Steemit Introduction - Optimistic Me

Hello Blockchain World

I am beginning this blog as a way to capture my learning in the area of Blockchain (decentralized, open-sourced technology) and all creative endeavors that I can think of to combine with it.

I hope to find useful insights not just for myself, but anyone else who will be interested in similar topics, in broad strokes:

• Value of Blockchain to confirm validity of information, and provide access without toll-charging 'gate-keepers'
• Useful Applications, spanning not only the Internet, but also the Internet of Things, and even the Real World
• Learning and Skill Development (tools for new economy), accessible to ALL who wish to learn
• Can Artificial Intelligence solve our labor paradox?
• Human nature also has negative aspects, how can we ensure security and fairness in anonymous contexts?
• Art: a tool to make sense of the unknown and to inspire our perceptions for the possible

A Human - In Progress

I believe people have amazing potential that they often fail to realize. Of course we have only a limited amount of time to learn, create, build, and live life in general. We have a limited amount of energy and interest. This is why those who stumble upon a passion and have the fortune to pursue it, will often seem like they are 'floating effortlessly' through challenges in their chosen field. My aim is to learn the basics needed to make useful applications in domains that are practically possible today. Solving problems is an integral part of creativity, and after having worked in the corporate world for most of my professional life, I have come to realize that I was not moving toward my human potential.

In addition to useful applications, I want to try and 'solve' the accessibility gap for those who may feel overwhelmed by the fast pace of technological advancement. There is value in approaching our problems with human psychology in mind. Thus, in order to make realistic goals possible, we need to break down our journey into smaller, attainable milestones that will serve to reinforce our sense of achievement and self-worth.

Throughout my blog journey, I plan on mixing philosophical ideas and musings, with practical scientific minded study. There is no 'one size fits all' way to learn AI, or computer programming, or anything else for that matter. We do however need to agree upon the basic 'root' foundations from which to branch out into more specific areas of interest and exploration. This does not mean we need to force people into assembly-line factory schools that serve to produce an output for the labor market. Because we are genuinely diverse and a species, we can and should support individuals to find their productive passions that lead to sense of meaning and satisfaction.

Being 'rich' in and of itself is not a meaningful existence, and given the growing state of inequality produced by hierarchical nature of large scale human society, the sense of fairness cannot be dismissed by free-market explanations. The digital era has put us toward an even more unequal path. On the one hand, we all benefit from free or near free digital products, on the other hand, the few 'winners' who are able to monetize (think Silicon Valley) are able to achieve massive market caps with relatively few employees. Once Automation and AI reaches the point of inflection, we can expect the remaining areas of our economy that are not digitized, to also go the way of 'winner-take-all' economics.

In my humble opinion, the solution to the looming labor and sociological disruptions is to recognize the inherent value of human creativity and potential. Instead of fierce competition (which humans will be unable to do against AI), people should focus on using their skills and energy to solve problems beyond the material. This of course presupposes that our 'near zero cost' economy will ensure everyone's needs are met first, and it will be the greatest challenge for our future politicians to achieve this. Until that time, it may be useful to leverage the distributed wealth of knowledge that we have access to and essentially 'open-source basic human needs'.

In future posts I plan on developing this idea, and also spreading the word of those who already have started this self-sufficiency movement we see today (in many fields such as 'off-grid' electricity and local food basic self sufficiency). Knowledge will enable all humans to produce a decent and healthy living standard. Knowledge will also keep the evil forces within our nature in check.