Category: Technology

The Internet as a Means of Self Expression

by Matt the Pioneer, posted in Life, Technology

It is the year 2024, almost halfway through the decade. Within a month presents while be bought, gifts while be wrapped, alcohol while be drunk and the new year will arrive. With it comes the facts of this day and age, five billion people are online and have internet. Somewhere around four or more billion people have a smartphone with internet access, and more time is spent on the internet than watching cable television. The internet is a strange invention, you don’t just consume content like a television, newspaper, or book, but contribute back as easily as typing a YouTube comment or liking a Tweet. It allows humans from any culture, any society, and any background to not only browse the internet, but shape and form it as well.

The Internet can change interaction

What does it take to make an internet site? All, it takes is an internet connection and a computer; either Windows, Linux, or macOS, and time. You first need to figure out the basics of HTML, then, some CSS, and if you are feeling lucky you can dabble with JavaScript. HTML is the backbone of the web. It stands for Hypertext Markup Language and is an electronic document that can be sent from the server to the client (you). It uses tags which look like “<h1>This is a Heading</h1>” to enable the transfer of information to your web browser. CSS is the look and feel of the web, it is how you can style your website to look like a graphic artist’s dream or nightmare. It allows the structure of the internet (HTML) to look different by affecting the styling of HTML elements. JavaScript is the interactivity like Facebook’s infinite scroll newsfeed. That at its basics is all that is sent from the server to your internet browser. That is how the web works. That is the complexity and simplicity of the internet.

Can anyone create a website?

Anyways, back to the point of this blog post, if anyone can make a website and anyone can be online, what does it mean to express yourself as a individual human being in the modern age? Are we content to simply consume the web, or do we also want to contribute back? And, if we want to contribute back, with the rise of large tech companies, how do we know that we can without being inhibited by censorship from companies or states? What are the rules underpinning the internet?

Does self expression cost money?

Sure, it is great to imagine that anyone can be on Facebook, but, in actuality, is it possible to be banned? Is it possible to be blacklisted from Google? And does Twitter really need to change its name. Is it possible to release a CD on Spotify and it never be heard? Is it every one’s dream who spends time on YouTube to have their own YouTube channel, in theory that is great, but imagine this scenario: you develop a channel as large as Mr. Beasts only to be thrown aside by the YouTube algorithm over something controversial. And, if that is possible, who is to say it is done for a good reason, whether on YouTube or elsewhere, and if that can be done, is it being done as we speak? Right now, are there people who are banned from Facebook? Websites that are banned by Bing? Or even YouTube channels blacklisted for no good reason. Even if there is a good reason to ban someone, where does self-expression start, and censorship stop? What are the rules of the actuality of the internet?

If the rules aren’t known, how do we know they are being followed?

At the end of the day, the world of the web is managed by a few dozen large internet companies for the western English language web. The rules are often stipulated in their terms of service but those are long are complicated to read, even if they are read, are they what is actually followed or is there some element of the unknown involved. When you have poured your heart and soul into your chosen hobby and want to share it with the world, why should a corporation theoretically have the right to destroy your life and your means of individual self expression. With little to no court cases based around internet organizations blacklisting individuals or even small companies, we are left with two options: either they don’t ban people, or they do. If they don’t, how come? What are the actual rules of the world wide web. And, if they do, how is that building an open an inclusive society of the future. How is that respecting the rights of the individual and the whole of society.

The web is a fundamental human right

I believe, that if what we are aiming for with the internet is to build a better future than is possible without digital technology, then there needs to be some actual laws underpinning of human self-expression on the internet. If it were possible to establish such laws that all web sites must follow, then we would need to make sure that the laws are actually followed by every major web site. At the end of the day, there are laws that involve website cookies and internet privacy that are commonly followed on the web, but as our civilization goes online, I hope we can ensure no one gets left behind. With the dawn of the digital comes a change in how we live our lives and how we interact with each other. Individual self-expression is just as important as money, and our humanity needs to be respected as we express ourselves online and embark on the frontier of tomorrow.

