Microsoft has released a new non-Windows operating system called Singularity.  This OS is written in C#, which is one of the languages we use at Blue Sphere.  Microsoft has made the source code for this operating system available to anyone who can qualify for an academic research license. 

The term "singularity", at least in technology circles, has come to be associated with the possibility that one day, computers and the human mind will function together as one, thanks to the exponential progress we are making in technology.  These guys are working hard to get there (I'm wondering if the man on their home page might actually be a robot).  Much of the "progress" we make in technology can be charted in a line that points towards the singularity. 

Will it happen?  Will evil technologists use this new operating system called "Singularity" to create self replicating nanobots that invade our bodies through ordinary drinking water?  No.  That capability is still a few decades away according to most projections.

But still, very compelling health benefits already await those who dare expose themselves to intelligent nanotech.  The alternative (death) is typically less attractive to such exposure. So the exponential progress will continue, and people like me, will be able to scare people like you, for years to come.

Supposedly Microsoft has started an investigation to determine how these supposedly private internal training videos were leaked to the Internet.

Apparently Ricky Gervais (The Office - British version) and Stephen Merchant (his writing partner) made these videos back in 2003 with funding from MS.  These videos should be required material for all aspiring young IT executives.

Stephen Colbert has coined yet another word that will soon become a part of your vocabulary:  Wikiality.  Earlier this year he turned heads with is addition of "Truthiness" to the global lexicon.

In my humble opinion there is a degree of truthiness in Stephen's definition of wikiality.  We are indeed entering a new phase of consensus building via Blogs, Wikis (in particular Wikipedia), and the Web in general.  And it's a democratic process for the most part, although those individuals who are less inclined to participate in this revolution have become somewhat marginalized.

Dinner table arguements can have some sense of finality now that we can consult a medium which allows for consensus and majority views to bubble to the top of the endless chatter.  I would submit that the very fabric of our democracy and cultural decision making processes may be forever changed as these systems mature.

There is something very humbling about exposing your beliefs and values to the criticism and review that is built in to these consensus building systems.  Your ideas are quickly challenged and you are forced to defend them or face the consequences.  And if you lose interest, there is always someone there to fill the void and possibly render your ideas obsolete.  So the end product, or consensus, typcially ends up being dominated by those who are most engaged, persistent, and convincing in their particular area of expertise. Welcome to the age of wikiality.

Kevin Drum over at the Washington Monthly explains how the CEI (Competitive Enterprise Instititute) is launching a new add campaign claiming that the billions of tons of CO2 we are emitting is actually good for you.

I am therefore submitting the following viral marketing strategy for the CEI to consider:

       GOT CO2?

SNL Announcer:
And now, a message from the President of the United States.

President Al Gore:
Good evening, my fellow Americans.

In 2000 when you overwhelmingly made the decision to elect me as your 43rd president, I knew the road ahead would be difficult. We have accomplished so much yet challenges lie ahead.

In the last 6 years we have been able to stop global warming. No one could have predicted the negative results of this. Glaciers that once were melting are now on the attack.  As you know, these renegade glaciers have already captured parts of upper Michigan and northern Maine, but I assure you: we will not let the glaciers win.

Right now, in the 2nd week of May 2006, we are facing perhaps the worst gas crisis in history.  We have way too much gasoline. Gas is down to $0.19 a gallon and the oil companies are hurting.  I know that I am partly to blame by insisting that cars run on trash.  I am therefore proposing a federal bailout to our oil companies because - hey if it were the other way around, you know the oil companies would help us.

On a positive note, we worked hard to save Welfare, fix Social Security and of course provide the free universal health care we all enjoy today.  But all this came at a high cost. As I speak, the gigantic national budget surplus is down to a perilously low $11 trillion dollars.  And don't get any ideas. That money is staying in the very successful lockbox. We're not touching it.

Of course, we could give economic aid to China, or lend money to the Saudis... again.  But right now we're already so loved by everyone in the world that American tourists can't even go over to Europe anymore... without getting hugged.  There are some of you that want to spend our money on some made-up war. To you I say: what part of "lockbox" don't you understand?  What if there's a hurricane or a tornado? Unlikely I know because of the Anti-Hurricane and Tornado Machine I was instrumental in helping to develop.

But... what if? What if the scientists are right and one of those giant glaciers hits Boston? That's why we have the lockbox!

As for immigration, solving that came at a heavy cost, and I personally regret the loss of California. However, the new Mexifornian economy is strong and el Presidente Schwarznegger is doing a great job.  There have been some setbacks. Unfortunately, the confirmation process for Supreme Court Justice Michael Moore was bitter and devisive. However, I could not be more proud of how the House and Senate pulled together to confirm the nomination of Chief Justice George Clooney.

Baseball, our national passtime, still lies under the shadow of steroid accusations. But I have faith in baseball commissioner George W. Bush when he says, "We will find the steroid users if we have to tap every phone in America!"

In 2001 when I came into office, our national security was the most important issue. The threat of terrorism was real.  Who knew that six years later, Afghanistan would be the most popular Spring Break destination? Or that Six Flags Tehran is the fastest growing amusement park in the Middle East?

And the scariest thing we Americans have to fear is ... Live From New York, its Saturday Night! 

Here is a link to the video:

SNL 5-13-2006 Windows Media

For some of you who have not been able to envision the inner workings of the Internet, you might find this Website useful and revealing:

http://blueballfixed.ytmnd.com/

In an erie twist, like the television show "Lost", I have been forced to push a button every half hour to prevent myself from freezing to death.  Our forced air heater fan stops blowing after about 1/2 hour of normal behavior.  I originally thought that the problem was due to the thermostat, which has also been acting erratically.  So I bought a new one, and the same thing happened.  After 1/2 hour the fan stops blowing I can hear a droning sound coming from the unit.

