Dance of the planets

Usually the picture illustrates the text, but i liked this image so much it's the other way 'round on this occasion :) The title reflects the little known idea that our solar system has a rather large number of unique characteristics facilitating the development of intelligent life, not least the presence of the large giants in the outer reaches of the solar system. (FFI on this, see the book called Rare Earth).

These Gas Giants - in particular Jupiter - are responsible for mopping up the vast numbers of cometry & rocky planetessimals that have bombarded the solar system since its dawn. If you haven't realised how violent a place the solar system is, just look up at the Moon, or check out any of the public domain images of Mercury, Mars or Jupiter's moons: they're covered with multitudes of craters - a permanent record of intense bombardment over the eons of time that have elaspsed since Sol went nuclear.

So Jupiter is in a very real sense our Neighbourhood Watch Vacuum Cleaner - this was demonstrated very spectacularly in 1994, when Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided dramatically with Jupiter, scarring its gaseous surface with Earth-sized stains for hours, or even days in some cases. (Prior to its collision with Jupiter. the comet had been gravitationally broken up on a previous close-orbit encounter with the planet). Without it, there simply wouldn't be enough time for life to evolve, develop and progress beyond slimy soup.

Jupiter doesn't always get them all though - think of Chicxulub or the Barringer Crater for a minute & you'll see what I mean.

So next time you look upwards at night and see a bright yellow blob hanging in the sky, think about how it's possibly been instrumental in us being here. Rare Earth will tell you of a whole heap of other unique things about our Solar System too, though, including some facts that I didn't previously know about our Sun - such as its unusual high metallurgic content, which limits or regulates its variability.

Which is why I like the photo above - the biggest ball (from In the Night Garden), representing Sol (aka the Sun) is nicely varied in its colours, representing the pizza-base mix of elements it gained at its creation (presumably from a previously violent explosion of a more giant predecessor or two).

• For an overview of the conditions needed for complex life to develop, see here.

So 'good riddance' or 'best of luck' to Bill Gates?

Bill Gates was, and still is, amongst the few entrepreneurs to spot markets before they were born. He combined this insight with a top-class, aggressive marketing and leadership team. Has his company been 'dirty' in the way it's done business? Yes. Is it different to any other large successful corporation in that respect? Almost certainly not. With Bill Gates' involvement in the IT sector, we have seen the equivalent of a giant, monolithic approach to computers and software, not dissimilar in the political realm to the former domination of the Communist Party's grip of the former soviet empire.

Has this been good or bad? Some would argue that because of Microsoft, we all enjoy the benefits of computers in a way that we possibly wouldn't have if the desktop had been left in the hands of others. But Microsoft's offering has almost irrevocably damaged a generation of computer users: we have become slaves to their understanding and application of software and even the computer itself, as a consequence of their complete domination of the desktop market. However, it's true to say that if they hadn't succeeded, someone else would've quickly filled their shoes. So perhaps we should be slow to point the finger entirely at Bill. He, in a sense, is a convenient personification of the human tendency to want to control, and dominate, and there are many other giants out there who would gladly take his company's place.

Does his departure mean the breakout of 'democracy' in the computer world? Not really: this has already happened thanks to the likes of Linus Torvalds and Richard Stallman. So what will happen to Microsoft now that Bill is going? It all depends on how they continue to morph their game plan in response to the challenges of open source software. Will this take a sharp turn into a new direction upon the Master's hand being released from the ship's wheel?

Only time will tell. But be sure of this: Bill Gates' influence on the world is by no means destined for obscurity: the emergence of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is sure to have as powerful, if not greater influence of the governments of the world. Perhaps this is the greatest legacy he will leave on the planet, and it couldn't have come about without the success of Microsoft, for all its bullying and underhand tactics. Before we're quick to dismiss his philanthropy out of hand, we should consider how we would handle billionaire status. Interesting times lie ahead for his former company. But even more interesting is what will happen to us all as a result of the release of this undeniable (whether we like him or not) visionary.

New Company

I've just recently started running a new company. This is a new venture for me, and I'm hoping that it won't just generate income, but can somehow be used to help some very needy folks in the Kibera slum. Basically, they want to provide employment opportunities for many of the homeless/destitute and one possibility might be to help them sell their goods online, with the profits going completely to them. Some friends of mine have also been supporting another similar work in Kampala, Uganda, where they are slowly building a hospital & again, it would be great to be able to help them somehow through the business links I'll be setting up over the next 12 months.

So, interesting times ahead - and I'll definitely be reporting back here any developments as they progress.

Web2 Learning2

This pithy title is just a tag for highlighting the revolution in learning & education that's sweeping the world - read here for more information. More on this when I get time :)

Linux mini Laptop for the masses

I've decided to go ahead and buy an Asus EeePC, and have stuff for sale on Ebay to help fund this(now sold). The EeePC is one of what will be many mini laptops around in the next 12 months or so I guess, but it's attractive pricing, and the fact that it runs a GPL'd operating system makes it an attractive option for the sorts of things that scratch my itch.