Changing times, are we ready for them?

This morning I was thinking about an article I did on this blog, August 8, 2025, entitled "In the Shadow of AI: The Future of Websites" in which I postulated that websites as we know them today would disappear in about 10 years because the act of searching will have radically changed by then. You will just ask an AI and it will get the answer for you. While I was thinking about this today I ran across a YouTube video by Christopher Barnatt entitled "Radical Computing Evolution" where he suggests that the old familiar Graphical User Interface that we all know and love will become an "Agent Command Interface ", that is, you will ask your computer to do something and the AI agent will carry out the task. This would go beyond simply opening programs and automating mouse clicks. You might for example ask in the computer to look through all your mail and create entries on your calendar for events pertinent to your daily routine. The agent would then run the appropriate programs in the background to complete all the tasks necessary to complete the objective. 

I have been using AI increasingly over the last two years, because it is the best way to get things done. As long as you know how to work with the AI agent. (An "AI agent" is a program that can act autonomously and plan the steps necessary to accomplish a goal without the user having to spell out each individual step.)

November 11 is Remembrance Day in Canada so I thought "I would like to create a poster of the Flanders Fields" poem with some artwork that would be both respectful and artistically correct to the year 1915. I headed over to Google Flow which is Google's image and video creation AI platform and I must say the agent did a marvellous job of framing the poem in a beautiful setting. Complete with the "Canadian Red Ensign" which was the flag flown in Canada prior to 1965. Below is the image created by the AI along with the instructions (prompt) I gave it: 

 

POEM: In Flanders Fields 
Written by  Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae in 1915

If you would like a full colour printable version of this poem suitable for 8.5 x 11" (US letter) printing you can download it here.

 

In Flanders Fields
By Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie, In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.

 

After the image was created I spent several hours reading about the old flag and the Canadian troops. The point is though, just like a librarian the AI brought together many historical items and each one provided me with a new avenue to research.

In future, this trend will continue and I can see the traditional, most driven graphical user interface that all computers use now days being looked at like a model T Ford. Indeed I think the whole concept of a computer with separate parts is about to be challenged. Integrated onto a single chip perhaps instead of discrete components.

However there is a downside I can see if people become overly reliant on this very helpful artificial intelligence. AI's need to be created which will nurture investigative skills in people rather than just giving them the whole answer up front. If we do not do this, I can see vital skills being underdeveloped or lost. Particularly in young people this can have catastrophic effects. Because one learns how to think at a very early age and they're usually some challenge aspect to whatever task is being undertaken. This is very important to do because the child also learns patience while they are working through any given problem.

Yesterday I was asked by someone to help them with a issue they had encountered when filling out a form online. Specifically they wanted to change some of its contents. Once we got into the discussion however it became obvious that the original form had been converted to a graphic and therefore the text could not be edited. However I could tell that they did not understand the nuances. To them even though it had been converted to a graphic you should be able to easily replace the text and perfectly match the font that was there in the original image. Anyone who is trying to do so knows how difficult it can be to match fonts in an image. This would normally be knowledge would gain through actually editing an image and learning the appropriate software. But even though they had had a phone and a laptop for many years they had never learned that different types of content can be displayed on a screen, and that it affects whether or not they can and it what they can see on their phone. This situation had occurred because technology as it evolves hides the details of how it works and unless one starts to investigate one never learns how the device truly works. In this case that meant that how they thought their phone worked was not how it really worked. It was also hard to explain the differences to them between a picture and a document file which could be edited.

Historically whenever society changed in response to major changes, be it the advent of electricity, the steam engine, or something else, people given enough time began to understand the new thing and adapt to it. However, I think this time around, we are in danger of losing the very skills we as human beings need to adapt to the massive changes technology is bringing. In the above example regarding editing a form the person did not exhibit any investigative desires. They were not curious about their phone displayed the form. They just thought because it "Looks like a form you can fill out." One should be able to edit it like a form and a word processor.

When I was a very young child, my parents would go crazy at Christmas trying to figure out what way to get me, because I would take everything apart. I am wanted to know how the thing worked and I did take everything apart! I still do it whenever I can :-) I am curious, some might call it insane curiosity but I really enjoy finding out that how and why behind whatever it is. This can take time, lots of time. I wish my days were longer. It is this desire which seems to be disappearing and that has me concerned. Because the world is so automated now, people assume that everything should just work. All I on the other hand marvel at what is going on behind the scenes. Even if I don't understand the device or topic, I know there is a huge amount of technical detail and people behind what ever it is. I do not take anything for granted. I still get excited about my seven-year-old electric chair. Occasionally when a repair technician comes over to fix the thing I tend to drive them a little crazy because I see the evolution of the technology. I will soon start investigating a replacement for this chair and I'm excited because, not only will I find the full service manual and read through it. I will most likely fry every aspect out :-) there won't be a mode I, a button or a module not turned on at one point. I know that it is very important and healthy to understand change.

So if you read this on November 11, 2026 appreciate all the effort and sacrifice people have endured to allow us to experience these new changes and if you're reading this after this date, try to learn something new today. Get used to change and if you can learn to enjoy the trip involved in changing.

Patrick

 Note:All images displayed in this article were created by Google Gemini Pro. Any semblance to other work is purely coincidental.  All text is actually written by human and it is original.

