I was doing some research, trying to find words for how to go about manifesting. In the middle of that research, I had a couple of conversations that are worth reporting just as they happenned.
paul_hunt3: what can you tell me about the art of manifesting?
svava thornson: I think manifesting gets faster as you get more practice
paul_hunt3: how do you start?
svava thornson: by hopeing for things
svava thornson: and then working towards making them happen
paul_hunt3: so it is quite natural
svava thornson: prayer is a huge organized religion way of telling people how to manifest
svava thornson: you tell them. You can have anything you want (most of the time) but you have to tell people, even if it's just between yourself and the powers that be
svava thornson: and then you have to act in accordance to make that happen
paul_hunt3: it helps if you have pre charged your social environment
svava thornson: yes
svava thornson: but that comes with practice too
svava thornson: if everyone is used to you getting what you ask for, they just assume that if you've asked it's going to happen so they do it or act like it has already happened
paul_hunt3: acting as if...
paul_hunt3: another magic piece
svava thornson: when I mentioned to Emoe that you guys were looking to start a restaurant or wanted someone else to, somewhere in it I mentioned IF and he corrected me and said "WHEN!, it is your parents who want it"
paul_hunt3: that is a charged example
svava thornson: ya
svava thornson: but most people know that if you really want something you get it
svava thornson: even if it involves you making it happen
svava thornson: especially if it involves you making it happen
paul_hunt3: it boils down to expectations
paul_hunt3: faith
paul_hunt3: if you don't expect it to happen, you don't invest in it
svava thornson: and neither will anyone else
paul_hunt3: the converse works too
svava thornson: very much so
paul_hunt3 : I just copied all this into my worksheet
paul_hunt3 : I'm doing a report on manifesting
svava thornson : oh?
paul_hunt3 : george breed asked me to
svava thornson : what else do you know about it?
paul_hunt3 : i found about 4 links to good websites that teach it
paul_hunt3 : amber and i took a manifesting class in 99 and it changed both of our lives
svava thornson : remember when we read the reluctant messiah together
paul_hunt3 : yea
svava thornson : that had almost everything to do with manifesting
paul_hunt3 : very much
svava thornson : although it was a fantasy book that explained it best to me
paul_hunt3 : which?
svava thornson : it was somewhere in the rift series
svava thornson : there was this old crazy magician who insisted there was no magic
svava thornson : which was charming and all but way down the line. he explained to the main character why there was no magic
paul_hunt3 : yes?
svava thornson : and it involved him describing something similar to subatomic particles, or the energy that holds it together and communicating with them
svava thornson : it is what everything is made up of, EVERYTHING
svava thornson : and if you ask them to they'll do anything you want
svava thornson : it wasn't magic, it was communication
svava thornson : but the way he described it really made anything at all possible
paul_hunt3 : Ahhhh
svava thornson : and all you had to do was communicate (manifest)svava thornson: and when I do reiki or those kinds of things what they teach you to do is to communicate with the very essence of energy, at the level in which it holds all things together
svava thornson : they teach you that energy follows intention. . or where/what you are thinking about
paul_hunt3 : that explains the power of attention
svava thornson : you can literally create, destroy, restructure anything simply with energy manipulation, although I prefer to communicate and ask rather than manipulate
paul_hunt3 : the essence of the art
svava thornson : magic actual magic not parlor tricks is whole heartedly possible
svava thornson : but few do it because they don't believe they can, or they don't want to deal with the consequences
paul_hunt3 : but as you say, it's not magic
svava thornson : right
svava thornson : but it could easily look like it
svava thornson : and people could study and learn to do "magic" without understanding what it actually is
svava thornson : ritual can be very powerful
paul_hunt3 : ritual encodes expectations
svava thornson : yes
svava thornson : if you do this, and believe this will happen because of it. . .
svava thornson : you'll be posting your report on manifesting right?
paul_hunt3 : yup
paul_hunt3 : part of my report might be this conversation
svava thornson : cool
svava thornson : I'd like to see the websites on it too
paul_hunt3 :A book called "Beginner's guide to manifesting
paul_hunt3 : INNERLIGHT the art of manifesting (comes with meditation music)
paul_hunt3 : unifying.com/manifesting
paul_hunt3 : A different channel on the topic
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Monday, December 26, 2005
Alternate cosmology
Imagine a raindrop in mid air. Now imagine that our entire three dimensional universe is just the surface of a similar raindrop in 4 dimensional space.
For conceptual purposes, we will call the 4D fluid that makes up this big raindrop "water". As we zoom way down into the tiniest details of this surface, we notice little jets of water entering at a right angle to the surface. Each jet punctures the surface tension and drags a little of the surface water into the raindrop center.
From our 3D point of view, each of those jets looks like the tiniest particle of matter. Zoom in close and they look like tiny black holes through which the very fluid of space is being lost. Because fluid is always flowing into these partcles, they are attracted to each other. That gives rise to the behaviour of gravity.
This concept was introduced to me by "the teacher" about 20 years ago (in a most undignified way). At the time I imagined explaining that as I accepted the Nobel prize. At the time I was also saying that science had too many things to change before they could begin accepting such a different explaination of the universe.
I let the subject drop, but every 5 years or so something would tantalize me. Also, a new finding (such as dark energy) would pop up and puzzle the science community because it didn't fit known theories. Reading about the puzzled scientists I would shout to myself "DUH! It's just commen sense in my theory."
Many things have changed, and now theoretical cosmologists are looking for new ideas. I don't have the mathematics horsepower to see if this hypo-theory makes sense yet. I guess I need to be introduced to somebody in physics who has the guts, intuition, and skills to check it out.
For conceptual purposes, we will call the 4D fluid that makes up this big raindrop "water". As we zoom way down into the tiniest details of this surface, we notice little jets of water entering at a right angle to the surface. Each jet punctures the surface tension and drags a little of the surface water into the raindrop center.
From our 3D point of view, each of those jets looks like the tiniest particle of matter. Zoom in close and they look like tiny black holes through which the very fluid of space is being lost. Because fluid is always flowing into these partcles, they are attracted to each other. That gives rise to the behaviour of gravity.
This concept was introduced to me by "the teacher" about 20 years ago (in a most undignified way). At the time I imagined explaining that as I accepted the Nobel prize. At the time I was also saying that science had too many things to change before they could begin accepting such a different explaination of the universe.
I let the subject drop, but every 5 years or so something would tantalize me. Also, a new finding (such as dark energy) would pop up and puzzle the science community because it didn't fit known theories. Reading about the puzzled scientists I would shout to myself "DUH! It's just commen sense in my theory."
Many things have changed, and now theoretical cosmologists are looking for new ideas. I don't have the mathematics horsepower to see if this hypo-theory makes sense yet. I guess I need to be introduced to somebody in physics who has the guts, intuition, and skills to check it out.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Can you catch a virus by internet?
I read Solee's website about her being sick. With just the right amount of incubation time, yesterday the flu hit me like a ton of bricks.
I had just been marveling that this has been a very good season, I hadn't had any illness this fall. So, do you think I got nailed because I thought about it, or because I caught it from Solee?
I had just been marveling that this has been a very good season, I hadn't had any illness this fall. So, do you think I got nailed because I thought about it, or because I caught it from Solee?
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Perfection
I have been struggling with the practical side of perfection. I have seen many times how having stuff that is too nice causes more grief than pleasure.
When we had three little kids, I concluded that it wasn’t worth getting so upset about all the things they broke or defaced. Sure, they had to learn to take care of things, but I didn’t have to go nuts trying to maintain possessions that are too nice for kids. I just sighed and concluded that I wasn’t going to have anything nice for the next 20 years.
It has been more than 20 years. I can have nearly any possession I want. During that time I learned that there is very little additional value to having really fine stuff. The real value in life is enjoying people and having a mission.
This philosophy affects my tastes in housing. While some folks obsess about imperfections in their finely finished woodwork, my house will be a little more rustic and perhaps a little less finished. As a place to interact with life, my house will always be a work in progress, so forgive the imperfections.
I will save obsessing and pursuit of perfection for my mission.
When we had three little kids, I concluded that it wasn’t worth getting so upset about all the things they broke or defaced. Sure, they had to learn to take care of things, but I didn’t have to go nuts trying to maintain possessions that are too nice for kids. I just sighed and concluded that I wasn’t going to have anything nice for the next 20 years.
It has been more than 20 years. I can have nearly any possession I want. During that time I learned that there is very little additional value to having really fine stuff. The real value in life is enjoying people and having a mission.
This philosophy affects my tastes in housing. While some folks obsess about imperfections in their finely finished woodwork, my house will be a little more rustic and perhaps a little less finished. As a place to interact with life, my house will always be a work in progress, so forgive the imperfections.
I will save obsessing and pursuit of perfection for my mission.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Manifesting keeps happening faster.
(Of course it helps if you hustle too.)
Remember a few blogs ago I mentioned Fair Conversion?
Last night, the fair board voted unanimously to include a focus on renewable energy and sustainable living.
Now the fun part and the hard work begins. There are a million ideas that this opens up. I will list some of those ideas at the HUG web site.
It is kind of cool that the fair will be renewed and sustained by choosing to focus on Renewable and Sustainable living.
Remember a few blogs ago I mentioned Fair Conversion?
Last night, the fair board voted unanimously to include a focus on renewable energy and sustainable living.
Now the fun part and the hard work begins. There are a million ideas that this opens up. I will list some of those ideas at the HUG web site.
It is kind of cool that the fair will be renewed and sustained by choosing to focus on Renewable and Sustainable living.
Sunday, December 11, 2005
A better fit
Around here we often talk about forming an idyllic community. We have it well established in our minds that the current economic system is all about pumping money uphill. It also tends to entrap people to keep on feeding that pump by making them totally dependent on the big system for food, fuel and housing.
The emerging answers center on shortening the economic loops; such as: we and our neighbors might raise much of our own food and fuel, and live in houses that heat themselves. Then we aren’t dependent on everything in the big system working perfectly. It is economically more efficient, healthier, and more stable. Then we deal with the big economy more for our wants, not our needs.
While chatting with Raya about how we would make a better economy and lifestyle, she asked "Can it work to live like a Hobbit and still be connected to the world?"
I answered “Yes, but we want to meet the larger economy hand in hand, not with its hand on our throat.”
The emerging answers center on shortening the economic loops; such as: we and our neighbors might raise much of our own food and fuel, and live in houses that heat themselves. Then we aren’t dependent on everything in the big system working perfectly. It is economically more efficient, healthier, and more stable. Then we deal with the big economy more for our wants, not our needs.
While chatting with Raya about how we would make a better economy and lifestyle, she asked "Can it work to live like a Hobbit and still be connected to the world?"
I answered “Yes, but we want to meet the larger economy hand in hand, not with its hand on our throat.”
Manifesting and fun facts
I have marveled many times lately at how fast the universe presents me with something I asked for or the answer to a question. All I have to do is pay attention.
Just today I was wondering how the name for the Star Wars character R2D2 came about. Tonight I bumped into a fun facts web site. There it was…
When George Lucas was mixing the American Graffiti soundtrack, he numbered the reels of film starting with an R and numbered the dialog starting with a D. Sound designer Walter Murch asked George for Reel 2, Dialog 2 by saying "R2D2". George liked the way that sounded so much he integrated that into another project he was working on.
A few other fun facts that caught my attention:
Comments about our major institutions...
Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike each year than all the Nike factory workers in Malaysia combined.
At General Motors, the cost of health care for employees now exceeds the cost of steel.
The United States has five percent of the world's population, but twenty-five percent of the world's prison population.
Comments about our nutrition...
In 1991, the average bra size in the United States was 34B. Today it's 36C.
In 1985, the most popular waist size for men's pants was 32. In 2003, it's 36.
In 2004, one in six girls in the United States enter puberty at age 8. A hundred years ago, only one in a hundred entered puberty that early.
