Monday, September 24, 2012
Loops
I can feel it,
I can taste it,
I can track it.
It arose,
I can identify each linked thought,
I can see the seed of each,
I can surveil the physical discomfort,
As each thought manifests,
As the anger, joy, desire is triggered,
And plays me like an instrument.
Which came first?
The image, the motion, the experience, the pattern,
Matched.
The conversation builds in my head.
An ease to the words that facilitate my anger, my joy, my desire.
Ephemeral.
Hunger is a trigger.
Shapes are triggers.
Sounds are triggers.
Touch triggers.
Sense gates.
'I' is a trigger.
When the quality of consciousness surveils itself.
There is hope.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Jungle Ducks
Jungle ducks,
Peppered with iridescent eyes,
Waterproof to fifty metres,
Hunting in packs,
Preying on predators,
Snuggling like bunnies.
Peppered with iridescent eyes,
Waterproof to fifty metres,
Hunting in packs,
Preying on predators,
Snuggling like bunnies.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Cloud and Moral Engineering
[nominal delivery draft, SOURCE Boston 18 April 2012]
Criticality, Rejectionists, Risk Tolerance - Daniel E. Geer, Jr. http://geer.tinho.net/geer.sourceboston.18iv12.txt
Criticality, Rejectionists, Risk Tolerance - Daniel E. Geer, Jr. http://geer.tinho.net/geer.sourceboston.18iv12.txt
[excerpt] Summing up so far, risk is a consequence of dependence. Because of shared dependence, aggregate societal dependence on the Internet is not estimable. If dependencies are not estimable, they will be underestimated. If they are underestimated, they will not be made secure over the long run, only over the short. As the risks become increasingly unlikely to appear, the interval between events will grow longer. As the latency between events grows, the assumption that safety has been achieved will also grow, thus fueling increased dependence in what is now a positive feedback loop.
In the language of statistics, common mode failure comes from under-appreciated mutual dependence. Quoting from NIST's section on redundancy in their "High Integrity Software System Assurance" documentation[6] *public link permission revoked on previous link*:
[R]edundancy is the provision of functional capabilities that
would be unnecessary in a fault-free environment. Redundancy
is necessary, but not sufficient for fault tolerance. ... System
failures occur when faults propagate to the outer boundary of
the system. The goal of fault tolerance is to intercept the
propagation of faults so that failure does not occur, usually
by substituting redundant functions for functions affected by a
particular fault. Occasionally, a fault may affect enough
redundant functions that it is not possible to reliably select
a non-faulty result, and the system will sustain a common-mode
failure. A common-mode failure results from a single fault (or
fault set). Computer systems are vulnerable to common-mode
resource failures if they rely on a single source of power,
cooling, or I/O. A more insidious source of common-mode failures
is a design fault that causes redundant copies of the same
software process to fail under identical conditions.
That last part -- that "A more insidious source of common-mode failures is a design fault that causes redundant copies of the same software process to fail under identical conditions" -- is exactly that which can be masked by complexity precisely because complexity ensures under-appreciated mutual dependence.....[excerpt]
Saturday, December 31, 2011
On Common Ground
Where is the common ground but the human condition?
There is a lot to be said of 'choice architectures', surrounding oneself with elements of positivity, energy, and potentiality... but also in re-engaging one's roots and meeting the current reality with as much neutrality and equanimity as one can muster.
To be intimate with and embrace ephemeral feelings, to transcend and include, yet engage the impermanent… to be human?
Collaborative solitude. Borne of a box.
Where is the balance of focus to be found? In lessening attachments to facilitate action and mastery where are the fundamental lines drawn?
Deepening and widening: Inextricably linked, yet too fast in either direction and the other suffers.
Distracting and numbing: So much energy wasted in pursuit and attainment of escapism from the unbearable lightness of being.
Yet in novelty, adventure, and social interaction new patterns are found/formed… patterns perhaps so unlike the previous ones that higher order states are attained which include a freedom from foundational patterns. There is another pathless path, one of omission, abstinence.. which leads to a different asymptotic purity.
There will always be background noise. There should always be background noise whether internal or external.
This entropy in emptiness is where creation lives.
There is a lot to be said of 'choice architectures', surrounding oneself with elements of positivity, energy, and potentiality... but also in re-engaging one's roots and meeting the current reality with as much neutrality and equanimity as one can muster.
To be intimate with and embrace ephemeral feelings, to transcend and include, yet engage the impermanent… to be human?
Collaborative solitude. Borne of a box.
Where is the balance of focus to be found? In lessening attachments to facilitate action and mastery where are the fundamental lines drawn?
Deepening and widening: Inextricably linked, yet too fast in either direction and the other suffers.
Distracting and numbing: So much energy wasted in pursuit and attainment of escapism from the unbearable lightness of being.
Yet in novelty, adventure, and social interaction new patterns are found/formed… patterns perhaps so unlike the previous ones that higher order states are attained which include a freedom from foundational patterns. There is another pathless path, one of omission, abstinence.. which leads to a different asymptotic purity.
There will always be background noise. There should always be background noise whether internal or external.
This entropy in emptiness is where creation lives.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Ahimsa
I don’t smush snails or spiders and such...
I avoid ants.
A while ago I think I woke up!
This week I learned of Russian wolves, nature or nurture,
More plastic communities breeding sterile foxes and rabid rabbits,
There are many layers ingesting each other.
Sometimes I maintain silence and omit others, maybe for their good or mine,
Whether my heart beats with ectropy or entropy, patterns emerge...
Two things, or is it three, that let me see from a multitude of angles,
The hornets nest inside is nearly empty,
Room for novelty or commitment?
I think something is living in my beard,
Another new home.
I avoid ants.
A while ago I think I woke up!
This week I learned of Russian wolves, nature or nurture,
More plastic communities breeding sterile foxes and rabid rabbits,
There are many layers ingesting each other.
Sometimes I maintain silence and omit others, maybe for their good or mine,
Whether my heart beats with ectropy or entropy, patterns emerge...
Two things, or is it three, that let me see from a multitude of angles,
The hornets nest inside is nearly empty,
Room for novelty or commitment?
I think something is living in my beard,
Another new home.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
When Nature Conspires For You
Dave picked us up in Byron Bay (minus his female companion who originally was supposed to come on this research trip) and we proceeded to drop Wade (another Buddhist networker) at Ballina airport. Luckily the Chilean volcano’s ash cloud had only slighlty affected his flight departure home. After a brief local supermarket trip we hit the road in earnest; me with my busted knee and him with his 4x4 Toyota Land Cruiser. I had just spent 3 full days at a computer camp at Lake Ainsworth, Lennox Heads. There had been a confluence of our Australian ‘tech brethern’ of 150 strong Ruby on Rails(RoR) programmers and assorted digital makers who had met for some serious fun, learning and collaboration (unfortunately there was a pronounced lack of ‘tech sisters’).
There was intentionally no Internet at camp and albeit I didn’t write any new code, I did make plenty of new connections and learned a helluva’ lot (including some barrista skills) all while my Ruby robot continually nudged the rest of the sangha in cyberspace. The camp was an eclectic environment which supported and welcomed ‘n00b’s (also known as newbies or anyone new to a discipline or topic) which was great as I am a huge supporter of the concept and practice of both ‘beginners mind’ and peer learning in all walks of life. This ‘shoshin’ or beginners mind would also be applied to the next part of the trip as our mission was to delve deeper in to self-sufficiency, permaculture and alternative community models. Our goal was to be achieved by doing and interacting (rather than just reading about), and the destination was a little farm just west of Bellingen, New South Wales.
It was Monday around 9pm and decidedly dark on Darkwood Road when we finally arrived at the property. Having just snuck in across Hobart’s bridge, which was only a few centimetres below water at the time, we realised we were now trapped by the Bellinger river on a 4km strip of beautiful fertile valley. It was inadvertently perfect for a technical ‘cold turkey’ and some surreptitious solitude... though not an intentional goal, neither packets nor humans were coming or going for the next few days. A research trip begun with a reminder by Nature that she was always in control seemed fitting, as did an emphasis on food and energy security. Human and machine redundancy and preparedness, it seems, is crucial (especially when not suckling from a centralised supply chain).
After 36 hours solid rainfall there was a brief respite into which we ventured forth to see the extent of the flooding. The bridge was indeed deep under a torrent of water thus we took the opportunity to call on the neighbours for an informal chat and were taken on an impromptu tour of their garlic farm and homesteading efforts. It also turned out that we were around the corner from the infamous ‘Homelands’ commune (and others such as ‘Patanga’ and ‘Khandahar’) where only recently land divisions which were previously sub-divided and designated as multiple occupancy(MO) are done so no more, and all the land has been classed as environmentally protected.
Two days in and apart from some internal cleaning and sweeping, not much outdoor activity had taken place yet... so when the sky cleared on the morning of the third day it was out with the petrol ‘whipper snipper’s, chainsaw, rakes, gloves and buggy. At the end of the fourth day we dropped tools and headed in to town as the waters had finally receeded enough to get back over the bridge and have a poke around the main street in Bellingen. It remains to be seen how to engage fully with commune and collective members other than that of fostering more connections while volunteering locally or embedding oneself for a longer period of time. Intimate and direct experience of a thing is the only way to truly know something and as only fools rush in, we will tread lightly, cultivate our karma, and continue to do our practical and theoretical homework. Big thanks to @bmatt.
