Philosophy 101
Hello and welcome to Philosophy 101!!
(Awesome theme music plays)
Today's theme is: Generation 9.
What do you think of generation 1 through 8?
Is change really necessary?
Do you think that the Dink Network will change for the better or the worse?
Do yoy like the old backrounds, or do you think the site could do some redecrating?
Strategies to increase membership in the new generation.
All that and more on this edition of.....
PHILOSOPHY 101
(Awesome theme music plays)
Today's theme is: Generation 9.
What do you think of generation 1 through 8?
Is change really necessary?
Do you think that the Dink Network will change for the better or the worse?
Do yoy like the old backrounds, or do you think the site could do some redecrating?
Strategies to increase membership in the new generation.
All that and more on this edition of.....
PHILOSOPHY 101
more like pointless 101. this has nothing to do with philosophy.
Ahhh, but I need to make it interesting , so that people will actually post... anyway, comments are non-sequitar. You should post relevant to our discussion.
What are your feelings regarding generation 9?
I feel that, personally, there are pro and cons to the transition to generation 9. Will I have to deal with annoying new features? Will I not have access to the features that I like? Will philosphy 101 some day become a feature? All these and more are questions that plague my mind when I think on the future of this website. To give credit to its successfulness, this site has been through several generations throughout the years, all this time remaining relatively stable... well... at least when it comes to the website itself. I cannot stress enough how incredible this is, especially in a day and age where the relative lifespan of a website is less than 5 months. Also, equally marvelous, is that the page is still, to this day regularly updated. This is most inpressive. The greater majority of fan-based websites of this age that I have visited, while still up, are otherwise completely defunct. My main curiosity is whether or not such industrious webbing will continue past on into generation 9, or if we are on the edge of a great and inevitable decline? The main necessity is that generation 9 can be user friendly as well as open to new Dinkers, otherwise, there is no guarantee that the website will last on into the future powered only by the will of older Dinkers. We need to reach out and increase our partnership, which has seemingly fallen on hard times. Who knows, maybe some day, if we increase our fanbase, we may even have a webring... though personally I find that highly doubtable.
What are your feelings regarding generation 9?
I feel that, personally, there are pro and cons to the transition to generation 9. Will I have to deal with annoying new features? Will I not have access to the features that I like? Will philosphy 101 some day become a feature? All these and more are questions that plague my mind when I think on the future of this website. To give credit to its successfulness, this site has been through several generations throughout the years, all this time remaining relatively stable... well... at least when it comes to the website itself. I cannot stress enough how incredible this is, especially in a day and age where the relative lifespan of a website is less than 5 months. Also, equally marvelous, is that the page is still, to this day regularly updated. This is most inpressive. The greater majority of fan-based websites of this age that I have visited, while still up, are otherwise completely defunct. My main curiosity is whether or not such industrious webbing will continue past on into generation 9, or if we are on the edge of a great and inevitable decline? The main necessity is that generation 9 can be user friendly as well as open to new Dinkers, otherwise, there is no guarantee that the website will last on into the future powered only by the will of older Dinkers. We need to reach out and increase our partnership, which has seemingly fallen on hard times. Who knows, maybe some day, if we increase our fanbase, we may even have a webring... though personally I find that highly doubtable.
Change is good, as long as everything stays the same.
Kapiesh?
Kapiesh?
i fear change. actually i embrace going backwards. generation 1 please. lets aim for the negatives. its not about revolution its about deevolution. its time to retrograde. that is the real change this world needs. theres too much progress. i dont like it.
Change is change in and only in name if we do not progress forward. While I not a fan of radical transitions on the Dink Network, a revamping would be nice. I could limit my reasons down to just the forum, Already the off-topic forum and general forum are crammed over with posts... over 20000 as of date. While often it seems that more really is merrier, perhaps we may consider either breaking up the forums into smaller ones, say, maybe offtopic 1 and offtopic 2, or offtopic personal and offtopic community-related- or we archive threads that have not been updated for say, a month, into a sort of message storage vault, that way, people can still view old threads, but will be able to readily see a list of just ones that are new or 'sticky'. It is fundamental changes such as these which could really help to benefit the network.