The average North Korean 7-year-old is almost three inches shorter than the average South Korean 7-year-old.
Who is the dominant species?
For every person on earth, there are an estimated 200 million insects.
Time to outlaw those wild teddys...
Each year, more people are killed by teddy bears than by grizzly bears
Ever have that feeling?
A female ferret will die if it goes into heat and cannot find a mate.
Dolly Parton once lost a Dolly Parton Look-Alike contest.
Just today I was wondering how the name for the Star Wars character R2D2 came about. Tonight I bumped into a fun facts web site. There it was…
When George Lucas was mixing the American Graffiti soundtrack, he numbered the reels of film starting with an R and numbered the dialog starting with a D. Sound designer Walter Murch asked George for Reel 2, Dialog 2 by saying "R2D2". George liked the way that sounded so much he integrated that into another project he was working on.
A few other fun facts that caught my attention:
Comments about our major institutions...
Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike each year than all the Nike factory workers in Malaysia combined.
At General Motors, the cost of health care for employees now exceeds the cost of steel.
The United States has five percent of the world's population, but twenty-five percent of the world's prison population.
Comments about our nutrition...
In 1991, the average bra size in the United States was 34B. Today it's 36C.
In 1985, the most popular waist size for men's pants was 32. In 2003, it's 36.
In 2004, one in six girls in the United States enter puberty at age 8. A hundred years ago, only one in a hundred entered puberty that early.
The average North Korean 7-year-old is almost three inches shorter than the average South Korean 7-year-old.
Who is the dominant species?
For every person on earth, there are an estimated 200 million insects.
Time to outlaw those wild teddys...
Each year, more people are killed by teddy bears than by grizzly bears
Ever have that feeling?
A female ferret will die if it goes into heat and cannot find a mate.
Dolly Parton once lost a Dolly Parton Look-Alike contest.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Practice
For several years now I have had a little voice whispering in my brain, telling me to eat foods that are more alive. I am slowly learning to change eating habits as we learn more about food and nutrition.
Lynn and I spent the evening putting hundreds of pounds of various sproutable organic seeds into zip-lock baggies and 5 gallon buckets. Our goal is to learn to actually practice eating sprouted everything. This is not to say that we will go nuts and eat nothing but sprouts. This is just another gentle nudge to eat healthier and more nutritious foods.
I have to marvel at how difficult it is to actually change living habits. We can talk about it. We can all agree to it. Sometimes we even go so far as to start it. But do we stick to it?
Not likely.
The basic laws of physics apply to our spirit too.
Newton's first law:
Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it.
Just change the word "object" to "habit" and it's talking about you and me at our essence. That means we need to apply big force (such as the pain of necessity) to get any quick change in our habits. The other way to to change our direction is to apply a small force, constantly, for a very long time.
I have patience and persistance. I can do that.
Lynn and I spent the evening putting hundreds of pounds of various sproutable organic seeds into zip-lock baggies and 5 gallon buckets. Our goal is to learn to actually practice eating sprouted everything. This is not to say that we will go nuts and eat nothing but sprouts. This is just another gentle nudge to eat healthier and more nutritious foods.
I have to marvel at how difficult it is to actually change living habits. We can talk about it. We can all agree to it. Sometimes we even go so far as to start it. But do we stick to it?
Not likely.
The basic laws of physics apply to our spirit too.
Newton's first law:
Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it.
Just change the word "object" to "habit" and it's talking about you and me at our essence. That means we need to apply big force (such as the pain of necessity) to get any quick change in our habits. The other way to to change our direction is to apply a small force, constantly, for a very long time.
I have patience and persistance. I can do that.
Thursday, December 01, 2005
SUN grocks it
Remember my post last friday titled "Dream On"?
I was introducing the idea of the gift economy, and dreaming of the day Microsoft decides to give away all its popular software. SUN microsystems just did exactly that, and for the same reasons I was dreaming of.
SUN says they don't intend to give away all their revenue. They are getting rid of barriers to revenue.
I truly wish them well. I hope they have a lot of business success because they gave away their software.
I was introducing the idea of the gift economy, and dreaming of the day Microsoft decides to give away all its popular software. SUN microsystems just did exactly that, and for the same reasons I was dreaming of.
SUN says they don't intend to give away all their revenue. They are getting rid of barriers to revenue.
I truly wish them well. I hope they have a lot of business success because they gave away their software.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Fair Conversion
Our small town of 800 people has been host to the county fair for 100 years now. The fair is run down and has little zing left. The county, always in a budget crunch, stopped funding the fair 3 years ago. Now it is running on private donations and is begging for money. If they don't get enough soon, the fair may have to be cancelled.
Now is a teachable moment for the fair board.
They will listen to an idea to get them lots of funding and lots of additional volunteer energy. Simply focus the fair on alternate energy and sustainable living.
Many synergies will converge to make this work. (I won't eleborate on them now.)
This may be a first step towards converting the mindset of a whole community towards a more robust (and sane) local economy.
This will be our Zing Tau.
Now is a teachable moment for the fair board.
They will listen to an idea to get them lots of funding and lots of additional volunteer energy. Simply focus the fair on alternate energy and sustainable living.
Many synergies will converge to make this work. (I won't eleborate on them now.)
This may be a first step towards converting the mindset of a whole community towards a more robust (and sane) local economy.
This will be our Zing Tau.
Sunday, November 27, 2005
And the Truth is dangerous, for it shall set you free
The title is a phrase that popped up in my sleep about 7 years ago. It seemed profound in the context of my sleep. I always wondered what that context was.
I was reminded of that saying as I read a book online today. A theory of Power is anthropological and scholarly. It has lots of footnotes and references. It starts out explaining that nothing exists except power relationships. It goes through a little about physics, genes, memes, and culture. It ends up, in chapter 9, talking about how to structure a society that suits our genes much better by avoiding hierarchy. It looks just like the social structure that I have always dreamed of creating.
HUG is actively trying to create the foundations of this living style. The main motivations have been healthy living, economic well being, better ecology, less time stress, more resilient to social and economic storms. I never realized my reasons went this deep. This structure largely frees us from controls within our culture that don't fit our genes.
The book explained how memes now drive evolution far more than genes. Humans evolved to be vectors and hosts for memes. All the social structures around us serve the memes first, us if it’s convenient.
It helps complete a coherent picture of the universe. This truth gets at a reason for ego. It helps me see how ego traps us and why spiritual gurus seek to minimize it.
This truth can upset some people.
It is dangerous,
but it can help set you free.
I was reminded of that saying as I read a book online today. A theory of Power is anthropological and scholarly. It has lots of footnotes and references. It starts out explaining that nothing exists except power relationships. It goes through a little about physics, genes, memes, and culture. It ends up, in chapter 9, talking about how to structure a society that suits our genes much better by avoiding hierarchy. It looks just like the social structure that I have always dreamed of creating.
HUG is actively trying to create the foundations of this living style. The main motivations have been healthy living, economic well being, better ecology, less time stress, more resilient to social and economic storms. I never realized my reasons went this deep. This structure largely frees us from controls within our culture that don't fit our genes.
The book explained how memes now drive evolution far more than genes. Humans evolved to be vectors and hosts for memes. All the social structures around us serve the memes first, us if it’s convenient.
It helps complete a coherent picture of the universe. This truth gets at a reason for ego. It helps me see how ego traps us and why spiritual gurus seek to minimize it.
This truth can upset some people.
It is dangerous,
but it can help set you free.
Friday, November 25, 2005
Dream on
The gift economy is taking shape. Bill Gates should show his moxie by embracing it rather than letting Microsoft become a relic of an older economic system.
I would love to see this story play out...
Microsoft decides that they have made enough money the classical way. It's time to be bold. In order to compete with Linux, Microsoft decides to lead the way into the golden age of the "gift" economy. They warn all their stockholders that they will start giving away software over the net. For half a year, Microsoft will buy back stock from any stockholder who wants to sell. Few people sell because they figure Bill has something lucrative up his sleeve.
Finally it happens. On the internet, Microsoft releases new versions of office and every other popular software product, totally free. The uptake is huge. Millions of users insist that anyone they do business with should use the same software. Businesses everywhere suddenly find that they need assistance with updating, and training, and customizing. Microsoft is in that service business, and now they are busier than ever.
Of course in any major shift, certain types of employees become obsolete and need to be retrained. Advertising, marketing and retail people will be retrained as customer service personel. Without copyright issues, lawyers will have much less to sue about. They could be retrained as greeters at Wall Mart.
I would love to see this story play out...
Microsoft decides that they have made enough money the classical way. It's time to be bold. In order to compete with Linux, Microsoft decides to lead the way into the golden age of the "gift" economy. They warn all their stockholders that they will start giving away software over the net. For half a year, Microsoft will buy back stock from any stockholder who wants to sell. Few people sell because they figure Bill has something lucrative up his sleeve.
Finally it happens. On the internet, Microsoft releases new versions of office and every other popular software product, totally free. The uptake is huge. Millions of users insist that anyone they do business with should use the same software. Businesses everywhere suddenly find that they need assistance with updating, and training, and customizing. Microsoft is in that service business, and now they are busier than ever.
Of course in any major shift, certain types of employees become obsolete and need to be retrained. Advertising, marketing and retail people will be retrained as customer service personel. Without copyright issues, lawyers will have much less to sue about. They could be retrained as greeters at Wall Mart.
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Phase of the moon?
Last week was very cloudy. The moon was full sometime during the week, but you couldn't tell by looking. That didn't matter. My mind behaved just like it was a full moon.
Thoughts were flowing fast and deep. I seemed to need little sleep. Creative things were happening everywhere I turned.
Today I sit staring at the computer screen, wondering why I don't seem to have any thoughts. Of course, it's the calm after the brainstorm.
I used up all my energy. That's why I have been sleeping all day.
Thoughts were flowing fast and deep. I seemed to need little sleep. Creative things were happening everywhere I turned.
Today I sit staring at the computer screen, wondering why I don't seem to have any thoughts. Of course, it's the calm after the brainstorm.
I used up all my energy. That's why I have been sleeping all day.
Different
After watching a movie in a theater, the people I hang around with usually hang around during the credits. This serves at least three purposes...
It keeps us out of the exit crowd.
It helps us savor the mood of a good movie.
It helps us get a feel for what it took to create the movie.
We are usually the last ones out. I constantly marvel at how many people are in such a rush to leave.
Tonight as we sat alone watching some credits, I was struck by how different we are. It seems that about 1% of our population takes time to savor things. About the same percentage is in our local counterculture that takes environmentalism seriously. It gives me pause to think about how big the task really is if we want to get a lot of people involved in any kind of positive lifestyle change.
This just re-iterates to me that we can’t change anybody. The best we can do is inspire by creative example.
It keeps us out of the exit crowd.
It helps us savor the mood of a good movie.
It helps us get a feel for what it took to create the movie.
We are usually the last ones out. I constantly marvel at how many people are in such a rush to leave.
Tonight as we sat alone watching some credits, I was struck by how different we are. It seems that about 1% of our population takes time to savor things. About the same percentage is in our local counterculture that takes environmentalism seriously. It gives me pause to think about how big the task really is if we want to get a lot of people involved in any kind of positive lifestyle change.
This just re-iterates to me that we can’t change anybody. The best we can do is inspire by creative example.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Could happen
What if our civilization is an embryo inside of an egg?
We are surrounded by all the nutrients we will need to develop. We just went through the early rapid growth phase and are now developing enough of a nervous system to enter a new phase. Soon we will start converting all the mater and energy in the universe into our living self.
(If that seems hard to swallow, read The age of spiritual machines by Ray Kurtzweil. He has a fantastic web site.)
Assuming we learn a way to travel faster than light, mathematics tells us we could occupy the entire 3D universe in as little as 300 years from now. Once we do that, we will be mature enough to hatch out of our shell. The confines of three dimensions will crack and break away. We will be born into the eleven dimensional world.