A mixture of brought and local reading material kept the neurons firing during the evenings and rainy days:
The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It: The Complete Back-To-Basics Guide, John Seymour : ISBN: 978-0-7894-9332-3
Building Green: A Complete How-to Guide To Alternative Building Method: Clarke Snell & Tim Callahan: ISBN 978-1-60059-534-9
Walden and Civil Disobedience, Henry David Thoreau: ISBN 978-0-14-039044-5
Ramana Maharshi and The Path of Self-Knowledge, A biography by Arthur Osbourne: ISBN 0-87728-071-1
You Are Here: Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment, Thich Nhat Hanh: ISBN 978-1-59030-838-7
Chrome Yellow, Aldous Huxley: ISBN 0-14-000041-0
Grace and Grit, Ken Wilbur: ISBN 0-7171-3234-X
The Glass Bead Game, Herman Hesse: ISBN 0-14-003438-2
Eyeless in Gaza, Aldous Huxley: ISBN 0-14-001050-5
Who is the Buddha?, Sangharakshita: ISBN 1-899579-51-6
What is the Dharma?, Sangharakshita: ISBN 1-899579-01-X
What is the Sangha?, Sangharakshita: ISBN 1-899579-31-1
Be Love Now, Ram Dass: ISBN 978-1-84604-291-1
There was intentionally no Internet at camp and albeit I didn’t write any new code, I did make plenty of new connections and learned a helluva’ lot (including some barrista skills) all while my Ruby robot continually nudged the rest of the sangha in cyberspace. The camp was an eclectic environment which supported and welcomed ‘n00b’s (also known as newbies or anyone new to a discipline or topic) which was great as I am a huge supporter of the concept and practice of both ‘beginners mind’ and peer learning in all walks of life. This ‘shoshin’ or beginners mind would also be applied to the next part of the trip as our mission was to delve deeper in to self-sufficiency, permaculture and alternative community models. Our goal was to be achieved by doing and interacting (rather than just reading about), and the destination was a little farm just west of Bellingen, New South Wales.
It was Monday around 9pm and decidedly dark on Darkwood Road when we finally arrived at the property. Having just snuck in across Hobart’s bridge, which was only a few centimetres below water at the time, we realised we were now trapped by the Bellinger river on a 4km strip of beautiful fertile valley. It was inadvertently perfect for a technical ‘cold turkey’ and some surreptitious solitude... though not an intentional goal, neither packets nor humans were coming or going for the next few days. A research trip begun with a reminder by Nature that she was always in control seemed fitting, as did an emphasis on food and energy security. Human and machine redundancy and preparedness, it seems, is crucial (especially when not suckling from a centralised supply chain).
After 36 hours solid rainfall there was a brief respite into which we ventured forth to see the extent of the flooding. The bridge was indeed deep under a torrent of water thus we took the opportunity to call on the neighbours for an informal chat and were taken on an impromptu tour of their garlic farm and homesteading efforts. It also turned out that we were around the corner from the infamous ‘Homelands’ commune (and others such as ‘Patanga’ and ‘Khandahar’) where only recently land divisions which were previously sub-divided and designated as multiple occupancy(MO) are done so no more, and all the land has been classed as environmentally protected.
Two days in and apart from some internal cleaning and sweeping, not much outdoor activity had taken place yet... so when the sky cleared on the morning of the third day it was out with the petrol ‘whipper snipper’s, chainsaw, rakes, gloves and buggy. At the end of the fourth day we dropped tools and headed in to town as the waters had finally receeded enough to get back over the bridge and have a poke around the main street in Bellingen. It remains to be seen how to engage fully with commune and collective members other than that of fostering more connections while volunteering locally or embedding oneself for a longer period of time. Intimate and direct experience of a thing is the only way to truly know something and as only fools rush in, we will tread lightly, cultivate our karma, and continue to do our practical and theoretical homework. Big thanks to @bmatt.
A mixture of brought and local reading material kept the neurons firing during the evenings and rainy days:
The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It: The Complete Back-To-Basics Guide, John Seymour : ISBN: 978-0-7894-9332-3
Building Green: A Complete How-to Guide To Alternative Building Method: Clarke Snell & Tim Callahan: ISBN 978-1-60059-534-9
Walden and Civil Disobedience, Henry David Thoreau: ISBN 978-0-14-039044-5
Ramana Maharshi and The Path of Self-Knowledge, A biography by Arthur Osbourne: ISBN 0-87728-071-1
You Are Here: Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment, Thich Nhat Hanh: ISBN 978-1-59030-838-7
Chrome Yellow, Aldous Huxley: ISBN 0-14-000041-0
Grace and Grit, Ken Wilbur: ISBN 0-7171-3234-X
The Glass Bead Game, Herman Hesse: ISBN 0-14-003438-2
Eyeless in Gaza, Aldous Huxley: ISBN 0-14-001050-5
Who is the Buddha?, Sangharakshita: ISBN 1-899579-51-6
What is the Dharma?, Sangharakshita: ISBN 1-899579-01-X
What is the Sangha?, Sangharakshita: ISBN 1-899579-31-1
Be Love Now, Ram Dass: ISBN 978-1-84604-291-1
Friday, May 06, 2011
Proximity
Why is proximity important? More so, why is human proximity important for pods, tribes and long term social cohesion? In my mind nothing can yet replace the smörgåsbord of signals seen and unseen, felt and unfelt that are transmitted between entities when they are physically close especially when they directly and voluntarily interact with one another. From the primary sense gates there is an influx of information via sight, smell, sound, taste and touch. These primary inputs reach us and are perceived as energy vibrations, particles bumping up against us or even passing through us. I breathe your stardust when I am close. Your mass attracts me and your energy can do the same too. There are other senses but we’ll save them for later or subsequent debate.
For any form of information exchange to take place there must be a medium (even a vacuum or the quantum foam) and some energy. Energy moves. Proximity is important because of attenuation (signal degradation) in most mediums. Proximity is important because it allows one to observe and learn about another with less attenuation. Proximity is important because more signals can generally be sent in a shorter space of time between two entities. This promotes understanding, empathy and entrainment between two or more beings.
There are vibrations made by each entity in the act of thinking, breathing, moving or just being. Air is exchanged. Energy is given, drawn or shared. Gravity exists between any two things with mass. With proximity to another there is no substitute for full spectrum engagement enhanced further by presence and awareness.
Technology is a wonderful bridge however... the smell of your hair in the morning, the taste of your skin, the specific momentary look of insecurity followed by a rush of endorphins that cause your nostrils to flare and the hair to stand up on your neck and arms, the timbre of your voice in the quiet of the night and the oneness of form when interlocked in the throes of passion... this all degrades with distance and the co-evolution fades further away irrespective of the initial strength of the connection. Proximity is mindshare and heartshare whether you like it or not. Trajectories must converge regularly enough to enable long term cohesion. From the smallest cluster of two to the largest cohesive tribes, we share signals and synchronise... the strongest signals literally come from the closest.
If one was to introduce quantum holism/non-separability and the spiritual realm in to the debate I would not disagree but would point out that the cultivation of personal depth and the subtlety required to access these mediums are not readily accessible to everyone though we may feel the effects or notice them at different times in our lives.
For any form of information exchange to take place there must be a medium (even a vacuum or the quantum foam) and some energy. Energy moves. Proximity is important because of attenuation (signal degradation) in most mediums. Proximity is important because it allows one to observe and learn about another with less attenuation. Proximity is important because more signals can generally be sent in a shorter space of time between two entities. This promotes understanding, empathy and entrainment between two or more beings.
There are vibrations made by each entity in the act of thinking, breathing, moving or just being. Air is exchanged. Energy is given, drawn or shared. Gravity exists between any two things with mass. With proximity to another there is no substitute for full spectrum engagement enhanced further by presence and awareness.
Technology is a wonderful bridge however... the smell of your hair in the morning, the taste of your skin, the specific momentary look of insecurity followed by a rush of endorphins that cause your nostrils to flare and the hair to stand up on your neck and arms, the timbre of your voice in the quiet of the night and the oneness of form when interlocked in the throes of passion... this all degrades with distance and the co-evolution fades further away irrespective of the initial strength of the connection. Proximity is mindshare and heartshare whether you like it or not. Trajectories must converge regularly enough to enable long term cohesion. From the smallest cluster of two to the largest cohesive tribes, we share signals and synchronise... the strongest signals literally come from the closest.
If one was to introduce quantum holism/non-separability and the spiritual realm in to the debate I would not disagree but would point out that the cultivation of personal depth and the subtlety required to access these mediums are not readily accessible to everyone though we may feel the effects or notice them at different times in our lives.
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
Soul Islands
The mundane motel served its purpose well, too well perhaps... it was nothing like the cabin.
The cabin was surrounded by dense forest and nestled on the edge of a huge canyon. That night there was a new moon and between bouts of deep sleep I had awoken repeatedly from dreams of past, present and future. There was fresh water, a fire, logs, fresh herbs and comfortable furnishings. The dappled sunlight drew many contrasts and the latent energies and stories left by visitors formed part of the fabric of the space and time.
How I arrived there was not by chance, there was karma in it, there was intent in it and there was peace in it. The peace was as much cultivated and brought as it was a reflection and enhancement of the environment.
It’s more apparent to me each day that the energy, focus and attention I bring to my body, heart and mind, the better things become for those I interact with and also for myself. As I dropped one of my Dharma brothers off at the Blackheath Vipassana centre to serve again, I was reminded of the reticence by many in their daily lives to stop and investigate deeply that which they are. It is perhaps a luxury, though some would say a necessity to take time to be fully present within oneself. Presence may be cultivated through direct experience and investigation of oneself. This process benefits from a reduction and preferably a temporary cessation of external stimuli. Many of us numb reality and gravitate towards information rich and stimulating environments all the while ignorant of the subtle and even gross effects on our bodies, hearts and minds. As we stream experience in to our consciousness we also ingest air, water and food which constitute our being. It is not until we fast or shift large portions of these many diets that we have the ability to experientially compare and contrast different states of being.
There is indeed a certain dualism and test driven mentality that leads to a more holistic physical, mental and spiritual approach to life - but unfortunately not many have the awareness, will, time nor resources to indulge in such experimentation. Some continue seeking elsewhere or get trapped in the seeking itself (all the while believing something better is just around the next corner). Some never realise that a process of 'selective watering' is available to them internally at any moment. A process which does not require external journeying to elicit calmness, contentedness, tranquility, empathy or compassion. Once the choice is made to explore the inner world and not exclusively the outer world, a profound shift entails. The inward journey has no destination and is founded upon a constant arriving in the present e.g. the here and now. A new awareness is born and the life stream is never the same again.
