So I read again my blog post about Schmidt and Jobs and have a feeling of guilt. I put both names in the heading something he would have hated, I know more about him now than I did previously, however, I still stand by my comment he was no genius in the Einstein sense of the world; an individual who discovered something radically new.
He should though be acknowledged for his bravery and perfectionism. There are few people who want to excel in the world who want to do their best, Apple succeeds more than anything because people are committed to producing the best quality products they can, not just delivering at the lowest cost. His adulation is also a sad reflection on our world where too many products are produced at the lowest possible cost, where perfectionism isn't aspired too.
In many ways I am sure he was not a particularly nice man, I would dare to say Bill Gates is probably a more decent human being, but Steve Jobs would always be more interesting. Bill wants to please you as does Microsoft, Apple want to show you and dazzle you. They reflect their owners and founders so clearly.
He resents Mr Gates not for his success but for leaving before he could beat him, for not allowing him to have that feeling of success and fulfilment.
Great men such as Steve are different to the rest of us, it is that capacity to succeed massively or fail, that ability to take risks that most of us would not dare to, that ability to gamble their lives, their careers on a belief, they maybe wrong or right but they will do it. When they win we adore them, when they fail we ignore them. On my way to work I walked past the apple store on the first day and there sitting at the side of the road was a tramp drinking the last dregs of his beer. There are many men who gambled like Steve and will have a very different ending to their lives.
So he was no genius not in the sense of the word I understand: an individual who discovered something radically new. He was though a great man, a great builder of companies, a great developer and recruiter of talent and he was a perfectionist. The world needs more perfectionist and thanks for giving us the great perfectionist of the iage.
I salute you Steve even though you perhaps would not like my blog posts.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
Mr Schmidt/ Steve Jobs
So Mr Schmidt decides to give the UK the benefit of his knowledge and experience and lecture us. In many ways he was completely right but in other ways he was 100% wrong. America doesn't produce originality, America doesn't produce the great thinkers it should, America is a country of implementors and spenders. It is not a nation of inventors. Now a country of implementors in the manner of China and the USA is what ultimately deliver wealth but truly America needs quirky countries like the UK.
Countries that produce outrageous genius, that experiment with idiotic ideas such as our 30 year experiment with the comprehensive system. These countries produce people that think a different way, that come up with the idea of the internet. The UK is a loser as it doesn't do as Mr Schmidt says, but the world is a winner. The more we all become American the more creativity dies in the world. Creativity requires variety and experimentation. The truisms he spoke do lead to great break throughs they deliver implementors.
Mr Jobs was the ultimate implementor, the ultimate business man. He took great ideas from others, the mouse, the mp3 player and simply did them better than anyone else. He was not a genius in the true sense of the word, someone who radically changes the world with fundamentally new ideas no one has thought of, he is the implementor who takes the ideas of others and shows the world the true potential of them. Perhaps that is genius i am just showing my prejeudice.
The world is a poorer place with out its ultimate implementor, who changes the world the implementor or the ideas man? The chicken or the egg. I don't know, but i know who i worship it is the ideas man/woman. They are the insane crowd, the people on the edge, the people going against society, those that risk scorn in their own time, those that push their brains to the limit.
America produces too few true ideas men, and the UK produces far to few implementors, but in the unequal exchange there is only one winner and that is the US.
Countries that produce outrageous genius, that experiment with idiotic ideas such as our 30 year experiment with the comprehensive system. These countries produce people that think a different way, that come up with the idea of the internet. The UK is a loser as it doesn't do as Mr Schmidt says, but the world is a winner. The more we all become American the more creativity dies in the world. Creativity requires variety and experimentation. The truisms he spoke do lead to great break throughs they deliver implementors.
Mr Jobs was the ultimate implementor, the ultimate business man. He took great ideas from others, the mouse, the mp3 player and simply did them better than anyone else. He was not a genius in the true sense of the word, someone who radically changes the world with fundamentally new ideas no one has thought of, he is the implementor who takes the ideas of others and shows the world the true potential of them. Perhaps that is genius i am just showing my prejeudice.