Starting Fresh, Staying Motivated

by Matt the Pioneer, posted in Life, Technology

The destination is often not the goal, even though if the road is travelled upon for long enough, one eventually gets there. They say the journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step, and this is my first step in such a journey. I have decided to do something new, bold, unique, and I am done inflating my own ego, now, I promise. Instead I’ll simply describe to you my undertaking, it involves the word Meta Verse and may even include some programming of a Raspberry Pi. I have decided to start fresh, take a chance, gamble, and maybe even profit or at least have fun, not, again. In short, I have decided to start a company, although not a normal or boring company, not that many actually are when you are involved with them.

The challenge with strategic situations is you don’t always have the best strategy.

What this company does is attempt to create a sort of different version of a Meta Verse that I believe might become a different way of interacting with technology. The Meta Verse is often talked about in the news, but what is it actually, what defines it, and how will we know when we arrive at The Meta Verse? I’ll start with my opinion that there while be many Meta Verses each doing slightly different. There will for certain be one coming out of both Apple and Meta, they are both aiming for mixed reality and virtual reality. They most likely will succeed and I hope it changes the way we interact with technology, not only that, I hope it transforms our social interactions because despite all the technology in the world, when we actually hang out with other people, it tends to be the exact same as it has been for generations.

The Meta Verse is a collection of all possible Meta Verses.

It is always either meet at the bar, coffee shop, or over dinner. On the occasions where you do go to someone’s home the time spent is great but then it is mostly talking, and sometimes you run out of things to say. That is where the Meta Verse comes in, it solves the problem of how to socially interact with other people in meaningful ways. For instance, you could interact with each other while all at your own homes, be physically present, and be socially interactive. Sometimes it could be a simple game like Settlers of Catan only in Mixed Reality so that you have something in common to bond over. Other times it could be a gamified virtual reality game of truth or dare that bonds you together. By being able to encourage social interaction to be different than it ever has been is the real allure of a Meta Verse.

Being social, is being human

That is the type of company I am starting, a new way to interact socially, a common hobby that draws acquaintances to become friends and friends to become better friends. It is also a Meta Verse in the sense that it is digital but not in the sense that it needs a virtual reality headset. Instead it relies on another piece of technology to give that same level of immersion. Right now, I am about to launch its main page, so I won’t expand on that in this blog post.

Sometimes waiting, is caring.

Instead, I’ll say what I would like the version of the Meta Verse I am working towards to achieve, long term, when it is ready to launch. I hope it is able to make bridging the gap between being total strangers and being acquaintances as easy as possible, from there comes the start of friendship and with a common hobby that is not so hard to do. In short, I hope it is friendly enough (both the people and the technology) to allow better forms of communication than could exist without it.

Motivation is the bread and butter of starting a new company.

I also hope, that it is so much fun to pioneer in our version of the Meta Verse that it becomes one of those who have tried favorite ways of passing the time. I believe it could be, and now all that is required is to start, launch, and run it into that unforeseen future, knowing I could fail, again, but trying my best to succeed all the same. Wish me luck, or hate me, I don’t really care.

Sometimes when you start off liking someone, you end up loving them.

The Spirit Of Exploration

by Matt the Pioneer, posted in Life, Technology
Some people are content just to sit at home all night and work in the morning. Sometimes I’m like that but other times I like to explore, go on adventures, wonder what more is there to see, but, most of my adventures in my neighborhood have gotten lame. Video games sometimes help but really, where did adventure go? It seemed, to people living previous to the twenty-first century always had a new technology that was going to change the world, lands unexplored, or a change in understanding of philosophy that led to an entirely different worldview. I want that sense of adventure back. Maybe not the danger, but the sense of danger. Not just on my TV, and not just on some lame-ass VR.

Real life FTW

I want a real adventure, and I have an idea, perhaps it will be something you might find interesting. I call it adventure apps. Instead of just scrolling through cats, what if your smartphone could take you some place else. It could bind together strangers, and send them on a quest, nothing illegal, just out of the ordinary, for that is what adventure is, change in your daily routine, and what could be more fun than meeting some people and searching at best, for the nicest place in town to hear an old man’s tale, of where he hid the treasure, which could just be, an old note, if you find it, he would emote. What about if there were places to go, so amazing yet you’d never know they were there, old relics, statues, places with history.

