BRIN, David, The Future, Future Salon, Feb 5, 2014
<p class="MsoNormal" >BRIN, David, The Future, Future Salon, Feb 5, 2014</p>
<p>
Existence new book by David Brin exclt trailer....</p>
<p>
we are now getting water for free from the sky! DB jokes.</p>
<p>
4 days at NASA: Innovative and Advanced Concepts Group:</p>
<p>
eg giant inflatable telescopes... the fringe of the fringe.</p>
<p>
calamity struck in 1914... idiot grandsons of Q Victoria destroyed hope.</p>
<p>
the middle class in 1913 ws getting refrig, cars, electricity, gas cooking and they were hearing abt a future of flying thru the sky.</p>
<p>
1914: confidence crashed. read sci fi John Jacob Aster wrote a sci fi story and died on Titanic.</p>
<p>
in 1914 we started a downward spiral in war from which we emerged in 1943.</p>
<p>
4/5s of kids can turn off a light switch and go toschool; elecgrcity for a couple of light bulbs.</p>
<p>
avg per capita rate of human violence has gone down every decade.</p>
<p>
provokes an urge to correct pverty and violence... now...</p>
<p>
circle of compassion: who is "fair game" to kill.</p>
<p>
eg one Sioux family would kill another (when buffalo got scarce);</p>
<p>
satiation and lack of fear push down the boundaries of inclusion...
(abundance makes room for wider circle of compassion)</p>
<p>
we have a window of opportunity to exapnd this whole process...
why no tinclude the whole planet in our calculations;
we are the first gen to worry abt the planet and its resources;</p>
<p>
(in audience: Monica A, Stan Knutson qv (working at SAP)m Miguel Azi., Steve O, John Smart,)</p>
<p>
the R and L political axis should be lobotimized (for no other reason that that it's French, he jokes)</p>
<p>
self-righteous indignation... the worst and ;;most damaging addiction... and it is destroying the USA.
Something will replace Pax Americana.</p>
<p>
The RIGHT... there is no need to make progress; there is NOT a world to save;</p>
<p>
if something horrible happens, the disparity could come to a fast end;</p>
<p>
* he starts slides</p>
<p>
can we avoid old failure modeslll eg COLLAPSE by Jard Diamond...</p>
<p>
in most civilizaitons: golden ages were in the past and we fell because of
hubris....
but now we look forward to a golden age in the future...</p>
<p>
1983... he called it The Great Silence....</p>
<p>
Drake Equation: intelligence may be rare;
he's looked at haundreds of explanations for Fermi Paradox...</p>
<p>
but maybe it is L - life space of civ. perhaps TRAPS await us in the future....
Teller: this will chasten us... this will make us avoid war...
(we were scheduled for global annihil in the seventies but it did not happen!
the mushroom cloud alters our perception)
1968... Kennedy death etc. terrib le year... but then EArthrise from the Moon;</p>
<p>
slide: progress in visualization, memory, attention</p>
<p>
slide disruptive techs providek crises of progress:
1400 to 1600 printing, glass lens, perspective</p>
<p>
1700s: mass literacy, printed illustraiton
science, democracy</p>
<p>
19th century: mass education , public libraries, photogr, cinema, global connection</p>
<p>
20th cent memory (computing, DB); TV; abstraction</p>
<p>
21st centry: knowledge mesh;
omni-v eillance super-vision
visualizaiton, simulation and gaimg (super-mmersion)</p>
<p>
we are tepidly being dragge dinto saving gthe world...</p>
<p>
we never refuse new tools (despite, condemnations)</p>
<p>
is it COLLAPSE jard diamond... (but he preaches renunciation)</p>
<p>
how abt scary success.. (ie the Singularity</p>
<p>
but will it be good or bad... (but we have Vernor Vinge in San Diego... he jokes)</p>
<p>
John Smart... he says... thinks it will happen in 30-40 years...</p>
<p>
Goldman Sachs.... stock trading... secret, voracious, ferocious and parasitic... TRADING!
