After 2008 financial crash, US government come up with a new law called Dodd-Frank Act. It put new regulations to bankers so that there will not be any more financial crisis in the future. But bankers dont like regulation. So there were lot of discussions against the law in the media and other events, and private discussions. Then lawmakers started discussing it. Then finally American government realized again that its bad to put regulations! And they repealed the act. So this act acted only for less than 10 years.
Any memory?
In 1930s similar financial crisis happened. Millions lost job. Similarly one of the root cause was bankers doing risky investments using depositors money. So FDR government came up with a law called Glass-Steagall Act. It separated commercial banks and investment banks. Investment banks can do anything with their own money. Commercial banks serves public is separated from the risks. Then next 50 years American economy had no major issues. But as usual bankers were not happy. They organized and had lot of discussions. Finally Bill Clinton repealed Glass-Steagall Act. In 10 years another Great Depression happened.
Why I am saying this
Initially women had no voting rights as per the law. People discussed, organized, protested and finally women got voting rights. Same do for environmental laws.
This is the way democratic system works. There will be laws already. People who have different ideas tell that in public. That will trigger a discussion. If the idea is good more people will accept that and starts organizing for it.
But what if the idea is bad? Nobody or very few will accept it. People will reject it. Nothing happens. The person/persons who brought this up can change their positions.
Stallman also did the same
He had some wrong idea about personal life. Nobody accepted it, including me. They openly told its wrong. Stallman changed his views. End of the story.
But idiots of FSF think that he dont know US laws. So he cannot be in position of president. Then all of his own projects started rejecting him. Its stupid thing. Its a smear campaign.
If they were right then there is no change should happen. Women should not get voting rights, there should not be any environmental laws. To impeach Trump first you have to discuss about it. If these are not possible the only solution you suggesting is violent uprisings breaking all laws and all decency. FSF, are you advising for that? Not allowing free speech, you are advocating for violence. That itself is a crime.
In a democracy people should have the right to free speech. Stallman only used that. But his idea was wrong. He accepted that and corrected it. By asking his resignation FSF made lot of confusion. They should have to apologize to Stallman and the public for making this unnecessary issues. Lets bring back Stallman to FSF and Gnu.
Free speech should be projected. (hate speech and lies are not free speech. its violence)
Open source software is just fake name used for a trojen horse to destroy Free Software Movement, which is defending the right of users. It is nothing but a new name for the old concept of OEM.
OEM means Original Equipment Manufacturer. It is a company that produces parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. But there are different mode of operations. We have to focus on one particular way of OEM.
For example, US government spent huge amount of money in telecommunications and electronics. Once the technology was ready the iIdiot company took required knowledge and designed a new product. They then gave all these details to a Chinese company called Foxconn which employs child labour. Because children have delicate fingers useful for assembling components. (Around their office there are nets placed to avoid frustrated employee suicide. I dont know how they avoid other forms of suicide So the fancy gadget you hold in your may has blood all over.) They will manufacturer the equipment. But put sticker of original company. Then it will be shipped to all over the world.
This is the classic OEM definition. Now whats really happens here? The first company shares all the details of the product to the second company. Means first company is OPEN to second company. The second company may have signed some NDA kind of agreement.
What about consumers? Nothing. This relationship is transparent to consumers. Nothing changes at their side.
This is the whole Open Source Software in reality. It is old wine (OEM) in a new bottle (open source). Software developers or companies can cut a deal with another software developer or company to be an OEM. After that they can get all source code. They will get all the rights that free software gives.
What user will get? They can get the service of the software if they pay to get a license to run the software (Freedom 0 of free software). They are just uses without any rights. May be they can see the source code in some cases. (at least should get a feel of open!) But what an ordinary user get just reading the source code.
So the OEM software aka Open Source Software is a Free Software that works only for other software developers or companies. Users are thrown out from the rights provided by the Free Software.
Its beneficiaries are programmers or companies. Not the users. Thats why companies are so passionate about it. They get free volunteers for developing softwares. Then late they can make the software propitiatory. It will increase their profits and expand market in the economy. Free software is completely opposite to it.
It is a Trojan horse to destroy Free Softwares by inverting the meaning and scope of Free Software. After the forced resignation of Richard Stallman they are working aggressively to achieve their goals.
Users of Free Software, do you let it happen? Get united and build a software users right movement.
