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Is technology or the user to blame? Or, how I learned to start a cooking fire.
Sun, 28 Aug 2005

The other day after feasting on mighty barebecue in honour of my esteemed brother-in-law's 30th birthday, we started to have the nightly hot debate. Perhaps it was the rum and coke talking, or the nature of the conversation, or the fact we're all 30-or-more now, but we raged for hours into the night. While we swung across many topics, one that stuck in my memory was the question -- technology is good of course, but has it made it too easy to be evil?

Naturally, I'm pro-technology. I'm still waiting for the arrival of flying cars and a vacation spot on Mars as promised to our parents as children (though I'll take a pass on the all silver reflecting clothing thank you very much ;) -- I'm pro-investing in science and technology, always saying that we need to train people in its proper and ethical use. I'll avoid going into abortion and the like (I believe its up to the couple and family, not society!), but its easy to talk about other less "loaded" topics -- surely our science has helped produce more and better food, though we should have the choice to eat natural or geneticly altered food at our choice. Likewise, technology has produced superior medicines and the quality of life all over the world has improved (though not enough in the third world, sadly.)

Naturally, humans are a despicable species and temptations such as weapons of mass destruction (nuclear arms, man-made diseases, etc) should never have come to exist... though nuclear power is a clean and safe way to operate so I suppose nuclear weapons must also exist. Still, I have never really blamed the technology -- a nuclear weapon all on its own is harmless -- the psychopath pushing the buttons is responsible for its targetting and launching. A gun (or a kitchen knife) can be used for self defence or rape .. again, the human is the problem.

Everyone has heard me rant about the stupid humans should be eradicated to leave the more peaceful species to co-exist. (Mind you, apes and dolphins aren't really all that nice either.)

During this obviously heated argument, er, debate, the question came up.. with the underbelly of society able to more easily collect in chatrooms or share information in a sickly FAQ on a website, can the Bad Guys learn how to perform their art that much better, or get away with something? Is CSI on the tube helping the bad guy learn to avoid the men in blue?

It was brought up that there are websites where people can collect to help each other commit suicide. While I'm sure the site in question is a little whacko, I know of some 'self help suicide' sites that may be on the level. Of course, I've not thought about this to decide if its good or bad or ethical, but it seems fine on the surface -- if someone is determined to do themselves in (something I will never support -- life is worth fighting for. Bear your cross! If nothing else, live to see the future!), then a site that helps provide ideas on doing it painlessly, cleanly, and to minimize the suffering of friends and family.. is that a bad thing? I don't know, but I've always supported the free exchange of information, regardless of the topic.

You see, to me its simple -- we must raise our children and support our friends to do the right thing and not to be so weak as to just do whatever comes up. Our children _will_ see some bad things in their life, and be offered nasty drugs etc in uncomfortable situations, so they had better be prepared to deal with that eventuality.. rather than just try and hide that it exists. Technology may create some bad things, but it is ultimately we who decides when or when not to use them. If someone is so weak as to just smoke because they saw Brad Pitt do it on television, they've got bigger problems. This is the same argument that suggests rock music, video games and movies make for evil children -- an argument usually made by crazy southern folks who give their children handguns for their 10th birthday. The real problem is raising people to be decent human beings, caring yet decisive and strong, who know how to weigh the good from the bad and the short from the long term and do the right thing.

I still believe technology is only a tool; the problem is somewhere along the line we've raised too many people who don't value life, who do not empathize for their fellow man. At the same time, we must use our natural curiousity and inventiveness responsibly -- just because you know black holes exist, doesn't mean you need to try and create one in the lab :) (or more to point.. when dropping The Bombs on Hiroshima, they actually factored in a possibility that the earth's atmosphere might ignite. All other facets aside, was it worth _that_ risk?)

As my brother-in-law put forth.. there was a time when even the bad guys wouldn't shoot a hailstorm of bullets towards a foe when children and innocent people were walking about. Sure, they'd put up a racketing job and charge protection money, but there was still some form of 'honour' to it, to not unnecessarily injure someone. Where is that today?

Sorry to rant on, but I'm one to do it :) Pass the word and do a kind gesture every day, forgive the bastard who cuts you off in traffic tomorrow, and lend a hand to an old lady down the street. In the end, these actions may save us all.

Happy birthday Jad, despite these heavy topics :)

Oh, watching my father-in-law make a barbecue is something; he does it differently than my parents did back when I was a kid. He prefers to bbq over an open flame (or embers really), rather than on a gas bbq, and you should listen to this man.. he makes a mean steak.

Start with a piece of paper tossed into the fire area/pit/whatever. You'll be starting the fire here at some point, so something easy to kindle. Start putting on small twigs, like a teepee -- touching at the top and on the ground on the bottom, so you end up with a cone of twigs around the paper. Then start laying on the larger wood, just piling it on.. maybe toss in some apple-wood or grape-vine-wood near the end, to add a nice smell and flavour to the meat.

Stick a match in and light the paper and the fire will begin in the middle and quickly spread through the twigs. Due to the layout, the fire will go straight up through the middle and create a healthy airflow. After 15 or 20 minutes the fire will mostly have burnt up the smaller wood, so you can scrape away the larger stuff off to a side waiting area.. it'll keep burning and you can toss a few more twigs on that area to keep the fire going.. but for barbecue with this technique, you're mostly wanting the hot and glowing embers.

He cooks the grilling surface in the flame as well, so after this preparatoin we're left with hot grills over the embers, and a backup fire off the side making more embers to give us control over the temperature as we need.

Brilliant.

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