Which came first, "The Word" or the "Message" it conveys?

Image based on photo by  Lauren Mcalary
under CC BY-SA 4.0 Deed license.

This is a very spontaneous, and probably very short article. It is so off-the-cuff that I really don't know how long it will end up being.

Over the last few years I have noticed people becoming more and more for lack of a better term "Phrase Sensitive". I had been involved with a few meetings lasting several hours each debating which terms are more appropriate for a given situation. Now before I go any further please do not misunderstand this is not the standard rebuttal about being overly politically correct. However, I do want to question why people seem to be so transfixed and often uncomfortable about terminology.

To my way of thinking the totality of the message you are conveying is much more important than the words you used to convey that information. In other words, it's the message that is important and not the phrasing. When I think about it by making things completely acceptable we are in danger of creating a society which does not know how to deal with diversity. Diversity is the very engine which drives evolution and change. People should not be afraid of this aspect of life. Indeed they should embrace it, because that is where new things are found out.

Do not pay attention to the individual words and phrases used in any monologue; rather look at the greater message. That is what you hold society and people accountable to.

I have a challenge for you. 

Spend a day saying exactly what you mean. Of course you can tell your friends and colleagues ahead of time that this is an experiment. You don't want to freak them out, but you do want to get them to pay attention to the complete meaning behind your words. Being blindly politically correct only serves to introduce ambiguity into communication. While saying specifically what you mean not only clarifies it for those around you but makes you pay attention to the message itself.

This could also have a very beneficial effect on everyone who engages with you, because it tends to lay bare routines we have for communicating quickly which are not very effective. It is an opportunity to really look at meetings and words.

Taking this a step further you could record your conversations and dialogue throughout the day. When listening to it back, pay particular attention to how you phrase things and the words you used. Did they match the idea you were trying to convey? Did you feel an emotional impact?

We are all so busy. The art of conversation and really conveying I thought is getting lost to some extent, because of two things essentially: 1. We tend nowadays to use the word that is appropriate but not accurate. 2. We make assumptions that are definition of the word is the same as the other persons. This is especially true when we deal with politically correct phrases. Have you ever been in a meeting and heard a phrase used over and over again which has never been truly explained to you. You have a "general idea"… And if that's the case other people may be in the same boat. This is not a good situation for clear communication and cooperation.

So which did come first, "The Word" or the "message" it conveys?

Take care Patrick

Doing your Website Maintenance Today, Keeps the Hackers Away.

 A website is not a single thing; it is made up of many different parts.

Here we are at the beginning of the new year January 2024. Many people are going to be starting new projects in which creativity is going to flow enthusiastically. This is all good. Keep it up and keep moving forward.

In my volunteer position I do a lot of work related to websites and there is always a blossoming of new sites and domains around this time every year. Especially with the small business entrepreneur. But in all this creativity something gets overlooked and that is when dealing with your new website one must not only keep the public facing content up-to-date, you must also ensure that the software which keeps the website functioning is kept current.

Many times when a call comes in from the owner of the site the initial problem is only the tip of the iceberg. I have seen sites running  software that is multiple years out of date. This often happens because the owner of the business has not been educated by the original website developer, just like a car one must keep the engine in good shape.

A website is actually not a single standalone piece of software. It is made up of three distinct types of software at a minimum.

1. The website software: This is the part that most business owners are aware of. You login update the items on your website and perhaps add a new item or article.
    
2. All modern website software comes with optional "plug-ins or packages" which usually have their own separate update process. When you log into the website you will usually see a notification of some kind if one of these plug-ins needs to be updated.
    
3. Since a website server is a computer there is also an operating system which must be maintained separately. Most people are familiar with Microsoft Windows for their home computer, website server computers frequently use an operating system called "Linux".

The owner of a website can usually update the first two items, the third is updated by the hosting company which provides you the site space on the Internet.
 

There are a few ways to address this:

• If you are not tech savvy, most website hosting companies offer, at an additional charge, what is known as a "managed website". This means that they take care of all the behind-the-scenes technical aspects, leaving you free to focus on the content and products offered.
  
  There are limits to this approach in that the managed website package may not include upkeep of all the software. Without getting into a great deal of technical detail websites in this regard function in much the same way as your home computer. There is the "operating system" which for most home computers is Microsoft Windows. Then there are the programs you license or buy which run in conjunction with the operating system.
  
