Still on the Road

This will be my fifth winter of travel from Canada.

This past summer I did not put a lot of miles on my bike, but I did manage to get up to Whitehorse in the Yukon.  There were a couple cold days, but for the most part it was a good trip.  The trip back into the southern part of BC was hot and dry from Prince George south.  By the time I got to Hope, I was tempted to check my tailpipe to see if it was throwing sparks.  It seemed like half the province was on fire behind me.

The summer was the worst one on record for forest fires, and a few of my friends in the interior had to be evacuated for safety.  There were very few people who lost their homes, and no one the I know personally lost a home.  The amount of smoke and haze was incredible and many people had breathing problems.

I went to a number of SCA events, but did not take scads of pictures, and two of the events I had been planning on going to were cancelled due to fires being a hazard in the area. 

So far my plans are rather loose for the winter of 2017/18 with the primary one of returning to Bolivia for a couple months simply because it is so cheap and the weather was great in Cochabamba at least.  I plan on flying out in early December for Lima Peru and getting to Cochabamba Bolivia in time for Christmas and staying until perhaps mid February.   Time and money willing, I will get into Chile for a bit and see the western part of Patagonia.

Have fun wherever you are,and glory in the world and its diversity.

Ken

What to do?

There is a major shift in the economy of the world coming.

I do not know if I will be alive to see it, but it is on the way, and now is the time to start thinking about it.

The advent of cheap robotic labour is on the horizon.  It is peeking over the brim and coming down toward us all.

There are many advancements in manufacturing that have happened in the last twenty years, and the pace at which robots are creeping into the work force is heading for a pace that will astonish anyone who does not take the time to think about it.

Computing power is getting very cheap.

Energy supply is getting cheap.

Programming is getting both very good and very cheap.

What do you think will happen to the world when many of the general labour and service sector jobs are automated?

When solar panels are installed by robots?

When fruit and berries are picked by machines? 

When nearly all farming is done by a robot?

And most cooking?

And cleaning?

What jobs will be left for the average human to do? 

Now as dire as many parts of that can look, it could be just as easily freeing.

We could be looking at a future where the majority of people who do work are doing so because they want to.  That they feel a drive to be great at something.

We could have a world devoid of hunger and poverty, where our sole goal as a society is to make everyone's life better.  Where the ideal of 'no child left behind' is both achievable and part of what we as the humans of this earth choose to do.

It is a pleasant thought but not one we can reach within our current economic and geo-political set up. The concept of a gaurenteed basic income could be a start, but that alone is fraught with danger as well.

And how will we ensure any of it is for the good of all?

I think we are entering a time of upheaval and one for great potential.  But the potential is just as much for a dystopian future as a utopian.  And the potential for a cataclysmic war is all too real.

The number one thing I think that every single being in the world will need to dwell on in the near future is how much do I need to make me happy?  And although it is natural to want more stuff and things, does any of it make me happy?  And what can I do to ensure that not just my happiness is there but that of my children and my neighbour's children is also insured.

I accumulated a lot of things, I have freely given up a lot of my possessions.  That did not make me happy.  

I traveled a lot seeing places and parts of this world. That made me happy. I have had many interactions with friends and family, feeling the joy of shared experiences and fun times. That truly made me happy.

Personally I believe that the society free of strife is not one that we will ever achieve, but one that strives to maximize the freedom of the burden of work, while maximizing the ability to seek out joy is one that the world should aim for.

The major thing that stands between all of us and that vision is not money, and not status, but the value we attach to money and status.

And I am not saying we should do away with either one, but that we need to find something to move money out of its primary position and replace it with something else.

And I have no clue what that something else is.

Do you?

Avacal Coronation Part 2.

Pictures of random people at the event.

 Friday and Saturday were hot days, with lots of things to do.  I managed to make Ginger Snaps on Friday and Cinnamon Buns on Saturday.  Sunday I woke up to a light rain shower which was quickly over, and the lok in the sky of future showers had everyone packing up fast.  I got out at about 10:15 AM.

 

Avacal Coronation, June 2017. Part 1.

The main reason for me to attend the event was to witness a friend being raised to into the SCA peerage group of Pelican.  Those are the people who have made a significant contribution to the group in the form of service to the group as a whole.

On to the photos.

First up, Fjall, the friend being elevated.

 These are all from the elevation, and I hope I managed to capture both the joy and admiration on the faces of those involved.

My next post will be a few pictures of the other people attending.

SCA event Sealion, 2017

Many pictures were taken, this is but a small sample.

 Feel free to copy if you are in the photo.