The world is a poorer place with out its ultimate implementor, who changes the world the implementor or the ideas man? The chicken or the egg. I don't know, but i know who i worship it is the ideas man/woman. They are the insane crowd, the people on the edge, the people going against society, those that risk scorn in their own time, those that push their brains to the limit.
America produces too few true ideas men, and the UK produces far to few implementors, but in the unequal exchange there is only one winner and that is the US.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Our future and our solution
The most striking thing about the News International, News of the world scandal was not the disgust I felt at the journalists and their contempt for humanity and the rule of law, but how poorly educated and completely dull the elite that mix with each other are.
News International was run by a lady with minimal education and quite simply an intellectual embarrassment. An elite must exist but that which dominates our society now is intellectually humiliating, and they were courted by politicians of all parties. She doesn't surround herself with intellectuals, David Cameron doesn't meet the great thinkers of our day, he meets a fairly poorly educated, but by some accounts nice lady. I would much prefer a man or woman who met with scoundrels, thinkers, whores and anarchists than someone who meets with nice, dull and intellectually vacant individuals. We continually moan about broadening access to elite institutions, I worry more about how embarrassingly stupid our elite seem.
So what are the solutions to our malaise?
1 Intellectual thought
We need a way of ensuring scientific studies and analysis are open to all. That people are taught to think generally and in a detailed manner, that the acquisition of knowledge is our duty. A human must play, but also study. Too many humans are kept in a child like state like puppies only ever playing. They have children and view this as their only commitment to serious thought. They frequently like Jeremy Clarkson espouse his worries about the decline of British industry yet who does he surround himself with, the Chipping Norton set, nice people he says, but intellectually dull individuals who do very little. They talk about sausage rolls for Christ sake, no wonder our country is in a mess. Our elite need to challenge themselves, work harder, stop just playing but play harder, work harder and look for intellectually stimulating individuals who push them. Not like minded individuals who do nothing, yet make a living from their personalities and networking.
2 Mechanics of our system
We need to be honest about the mechanics of our system. We have a capitalist society with varying degrees of democracy. Some countries such as Italy, Russia, China and Saudi Arabia have chosen a different path away from the liberal norms of north America and north Europe. Capitalism is a great wealth generator but decision making is increasingly flawed due to the short term nature of stock markets and the increasing juvenile nature of adults. We are also reaching the stage where long term decisions are increasingly important and democracy seems incapable of making them. We need to be more honest about our failures and those countries such as Italy which are not really Democratic and parts of Italy are similar to those failed or struggling states in South America. The Asian dictator is fast rising and in some cases solves international problems better than the West, as much as I hate to say it.
Democracy is flawed due to its short term decision making, its naive lack of realism often based around Hollywood movies. In life what is good and decent is not always right, and its voracious consumption of resources threatens the globe.
3 our animal heritage
Prejudice
Our animal heritage means we think about ourselves and our immediate group first, this was fine when did not have the potential to impact the biosphere and the planet. Our thoughts are chained in an ape man past but our power exceeds almost all elements of the universe excepting the power of the stars in it's different forms. We must accept this and define a way of combating it.
Sex
We are a strange discontented animal partly due to our unnatural life style and also our confused heritage, a creature who pair bonds but who is driven to infidelity. A highly sexed creature. We must gain a sense of our sexuality not suppress it, but work out the best way of harnessing it to maintain the stability of families.
4 need for belief
We have Need for belief but our belief systems are ancient and outside of simple child like truths offer modern man little in practical tools, but many ways to help us bond and find solace. We need a new more global inclusive belief system adopting the simple truths of the older ones but with practical direction to enable us to work together and think about the whole
5 managing complexity
People are pitiful in their ability to move from the small picture to the large picture. Most people are big picture or small picture idiots, whatever university or education they had. We must revolutionise our education system and analyze how to combat overcome this problem.