Our relationships with people and things are predicated upon and evolve based upon our perceptions, emotions, consciousness and form. We find ourselves in certain environments, clusters of people or events due to complex yet simple connections and the conscious or unconscious choices we make every second. For the most part, that which we sow we reap. On each persons journey there may be fear of loss or that of a void, however the void is not empty, it is full of potential and there are many islands if required. These islands are those of other people and communities also on the path (sometimes encountered in the most unexpected of spaces).
As a liquid lifeform some of the most important things beyond basic survival may be:
- realising the control and potential you have to shape your own substance and that of others
- how you relate to, interact with and affect other entities and your environment
- which environments and entities to share and grow your energies with
The cabin was surrounded by dense forest and nestled on the edge of a huge canyon. That night there was a new moon and between bouts of deep sleep I had awoken repeatedly from dreams of past, present and future. There was fresh water, a fire, logs, fresh herbs and comfortable furnishings. The dappled sunlight drew many contrasts and the latent energies and stories left by visitors formed part of the fabric of the space and time.
How I arrived there was not by chance, there was karma in it, there was intent in it and there was peace in it. The peace was as much cultivated and brought as it was a reflection and enhancement of the environment.
It’s more apparent to me each day that the energy, focus and attention I bring to my body, heart and mind, the better things become for those I interact with and also for myself. As I dropped one of my Dharma brothers off at the Blackheath Vipassana centre to serve again, I was reminded of the reticence by many in their daily lives to stop and investigate deeply that which they are. It is perhaps a luxury, though some would say a necessity to take time to be fully present within oneself. Presence may be cultivated through direct experience and investigation of oneself. This process benefits from a reduction and preferably a temporary cessation of external stimuli. Many of us numb reality and gravitate towards information rich and stimulating environments all the while ignorant of the subtle and even gross effects on our bodies, hearts and minds. As we stream experience in to our consciousness we also ingest air, water and food which constitute our being. It is not until we fast or shift large portions of these many diets that we have the ability to experientially compare and contrast different states of being.
There is indeed a certain dualism and test driven mentality that leads to a more holistic physical, mental and spiritual approach to life - but unfortunately not many have the awareness, will, time nor resources to indulge in such experimentation. Some continue seeking elsewhere or get trapped in the seeking itself (all the while believing something better is just around the next corner). Some never realise that a process of 'selective watering' is available to them internally at any moment. A process which does not require external journeying to elicit calmness, contentedness, tranquility, empathy or compassion. Once the choice is made to explore the inner world and not exclusively the outer world, a profound shift entails. The inward journey has no destination and is founded upon a constant arriving in the present e.g. the here and now. A new awareness is born and the life stream is never the same again.
Our relationships with people and things are predicated upon and evolve based upon our perceptions, emotions, consciousness and form. We find ourselves in certain environments, clusters of people or events due to complex yet simple connections and the conscious or unconscious choices we make every second. For the most part, that which we sow we reap. On each persons journey there may be fear of loss or that of a void, however the void is not empty, it is full of potential and there are many islands if required. These islands are those of other people and communities also on the path (sometimes encountered in the most unexpected of spaces).
As a liquid lifeform some of the most important things beyond basic survival may be:
- realising the control and potential you have to shape your own substance and that of others
- how you relate to, interact with and affect other entities and your environment
- which environments and entities to share and grow your energies with
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Simian Seas
This morning a small monkey climbed up my leg.
I did not react. I observed. I bore the monkey no ill will, nor he I. He was asking me for something, wanting a thing, trying desperately to see inside the cap I was carrying. There was nothing in the cap but pen and paper - no food, no sustenance... perhaps a thing of novelty value but nothing worth clinging to. A warden waved the monkey down and the bewildered monkey went off to harass a little japanese girl with a backpack and a NintendoDS.
Two monkeys - subject/object, object/subject. He and I, not much difference overall. Both monkey minds, both with base survival needs, both driven to explore, procreate, protect and survive. There in the forest was a microcosm of human society (though I not part of their troupe), me perhaps only in possession of a better understanding of fear, love and self. Welcome to the blessing and curse of consciousness; the ability to think about thinking, to symbolise, codify and to abstract, to transmit via language and stories over and above basic mimesis.
Post the simian encounter my mind focused on mind, mastery and flow. From whenceforth does ‘source reality’ and the perception thereof spring? What layers, means and methods can one either use, distill or dispense with to access it neutrally, fully, and in all its ‘oneness’. In either the act of commission or omission we utilise duality to come full circle and approach holism. When can there be a non-contradiction of opposites? And what is the state before and after meaning is made?
Later in the day a random girl tapped me on the shoulder as I explored Yoga Barn in Ubud and advised I go to a special Yoga workshop led by Mark Whitwell beginning in 30mins, so I did. He spoke of the most basic ‘practice’ with breath encompassing the whole body and mind, a practice that cultivates a loving intimacy with reality. He decried the conventional concept of guru as teacher but rather that of being a friend, “no more than a friend and no less than a friend” (Incidentally he is coming to Melbourne this week, a fact garnered after a serendipitious shared exit from Yoga Barn). We practiced overlooking rice paddies, the air rich in oxygen and love.
As I sat quietly after the workshop I thought about Zen practice and other similar disciplines. I thought about practices which investigate reality via direct experience and focus on shedding societal programming and pre-conceived ideas. These practices are test driven approaches that require discipline, effort and commitment from the participant. They ask to be rigourously challenged, doubted and debunked, and herein lies one of their strengths. It is interesting that in the same way I cannot explain the minutiae and autonomic process of walking, I can do it and experience the results e.g. locomotion. Some of these mind/body techniques and technologies to access reality more fully do indeed demonstrate results (in many cases science is only now catching up).
So I ask you, if snorkelling was ‘spiritual tourism’, open water scuba diving was a hierarchical ‘organised religion’, what would ice/night/cave/deep/rescue diving be?
In my opinion Zen would be free diving... would Yoga be swimming?
I did not react. I observed. I bore the monkey no ill will, nor he I. He was asking me for something, wanting a thing, trying desperately to see inside the cap I was carrying. There was nothing in the cap but pen and paper - no food, no sustenance... perhaps a thing of novelty value but nothing worth clinging to. A warden waved the monkey down and the bewildered monkey went off to harass a little japanese girl with a backpack and a NintendoDS.
Two monkeys - subject/object, object/subject. He and I, not much difference overall. Both monkey minds, both with base survival needs, both driven to explore, procreate, protect and survive. There in the forest was a microcosm of human society (though I not part of their troupe), me perhaps only in possession of a better understanding of fear, love and self. Welcome to the blessing and curse of consciousness; the ability to think about thinking, to symbolise, codify and to abstract, to transmit via language and stories over and above basic mimesis.
Post the simian encounter my mind focused on mind, mastery and flow. From whenceforth does ‘source reality’ and the perception thereof spring? What layers, means and methods can one either use, distill or dispense with to access it neutrally, fully, and in all its ‘oneness’. In either the act of commission or omission we utilise duality to come full circle and approach holism. When can there be a non-contradiction of opposites? And what is the state before and after meaning is made?
Later in the day a random girl tapped me on the shoulder as I explored Yoga Barn in Ubud and advised I go to a special Yoga workshop led by Mark Whitwell beginning in 30mins, so I did. He spoke of the most basic ‘practice’ with breath encompassing the whole body and mind, a practice that cultivates a loving intimacy with reality. He decried the conventional concept of guru as teacher but rather that of being a friend, “no more than a friend and no less than a friend” (Incidentally he is coming to Melbourne this week, a fact garnered after a serendipitious shared exit from Yoga Barn). We practiced overlooking rice paddies, the air rich in oxygen and love.
As I sat quietly after the workshop I thought about Zen practice and other similar disciplines. I thought about practices which investigate reality via direct experience and focus on shedding societal programming and pre-conceived ideas. These practices are test driven approaches that require discipline, effort and commitment from the participant. They ask to be rigourously challenged, doubted and debunked, and herein lies one of their strengths. It is interesting that in the same way I cannot explain the minutiae and autonomic process of walking, I can do it and experience the results e.g. locomotion. Some of these mind/body techniques and technologies to access reality more fully do indeed demonstrate results (in many cases science is only now catching up).
So I ask you, if snorkelling was ‘spiritual tourism’, open water scuba diving was a hierarchical ‘organised religion’, what would ice/night/cave/deep/rescue diving be?
In my opinion Zen would be free diving... would Yoga be swimming?
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Compression
Currently there are only 3 people on this planet I know of whom I can talk to in the manner below. We each share history in building and operating global computer networks, an alignment with Buddhism and having seriously detached+reattached to reality.
(One is currently sitting under the Bodhi tree right now / or about to bring his own Zen up a mountain in Nepal... and the other is back in Sydney from San Francisco; meet @wadeis )
Note: Of the three of us, I am the middle brother by age however we are all both little and big brothers to each other!
Question: Who in your life do you have the highest bandwidth conversations with?
(One is currently sitting under the Bodhi tree right now / or about to bring his own Zen up a mountain in Nepal... and the other is back in Sydney from San Francisco; meet @wadeis )
Note: Of the three of us, I am the middle brother by age however we are all both little and big brothers to each other!
BASE überplasticity (Basically Available, Soft state, Eventual consistency)
Depends upon speed of convergence, integration and lifetime of the
conscious organism (meme horizon, ectropic, loci)
Would it entail singularity, death, punctuated equilibrium? Ectropy/Extropy?
Do we always need a trailing edge of entropy and a slipstream for the
successful memes/tech/moves for the mainstream, including a lagging
structural legacy to slow us enough for coherence?
Must we be dispersed and diverse to survive and prevent a monoculture
which is weak?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biochemical_evolution
Donal
Response:
the re-branding of indra's net as uberplasticity is cool, I find it harder to grok, but it has better language origins :).
BASE to me sounds like Hadoop! There's something to be said about the concept, and again, tying it back makes it easier to work with ;).
