I recently learned about a project that aims to fully model a human brain on a supercomputer. This sounds pretty far off, but they've already mastered a full section of a rat's brain. Given how quickly processing power is growing, the 10 year goal stated by the project's leader, Henry Markram, doesn't sound all that unbelievable considering what they've accomplished up to this point. If you're interested in the science or philosophy of the brain, there is a very cool talk on TED. I really like how Markram has some very simple yet thought-provoking ways to think about the mystery of consciousness.
I personally believe that consciousness is intrinsically tied to the physical universe in some magnificent way that we cannot even fathom. Our separate approaches to understanding each one might not be the best way to go about finding a "theory of everything". If you think about it, the Big Bang and consciousness are uncannily similar. Their existences are self-evident and their origins are completely inexplicable... Food for thought.
It's been a long time since my last post so I just wanted to check in. As some of you might know, I recently made the move to San Francisco (last September). I have to say it's been an extrememly positive change from LA. While I don't want to delve too deeply into the intrastate rivalry that California is so famous for, I do understand the (often stark) differences between NorCal and SoCal much better now. I'll just give a quick list of (non-social) improvements:
everything is local, no more driving 45 minutes for a simple errand
public transit rules (in case it's too far to walk)
food is cheaper and better
fine IPA and great wines are more readily available
oppurtunities for photography (besides celebrities ;) ) are endless
everyone is in tech
outdoor activities within 1 hour
Regarding the people... this is little more complex. Many will argue that LA is known for superficial folks driven by fame and looks. That might be true to an extent but San Francisco also has its fair shair of superficiality, it's just based on different tenets. Fixed-gear bikes (in one of the most hilly cities on earth) are prevelant, the foody/organic/vegitarians are way more in your face, and I do think the NorCal pride is a little more intense than down south. That being said, San Francisco dominates in non-Hollywood arts and the amount of "old money" vs. the "new money" that is splattered all over LA makes it seem more like a Northeastern city of culture. I like this because in addition to hip, there are opportunities to see some of the best ballet and opera in the world for example.
Anyway, I can go on and on but I'm not. I have a few other posts I've been wanting to make on more concrete topics so stay tuned!
If 411 is a multi-billion dollar per year industry, then why can Google give away GOOG-411 for free? Because every time someone calls it and says something, Google records their voice and matches it to the business name to build a more robust voice recognition system. After a few years of collecting, this database is worth millions and millions. In effect, the caller is doing labor for Google while perceiving that they are using a free product.
If you think this type of stuff is interesting, you should check out the book Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business by Chris Anderson. It's full of interesting ideas about the internet and it's seemingly cost-free nature. I'm only half-way, but I have to say it's caused a lot of discussion so far...
The debate will always* rage between Mac and PC users. I'm not going to go into my personal beliefs here except to say that I was once a Windows enthusiast, and now I'm a Mac enthusiast.
Today I read a great article by John Gruber at Daring Fireball about the state of Microsoft in the face of an ever growing competitor in its core marktet. I would recommend reading it. It definitely addresses a lot.
One of the things to keep in mind that I have noticed about Mac and PC television ads lately is this: Mac ads try to sell their state of the art operating system and computers while PC ads basically try to talk people into buying a cheaper computer so that they'll be stuck with Windows. They don't even care what brand you buy... they barely even say anything about Windows at all.
I came across this article in the New York Times last night and thought it was the best pro-Twitter article I've read yet. I have to admit that for me personally, it has been difficult to embrace Twitter and find meaningful ways to use it. However, I think I do understand the utility and disutility it can provide.
A lot of people I know who are not super internet savvy will quickly dismiss Twitter as a fad. More often than not they say something like "it's just a useless stream of personal anecdotes that I don't care about at all". This is true for many Tweets, such as "Walking the dog!", but not all of them. Like any form of electronic communication, Twitter has signal and noise. I think Twitter can be likened to an FM signal, and users/aggregators are like tuners, able to pull the proper channels of interest.
I think that even though I have not personally added much signal strength to Twitter, I am nontheless excited about what it has to offer. There is no doubt that Twitter can provide useful and timely information in a way that's never been done before. Next time you see hundreds of cops in your neighborhood, or there's a forest fire coming your way, just search Twitter and maybe you'll find out what's happining. I think after this I'm going to follow some cool people, and maybe the Korean BBQ truck around here that everyone talks about: @KogiBBQ.
