1 – How does everyone believe so strongly that they are in the right?

We often over simplify people in to two sides. Examples:

• Trump vs. Hillary
• Democrat vs. Republican
• Conservative vs. Liberal
• Christian vs. Muslim
• Abortion vs. Pro-Life
• Hitlers vs. Non-Hitlers

Doing so can make sense at a macro level, but it often doesn’t make sense at an individual level.  Yet I see so many attacks at an individual level using blanket labels. I often wonder if it’s somehow due to some facet of human nature that requires argument and confrontation.

More importantly though, how is it so many people are so confident in their position?  I often think about Nazi Germany ahead of WWII.  These days we consider Hitler as if he was evil incarnate, and rightfully so.  But Hitler did not steal power in Germany. The people elected him.  And though maybe controversial to say, I believe many of the political messages Hitler was spewing would resonate well in today’s America.  And so back to the simplified decision of “Hitler vs. Anyone Else”, many, many people chose Hitler. I believe they were unaware to what extent he intended to act on some of his beliefs, but regardless, they chose Hitler vehemently. To the extent that they bullied others that had reservations about that choice. How is it that people can be so confident in their stances that they forget history, and that the world is almost never black-and-white?

2 – Too Gentle to Live Among the Wolves

I bought a book of poems a long time ago when I was ~20 years old:

There Are Men Too Gentle To Live Among the Wolves
by James Kavanaugh

I really liked it, though a bit sappy in parts and sad in others.  However, the title and signature poem always stuck with me, and bothers me even to this day.

I am generally considered quiet. I’ll avoid confrontation unless there’s good reason to do otherwise. I am not a type A personality. I’m sure the vast majority of people meeting me would put me in with the sheep.  But I am not a sheep, and I refuse to be a sheep. I’ve seen the world, and the wolves are in control.

Does that make me a wolf in sheep’s clothing? I feel like an ass saying it, but if it ever comes to it, then the answer is yes.

3 – Christians and Muslims

This has been discussed ad nauseum, but this is my outlet, so I’ll write my thoughts anyways.

These two religions share more in common than they do not.  If we admitted the conflict was usually because of resources (land/oil/money/fear/etc), then I would understand it. But such major conflict because of subtle religious belief differences? It makes no sense.

I suspect one reason people are spouting religious intolerance is because we’re rarely precise in terminology. Some facts:

• Islam is not an intolerant religion. Only some of the minority fringe denominations are intolerant.
• Radical Muslims should be called terrorists, and they are in the minority. They represent a fraction of a percent of all Muslims.
• Saying these fringes represent the core of Islam is like saying ISIS represents all Muslims like the Church of Scientology represents all Christians.

I suspect another reason, and perhaps the stronger one, is that America (and many other world powers) are shifting back towards isolationism and protectionism.  It’s not going to work, but for now, “make USA great, and only USA” is the prevailing sentiment of the people in control.  In terms of race/religion/background, it the same as saying “make people like us great, and only people like us”.  We live in a global world now, more so than ever before in history, especially in terms of macro economics. Perhaps we could go backwards on that for a while. But unless we destroy ourselves in the meantime, I believe an eventual shift back to globalization is inevitable.

Many of same people spouting a fear of Muslims seem to believe America should be a Christian nation, and are unaware of the many important reasons for separating church and state, regardless of religious beliefs. I can only guess that they’ve never had to deal with a government that changes its religious leanings to something they disagree with. Either have I, fortunately, but I have read history books.

Another reason I’ve heard is that it’s for security: No muslims, no terrorists.  The statistics don’t support the logic of that argument, but it hones in on a fear for many. Especially those with minimal exposure to people of different ethnicity and religious backgrounds. These are often the same people that pulled themselves up in life, are fiercely independent, and believe in the need to protect themselves and their families. All valid and commendable. Except for the part whereby they don’t understand that the vast majority of people anywhere in the world want the same thing they do. Fear is a strong motivator. Maybe the strongest. And it doesn’t matter if it’s unfounded.

