The Exploration Afforded by Learning

This is most definitely going to be an opinion piece, but I just have to articulate how much joy I get out of real understanding. Or even not understanding and learning in the process that I have to open up another way of looking at things. It is a real joy, and in a strange way I like it when it is most difficult.

It is not the challenge that drives me, it is knowing at the end of the day I will be a little different and I won't be able to say what that difference is until I get there. There is also a distinct feeling of building something. Not in the physical sense but in the sense of growth. The potential however for creating something real down the road based on the knowledge I have gained is most certainly there however. The barn door has just got a little more open 😀.

When I was younger the prevailing perception of getting older was that you slow down. Imagine my surprise then in the present day when I have discovered that things get faster and although sometimes I can't keep up I enjoyed the chase. Like "Wile E. Coyote" chasing after the Road Runner.

Obviously due to my current age, 65, I learned the skill of manually gaining knowledge a very long time ago. So it is more than challenging for me to understand the thinking and perceptions inherent in a "new model year brain". Do people today process reality in the same way and do they clean as much information as I think I do. Consider this there are adults out in the world right now who may have had not only the Internet available to them for their entire lives but to technology that goes along with it. So for example let's say they have always used a search engine for their research. Imagine if that wasn't available. The challenge of not only finding physical material but knowing where to look and how to piece things together, these activities might be completely new to them. I am intrigued as to how the problem would be approached by different people.

 

One of my memories when I was 12 or 13 was receiving for Christmas the hardcover version of "The Radio Amateur's HANDBOOK' which I absolutely adored and wore it out by the time I was 15.yes, I was an absolute nerd, quite content to spend hours with the book or work on a project. Guess what, I still am. Recently I found an original 1970s addition of the exact book online and in so attempted to spend $100 Canadian just for the sake of memorabilia. I fondly remember going through Ohm's law with my father while we discussed the latest chapter. I don't know whether I will get the book or not, but finding the exact copy online and available in good condition, sure makes it tempting.[Note: There were two completely different books published under the exact same name. The one I refer to is the one from the publisher Crowell, New York ]

The Radio Amateur's Handbook
by:A. Frederick Collins,
Robert Edward Hertzberg

WorldCat.org listing:
The radio amateur's handbook

Authors: A. Frederick Collins, Robert Edward Hertzberg
Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0690667736  

ISBN 13: 9780690667738

Year: 1970
Edition:12th rev. ed.
Publisher: Crowell, New York
Physical Description: vi, 374 pages illustrations 22 cm

Here's an idea: resolve for one day, or longer if you like, to find solutions to anything that comes up in your life without using the Internet. Even though the idea is simple do most people now days have the skill set to so the problem, by lack of a better phrase by doing it "the old-fashioned way of physical research"? This could be a lot of fun if taken in small steps. You could pose a question to a friend and go on an adventure to find the resolution. If you're going to play the game I would suggest keeping it simple at first, but not so simple in that it is boring. The question must be enticing enough to make you and your friend want to find the answer. Then you could pick another topic to solve. It could be a lot of fun and I would really be interested in knowing if it made any changes in your life or outlook.

The idea could be expanded upon for example: How would people in the 1960s find the answer. You could then set limits to use only the tools and technology that were available then. This could actually be very exciting. Debating teams used to be very popular in high schools and colleges. While this thought is not exactly on topic the idea of explaining your point of view is again an adventure in learning. Sometimes will explaining something you inadvertently learned something about yourself. Debating teams by the way are when a group of people ticket topic and have to group takes one point of view and the other usually takes the opposite. Then they begin to develop their rationales as to why their point of view is the better one. They debate this until one of the teams wins. Of course frequently when you do this you find out things you never considered. Which is one of the great payoffs to really learning something. It is usually not the end goal where most of the learning and experience a curse it is the trip toward the end goal that provides the benefits. Sometimes you might even completely change your mind on an idea.

Now days ideas tend to be polarized. Take a look at any set of videos on YouTube, pretty much on any issue. There won't be discussion between the various groups, there will be sensationalism and polarization of the topic. This is not a good way to learn about knowledge because it mixes far too much extreme emotion into the issues. To really consider the pros and cons of anything you must at least be willing to keep your emotions from overwhelming the issue and becoming more important than anything else. Many times I have set on this blog "Don't take anything personally." I would like to add to that statement "Frst consider what the issue is based on the information you have available to you" and then don't take anything personally." In this way you learn to think before you feel and that gives you the ability to make choices when the emotions do come into play.

 If you would like to download the original untouched full-size photo, just click on the following image. 

Original full-size photo of a close-up Hydrangea macrophylla bloom with shades of violet and white. Three flowers from a Crocosmia are poking right out of the Hydrangea macrophylla. The protruding Crocosmia flowers are a brilliant orange. Set against a background of naturally occurring large green leaves. This photo is completely untouched and natural. I ran across these flowers by accident. Clicking on this image will download the full resolution photograph. It is the same image as the one at the top of the article minus that headline embedded in the graphic.

 

IMG_2189.jpg

Date	2012-07-25 6:11:50 pm
Model	Canon PowerShot SX120 IS
Width	3648
Height	2736
ISO Rating	100
Shutter Speed	1/50 sec
Aperture	f/4.3
Focal Length	60 mm
Exposure Bias	0 EV
Metering Mode	Multi-Segment

Consider the tremendous benefit over once lifetime understanding how to acquire knowledge (learning) as well as apply it in new and interesting ways. The development of that skill has brought us creative people throughout the centuries. People who think, and feel, and then apply what they understand to the world and society. What a gift! The human race can simply not forget how to learn new things through effort and challenge. Not only does the person grow in spirit and ability ultimately the greater society benefits. The very technology we use every day is a clear demonstration of this. Information is now simpler to access than ever before, but in order for it to be fully used we must develop the skills only achieved by true understanding and learning.

So make a commitment to regularly put down the easy way of doing things and revisit some of the learning traditions that have helped humanity evolve.
 

