[ fair use, source ]In retrospect, I'm finding out on Wikipedia about this science fiction novel featuring a brand of geek called an "est person". These foreshadowed the world dominating types who came to fame later (Stallman, Torvalds et al), while also inspiring the young Werner Erhard to develop his est, a training I've written about in these blogs before, having followed Walter Kaufmann in doing it, then tracking over to Bucky (e.g. at Madison Square Garden, read about it in a magazine), a shared point of fascination for both me 'n Erhard.
An "est person" wasn't necessarily rich I don't think (I admit to not reading the book yet) but had a code of ethics one might characterize as philanthropic, loyal to humans. That was a theme in est: going from disloyalty to loyalty towards being human was a feasible outcome and was discussed explicitly (philosophically). Misanthropists might reform, which doesn't mean transform into secular humanists necessarily, like I stayed a Quaker throughout the process, while others stayed with other stuff. This wasn't a swap meet, where you got to trade stuff a lot (mostly the trainer got the floor, though it mostly wasn't a monologue -- except when it was).
Who gets the luxury to study these stories anyway? I wish my journalism was better compensated (sigh), if that's what we call this. Quakers keep journals by tradition and in this day and age, that means keeping a journal on-line if you dare (many do).
So by that thinking, I really shouldn't be peddling my blogs as a source of income (it's a religious practice). Hire me to train your teachers, is what I suggest, or let 'em test out (not saying I'm a gatekeeper so much as an efficient communicator of some basics worth sharing with others). That's what I was doing in Chicago this year, delivering a workshop at a Pycon. I don't know if I'll make it to the one in Singapore but given cyberspace and our new way of doing posters (thanks to Vern Ceder, Steve Holden et al), I think that's a matter of secondary importance.
What happened to the old IS in Makati then? Did they tear it down? (Yakking about Manila again).