Taking The Load Off

Wow, the latter half of October became busy. I had planned to do more here but there was no time. It was Halloween artwork and everything else related to the festivities. Maybe I should start on Christmas now… Don't tempt me 🎄🎅!

This article is all about keeping one's spirits up. I know many people begin to go downhill during this time of year and some in fact see the coming of the official festive season only through eyes of the dread. There is one simple rule I follow to counter all of this fear.

Allow yourself to think young again. Put down all the rules and limitations. Thank simply and not too far ahead. Try to approach things from a fresh unexpected perception. Just as a child would do, the youngest ones have no memory to run on so everything is brand spanking new. Just allow yourself to see it the way they do. That's a good start.

A fictitious small town in the early 20th century
 on a sunny warm day as people relax.

Try to limit interruptions and distractions. It's fine to go off-line for a while. Put all the technology down and get into something you want to do. Set things up so there are no interruptions. If you think about it that's what people used to do. My father would definitely have times where you could not interrupt him in whatever he was doing. You were asked to leave him alone and give them some space. This usually occurred Sunday mornings until noon. He would happily get into a book or a mathematical equation and sit for those several hours deeply involved in whatever the problem was at the kitchen table.

You would be amazed how beneficial just knowing you have a block of space to do whatever you want to do secure in the knowledge that you will not be interrupted will benefit you. The world can indeed get along without you for several hours straight.

Here's something I know you've heard before. Get decent uninterrupted hours of sleep, and again once this is arranged just knowing that you're going to get a good night's sleep is trimmed endlessly beneficial. It really does help take the load off.

When was the last time you had a dating or an afternoon with nothing planned? I don't know about you but the modern world has a tendency to try to fill every open day on the calendar. We must get away from this as a society. We all need some mental down time. It's a stereotype, but I'm reminded of the iconic "Small Town" where you could actually get out of touch for a while with the rest of the world. It sounds awfully inviting, I must admit. There is a lesson to be learned from that small town idea. Life will be over soon enough and regardless of your belief system, why rush through it? The most pleasurable and insightful things can occur when you're not actively doing something. When you allow yourself the space to breathe. Even as I'm dictating this article I find myself relaxing and slowing down just a bit. So just contemplating the idea is good.

I asked that pretty much sums things up. Have a great day and of course feel free to leave comments.
Patrick

 The next day: November 3, 2026.

I have an interesting problem… Even though I profess the benefits of "Taking the Load off" I find myself always wanting to do something. To be clear I don't mean that I'm incapable of sitting still and enjoying some peace and quiet. Rather each day in addition to relaxing I like to create something. AI has made it almost too easy and I missed the hands-on labour involved, even if the result is not a work of art. At the same time because I live in and insisted living building which runs on a verily tight schedule it can be difficult to get into a project.

This occasionally drives me crazy because I want to start something that will take at least four hours and yet I can't reliably do that because tonight I have less than an hour. So let's see what I can put together in the picture below. At this moment I don't know what it is. Hopefully it's something with colour…

From April 30, 2022 here is a nice photo of wild 
red-flowering currant Ribes sanguineum).

 

 I am always amazed by what I find in my own collection of photographs. Originally I didn't think much of this photo, but right now it seems perfect. Note this image is an quick export from my photo imaging software. I will track down the full resolution image and updated tomorrow.

 

Note:All images displayed in this article were created by Google Gemini Pro. Any semblance to other work is purely coincidental.  All text is actually written by human and it is original.

Halloween 2026

 

 This post will continue to get longer as Halloween approaches. Therefore the latest material and graphics for your amusement will be found at the bottom.There is also now quite a few graphics loading, and a few of them are quite large. Please be patient. 

I am a total 130% kid at heart, and proud of it, so when Halloween is even remotely close I get totally into the spirit of it. The same sort of thing happens around Christmas and I have over 50 Christmas albums to prove it. 

Most importantly though it's not the belief or the ritual that intrigues me. It is how people can manifest changes although they may insist that the change is due to a belief I see it as an ability which is innate to everyone. You don't manifest a change in spirit or situation because of "something", you do it because you undertook the effort to alter your self. Let's put the power where it belongs and it is always with the individual. And there isn't anything spooky about that .🧙‍♀️

So I enjoyed the festive season's even though I'm not a believer in any way shape or form. When I die, that will be it for the program known as "Patrick" now, some may find that perspective a little alarming. I find it comforting and indeed motivating.-Life is short and I am not going to waste it. So pardon me will I go Halloween crazy and then Christmas crazy. It is the chance to let a little creativity out while getting together with friends.

The photograph at the top of this article is simply a picture I took of a jack-o'-lantern purchased from the local Home Depot. The image is initially underexposed and then I ran what is known as a histogram equalization filter which simply brought all the colour regardless of how dark it was up into the visible range. I put it through the same software that I use to make my YouTube videos and put an animated background behind the image. Proof-one tripped out jack-o'-lantern face.