This has been a very short but hopefully inspiring and thoughtful article.
Take care and as always leave comments.

Patrick

 

The Active Versus Passive Mind.

AI generated re-creation of
The Thinker sculpture by Auguste Rodin sculpture.
Software used: Vision FX 2.0 by Distinct AI

 Active vs. the passive mindset-- Would you rather ride the train or just watch it pass you by?

Once again my daily life has provided me with the idea for this article. I simply cannot believe how often I'm inspired to write by just the simplest in small events.

Today is a holiday Monday here in British Columbia Canada and when I went downstairs for lunch someone asked me what I did today. I rattled off the following: "Helped an elderly person with their computer issue. Did another section of my online course in computer science. Researched a few technical problems on my blog...." They looked at me for a moment and said "Yes, but what do you like to do for fun?" To which I replied "It's the same thing as what I just said." Then they said "Okay, what don't you like to do?" My reply was (and is) "Waste time." They looked mildly astonished and that was the end of the conversation.

Now please don't get me wrong, I do occasionally like to have a day off where I just relax, but it is not my regular state of being. My curiosity and desire to add something to my life each day are driving forces. I simply cannot abide just sitting there watching the train go by. At the very least I'm going to ride that train. For me life is far too short and far too precious. I do not believe in an afterlife, but even if I did, I would not want to waste each day. The very fact that I can interact with the world and be aware of that interaction is something that I find amazing. It is obvious as well that to be alive and sentiment might be quite a rare combination. I course as I get older I become aware even more it each day is short. So bottom line, I am not going to waste it by being passive and just watch life go by.

However, it seems that there are a lot of people, at least in my surroundings, that to want to just let the train of life go by rather then ride it. Now don't get me wrong, I do occasionally like to have a day off and just relax. But it is not my default state. Hearing from people that they would rather just chill out and continually not really participate in the life just price me a little crazy. Because I want to do the exact opposite.

Right now, I want to  understand this passive point of view. As you can probably tell admit quite a number of people like this. Many of them very bright and young in their 30s if not late 20s. As I write this article I am pondering ways to understand their behaviour. They must be getting something out of it. Could it be their life is so empty that they just are used to going through the routine? I don't think so. Several years ago, when I was waiting to move in to my current assisted living building I spent some time on a respite ward while I was waiting. The room was small but I did have my laptop with me and the staff were very enthusiastic that I was there. I didn't spend my time watching TV, rather when I heard from the staff that the floor's Wi-Fi was intermittent, I got on the phone to the local provider and because of my background in IT was able to work with them to clearly articulate the problem. Ultimately they sent out a technician and the issue was found and fixed. This is what I like to do, --fix things-- it just makes sense to me. I had previously assumed that this was the way life worked. That even if people more outwardly motivated, there was indeed something driving them inside. I still think this is true. Human race simply wouldn't have evolved if we were content to sit on a rock.

So is this mental passivity, of just letting the train go by, a symptom of something I touched on in an earlier article (To benefit from Challenge, Is the Meaning of Life) , aversion to challenge, and could it be that people are losing their ability to undertake challenging tasks or projects. Could then the default reaction be "Since I'm uncomfortable with challenge and the time it takes, I will just sit on the sidelines and watch things go by."  Boy, oh boy, I hope that's not the ultimate answer to this question. Still, the answer just doesn't seem right. Life itself is not passive. It does not just sit there. It finds ways to multiply and at the very least exist. Given a long time life usually ends up thriving in the most unlikely of places and environments. The hot acidic underwater vents come to mind.

I have no one people who outwardly appear to be mentally passive and content to watch the train go by but many of them are just deep deep thinkers. They consider an issue and relish solitude in order to devote themselves entirely to the matter at hand. They can be quirky and eccentric but I'm telling you their minds are active. The very antithesis of this situation I'm describing.

Over the past few months I have tried to motivate some people here and the seemed to gravitate back to their original state which is in my book wasting life. I remember my parents saying "What do you want to do when you grow up?" I always had an answer and it might be electronics or playing a musical instrument. At one point I nearly next my father to death about building a steam engine out of coffee cans and plastic tubing. (I was probably around six years old then. At the time it seemed completely logical to me.)

Okay, we have definitely defined that I'm different among my group in this building... But I sure would like to motivate some of the other people here. It seems like it's such a waste to be alive and not take advantage of it. Yes we are all disabled, and some of us have some pretty severe conditions. For the severest of which I understand where they want to keep your life simple. It is not those people I am pondering about, it is the people that are sufficiently adapted to their situation that they do have a choice on how they proceed through life.

The benefits of an active mindset are many. For one thing you enjoy life the very state of being. You see potential and change all about. It is impossible to have an active mind and not be curious. The active mindset also has the ability to carry you through rough times. If you are stuck and can't do anything about your situation you automatically look for other avenues that you can effect. Someone came up to me yesterday and asked where they would purchase a "wheelchair wraparound desk" the Canadian paraplegic popped into my head. They would probably know where to get one. There are enough people in the workforce that I'm sure even the local Staples office furniture store might have some in stock. Again what blew me away about the request was that the person had absolutely no idea where to start and they have been in their wheelchair for life.

… I think I just figured this out. I think, and please do tell me if you think I'm wrong, it's the one the difference between myself and people with passive mindsets is that "challenge" as being part of my lifestyle as far back as I can remember. My father had polio and was one of the first, if not the first practising disabled anaesthesiologists in Canada. Since I was born in 1959 this is quite some time ago. Can you imagine the challenges he faced. There were no accessibility laws or standards and if you've ever been down a old sidewalk you will note that not only are there no cutaways the sidewalk is very high. My father could walk with braces but that would mean he would really have to swing himself to get up and down on sidewalks. Talk about challenge. I think that is it. So how do we bring useful challenge into the modern lifestyle. How do we make things a wee bit difficult but keep them meaningful.? Definitely let me know what you think.

