I Am Going To Tell You How To Think

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Thinking is important. Not just the occasional burst of thought that we encounter in very dangerous or just boring situations. Organized and systematic thinking is how we reach conclusions that are not immediately evident to us.

For example, trees grow upwards, towards the sun, sure, but without that extra thought, we would never realize that trees also grow according to their root mass! What an intriguing idea!

We use thoughts to understand our emotions. Emotions, our feelings, such as dislike, anger, love, happiness, and sadness are how we define our priorities. Being hungry makes us feel bad, so it's very important! Some random video on the web might be amusing, but it is hardly as important, in our personal scale of priorities, right?

This fact, that thinking is important, is how we can start to choose the tools that work best for us, when it comes to figuring out ideas. Which idea is good and which is bad? Our tools can help us figure that out, without having to try every single idea that comes across us.

I hold two philosophical tools, and they both fall under the category of Logic; which dislikes anything random in the thinking process.

One method is to attempt to find a practical solution to a very specific problem. Do I want something changed? Do I dislike something in my life? Do I want to add something into my life? To use this tool most efficiently, I define the question in the most practical way, so that the answer can be very precise.

So, if I want to learn, say, Japanese, then I would define it: "How can I know Japanese, to the extent where I can understand most parts of the online series that I watch, and understand the general meaning of most Japanese conversations?" And then I put some effort into defining an answer that is within those boundaries, such as: "I will use a nice website that teaches basic and intermediate Japanese, and I will do this for about one-hour, every day or two, for about three-months, mixing both reading and listen-and-repeat exercises." Simple, eh?

The second method is to raise my own general curiosity, and then aim it at a topic, gradually becoming more concise and specific. We do this most often with games - with puzzles. So, let's say that I take an interest in gardening, which I do. I would begin by generally educating myself about it, through the more popular channels: Google, popular websites for gardening, and people near me, who take interest in this.

Slowly and surely, this quest of curiosity will lead me to narrower sub-topics, under the same category of gardening. This means that I would connect to those people who find those specific sub-topics as interesting, and that I would dedicate more time only studying these sub-topics. And so, I will have obtained a new intellectual hobby, which is bound to turn into me planting tomatoes in a pot on my window sill; which I am.

As I enjoy life & beauty, so do I enjoy truth & wisdom.

I have not read her books,
but she does make for great quotes,
so she gets some free advertising from me!

FREEDOM! by Adam Kokesh

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Adam, from the radio show Adam VS The Man, has just now released his new book!

This book is a non-fiction about the meaning of freedom. I feel that his writing combines the best arguments, from the most popular modern minds, in the freedom or anarchy genres. And it does so concisely and plainly!

Visit the book's page, over at AdamVSTheMan.com.

My only criticisms are towards the audiobook quality, which I chose to enjoy - and not bother reading lots of text. And also with my already great familiarity with the topic, meaning I got bored a lot.

For the former, Adam shared with me by email that he did rush the completion of the audiobook, so the resulting mistakes are not surprising. It is still a nice listen and very audible. He promised to edit it, too! Well done, Adam, keep it up for all of us.

And, for the latter, it is just my fault for taking so much interest in my own liberty and morality, already. I can't blame anybody for that. I do thank a lot of people for it.

Enjoy the book as an eBook PDF, AudioBook (Single File or by Chapters), Plain Text RTF or TXT, and even a Kindle version on Amazon, or the Android App!

Passions of An Artist

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I often find myself passionate after an idea or venture. It may be a small thing, like my recent acoustic echo-cancelling mobile bamboo partition, or a big thing, such as my well-inspired but overwhelming Node World project.

The cotton sheet blocks the sound from bouncing back at the microphone.

I have discovered that, while I may do things out of logic, for, say, personal goals, or due to simple curiosity, my most valued achievements are always from a sense of passion & inspiration.

Moreover, I have learned that anything that is made out of passion, does not need a reason to be, and so we call it art. And that artists, people who make art regularly, give themselves for free, in order for their creations to enjoy the attention of others.

The artist, a quality rare in most, but dominant in few, gives himself for free, contrary to his produce, for which payment is demanded.

An Eternal Nemesis - Our Friends

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"Mommy?" Asked a giant octopus, in a sound wave below human hearing.

"Yes, dear?" Answered an even bigger octopus, floating not quite mid-air, near the other.

"What is that?" It raised a tentacle at a near by tiny lizard.

"Do not point, Phefahphiou!" The angry mother warned. She would not have uneducated children making her look bad, in front of other creatures.

"I apologize, but what is it?" The child repeated, lowering its' tentacle.

"It is a dinosaur," she answered. "And it is an enemy of the Coalition."

We are already being eased into this future symbio.

"Can I eat it?" The child asked, ever so innocently. The lizard, a tiny thing in comparison, tilted its' head, and considered the transparent floating threats, above it. It began skittering away.

"No," the mother shuffled closer, towards the young one. "We do not eat those."

"Why?" The child asked, looking up at his mother.

"Because, they are our friends, and..." she lingered.

