Right…So. There is this new craze going on in Japan recently, I wonder if you’ve heard of it. Its called, randomly stabbing people to death because of ..get this, for shits and giggles. Yep. Thats right. Some people over here, get fed up with work, or family or some personal problems, and decide to take it out on random people who are minding their own business, people whom Im sure have to put up with their own share of crap life seems to oh so ironically randomly dish out to random people. Except these random people dont go stabbing other people and instead do the, in my opinion, more logical course of action and actually try to deal with said problem. Reading about stories like these piss me off. These are people living relatively comforatble lives, I mean 3 squares a day, house, hot water, job (albeit sucky jobs).

So yeah. Im calling you out, random stabbers. This random guy from the internet is calling you all cowards. Suck it up and deal bitches. If you really want to go prove something, my advice? go train MMA (mixed martial arts). then go out to a public spot, then try to knock out as much random people as you can. Plus points if you associate your outburst to a global issue. like painttatoo ‘I hate spam’ on your forhead. This way, your outburst will be meaningful in someway and you will earn genuine respect from people because you used skill to express something. If your going to go down, do it with some class and creativity… random stabbings are so dull.

Orson Scott Card gives J.K.Rowling a much needed whipping. I dont read Harry Potter, I tried to I swear. I picked up the book (the first one) got past the first chapter I think, before I got distracted by a cat. I dont remember much of what I read. Ender’s Game, I read online, while at work and it caused me to be ill-prepared for a very important meeting. Visually, Harry Potter has much to offer, not because of the story, but because the genre is inherently visual. Harry Potter’s universe has giants, gnomes, trolls, dragons, wizards… so much eye candy it could give a blind man diabetes. An Ender’s Game movie would probably be shot inside a WW2 submarine, with a bunch of kids wearing the same uniform, but it would still offer more stimulation to the brain than all the Potter movies combined. You cant sue your way into that kind of talent Ms.Rowling, why cant you be happy with all that money you made?

Word for the day, memristor. My firefox browser spell checker doesn’t recognize it, so I don’t feel so bad that today is the first time Ive heard about it. According to newscientist.com article, the concept was predicted way back in 1971 by a smart guy named Leon Chua, he predicted that it would be a device that would change its resistance depending on the voltage and the duration it was applied. And now, some other guy playing with sunscreen lotion (titanium dioxide) figured out how to make one. He says it sort of behaves like a braincell. Wow, cant wait till they put this technology to commercial use. Applications seem endless, Id say within ten years this thing will be out. We will see it in everything, literally.

Nice article that changed my perspective on things. The first line is pure WIN.

” I was recently reminded of some reading I did in college, way back in the last century, by a British historian arguing that the critical technology, for the early phase of the industrial revolution, was gin. “

I’m off to the pub for a shot of gin, here’s to technology changing so fast, mainstream media fails to catch up and trips all over itself and we are all treated to a stupendous and awe inspiring crash. Spread the word, we’re looking for the mouse.

link to article

Right. So, no entries for a month. Lets just call it a glitch in the time space continuum and move on. Came accross an interesting article on fastcompany.com, about how software for the space shuttle is created. According to the article it’s the ‘process that makes the software’. And I totally understand what it’s saying. The ‘Process is key’ philosphy has been tried and tested throughout history, from Ancient governments (China, Roman Republic/Empire) to modern auto manufacturers(Ford, GM, Toyota). Who hasn’t heard of Kaizen? But, I think no process will ever work without good people driving the wheels under the hood. Good and well motivated people. And these people cost money. So to churn out highest quality, cutting edge products, you need a solid process that auto-corrects itself, and money to hire good people to run the process. No matter how good your process is, it will breakdown if a bunch of nitwits are running it. Need proof?..just look at the Philippines.

An alternative reason to celebrate Good Friday. 50 years ago the world’s most popular symbol for peace was born. Derived from combining the semaphore alphabet letters (flag waving language) for N (nuclear) and D(disarmament), this symbol has graced many bathroom stalls and Volkswagen beetles all over the world. Its a good time to take a moment and reflect on the genius of this artwork, its massive effects on our society….<inhale smoke here>… awesome dude.

Idea for a startup? Good checklist from Sequoia Capital website.

Elements of Sustainable Companies
Start-ups with these characteristics often foretells the success of a business and the likelihood of it becoming a sustainable, enduring company. We like to partner with companies that have:

Clarity of Purpose
Summarize the company’s business on the back of a business card.

Large Markets
Address existing markets poised for rapid growth or change. A market on the path to a $1B potential allows for error and time for real margins to develop.

Rich Customers
Target customers who will move fast and pay a premium for a unique offering.

Focus
Customers will only buy a simple product with a singular value proposition.

