Jonathan Brun

Innovation under pressure

Innovation is not restricted to laboratories, universities and rich countries. Even the poorest innovate to make the lives easier and more efficient. We should do everything possible to encourage innovation, it is certainly the only way out of poverty. Watching someone pick rice in a paddy field in Asia is almost as painful as the activity itself – the labour is so time-consuming and so little paid, one wonders if there might not be a better solution.

In my view, the most valuable thing on the planet is time. We are running against a countdown and every moment wasted in labour that could be accomplished more efficiently is wasted. If something can be automated it should be automated. Do not confuse that with the statement that “everything should be automated”. Humans should focus on what they do best: artistry, innovation, and creativity. Redundant back-breaking work or putting pegs in a hole on an assembly line is an insult to the human brain. Each one of us carries the most powerful computer in the world, but only a small fraction of our population uses it to its full potential.

The mind is a muscle and if it is not exercised, it goes soft. We should constantly be asking ourselves, “Can this be done better and faster without compromising the quality of the work?”. We should not automate to the detriment of quality, we should automate only when it frees time to invest in other, higher level skills. That being said, humans are programmed to enjoy manual labour, to want to touch the earth and flex our muscles. We are animals, so some things should not be automated to the point of removing all human contact.

It is said (I cannot find the source) that the Luddites, who travelled industrial England destroying machines were not protesting automation of human tasks. They were protesting the reduction of the human into a machine. The former weavers who had to make complex mouvements to create fabric were now performing basic tasks that required no creativity. In a certain sense the Luddites were actually for technology, as long as it was not to the detriment of the human mind and spirit.

Here are a couple good links on innovation in the developing world.

AfriGadget

India Innovates

Sick beats

Watch all three, the whole way through. Via 3quarksdaily

Complicity in Gaza

Gaza has faded from the news cycle, that is why it is even more important to remind ourselves of what happened and how it happened. This short clip of Chris Hedges paints a powerful portrait of US complicity. Their and by extension Canadian weapons are used to kill civilians in Gaza. As with South Africa, little will happen for Israeli-Palestinian peace until we stop sending free bombs, planes and tanks to Israel. It is our silence and complicity that allow the massacre to continue.

Israeli occupation must end says Ehud Barak

Ehud Barak, Labour party defence minister, and former prime minister of Israel has publicly stated the occupation of Palestinian territories is not sustainable and must end. This adds to his previous claim that if Palestinians continue to be occupied without the right to vote, Israel will become an apartheid state, as Jimmy Carter clearly stated (and was crucified for in the US) (article).

Israel’s military occupation is dependant on US financial and military subsidies. Without US support, the system is not sustainable – let alone moral. Just as the US support of South African apartheid was the linchpin that eventually gave way, so too it will be with Israel. There is no question public opinion on Israel has moved dramatically in the last ten years.

Inside Israel, opinion has been polarized with more people at both extremes and more settlers than ever before and 10% of the population is part of the Hassidic Jewish community. It is hard to see how internal mouvements by Israelis will bring about change. Palestinian non-violence has the possibility to influence external influence which is likely to be the only thing that changes things.

Outside Israel, the major Jewish lobby, AIPAC, still claims to represent the jewish interest, but the reality is that university campuses are more and more agreed that the current situation of mass occupation is immoral and must stop. Before, you could not hold conferences on occupation and Palestinian oppression on campuses without inciting claims of antisemitism. Today, it is common practice for students to organize and demonstrate against the situation. The anti-apartheid week, started 6 years ago is growing steadily on university campuses around the world. Students don’t decide international politics, but once you lose the support of the young, it is only a matter of time before things change.

Slacktivism and why I quit facebook

Two months ago I quit Facebook. Why? Primarily it took too much of my time and brought too little benefit. Whenever my mind wandered from the task at hand I would go to Facebook, peruse the news feed or look at some photos. Of course, a reasonable person would have been able to control himself, but I could not.

I considered quitting for some time, but had hesitated for fear of lost friends, missed business opportunities, and a reduced influence among my peers. The decision was tough, but I took the plunge. Two months out, I have little desire to go back. Since quitting, I now stay more in touch with people I care about. Personal emails, phone calls, postcards and visits have replaced photo albums, likes and comments. Am I in touch with less people? Yes. But the people I am in touch with I feel closer to. The problem with online communities is that you are online.

I still love the internet and everything it has to offer, but sites like Facebook and the online petition site Avaaz.org allow you to feel like you are doing something concrete, when all you are doing is posting comments and emails. This is the essence of slacktivism, the mix of slacking and activism – where you pose meaningless actions that take no sacrifice or effort, but feel good because you are supporting a worthy cause (i.e. cancer ristbands, save Darfur petitions, greenpeace blog post,…). As previously discussed, to revolt against something requires sacrifice, the less sacrifice, the less impact. Can emails and comments lead to something concrete, perhaps, but they are not very tangible to the people who need our help.

To make a difference, you need to see and talk to people in person, you need to mobilize and organize. Sitting in front of a computer, as I am doing now, accomplishes nothing but self aggrandisement. So, with this post, I commit myself to more citizen action and a greater contribution to the society around me – the offline one.

Now, my next online habit to kick is HackerNews, way too much time there as well.

P.S. Having hundreds of friends online does not mean anything, they are not really your friends and you cannot count on them in tough times, which is the definition of a friend if you ask me. This wired article describes how social networks break-down beyond a certain size. Studies demonstrate the human brain is limited to friendship with 150 people, beyond that we start to lose that sense of “connection” with the other person, in essence they are no long part of our community.