I have some friends in the military that are coming out strongly in support of the blocking of refugees and immigration from certain parts of the world.  If the only Arabs I ever saw were trying to kill me, I’d probably be biased too. It still doesn’t make it right.

I don’t put much stock in popular religious figures, or manuscripts written thousands of years ago that have been rewritten numerous times to fit current prevailing views, but I do find this excerpt from Muhammad’s last sermon to be relevant:

Hurt no one else so that no one else may hurt you.
All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by taqwa and good action.

To be clear though, I’m not a pacifist. There are times when war and violence is required.  But not often, not without serious consideration, and not because of petty religious or cultural differences. As has been demonstrated through human history and at every level of society, violence begets violence. In the current case, people didn’t wake up one day and decide to be terrorists, no matter how convenient that might be if it were true.  Two of my favorite quotes regarding war:

“I must study politics and war, that our sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy.” – John Adams

“Life is simply shades of grey. War is the greyest conceivable shade.” -Iian (online comment)

4 – Religion Customization

I find it interesting that many people will customize their religion to fit with their own personal beliefs.  I’ve noticed this since I was a kid. A great modern example is the current Catholic pope. Many conservative Catholics do not like him, and so they pick and chose which of his teachings to follow and fully support. I’m not saying they shouldn’t. I just find it interesting.

A much darker, and more extreme, example is ISIS.

5 – Infinite Greed

This is a thought that I haven’t been able to fully work out even for myself yet. It’s the idea that greed is subtlety driving many beliefs and motivations. I’m starting to think it’s almost at the same level as fear.

It’s a recurring thought I have while looking at Trump’s cabinet picks. I have a special interest in observing the actions of Andrew Puzder (Labor Secretary pick). I’ve been told by someone close to him that he’s a good man, a humble man, and I believe that was told to me with real sincerity. But his public views sound like self preservation to me, and at best, he seems out of touch with most people’s reality.  The only thing I can see his proposed policies doing is to help the rich get richer, and poor poorer. I strongly believe that free market capitalism has limits in its ability to support a stable society and we’re close to reaching them.  I don’t get the sense that Puzder would agree with me.

So on a more relevant level, I’ve been wondering how greed and fear are driving some of my closest friends. And perhaps, even myself.

If you think that doesn’t apply to you outside of facebook perhaps, then I would ask, do you like to blanket label people as liberal or conservative? If so, then I think it very likely does apply to you. Applies to me too, but I like to think I’m trying.

It’s definitely my choice to login to facebook, and I can (and do) ignore many things I see there. And no one ever asks my opinion, so I never give it. But I remember when facebook was primarily a place to share photos with family and friends, keep up-to-date with distant acquaintances, and maybe show off your life a little. Now, simply logging in puts so many things in my face that I don’t care about and or vehemently disagree with, that it has become counter productive to bother doing so. The ratio of my “that’s cool” to my “wtf?” thoughts has heavily skewed in the wrong direction. I suppose it’s highly dependent on one’s ‘friends’ list. But I’ve continually whittled my list down just to the people I care about, and it’s still toxic. That’s sad.

To my type A personality friends that are generally overly confident and loud in whatever they do (you fill up my facebook feed more than anyone else) … I’d ask you to remember that just because a person is usually quiet doesn’t mean they don’t have a very strong viewpoint on things. And quite possibly, a viewpoint different than your own. And they might be the type person that will defend their viewpoint if ever truly necessary. For as long as it takes.

In the meantime, as for me I’ll just try to ignore you unless you insist on making it impossible. I suspect there are more people out there like me.

These objects are connectors for combining Legos and Lincoln Logs.  Many more similar type connectors are available for download as part of the Free Universal Construction Set.

The UPS stores are using Stratus uPrint Plus SE printers. Maximum print size is 8 x 8 x 6 inches.

