Category: philosophy

Categories
philosophy

Thought for the day

Today I’ve a quote from one of my favorite public figures of the late 20th Century and the greatest president that the US almost had. Robert F Kennedy. I hugely admire him for his contribution to civil rights, his considered approach to political decisions and how he overcame a background of immense priviledge to become, at the time of his death, the most popular political figure in America and a true champion of the poor and disenfranchised. He wasn’t perfect but he radiated decency and hope. The qualities we look for in our leaders and would hope to find in ourselves…

“Laws can embody standards; governments can enforce laws–but the final task is not a task for government. It is a task for each and every one of us. Every time we turn our heads the other way when we see the law flouted–when we tolerate what we know to be wrong–when we close our eyes and ears to the corrupt because we are too busy, or too frightened–when we fail to speak up and speak out–we strike a blow against freedom and decency and justice.” – Robert F Kennedy

Here’s another one on Bobby’s favourite theme, moral courage.

“Fear not the path of truth for the lack of people walking on it.” From his last speech after winning the California state primary on June 6th 1968.

Categories
philosophy

So Long Now ?

10,000 year clock

A few weeks ago I stumbled on the Long Now Foundation’s website. I find the site and projects absolutely compelling. I guess most people who got interested in technology as kids wanted to proactively shape the future, not just participate. In doing so we needed a target or goal and for many the year 2000 became that goal. It came to represent the future. People don’t talk about temporal technology goals at the moment. 2100 is too far away. It’s (possibly) outside the lifespan of today’s technologists. The Long Now foundation actively encourages people to participate in projects with implications and reach far beyond their own lifetime. One such example is Danny Hillis’s design for the 10,000 year clock. Danny is better known as the creative force behind Thinking Machines Corporation “Connection Machine” and the inventor of massively parallel computer. I love the idea of a clock that will (very) slowly beat through 10,000 years of technological, social and biological change. I’ll write more about this project over the next few days as it’s genuinely fascinating.

Categories
philosophy

Thought for the day

“Disappointment proves that expectations were mistaken.” – Mason Cooley

All too true but hope and expectation go hand in hand.

Categories
philosophy

Thought for the day

It’s been a long time since I posted anything more contemplative than “gee, I really must update this blog.” Well I’m feeling a little stressed at the moment for a whole range of reasons so the following quotes seem appropriate.

  • “Will this matter a year from now?” – Richard Carlson
  • “Stress is nothing more than a socially acceptable form of mental illness” – Richard Carlson

There are many days when I feel that all software projects and each and every line of code within them should be judged based on the first question. Code reviews just became obselete 🙂