Technology in the turn of the century

Bonjour! I hope all is well with your good self and that life is beaming as gloriously as the sun in a filterless radiancey that is making you levitate with wonder. Onto something I have been pondering of late with the explosion of tablet computers; technology and its quantum leap into the 21st century. Experts say that Technology evolves in spans of exponential, concentrated growth. When I think about this and stage technology was at when I was a kid, I find it astounding to think where we might be in 50 years time. Hopefully I will be around to write a follow up to this then - or to 'speak a reply' to a device which records my words and translates it into text, to be then 'shared' on the internet which will be contained within our bloody contact lenses. It may sound outrageous but that technology is actually being developed as we speak. Some experts believe that in order for humanity to ultimately survive we must embrace cybernetics as the next progressive step in human evolution. Ironically voice-to-text software already exists however, like a great deal of technology available to the consumer today, it works about as efficiantly as Gandalf's 897 year old penis. We can 'send a man to the moon' but we cant get the internet to work on our phones properly? What a sham because lets be honest, its just not possible to whack off to 3 inch pictures that take 6 minutes to load. I remember the phone my grandfather had when I was a young boy. It was shaped like an upside down Christmas pudding bowl, the receiver propped up on four prongs and accompanied by a circular dialling reel system that makes dialling a number feel like you're powering up the warp core in the Starship Enterprise. How did we get to the point, in only a decade, that phones are now small enough to fit into our ears? The dawn of programmable computers in the 1930's began the slow burning fire that raged for nearly 35 years until the first notable explosion of exponential technological growth in the 1970's. The mushroom cloud of this new age flinted out the giant present day, corporate embers such as Apple & IBM for example. The 1990's streamlined computers into a household device. Now we walk around with them in the palm of our hands in the form of tablet computers - thinner than a 60 page pamphlet and with the capability to interact with like minded devices all around it through a virtual storage space nicely named 'cloud'; its seems the technology itself is indeed evolving also. Next up, Skynet and the rise of the machines? Exoskeleton suits of armour that allow a man to lift 200 times the weight of the strongest man, are currently in use; 3D faxing is in development. Shape shifting cars made of lightweight but almost impenetrable fabric is said to be the vehicle of the future. What about the technology of the human brain? On average we only use 10% of our neurological potential; what happens when we finally evolve to use the full power of the ultimate computer that sits protected behind the firewall of bone? Are the Hollywood movies of today really that far off? Is it too much to think that the computer technology of today, which is so advanced, so expensive and so complex, is an actual robot that will be able to think freely and walk and talk and move like a human being? Well, the walking, talking technological equivalent of the 90's is now in almost every household in the world in the form of a laptop or a desktop or tablet computer. We cant live without the technology of today anymore. We are moving forward at a dangerous pace and the next 50 years will encompass evolution of technology that will challenge those even with the most challenging of imaginations in this present day. Which leads me to my next post: Space & Time.

Dec

Kev Doyle explodes into Mixed Martial Arts with a 'Smash'

There was a crispness in the icy air about the Drumcondra Regency Hotel last night, not because of the impending winter or the fact that we've all felt the cold blunt of the inequities of the Irish government - rather, it was the rope that harbours a boat in the calm before a storm: taught with tension, morbid in its curiosity and unrivalled in its subsequent unleashing of fury. I was there for one reason and one reason only, to support a friend in a proverbial cock fight. Entering the Regency Hotel I didnt know what to expect but passing the threshold into the overtly professional setup electrocuted me back into the reality of just how serious this event was. 80 inch tv screens lined the walls with HD broadcast quality cameras following the in-the-ring-action, doctors at the ready, a fully kitted prep room and prefight interviews to boot: Mixed Martial Arts, man versus man in an octagon with nowhere to run and only your 8-ounce-glove-covered fists, knees and legs to prevent you from being beaten into the canvass; that is exactly what Kev 'smash' Doyle did in his official MMA debut. His opponent, Alan Skelly was a braver man than many, most would agree to face such a intimidating threat in the middleweight category of this modern medieval battle. It was the fourth fight of the night and for those who didnt know the chronological fight arrangement, but who have the pleasure of knowing Kev Doyle personally, they would have instantly known he was on his way to the ring when 'Why cant we be friends' blasted out across the arena as his entrance music, as ironic as his humour may be, there was nothing ironic about what was to come. They met squarely in the centre of their coliseum as the referee spoke of them the rules: 'No low blows, no tyson biting and even though you're both half naked and rolling around on the ground for the pleasure of hundreds of people, try not to get carried away' - im sure he said. They touch gloves and the fight is on. Kev moved forward like a steaming locomotive pile driving into Skelly with an unparallelled reckoning. Quickly going for the midsection and shutting down his opponents offensive, the reasoning behind Kev 'Smash' Doyles nickname became apparant in the form of an over the head bodyslam - the first of only 2 to happen in any of the fights of the night. Skelly hit the canvass with a thunder that could be heard in outer mongolia as the crowd winced at the sound of his body crashing down in a crumbling mess. Most would agree that from this moment the fight was over as Doyle squashed Skelly into the mesh corner trying to get full mount and delivered what can only be described as 4 absolute haymakers followed by a flurry of rabbit punches and straight face blows. However, Skelly managed, in credit to him to somehow get to his feet again. Kev maintained control and pulled a few punches in lieu of not sacrificing his advantage, steering the fight his own way. Kev then swung backwards on himself, twirling around to garner a more solid standing advantage. From there he bullied Skelly to the adjacent side of the octagon, maintaining his low center of gravity and completely disabling any intention that Skelly may have had to attack by going for the midsection again, this time only to deliver the second smash - hoisting Skelly 6 feet into the air and quite literally planting him head first into the hardened soil. From there Doyle seized his chance and pounced, getting full mount with ease and after careful calculation and surgical precision, delivered 11 splintering nuclear warheads to Skellys face that prompted the referee to step in and stop the fight, declaring Kev Doyle the winner. The rapturous applause of the coolmine bjj support resounded the Regency hotel with no words, rather euphoria for a man who not only beat his opponent, his own demons and what I can only assume were natural nerves, to transcend getting lost in his moment by walking over to Skelly who sat in the center of the octagon with his head hanging low and outstretching his hand; pulling him back to his feet. They say you should dress for the job you want and Doyles actions would suggest he wants to be the top dog as his attitude both in the ring and in a graceful, non complacent victory, points to only one thing - a potential Champion. However, He and his coach Luke Corcoran were the first to say to me personally that hype means nothing, its the training and the will produce success. Kev Doyle explodes into mixed martial arts with a 'Smash'...