Take care for now. Patrick

My Magic Potion for Success

 

**Used under provisions:
"Fair Dealing" Canada and
"Fair Use" United States.

 

It has taken a long time for me to realize that I have a "magic potion for success". What follows is a list of ingredients:

⭐Act on the idea in some way immediately. This can be jotting down the concept or making a quick recording, but to make a permanent record of your inspiration. In enough detail so that you can fully remember the train of thought leader. This does not mean you have to write the entire book now but so many great ideas get lost in our busy world.

⭐Recognize that this will take time to fully evolve and make plans for ways to get back on track should life throw you a curve ball. The best ideas can take a long time to fully flush out. So be realistic and be prepared to reevaluate things as you go along. Very often an idea can evolve to include many more aspects. If necessary rather than trying to create an all-encompassing project, limit it to an achievable outcome. It may be the first of many versions and that's fine.

⭐Sometimes along the way of your journey you find that the idea has completely changed. Again, there's nothing wrong with that. Take a look at your expectations and if the new version fits within those boundaries, continue the project.

⭐If it is a long undertaking deliberately insert appropriate breaks. Even with the best big ideas it is healthy to step away for a while. Nothing hampers creativity like burnout. Burnout can best be avoided by diversifying the activities you undertake. It doesn't matter how much you like your project, if it becomes all-consuming for too long the quality will suffer and probably so will you. Everybody has an activity they become very enthusiastic about and spend many hours at it but please watch out for burnout and take appropriate action. Usually your friends or loved ones will start sending you signals ahead of time that you need to come out for a breath of fresh air. So keep your options open.

⭐⭐Bonus point: Expect to change. All major events change you. One of the things people forget when we are planning for success is that, they will fundamentally be different if they succeed. Perhaps and only a small way but you will have changed. So plan for it. It's analogous to going from childhood, to adolescence and then finally to adulthood. At each step of the way you were different. Success in your endeavour will change you.

There you have it. My short recipe for success in almost any undertaking. Like all good ideas it need not be long or complex to express.

As usual leave comments and take care.
Patrick

NOTE:
**Source of image at the top of this article. This image has been very stylized by myself using Corel Paint Shop Pro. I was browsing through Google image search when this photo from an eBay auction appeared. I remembered almost the exact model sitting in my grandmother's kitchen. When the idea for this short article occurred to me this seemed like a perfect image. No copyright or rights infringement is intended.

Is difficulty what keeps you going?

Image generated by Ideogram AI.

 This is going to be a very short post because it is essentially just a question which hints at an answer.

Literally, if you can appreciate it, is difficulty in itself the thing that keeps people going and engaged with the life?

It seems that whenever people make their lives easier or more convenient there is ultimately a long term loss either physically, mentally, or emotionally. On the other hand whenever healthy challenge is present the human being tends to stay engaged and be more resilient. To give you an example:

Before voice dictation existed I would happily spend days at the typewriter. However I made a decision at some point that in order to increase my output voice dictation would be a good idea so when it finally matured sufficiently to be useful I switched. Now I find myself being very uncomfortable whenever I have to physically write something even if it is typing. It feels like a rusty skill. The same goes with basic mathematics, we all use calculators of one sort or another now. As I look at the modern world I begin to wonder if in making things to easy we have lost much more than is apparent. I have also discovered that climbing back up the proverbial mountain is much harder once you let go of the skill.

I challenge you to spend the day doing math manually, or pick a skill of your choosing. I would really like to hear your thoughts on this. I don't know if I'll do a video for this because I think at this point the text says it all.

Feel free to write some comments on this one. I have a feeling we are about to find out that it is indeed worth keeping some difficulty in your life.

Patrick

** NOTE: The pictures "Image generated by Ideogram AI" displayed at the top of this article is from the service Ideogram AI.  As a layperson, I have read their relevant "terms of service" and determined, to the best of my ability, that the image may be viewed by the public.  However before any reuse, please review fully their terms and if necessary contact the company for more information.

The use of said image does not imply any affiliation or endorsement.

 

Content, Content, And More New Content...

Image generated by Ideogram AI.

It is clear from the reviewing the blog statistics that the way to keep the numbers of visitors coming back is in a phrase: "Content, Content, And More New Content." However if I rush out short articles Google and the other search engines frown and send the blog down to the basement of the search listings, which is not a good thing.

Nevertheless, during 2023 I did attempt to put out an article every few days and while there were a few good ones, for example "Nurturing the Creative Soul" there were also some that made me want to cringe. But I made a commitment when I started the blog way back when never to delete an article, I may tweak it a bit if I find it glaring error but the article as a whole will stand as long as this site keeps running. The whole year taught me a lesson that it is better to aim for meaningful content rather than just cranking it out. 

So how to pull this off is the question. In a way that I can sustain. The video production takes the longest to create even though I very much enjoy doing it. Then of course there's all the other related stuff:

• Creating the artwork for the YouTube and Pinterest thumbnails.
• Checking all the copyright information and making sure that it is included clearly in the video. I also want to make sure that in doing so you the viewer/reader can discover perhaps new resources in the process.
• There is always a surprise somewhere in the production. I keep trying to get it down to a formula but things are always in flux.

And that's just what comes to mind at this very moment. My intent has never been to make money, although I would never say no to that. 😀. So rest assured I'm just going to keep on going.

There was a recent request to make a comparison between Linux and Windows video. However I am not going to reproduce the same "Geeky" production which is overly detailed. I'm thinking about a split screen approach where you accomplish a task. It could be as simple as watching a YouTube video Or using some graphics program to edit a photo. We shall see what I come up with.

There will be an update on the blog sometime Monday, September 2 when I have the next segment to the "Perception Throughout The Ages" series which deals with in a broad sense how a person's perceptions alter how they work with the world. Briefly I am working with someone who has a very different way of looking at reality and I am having to teach them the very fundamentals of using a computer. There is more information in the current article,.