(more money than DoD)</p>
<p>
humans: long childhoods... suppose you must...</p>
<p>
natural human socila order: lords vs peasants</p>
<p>
the default pyramidal society</p>
<p>
the classic stuc in 95% of societies....</p>
<p>
Adam Smith KNEW who the enemy was... feudal lords...</p>
<p>
verssu a dynmaic creative middle class and positive sum games...</p>
<p>
we have the delusion that we can erase pverty....</p>
<p>
want the whole playing diamond to rise... the middle class (no dynastic wealth)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>
The Transparent Society...</p>
<p>
duirng next ten years... it will be decided... Big Brother vs Open Society...</p>
<p>
Can you blind the mighty? NO! (cannot poke out the eyes of a baboon in the zoo... he won't let you do it.)</p>
<p>
Tell the Mighty.. Strip! essenc eof sousveilaance... </p>
<p>
Exorarum Concept he mentions Arthur C Clark Imagination (at UCSD) a new program...</p>
<p>
We'll make our OWN diversity... difft kinds of humans...
we find wome way to be difft and interesting...</p>
<p>
villain expresses intolerance in some way (if he kicks a dog... he's gonna die)</p>
<p>
main characgter ahs some eccentrcity... and some authority figure has to be confronted....</p>
<p>
all your neighbors are sheep... ()</p>
<p>
we will bring in AI to make things interesting...</p>
<p>
foresight? the "lamps on our brows"</p>
<p>
another thing humans do well... RESILIENCE...</p>
<p>
Moses: lamps on our brows... (closest word was HORNs! usu. depicted as HORNs on the head of Moses...
no.. it was Lamps on our brows)</p>
<p>
every generaiton of Americans has to prove that we have the guts to survive and win...</p>
<p>
most important concept tonite: positive sum game! everybody wins....</p>
<p>
Drakes Eqn: does a filter await us..</p>
<p>
Spiderman... saves New Yorkers until (in the last scene) New Yorkers save Spiderman....</p>
<p>
Athenian democaray of Pericles... when it fell... it was crushed ofr 2000 years....</p>
<p>
what will happen if we fail... if the lords succeed and crush the masses...
they may have the power to kill it for 10,000 years...</p>
<p>
what if WE are the ones whoa re both fated and duty bound to light up the galaxy?</p>
<p>
)good luck..... but he says.. Buck Up! carry the burden! it is an important responsibility.. we MUST succeed!</p>
<p>
*</p>
<p>
Q1: what makes you think Big Brother will be locked in forever?
A: lie detector technology... once u perfect that... then just interrogate the rebels and lock them up
A he hates the "resurrection of the Civil War" the right wing oligarchs are trying to stymie every single American institution.</p>
<p>
but (on the + side) are the billionaries who like the fact that they have lots of middle class engineers to hire.
they want their taxe sincreased and they like the diamond shaped culture...</p>
<p>
tools of oppressiona re growing close...</p>
<p>
Q what would you DO to fend off Big Brother
A we need to be militatnt abotu SEEING... watching the watchmen! </p>
<p>
the only recourse you ahve when you confront authority is the TRUTH... taking cellphones...
soembody else caught it on his cell phone (cop smashing cell phone)</p>
<p>
Q can we make + change...
Kevin Kelly... conversaiton tonight... can amateurs do it...</p>
<p>
comment: we were obsessed with narrow zones of specializaiton... massive volumes of Index Chemica...</p>
<p>
but nowadays we have Google....</p>
<p>
I am accuse dof being a cuckoo optimist...
but Iknow how rotten human beings are... savagery and viciousness...
but to live in California now with healthy kids....</p>
<p>
Q suppose intelligence is maxed out and how about network effects (people netowkred together, eg at Unviersities)</p>
<p>
Q peer to peer commodity (to assure some aabundance)...</p>
<p>
4 arenas of creativity: competition </p>
<p>
but to liberals (as opposed to leftists) they want FAIR compeititon;</p>
<p>
markets, democracy, science and law courts.... the more open it is... the better they work;</p>
<p>
ultimate dream of Marxists and Libertarians if the same.... with a faint govt to keep things fair...</p>
<p>
we point out each others mistakes.... your enemies will point out your mistakes for free.</p>
<p>
aud comment: your PEER network is hugely important for RESILIENCE... who will help you come back...</p>
<p>
he loves his cellphone.... peer to peer text capability if no cell tower
wants QCOM to do that....... we would hold together even if</p>
<p>
The Postman... movie....</p>
<p>
Deep dialog....</p>
<p>
disputation arena must have that on the internet...</p>
<p>
high error rate in markets but lots of creativity....</p>
<p>
call to confrontation that cannot be refused... the market competition....</p>
<p>
the internet is new.... David really wants good ideas to prosper rather than being drowned out by crap....</p>
<p>
Q how do u deal with all those cat videos and distractabiliyt?</p>
<p>
</p>