Another interesting idea came my way today. While I was suffering from an hangover, I dreamed up a world where civilization is intentionally cast aside every five generations. Three generation later civilization comes back together, and continues its progress.
The society that developed is obsessed with improving the human race, and uses a brutal form of natural selection to accomplish it. When the society reaches the fifth generation, all institutions are abolished, and everyone is forced to fend for themselves. What follows is three generations of brutal combat that culls the weak and allows the smartest and strongest to rise to the top.
When the third generation is born, all fighting ceases, and the old institutions are brought back. Within a week society is functioning as it did before, with the gene pool of humanity improved slightly.
Technology progresses much slower because some knowledge is invariable lost during the anarchy times, and must be rediscovered. The benefits of the system are many though. Cancer doesn't exist, life expectancy is over 180 years, eyesight is perfect, and no degenerative diseases exist.
The brutal nature of the system has created a sect of people who refuse to abandon civilization. The completely different viewpoint creates a lot of tension, which breaks out in war just before the next cycle is about to begin. The sect is hit, with the selectors worrying that when they abandon civilization, the sect will strike at them.
The story will address the nature of an extreme dog eat dog system, and what happens when two extreme points of view come into conflict.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Playing Dice With Investments
Dividends. Why do I insist on bringing them up as the only true investment? There are many experts that will tell you when you're young that you need to invest in risky stocks to get the best return while your young enough to be able to handle the risk. I have heard that and many variations of it for a long time. Putting your money in "risky" investments is the same as walking into a casino and plunking the money down at the poker table.
Why is investing gambling? Simple. The profit yielded from a stock sale comes out of the pocket of another investor, and investor that decided to buy the stock from you at that price. Like many have learned through the recent economic crises, everything that goes up, must come down. Eventually someone is going to be left holding the bag when the price goes down. Your profit has come at the expense of someone else. Someone always has to lose in this kind of arrangement.
Why are dividends any different? Because you are participating in the economic profit that a company makes. There is less risk, and such there is less immediate turn. Over time the dividend income, reinvested, will accomplish the wonder that is compound interest. The icing on the cake is the stock price. While you are still playing roulette, the chances of the end stock price being higher is relatively high.
Playing with money that should be invested in a casino is silly. When you invest in a dividend paying stock, you are participating in the profit that the company is creating. On an open exchange, buying and selling stocks based on prices creates no wealth, just transfers it around.
Of course I'm no expert.
Why is investing gambling? Simple. The profit yielded from a stock sale comes out of the pocket of another investor, and investor that decided to buy the stock from you at that price. Like many have learned through the recent economic crises, everything that goes up, must come down. Eventually someone is going to be left holding the bag when the price goes down. Your profit has come at the expense of someone else. Someone always has to lose in this kind of arrangement.
Why are dividends any different? Because you are participating in the economic profit that a company makes. There is less risk, and such there is less immediate turn. Over time the dividend income, reinvested, will accomplish the wonder that is compound interest. The icing on the cake is the stock price. While you are still playing roulette, the chances of the end stock price being higher is relatively high.
Playing with money that should be invested in a casino is silly. When you invest in a dividend paying stock, you are participating in the profit that the company is creating. On an open exchange, buying and selling stocks based on prices creates no wealth, just transfers it around.
Of course I'm no expert.
Inferno
Immense waves of heat slammed into his body, he felt as if he had been swallowed by a tsunami. Quivering legs attempted to betray him with every step he could bring them to make. Each new wave of volcanic temperatures singed hairs down to his skin, making him thankful for remembering to pack his goggles. This was truly the hell on Earth that those crackpots had been preaching for so long.
Trudging on through the streets, pushing against each blast of heat, he continued his pursuit. Bright columns of flames now raged where houses and businesses had stood the day before. His quarry would be close; the flame would have been long dead had the Archon moved on. There was no way to stop an Archon, all hunters knew this. Talking was the only weapon he had against a potential madman.
Rounding a corner he spotted a stone wall that had managed to survive to blaze. Commanding his legs to move, he managed to arrive at the wall before he collapsed to the ground. He pulled himself up and lay up against it, glad to be out of the battering winds. Raging fires all around made the air smoky, and hotter than a sauna. There could be little doubt this Archon had lost his mind.
After a quick drink he pulled out a number of small devices, carefully considering the readings each one was displaying. Another half-dozen machines built by some fool engineer, all in the hopes of detecting an Archon. Scientific devices had long given way to a crazed scramble to create something that would work. Twenty five years of mindless destruction. Twenty five years of no answers.
“Scratch these.” He mumbled to himself.
Sighing, he closed his eyes and rested his head on the wall. Thoughts filled his head of past Archons; each unique, but still similar. Some were thought of as great heroes, some terrible villains, and a few just vanished. Many sleepless nights filled his past; nights spent trying to make a connection. Mathematicians, physicists, statisticians, and any other imaginable kind of scientist had tried and failed to find a pattern in Archon appearances.