6 Eduction
99 percent of educated individuals are intellectually embarrassing, we have few broadly educated people on the planet. Few people read across our society and many understand small elements of our literary and scientific culture. The obtaining of degrees has blinded people to the fact that most are intellectually flawed and badly educated.
7 short term v long term how to persuade the mob
The story of history is of rulers persuading the mob to accept short term sacrifice and the mob fighting the ruler to stop over exploitation
Daily we need to eat and drink, satisfy our family demands yet the planet and societies have longer term needs.
In summary we have become complacent, arrogant and objectionable blinded by our democratic values to the wrongs we commit, blinded by our degrees and scientific achievements to our general stupidity, blinded by our governments to the decision making failures and selfishness that afflicts us all
We must first accept our flaws like an alcoholic, curtail the influence of our ancient belief systems and act more in a more modern, global way. We must realise our our own selfish aims and desires are inflicting damage on the planet, we must have fewer children, consume less, read more and devote ourselves to our planet and our global society not ourselves. We must once again realise what is good is not always right. We must learn to make hard choices.
Our elite must stop their lazy self serving ways which revolve around fun and acquiring greater wealth and space.
The poor work hard, starve or wonder how to exploit the system and produce too many children.
The middle classes treat life and the world as an entertainment park, earning enough for their families, but never really doing anything which stops their objective of having fun, some break into the rich echelons, they pay for most social works but run from personal commitments on their time and money. Their participation and commitment to society continues to drop. They must consume less and do more.
The rich separate themselves from society, they live in shuttered estates, take up ever more resources, and move to wherever taxes them less. They feel little commitment to society as they simply move. They avoid taxes and benefit the most but care little for anything but themselves. They do not support intellectuals, but puerile artists who offer little to our societies. They have become devotees of fun, and selfishness. An elite who care about more than just for themselves, who take on responsibility to society and a planet are critical. They are broadly though, shallow, poorly educated embarrassment to our civilisation. We do not produce John Ruskins anymore. There are exceptions, however, Bill Gates change the rich and you will change the world. Promote birth control and you will prevent a famine. Yet he shows his inability to move from the small to the big picture and misdirects his resources, operating as if life were a Hollywood movie.
News International was run by a lady with minimal education and quite simply an intellectual embarrassment. An elite must exist but that which dominates our society now is intellectually humiliating, and they were courted by politicians of all parties. She doesn't surround herself with intellectuals, David Cameron doesn't meet the great thinkers of our day, he meets a fairly poorly educated, but by some accounts nice lady. I would much prefer a man or woman who met with scoundrels, thinkers, whores and anarchists than someone who meets with nice, dull and intellectually vacant individuals. We continually moan about broadening access to elite institutions, I worry more about how embarrassingly stupid our elite seem.
So what are the solutions to our malaise?
1 Intellectual thought
We need a way of ensuring scientific studies and analysis are open to all. That people are taught to think generally and in a detailed manner, that the acquisition of knowledge is our duty. A human must play, but also study. Too many humans are kept in a child like state like puppies only ever playing. They have children and view this as their only commitment to serious thought. They frequently like Jeremy Clarkson espouse his worries about the decline of British industry yet who does he surround himself with, the Chipping Norton set, nice people he says, but intellectually dull individuals who do very little. They talk about sausage rolls for Christ sake, no wonder our country is in a mess. Our elite need to challenge themselves, work harder, stop just playing but play harder, work harder and look for intellectually stimulating individuals who push them. Not like minded individuals who do nothing, yet make a living from their personalities and networking.
2 Mechanics of our system
We need to be honest about the mechanics of our system. We have a capitalist society with varying degrees of democracy. Some countries such as Italy, Russia, China and Saudi Arabia have chosen a different path away from the liberal norms of north America and north Europe. Capitalism is a great wealth generator but decision making is increasingly flawed due to the short term nature of stock markets and the increasing juvenile nature of adults. We are also reaching the stage where long term decisions are increasingly important and democracy seems incapable of making them. We need to be more honest about our failures and those countries such as Italy which are not really Democratic and parts of Italy are similar to those failed or struggling states in South America. The Asian dictator is fast rising and in some cases solves international problems better than the West, as much as I hate to say it.