During 1983 Richard Stallman of MIT got some particular idea about software usage. It was about giving full rights to software users. He called it Copyleft. Its inverted copyright. The concept of copyleft was described in Richard Stallman’s GNU Manifesto in 1985. You can read more about it here. Based on that he created 4 laws for softwares. They are following:
1 The freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose (freedom 0).
2 The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
3 The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help others (freedom 2).
4 The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others (freedom 3). By doing this you can give the whole community a chance to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
These all together is called Gnu General Public License (GPL). If any software which is released under this is called Free Software.
Why I have to write this again?
After 1990s there were few people appeared with a “new” idea called Open Source (ie, Freedom 1 in Richard Stallman’s list). All they did was just made confusion about software user’s rights. Since the forced resignation of Stallman from FSF, last month, they are trying to swallow the entire movement from the beginning and rewriting history.
Do not let it happen. Lets all freedom loving people get united under Stallman in united FSF.
Bring him back.
When Richard Stallman began Free Software Foundation in 1984 there was nobody to help him. There is no money. So he cannot recruit anybody to work for the foundation. So he volunteered for that work saying himself “Stallman dont need any money so recruit him!”. Rest of the 2 decades nobody cared about free software. So there was no job opportunity was there with free software. Most of the work happening was voluntary work. Nobody has issues with politics of free software.
After 1990s when the first running free system became alive then people started noticing the movement. Gradually more are more systems became free software and employment opportunity with free software increased. It became part of mainstream economy. Now there is a whole lot of people find their living on free software.
That became a problem to free software politics. Now if you say something open, then you may loose job, or project or removed from group. Dont worry, its happens diplomatically that you yourself never going to notice it. Everybody knows this. So people keep quite. Do the work and go home.
Those who are confident on their skills may have independent opinion and they express that too. But there is a catch. How you get confidence in your skill? You have to work hard on the technical side. If spend more time on technical stuff you tries to avoid or ignore the ‘other’ things, means the politics. “Oh politics is a mean thing. We have more important real work there”. So you end in as a follower of your boss or puppet of corporate media who spreads all pseudo issues like identity politics.
For example, I talked about the issue of Stallman’s resignation. I think its wrong. FSF should not accept his resignation. But people I talked dont care these issues. They says people come and go, what they are interested is to find technical solutions of the problems.
I can see the pressure in their life. In this 21st century after 2008 crash and with this gig economy etc finding a living is very difficult. So people are taking the easiest paths. So do the FSF.
To be with strong backbone, you need courage. Meas other source of income or determination to live your life as you wish. So if you are an activist, then you must find other source of income. Otherwise eventually you will betray your politics.
I am not saying all are like that. But to be stick to your ideas you need Stallman kind of power. Thats why he was removed from the same organization he built.
A way forward
I dont know how to make a person political for common good. Actually all are political. But its for the profit for the few. You can make a living only if you stick to that model. (Exceptions are there including me. But generally its different.) That is not good for the society. In the case free software I think there is a chance. We have to organize the beneficiaries of free software.
Who are the beneficiaries. Its the users. Free software defends freedom of the user. The software developers, companies etc are just facilitators. Its the users have to be organized. They can tell that we want software with such and such features will full copyleft rights. Then all the problems we are facing now will end.
If users want software that chains them lets give them that. If they want free software lets give them that. Software engineers and companies dont have a say in that. What ever the demand they just provides that.
In this case users are driving the system. Only users need to be educated about their rights. I knows its a difficult thing. But in this case money cannot corrupt the system.
[I am not an English speaker. But I am not sorry for that. Because bloody English is part of bloody British colonialism from that we are still suffering.]
The beginning
Richard Stalman, the founder of Free Software Foundation, was forced to resign from his own institution that he created and built. This became a big news. The reason for that was his 40 years of bad behaviors and problematic opinions. About Free software? Hahaha… No…. Its about his beliefs in his private life. What a strange thing.
But why now?
40 years are you waiting for this time?
Do you need a CIA agent to hang himself in a jail cell to make a point? Lets give him “Feminist of 2019” award.
Then how many CIA agents need to suicide to get justice for the women in this world?
Shame on you people.
The Trigger
Jeffrey Epstein (left) with Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz. If you started your vilification campaign on right time, against real criminals, you could save your dear girls. Rick Friedman / Getty Images
All these happened when one person shared a link from news site The Verge about the testimony of one of CIA agent Epstein victims and asked opinion in MIT mailing list. The news article says the woman was directed by Epstein to have sex with MIT professor Marvin Minsky
Stallman took the news at face value. and replied his assumptions. Another person who a mechanical engineer and a not a professional journalist saw these comments and became very upset. She wrote a blog post and in that she twisted, lied about Stallman’s comment and asked to Remove Stallman…. A hate campaign started against Stallman as usual. People started to write about things about him from birth, real, imaginations and lies.
