Something Broke

Last September, there was a shortage of gas in the Southeast. There was a hurricane, and damaged pipelines and a lack of backup storage due to the switch from summer to winter grade fuel combined with the economic climate to create the perfect storm for a gas shortage. One morning I woke and turned on the news to see that my bank, Wachovia, was collapsing (or so the news reported at the time). I called my father to ask what I should do with my money. We talked for a bit and he asked if I was still visiting home this weekend. I told him no, probably not, since there was no gas in town. A friend's car was empty by this time, so three of us walked to the nearest gas stations with an empty can only to find them empty. Everyone was calling and texting friends from various neighborhoods, trying to find gas. The best we ever got were rumors. Lines at the stations that were open all filled with more cars than the stations could handle and most stations would only stay stocked for a day at best. I had to call out of work, which required a commute, and spent a few days walking to the store and school before I found a station near my house with gas (which was gouged to a full dollar over what the price should have been). I filled up and by the time I was out again the stations had been re-supplied. I was lucky.

It took three days for police to stop patrolling for parking ticket violations. Three days before the first bits of order started to chip away from society.

This year, next, and so forth

Well, I have been on this kind of futurist kick for a while. Taking a graduate level Cyber-Rhetoric class didn't help much. Reading Gibson didn't either. Now, I've just started reading The Singularity is Near by Raymond Kurzweil, and will definitely review on here later (I hear you should at least read a book before you discuss it). Anyway, I'm pretty pumped about the future and I have decided to post my predictions. Partially to be able to look back and say AHA! I called that! You were fools to doubt me! and partially because I really want some of these things to happen and the best way help is to get people ready for it. Some of this stuff already exists in various stages of development, but I am predicting that they will become everyday, mainstream occurrences.

No More Mice - I'm sure a few people will stick to using a mouse for their computer out of habit and reluctance, but touch technology will be the primary interaction. For all-in-one tv/computer/whatever systems a pointer will substitute for the hand (think wiimote). Eye-tracking devices will then become the cutting edge. This will enable users to interface with computers almost as fast as they can think about it. The eye tracking device may be a small camera or sensor placed near the face, or even a contact lens.

Hands-free Internet - Take that eye-tracking technology I just mentioned. Now take a bluetooth earpiece which happens to be attached to an internet-ready phone. Clip on a tiny screen that fits in front of one eye, or integrate the two into sunglasses. People will be able to functionally use the internet while walking down the street.

No More Hard Drives - Well ok, there will be hard drives. They won't be nearly as important though. Memory will be stored elsewhere, accessable via internet and therefore infinitely more convenient. This will help advance the use of net-books and internet-only gadgets. Google will lead the way. By the way this is called cloud computing.

Implants - Slowly but surely we will start to Borgify. It may or may not go well. I would not be surprised by dermal touch screens, implanted authorization chips (for perimeter security programs or debit card information), thought driven mechanical limb replacements or sensory enhancing implants. Most of these are already in development.

Organs - We will grow them in jars (well... that's the basic idea). No more organ shortage, no more organ donors.

3-d - We're already starting to see the re-emergence of the 3-d phenomenon that was a bit of a craze in the mid 90's. Eventually, holographic games and movies will be commonplace, and the internet will be powerful enough to accommodate live holographic transmissions.

Things I Would Do With a Time Machine

First off, I'd like to apologize for being a little slack in updating. I'm a full-time student and have an internship as well, so my time budget gets a little tight sometimes. I promise an ultra-awesome Science Wednesday next week. Anyway, let's talk about

Things I would do with a time machine

I'm assuming that in my fantasy reality, going back in time won't lock my consciousness into an eternal loop or create some irreversible paradox. I won't change anything unless I mean to, and things turn out reasonably well and I can't somehow make Dick Cheney emperor of the Republic of America. I also would only be able to go back in time, mostly because I'm already working on a write-up of my thoughts on the future and only have so many ideas on the subject at once.

• Talk to Einstein about religion
  
• Talk to Jesus about science (well, the nature of the universe at least
  
• Take a microscope with me and watch the first species of cells
• Chill with some dinosaurs
• Eat a dinosaur... actually, I'd try several.
  
• Go ask Plato what the fuck Atlantis is (in those words) and then report back to present day. Same with Mayans. I'd also check in on the Clovis people, Noah and Moses (if they existed), the Ark of the Covenant, King Arthur and so on.
• Go pick up medieval peasants, take them to the present and blow their minds.
• Use my time-traveling power to play pranks on Hitler. I wouldn't try to change history mind you... too risky.
• Befriend William Blake
• Attempt to seduce Debussy
• Find Paul Simon in college and convince him to write me a song
• Go hear the premiers of my favorite pieces of music, including the Rite of Spring riot

Make your own!