"And we do not eat our friends," finished the child, not satisfied with the conclusion.

The Partially [Un]Examined Life

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The Partially Examined Life podcast & blog, albeit entertaining, is a great example of why abstract philosophies are fucking useless.

By "abstract philosophies", I mean thinking about life out of context of my own personal life. Without the inclusion of my own experiences. In other words, talking without "getting dirty."

Visit their website & podcast.

I do give it to them that the discussions are humoristic & easy going, and so make for a nice entertaining background sound; so I have something to listen to, while working out, say.

Abstract philosophy, or "philosophizing", is the cause of all structured ignorance. The idea that any thought can be discussed in an impersonal manner, as if from the cloud-seat of some immortal deity, only causes misunderstandings and confusion. As proof, talk to any philosophy student; the pure embodiment of trying to study philosophy, without attaching its' meaning to our own lives.

So, while I do recommend listening to any of their episodes, and their well-narrated talks, I strongly warn against considering any of it as Philosophy.

Trust Is A Verb

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Trust is created through shared experiences. More than anything else, it is created through our most common activity - conversation.

By having conversations, by listening to each other, and then trying to understand each other's experiences and perspectives, we gain a feeling of trust from others, and they gain the same feeling of trust, from us.

Thank you, MemeForge.net users!

Everything we say relates to our emotions, whether negative or positive. By sharing how we feel, through describing our lives to others, we allow others to sympathise with us. If they accept this offer, and join the discussion, then mutual trust and cooperation can exist.

However, without trust, there is no cooperation. That is how we get conflict and misunderstandings. These lead to offenses, neglect, and aggression.

Next time you have a conversation with another person, especially with another person whom you care for, or find interest in them, remember to listen, attempt to understand them, join the discussion in an active and interested manner, and gain their trust! :-)

Click for more quotes from good ol' Ralph!

I Was Walking Down A Brick Paved Road...

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...When I noticed the building, just to my left. Even the buildings were made of brick. Most of them a sort of red shaded brick, mostly from clay.

"I wonder if she is there," I spoke out loud, but only to myself.

It is the middle of the day. A cloudless day. The sun at full throttle. I entered the building, and climbed up the stairs to the third floor, where I would find my friend's apartment.

"Watch out," my friend warned me, as I approached. "Dervie is inside, and it got him cornered!"

"Oh no," I thought and replied. "It's them again, right?" I asked her.

"Yes, but they really got him, this time!" She was panicking, and it was up to me to sort them out.

I open the door, and there he is. Dervie. Sitting on the floor, legs spread wide, neck to the wall, and a table pinning him down - at the neck.

"So," I start, but it is apparent that the table is loose, now. They let him go, as soon as they saw me. Dervie scrambles out of the room, as fast as humanly possible, leaving the door open. I do not bother to look behind. I do, however, look to the side of the room.

"How about eating a muffin? Eat one. Or two." - Junkie Space Alien

"Grbledrhrtewshbfx," the creature speaks. It is small, short and wide, sort of blue. It has hair, but it is not like our hair. It looks different, as if it was a different material.

I look to the floor, searching back next to the table. There is a box there. An open box. A box of muffins. Well, I call them muffins, at least. I take the box, and do not look back at the creature.

"I should not eat this," I say, or think, or maybe I realized this only after taking a muffin, one of two remaining muffins, and stuffing it into my mouth. Delicious. Just a muffin, really.

The creature is smiling, now that I check back with it.

"Here we go," I say, and everything turns into a vortex of colors, and I just know that this is not going to be a happy journey. Especially, because on the other side, it is a bright and sunny day, and I am not feeling worried. I feel fine.

"Muffine," I say, and excuse the situational comedy.

Achievements Through Patience

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The problem of patience is that there are always different, and changing, reasons to act, or otherwise. This means that, unless we do not want to explode with anxiety, then we must learn to evaluate situations quickly.

One way is to meditate. By sitting quietly, comfortably, and without disturbances, any person is able to reflect on their thoughts. By using concentration and effort, we can achieve clear conclusions, about the choices we want to make, and the risks we want to take.

People use different methods, to handle their own impatience and anxiety. It could be beer or weed, and online chat, on websites or through games.

Click for a simple ganja-chai recipe.

Sadly, it seems that external methods have serious drawbacks. Weed interferes with the concentration required to reflect. Beer disorients the mind, so that decisions are only impulsive. Chats  encourage an impractical, detached from reality perspective.

Without patience, all we have left is irritations, and how we respond to them. We do not develop strategy and wisdom.

However, if we wait for understanding to broil, then we win the ability to achieve our mind's goals, and the manifestation of our dreams; or rather, a life of reaching towards.

An Eternal Nemesis - The Unspeakables

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Back at the interstellar mesh of space; the material from which the entire universe was formed; the source of all matter; the realization of all sources; a fleet of Unspeakables held parley with the Ancients; those who had escaped the galaxy, which now hosts the Coalition; their true nemesis.