  With this model in mind the "operating system" for your website is most often called Linux. Just like Microsoft Windows it forms the bedrock on top of which the website software runs. A managed site contract therefore only covers the website software and usually not the operating system. What this means to you as a business owner or entrepreneur is that eventually you will need to redo your website entirely. Sometimes the underlying operating system can be upgraded but even so it will mean a lot of work and usually it's easier just to redo the entire site.
   
• There are also companies like WIX which offer a complete integrated website packages. Here you take care of only the site content and overall design.  WIX will take care of everything else and with very few exceptions you will be good to go for many years. However these are more expensive and sometimes if you decide to move your website to another company you may find that you cannot. You can think of this is kind of a walled garden where companies offering a completely integrated website package that take care of everything are proprietary. This is not a critique of WIX, they are simply a well-known example, and like everything else in technology the information that is correct today will likely be out of date at some point.
   
• Make a long term agreement with the developer of your site so that they can continue to keep the software up-to-date and advise you on the best course of actions as the technology evolves. Unless you know what you are doing and plan to keep up to date with the technology, I recommend that you keep in touch with the original developer.

For a lot of people, the different aspects of running a website can seem obscure. After all when you visit a webpage it looks like a single unit. So in the accompanying video I show a few of the various parts and how the underlying operating system which is never seen by most site owners is can affect the operation of the website. It is not important that you understand the details but rather that you are aware that there are various components and that a website is made up of all these parts. At the very least you can then go to your website developer or company with a little more knowledge.

There are several other articles on the blog dealing with various aspects of website creation and upkeep. You can simply click this link to see the most current list of documents, or at any time, use the search box on the site to search for the keyword "website" or just click here to automate the search.

Take care and stay tuned, as the new year gets underway 😀!

Take care Patrick

Happy New Year and What's Coming up in 2024.

Artwork purchase from Subhan,
owner of SuzzShopStore on Etsy.

 

Wow, here we are at the end of 2023 and boy has it been busy. This explains why I haven't been posting much lately just a sheer lack of time and/or occasionally energy. 

However, I have plans for the new year and one of them is an article on how the concept of knowledge is about to change because of the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Much has been said about it in general but one of the things humanity will be facing is the knowledge that one cannot possibly keep up with the sheer volume of information an AI can process. One uncorroborated statement I heard said that Google's new system can digest over 100,000 documents in one hour. That means that if the system were to come up with a solution to any given problem and let us suppose that it worked. They would simply be no way for mere mortals to fact check and perhaps truly understand the procedures involved.

That means that our relationship to knowledge itself is going to change, so stay tuned as I develop the article and do the necessary fact checking. My goal is to get it out late in January with an accompanying video of course.

For now however I just want to wish everyone a great new year. Taken account of your successes and challenges. They frequently come together. And let's see what's on the other side of January 2024.

All the best!
Patrick

What are some of the things that help create and foster a positive outlook?

Ever notice that some people have an ability to get something positive out of almost any situation? These people also are fountains of ideas. They don't get stuck very often on a problem and when they do, even if they are unsuccessful, they will tell you most sincerely that they received some benefit from it.

I consider myself one of these people. As a matter of fact my whole family has at their core the "problem solving gene". What is it that gives some people this outlook on life?.

Creative, Positive, Actions:

There are several factors I believe but for most I think the nurturing of curiosity is the thing that enables everything else. I fondly remember sitting on the floor of my parent's bedroom with my sister watching my father build a simple electromagnet out of some wire, I nail, and a battery. While he was obviously trying to inspire us and we couldn't have been more than four or five years old respectively. Was how happy he was to be building something simple having fun and see his children get inspired. I think dad knew, that his lesson was so important and he was overjoyed that his children were getting it.

The other big factor which became obvious when we were teenagers was to appreciate and enjoy hard work. It always feels wonderful when you have put effort and focus into something. As long as you can understand the reasons behind the difficulties you will gain something. Life was meant to be understood so that you can see your way through the challenges.

The third lesson in fostering a positive outlook is to be responsible for undertaking actions. In other words, don't look for someone else to do the work. Whenever possible do it your self. This will build up so much not only in self-esteem but it will strengthen your entire sense of being.

