Tuesday, April 22, 2008

In the Valley of the Ancients... Opening Remarks

There was a time, not so long ago, that the world was without form and yet as vast as eternity -- not much more than two decades, now, by some measures. Languages to be used by machines were complex and barely supported objects, worked best when compiled, and were not expected to support web access unless it were through the services of a gate-keeper.


The world changed. Drastically. Now, every application or even sub-program must consider how it is to be connected to the wide world beyond -- or justify draconic measures to limit connectivity in ways that once were unthinkable for anything outside of encrypted military/intelligence data conglomerations. Hyperbole from the poets once thought circling the globe by travel was the summit of adventure. "Seven times the world around" is a trifle for infromation now, where it was once a grand adventure limited to letters, books, and ideas carried by narrow-minded men pursuing narrow-minded agendas: treasure, power, religion.


Ramblings. That may be what ends up in this blog. I'll try to keep it all focused. Just don't expect anything very coherent: the world is too wide, the interests are too many, and the idiots out there in the multiverse don't follow any rational limits this month / year / decade / century / eon / epoch.


What's worse is that, in my way (and each of you in yours), someone somwhere will justifiably believe that I should bear that idiot label.


And that's okay. Or at least it is supposed to be, even if it can hurt a little at times.


ttfn - Mike