Another two months. I've now lived in Baltimore for 2 years. But much of what defined Baltimore for me, the people I see on a regular basis, has changed. The lack of a core group of friends feel odd since they are certainly available by email, there is little to talk about. Continuing to do so through the school is odd since I definitely don't fit their class. They are fun to observe, although I do feel that I come across as a know-it-all. I can't help it in their case since I already went through everything they did for the school. I don't even get invites from the second year class because I'm definitely outside their spectrum now. People won't even return my calls.
In other respects, I've joined the MAC/gym. I think exercising will be good for me. I've improved my mental abilities during most of my life. I've improved my social skills since undergrad, so I think working on my physical side would be important. The problem would be trying to frame this in my mind as a method to routinely develop setting and achieving goals on the physical side.
My biggest concern right now is that I'm not seeing all that there is to see here. We always have a limited amount of time here and we always forget it. I want to travel, but is that really a goal. Travelling in and of itself is an experience. But I think the experience is what I want, and the ability to share that experience.
Am I looking externally for answers too much nowadays? I've always found solace in games and books and discovering new worlds. For the past 3 years, all I did was talk to people and try to understand their views. It was great, but its also limiting. I need to look internally for answers because I like solving puzzles. This means I have to regroup myself and rediscover what I'm really missing in terms of experiences.
Lastly, on the professional front, I haven't done anything to really propel me anywhere. Granted, it's only been 2 months, but on the other hand, it has been 2 months and I haven't followed up on anything or remember to continue to research on other issues. Instead, I've been following politics like it is the opiate of the masses. Seriously, I have to stop myself by saying it doesn't matter. Focus on how to generate ideas to solve pain points and problems for healthcare and people in general.
And probably have to learn to be more positive. And to stop critiquing and analyzing everyone. I think another issue is I don't know what people expect. I'm willing to help if it's important, but don't ask me to drive you to places and don't take me for a chump. But if I'm always open to offer knowledge and skills that I have. Because I believe in distribution of knowledge and truth. Maybe I'm warped given how I see the world, compared to other more socially apt people. I don't give compliments often enough I suppose. If I give you a compliment though, take it and run. It means I'm super impressed, and that doesn't happen often.
At least three more years here. And yet, I don't know what's going to happen. See you in my dreams, my Valkyrie.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Graduated and aimless
There's so much I want to say, but I think I have to space them out, or it sounds like whining.
Graduated. No job. May have one soon.
Do I really want to stay in Baltimore? Do I have a choice?
See you in my dreams, my Valkyrie.
Graduated. No job. May have one soon.
Do I really want to stay in Baltimore? Do I have a choice?
See you in my dreams, my Valkyrie.
Saturday, February 04, 2012
VC competition
I'm not angry we just lost. It's because we lost even though our technicals are right and everyone else's is so deeply flawed.
After looking at it, we lost mainly because we used the right financial instrument, but the entrepreneur didn't understand it because they didn't do their homework. Our fault was that we didn't communicate that fact.
But the valuations and equity stakes that the other team gave are patently ridiculous. 50% for a seed stage round? That "poisons the well" more than any Series A round.
I learned something today about myself. I fucking hate, deep hatred, for events that occur inappropriately if the technical answer loses to fluff, especially when the fluff will never work and has been proven. And especially when we were being the most fair, and yet people still pick stuff that's bad for them.
Abstractly, I distinctly hate it when we lose because of someone else's incompetence (in this case, the entrepreneur). I think that's the biggest thing and why I was angry.
Congrats to the team that won. I do hope that they will win regionals, but they will need to shore up their knowledge.
See you in my dreams, my Valkyrie.
After looking at it, we lost mainly because we used the right financial instrument, but the entrepreneur didn't understand it because they didn't do their homework. Our fault was that we didn't communicate that fact.
But the valuations and equity stakes that the other team gave are patently ridiculous. 50% for a seed stage round? That "poisons the well" more than any Series A round.
I learned something today about myself. I fucking hate, deep hatred, for events that occur inappropriately if the technical answer loses to fluff, especially when the fluff will never work and has been proven. And especially when we were being the most fair, and yet people still pick stuff that's bad for them.