I am heading out to see them on Saturday, August 31. Currently I'm trying to develop some sort of very informal lesson plan. The idea of small posters with key points on them of how to do very fundamental things had occurred to me but after seeing their room in the facility it became apparent that it is far too small to clutter up with things even on the wall. Well, I'm just going to have to be adaptable and make this work.

So this is my way of saying stay tuned and please bear with me as I discover and uncover all sorts of things as I go through each day 👍.

Take care Patrick

** NOTE: The picture "Image generated by Ideogram AI" displayed at the top of this article is from the service Ideogram AI.  As a layperson, I have read their relevant "terms of service" and determined, to the best of my ability, that the image may be viewed by the public.  However before any reuse, please review fully their terms and if necessary contact the company for more information.

The use of said image does not imply any affiliation or endorsement.

 

Too Used to Feeling Comfortable

 

The debating team

Have you noticed in the last 10 years or so that people are becoming very uncomfortable with being "Uncomfortable"? I mean people seem to want no controversy in their life at all. While this sounds good from a philosophical point of view, I believe it has a very negative impact in the long run.

It is through conflicts and uncomfortable situations that we often have a chance to learn about ourselves. People get to ask those questions "Why do I feel this way?" That simple short question can lead to a lot of self-discovery. When you deal with the feeling or uncomfortable situation you get to confront and no the deeper aspects of the self.

It is human nature to want to feel comfortable and safe. But taken to extremes we are robbing ourselves of the opportunities to grow and mature. When I was very young I remember hearing my parents talk about debating teams. (The "debating teams" link will take you to https://debatingmatters.com/ a website where you can find all the information you need about setting up your own team. This was just some quick research I have not fully reviewed the destination site but it looks very informative.) These would be groups of people that would get together and they would deliberately take opposing views on any issue. Then they would spend the night trying to win the debate. Sometimes it would get quite heated. But always in the spirit of exploration and understanding. Regardless of who won the debate.

People and indeed society seemed to therefore be going backward. Rather than embracing challenge and being uncomfortable when necessary we seem to be demanding that we are never made to feel awkward or to go outside of what is considered politically correct. This is a great disservice to our mental health and growth in the long run because we are not preparing ourselves for change, the natural evolution of things.

This is going to be a very short post simply because the point of this text is so straightforward and clear. Challenge is needed in everyone's life, and let's face it, no one can really escape feeling uncomfortable all the time. What bothers me is that we have made being comfortable and politically correct and end goal he knew of deeper consideration and thoughtfulness.

Let me know what you think
Patrick

FYI: In the title of this post I use the verb " Used to". I've always wondered about the use and spelling of this phrase. Well, if you too, have been confused here is the answer about how and when it should be applied

** NOTE: Some of pictures in this article were generated by Ideogram AI.  As a layperson, I have read their relevant "terms of service" and determined, to the best of my ability, that the image may be viewed by the public.  However before any reuse, please review fully their terms and if necessary contact the company for more information.

The use of said image does not imply any affiliation or endorsement.

The Basics: Windows 10 (Ongoing videos)

Animation incorporates artwork (the monitor) by
Михајло Анђелковић under the Creative Commons
license CC BY-SA 3.0 .

This is an interesting situation.. There is a client who contacted the place where I volunteer for some computer assistance. In the course of the following conversations it became evident that they really don't have a concept of how to use a modern computer. Throw out the last couple of weeks I've meant to create a series of short videos giving the client the basics. But I do have a bit of a problem. It is literally hard for me to think I had such a fundamental level. I've worked with the computers pretty much my entire life and technology in general. So how do I make a video or set of videos that are both sufficiently fundamental and yet they have to be engaging and not too long. I would like each segment to be no more than 20 minutes.

Part 1

THE DESKTOP

To give you some idea of how fundamental we are talking about. When I first began working with them they mentioned that their screen was "blurry" whenever they started the computer but that it soon it cleared up after the machine had been running for a while. They did indicate however that this happened every single time they turn the machine on.

I immediately began to think about the monitor, perhaps it was a true type font issue dealing with the way Windows tries to improve the readability on screen… Maybe the monitor was dying… Or may be something else was not loading properly… My brain cranked through all the possibilities I could think of. .... A driver issue maybe.... I couldn't think of any particular setting. They had said that this only happened recently....Hmmm... I got out of the old virtual machine and attempted to replicate the situation. At first no matter what I did I couldn't get anything remotely "blurry". The login screen on my virtual machine looked perfect. And then a Windows update was applied and I saw it. A new "feature" had been magically added to the logon screen. Here is a screenshot of my virtual machine before installation and after once Microsoft had applied the latest and greatest update. I suppose it's supposed to enhance security somewhat, (but I have a feeling is just somebody in the back room of Microsoft having fun).This logon screen effect might've been included in an earlier update as well.

 Feature update 22H2

Before

 

 

After

There are apparently various ways to turn this off which I haven't investigated thoroughly yet. Here, the point is to illustrate the different ways people perceive and understand things and the challenges that can produce. In this case this is one of many indications that the client perceives the computer very differently than I do. As you can imagine this leads into a whole host of confusion and frustration for them. This is more than a case of education this is a situation where the perceptions are very different across time. The challenge is to give them a good grounding in the fundamentals and not for them to death. Also how to convey that information. I haven't decided yet how I'm going to put the lessons together but I will post them on this site as they are produced. The desktop I already know is a complete mystery to them. I have to find a way to convey the idea of "a desktop". While the concept and parallel between a physical desktop and a computer desktop is easy enough for me to understand I think maybe the term desktop should be avoided at first.

This is going to be interesting.....

• Apologies, a cold interrupted my work schedule and thereby the blog. I am getting things back on track and will be filling in this article as well as working on another one.

The amount of detail that is required with even something as straightforward as Microsoft Windows 10 is quite astonishing. For one thing the reason it appears as straightforward is that we have had a long time to get used to the paradigm but someone coming at it cold is in for quite a shock. For example the term "Taskbar" is utterly meaningless and when you think about it it is never been well defined. To top it all off the way it is used has changed quite a bit over the years especially lately with the introduction of Windows 11.

