Some of us are attracted to each other. We can then become a solar system unto our own, but don't ask me who's the sun.
Some of us aren't yet ready to make first contact — because that civilization yonder there, as promising as it may seem, is still riddled with civil war. They need to sort out their problems first. And send some explorers over to meet you. Maybe then, an intergalactic treaty can be formed.
Some planets are fertile and ripe with resources!
Others have been strip-mined, said F-U you to the environment, or… are barren.
And when we can take the consciousness & soul of a person and put it in another body, well, that'll be like extraterrestrial colonization.
Dontcha just hate it when the right ear has no idea what the left hallux is doing? I've heard plenty of gripes about stupid and incorrect YouTube takedowns. Well, I'd love to see an explanation for this one: post-drum 'n' bass band (they're just that awesome) Pendulum uploaded a video of themselves playing live on their own, official channel. I might even add that it included a mighty fine cover of Calvin Harris' "I'm Not Alone". I shared the link on Twitter, but when I checked later today, it said:
This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by British Broadcasting Corporation.
WUT? You'd think there'd be some communication here, like whoever at the BBC was responsible for footage getting in touch with Pendulum's reps. But since that wasn't the case, people like me get to blog about it. What compounds the absurdity further is audio-only versions of the same Glastonbury '09 performance are still up, like:
Hope the whole recording will be back on YouTube, since apparently, it's only available to UK viewers on the BBC site (I've never liked region-specific lockdowns, confusing as heck) — such an exciting live show.
The lesson: those you can please, those you are pleasing, please them the most. Less friction, time saved, and in turn, they'll be inspired to please others — continuing that voyage.
When you're on life's journeys, dead ends suck. Don't get stuck with people who are dead ends. Don't put the seeds where the soil is infertile.
Growing can be uncomfortable and unsettling, but being stagnant is a false comfort. Saying too much when you should do a little is self-deception. It all ultimately catches up to you while you lie, and crushes your spirit. Screws you over.
But killing ambition never, ever happens all at once. That's why it's so hard to visualize the moving targets every day, then hit one damn thing after another.
Some say it takes courage to stand up for what you believe in. I think it also takes intense focus, because with so much noise and mind-junk, it's hard to clearly decide.
So, launch a preemptive strike against all that is mediocre and sloppy in your world. Familiarize yourself with humanity's foolish behavior, and perhaps you, like I, will come to an epiphany that its versatility and range is triumphantly dwarfed by a celebration of our creativity. Our passion. Down with the negative naysayers who barf on our dreams (and aren't working on making their own come true)! Turn away the unenlightened who blather scurrilous rumors without using Google! And deny anyone who's here to block our happiness.
They, as humans, can arise and be uplifted if they volunteer. Then comes understanding. No one can be forced to be happy. Nor will you ever be happy if you allow the low-minds to trash you.
Each of us makes our choices, some choices are made for us. And each day, even with so much we can't affect, there's so much we can. Like people you can please; focus on where you can make a positive difference. Start here by recognizing the truth in the following statement:
I find them inconvenient and wish they were spooled into my email, but
even if they were, I get more email than I can handle.
I used to have a bookmark folder spring-loaded for various sites, but time continues to oppress me. So regrettably, barring the running pseudo-joke of needing clones, this is why I'm not more attentive to Twitter direct messages, Flickr mail, FaceBook messages, and so and soforth. I state this wherever I'm allowed space, and apologize if you expected a reply but didn't get one — let me know if I've missed a place I can clarify this.
is where I put the creative highlights of my day. Not ALL of them, but an ample cornucopia of what catches my fancy as I'm surfing the Net. From gems gleaned from popurls to links sent my way via Twitter, if I think I can make use of it later (or at least have a laugh with my wife), I'll "Tumblr" it. ("Tumble" just sounds too bland.)
Tumblr is basically a clipping journal where I can show off various bits of media and add comments — these help jog my memory if I'm doing research on a project. There's usually a connection from one post to the next, as unapparent as it may seem. And I often feature stuff I didn't create but enjoyed. (There are other ways I collect stuff, like Flickr's favorites.)
I wish there were better ways to integrate Tumblr with my main WordPress blog here, but I've kept the two independent entities because Tumblr is a "side dish", and in some cases, appetizers. I've weighed the strengths of doing both-in-one, but there are some significant weaknesses (like the proverbial "too much noise") I need to keep in mind.
Reprinted without permission from the Costco Connection mag that came in the mail, also found online. All propz to them and Wally Amos, penner of this fine slice… of watermelon!
Watermelon is the answer
OF COURSE, I am known for cookies. However, I am also known for watermelon. In 1996 I wrote the book Watermelon Magic; Seeds of Wisdom, Slices of Life. In 2002 I wrote my Watermelon Credo that has become the structure for many of my talks. It has been a guide that has helped others and me through rough times. I share it with you in the hope it will help you through these rough times.