Abstractly, I distinctly hate it when we lose because of someone else's incompetence (in this case, the entrepreneur). I think that's the biggest thing and why I was angry.
Congrats to the team that won. I do hope that they will win regionals, but they will need to shore up their knowledge.
See you in my dreams, my Valkyrie.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Hello 2012
It's been another year.
What can I say about 2011? I got to go to Peru. I worked for the US government. I won a case competition. I was part of several MBA job treks. But those are just activities.
More importantly, I spent time with some of the most amazing people I know.
And on the eve of 2012, I am going to Thailand to start my southeast Asia trip. 21 days of going to southeast Asia, eating and experiencing life. And as you all know, there will be pictures involved.
See you in my dreams, my Valkyrie.
What can I say about 2011? I got to go to Peru. I worked for the US government. I won a case competition. I was part of several MBA job treks. But those are just activities.
More importantly, I spent time with some of the most amazing people I know.
And on the eve of 2012, I am going to Thailand to start my southeast Asia trip. 21 days of going to southeast Asia, eating and experiencing life. And as you all know, there will be pictures involved.
See you in my dreams, my Valkyrie.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
A new leaf
So many good things has happened in the recent past, that I feel compelled to share them.
1. Interest from a VP in McKesson providing contacts
2. Got two decent grades when I didn't expect it.
3. Trip in another 2 weeks to southeast asia, with camera
4. Got a new interest.
5. Photos are coming along pretty well.
1. Interest from a VP in McKesson providing contacts
2. Got two decent grades when I didn't expect it.
3. Trip in another 2 weeks to southeast asia, with camera
4. Got a new interest.
5. Photos are coming along pretty well.
Saturday, December 03, 2011
Another year...growth?
Wow, been a while since I've ranted or wrote anything here. So, what has changed? I grow a little older, a little wiser. Incremental improvements to myself: professionally, socially and fashionably?
Why am I writing now? Has my situation changed this much that it warrants an update? I guess I should write a few things to balance my consumption side. I have to create in order to balance that out.
I think I've done well since coming to this MBA. I feel like I'm gotten better at what I do. But sometimes I feel like the same kid inside. I still can't read people very well. I overanalyze. i take people directly at their word. But sometimes I feel still like I have no personality. In the sense of charisma, in terms of funny stories, or to entertain people. I just don't have that skill. I don't have the ability that some has, to be outrageously happy and shrug off comments, or to use my wit and charm to weave entertaining stories. That's a skill I've yet to learn. I can listen. But if I ask too many questions, it sounds like an interrogation.
I cannot figure her out. Actually, at this point, I don't think she's interested. Am I being played? I don't think she's doing it consciously. Or maybe she is. Maybe I'm just being way too passive. Which could be true. Maybe I'm not vulnerable enough to really want/need a relationship. I sabotage myself a lot mainly because I come in which such a negative attitude. Right now, I swing between apathy and arrogance. I don't have that comfortable medium between the two called confidence.
I'm getting tired of games. I dislike confrontations though. I back my arguments by numbers or facts. Which are not very valuable in a emotional discussion. I think the time when I feel like I should confront people, is when I don't care anymore, which usually means I already lost any feelings I had already.
I wish improving yourself was simple. Where you can get more immediate feedback.
I think I can stand a lot of things. The only thing I can not stand, is being ignored.
See you in my dreams, my Valkyrie.
Why am I writing now? Has my situation changed this much that it warrants an update? I guess I should write a few things to balance my consumption side. I have to create in order to balance that out.
I think I've done well since coming to this MBA. I feel like I'm gotten better at what I do. But sometimes I feel like the same kid inside. I still can't read people very well. I overanalyze. i take people directly at their word. But sometimes I feel still like I have no personality. In the sense of charisma, in terms of funny stories, or to entertain people. I just don't have that skill. I don't have the ability that some has, to be outrageously happy and shrug off comments, or to use my wit and charm to weave entertaining stories. That's a skill I've yet to learn. I can listen. But if I ask too many questions, it sounds like an interrogation.
