π Contributions by @ at [[life]]
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I spent 2 hours this afternoon watching the live webcast of Steve Jobs giving the Macworld San Francisco 2003 keynote.
Lots of people were hoping for an iPhone or a video iPod (whatever the heck that was supposed to look like), but there was nary a funky piece of hardware to be seen. Lots and lots of cool software, though!
Well, almost no hardware. There is a new, 17" widescreen PowerBook as well as a tiny, 12" PowerBook. Since they are now made of anodized Aluminum (or Al-u-minium if you’re Jonathan Ives), I’m going to call them BigAl and LittleAl — remember, you heard it here first! Integrated 802.11g, Bluetooth, and back-lit keyboards are some other features.
So, on to software. iLife is the phrase of the week. Basically, iTunes, iMovie, iPhoto, and iDVD have all been given steriods, and even though they remain separate applications, there is a very high degree of integration between them. Some of the features I thought really useful were archiving of iPhoto directly to CD or DVD, including slide shows with background music from iTunes if you like.
New versions of iMovie and iPhoto will be available for free download on January 25th. iDVD will not be available for free, "because it’s too big" (says Steve Jobs). A boxed version of all 4 applications will be $49US.
A new super-browser, named Safari, direct from Apple. Based on KDE’s KHTML library, Apple will be releasing their open source improvements back to the community today. I’ve already got it running as my main browser, and the only thing I miss from Chimera is tabs. Fast. FAST! Some other innovative features, like "snapback", which takes you back to the top of a website, or to the start of your Google search results (Google is the integrated search).
Keynote was the only fully for-pay application — a presentation application that kicks PowerPoint up and down the street, as well allowing for import of existing PowerPoint documents.
Something that didn’t come up in Jobs’ speech was X11. Apple released a beta version of their own distribution of Xfree86, including a Quartz-compatible window manager that is OpenGL accelerated. Just like everything else from Apple, it’s a one-click install that….just works.
Finally, Jobs publicly announced that 802.11a, the higher-speed/incompatible wireless standard, would fail. Apple is backing 802.11g, calling it "Airport Extreme". The new basestations support bridging and USB printer sharing, and work with both 802.11b/g clients. And, of course, the new PowerBooks both have built-in Bluetooth.
More of a summary than tons of thoughts and opinions. The 12" PowerBook is the first "affordable" PowerBook for me — I would definitely take a PB-class notebook over an iBook. Before, I couldn’t consider a PowerBook because it was simply way out of my price range. Not only does LittleAl meet a better price point, it also fulfills the main purpose of a notebook — portability!
Of course, I did keep expecting Steve Jobs to fold over the screens of the two PowerBooks and show us that they were actually tablets…
layout: post title: Dining Out for Life created: 1075997580 categories:
VanEats mentioned Dining Out for Life.
Over 150 restaurants from Whistler to White Rock will join the fight against AIDS by donating 25 percent of their food revenue from every meal sold during this important event.
All Starbucks stores across the Lower Mainland will also join in the fight against AIDS by donating 25 percent of all ‘Double Tall Vanilla Lattes’ sold the entire day!
It takes place Thursday, March 11, 2004. I can’t figure out how to add something that takes place everywhere in a city to my Upcoming.org calendar, so I guess I’ll just have to remember.
Any excuse to eat out is a good excuse, I always say.
layout: post title: How the Mac Mini fits into my life created: 1105503311 tags:
Yes, I think I'm getting one.
I'm looking at the Mac Mini to be our new desktop, stay-at-home machine, as well as to form the basis for a media center.
Mike Davidson has a good outline for the Media Mac that he wants to see from Apple, but I'm going to outline how I think the Mac Mini (plus a few other pieces) is going to work for me today.
My personal main machine is a PowerBook 15". At home, an original iMac 15" 800Mhz G4 is our desktop machine.
Generally we use the iMac to watch movies and listen to music (TV given to parents, stereo in storage until we have a bigger place). The Pro speakers go as loud as needed in our small apartment, and Kate and I can sit fairly close to the monitor. I could use my phone to control movie and music playback, but generally I just learn forward and use the keyboard.
The iMac is now almost 3 years old. It's about time for my parents to get a new machine, so it will find a good home there.
