The Black Box of Knowledge.

 

Wow, it is been quite the week for my little blog. Great to see all the traffic.

Here it is Thursday night and I'm quickly writing a little note because the way Friday is shaping up I may not have time to post a decent article or video....

Well, as it turns out time was available to do a video😀 and while I was doing it, it brought up a few more thoughts.

A few articles ago I mentioned that I was doing a piece on how the advent of AI is going to affect how society perceives and uses knowledge. This is the first attempt at such article. What I find fascinating is that we are quickly reaching a point where people will not be able to understand how artificial intelligence solved a certain problem. For the simple reason that the AI is capable of going through so much more information. Google's Gemini for example can churn through hundreds of thousands of document in an hour. We must also be aware that we are only at the very beginning of this evolution in technology. Regardless however I think it's here to stay in one form or another. Then there was the announcement of AI starting to be phased into digital assistances in late 2024 by YouTuber  "Automate Your Life "in this video blog.

So our relationship to knowledge is going to change and I think verily rapidly. Will knowledge become more of a, for lack of a better term, "black box", where we trusted by default simply because we cannot hold to comprehend all of the details.

Now project this down the road a bit into the future. How will this affect learning? Look at how dependent we are on our devices not only to store information but for basic mathematics or even arithmetic. When was the last time you sat down and divided more than a few numbers in your head or even on paper?

Remember when you could do basic math in your head or remember a phone number. How quickly those skills became obsolete and yet that little bit of mental exercise really did have an impact, which was far-reaching. The very basic exercise of doing math in your head I believe helps keep one grounded in reality and overall helps keeps a person more awake and less on autopilot.

Just how automatic do we want the world to become? This and other questions are important to answer. Too much automation is not good for society. It is through effort and collaboration that the human spirit grows.

Depending upon how my Friday goes I will add a video. Most certainly at some point over the weekend one will be added. For now however I just wanted to touch base and let everyone know I am still cooking up this idea in regards to artificial intelligence and the future of knowledge. 

Take care Patrick

Mindfulness of the Self.

 

The  Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary defines Mindfulness as follows:
 

"A mental state achieved by concentrating on the present moment, while calmly accepting the feelings and thoughts that come to you, used as a technique to help you relax."

This is a good starting point. After one does this on a regular basis for a while you may begin to notice patterns in your thoughts that you did not expect and these can tell you a great deal about the more subtle aspects to your self and personality."Take mindfulness to the next step." Is how I stated in the short video on this page.

Everyone as a public persona and everyone also has a private persona where they might tell themselves, "This is who I really am." Surprise, with regular mindfulness training you might discover that there is another layer which may be in contrast to who you think you really are. Most of the time it's much more subtle, but no less tremendously important to pay attention to, providing insights most often to feelings and states of mind you tend to automatically accept throughout the day.

It is a good idea to keep a journal of some kind listing these insights and other related thoughts. You will discover that you don't know yourself is much as you think you do. Then armed with this information you can form a plan on what you would like to change or just accept. 

This is very important in today's ultra distracted and fast-paced world. You will begin to be able to choose when you are letting things in which have an emotional impact on you. This knowledge will also provide one the ability to separate out the stuff that is unwanted before it really gets integrated into emotional or mental routines.

Years ago I read an article which stated that the average person is exposed to more information in one day then someone born in the late 1800s would receive in the one year. At first this sounded ludicrous, but then I began to think about it. Just look at the number of notifications you probably received in an hour on your phone. Then you can add in the number of interruptions and diversions etc. (If you're one of those lucky individuals who been able to will the door shut to give yourself some breathing room, congratulations. You will probably like another short article I wrote Intuition and the Curious Mind. )

The best part I have found is that it is never too late to have an insight and act on it. You may find that you have done something for years… Well now that you know about it you can modify your reaction moving forward and that is always a good thing.

 It is possible to even incorporate a response to what you discover in your mindfulness journey. Let's say during sessions you find yourself having a reaction to a recurring thought and although you've accepted it there's nothing stopping you from adding in a response to that thought. You can literally adjust the brains "volume knobs" if you'll pardon the really bad analogy, to whatever it is. There is no appropriate way to do it and there's no inappropriate way to do it. Whatever works for you. If during our journeys you discover you need some outside assistance seek out a good friend or professional. That's part of life and I am myself talk to a psychologist on a regular basis just to get an alternate viewpoint.