We are surrounded by all the nutrients we will need to develop. We just went through the early rapid growth phase and are now developing enough of a nervous system to enter a new phase. Soon we will start converting all the mater and energy in the universe into our living self.
(If that seems hard to swallow, read The age of spiritual machines by Ray Kurtzweil. He has a fantastic web site.)
Assuming we learn a way to travel faster than light, mathematics tells us we could occupy the entire 3D universe in as little as 300 years from now. Once we do that, we will be mature enough to hatch out of our shell. The confines of three dimensions will crack and break away. We will be born into the eleven dimensional world.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Design decision
I have been focusing on creating houses that are low energy usage even in Minnesota winters. Next year we intend to build several new buildings to practice with. The design process is filled with a zillion possibilites and we need to narrow our choices.
How about if each building we make also focuses on food production?
I think we can make some nice buildings that heat themselves and the whole south side is a self heating greenhouse. The roof is a garden. The north side includes food storage. The landscaping is edible.
This whole cluster of buildings fosters a local economy that is less buffeted by the winds in the larger economy.
How about if each building we make also focuses on food production?
I think we can make some nice buildings that heat themselves and the whole south side is a self heating greenhouse. The roof is a garden. The north side includes food storage. The landscaping is edible.
This whole cluster of buildings fosters a local economy that is less buffeted by the winds in the larger economy.
Monday, November 14, 2005
Didn't come
I waited over a week, hoping that some of the examples of "Great Truths" would show up. I appreciate the comments by Paul, Geoge and Stacey. They come close, but don't quite hit the grandeur of the examples I almost remember. Perhaps these tantalizing, almost reachable examples weren't meant for now.
If they are ever meant to be shared, they will show up again.
If they are ever meant to be shared, they will show up again.
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Great Truth
Over the years I have come to accept as an axiom that:
One sign of a great truth is that the opposite is also a great truth.
I have seen many great examples. When someone asks me for an example, I always draw a blank. We need to start writing them down.
Do you have any examples?
One sign of a great truth is that the opposite is also a great truth.
I have seen many great examples. When someone asks me for an example, I always draw a blank. We need to start writing them down.
Do you have any examples?
Friday, November 04, 2005
Cyborg mind
A cyborg is part man, part machine. Sci-fi stories are full of them. Sometime in the future we might even see some.
You don't have to wait. You are one.
You have been using mind amplifiers most of your life. Every year your mind is more dependant on them. When is the last time you made it through the day without using machinery to enhance or take the load off your mind?
We use mind amplifiers to help us calculate, search, sort, filter, sense, communicate, create art, invent, design, even drive.
Your mind is getting bigger, and it doesn't all fit into your skull.
You don't have to wait. You are one.
You have been using mind amplifiers most of your life. Every year your mind is more dependant on them. When is the last time you made it through the day without using machinery to enhance or take the load off your mind?
We use mind amplifiers to help us calculate, search, sort, filter, sense, communicate, create art, invent, design, even drive.
Your mind is getting bigger, and it doesn't all fit into your skull.
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Death
If everything is alive, how do we define death?
One proposal:
Death is the collapse of some or all of an organization.
Every organization is made of other nested and overlapping organizations.
Thus parts of organizations are always dying. Other parts are benefitting from the resulting change.
One proposal:
Death is the collapse of some or all of an organization.
Every organization is made of other nested and overlapping organizations.
Thus parts of organizations are always dying. Other parts are benefitting from the resulting change.
Every noun is alive
Every time one of my kids went through the jr high school science class where they defined life, I got rather animated myself.
The criteria to decide if something was alive or not always made sense. It included such things as: Living things exchange energy. Living things reproduce. They then go on to apply those criteria very narrowly. They forget that everything exchanges energy of some kind, heat energy, light, magnetic, gravitational, psychic. They overlook the mere fact that every class of object seems it found a way to reproduce, or there would be only one.
The practice of defining life as taught in jr high school teaches kids to think narrowly. They get stuck in human scale time frames. They think that reproducing like we biolife critters do is the only valid way. (It's the same line of thinking that white is the only valid skin color.)
Shouldn't we be trying to expand our kid's frames of reference? It would reduce prejudice and help clarity of thought. It would expand our innate appreciation for the infinite number of spirits all around us, in every living thing.
The criteria to decide if something was alive or not always made sense. It included such things as: Living things exchange energy. Living things reproduce. They then go on to apply those criteria very narrowly. They forget that everything exchanges energy of some kind, heat energy, light, magnetic, gravitational, psychic. They overlook the mere fact that every class of object seems it found a way to reproduce, or there would be only one.
The practice of defining life as taught in jr high school teaches kids to think narrowly. They get stuck in human scale time frames. They think that reproducing like we biolife critters do is the only valid way. (It's the same line of thinking that white is the only valid skin color.)
Shouldn't we be trying to expand our kid's frames of reference? It would reduce prejudice and help clarity of thought. It would expand our innate appreciation for the infinite number of spirits all around us, in every living thing.
Monday, October 31, 2005
Carefull
QUOTE
"The world is a comedy to those who think, a tragedy to those who feel." Horace Walpole
I have been wrestling for the last five years or so with the possibility that in certain situations I have cared too much. Since being damaged by that kind of caring, perhaps I have found a more realistic balance, a mellow type of caring.
How do we learn how to care enough to fully realize life and its joys, yet not be ripped apart by life going on, as it inevitably does?
"The world is a comedy to those who think, a tragedy to those who feel." Horace Walpole
I have been wrestling for the last five years or so with the possibility that in certain situations I have cared too much. Since being damaged by that kind of caring, perhaps I have found a more realistic balance, a mellow type of caring.
How do we learn how to care enough to fully realize life and its joys, yet not be ripped apart by life going on, as it inevitably does?
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Bad analogy
We use analogy to understand our world. It is pretty important to find good analogies. Our power to understand is only as good as our analogies.
I was watching a university channel on satellite TV. It was a biologist explaining that biology is nano technology. It was very informative and I was marveling at how intelligent and educated he was. Then he got into his personal opinions. He explained why he disagreed with a computer expert who was saying that eventually computers will perform many functions that are now done exclusively by biology.
He went on to explain how computers can’t evolve, or heal themselves, or feel. As he made his point, he compared a single transistor to a neuron, or a single computer to all of evolution. A more fitting analogy would compare a neuron to a million transistors, and biological evolution to the evolution of electronics.
My concern was the lack of critical thinking in his arguments and the apparent lack of the same in his audience. During the questions after his talk, nobody mentioned that his analogies were way off base. These are smart people. Why the glaring lack of clarity of thought?
I can only conclude that education can (and often does) get in the way of sound thinking.
I was watching a university channel on satellite TV. It was a biologist explaining that biology is nano technology. It was very informative and I was marveling at how intelligent and educated he was. Then he got into his personal opinions. He explained why he disagreed with a computer expert who was saying that eventually computers will perform many functions that are now done exclusively by biology.
He went on to explain how computers can’t evolve, or heal themselves, or feel. As he made his point, he compared a single transistor to a neuron, or a single computer to all of evolution. A more fitting analogy would compare a neuron to a million transistors, and biological evolution to the evolution of electronics.
My concern was the lack of critical thinking in his arguments and the apparent lack of the same in his audience. During the questions after his talk, nobody mentioned that his analogies were way off base. These are smart people. Why the glaring lack of clarity of thought?
I can only conclude that education can (and often does) get in the way of sound thinking.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
The teacher speaks
This blog is beginning to replace my written journal. That means that it needs to meet "the teacher".
Sometimes, when the spirit is right, the teacher speaks louder than the background noise. Sometimes very loud. The teacher gives me lessons, and answers questions. Sometimes, a simple question requires five years worth of lessons before I have enough background for an answer. It seems that I always eventually get my answer.
Tonight I happenned to ask if Conciousness had inertia. The answer flowed from my keyboard as easily as it used to flow from my pencil...
Of course consciousness has inertia. Consciousness is based on inertia, and vise-versa.
The most basic concept in a neural network is that neurons have many connections to other neurons. The strength of those connections get enhanced or diminished as the network learns. Think of yourself as a neuron (you actually are, in society’s brain). You have many acquaintances. Some of them you like, some you distrust. As you interact with people you learn who to pay attention to and who to ignore.
Learning how to treat an acquaintance is a kind of social inertia. It takes a lot of opposite energy to change how you interact with a given person.
Consciousness (as we know it on earth) is an emergent property of complex neural networks. As such it is a complex conglomeration of attitudes, each of which required energy to create, and would require equal energy to undo. Consciousness is made of inertia.
The chemistry of life
Our consciousness is made up of many small masses connected to create a working unit. It is a tightly packed mass, like an atom. It might bind into pairs or into larger groups to become like a molecule. It may bounce off of other atoms like molecules in air. It may stick loosely in large groups, forming a liquid. It may bind into a rigid organization, forming a solid. Each phase has its own kind of energy and its own uses.
We can learn much about personal energies by applying knowledge of chemistry.
Sometimes, when the spirit is right, the teacher speaks louder than the background noise. Sometimes very loud. The teacher gives me lessons, and answers questions. Sometimes, a simple question requires five years worth of lessons before I have enough background for an answer. It seems that I always eventually get my answer.
Tonight I happenned to ask if Conciousness had inertia. The answer flowed from my keyboard as easily as it used to flow from my pencil...
Of course consciousness has inertia. Consciousness is based on inertia, and vise-versa.
The most basic concept in a neural network is that neurons have many connections to other neurons. The strength of those connections get enhanced or diminished as the network learns. Think of yourself as a neuron (you actually are, in society’s brain). You have many acquaintances. Some of them you like, some you distrust. As you interact with people you learn who to pay attention to and who to ignore.
Learning how to treat an acquaintance is a kind of social inertia. It takes a lot of opposite energy to change how you interact with a given person.
Consciousness (as we know it on earth) is an emergent property of complex neural networks. As such it is a complex conglomeration of attitudes, each of which required energy to create, and would require equal energy to undo. Consciousness is made of inertia.
The chemistry of life
Our consciousness is made up of many small masses connected to create a working unit. It is a tightly packed mass, like an atom. It might bind into pairs or into larger groups to become like a molecule. It may bounce off of other atoms like molecules in air. It may stick loosely in large groups, forming a liquid. It may bind into a rigid organization, forming a solid. Each phase has its own kind of energy and its own uses.
We can learn much about personal energies by applying knowledge of chemistry.
Monday, October 24, 2005
Developer
We cannot take credit for our talent.
It's what we do with it that counts.
How am I developing my talents?
How am I deploying them?
And you?
It's what we do with it that counts.
How am I developing my talents?
How am I deploying them?
And you?
Sunday, October 23, 2005
A great get-together
Friday we had a get together with Lynn's family and all our kids and grandkids. It was in honor of at least 5 birthdays, thanksgiving, and Ruth and Nathan's return to the south. It went remarkably well, better than we could have hoped. No major meltdowns among 8 little kids who played well all evening.
After many rounds of happy birthday, Nathan recited two poems he wrote as birthday presents. In written form, they may not win any awards, but as an oral performance it was great fun. I posted them in the two previous posts.
After many rounds of happy birthday, Nathan recited two poems he wrote as birthday presents. In written form, they may not win any awards, but as an oral performance it was great fun. I posted them in the two previous posts.
Nathan's second poem
Ryan
Stands a large red mansion that’s ever so fine.
Therein lives a man of great and handsome stature
Dedicated to researching mother nature.
For Amber, Trichelle, Ethan and Avery
Ryan provides a life most savory.
Life in Ryan’s house is never boring.
All of its members are given to constant exploring
Of books, toys, gadgets, and of mother earth.
Of imagination and genius Ryan has no dearth!
His achievements form an awesome collage
Of environmental ideas and scientific Knollage.
He managed to skip two years of college!
Ryan’s systematic thinking and digital approach
Put his scientific work far above reproach.
