Non nobis solum

Non nobis solum is a text document stored in the Blue terminal.

Contents

Non nobis solum

AUTHOR: THABANI J. CALVIN

An extract from Thabani J. Calvin's final essay, posted to a "newsgroup" designated alt.noematics.moderated shortly before his death:

It's a very harsh reality to face: not only that my life is about to end, but that I am not satisfied with it. I know I did my best with what I was given, but that's not enough. Needing money to survive, I spent the most significant part of my life writing idiotic software, most of which is already obsolete.

I didn't see much of the world. I know that there is a transformational power in experiencing the reality of different places which cannot be replicated by reading about them. To truly know that another place is real changes who you are.

I didn't read enough, either. Our civilization is growing increasingly disdainful of reading, and I realized far too late how weak and unformed our minds are without reading. There are so many incredible books and I know that my mind isn't half of what it could've been, and I am intellectually and spiritually poorer for it.

I could go on and on, but time is a luxury I can no longer afford. What it comes down to is that despite my best efforts, my life was dissatisfying. I did not grow enough. I look at myself and I can feel the absence of the person I should've been. Because a world based on scarcity was a world in which writing crappy software was what I had to do to live at all.

There is only one hope left for me. If the theoretical work I've done these last few years has any kind of impact, if it helps builds a better world in which people no longer have to waste their lives like I did, then my life will have been worth it. Each generation has to justify the life of the previous, until some day it all truly pays off. That's the gamble of being human, I guess.

Be well, friends.

GCS/IT d+ s++: a++ C++++ !U !P L+++++ E+++ W+++ N++++ o+++++ !K w+++(++) !O M-- !VMS PS+++ PE-- Y+++ PGP++ +++ 5++++ X++++ R? tv+ b++++++ !DI D++ G++ e++++ h* r- y+

Barzai

The theories advanced by Thabani J. Calvin and other members of his circle eventually became the basis of the Institute for Applied Noematics.

Trivia

The string of letters at the end of Thabani's post is written in Geek Code. Developed in 1993, it is a series of letters and symbols used by self-described "geeks" to inform fellow geeks about their personality, appearance, interests, skills, and opinions. The idea is that everything that makes a geek individual can be encoded in a compact format which only other geeks can read.

There are various online decoders that can decrypt an instance of Geek Code you have come across. Here is the decryption of Thabani's profile by the website United Computer Wizards:

Type of Geek [GCS/IT]

Geek of Computer Science.

Geek of Information Technology.

Appearance

Dress [d+]

Good leisure-wear. Slacks, button-shirt, etc. No jeans, tennis shoes, or t-shirts.

Shape [s++:]

I'm a basketball candidate, I'm of average width.

Age [a++]

50-59.

Computers

Computers [C++++]

I'll be first in line to get the new cybernetic interface installed into my skull.

UNIX [!U]

I refuse to have anything with that!

Perl [!P]

Our paranoid admin won't let us install Perl! Says it's a `hacking tool'.

Linux [L+++++]

I am Linus, grovel before me.

Emacs [E+++]

Emacs is my login shell!! M-x doctor is my psychologist! I use emacs to control my TV and toaster oven! All you vi people don't know what you're missing! I read alt.religion.emacs, alt.sex.emacs, and comp.os.emacs.

World-Wide Web [W+++]

I am a WebMaster . Don't even think about trying to view my homepage without the latest version of Netscape. When I'm not on my normal net connection, I surf the web using my Newton and a cellular modem.

USENET News [N++++]

I am Tim Pierce.

USENET Oracle [o+++++]

I am Steve Kinzler.

Kibo [!K]

I refuse to have anything with that!

Microsoft Windows [w+++(++)]

Ranging from "I am a MS Windows programming god. I wrote a VxD driver to allow MS Windows and DOS to share the use of my waffle iron. P.S. Unix sux" to "I write MS Windows programs in C and think about using C++ someday. I've written at least one DLL."

OS/2 [!O]

I refuse to have anything with that!

Macintosh [M--]

Macs do more than suck. They make a user stupid by allowing them to use the system without knowing what they are doing. Mac weenies have lower IQs than the fuzz in my navel.

VMS

Nothing known.

Politics

Political and Social Issues [PS+++]

Legalize drugs! Abolish the government. `Fuck the draft!'.

Politics and Economic Issues [PE--]

Capitalism is evil! Government should provide the services we really need. Nobody should be rich.

Cypherpunks [Y+++]

I am T.C. May.

PGP [PGP++]

I have the most recent version and use it regularly.

Entertainment

Star Trek

Nothing known.

Babylon 5 [5++++]

I am J. Michael Straczynski.

X-Files [X++++]

I am Chris Carter.

Role Playing [R?]

I don't know what's that.

Television [tv+]

I watch some tv every day.

Books [b++++++]

Unknown value ++++++. (Note: this many pluses, outside of the Geek Code range, might represent Thabani's love for books and regrets for not reading as much as he should have.)

Dilbert [!DI]

I refuse to have anything with that!

DOOM! [D++]

I've played the shareware version and bought the real one and I'm actually pretty good at the game. I occasionally download PWAD files and play them too.

The Geek Code [G++]

I know what each letter means, but sometimes have to look up the specifics.

Lifestyle

Education [e++++]

Managed to get my Ph.D.

Housing [h*]

I'm not sure where I live anymore. This lab/workplace seems like home to me.

Relationships [r-]

I have difficulty maintaining a relationship.

Sex [y+]

Male. I've had real, live sex.