Do you realize that urban outdoor air pollution causes an estimated 1.3 million deaths a year? If we are to believe the World Health Organization, that’s an awful lot of dead people who simply wanted to breathe air in order to continue living. In my high school Literature class, this would have been called a dichotomy. Or a paradox. Maybe both.
As I understand it, humans are responsible for air pollution and its deadly aftermath. However, since this is yet another negative consequence of giving us unrestricted free will, I kindly ask your assistance in righting the ship for Earth 2.0. Each year on a person’s birthday, give them a new Air Pollution Credit Allotment (APCA). Feel free to change the equation, but for a conversation starter, let me suggest this: your current age times the day of the month of your birth divided by the day of the week you were born (1 = Monday, 7 = Sunday). As I write this, my APCA is 163.
If my actions over the course of a year foul the air more than 163 Internationally Recognized Units (IRU), I would have to appear before a tribunal. The tribunal would know how much I polluted because you’d have given them this insight. Duh! I’d be penalized for every IRU over 163. The penalty would vary according to local custom and ability of the culprit to pay – whether in currency or in the form of deeds benefitting the region of the world that I over-polluted.
The ball’s in your court, God!
September 29, 2011
September 4, 2011
Too Many Pix?
I’d like to know how many photos are snapped globally each year. I’ll toss out 100 billion for the sake of discussion. How many of those are truly worth keeping or sharing? Let’s say 5 billion. If my subtraction skills are still intact, then 95 billion pictures should never have been snapped. I don’t mean to criticize, but how could there be a 95% error rate for anything other than hitting a bull’s eye in bar darts? For that matter, why the frenzy to capture so many natural wonders and birthday parties for posterity?
If I were a baseball announcer, I might say: “After seven innings, it’s Technology 9, Live in the Moment 4.”
I’m thinking a 2.0 brain should be capable of retaining images and vividly calling them up at will. With mind-sharing permission, other brains could view these images. Only the best of the best of the best – perhaps 200 million annually – would need to be printed or disseminated electronically. If you could make this happen, then people could use the time they would have spent snapping and processing 99.8 billion photos a year on more pressing matters. The world needs more tutoring, mentoring, food pantry volunteering and nursing home visiting. I’m sure I missed a few others.
If you correct the situation outlined above, you might want to keep going and reduce the error rate for food that spoils before it can be eaten. Or people picking the wrong lines at grocery stores.
If I were a baseball announcer, I might say: “After seven innings, it’s Technology 9, Live in the Moment 4.”
I’m thinking a 2.0 brain should be capable of retaining images and vividly calling them up at will. With mind-sharing permission, other brains could view these images. Only the best of the best of the best – perhaps 200 million annually – would need to be printed or disseminated electronically. If you could make this happen, then people could use the time they would have spent snapping and processing 99.8 billion photos a year on more pressing matters. The world needs more tutoring, mentoring, food pantry volunteering and nursing home visiting. I’m sure I missed a few others.
If you correct the situation outlined above, you might want to keep going and reduce the error rate for food that spoils before it can be eaten. Or people picking the wrong lines at grocery stores.
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