We're all different people with different experiences and understandings, always will be different levels and stages of acceptance and understanding. Nothing happens all at one. BASE just pushes that concept to it's maximums.
Keep in lalaland, BGP Peers required, perhaps multiple border routers, then propagate the information down/upstream. The idea of self-elected control/speaking points (both tech and real world) sounds fun to me. Allow nodes to change state based on environment. Reminds me of the dcpromo command, converting a server to a domain controller. escalate privileges. Backbone networks/links required to disseminate information. I LOVE sneakernets. (world a)-----walks to/meets------(world b) and we have convergence :).
Took a while to reply From Australia Day no less!
Kindly,
Me
--
wade.is
Question: Who in your life do you have the highest bandwidth conversations with?
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Foundations and Founders
Generally one seeks to minimise change in foundations. Foundations bear great loads and provide the groundwork for future development. Albeit we humans are überplastic in both mind and body, there is a continuum of being that we relate to over time. This identity emerges through consistency of actions, feelings and signals, and is the basis for most knowing and trusting amongst us.
This base level consistency allows us to build human relationships, to grow them, and to devise ever more complex systems, patterns and languages (such that the underlying principles are strong and unyielding). A child's formative years lay down the initial foundation for how they perceive and interact with the world, however there is still a chance to remould or supplement these foundations later in life. Irrespective of the depth or impact of the initial programming, one can still heal deep wounds or conversely damage or erode their own basis over time. Sometimes throughout life, events outside of our control may challenge us to the core and rock our own foundations.
Once an entity becomes fully self-aware there is the capacity to both re-architect and gradually morph ones foundations (if one so chooses). Self-determination is a powerful force to re-shape oneself and by association society... with the proviso that the entity cannot remain in a state of flux but must establish new foundations upon which to build and operate from.
When embarking upon such an endeavour, self-knowing and understanding of the system one operates within is paramount. When one decides to begin again, it is also helpful to adopt a beginners mind. Many have heard a child pester bigger kids or *adults* with the repetitive question ‘why’... this is a wonderful place to begin e.g. no assumptions, presumptions and a new blank slate.
A complementary practice to the question ‘why’ is that of creating more personal space and time with less chaotic energy. This allows ones own resources and senses to embark upon an inward journey to arrive at ‘what is’ ones own core or foundation.
When a new core set of principles and values are established they are hopefully demonstrated and embodied in all actions, reactions or inaction. Albeit they may be expressed in different ways, one should never bend, waiver nor submit to the excuse of context.
I challenge you to become your own founder.
This base level consistency allows us to build human relationships, to grow them, and to devise ever more complex systems, patterns and languages (such that the underlying principles are strong and unyielding). A child's formative years lay down the initial foundation for how they perceive and interact with the world, however there is still a chance to remould or supplement these foundations later in life. Irrespective of the depth or impact of the initial programming, one can still heal deep wounds or conversely damage or erode their own basis over time. Sometimes throughout life, events outside of our control may challenge us to the core and rock our own foundations.
Once an entity becomes fully self-aware there is the capacity to both re-architect and gradually morph ones foundations (if one so chooses). Self-determination is a powerful force to re-shape oneself and by association society... with the proviso that the entity cannot remain in a state of flux but must establish new foundations upon which to build and operate from.
When embarking upon such an endeavour, self-knowing and understanding of the system one operates within is paramount. When one decides to begin again, it is also helpful to adopt a beginners mind. Many have heard a child pester bigger kids or *adults* with the repetitive question ‘why’... this is a wonderful place to begin e.g. no assumptions, presumptions and a new blank slate.
A complementary practice to the question ‘why’ is that of creating more personal space and time with less chaotic energy. This allows ones own resources and senses to embark upon an inward journey to arrive at ‘what is’ ones own core or foundation.
When a new core set of principles and values are established they are hopefully demonstrated and embodied in all actions, reactions or inaction. Albeit they may be expressed in different ways, one should never bend, waiver nor submit to the excuse of context.
I challenge you to become your own founder.
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Catapults
Sometimes I search my plain text twitter archives on my laptop for keywords or groups of keywords and a blog post just kinda' emerges...
laptop-3:ruby doduibhi$ grep -i -P "(superorganism|augment|mindful|velocity|attention|plasticity)" archive | sort -k6n -k1 -k2 -M -k3 -k4 | cut -d ' ' -f 2,6,8-100 | uniq
May 2009 Is there a market for de-augmented and re-augmented reality?
May 2009 I just want the feature, not the featureset, not the feature velocity, not the product!
Jun 2009 Survival of the most adaptable. Information overload, brain plasticity or unplug?
Jul 2009 @rosshill "Time has no value without attention. " http://twitter.com/irldexter/status/2595276173 -> Awareness....
Aug 2009 Like TV,be mindful WHO or what you give unfettered/extended access to your consciousness +awareness, inc yourself #themiddleway #programming
Aug 2009 Loose coupling + autonomous systems, gift economy, transitive trust,complexity, architecture,superorganisms +homeostasis?FAIL@ #alr
Aug 2009 "If you're not tweeting about #techfail you should be paying attention to me!" @melinachan #sleepygeeky
Sep 2009 How to find coworking spaces with augmented reality http://www.worksnug.com/ #meljel #coworking coming soon?
Nov 2009 Augment me.Symbolic.Labels.Not the thing.Close.Describe.Convey.Share.Group.Quanta. Scale.Richness. Human #me #u #us #global
Jan 2010 No time is ever wasted if it results in realization. #mindfulness #awareness #tiring #recharge #both-always
Jan 2010 "Speaking of karma points and augmented reality".. awesome chat with colleague...
Feb 2010 Life repeats itself mindlessly, unless you become mindful, it will go on repeating like a wheel: Osho /via @TheGodLight
Feb 2010 Attention
Feb 2010 Mindshare, attention, time and energy. Discretionary? Precious gifts? Informed by? Elective environment/compulsory culture #freedom #maslow
Apr 2010 @LamyaB selfish intellectual pursuits & passions sometimes affect my mindfulness & love to/towards others + physical healthiness etc :)
Apr 2010 Hack ALL your human inputs,your perception/decision engines,value systems-> your outputs are others inputs. Global neuroplasticity!
May 2010 @lamyab Encoded information. De-augment my reality pls, are we heading for this perhaps: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j16Zwx6_Ys0
May 2010 OMFG. Superorganism. Connectedness. Love. Super TED talk http://bit.ly/netnodes /aligns to @nodecity @inspire9 @wadeis #feedback
May 2010 Life repeats itself mindlessly, unless you become mindful, it will go on repeating like a wheel: Osho
May 2010 The Internet is a new hybrid nervous system for the planet. Faster global neuroplasticity than the original network?
Jun 2010 @paulzee experiment... hybrid emergent story.. Terry is real/MBW is not. Attention is power. Sheep. Scarcity. Dilution. Subversion?
Jun 2010 Attention seeking ego pacification.
Jun 2010 Aug 29th 2000 Goenka addresses the U.N. Peace Summit, simple yet powerful stuff: http://s.nodecity.com/goenka #neuroplasticity
Jun 2010 @pieterpeach this scares the shit out of me.. de-augment #simulacrum #multiverse http://s.nodecity.com/hyper #reality #soma
Jun 2010 @PieterPeach neuroplasticity 'The Brain that Changes Itself' :) http://wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Brain_That_Changes_Itself #nowapplytosociety
Jun 2010 Quantum foam. Waveforms. Consciousness. Neuroplasticity. Spheres/nodes. Influence. Interconnectedness. Fuzzy frameworks. Social cohesion.
Jun 2010 A mind that is very clear, a mind that is full of attention and love - why should such a mind demand any more experience?
Jun 2010 Be mindful of mind pollution. Image: http://s.nodecity.com/pollute #find #zerospace
Jul 2010 Tribalism. Social Cohesion. Value/Scarcity. Choice Architecture. Complexity. Influence. Amplification. Group entities. Superorganism.
Jul 2010 @wadeis @suzieis @janstewart Healing spaces, healing people. Choose (if you can) both wisely for you become them and they you #plasticity
Jul 2010 @KateKendall (e) All of the above and more ;) #privacy #attention #fatigue #productivity #utility #digitalmnmlism #phase1
Jul 2010 @xshay Smiling! Bravo! Aside: like to think of mind as a codebase & recursive filter. Architecture. Foundations. Neuroplasticity. Biohack.
Aug 2010 . @paulzee Rapid selection and convergence, ideas are cheap and fast. Superorganism. Cell walls still need to mutate.
Aug 2010 @paulzee Superorganism must survive. Interconnectedness realised. Bell curve moves in unison.Vote with attention.No energy wasted.Intrinsic.
Aug 2010 The fabric is fertile for the practice of mindfulness and the understanding of interconnectedness.
Aug 2010 The human superorganism is very sick. Aggregate mental health is worsening. We tipped too far towards individuality/selfishness.
Sep 2010 Attention seeking ego pacification.
Sep 2010 @rosshill Superorganism/aggregate mental health of humans is very sick. Healing comes from inside not outside.
Sep 2010 To give another pure undiluted presence and full attention.
Sep 2010 Meaning.Openness. Enthusiasm.Novelty. Connectedness.Relationship.Compassion. Psychosocial.Practice.Impermanence. ÜBERPLASTICITY=HOPE
Oct 2010 Novelocity
Oct 2010 Hee hee, I've been banging on about de-augmenting/diminished reality for a while :) Less encoding! HT @chenglau http://ow.ly/31LJ4
Oct 2010 Novelocity explained [New Post]: http://s.nodecity.com/novelocity
Oct 2010 Everything and anything degrades via neglect/impermanence #entropy ∴ everything worthwhile requires attention + TLC #ectropy #entrainment
Oct 2010 How I experience Time is directly related to the narrowness of my attention and focus. Realising Interconnectedness slows Time.
Oct 2010 @stevehopkins Novelocity!
Oct 2010 There is value in not seeking. Much time is handed back to observation, attention and depth of experience.
Oct 2010 @PieterPeach wondering whether Überplasticity can challenge this...