I will be adding more images as we approach Halloween and if I get time I will do a video. So stay tuned and feel free to come back to this post. All graphics in this post I will place in the public domain. If I come up with something really fancy I will also provide a download link. Until then take care

I'm going to do something very childlike, go out and buy some fluorescent paint, a black/white or two, some craft paper (preferably black) and a paintbrush. To be clear I'm no artist so this is most likely going to be a pleasant disaster... But not from the kid's point of view. I am writing this text ahead of time so a photograph may show up on this post in a day or two.

  

The image above with the haunted house was created by starting with a real photo of a dilapidated house in Vancouver British Columbia. Then re-rendered through an AI to give it is spooky feeling by adding the weather and the woman walking down the sidewalk. I then took the image and put it on a swirling the background which is simply the colours up from the original drawing blended together. The image is suitable for a computer desktop or printing if you would like.

An interesting note about the house: it was later renovated by the city of Vancouver as a historical building. They brought it back to its original condition using period specific paints. They then moved it slightly down the block to accommodate new construction which grew up around it. If I can get a good photo of the renovated building I will post it on the blog with a separate history. For now know that the house lives on in the 21st-century. I believe a small business moved in and is opened a coffee house on the first floor.  

Oh I can't resist it… I want to see what Ideogram AI can do with Halloween. I gave the AI the following prompt and here's what it came up with. I can't decide on which image I like better so I will post all four: (As far as I can tell from their usage policy these images can be used freely, but please check here before using them for any specific public purpose as these things can change.) Note: Clicking on any of the following images may take some time to display as it will be the full 4K version. Especially over Wi-Fi or phone.

PROMPT: " A Halloween image showcasing all the various iconic portrayals in the last 120 years. Blend each portrayal seamlessly into its neighbour so that the viewer understands the chronology. The colour should be vivid and appropriate to the era depicted. You should draw on sources from the movies, folklore, religion and popularity of the time."

 
All of these pictures should be suitable for reasonable size printing. I uploaded them in 4K. However one never knows what the blog compression algorithm will do. Let me know if you need the originals.Just post a comment or if you're on tablet/laptop use the feedback form on the right side of the screen.

 

 I really do find this amazing, the remarkable evolution in quality since the first AI generated image used on this blog, which you can find in "Nurturing the Creative Soul" posted on January 28, 2023. Where will it be in quality in the next 12 months? Who knows.

 

The really wild thing is, it took this AI to create all four images under a minute in a high resolution. Using just the single prompt mentioned above.

 

This AI really likes vampire's, they are definitely prominent. A nice spooky collection to start things off, I definitely say. Stay tuned there is more on the way!
 

 

 

Okay, one more from AI. But this time just using something local running on my machine, which by AI standards is very old about two years. I gave "Vision FX 2.1" a prompt to make me spooky theatre and after several hours and a few iterations one of the pictures it came up with was this one. Here is the prompt I gave the local AI:

 

"Using Halloween as the theme for the style, create the auditorium of the spooky 1940s movie theatre as seen from the back row. The auditorium slopes sharply down toward a massive screen displaying a black-and-white image of a horror movie with the castle and the lightning in the background. Make the weather windy and quite cold looking. Although it is a dismal image it should at the same time the intriguing to the viewer. As though reading a frightening story you still cannot resist turning the next page to find out what happens."

 

If you're like me, one of the fondest memories from Halloween's way in the past was playing around with the original fluorescent Black Lights. I think they may give off enough ultraviolet to give you a suntan and I know we were warned not to stare directly at the light for too long due to the specific wavelength of ultraviolet. It didn't stop me from absolutely covering my apartment with posters that would glow under ultraviolet. I kind of wish I had some photographs to share… While wandering around our local Spirit Halloween store I ran into several piles of modern black lights. They use LEDs and they do work, not quite the same deep purple glow though. Nevertheless I bought enough fluorescent paint with two black lights to crank up the bill over $200 Canadian in about seven minutes. So the photo below is me just goofing around. By no means a work of art, but a lot of fun.

 I am just beginning to get into AI as it pertains to doing full-motion video. Ultimately I would like to create a few sequences with the storyline to put on the computers downstairs in the lunchroom. As a matter of fact, last night I spent two hours creating a witch character.

I believe the experience thus far has given me the tiniest insight into the detail that goes into a movie or even a commercial.This image was created using Google Flow.

 

 

The following video clip was created using "Ideogram AI" which I have used to create all of the artificially intelligent generated images on the blog up until this point. Unfortunately, I can only afford to subscribe to one AI service at a time. So we will be using Google Flow moving forward. This in no way is a reflection of the quality of either service, it is simply a financial decision. This image has been compressed and rendered down a fair bit in order to make it appropriate for the Internet. Please let me know if you want the full resolution version. This is the complete clip. Totally spooky in my opinion.

 

My paper shredder filled up, and I was inspired. I thought "what if we get the AI to create an image of a jack-o'-lantern stuffing candies into a paper shredder only do it in the style of Norman Rockwell?" This is the result and I think it's marvellous. I'm quite aware that I've gone AI crazy in the last two weeks, but not to fear I will return to sanity after the Halloween season.

 

 

November 3, 2026:

That's the end of the 2026 live Halloween post. There will of course be another one in 2027.

I shall do a Christmas version of course starting in early December and will be adding to it throughout the month. So stay tuned for that post I have no idea what graphics I will generate or create by hand. Feel free to send me suggestions!