I cannot figure her out. Actually, at this point, I don't think she's interested. Am I being played? I don't think she's doing it consciously. Or maybe she is. Maybe I'm just being way too passive. Which could be true. Maybe I'm not vulnerable enough to really want/need a relationship. I sabotage myself a lot mainly because I come in which such a negative attitude. Right now, I swing between apathy and arrogance. I don't have that comfortable medium between the two called confidence.
I'm getting tired of games. I dislike confrontations though. I back my arguments by numbers or facts. Which are not very valuable in a emotional discussion. I think the time when I feel like I should confront people, is when I don't care anymore, which usually means I already lost any feelings I had already.
I wish improving yourself was simple. Where you can get more immediate feedback.
I think I can stand a lot of things. The only thing I can not stand, is being ignored.
See you in my dreams, my Valkyrie.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
What to do now?
If you didn't know, I'm posting most of my adventures in Baltimore in my new blog:
A King in America (akinginamerica.blogspot.com).
This blog will remain my emo side.
So yeah. Where to start?
Right now, I'm in a situation where I don't know if I should ask out the girl or not. I'm apparently clueless when trying to read signals. Timing is everything...in everything. So trying to time it right is hard. And since I don't really have any classes or groups or ANYTHING in common with her schedule, bumping into her randomly would also be hard.
Sometimes I wonder if I should just do it, even if the probability of success would be low, just to get it over with. Then I don't want to because that would mean that I wouldn't be with her if I do get shot down. Boo to that. I want to maximize my chances here.
Okay. Enough emoness. I think I'll just work hard and see if I can do anything about my love life later I suppose.
A King in America (akinginamerica.blogspot.com).
This blog will remain my emo side.
So yeah. Where to start?
Right now, I'm in a situation where I don't know if I should ask out the girl or not. I'm apparently clueless when trying to read signals. Timing is everything...in everything. So trying to time it right is hard. And since I don't really have any classes or groups or ANYTHING in common with her schedule, bumping into her randomly would also be hard.
Sometimes I wonder if I should just do it, even if the probability of success would be low, just to get it over with. Then I don't want to because that would mean that I wouldn't be with her if I do get shot down. Boo to that. I want to maximize my chances here.
Okay. Enough emoness. I think I'll just work hard and see if I can do anything about my love life later I suppose.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Technology Ruins Romance
Sometimes, I wonder if there's such a thing as fate or destiny.
But we seldom get to test it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIiW0Trk3T0
But to tell you the truth, I really have no excuse. I have known her for a while, but I haven't done anything. I guess I was trying to avoid drama or any awkwardness. But no reward without risk right?
It's kind of a moot point though. I'm leaving in less than 3 days. In a new place, two years can change a lot of things. Maybe we'll meet again in two years. Haha, but then again, technology would ruin the romance because we'll constantly keep in touch.
But she makes me want to be a better person. Mainly because I respect her abilities a lot, even if she doesn't see it.
Well, we'll see what will happen in a few days. There's time now I suppose.
See you in my dreams, my dear Valkyrie.
But we seldom get to test it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIiW0Trk3T0
But to tell you the truth, I really have no excuse. I have known her for a while, but I haven't done anything. I guess I was trying to avoid drama or any awkwardness. But no reward without risk right?
It's kind of a moot point though. I'm leaving in less than 3 days. In a new place, two years can change a lot of things. Maybe we'll meet again in two years. Haha, but then again, technology would ruin the romance because we'll constantly keep in touch.
But she makes me want to be a better person. Mainly because I respect her abilities a lot, even if she doesn't see it.
Well, we'll see what will happen in a few days. There's time now I suppose.
See you in my dreams, my dear Valkyrie.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Excited
I am excited.
Less than 3 weeks and I'm gone from Toronto, about to embark on a new adventure to last for 2 years.
I've register a new name for a new blog to document my time there. This will still reflect my journey through life though.
I apologize for the lack of updates. I've been busy procrastinating and just generally wasting time and hanging out with friends. I realize I do have a lot to be thankful for.
Nothing really out of the ordinary has happened besides the things listed. I guess I'll update when something happens. But like that quotation from A Moment With You, "the moment before anything happens, that's perfect.", maybe this is the perfect time. I'll make damn sure it doesn't go downhill from here.
