Avatar: Does sustainability have to be static?
Dec 23, 02:28 PM by Eric Allen
Seeing Avatar last week re-ignited an internal conflict I’ve been struggling with for several years. First and foremost, I’m a geek, an engineer, a maker of things. I live on the cutting edge of Progress, driving it forward as fast as I can. On the other hand, I’m inclined to believe in circular time, and the idea of living in harmony with everything around me is really compelling. The two sides seem completely at odds to me, and I’ve yet to find a way to reconcile them.
The Na’vi are an indigenous species on the fictional planet Pandora in Avatar. The arboreal life on the planet is completely interconnected, and there seems to be some kind of global mind within it. The Na’vi are humanoid creatures capable of communicating with this global mind (called “Eywa”), and their purpose seems to be stewardship of all life on Pandora. Their society is clearly ancient, and they appear to be a fundamental component in the balance of life on Pandora. Where, then, would I fit in such a society?
My technological bent boils down to three things: I love learning, I love building, and I’m always trying to find opportunities for more efficiency. These attributes are fairly highly valued in Western society, but they seem to me completely at odds with the way of life for the Na’vi. When you’re adhering to ancient tradition in a culture that has remained unchanged for generations, there’s not much room for new knowledge. Things are artificial and unnatural—why do you need builders when nature provides everything for you? Efficiency creates economic surplus, which disrupts society and shifts norms. The way I see it, none of my fundamental strengths are compatible with Na’vi living.
Textiles are certainly a possibility, and I’ve been weaving since I was in kindergarten. Granted, the Na’vi don’t wear much in the way of clothing, but most indigenous humans need clothing. Weaving offers many of the same opportunities to me as, say, programming does, and it has the advantage of requiring no advanced technology. Give me wood, wool, and some tools to work the wood, and I can make you a blanket. Unfortunately for me, the Na’vi don’t appear to need much in the way of textiles. They wear minimal clothing, and their bodies seem perfectly adapted to their climate.
I could probably get into farming, but agriculture is arguably what got us into the mess we call modern civilization in the first place. I doubt a Na’vi society would be amenable to the development of farming, as it could easily disrupt the natural order of life. Agricultural surplus is the first step toward specialization, and hence craftsmen and eventually full-blown Progress. The ways of the Na’vi are not compatible with serious agriculture.
From what I saw in Avatar, the Na’vi don’t really make much of anything. They are active participants in nature, but everything they need is provided by the environment. Fundamentally, I am an agent of Progress, for better or for worse, and I don’t believe I could fit into a Na’vi society. Where does this leave me in human society? Assuming things continue along like they have for the past few decades, I’m set. I’ve got the skills, abilities, and knowledge to thrive in modern society, but I don’t know if that’s where I want to be. If I don’t believe Progress is an inherently good thing, how can I be a willing participant in the innovation engine that drives it?
Tungle is Awesome
Oct 23, 06:32 PM by Eric Allen
As a student, I have a lot of meetings. Class projects, clubs, stock market discussions with friends, etc. Setting up these meetings can be a pain, especially with more than two people. “Just send me when you’re available” breaks down pretty quickly, especially if you want to schedule something during the week.
That’s why I use Tungle. Meeting software is not new to me, and I was a fan of whenisgood.com and TimeBridge, but Tungle blows them out of the water. WhenIsGood is cool and all, but the lack of integration with my personal calendar made for a lot of double entry. TimeBridge stopped working when I upgraded to Snow Leopard, and it was too complicated for attendees, too. Not to mention TimeBridge restricted me to only five choices for meeting times.
Desktop integration, great web app, iPhone app, Tungle really has it all. Heck, schedule a meeting right now with me at http://tungle.me/epall. Slick, right? Tungle really is like having a secretary to schedule meetings for me, but it’s free! I love Web 2.0.
Hacker|Engineer.net
Aug 31, 10:03 AM by Eric Allen
I’ve been writing on this blog for over three years now, and it’s worked out pretty well. I don’t post all that often, but I try to keep you guys abreast of what’s going on with my life and some of my thoughts. Lately, however, I’ve realized part of the reason I haven’t been posting enough: this blog has a split personality. On the one hand, I have friends and family who want to know what I’m up to. On the other, I’m a geek who needs to maintain a strong online presence with lots of technical stuff. I’ve tried to do both with one blog, but it’s time to separate them.
I’ve started a new blog, called Hacker|Engineer, to house the technical side of my online presence from now on. I will continue posting here, possibly even more often, about my life and what I’m up to. If you want to follow my technical side, H|E is where it’s at. See the Introduction for details on what I’m writing over there. Enjoy!
Two weeks with no iPhone
Apr 9, 01:05 PM by Eric Allen
A little over two weeks ago I was giving my girlfriend a hard time about how much time she spent reading blogs on Google Reader. After a bit of cajoling, she responded “fine, I’ll give up Google Reader if you’ll give up iPhone for a week!” Now this seemed like an absurd challenge, but after a bit of negotiation, we had a deal. She wouldn’t use Google Reader or go directly to blogs, and I would only use Phone, SMS, and Calendar functions on my iPhone. Anything less and I’d start missing responsibilities. Anyway, if either of us cheated the challenge would be extended (for both of us) by one week.
A few days into the challenge she ended up on Ben Cashnocha’s blog via Twitter, and actually read the article there. I called this a violation, so we were at two weeks. Two weeks with no real smartphone functions! Two weeks with no email, no web, no games, no weather, nothing! I held off getting a real PDA until sixth grade, and I’ve had one continuously ever since (I don’t bring one on camping trips, though). So, this PDA sabbatical was quite an interesting experience.
For the first few days I had to keep tight control of myself lest I end up checking my email on the way to class. After that, it got easier. By the end of two weeks, I think I’ve actually broken some of my bad PDA habits. I actually walk to class now without distracting myself the whole way with infoporn. I’m more mindful of the world around me, and I waste less time doing stupid things with my iPhone to keep myself busy. When I first got an internet-connected PDA (seventh grade), I though it would be great to have something I could be productive with in little five- or ten-minute periods of downtime. As it turns out, I’m better off cooling my heels and relaxing instead of constantly trying to be productive. I never would have realized that if I hadn’t accepted the challenge.
Taking a break from constant internet connectivity has been a very healthy thing for me to do. I’ve learned a great deal about myself and how I deal with the world. Who would’ve thought? My wonderful girlfriend deserves a lot of thanks for putting me up to this crazy challenge.