History is an inaccurate measurement of the past

What if you took the show on the road, in another city to find an ancient ruin, stand there and wonder what it was like, for those ponderers of existence, in that place in time. It could be a social opener, allowing you to make friends, obviously the app would have to verify them. As they say, give a group of strangers an activity to do, they will bond and the bonds will start to hold true. Now then, with enough activities encompassing many cities, a sense of adventure could carry on, although, we need more than just exploring, we need to find someplace new.

A sense of unity comes from doing things together

Sure there is open source, that is nothing new, but, what about a different open-source movement, like how Columbus open-sourced the ocean blue in 1492. What if we established something that was worthy of time, an idea that is something we could accomplish, given enough time. Something like the Space Race, for this generation and place. One in which all humans who want to could participate. Not in just a new operating system, but in something truly grand. What about robots, for labor, sponsored by something like Kickstarter, where countries and people can donate, and there is teaching to get you up to speed. Then we could all have a sense of adventure in creating something new, open-society for the twenty-first century.
Why not?
How to organize this, is another story completely and maybe people want to do other things than create. What if we came up with a plan that anyone could contribute to that was nothing more than fun in another way. We could use our smartphones, to map the Earth in extreme detail. Instead of just relying on Google Maps, both satellite and car, what if we mapped it all by taking pictures with an app. We could map the interior of buildings through to the most remote trails. We could discover all the secrets the world has to offer through its natural, and man-made beauty. With our current level of technology we could do it, with the right incentives it could become economically possible, and then we could have our finished map, the world in so much detail down to plants. So now that we have that established, I believe it is in need of a name. I call it #mapEarth.
Use the hashtag #mapEarth if you dare

The World Anew

by Matt the Pioneer, posted in Technology
The challenges that await us everyday become less and less demanding with each invention of something new. Something fresh is always on the edge of technology and with it a task that before was hard becomes easier. This has been common for a long time, possibly since fire, possibly since humans spoke in rhyme. To really observe a single aspect of our technological life, brings within focus the journey it took in being made a thing, both the ideas generated in the past and the advancement upon advancement that needed to be made. Life has a tree of evolution, technology has the path of invention, with each new node building on the previous and leading into what seemed impossible, only a short time ago.
Without technology, our world would be dark
The standard smartphone seems simple when operated, it is easy to learn its operations, and still has all the features of a standard phone. It relies on so many underpinning technologies that broken down would take a book, possibly an app to describe. The glass, in its most current form, uses not just simple sand melted down but has consistent electrical properties for touch sensitivity and at the same time a special scratch resistant coating that is at the forefront of Materials Engineering. Something like an Android phone may use digital communication, yet it can still call a home phone line, it still has similar features, and although everything on it is done in a slightly different way it is at its basics a phone, with internet, and apps. Some of the components on it are custom designed such as the case, and the others are other inventions all formed together to make something new. Each component has a long history and chain connected to it dating back as far back as invention itself.
Every invention has its parts
It is amazing to think that not only is everything in the digital world as complex as inanimate objects get, it is also guaranteed given a year or two it will be improved upon. That is what humans do, and seem to do very well, take something whether alone or in a team and improve upon it, combine new pieces into one, and add a bit of their own ingenuity. There are many documentaries about nature and there are some about technology and the two have a slightly overlapping characteristic. They both tell the tale of how a new thing is born from an old thing. On one hand we have evolution, which adapts and splits organisms to better suit their environment, and on the other we have inventions, which adapt and splits the environment to better suit the organism.
Underpinning it all is the human mind
The beauty of the modern world is everywhere, our daily lives are touched by works of art, our minds are allowed the inter-connectivity they seek, we have many things to occupy our time, and if you really think about it the future will be the same. There will be more invention, more ideas, more art, more beauty, less danger, and more nature. Whether we are watching movies on a TV, or using the latest augmented reality app, it stands to reason those inventions will come from the past. They will span time, space, and physics, will occupy our minds and our hands, they will influence what we think and do, and if anything, they will make the world more beautiful too.

Ideas can sculpt the future