Stay tuned. I'm back in the lab cooking things up :-)

 

Well, the first iteration, of the first video in this series is completed "Basic Windows 10 Part 1: THE DESKTOP". It covers the most fundamental aspects of using a computer starting with the mouse. I had intended to go quite that basic, but after discussions with people it became clear that even this needed to be covered.

There is so much material in this first video it is an hour and 1/2 long and took over two weeks to put together. This is a learning curve for me as well in regards to YouTube and I will be adding chapter markers and ultimately captioning. A written companion also be added.

The focus in part one is just the desktop and its major components. For the most part do not delve into the Internet, yet😀

Patrick

 

Are You an Opportunity Hunter?

 

Opportunities always exist, but you need a few items in your mental toolkit to obtain them:

 (PS: After thinking about it I decided to make a video because this individual reaction to their situation does really get conveyed in written text.)

• You must be open to new experiences. This point is the most important and if you look through this site there are many articles that speak about this. This is all about welcoming change.
  
  
• You have to be proactive and engage in the hunt. Opportunities usually don't come to you, at least not often. Some clues that an opportunity may be lurking about are:

• If you're really lucky someone has just told you about a new event, program or some other activity that may make you feel a little uncertain as to whether you can accomplish what is being offered. Newsflash-This Is How Growth Occurs!
  
  
• You become aware of a project or some other activity which is going to require you to increase your knowledge level about something. You may have to take a course or do study. This is a really good indicator that what yours are seeking, that "opportunity". is nearby.

Once again life shows us a practical example:

This morning I was having breakfast with someone who because of a workplace injury was permanently in a wheelchair. Their condition is unique enough that during the initial convalescence the doctors asked them, "Would you mind participating in a study?" And this person's reply was absolutely inspiring, when they replied "Sign me up for everything!"

Now think about this for a moment. This person's life just drastically changed and yet they have the motivation and insight to take on something new and indicate that you want to do it on an ongoing basis even though they don't know what the other adventures will be. Talk about a great mindset.

Yes I am sure they went through a period of morning and adjustment, but they already knew intuitively or perhaps consciously that the true way to keep going is to keep working at it. To reach out. Most importantly to adopt and change as necessary as their life progresses. This person isn't someone who would stick out of a crowd but they have a great big dose of common sense. They are also quite curious. Willing to do whatever it takes for as long as they can.

These are the skills of an Opportunity Hunter.

 

Have a great day everyone!
Patrick 

"This is what I learned, and This is what I know. I am staying put."

 I was working with someone today who was still using Windows XP even though they had a much newer Windows 10 machine available. Of course the old computer had no end of problems and they were still using it to surf the Internet... More accurately tried to surf the Internet. Yet they were absolutely clear, that they were not going to move away from the older machine. They said "This is what I learned, and this is what I know. I am staying put." Now I've been around computers and technology long enough to know that when someone is that fixated on something it is a waste of time to try to resist. Yet it is a struggle to get these old machines even remotely to a safe state. In the coming days we are going to backup the contents of the old machine to the new one. Because we are talking about the original hard drive and I find that a frightening thought.

[Side note: the more I've been thinking about this, the more I think it needs a short video to really explain things and to give those a chance of never seeing Windows XP more reference. So here it is. Posted on February 26, 2023.]

This all brings up an interesting point though and it is something I believe we all do it some point. That is that there is something in our lives, some aspect or some issue that we just lock on to and refuse often aggressively to buge. What is going on here when this happens. Why is this thing or item so important? From my perspective nothing last forever so why carry with you a great deal of baggage, it just doesn't make sense to me. Yet it is obvious that we get something out of holding on. But now that I think about it I think the item or event may be more symbolic of something else although I admit I don't know what it would be. Maybe it is not so much the "something else", may be what is important is the why we are holding on. The event or item therefore becomes a symbolic indicator of something going on in their emotional or mind system.

My goodness human spirit is a complex beast and when it decides to go into stubborn mode it probably has a very good reason from its point of view. That is if it's aware of its own point of view. I frequently find that what we think is the motivating event or reason ultimately turns out to be rather far removed from the real bedrock issue. For the person I worked with the computer is symbolic actually I think it's the phrase "Windows XP because they used it a great deal in their conversation.

So what do you think? What are some of the things and the wise people hold onto things? I can hardly wait for the weekend where I can explore these issues more. As a side note and encouraged me to set up a virtual machine (that's emulating an entire computer in software) and install Windows XP on it. What a trip down memory lane that was. As a matter of fact that will be the graphic for this post.

Take care and I will talk with you more tomorrow or more accurately write more tomorrow.
Patrick

They literally keep themselves locked in

How is it possible some people can appear miserable, and yet when they are provided with avenues to improve their state whatever that may be they decline? As a matter of fact some of them worked very hard at maintaining their status quo. They literally keep themselves locked in.

Usually these are quite bright people and I think there is the problem. That same marvellous mind they have also can provide an infinite range of rebuttals and rationalizations. If they worked a fraction as hard as that and getting out of their current situation they would be way ahead of the rest of us. I'm thinking of young person who is in their 20s and although they have physical limitations due to a disability they have one great mind. But every time someone comes up with an idea they shoot it down and usually do so well. Managing in the process to disenfranchise the friend who suggested the idea in the first place. You would think evolution would have removed by now this odd programming bug in the human psyche. I find myself wondering what's going to happen to this person as they start to age. They are currently not well-equipped for that aspect of life.

Growing older means in some ways you are given the opportunity to get even "tougher" because the autopilot that we had earlier so counted on has just submitted their resignation notice. For me that was when I was 45. I remember the night clearly. I had just prepared for going to bed and since I changed my clothes sitting on the floor I would then raise myself up to my hands and knees and then kind of crawl onto the bed. This was so automatic I never even thought about it. Well, on this particular night I did. I became acutely aware of how much energy this ritual took and it was quite the eye opener. It was although mother nature and the cosmos were saying, "Your warranty. It is now officially finished and all automatic features have now been turned off. Get used to being in manual mode." Fortunately I already had an optimistic outlook and was rather used to adversity. As long as I survived whatever adversity came my way I actually enjoyed it for the most part :-).