So, the Mac Mini becomes our new desktop. With no monitor. Excellent! I've been hemming and hawing over the choice between a projector and a big LCD monitor for a while. I still might add a projector at a later date, but this is a good excuse to get an LCD monitor.
The Benq FP231W is the screen that I've been looking at. It's pricey (about $1800CDN), but has some very good features:
Reading a couple of reviews (I'm not going to link to any, because I didn't really find them useful) seems to indicate that the one downside is that the viewing angle is a bit constrained, so watching from farther away might not be ideal. I'd love to see the screen in person, but haven't found it here in Vancouver anywhere.
Well, that could be it to replicate what we have today, with a machine that is 50%+ faster and a monitor that is…did I mention gigantic? Oh yes: I would have to get some computer speakers back out of storage — these would connect to the headphone jack that is the audio output for the Mini Mac.
But I want to do a little more media. Specifically, some <acronym title="Personal Video Recorder">PVR</acronym> action, that will let me watch TV and record it on the computer.
So, this means an external solution. The Elgato solutions look like the best bet.
The two Elgato products that would seem to be the best fit for me are:
Actually, there is a third-party product on the Elgato site (since it's bundled with Elgato's EyeTV software): the Plextor ConvertX PX-TV402U (Mac). It's listed at $229US, or $283CDN from the Canadian store. This is an interesting product — it offers MPEG1, MPEG2, and DivX hardware encoding. No remote, but for the price difference, I can get an ATI Remote Wonder — and it's an <acronym title="Radio Frequency">RF</acronym>, remote, too, so perfect for controlling iTunes when you're not in sight of the computer. The ConvertX looks to be in the lead.
The Mac Mini is going to form the basis for my media center, and I'm going to get the chance to experiment with TV 2.0 using a PVR system. What are you going to do with your Mac Mini?
(Andy has a few uses in mind)
tags :: Soviet UnionKomsomol
Cosmopod episode with Sean Guillory of Sean's Russia Blog Podcast about the Communist Youth.
This episode may merit a re-listen.
Komsomol acted as the central power out across the state, represented the Russian Communist Party throughout the country.
Komsomol acted as an expression of soft power throughout the country.
The primary goal of the Komsomol was to train communists in the post-revolutionary period.
Komsomol was plagued with problems:
Misogyny: numerous cases of rape, abuse
Inability to coordinate
"What does it mean to be a comrade?"
The problems that arose from the Komsomol
Memoirs of a Revolutionary - Victor Serge
Thou Shalt Kill - Anna Geifman
J Arch Getty, Sheila Fitzpatrick
Intimate Enemies - Wendy Goldman
Anguish, Anger, and Folk Ways in Soviet Russia - GΓ‘bor TamΓ‘s Rittersporn
tags :: ecology
source :: Fritjof Capra: The Web of Life (excerpt)
Ecology is the study of natural relationships
Ecology forces a shift in perspective from objects to relationships and processes
Systems thinkersrealized that laws of science were not enough, but we don't need anything from the outside: we have to understand the relationships of matter
Capra says that there are two approaches to science: "What is it made of?" and "What is the pattern?"
A pattern isn't material, it's a set of relationships
Marx would probably disagree with this
Capra believes that consciousness is a property of life
An insight of cyberneticswas noticing that life is made up of networks
Systems can correct themselves through the process of feedback
https://twitter.com/flancian/status/1379797466556592129 https://twitter.com/flancian/status/1379804731623739395
As a result almost all aspects of human sociability, of the life of the species, are now shadowed by digital architectures
β The British Digital Cooperative: A New Model Public Sector Institution
Part of : [[Future Histories]]
Featuring : [[Jason W. Moore]] / [[Jan Groos]]
Describe [[James Lovelock]] as an eco-fascist.
Criticises [[Bruno Latour]].
Criticises ecosocialists in general but some in particular, such as [[John Bellamy Foster]].
networked digital information technology has become the dominant mode through which we experience the everyday. In some important sense this class of technology now mediates just about everything we do.
β [[Radical Technologies]]
Notes
I use [[org-mode]] a lot. A LOT. All day, every day, pretty much. I use it to keep on top of both my work life and my private life. At my desktop and on my phone.
