A Geek's Wish

Quite often I find myself asking the same question over and over again:

"If you could wish for anything, what would you wish for?"

Every time I ask this question, the answer is different than the last time. When I was younger, the wishes would be related to super powers, such as flying, invisibility, hypnotic powers, extreme strength like Superman etc. Later it gave way for Time Travel, World Domination, being filthy rich etc. But recently, the wishes have become more and more geeky stuff like the one below. You'll see that they are rather realistic (well, almost.)

I wish I had a Computer with... mmm....

• Intel® Core™2 Extreme Processor QX6850
  Here is a comparison with my current CPU :p
  


• 4GB 1800MHz DDR3 RAM


• Two Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000 1TB SATA II Hard Disks
  


• Four Gigbit LAN cards connected to a 4Gbps Fiber Optic connection to the Internet - There is your 'unrealistic' part ;)
  


• Four 768MB GeForce 8800 Ultra GPUs in Quad-SLI configuration


• Two of Dell's UltraSharp 2407WFP-HC 24-inch Widescreen LCD monitors for dual-monitor setup
  


• An Optimus Maximus OLED Keyboard

I could have chosen the LG M5500C 55" LCD Monitor, or even this one (WTF ?!!) but there IS such a thing as too much, even for a crackpot like me ;)

Finding a suitable motherboard to handle all this can be a pain, but I needn't worry; after all, this is a 'wish' - things just appear out of nowhere!

The rest can be the usual stuff, like laser mouse, 2.1 Speakers (I prefer these to 7.1 surround systems, being an audiophile.), 20X DVD RW with Lightscribe etc.. Oh, and I also want the bills for net access and electricity to be fully paid in advance for the next 50 years.

This is the best of the best currently available in the market (a possible exception being the OFC connection). So, how is it?

Could you suggest better parts?

United Africa - The Beginning of a new World Order

Established in 2001, The African Union (AU) is an organization consisting of fifty-three African states. Eventually, the AU aims to have a single currency and a single integrated defense force, as well as other institutions of state, including a cabinet for the AU Head of State. The purpose of the union is to help secure Africa's democracy, human rights, and a sustainable economy, especially by bringing an end to intra-African conflict and creating an effective common market. (From Wikipedia Article)

The Ninth A.U. Summit

The recent 3-day summit held at Ghana discussed Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi's(Wikipedia) call for the immediate establishment of a single government, foreign policy and army; but the AU concluded that the establishment of such a massive infrastructure cannot be hurried (BBC News). The idea of a single pan-African government was first proposed by Kwame Nkrumah (Wikipedia), who led Ghana to independence in 1957. However, many leaders are hesitant to lose control over their source of income and power.

When I think with the European Union (E.U.) (Wikipedia) in mind, the A.U. seems like a solid movement aimed at a World Government (Wikipedia), but perhaps the world isn't ready for that yet; maybe it never will.

Is Nudity something to be ashamed of?

I've been thinking a lot these days about the pre-conceptions of the human mind - it seems certain things follow our culture like a shadow that will not go apart, haunting us throughout the ages. One of them seems to be the fear of Nudity. If a person is stripped amidst the public, it is regarded as the worst type of humiliation, worse than death! WHY?

The purpose of clothing - the necessity - is to provide us with protection from mortal/unpleasant circumstances - be it heat, cold, injury from fast-moving or sharp objects etc. Without clothing, humans wouldn't have survived in the frozen Artic & Antartica, or the hot sands of the great deserts. Historically, I could guess, not having clothing would be a matter of shame, like not having a house to stay, or not having a McLaren F1 to drive! But practically, what is the need of clothing in a room (say, a heated room like an office or a classroom) ?!

From as early as we can remember, we have been told that exposing our genitals in the public is a big No-NO. Some cultures have gone far enough to stone people to death for exposure. Why should a human be punished for not doing something that the society says, if it doesn't harm anyone, including himself/herself ?

In most countries, nudity in public has been banned by law. It is offensive to others, one might argue. But is that notion really valid? I mean there are so many people (including myself) who find it repulsive when in the presence of a cigarette-smoker, who fumigates the surrounding air, with disregard for the health of the people standing next to them. That hasn't compelled the society to ban smoking - even though smoking has been proven to be injurious to health - has it? Then why the hush-hush against nudity? Its similar to referring to sex as the 'S'-word!!

Oh! And by the way, I'm well aware that there are nudist clubs around the world, and would like to insist that I'm not a member of any of them - I'm not someone spreading propaganda for them either. Just my random thoughts for the day..