Explosions in the distance brought him back from the painful daydream. Bringing his watch into view he sighed loudly; every minute spent wasted in a daydream meant a minute for the Archon to escape. A flickering of light through the smoke caught his eye. Through the blackness he could see something moving toward him. Without thinking he sprang to his feet, fists up for the good they would do.
Through the smoke the flicker became larger. It seemed to be accelerating each moment, and moving straight towards him.
That's all for now! I have to get working on a few other things now. I will be finishing this either later tonight or tomorrow!
Trudging on through the streets, pushing against each blast of heat, he continued his pursuit. Bright columns of flames now raged where houses and businesses had stood the day before. His quarry would be close; the flame would have been long dead had the Archon moved on. There was no way to stop an Archon, all hunters knew this. Talking was the only weapon he had against a potential madman.
Rounding a corner he spotted a stone wall that had managed to survive to blaze. Commanding his legs to move, he managed to arrive at the wall before he collapsed to the ground. He pulled himself up and lay up against it, glad to be out of the battering winds. Raging fires all around made the air smoky, and hotter than a sauna. There could be little doubt this Archon had lost his mind.
After a quick drink he pulled out a number of small devices, carefully considering the readings each one was displaying. Another half-dozen machines built by some fool engineer, all in the hopes of detecting an Archon. Scientific devices had long given way to a crazed scramble to create something that would work. Twenty five years of mindless destruction. Twenty five years of no answers.
“Scratch these.” He mumbled to himself.
Sighing, he closed his eyes and rested his head on the wall. Thoughts filled his head of past Archons; each unique, but still similar. Some were thought of as great heroes, some terrible villains, and a few just vanished. Many sleepless nights filled his past; nights spent trying to make a connection. Mathematicians, physicists, statisticians, and any other imaginable kind of scientist had tried and failed to find a pattern in Archon appearances.
Explosions in the distance brought him back from the painful daydream. Bringing his watch into view he sighed loudly; every minute spent wasted in a daydream meant a minute for the Archon to escape. A flickering of light through the smoke caught his eye. Through the blackness he could see something moving toward him. Without thinking he sprang to his feet, fists up for the good they would do.
Through the smoke the flicker became larger. It seemed to be accelerating each moment, and moving straight towards him.
That's all for now! I have to get working on a few other things now. I will be finishing this either later tonight or tomorrow!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Pointless Post. Enjoy!
Today, like many days, was boring. Some problems I touched on yesterday were solved before noon, as a result I spent the rest of the day trying to give myself new problems to tackle. Some minor improvements were made to my ASP application, mostly adding some new search functions for the database, ho-hum.
One small bit of excitement came my way when I got the meeting invite for out next big project coming up. Unlike previous projects were I came in at the middle and had to handle clean-up at the end, I'm now in it from the start. By start of course I mean when upper management stops talking and the real work can start being done. I'm very excited to be able to shape the process from the beginning. Talking to other team members would seem to confirm my idea for the process is the route we are going to take.
Since this blog is about my interests, which do tend to change daily, I suppose I should talk about what caught my attention today. AI. It's important to note that with our current level of software and hardware an actual consciousness could never come about. The linear nature of hardware and software negates the possibility of the feed-back loops required for complex thought. Try imagining your thought process having to take intermediate breaks every time you needed to pump your heart, or take in a breath, or regulate some minor function of your body.
Someday, maybe, when the hardware allows for something infinity more complex than we have today, we may see an AI emerge. It would seem very small organic elements all separate and connected may yield something interesting.
One small bit of excitement came my way when I got the meeting invite for out next big project coming up. Unlike previous projects were I came in at the middle and had to handle clean-up at the end, I'm now in it from the start. By start of course I mean when upper management stops talking and the real work can start being done. I'm very excited to be able to shape the process from the beginning. Talking to other team members would seem to confirm my idea for the process is the route we are going to take.
Since this blog is about my interests, which do tend to change daily, I suppose I should talk about what caught my attention today. AI. It's important to note that with our current level of software and hardware an actual consciousness could never come about. The linear nature of hardware and software negates the possibility of the feed-back loops required for complex thought. Try imagining your thought process having to take intermediate breaks every time you needed to pump your heart, or take in a breath, or regulate some minor function of your body.
Someday, maybe, when the hardware allows for something infinity more complex than we have today, we may see an AI emerge. It would seem very small organic elements all separate and connected may yield something interesting.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Gambling With Your Future
I took control of my 401k today, finally re-balancing it. Only time will tell if I made the right decisions, but investing always comes with risks. I do have a unique way of seeing investing, and I mean investing, not betting. If you invest in something and it's not sharing the profits with you, congratulations, you're in Vegas. I mean dividend stocks of course. Purchase a share of the profits, don't purchase a lottery ticket.
Soon I'll be converting an old 401k into an IRA and using it for direct investments, not the limiting 401k mutual fund options. There are some interesting investment strategies I've been batting around for a while, and I'm very excited to see how thhey turn out.
Dividends, dividends, dividends. I can't stress it enough.