Democracy is flawed due to its short term decision making, its naive lack of realism often based around Hollywood movies. In life what is good and decent is not always right, and its voracious consumption of resources threatens the globe.
3 our animal heritage
Prejudice
Our animal heritage means we think about ourselves and our immediate group first, this was fine when did not have the potential to impact the biosphere and the planet. Our thoughts are chained in an ape man past but our power exceeds almost all elements of the universe excepting the power of the stars in it's different forms. We must accept this and define a way of combating it.
Sex
We are a strange discontented animal partly due to our unnatural life style and also our confused heritage, a creature who pair bonds but who is driven to infidelity. A highly sexed creature. We must gain a sense of our sexuality not suppress it, but work out the best way of harnessing it to maintain the stability of families.
4 need for belief
We have Need for belief but our belief systems are ancient and outside of simple child like truths offer modern man little in practical tools, but many ways to help us bond and find solace. We need a new more global inclusive belief system adopting the simple truths of the older ones but with practical direction to enable us to work together and think about the whole
5 managing complexity
People are pitiful in their ability to move from the small picture to the large picture. Most people are big picture or small picture idiots, whatever university or education they had. We must revolutionise our education system and analyze how to combat overcome this problem.
6 Eduction
99 percent of educated individuals are intellectually embarrassing, we have few broadly educated people on the planet. Few people read across our society and many understand small elements of our literary and scientific culture. The obtaining of degrees has blinded people to the fact that most are intellectually flawed and badly educated.
7 short term v long term how to persuade the mob
The story of history is of rulers persuading the mob to accept short term sacrifice and the mob fighting the ruler to stop over exploitation
Daily we need to eat and drink, satisfy our family demands yet the planet and societies have longer term needs.
In summary we have become complacent, arrogant and objectionable blinded by our democratic values to the wrongs we commit, blinded by our degrees and scientific achievements to our general stupidity, blinded by our governments to the decision making failures and selfishness that afflicts us all
We must first accept our flaws like an alcoholic, curtail the influence of our ancient belief systems and act more in a more modern, global way. We must realise our our own selfish aims and desires are inflicting damage on the planet, we must have fewer children, consume less, read more and devote ourselves to our planet and our global society not ourselves. We must once again realise what is good is not always right. We must learn to make hard choices.
Our elite must stop their lazy self serving ways which revolve around fun and acquiring greater wealth and space.
The poor work hard, starve or wonder how to exploit the system and produce too many children.
The middle classes treat life and the world as an entertainment park, earning enough for their families, but never really doing anything which stops their objective of having fun, some break into the rich echelons, they pay for most social works but run from personal commitments on their time and money. Their participation and commitment to society continues to drop. They must consume less and do more.
The rich separate themselves from society, they live in shuttered estates, take up ever more resources, and move to wherever taxes them less. They feel little commitment to society as they simply move. They avoid taxes and benefit the most but care little for anything but themselves. They do not support intellectuals, but puerile artists who offer little to our societies. They have become devotees of fun, and selfishness. An elite who care about more than just for themselves, who take on responsibility to society and a planet are critical. They are broadly though, shallow, poorly educated embarrassment to our civilisation. We do not produce John Ruskins anymore. There are exceptions, however, Bill Gates change the rich and you will change the world. Promote birth control and you will prevent a famine. Yet he shows his inability to move from the small to the big picture and misdirects his resources, operating as if life were a Hollywood movie.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
I Ponder the the future
Ideas they flow around, my like a maddening rush of waves in the surf, relentless but seemingly pointless. The ideas i grasp them, hold them, realize things then they are gone. What is the point. My mind wants to explode, i want to run and hide. Yet, yet why i wonder why? What is the point of my brain it seems to serve no purpose yet it tortures me with so much yet delivers so little.
