Big Think

Cloud Computing

Have you heard about the latest trending in computing and the ‘next big thing’ cloud computing? Whether or not you think you have, you have. If you have a social network type site (twitter, facebook, myspace, etc) you are involved. Cloud Computing is storing information on the internet. Now that may be a little oversimplified, but not much.Google’s new operating system, Chrome, is said to be on the cutting edge of this type of computing. Suddenly it doesn’t matter about hard drive size at all. The entire world wide web (remember that?) is your hard drive. You are already doing it. Do you have pictures posted on Facebook? Do you have a video on youtube? No real need to keep those files on your computer, they are stored on the ‘net “forever” The next thing is linking all of your accounts. Isn’t this grand? You update your blog and it automatically tweets on Twitter and updates Facebook and Myspace. Cool. And you have a Yahoo and/or a Google mail as your e-mail provider. All you need is access to the web and suddenly the world is your oyster. (If you like oysters, otherwise the world is your playground {handicap accessable})And if you do any e-commerce, your Paypal is linked into that. Which connects to maybe a credit card and also some real world bank account perhaps? But wait. All these linked accounts mean that you have some sort of master account. One ring to rule them all, if you will allow. And should that ring get compromised, you are really in a world of hurt. This isn’t hypothetical.There was a story on CNN how someone hacked into a twitter account and then stumbled into a paypal and e-bay account and accessed funds perhaps? Maybe it was just a demonstration to let people know, it can happen to anyone. The people reported on where an executive at Twitter and his wife. Zoinks. If they can get popped, the rest of us better also be very careful. Don’t get me wrong, I am not pulling back into my shell and unplugging from the net, but this is just another reminder that there are unscrupulous people out there, and we always need to be thinking about what we are doing. I am guilty myself of occasionally filling in forms with personal information and then halfway through go, whoa, what am I doing here? Am I sure this is legit? The cloud computing is not going away. It is the wave of the future, I think. … Read More

July 20, 2009   |  In Future

The Split Brain Theory

This theory was first brought to my attention when I was doing research on religions and the origins of religion. It is well known today that we have a split in our brains; basically is is considered to be two sided. This is the actual definition of bicameral. Bi meaning two and cameral meaning mind. Or something like that.This theory was thought up by Dr. Julian Jaynes in his book, The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, which you'd probably rather not read. It is sort of boring, unless you are really into the whole concept. in a nutshell, the theory states that for thousands of years humans weren't conscious in the same way that we are today. He said that the two halves of the brain were separate in that one half was the 'man mind' and the other the 'god mind.' (My terms there, not his.) Basically the god-mind controlled the man-mind in something akin to a puppet master pulling strings.So you had a society made up of schizophrenic members. That was the norm. If the god-voice was loud enough, perhaps it would start to dictate and the man-mind would write down the thoughts. These were the basis of early religious writing. (Remember I am just paraphrasing the theory, not necessarily espousing it.) The more the god-mind was conscious, the more likely the person was to become "the voice of god" or better known as a prophet. This went on for quite a long time. Eventually through evolution of our minds, the two halves of the mind blended and the god part became our consciousness.Today if someone hears voices in their head they are considered mentally unbalanced. Thousands of years ago they were revered. Are we making progress here or what? Maybe not. Are the voices really just a part of someone's more primitive state, or are they perhaps actually communication from another plane? I know this is 'out there' and I am not saying one way or another what is truth with a capital T. I know I don't know one way or the other.I do believe that prophets of old merely had to convince themselves that they were hearing god, and then convince others of the fact; then a new religion could start. It still is happening today. Are the charlatans in fact messengers from god? There are new religions forming all the time. To have more acceptance, many of them a branches of established religions. You can look at the Lutheran movement, if you want to go back in history a ways, or you can check out Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses for early 20th century examples. Newer examples might be Branch Davidians, Heaven's Gate or militant Muslims.It is a scary thought to think that all the rules and commandments might just be the product of split personalities thousands of years ago. Another thing to think about it is, what if someone who is locked up in a mental institution really is a true prophet of God, but is in a rubber room and can't get the message out. … Read More

June 3, 2009   | 

Defining Roles in Life

In order to have success in life you need to figure out what is expected of you and take responsibility to make sure that those expectations are fulfilled. You would hope that the expectations are clearly defined. If you are talking about your professional life, this should be explained by your manager and should be described in your job description. If it is in your personal life, you need to define your own goals, and then talk to the people around you to see what they expect of you.In marriage two people often have different ideas about what the other person is bringing to the relationship. Do you expect (or hope) your spouse will cook the meals? Have they ever verbalized that? Maybe in general they are willing to do that, but occasionally you surprising them by preparing a feast will really make their day and also make you appreciate what they do for you on a regular basis. What if they had no idea that you expected the meals prepared and don’t understand why you are grumpy when tempting smells are not wafting from the kitchen around mealtimes.Expectations are best met when they are defined. Sit down with your spouse, co-worker or boss and ask them what they expect of you. Ask them “what does a good spouse/employee look like to you? What would you hope to see someone in my role to do?” It is a two way street. The basis of a good relationship is knowing what is expected on both sides. Once you know that, you can change roles if they don’t match what you were expecting. Knowing what is important to the other person and providing that (if possible) can make your relationship go much more smoothly.Once you find and accept the role within the relationship, it is up to you to live up to your part of the bargain. Personal integrity is something that you and you alone, are responsible for. It is one of those things that, once broken, is extremely difficult to rebuild. This is your reputation we are talking about and that should be taken seriously. Again, this works both ways in a relationship and as long as both parties live up to the agreement it can and will be a win-win situation.It all boils down to mutual respect and understanding. At work we need to be professionals and that will make all the difference. Don’t let personality interfere with what you need to do. Likewise in personal situations, as long as there is respect and integrity, there should be smooth sailing.Communication is the basis for all of this. With expectations clearly defined and roles assigned communication is the grease that keeps the process moving along smoothly. We all mature, change and grow as individuals and people can accept that change is part of life. The key is understanding why things are changing, acknowledging that change and keeping lines of communication open. … Read More

June 2, 2009   |  In Inspiration & Wisdom