Little Thoughts

Crap, two whole months without a post. That's pathetic. Well, rather than bore you with one really long post, I've decided to bore you with a semi-long post comprised of really short snippets. Enjoy!

Running

Since my last post was about my running achievements from last year and goals for this year, I might as well start with an update about that. I'm pleased to say I'm doing rather well. Karen and I have started running together on the weekends, which works surprisingly well. We go to Memorial Park, which has a 2.92 mile circuit. She runs at a much slower pace, so she and I and the puppy go around once together. Then I take the puppy and go around again while she relaxes and reads. This helps me moderate my pace, plus gives me my long run for the week. I've already logged 60 miles running this month, which is a new high for me. This experience has made me much more confident in my long running ability, and I'm eager to run my first 10K next month.

Wisteria Hysteria

Yesterday was yard work day. Aside from the usual lawn care, I had the special task of taming a wild plant-beast in our backyard. If you're not familiar with it, wisteria is a vine-like plant with pretty purple flowers and a nice fragrance. Normally, this plant is trained to grow vertically on a pergola to provide shade and a pleasing view. Unfortunately, when left alone, it spreads like an evil virus.

It had dozens of tendrils, each extending for at least 15 feet along and under the ground. It was a major task getting it under control. The reason I felt like mentioning it here is because of the weird difficulty in removing it. It was actually rather complicated. The network of roots and vines were very like the wiring in a complex bomb. I had to trace each one to the source, sometimes having to remove a different one before I could remove the first. And after I had removed many smaller root clusters, each one containing plenty of challenges themselves, I was finally able to tackle the big one. I hacked and cut and dug and swore. I attacked side roots to weaken the main root. I dug around it to get different angles of attack. And when I finally defeated it, I felt exactly the same satisfaction I feel after defeating a particularly gnarly big boss in a video game. "Game Over, Wisteria-Man! I've rooted out your evilness."

Apples and Oranges

Speaking of plants, here's something else. I actually posted this somewhere completely different a while ago, but I amused myself enough that I'm repeating it here. I really don't get the whole "It's like comparing apples and oranges" phrase. Those are two very comparable things-- they're both fruit, grow on trees, mostly round, often found in Christmas stockings. One can easily compare them: I like apples more than oranges because you don't have to peel them. I like oranges better than apples because they are sweeter. It just doesn't make sense to me. If you really wanted to negate a comparison, shouldn't the objects be as disparate as possible? "That's like comparing apples and sheet music" or "That's like comparing John Boehner and oranges." Okay, maybe that last one doesn't work, but I think you see my point.

Whedon World

I've been enjoying the series Dollhouse on Netflix lately. I really like how it is a "sex and violence" show that really plays with deeper sci-fi concepts of mind and personality. I'll be sad when I reach the end of its run.

But it got me to thinking how cool it would be if Josh Whedon were able to put together an amusement park like old Walt's place. Of course, a huge portion of the park would have to be dedicated to Sunnydale and Buffy's exploits therein. You could walk the halls of Sunnydale High, hang out at the Hellmouth, or grab a brew at The Bronze. Nearby would be the big city where Angel worked.

Obviously, the most popular section would be The 'Versed, based on the reality created for Firefly. You could have a truly frightening "Reavers of the Caribbean" ride and a full mock-up of Serenity. The best would be a Firefly rollercoaster: lots of ups and downs, but you're forced to get off right when it gets really good.

Lastly, there's the Dollhouse. I'm not exactly sure how this would play out, but it most likely wouldn't be appropriate for children. Do you get to pretend you're a different person, or do you just custom order a person for your own, um, pleasure?

I certainly hope Mr. Whedon keeps creating. I've never had any interest in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but otherwise I think he's produced really excellent stuff. If he keeps it up, maybe someday we really will get a Whedon World.

The Future of Traffic Law Enforcement

For a couple of years now, Houston has had "red light cameras" that take pictures of cars running red lights. Based on the license plate number, the driver is then mailed a citation and expected to pay the fine. I don't know how prevalent or numerous these devices are in other cities (and I really don't feel like doing any research), but I find the concept fascinating.

Obviously, a lot of people don't favor them. I suppose they believe that if an actual police officer didn't catch them in the act, then they should be allowed to get away with it. That's a very interesting ethical position to take: if I wasn't caught, then it wasn't wrong, basically. I could go on for paragraphs on just this aspect alone, but I won't.

But traffic law, for the most part, is pretty cut and dried, black and white. The light was red; you entered the intersection; you get a ticket. So the use of computers and automated cameras makes a lot of sense here. I'm sure there are plenty who still fight the tickets, but they're fighting against solid evidence and can really only make appeals based on "just cause."

Believe it or not (surprising even to me), I really like this concept and think it should (and will) be expanded. I've often seen digital speed limit signs equipped with radar to show you how fast you're really going. They're always temporary, I guess just to remind drivers that the police do know what you're doing. But why couldn't these signs have cameras as well? It doesn't seem like it would be too difficult to set up a system for stop signs as well. I think this is an inventive use of modern technology. Fifty years ago, it would have been impossible, but now you could have an automated post measure your speed (radar), take your picture (digitally, no film), time and date stamp it (computer), and send it to a central police hub (wireless Internet). That's impressive.

Will this happen? I think so. In the next five years, probably not. Ten? Probably.

But this idea can be taken even further, which is what I really like thinking about. How many cars today are equipped with rear-view video cameras? Some even have little radar sensors to tell you when you are nearing an object. And these aren't super luxury or concept car features; these were on the Ford Focus I drove a few months ago.

So, why not have driver-controlled cameras to report the bad/illegal behavior of other drivers? How many times have you seen someone driving recklessly on the freeway, too fast, weaving in and out of cars, and wished that they got caught. "Why isn't there ever a cop when you need one?"

But if you could report him yourself? Just move a joystick and take a snap, which is instantly transmitted to the police, maybe even including your geo-tracked location. This is all possible now. Sure, there are some kinks to work out. You'd have to make sure it isn't too dangerous/distracting to take the picture. There would have to be officers whose job would be to sift the reports to separate the wheat from the chaff, but that wouldn't be too hard. If you get five reports from five different vehicles in the same area at the same time, I think you should look into it. I think it might even cut down on road rage, in a passive-aggressive way. Don't like the guy tailgating you? Just take a picture and report him. He pays a fine and you feel good about yourself. That's much better than slamming on your breaks and risking gunfire.

In small tribal communities, they don't have police. That doesn't mean they don't have crime or wrong-doers, but just that it isn't the job of one person to correct it. The community as a whole upholds the group ethic. If someone steals, rapes, or murders, everyone knows it. That person is most often shunned and/or kicked out of the community. As a community gets larger and wealthier, it can afford to have people whose job is more specific or abstract. Perhaps, as our society gets larger and communication gets so much easier, it will become more like the smaller communities. If we all police ourselves/each other for traffic violations, it frees the actual police to do the specialized work they are trained to do. If people knew that by cutting ahead in a long line of cars at an off-ramp they would get a dozen pictures sent and have to pay a fine, maybe they'd be more hesitant to do it.

It all sounds very Orwellian, and that fascinates me as well. The oppression in 1984 came from the government, of course, but it was enforced by the people. Big Brother wasn't so much the camera as the person looking through the lens.

Anyway, I think it's coming. Probably not in ten years, but in twenty? Thirty? Who knows.