And now here is the companion video to this short article:(Updated: Oct 9, 2023)

 This is a little addendum:

As I was reciting the video for this article I ended up really inspiring myself and came up with a plethora of ideas. This proves to me that encouraging the creative and curious spirit is one of the major aspects of developing a positive outlook. Also very important is the willingness to understand that when life is working correctly, you are for ever changing. Don't hold onto who you are, I think you'll find that impossible to do anyway.

It is also far better to try something and fail at it if need be, and yet pull something useful out of the experience. This may be the real lesson here: "Find the Silver Lining" in any experience. It always exists. Even in the most difficult of situations. Sometimes what you learn now may not be immediately apparent and may not be useful for years but I'm willing to bet my very life that down the road somewhere some little bit of knowledge will put you and an advantage. Giving you just a little bit more insight than if you had not had all the experiences you've had thus far.

 The inspiration just keeps on going…

As mentioned in the video, I accidentally came up with a bit of spontaneous artwork which started as a simple sunburst. Below are the full size still images.

• To save an image, first click on it so that it enlarges. Then right click and choose "save image as" or "save link as". The terminology varies a little bit between different devices. If you have any trouble, leave a comment. Or use the feedback box available on most devices. On some smaller phones and tablets this feedback box is not available. But it is clearly visible when using a laptop on every page.

I hereby place following images in this post in the public domain. No attribution required.

The still photographs.

As usual, clicking on any image, then right clicking will allow you to download it.

 The stills, were done using "Particle Shop" for the starburst, and Paintshoppro Ultimate for the kaleidoscopic effect.

The animated versions will follow shortly, in a day or two. (The animations are now posted below. Keep scrolling you will see them at the end of the post.)They pose a small problem because they are so short which makes them unsuitable for posting to YouTube. So the best idea is to convert them to GIF, but I have to keep the size small as not to overload mobile devices.

The Animations

The animations are now on a separate page. Click here to access it. Be aware these are large files. While most phones and other mobile devices can handle them they will take some time to load.

This is why they have been moved to a separate page.

As always feel free to leave comments or suggestions. Take care Patrick

What if some people actually don't like to think?

"You can't have motivation without the effort of thought."

At first, I thought it was such an oddthought: "What if some people actually don't like to think." Well, the more I thought about it, the more I began to consider the idea seriously. 40 years ago it would've been truly preposterous. If you wanted to know something you had to put effort into either finding the information and then drawing conclusions from it based on whatever criteria you had in mind.

But consider for a moment how easy it is now days to find out something almost immediately, and based on previous activity on the Internet it is likely to be tailored to their viewpoint., Literally, "No Thinking Required." They receive a minor endorphin it from the brain and then move on to the next stimulating thumbnail on YouTube. I know people like this, quite a few and across a wide range of ages. Not only do they usually have difficulty in going outside of their mental comfort zone to solve a problem, they usually have no idea how to start. This topic has come up several times on this blog, and I think it's because of at least two reasons:

1. I find the idea of not liking the effort involved in thinking and considering something very foreign. It is almost confusing to me.
   
   
2. I always feel a great sense of achievement when I come to the solution or the conclusion. Especially if it's been a truly challenging one. (Right now I have such a case. Implementing voice dictation on a raspberry pi in such a way that it will be useful to a blind person. In other words I have to make it straightforward to turn off and on.  So far I have spent several weeks at this endeavour but I know I will get it solved. Progress is slowly revealing itself.)

Yet many people really do dislike the effort of figuring something out. This is a very dangerous way to go through life from my perspective.--- I mean, what is life without understanding? Not to mention you miss a great deal of the whole point of being alive, because the joy and growth are found in the details of something. Society itself is built on the idea of details. An understanding that the community has agreed on something and the knowledge of why that brings you together. This all takes effort and indeed a fair bit of thought.

Maybe that's why I find people losing their social skills. People that are focused on just a very narrow outlook and stay within their comfort zone can possibly really socialize and make those marvellous connections. Not to mention the insights that come from working with society.