W-Whatever you believe creates your reality. Believe that life is a positive experience and it will be.
A-Attitude is the magic word. Your greatest asset is your attitude. Be positive regardless.
T-Together everyone achieves more. There are no limits to what we can accomplish together. I am more than I am but less than we are.
E-Enthusiasm is the wellspring of life. There is no limit to what can be accomplished with enough enthusiasm.
R-Respect yourself, as well as others. When you begin to respect yourself, your whole world changes.
M-Make commitments, not excuses. There is overwhelming power in the words "Yes I will!"
E-Everyday can be a fun day. Fun is the lubricant that keeps life moving forward. Laugh a lot.
L-Love is the answer. Whatever the question, Love is the answer. It's the greatest force in the Universe.
O-One day at a time. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. All of life happens in increments of one.
N-Never give up or become a victim. You are guaranteed to lose if you give up. Winston Churchill was right, "Never, never, never give up." It works if you work it.
Watermelon is FUN, inspirational and a great reminder of us to always live life from our highest self. Do not allow yourself to be overwhelmed by events. Let watermelon remind you that you are larger than events. You have the power to create and change events by what you believe.
Companies love to show off praise. Magazine reviews, customer testimonials — the works. It can be deceptively hard to get those good words, although with any excellent product that's marketed well, there should be no shortage of it.
So, what to do? Follow the example of Magnus Lidström, the sonic mastermind behind Synplant which I recently reviewed. What he does so awesomely right: he provides generous demo periods for his software synthesizers. Then when you buy his stuff, he lets you enter a comment at checkout time. That all gets spooled onto his Customer Comments page.
It's not really technically different from a guestbook or blog comments in general. But the routing and flow are impeccably focused and targeted towards showing more curious people, maybe on the fence, why they should buy. This drives word of mouth. Most of the comments are along the same lines — brief and excited — but they're from real people, not paid shills. (To be clear, if someone gets paid to do something they love, that's excellent, but faking an opinion for dollars is bovinefeces.)
It'd be endearing to see if you've noticed the core truths of these generalizations too.
Most people don't actually read all the way through a long forum thread or blog comments. They just want to get to the submit form and post their two cents.
The same's true for an original blog post or news article. (It's a sure psychological test.) Don't be depressed, make a drinking game out of how many people ask about something that was already answered and can't be bothered to Ctrl-F (Cmd-F for you Mac'ers).
Count on human weakness, that someone's inability to adapt has blinded them to evolve viewpoints. Their stagnant responses will reveal as much.
A paradox: video responses convey more human bandwidth but are harder to maintain momentum responding to. The asynchrony baffles.
Expect few to reply repeatedly to a thread with helpful info. A safer bet's on the nuts and quacks to show up.
Following a "vigorous debate", no one's mind is changed. There are no revelatory epiphanies, no "Thank you for substantiating I was mistaken!" People go on, worse than TV characters, their personalities ungrown.
There are a lot of lonely people who are afraid to develop lasting friendships, having been hurt too many times before, so they post humorous one-offs or vile snipes. They'll never admit it but — what if they could?
Trolls are lonely. There are lots of lonely people in the world. (Draw your own conclusions.)
Retweeting and replying in the same tweet is like ordering a whole turkey and dessert.
People tend to sound meaner in text alone, goofier on webcam…
… and hardly anyone provides alternate timeline versions.
I've yet to come across software that provides such branching, either.
If you try really hard, you, too, can find a community where your fringe views are the majority. How beneficial this is depends on what those views are.
Fun is often out there. Usefulness is not. The two are pretty fine bedmates.
It's easier to get people outraged over dead animals than humans. Equally true for the hurt but not-dead.
Eating the popcorn means not being a star of the show.
If you find someone who earnestly asks, "Help me understand what you mean?" even if they disagree, you've found a treasure.
Very few superconnectors. Prize them too.
ALL THIS… FOR NOTHING?
Novelty is fresh. Continually seeking new experiences after years on the web, even more.
No matter how high-tech we get, storytelling will triumph. And along with it, sadly, superstition.
We have people wanting to stand out. We have people wanting to fit in. And then there's people who are both. Those are the most interesting.
We haven't found an equivalent verb to "photoshopped" for videos yet. "Fake" doesn't cut it.
Someday, guys playing girls will be mundane. And they won't have to pretend.
There are legends among us.
The fact that people are so often telling each other to "google it!" means that search's ease-of-use knight is still slain by the laziness dragon.
We'd all be better off if we had P2P filesharing for emotions. Try to stop that, RIAA.