Online media took this further. They further lied and twisted Stallman’s comment. Main stream media which was looking for distraction caught this and made big issue. (why? If media is honest they should expose all the detailed working of the CIA agent who suicided. There are people think that he was killed.)
Attack on Stallman
This is not the first time Stallman is attacked. The moment he started Free Software movement it started. So its not new to him and he dont care about those.
But this time the tone was different. The is a social sympathy tone was present as background towards those girls trafficked by CIA. But as usual, people dont say it openly. So they say some billionaire with some extra ordinary sex tastes trafficked under aged girls as per US law. So there is this huge sympathy for these girls and the distraction US deep state needed caused a firestorm. That need a pray. Stallman with strong commitment to Software Freedom that made him lot of enemies, with strong criticism towards capitalistic market system and with very successful alternative became a good pray. All are happy. Thats what happened.
Again he never said anything wrong. All accusation in the press are lies.
Harvard professor Steven Pinker. Nick Cunard / AP
Old story
In 2006 also this same CIA agent was caught by law enforcement agencies and there was a case against him. At that time his personal friend and Harvard lawyer Alan Dershowitz joined his defense team. Dershowitz called on the expertise of one of his Harvard colleagues, famous linguist Steven Pinker to help find the precise meaning of a federal law about using the internet to entice minors into prostitution or other illegal sex acts. So the CIA agent escaped from that case in 2006. Alex Acosta who was resigned from Labor Secretary position was the US attorney for the Southern District of Florida when this CIA agents’ plea deal was agreed. Its Acosta said this person was working for intelligence. I am not accusing that.
Does these female vigilanties really care about victims? If so what actually they should have to do? You decide.
Lynch mob
Few years back a scientist went some south east asian country for a conference. There he made some jokes against women. Within hours entire planet was discussing about is that right or wrong. The poor person have to resign from his position.
When I heard about this first thing came into my mind why an incident in that south east asian country became news in my small city, especially an incident at science conference? Usually media dont like science.
This is not acceptable. This is smear campaign. This is lynching. Not at all acceptable. This makes the original issue a fraud.
American way of criminal justice
Lets say one person stole a bag from a store or house. Police caught that person. What is the simple, ethical thing police can do? Tell that person whats wrong in doing that and take the bag and return it to the owner. But what if that person is sent to Rikers Island. Even without a trial? Even without checking his innocence? Its wrong. Its unethical.
US police shooting black people saying they are scared of black man. During Obama’s time US police was killing 1000 black men per year rate on American streets. Obama even had a kill list. Every week he approves to whom to kill internationally. There is no due process. American president is the judge, jury and executioner.
Thats these lynch mob doing. Taking revenge will not help anybody, except the system that create mother of all issues, capitalism. If you cannot face one’s opinion at face value peacefully please visit a doctor.
You have to educate people with wrong opinion democratically. Making it a global event is not provide justice. But just for distraction from other real issues happening individual societies.
Software Patents and Freedom of speech
Stallman used to say Software Patents are like mine field. Its like whenever a programmer writes code she/he has to check whether somebody else wrote same code or not before publishing. Otherwise they will come and sue you for breaking patent law. This makes software development more difficult.
Now free speech also getting same issue. Ideas appear in our brain like flash light. Of course environment affects it. But before you can say something if you want to verify it in a checklist makes it like software patents. Its almost impossible to do that. So what people will do. They try to avoid free expression of opinion. This is actually censorship.
Because of this lynch mob lot of people got fired, suicided, life screwed. It like mass surveillance. The panopticon fear makes people obedient. This is what big brother wants and political correctness, identity politics lynch mob doing exactly same.
Freedom of speech is dangerous
Long back we have slavery and feudalism. At that time if you talk against the system the master or king will kill you immediately. After capitalism that is not easy. They can jail people. How many whistle blowers/journalists are sent to jail by Obama administration breaking freedom of speech law.
Capitalism also found lot of workarounds. Thats much easier than applying force. One the tactics is identity politics. Create or twist some incidents and simply call the critics as misogynist. It will become fire in social control media, then news in media. Life become miserable for that person and finally has to surrender to the system.
Freedom of speech if fundamental
Without fear people should get right to speak. What ever it may be except hate speech. As per cognitive neuro biology, hate speech is a crime. What we are talking is opinion. People should have the right to express their opinions. Let the civil society discuss that. Make criticism. Inform the person. Lets give the opportunity for correction or no correction. But thats not happening.
Circle of ethics
On what basis FSF accepted rms’s resignation? Based on ethics? Its stupid. So the board is the supreme authority of ethics? Is that woman is the supreme litmus test for ethics? Shame on you people.