See you in my dreams, my Valkyrie.
Less than 3 weeks and I'm gone from Toronto, about to embark on a new adventure to last for 2 years.
I've register a new name for a new blog to document my time there. This will still reflect my journey through life though.
I apologize for the lack of updates. I've been busy procrastinating and just generally wasting time and hanging out with friends. I realize I do have a lot to be thankful for.
Nothing really out of the ordinary has happened besides the things listed. I guess I'll update when something happens. But like that quotation from A Moment With You, "the moment before anything happens, that's perfect.", maybe this is the perfect time. I'll make damn sure it doesn't go downhill from here.
See you in my dreams, my Valkyrie.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
I haven't really been doing anything.
But there has been changes.
I got into Johns Hopkins. I got a job. Work is interesting. Everything is working out.
My photography is going as expected. I might have to get rid of some of my lenses. I think I have too many. Need to reduce the count.
But I don't know, maybe it's pessimism, but I keep waiting for the other shoe to fall. I'm waiting for disappointment somewhere. I've even stopped playing most video games. And all I've been doing nowadays is manga and comedy programs. Maybe my manga is a searching thing to try to find meaning by looking at different perspectives of life. My favourite mangas are those slice of life ones anyways. My nightmare would probably be finding out that this is all life really is. Nothing special, nothing standing out in particular. All I can do is hope and wish that this is not the case.a
Maybe I'm overly concerned about the meaning of life. I'm starting to think that I have not reached the point where I can look at myself and say that I have achieved something in life. Granted I'm still young (at least that's what everyone keeps saying), but I have friends that have much more experience than I do, whether it be in management, work, life or money. I am not jealous, as they have paid for their experience in various ways. However, I just feels my experience just doesn't feel as deep as others. Maybe I haven't suffered enough.
Well, I'll be shooting with my 70-200mm IS mk ii for a while to get rid of this ennui.
Enough about that.
But I have had a lot of interesting conversations with people down near the islands. I talked about climate change with the island ferry fare collector. Very interesting 45 minutes.
But there has been changes.
I got into Johns Hopkins. I got a job. Work is interesting. Everything is working out.
My photography is going as expected. I might have to get rid of some of my lenses. I think I have too many. Need to reduce the count.
But I don't know, maybe it's pessimism, but I keep waiting for the other shoe to fall. I'm waiting for disappointment somewhere. I've even stopped playing most video games. And all I've been doing nowadays is manga and comedy programs. Maybe my manga is a searching thing to try to find meaning by looking at different perspectives of life. My favourite mangas are those slice of life ones anyways. My nightmare would probably be finding out that this is all life really is. Nothing special, nothing standing out in particular. All I can do is hope and wish that this is not the case.a
Maybe I'm overly concerned about the meaning of life. I'm starting to think that I have not reached the point where I can look at myself and say that I have achieved something in life. Granted I'm still young (at least that's what everyone keeps saying), but I have friends that have much more experience than I do, whether it be in management, work, life or money. I am not jealous, as they have paid for their experience in various ways. However, I just feels my experience just doesn't feel as deep as others. Maybe I haven't suffered enough.
Well, I'll be shooting with my 70-200mm IS mk ii for a while to get rid of this ennui.
Enough about that.
But I have had a lot of interesting conversations with people down near the islands. I talked about climate change with the island ferry fare collector. Very interesting 45 minutes.
Thursday, February 04, 2010
freedom
What does it mean? I'm at liberty now. That means I have freedom to do whatever I want. Why is it that I don't seem to make much of my time though?
I've been reading a lot. It seems like I'm reading entertaining reference books and serious manga. The reference books in particular are about photography and guides to Las Vegas, whereas the manga is all about life, the meaning of life, and the paths that one might take in life. The irony of this juxtaposition has not escaped me, but it really isn't that comical. To me, manga is just another form of media. To say that it can be both serious and comical is nothing new to me, while it may surprise most newcomers to the genre who only see Pokemon and Dragonball.