The person I was speaking of earlier however is in no such frame of mind. So the question is, what if anything should be done with them? Or should I just let them hit the brick wall, and they are going too. Then after the dust settles maybe they'll be more receptive.

I really am not sure about this one. But I just thought I'd posted here. Somehow seeing words in print seems to make my thought process a little more tangible and of course if you have an idea. Please let me know.

Take care Patrick

The Truly Creative Thought Process.

 Creativity is "Sparks of Light!"

I have noticed that people who are considered by their friends and acquaintances as creative all share a number of attributes. But one of these characteristics seems to be almost essential to the entire creative process. That is:

They all to a larger degree like a challenge. Some may be rather specific about it in that it has to relate to whatever their particularly creative with. But overall they enjoy working through a process of understanding and discovery. Some people I have found once they start digging into something have a hard time stopping. Indeed, and I include myself in that group, given the choice of working out a problem or creating something and having dinner, well let's just say dinner will have to wait.

Last night was no exception to this rule. I found it personally annoying while I was fixing a little bit of code that I had to stop because they were serving dinner at my assistant living residence. "How dare they interrupt my train of thought." was the thought immediately made its presence known in my head.-That not so little voice. The really amazing part was that I truly meant it. There are few things more joyous than when one can feel a problem being understood and in the process of resolving.

However, once a problem is resolved, or the answer is discovered, I always feel a little let down. Because the fun is gone. I guess I don't look for the destination in life. It is the trip, the space between the end points, that counts.

I truly now understand my father who love to do his own little research on Sunday. The commandment he would issue was: "Don't disturb the old man while my books are on the dining room table and open. Lest ye, face of fate worse than death. [English translation: Our allowance for the week was on the line.]

There is  also that truly wonderful feeling of being completely immersed in an idea. It can be the emotional equivalent of romantic sex or sometimes even better, and that's saying a lot as to how important the creative process is. When the time and environment are correct, it can feel like it's almost the definition of the perfection of human life. That our job as thinking beings has been fulfilled.

But in order for this synergy to happen there must be the right environment:

• There must be uninterrupted space, physical, emotional and intellectual. Where you know you won't be distracted by someone coming through the door and you can focus your energies exclusively to the task at hand.
  
  
• That period of time has to be of sufficient length, for myself it must be over two hours minimum, so I can really let my hair down and get into the task at hand exclusively. During this time nothing else really matters.
  
  
• The task is often viewed as a mystery one is unraveling, there may be interruptions in the trail but there is also a sense of excitement because it is not too easy.
  
  
• Therefore in the creative process there must be challenge. Something that encourages you to bring in all your mental assets as well as the emotional ones. All departments in your brain must be turned on.

If everything is working correctly there is also a letting go of perceived restraints. A sense of true freedom. This process shares a lot of attributes I spoke about in another article on this blog recently "Nurturing the Creative Soul" which is about recognizing the creative people and friends around. And most importantly allowing these individuals to be themselves.

I Truly Love the Creative Process😁, Complete with its challenges and even the frustrations. It makes the end goal so much more fulfilling.

Have a great day and of course feel free to comment.

Patrick.

Finding psychological limiting boundaries and brainstorming

 When was the last time you did something truly outside of your boundaries of experience?

This doesn't have to be extreme, think about it for a moment though. Sometimes it's even hard to figure out initially where those boundaries are. Most people need a little push, something which takes them somewhere unexpected for a moment and then their minds start to explore.

However, with all the things going on in everyone's life now days, and from my perception it seems to be an ever-growing list, we often forget to slow down so we can contemplate things like brainstorming and boundaries. So that I think is the first step, to slow down, pause for a moment and pay attention to what ever comes to mind. Those quiet little thoughts are the gateways to opening up new avenues of ideas if you only listen.

As so often happens in my life now days I was talking with a friend this morning and then shortly later speaking with someone else and it occurred to me these for two people with tremendously different ways of interacting with their world and environment. Both of these people are very creative but wow in a different way. One is artistic, musical, and incredibly curious. While the other is incredibly curious but only when they can manipulate something to their advantage and they have a habit of going down a very dark path. They do become stuck in a "mood" on occasion and everyone else around them knows leave them be on those days. In other words one of these people uses their insights and creativity to expand their world and while the other tends to use the same talents to restrict their world. I suspect you couldn't talk either of them out of their own modes of operation either.

How this relates to brainstorming and finding psychological limits is as follows:

The first person brainstorms automatically all the time and they can come up with the most ridiculously wonderful ideas out of the blue. Now that I think about it I've never seen this person really stuck on an issue or problem. What they will do in such a situation is immediately asked someone else their opinion. The two of them will chat and sooner or later an avenue presents itself. That boundary has been expanded a little bit 😀.

The second person, our darker minded friend, if given the same insights would take them and restrict their world in some respect. They will attempt to validate their current psychological boundaries in the process rather than going outside of them. This is particularly true when it comes to politics for them. So maybe, just maybe, the initial steps in brainstorming and finding your psychological boundaries are simply a willingness to:

1. Break your own rules of expectation including what you might perceive as right and wrong. In other words don't judge anything. Give yourself permission to let any thought float in.
   
   
2. Consider your current state of mind. Are you waiting for something to happen passively or are you engaged in putting energy into the process.
   
   
3. Even with brainstorming which is usually just bringing in random thoughts to get a creative streak going you should have some reason and motivation. If you don't and that very situation becomes something to consider. It literally becomes the first brainstorming thought. If we are stuck on how to start ask yourself why. The answer you get back might just start a dialogue with yourself and that just might kick the whole thing off.