So i gaze upon the world, i watch the images on the TV the patterns are all so comprehensible. So America funds Pakistan, the Pakistanis are hooked on the finances so they don't advance, yet, yet its choices are simple. Encourage education and population restraint otherwise you will descend into choas. We always veer towards a balance, we follow underlying rules. The rules though are so painful to acknowlege and they relegate the human being. We so want to believe in magic, we watch Rock concerts, we salute our rock gods we want to be elevated above the normal, above the animal. There are great humans, those who are off the scale but we are an animal following fundamental rules written by our planet, by our genes, by our geography, by our technology. We must acknowledge them to progress and move forward we must accept the animal in us and the basic biological, geological and geographical framwork that forms part of us and our existence.
So as we heat our houses as we eat from cans as we ignore our heritage, our past we ignore our future. We must accept the animal in ourselves to move forward, we must accept he planet, we must accept risk, we must acknowledge who we are.
So i gaze upon the world, i watch the images on the TV the patterns are all so comprehensible. So America funds Pakistan, the Pakistanis are hooked on the finances so they don't advance, yet, yet its choices are simple. Encourage education and population restraint otherwise you will descend into choas. We always veer towards a balance, we follow underlying rules. The rules though are so painful to acknowlege and they relegate the human being. We so want to believe in magic, we watch Rock concerts, we salute our rock gods we want to be elevated above the normal, above the animal. There are great humans, those who are off the scale but we are an animal following fundamental rules written by our planet, by our genes, by our geography, by our technology. We must acknowledge them to progress and move forward we must accept the animal in us and the basic biological, geological and geographical framwork that forms part of us and our existence.
So as we heat our houses as we eat from cans as we ignore our heritage, our past we ignore our future. We must accept the animal in ourselves to move forward, we must accept he planet, we must accept risk, we must acknowledge who we are.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
A gaze into the distance
An eye that gazes into the distance.
A calm that descends on your brain.
A touch that placates your beating heart
A love we search for,
A love we remember
A time past, always time passes
Endlessly it reaches into the future
Why i ask, why.
A calm that descends on your brain.
A touch that placates your beating heart
A love we search for,
A love we remember
A time past, always time passes
Endlessly it reaches into the future
Why i ask, why.
Man and honesty
The victor always writes history has been much reflected upon through the eons, and endless films and books have been written about hypocrisy in its many guises:
- The families who superficially seem very happy, yet harbour a deep secret
- The contrasts in wealth and living standards that exist in many socities
- How great creativity from an elite when surrounded by great poverty
- The varying morale judgements made upon one sector of society
A difficult relationship with truth surrounds us and always will. On the one hand we need to ignore some details of life thus enabling us to continue with our existence. If we considered all the pain and suffering and injustice in the world we would probably lose all will to live.
There is a negative side though in that we have a desire to justify ourselves, to justify our own success, so we are capable of explaining away the most horrendous ways of life so we can justify our current position. We are able, on occasions, to turn a blind eye to the most incredible injustice. Let's be clear the pain of the holocaust was not just it happened, but that it could have happened in any country anywhere in the world. The Nazi, were not exceptional they were us - homo fucking sapiens.
So now as we gaze around the world constantly i can hear the words mendacity, we need some to enable us to exist but too much and god help us.
- The families who superficially seem very happy, yet harbour a deep secret
- The contrasts in wealth and living standards that exist in many socities
- How great creativity from an elite when surrounded by great poverty
- The varying morale judgements made upon one sector of society
A difficult relationship with truth surrounds us and always will. On the one hand we need to ignore some details of life thus enabling us to continue with our existence. If we considered all the pain and suffering and injustice in the world we would probably lose all will to live.
There is a negative side though in that we have a desire to justify ourselves, to justify our own success, so we are capable of explaining away the most horrendous ways of life so we can justify our current position. We are able, on occasions, to turn a blind eye to the most incredible injustice. Let's be clear the pain of the holocaust was not just it happened, but that it could have happened in any country anywhere in the world. The Nazi, were not exceptional they were us - homo fucking sapiens.
So now as we gaze around the world constantly i can hear the words mendacity, we need some to enable us to exist but too much and god help us.
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