Speaking of the past, how many of you have knowledge/ memory of the older generations of this website, and do you think that these perhaps did some things better?
uhm my attention span has totally crossed its line sorry.
It is alright, this is an intense debate-style program, if you need a break, go ahead and get one.
In general, I wonder whether there are always truly virtues to change. While change can help progress an otherwise drab and annoying feature, to a better aspiration, it can also have the reverse affect. Instead of helping, a visionary idea could end up being only a detriment to its one creator. Instead of providing a better, more effective process, it instead spawns new and unruly problems to work around. Yet still, the great majority of advances have been a two-edged sword. While they do provide a progressive outlook, progress does have, and always will have its own special disadvantages. Often, by being progressive we only make things harder on ourselves in the end- or, in trying to pave a path forward, we forget to maintain the road behind us. One cannot progress if they give no credence to tradition and age old wisdom, and such is the downfall of modernism.
In general, I wonder whether there are always truly virtues to change. While change can help progress an otherwise drab and annoying feature, to a better aspiration, it can also have the reverse affect. Instead of helping, a visionary idea could end up being only a detriment to its one creator. Instead of providing a better, more effective process, it instead spawns new and unruly problems to work around. Yet still, the great majority of advances have been a two-edged sword. While they do provide a progressive outlook, progress does have, and always will have its own special disadvantages. Often, by being progressive we only make things harder on ourselves in the end- or, in trying to pave a path forward, we forget to maintain the road behind us. One cannot progress if they give no credence to tradition and age old wisdom, and such is the downfall of modernism.
tradition and "age old" "wisdom" in itself is a fallacy is it not? or is the earth still flat and are those suit coats with tails still in fashion? a road can be maintained yes but why subject ourselves to this tedius chore when we could soon be flying around in rocket propelled capsules? without progress we would have shoes without laces. corn on the cob without popcorn. iceboxes instead of refridgerators. this discussion would not even be taking place. is the internet not one of the greatest examples of technilogical evolution? its all just happened in our lifetimes that we take it for granted. we dont realize that 20 years ago this world as we know it was nothing the same. everyone has access to cell phones, laptops, internet, crazy video games. its insane. go back 100 years before that even. how steep can the exponential growth actually get? can it get to the point that technology is evolving decades and milleniums to our standards in split seconds? if artificial intelligence is sparked, it very well is possible. and the robots-take-over-the-world plot becomes very much a real threat. perhaps this is the DANGER of evolution.
or maybe we are already at our peak. we will discover a few more things before nature kicks in and shows us once again who really is boss. because no matter how far we advance we still find ourselves devistated by nature time and time again. perhaps we never really will control it. we never will control death. perhaps our view of technology being so sophisticated is actually rather false. in comparison to life systems and organisms and natural forces and space technology is rather insignificant and meaningless. we are building up nothing but a dreamland of what can only topple back down on top of us at the hands of nature and old age. we are building nothing but our own death traps and coffins. progress does not exist, merely death and decay. natures way. and we get back to my own existencial viewpoints. you can change nothing but yourself. theres too much trash on the side of the road. you could spend a lifetime picking it up and accomplish nothing with your life. so use what time you have to just live. not everyone has to question everything. not everyone is a philosopher. because its not glamorous. its not something that brings about truth. only confusion. and like cypher says, i know this steak isnt real, but dang it tastes good. its all an illusion. just one big illusion. we will always all be bound by our own perspective of the world. perspective. thats all this is.
or maybe we are already at our peak. we will discover a few more things before nature kicks in and shows us once again who really is boss. because no matter how far we advance we still find ourselves devistated by nature time and time again. perhaps we never really will control it. we never will control death. perhaps our view of technology being so sophisticated is actually rather false. in comparison to life systems and organisms and natural forces and space technology is rather insignificant and meaningless. we are building up nothing but a dreamland of what can only topple back down on top of us at the hands of nature and old age. we are building nothing but our own death traps and coffins. progress does not exist, merely death and decay. natures way. and we get back to my own existencial viewpoints. you can change nothing but yourself. theres too much trash on the side of the road. you could spend a lifetime picking it up and accomplish nothing with your life. so use what time you have to just live. not everyone has to question everything. not everyone is a philosopher. because its not glamorous. its not something that brings about truth. only confusion. and like cypher says, i know this steak isnt real, but dang it tastes good. its all an illusion. just one big illusion. we will always all be bound by our own perspective of the world. perspective. thats all this is.