Soon I'll be converting an old 401k into an IRA and using it for direct investments, not the limiting 401k mutual fund options. There are some interesting investment strategies I've been batting around for a while, and I'm very excited to see how thhey turn out.
Dividends, dividends, dividends. I can't stress it enough.
Time's Horizon
Why was he hiding it? All of the Archons had to know how the power came to them, and none of them had ever been this close to breaking, but still there was only mystery. All around the earth smoked, singed by the last throws of the now dying Archon.
Streaming tears flowed down his face; he knew he was about to die. Bruises covered his twisted face, but oddly there was no blood. The Archon tried to pick himself up off the ground, but each time his arms buckled under his own weight and he hit the ground with a soft thud. His breathing was becoming more labored by the moment, and with the sun touching the horizon there couldn't be much time now.
"You can still pay penance. Don't die with this stain of blood on your hands, wash it clean. Tell me what I want to hear and you will be absolved.", said the young man with a slight snarl.
"There is nothing to tell.", the Archon managed to say between coughs.
He could still lie with a straight face, amazing. For years his predecessors had tried and failed to understand the Archons, but they missed the plainly obvious; Science was no place to seek answers when concerning the Archons, only God could bring the power to the world in such a fashion. This fool, this dying fool couldn't see how he was an instrument through which God acted.
With an pronounced effort the Archon roughly pushed himself into an ackward sitting position, staring straight into the setting sun, never blinking. Quietly the Archon sat, and he stood watching the setting sun. Turning his head slowly the Archon managed a strained smile at him.
"I have been hunted by your kind for six long months", the Archon said while slowly turning back toward the sun. "So many died trying to find out some secret I never had. All in the name of science they told me; for the greater good."
Nodding slowly, although not agreeing the young man continued his gaze into the sun.
"You think God gave me this power." he said smiling with all his teeth bared. "God would never have a hand in something so evil; no this power doesn't come from the divine."
"God works his will Archon, not even you can know his plan for us all."
Slowly the Archons eyes began to close, his breathe slowed, and his smile melted away. "I know this hunter, my poor fool. Your fate is to find the answer, but it will destroy you."
Slumping to the ground the Archon exhaled for the last time. Along the horizon the last slivers of light vanished behind the ground. Another Archon had already been chosen. Time was something he was always short of, time needed to find the next Archon, time to stop the world from being destroyed.
Quickly he pulled his cellphone from his pocket and dialed it. When the other end picked up he instinctively typed out a code on the keypad. When the voice came back "Confirmed" he raised the phone to his ear.
"Archon, code Thomas confirmed dead. Initiate search."
After a short pause came a mechanistic "Confirmed" from the cell phone. Soon he would be hunting the next Archon, with each one bringing the end of the world that much closer.
Streaming tears flowed down his face; he knew he was about to die. Bruises covered his twisted face, but oddly there was no blood. The Archon tried to pick himself up off the ground, but each time his arms buckled under his own weight and he hit the ground with a soft thud. His breathing was becoming more labored by the moment, and with the sun touching the horizon there couldn't be much time now.
"You can still pay penance. Don't die with this stain of blood on your hands, wash it clean. Tell me what I want to hear and you will be absolved.", said the young man with a slight snarl.
"There is nothing to tell.", the Archon managed to say between coughs.
He could still lie with a straight face, amazing. For years his predecessors had tried and failed to understand the Archons, but they missed the plainly obvious; Science was no place to seek answers when concerning the Archons, only God could bring the power to the world in such a fashion. This fool, this dying fool couldn't see how he was an instrument through which God acted.
With an pronounced effort the Archon roughly pushed himself into an ackward sitting position, staring straight into the setting sun, never blinking. Quietly the Archon sat, and he stood watching the setting sun. Turning his head slowly the Archon managed a strained smile at him.
"I have been hunted by your kind for six long months", the Archon said while slowly turning back toward the sun. "So many died trying to find out some secret I never had. All in the name of science they told me; for the greater good."
Nodding slowly, although not agreeing the young man continued his gaze into the sun.
"You think God gave me this power." he said smiling with all his teeth bared. "God would never have a hand in something so evil; no this power doesn't come from the divine."
"God works his will Archon, not even you can know his plan for us all."
Slowly the Archons eyes began to close, his breathe slowed, and his smile melted away. "I know this hunter, my poor fool. Your fate is to find the answer, but it will destroy you."
Slumping to the ground the Archon exhaled for the last time. Along the horizon the last slivers of light vanished behind the ground. Another Archon had already been chosen. Time was something he was always short of, time needed to find the next Archon, time to stop the world from being destroyed.
Quickly he pulled his cellphone from his pocket and dialed it. When the other end picked up he instinctively typed out a code on the keypad. When the voice came back "Confirmed" he raised the phone to his ear.
"Archon, code Thomas confirmed dead. Initiate search."
After a short pause came a mechanistic "Confirmed" from the cell phone. Soon he would be hunting the next Archon, with each one bringing the end of the world that much closer.
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