Last weekend we successfully survived our first ever EcoSquared fair. It was partly to educate people about ecology and partly to help bring new life to the fading county fair. The weather was very hot and the crowds were somewhat sparse, but for a first try it went rather well. Most of the vendors want to do it again.
The Brainerd newspaper wrote a very nice front page story with lots of pictures.
Now that it is over, some of us may actually get our lives back, at least until we realize how many zillions of chores we kept putting off until after the fair.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Relationship with a meme
Memes can be treated like every other living creature.
Someplace inherent within our human makeup we often find the tendency to do something that is not prudent. Those behaviors might have been more useful in a different environment, or they may be mere side effects of more useful traits that helped us survive.
In any case, when I find an internal push to behave badly, such as to pre-judge, or put someone down, I am beginning to learn that I don’t have to succumb. I also don’t have to fight it forever.
I can release it.
I acknowledge that you have a purpose, but not here and now.
Thank you for being available, but the times call for a new level of behavior.
You are free.
So am I.
Someplace inherent within our human makeup we often find the tendency to do something that is not prudent. Those behaviors might have been more useful in a different environment, or they may be mere side effects of more useful traits that helped us survive.
In any case, when I find an internal push to behave badly, such as to pre-judge, or put someone down, I am beginning to learn that I don’t have to succumb. I also don’t have to fight it forever.
I can release it.
I acknowledge that you have a purpose, but not here and now.
Thank you for being available, but the times call for a new level of behavior.
You are free.
So am I.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
How Happy Dancing Turtle got its name
by Paul Hunt
Happy Dancing Turtle is sort of a thank you gift to the universe for guiding our path.
In the summer of 1994, Lynn and I were looking for a new house. It had to be special. After going broke a few times we had learned the hard way that it is important for us to live where we work. We had been working our tiny little electronic design business for almost ten years. Take home pay had finally crept above minimum wage and we were starting to grow.
After designing over 300 products (each one a learning experience), job number 333 was the world’s slowest modem, designed to automatically read electric meters. It was slow, steady, trustworthy, and it fit under the shell of the meters, so we named it the Turtle.
The Turtle had serious market potential. We had a lot of work to do and we needed space to work in. Every time we tried to buy a piece of real estate it didn’t work. Generally the bank would turn us down or our home business didn’t fit zoning regulations. One day a realtor was showing us a home and shop combo that didn’t feel right. After we said “no”, he said he knew of a place that was WAY too big for us, but it was in the neighborhood. We might as well look at it.
It was a big cabinet shop with a big house next door. Instantly we felt that this was the right place. Just one problem; the price tag was ten times higher than our current house, and at least three times higher than we could possibly afford.
I didn’t sleep well that night. The overpowering feeling that this was the right place was battling in my gut with the hard lessons we had learned about being fiscally conservative. I tossed and turned all night, trying to see someway to make it work financially, trying to decide if we should take this quantum leap. Finally, I got so weary that I said “God, just show me a sign so I can decide and get some sleep.”
I opened my eyes, and there, in silhouette against the dark pink of the pre dawn sky, was a happy dancing turtle.
I woke Lynn up and asked “Do you see what I see?”
She did.
It was our window fan. The blade was angled and lit in just the perfect way that we both clearly saw the same Happy Dancing Turtle. We both decided that if we ask for a sign regarding growing the turtle business, and instantly see something as clear as that, we had better not ignore it. The next day we signed the papers.
The financing sailed through without any problems. The first winter, there were only six of us huddled in a little corner of this monstrous building. The business grew fast. A year later we were adding on, and adding on again, and then building more buildings. Many times I was thankful that we had a beautiful location we could grow in.
When we started making money, Lynn and I decided that we should put a large percentage of our assets into a non profit organization to help the earth. It was easy to name it in honor of our guiding spirit, the Happy Dancing Turtle.
Happy Dancing Turtle is sort of a thank you gift to the universe for guiding our path.
In the summer of 1994, Lynn and I were looking for a new house. It had to be special. After going broke a few times we had learned the hard way that it is important for us to live where we work. We had been working our tiny little electronic design business for almost ten years. Take home pay had finally crept above minimum wage and we were starting to grow.
After designing over 300 products (each one a learning experience), job number 333 was the world’s slowest modem, designed to automatically read electric meters. It was slow, steady, trustworthy, and it fit under the shell of the meters, so we named it the Turtle.
The Turtle had serious market potential. We had a lot of work to do and we needed space to work in. Every time we tried to buy a piece of real estate it didn’t work. Generally the bank would turn us down or our home business didn’t fit zoning regulations. One day a realtor was showing us a home and shop combo that didn’t feel right. After we said “no”, he said he knew of a place that was WAY too big for us, but it was in the neighborhood. We might as well look at it.
It was a big cabinet shop with a big house next door. Instantly we felt that this was the right place. Just one problem; the price tag was ten times higher than our current house, and at least three times higher than we could possibly afford.
I didn’t sleep well that night. The overpowering feeling that this was the right place was battling in my gut with the hard lessons we had learned about being fiscally conservative. I tossed and turned all night, trying to see someway to make it work financially, trying to decide if we should take this quantum leap. Finally, I got so weary that I said “God, just show me a sign so I can decide and get some sleep.”
I opened my eyes, and there, in silhouette against the dark pink of the pre dawn sky, was a happy dancing turtle.
I woke Lynn up and asked “Do you see what I see?”
She did.
It was our window fan. The blade was angled and lit in just the perfect way that we both clearly saw the same Happy Dancing Turtle. We both decided that if we ask for a sign regarding growing the turtle business, and instantly see something as clear as that, we had better not ignore it. The next day we signed the papers.
