Accidental Vagrant

In Greece mythology there is a ‘liminal being’ that represents the combined strengths of two different entities — horses and humans. The centaur's half-human, half-horse composition has led many writers to treat them as liminal beings, caught between the two natures they embody in contrasting myths; they are both the embodiment of untamed nature, as in their battle with the Lapiths (their kin), and conversely, teachers like Chiron. Wikipedia Humans, as hosts for technology, are ‘prosthetic gods’. ‘Prosthetic gods’ are a form of ‘liminal being’ like centaurs. Humans do not want to settle for natural competencies. They want to be unnatural, with greater abilities and capabilities than granted naturally. They want to be integrated or unified with their favored technologies: Man has, as it were, become a kind of prosthetic God. When he puts on all his auxiliary organs he is truly magnificent; but those organs have not grown on to him and they still give him much trouble at times....

Systemic design is a broadband, open system approach to inquiry.

What’s a horse vimeo https://vimeo.com/1091973612?share=copy#t=0 What’s a Horse AV Stack https://hnelson.substack.com/p/the-design-of-inquiry?r=asq7d

Creating the technological future in a different way.

Human Husbandry I saw the announcement that Sam Altman and John Ives are teaming up to create a new AI technology. As I was looking into what they were planning to do I came across the concept of ‘ambient AI’ — a process of harvesting the products of human interaction 24/7. I knew the activity but did not know the name. I grew up in an agricultural region in the Rocky Mountains and have been, in the past, a participant in what is called ‘animal husbandry’. Ambient AI sounded like ‘human husbandry’ — humans being harvested for their ubiquitous social fabrications while living out their daily lives. The harvesting is essentially unobtrusive as I understand it —similar to the harvesting of products from livestock. Cattle, sheep and other domesticated animals remain passive or indifferent while their wool, milk and other commodities are being harvested. A lot of people seem passive or even pleased about being harvested for their products as well. The idea of the ‘Human Use of Huma...

F ood for Thought — learning to 'fish'

sudden wisdom unbidden

Sudden understanding Substack post https://hnelson.substack.com/p/sudden-understanding

Reality—real life—is complex, more complex than has been imagined or can be imagined. The majority of our pressing challenges or issues of concern are overwhelmingly complex in overwhelmingly complex environments and contexts. People are more complex than appreciated or understood. Complexity is the essence of being human, of life, of existence. When there isn’t the competency or ability to deal with complex situations, they are referred to as being too complicated and ‘wicked’ — e.g., ‘wicked problems’. But the perceived ‘wicked’ quality of a situation is actually a reflection of a change agent's inability to engage successfully with the complex situation at hand. As Annis Nin observed, “We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.” Unfortunately, the characterization of a situation as wicked rather than the competency of a change agent to successfully engage with complexity short-circuits the selection of appropriate methods of inquiry, replacing them with more ...

Action; It's What Happens is a post from The Accidental Vagrant Substack; https://hnelson.substack.com/p/change

Advancing into the future rather than retreating into the future requires competence and courage. https://hnelson.substack.com/p/action