Because it's Sunday and I don't want to pay the extra fee associated with an emergency call, I have not called a repair person.  So I rise from my couch every half hour to turn the unit off, and then switch the fan on.  After the fan runs for awhile I am able to start the unit up again, and it blows hot air for about 1/2 hour.

I have come to accept my new role...

Update:  On Monday the repair person diagnosed the problem as a clogged Drip leg which he cleaned out.  Our heater is working normally and I am attempting to adapt to my freedom.

 

My town of East Grand Rapids has made the national news lately.  First, Reeds Lake neighbors convinced East Grand Rapids city leaders to keep a newly constructed home off the Parade of Homes:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10897265/

Might this be the first time that a Parade home has been turned away from a neighborhood?  One of the neighbors was quoted as saying that the parade would draw a "criminal element" to her neighborhood.

And this week a few dozen of our high school students were reprimanded after some parents discovered photos of underage drinking on their blogs:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/08/tech/main1296738.shtml

It's not easy being portrayed by the media as snobby and drunk.  Most of us who live here are neither, and the community is more diverse than other affluent suburbs in West Michigan.  The culture in EGR is totally focused around schools and family, which helps explain my take on the common thread between the two news makers listed above:  Parental concern about childrens safety.

Speaking from experience, the overwhelming urge that parents feel to keep their children safe is incredible.  It makes you crazy, and then causes you to adopt parental behaviors that you always despised as a teenager.  It is true, EGR is not perfect, but we are doing the best we can to raise our children in a safe and healthy environment.

It was Christmas Eve, and I was tracking Santa Clause with my six year old son on Google Earth. Santa's sleigh bounced between small European towns as midnight approached.

"Santa is coming", his tired and grouchy dad said. "You should think about getting to bed".
The boy was not tired, the boy would not budge.
"But he's still in the Ukraine", he said with a grudge.
Instead of threatening and yelling and such, Santa thought of a jollier touch.
He made that boy feel like a giant, by contacting him through a messaging client:
"Merry Christmas, it's Santa", the box on the screen did say.
"I'm talking to you on the computer today".
The boy at his desktop was excited that night.
Santa's message had caused him delight.
"Go to bed right now", Santa said in good cheer.
"Your parents are tired and Christmas is here."
Off to bed the boy went, not stopping to wander,
as Santa sat clicking the mouse over yonder.

Human-primate chimeras are genetically engineered animals that contain both human and primate genes.  Apparently there is some controversy surrounding this possibility. 

Link

These church signs are at once amazing and somewhat repulsive. Is this a sign of pending rapture?

Link

From the Onion, here are some tips on how to be a good house guest:

• Always help your hosts after dinner: Offer to clear the table, wash the dishes, or teach them to cook.
• Ensure that you do not overstay your welcome by asking your host if you are overstaying your welcome every couple of minutes.
• Avoid an awkward moment later on by telling your host upfront that you're a bedshitter.
• Playing your host's stereo at top volume after midnight is rude. Bring your own boombox.
• Don't just act like a guest in someone's house. Be a guest in someone's house. 
• It's considered good form to replace any cats you drown.
• Cooking a meal for your host is a nice gesture, but ordering a pizza and offering to chip in for your part is way easier.
• Should an unfamiliar household situation arise, do not speak. Stare blankly at a fixed point on the wall until it all blows over.
• Don't monopolize the bathroom: Take sponge baths in the kitchen sink, and pee in a bottle and hide it under the bed.
• It's customary to take a souvenir from your host's home as a reminder of your wonderful stay.

Remind you of anyone?

http://www.compfused.com/directlink/636/

 

This just in from The Onion...

EPA To Drop 'E,' 'P' From Name
WASHINGTON, DC—Days after unveiling new power-plant pollution regulations that rely on an industry-favored market-trading approach to cutting mercury emissions, EPA Acting Administrator Stephen Johnson announced that the agency will remove the "E" and "P" from its name. "We're not really 'environmental' anymore, and we certainly aren't 'protecting' anything," Johnson said. "'The Agency' is a name that reflects our current agenda and encapsulates our new function as a government-funded body devoted to handling documents, scheduling meetings, and fielding phone calls." The change comes on the heels of the Department of Health and Human Services' January decision to shorten its name to the Department of Services.

My horoscope for this week, thanks to The Onion:

Cancer: (June 22—July 22)
It's true that secret agents have crossed international borders with microfilm hidden in their colons, but you should've known better than to try it with three liters of duty-free scotch.

Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central's Daily Show has provided a critique of "The Gates", which is a 21 million dollar art installation in Central Park.

"The gates is a triumph of contemporary installation art, each gate redefining it's section of the park as not a public place for private reflection, but a private place for public reflection, juxtaposed with the bareness of mid winter, the gates posits a chromatic orgy, this riot of color achieves a rare re-defamiliarization with the nature of place time, the whatness of our whereness, no longer framed ... (pause) ... I'm sorry ... (pause) ... I've run out of crap."

Here is a link to the entire Stephen Colbert audio clip (6MB download):

Link

Back by popular demand, is the now famous physically challenged turkey known as "Y".  No, this is not a form of torture applied to turkeys who refuse to fatten up for Thanksgiving.  This turkey was born without the ability to walk.  My kind hearted sister provided him with wheels, much like a wheelchair.  This is actually more like a wheelbed.  True, most wheelchair users are not strapped involuntarily to their chairs like this poor bird.  But I can absolutely confirm that the little guy was better off in this contraption because it was his only chance to get around independently.

For those of you that missed it, here is a link to the infamous Gene Simmons interview from Fresh Air with Terry Gross. Don't miss this fascinating discussion between the outspoken, womanizing rocker and his antithesis.

Link