http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAIv15fWfHg

Apparently, the total human population on Earth will hit 7 billion towards the end of next year. But even more thought-provoking than that is the fact that the population growth is actually slowing down for the first time in modern history. It’s even conceivable that we will hit the maximum number of people on the planet in our lifetime.

In a related note, I’ve seen technology exploding exponentially in my own lifetime and I wonder if it will continue to do so or if it, too, will slow down to an asymptotic rate. Either way has profound implications. It’s an interesting time to be alive.

I took the advice of a couple friends and checked out the Metropolitan Museum of Art while I was in New York. It’s huge, so I only saw a small part of it but I did see the Kublai Khan exhibit and several of the Renaissance and Impressionist period oil paintings.

I also have a particular interest in sculptures so I made sure to spend some time in the sculpture gallery. One of the most striking pieces was Rodin’s Burghers of Calais. Rodin was commissioned to depict the Burghers of Calais who were willing to sacrifice their lives in exchange for the safety of the city. But instead of depicting them as simply heroic and noble, he chose to depict the moment in time when they discovered that they were not going to be executed. The result is both striking and somehow very human.

I got a free flight that I had to use before the end of the year so on a whim, I decided to go visit some friends in New York. I’m heading out today and I’ll be there for one day. What should I do?

I managed to finish the 12th and final chapter of Tesla 2010, which is a short story about a theoretical 50,000 word novel that I would have written if I had had the time.

The funny thing about the whole thing is that even though it was only about 10% the word count, there were still a lot of similarities to writing a 50,000 word novel in a month. There were still the creative challenges, the writer’s block, the moments of inspiration, etc. The one big difference (aside from it being a lot easier to write 90% less) was that it was harder to write more serious stuff because the nature of project was a joke to begin with. It was sort of like the Michael Bay directed cliff notes version of a novel. But hey, it was fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqpxhCQjwMU

Everything is a little harder to do with a baby, especially playing the piano. On the other hand, it is fun to see him enjoy himself.

Also, Chapter 11 of Tesla 2010 starts off with a bang!

This year, the thing I am most thankful for is, of course, my baby. But there were also many other people involved in bringing our baby into this world. And I am thankful for the many dedicated doctors and nurses in Mumbai that were involved. But most of all, I am thankful for the woman who carried and nourished our baby for 36 weeks and 2 days.

Also, in Chapter 10 of Tesla 2010, someone loses a foot!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a4MR8oI_B8

A few of my co-workers put together this amazing video. It was made for gay teens who get teased, bullied, and threatened simply for being who they are. I can’t imagine what that’s like. But I do know what it’s like to lose hope, to feel like you can’t go on, to wonder if there is any point in struggling further. And yes, there is a point. It gets better.

In lighter news, Chapter 9 of Tesla 2010 features a plan. Will it all come together or all go awry?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw-36DyXVM8

One of my friends recently found this decade old video of us in this promotional video for Final Fantasy the Spirits Within and Alias Wavefront’s Maya! I show up around the 1:14 mark. And yup, I had red hair at the time.

Also, in Chapter 8 of Tesla 2010, Priya comes up with a plan…

I like avocado a lot. But my baby? He goes crazy for the stuff. And I can understand him getting a little spread on his cheeks and nose, but his eyebrows?! Maybe he doesn’t like eating it so much as he likes making a mess. On the other hand, he does have really soft skin. Maybe the avocado rub is his secret.

Speaking of secrets, Chapter 7 of Tesla 2010 ends with a secret revealed about Nikola Tesla.

A few weeks ago, I signed up for a night class to learn this new tool we’re using at work, which would have been totally fine. But I forgot that I had earlier agreed to teach a night class as well and it just so happens that they’re both during the same four weeks, starting this week.

Fortunately, they’re on different days of the week but … ach, work is also starting to get busy. This is yet another example of my past self screwing my present self with commitments that seemed like a good idea at the time. My only consolation is that I’m about to screw my future self with an even bigger — wait, I don’t think that works out…

Anyways, Chapter 6 of Tesla 2010 is coincidentally about putting yourself into a tricky situation.