The UPS stores take .STL files.  I use Geomagic Design CAD (formerly Alibre) for creating custom models, but a simpler, cheaper option for designing models that can be exported to STL is SketchUp.  Cost is calculated based on how much material will be needed in cubic centimeters per their software, and printing is prepaid. Multiple colors are supported, but each color change incurs a $25 fee. These two pieces required about 3 hours to print and cost ~$40USD.

My test was to see if the resolution of the studs was enough to allow a solid Lego connection. Test successful.

• Aluminum-powder 3D-printed part
• Perspective on 3D printers from a mechanical designer
• MAKE: Ultimate Guide to 3D Printing (book… i have it if you want to borrow)
• What the Maker Revolution Will *Really* Look Like
• 3D Printers vs. The Sewing Machine

Previous Posts

• 3D Printing Links: #1
• 3D Printing Links: #2

“No developer that is proficient in both modern Java and Microsoft .NET, would choose to use Microsoft .NET for building new backend type systems.”  – Me

So it’s perplexing to me why there seem to be so many .NET based companies, at least in the local area.  I understand that using what the development team already knows and has experience with will trump most other aspects, especially in an environment that has already standardized on the Microsoft platform.  However, I don’t understand why more .NET developers don’t even try looking outside-the-box. I think they’d be amazed.

Not that long ago when interviewing and trying to win new consulting work, I would say that I was ambivalent to actual platform.  That was of course key to finding work since most environments already had chosen their platform, but I was truly proud of that way of thinking. I really didn’t care. I just wanted to build cool things and either platform made that possible to the same extent.

That is no longer the case. In fact, now if a team tells me they are using .NET, I will likely try to avoid working there.  .NET gets in the way of building cool things.  It’s not that it can’t be done.  (See stackoverflow for example.)  It just can not be done as quickly or as efficiently or to the same degree of excellence when using more modern techniques and tools.

It’s difficult to have a real discussion on this because very few developers have worked on both platforms in any real capacity (much less the alternatives like RoR, Grails, Node.js, etc).  It is also developer nature to have a strong bias towards whatever it is that was learned first and/or known best.  I consider myself one of the lucky(?) few to have toggled back and forth on these platforms a few times over the past 10 years, but I know I am biased as well no matter how hard I’ve tried to evaluate .NET objectively lately.

Here are just few of the reasons that I’ve become more set in my ways:

• Visual Studio is not nearly as productive as Eclipse, IntelliJ, or Netbeans.
  • I’ve been using VS 2012. From a pure UI performance perspective, 2010 and 2012 seemed like a step back.
  • With VS, it’s basically required to also purchase ReSharper. Even with ReSharper, the refactoring support doesn’t compare to that in the major Java IDEs.
  • VS is simply slow. This still surprises me because Java GUIs are not known for their responsiveness, and yet they are more responsive than VS for many operations, especially when using contextual navigation.
  • It really irks me when the VS UI becomes unresponsive (which happens often) while it does some other task. Some other task that should’ve been a background task not blocking the UI.
  • Coming from Eclipse especially, with it’s constant compiler, having to constantly save and build in VS is painful.
  • The VS continue-and-edit capability is weak when debugging ASP.NET apps. It provides a fraction of the features available with the standard JDT.  And much, much, less capability and efficiency if used to using JRebel with Java …especially on larger web type systems that take a while to start.
• All of the useful .NET development utility type libraries feel rough, incomplete, and generally just way behind the Java equivalents.  Some examples include NuGet vs. Maven, Hibernate vs. Entity Framework, and Spring IoC vs. Ninject.
• The .NET development community as a whole (and I’m generalizing heavily here), does not seem to have enough experience or sufficient background in building robust systems.  While there are bad developers everywhere (and probably even more in the Java camp due to larger community size, age of the platform, and a bias towards stagnant enterprise environments), what I’m referring to is the difficulty in finding good information and best practices online.
  • As just one example, it is very difficult to find definitive information on how to use transactions correctly in Entity Framework on ASP.NET MVC project.  Most .NET developers I’ve come across seem to assume that everything works out-of-the-box.  And in the case of not knowing your actual database transaction boundaries, it does work …most of the time.

