multiple self .. and advertising

The brainstem and the mammalian brain. Deeper and wider than the new, beyond logic. That is where advertising works, not in the upstart neocortex. What we think of as 'mind' is only a sort of jumped-up memory machine, piggybacking on the older mammalian mind and the positively ancient reptilian brainstem, but our cortex and our culture tricks us into recognizing it as all of consciousness. The mammalian spreads continent-wide beneath it, mute and muscular, attending its ancient agenda. And makes us buy things. 
--mostly william gibson

... and from someone else:"For it appears to be an inborn and imperative need of all men to regard the self as a unit. However often and however grievously this illusion is shattered, it always mends again."

system traits

" ..Our system has become a Frankenstein monster which acts upon its own institutional behalf.
It encourages the least desirable of human traits -- greed, short-term thinking, lack of accountability, hierarchy, propaganda and self-obsession -- while simultaneously dismissing and discouraging the best of human traits -- long-term planning, reason, mutual aid, empathy, and resource allocation.

 If we don't construct society in a manner which embraces the latter, we damn our children to a miserable existence, and we won't survive as a species"

 (taken from a comment by Jason Boissonneault in a trnn comment thread)

Steve Jobs died a few days ago and I wrote the following in a facebook comment thread

In response to all the idolatrous mourning in here, and surely bouncing around in mainstream media right now, (i havent yet poked my head around to see)

Nice design and innovation, but I could have done without most of his contribution toward making closed technical ecosystems and hardware more desired and desirable, and here's why. I fear that it might be us, the consumers of new technologies, that willingly hand over the gains made possible by these technologies, back to monopolies and empire, simply because we are driven by desire for the shinier toy, and the easier playground.

 (written on a mac)

google+ public circles

It would be nice if google+ extended the circle metaphor to include public circles, that people can discover and join, giving us a way to easily make and follow channels with a narrow subject on Google+

What this would solve is the following basic problem:
I don't want to hear mumbles on random topics, from people I follow for one subject in particular. For example, if I follow you for your technology knowledge and opinion, I dont want to hear about the food you're eating on your latest visit to china.

I should be able to join your technology circle, provided you've made it public, and by so doing I should be able to see only the posts you send to your technology circle.

skepticism

Questioning our own motives, and our own process, is critical to a skeptical and scientific outlook. We must realize that the default mode of human psychology is to grab onto comforting beliefs for purely emotional reasons, and then justify those beliefs to ourselves with post-hoc rationalizations. It takes effort to rise above this tendency, to step back from our beliefs and our emotional connection to conclusions and focus on the process. The process (i.e science, logic, and intellectual rigor) has to be more important than the belief. —Steven Novella

procreative racial deconstruction..

RT @AmandlaMedia
Perhaps South Africa needs a voluntary, free spirited, open-ended program of procreative racial deconstruction...



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulworth

old interview on NaomiKleinThe Shock Doctrine

@JohnCusack interviews @NaomiKlein on her book "The Shock Doctrine"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rcyb0cDf4aQ& -part1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1u_OTa18Ts& -part2

a universe not made for us

Tim Wu, on the monopolization of the Internet, and other things

Recently caught a conversation with Tim Wu, originator of the phrase 'net neutrality', and author of The Master Switch, on the monopolization of the Internet, and other things : interview with TimWu on SearchEnginePodcast

Listen here : http://podcasts.tvo.org/searchengine/audio/800868_48k.mp3

The book sounds important - theres a good review here: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/reviews/2010/12/ars-book-review-the-master-switch-by-tim-wu.ars

Some nice bits on how older technologies had open phases too, before they were closed - as we, the consumers, brought about monopolists and consumptive systems, in tandem with emerging parasitic business ecosystems.

And whether things could be different this time around ..

Whether, if we were aware of the systems and information we 'choose' for ourselves; we could keep it open, and therefore, game-changing

Definitely, some things for us cyber-optimists to think about .

wiki notes are accumulating here: http://jaysen.wikispaces.com/TimWuOnSearchEngine

Julian Assange speech at WikiLeaks Public Meeting in Melbourne

"We support a cause that is no more radical a proposition than that the citizenry has a right to scrutinise the state."


tagged #opengov #video #av #mediachannel #political #freeculture #transparency #gov, but thats just me.