In particular, Solanin seems like the manga that most parallels my life so far. It's about the angst of people in their mid twenties, trying to figure out what they want in life.Personally, I don't know. People in that manga doesn't know. It's more about the people in it trying to live their life. While most manga holds audiences captive through escapism, this manga seems to hold audiences captive through voyeurism. Or maybe it is empathy. It's hard to tell.
Hopefully I get in to Johns Hopkins. Also need a job it seems.
I've been reading a lot. It seems like I'm reading entertaining reference books and serious manga. The reference books in particular are about photography and guides to Las Vegas, whereas the manga is all about life, the meaning of life, and the paths that one might take in life. The irony of this juxtaposition has not escaped me, but it really isn't that comical. To me, manga is just another form of media. To say that it can be both serious and comical is nothing new to me, while it may surprise most newcomers to the genre who only see Pokemon and Dragonball.
In particular, Solanin seems like the manga that most parallels my life so far. It's about the angst of people in their mid twenties, trying to figure out what they want in life.Personally, I don't know. People in that manga doesn't know. It's more about the people in it trying to live their life. While most manga holds audiences captive through escapism, this manga seems to hold audiences captive through voyeurism. Or maybe it is empathy. It's hard to tell.
Hopefully I get in to Johns Hopkins. Also need a job it seems.
Monday, December 21, 2009
6 months
It's been another 6 months. What have I accomplished? I don't know.
I'm getting laid off in January. I honestly don't think it's a big deal. It's just a job.
I'm applying to business school soon. Need to rework my resume. Have said that for a while, but haven't had the motivation to do it. With a GMAT score of 740, I better have a stunning resume to match.
I haven't been as introspective as of late. Maybe I should start again, to figure out what I truly want.
My camera gear has grown, but my portfolio has not. It's getting to the point where I believe I need to sell some and just get the Holy Trinity and leave it at that.
What exactly makes a good photo? I need to find out.
I'm getting laid off in January. I honestly don't think it's a big deal. It's just a job.
I'm applying to business school soon. Need to rework my resume. Have said that for a while, but haven't had the motivation to do it. With a GMAT score of 740, I better have a stunning resume to match.
I haven't been as introspective as of late. Maybe I should start again, to figure out what I truly want.
My camera gear has grown, but my portfolio has not. It's getting to the point where I believe I need to sell some and just get the Holy Trinity and leave it at that.
What exactly makes a good photo? I need to find out.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
ENTP
Apparently, I'm now an ENTP (the Inventor).
Extraverted Intuitive Thinking Perceiving
Strength of the preferences %
22 25 25 22
I guess I have changed after university. Since I used to be INTP (the Architect).
Introverted Intuitive Thinking Perceiving
Strength of the preferences %
25 25 25 22
I think the I switched to E by 50%. I think it's partly because I'm sick of the mechanics of the world.
Extraverted Intuitive Thinking Perceiving
Strength of the preferences %
22 25 25 22
I guess I have changed after university. Since I used to be INTP (the Architect).
Introverted Intuitive Thinking Perceiving
Strength of the preferences %
25 25 25 22
I think the I switched to E by 50%. I think it's partly because I'm sick of the mechanics of the world.
Monday, June 08, 2009
Posting
I know I haven't posted for a while. But now that it's more or less a daily ritual, I've stopped posting pictures here. It's strictly on the flickr site. But there will be at least 1 per day.
Listening to Monster Show, a waterloo band, just makes me feel nostalgic and depressed. Somehow, its melodies invoke a sense of melancholy. And a sense of restlessness. I don't know, but it feels like I have to change. There is no escaping it. It feels like my head is about to burst from the monotony.
I guess I'm just coasting through life right now. Somehow, I almost want to say that I want to quit and do something more and substantial.
But that's the problem, isn't it. What is substantial?
Listening to Monster Show, a waterloo band, just makes me feel nostalgic and depressed. Somehow, its melodies invoke a sense of melancholy. And a sense of restlessness. I don't know, but it feels like I have to change. There is no escaping it. It feels like my head is about to burst from the monotony.
I guess I'm just coasting through life right now. Somehow, I almost want to say that I want to quit and do something more and substantial.
But that's the problem, isn't it. What is substantial?
Friday, May 29, 2009
Posts and laziness
Okay. I didn't post any photos for the past week or so.