Nov 2010 As with persistence of vision, there is persistence of thought and imprinting by ones peers and environment #tarpitting #novelocity
Nov 2010 Visibly moving and energetic entities gain more attention.
Nov 2010 Constant change. Permanent impermanence. Maintain plasticity. Consistent character...
Nov 2010 Life repeats itself mindlessly, unless you become mindful, it will go on repeating like a wheel: Osho
Nov 2010 Biking from/to Elwood/Richmond shiny stuff ;) 18% novelocity achieved today. http://yfrog.com/mqnzuoj http://yfrog.com/86nf3cj
Nov 2010 Überplasticity = HOPE !
Nov 2010 Static environment, entities and immersion = depth yet distinct sampling bias #potholing #novelocity
Nov 2010 People who fire together wire together #überplasticity
Dec 2010 Sampling. Sample space. Time. Attractors. Amplification. Favourites. Invisible. Mindfulness. Loyalty. Faith.
Dec 2010 Yes it's very much about relating to a continuity of being whilst maintaining novelocity and witnessing entropy.
Dec 2010 What you see ain't always what you get http://youtu.be/D6t51q2sBjE #augmentedreality
Dec 2010 Mindful mimicry #twoyearolds
Jan 2011 What is Überplasticity? [new audio post] http://s.nodecity.com/uberplastic #hope
Jan 2011 Attention is energy.
Jan 2011 What is Novelocity? Hint: It's not entropy or extropy! Explained: http://wiki.nodecity.com/display/novelocity/nvy
Jan 2011 Sharing/collaborating/vocalising distributes cognitive load amongst greater (sub/un) conscious resources #superorganism #überplasticity
Jan 2011 A mind that is very clear, a mind that is full of attention and love - why should such a mind demand any more experience?
Jan 2011 Translucent mannequins in Indras Net connected umbilically with invisible plasticity. Shine!
Jan 2011 @edwardharran I see the arc... also the macro/societal picture which means: Überplasticity = real HOPE #notetoself #messages #trimtab
Jan 2011 People who fire together wire together #überplasticity /cc @edwardharran
Jan 2011 @evbogue @rosshill Welcome to überplasticity ... /cc @janstewart hyper-group-malleability based on individual trim-tabs & positive resonance
Jan 2011 What is Überplasticity? [new audio post] http://s.nodecity.com/uberplastic #hope cc @edwardharran @evbogue @rosshill @janstewart
Jan 2011 @monkeybrainsnet we call it #überplasticity http://wiki.nodecity.com/display/uplastic/plastic
Jan 2011 All attention is not the same. Beware your complicity in the game.
Jan 2011 @edwardharran loops and holons http://vimeo.com/1166968 #Überplasticity #wedata
laptop-3:ruby doduibhi$ grep -i -P "(superorganism|augment|mindful|velocity|attention|plasticity)" archive | sort -k6n -k1 -k2 -M -k3 -k4 | cut -d ' ' -f 2,6,8-100 | uniq
May 2009 Is there a market for de-augmented and re-augmented reality?
May 2009 I just want the feature, not the featureset, not the feature velocity, not the product!
Jun 2009 Survival of the most adaptable. Information overload, brain plasticity or unplug?
Jul 2009 @rosshill "Time has no value without attention. " http://twitter.com/irldexter/status/2595276173 -> Awareness....
Aug 2009 Like TV,be mindful WHO or what you give unfettered/extended access to your consciousness +awareness, inc yourself #themiddleway #programming
Aug 2009 Loose coupling + autonomous systems, gift economy, transitive trust,complexity, architecture,superorganisms +homeostasis?FAIL@ #alr
Aug 2009 "If you're not tweeting about #techfail you should be paying attention to me!" @melinachan #sleepygeeky
Sep 2009 How to find coworking spaces with augmented reality http://www.worksnug.com/ #meljel #coworking coming soon?
Nov 2009 Augment me.Symbolic.Labels.Not the thing.Close.Describe.Convey.Share.Group.Quanta. Scale.Richness. Human #me #u #us #global
Jan 2010 No time is ever wasted if it results in realization. #mindfulness #awareness #tiring #recharge #both-always
Jan 2010 "Speaking of karma points and augmented reality".. awesome chat with colleague...
Feb 2010 Life repeats itself mindlessly, unless you become mindful, it will go on repeating like a wheel: Osho /via @TheGodLight
Feb 2010 Attention
Feb 2010 Mindshare, attention, time and energy. Discretionary? Precious gifts? Informed by? Elective environment/compulsory culture #freedom #maslow
Apr 2010 @LamyaB selfish intellectual pursuits & passions sometimes affect my mindfulness & love to/towards others + physical healthiness etc :)
Apr 2010 Hack ALL your human inputs,your perception/decision engines,value systems-> your outputs are others inputs. Global neuroplasticity!
May 2010 @lamyab Encoded information. De-augment my reality pls, are we heading for this perhaps: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j16Zwx6_Ys0
May 2010 OMFG. Superorganism. Connectedness. Love. Super TED talk http://bit.ly/netnodes /aligns to @nodecity @inspire9 @wadeis #feedback
May 2010 Life repeats itself mindlessly, unless you become mindful, it will go on repeating like a wheel: Osho
May 2010 The Internet is a new hybrid nervous system for the planet. Faster global neuroplasticity than the original network?
Jun 2010 @paulzee experiment... hybrid emergent story.. Terry is real/MBW is not. Attention is power. Sheep. Scarcity. Dilution. Subversion?
Jun 2010 Attention seeking ego pacification.
Jun 2010 Aug 29th 2000 Goenka addresses the U.N. Peace Summit, simple yet powerful stuff: http://s.nodecity.com/goenka #neuroplasticity
Jun 2010 @pieterpeach this scares the shit out of me.. de-augment #simulacrum #multiverse http://s.nodecity.com/hyper #reality #soma
Jun 2010 @PieterPeach neuroplasticity 'The Brain that Changes Itself' :) http://wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Brain_That_Changes_Itself #nowapplytosociety
Jun 2010 Quantum foam. Waveforms. Consciousness. Neuroplasticity. Spheres/nodes. Influence. Interconnectedness. Fuzzy frameworks. Social cohesion.
Jun 2010 A mind that is very clear, a mind that is full of attention and love - why should such a mind demand any more experience?
Jun 2010 Be mindful of mind pollution. Image: http://s.nodecity.com/pollute #find #zerospace
Jul 2010 Tribalism. Social Cohesion. Value/Scarcity. Choice Architecture. Complexity. Influence. Amplification. Group entities. Superorganism.
Jul 2010 @wadeis @suzieis @janstewart Healing spaces, healing people. Choose (if you can) both wisely for you become them and they you #plasticity
Jul 2010 @KateKendall (e) All of the above and more ;) #privacy #attention #fatigue #productivity #utility #digitalmnmlism #phase1
Jul 2010 @xshay Smiling! Bravo! Aside: like to think of mind as a codebase & recursive filter. Architecture. Foundations. Neuroplasticity. Biohack.
Aug 2010 . @paulzee Rapid selection and convergence, ideas are cheap and fast. Superorganism. Cell walls still need to mutate.
Aug 2010 @paulzee Superorganism must survive. Interconnectedness realised. Bell curve moves in unison.Vote with attention.No energy wasted.Intrinsic.
Aug 2010 The fabric is fertile for the practice of mindfulness and the understanding of interconnectedness.
Aug 2010 The human superorganism is very sick. Aggregate mental health is worsening. We tipped too far towards individuality/selfishness.
Sep 2010 Attention seeking ego pacification.
Sep 2010 @rosshill Superorganism/aggregate mental health of humans is very sick. Healing comes from inside not outside.
Sep 2010 To give another pure undiluted presence and full attention.
Sep 2010 Meaning.Openness. Enthusiasm.Novelty. Connectedness.Relationship.Compassion. Psychosocial.Practice.Impermanence. ÜBERPLASTICITY=HOPE
Oct 2010 Novelocity
Oct 2010 Hee hee, I've been banging on about de-augmenting/diminished reality for a while :) Less encoding! HT @chenglau http://ow.ly/31LJ4
Oct 2010 Novelocity explained [New Post]: http://s.nodecity.com/novelocity
Oct 2010 Everything and anything degrades via neglect/impermanence #entropy ∴ everything worthwhile requires attention + TLC #ectropy #entrainment
Oct 2010 How I experience Time is directly related to the narrowness of my attention and focus. Realising Interconnectedness slows Time.
Oct 2010 @stevehopkins Novelocity!
Oct 2010 There is value in not seeking. Much time is handed back to observation, attention and depth of experience.
Oct 2010 @PieterPeach wondering whether Überplasticity can challenge this...
Nov 2010 As with persistence of vision, there is persistence of thought and imprinting by ones peers and environment #tarpitting #novelocity
Nov 2010 Visibly moving and energetic entities gain more attention.
Nov 2010 Constant change. Permanent impermanence. Maintain plasticity. Consistent character...
Nov 2010 Life repeats itself mindlessly, unless you become mindful, it will go on repeating like a wheel: Osho
Nov 2010 Biking from/to Elwood/Richmond shiny stuff ;) 18% novelocity achieved today. http://yfrog.com/mqnzuoj http://yfrog.com/86nf3cj
Nov 2010 Überplasticity = HOPE !
Nov 2010 Static environment, entities and immersion = depth yet distinct sampling bias #potholing #novelocity
Nov 2010 People who fire together wire together #überplasticity
Dec 2010 Sampling. Sample space. Time. Attractors. Amplification. Favourites. Invisible. Mindfulness. Loyalty. Faith.
Dec 2010 Yes it's very much about relating to a continuity of being whilst maintaining novelocity and witnessing entropy.
Dec 2010 What you see ain't always what you get http://youtu.be/D6t51q2sBjE #augmentedreality
Dec 2010 Mindful mimicry #twoyearolds
Jan 2011 What is Überplasticity? [new audio post] http://s.nodecity.com/uberplastic #hope
Jan 2011 Attention is energy.