Yet I think it's very easy to turn this situation around; it entails however slowing down and breaking away from the perceived need to move from one thing to another quickly. In other words no marathon surfing on your device. That is a good starting point. The other of course is turning off the autopilots in your behaviours and being present in the moment. Start to notice things around you. Indeed pay attention to how you feel at any given moment you choose.

At first, I'm sure it will feel uncomfortable. This is understandable because your reawakening skills. At first they will be cumbersome and you will be overly aware of them. But within a few days I am sure you will see the benefits. This does not mean you have to swear off technology or routines that give you pleasure. Just become more aware of who and where you are. Add that dimension back into your life.

Then you will find with the human race has globally known for a long time: "Fulfilment, Awareness, Thinking and Effort are key ingredients to a great life."

Take care and as always feel free to leave comments. I will most likely at a short video to this article within the next week or so. Stay tuned 😀

Patrick

 

Is your physical health somewhat directed by your attitude?

(Updated May 23, 2024)

 Is your physical health at least partially determined by your attitude towards your situation in life?

If we assume the answer to that question is: "Yes" then we must consider the degree to which that is true, and I believe that the influence one can exert on one's body is far more nuanced and adaptable then maybe many people consider.

 I'm not talking about your mood here, I am talking about your expectations of health. To present a real life example, right now I'm 64 years old and when I grew up everyone assumed that at that age it was the beginning of the decline in life. No one ever stated it specifically but it was definitely implied. So with that pre-programming I find personally that there is a physical adaption going on to bring those perceptions and reality. How do I know that I am in control of this to some degree? The subtle symptoms tend to appear after a thought and not before. It really makes you wonder "How You Are Driving Your Own Bus And Where You Are Driving It to." This, indeed is one of those topics that is so subtle in some regards and so hard to convey. (I feel a video coming on and it will be linked below).

It really makes one consider what our expectations are of society and roles and how far we may go to bring ourselves into accordance with those accepted outlooks. This is definitely one of those discussions you could have with a group of people and the answers would be diverse indeed. Right now I would love nothing better than to get together with friends to really hash this out.

The abilities of the human mind and body continually astounds me. But an included instruction manual would've been nice. To put it more directly, "There Is More to Being Human, then we first thought."

Indeed, I think that in modern society anyway, one's emotions are more in control of the body then the intellect is. I suspect this is due partially because we are just not taught too much about the emotional side of being human. If you start to explore this question for yourself it can be a double edged sword because as you get in touch with your emotional side you can both positively and negatively have an effect. Depending on what your core beliefs are deep down. This can make things much more complicated and I can say personally I have been there and done that. In the video I touch on this but not to the extent I now think it deserves. So there may be a part two in the works at some point. That has to do with feedback and how much time I can allot to the project.

There are many aspects to a blog and a video which take big chunks of time and considerable research even if the video ends up looking a little unprofessional still. I am on a learning curve and in dealing with hardware that wasn't quite designed for this purpose. Anyway let's get back on track…

Actually now that I consider it I think if one were fully "synchronized" with the conscious and emotional sides, share would pretty much disappear. At least as far as predicting the future of one's own life. You would be okay with the person you are because you would have explored a great deal throughout your life.

... And I bet there would be health benefits. As a matter fact I'm sure of this and I usually don't come out this forcefully without considering a great deal of detail about what I'm talking about. I think it could be said that the exploration of one's emotions as it relates to one's physical life is indeed the process of writing one's own instruction manual.

The video on this post goes into more depth on the topic.

What do you think? Let me know by leaving a comment. Take care and have a great day.
Patrick

 

** 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.

Things that get in the way of efficient use of your time.

Photo © by Mark Cartwright, Text added by Patrick Clark.
Copyright holder has published this content under the license:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike.

Before I moved in to my current supported living residence, which is actually great in terms of the physical and emotional supports, I took something for granted. When I was living on my own I didn't acknowledge or really appreciate what a grand gift large blocks of uninterrupted time were. Enough time and quiet environment to fully indulge in whatever activity the creative mind was drawn to.

Now my day is segmented into relatively short blocks, at the most three hours long. What a difference those divisions make especially when you're researching something or problem-solving. Which is in my book the number one thing that can get in the way of productive use of your time. So if you have such an asset, don't squander it. Rather appreciate just how powerful such a serene environment can be. Every once in a while, usually by accident I get a larger than normal block of time and it definitely brings back memories of sitting at my desk building a project at four in the morning. I may have started it in the early evening but I knew then that I could just go fulltilt at whatever my goal was. That knowledge was liberating.