Gender issue is just one issue in the capitalistic society. Everybody has their own circle of ethics based on their environment and knowledge. For example, I see climate change is biggest issue. Its a do or die issue. But I cannot insist that you should accept it. And I cannot ask someone to resign from their position because they dont accepting climate issues. Gender issue is like that. See family separation by Trump administration. If you same thing wrong about it should you be fired from Free Software Foundation?
For those with long memories, Epstein’s “suicide” has a precedent
Unethical bloody educational institutions
MIT is one of the Unethical bloody educational institutions. It is founded by a slave owner.
It is funded by military industrial complex. So ever drop of blood spill from american wars, old and current stains hands of all MITians.
It has very close relations with US intelligence. CIA director John Deutch was a former MIT provost (equivalent of a pro-vice-chancellor). He is an emeritus Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. So if you retire from MIT you get job in CIA. This bloody institution has very strong connection to CIA. Thats why the CIA agent put honey trap there.
Do you think they are ethical angels? Shame on you bloody people.
Lot of people reading this may be married newgens. So you may have strong opinions about social issues in the mainstream. But please dont be apolitical just to please your partner. Women please come out of petty feminism. Ask questions.
Attack on Stallman is not at him. its at Free software movement which is based on the idea of copyleft. Like old British tactics they accomplished to divide us. Its up to us whether let them rule us or not. Lets get united under Stallman, the real warrior of Free software, in the fight of software freedom.
Free Software Foundation(FSF) you have to apologize to Richard Stallman.
We live in a world of nation states. But why nation states are formed? In a previous post we discussed about Why societies are formed. Similarly formation of nations have also reasons.
Because human don’t have suitable body, they live together as groups. That groups are called society. Finding food was the most important job. They gathered fruits nuts, hunted small animals. Similarly they need water and secure place to sleep. Old ages human searched for this kind of place and lived as group.
Eventually these societies may got divided. Sometimes those who don’t followed their social rules may be expelled or sometime while on the trip to food gathering some may be lost or may be natural disaster made them to slit. Whatever it is human moved to different places constantly.
Thus human who reached different places had different environments. Depending on that environment their body changed in thousands of years. For example, most of the humans living today in the world are dissidents of one woman who lived 150,000 years ago in Africa. Her genetic markers are with all of us. She was the great great great great great grandmother of all of us. But see how much physiological changes happened to our body who live in different continents. See the difference of Arctic people, Americans, Asians, Latin Americans, Australians.
Not only climate, natural resources are also different in different places. Sometimes that difference appear over time. What ever it is people adjusted with available resources. To some extend we now also live like that. For example a low level paddy field cannot be used for cardamom farming.
But with the depletion of natural resources society feel its pressure. That society have to do extra effort to do the additional job of saving the available resources and find new resources.
If there is scarcity of water and there is river then can build dam to store water. If food items are scarce then start farming and store the crops. For finding resource rich places and forcing people living there to move you need soldiers. To protect the resources in the store you need forts. For all these you need lot of people.
Not only that, if 10 people go for building fort then they have only time for that work. Then do they need to eat? Yes. But they are building fort. So what to do? Somebody else have to prepare food for them. Some people went for that. Like that works are divided for people in the society. There are people to co ordinate these. The requirement for planing and organizing appeared because of this division of work.
Human society which faced resource scarcity grow from small groups to big population in vast geographical region, especially after the inventing agriculture. Eventually they are called as kingdoms. Big forts, ditches, palaces are built. To organize people like beads in a chain and make them obedient they created king as representative of god. Priests gave the ideological legitimacy and physical legitimacy wealth and power to the king. All these is to make the king extra ordinary.
But in those places where resources are abundant the society may not use that kind of thought. What ever they need are abundant in nature. They live happily with that. Because of that they did not built big forts or big secure palaces. They don’t need them. Their kings are almost ordinary people.
A good example for this is the kingdoms of Kerala. Kerala has all natural fortunes like 44 rivers, sea, hills, rain in 2 seasons, fertile land. So life here was comfortable. even when the european conquistadors came to kerala and local people complained about their looting, a king in Kerala said, let them take, but they can’t take our monsoon. From this it is clear that people of Kerala ware very happy and safe with the natural environment. Because of that kings of kerala do not need to build big strong forts or palaces. There were no long roads because people used the 44 rivers and its branches for transportation . Till recent time, all people in Kerala followed a primitive lifestyle.