It’s served me very well over the years, but I’m currently changing the way I use it a bit. For the better, hopefully. I’m using it pretty well but could be doing so much better, I think. I’m aiming to be a little more [[GTD]]-y. I’m going to try to note things down along the way, to tidy it up and hopefully to make a useful resource for others when I’ve settled with it.
Some key parts of how I use it:
I keep project notes in org-roam nodes. Currently a bit of a hodge podge mixture of activity logs, thoughts, notes, reference materials. Could perhaps be broken out into active stuff and reference material? But working well enough for now.
Each project has its own node, and then quite often chunky subtasks will end up with their own node too (linked to from this main one).
I used to use org-roam just for more of a knowledge base kind of thing - less of these project notes. But it’s been a useful recent development.
A newish thing is to archive done tasks into a section titled ‘Activity history’ in each project file. So tasks get archived to their projects, rather than to a generic archive file. I don’t officially ‘archive’ them with org commands anymore then, I just move them to the project file. Maybe I could use archive to subtree somehow? To look at.
One very nice aspect of this is that you can run a clocktable on your ‘Activity history’ heading, to see how much time you’ve spent on a specific project.
Just a little thing, but:
(setq org-todo-keywords
'((sequence "TODO" "NEXT" "|" "DONE")))
To flag things as next actions in projects.
There will be many ways to do this. At the moment, I’m looking in org-agenda and filtering by regex for NEXT.
A : [[podcast]]
Series : [[Frontiers of Commoning]]
Featuring : [[Shaun Chamberlin]] / [[David Bollier]]
[[David Fleming]]. [[Lean Logic]].
Wonderful little comic about a quote by [[Chris Hardwick]]
A : [[book]]
Found at : https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/the-systems-view-of-life/35186BA5B12161E469C4224B6076ADFE
Written by : [[Fritjof Capra]]
The Systems View of Life presents a unified systemic framework that integrates the biological, cognitive, social and ecological dimensions of life.
It shifts from a mechanistic view of life to one where life is seen as a network of relationships and cognition is part of life processes.
Autopoiesis is a major foundation, where living systems continually recreate themselves while preserving their pattern of organization.
Cognition is the process of self-generation and self-perpetuation of living networks, not just something the brain does.
The book provides a needed historical perspective on science and shows physics alone is insufficient to describe life’s patterns.
It integrates developments from the last few decades of science beyond Fritjof’s previous works.
The book examines order, complexity and shifts from mechanistic to complex systems thinking.
It defines spirituality separately from religion and integrates human values.
Sustainability, interconnected problems, and potential solutions around energy, climate and agriculture are discussed.
The book aims to help the transition to a sustainable future embracing qualitative growth and a richer understanding of life.
The book "The Systems View of Life: A Unifying Vision" by Fritjof Capra & Pier Luigi Luisi is divided into four main parts:
I. The Mechanistic Worldview This section explores the historical development of the mechanistic view of the universe, life, and society. It examines the Newtonian world-machine, the mechanistic view of life including cellular and molecular biology, as well as its implications for medicine. It also delves into mechanistic social thought, covering the origins of social sciences, political economy, and the role of Cartesian economics[1].
II. The Rise of Systems Thinking This part transitions to the emergence of systems thinking as a response to the limitations of mechanistic views. It covers the shift from understanding the world in terms of its individual parts to appreciating the whole as more than the sum of its parts. Topics include the emergence of systems thinking, the new physics, classical systems theories like tektology, general systems theory, cybernetics, and complexity theory, highlighting principles of nonlinear dynamics and fractal geometry[2].
III. A New Conception of Life Here, the authors present a new understanding of life as an integrated, systemic phenomenon. They discuss what characterizes living systems, the concept of autopoiesis, interactions with the environment, and the implications for understanding social systems and cognition. This section also encompasses the complexity of the living world, the evolution of species, the search for the origin of life on Earth, human evolutionary history, the nature of mind and consciousness, the intersection of science and spirituality, and the systems view of health and healthcare[3].
IV. Sustaining the Web of Life The final section discusses the ecological dimension of life and the need for systemic solutions to global environmental and societal issues. It covers the principles of ecology, the interconnectedness of worldwide problems, the illusion of perpetual growth, and the networks of global capitalism. The authors call for systemic solutions that are sustainable, touching on topics such as energy, climate change, agroecology, and the role of design in sustaining life on Earth[4].