With oil prices rising with impunity
He sees a fantastic new opportunity.
As mankind for new oil resources cries
Ryan seeks fuel from oil from French fries!
Like an artist expert with his easel
Ryan’s now designing bio-diesel!
So Ryan, we today offer you many cheers
For a happy birthday and for many more wonderful years!
Nathan's first poem
Paul
My son-in-law Paul has knowledge abounding.
His scientific achievements are nothing short of astounding.
As a scientist he's always proving his worth
with ingenious new uses of straw and earth.
He always seems to be having fun
in finding new ways to use heat from the sun.
By designing recycling water and waste recourses
he'll help the world save many precious resources.
He's saved much time in overcoming electronic hurdles
with his circuit-break-locating turtles.
In addition to being an outstanding inventor,
he's a great family man and outstanding mentor.
His warm smile, gentle manner delights folks of all ages.
He's truly one of our greatest sages.
He's never too busy to pause with you for a talk
and always has time to take grandchildren for a walk!
So for all his love, dedication and loyalty,
let's wish him a birthday fit for royalty.
My son-in-law Paul has knowledge abounding.
His scientific achievements are nothing short of astounding.
As a scientist he's always proving his worth
with ingenious new uses of straw and earth.
He always seems to be having fun
in finding new ways to use heat from the sun.
By designing recycling water and waste recourses
he'll help the world save many precious resources.
He's saved much time in overcoming electronic hurdles
with his circuit-break-locating turtles.
In addition to being an outstanding inventor,
he's a great family man and outstanding mentor.
His warm smile, gentle manner delights folks of all ages.
He's truly one of our greatest sages.
He's never too busy to pause with you for a talk
and always has time to take grandchildren for a walk!
So for all his love, dedication and loyalty,
let's wish him a birthday fit for royalty.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Whoosh!
It's been almost a whole week since the last entry. I can't tell you how many times I almost wrote something, but was just too busy, or consequently too tired.
This has been a week of many new connections and opportunities, a week of meetings and seemingly non stop talking, a high energy week.
My major challenge has been to find enough isolation time to ground myself and re-grow / recharge my cosmic energies. I fought to get some of that kind of time last weekend. It paid off almost immediately with creative designs bubbling up in my sleep Monday morning.
Yeah, That's still what I need more of.
This has been a week of many new connections and opportunities, a week of meetings and seemingly non stop talking, a high energy week.
My major challenge has been to find enough isolation time to ground myself and re-grow / recharge my cosmic energies. I fought to get some of that kind of time last weekend. It paid off almost immediately with creative designs bubbling up in my sleep Monday morning.
Yeah, That's still what I need more of.
Friday, October 14, 2005
Indian Summer
It is such an incredibly gorgeous day, everybody left work early. So here I am, playing in the sunshine alone (and twiddling with my computer too).
Stranger in a strange land
Yesterday, while my car was getting fixed at a Chevy dealer, I allowed myself to interact with a salesman. I asked him if he had any hybrids.
No.
Did he have any high mileage cars?
Sure, how about an Impala. They get 30 mpg on the highway.
Do you have an enclosed truck?
He proceeded to show me his Suburbans, all the time focused on color, leather, navigating package, DVD videos. Little or no mention of actual transportation features.
OK, let’s try the other extreme… Do you have any tiny high mileage cars?
He pointed me to a little four cylinder that gets 30 mpg. (same as the Impala).
No wonder GM is in trouble. They aren’t selling transportation or efficiency. They are only selling features, status and power. Controlling consumers with powerful advertisements that prey on our vanity has worked on Americans for so long that GM has forgotten what business they are actually in.
Toyota remembers.
No.
Did he have any high mileage cars?
Sure, how about an Impala. They get 30 mpg on the highway.
Do you have an enclosed truck?
He proceeded to show me his Suburbans, all the time focused on color, leather, navigating package, DVD videos. Little or no mention of actual transportation features.
OK, let’s try the other extreme… Do you have any tiny high mileage cars?
He pointed me to a little four cylinder that gets 30 mpg. (same as the Impala).
No wonder GM is in trouble. They aren’t selling transportation or efficiency. They are only selling features, status and power. Controlling consumers with powerful advertisements that prey on our vanity has worked on Americans for so long that GM has forgotten what business they are actually in.
Toyota remembers.
Monday, October 10, 2005
Coincidence?
I tossed the newspaper aside to make room for my laptop so I could write my previous post. Then I picked the paper up.
The political cartoon showed a kid and an adult watching hurricane Rita on TV. The kid was saying "Maybe it's time someone explained to me what you grownups did to make God so mad at us."
The political cartoon showed a kid and an adult watching hurricane Rita on TV. The kid was saying "Maybe it's time someone explained to me what you grownups did to make God so mad at us."
Inter-generational war
Today the ceo of Delphi was talking about some of the deeper causes and ramifications of Delphi's bankruptcy, and one statement caught my attention. He had been expaining about the heavy financial burden of the pension plans, and the reality that current wages must be much lower than we were used to. Below is from a news article...
------------------
Miller said Delphi's case was a "flash point, a test case" for a wider global conflict between the interests of current workers and retired employees.
"I fear something like inter-generational warfare, as young people increasingly resent having their wages reduced and taxed away to support social programs for their grandparents' income and health care concerns," he said.
-----------------
This concept has been on my mind for about a year now.
Simply the fact that there are a lot of baby boomers and relatively few to support them when they get old will be a burden about 4 times greater than we were used to. Now we add in a newly global economy where our wages are truly competeing with all other countries, meaning our wages are going down. Add to that the economic effects of global warming (big hurricanes, etc.), and our increasing dependence on fossil fuels that are rapidly dissapearing. All of this spells economic trouble on the horizon.
A while ago I realized that the younger generations are going to be resentful that old people got them into this, and those same old people are now draining the federal budget with health care issues. A little anarchy could easily give rise to a movement to wipe out old people.
------------------
Miller said Delphi's case was a "flash point, a test case" for a wider global conflict between the interests of current workers and retired employees.
"I fear something like inter-generational warfare, as young people increasingly resent having their wages reduced and taxed away to support social programs for their grandparents' income and health care concerns," he said.
-----------------
This concept has been on my mind for about a year now.
Simply the fact that there are a lot of baby boomers and relatively few to support them when they get old will be a burden about 4 times greater than we were used to. Now we add in a newly global economy where our wages are truly competeing with all other countries, meaning our wages are going down. Add to that the economic effects of global warming (big hurricanes, etc.), and our increasing dependence on fossil fuels that are rapidly dissapearing. All of this spells economic trouble on the horizon.
A while ago I realized that the younger generations are going to be resentful that old people got them into this, and those same old people are now draining the federal budget with health care issues. A little anarchy could easily give rise to a movement to wipe out old people.
Friday, October 07, 2005
Too busy?
In the little blog world that I normally frequent, the updates have been a little spotty the last month or so. It seems most of us are busy adjusting to the new season, or whatever excuse sounds good. In my case, after cruising everyone elses, I stare at my own blog for a while and then conclude that I'm just too tired to write.
It takes a break, a moment of R&R, then the juices start to flow a little.
Also, there is a time to soak up input from others, a time to contemplate. Later comes a time when Ideas burst out too fast to write them all down.
It takes a break, a moment of R&R, then the juices start to flow a little.
Also, there is a time to soak up input from others, a time to contemplate. Later comes a time when Ideas burst out too fast to write them all down.
Monday, October 03, 2005
New link to explore
I bumped in to a new and interesting blog... How to save the world
This guy seems to be intelligent and deep, yet practical.
I have not yet had time to read enough of him to see if he is always that good. If he is, I will add a permanent link to him.
This guy seems to be intelligent and deep, yet practical.
I have not yet had time to read enough of him to see if he is always that good. If he is, I will add a permanent link to him.
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Good thinking fodder
I have just been listening to "A short history of progress", A series of lectures by archaeologist Ronald Wright. I heard one of his lectures on CBC radio and had to order the full set. This guy is a really good observer. He sheds more light on who we are and where we might be going than any other single source I have met.
Whooo! It will take a while to soak it all up.
Whooo! It will take a while to soak it all up.
Saturday, October 01, 2005
Jet lagged
It is a lot easier to travel to a place that is 5 hours later than to a place that is 5 hours earlier.
To avoid jet lag, the only reasonable long trip would have to be to only travel west, and only a few time zones at a time.
It would take a while to get back home...
To avoid jet lag, the only reasonable long trip would have to be to only travel west, and only a few time zones at a time.
It would take a while to get back home...
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Vacation update 7 by Lynn
It was a grand day… I got to go to the Hawaii Temple and take in a session…and made it back just in time to pick up Paul to meet Mom and Nathan at the Polynesian Cultural Center… We went to all 7 of the island centers and saw many great musical and informational performances about the islands…had a great guide… and took a canoe ride.. and watched a fabulous big show with everything from simple hula’s to the fire eaters and fire dance…. It was great…
This morning it is raining and the waves are pounding the shore outside our door and it is very soothing… but I am getting hungry and thinking about packing up and heading south towards the airport to go home… I cannot wait to give hugs to everyone… but I am sure we will be tired after our long flight… we will be at the Minneapolis airport for a few hours waiting though…but that is part of travel…Yeah…a great vacation and then home again.
This morning it is raining and the waves are pounding the shore outside our door and it is very soothing… but I am getting hungry and thinking about packing up and heading south towards the airport to go home… I cannot wait to give hugs to everyone… but I am sure we will be tired after our long flight… we will be at the Minneapolis airport for a few hours waiting though…but that is part of travel…Yeah…a great vacation and then home again.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Splurge
Vacation update 6
I had been getting mild cold symptoms for a few days. By Saturday I was down for the count. I had so little energy I could hardly move, but it was travel time. We flew back to Honolulu and checked into a hotel at Waikiki beach. (I can’t recommend staying there. It is so urban, you might as well be in downtown Los Angeles.) It hardly mattered, I slept pretty much the whole two days I was there. Just as I was starting to feel better, Lynn and I drove around the island and checked into Turtle Beach resort in the more isolated north shore. This is a classy place.
Lynn treated herself and me to a massage and a skin treatment where you get your whole body scrubbed, oiled with local lotions and potions, then wrapped in tea leaves. It was a very sensual and relaxing experience. I'm still floating.
I had been getting mild cold symptoms for a few days. By Saturday I was down for the count. I had so little energy I could hardly move, but it was travel time. We flew back to Honolulu and checked into a hotel at Waikiki beach. (I can’t recommend staying there. It is so urban, you might as well be in downtown Los Angeles.) It hardly mattered, I slept pretty much the whole two days I was there. Just as I was starting to feel better, Lynn and I drove around the island and checked into Turtle Beach resort in the more isolated north shore. This is a classy place.
Lynn treated herself and me to a massage and a skin treatment where you get your whole body scrubbed, oiled with local lotions and potions, then wrapped in tea leaves. It was a very sensual and relaxing experience. I'm still floating.
Top of the world
Vacation Update 5
Friday night, Lynn and I were sitting on top of Hawaii, cuddled into parkas and shivering. We were watching the spectacular sunset that can only be seen from top of a 13000 foot mountain in the middle of a tropical ocean. We were touring the observatories on top of mauna Kea. While watching the sunset in this rather remote place, I decided to check my cell phone, and it worked. This seemed so amazing to me that I disturbed some of my kids by calling them from the top of the world after their bedtime.
The tour guides and drivers only stay at the top for about a half hour. There is so little oxygen at that height that they start getting loopy if they stay longer. I was noticing a few weird physiological effects in myself. We descended to 9000 feet and set up telescopes and got a bunch of lessons about the (incredibly clear) night sky.