But those kingdoms which don’t have resources went to conquering other places. Rivers of blood flown [check]. They built big kingdoms. They wrote their history. They considered others are uncivilized. Even today we are seeing the same behavior. the drama that the new emperors like CEOs and bureaucrats playing for resources, and obedience.
Born in upper caste family, permanent job, inherited wealth these are some of the privileges. Since our society is based on capitalism these privileges are limited to few people. Those who get these never recognize they have that. If they realize it then they have to accept that 99% of the population is not getting it. Britishers who expanded the empire all over the world saw those land as empty waste lands and considered blacks as under developed human to justify slavery. These are some of the examples of privileged behaviors.
What about those who dont have privileges? in India 80% people living under Rs 20.00 rupees. What will be their thoughts? Its sure that it will be the pray about getting at least same amount tomorrow.
But there are some people dont belong to these 2 groups. They are privileged people. But part of their privilege is used for learning. The knowledge they acquire helps them to see the reality of the society. They uses their privileges, but at the same time tell the truth in public and use it for better life for all the people in the society with morality. Environmentalists are one among them.
Why a privileged person becomes environmentalist
They may can live like other privileged people with closed eyes. But some of them
abandoned their privileges and living a life with reduced footprint of small houses, no fashion, and public transport etc. most of them always get insult from the public for their poor lifestyle. (some may get a chance become celebrity. Then its a different story because capitalism will start worship them.) These people dont have to do this. Since they have the money they can live a luxurious life. Some of them does like that too without considering their footprint and using their full privileges. Then why this drama?
Environmental issues are political issues
capitalism like to portray environmental issues are personal issues. Its their trick. 90% of world water is used by agriculture and industry. What ever we do to save water in a personal level, that will be a game within this 10%. and much of that is used for maintaining golf courses? and gardens. Individual energy consumption is 1/4th of total energy use. Remaining is used for industry and trade. Just 100 companies are responsible for 70% of greenhouse gas emission. What ever you do personally that will be in that 30%. telling we are responsible for the issue is blaming the victim. Capitalism always does that trick. Every where they does that. So individual simple life cannot solve this big issue. But it doesn’t mean that we can have all luxury.
Importance of individual acts
All of our actions have environmental impact. So if an environmentalist want to make that impact to zero then he/she has to go to forest cave leaving all including cloths or he has to suicide. (how many years forests exists is a different question). But with that the idea of environmentalism itself dies in society. So all the issues that environmentalists warns will continue as it is or worse, without solving. That will end human life on earth. So the work of environmentalist are necessary for sustainability of society even if there are small environmental impact. I am not justifying laxury life of some environmentalists. Anybody can point out those errors. We have to give chance for them to correct those errors or give clarifications. This actually a test. By which society can find out bad people. But its a gradual progressive process.
Individual actions are very important. That has importance in environmental politics. For political issues there is only political solutions. Not individual solutions. For example to implement solution for global warming which is caused by 100 companies, we need political will. To raise public consciousness to that level our simple life is a good message. An act what Mahatma Gandhi said, be the change you want to see in others. But if a person cannot do that in his personal life we cannot cast him as anti environment or hypocrisy is wrong intentions. It is just a tactic to silence their free speech.
Environmental disaster is a problem of unprivileged
The issue that we call caste exists all over the world. Like capitalism caste also is a hierarchical system. Just 4 billionaires have more wealth than bottom 50% of world population. They are on the top. Below them at different levels rest of the people stays. At the bottom largest group of unprivileged poor people lives. Most of them are blacks, adivasis and ‘backward’ classes. This is our social structure.
In that place is, if an environmental disaster happens it will not be equally distributed. It’s hardly affects the privileged class. In some case even if it affected the privileged class, they can recover from it very fast and easily. But for unprivileged things will be different. As temperature roses in summer, privilege class did not see that as an issue. Because they buy fans or air condition. What happens to those unprivileged who don’t have money to buy fan? They have to suffer the burning temperature. This February last to May last 1,668 people in Kerala got sun burn. None of these are privileged. So unprivileged are the worst affected people of our altered development process. But most of the fruits of development is taken by the privileged class. This is called environmental injustice.
Take the example of Flint in America. None of the rich white man had to drink water that contain lead. Only Black, Latinos, and poor white people and their kids had to drink it. So the unprivileged have to suffer all environmental issues like air pollution, water pollution etc.
By showing the heavenly world of privilege class luxury life through movies, tv serials and social media the system creates a dilution in the unprivileged class that they also will get a better life. That delusion drives them to do restless heavy work without asking any question. In reality it is actually a need of the privilege class. But this dream world is not only dilution but it is suicidal too. Now Elon Musk and teams planing for the migration to Mars. It is 100% guaranty that in their space shuttles there will not be any unprivileged. Isn’t it?