Why?
Because I uploaded over 200 photos on flickr. And putting them each individually would take forever. So just head over there and look at them. http://www.flickr.com/photos/riellanart. Then come back here.
Done?
Good.
I'll go back to my regularly scheduled programming after today.
Why?
Because I uploaded over 200 photos on flickr. And putting them each individually would take forever. So just head over there and look at them. http://www.flickr.com/photos/riellanart. Then come back here.
Done?
Good.
I'll go back to my regularly scheduled programming after today.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Asymmetrical Information
Now, I'm really liking this book about India, Imagining India by Nandan Nilekani. It fills in a gap in my knowledge that I always wanted filled, but didn't really want first hand experience. Just not a big fan of Indian culture. But the possibilities that the book gives us a glimpse of is too powerful to ignore.
India and China both lead the world in human capital. Most people, even if most of them are uneducated at the moment. The problem is that while India focuses on a exporting service industry with domestic manufacturing, China is operating the other way, with exporting manufacturing industry and domestic service. And unlike India, China's population will soon reach a standstill as the one child policy will cripple its usable workforce while their seniors increase. India has the enviable position of having the baby boom later than the baby boomer population of the Western world, allowing them to ride the wave of development.
However, there is still the stigma of domestic vs. imports. Imports, by their very nature, are more desirable than domestic goods. That stereotype and branding is still there. While India's economy is driven towards cutthroat pricing and affordability, American brand cars still do well given their Import prestige and the lack of need to reduce their cars to bare essentials.
And yet, for a country that is still swooning over cars made by companies proven to not know the pulse of the people, their technology growth is astounding. While I understand people here have to support legacy systems of technology, India by their very nature can leapfrog ahead of us because of the relaxed need to support those systems. What I don't understand is why are we falling behind?
Is it because we don't have the population necessary for such a system? Or does that just mean that our marketing schemes fail in a world filled with skepticism? Are we all jaded and scared that we would rather stick with what we know? Perhaps. I think that in the end, we have to ask ourselves, how can we use this knowledge to benefit ourselves?
India and China both lead the world in human capital. Most people, even if most of them are uneducated at the moment. The problem is that while India focuses on a exporting service industry with domestic manufacturing, China is operating the other way, with exporting manufacturing industry and domestic service. And unlike India, China's population will soon reach a standstill as the one child policy will cripple its usable workforce while their seniors increase. India has the enviable position of having the baby boom later than the baby boomer population of the Western world, allowing them to ride the wave of development.
However, there is still the stigma of domestic vs. imports. Imports, by their very nature, are more desirable than domestic goods. That stereotype and branding is still there. While India's economy is driven towards cutthroat pricing and affordability, American brand cars still do well given their Import prestige and the lack of need to reduce their cars to bare essentials.
And yet, for a country that is still swooning over cars made by companies proven to not know the pulse of the people, their technology growth is astounding. While I understand people here have to support legacy systems of technology, India by their very nature can leapfrog ahead of us because of the relaxed need to support those systems. What I don't understand is why are we falling behind?
Is it because we don't have the population necessary for such a system? Or does that just mean that our marketing schemes fail in a world filled with skepticism? Are we all jaded and scared that we would rather stick with what we know? Perhaps. I think that in the end, we have to ask ourselves, how can we use this knowledge to benefit ourselves?
Information Exchange
Given the thoughts on what India is doing with IT nowadays, there is no doubt that the future lies with information exchange.
Everything we do is based on the premise we exchange information with someone else. The whole "no man is an island" idiom really emphasizes this point. Our relationships, professional or intimate, friendly or romantic, chaste or carnal are all based on this idea of sharing information.
Without new information, people grow bored. I don't understand sensory deprivation chambers, but I understand all they do is try to stop you from sensing anything for a short while, so that you can experience everything afresh and give yourself a sense to free yourself from earthly sensations. A sensory deprivation chamber time is limited though. It's like drinking wine to clear your palate so you can enjoy your steak again, or having an affair so that the old regular stuff might seem interesting again. The thing is, the time in a sensory deprivation chamber is limited though, which is good. If it lasts indefinitely, it's akin to being buried alive, which is one of the deaths that we fear the most.