Jan 2011 What is Novelocity? Hint: It's not entropy or extropy! Explained: http://wiki.nodecity.com/display/novelocity/nvy
Jan 2011 Sharing/collaborating/vocalising distributes cognitive load amongst greater (sub/un) conscious resources #superorganism #überplasticity
Jan 2011 A mind that is very clear, a mind that is full of attention and love - why should such a mind demand any more experience?
Jan 2011 Translucent mannequins in Indras Net connected umbilically with invisible plasticity. Shine!
Jan 2011 @edwardharran I see the arc... also the macro/societal picture which means: Überplasticity = real HOPE #notetoself #messages #trimtab
Jan 2011 People who fire together wire together #überplasticity /cc @edwardharran
Jan 2011 @evbogue @rosshill Welcome to überplasticity ... /cc @janstewart hyper-group-malleability based on individual trim-tabs & positive resonance
Jan 2011 What is Überplasticity? [new audio post] http://s.nodecity.com/uberplastic #hope cc @edwardharran @evbogue @rosshill @janstewart
Jan 2011 @monkeybrainsnet we call it #überplasticity http://wiki.nodecity.com/display/uplastic/plastic
Jan 2011 All attention is not the same. Beware your complicity in the game.
Jan 2011 @edwardharran loops and holons http://vimeo.com/1166968 #Überplasticity #wedata
Sunday, January 30, 2011
kefaya
I asked @wayupnorth to help me understand what's going on currently in Tunisia, Egypt and the Middle East... she wrote me a quick summary:
Thanks Mum... love as always. D.
The Arab world has long been split, which is one of the reasons Israel gets away with treating the Palestinian Arabs so badly and blockading them in the Gaza strip.
The area involved is North Africa/Middle East.
In Jordan there's a royal family. Same in Saudi Arabia. Both very rich (while their people are poor.) In Yemen there is a dictator for about 26 years. Mubarak has been a dictator in Egypt for the past 30 years. Tunisia had dictator Ben Ali. All of these guys ripped off their countries and the people had unemployment and poverty, etc. Fifty per cent of Egypt's people live below the poverty line. Mubarak used his police to torture, imprison, and subdue the people, while rigging elections so he got 97% of the vote. All these Arab dictators keep/kept their people in line through fear. And they were never united (e.g., to help the Palestinians) as they were all looking out for No 1.
In Tunisia, a poor young man who was fed up with the police taking his unlicensed vegetable cart, set himself on fire, and eventually died on January 4. This sparked a huge rebellion on the streets, and after a few days, the dictator there, Ben Ali, fled to Saudi Arabia. There were murmurs that a "domino effect" *might* happen across the Arab world.
But nobody expected Egypt to erupt. Egypt (huge) is an ally of the US (like Saudi Arabia) and has a peace treaty with Israel -- even helping Israel with blockading Gaza. Everyone despised Mubarak, and the US stands accused of using him to torture people under "extraordinary rendition". Egypt also controls the Suez Canal, which is hugely important.
Several people had set fire to themselves in Egypt recently. On Facebook, a young group organised a general protest about food prices and unemployment for #Jan25. It's been going on ever since, getting bigger by the day, and now they want Mubarak out. Mubarak's family have fled to the UK, but he's still in Cairo. The US is "making noises" (waffle) and Israel is saying nothing. But the implications are *huge* for the whole region.
Thanks Mum... love as always. D.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
states
Gorging and feasting on signals, information and messages.
Glancing and stroking remote shadows of distracted non-present humans.
Catalysts abound, exhausting energy.
Reagents, few and far between.
Richness and depth stem from both acute and ambient focus.
Real connections require proximity.
Maturity, neutrality, transparency and trust in oneself, then uncertainty.
Consistency for the greater part of ones identity allows for relationships and bonds.
Lack of understanding and communication leads to fear and cascading separation.
Union requires love, practice and commitment to an entity.
The environment must be crafted as it reciprocally crafts you.
Awareness, human plasticity and willingness to inhabit emptiness is fertile and true.
Create a continuum that grows, loves, respects, honours and thus, survives.
Namaste D.
Glancing and stroking remote shadows of distracted non-present humans.
Catalysts abound, exhausting energy.
Reagents, few and far between.
Richness and depth stem from both acute and ambient focus.
Real connections require proximity.
Maturity, neutrality, transparency and trust in oneself, then uncertainty.
Consistency for the greater part of ones identity allows for relationships and bonds.
Lack of understanding and communication leads to fear and cascading separation.
Union requires love, practice and commitment to an entity.
The environment must be crafted as it reciprocally crafts you.
Awareness, human plasticity and willingness to inhabit emptiness is fertile and true.
Create a continuum that grows, loves, respects, honours and thus, survives.
Namaste D.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Trust_Musings
From the last post/historical experiment on Trust, an email conversation emerged between myself and Mum (a very warm, humble, talented and enlightened woman!) :
Mum:
Did you learn anything from this? Just wondering ...
Donal: yeah!
a) I think about trust a lot
b) trust is not binary, it can be but is mostly aligned to certain traits in others
c) it's predicated on consistency or belief in anothers critical thought, capacity and history/stability/demonstrated path
d) it's not easily re-earned
e) it's hard to create and quantify trust networks
f) transitive trust is the trickiest bit and based upon clusters and dependencies
g) one needs honesty and trust to form community
h) one has to trust themselves before they can extend that understanding and level of trust to others?
What do you think?
Mum:
I think people vary a lot.
For example a child whose trust was broken by say, a teacher or a garda, may have difficulty trusting anyone in authority later on. A child whose trust was badly broken by its parents may have difficulty trusting anyone later on. Both generalisations.
On balance, we're programmed to trust, as it was vital for early man. We're not the biggest animals, or the strongest, and humankind learned early that they survived better in groups/communities. Both for hunting purposes and for their security. So they had to trust others - with their lives.
People with high levels of confidence will trust themselves a lot of the time and not be swayed by others. Those lacking confidence will tend to have less trust in their own judgement. And yes, once broken, it's not easily re-earned.
Mum:
Did you learn anything from this? Just wondering ...
Donal: yeah!
a) I think about trust a lot
b) trust is not binary, it can be but is mostly aligned to certain traits in others
c) it's predicated on consistency or belief in anothers critical thought, capacity and history/stability/demonstrated path
d) it's not easily re-earned
e) it's hard to create and quantify trust networks
f) transitive trust is the trickiest bit and based upon clusters and dependencies
g) one needs honesty and trust to form community
h) one has to trust themselves before they can extend that understanding and level of trust to others?
What do you think?
Mum:
I think people vary a lot.
For example a child whose trust was broken by say, a teacher or a garda, may have difficulty trusting anyone in authority later on. A child whose trust was badly broken by its parents may have difficulty trusting anyone later on. Both generalisations.
On balance, we're programmed to trust, as it was vital for early man. We're not the biggest animals, or the strongest, and humankind learned early that they survived better in groups/communities. Both for hunting purposes and for their security. So they had to trust others - with their lives.
People with high levels of confidence will trust themselves a lot of the time and not be swayed by others. Those lacking confidence will tend to have less trust in their own judgement. And yes, once broken, it's not easily re-earned.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
TrustArchive
From my Twitter/tweet archives this is a story about trust over 2 years:
grep -i trust archive | sort -k6n -k1 -k2 -M -k3 -k4 | cut -d ' ' -f 2,6,8-100 | uniq
May 2009 Trust is indeed an issue for the future. Transitive trust. A<->B<->C Identity and Integrity these are the real issues. #futuresummit
May 2009 Australia as a Swiss bank acc. style nation, but as a proxy for federated digital trust and identity? #futuresummit #innovation
Jul 2009 Trust is predicated on preserved identity and shared expectation of outcomes but transitive to how many degrees and historicals?
Jul 2009 @adzap was kinda more aimed at a mate trusting 3rd parties +large companies to "get it right"" cause they're big.Context not clear.Mybad.
Jul 2009 @rosshill more beneficial to think of a transitive trust model +only a single root node in the hierarchy. Not distributed. Ask Bob + Alice!
Aug 2009 Calling all humans: transparency,self regulating systems,trust, integrity,education vs awareness, growing together.... NOW!
Aug 2009 Loose coupling + autonomous systems, gift economy, transitive trust,complexity, architecture,superorganisms +homeostasis?FAIL@ #alr
Aug 2009 @pat yeah wasn't sure, hence the Tweet (even O'Reilly book ?!?) But peeps have2 start somewhere. #quality #trust requests <> good start!
Aug 2009 @Cama Ahuh,independent verification/specialisation is a toughy? In what r who do u place transitive trust? #absolutetruth #belief #nihilism
Aug 2009 @rosshill attribution is tied to identity,validation,trust,cohesion,anonymity,commerce,longevity,sharing,ain't going nowhere methinks buddy!
Aug 2009 @irlpol projects may have 10's or hundreds of servers/services in disparate TRUST zones running mutiple flavours/types of protocols.
Sep 2009 Infosec=Info/infra/services have value at point of utility.Trust +transitive trust predicated on persistent identity.Non-repudiation.Risk?
Sep 2009 T: "design by committee has not been successful in my experience".. D: "neither was the Homermobile" #architecture #choice #trust
Oct 2009 Decision engines. Inputs, processes, outputs, subject to morphing values? Constructive and destructive feedback loops. Transitive trust, ...
Oct 2009 #GovHack Canberra mesh usage 31.85 GB total (22.61 GB received, 9.24 GB sent) from #nodecity #trustbutverify
Oct 2009 Reviewing #trampoline "Trust + New Economic Model" http://vimeo.com/5026356 +recent use "food trust","time trust" etc sub-trusts FTW :)
Nov 2009 Non-profit IT. Trust. Community. Play. Self-directed learning. #tedxmelbourne #nodecity
Nov 2009 Open my human bandwidth, mindshare, headspace, filters, open, trust, rate-limit, time, slow, fast #quality #interactions is less more?
