Freedomain Radio

I'm male, 42 living in Hillsborough, NC with my wife and 2 kids under 10 years old. I usually say I make my income as an occasional computer programmer, and specifically I like working with linux, very low level (hardware drivers, assembly language, system design, that sort of stuff). I used to have the CTO roll of a company out in California called NXTV which provided video on demand to 4 and 5+ star hotels throughout the world. I had the CTO roll but not the actual title.

In 2007 we moved to North Carolina to reduce living expenses and get out of the overcrouding of California. We managed to convert our equity in our house there into a new house here in NC, about 3X the size (another enticement to leaving California). Lots of reasons for leaving, one important one is I wanted to be able to focus exclusively on my passion, which is solving the riddle of What Intelligence Is, specifically with the intent of creating true Machine Intelligence. Talking robots and such. The stuff of science fiction. Yes, it's actually possible to do it and it'll happen long before people expect it to.

I got sidetracked with exploring the economy, and gradually came to the realization of just how corrupt the USA is, how corrupt the USA empire is, and how much outright lying is going on in America. Corruption everywhere, no area is left clean. Education, college, etc is corrupt. Government sponsored research is corrupt. All government programs are corrupt. Most businesses appear to be corrupt. The patent and copyright systems are corrupt. The list goes on...Current scientific understanding I believe to be hopelessly misguided -- String Theory is mysticism, The Big Bang theory is completely wrong, and its popularity is somewhat boosted because it coincides with the Christian faith (Genesis -- "And God said, Let there be light!"). A book I really love and recommend is, "The Big Bang Never Happened" by Eric Lerner...

I invested some money in silver and am hoping that will turn out well. Good time to buy some if you haven't already, and if you can find any of course. In my combing of the internet looking for updates on the ongoing USA economic disintegration, I happened upon Stefan Molyneux's videos on YouTube, and systematically watched them all with rapt fascination.

Stefan is one of those rare sources that tell me things I already knew but which hadn't bothered to actually examine in intricate detail. I can wholly buy into the concept of statism being dead, that the state is inherently evil because it depends entirely on force. My personal thesis is that the USA empire is collapsing, oh so slowly (speed it up!!!!), the collapse is unstoppable, the rats are looting the treasury and leaving the sinking ship, and that this is all a very good thing. It's a case of what America has become is so vile and disgusting, I'm willing to roll the societal dice and take my chances that whatever arises on its ashes will be fundamentally better. I'm confident it won't be worse.

Now I'm working through Stefan's podcasts. I've got lots of free time, it seems...

Anyway that's about enough about me for now.

-Dave

Welcome Dave! 

Your technical background sounds awesome, I've noodled around with Linux since high school, and I've always wanted to do more lower level programming stuff (I really enjoyed a college course on assembly langauge), but wasn't able to teach myself much beyond that.  Now I find myself doing a lot more graphic design type stuff, but I still romanticise the beautiful logic of computer programming languages.

I experienced a kind of tense frustration whenever I tried to learn about string theory, because it always seems fascinating but entirely impenetrable.  I must admit I'm not too familiar with the arguments for or against the Big Bang Theory, but I've never seen it questioned by rational-type people. 

Let us know your thoughts as you go through the podcasts; they're really great IMO.

dash:

Lots of reasons for leaving, one important one is I wanted to be able to focus exclusively on my passion, which is solving the riddle of What Intelligence Is, specifically with the intent of creating true Machine Intelligence. Talking robots and such. The stuff of science fiction. Yes, it's actually possible to do it and it'll happen long before people expect it to.

Hi! I'm a CS major at college, for a while I was considering doing research into the same kind of thing. Are you still working on it? How is it coming?

AaronU:

Hi! I'm a CS major at college, for a while I was considering doing research into the same kind of thing. Are you still working on it? How is it coming?

I've gotten sidetracked with the US economic collapse and all. I had a major breakthrough 6 months ago but haven't pursued the obvious next steps. I think my theory is shockingly simple, but conveying it to other people requires a huge amount of background foundational knowledge. Like how neurons interrconnect, firing, some computer science concepts, perhaps even fourrier analysis and information theory.

If you want to browse some of the discussion on my forums, you can find it here:

http://www.xdr.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=4

-Dave

Welcome Dave,

Your insight in the other thread was very impressive.  Please stick around. I am sure you will enjoy the podcasts.

david kopp:

Welcome Dave,

Your insight in the other thread was very impressive.  Please stick around. I am sure you will enjoy the podcasts.

 

Thanks! I have been enjoying the podcasts, but I'm in the mood for discourse now. Podcasts are so...one-way.

I was thinking of maybe recording something myself but I doubt if anyone would want to listen to it.

-Dave

I would.   I was really impressed with your knowledge in our discussion on the other thread.  I actually looked into silver afterward.   You should come into the chat room sometime.  And please, do make some podcasts or videos.

dash:

I was thinking of maybe recording something myself but I doubt if anyone would want to listen to it.

Not true! Count me 'interested'. Always refreshing to hear a new voice and perspective in the context of the FDR conversation. Welcome!

welcome, Dave, great to have you with us!

Welcome, Dave!

CA -> NC is a big transition! Are there any things about the move that have been sub-optimal? I'm definitely sold on the benefits.

Charlotte:

Welcome, Dave!

CA -> NC is a big transition! Are there any things about the move that have been sub-optimal? I'm definitely sold on the benefits.

Personally I love NC and don't miss California in any meaningful way. My wife, however, always seems to wistfully look backwards as if the grass is always greener in the place she left.

Specifically when she moved to California she always missed Colombia (she's from there). She complained a lot about California, so my solution was we'd be happier in NC, and indeed it did solve a host of problems. But having arrived she now talks as though California was a paradise...I can't win no matter what I do.

Now being hispanic, her complaints mostly center on her feeling she's not treated with respect. To a lot of white people she's sort of invisible. Not exactly racism, but because she looks different they might easily assume she doesn't speak English. They might have been burned (embarassed) a few times trying to talk to hispanic people who _can't_ speak English, so now they don't try anymore. For the most part the Triangle area here in NC is multicultural enough such that I think racism is simply not a factor -- but then again I'm a white guy so I wouldn't feel it anyway.

Lots more hispanics in Southern California. I think she misses that too.

Things I love about NC: When it rains, you get lightning, and I love that. There is weather here. Seasons. It snows! The kids love that. I love being able to count on storms where the rain comes down in sheets. California is just so dry. I like the variety. There are fireflies here in the spring and early summer. Wonderful tropical smells in the spring evenings. The air is absolutely clean, no smog at all. Trees and green everywhere.

I think Californians seem to be New-York-ish in that they automatically assume California is the place to be, the center of the universe, and living anywhere else is unthinkable. That's a mistake. People are pretty much the same everywhere, at least in the USA. I do think New York City does have a valid point about _it_ being the center of the universe. That place does have an electricity/excitement all its own. Believe me, California absolutely doesn't. I grew up in Pasadena so I know...

Sorry for this rambling response...

-Dave