Sunday, September 25, 2011

Face to face and Social Networks



Today's perception of social networks has evolved in large part due to the advent of the Internet.  One on one meetings and encounters are occurring less frequently as technology evolves to facilitate business meetings, satellite conferences, virtual office, Facebook, even Google's maps, where you get a ground level view of almost any street in every major and not so minor city.  The Internet and now the Cloud, is the keeper of social relationships.  Shut the system down and a virtual or literal paralysis ensues.


world internet stats
link
So where does that leave the up-close-and-personal, relationships.  Even the intimate dating services are finding more effective ways for people to size other people up before considering whether or not that is the right person for them; to take it a step further, the reality television also makes assumptions about how to pair people under false pretenses to some degree.  But there are multiple positions to consider in the web of social networks.

One aspect of the networks is how they are bringing people together, flash mobs, social rebellion, research and fact finding (such Julian Assange founder of WikiLeaks), forming a more effective force against other organized forces; those forces may be government, business leaders, or simply young adults using technology to have what they consider fun.  While incidents in London represent more anarchy and dissidents than development of social networks, they nonetheless play an important role in history and the continued evolution of social networks.  And while academia does not consider Wikipedia a valid sources for citing references for authoritativeness in documentation, they are using a system similar to that of major corporations-- and Wikipedia is the epitome of what social networks have the potential to achieve.

But another view of social networks is more conventional and extends back as far as we can trace the elements of human and other animal nature- or all living organisms.  Social networks of this sort have allowed various living organisms to survive millions of years; they have thrived and evolved as a result of their organization and communication around their habits.  Such behaviors have allowed them to reproduce and increase their population over time.  Another attribute of the more conventional method of social networking is the important of capturing the nuances in ones expressions, variations in their voice, and body movements as the mind reads and interprets all of these actions; that ability makes our brains faster than IBM's BlueGeen/ L.  (360 teraflops).  The reason this is significant is that as humans, we need stimulation and interpret multiple environments like no other mechanism in the world.  People need people, despite the amazing accomplishments of technology.

Though I am active on twitter, facebook, blogging etc., there is no substitute for friends coming over for a glass of wine; nothing like the smell of new born breath, the air at 14,000 feet from a Colorado mountain top or the memories of traveling down long dirt roads to visit our great grand parent's farm; and the miracle of first time experiences like scuba diving.  If technology replaced all of those function with a virtual experience, all the Google maps in the world would not serve as a viable substitute.  That being said, the following is also true.  The combination of technology and the human experience takes us to a whole other level.


Technology has granted me the benefit of Couch Surfing, as a result, I can enjoy my human experience in different parts of the world with other like minded people; Meetup serve a similar purpose, allowing me to partake in various activities that I might otherwise do alone with people who share a similar interest in (wine tasting, playing music, hiking mountains, the list is endless-- really!).  And crowd sourcing is the technological advancement that helps these ideas and networks spread and take root in society.


Wikipedia is both a solid social network with multiple expert contributors making entries as well as a exemplary example of new-to-the-scene, crowd sourcing.  doc not have been   In some instances the assembly of such groups helps to create a better sense of solidarity.

If I had to choose at this point in my live I will always select the pleasure of having the human experience but knowing that I can indulge in both brings me great happiness!  And anyone who knows me knows that I live to be happy.

My happy parting advice to all of my readers: whether you find more happiness in conventional social networks or virtual networks, identify 10 things that make you happy, promise yourself that you will do at least one of them each day; and you will be happy for the rest of your life.


Saturday, September 24, 2011

Networks and Economic Struggles?

Online the Economist wrote, "The IMF has cut its forecasts for economic growth in its twice-yearly World Economic Outlook. It expects world GDP to increase by 4% in 2011"  .  The research suggest that growth rates have been revised from .1 of a percent to .9 of a percent in different countries.

Evidence of this hard to accept reality, hit home when someone very important in my life, informed me that they would be filing for bankruptcy.  Sometimes the seemingly most unfortunate choices are the best choices, if in such a troubling predicament.  But what has this to do with networks?

After speaking with this friend, she informed me that she went to the federal tax collection agency and stated that the very first question they asked was if she had any affiliation with any social network.  Really!  Since when is who I socialize with or what group I am connected with related to my reconciliation with my back taxes?  As far as I am concerned federal agencies including our political leaders and revenue collection services could just as easily be investigated for malfeasance.  Why? Simply because the wealthy are paying a smaller percentage of taxes than ever before.  At one point in the U.S. the tax rate for the wealthy was nearly 90%. Today with tax loopholes and write-offs, the expense for the wealthy is significantly reduce.  And they pay (at least in the U.S.) is 15% on capital gains.  In contrast, more than 15% of the U.S. population is at or below the poverty level ((2010 U.S. Census), granted that our poverty level is still well above undeveloped nations).

Essentially if you are poor, you are required to reveal more and more about yourself, losing control of your privacy, than if you are wealthy.  However I do not like to use scare tactics to address an issue.  Both Fox and MSNBC hosts of various programs do plenty of shouting and finger-pointing-- attempting to drive fear, while also providing some useful information.  But fear should not be the driver behind making tough choices.