We have only one earth. Now we are consuming it at a rate of 1.6 earth a year. That is if we all want to live like Americans we need 5 or 6 earth. There is one indicator called Earth Overshoot Day. It is about the consumption of the renewable resources of earth that can be produce in an year. During 2000 by September of that year we consumed all of that renewable resources for that year. When we reached 2016 we consumed all renewable resources that earth could produce was fully consumed by 8th August. We consumed all the reproducible resources for that year is consumed with 8 months. That meas remaining months we are running on debt. From whom we borrowing. No doubt, it’s from your own kids. you are looting the resource once your kids could use.
Responsibility of the privileged
high privileged people have more responsibility to the society. Because actually their privilege is just a favour from the remaining people. And in this 21st century we cannot live our life as it is. Because this a century of consequence. There is consequences for our actions. So what can a privileged person with some morality would do?
Long back only few in our society got the opportunity for education. But few privileged people protested and said it is wrong and all should get opportunity for education. Long back only few had right to use streets. But few privileged people protested and said, it is wrong and everybody should get the same rights. Similarly there were lot of issues. But majority of the public did not accepted those protests. They were attacked by the majority. But those brave people move forward with courage and determination. Time proved they were right.
I started using computers from 1995. My job also based on computer. But till now I dont have laptop computer. Sometimes I need to travel. Still I could manage without laptop.
Whats the problem with the laptop? This is just personal. Its not to reduce you, or blame you or anything. Just stating my opinion about it.
Laptops are costly. With same money you can buy 2 desktops.
In desktop you can select its components. But on laptop you have to buy whatever they sells.
Laptop components are costly. Desktop components are cheap.
You can yourself do maintenance of desktop.
Lot of space in desktop, so can expend configuration.
Laptops have less life and more maintenance. Average laptop life is 3 – 5 years. I am using 7 year old desktop. one 10 year old too.
Laptops are extra luggage. where ever you go you have to take it with you.
Laptops need more protection. You cannot sleep well while traveling with it. Fear of theft.
Since laptops are small they can be easily moved to different places. So people may use on bed while laying down, or congested places like train etc without caring ergonomics. This damages user’s health. Desktops are stationary thing on top of a table, it will promote user to sit in a better position. This will improve health.
Laptops have more embedded energy, so more environmental damage. Every year we buy 16 – 20 crore laptops. Most of them are replacements. To build one laptop 3,010 – 4,340 megajoules required. So total 480 to 868 petajoules are needed for this.
If laptop is getting overheated, its CPU slows down for cooling. This is not good for hardware. Since desktop there is good ventilation this is not an issue.
Laptops are custom made by the computer companies. Everything is designed for that specific model including its driver softwares. This makes it difficult to configure Gnu Os distributions. But desktops are general purpose devices. So installing Gnu Os is easy there.
Laptops more ads increasing cost on us.
Laptops are products from single corporate, means more concentration. A lot of desktops parts are local and core electronics are from different corporates, means more distributed wealth and more power to user.
Laptops are for single person use mindset. desktops are shared device. So Desktop will be placed in common place in house. That is good.
Since laptop promotes private use, it encourages selfishness and individualism. That is not good for social sense.
Desktops are more secure than laptops. Because of that Edward Snowden said in an interview that he uses Desktops.
With laptops surveillance is easy, means all your communication comes from single machine. but in Multiple people will be using desktops. So your communication comes from multiple device making extra work for big brother. Let him pay some extra money to do that work.
Most people who owns laptops use it just for watching movies. so its a symbol of silly use.
Laptops are a show of power and wealth. Its a vanity show. You may not have the behavior. But the public conscious is that.
And there are lot more to say….
Question we should ask is do we really need a portable computer?
Can we change our schedules so that while traveling we can read books, listen speeches on phone etc and use computer when we are office or home.
I use usb pen drive based installation while i travel out. If its for more days then i rent desktop and use the usb card. Otherwise ask internet cafe or shops and boot from my usb card. This is not an easy thing since society is conditioned for laptops.
I dont know your situation, sometimes it may be required if you doing sales person kind of work. I work as a consultant.
I am not telling a common theory. you are free to do anything. And this not my final decision.
Fascism has 3 parts. 1. energy center, 2. intelligence center, 3. body.
1. Energy center: Energy center of fascism is capitalism. Real beneficiaries of fascism are they. Actually only for them this new form get created. Without help from capitalism, fascism could exists or grow. Fascism is actually capitalism without masks. Slogan for fascists is uncontrolled capitalism. Recently formed government of Bolzanaro in Brazil fired environment department. As per him there is no need of environment department and their work can be done by agriculture department. Because we know that environment department creates lots of regulations against capitalists.
