Bill MacKenty
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When it comes to questions concerning the nature of Reality, philosophers and theologians have the answers. Philosophers have the answers that can't be proven right. Theologians have the answers that can't be proven wrong. Whatever the natures of Reality and the human condition may be, our understanding can only be improved by thinking about them. I therefore invite you to do so.
Redis, message queues and the Producer-Consumer Model
Building a space system for pennmush is way more fun than it should be, and I'm ignoring other work I should be doing. I'm also learning about redis....
AI Is a Language Microwave
An article in The Atlantic adds to our important conversation about chatGPT and education. My (non-chatGPT generated) reaction below...
ASW school use of AI
My school (American School of Warsaw) has developed an excellent guide for use of AI in education
The changing nature of conflict in an era of drones
I am an amateur historian, and have found a thoughtful analysis entitled "UKRAINE AND THE PROBLEM OF
RESTORING MANEUVER IN CONTEMPORARY WAR". I have been quite curious how drones have been used to the east...
The future of NATO
An excellent opinion piece in the NYT by Farah Stockman on the future of the NATO alliance...
How much is a place?
The Quantara Nexus lay within a very interesting intersection which isn't really an intersection...
The making…
The making, the building of a thing...
As things go….
Far and away the easiest thing to do is be lazy and not give a shit. a retreat into the nothing...
Primitive us, God-like tech. Part 3
The Rise of God-Like Technology includes tools which significantly enhance or surpass our scope...
Primitive us, God-like tech. Part 2
The primary evolutionary purpose of the reptilian brain is to ensure survival through basic mechanisms, but that part of our brain isn't everything we are only part of who we are.
Primitive us, God-like tech. Part 1
As we evolve, everything that comes before stays. There are no "clean breaks" in human growth. That is the fucking problem...
A lot of writing lately
I've been doing a ton of writing for an interesting project. I can't wait to share it with you. I've also been developing setting for a far-future science fiction...
The volume of the fringe…more science fiction
Regular technology users are easier to sequester, easier to understand. Control? Maybe not. But if you are a heavy technology user, you can be nudged...
Transcend and Include - the future will have part of the past in it….
When we think about science fiction, or our futures, we should include Ken Wilber's ideas that evolution and growth transcend and include that which came before...
What about the future, what about science fiction?
What is our future in 100 years? 1000 years?
Sabbatical update 2
More people should do this...
Project management tools
What a mess. Pricing models are all wrong. Trello seems to have the most common sense...
Sabbatical planning
A rare and welcome opportunity to deeply recharge, learn and reflect...
A mostly terrible time
On being a parent to a teenager...
on postfix…
Setting up a dedicated email server, capable of sending and receiving email on behalf of other domains is not easy for those not accustomed to such matters...
just trying to make it to vacation…
With two days left until christmas vacation, we are all trying to get to the end of the week with grace, humour, and high-energy
Sabbatical learning - part 2
How to best set the stage for new learning?
Sabbatical learning - part 1
The plan for learning
update from Poland
A Russian missile strike in Poland...
saying goodbye to an idea
This is actually a thing...
No peace without balance of power
Personally and politically, this seems like it may be true.
The original hum
A sound before our mother's heartbeat?
Early morning
The early morning is magic. Quiet, still, and a time to focus prior to the cacophony of the day.
Letting go / picking up
Sometimes we need to let things go to make room for new ideas.