Be Different

Radical Changes

To address issues of discontinuity between the blog and improve the Coders for Liberty training pages, Coders for Liberty will be moving to coders4liberty.github.io and the blog will become #VolunteerDifferent and move to volunteerdifferent.wordpress.com

Not So Fast Luddites. You Can Put the Robot Smashing Hammer Down Now.

While I would recommend reading Player Piano and learning to code, the economic effects of automation may be over-estimated by science-fiction writers and fans of the new automated menu at McDonalds. Libertarian blogger Garry Reed suggests we consider all the possibilities and reminds us that the future has not been written. Whether or not it will be automated, the future will be written by you.

Pragmatism Inevitably Depends on a Principled Voter Base

I’m sorry. I was not going to post any more of these libertarian political strategy diatribes. However, I had an epiphany I feel must be shared. Ultimately, no amount of pragmatic political strategy will work until there is a solid libertarian voter block that cannot be swayed. The only way to build such a base is to convert more people to libertarianism.

In order to convert people to libertarianism, you must reflect on what it took to become a libertarian yourself. The true core of libertarianism is a deep desire to learn more and share that knowledge. You are not recruiting people to a political party. You are not recruiting people to an ideology. You are recruiting people to a lifetime of learning, discovery, and developing a better understanding of how the world works and people relate to one another and how we could improve human relationships without violence. Continue reading →

TANSTAAFL

While I would rather not comment on the absurdity that political discourse has become, I cannot stand by when the phrase “there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch” [TANSTAAFL] is being used to attack political opponents. The main purpose of TANSTAAFL is to remind people  to think outside the box and consider the entire picture.

TANSTAAFL is used by economists to discuss opportunity costs and how there are costs associated with even products or services that are advertised as free. The term is also used by scientists when discussing biological systems and energy systems. There is even a No Free Lunch Theorem in Machine Learning Systems.

In most instances, TANSTAAFL is used to encourage people to consider the consequences of decisions and how they affect the world around them. In Machine Learning, TANSTAAFL is used to remind programmers there is no perfect system. It is a reminder to avoid developing tunnel vision and consider other possibilities.