Empty walkway

Came across this picture recently, and was like, oh cool. It's from when was living on Treasure Island in San Francisco. For those who don't know, Treasure Island is a man-made island in San Francisco Bay.

It would usually be SO empty on this path where I could see three bridges. More familiar ones are Golden Gate and as kept walking could see the Bay Bridge to the left.

Would love to watch the seagulls playing in the wind. Great place to think.

When your interests bug some people

Having other people get upset with things that interest you or upset with you in an area where you have interest can be intense emotional pressure.

Thinking about that sentence I realize it can be for good, or ill.

And here I'd just as soon exclude consideration of criminal behavior. Part of me is like, no doubt there! But what about civil rights behavior in the past deemed criminal? Could go with saying nothing that hurts people, and will try to stick with that one. I say no doubt for ill when you make it your business to hurt others for criminal reasons. Ok, what exactly are "criminal reasons" then? I'm moving on.

For example recently the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made an announcement of changes made intended to improve diversity. Social pressure that I think is a great thing forcing changes, while others may disagree.

The issue there is merit and awards given for it, where the Academy Award has a great deal of prestige as an indication of extraordinary work, as decided by people who are to be peers. But now questions have been raised about whether some face arbitrary exclusions which have nothing to do with talent or quality of work, but about meaningless criteria, like race.

For me ran into some serious issues with math. Turns out I decided I'd look for my own major mathematics discoveries. I know, who does such a thing? Well me for one. Wasn't long before faced some serious hostility, and realized only recently I did feel some shame about both my efforts, and my claims of having found some important mathematics.

Today I'm glad to have brought the subject up anyway like recently noting that my claims have not to my knowledge faced any official recognition that stuck--got a paper published but journal that published it tried to remove and later keeled over and died. Which isn't that big of a deal, as it's math. Not like it will change, so I can not worry about it and do other things.

It DOES matter though to inform other people of such things. Like if someone is reading across my ideas, not math, and starts thinking, hey, these are pretty good! I don't want them shocked later if mention to someone and that person says, oh that guy is just some math crackpot. People need to know ahead of time that such charges may be levelled I firmly believe. Though most people probably don't care one way or the other as most aren't into math.

But who likes negative surprises?

I know I don't.

Deciding what merits recognition is a huge arena for human beings, with vast consequences. From awards for entertainers to just some guy with some math, it can be an arena of contention.

And it does raise the question of what do you do when your interests bug some people?

For those able to vote for nominees and winners of Academy Awards that question can be so pertinent. Do you think certain kinds of movies should be interesting versus others?

Who doesn't?

So I guess there isn't an easy answer. With my situation with math it is kind of easy. If I'm right, it will win out over time. If I'm wrong? It will not. Correct mathematics helps constantly drive our world to new heights of learning and intellectual growth across vast areas. The bar is set so high for greatest mathematical ideas it is awesome.

Great movies can inspire for generations. And reality is also can be maybe best found over time.

In the meantime we do the best we can, in the search for quality and merit. So maybe a rhetorical area what to do when your interests bug people, as who knows really who is right, and who is wrong? Except when it's bad criminal, of course. And yeah, what exactly is "bad criminal"? Really wrong things, and have to end, this post. So there.


James Harris

What I think is future of social media

Reality that social media can allow easy communication with people of like interests all over the world will drive its future am certain. And shared interests are extremely important where I think the first phase of social media which is now, is not optimal to that view.

And in fact already put up a blueprint of what I think another type of social media company might be which I put up back December 2014, which is my Globloc concept. And re-reading it now it's rather dense reading! So a bit of warning if you chase the link.

Connected with it is my idea of expected alignment, where I posted the next month.

And to me the first paragraph talks what I think the future of social media is, while have continued with what I think are some possible solutions which will drive things towards that future. Which doesn't mean am right! But it is fun to pursue such avenues of thought for me, and gives me content for my blog.


James Harris

Figuring out success can be hard

One thing that got me really thinking when was living and working in San Francisco was how close my life was to optimal. Concluded really just needed a girlfriend, who really loved me, and that would top me out, as had a job I loved. Worked at this corporation doing data entry entering numbers into the computer. All day for hour after hour I had the pleasure of typing in endless numbers, watching one pile of paperwork go down while another went up. And could work idly on math problems in my head.

It was about as good as it gets!

Imagine, day after day, month after month, year after year being able to just hour after hour type in numbers into the computer system. I had that, yeah, for years! So wonderful.

I love numbers.

So yeah, just needed a loving girlfriend to make my life complete and that's where met challenges, despite efforts like becoming a regular at the Mint, a local karaoke bar. And it's not like wasn't a way to meet women either. Met hundreds.

Now thinking hard on it all, concluded--love is just not easy.


James Harris