Networks play an important role in our society.  From Palestine to Libya, from Sudan to the United States, from Japan to the Caribbean; social networks help us learn more about what is happening in the world around us.  Maintaining that privacy is critical to feeling a sense of security.  Despite that exploitation of online organization like Facebook and others, networking gives us a sense of interconnectedness.

The fact that I can touch people in Estonia, Japan, Africa, the British Isles, and different parts of South America, from my blog indicates that technology is not really separating us (as was once thought with personal electronic musical devices and mobile telephones).  I respect the confidentiality that my followers deserve, and expect to some degree- I would imagine.  At the same time ( and I don't want to sway back and forth here) I understand the importance of security from violent acts, in any form; from groups that want to act out maliciously, to individuals who bring harm to innocent members of society.  So monitoring is important.  What do I hope for then and where do I stand?

It would be great if the public were more involved in the decision-making.  Just like successful corporations, the government could crowd-source top decisions to come up with truly democratic decisions.  Granted that not everyone has access to technology, but there could potentially be ways to address that as well by looking at algorithms perhaps.

With all of the challenges we face as individuals, it is important that we continue to monitory decisions that are affecting our lives- especially with the advent of so much political turmoil in effect.  When chaos is in play, it is easy to look for answers from people who are purporting to be experts and leaders who are suppose to be performing on our behalf.  This is in no way a request that there be any type of civil disorder, rather that we maintain a watchful eye on policy changes that circumvent the people process.  There was an excellent piece on National Public Radio (npr[ a U.S. broadcast), about how susceptible we are to opinions, when we are seeking answers or disorder is present.  Don't panic, do your research, and use your voice by being active in what actions by anyone (friends, politicians, or experts) influence your life.  Doing so will help curtail the negative impact regulations have on open social networks.

ps happy birthday Jim Henson

Monday, September 12, 2011

Life without Microsoft-- Linux

Choices.  Academic, personal, social, there are so many choices.  Combine choices with fear; and you can go into a type of psychological paralysis in making simple decisions about any of the above categories.  In fact, choices are not necessarily the difficult task, but the fear of making choices is.  More unfortunate is that fear (when managed methodically) can control how we behave, react and live.  From the fear of terrorist attacks to choosing not to use certain operating systems; we sink in our courage to stand up to what is unjust or perhaps we fail to stand up because we want to be as comfortable as possible.  Tonight is different; though it can be said, for me every day is different.  Not one to follow the normal crest on the wave, I dumped Microsoft this evening with the help of a new and very good friend.

I took up the Linux system; and if you are not familiar with Linux, make it a point to learn about it.  While I will say that the process is rather time consuming (largely due to my slow internet connection), learning and observing the process of upgrading my operating system (OS) from MS to Linux was the best decision I every made from a technology perspective.  But other decisions led up to that which cannot be ignored.

I took time off from graduate school to work on writing my book.  Other things came up and leading to this summer being one of the best I have had in my entire life.  People I met, places I have and am going, decisions I've made, have all played a role in the shedding of MS to Linux.  I am a firm believer in the power of subatomic particles developing an organic attraction to other subatomic particles in a way that brings people and systems together that would otherwise not occur; it influences our decision-making in many ways to respond to the nature of those subatomic particles that behave in similar ways.  It is the very conversation that lead to a conversation with my physicist friend who also installed my new operating system.  Were it not for these deep conversation there is a strong possibility I would never have had the opportunity to install Linux on my computer.

Not that it is critical to know, but Linux is much less susceptible to viruses, less resource consuming, more efficient and as simple to navigate as the system I was previously using.  In fact, I have more space on my hard drive, more efficient use of my hard drive and more choices for how I use my computer than every before.

Granted that I have a physicist willing to take the time to walk me through the installation and set up of Linux, but I would be willing to share the experience and the process for installing Linux over the more traditional OS any time.

I no longer have a fear of whether or not the system will work; fear of losing my programs or documents because the majority of people are using another OS; I have taking the confidence of my decision-making up a notch, because quite simply, I am not one to follow the pack. 

We have all choices to make; don't be blinded by the system set up to keep you in fear or create patterns that prevent you from exploring; whether that means exploring life, cultures, science, or different technology.



One translation of Ubuntu, I am what I am because of who we are (from Wikipedia).  This is the source of the Linux OS which I installed.  Open source is an important framework from which the Internet was modeled as well as the networks it sustains, some elements have reemerged as a result of the Internet.  As new systems emerge, it is important to exercise the liberation of the social network of the Internet which more resembles society at large.  Moreover it resembles what somewhat reflects the nature of the Earth, that everyone take ownership of and is able to participate in the development and maintenance of it.

It is my belief that the human experience is suppose to be general, but develop an expertise; better yet, be a great generalist with expertise in multiple areas- you will increase you intellectual capital.  I am as grateful for my beginning education in epidemiology and environmental engineering as I am to have Linux as an alternative to the other OS; for without either, I would not have be able to be where I am today.  Knowledge is power, and my epi experience has granted me insights into life I never would have known. 

I continue to be as happy about life and my experience in it as I can possibly be.  I am free for fear regardless of what tomorrow brings; I am embracing the moment...right...now.

If you have the opportunity to installing a new OS such as Linux, do it.  I can't promise you will be as happy as I am, but then you will have to make your own choices-- won't you.

Good fortune to all!