Nov 2009 I value openness, honesty, trust, integrity, awareness, mobility, choice and preparedness to be wrong or fail, improve on former self..
Jan 2010 Interesting proposition:how well do you trust yourself in different situations? What is your supposedly pre-determined outcome informed by?
Jan 2010 How :an adhoc grp self-polices? :to exp hidden agendas? Trust predicated on?+is it transitive? Commitment demonstration to open system?
Jan 2010 Constantly WAKING UP. Constantly ARRIVING. Who to journey with? #trust #given #offered #expended #rebirth #faith
Jan 2010 Interconnectedness. Spheres. Nodes. Intent. Trust. Love. Beings. Time. Stardust.
Feb 2010 Not sure who to trust? Yourself? http://s.nodecity.com/trust "When we are weak, or feel weak and dis-empowered, we.." @edwardharran
Feb 2010 Trust is not binary. It's an ongoing process of building and re-evaluating at every stage. #subset #superset #sets
Feb 2010 Trust http://bsdosx.blogspot.com/2010/01/trust.html
Feb 2010 Test. Test. Test. Test. Test. Test. Test. Test. Test. Trust but Verify. #self-policing
Feb 2010 Trust issues = occupational hazard? ;) /via @kimmwood
Mar 2010 @DDrazic transitive trust and the broken outsourcing triangles... #metrics #out-tasking #governance #accountability
Mar 2010 A wise being lives inside of you, it is your intuitive self; trust the wisdom inside of you: Shakti Gawain /via @TheGodLight
Mar 2010 Understanding.Unassuming. Unadorned. Tolerance. Trust. Wisdom.Strength.Belief.
Mar 2010 AU: Recommendations for setting up a trust fund for a kid?
Apr 2010 Pure, clean, sober Awareness... when to honour, trust & listen to your Intuition above all else? Always?
Apr 2010 Time, love and trust. The ultimate currencies.
Apr 2010 Trust yourself, with great faith and great doubt :)
May 2010 If I don’t trust the people I am with, I can’t be interdependent with them. If I don’t trust them, I can’t build community with them.
May 2010 If I don’t trust myself, I will never be able to trust others. And if I’m not honest with myself, I can never be fully honest with others.
Jun 2010 . @paulzee beware phishing. Check WHOIS. Not Google owned. CAREFUL http://whois.domaintools.com/googlexistence.com #trustbutverify
Jun 2010 @Aida_Lee oceans of trust, love & time.. in fact any logical rep I choose4 anyone/thing ->nrgy, doobies :) http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Metta
Jul 2010 @rosshill Attribution/health of actions and thought! Digital DNA, personal trust & mind (mental health) stability/identity #cloudliving ;)
Jul 2010 @rosshill Trust, community and self-policing, governance. Ever seen Mad Max ;)
Jul 2010 Trust but verify.
Jul 2010 You cannot rebuild trust remotely.
Jul 2010 @jonathannen presence, awareness, social cohesion, edges, motivation, trust, love and time... and doors that say 'No Entry'... +5W's ;)
Jul 2010 @DDrazic @jloidl we aiming VCE/Year 11. a) 3R's b) transitive trust/ interconnectedness c) measure/empirical data d) enforcement capability
Aug 2010 @undrewb me neither, too invasive and overt, feels dirty.. like cheating on someone, breaking transitive trust... hard sell/syntax ☠
Aug 2010 ♫ It takes an ocean of trust...
Sep 2010 Perceived value and transitive trust.
Sep 2010 @nathan_scott @mikala_ it's all about trust bay-bee, it's all about... <3 from D
Sep 2010 What is the smallest trust cluster?
Sep 2010 Connection. Intimacy. Trust @trampolineday #trampoline #trampolineday
Oct 2010 "but trust me on the sunscreen".. ♫ http://youtu.be/OojsLDYr7RY (great way to start Sunday morning :) <3 D
Oct 2010 Mobile version: "but trust me on the sunscreen" ♫ http://j.mp/9SKLeE (great way to start Sunday morning :) <3 D
grep -i trust archive | sort -k6n -k1 -k2 -M -k3 -k4 | cut -d ' ' -f 2,6,8-100 | uniq
May 2009 Trust is indeed an issue for the future. Transitive trust. A<->B<->C Identity and Integrity these are the real issues. #futuresummit
May 2009 Australia as a Swiss bank acc. style nation, but as a proxy for federated digital trust and identity? #futuresummit #innovation
Jul 2009 Trust is predicated on preserved identity and shared expectation of outcomes but transitive to how many degrees and historicals?
Jul 2009 @adzap was kinda more aimed at a mate trusting 3rd parties +large companies to "get it right"" cause they're big.Context not clear.Mybad.
Jul 2009 @rosshill more beneficial to think of a transitive trust model +only a single root node in the hierarchy. Not distributed. Ask Bob + Alice!
Aug 2009 Calling all humans: transparency,self regulating systems,trust, integrity,education vs awareness, growing together.... NOW!
Aug 2009 Loose coupling + autonomous systems, gift economy, transitive trust,complexity, architecture,superorganisms +homeostasis?FAIL@ #alr
Aug 2009 @pat yeah wasn't sure, hence the Tweet (even O'Reilly book ?!?) But peeps have2 start somewhere. #quality #trust requests <> good start!
Aug 2009 @Cama Ahuh,independent verification/specialisation is a toughy? In what r who do u place transitive trust? #absolutetruth #belief #nihilism
Aug 2009 @rosshill attribution is tied to identity,validation,trust,cohesion,anonymity,commerce,longevity,sharing,ain't going nowhere methinks buddy!
Aug 2009 @irlpol projects may have 10's or hundreds of servers/services in disparate TRUST zones running mutiple flavours/types of protocols.
Sep 2009 Infosec=Info/infra/services have value at point of utility.Trust +transitive trust predicated on persistent identity.Non-repudiation.Risk?
Sep 2009 T: "design by committee has not been successful in my experience".. D: "neither was the Homermobile" #architecture #choice #trust
Oct 2009 Decision engines. Inputs, processes, outputs, subject to morphing values? Constructive and destructive feedback loops. Transitive trust, ...
Oct 2009 #GovHack Canberra mesh usage 31.85 GB total (22.61 GB received, 9.24 GB sent) from #nodecity #trustbutverify
Oct 2009 Reviewing #trampoline "Trust + New Economic Model" http://vimeo.com/5026356 +recent use "food trust","time trust" etc sub-trusts FTW :)
Nov 2009 Non-profit IT. Trust. Community. Play. Self-directed learning. #tedxmelbourne #nodecity
Nov 2009 Open my human bandwidth, mindshare, headspace, filters, open, trust, rate-limit, time, slow, fast #quality #interactions is less more?
Nov 2009 I value openness, honesty, trust, integrity, awareness, mobility, choice and preparedness to be wrong or fail, improve on former self..
Jan 2010 Interesting proposition:how well do you trust yourself in different situations? What is your supposedly pre-determined outcome informed by?
Jan 2010 How :an adhoc grp self-polices? :to exp hidden agendas? Trust predicated on?+is it transitive? Commitment demonstration to open system?
Jan 2010 Constantly WAKING UP. Constantly ARRIVING. Who to journey with? #trust #given #offered #expended #rebirth #faith
Jan 2010 Interconnectedness. Spheres. Nodes. Intent. Trust. Love. Beings. Time. Stardust.
Feb 2010 Not sure who to trust? Yourself? http://s.nodecity.com/trust "When we are weak, or feel weak and dis-empowered, we.." @edwardharran
Feb 2010 Trust is not binary. It's an ongoing process of building and re-evaluating at every stage. #subset #superset #sets
Feb 2010 Trust http://bsdosx.blogspot.com/2010/01/trust.html
Feb 2010 Test. Test. Test. Test. Test. Test. Test. Test. Test. Trust but Verify. #self-policing
Feb 2010 Trust issues = occupational hazard? ;) /via @kimmwood
Mar 2010 @DDrazic transitive trust and the broken outsourcing triangles... #metrics #out-tasking #governance #accountability
Mar 2010 A wise being lives inside of you, it is your intuitive self; trust the wisdom inside of you: Shakti Gawain /via @TheGodLight
Mar 2010 Understanding.Unassuming. Unadorned. Tolerance. Trust. Wisdom.Strength.Belief.
Mar 2010 AU: Recommendations for setting up a trust fund for a kid?
Apr 2010 Pure, clean, sober Awareness... when to honour, trust & listen to your Intuition above all else? Always?
Apr 2010 Time, love and trust. The ultimate currencies.
Apr 2010 Trust yourself, with great faith and great doubt :)
May 2010 If I don’t trust the people I am with, I can’t be interdependent with them. If I don’t trust them, I can’t build community with them.
May 2010 If I don’t trust myself, I will never be able to trust others. And if I’m not honest with myself, I can never be fully honest with others.
Jun 2010 . @paulzee beware phishing. Check WHOIS. Not Google owned. CAREFUL http://whois.domaintools.com/googlexistence.com #trustbutverify
Jun 2010 @Aida_Lee oceans of trust, love & time.. in fact any logical rep I choose4 anyone/thing ->nrgy, doobies :) http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Metta
Jul 2010 @rosshill Attribution/health of actions and thought! Digital DNA, personal trust & mind (mental health) stability/identity #cloudliving ;)
Jul 2010 @rosshill Trust, community and self-policing, governance. Ever seen Mad Max ;)
Jul 2010 Trust but verify.
Jul 2010 You cannot rebuild trust remotely.
Jul 2010 @jonathannen presence, awareness, social cohesion, edges, motivation, trust, love and time... and doors that say 'No Entry'... +5W's ;)
Jul 2010 @DDrazic @jloidl we aiming VCE/Year 11. a) 3R's b) transitive trust/ interconnectedness c) measure/empirical data d) enforcement capability
Aug 2010 @undrewb me neither, too invasive and overt, feels dirty.. like cheating on someone, breaking transitive trust... hard sell/syntax ☠
Aug 2010 ♫ It takes an ocean of trust...
Sep 2010 Perceived value and transitive trust.