So today's goal if you want one is to see what brainstorming and boundary busting you can get up to. Once again you are changing the world. One thought at a time. As a practical example as I started this little article I wasn't sure how to really approach it. Well one thought led to another, which led to another, which led to another which ultimately led to momentum. Again it was going outside of boundaries and finding them.

I started with two very different friends as an example and then began to apply the same considerations to the greater surroundings. I broke my own boundary! This behaviour could become a little addictive, what a wonderful way to start the weekend.

Now that I think about it this reminds me of another article I wrote a while ago called "Challenge The Brick Wall" which is on this blog as well. It's fascinating how the mind and people work with the world… Isn't it!


Take care Patrick

Learning in Manageable Chunks

 As I was doing my science course this morning, because it is online I can break it into manageable chunks. Therefore when I feel I have absorbed is much as I can I can take a pause or stop for the day.

This, as I have found out, has some major advantages. One can focus on what they've already absorbed to more fully understand it before moving on. Or if there's a problem it can be identified before getting lost in greater details. (How I wish I know and this in high school when I was drawing electronic schematics when dealing with the directions current flows.) I have already identified a section of the course I will deliberately redo in relation to a binary search algorithm. If I had learned in the more traditional sense where you must progress through the lesson linearly, and usually at a certain rate, to keep up with everyone else, it would be necessary to move on regardless of whether the information was understood. Then it becomes a point of frustration later on when you can't connect the dots and understand the outcome. This is one benefit of self-paced online learning. So I wonder if it was applied to some degree it all aspects of lifelong learning, how many people would discover they are actually "bright", for lack of a better word? That is to say if the teaching method allowed a person to work on the specific parts of confusion until they were comfortable with it. Would they then not achieve more. Basically love to learn. The lesson being that they have their own way of learning and that insight on its own is tremendously beneficial to the person as a whole.

The above text sounds a little convoluted. If I have time in the next few days I may do a short video explaining this. For now however this is just food for thought. 

I truly do believe that the human mind is so good at learning that we do it automatically. Unfortunately this means that we can also "learn" that we are not good at learning and that bias then affects all our other exposure to learning throughout life. By the same token, it also means that you can start learning in many ways at any time.💗

Take care have a great day!
Patrick

Is creativity a mindset?

Photo by Milogrodskiy.
Wooden palette with paints and brushes 
At depositphotos.com

 For ages it seems, people of said "Some are born creative, while others are not. " But I think creativity is taught.. A person may be born with certain attributes that make them better at some things than others, or perhaps a better way to put it is, that they are more attuned to certain aspects of their environment. For example a musician is sensitive to sound and melody and if they are lucky enough to recognize it they encourage that aspect of their lives. However, I am sure at the very beginning of their existence the environment created around them encourage them to explore and how to relate things to one another.

All this exploring takes energy and effort. In order to consider the possibility of being creative one must first get used to challenge, to work at a goal and perhaps improve the goal. Therefore I'm a little concerned about the present day where everyone expects solutions very quickly. Indeed you can see this in documentation for new products. Very small and short statements telling you how to do something, rather than explaining why that particular way is best or going into side avenues.

Manuals for almost any product used to be rather large and with computers even included schematics. Now with many electronics you get nothing. Of course that doesn't stop curious people from digging around. Thank goodness for iFixit :-).

I find myself thinking "Maybe, if we are fortunate enough to have all this Freedom and automation, maybe you should make it a little more challenging". Because I think effort and challenge are at the core of many aspects of growth.

At this stage in my life I'm very glad to have had the challenges and opportunities afforded to me. Sometimes it's good to be different… No, let me rephrase that: "It Is Good to Be Different, If You Have Learned How to Grow from Challenge". That statement still is imperfect but I think you get what I mean.

If you consider yourself different, don't despair, and whatever you do don't try to be normal, I have a feeling normal doesn't really exist, and that is probably a good thing.

Patrick

The Grand Balancing Act

Photo by Colin Harris  ADE Under the
Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

 The assignments for my computer science course took much longer this morning that I planned. Now it's going to be a carefully orchestrated procedure to carry out everything I need to do today, which includes helping somebody set up their home for hands-free use of voice assistance. I talk more about that in my posting on January 7 here. I will be updating that article tomorrow at some point.

Today though I have a contract to get out for a website being moved over to my volunteer organization, continued training a new volunteer this morning as well, the above-mentioned, let's just call it "the hands-free project" for now.

Yes it's going to be an interesting day. Apologies for not posting a more in-depth article today.

Habits and entrenchment

 

Like everything else in life, habits can be a good thing, especially when simplifying one's life. Think of them as automated routines. But sometimes these routines can get stuck and they may have you feeling a little hopeless. We are not talking about anything chemical dependent, that scope of things has already filled libraries, just emotional or physical habits that it become entrenched and that perhaps you would like to change.

As always these are my own perceptions. I am not trained in any way in psychology or healthcare. I have a curious mind however and these are just some of the things that occur to me.

I think as a modern society we are a little too accustomed to finding the "path of least resistance" and therefore we have taken automation, and the biological equivalent, habits too far. Leaving us ill-prepared to deal with adversity. It is my opinion that everyone needs some adversity in their lives on an ongoing basis. To be clear this is the kind of adversity that while it poses a challenge is not totally overwhelming. Difficult yes, but within reasonable bounds. Something that stretches one's boundaries and enlarges their world. It may not be immediately apparent at the time the adversity occurs.Many times in my own personal experience, something that happened a few years ago in some cases has been a benefit when something else happens in the current day. Adversity therefore has the ability to build up or enlarge one's toolbox of answers. Because you can deal with more.

Habits on the other hand if not monitored can go the other way, by reducing the size of the toolbox over time. If you're habit is never to go out in the rain then you may be ill-prepared when you do have to go out in the rain to resolve an emergency. This is an over dramatization but you get the idea.

It is also important to know that whatever adversity you undertake or create deliberately as a challenge must have a resolution you can benefit from when possible. So keep things in perspective and do your best to challenge yourself a little every day. You will be less dependent on habits and there will be less likelihood of things getting entrenched because you will have discovered more about your self.

