[ExI] sanity and connectedness, was: RE: list test

[spike]

>... On Behalf Of BillK
Subject: Re: [ExI] list test

 

On Sun, Jul 28, 2013 at 10:27 PM, Ben Zaiboc wrote:

>  "spike" < <mailto:spike at rainier66.com> spike at rainier66.com> observed:

>>>... I'll be back home tomorrow. ... no internet, no cell phone, nothing.
It was hell.

> 

>>... Now that's an interesting observation.

> For some people, being 'off grid' is an ordeal, for others, it's 

> necessary to recharge their batteries, or restore their sanity.  I know,
because I'm one of them... Ben

> 

 

>...And, vice versa, it was hell for everyone else while spike was away.  ;)
BillK

 

BillK you are too kind, sir.  Ben, being internetless was for me a hellish
reminder of how it was in the old days, before about 1995, when we didn't
have the web, or at least I didn't.  We went around not knowing stuff.  I
don't like not knowing stuff.  

 

My camping trip did give me a chance to deeply ponder what I really want in
life.  I want to have some kind of system with voice recognition and image
recognition, so that when I see some unfamiliar beast for instance, it could
figure out the species and send me to web pages describing the unique
characteristics of that beast.

 

Consider for instance this magnificent beauty:

 

Mt. Rainier Tiger Beetle - Cicindela depressula

 

I have been hiking for years up at Mount Rainier, and had never seen one of
these that I recall.  The photo above is about 2x actual size.  I spent some
time observing them, after having the good fortune of showing up apparently
right after they hatched.  I yearned to know more about these beasts, while
I was still there on site to observe.  Later I found out it is likely a
Cicindela depressula.  Kewall!

 

Thanks to Nomadofthehills for the photo.  Hers is better than any of the
dozens I took.

 

Years ago, there was an advertisement, I don't even recall where I saw it or
when.  There is no dialog at all.  A guy is in the woods sitting on a log.
Suddenly a snake slithers up his pants.  In sheer panic, he taps in a
description of the snake.  A web page comes up, identifying the species.  It
says: non-poisonous.  He gets a look of relief.  Then it says:  constrictor.
He gets a look of panic again.  Then gets an ambiguous look of: Hmmmm, this
might work out OK for both of us.

 

Hilarious, memorable advertising, brilliant!

 

I want that, only I want Google Glass (or equivalent) to identify the beast
and do some kind of image recognition and find the site, then tell me the
information in my ear so my eyes are free to observe and my hands are free
to manage the camera.  I want to have something analogous to a really
well-informed entomology professor with me at all times, only better: I want
one who can hike as well as I can, and see as well as I can, but be a
thousand times smarter about bugs.  That's all I really want.  When we get
that, it will be the next step, equivalent to how it was when we first got
the web.  Now you computer jockeys and internet hipsters, how do I get that?

 

spike

 

 

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