True, but what is the point of having shoelaces, but no shoes. Why have an answer if you do not know the question. It is true that people have not made correct decisions in the past, but it is commonplace that humanity creates reasons to excuse what they do not know... modern thinkers still do this, it is just called theoretical rather than absolute-truth. Anyway, the Roman scientist knew the world was not flat, just as they knew about manufacturing concrete and constructing indoor plumbing- all technologies lost after the Christians took over and spread their "new" ways of doing things. They even worked to destroy as much of the classical ideals as possible, even though classical science was actually far superior. It is important to know and embrace all ways, old and new, of doing something. Christ lived 2000 years ago, but his teachings are still ageless... well, some of them, anyway. Also, it is a bit of a bias on my part, but I find myself in favor of the discreet and prostrate propriety of the 1900's. And while I will not go so far as to say that women should wear restrictive and so-called proper dress, neither will I say that they should publically be shown in their lingerie on billboards and magazines.
The only thing that is not part of reality is that which way cannot embrace- which we cannot create with our own two hands. While cyber, and computerized work, such as this post, do not necessarily fit that niche, I must say that anything digital is like a little child sitting by an open window. It is supceptible to viruses and outside influence, and can easily fall to the ground and be forever gone...
I personally think that we have lost our way... Look, within the last 10 years... and tell me if you can think of any groundbreaking achievements that have drastically changed our lives. No? Look further back... we see the digital revolution- as mechanical energy is replaced by computerized energy... 80's- Portable music players allow people to listen to music anywhere. removeable storage changes the way we view electronics, digital recorders are now more acessible than ever. 70's- calculators make their appearance, the world is shocked by the revelation of completely digital computation. 60's- space travel allows people to begin realizing that with our superior mechanical powers, we are no longer confined to explore the unexplored... causes a media revolution inspired by space travel, such as Star Trek and 2001. 50's- Satelites are sent into orbit. The advent of telecommunications... radar is developed, as is the first computer. 40's- Research into nuclear energy results in understanding of new power, nuclear physics is formed... jet powered aircraft appear. television appears. 30's- aircraft appear in commercial use. Short-wave radio and handheld transistors allow people to regularly communicate over long distances, even without the use of phone or telegraph lines. 20's- refrigeration is developed. Food can now be stored for longer periods of time... first supermarkets develop as a result. Radio is developed. better quality sound recording takes place as result of analog recording. 10's- mobile transportation becomes mass produced as an effect of the assembly line (1919, 1920). Widespread usage of telephones begins to decrease the need for telegraphs. portable victriolas allow people to listen to music from the convenience of their home. Movie theatres first appear. 00's- electrical generators replace gas ones. first sound recordings. First airplanes are built.
It is not that we are not making advances today, it is just that we should not forget how much changed within only 100 years... modern technology has allowed it so that for many activities, intelligence, strength, and time are no longer required. 100 years ago lazy people were almost unheard of... today, however, it seems to be the other way around. If this cycle of technology continues, then in less than 100 years there will be a day that almost every person can spend most of their day propped up against a computer watching movies or playing games- while their body and health wears away, and their mind and soul gathers cobwebs... it is actually a very sad thing to think about... the day when people will no longer be people. I do not wish to discourage invention and ingenuity, it is just that I feel that the more advanced we become, the less advanced and more bestial humankind becomes. We have become savage gluttons that take and take, but never give back. And it is sadder yet that people do not care. I do not think that we will all be blown up or anything, but that if we continue we will become so "advanced" that we will no longer have any reason to live than, save, sexual and emotional pleasure. It is dang awful- truly dang awful.