Take care Patrick

The Benefits of Thinking Negatively?…

 

I will be expanding on this post throughout the week, but for now I just wanted to get some preliminary thoughts out there before they got lost in the flurry of activity in the next few days. I will most probably finalize it next weekend or do a complete rewrite.

I am continually astounded by the environment in which I live. It happens to be a supported living building run by a nonprofit and most of the people here have acquired some physical disability during their life, as opposed to myself, who has always been disabled. As a matter of fact I had a disabled father who was a successful anaesthesiologist. This is to say that I understand that I most likely come at life from a completely different perspective than those around me. While they say "Why Bother…" I say "Why Not [try]." When it comes to facing challenges.

But clearly they must get something out of their negative perspective, because in the four years I've been here, my fellow tenants keep reinforcing it in both bold and subtle ways. From gloomy apartments to complaining about staff members who are loud and cheery. I am not kidding we have one or two people on staff who are marvellously energetic and they get complaints. So just what are the denizens of my building getting out of it, this negative outlook?

More later and throughout the week. Right now I have to prepare for my volunteering duties which I love. I LOVE to repair old computers and build webpages and in general problem solve  😄 .

• A very quick thought. I wonder if people "gaslight" themselves into limitations as a way of avoiding responsibility?
• And it's a benefit of thinking negatively simply another mechanism for avoiding responsibility in general, even though it can have very bad consequences for the person work community involved?
• Another perceived benefit of negative thinking is the ability to transfer all authority to some oppressor, thereby relieving the oppressed from all responsibility. "I can't do anything-They made the decision." Which if the person is not very careful can become a self reinforcing loop. Leading right into conspiracy theories etc.

It is important at this point to make it very clear, that I am in no way advocating a negative outlook. This entire post is on the other hand questioning why it appears that so many members of the public quietly adhere to the negative perceptions in their lives as opposed to embracing a more positive and proactive approach.

Another big piece of the puzzle is habits. Almost any action can become one. I wrote about it in an earlier post "The Power of Habits". A habitual negative reaction would be the cement that keeps this whole bizarre activity of thinking negatively together.

This I think pretty much closes out this particular entry on the blog. Of course if you have any feedback leave it in the comments. I have a goal this year for this site, to actually make it useful or at least entertaining for people. So feel free to jump in with whatever you have in mind.

Take care Patrick

Do you have enough time in the day?

 I was reminiscing recently with a friend about perceptions of present-day technology we now have, in the 60s, 70s, 80s and even the 90s that was supposed to make more free time available, because as the thinking went it would make us more efficient.

That is not exactly how things have turned out, and this point I'm sure you will agree, technology has eaten up our free time. Mainly due to the fact that we can now do more (or so we tell ourselves) and so pack more activities or duties into each hour. I personally have things I would love to do, but don't because I am already doing too much. A little of this, a little of that, and of course the inevitable interruption which always at least 10 minutes takes away from whatever I'm trying to do in the first place. The difference between the modern world and that of let's say the 1970s is that back then you could focus on one task were subject. It was much easier to become "unavailable" and people knew this therefore life was structured in bigger blocks of uninterrupted time to do whatever important study or activity needed to be done. Very often then the result was the job or activity was done better.

I wonder then if today we do more but understand less. I recently began taking a computer science introductory course on brilliant.org and while I understand everything it seems to me that a lot of the deeper aspects are just not there in the material, simply because the way the information is presented it's in short bite-size chunks. They know that no student has several hours free now days.

This I think has far-reaching implications because it will ultimately lead to a society which lacks the depth and patience gained by a long term undertaking. Yes you still here of many people who undertake activities that consume a good portion of their life, but I'm afraid the average person is convinced they can learn it all quickly. Have you ever noticed when you become really proficient at something usually there has been a fundamental shift in the way you do other things? It is my personal belief this is because the act of true learning changes not only immediate situation but has much broader effects.

This is one of the things I think we are losing when we take abridged "bite-size" lessons or courses, because it is only with proficiency that we gain the extra margin of knowledge which allows us to truly build on what we now know.

Leave a comment down below if you find yourself having a thought about this.

Challenge The Brick Wall.

Motivated people, and non-motivated people, why do these two groups exist?

Maybe a better way to phrase this question is: "Why are some people curious, and seek out answers themselves while others do not?"

Many times in the volunteer work I do it is mostly a process of problem-solving, and it is definitely something I like to do. What boggles my mind however is why some people do not. They seemingly hit a problem and it stops them in their tracks; they do not ask or explore how to fix it. Talk about a way to limit one's life because you end up being surrounded by perceived problems. An example:

The other day a friend of mine received a brand-new electric chair. Of course there was much jubilation because they could now zip around on their own. A few days later I heard through the local grapevine that things weren't going so well for this person, they had crashed into the walls of their suite, while learning how to control the sensitive joystick. When I heard this, I went to them and said, "All modern electric wheelchairs have an  indoor and outdoor modes, and it sounds like yours is set on outdoor." A look online quickly determined that yes this was the case, the chair did have multiple modes and it was set on "outdoor" making it too fast. But from the manual the joystick assembly didn't quite match so I told them to phone the store they bought from to find out exactly how to set it into indoor mode.

 The problem was thereby solved and my friend is now happily and safely travelling around. I got the distinct feeling however that if I had not suggested they phone the store or initially investigated further, they would've put up with their chair being in warp drive permanently and probably ultimately would've been injured at some point. Why didn't they have the initiative to simply ask the right questions or even the wrong ones?

This is something that completely confuses me because my friend and others in my building are intelligent. Yet I see this kind of behaviour from a wide variety people now days happening over and over. They usually don't take the incredibly obvious next step, rather they just accept the status quo and everything stops there. This is a quandary I have a no answers for yet. It is just an observation. If anyone reading this as an idea about why this situation exists please do let us know in the comments.