June 28, 2002
Jango and Boba : clones are people too
So I was thinking this morning how cool it is what Episode II has subtly done for the advancement of social opinion on cloning. By default everyone seems to think cloning is evil. I am totally lost as to the source of this, most taboos I can either understand their source or if not that, I at least subscribe to the taboo (thank you societal influence). So along comes Episode II. Now I admit the message that it gives is not a focused positive message, but it’s a step. The scene I’m talking about is when Obi Wan goes to meet Jango Fett at his place on Camino. In the scene there is a clearly familiar and comfortable relationship between Jango Fett and his son, who happens to be a clone of him. This is what cloning will be. It’s not going to be like in Multiplicity where people are creating duplicates of themselves. People in general, when thinking about cloning, somehow completely overlook the fact that even if you clone something, you’re only cloning a single cell (usually a zygote). To much bad sci-fi must be the cause of all this. A clone still has to grow. So, I diverge. This father son relationship which is totally natural (except for the fact that Boba seems to be inherently evil [possibly a side effect of cloning we haven’t yet noticed]) is how cloning will exist in the real world. It will be completely normal, except for the fact that the child will be more like the parent than a normal child (which is a cocktail of two parents). Anyhow, I’m looking forward to this becoming socially acceptable, however it probably won’t knowing the despair inducing state of the world and it’s psychotic beliefs about supernatural beings, incessant fascination with super telephoto camera shots of semi nude celebrities, and the existence of the lottery.
Sigh
Posted by gene_wood at 09:03 AM | Comments (10)
June 27, 2002
Allegiance
So it turns out I wasn't the only one made HORRIBLY uncomfortable every morning in school. Every morning in elementary school (and beyond maybe, I can't remember) the whole class would get up and begin to recite a cult like chant about how aligned we were with our country and god. Every day I would try not to be noticed as I stood silently while everyone chanted away. Kinda sucks how the only people who are being made to feel like shit are children who have not voting power, or legal rights to make it stop. So this guy in Sacramento, stood up for his daughter and made a difference. Check out the
CNN Article or learn about the history of the Pledge of Allegiance
Posted by gene_wood at 06:54 PM | Comments (22)
June 24, 2002
MovableType, does it get any better than this?!
So, I downloaded MovableType and installed it all in about 45 minutes. This is probably the most enjoyable software experience I've ever had. It just works. And it's horribly complex, yet easy to use. I'm going to keep playing around with this, but I'd say this will be THE killer app for cementhorizon. As soon as I'm comfortable with this, I'll set up access for all other cementhorizon members.
Cheers
-Gene
Posted by gene_wood at 11:44 AM | Comments (4)