Sunday, November 26, 2006
Paperback Believer!
Finding Your Purpose in Life
From StevePavlina.com
How do you discover your real purpose in life? I’m not talking about your job, your daily responsibilities, or even your long-term goals. I mean the real reason why you’re here at all — the very reason you exist.
Here’s a story about Bruce Lee. A master martial artist asked Bruce to teach him everything Bruce knew about martial arts. Bruce held up two cups, both filled with liquid. “The first cup,” said Bruce, “represents all of your knowledge about martial arts. The second cup represents all of my knowledge about martial arts. If you want to fill your cup with my knowledge, you must first empty your cup of your knowledge.”
If you want to discover your true purpose in life, you must first empty your mind of all the false purposes you’ve been taught.
Here’s what to do:
Take out a blank sheet of paper or open up a word processor where you can type (I prefer the latter because it’s faster).
Write at the top, “What is my true purpose in life?”
Write an answer (any answer) that pops into your head. It doesn’t have to be a complete sentence. A short phrase is fine.
Repeat step 3 until you write the answer that makes you cry. This is your purpose.
That’s it. It doesn’t matter if you’re a counselor or an engineer or a bodybuilder. To some people this exercise will make perfect sense. To others it will seem utterly stupid. Usually it takes 15-20 minutes to clear your head of all the clutter and the social conditioning about what you think your purpose in life is. The false answers will come from your mind and your memories. But when the true answer finally arrives, it will feel like it’s coming to you from a different source entirely.
It’s important to do this alone and with no interruptions.
When you find your own unique answer to the question of why you’re here, you will feel it resonate with you deeply. The words will seem to have a special energy to you, and you will feel that energy whenever you read them.
Discovering your purpose is the easy part. The hard part is keeping it with you on a daily basis and working on yourself to the point where you become that purpose.
How do you discover your real purpose in life? I’m not talking about your job, your daily responsibilities, or even your long-term goals. I mean the real reason why you’re here at all — the very reason you exist.
Here’s a story about Bruce Lee. A master martial artist asked Bruce to teach him everything Bruce knew about martial arts. Bruce held up two cups, both filled with liquid. “The first cup,” said Bruce, “represents all of your knowledge about martial arts. The second cup represents all of my knowledge about martial arts. If you want to fill your cup with my knowledge, you must first empty your cup of your knowledge.”
If you want to discover your true purpose in life, you must first empty your mind of all the false purposes you’ve been taught.
Here’s what to do:
Take out a blank sheet of paper or open up a word processor where you can type (I prefer the latter because it’s faster).
Write at the top, “What is my true purpose in life?”
Write an answer (any answer) that pops into your head. It doesn’t have to be a complete sentence. A short phrase is fine.
Repeat step 3 until you write the answer that makes you cry. This is your purpose.
That’s it. It doesn’t matter if you’re a counselor or an engineer or a bodybuilder. To some people this exercise will make perfect sense. To others it will seem utterly stupid. Usually it takes 15-20 minutes to clear your head of all the clutter and the social conditioning about what you think your purpose in life is. The false answers will come from your mind and your memories. But when the true answer finally arrives, it will feel like it’s coming to you from a different source entirely.
It’s important to do this alone and with no interruptions.
When you find your own unique answer to the question of why you’re here, you will feel it resonate with you deeply. The words will seem to have a special energy to you, and you will feel that energy whenever you read them.
Discovering your purpose is the easy part. The hard part is keeping it with you on a daily basis and working on yourself to the point where you become that purpose.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
A Gadget Blog Blog
Tease-A-Louise!
I heard this song played on a podcast a few weeks ago, then I stumbled across the video on YouTube.
"Hairdresser" by Lucille Cataldo.
Apparently this is from 1982, from a NYC cable access show called "Stairway to Stardom", which seems to be "Community Auditions" minus Dave Maynard.
Anyways, the song is so bad, and the singer is so strange... needless to say I've had it buzzing around in my head all week.
Dig the 80's pleather outfit with the zippers everywhere... and the incredible high-tech stage!
"Hairdresser" by Lucille Cataldo.
Apparently this is from 1982, from a NYC cable access show called "Stairway to Stardom", which seems to be "Community Auditions" minus Dave Maynard.
Anyways, the song is so bad, and the singer is so strange... needless to say I've had it buzzing around in my head all week.
Dig the 80's pleather outfit with the zippers everywhere... and the incredible high-tech stage!
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Pictures from Thanksgiving Eve
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Urban Blight
What is happening with CVS and Walgreens?
It seems like there's a new CVS or Walgreens going up on every street corner.
