Good advice in this article for any gender at any age.
Article: “10 Things I Want My Daughter To Know When Things Get Real”
Product & Startup Builder
Did Shakespeare Invent Love?
This is an amazing video about history of society, love and the ability for some to construct new symbolic realities for culture
Video: “Vlog #53 - Did Shakespeare Invent Love?” via Nerdwriter1
Action Expresses Priorities
"Action expresses priorities" - Gandhi. Nice.
Historical Context On Wars
Some historical context on wars/violence can be found in this video.
tl;dr: the world is getting better, not worse.
Youtube Video: “Steven Pinker: Violence Trends Are Understood by Analyzing Data, Not Reading Headlines”
Sci-Fi Movie Thoughts
JJ Abrams either doesn't know or doesn't care how big space is. He keeps making scenes/plot points that rely on characters looking up into the sky to see distant planets and solar systems blowing up. Makes no sense.
In Star Trek Spock watches Vulcan blow up from another planet. Even if that planet was in the same solar system (which didn't seem realistic) it wouldn't be visible like that.
In Star Wars 7 they look up in the sky on Maz kanata's planet to watch a totally different solar system of planets blow up in the sky.
In fact that whole sequence on Maz Kanata's has a series of sour notes for me. Fin declaring it was 'The Republic' that was destroyed, when it was just the planets that hosted the central government (clumsy language). The 'traitor!' Storm Trooper should have been Captain Phasma. BB-8 conveniently disappearing when Ren is Interrogating Ray. Where the hell was Ray running to in the forest? C3PO almost calling Leia 'princess' as if he hasn't been living with her all this time. Solo saying 'I saw our Son' instead of 'I saw Ben'. It would have been a far more natural way to speak and there are a number of other more natural references to 'Son' in the very next few scenes. The audience isn't stupid.
Dumb.
Walking Dead: Amazing Allegory
Heard this on the Walking Dead. Amazing allegory.
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and the last she placed ground coffee beans.
She let them sit and boil without saying a word. In about twenty minute she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee into a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what you see?”
“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.
She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma.
The daughter then asked, “What’s the point, mother?”
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity… boiling water – but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after being through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water.
“Which are you?” she asked the daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?”
Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after death, a break up, a financial hardship, or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.
- See more at: https://www.alanwongs.com/blog/are-you-carrot-egg-or-coffee-bean#sthash.9pYb1IwG.dpuf
Live Extraordinary
Periods of comfortable routine punctuated by extraordinary experiences. #dreamlife
Do It With Passion
Perspective. Patience. Perseverance. And passion. Passion is key.
Mixed Feelings can be . . .
Mixed feelings can be like two waves crashing together. They both heighten and cancel each other out. Fascinating experience #constantchange
The Other Side of the Road
I get so comfortable in my patterns and behaviors that I forget to try even slight variations. Even walking on the other side of the road can give you a whole new perspective.
Rising to the Occasion
The only way I've ever grown is to throw myself into - or pre-commit to - situations way beyond my comfort zone and force myself to rise to the occasion.
My struggle with anxiety has made this behavior all the more difficult; but also all the more essential.
Motivated by Negative Feedback
I get motivated by negative feedback. I thrive on positive feedback.
Insane Policies
Republicans are so shit at strategy that they thought that the Iraq War, Fox News and Social wedge issues were a good long-term idea. All their chickens are coming home to roost.
Put aside, for a second, if you actually agree with their insane policies and consider that they're simply useless at a) predicting the future b) being on the right side of history or c) implementing policies that get them winning outcomes.
The result is a destabilized middle-east, legalized gay marriage everywhere, a demographic map that's going to make it nearly impossible for them to win a presidential election ever again and Donald Trump style candidates.
Total failure on every. singe. level.
Nothing Keeps Us 100% Safe
Watching Bill Maher where a republican congressman is pimping his book about all the creative ways terrorists can come and kill us.
We're living in an age where a whole generation has PTSD from 9/11 and the fear mongering of Fox News.
Life isn't safe. In fact, given a long enough time horizon the mortality rate is 100%. News flash: You are going to die! But you're more likely to get run over walking on the sidewalk than getting killed by a terrorist.
Nothing. Not even TSA and full NSA surveillance is going to keep us 100% safe.
Get over it.
Happy Birthday SCOBLEIZER!
Some 10 years ago I came to SF/Bay area for the first time. There were a few very visible people who were blogging and posting videos that I really looked up to and was eager to meet.
When I met them, though, many of them let me down or didn't have the time of day for me. Understandable right?
When I first met Robert he was racing from one side of a crowded room to another to meet up with someone. I managed to catch his eye to try to say hi. He had no idea who I was. He had no reason to. He was super busy. Everyone was trying to get his attention.
But rather than give me a wave and keep running by; he stopped, squared up, looked at me properly and said hi and gave me lots of his time. Once he had made a real effort to make a real connection. He then ran off to meet the person he actually wanted to meet.
He was amongst those few people who really lived up to his online persona - a man of the people. He also taught me something that day... how to be a great person even when you're swamped. I think of that experience every time I feel too busy to meet someone new.
Since then, I've had the pleasure to develop a friendship with Robert and he has continued to lead by example sharing his very personal, flawed and sometimes epicly cool adventure with all of us. I also dearly love his wife Maryam. Wonderful, wonderful people.
Happy Birthday SCOBLEIZER. You're a true legend and you are properly loved by a lot of people. I'm sorry I couldn't make your birthday celebration but I know that, as usual, you made it a lot of fun for everyone *else* - and that's what makes you truly special!
Love you my friend!
Everything In Moderation
My mother Maggie taught me "Everything in moderation... including moderation" A lesson I never forgot and will forever cherish
Thermometer or a Thermostat
"You can go through life as either a thermometer or a thermostat. You can either reflect the temperature or you can influence it." Corey Brooker
Just a Statistic
Particularly relevant this week #personalperspective #gunskillpeople
I watched the Martian last night. Great movie. But it struck me the extent to which the world would (theoretically) rally to save one man on Mars irrespective of the cost and the risks while we can't seem to care enough to save people and children here on earth.
That's not to say the space program is a waste of money (quite the opposite), it's just interesting that we would be willing to rally resources for that kind of moonshot, but not the kind of moonshots we need here at home.
All the reasons are obvious of course, the man on Mars is a hero, he's very visible, it's not commonplace/background noise, and one man is a tragedy while many people are just a statistic. It just struck me as a clear example of how our brains and bias works.
Also it's just a work of science fiction and I am quite possibly over-thinking it
Born With Good Instincts
Process can be taught. Experience is gained over time. But you have to be born with good instincts. Give me someone who's got the right instincts and I'll happily spend some time teaching them process (or pair them up with those that do it well).
Act Responsibly
Reminder: There is how you act and there is how you re-act. You are responsible for both.