Looking over this list so far, I’m not sure it’s really indicative of why it is I no longer enjoy using .NET personally though.  Maybe it’s the  little things. Like being able to attach a remote debugger to a runtime instance and profile with jVisualVM, or that there’s access to all sorts of excellent libraries like Apache HttpClient and Google’s Guava. Or that the Java concurrency package is light years ahead of anything in the .NET framework.

I’m not an Oracle fan.  I actually despise the company and their database. And I’m no Microsoft hater.  I have a significant interest and likes for many things coming out of Microsoft.  Also, note that I really have no concern for costs. (Though why, given all the above, companies choose to pay large amounts to Microsoft without at least a long-term objective intending to move off that development platform is beyond my intellect.)

If the developer horde did read this blog, then I’m sure I’d gets lots of comments of the sort “java sucks almost as bad as .NET you old timer. use <new-awesome-platform> instead”.  I’d refer those people to the excellent post by Zef, “Pick your battles“.

I simply want to build cool things that get used by real people who probably don’t care about the underlying technology. Better. Faster. Reliably.  For that reason, I no longer want to work with Microsoft .NET.

Alas, on Monday, I will once again head in to an office to do, you guessed it, work using .NET.

A summary of some of my favorite TED talks (and a couple of interesting related links) that I’ve watched. I’m fairly certain any one of these will be more interesting than whatever is on TV.

Excellent

• The Puzzle of Motivation – Dan Pink
• The Power of Introverts – Susan Cain
• Powerful Stroke of Insight – Jill Bolte
• Let’s use video to reinvent education – Salman Khan
• The Paradox of Choice – Barry Schwartz
• How your brain tells you where you are – Neil Burgess
• The Happy Secret to Better Work – Shawn Achor
• Why you will fail to have a great career – Larry Smith

Very interesting, but might be controversial for some

• The moral roots of liberals and conservatives – Jonathan Haidt
• Religions and babies – Hans Rosling

Not TED, but still very interesting

• What are some mind blowing facts about anthropology? – Quora
• The Scale of the Universe (v2) <— kids love this

I am not an expert in this field by any means.  In fact, I suspected this book and the ideas  presented would be somewhat controversial with people that are experts in health and nutrition.   So even though I was pumped after reading this book that I might have learned something new, I still went on the internet to read all the points and counter points.  …and wow.  It’s frustrating to read completely opposing (sometimes vehemently so) thoughts from people that are well respected experts on both sides.

It seems like this topic should be one of science with proveable theories, and yet so far, that seems not to be the case. Each side can present hundreds of “studies” to prove that their view is the only correct one. I have decided that for now, the choice will have to be made on faith as to whether or not I think the views presented in this book are valid.  At least for now.

Online reading material (for after you’ve read the book):

• What If Gary Taubes Is A Big Fat Liar? – PaleoPharm
• Gary Taubes response to George Bray – Dr. Michael Eades
• Gary Taubes receives money to prove/disprove his theories
• An exercise in vitriol rather than sound journalism
• Gary Taubes AMA on reddit (promoting new book on sugar industry, but still interesting)
• NuSI- The Nutrition Science Initiative

Miscellaneous

• Printing parts for IronMan
• 3D Printing & Art
• 9 Objects from, and 9 Facts about, 3D Printing

• Upcoming 3D Printers that Don’t Suck – Wired
• How 3D printing is revolutionizing guitar making

• 3D Printing is a Game Changer – The Atlantic
• 3D Printing: Difference Engine – The Economist – Potential upcoming legal issues

Previous post

• 3D Printing Links: #1

• What is 3D Printing?
• Wikipedia’s article on 3D Printing
  
  
• The 3rd Industrial Revolution
• An interview with Bre Pettis, CEO of makerbot
• 3D printer costs continue to lower

• The world’s first chocolate 3d printer

Popular Lower Cost Makers

• MakerBot
• BotMill
• Cubify (coming soon)
• Solidoodle (coming soon)
• Matrix of all printers under $20k

3D Printing Examples & Marketplaces

• The free universal construction kit

• Thingiverse
• Shapeways

Kids & 3D Printers

• Downloading Physical Objects
  • “What does Riley most want to print right now? ‘Another 3D printer,’ he said.”
• 3D Printing at Home
  • Concept uses the simple online 3D modeler “3DTin” for creating models. 3DTin is implemented with WebGL.

