T-Notes

The McCain campaign is still hitting Minnesota hard. I'd say about 50% of all TV ads are political, with the majority of them being Norm Coleman or John McCain ads. Al Frankan has had a few too, but really not as many as I would expect for a challenger. This tells me he is either doing very well, or is very low on funding.

One thing I have noticed with John McCain's ads, both here and in NY, is that they seem very unfocused, and seem to trail off in to what can only be described as a list of universally accepted "bad things." Its almost like guilt by association: Mention a bad thing about Obama, mention Obama's name and then randomly list off things that people don't like. So, the ads are basically:
"Obama has voted for increased taxes 70% of the time.
Obama doesn't have your best interests in mind.
Higher income taxes
Death taxes
Pork barrel spending
Big government
Family values
I'm John McCain and I approve this message."

None of the middle pieces are really substantiated, but thats not important. Its just branding. People expect democrats to be pro-big government and higher taxes and so its an easy idea to brand, when in reality George W Bush was a far bigger spender than Bill Clinton, who actually rolled back most entitlement programs. And while Bill did increase taxes, on th upper 5% ONLY, he did pay off the debt for the first time since Carter. Obama does have some big government ideas, which I see as the first steps to moving services out of the government and into civil institutions, but most people dont look into it enough to see that Obama is laying the groundwork to move us to a smaller, more decentralized government, while McCain will just keep doubling down on military and big cabinent departments that really aren't effective in this millennium.

So, aside from my duties at the Hookah HoBlog, I have decided to create another blog about my passion for inventing and idea generation. Its called "Freely and Generously" after a famous quote from Benjamin Franklin on the invention subject. Right now its just a place to host ideas that I wont do anything with, but down the road I'd like to add other idea generators, include articles on products I find interesting or unique and maybe some entries providing assistance in getting an idea off the ground.

Nearing the 1 year mark since we brought America their first Portable Hookah. It has definitely been an adventure, a very gratifying one. But really, 2009 will be the year of Hobocans and the HoboHookah.

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“a couple of steps that the Russian government took in the last several day,” including “reducing the energy supplies to Czechoslovakia.” ~ John McCain
and
" Yes, I'd like to send this letter to the Prussian consulate in Siam by aeromail. Am I too late for the 4:30 autogyro?" ~ Mr. Burns

So like a lot of get rich quick, drooling minions, I purchased the 4-Day Work Week.

Its an interesting book: Basically laying out the game and telling you how to play by a different set of rules. I like that.

Buying low and selling high is all about playing by rules not understood by a minimum of 50% of the population. Take my industry for instance: If 50% of the population knew the recruiting game, we wouldn't have a leg to stand on.

But they don't. That knowledge is incredible financial power. With a low, misunderstood barrier of entry.

Its a retarded industry and thats how barons are born.

But lets go back to the widely published and read 4-Hour Work Week: Its a symptom of a system in its elder ages.

Much is written of communism and its reluctant forefather socialism and the fall there of. They were systems highly successful for a portion of time. The sacrifice, willing and not, undertaken by them was not without its accomplishments. Sputnik and the incredibly fast industrialization did bare fruit, if only for a blink of geological time.

But even capitalism is not with its shelf life. Thanks to computer programs, their are firms out there literally, through pure creativity and understanding of the pinnacle of todays mathematics, are printing money. Gaming the system. The capitalist system. A parasite born of its own success, that will end its host.

And for the masses, those without Ph.D.s, we have the 4-Hour Work Week Week, which is a single serving friend to those looking to live outside the game, and still profit from the greater society.

This is a symptom of capitalism leaving the scene. This is a symptom of a new system taking hold, ever so slightly, like a spark in a dry, dead, redwood forest. First a spark, then fire, then a new forest, reorganized for a new day, birthed as a star child from an unrecognized parent.

Today is a trying time, but an interesting time. Far more interesting than the great depression or the world wars ever were. Horrifying. But not without potential long term benefits.

Holding on as systems change will be difficult. Sadly, the timeless days of the 1990's are gone. The time remembered and gone, a new millennium is here. The new system, the new earth and the new humans populating it will be different than we could ever imagine.

