Archive for November, 2011

The sciences – why are they so divided?

Monday, November 7th, 2011

The century of physics has passed, huge progress of understanding was made, the theory of relativity, quantum mechanics, practical adoption of many things. We also made the fundamental mistake of making the atomic bomb and using it to kill people.

The chemists are claiming the last century was theirs with huge progress and thousands of chemicals created or discovered, lots of products made possible. Chemistry is now running wild, the all-embracing use of chemicals is starting to hurt us.

Now we are entering the century of biology, or life sciences as it increasingly is being called, where genes, DNA, understanding evolution fully, cloning, designer medicine are coming to us. We will be able to map everything, new methods. We can create new life, new structures never seen. Let us hope it does not go haywire. Why on Earth should we clone sheep and pigs? What is the purpose of new lifeforms when thousands are dying around us? Are we aware of the consequences of what we are doing?

This not only good, it is clearly sad also. The thinking is moving forward, but is far too narrow, it is directed at profit from discoveries, at power from discoveries. The scientists of our world live in silos. They think in silos and they find their solutions and discoveries there. It must be a frustrating world. They know what they are doing, but they have been tied in.

The division of thinking is limiting what we will find, it is too mechanistic, it is too mathematical, the experiments set up are not wide enough, the interaction of forces and elements are not seen, there is no element of cosmos in the work.

This method comes in essence from the Greeks where the foundation was laid for the methods we use today, and has been adhered to ever since. Combining this with strong commercialism we have a locked up science with strong built in limitations. We need to change this, to broaden the field of thinking to add elements that we do not consider today. We need more free thinking, wider  activity.

Many Greeks had other visions, more all-inclusive ideas, more holistic, but they were thrown out – eg. Parmenides – and we chose the wrong way forward.

There is only one world, there is only one science really, the specialists are no longer useful, they are drilling deeper and deeper into their silos. We need broader thinking, and must make science less eager to change the world, make it support the systems that run our lives and the Earth’s development.

The basis of all science should be the world we live in and what goes on here, what we can do well here, what is useful to find out here, so we can support life as it unfolds.

So a new broad, holistic focus in science is needed – let us find it – a sustainable world needs it. A true life science – a true cosmological  science is what it is all about – understanding the greatness of it all.

The future of society – it is going to be wherever you are and it will follow you around – is mobile

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011

We long for an integrated, hasslefree life, one where things have fallen into place, where constant things function well, where we can do what we want when we want to.

Moving into the realm of technology we see an uncluttered world, no wires or cables or plugs, fine security, satisfactory privacy. Huge offerings of all kinds.

The social networks will be important, to be found everywhere, very different from today, lots of new functions, many participants trying to pull you into their garden, which often is a walled garden.

You will live a place-independent life – everything will be available where you are. You can use all your devices to access content, software, buy hardware, find information. You can create a life of your own choosing, pick the level of engagement you want.

Companies are trying to develop and perfect such a world, and it is all going to be placed in the cloud. Everything will be huge and availability will be formidable. Search is automatic, just utter some words and the systems will find it for you, even do it for you. You will be found too – wherever you are  you will be found so that you can consume the offerings you have decided to use: hardware, software, contents, games, services, whatever.

You will be able to plan, see what was done, as the Timeline or similar will assist you. There will be a fusion of private life and commerce, business will get very near you, a sort of symbiosis maybe.

In a short span of time we have seen smartphones, tablets, pads, computers, TV, cameras, game consoles becoming ubiquitous and better and better. We are now approaching a situation of living a mobile life – you can find it and use  it wherever you are. And this is just the beginning. All types of equipment will be integrated, connected, availability will be common, everybody will take part.

So a meeting of producers and consumers will yield business opportunities on a grand scale. Unit prices are going down, most people can afford participation, it will become huge.

It is about universal access, and it is of course all about making money on equipment, content, services, software, hardware, systems.

The players at the top of the chain at the moment seem to be Amazon, Apple, Google, Nokia, Microsoft, TV stations and others may step forward. They are all different now, all do bits of it now, but a kind of convergence will be seen.

The big challenge is who will be best at monetizing this new system that is being built – advertising, content, sales of hardware and software. New systems like Siri from Apple will soon have many competitors, the development of new equipment, new interfaces, better integration based on digital wireless devices penetrating all areas of our lives. Mobile advertising will soon hit you in new ways. Artificial intelligence will emerge.

The new technology of holographics, 4g, faster nets, new developments we have not yet thought of will come. Strengthening the internet of companies, bureaucracies, homes, public places so that SIRI and her friends will work well is maybe the biggest task ahead.

It will all influence our lives and most of what we do, communication, participation will increase. New concepts will be developed and old ones like  TV-stations will fold or dramatically change. New infrastructures are in the making.

This is about the future of our societies, of business, of our culture as it will change things profoundly and make all sort of things possible. It is not mainly about equipment, it is about technical changes changing society.

Gradually everything will be truly mobile. The chase is on, and the changes will be big, and it will be fun.