This structure reflects the book’s progression from the critique of mechanistic thought to the emergence of systems thinking and its applications to life, society, and the sustaining of the global ecosystem.
[1][2][3][4]
The Systems View of Life presents a unified systemic framework that integrates the biological, cognitive, social and ecological dimensions of life.
It shifts from a mechanistic view of life to one where life is seen as a network of relationships and cognition is part of life processes.
Autopoiesis is a major foundation, where living systems continually recreate themselves while preserving their pattern of organization.
Cognition is the process of self-generation and self-perpetuation of living networks, not just something the brain does.
The book provides a needed historical perspective on science and shows physics alone is insufficient to describe life’s patterns.
It integrates developments from the last few decades of science beyond Fritjof’s previous works.
The book examines order, complexity and shifts from mechanistic to complex systems thinking.
It defines spirituality separately from religion and integrates human values.
Sustainability, interconnected problems, and potential solutions around energy, climate and agriculture are discussed.
The book aims to help the transition to a sustainable future embracing qualitative growth and a richer understanding of life.
The book "The Systems View of Life: A Unifying Vision" by Fritjof Capra & Pier Luigi Luisi is divided into four main parts:
I. The Mechanistic Worldview This section explores the historical development of the mechanistic view of the universe, life, and society. It examines the Newtonian world-machine, the mechanistic view of life including cellular and molecular biology, as well as its implications for medicine. It also delves into mechanistic social thought, covering the origins of social sciences, political economy, and the role of Cartesian economics[1].
II. The Rise of Systems Thinking This part transitions to the emergence of systems thinking as a response to the limitations of mechanistic views. It covers the shift from understanding the world in terms of its individual parts to appreciating the whole as more than the sum of its parts. Topics include the emergence of systems thinking, the new physics, classical systems theories like tektology, general systems theory, cybernetics, and complexity theory, highlighting principles of nonlinear dynamics and fractal geometry[2].
III. A New Conception of Life Here, the authors present a new understanding of life as an integrated, systemic phenomenon. They discuss what characterizes living systems, the concept of autopoiesis, interactions with the environment, and the implications for understanding social systems and cognition. This section also encompasses the complexity of the living world, the evolution of species, the search for the origin of life on Earth, human evolutionary history, the nature of mind and consciousness, the intersection of science and spirituality, and the systems view of health and healthcare[3].
IV. Sustaining the Web of Life The final section discusses the ecological dimension of life and the need for systemic solutions to global environmental and societal issues. It covers the principles of ecology, the interconnectedness of worldwide problems, the illusion of perpetual growth, and the networks of global capitalism. The authors call for systemic solutions that are sustainable, touching on topics such as energy, climate change, agroecology, and the role of design in sustaining life on Earth[4].
This structure reflects the book’s progression from the critique of mechanistic thought to the emergence of systems thinking and its applications to life, society, and the sustaining of the global ecosystem.
[1][2][3][4]
The Systems View of Life presents a unified systemic framework that integrates the biological, cognitive, social and ecological dimensions of life.
It shifts from a mechanistic view of life to one where life is seen as a network of relationships and cognition is part of life processes.
Autopoiesis is a major foundation, where living systems continually recreate themselves while preserving their pattern of organization.
Cognition is the process of self-generation and self-perpetuation of living networks, not just something the brain does.
The book provides a needed historical perspective on science and shows physics alone is insufficient to describe life’s patterns.
It integrates developments from the last few decades of science beyond Fritjof’s previous works.
The book examines order, complexity and shifts from mechanistic to complex systems thinking.
It defines spirituality separately from religion and integrates human values.
Sustainability, interconnected problems, and potential solutions around energy, climate and agriculture are discussed.
The book aims to help the transition to a sustainable future embracing qualitative growth and a richer understanding of life.
The book "The Systems View of Life: A Unifying Vision" by Fritjof Capra & Pier Luigi Luisi is divided into four main parts:
I. The Mechanistic Worldview This section explores the historical development of the mechanistic view of the universe, life, and society. It examines the Newtonian world-machine, the mechanistic view of life including cellular and molecular biology, as well as its implications for medicine. It also delves into mechanistic social thought, covering the origins of social sciences, political economy, and the role of Cartesian economics[1].