The mind is a great flexible tool at your disposal, go ahead and polish it up :-)

Finding motivation… It can always be found at the "Start".

Mont Blanc seen from Les Arcs in 1950
Untouched  photo by  Dmottl
Creative Commons license CC BY-SA 4.0 Deed

Have you ever had one of those moments when you just can't get motivated? Of course we all of had this happen it can often initially be a very frustrating thing. What people in North America and indeed the modern world forget is that when you are in this state of not being able to be motivated there are often preconditions you are placing on your "Motivation". In other words you are putting blocks in the way waiting for a certain set of conditions to be true before allowing yourself to be motivated.

Sometimes we think too much. We can get caught up in thinking so much that we never allow ourselves to just start the project. Or allow ourselves to start any activity. Indeed that is one of the tricks, if you can't start the big item that you want to be motivated about. Start something smaller or different. Actually this is why I created this short video attached to this blog post. I was having trouble getting motivated this morning so I decided to start with a video and sort of talk myself through the process. Four minutes later, because that's all it took to make the video, I am now feeling motivated 😀 and ready for the day.

The video simply says this in a nutshell: If you're having trouble finding motivation for your big idea, start on something different or smaller and that most likely will give you the motivation and momentum you need to work on the bigger idea.

And with that said I will now start my day! Hopefully this very short article and video will be of usefulness to you or at least allow you to start your day with a smile. Because you and I can do it. Whatever it is we need done, can be done!

Have a great day Patrick

 

Are we losing control of how information is organized?

With the sheer volume of information available out there, and the number of times it is updated every single day has it exceeded our traditional ways of organizing information?

Most of this article is probably going to be in the video below, because while I do want to get this out today my time is growing short.

Society is now dealing with more information coming at them per day than at any other time in history. I find myself really wondering if the old ways of organizing material are up to the task at hand. Just look at any smart phone to see not only the myriad of settings but the desperate attempt the developers face in trying to organize it. Never mind the nightmare of trying to keep documentation up to date.

I know there is something else universal we have all faced and that is when we connect to our business or office network only to find that the application we depend on to be efficient has been updated and everything is moved around, if not removed. That's when efficiency goes right out the door. Yet when you talk to the developers they are locked in a cycle of keeping the product fresh. And who can blame them? If you're not new or updating on the Internet, you are pretty much dead in the water.

There must be a better way to handle information we need a fundamental shift. This is going to be a very good exercise, mainly because we are all so steeped in the traditional ways of organizing information and thoughts. This ties in very nicely with my upcoming articles on knowledge and AI.

Not only organization but the very fact that a great deal of information that we deal with on a day-to-day basis is now only temporary or hyper specific. We will continue to use a smart phone as an example. Even within the same brand functions and their placement can vary a great deal. I recently bought a new phone and a feature I had always assumed was part of the very basics of android was not available. Namely, the ability to answer a phone call automatically on Bluetooth after only a set number of rings. You actually have to physically push a button on your headset to answer the call. I was able to find an app that provided the missing feature but I was stunned and this is a Google pixel six. I did contact the developer and they said they had no plans to implement the feature. When I inquired a little further they were very quiet as in not responding when I asked why it was not being included. My only guess is that Google wants to push their auto answer feature with Google assistant. The phone will answer a call on its own and do a speech to text conversion of what the caller says. This functionality was turned on by default by the way

The video in brief just some thoughts I have on the current situation and how we might better deal with things.

Take care Patrick

Intuition and the Curious Mind.

This is got to be one of the most important aspects in doing well with life. By doing "well with life"I mean your own personal satisfaction from your own unique point of view.

The curious mind is a brain in which you are consciously engaged with. It is almost a discussion, a positive feedback loop. Sometimes it can be very quick following a train of thought rapidly down the tracks, while at other times, it can be deep pondering perhaps only one aspect of a greater thought. It can become quite euphoric. Especially if one experiences some insight. The classic "Ah Ha!" moment. It makes you feel like a kid again. Einstein said it best and I'm paraphrasing here "Genius is childhood rediscovered.".