2. Intelligence center: this has 2 parts. Visible and invisible. Visible intelligence center plan and organize activities of fascist activities. They are visible to public. They have indirect connection to energy center. They will be working even before the beginning of fascist body. When a country’s economy is stable, only energy center and intelligence center works. They don’t do anything directly.
Indirect intelligence center is completely invisible. Some they may be people who working against fascism. Without knowing what they really does, they help to build, or strengthen fascist body. Fake progressives, rationalists, extreme left, responsive activists, free thinkers, identity politics people like all kind of people without long term vision who responding daily incidents included in this group. Other than this, people who acting neutral for selfish motives also there. All of these people doing innocent activities end in evil result.
3.Body: when economic growth ends and economy crashes, the brain and body of fascism will appear in public space. Only these parts of fascism will be visible to public that get attention. Each place they will take an appropriate body for that place. For example in western country it used Christianity. In India they are using upper caste of Hinduism. But that will fail because the majority is oppressed castes. Once that happens they will use majority caste, that work is already on its way. Dalit groups are examples.
When there is economic stability in society fascist will be inert or may not exist at all. Even if it is there nobody will notice it. But when economic crash and then political instability happens things will change. At that time all social focus will be on the fascist body. Because they will do all outrageous things. Hatred to some minority, blaming them for all problems, lies, violence etc are all their weapons. Initially they will be a minority. But utilizing the distress of people they become stronger.
Fascist body is a peculiar one
People start talk about fascism only when fascist body get its life. That means, a group of people start acting so strangely compared to previous time. Their actions are like spreading hatred, blaming some particular social identities, killing, destroying buildings. Then the public will say fascism appeared in our country.
This is the body of fascism. It has 2 parts. 1. leaders, 2. followers. The leader’s role is to spread hatred, threat, be representative of majority, find or create a prosperous time in the past, show and worship strength and power, express victim hood while imposing violence. Their hate speech excite the followers. They will do all kind of violent act in the society.
Unlike other organizations, fascism does not require it’s leaders to do ground work to succeed. The leader’s speeches, body language etc are enough for the followers to act. No need of military or police to intervene. Where as in the case of dictatorship they are essential. This is one of the explicit difference between two. It doesn’t mean that in fascism military or police never act to discipline the population. Of course they will to show the brutal force and to make the transition faster.
There is also violence they themselves organizes. It’s very difficult to prove that. For example Gandhi’s assassination. Even in Kerala there was hate speech against Gandhi. Not only that their people in our place distributed sweets after the assassination. Today or some other day, he or somebody else will execute that crime. That’s how their hate speech works.
Comparing with other human organizations, fascist body is a peculiar one. It cannot live by itself. They are really goons for the capitalistic forces. So getting defeat is not a problem for them, because their real intention is to protect and give progress to capitalists. The disappearance of Jana Sangh, begging for pardon, being a buffoon etc are examples for that.
Fascism does not have a single body. It will have different type of bodies that can be utilized by it’s brain in appropriate circumstances. Some of them will perform it’s duty and vanishes into history and others may survive for future tasks.
Why do fascists do violence
They will do any kind brutal violence to innocent people. They will tell all kind of lies. They are shameless people. Hatred towards out group is their nature. They want to destroy rational thinking of the population. To achieve that they talk and act extreme emotionally. They promote violence not because they are against any particular kind of people.
Of course they don’t like any protest against them. But reacting or acting with violence creates fear in population. Fearful people will not protest. So they can stop protest against them.
Similarly when we become emotional or fearful, our logic center of brain will not work. So people cannot think properly in those situation. That is helpful for the fascist propagandas. So they maintains fear and emotion active. Violence against innocent minorities are just for that.
This violence will be always against minorities. Sometimes they will react with violence too. In either case violence helps them to consolidate the majority in their side. Because they act like they are the protectors of the majority. By that they can hide the fact that they are really the protectors of the real minority called super rich.
Another advantage of violence is that fearful people will not trust anybody. They suspect all. That will destroy coherent social fabric. People will isolated into themselves. Isolated people are weak, they can be easily controllable. Capitalism want that. So the fascist intelligence center creates an environment so that the fascist body become violent and they perpetuate violence in very simple innocent conditions too.
Behind fascist body
The things happened after 1930s scare us even today. There are violent incidents, just like that beginning to happen in our country. Have you ever looked what lies behind the terror creating fascist body? It will be some farmer, fisherman, worker, clerk or a laborer. Means a person who sells his/her labor to get a living. Actually they should have to be with us. But why they come in front of us with dangerous weapons and venomous hatred?