Friday night, Lynn and I were sitting on top of Hawaii, cuddled into parkas and shivering. We were watching the spectacular sunset that can only be seen from top of a 13000 foot mountain in the middle of a tropical ocean. We were touring the observatories on top of mauna Kea. While watching the sunset in this rather remote place, I decided to check my cell phone, and it worked. This seemed so amazing to me that I disturbed some of my kids by calling them from the top of the world after their bedtime.
The tour guides and drivers only stay at the top for about a half hour. There is so little oxygen at that height that they start getting loopy if they stay longer. I was noticing a few weird physiological effects in myself. We descended to 9000 feet and set up telescopes and got a bunch of lessons about the (incredibly clear) night sky.
Friday, September 23, 2005
Vacation update 4, By Lynn
I got burned today as I was snorkeling on fantastic reefs and along shores with lots of wonderful fishes… and corals… and it was a great morning to be out in a raft with super powerful motors and in the ocean…very salty… and with a bright sun shining… yes I put on sun screen, but I think I should have put more on before the 2nd snorkel stop… near the Capt Cook monument on English soil here in Hawaii… lots of fun again…this lasted from 8:00am until after noon… yeah… what a life…then we had a great meal and then came back to the motel for a rest…and then I found out I was really sore… lots of red on the back of my legs and back… I wore cold wet towels for about an hour while watching to see what the hurricane in the gulf was doing… and so now we are going to play a good game of Rummikube…with Mom and Nathan and they get to get up early tomorrow while we sleep in… until later…
Lynn
Lynn
Vacation Update 3
Short alphabet = many syllables
Hawaiian words seem so long and complicated. Yesterday I mentioned king Hamehameha. His name is short. Check out the name of the state fish… Humuhumunukunukuapua’a (pronounced…who moo who moo new coo new coo ah poo ah ah).
It started to make sense when one of the guides pointed out that the native language only has 13 letters in its alphabet. Like in many other cultures, Hawaiian names tend to be very descriptive, but because of the short alphabet, they use the same few sounds over and over.
Land, Air and Sea
Lynn had to buy me a T shirt with the state fish on it. The next day we went on a raft tour of the Kona coast. It turned out that this little raft had 260 horsepower and cruised at 30 miles per hour. We saw many caves carved by the wave action, and we snorkled in wonderfully clear calm waters. We even recognized and chased our favorite fish with the long name.
We were told that ideally we should tour the island by land, air and sea. We did. Today Lynn and I will add outer space to it. We will tour the observatories on the mountain.
Hawaiian words seem so long and complicated. Yesterday I mentioned king Hamehameha. His name is short. Check out the name of the state fish… Humuhumunukunukuapua’a (pronounced…who moo who moo new coo new coo ah poo ah ah).
It started to make sense when one of the guides pointed out that the native language only has 13 letters in its alphabet. Like in many other cultures, Hawaiian names tend to be very descriptive, but because of the short alphabet, they use the same few sounds over and over.
Land, Air and Sea
Lynn had to buy me a T shirt with the state fish on it. The next day we went on a raft tour of the Kona coast. It turned out that this little raft had 260 horsepower and cruised at 30 miles per hour. We saw many caves carved by the wave action, and we snorkled in wonderfully clear calm waters. We even recognized and chased our favorite fish with the long name.
We were told that ideally we should tour the island by land, air and sea. We did. Today Lynn and I will add outer space to it. We will tour the observatories on the mountain.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Vacation update 2
Tuesday (at the crack of dawn again) we were at the airport to tour the island by air. The guy who runs Big Island Air is an artist. It is immediately obvious that he loves his plane (a Cessna Caravan). It has high wings for stable operation and good viewing. Everyone gets a window seat. He gives you first class noise blocking headphones, and he keeps up a fun patter as he explains everything. He even manages to remember everyone’s name and where they are from, wasting no opportunity to use that info while he talks. High class music (in stereo) is always playing in the background, and the volume comes up a little when he is not talking.
The plane takes off smoothly and flies like a dream. In the headphones it feels surreal because the flight seems incredibly smooth and quiet (like in a travel movie). As we were flying low around a spot where red hot lava was pouring into the ocean, the theme from Jurassic Park was playing. I don’t know if the pilot had full control of that or it was just good timing, but it was very effective.
This is such a beautiful contrast to a rattling smelly bus.
Wednesday morning
Again we got up early, this time to go parasailing. This one had been calling my name for the last three years. They reel you out 400 feet, then they flap their arms at you. If you ignore them they leave you at 400. If you flap your arms they reel out to 800 feet (for an added price). If you are still up for it, they reel you out to 1200 feet. Once you get out there, it feels so peaceful and gorgeous. I loved it.
Lynn wasn’t sure she wanted to go. When she finally did, she entertained everyone on the boat with her “whoo-hoos”. Her old nickname "Lynn the Grinn" still applies. She was so enthused that she bought a zillion of their T shirts and gave them a big tip.
The plane takes off smoothly and flies like a dream. In the headphones it feels surreal because the flight seems incredibly smooth and quiet (like in a travel movie). As we were flying low around a spot where red hot lava was pouring into the ocean, the theme from Jurassic Park was playing. I don’t know if the pilot had full control of that or it was just good timing, but it was very effective.
This is such a beautiful contrast to a rattling smelly bus.
Wednesday morning
Again we got up early, this time to go parasailing. This one had been calling my name for the last three years. They reel you out 400 feet, then they flap their arms at you. If you ignore them they leave you at 400. If you flap your arms they reel out to 800 feet (for an added price). If you are still up for it, they reel you out to 1200 feet. Once you get out there, it feels so peaceful and gorgeous. I loved it.
Lynn wasn’t sure she wanted to go. When she finally did, she entertained everyone on the boat with her “whoo-hoos”. Her old nickname "Lynn the Grinn" still applies. She was so enthused that she bought a zillion of their T shirts and gave them a big tip.
Vacation update 1
Lynn and I had a smooth flight to Hawaii. It really is gorgeous here. The most dangerous part was letting Lynn and Ruth talk to the concierge. They got us so heavily booked doing fun things that almost every day of my “vacation” has to start with a pre dawn alarm clock.
Sunday we actually got to sleep in, after being up for 21 hours traveling the day before. Then we went to a luau with a feast fit for a king ( king Kamehameha to be exact).
Early Monday we loaded ourselves into a big diesel bus and toured the island. 12 hours of sitting in the back of a diesel bus has me prepared to bend anyone’s ear about how to design better busses. Busses cost a lot of money. It’s hard to fathom that they can’t be built to run smooth and clean and quiet like a car. After that I just couldn't be forced to drive to a restuarant to eat. If I had to tell my body to get into another motor vehicle at that time, every one of my cells would have gone awol.
Sunday we actually got to sleep in, after being up for 21 hours traveling the day before. Then we went to a luau with a feast fit for a king ( king Kamehameha to be exact).
Early Monday we loaded ourselves into a big diesel bus and toured the island. 12 hours of sitting in the back of a diesel bus has me prepared to bend anyone’s ear about how to design better busses. Busses cost a lot of money. It’s hard to fathom that they can’t be built to run smooth and clean and quiet like a car. After that I just couldn't be forced to drive to a restuarant to eat. If I had to tell my body to get into another motor vehicle at that time, every one of my cells would have gone awol.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Dichotomy
One way to recognize a great truth is when the exact opposite is also a great truth.
I was contemplating the fact that we really have very little control over our attitudes. The complex factors that create our attitudes run very deep. They include our culture, our heritage, our personal past, our economics, our neighborhood, our friends, and ultimately our habits. They influence even the physical structure of our brain.
I then remembered that the ONLY thing in life we really have control over is our attitude.
For a while it made me feel small.
Then I realized that we just identified a great truth.
The more I contemplate, the more I feel its power.
I was contemplating the fact that we really have very little control over our attitudes. The complex factors that create our attitudes run very deep. They include our culture, our heritage, our personal past, our economics, our neighborhood, our friends, and ultimately our habits. They influence even the physical structure of our brain.
I then remembered that the ONLY thing in life we really have control over is our attitude.
For a while it made me feel small.
Then I realized that we just identified a great truth.
The more I contemplate, the more I feel its power.
Monday, September 12, 2005
Send Kate energy
I've gotta admit that it shakes me up when I think I'm hearing any bad news about Kate.
We need to send lots of energy to get her blood count up and her tumor marker down. It's not unusual for the numbers to vary a little, as long as the trend is in the right direction.
Let's get them in the right direction.
We need to send lots of energy to get her blood count up and her tumor marker down. It's not unusual for the numbers to vary a little, as long as the trend is in the right direction.
Let's get them in the right direction.
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Poor people
Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.
Poverty has less to do with actual money and more to do with attitude.
This week we have heard countless radio and tv interviews with refugees from New Orleans. Some of the people talk about how they prepared and how they were resourceful when the worst happenned. Others talk about how they couldn't afford to prepare, or to leave, and they were condemmed to die because of their poverty. They didn't have anything to drink for days.
I can see that it would be hard to evacuate with no car and nowhere to go, but let's get serious about getting prepared. How much does it cost to fill a bunch of jugs and bottles with water? How about a few baggies of trail mix? A portable radio can be picked up cheap or free at rummage sales. Garbage bags would be handy. A flashlight.
There is virtually no able bodied person in America who couldn't scrounge up enough stuff to be prepared for a three day disaster. Truely poor people think they can't afford to be prepared, for storms or anything else in life. For some reason they are always unlucky. Temporarly broke people prepare for things. Eventually things go well for them.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Got Time?
Thoughts that can stand alone
But they also add up.
Life path
Each of us occupies only a tiny speck in the vastness of poly dimensional space. If you followed our journey through life, it would look like a long thread. As we pick our path toward the unknown, the thread twists and weaves its way around a zillion other threads, creating the tapestry of life.
Our job
According to many theologies, our ultimate goal is to create awareness. We are the neurons in the brain of God.
If we are the neurons, our life paths are the dendrites; the many connections to other parts of the brain.
Bored
If we know we can do something, it becomes boring and eventually we need to try something we are not sure we can do. We evolved to pursue challenges. It’s how we grow. We are programmed to pursue the path for which we don’t know the outcome.
Maybe that is why we perceive time as we do…
Our life path goes only into the future because we are programmed to steer toward the unknown. In poly dimensional space, the future is merely a place we haven’t been yet.
But they also add up.
Life path
Each of us occupies only a tiny speck in the vastness of poly dimensional space. If you followed our journey through life, it would look like a long thread. As we pick our path toward the unknown, the thread twists and weaves its way around a zillion other threads, creating the tapestry of life.
Our job
According to many theologies, our ultimate goal is to create awareness. We are the neurons in the brain of God.
If we are the neurons, our life paths are the dendrites; the many connections to other parts of the brain.
Bored
If we know we can do something, it becomes boring and eventually we need to try something we are not sure we can do. We evolved to pursue challenges. It’s how we grow. We are programmed to pursue the path for which we don’t know the outcome.
Maybe that is why we perceive time as we do…
Our life path goes only into the future because we are programmed to steer toward the unknown. In poly dimensional space, the future is merely a place we haven’t been yet.
Monday, September 05, 2005
Secrets
Lynn told me I should write this down...
Recently another guy who is trying to build an ecological research campus wanted to explore how our two businesses can work more closely with each other. As a matter of course any businesses sharing information with each other usually sign a non disclosure document that says they won't disclose any secrets. When he handed me the document to sign, I gave him my speech...
When we freely share information about what we are doing, people want to help. They will happily give pointers and advice. They will connect you to people you need to know and will share the excitement of your project. People like to help someone be a success. To be successful, your project needs to have the right people talking about it to everyone who could help. (There is a reason why fame and fortune are intimately linked.)
When it comes to having technical secrets; I have found that there are basically two kinds of people. One kind couldn’t make use of your know-how if you personally handed them all your notes. The other kind (much more rare) could simply see the concept of what you are doing and they could work out a way to do it better. There is no sense keeping a secret from either one.
There are a lot of reasons to share (mostly) openly with both kinds of people. They can help you.
