The Adnostic

I read the latest issue of Wired on the New Atheism. Lots of fun stuff as usual. My friend rolled her eyes at me when I told her that I was about to read an article on lithium-ion batteries, but it was actually really interesting. Definitely a product the will see radical changes in the coming years, considering that the evolution of technology is being constrained by the stagnation of the battery.

I'm still excited about seeing Darren Aronofsky's new film even though the writer of the article was strangely compelled to mention the director's summer vacations tripping out in Mexican sweat lodges and following the Ganges river to it's source. It just made DA come off like a pretentious hippie jerk-off. Ah, to be artistic, rich, and bored.

The article on atheism was very hard hitting and left me wondering if my own fence-sitting agnosticism is in fact enabling the resurgence of fundamentalism. As someone close to people of faith, I can't bring myself to completely disrespect their beliefs. That would be the equivalent of disrespecting them.

Business 2.0 on New Business Disruptors was also good. The op-ed on the opportunity cost of freelancers taking time off for personal time or vacations was particularly interesting. Apparently, the rise of freelances has also brought on a decline in personal enjoyment. People can't drag themselves away from work because they see every hour they're not working as money that they are not making. I experienced during my brief tenure as a freelancer. I was less likely to accept an interview when I knew that it would cost me a day or half a day's pay. I became much more selective about the opportunities that I would explore.

Another article was on satellite track-able cars. Pay-as-you-go insurance companies can track your driving habits and charge you more if you speed on highways prone to traffic accidents. Cities can charge you precisely for the amount of time you spent parked at a metered site and raise the cost exponentially if you stay there too long. Cities can also charge you for using freeways during rush hour to try and get you to flex your hours and drive during off-peak times.

The whole concept didn't sit very well with me. It seemed too Big Brotherish. I could see it being beneficial on a societal level, but the loss of privacy that comes with anything recording my whereabouts at all times is disturbing.