So how do we cultivate this; what are some of the things we need to ensure are in place so that the curious mind and intuition flourish?

 

The following ideas are strictly for my own perspective.

• You must be free from the burden. That is you must have a place both physically and mentally where you are not distracted or thinking about other responsibilities. It is actually a healthy requirement that you set aside a period of time or days when the rest of the world does not need your attention. No answering the cell phone or checking anything online unless it has to do with whatever project or idea you are delving into. Preferably this free space is a long enough that you can really indulge.
  
  
• No distractions. This one is very important, there can be no interruptions. Interruptions break the train of thought and can seriously derail inspiration. Inspiration occurs when you give it space.
  
  
• Ensure that your environment is comfortable and stimulating to your way of thinking and feeling. It is not easy to get into the flow of creativity if you are in a dark cave ( unless that is what you're into).

Follow these three steps and I have a feeling you will not only find inspiration. Your brain and body will be also in better health. Simply because you will allow yourself to be your self. For me it kind of synchronizes things. It changes my hold state of mind and mood. It definitely brings back any lost energy. Almost by definition intuition will tend to spontaneously occur if you can create the right environment.

Have a great day! Patrick

If You Do Not Change, You Will Not Find.

 

Start by Turning on the Light.

"If you do not seek, you will not find." sounds quite self evident, but in my experience, some people  subconsciously expect and behave as though the opposite is true. That is, "If I wait here and to do nothing, change will occur."

The more remarkable thing is they will do exactly that. People will maintain their negative habits, complained bitterly and expect a positive outcome. Moreover, they will expect a positive outcome without any alteration to their current behaviour. (Boy, have I got news for them.) There are a few examples that come to mind, they all manifest indirectly and maybe that's why they keep reoccurring:

A friend, keeps complaining about their laptop getting old and they need to do something about it. For two years now, with a small computer store just down the street, they have said they need to drop in and see what is available. Almost daily they complain about something not working right with the machine and yet they do not visit this store. They look online through page after page of devices and sales. I have offered to back up the machine so they don't lose any other content. The money to purchase a new laptop is available or could be arranged quite easily from what they've said. Yet they don't do it. What's worse is that eventually the machine will malfunction and then they will be in trouble, because that will result in a panic buy. They get to take me up on the backup offer. Both of us can see the train wreck coming… Yet why don't they step out of the way and get a new laptop up?

Does this sound familiar to anyone reading this? I bet it does.

Or how about this: Someone complains about, being stuck in a rut and not having anything new to do. So you make some suggestions which are all summarily rejected for one reason or another. Usually the rejections are pretty lame: "I don't want to do that." Or "No, that's too much work..."

If you do not change, you will not find what you were looking for. These are some simple tips and there's only 3 of them.😀

• Light Bulb Moment # 1: Change Takes Work. You can't expect a different outcome without putting any effort into it. In a way a person must be willing to embrace change and understand that in some aspect they will alter themselves. If they do not accept this and they are really stuck. What is probably happening when someone does not want to undertake changing is that they have not acknowledged something positive. Getting out of there current situation. There's always a payoff somewhere.
  
  
• Light Bulb Moment # 2: "People love to stay safe." In this context "safe" is taken in very basic terms. It could be "Am I familiar with my own situation?". If the answer is "yes" for that person then they are going to fight any change. Even if they don't like where they are in life. If their surroundings are familiar to them they are going to tend to keep them in a state of status quo. The solution to this then is to start small. Don't try to tackle the whole problem at once. But be consistent in whatever changes you do succeed in implementing. It may be necessary to restart the endeavour several times. Because creative people find creative ways of avoiding change. If you do find this a requirement that each time a restart is necessary alter the way you do it. Avoid getting stuck in mindless repetition.
  
  
• Light Bulb Moment # 3: Don't discount success. Society is now conditioned to focus on the negative. Indeed it is an evolutionary human trait. In the past it help to keep one alive. Now that behaviour is frankly a pain in the ass for the human species. The successes you have will give you further insight into what needs to be done and you may find it surprising.

These two steps are what is needed for ongoing growth in everyone's life. Give them a try and leave a comment down below.

Have a great day everyone.
Patrick

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