Recently another guy who is trying to build an ecological research campus wanted to explore how our two businesses can work more closely with each other. As a matter of course any businesses sharing information with each other usually sign a non disclosure document that says they won't disclose any secrets. When he handed me the document to sign, I gave him my speech...
When we freely share information about what we are doing, people want to help. They will happily give pointers and advice. They will connect you to people you need to know and will share the excitement of your project. People like to help someone be a success. To be successful, your project needs to have the right people talking about it to everyone who could help. (There is a reason why fame and fortune are intimately linked.)
When it comes to having technical secrets; I have found that there are basically two kinds of people. One kind couldn’t make use of your know-how if you personally handed them all your notes. The other kind (much more rare) could simply see the concept of what you are doing and they could work out a way to do it better. There is no sense keeping a secret from either one.
There are a lot of reasons to share (mostly) openly with both kinds of people. They can help you.
Sunday, September 04, 2005
The adventures of Elwood
Ryan was left home to handle his kids alone yesterday while Amber went on a day trip. He had fresh surgery on his hand so there was some concern that he might have a hard time. On the contrary! He was having way too much fun.
He had a bunch of round and oblong wooden sticks lying around, and he had a video camera, so he and Ethan created Elwood, and they made him a star.
The adventures of Elwood is cute and cheesy. When I watched them I was laughing aerobically. Later Amber watched and reported that she laughed her head off.
Elwood is just a collection of wooden sticks, but he has facial expressions and body language that work incredibly well. He could become a cult classic.
He had a bunch of round and oblong wooden sticks lying around, and he had a video camera, so he and Ethan created Elwood, and they made him a star.
The adventures of Elwood is cute and cheesy. When I watched them I was laughing aerobically. Later Amber watched and reported that she laughed her head off.
Elwood is just a collection of wooden sticks, but he has facial expressions and body language that work incredibly well. He could become a cult classic.
Slow blogging time
There is something about this time of year that makes it harder to write a blog. I think everyone is busy getting in the last bit of summer. Still, some of us manage to create a gem once in a while.
This is from Rambling with Isha It is worth repeating.
_____________________________
* Life is NOT a poker game. You are dealt a hand, but that is as far as it goes. In life you can pick up cards along the way. You can discard the cards you don't like. And most importantly, you can make up the rules as you go. If your hand is better for Go-Fish, great. Have a super Bridge hand? Wonderful. It's sad when someone is too busy hating their Poker hand to realize that they have a winning Crazy 8s hand.
_____________________________
This is from Rambling with Isha It is worth repeating.
_____________________________
* Life is NOT a poker game. You are dealt a hand, but that is as far as it goes. In life you can pick up cards along the way. You can discard the cards you don't like. And most importantly, you can make up the rules as you go. If your hand is better for Go-Fish, great. Have a super Bridge hand? Wonderful. It's sad when someone is too busy hating their Poker hand to realize that they have a winning Crazy 8s hand.
_____________________________
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Relax
It's dark just a little earlier than I thought. It's quiet. Dog lying on the floor to my left. Cat washing herself on my right. Crickets chirping all around. It's a gorgeous night with cool fresh air wafting in through the window above and tickling whatever skin I have exposed. It must be August.
Friday, August 26, 2005
Dragon
This one is for Raya. She keeps buggin me to show her the dragon.
Erika is putting screws into the wall to hold the chicken wire and the mud. We don't want it to fall off.
Half of the first layer of mud is applied.
The left wing is up. You can see the screws in the wall to hold the right wing.
I think we are going to have a lot of cool looking walls if she hangs around a few years.
Erika is putting screws into the wall to hold the chicken wire and the mud. We don't want it to fall off.
Half of the first layer of mud is applied.
The left wing is up. You can see the screws in the wall to hold the right wing.I think we are going to have a lot of cool looking walls if she hangs around a few years.
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Sudden understanding
That fleeting moment of clarity... Oh how I love it.
How do I get it more often?, and make it last longer?
Sometimes it seems to come from nowhere. Usually, If you pay attention, you can notice what conditions helped to set it up.
One time I was just writing about the nature of time, a gem popped out in the text and the understanding happened afterwards.
Another time, I was walking on a track in a perfect summer night with nothing to clutter my mind. Suddenly the curves of the track opened up insights into Einstein's view of 4 dimensional space-time and gravity. I never understood it before.
Alas, These little moments of clarity seem so short, usually not long enough to write it all down. How do we pursue these beautiful butterflies of thought?
How do I get it more often?, and make it last longer?
Sometimes it seems to come from nowhere. Usually, If you pay attention, you can notice what conditions helped to set it up.
One time I was just writing about the nature of time, a gem popped out in the text and the understanding happened afterwards.
Another time, I was walking on a track in a perfect summer night with nothing to clutter my mind. Suddenly the curves of the track opened up insights into Einstein's view of 4 dimensional space-time and gravity. I never understood it before.
Alas, These little moments of clarity seem so short, usually not long enough to write it all down. How do we pursue these beautiful butterflies of thought?
Friday, August 19, 2005
It turns out to be a healthy safety valve
Deep inside the mind is a psychological process that has puzzled me for decades. Some sources say that up to 40% of ordinary people are turned on by or have fantasies about being tied up. It doesn't take much time to find out that the internet has thousands of sites that pander to such things. There are also countless manufacturers making hardware to sell for that kind of play.
With most people who actively have such fantasies, it only comes around occasionally when the biorhythms and planets line up just right. The rest of their lives they really have little interest in such things.
Why would someone want to let someone tie them up or tie themselves up?
The answer is emerging... DANGER!
Some people pursue danger. They may drive fast, climb cliffs, take drugs, etc. Experts say that the reason some couples get a thrill from having sex in unusual places is the slight chance of getting caught.
Recent tests have proven that when men are shown pictures of pretty women they are more likely to take risks. (Pictures of plain women have no such effect.)
These things feed my theory…
Built into our genes are forces that convince us to conform and behave for the good of society. At the same time (and for very good evolutionary reasons) we have smaller counter forces that tell us to rebel, beat the odds, try something different. Biorhythms and circumstances sometimes align to make those forces stronger. Like most bio-drives, if they are ignored, they just build up pressure.
Some people end up driving fast cars, where the danger can cause instant carnage and death. Some people chase fast women, where the danger is divorce, disease, etc. For those who play games where they tie themselves up, or let a trusted loved one tie them up, they might get caught, or they have some risk of being controlled by another during their play. The danger is psychologically real but physically inconsequential.
This, if done well, is a healthy and safe way to diffuse our internal biological drives to court danger. Just like swearing, it has to remain illicit in polite society or it serves no function.
With most people who actively have such fantasies, it only comes around occasionally when the biorhythms and planets line up just right. The rest of their lives they really have little interest in such things.
Why would someone want to let someone tie them up or tie themselves up?
The answer is emerging... DANGER!
Some people pursue danger. They may drive fast, climb cliffs, take drugs, etc. Experts say that the reason some couples get a thrill from having sex in unusual places is the slight chance of getting caught.
Recent tests have proven that when men are shown pictures of pretty women they are more likely to take risks. (Pictures of plain women have no such effect.)
These things feed my theory…
Built into our genes are forces that convince us to conform and behave for the good of society. At the same time (and for very good evolutionary reasons) we have smaller counter forces that tell us to rebel, beat the odds, try something different. Biorhythms and circumstances sometimes align to make those forces stronger. Like most bio-drives, if they are ignored, they just build up pressure.
Some people end up driving fast cars, where the danger can cause instant carnage and death. Some people chase fast women, where the danger is divorce, disease, etc. For those who play games where they tie themselves up, or let a trusted loved one tie them up, they might get caught, or they have some risk of being controlled by another during their play. The danger is psychologically real but physically inconsequential.
This, if done well, is a healthy and safe way to diffuse our internal biological drives to court danger. Just like swearing, it has to remain illicit in polite society or it serves no function.
Friday, August 12, 2005
Third world country
Lately, I've been consumed by learning how to import solar heating equipment. I think it must be because of the challenge of learning new things, the intrigue of working with exotic foreign partners, the ability to economically create products that seemed out of reach a few months ago.
In many ways, I'm starting to feel like we already live in a third world country. Case in point is the solar tubes I'm shopping for. 90% of them in the world are manufactured in China. The few that are manufactured in america are priced many times higher.
In a few short years we have come to accept that products designed in the far east work better than american designs. They are assembled better too. And why not? They work harder in school. I am told that 55% of their college students are engineers, compared to 5% here.
All 7 members of the politburo, the top Chinese lawmakers, are card carrying engineers. Most of our lawmakers are lawyers.
The 20th century largely belonged to america. This next century will mostly belong to the chinese.
In many ways, I'm starting to feel like we already live in a third world country. Case in point is the solar tubes I'm shopping for. 90% of them in the world are manufactured in China. The few that are manufactured in america are priced many times higher.
In a few short years we have come to accept that products designed in the far east work better than american designs. They are assembled better too. And why not? They work harder in school. I am told that 55% of their college students are engineers, compared to 5% here.
All 7 members of the politburo, the top Chinese lawmakers, are card carrying engineers. Most of our lawmakers are lawyers.
The 20th century largely belonged to america. This next century will mostly belong to the chinese.
Sunday, August 07, 2005
The future continues to wax and wane.
Always in motion is the future.
If you are designing a product that will be on the market 5 or 10 years in the future, you want that product to do well in the world to which it is introduced. How different will that world be from the one we inhabit today?
Six months ago I started a serious look into the future. Apparently the teacher took my quest seriously. Every week I was introduced to another view of up and comming technologies, each more startling than the last.
I was fascinated, but the cumulative learning threw me into future shock. Within the span of an average lifetime, we are in for many deep and profound changes. Absorbing this much realization caused psychic indigestion; mild depression.
(if you are compelled to do this; for a start, google Spiritual Machines and NanoTechnology and Desktop manufacturing and Space elevator Each of these will profoundly change our economic and social environment.)
Like fire or water, these forces are equally powerful for good or evil. The net result is that we are in for very positive and exciting changes, if we don't blow ourselves up first. I'm not going to try to detail them here because it would take several in-depth conversations for anyone to even begin to believe it.
Added to these technical changes, many ancient and modern religions predict that these are the end times. Economic patterns suggest hard economic and political times in the next 15 years.
Bottom line forecast:
Be prepared for hard economic times.
Be prepared for great economic times.
Be flexible, resourceful, out of debt, close to the earth.
If you are designing a product that will be on the market 5 or 10 years in the future, you want that product to do well in the world to which it is introduced. How different will that world be from the one we inhabit today?
Six months ago I started a serious look into the future. Apparently the teacher took my quest seriously. Every week I was introduced to another view of up and comming technologies, each more startling than the last.
I was fascinated, but the cumulative learning threw me into future shock. Within the span of an average lifetime, we are in for many deep and profound changes. Absorbing this much realization caused psychic indigestion; mild depression.
(if you are compelled to do this; for a start, google Spiritual Machines and NanoTechnology and Desktop manufacturing and Space elevator Each of these will profoundly change our economic and social environment.)
Like fire or water, these forces are equally powerful for good or evil. The net result is that we are in for very positive and exciting changes, if we don't blow ourselves up first. I'm not going to try to detail them here because it would take several in-depth conversations for anyone to even begin to believe it.
Added to these technical changes, many ancient and modern religions predict that these are the end times. Economic patterns suggest hard economic and political times in the next 15 years.
Bottom line forecast:
Be prepared for hard economic times.
Be prepared for great economic times.
Be flexible, resourceful, out of debt, close to the earth.
Death as an advisor
Carlos Castanada wrote a series of books about his teacher, a wizard warrior named don Juan. Many of the lessons he was taught seemed bizarre at the time, yet they ultimately ring true. One of the simpler lessons is to use death as an advisor.
