of rememberthemilk.com (aka "RTM"). I'm not the first person to wish for an RTM Android app. Their mobile site is okay, but a custom app is a must-have for something you use often. No one seemed to be delivering, so I made the "RTM Tasks" Android app myself (see below), leveraging the RTM API.


The Android API is Java-based. I already know Java so learning the framework wasn't too bad. It's similar to any GUI framework like Swing - all widgets, and handlers. After learning the ins & outs on my first app, I feel like I could turn out another app fairly rapidly. There were a few pain points I ran into, e.g. no XPATH library, and figuring out how to do a threaded "loading" ProgressDialog. Overall, I think Android is a well-designed OS that has a future of growth.

The Future of Mobile Computing

I've got a few thoughts about Android and the mobile computing market in general. I think my opinion is founded on a good understanding of technology and business (the old MBA market-niche-strategy studies come in here). I'm going to sum up my prediction about mobile computing in four words: Apple will repeat history.

What do I mean by that? Apple is the same in today's mobile phone market as it was in the early personal computing market: a leader and innovator (credit both to Steve Jobs). Apple brought the mouse and a windows-type GUI to it's computers, revolutionizing their usability and appeal to consumers. Similarly today, the iPhone has revolutionized mobile computing with touch-interface and an app platform. Clearly at both points in history, Apple was the leader in it's market.

Apple Macintosh	Apple iPhone

So what happened to Apple? How did Microsoft Windows come to reign on the personal computer? The answer lies in Apple's business model, and the fact that all new technology starts in a phase of innovation eventually to mature into a phase of commoditization. Apple makes it's products from top-to-bottom: hardware & software. This allows it to make all the pieces fit when it dreams up fantastic new ideas. However, once Microsoft implemented "windows' and the mouse on it's computers... commodization started. Since they license their OS... cheaper component based PCs came out from manufacturers.

Apple still likes to do things the old way. They even limited their iPhone to a single provider (AT&T)! Here's where Android comes in. You see, Android could come to play the same role that Microsoft played in the commoditization of PCs. It's a full-featured mobile OS, just waiting to be commoditized. That's already happening with reports of manufacturers lining up Android products. The API is Java-based, making it attractive to developers. Even now, the most popular iPhone apps are available on Android. It is truly impressive with it's feature-set: accelerometer, GPS, compass, copy-paste(eat that Apple!), 3G, wifi, bluetooth, full internet, and on & on.



What about Microsoft? Palm? They are also both victims of they own business models. Microsoft can't revolutionize the mobile-web future without cannabilizing their bread & butter: Windows for desktops. They've made sad attempts to shrink their Windows onto mobile phones... but Android creamed them with a fast & smooth trimmed-down mobile platform. Google has everything to gain by enticing people to the mobile web. Like the powerful RIAA is slowly bleeding from the inevitable progress of digital media, Microsoft will slowly bleed from the inevitable evolution of the "web OS". Sorry Microsoft... I will never want to build a Powerpoint presentation on my little mobile device. As for Palm - they just announced a new mobile OS that looks sharp. However, Palm suffers from the same business model as Apple... so they won't benefit from the coming mobile commoditization. They will be third or fourth rung (at best) in a market with space for two or three major players.

Personally, I also admire Android for it's "open" philosophy. That's another blog... but with the upcoming release of Android "cupcake" update and new form-factors on the way, the future looks bright for this new mobile platform.


UPDATE==============

I got the the email below from an attorney at rememberthemilk.
Well, I'm not updating this android app anymore since I'm busy with other projects, so if any users of the app read this... now you know why it broke, because "RTM" is in the app title. Complain to the acronym-nazis at rememberthemilk, not me. I've learned to love Google Tasks by now, so I recommend the app GTasks as an alternative.

On Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 9:30 PM, Remember The Milk <legal@rememberthemilk.com> wrote:

Hi Steve,

I'm writing regarding your app, "RTM Tasks" at:

 https://market.android.com/details?id=com.apppad.androidRTM

Using the Remember The Milk API with API key: 347f55a1d8864618f927659352990abe

Unfortunately the name of this app violates the Remember The Milk API Terms of Use and branding guidelines:

 http://www.rememberthemilk.com/services/api/terms.rtm
 http://www.rememberthemilk.com/services/api/branding.rtm

From the branding guidelines: "You may not use Remember The Milk or RTM in the name of your product, website or application".

Please see the branding guidelines for full details on acceptable naming.

If you're able to rename your app by Friday, December 9, this would be great (as technically we need to disable API keys that don't comply with terms).

Thanks!

Birthday blog

I don't usually write about personal/social events on here... but I turned 35 this Saturday. It was a wonderful time. I've wanted to try Mulvaney's restaurant for a while, so we made reservations for my birthday. I was happy friends could join. I think Mulvaney's has mostly small tables, but we managed to get a room that held ten (a weird trek through the kitchen to get there, but it was nice to have the privacy!).

What a meal! I had the seared line-caught Ahi. It was the tastiest piece of fish I've ever had... hands down. A couple other in our group had the pork chops, which I've heard are very good there. They gave us this interesting "shot" of what I'll just call 'spicy gravy' before our meal.... very tasty.

Of course, creme brulee for desert.


Okay, when we got the bill... it was about $75/person. Sure, I couldn't eat there every day, but it was a worthwhile and memorable dining experience.


We hit Streets of London afterward for some pints (just a short walk away).


So, I'm 35 now. Somehow birthdays divisible by 5 deserve being spendier, no? Thanks friends! Good times...

Catching the Pooper: Part 1

Alright... I love living downtown. It's very pedestrian friendly. I live a block away from a park, which means I'm on the dog-walk path for a lot of urbanites who have to walk their dog every day because they don't have big suburban yards.

I've reached the breaking point with the dog poop though. Something about the little strip of lawn in front of my house really screams "Shit on me" to doggies. I once caught a guy ditching his dog poop on my lawn (even worse, it was doggy diarrhea). I yelled at him "Hey, why don't you clean this up" & he embarrassingly scurried away. I started to discretely follow him... my intention being to find out where he lives so I could return his poop to his doorstep later. Unfortunately I was late to be somewhere, so had to abandon pursuit.

I've tried to ask nicely too. I put a sign out asking people to pick up their poop, with baggies attached. A week later, someone tore that down & I didn't notice any letup in the doggy-bombs. I keep an eye out for people walking dogs now. Some of them look sneaky, they'll cross the street if I'm out front. I intend to ask them "Hey, do you have a bag? Ok just checking". What could I do if I caught someone... report them? To who? I asked at a recent neigbhorhood association meeting when a police officer visited & I learned the city resident has no recourse for poop violators. The city code says it's prohibited, but there is no stated fine. Even worse... a police officer would need to witness the poop violation in person for any type of citing to occur.

Things haven't gotten better. Just see this photo of my lawn this morning - with poop highlighted.


So, I've taken it upon myself to identify & shame to poopers. It is a mission - a matter of principle. Fortunately, with a little technical know-how... the tools are readily available to make this happen:

1. Webcam
   This afternoon, I dug out an old Logitech USB webcam I had in the back of a closet. I can prop this bad boy in a window for a clear view of the poop target zone.
2. Monitoring software
   Every day, I find a new reason to love Ubuntu Linux. ZoneMinder is the latest reason. This free public license software can turn webcams into an advanced motion-activated security monitoring system. Very cool!

I've already tested out the equipment & software. It works great. All I'm waiting on now is the USB extension cable I ordered online. In a few days, poopers beware! Stay tuned for results of my mission...