Technical Reference

• Guerrilla guide to CNC machining, moldmaking, and resin casting by Michal Zalewski
  • (Not 3D additive specific, but still some of most useful non cursory information on fabrication I’ve come across.  I keep thinking additive 3D printing could be very useful for creating the molds for more robust part fabrication.)

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Simplicity is the outward sign and symbol of depth of thought.

— Lin Yutang

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Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.

— Marcus Aurelius

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Things are not as they appear to be, nor are they otherwise.

— The Lankavatara Sutra or Surangama Sutra

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The opposite of the religious fanatic is not the fanatical atheist but the gentle cynic who cares not whether there is a god or not.

— Eric Hoffer

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I asked him if he would come up with a few options. And he said, “No. I will solve your problem for you. And you will pay me. And you don’t have to use the solution. If you want options, go talk to other people. But I’ll solve your problem for you the best way I know how. And you use it or not. That’s up to you. You’re the client. But you pay me.” And there was a clarity about the relationship that was refreshing.

— Steve Jobs on working with designer Paul Rand on the NeXT logo

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Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.

— Calvin Coolidge

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Cynicism is a sorry kind of wisdom.

— Barack Obama?

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Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.’

— Isaac Asimov

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Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God?

— Epicurus

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Because we don’t know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. And yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, an afternoon that is so deeply a part of your being that you can’t even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four, or five times more? Perhaps? not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless.

— Paul Bowles – The Sheltering Sky

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It’s like the universe screams in your face, ‘Do you know what I am, how grand I am, how old I am? Can you even comprehend what I am? What are you, compared to me?’ And when you know enough science, you can just smile up at the universe and reply, ‘Dude, I am you.’

— “philhellenes” on YouTube

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I sold [MicroSolutions] after 7 years and made enough money to take time off and have a whole lot of fun. Back then I can remember vividly people telling me how lucky I was to sell my business at the right time. Then when I took that money and started trading technology stocks that were in the areas that MicroSolutions focused on, I remember vividly being told how lucky I was to have expertise in such a hot area, as technology stocks started to trade up. Of course, no one wanted to comment on how lucky I was to spend time reading software manuals, or Cisco Router manuals, or sitting in my house testing and comparing new technologies, but that’s a topic for another blog post.

— Mark Cuban

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You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.

— Winston Churhill

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May the bridges I burn light the way.

—  Marko Rakar, a Croatian data activist
(But used previously by others, including Bass Clef & Dylan on the TV show 90210)

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European car companies build cars with the driver in mind.
Japanese car companies build cars with the car in mind.
American car companies build cars with themselves in mind.

— Unknown

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On Going Dutch: “When you pay for just yourself, you usually get what you pay for.”

On Language: “Unless our whole conversation is to be in Spanish, don’t lead off with ‘hola’.”

On Lady Luck: “Be wary of a woman who only shows up when you are winning.”

On Pick-Up Lines: “There’s a time and place for them. The time is never. You can figure out the place on your own.”

— The Most Interesting Man in the World
(Produced by the marketing firm Euro RSCG for Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery.)

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I like men who have a future and women who have a past.

— Oscar Wilde

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I have little doubt that when St. George had killed the dragon he was heartily afraid of the princess.

— G.K. Chesterton

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You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.

— Dr. Seuss

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Life is simply shades of grey.  War is the greyest conceivable shade.

— Iain
(A commentor on James Altucher’s blog post “Name a Single War that was Worth It”.)

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Remember: Write a wise saying, and your name will be remembered forever.

— Anonymous

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Things don’t have to change the world to be important.

— Steve Jobs

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