Best Things to See and Do (and what to skip) in South Carolina

Since Governor Sanford is trying to refuse bailout money for the state, I figure I'll help out the tourism industry as best as I can.

Riverbanks Zoo - In Columbia, this is a truly great zoo. It can be a little crowded, but is large enough that the crowds don't usually feel pressing (unless you're at a feeding or event) Check out the gardens if you want to steer clear of the beasties, but be sure to check out the penguin feeding and the special area where you can feed tropical birds little cups of nectar.
Skip: Ripley's Aquarium - Typically crowded, boring and overpriced.

Downtown Greenville - Greenville's downtown is beautiful and lots of fun. On any given weekend you can almost always catch some sort of concert, festival or show either on the street, in a park, or at the Peace Center or BiLo Center. Restaurants range from sandwich shops to high-end sushi. Make sure you check out Falls Park and look for a series of actual size statues of bronze mice hidden around the main drag.
Skip: Downtown Charleston - If you are really into Southern history or have a lot of money, ignore this. The place is pretty hopping but most of the good stuff can get pricey. If you go to see the market or shop at all make sure you go during the day.

Piccolo Spoleto - While downtown Charleston is kind of a bummer unless you have lots of money for shopping and food, not so during Spoleto. This huge music festival takes place in the early summer. Concerts of all types take place in venues across the city all day long, and performers and patrons flock from all over the nation.

The Cooper River Bridge Run - This is a marathon across the historic Cooper River Bridge in Charleston. Now it is a brand-spanking new bridge, and a pretty one too! Those are the older two versions in the background although I think they are gone now. Anyway, get the event t-shirt and you can use it as camoflage to masquerade as a SC native anywhere you go.
Skip: The actual "run" part of the run. Sign up as a "walker" unless you want to be trampled by Kenyans.

Enjoy the Food - Find at least one greasy diner (like The Beacon in Spartanburg, or Ye Olde Fashioned in Charleston), one thouroughly southern restaurant (like Lizard's Thicket) and at least half a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts. (If you see a red "hot and now" sign in the window it is time to pull over NOW.
Skip: The same old, same old. Promise me you won't head to Olive Garden when you're here.

Go to a Festival - Almost every small town will have one in the spring and many hold them yearround, it's just a matter of knowing when they are. Sometimes they will be specific - like the St. George Grits Festival - and sometimes just named after a plant or something. Anyway, these are usually an entertaining afternoon.

Magnolia Plantation - One of my favorite places in the world. Find this on the outskirts of Charleston outside of West Ashley. The gardens are beautiful year round, but when the azelias bloom in the spring is by far the best time to visit. Don't think cultivated flowerbeds, think towering bushes covered in blossoms, wooden bridges in lush forests, and generally a Secret Garden beautifully overgrown feel. There is also a series of walkways through the swamp (never get your feet dirty), a hedge maze, petting zoo and I assume some sort of museum.
Skip: Drayton Hall Plantation - It is literally down the road from Magnolia, but is not as fun or spectacular.

The Mountains - Check out Ceasars head, near Brevard or one of tons of other mountain-area parks and activities.

Go Strom Hopping - Everything here is named after Strom Thurmond. Check out Lake Thurmond, buildings on the campuses of nearly every major public university, statues of him at the capitol and his hometown (also the hometown of Strom Thurmond high school). Actually... this is not that fun. The lake is nice though.

Bull Island - A coastal island which is nearly pristine. You'll have to take a ferry to get there. This is one of the few places in the world where you'll have a chance to see a red wolf. This is a little more of an expedition than a tourist sight though, so don't bite off more than you can chew if you can't handle the bugs or the heat.

The Beach - We have some amazing beaches!! The tricky part? Avoid Myrtle Beach. Seriously! It's a fun city to hang out in, but the beach is so polluted crowded that it is no fun for actually be on. Check out Surfside, Edisto, Isle of Palms, Folly, and Ocean Isle (actually in NC but whatever). There are certainly others but ask someone who knows what they are like before you head on down.

Yet another reminder

that copyright laws don't work anymore.

Gears of War stopped working on the 28th for the people who bought the game legally, but not for those who pirated it. Mmhmm.