Take care Patrick

Kindness

 

Whenever the topic of kindness comes up everyone assumes that we refer to being kind to others. "Being kind to oneself" is often pushed to the background if it is discussed at all. In this article I am suggesting not only is being kind to oneself underappreciated it is necessary to be kind to you first. This is because unless the individual has a chance to look at themselves and resolve their own issues around being appreciated and receiving kindness from themselves they often mildly corrupt the kindness they try to apply to others.

--- You can think of this as a mild form of sabotage.

On the other hand if you have honestly reviewed what you are feeling taken steps to improve your personal situation in a way that allows you to put down some emotional baggage, then you are in a much better position to truly show kindness to others. If on the other hand you find that whenever you are kind to people or even a certain person there is a negative effect for you. For example you feel tired after interacting with them or showing them generosity, that is a clear indication that you have some personal work to do regarding being kind to oneself.

It is my personal opinion that North America has placed a huge focus on the external world rather than paying equal attention to what's going on with the individual. This is equivalent in my book to running a car at full speed and being astonished when either the battery or the gas runs out. Perhaps because of my physical disability I am more aware of my internal world because for the most part mother nature gave me no choice. I had to learn to work with myself because the standard playbook of being completely unaware of the limits and indeed ultimately the insights my situation posed simply were not going to work if I did not pay attention to them. Actually I feel very lucky and am very appreciative that things have worked out the way they have.

Challenges can give a person the opportunity to look at a situation from many different viewpoints and from the inside as well with the external. I see this is a real gift. I can sympathize with the difficulty that many people experience in life because I could not ignore my own. The more you know about your self the better you will be to help others and adapt.

One of the things I see in my assisted-living facility is many people avoiding change. Trying to say the same or achieve again what they once had. "Why?…" I find myself asking. Things have changed and you must as well. If you don't all that happens is you set up a conflict. A never ending struggle that will draw your energies away. Approach the situation in an alternate way. If you have lost the ability to do something find other ways to achieve the same goal. If you can't tie your shoes for example with one hand anymore. Don't waste time and effort putting them on the old way. Perhaps think about a different design of shoes or one of the many devices available. This gives you insight to yourself and the ability to help others and as a side effect empathize and practice being kind to the world.

Look inside and be kind to yourself. That is the first step and it will make all others much more attainable and your appreciation of the greater world will indeed increase. A video on this very topic will appear on this website very soon. For now take care of yourself give yourself the permission to be kind. And then move on.

Patrick 

** NOTE: The picture 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.    

 

You Must Have Aspirations (at least one)

 

To my way of thinking "aspirations" are something one assumes everyone has… I have met a few people now however who don't appear to have any desires or goals to reach for. They take each day as it comes without any thought of tomorrow. I find this incredibly perplexing. Not only that a few of them literally don't want an aspiration. They appear to be quite content almost blindly going from one day to the next. This short-circuits my brain.

These people are quite young in their early 20s to the oldest being early 30s. You would think by that stage of life a person would have a few goals at the very least. Maybe it's because they are all in stable situations where most of their needs are met. (I'm talking here about the assisted living building I live in. So maybe this is particular to these kinds of environments.) I cannot recall a time when I didn't have a goal. Even as a very young child I remember thinking clearly "If I could figure out how a light switch worked I could take over the world." I kid you not that is verbatim what I used to think as a child, of about four or five years old. You can find it either amusing or perhaps a little disturbing :-). In either case however I had a goal, an aspiration. I think this attitude of mind frustrated both of my parents because I would come up with spectacular ideas and my parents would have to explain to me why you can't make a steam engine out of just a coffee can and perhaps some tubing.

I think a critical component of my early years was seeing my father build some small item on the floor with my sister and I watching. One time this was a simple electromagnet which she made by simply wrapping some wire around a nail and connecting it to a battery. My sister and myself may not quite understood what he was doing at the moment but we both perceived the sheer joy. And that I believe is key, aspirations involve great emotions and great emotions push personal evolution. That's overstating it a bit but you get the idea.

Now, society seems to be heading in the other direction, not finding the solution and thereby gaining insight to a question, we are now strictly focusing on getting just the answer. Maybe this is why I am beginning to see and meet so many people without ambition. On the surface one may think that "ambition" itself is unnecessary when you can go straight to the answer. To that I counter that a great deal is gained from the process of heading toward a goal. Very often the insights are yet very subtle and at the same moment profound for the individual. That is something you can just not get by going straight to the answer. Think back less than 100 years ago and people would routinely do high mathematics in their head. Or work it out by hand on paper. What a remarkable set of skills they gained and undoubtedly those skills would be applied to various situations throughout their lives. I can't help thinking that as we modernize we are losing the real depth and benefits of hard work and the rewards of aiming toward an achievement.

I will be doing a video for this post in the next few days so please return to the blog and let me know what you think. In the meantime however I hope this short bit of text has given you something to think about. 

Till then, Patrick 

** NOTE: The picture 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.    

 

The Quest to Be Unique… Maybe, You're Already There.

I attended the "CRAZY8S" gala last night which is an annual event and challenge for up-and-coming filmmakers. It was a marvellous time. The amount of creativity displayed  by people was incredible. Everyone at the venue was doing their best to stand out and there were no holds barred as far as glitter, colour and creation. This is a prestigious happening so all in attendance were doing their utmost to put on the show. And I must say it was great!

