September 7th, 2011
I have always had a clear vision of my basic goal in life: to leave the world a better place than I found it. Realizing that I have perhaps twenty years of productive life remaining, I thought it prudent to write down a list of specific goals that I wish to achieve before I am a doddering, drooling idiot (assuming that not to be already the case). Here’s that list:
1. Get Storytron working – absolutely my highest priority.
2. Hyperbook on why civilization must collapse.
3. Hyperbook. modernized version of “You Should Learn to Program”
4. Hyperbook on “How To Think”
5. Hyperbook on Information
6. Perseid project: organize a zillion people with smartphones, iPads, and laptops to record Perseids, then prepare a geographical analysis of the results
7. Build a geodesic sphere at least 3 meters in diameter
8. Reforest my land
9. Eliminate cinquefoil and yellow start thistle from my land
10. Publish new versions of all my ancient games.
11. Build house monitor computer system for water system protection, temperature recording, etc.
I think that I can get these things done in twenty years.
Post Scriptum: December 12th, 2021
Ten years have passed since I wrote the above; how well have I accomplished these goals?
1. I had to abandon Storytron and move to a new technology I call “the Encounter system”. Score that a “D”.
2. Didn’t do it. Score that an “F”.
3. Another “F”.
4. I taught some classes about this, but never pulled it together. Score a “D”
5. Another “F”
6. Another “F”.
7. Another “F”
8. I have done a good job here. Score an “A”.
9. Another “A”, although I’m still not done.
10. Another “F”.
11. I have gotten the water system monitoring software working well. I get a “B” for that.
Overall GPA: 1.18 Not so good. But I might recover a lot if I get Le Morte D’Arthur working. Tune back in in another ten years.