Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.19981228150706.00ac5200@mail.monmouth.com> Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1998 15:07:06 -0500 From: Wilbur Streett <mailto:WStreett@MAIL.MONMOUTH.COM> Subject: Re: LIFE IN REVERSE To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
At 07:44 AM 12/28/98 -1000, you wrote: >----- Original Message -----
>From: Wilbur Streett <mailto:WStreett@mail.Monmouth.com>
>
>>>You "proved" the laws of thermodynamics do not apply to economics? <G> My
>>>goodness Wilbur! Do some research -- you owe it to your kids.
>>
>>Yes, Jay, I proved that what you said wasn't based on reality, but based on
>>hyperbole. You provided a lengthy quote, where the german author admitted
>>that there was no basis for the assertion that Thermodynamics had anything
>>to do with Economics. You have become so enamored by the text that you had
>>missed that little bit. I pointed it out for you.
>
>Wilbur, there are NO exceptions to the laws of thermodynamics.
The laws of theordynamics are in reference to heat in a closed system. We've had this discussion before. You keep bringing up entropy, as if that is all that the law of themodynamics is in reference to, but never mention the term enthalpy. Why don't you do yourself a favor and read up on the word? Here's a link for your convience:
http://www.onelook.com/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/bware/dofind.cgi?word=enthalpy&type=t ype_x
Enthalpy is also mentioned in the Laws of Themodynamics which you are so fond of misapplying.
>And to be
>blunt about it, for you to suggest otherwise is either a reflection of
>your lack of intelligence, or your lack of ethics.
According to others, I have an abundance of both. I guess that I've got your goat, since you're launching into personal attacks now.
>>Enough already Jay. Speak to the heart of the matter, how this has
>>anything to do with "Technology Transfer in International Development".
>
>It's because "International Development" is about to undergo a radical
>change in character. And if ambitious entrepreneurs like yourself want to
>get in on the ground floor of a new high-growth, high-tech industry, they
>have to find out about it.
Tell you what, Jay. I'm not interested in the industry that you're trying to create.
<snip bank rant..>
Jay, I understand the nature of the economic system more than you might imagine. I was the architect for the 3rd largest currency trading system in the world, and I grew up listening to my father talk about creating various banking systems for various banks in the New York City area.
But nothing about the bank rant has anything to do with Thermodyanmics.
Yes, I understand the power and influence of money in society. Yes, money is a technology that is used in International Development. Yes, the love of money is the root of all evil. Anything else you want to add?
>So the handwriting is on the wall Wilbur, start sticking your little happy
>faces on weapons because that's the high-growth, high-tech industry
>of the future. Moreover, it's never too soon to start discussing what kind
> of weapons produce the biggest bang for the buck!
I know quite a bit about the military and weapons systems. My family has quite a history of involvement with the military. My father's father was responsible for fixing the electrical systems on the boats that were bombed in Perl Harbor, and ran the Ham Radio operations out of Okinawa. My wife's grandfather, whom we just buried at Arlington, was the Naval Operations Officer responsible for Krackatowa (sp?). Dad was career Military. Did a lot of stuff that he couldn't talk about for 20 years. My father killed people for a living.
I was trained how to kill when I was a child. I've had numerous discussion and I've thought quite a bit about that particular topic. I've been trained by people that have killed people with their bare hands. I grew up in the Military Complex and spoke with people that killed people in all sorts of ways. My mother survived the Nazi occupation of her native country, Luxembourg, when she was a child. I've thought about the different types of death that have been caused by the technological advances in society. I've thought about man's inhumanity to man. In all cases, it's easier to kill someone if you don't see them as human. It's easier to treat people as less than human if yoiu don't see them as human. If you don't know someone's face, you can kill them without feeling it. Yes, there are some people in the technology field that are using Military funding to further their research. Typically being used in an attempt to dehumanize the target, to condition the person to kill without thinking.
I'm doing just the opposite. I'm working to create a technology that I believe will have significant effect in International Development, for a number of reasons. Yes, I understand that it will have usage in the Military and the other existing entrenched social mechanisms.
My father didn't allow me to give up because the task was hard. I could see my mother's experiences in her behaviour and in her stories. My mother used to participate the Wille Borre festival, which is a trip from one town to another in her native Luxembourg. They jump three steps forward, and then two steps back. But they eventually got where they are going.
Putting a human face on technology isn't just literal, but figurative as well. Making technology accesable by having a face that told the story, (my father), is what gave me my skills. There's no reason that I can't pass that experience on.
Wilbur
-------------------------------------------- Putting A Human Face On Technology ;-) --------------------------------------------