Coming home, I had a little difficulty boarding the Metro Vancouver public transit, SkyTrain. 

Fortunately, a fellow SkyTrain passeger was able to get my wheelchair unstuck and we began to talk about pretty much everything. At one point, they asked how I "got in my chair". They wanted to know the details of how I became disabled. I explained that my condition Cerebral Palsy was a lifelong and our conversation continued. The exact details of the dialogue are a little vague now but at one point I said, "That I would not want to be normal or cured. I enjoyed being different because there were so many different aspects to explore, which an able-bodied person might never have the opportunity to investigate. To be clear, some of that "investigation" is not by choice, sometimes you have to figure out a solution to a problem which doesn't normally occur for the rest of the world. An example would be, picking up a bankcard off the floor when you can't reach it. My solution for that one has always been dangling a long strip of scotch tape and with a little work the sticky side adheres to the card and you reel it in as though you were fishing. --That is really what I do :-). There are so many other examples… But the bottom line is being different can help you stay engaged with reality and thereby benefit from that extra awareness. Guess what?… You are already different.

 People seem to think that difference must be obvious to the outside world, I suggest that some of the most profound discoveries you will ever make will be from the subtle things. Events that no one else will ever see or understand. Tiny little opportunities grow. They happen all the time. So if you feel like you're an outsider, celebrate that difference. Actually now that I think about it at this very moment, all of the films I saw last night at CRAZY8S were about that very thing. They were all internal journeys of exploration and discovery. But I can guarantee you they weren't simple little trips down memory lane for the characters in the movies.

So as you explore your differences go ahead and be loud and proud, but don't forget those small powerful insights… Because one of them may be telling you "You Are There And You Are Fine. The journey ahead is up to you." 

Enjoy your differences everybody!
Patrick

Approach Life As Though Your Brain Lived in a Fish Tank.

Image generated by Ideogram AI.

"If your brain lives in a fish tank, you might as well make it a party!"

People have always said: "The environment affects you, and you affect the environment." Whatever context you consider that statement in, planet wide or just your immediate surroundings, it means that changing one aspect affects everything else. It also means that you see everything through many "layers of filtering". This view of life has always reminded me of an aquarium. One small change in any aspect of the water, temperature or inhabitants, massively alters everything. Similarly each one of these acts like a filter when you observe the animals and indeed the aquarium as whole; it's all layers of filtering. When viewing the world with this point of view we can all be considered to have brains that live in fish tanks. Reality is heavily dependent on the context as a whole.

Okay, so if that's the case, let's take it one step further. I suggest you that any one of these multitudes of layers can be adjusted at any time by you. If someone is playing music that is not to your liking, rather than asking them to change the music, consider for a moment, what "layers"you are interpreting the situation through and adjust those. Consider why you are paying attention to the music in the first place. Think about it, no one is forcing you to pay attention to it. In the moment, choose to pay attention to something else. The very process of realizing that this layer of filtering can be adjusted may be very empowering. You are using the aspects of your own fish tank to your advantage.

This is an extreme simplification of life, but the central idea remains the same and it just as valid. All the layers of your interpretation can be changed at will and usually at any time you want. It's just that we are usually too preoccupied to stop and take the time and effort in order to manually change gears.--Yes we're back to my favourite topic of turning off the mental autopilot. Perhaps in years past when life was slower people naturally and there autopilot turned off, and probably were more aware of themselves, that we normally have time to appreciate today. But dammit, if they could do it so can society and people do it today.

That's it for this short little post. I hope it gives you something positive and perhaps wonderful to think about. Feel absolutely free to act on it. If your brain lives in a fish tank, you might as well make it a party!

Take care have a great day.
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.

 

Overthinking and Hidden Habits

 

Many years ago I read a book called "Using Your Brain for a Change" (I've mentioned that book previously on this blog because it is so good. See the article: "Do we all live in our own abridged reality?") One of the things it pointed out was you don't normally react to a situation it self, what you react to initially is your perception of the situation. That is, if you think a particular food is going to taste bad then it very likely will.

Using Your Brain--For a Change:
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)
By Richard Bandler

Publisher: Real People Press
Year : 1985
ISBN numbers: 9780911226263, 9780911226270, 0911226265, 0911226273

• Listing on WorldCat Library index
•  Listing on Google Books

People tend to bring their reality into alignment with their belief system. And one's belief system can be very, very powerful. But many of us don't realize it, because our belief system is not often scrutinized. For the most part it's on autopilot and doing what ever it likes. It's also very fast, especially when taking the form of an emotion. In such a case, your conscious mind has been conditioned to just follow along. Whether you like it or not.

So the first thing to do is pay attention to how aware you are of your surroundings. This is the beginning step of taking your self off autopilot. Just stop right now for example, and take stock of what there is to notice. Do this a few times throughout the day. Then consider if you have any opinions about what you've noticed:

•  Is there anything you would like to change?
• Are there any unexpected reactions to your environment when you actually pay conscious attention to it?

Just this simple act of taking yourself off autopilot can yield so much information. I recommend you don't go overboard but just pick one or two things to modify or perhaps make notes on.  