Sep 2010 @nathan_scott @mikala_ it's all about trust bay-bee, it's all about... <3 from D
Sep 2010 What is the smallest trust cluster?
Sep 2010 Connection. Intimacy. Trust @trampolineday #trampoline #trampolineday
Oct 2010 "but trust me on the sunscreen".. ♫ http://youtu.be/OojsLDYr7RY (great way to start Sunday morning :) <3 D
Oct 2010 Mobile version: "but trust me on the sunscreen" ♫ http://j.mp/9SKLeE (great way to start Sunday morning :) <3 D
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Futureself
I write this to my future self, whenever, wherever and whoever you may be.
I do not like the term hope but I have faith that the continuum that is you recognises these words, thoughts and forms as your own. If anything, nourish the stillness inside as it is from this that flows that which is clear, wise and true. Do not forget your core and replenish your lifeforce often. Tune your body vehicle. Perceive everything but pay full attention to those you trust. Minimise harm in all your thoughts, words and actions yet do not be paralysed by the complexity, interconnectedness and beauty.
Hunt your fears. Confront your conflicts. Listen and learn.
Never stop seeking yet know that you never began. Home is constant arriving within yourself and letting go is not a permanent state. The riddle of action and inaction will continue. The drive of the superorganism to survive will persist and will manifest itself in many unexpected ways.
There is no imperative but to exist and leave with a tranquil heart and mind.
Fear may be befriended, our externalities will age, but in love, spontaneity and a pure heart we unlock immortality.
I do not like the term hope but I have faith that the continuum that is you recognises these words, thoughts and forms as your own. If anything, nourish the stillness inside as it is from this that flows that which is clear, wise and true. Do not forget your core and replenish your lifeforce often. Tune your body vehicle. Perceive everything but pay full attention to those you trust. Minimise harm in all your thoughts, words and actions yet do not be paralysed by the complexity, interconnectedness and beauty.
Hunt your fears. Confront your conflicts. Listen and learn.
Never stop seeking yet know that you never began. Home is constant arriving within yourself and letting go is not a permanent state. The riddle of action and inaction will continue. The drive of the superorganism to survive will persist and will manifest itself in many unexpected ways.
There is no imperative but to exist and leave with a tranquil heart and mind.
Fear may be befriended, our externalities will age, but in love, spontaneity and a pure heart we unlock immortality.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Novelocity and Sustainability
Novelocity is a new term which means the rate of ‘newness’ experienced by a system or an entity. If 'novelocity' is too high, the ability to optimally react to unexpected or even standard stimuli is degraded and harm may occur. Additional energy is drawn from core competencies which subsequently undermine and weaken the system or host. If 'novelocity' is too low, habits and patterns are etched deeper in pathways and the ability of the entity or system to react, learn and adapt is hindered. Another byproduct of low 'novelocity' may be that of stagnation or boredom, which can result in some cases, in a subsequent extreme period of variance (a form of punctuated equilibrium) akin to a kick start to establish an optimal 'novelocity' once again. Change is constant, novelty not necessarily so.
Entities or systems that exhibit a drive for self-preservation (survival) will still cooperate or collaborate amongst themselves in manners which allow for the optimal creation, consumption and sharing of energy. This collaboration inevitably leads to increased production through specialisation and reciprocity in times of need. Whether intrinsic or extrinsic, in what may be deemed a sentient system, the concept of ‘enlightened self-interest’ is demonstrated. Once interconnectedness and interdependence is realised e.g. the underlying participation and involvement in a wider ecosystem, the system attempts to optimise and grow itself by cross pollinating, exploring and refining the intersections with other components of the macro system. The rate at which this exploration is actively sought may not actually be the ‘novelocity’ but is a correlate of the actual 'novelocity' rate. The energy expended in seeking this novelty (and subsequently engaging in it) can drain or dilute a systems core resources by drawing down upon the existing supply channels normally used to service core energies. This creates a negative feedback loop and overall system degradation. This suboptimal or failure mode is similar to that of a collapse or paralysis by virtue of expanding too quickly but is however predicated upon conscious/unconscious desire to seek out novelty whilst ignoring periods of required homeostasis. This is not necessarily ‘future shock’ but a cognitive and physical inability to deal with the rate of novelty.
Sustainability contains aspects of independence, interdependence and replenishment of energies. Sustainability also carries with it a concept of growth, homeostasis and self-awareness. Whether a system/relationship is two or more cells, people or planets; there is continual movement through time and space, thus, an implied ‘novelocity’. Entropy and ectropy notwithstanding, there are only so many states that one can pattern match against.
The question is what role 'novelocity' plays in sustainability? Can the aggregate survive without drawing down excessive energy from other dependent systems or overly diluting itself by constantly seeking out novelty and why?
Can elements of the local system/interdependent components both grow while satisfying the requirements of stability, safety and security all the while maintaining an optimal 'novelocity'?
Further reading:
Cohabitation in the Construct
Love 2.0
Go Deep
Entities or systems that exhibit a drive for self-preservation (survival) will still cooperate or collaborate amongst themselves in manners which allow for the optimal creation, consumption and sharing of energy. This collaboration inevitably leads to increased production through specialisation and reciprocity in times of need. Whether intrinsic or extrinsic, in what may be deemed a sentient system, the concept of ‘enlightened self-interest’ is demonstrated. Once interconnectedness and interdependence is realised e.g. the underlying participation and involvement in a wider ecosystem, the system attempts to optimise and grow itself by cross pollinating, exploring and refining the intersections with other components of the macro system. The rate at which this exploration is actively sought may not actually be the ‘novelocity’ but is a correlate of the actual 'novelocity' rate. The energy expended in seeking this novelty (and subsequently engaging in it) can drain or dilute a systems core resources by drawing down upon the existing supply channels normally used to service core energies. This creates a negative feedback loop and overall system degradation. This suboptimal or failure mode is similar to that of a collapse or paralysis by virtue of expanding too quickly but is however predicated upon conscious/unconscious desire to seek out novelty whilst ignoring periods of required homeostasis. This is not necessarily ‘future shock’ but a cognitive and physical inability to deal with the rate of novelty.
Sustainability contains aspects of independence, interdependence and replenishment of energies. Sustainability also carries with it a concept of growth, homeostasis and self-awareness. Whether a system/relationship is two or more cells, people or planets; there is continual movement through time and space, thus, an implied ‘novelocity’. Entropy and ectropy notwithstanding, there are only so many states that one can pattern match against.
The question is what role 'novelocity' plays in sustainability? Can the aggregate survive without drawing down excessive energy from other dependent systems or overly diluting itself by constantly seeking out novelty and why?
Can elements of the local system/interdependent components both grow while satisfying the requirements of stability, safety and security all the while maintaining an optimal 'novelocity'?
Further reading:
Cohabitation in the Construct
Love 2.0
Go Deep
Sunday, October 03, 2010
Alive
As a physiological battle rages inside me, I bear witness to how my thoughts and feelings differ and how much less energy I have for others currently. As I walk along the packed St. Kilda promenade where people are playing, lazing about and enjoying the energy from the sun, a single thought haunts me like a shadow dancing in my peripheral vision, 'What is living?'.
My first reaction is to be an engineer and break down the question. Three words present themselves: 'What', 'is' and 'living'. Immediately the aggregate of 'What is?' gets replaced with 'What IS' and the application of a Zen like methodology of investigation via direct untainted experience… it recurses back in upon itself… 'IS, IS, IS, is'ing spilling forth'… thought then stops temporarily and the leaves in the tree rustle of their own accord, smells pass through me and sounds dance together in rings of folk celebration.
Then the 'LIVING' word hits home hard. The mind spiders backwards in time searching and indexing so many collected experiences, patterns played out both voluntarily and involuntarily. Patterns and models, nay... modalities of living swim in my oceanmind… individualism, collectivism, survival, procreation, shared experiences, ontologies… my heart both rises and falls simultaneously at the few times in this entity's existence that a very deep 'true love' shone through. Without grasping, seeking or searching, one wonders about the conditions and states that allowed such purity to blossom.
Meanwhile another process running in parallel is both comparing and scaling in and out of the planet, then universe, and back down to my neighbourhood where it focuses finally, fractal like, inside my body where cells fight for dominance. I acknowledge the ecosystem whereby there is no border between my mind, my bodily vehicle and its environment. At the quantum scale and beyond one vibrates while moving through the foam. This observer constantly affects and reinforces the reality it perceives. It touches us.
There is no want, need or desire. Neutral. Are only those privileged enough to have discretionary time the ones wasting it on such a question? The question repeats itself.
What is living?
My first reaction is to be an engineer and break down the question. Three words present themselves: 'What', 'is' and 'living'. Immediately the aggregate of 'What is?' gets replaced with 'What IS' and the application of a Zen like methodology of investigation via direct untainted experience… it recurses back in upon itself… 'IS, IS, IS, is'ing spilling forth'… thought then stops temporarily and the leaves in the tree rustle of their own accord, smells pass through me and sounds dance together in rings of folk celebration.
Then the 'LIVING' word hits home hard. The mind spiders backwards in time searching and indexing so many collected experiences, patterns played out both voluntarily and involuntarily. Patterns and models, nay... modalities of living swim in my oceanmind… individualism, collectivism, survival, procreation, shared experiences, ontologies… my heart both rises and falls simultaneously at the few times in this entity's existence that a very deep 'true love' shone through. Without grasping, seeking or searching, one wonders about the conditions and states that allowed such purity to blossom.
Meanwhile another process running in parallel is both comparing and scaling in and out of the planet, then universe, and back down to my neighbourhood where it focuses finally, fractal like, inside my body where cells fight for dominance. I acknowledge the ecosystem whereby there is no border between my mind, my bodily vehicle and its environment. At the quantum scale and beyond one vibrates while moving through the foam. This observer constantly affects and reinforces the reality it perceives. It touches us.
There is no want, need or desire. Neutral. Are only those privileged enough to have discretionary time the ones wasting it on such a question? The question repeats itself.
What is living?
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