The second thing that can get in your way is having too much on your mind. To be truly creative and "in the zone" one has to be able to let go of the other aspects of their life for a while. As much as I would love to be able to do 10 things at once, in order to be effective and produce quality results I must not try to do everything. So number three on the list is that you have to choose your goals and commitments carefully. If you try to do everything, nothing will get done, and most definitely not to a good standard even if you manage to succeed in all your undertakings. This is probably going to be a new lesson for the next generation as well. Nothing can replace the investment of time, mind and energy. So recognizing that fact, in itself, can free up more of your creative mind.

As one gets older, you realize that your time is not infinite so that anything you apply time and investment to needs to be of real value, either to you or the society at large. You must get something out of it. I watched a brief video in which Neil DeGrasse Tyson was being interviewed about his early educational experiences and although some might consider him a polymath it was very clear that he made choices and considered the weight of each with respect to his ultimate goals.

This does not mean you have to miss an opportunity. But what it does indicate is that you must have each opportunity in acceptable proportions in your life. You can't do it all, but you can definitely sample and decide how much of your finite energy and effort you want to apply to that particular aspect of experience.

Getting to know a little bit about your own personal psychology is also very useful. Many people never take the time to really look at their own personality and the way they actually deal with themselves. In North America, at least the society tends to be very reactive or very introspective. The extreme in either direction is not useful ultimately, you need both to anchor each other. One of the best things I ever did was take a year-long cognitive therapy course in which the group met once a week. Just learning to pay attention to oneself and what is going on within you and the external environment. Taking that perspective and bouncing it off others tends to give one a far greater understanding of society and humanity in general. This cannot be overstated and developing this awareness is one of the most powerful and rewarding tools you can ever undertake to learn.

I find it rather amazing that the educational system does not have this built into every child's curriculum at some point. If you take one thing away from this short article this last paragraph about cognitive therapy, outward and inward perspectives is the most important in making an efficient use of your time and life. Because it will allow you to identify ultimately the inefficiencies and things in your way which you might not have otherwise understood or seen.

Take care Patrick

Ten Years from Now, 2023...?

 Right now, on this very day, it's Labor Day 2023 in Canada...  How will we use and relate to technology in 10 years, 2034 (it's in the latter half of 2023, so for the sake of discussion will just call it 10 years ahead.)?

This question has been asked in various forms throughout the years but this time around both technology and the society are evolving extremely rapidly. Knowledge itself has changed fundamentally. It used to be you would learn of fact, some tidbit of information and that data was considered for the most part permanent and useful for a long time. Now the platforms and ways of doing things are completely in flux. You may learn something on Tuesday and a month down the road an update to some system you use has completely changed and made that knowledge you gained previously completely moot.

This must drive those in charge of archiving material completely nuts. I mean do you store the data on? What do you know for certain will be around in 10 years. If you store it in the cloud will that service be around. Will the protocols that run the Internet changes vastly. I believe this was one of the problems NASA faced with the Voyager 1 spacecraft years later. They were faced with the old age in computer system which he coded the data and no one knew how to repair it or the language it used was no longer taught. In this situation they had a machine out there in space which was sending information which soon could not be decoded. They were losing their Rosetta Stone. Ultimately I think and I'll put a link to a Wikipedia or NASA article right here for more up-to-date information, they just decided to turn the spacecraft off.

Indeed I have seen the "Compact Disc" be developed, hit the market, and it disappear in about 20 years. Pretty much in 1/5 of a lifetime something existing and then it did not. So how "permanent" will permanent be. Events like this redefine what we society perceived as a long time. Of course I rambled up a video. People seem to like them. Here you go:

I am most interested in how people will change. We have seen remarkable adjustments and also to aspects of what we collectively call "being human". I don't think I'm overstating this, these are fundamental changes and change the very fabric of the individual, especially when you look at it from a societal point of view. My hope is that ultimately when we've gotten over the technology and begin to use it as a tool we will begin to see just how interconnected things are over the long run. Maybe then societies will start to drop the artificial boundaries the human race has erected over centuries and intermingled their creativity and knowledge. It would be a society most foreign to you and I because hopefully they will find this part of human history a bit of an enigma. Considering people of the time creating most of their own problems because we had a mistaken belief in the power of division.