Now, for Those Hidden Habits:

Have you ever found yourself in a position where you have a straightforward task to perform and yet even before starting you fear that you will fail to complete it?

Taking an initial great idea and becoming overly worried about it because of perceived fear some aspect is going to have a greater impact in reality than it usually does. This habit has an effect that I bet you never thought about.

It keeps you from taking a risk, and risk is built into all new endeavours. Even though you may become this frustrated as hell. It is possible that subconsciously part of you is relieved. The trouble is unless you address what you are feeling and begin to deconstruct it, this automatic "kill switch" will just keep firing whenever a new endeavour or idea wonders by.

I talked with many people were very frustrated because in their own words "I can never get anything off the ground. The more I try the more frustrated I become a mineralogist give up." After a little more investigation most of the time it is revealed that they start with the initial idea and then they keep building requirements on to it. Before they know it may become overwhelmed.

The thing to do in this situation is take the first simple and thereby doable version of the idea and implement that. Instead of trying to get the concept perfect. This is one of the best ways to start things. Frequently, my article start with the simplest of ideas and rather than waiting until I got some sort of Mangum openness, I type the first sentence into the online editor of my blog. That gets me going, and because it actually creates a draft entry of the article on the site it makes it just a little bit more real. Now, not all ideas come to fruition. Sometimes I find other sites covering the same topic and doing much better job. In which case I may simply reference them in an later article. Sometimes what seemed as a great idea doesn't hold water the next day. It's is all part of my creative process. The big point here is that you start with whatever you've got.

This also conditions you to not overthinking everything and actually getting something off the ground. Over 12 years ago when I started this blog it sat dormant for many years and then one day boat four years ago I just decided to start adding content and now we are at 165 articles. They are not all by any means literary masterpieces, but slowly and surely I am getting better at this and the monthly views are following suit. At this point in time I can't even remember why I started the site and that doesn't matter. What matters is I enjoy what I'm doing and I know in a small way I am adding content and value to the good old Internet😀

So don't think too much about a new idea but take steps toward a small goal as fast as you can. That helps keep it real and gets you going on whatever the adventure is.

The other thing I hear a great deal when talking with people is ingrained automatic habits that they are barely aware of . These habits can have great effects both positive and negative. Here's an example:

A coffee lover who has an important event in next day. Normally they enjoy their Java throughout the day. But in this case the night before and have to be alert at their event they drink double the amount of coffee. Because that is what to do when they're nervous. Of course but they don't always realize is that they are guaranteeing themselves to have a bad night's rest. Breaking this little habit for them is very challenging. They have relied on this mechanism for a long time. Even though it is totally counterproductive and works against them ultimately.

This same scenario can take different forms but you get the idea. Small little habits that don't seem to be harmful at all and yet if you're not totally aware of what you're doing these little routines can spell a guaranteed scuttling of your ship. So start tracking what you're doing will you go throughout your day especially when you're in stressful moments. I have a feeling you are going to find a few of these little habits kicking around and actually ingrained behaviour can become someone conscious that the only way you know it's there is because of your emotional reaction.

Take care,and as usual feel free to leave comments.

Patrick

To benefit from Challenge, Is the Meaning of Life.

 To benefit from Challenge, Is the Meaning of Life

 

In the last two days I have had several people sitting me things like "oh this is too hard..." or "this was supposed to be easy." and "I hate ' XYZ' because it is hard." (Implying that they won't even try doing the task because they perceive it to be difficult.)

Challenge and difficulty are essential components of life. Without them, a person over time will in some sense literally de-evolve, they will lose basic skills. This is a self evident statement. People were much better doing basic mathematics before the calculator as an obvious example. But we are now entering a time in society where people expect things to be easy all the time. This has me worried and honestly surprised.

Now, I understand the natural desire to take the simpler road, especially if it makes your life smoother, but just not all the time. The default choice must not be the path of least resistance. Difficulty has its benefits and they are usually long term. It keeps you engaged with the idea of growing, whether the perceived difficulty is undertaking a new field of study or doing something that is different and perhaps slightly uncomfortable, as most new things are.

It is not so much what you learn or experience, it is the tools you discover along the way which can be used in different contexts to solve other challenges. One can only be a good problem solver if they have run into a few problems in the first place. Personally I love a good challenge and my boss knows this 😀. Sometimes he will just give me a task and let me dig through it. I am very lucky to have a volunteer job which has the latitude built in to do this. That does not mean there are deadlines, it  means there is the breathing room to explore. 

I totally admit that, I like difficulty, with the qualification that said difficulty has to be meaningful and have a goal. At the very least there needs to be a possibility of resolution. The process as always is a learning process and that is what I really personally enjoy. I'm taking a computer science and Python course on Brilliant.org and I must admit I'm having a blast. It is nice to feel the brain cells "stretching" and hopefully multiplying in the process.

What I don't understand is why people now seem to be averse to learning and working through the process of gaining new knowledge. But some people really are reticent on this point. I have seen people get very angry and I honestly don't get their reaction. The human brain is ment to learn, but we appeared will learned a weird lesson, that the act of learning itself is not good… "What is going on?! " is my usual reaction. Where is this behaviour coming from? More importantly how can we turn people back on to learning and undertaking challenge?