II. The Rise of Systems Thinking This part transitions to the emergence of systems thinking as a response to the limitations of mechanistic views. It covers the shift from understanding the world in terms of its individual parts to appreciating the whole as more than the sum of its parts. Topics include the emergence of systems thinking, the new physics, classical systems theories like tektology, general systems theory, cybernetics, and complexity theory, highlighting principles of nonlinear dynamics and fractal geometry[2].
III. A New Conception of Life Here, the authors present a new understanding of life as an integrated, systemic phenomenon. They discuss what characterizes living systems, the concept of autopoiesis, interactions with the environment, and the implications for understanding social systems and cognition. This section also encompasses the complexity of the living world, the evolution of species, the search for the origin of life on Earth, human evolutionary history, the nature of mind and consciousness, the intersection of science and spirituality, and the systems view of health and healthcare[3].
IV. Sustaining the Web of Life The final section discusses the ecological dimension of life and the need for systemic solutions to global environmental and societal issues. It covers the principles of ecology, the interconnectedness of worldwide problems, the illusion of perpetual growth, and the networks of global capitalism. The authors call for systemic solutions that are sustainable, touching on topics such as energy, climate change, agroecology, and the role of design in sustaining life on Earth[4].
This structure reflects the book’s progression from the critique of mechanistic thought to the emergence of systems thinking and its applications to life, society, and the sustaining of the global ecosystem.
[1][2][3][4]
The Systems View of Life presents a unified systemic framework that integrates the biological, cognitive, social and ecological dimensions of life.
It shifts from a mechanistic view of life to one where life is seen as a network of relationships and cognition is part of life processes.
Autopoiesis is a major foundation, where living systems continually recreate themselves while preserving their pattern of organization.
Cognition is the process of self-generation and self-perpetuation of living networks, not just something the brain does.
The book provides a needed historical perspective on science and shows physics alone is insufficient to describe life’s patterns.
It integrates developments from the last few decades of science beyond Fritjof’s previous works.
The book examines order, complexity and shifts from mechanistic to complex systems thinking.
It defines spirituality separately from religion and integrates human values.
Sustainability, interconnected problems, and potential solutions around energy, climate and agriculture are discussed.
The book aims to help the transition to a sustainable future embracing qualitative growth and a richer understanding of life.
The book "The Systems View of Life: A Unifying Vision" by Fritjof Capra & Pier Luigi Luisi is divided into four main parts:
I. The Mechanistic Worldview This section explores the historical development of the mechanistic view of the universe, life, and society. It examines the Newtonian world-machine, the mechanistic view of life including cellular and molecular biology, as well as its implications for medicine. It also delves into mechanistic social thought, covering the origins of social sciences, political economy, and the role of Cartesian economics[1].
II. The Rise of Systems Thinking This part transitions to the emergence of systems thinking as a response to the limitations of mechanistic views. It covers the shift from understanding the world in terms of its individual parts to appreciating the whole as more than the sum of its parts. Topics include the emergence of systems thinking, the new physics, classical systems theories like tektology, general systems theory, cybernetics, and complexity theory, highlighting principles of nonlinear dynamics and fractal geometry[2].
III. A New Conception of Life Here, the authors present a new understanding of life as an integrated, systemic phenomenon. They discuss what characterizes living systems, the concept of autopoiesis, interactions with the environment, and the implications for understanding social systems and cognition. This section also encompasses the complexity of the living world, the evolution of species, the search for the origin of life on Earth, human evolutionary history, the nature of mind and consciousness, the intersection of science and spirituality, and the systems view of health and healthcare[3].
IV. Sustaining the Web of Life The final section discusses the ecological dimension of life and the need for systemic solutions to global environmental and societal issues. It covers the principles of ecology, the interconnectedness of worldwide problems, the illusion of perpetual growth, and the networks of global capitalism. The authors call for systemic solutions that are sustainable, touching on topics such as energy, climate change, agroecology, and the role of design in sustaining life on Earth[4].
This structure reflects the book’s progression from the critique of mechanistic thought to the emergence of systems thinking and its applications to life, society, and the sustaining of the global ecosystem.
[1][2][3][4]