People need new information. Some people learn about the external world, becoming news junkies and/or academics. Others seek to learn about the social world, becoming leaders, players, or politicians. Some look at the world and use that information to experience new information about themselves in a spiritual realm of identity. Whatever it is though, people need to categorize their information. We are so bombarded with information nowadays, we have dedicated memory devices for it. Some people have newsfeeds and saved information on computers, cellphones for address books and blogs for information about ourselves. The problem is, how do we concentrate this into a usable form. Most of what we learn or know is lost in the shuffle of everyday life.
Google did very well, allowing searching through many different things using human interaction as the driving force for their search algorithms. Even though their algorithms do not apply to everything in life, it does apply to a lot. The problem is how do we shift through information in our daily life?
Our very identity is tied in with information and information control. And yet, our information control technologies have not kept pace with information broadcasting technologies. I do believe there is something we can learn from everyone, even if it is as simple (or useless, in some people's minds) as the fact that you enjoy eating strawberries for lunch. While we twitter about nonsensical things, how much of that information is kept and retained usefully?
Our world is being dominated by electronic social networks. Lavalife, facebook, myspace, youtube, pof. The developed world's love affair with intimate information will not fade. On the other hand, the developing world is being dominated by raw information. Prices of crops for example will have lasting effects on life. Weather information is critical. Somehow, I think the Western world's love for celebrity gossip does not bode well for us. Sometimes I think information overload is driving most of us to a level of apathy towards information. We think of information gathering as instantaneous, with wikipedia at our fingertips and google everpresent, but is it really?
I think this rant has a unpolished jewel of a good thesis for an essay, but I will have to organize this sometime.
But information will rule the world. It's just who would control information?
Everything we do is based on the premise we exchange information with someone else. The whole "no man is an island" idiom really emphasizes this point. Our relationships, professional or intimate, friendly or romantic, chaste or carnal are all based on this idea of sharing information.
Without new information, people grow bored. I don't understand sensory deprivation chambers, but I understand all they do is try to stop you from sensing anything for a short while, so that you can experience everything afresh and give yourself a sense to free yourself from earthly sensations. A sensory deprivation chamber time is limited though. It's like drinking wine to clear your palate so you can enjoy your steak again, or having an affair so that the old regular stuff might seem interesting again. The thing is, the time in a sensory deprivation chamber is limited though, which is good. If it lasts indefinitely, it's akin to being buried alive, which is one of the deaths that we fear the most.
People need new information. Some people learn about the external world, becoming news junkies and/or academics. Others seek to learn about the social world, becoming leaders, players, or politicians. Some look at the world and use that information to experience new information about themselves in a spiritual realm of identity. Whatever it is though, people need to categorize their information. We are so bombarded with information nowadays, we have dedicated memory devices for it. Some people have newsfeeds and saved information on computers, cellphones for address books and blogs for information about ourselves. The problem is, how do we concentrate this into a usable form. Most of what we learn or know is lost in the shuffle of everyday life.
Google did very well, allowing searching through many different things using human interaction as the driving force for their search algorithms. Even though their algorithms do not apply to everything in life, it does apply to a lot. The problem is how do we shift through information in our daily life?
Our very identity is tied in with information and information control. And yet, our information control technologies have not kept pace with information broadcasting technologies. I do believe there is something we can learn from everyone, even if it is as simple (or useless, in some people's minds) as the fact that you enjoy eating strawberries for lunch. While we twitter about nonsensical things, how much of that information is kept and retained usefully?
Our world is being dominated by electronic social networks. Lavalife, facebook, myspace, youtube, pof. The developed world's love affair with intimate information will not fade. On the other hand, the developing world is being dominated by raw information. Prices of crops for example will have lasting effects on life. Weather information is critical. Somehow, I think the Western world's love for celebrity gossip does not bode well for us. Sometimes I think information overload is driving most of us to a level of apathy towards information. We think of information gathering as instantaneous, with wikipedia at our fingertips and google everpresent, but is it really?
I think this rant has a unpolished jewel of a good thesis for an essay, but I will have to organize this sometime.
But information will rule the world. It's just who would control information?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)