San Diego Fire Pics
Sunday, October 26, 2003

All OK here in Hillcrest, but this is one serious fire situation in San Diego. Here's some pics I took
---------------------posted by Caleb John Clark on 10/26/2003 04:55:00 PM


Party of the Past
Tuesday, October 21, 2003

If we democrats, and other's working to unseat Bush, can keep our focus, and NOT fall pray to thinking our foe is stupid, or easy to beat, maybe we can save our country from being run by the "party of the past" as I like to call the conservative wing of the Republicans, any longer.

I think this party of the past is slowly losing ground on most fronts. For example: Narrow minded crusade like religion, macho foreign policy, isolation, going it alone, might makes right, bigotry, health care, gay rights, abortion, even medical marijuana. They are losing ground in this war, and they know it. The winds of evolution of our very species are against them like a rising tide. The future is globalization, teamwork, new human rights, free markets, free people, and information warfare. Isolation is a weapon we want to use on others, not ourselves. As the book "Non Zero" showed, we are a species that, despite flare ups of wars and such, evolves though a series of win win scenarios. This is why the party of the past is fighting so strongly. But it is a long last flail. They are a badger in a corner though, so one must be very respectful of their power and determination.

But the sands of time will continue to slowly surround the party of the past until they find themselves in a vast hellish desert, and realize that nobody is coming to their party.

---------------------posted by Caleb John Clark on 10/21/2003 01:09:00 PM


Party of the Past

If we democrats, and other's working to unseat Bush, can keep our focus, and NOT fall pray to thinking our foe is stupid, or easy to beat, maybe we can save our country from being run by the "party of the past" as I like to call the conservative wing of the Republicans, any longer.

I think this party of the past is slowly losing ground on most fronts. For example: Narrow minded crusade like religion, macho foreign policy, isolation, going it alone, might makes right, bigotry, health care, gay rights, abortion, even medical marijuana. They are losing ground in this war, and they know it. The winds of evolution of our very species are against them like a rising tide. The future is globalization, teamwork, new human rights, free markets, free people, and information warfare. Isolation is a weapon we want to use on others, not ourselves. As the book "Non Zero" showed, we are a species that, despite flare ups of wars and such, evolves though a series of win win scenarios. This is why the party of the past is fighting so strongly. But it is a long last flail. They are a badger in a corner though, so one must be very respectful of their power and determination.

But the sands of time will continue to slowly surround the party of the past until they find themselves in a vast hellish desert, and realize that nobody is coming to their party.

---------------------posted by Caleb John Clark on 10/21/2003 01:09:00 PM


The doctor is in

It occurred to me that while I'm looking for work, I've got time to save the country. As I've got some time, and I'm an independent/democrat, I started reading up on the dems, specifically Clark and Dean.

At first Clark interested me so I started there. He's a fascinating man and his military iconic nature seems like it might be just the ticket since we are basically at war, with others, our own economy, and if you're a democrat, the current administration. I like Clark.

Then I read up on Dean. I'm going with Dean. Dean's position, history, personality, campaign energy, ground breaking Internet usage, and experience, are more in line with my beliefs and what I like in a candidate.

What I sincerely hope happens, and what I intend to do, is fight it out with the other democrats and then really focus all the anti-Bush votes on whatever leader emerges, with as little diffusion as possible.

Our foe is smart, savvy, rich, and focused. We must be vigilant.

---------------------posted by Caleb John Clark on 10/21/2003 12:34:00 PM


The doctor is in

It occurred to me that while I'm looking for work, I've got time to save the country. As I've got some time, and I'm an independent/democrat, I started reading up on the dems, specifically Clark and Dean.

At first Clark interested me so I started there. He's a fascinating man and his military iconic nature seems like it might be just the ticket since we are basically at war, with others, our own economy, and if you're a democrat, the current administration. I like Clark.

Then I read up on Dean. I'm going with Dean. Dean's position, history, personality, campaign energy, ground breaking Internet usage, and experience, are more in line with my beliefs and what I like in a candidate.

What I sincerely hope is that the democrats battle it out and then really focus all their votes on what ever leader emerges, with as little diffusion as possible.

---------------------posted by Caleb John Clark on 10/21/2003 12:34:00 PM


Social Networking and Universal Profiles
Monday, October 06, 2003

This social networking thing is going off. Tribe, Friendster, Meetup, Here's a great list of them all and software . There's a progression here. Off the top of my head it seems to be, roughly: BBSes, Email Listservs, the Well. Then the whole "online community" hosted web forum in the boom and AOL, Craigslist and activity partners and personals, IM. Then Web personals hitting big and Social Networking sites like Ryze and Web personals get more tools like 'wink'. Now Friendster with testimonials and degrees, Meetup for affinity groups, Tribe.

So where is it all going? I think the answer lies in the question "How many groups can one person really devote time to?"

I've been thinking for a while that it's going towards one central profile. Everybody could have only one profile on the Web, a sort of "Universal Profile" (UP) that is viewable on any browser and with it's own address, with pictures, writings, and links to other pages! I know, I know, sounds like a... Web page!

But it wouldn't be just like the Web now; because the trick is that it is not totally public. These sites all have internal messaging and private address and hidden names. You'll have to be able to choose who sees what on this new kind of Web page and the default is that nobody could track your physical whereabouts from your UP. And you once the metadata gets worked out, or even before if you can get hooks into other sites dBes, you can choose to have your UP listed on other sites like Friendster, etc. One set of essays, pictures, and resume to maintain.

For all of you out there who've have your own web portfolios for years, this will seem obvious. But for the general public, it's going to take a little convincing. But it will happen I think and we're closer then ever. It's going to take is enough people to see the benefits of having anyone be able to print your resume out of their printer instantly, or be able to see you on 10 dating sites, and it will take off I think.

Along these lines, and perhaps at the very core of this emerging problem of...call it...Social Network Overload...is interoperability (see blog by Adam Greenfield ) and I'm sure a lot more thoughts on this I have not found.

I'm sure new features are on their way, or already out there. I'd love to have degrees of separation on Friendster be searchable so I can find only those folks that are one degree away. Also, I'd like a lot more classifications of relationship then "friend." How about "Ex blank" "cafe friend" "best friend" "former work friend" etc. and how about testimonials that are bad!? That you don't approve...humm

This is going to be very interesting to watch evolve! Will soon be a sort of global village gathering around the gleam of the screens like the firelight of the fires we used to gather around 20,000 years ago? Wait, didn't someone else talk about that?
---------------------posted by Caleb John Clark on 10/06/2003 09:49:00 PM


Introspection growing in importance?
Wednesday, October 01, 2003

There are nuns on the Web now. They used to only talk to people through metal bars, now the use the Web to promote their gig, their mission, what they do well.

This made me think that as we get to a place where you can sell almost any solid product or service on the Web, the question increasingly becomes not "how to be successful?" but "What to do?" Because if you are good at what you do, the tools for selling it to the entire world are readily available. I'm sure this was true in the past, within small towns and cities you could build a reputation and stay employed through friends. But now it is a global city with many more opportunities.

As we progress it would seem that knowing what one does well, doing it well, and substantiating your reputation on the Web, are the keys to success that are waiting on the hook by your computer.
---------------------posted by Caleb John Clark on 10/01/2003 11:09:00 AM