Here are some answers that have occurred to me and of course, the list is incomplete and I may be totally wrong. Let me know in the comments.

• People need to take some time to get to know their reflexive behaviours. To question why they are having said reaction. In short get to know themselves a little bit better. This does not mean they have to become a Buddhist monk or undertake some grand therapy. Just not be so externalized. Stop reacting instantaneously to everything around themselves and ask is the reaction doing anything positive for themselves. Then they can understand why they are resistant to undertaking a challenge.
  
  
• Think about what the end goal is. If it is too vague like "I want to make money easily." Then it would be impossible to start because there is no central idea and thereby no way to know when you're at the end of the goal. Keeping a task vague guarantees to keep it difficult. If you find yourself in this situation take a look at why you are being so big in the first place about the idea. This point relates to other points in this list but it cannot be understated.
  
  
• Getting over their biases against difficulty. Yes, some things are just difficult and rather than complaining about it being difficult one just has to undertake what ever the activity is. Sometimes to discover that once started the perceived challenge is not such a big deal. But they do have to start the process.
  
  
• Things take time to accomplish. Especially if it involves changing preconceptions, and one may have to start with very small steps. The trick here is to keep one's eye on the goal. If the goal is to vague then I suggest putting it down to something definable.
  
  
• Lastly make a plan on what to do if something interrupts this process. 

 

Often it's as simple as making a promise to yourself that should something get in the way temporarily that you will just pick up where you left off. It may take a few tries before you see progress toward resolving the challenge. All good things are worth fighting for.😀

 

I had a friend who for many years wanted to write a science fiction story and had aspirations of selling thousands of copies of their literary masterpiece. The trouble less than ever sat down and went through the above list, rather they always spoke about the ultimate outcome. This went on for years until eventually they just gave up. When I reflected on this memory it was obvious that they never told me what the story was about, and I didn't realize it at the time because of all the enthusiasm they showed.

So if I had to boil all this down to one point, I would say: "Embrace the Difficulty!"

 

 

I have made the following 21.6 x 27.94cm (8.5 x 11 inch) poster which prints nicely on a standard sheet of paper. Feel free to download and print it. Clicking on the image will download the 9 MB JPEG image file from my Google Drive. It is detailed enough to enlarge well beyond that paper size as well.

 

Click the picture to download a printable
version on your computer.

 

You can now purchase the poster printed on steel.   The steel finish makes it quite unique. Available in three sizes. For more information please visit my "Displate" page at: https://displate.com/patrickclarkg 

Okay that about does it for this article. Feel free to watch the included video it covers essentially the same thing.

Take care Patrick

How Do You Make Decisions?

 Have you ever considered the nuances that make up your decision-making process? Particularly the subtler influences, mood, personal biases, and perhaps the time available to make the decision.

This idea occurred to me while I was working on some course material for of all things in computer science class. Some of the exercises I would solve an entirely different way and what was given as the official answer. This really got me thinking about all the factors that go into the thousands of decisions everyone makes each day. We all have our own. Background routines at run almost unconsciously as we approach each situation. Most of the time we are blissfully unaware of the machinery it gets us to the answer.

On those days when one feels exceptionally focused and together the quality of the decision-making process also improves. It is surprising that more emphasis on what goes in to a person's process isn't talked about early in school. Because after all one's decisions are the fundamental building blocks of one's life.

Being aware of what makes up your own decision-making processes is a very powerful thing indeed. Especially if you take control of the subtle emotions and biases. Fiat the next time you find yourself faced with a decision. Look at what is really being brought together in your mind. Have you ever had this happen to you:

You are put in a situation abruptly (usually something new and unexpected) and for whatever reason you feel that you cannot deal with it successfully and therefore a mental block is produced. It becomes a self-fulfilling situation. But if a similar circumstance occurs at a moment when you're feeling really good about the day somehow a solution is arrived at or at the very least you are not so negatively impacted by an unsuccessful outcome.

What are the differences in those two situations? I think basically the answer to it is understanding the influences particularly emotional ones. I do know that the more present you are in any given situation the better the outcome is. The other step to take is turning off your personal autopilot with familiar situations. Just because a particular situation is very familiar to you doesn't mean that you shouldn't review and be aware of your emotions and actions for that circumstance.

Just food for thought. As always let me know what you think in the comments.
Patrick

In 12 months time what would you like to achieve?

 

In 12 months time what would you like to achieve, that is by the year 2026?

Many, many people and an equal number of articles are written every year in January regarding New Year's Eve resolutions, but have you ever thought of sitting a goal and a timeline to assist in achieving the objective? As well as a backup plan should something get in your way.

I learned many years ago that when something is difficult it is actually a good sign because it means that transformation of one sort or another is being achieved. Human beings I absolutely hate changing preferring to stay in their default mode no matter what it is. Even if that default situation is very unpleasant for them. So as you progress through 2025, if you find things uncomfortable recognize that there may be something from the event. Modify your plans as needed but do not give up, and if you have to put something on hold, then do that but do not see it as a defeat. Simply make a promise to yourself to revisit it when you can.