It didn't take long to realize that he is right. The advice you hear usually helps you to calm down, take things in perspective, not fear needlessly, go ahead and act.
Maybe it is because he has a lot of practice, but it turns out that death is a darn good advisor.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Minnesota weather
Two days ago I built a well water air conditioner just in time. Two days ago the nights were warm and the days were beastly hot and humid. The new gadjet cooled off the strawbale building like a dream.
Now the outside air is 50 degrees. Who knows if we will ever need an air conditioner again.
Now the outside air is 50 degrees. Who knows if we will ever need an air conditioner again.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Energetic week
This week has has been busy so far. Negotiating new artists, helping Amy at the fair, negotiating with new business opportunities, new partners, new mud mixers, cob lobbers, rock seperators, built and installed custom air conditioner, tours for college class, designing new solar front for our building, sorting and cleaning and insulating, new massage person, attending tai quan do testing and babysitting, not to mention learning new plants and handling fresh farm produce.
The last half of the week looks good too.
The last half of the week looks good too.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
The World's Healthiest Foods
The world's healthiest foods is a site that I just happened to bump into. I ended up bookmarking it because it is so well done, simple yet extensive.
Now that I think about it, Food is the set of habits that I am trying hardest to improve.
Now that I think about it, Food is the set of habits that I am trying hardest to improve.
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Habits
Habits fascinate me. They are the compound interest of life. Over time they become powerful forces, the currents that sweep you through your life's journey. They are behind much of your luck and karma, whether good or bad.
We, as people, are really nothing more than a collection of habits. (Just try to think of some aspect of yourself that doesn't ultimately boil down to some sort of habit.)
Common examples of the power of interest...
:Most people don't realize that the average person pays for their house 3 times due to interest.
:Mathematics graphically explain why you would be a millionaire if, rather than smoke, you put the money for 2 packs a day into long term investments.
(a quick check on an the first compound interest calculator I found on google shows that about $5.5 per day at 9%(average return from stocks) over 50 years adds up to $2 Million.)
That same power is working a zillion times per day in our personal habits. Every little thing we do is usually part of a habit. It can be aimed at making life better or worse, or just aimed randomly.
Mathematics can also explain why your life would tend to be set back by major accidents if you made habits out of taking little safety shortcuts. For instance, let's say that every time you jay walk you have one chance in 10,000 of an accident. If you walk to and from work and end up jay walking 5 times per work day, that's 1000 times per year. In 5 years you have a 50/50 chance of being hit by a car during a jay walk. What if you do it for 30 years?
Multiply that by the countless little habits that make up our lives and...
WOW! We really do create our own luck.
We, as people, are really nothing more than a collection of habits. (Just try to think of some aspect of yourself that doesn't ultimately boil down to some sort of habit.)
Common examples of the power of interest...
:Most people don't realize that the average person pays for their house 3 times due to interest.
:Mathematics graphically explain why you would be a millionaire if, rather than smoke, you put the money for 2 packs a day into long term investments.
(a quick check on an the first compound interest calculator I found on google shows that about $5.5 per day at 9%(average return from stocks) over 50 years adds up to $2 Million.)
That same power is working a zillion times per day in our personal habits. Every little thing we do is usually part of a habit. It can be aimed at making life better or worse, or just aimed randomly.
Mathematics can also explain why your life would tend to be set back by major accidents if you made habits out of taking little safety shortcuts. For instance, let's say that every time you jay walk you have one chance in 10,000 of an accident. If you walk to and from work and end up jay walking 5 times per work day, that's 1000 times per year. In 5 years you have a 50/50 chance of being hit by a car during a jay walk. What if you do it for 30 years?
Multiply that by the countless little habits that make up our lives and...
WOW! We really do create our own luck.
Friday, July 29, 2005
They are going down!
It's hard when you try to help somebody over and over and they just keep making bad decisions. No matter how many breaks you arrange for them, no matter how many times you outright give things to them, they still manage themselves into deeper problems.
Tonight Lynn and I were discussing several situations around us that are coming to a head. Friends who we keep trying to help. They either delude themselves or they delude us or others and eventually it catches up to them. They end up in legal trouble and financial trouble, each causes the other.
At some point you have to stop helping. It is not really helping anyway. They have to sink or swim. Sometimes, hard lessons are the only ones that really work.
I can think of twice we went broke and it turned out to be very good for us. We emerged wiser and ultimately better off.
Sometimes we help someone and it actually has a happy outcome. Those cases usually involve little or no money. Its usually simple stuff that has the best outcome.
Tonight Lynn and I were discussing several situations around us that are coming to a head. Friends who we keep trying to help. They either delude themselves or they delude us or others and eventually it catches up to them. They end up in legal trouble and financial trouble, each causes the other.
At some point you have to stop helping. It is not really helping anyway. They have to sink or swim. Sometimes, hard lessons are the only ones that really work.
I can think of twice we went broke and it turned out to be very good for us. We emerged wiser and ultimately better off.
Sometimes we help someone and it actually has a happy outcome. Those cases usually involve little or no money. Its usually simple stuff that has the best outcome.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Too much at once Rant
Life is busy.
I figured I would spend most of the day at the energy fair in Little Falls, just over an hour's drive away. By the time I did a little babysitting and favors and chores, I didn't get on the road until nearly 2:00. Even the road trip was interupted with another semi-unplanned but high priority meeting. I finally got to the fair 30 minutes before we had to leave again to get to a dinner invitation and concurrent babysitting.
You have to keep in mind that this energy fair is all about what we do. We were even planning on giving a straw bale house demonstration (before Pete died and Ryan broke his finger). It takes us about an hour to talk to each of the dozen vendors of interest. There are things to be learned and connections to be made. 30 minutes doesn't quite do it.
I maybe I can squeeze it in tommorrow night or Saturday.
I figured I would spend most of the day at the energy fair in Little Falls, just over an hour's drive away. By the time I did a little babysitting and favors and chores, I didn't get on the road until nearly 2:00. Even the road trip was interupted with another semi-unplanned but high priority meeting. I finally got to the fair 30 minutes before we had to leave again to get to a dinner invitation and concurrent babysitting.
You have to keep in mind that this energy fair is all about what we do. We were even planning on giving a straw bale house demonstration (before Pete died and Ryan broke his finger). It takes us about an hour to talk to each of the dozen vendors of interest. There are things to be learned and connections to be made. 30 minutes doesn't quite do it.
I maybe I can squeeze it in tommorrow night or Saturday.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Growth
Galen is definitely older and more capable than he was last time he was here. He is very polite. I am impressed.
Monday, July 25, 2005
Vitamin D exposure
Recent studies have shown that vitamin D has a great anti-oxident effect. It is powerful at reducing cancer. Sunshine on your skin is the best way to get vitamin D. As long as you don't burn, sunshine is five times more likely prevent all kinds of cancer than it is to cause melanoma.
I love the privacy of our place on a Sunday morning. The sun was shining, the grass needed watering, and I was talking on the phone for hours with Raya. It felt really good to be running around watering the lawn, totally naked except for my straw hat.(My face already gets too much sunshine, the rest of my pastey white body needed sun.) I got comfortable out there. After a long time, I was so into my chore and the phone call that I didn't notice Ryan and Amber driving up the driveway until they were already here. They laughed when I suddenly dropped the hose and ran indoors. I did too.
I love the privacy of our place on a Sunday morning. The sun was shining, the grass needed watering, and I was talking on the phone for hours with Raya. It felt really good to be running around watering the lawn, totally naked except for my straw hat.(My face already gets too much sunshine, the rest of my pastey white body needed sun.) I got comfortable out there. After a long time, I was so into my chore and the phone call that I didn't notice Ryan and Amber driving up the driveway until they were already here. They laughed when I suddenly dropped the hose and ran indoors. I did too.
Hobby
Barb was our first employee, starting sometime around 1986. She has been working for us on and off ever since. She was around while we were a little bitty basement operation. She was with us during the wild white knuckle ride while Hunt Tech grew at 100% per year for 5 years. She is with us again while we are creating our environmental research campus.
Right now, it is pretty hard to articulate our current goals. When a neighbor asked Barb what she does at her job, she replied she has no idea. Today, Barb commented that it boils down to... she has been helping me with my hobby for 20 years.
It's true. When we were poor, my job was my hobby. That kind of focus made us successful. Now my hobby is my job. I hope it also creates wonderful outcomes.
Right now, it is pretty hard to articulate our current goals. When a neighbor asked Barb what she does at her job, she replied she has no idea. Today, Barb commented that it boils down to... she has been helping me with my hobby for 20 years.
It's true. When we were poor, my job was my hobby. That kind of focus made us successful. Now my hobby is my job. I hope it also creates wonderful outcomes.
Misc. Stuff
Family has kept me very busy lately. It is good, but reduces the chance of a good blog.
Our new yard is being used quite a lot. The weather is perfect for it, warm and mostly dry, few bugs.
Ray and I have been doing a lot more "what is reality" discussions lately. Ray is feeling compelled to study it. I am loving this. Fifteen years ago, Ray and I spent countless hours "wasting time" in similar discussions when we should have been working. I feel it had a lot to do with the subsequent success of Hunt Technologies.
When I get the time, somebody remind me to post about:
:Future shock
:What is inertia
:Huddha, the minor demigod of obscure realities
:Universe in a computer
Our new yard is being used quite a lot. The weather is perfect for it, warm and mostly dry, few bugs.
Ray and I have been doing a lot more "what is reality" discussions lately. Ray is feeling compelled to study it. I am loving this. Fifteen years ago, Ray and I spent countless hours "wasting time" in similar discussions when we should have been working. I feel it had a lot to do with the subsequent success of Hunt Technologies.
When I get the time, somebody remind me to post about:
:Future shock
:What is inertia
:Huddha, the minor demigod of obscure realities
:Universe in a computer
Friday, July 22, 2005
Life's a beach
I may have mentioned that we suddenly have a lawn. Did I also mention that it is wrapped around a very nice playground that is sitting in the middle of a giant sandbox? It is our own private beach, without the dangers of deep water.
Today Lynn came home from a two day trip carrying two 6 year old boys and a carload of chinese food. They joined Ethan and Avery and we all had a very pleasant evening burying each other in the sand.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Landmark Time
Time is subjective:
Some hours drag slowly, some wizz by. Each year seems to go faster than the last.
Time is objective:
We agree that some things happen at regular intervals, like the earth turning or an atom resonating. Because we can all observe them and they are regular compared to each other, we use them as a measure of time.
In its travels, our consciousness hangs around these reference points for the same reason you would hang around a landmark. It helps us meet others.
Some hours drag slowly, some wizz by. Each year seems to go faster than the last.
Time is objective:
We agree that some things happen at regular intervals, like the earth turning or an atom resonating. Because we can all observe them and they are regular compared to each other, we use them as a measure of time.
In its travels, our consciousness hangs around these reference points for the same reason you would hang around a landmark. It helps us meet others.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
How Wide is "Now"?
It keeps giving me hints.
Perhaps time is not something we are moving through. It IS our moving.
Our consciousness is like a little dot of light traveling through many dimensions. We view some of those dimensions as space. The dot illuminates the wee little bit that we can perceive. We notice changes as the dot moves, and we call it time.
The question is; How wide is that dot?
I am gathering more and more personal experiences suggesting that at a subconscious level we know when something emotionally big is about to happen.
Many times my body "preacts" meaning it reacts hours before some incident happens.
Case 1:
I was a little kid. A group of us periodically broke into an abandoned house. Many weeks later the cops showed up and every one in the group got in trouble. Not me. I was sick that day with an upset stomach of unknown origin.
Case 2:
I was in high school. Some friends stole a piece of the cable TV system, thinking it was not in use. It turned out they knocked out service to a large section of town for a few hours. Many weeks later I got an upset stomach for no good reason and went home to bed in the middle of the school day. I turned on the police scanner for entertainment and listened to them close in and arrest my friends that afternoon.