Pain Killers
Pick the one thing that is of burning importance to the customer then delight them with a compelling solution.

Think Differently
Constantly challenge conventional wisdom. Take the contrarian route. Create novel solutions. Outwit the competition.

Team DNA
A company’s DNA is set in the first 90 days. All team members are the smartest or most clever in their domain. “A” level founders attract an “A” level team.

Agility
Stealth and speed will usually help beat-out large companies.

Frugality
Focus spending on what’s critical. Spend only on the priorities and maximize profitability.

Inferno
Start with only a little money. It forces discipline and focus. A huge market with customers yearning for a product developed by great engineers requires very little firepower.

hmmm. i guess i have to rethink my ‘excitingworldofcement.com’ idea. dibs on the domain name you mofos…

Ive done my share of wading through the Open Source content management forest/sandpit/hell. What made it hurt most was not knowing if a particular CMS was right for you, until you download, install and customize to fit your requirements. You build a mock up to show your boss, and he is blown away, really impressed at how much youve done in so short a time. Gives the go signal to develop. You work on it, everything is set, and you launch. A couple hundred users sign up, everything is going well…until. Your boss the software engineer from days long gone (..in my day we had punch cards..), decides to implement a new security protocol. You try to explain that the existing one is robust, agile, scalable,simple but most of all it friggin works…you hurl every catch phrase you can think of to exorcise the beast, but you know it is futile. He looks at you like you were some spoiled kid who just wants to get his way. Now your screwed. You implement the new security nightmare protocol, and hack away at the code. You feel like your killing an old friend, sawing away at its neck with a dull hand saw. Bugs come out from nowhere, users flee. And guess whos fault it is? …”Told you not to use that open source crap…We should have built it from the ground up…in my day, we used punch cards…”

PureEdit is only five days old, and the core idea is very original. Its neat and clean. It’s simple and does not have that incomplete feel other ’simple’ CMSs out there have. Im sure this is how most CMS start out, really flexible and simple. I think the trick is to not let it get bloated with ‘wonderful’ features. The core download should be as light and simple as possible, then users should be able to painlessly attach and remove features as needed. Micheal Dick (the developer) seems to be a very talented guy. I think he’s got really sharp innate marketing skill. Basically what he is doing is trying to sell ice to eskimos, and so far he is doing a good job at it. Im gonna keep tabs on this project, it could turn out to be something really cool.

It is often said that science and religion are like oil and water. But I think it is more than that. I believe a more apt analogy is Hydrogen and Oxygen. It’s an explosive mixture, and like any violent chemical reaction, it can be used for good or ill. Hydrogen and Oxygen mixed with other substances can be used to kill people or destroy property. Used constructively the reaction can be used to propel rockets into orbit, power automobiles, generate heat. Interestingly, the end result is always water. H20, the substance of life.

So following this analogy, any debate between science and religion seems stupid. It would be a lot like asking which is the better element, Oxygen or Hydrogen? Which is true? Oxygen or Hydrogen?

Furthermore, if we stop trying to use one to annihilate the other for a moment, and try to see where they are similar, we end up with very inspirational concepts.

For example:

The value of Time.

Religion tells us that our time on this earth is fleeting, temporary and should therefore not be spent foolishly. Science also tells us that time moves in one direction and cannot be reversed, and your lifespan is limited to a few decades to a century at best. Keeping this in mind, the only option is to make each passing second count. Always bear in mind that each breath you take could be your last, and so revel in the moment. Dont put things off for later, or tomorrow. Do it now and make it count. At the end of each day, before you close your eyes to sleep, you should be able to tell yourself that you lived the day to its fullest. If not then you have cheated yourself out of 24 hours. Make each day count.

The value of Love:

One of the basic concepts a religion teaches is to put others before yourself. Even the recently despised Scientology religion encourages it. Love thy neighbor as you love thyself. Do unto others as you want others to do unto you. The Golden Rule, foundation of ethics. In the science world it is known as altruism. One of the greatest paradoxes in life. Putting others before yourself gives meaning to your life, being selfless for selfish reasons. Good actions propagate through society and benefits everyone, evil actions propagate and harm everyone.

Freedom, Freewill, Social responsibility, Equality… the list goes on.

Set your goals high. Push yourself a 100% to achieve it. In anything that you do. a hundred percent. and when you fail, and you often will, perhaps more times than you will succeed. Revel in the pain. immerse yourself in it. Feel every second of it. Remember it, because it will make success all the more sweeter.

When you wake up in the morning, and you feel like staying under the sheets, praying for the weekdays to pass by quickly so you can get to the weekends, get up, go to the mirror, look yourself in the eye, and give yourself a hard slap in the face. Make each second count. Make each day the best day of your life. You deserve nothing less.