Developer Toolbox: Tools of Discovery

welcome to the adventure of ratmandu and whitewolf

    em.bark  to engage, enlist, or invest in an enterprise
             to make a start : COMMENCE - em.bar.ka.tion

Yes; but you must wager. It is not optional. You are embarked. -- Pascal

we now begin the tale of ratmandu and whitewolf, who, together, embark upon a journey of discovery, motivated by their mutual desire to participate in and partake of the transformation and renewal of the world where the integration of technology, in a beneficial and balanced way, allows people to feel safe, experience a rich relationship with nature, have a wholesome environment in which to raise children, and directly participate in democratic processes affording liberty, equity, and justice for ALL life in, on, and around our supremely precious and irreplaceable earth mother, Gaia.

have we the ability to expand our minds and our horizons beyond our own all-too-familiar limitations? to be open to options previously never considered, is the exploration that awaits ALL of us. as Q reminded Picard, life is not about mapping stars and studying nebula, but discovering the unknown and infinite possibilities of existence. may we ALL renew our dedication to promulgating and promoting life-sustaining activities and awarenesses regarding this "home" we all share and are response-able for, not simply for the seventh generation of humankind yet unborn, but for all life germinated and nourished by Gaia.

the human transition from an adolescent, "industrial-mind" value system, based only on asking the question, is it POSSIBLE?, to gaia- sustaining and promoting practices and explorations which must ask the question, is it APPROPRIATE?, is the only possible future of human activity on this earth. without re-cognizing our unique powers of response-ability for everything we participate in here, we condemn to premature termination the exquisite eons of life exploring itself in this dimension.

Tomorrow becomes necessary when we do not see very clearly today.
-- J Krishnamurti, Is Thinking a Slave to Time?, 1974

-- dave

In chosing the two characters, ratmandu and whitewolf, which now populate the CD artwork, we reflect ourselves and our relationship with each other. We also seek to reflect an attitute about work with you, our customers, the SGI developers. You will find ratmandu and whitewolf working in a technology free world. This is not because technology is bad, it is but a tool. It must always be placed in a larger context. To what end do we use it? How does it enable us to have better relationships? What is the quality of our journey, at work, at home? This, to us, is the larger context. If it is all just to create some great scientific artiface, we want no part of it. Luckily, we have always found a humanity in the midst of our work with computers and most other machines. And thus we remain.

It is often through quotes that one finds a truth resonating within. It is to this end you have the quotes below, woven of the fabric of the this embarking in which we are involved. You will learn something of what the wolf is becoming in the reading between these lines.

Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling.

Do not follow where the path may lead.

Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

There are only three questions of value in life.

What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made?

What is worth living for? What is worth dying for?

The answer to each is the same. Only love.

Material things, when we do not have them, attract us,

but when we have them, leave us empty.

Spiritual things, when we do not have them, do not attract us,

but when we have them, leave us filled.

The dance of renewal, the dance that made the world, was always danced here

at the edge of things, on the brink, on the foggy coast.

I've learned in every face to face encounter,

regardless of how brief, we leave something behind.

... Tom