Case 3:
I'm an adult. My daughter Raya drives 25 miles from home to college every day. In the winter she is to take the larger highway because it is straighter and better plowed.
One day I came home from work totally wiped out (for no particular reason). I went to bed at 5:00. At midnight I woke up, sat in the dark living room alone for an hour or two, feeling lousy and bummed out. Then, out of the blue I decide to give the dog a bath at 2:00 AM.?? After giving him the bath I felt fine and went to bed.
I slept like a log until 7:30 when the phone rang. Raya had just rolled the car. She was ok. The accident happened on the small highway at a curve. Why was she taking that route?
We rushed over to the site; cops, tow trucks, commotion, and our dog runs up to me.
"What is he doing here?" I asked. Raya explained that she was on that road because she was taking the dog to the groomer on her way to college.
It took me a while to put it together. I had been preacting to the car accident. When I bathed the dog, my subconscious was satisfied that I had done something to prevent it.
Case 4:
In a semi dream state I was having a conversation with my "spiritual advisor". To condense the story, I was given a hint that someone on the Crow Wing Co-op board was going to die. The next day, the person on that board who was closest to us died of a heart attack.
Case 5:
My second entry in this blog site was titled "FLOWERS" and I noted that I was compelled to use it and knew not why. Two days later Pete died in a car accident. We were buying flowers.
This case is subtle, but the feeling wasn't. It is also worth noting that the HUG web site journal was currently focused on Pete.
So what do you think? With a little retrospection can you come up with cases where you preacted emotionally?
Perhaps time is not something we are moving through. It IS our moving.
Our consciousness is like a little dot of light traveling through many dimensions. We view some of those dimensions as space. The dot illuminates the wee little bit that we can perceive. We notice changes as the dot moves, and we call it time.
The question is; How wide is that dot?
I am gathering more and more personal experiences suggesting that at a subconscious level we know when something emotionally big is about to happen.
Many times my body "preacts" meaning it reacts hours before some incident happens.
Case 1:
I was a little kid. A group of us periodically broke into an abandoned house. Many weeks later the cops showed up and every one in the group got in trouble. Not me. I was sick that day with an upset stomach of unknown origin.
Case 2:
I was in high school. Some friends stole a piece of the cable TV system, thinking it was not in use. It turned out they knocked out service to a large section of town for a few hours. Many weeks later I got an upset stomach for no good reason and went home to bed in the middle of the school day. I turned on the police scanner for entertainment and listened to them close in and arrest my friends that afternoon.
Case 3:
I'm an adult. My daughter Raya drives 25 miles from home to college every day. In the winter she is to take the larger highway because it is straighter and better plowed.
One day I came home from work totally wiped out (for no particular reason). I went to bed at 5:00. At midnight I woke up, sat in the dark living room alone for an hour or two, feeling lousy and bummed out. Then, out of the blue I decide to give the dog a bath at 2:00 AM.?? After giving him the bath I felt fine and went to bed.
I slept like a log until 7:30 when the phone rang. Raya had just rolled the car. She was ok. The accident happened on the small highway at a curve. Why was she taking that route?
We rushed over to the site; cops, tow trucks, commotion, and our dog runs up to me.
"What is he doing here?" I asked. Raya explained that she was on that road because she was taking the dog to the groomer on her way to college.
It took me a while to put it together. I had been preacting to the car accident. When I bathed the dog, my subconscious was satisfied that I had done something to prevent it.
Case 4:
In a semi dream state I was having a conversation with my "spiritual advisor". To condense the story, I was given a hint that someone on the Crow Wing Co-op board was going to die. The next day, the person on that board who was closest to us died of a heart attack.
Case 5:
My second entry in this blog site was titled "FLOWERS" and I noted that I was compelled to use it and knew not why. Two days later Pete died in a car accident. We were buying flowers.
This case is subtle, but the feeling wasn't. It is also worth noting that the HUG web site journal was currently focused on Pete.
So what do you think? With a little retrospection can you come up with cases where you preacted emotionally?
Instant Green
I never cease to be amazed how we end up doing things that seem opposite to our theme.
On campus we are all about natural. In our minds, lawns that need mowing are to be avoided. We don't even have a lawn mower.
We are making one small exception right in front of our trailer house (another anathema that is teaching me a lot). We put a playground close to the house. A little grass around it would be nice. I have enormous patience and have no problem evolving some grass, but Lynn's 50th birthday party is in 4 weeks. Sod was way cheaper than we thought and POOF! less than 24 hours after the first thought of it, we have a fully sodded yard.
On campus we are all about natural. In our minds, lawns that need mowing are to be avoided. We don't even have a lawn mower.
We are making one small exception right in front of our trailer house (another anathema that is teaching me a lot). We put a playground close to the house. A little grass around it would be nice. I have enormous patience and have no problem evolving some grass, but Lynn's 50th birthday party is in 4 weeks. Sod was way cheaper than we thought and POOF! less than 24 hours after the first thought of it, we have a fully sodded yard.
Monday, July 18, 2005
What we like.
It's amazing! We don't have a clue what we really like. We are usually too bound up by what we think we would like, if we had it.
Lynn and I are finding out what we like about our housing. For some unexpected reasons, we are really happy living in our 16x80 trailer. In many ways we like it better than our very nice monster big house with a great view and terrific yard.
Some reasons why...
:Proximity. Close to downtown and Ryan and Amber.
:More privacy when needed, set in the middle of 65 acres. It is also plenty busy during work days.
:Close to outdoors. Much less isolation between our living space and what's happening outside. This includes the playground being very close to the front door, and the front door being 30 inches above the ground; high enough to feel like we have a view and low enough to be where the action is.
:Easy to clean, because it is small.
:Office, bedroom, bathrooms are handy; because it is small.
:Toilets actually work. I have a habit of clogging up most toilets. (Some people say its because I am a big asshole.)
:Lots of changes. Because nothing is highly finished, we can change the buildings and landscape to our heart's content.
:We are honestly trying to blaze a path to a better future for ourselves and to encourage other Americans that they can do it too.
Life is change. We have lots of life here.
Lynn and I are finding out what we like about our housing. For some unexpected reasons, we are really happy living in our 16x80 trailer. In many ways we like it better than our very nice monster big house with a great view and terrific yard.
Some reasons why...
:Proximity. Close to downtown and Ryan and Amber.
:More privacy when needed, set in the middle of 65 acres. It is also plenty busy during work days.
:Close to outdoors. Much less isolation between our living space and what's happening outside. This includes the playground being very close to the front door, and the front door being 30 inches above the ground; high enough to feel like we have a view and low enough to be where the action is.
:Easy to clean, because it is small.
:Office, bedroom, bathrooms are handy; because it is small.
:Toilets actually work. I have a habit of clogging up most toilets. (Some people say its because I am a big asshole.)
:Lots of changes. Because nothing is highly finished, we can change the buildings and landscape to our heart's content.
:We are honestly trying to blaze a path to a better future for ourselves and to encourage other Americans that they can do it too.
Life is change. We have lots of life here.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Fragile God
We want our God to be somewhat fragile or frail.
We want our God to be all powerful when we are in need, but we need our God to be a little bit in need of us.
These thoughts were rolling in my head as I observed my way through a catholic funeral today. First of all, it has been quite a while since I have been at a catholic mass. I was almost transfixed at the level of ritual. In the middle of the crowd, I was a distant and separate observer. Many pagan rights and rituals have been programmed into the group. Certain words trigger programmed physical movements. Certain phrases trigger programmed return phrases.
This was a ceremony for and about Pete, but every turn of phrase in the ceremonial part was all about promoting the church. Clearly the church (as with most institutions) exists first and foremost to promote itself.
Ryan left about 2/3 of the way through the funeral. He was all ritualled out.
Something in one of the prayers triggered the thoughts about we need a fragile God. This resonated with stories and movies I have seen lately. Truly we need to feel needed.
Why would God create us if she didn't need us?
We want our God to be all powerful when we are in need, but we need our God to be a little bit in need of us.
These thoughts were rolling in my head as I observed my way through a catholic funeral today. First of all, it has been quite a while since I have been at a catholic mass. I was almost transfixed at the level of ritual. In the middle of the crowd, I was a distant and separate observer. Many pagan rights and rituals have been programmed into the group. Certain words trigger programmed physical movements. Certain phrases trigger programmed return phrases.
This was a ceremony for and about Pete, but every turn of phrase in the ceremonial part was all about promoting the church. Clearly the church (as with most institutions) exists first and foremost to promote itself.
Ryan left about 2/3 of the way through the funeral. He was all ritualled out.
Something in one of the prayers triggered the thoughts about we need a fragile God. This resonated with stories and movies I have seen lately. Truly we need to feel needed.
Why would God create us if she didn't need us?
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Tough week so far
Ryan broke his right index finger today. Shattered one of its bones into about 5 pieces. He got 4 pins and a cast and a night in the hospital. We got a sudden change of plans. Just after lunch, Lynn and I left campus for only an hour. On our way home we got a call that Ryan needed a ride to Brainerd. We met him and Ray half way to Jenkins and headed south. We got home around 10:00 pm, wondering what happened to our day.
Now we are also wondering what happened to the rest of our plans for the summer. Pete is gone. Who knows about Quin? Ryan is de-handed for months. Maybe this is the reason that we couldn't talk ourselves into starting a building this summer.
Now we are also wondering what happened to the rest of our plans for the summer. Pete is gone. Who knows about Quin? Ryan is de-handed for months. Maybe this is the reason that we couldn't talk ourselves into starting a building this summer.
Monday, July 11, 2005
Drummin'
Today we needed distraction, so we helped Neil and Tori move. Barb, Ray, Bob and I each drove a truck over there and convoyed loads of stuff to Mom's house. They will be joining her in her house, trying to squeeze in all the contents of their home, business and school, then share the space with contractors who will proceed to shrink the house by at least two rooms, while making a huge mess. Sounds like fun.
I made it back home just in time for a healing massage. That got done just in time to go to Hackensak for a drumming circle.
The drumming circle had a different kind of energy. It was very much like a wake. A picture of Pete was in the middle and all of us there were affected by Pete's passing. The greiving energy was strong.
I made it back home just in time for a healing massage. That got done just in time to go to Hackensak for a drumming circle.
The drumming circle had a different kind of energy. It was very much like a wake. A picture of Pete was in the middle and all of us there were affected by Pete's passing. The greiving energy was strong.
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Damn
I got the word this morning that Pete got killed in a car accident about 11:00 last night. I'm still trying to soak it up. We will all be trying for some time I bet.
During the last few days I have been contemplating the great job Pete was doing, and trying to figure out how to handle the finances for the future great jobs he will be doing.
Maybe the future of campus art is to move on. Pete blazed the trail. We should document what he taught us and get the many other artists started.
During the last few days I have been contemplating the great job Pete was doing, and trying to figure out how to handle the finances for the future great jobs he will be doing.
Maybe the future of campus art is to move on. Pete blazed the trail. We should document what he taught us and get the many other artists started.
Friday, July 08, 2005
Photo Time
Here it is, late evening and I am finding time to make a comment. It might become a routine mainly because this site is a tab in Firefox and automatically shows up when I am checking other blogs.
This photo is from last winter when we built an intersecting arch snow fort. It is a good test of the photo posting process.
You can learn about the snow fort test building in the February-March timeframe of the HUGllc.com Journal.
This photo is from last winter when we built an intersecting arch snow fort. It is a good test of the photo posting process.
You can learn about the snow fort test building in the February-March timeframe of the HUGllc.com Journal.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Flowers
Flowers is a title that begged to be used. I know not why. This is just another test entry anyway to get me familiar with the territory.
Virgin Post
This is my first try.
Will I use it?
Is it better than paper?
Can I get a backup file of it occasionally?
We will see.
Will I use it?
Is it better than paper?
Can I get a backup file of it occasionally?
We will see.
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