I wonder how intelligent life on other planets has dealt with these issues. As we explore space we are continually surprised by discoveries we never thought of. It shows that the human mind has a lot to expand for and that we are still for the most part wearing blinkers.

Anyway the adventure continues. Let's see if we can make it work shall we? :-)

May you have a great day!
Patrick

Teaching Interpersonal Social Skills in School

Attribution: Dietmar Rabich,
Photo Schachfiguren, Bauern -- 2022 -- 0022 (bw),
Text added by Patrick Clark, CC BY-SA 4.0

People today seem so sensitive. Everything is taken personally. I find myself wondering if there needs to be a course taught in school on interpersonal social skills. We have lost a great many of the activities in our educational systems that used to be the bedrock of the skills. I think there was also a greater sense of not only community, but an awareness of other communities. Regardless of any particular groups outlook about the other communities, there was really acknowledgement that any particular section of society was not alone.

In contrast, today it seems everyone is hyper focused. Even when you see groups of people and children walking down the street they are all engaging mainly with their devices and it seems to me what they do talk it is not an inclusive event, but more of broadcasting one's own opinion.

As you'll see in the video below, I went for a walk as I pondered this state of social affairs and ended up in a small local forest. That's where these above thoughts really began to hit home, and I found myself feeling a little sad for the younger generation. These interpersonal skills are so important in fulfilling one's life both physically and emotionally. Is it not time we bring attention to these critical skills and honestly start teaching them in school or bringing about some activity that allows people to bond and grow?

In this short video I ponder this thought. Let me know in the comments below if you have any ideas or feedback.

Take care Patrick

PS: The more I consider this question of teaching interpersonal social skills in school, the more I look around me and become increasingly convinced this is the way we must move forward as a society. The impact of not doing so would mean the unraveling of so many fundamental aspects of being human.

Remember when you used go into a coffee shop and everybody would be chattering and discussing a wide variety of things? Even though at times this public discussion would seem loud and overwhelming, ideas were flowing through the air and people were connecting on a very fundamental level. Now if you get on public transit or walk into a Starbucks, it is pretty much totally quiet and the minute someone sits down they are colluding to their laptop and likely plugged in to a local wall socket to recharge their beleaguered and overused battery.

I think this topic may become a series on the blog because as I look at the articles on this site there is a common theme: Humanity and Psychology. Stay tuned and will see what happens. Continue to have a great day.

What if the very fabric of reality between individuals is different?

 What if the very way a person perceives their existence varies far more than we ever considered?

By that, somewhat convoluted, question I need to ask if you could talk to someone's mind and experience their thought processes, might they vastly different than yours? I have been thinking about this for a long time as I find myself considering why people behave the way they do. Especially when they are unhappy and yet refuse to change their ways even when given explicit information and avenues out of their situation. I've met people with such vastly different perceptions of the world and ways of going about their daily lives, that I'm beginning to read the question the the supposed "shared human experience"great it might go a long way to explaining the vast differences between people. I'm considering this way down at the fundamentals of the thought process.

If those fundamental building blocks of our reality are in themselves remarkably diverse and unique to each person, then indeed we are all aliens and only normal in the truest sense in relation to our own perceptions.

It is a very intriguing question, and I suspect one that we will ultimately have the answer to. The way technology is evolving I am sure that we will get to a stage where we can begin to decode the millions of impulses of the brain and really look at the fundamental inner workings. I hope to be around to see that, indeed to experience it. Imagine being able to "plug-ins your best friends head". Could you comprehend what you found there? With the way of processing experience be so different, or would it be something familiar.

I hope the technologies which are developed in this regard don't do too much translation, I think there's a lot to be learned from the raw experience. The very things that make us different may indeed be the best teachers.

For those of you that like things in video format. Here's me talking about this very issue. Although things have occurred to me well up in writing this text and things occurred to me while I was doing the video. So like the article each has its own point of view, for lack of a better phrase. Enjoy the differences

Take care Patrick