In modern world, when wealth and power of a country is concentrated in a few businessmen who control the government and become owners of its citizen then that political state is called fascism.
You may think that this definition seems simple. Because when we hear the word fascism, a lot of horrible pictures will come into our minds. Without considering those horrible things how can I define such a simple superficial definition? That criticism is natural. Not only that, as per this definition most of the countries should be fascist countries. But we don’t call them like that. So this definition needs a thorough analysis.
Does democracy is true democracy
Let us start with this criticism. The meaning of democracy is rule (ആധിപത്യം) by the people(1). In that system we give our vote to one person and elect the person with most votes. You informs your issues to that person. He/she then take it to parliament. Get approval. Then implements at your place. Similarly the decisions government takes is presented in the parliament, representative takes it back to your place. Conducts public hearing. People will take a decision whether to vote it in the parliament or not. Then the elected representative will vote it in the parliament. This should be the way democratic government to work.
But in reality there was no such people power system existed in this world till now. (2) instead of that parties publishes their promises. That may be evolved from democratic discussions with in the parties or created by leaders themselves. People will elect a party or group of parties whose promises are appealing to people. Once in power these parties may implement these promises or do something other they really like.
(3) Other than these two modes there is another form. A different kind of invisible people who are not members of any party and don’t have any responsibility to people will create programs for these parties. They will select candidates. They create social approval for these candidates using cleaver PR tricks. After winning the election these these invisible people will implement their programs using these representatives.
For example there is an organization named American Legislative Exchange Council in US. US states pass 24,000 of that are written by them. It’s members are State legislative members, conservative thinkers, corporate representatives etc. Protect interest of rich and corporates, increase profit are the main agenda of this organization. Quarter of state legislative members are part of it.
The democracy in most of the countries is of this last type. I repeat, Fascism is a condition, when a few businessmen control a country in such a way that it’s wealth and power getting concentrated to them.
Apoliticized Fascism
Most of the people call brutal and violent dictatorships as fascism. But when we call that dictatorships as fascism we cannot understand why that happened, how it works etc. We put all blame on one person’s, the dictator or leader, behavior and become fools. We may somehow can stop it by paying heavy price, but after sometime it may come back. Like we are all now facing the same 1930 moment.
Without understanding the problem we cannot solve it. So we have to throw away these kind of petty analysis and start scientific analysis. Without isolating the issue from its surroundings study its totality. if you look it in that perspective you can see that fascism is nothing but pure capitalism without mask of democracy. In another words we can say that fascism is the real name of capitalism. Imperialism of modern times.
They did not came for me
But we will not feel this as fascism. Because even during this time democratic institutions may be working. Citizen rights and freedom may not be blocked. But it is a peak point. As far as capitalism can maintain its profit, there will not be any issue. That society will stay at that peak point. How long that state remains is just a luck. You have to realize that fact. Because next stage will be brutal violent phase. (you have to ask why, will talk about it later)
There is no relectance for democratic governments for having friendly relations with fascist governments. the fascists and dictators like Mussolini, Hitler, Franco, Pinochet, Suharto etc were worshiped by leaders and wealthy of democratic countries like US, UK, Canada, Sweden etc. They respected these fascists by calling them “admirable gentleman”. Without supporting democratically elected government of Spain’s request, they supported Franco. More than 20 corporates and banks like IBM, Texaco, Ford, GE, Coca-Cola, Sullivan & Cromwell, and J. P. Morgan had industrial-financial relation with fascists governments. These relations were live even while during the World War II. They sold weapons for both sides. When US were bombing Germany, they excepted these corporates. With all these we can understand how close relation they had with fascists.
As the famous German poem, “First they came for the Communists, And I did not speak out, Because I was not a Communist”. But they are fascist at that time. When they are forcing child labour, giving low wages to women, owning women body, denying poor people health care and medicine, polluting the environment, selling weapons, creating global warming, privatizing health care and education, concentrating wealth all of these time they were fascists.
At that time they had a mask of democracy. So we did not see them. But there were lot of warnings. We ignored those. May be those were not directed to us, or may be we were distracted or both. But there is no point in worrying about fascism when it really hurts us.
Fascism is not a bad person. It is a process. It is a system. A system in which wealth and power are concentrated to few businessmen. It is the end state of capitalistic cycle. If we pay huge price with our life we may can destroy it. But if that is for putting a democracy mask again, then that cycle will be repeated. So can we do better than capitalism, that is the question.