The financing sailed through without any problems. The first winter, there were only six of us huddled in a little corner of this monstrous building. The business grew fast. A year later we were adding on, and adding on again, and then building more buildings. Many times I was thankful that we had a beautiful location we could grow in.
When we started making money, Lynn and I decided that we should put a large percentage of our assets into a non profit organization to help the earth. It was easy to name it in honor of our guiding spirit, the Happy Dancing Turtle.
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Earth, Wind, Fire, Water
I was contemplating the concepts involved in the lebab project (a way to reverse the language confounding effect in the story about the tower of Babel) . I was realizing that the brain wave that travels around the world is in the same band as a huge amount of noise caused by lighting and the resonance of the earth. What effect might this noise cause?
Other smooth noise sources for us include staring at bodies of water, or a camp fire, or listening to wind or a fan. The effect of each one is to draw us into a contemplative mood. Our brain waves resonate at the same frequency as the earth when we are in such a mood.
It is interesting that the major things that help us contemplate seem to be Earth, Wind, Water and Fire.
Other smooth noise sources for us include staring at bodies of water, or a camp fire, or listening to wind or a fan. The effect of each one is to draw us into a contemplative mood. Our brain waves resonate at the same frequency as the earth when we are in such a mood.
It is interesting that the major things that help us contemplate seem to be Earth, Wind, Water and Fire.
Randomness, Focus on nothing
When you stare into a fire, you tend to meditate.
When you stare at a body of water, you tend to meditate.
It is so much easier to sleep and relax when the wind or a fan is making smooth random noise in the background.
In each case above, it is the randomness that relaxes you. It draws your consciousness into it, masking familiar patterns so your brain can relax. It doesn’t have to continually be making sense of incoming stimuli.
That randomness is essentially nothing.
You are concentrating on nothing.
Through the meditation it brings, It helps you connect to everything.
When you stare at a body of water, you tend to meditate.
It is so much easier to sleep and relax when the wind or a fan is making smooth random noise in the background.
In each case above, it is the randomness that relaxes you. It draws your consciousness into it, masking familiar patterns so your brain can relax. It doesn’t have to continually be making sense of incoming stimuli.
That randomness is essentially nothing.
You are concentrating on nothing.
Through the meditation it brings, It helps you connect to everything.
Cultural DreamSpeak
Step back a bit and observe the nature of the popular movies of our time. Movies are very much the dreams of our culture. Their topics and images are encoded in dreamspeak. If we decode them the same way you would analyze a dream, you find out what our culture’s brain is thinking and processing.
For example…
We have always needed a hero. But have you noticed that ever since 9/11 we have had a plethora of movies about SUPER heroes?
Perhaps we feel we are dealing with super villains and need super heroes to solve the problem(s).
We have often had movies about disasters with man made systems like ships or airplanes. It is natural; we are dealing with making our own systems better.
Lately there has been a ton of movies and television specials about natural disasters. Every kind of earthquake, volcano, hurricane, ice age, meteor and flood has graced our screens.
Perhaps we feel that nature has gotten angry with us and wants to fight back.
Have you noticed any other patterns in our cultural dreams?
For example…
We have always needed a hero. But have you noticed that ever since 9/11 we have had a plethora of movies about SUPER heroes?
Perhaps we feel we are dealing with super villains and need super heroes to solve the problem(s).
We have often had movies about disasters with man made systems like ships or airplanes. It is natural; we are dealing with making our own systems better.
Lately there has been a ton of movies and television specials about natural disasters. Every kind of earthquake, volcano, hurricane, ice age, meteor and flood has graced our screens.
Perhaps we feel that nature has gotten angry with us and wants to fight back.
Have you noticed any other patterns in our cultural dreams?
Friday, July 07, 2006
Surface bonds, more than skin deep
Inside our bodies, at a microscopic level, if you want to connect with another cell, one common way is to make part of your surface match part of the target cell’s surface. The better the match, the tighter the bond. Once you are bonded by your surfaces that match, you can celebrate your differences.
Those differences include a new surface topology to make new bonds.
A strong bond might also bring you access to the more intimate workings within your partner, bringing you new strengths and capabilities.
Some entities are like antibodies, created simply for the purpose of tagging you so the system can manipulate you better. They match your surface, creating a strong connection. Then they connect you to something you would not normally connect with. It might just be used as a label. It might be medicine. It might be white blood cell soldiers, intent on destroying you.
This pattern of matching surfaces to make better connections seems to transcend scale.
It happens in molecules, and biology.
It happens at social and business and political scales.
It happens in spiritual and psychic dimensions.
We morph. We often fine tune the shape of our surfaces (attitudes, makeup, clothing, etc.) just for the purpose of a better match; to catch something in the first place, or to strengthen an existing bond.
So, Do ya wanna match some complementary surfaces?
Those differences include a new surface topology to make new bonds.
A strong bond might also bring you access to the more intimate workings within your partner, bringing you new strengths and capabilities.
Some entities are like antibodies, created simply for the purpose of tagging you so the system can manipulate you better. They match your surface, creating a strong connection. Then they connect you to something you would not normally connect with. It might just be used as a label. It might be medicine. It might be white blood cell soldiers, intent on destroying you.
This pattern of matching surfaces to make better connections seems to transcend scale.
It happens in molecules, and biology.
It happens at social and business and political scales.
It happens in spiritual and psychic dimensions.
We morph. We often fine tune the shape of our surfaces (attitudes, makeup, clothing, etc.) just for the purpose of a better match; to catch something in the first place, or to strengthen an existing bond.
So, Do ya wanna match some complementary surfaces?
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