For myself I just started an introductory computer science course and my ongoing goal is to slowly learn a variety of languages. I am not holding myself to a strict schedule but deliberately keeping things very pliable only promising to myself that I will return to the course as many times as necessary in order to achieve success. Because as I have learned in the last few years and overly strict schedule simply does not work when one's life is complicated and very susceptible to interruptions. Therefore my approach is to literally say "The interruptions are not a negative. They simply need to be where they're occurring. I have a commitment to myself to move on when ever possible." I shall alter whatever needs to be altered in order to achieve this goal.

I think a great deal of life can be approached in a similar fashion and by that I mean, not to overly critique your self in pursuit of the goal. But do keep a timeline and a commitment adjusting things as necessary.

That's it for this very short post. It's the first one of 2025. Many more articles and ideas to come in the upcoming days. Stay tuned in 2025 and make your own adventurers be fruitful.

Patrick

People addicted to anger.

 

Basic Image generated by Ideogram AI.
Text added by me.

Thought I done an article on this topic before but it's not in my database, so here we go…

I am continually surprised by how many apparently angry people there are when I look around me where I live, which happens to be Surrey British Columbia. Individuals and what apparently appears to be a perpetual "bad mood" who when you ask them actually want to stay angry. They may put it in different words, but at the end of the day you can see by how they are framing things that they really want to stay upset.

Why the heck would people want to do that? It stalls any hope of personal growth or being able to benefit from life. They also apparently want to complicate everything. Small seemingly insignificant events become full one multiperson debates. I have seen arguments over the availability of coffee and/or its strength get to the point where of their staff in my assisted living building have to get advice from the administrator. To me that's just ridiculous. I'm not talking about big changes to the coffee situation it's more about things like 6 (178 ml) ounces versus 8 (236 ml) ounce cups. The results will want to projecting going on in these arguments and they all seem to like it in a very negative way.

To be honest, I live in a facility which is far above most others that I have seen. The staff here are kind, enthusiastic and just a bit quirky 💗. It's not perfect of course because the healthcare environment is just full of rules and regulation. Sometimes that can put a damper on things, but overall the staff does an excellent job of keeping the quality of life going.

Yet for a lot of the tenants there is a malaise. Yet when ideas are brought forward to break the pattern people are stuck in there is tremendous rationalization as to "why they can't" to whatever is being suggested. ...I just don't get it. There is so much opportunity to do what ever you want and the time to do it. That's a lot free most of the world doesn't have. Yes the cost of staying here is 70% of one's income but that covers everything aside from Internet and a landline if you want it. (the land line is only $20 a month). One cannot get kicked out unless something really insane happens. Essentially people have the time to take courses if they want; we have a few libraries nearby. Because everyone here is disabled in one way or another they all qualify for discount Internet plans. I get 150 Mb per month for $30 unlimited. I mean it's insane the amount of opportunity that you just sitting there for anyone to grasp.

So what is this negative hold over people? What are they getting out of it? There must be something. I really do find it fascinating and I admit I also find it very unsettling because it is wasted potential. Now I'm not perfect and I have my own issues that I deal with, but at 65 years old I am doing pretty darn well. Most people in this building are much younger than I am. One of the things I do to balance out the negativity and stay connected with the world at large it's write this very blog. I also volunteer five days a week via a remote connection to the office of the organization. Occasionally I going to Vancouver to attend meetings but 90% of my work and duties is done right from my very desk. Still it keeps me connected with people and events and drawing value from my life.

The place where I live could be a hive of activity. There actually is an organization in Vancouver British Columbia called "HiVE Vancouver Society". They rent out space and hardware for those needing to set up a small office for their entrepreneurial grassroots business. I've never been there but I heard it's quite something. I can see the place where I live doing something similar if only the tenants would avail themselves of the opportunities that exist. Yes many of them have been through accidents which brought them here but "here" is not a bad place at all. As I said earlier this particular facility is far ahead of others I have seen. The apartments by the way are huge, I intuitively want to say about 600 ft.² (55 m²). Far larger than other organizations provide.and like I say the staff is very, very "groovy"! 😀.

I think I just figured this topic out…  Why people can be addicted to anger:

As long as you are angry, especially if it's your preferred state, the responsibility for everything tends to be placed on other things or people. -- It's a short term get out of jail free card! And it's easy. One gets to ignore everything else. The trouble is of course, you don't get anywhere. There was no benefit because you handed over mentally the responsibility for everything. In that mental state, you can't even change your self. Yikes!… The person's stuck until they break the routine.

Conversely, taking advantage of an opportunity frequently involves work and commitment. The benefits however are legion. First off, the opportunity allows the person to evolve and of course the evolution takes one in uncertain but often times incredibly beneficial directions. Speaking from personal experience, I think by getting to know your self and the opportunities around you, one's health overall is much better. Because you are looking at the various things in your life. Even though I have Cerebral Palsy and am 65 years old I take absolutely no drugs. Not because I'm a Puritan, because I don't have to. (I think I may be the only person in my building who can make that claim.)

This ties into something else, I wonder if society is making things a little too easy. (See Difficulty Has Its Advantages on this blog.) In order for people to grow they need challenge that is meaningful and they need to learn the skills to benefit from such situations.

With that I think I will end this positive rant and put together a quick video for it.

Have a great day everyone. Patrick. Thanks for stopping by.

 

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