They're multiplying worse than Dunkin Donuts outlets.... and they're monsters. These stores are huge, cookie-cutter ugly boxes, with giant parking lots and sodium lights that light up the skies for miles around... as if the cities don't have enough light pollution.
And in many cases, these chains are closing existing stores in plazas in favor of new freestanding stores only a block or so away, leaving empty storefronts in their wake. And of course, whatever small independent drug stroes that have survived up to now - and there aren't many of them - get plowed under in the relentless march to litter the landscape with these ridiculous behemoths.
Unlike the Walmart uproar, I haven't heard much outcry over Walgreens and CVS essentially having the same bad impact on the community.
But it seems to me their arms race has ramped up over the past few months, so maybe people will start noticing.
It seems like there's a new CVS or Walgreens going up on every street corner.
They're multiplying worse than Dunkin Donuts outlets.... and they're monsters. These stores are huge, cookie-cutter ugly boxes, with giant parking lots and sodium lights that light up the skies for miles around... as if the cities don't have enough light pollution.
And in many cases, these chains are closing existing stores in plazas in favor of new freestanding stores only a block or so away, leaving empty storefronts in their wake. And of course, whatever small independent drug stroes that have survived up to now - and there aren't many of them - get plowed under in the relentless march to litter the landscape with these ridiculous behemoths.
Unlike the Walmart uproar, I haven't heard much outcry over Walgreens and CVS essentially having the same bad impact on the community.
But it seems to me their arms race has ramped up over the past few months, so maybe people will start noticing.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Podcast Possibilities
So I'm slowly putting together a slightly more sophisticated podcasting rig than what I've been working with up to this point.
As of now, I'm simply using the iMac G4, Audacity Freeware and a Blue USB Snowball microphone. That's it. It works okay, but it's a little primative.
So I've been picking up, here and there, the pieces that will allow me to step the podcasts up to the next level. No more fooling around with friends and simply putting the resulting twenty minute recording up on the feed. This is a burgeoning mode of communication, and it may change the entire media paradigm... so I think the product has to be of a better quality as well.
So here's the plan: I've scavenged a few spare pieces so far... I have a primo Tapco Blend6 mixer with phantom power, some XLR cable, a CD player and a professional heavyweight mic stand. I also have a second Mac, and old clamshell ibook. I need a good condenser microphone or two, shockmounts, and an M-Audio Fast Track USB converter. Once I get those final three elements in place, I plan on launching a 20 minute show that will be a mix of music and talk. I hope to record two or three editions each week. I'll play one tune a few minutes in, some more talk, and then another tune just before wrapping up. I bought a large table for $20 at the clearinghouse at Tatnuck Bookseller, and I plan to set that up in the cellar and do the podcasts from there, late at night before I turn in for the night. I think it would be pretty cool, sitting down there with a single board light illuminating the room, as the snow swirls outside, putting out a signal to the rest of the world. (Well, a digital stream, but you get the idea).
This picture is essentially the mood I'm looking to convey. Dark, mellow, quiet.
The only thing really delaying me is that I refuse to buy the things I need at retail prices. I am convinced you can get almost anything for next to nothing these days, with eBay and CraigsList.
I hope to launch in January.
As of now, I'm simply using the iMac G4, Audacity Freeware and a Blue USB Snowball microphone. That's it. It works okay, but it's a little primative.
So I've been picking up, here and there, the pieces that will allow me to step the podcasts up to the next level. No more fooling around with friends and simply putting the resulting twenty minute recording up on the feed. This is a burgeoning mode of communication, and it may change the entire media paradigm... so I think the product has to be of a better quality as well.
So here's the plan: I've scavenged a few spare pieces so far... I have a primo Tapco Blend6 mixer with phantom power, some XLR cable, a CD player and a professional heavyweight mic stand. I also have a second Mac, and old clamshell ibook. I need a good condenser microphone or two, shockmounts, and an M-Audio Fast Track USB converter. Once I get those final three elements in place, I plan on launching a 20 minute show that will be a mix of music and talk. I hope to record two or three editions each week. I'll play one tune a few minutes in, some more talk, and then another tune just before wrapping up. I bought a large table for $20 at the clearinghouse at Tatnuck Bookseller, and I plan to set that up in the cellar and do the podcasts from there, late at night before I turn in for the night. I think it would be pretty cool, sitting down there with a single board light illuminating the room, as the snow swirls outside, putting out a signal to the rest of the world. (Well, a digital stream, but you get the idea).
This picture is essentially the mood I'm looking to convey. Dark, mellow, quiet.
The only thing really delaying me is that I refuse to buy the things I need at retail prices. I am convinced you can get almost anything for next to nothing these days, with eBay and CraigsList.
I hope to launch in January.