Enough people taking the 4-Hour Work Week, enough people playing the economic system to unsustainable levels, enough people decentralizing and enough people growing to levels of understanding leave things in an unstable state. And thats great, but not without its medium term dire riskyness and risk, potential, and possible high point of human organization.

http://www.ajc.com/meetro/content/news/stories/2008/05/27/mcclellanbook_0527.html

I typically adhere to a libertarian/constitutionalist/neo-liberal view point. A conversation with Sara challenged this view point with the questions: Is this the right framework that humanity should operate in? It is an interesting question, and it lends itself to: What would a new framework look like?

The basic system we operate in, the economic/capitalist system, has been with us in different states since the first liberalist movement inaugurated by Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations. Few people realize that during WWII, capitalism was almost dissolved in favor of Fascist or Socialist forms of government, which in their application, were centralist, neo-mercantile systems (mercantilism being the system prior to capitalism). Eventually, capitalism proved itself to be the most solvent form of government, and here we are.

Prior systems of humanity or human focus have almost all revolved around the acquisition and distribution of resources. Feudalism was one of the first forms, created by the technology of agriculture. Mercantilism was an improved, a slightly less restricted form, created by technology of advanced tools and fabrication. Industrialism to a certain extent, can be attributed as the cause of our current system of liberal economics or capitalism.

What's next?

After a bit of thought of what a new system could or would revolve around, I have come to the conclusion that the next system will likely be the first departure from the focus on the acquisition and distribution of resources. The next system will be focused on the acquisition and distribution of Information.

Why would the current system dissolve? It’s hard to be in a system and see what will replace that system. Its typically a seminal piece of literature (The Magna Carte or Wealth of Nations) that becomes the tipping point in realization, but in reality, these articles are only reflecting a system that has already taken hold.

Likewise, the next system is likely taking hold now. The only seminal volume thus far written is probably right in front of your face right now: The Internet. But that is not enough to truly dissolve our current system. The next 100 years will mark the initial utilization of key technological advances that will empower information as our system and weaken capitalism.

1) The Creation of Fusion Energy: Approx in 50 years
The creation of a clean, renewable, safe, scalable and incredibly powerful power source such as fusion will greatly impact humanity. Fusion power, once developed and deployed, will slowly push the price of energy to near zero. Likewise the costs of goods to be created and transported will be depressed. This will raise the standard of living, and decrease the importance of monetary wealth.

2) The Creation of New Tools and Automation: Approx in 20-80 years
With the creation of the transistor, human productivity has increased exponentially. Both through more efficient use of human resources as well as improved machine automation. True Artificial Intelligence will likely occur in the next 30 years. With the creation of new tools, the cost of human labor will depress while the cost of goods will decrease. Slowly the machines will manage themselves, essentially taken human labor out of the equation at all but the highest levels, such as entrepreneurship and business management. This too should raise the standard of living while decreasing the importance of monetary wealth.

3) The Utilization of the Extra-Terrestrial Resources: Approx in 100+ years
The access to resources has been the crux of all prior forms of human systems. The current expansion into space, including proposed Lunar and Martian bases as well as the increasing participation of the private sector in space flight, has one purpose: The acquisition of the massive amount of resources present in our solar system and beyond. Efficient space travel, mostly automated, will lead to decreased scarcity of important metals, elements and water. Earth itself will focus entirely on food production and forestry, which for the foreseeable future, will be some of the few resources not available outside of our atmosphere. The decrease of resource scarcity should in turn increase the standard of living and decrease the importance of monetary wealth.

While these technologies will not dissolve capitalism initially, it will slowly weaken the system through decreasing the importance of monetary wealth. Essentially, in its end state, which is likely to be hundreds of years away, these few technologies will create access to all the needs of humanity. In turn, this will decrease the importance of material wealth as everyone would have access to it, should they want such things, which I predict would not be the case.

So what becomes the new system? Humans are curious. I believe that when left without the needs of material society, an increased appetite by the entire population will be turned toward understanding the inner and extra universe around us. The advancement of creativity, wisdom and exploration will be the focus of this new, money-less society.

In the end, I believe my current view of our system is correct, however, that does not mean that our current system will perpetuate for eternity. There will be something after this, and probably after that too.