wisdom of crowds

There is something to be said about the wisdom of crowds. Intuitively I've known this because I've participated in groups and communities for as long as I can remember -now I'm sure of it. The conference was good -hearing Jeff Bezos and Eric Shmidt speak were highlights for me and my geek pick of the month goes to www.spock.com . The weather was gorgeous and in the words of Tim O'Reilly -" It is a time of rapid speciation in the technology landscape"; decisions we make today will influence the next 5-7 years. I know where I've been and some roads I'd rather not travel again.

primordial black holes

I was reading about a CERN research project that is near completion on the Franco-Swiss border that when completed will be the worlds largest particle accelerator. They are trying to answer the question -- what is the universe made of and why ? The collisions will simulate the time right after the big bang and most of the scientific world is curious what 'leftovers' will remain after the fireworks. The theory goes that on some grander scale, the world as we know it were those leftovers. I've heard a worst case scenario where a black hole may be the outcome --the fascinating part is that no one really knows what the outcome will be. I think the world is ready for a paradigm shift if in fact our models are due for an upgrade.

Speaking of upgrades and black holes -- I'm back in the bay area next week. I'll be at the Web 2.0 conference and I saw a session track aptly name --the 'people formally known as the audience'. It should be fun. Hoping to run into some colleagues and maybe meet some new people in the community.

Spring bloom

There is so much happening around me in the last few weeks and having a relaxing weekend at home was a welcome change. I did a bit of riding on the springwater trail on Saturday and spring is in the air. I did some hiking in the Gorge last weekend and its nice to spend more time outside in the warmer weather. Considering that I lived in New England for so long and braved more than few nor'easters -aside from the rain -- it is so mild here in the Pac North West. It only snowed once and the city virtually shut down. There is some serious snow in the mountains if that is what your looking for. I'm starting to see the fruits (literally) of the rain we endured this winter and the flowers are blooming and trees are forming canopies and water is perhaps the most amazing element on earth. I see the old maple tree in my backyard forming the most amazing canopy over my garden, house, and backyard. It is changing at such a rate that as I look out the doors each morning it appear noticeably different.

I caught up on some reading --a fascinating chapter on the Anasazi civilization in the book Collapse and although I expected to read about the graet Mayans and Polynesian civilizations -- learning more about the Anasazi who thrived here in North America caught me a bit off guard. The pictures of their ruins are quit impressive and pondering the question of why great societies rise and fall was a nice place for my mind to wander this afternoon. I'm tempted to rent a car this summer and drive through some desert and explore the remnants of this civilization for myself.