Nasa plans return to Moon by 2020

Don't get me wrong! I am all for returning to the Moon! And I don't care if people say "why, we have no reason to go there". I believe that just going is reason enough, but the plans NASA have are so lacking of ambition. If you want to go back to the Moon, and nothing else then don't just copy the way it was done previously with just bigger rockets! If you just do that you would have learned nothing! The way it is proposed now have no vision. The primary ambition (going there) is nothing new; it has already been done. The secondary ambitions (new technology, etc) are..well non existing; the whole thing is based on old technology. If the reason is, that NASA does not have the finances to do it better, then NASA must go internationally. In any case I think that is the only way forward with projects on this scale. And id isn't only space programs that could benefit from some internationalisation...

Going through the motions

Well, it has been a while, and it has probably been the period in my life where most have changed! Maybe that's why... Anyway! The main thing that has happened is obviously that I have got married! I have married the most beautiful woman in the world in the most spectacular wedding. It lasted 3 days and I had many friends and family coming in from Denmark to attend. You all made our day!! Thanks!! Second, the redundancy became real. The Friday after the wedding I was told that I was going to be made redundant by 22nd August. I sort of expected it, but when it happens is always gives you a knock. I suppose it is reality sinking in. So what do you do? Do you become angry or just accept your fate... The most important thing is to get off to a good start in searching for a new job. The psychological impact is the most important to deal with immediately. Then later you can deal with all the financial etc. stuff. In any case I tried to act "professional", seeing it from their point of view, that they didn't have enough money to keep me and they were in trouble and that I would have done the same in their situation. I believe that will also serve me better in the long run - slamming doors always leave a bitter taste in your own mouth... So the last two months I have been looking for work...

Redundancy looming

I can not believe that I am potentially in it again! That I now again have the threat of redundancy hanging over my head. And this 4 days before my wedding!!! Is this a test? Maybe, but as they say within every test or obstacle lies an opportunity to learn - to do it better. However it does sound kind of hollow when you have been through it before. In any case, this time I am going to do it better than last time. This time I will show determination and the will to succeed. Last time I did not take the responsibility, but this time I have to. If I in any way deserves to be married to this beautiful girl, I have to take the responsibility, because this time it is not only for me... This blog will now change focus to see me through this...

What does it take to be successfull?

Passion for what you do and a bit of luck...

Learning from the past or leaving it behind?

Why is it so difficult not to look at the past? And is it necessary to look at the past to understand and prepare for the future? Good medicine has always been to be positive and look ahead - not backwards, but how do we do that? When we look back, we do it either to blame ourselves or someone else because it is easier. It is easier because then we don't have to take responsibility either for our actions or for what is going to happen in the future. Problem is, it obviously doesn't work. In the end of the day only WE can take responsibility for our lives and indeed be responsible for our actions. But it is hard! It is hard to find the border between leaning from the past and blaming the past. When is it a lesson we must carry with us to the future and when is it a mistake we must leave behind? Having said that, are there such a thing as a mistake or is it all lessons that are opportunities to learn from?

Who decides?

Reading Ballmer's brave "New World of Work" made me think about who it is that decides what software is going to be like in the future? What is the process, both the implicit and the explicit one? Because software is a business and companies produce software products, one would think it should be the market forces that decides. However market forces deals with supply and demand, and I am not so sure that works the same way for software as it does for other product types. First, the production cost for software lies almost completely in the development of the software, as the production and disstribution costs are virtually nil. Second, the demand side is hard to define. For software the demand should be users telling the software industry what they want and then the industry develops it (if there is a business case), but most of the time the users don't know what they want! So what happens? Well, as we can read from Mr. Ballmer's opinion specifically and Microsoft in general is, that we decide what the furture is and what products we are going to develop and sell to you. And if you don't like it go somewhere else...WHAT there is nowhere else to go...though!!

Whats next?

Having worked with computers and developed software in various capacities, I have found lots of fascinating things and lots of frustrations. I am sure others in a similar position have done the same. Over time, I have spend a lot of time thinking about what can be done to make it better - again, I am sure I am not the only one. I have found that one thing is thinking about it and another completely different thing is actually doing something. I guess the doing part has two components to it: what to do and having the time to do it in. This blog is meant to be a way for me to deal with the first part - what to do. All the things and ideas that I have in my head are all very well, but completely pointless if they don't get put to any use. I have found that when I get an idea to solve something, I eventually get stuck and start thinking in circles - does anyone else experience this? I hope that this blog can help with this, by freeing up some space in my brain, so I can think further than what I normally could.

Are we now God?

Was reading a SF novel (Sister Alice, by Robert Reed) that was taking place millions of years from now, where humans have complete control over their genetic makeup and the more advanced ones can change at will. These very powerful people are revered as gods by their fellow human beings. This made me think about how we "define" a god or at least an omnipotent god. I suppose that an omnipotent god or being is someone who has the power of creating and destroying life (and in general anything that we can sense) at will, and to change and affect existing life in any way he or she sees fit. Humans has always looked to these gods to explain things they did not understand or whenever they wanted to influence other people(notably priests), saying it is the will of God that you must do so and so. In previous times people accepted this and acknowledged the priests making these claims, I suppose mainly out of fear or lack of knowledge to contradict the priests. In more recent times we see people rejecting the priests because they have the knowledge (and confidence) to contradict them. Now back to my main point. If gods are the ultimate creator and destructor of life will any human that achieves these powers then automatically become a God? All through time, humans have seeked technology aimed at destroying their enemies (whoever they might be) and we have become pretty good at it! With the invention of nuclear weapons, we have almost achieved the ultimate power of destruction of life. Granted, the technology is now available to everyone, but it becomes easier and easier as this knowledge becomes more readily available. Also within the last 10-20 years, genetic technology has taken quantum leaps in understanding the building blocks of life and it is quite obvious, that it is just a matter of time before we can manipulate life at a genetic level. So when do we all become gods? Humans has technology now, that can destroy life and create life. Maybe the technology is still a bit crude, but I have no doubt that it will be further developed and refined, even though there are political and religious objections. And when that happens and this technology becomes readily available are we then all gods? In the book I mentioned, humans are virtually immortal and their bodies can repair any physical harm they might find, and I guess that with advances in genetics that is definitely achievable. When we all become immortal will that then spin off a race to find ever more powerful weapons to fuel the desire (or need) to kill each other or will we finally realise that it is a futile effort to keep on killing each other? In the end of the day, nature will always win! And to the people that believe that genetic manipulation is unnatural, I must say that they are contradicting themselves...If humans are part of nature, then it must follow that all we do is also natural and part of a natural evolution...