A funny thing, is Life...

Long has the mystery of our existence been pondered. From the documented thoughts of the greatest minds to have ever lived, right through to those quiet, still and poignant moments in ourselves that keep our eyes wide in the dead of a sleepless night. We can traverse the globe in a matter of hours using great flying vehicles, we can perform incredibly invasive surguries and navigate through the most tender parts of the human brain with damageless results, yet still the most pertinent question eludes us: 'Why are we here?'. From the inception of human life, wherever that idea may lie, to the triumphs of humanity lies a void, a bottomless chasm that holds the answers to life on planet earth. Many believe that all is revealed when you pass away and many believe this is merely a stage in a series of never ending labrynth that sings our immortality. What do you believe? Have you ever allowed your mind to fall into the bottomless chasm in search for an explanation that is comprehensible to you? Have you ever thought of what lies beyond the sea of tranquility? Have you ever considered the miracle of life from its simplest beginning? Thinking of these things and conjuring your own conclusion, in my opinion is as valid as the theories of genius' such as Issac Newton or Albert Einstein. Why do I make such a bold statement?;Because as intelligent and educated as these great men were, the information available to them at the time was merely based on theory. Today, the same smokescreen faces every joe soap: look for answers about the moon landing and you will find conspiracies such that Stanley Kubrick was enlisted by the CIA to stage the moon landing, in an effort to suppress the Russians from winning the space race. You will find documents recently released by the FBI confirming that there was a UFO 'disk' recovered in Roswell in 1947 - You will even find cover ups that go so far as to theorize that there is an active alien base on the dark side of the moon and that the United States government and indeed the governments of the world, are in constant communication with alien forces to benefit mutual education. This post is not a fact finder on the conspiracies of the world but as we entrust ourselves to the media everyday through the form of newspapers, the internet and television, one cannot help but take a step back and come to the realisation that everything we know, everything we see, hear and read is a controlled perception of the reality that surrounds us. I believe the evolution of humanity has in a way, prevented itself from evolving further; imagine if greed, war and religious division was non-existent? Imagine the progress, imagine the lack of distraction we would obtain. How, in todays societies do we measure the success of our lives? Well that depends on whether you're a conformist or an independent. There in lies another problem, conformism aids involvement, acceptance - that warm fuzzy feeling you get when someone embraces you. So what is the cost of assessing yourself and standing your own ground and making your own decisions based of the facts that are presented to you? Does it REALLY matter if you walk past a group of strangers and they suddenly begin to snigger? Logically it shouldnt because you'll most likely never see them again however it is our innate desire to be accepted that propels so many of us into the norm. However, when you're lying at home staring at that black, dark ceiling and you're wondering where you're going to go when you die - things seem a litte different right? I cant recall a great many things about my childhood, at least in a way that gives me vivid access to its existence yet, I know and feel how I have grown - as do we all. My memories and feelings are locked centrally in a place that doesnt anatomically exist in my body. A funny thing is life, as we must ultimately meet the end. But I challenge you this, try to see the world as it is around you, not as it is shown to you. Look at the tree's and running water and think about the exactness of how every relevant essential to human life exists and does so through nature. Think about all of the mathematical equations it takes to calculate the success of something so grand as the earths formation, its containment of human life and its ability to protect that life from everything that surrounds it. Why are we truly here? To make millions and live like kings and queens? There was once no such thing as money. I personally believe that life is the trip down that bottomless chasm and that the answers do not lie at the end, wherever and whenever that may be - rather they are woven into the very fabric of the walls of that bottomless pit. And as we fall, we make the choices that create what our individual lives are ultimately about. Yes this was a longwinded way to say 'life is what you make of it', but when you accept your journey and your fate, life unravels itself as no great mystery at all. There is no meaning that we can yet comprehend. There is no destination but a void into which we must all step. The only question you must ask yourself is, 'what does life mean to me?' - and when you search the deepest part of your body that doesnt anatomically exist and you accept what you find; you will enjoy your freefall all the more. I do not know what happens when we die but I like to hope in something I once heard: That all of the things we learn on our journey, all of our experiences and our feelings; like running water, it must go somewhere...

Declan Greene