I personally think that we have lost our way... Look, within the last 10 years... and tell me if you can think of any groundbreaking achievements that have drastically changed our lives. No? Look further back... we see the digital revolution- as mechanical energy is replaced by computerized energy... 80's- Portable music players allow people to listen to music anywhere. removeable storage changes the way we view electronics, digital recorders are now more acessible than ever. 70's- calculators make their appearance, the world is shocked by the revelation of completely digital computation. 60's- space travel allows people to begin realizing that with our superior mechanical powers, we are no longer confined to explore the unexplored... causes a media revolution inspired by space travel, such as Star Trek and 2001. 50's- Satelites are sent into orbit. The advent of telecommunications... radar is developed, as is the first computer. 40's- Research into nuclear energy results in understanding of new power, nuclear physics is formed... jet powered aircraft appear. television appears. 30's- aircraft appear in commercial use. Short-wave radio and handheld transistors allow people to regularly communicate over long distances, even without the use of phone or telegraph lines. 20's- refrigeration is developed. Food can now be stored for longer periods of time... first supermarkets develop as a result. Radio is developed. better quality sound recording takes place as result of analog recording. 10's- mobile transportation becomes mass produced as an effect of the assembly line (1919, 1920). Widespread usage of telephones begins to decrease the need for telegraphs. portable victriolas allow people to listen to music from the convenience of their home. Movie theatres first appear. 00's- electrical generators replace gas ones. first sound recordings. First airplanes are built.
It is not that we are not making advances today, it is just that we should not forget how much changed within only 100 years... modern technology has allowed it so that for many activities, intelligence, strength, and time are no longer required. 100 years ago lazy people were almost unheard of... today, however, it seems to be the other way around. If this cycle of technology continues, then in less than 100 years there will be a day that almost every person can spend most of their day propped up against a computer watching movies or playing games- while their body and health wears away, and their mind and soul gathers cobwebs... it is actually a very sad thing to think about... the day when people will no longer be people. I do not wish to discourage invention and ingenuity, it is just that I feel that the more advanced we become, the less advanced and more bestial humankind becomes. We have become savage gluttons that take and take, but never give back. And it is sadder yet that people do not care. I do not think that we will all be blown up or anything, but that if we continue we will become so "advanced" that we will no longer have any reason to live than, save, sexual and emotional pleasure. It is dang awful- truly dang awful.
Next discussion topic?
What is your opinion of the current changes?
Is it a change for the better?
And how about the old backgrounds?
What is your opinion of the current changes?
Is it a change for the better?
And how about the old backgrounds?
nothing has changed in the past 10 years, technology-wise? haha. yeah. the past 10 years has seen more advancement than any other 10 years in history. as well as the 10 years before that was in its time and so on.
as far as your views on change and stagnation have fluxuated to, so you take the approach of the ying yang? we need a balance of both ends. fair enough. change can cause us to forget simplicities in life as well as bring problems we are not yet able to handle. stagnation keeps us from fixing problems and advancing.
but no more topics. please.
as far as your views on change and stagnation have fluxuated to, so you take the approach of the ying yang? we need a balance of both ends. fair enough. change can cause us to forget simplicities in life as well as bring problems we are not yet able to handle. stagnation keeps us from fixing problems and advancing.
but no more topics. please.
Sure alot has happened, some of our modern technology is actually pretty spiffy- like I-pods. But look at 1996, and you will see that as lifestyles go, things have changed little. Much of what we consider "new" technology, especially with computers, had already existed- it was just not as widespread (eg. 3d graphics, internet, photo rendering, cell phones). Plus, these all had the advantage of being neat and new at the time, whilst now they seem to be requisite. Perhaps I am wrong... There has been, for instance, new developments in nanotech, biotech, and organic chemistry... but the majority of the public are neither affected by, nor care about, many of these advances. Thus lies another problem with technology... It was much easier to assert the impact of a discovery in the mechanical age, because they were things like the electric generator, or the ice box, or the radio, or the alkali battery. Look at the most modern inventions, and you will find that the majority of them are things that are field specialized to the point that those outside the field would not need nor understand its function, or it is something innovative but rather absurd, like clap-on or those dry-erase markers with an eraser on the cap. Someone from 100 years ago could brag about their "new" electric lights... while the people from today could show them that in modern times the light bulb would advance to the point that rather than flipping a switch or pulling a chain, you just needed to clap your hands for the right amount of time...