"My lord," began the foremost Unspeakable, a vague shape, hardly occupying any space. "We have," the thing paused to cough, and the time display, inside the Elder Ancient's enclosed helmet, moved back a year, blurred, and returned to normal. The Elder shuffled his feet uncomfortably. He suspected that this meeting was a very bad idea. He had no choice. He had his orders. "We have started the invasion of the Coalition. Our devices have yet to identify any significant life forms."

"You have not reached their home planet? The red one?" Asked the Elder.

"Red?" Asked back the foremost.

A classical depiction of an alien invasion.

"Red. I mean, their base of operations. Where they dwell and reproduce," explained the Elder, lifting its' massive claw in the general direction of Earth, although no eyes seemed to follow his gesture.

"We have already reached their home planet, and it is entirely under our jurisdiction now," answered the foremost. Another voice, not dissimilar to the previous, spoke from behind the vague shape.

"We have already begun preparation to return to our own ventures, now that this war is through," it informed the Elder.

"None of our scouts have seen your attack," the Elder responded, patiently. Patience was, after all, the most venerated ideal of the Ancients. "We have no evidence of your conquest, my," the Elder hesitated, as one of his subordinates shouted, "great allies!" The Elder nodded and continued, "my great ally."

The fact of the matter was that the Unspeakables have indeed reached and conquered the planet Earth - the same, one and only. The Unspeakables had actually already taken over the entire galaxy of the Coalition, and any resistance was evidently futile. Other than a few roaming spirits, which actually had no claim on those planets, there was no resistance, at all. This fact had not surprised the Unspeakables. Their inferior allies, creatures of mere flesh, found the greatest hurdles in the easiest of challenges.

As a matter of personal interest and research, the Unspeakables have decided to leave behind a query - a platoon of their order, so that they could document their explorations. The inferior creatures that swarmed this galaxy were considered harmless, and thus were given a short explanation, in regards to who, and what, the Unspeakables were.

"We are," began, reassuringly, the first among equals, leading member of the community, Zata Ha Ha Ha Lahar, as most creatures near by began imploding, in quick succession, "the superior beings of the third galaxy, of this same universe."

By the time the introduction of the Unspeakables was over, a large segment of planet Earth was quarantined, by the humans, and extreme measures were taken, in order to shield any further repercussions.

After acts of aggression failed to make any impact on the intruders - what seemed a bulk of shadowy plasma, the Coalition unanimously decided to cover the threat with stuff. Anything. From metals, to glass and plastic, and even some biological scraps, that may, or may not, stop the ensuing destruction of living tissue, emanating from their guests.

There were those who had different devices recording the event. It took only three days for the message to be decoded and translated. Again, unanimously, the Coalition had decided to declare the Unspeakables, thus named, "our greatest ally and friend." No one dared to say otherwise.

This is the second segment, in this now expanding science-fiction satire universe. Please, check back again, for the next installment in the series.

An Eternal Nemesis

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The human life span is estimated at between one and one and a third Earth millennium. Over a thousand years of passion, knowledge, and the will to grow and expand into the vast universe. Humanity, although it is now a unity of several different species, have not stirred away from their original cause. The unveiling of the great unknown.

A war of unprecedented scale had begun anew, now that the enemy chose their new leader. Commander Tuk Am Lai Pal of the Gan Is Is Me Is dynasty. The greatest strategist the universe had ever born. A creature of such vast intellect and keen intuition, that it is considered to be a worthy foe, even by the brilliant Commander Kall of planet Tailtwo, the leader of the human Coalition.

"Captin," a voice crackled in the Command Hall of Greatness, inside the most technologically advanced spacecraft of the Coalition, the Fist of Power. "Captain Kall?" It repeated.

"I am here, Sergeant. Speak," the commander ordered.

"A fleet of Unspeakables had been identified," the voice paused and then added, "and I cannot tell where they are headed, Sir."

The Captain looked back at his General Advisor. The duty of the 'advisor to the captain' was to warn of any dangers that any line of action may present. The advisor nodded, grimly, knowing that they had no other choice, but to follow the guidelines.

"You know what to do, Sergeant," the Captain answered. "Prepare the fleet in defensive positions, and scramble to nine. I will let you choose our method, once you know more."

The Captain turned back, and marched away from the hall. He would not let a bunch of nonsensical Unspeakables disturb his work, on the Board of Action. A team of educated and heavily experienced sergeants was already expecting him there, to confirm their plan. He had to make sure it was a good plan. The enemy would not let them fail, and enjoy a safe retreat.

The future is sillier than you ever imagined!

"It is the war of the century," said Markolas. His hair a monument of defiance, standing straight up on his scalp, held by the majestic force of magnetism. Magnetic hair was the fashion. "It is the war that no one will ever remember!" He exclaimed, and recanted, "I mean forget! Never forget!"

"Forget?" Asked Salastyan. In pure contrast to his party, Salastyan was tall, black skinned, and bald. "Forget? Are you..."

"Never! The Unspeakables at war! Can you even imagine that?"

"No, that is exactly why..."

"Exactly! It is unimaginable! Can you even start to comprehend the meaning..." Markolas trailed on, his mind already shifting away from the war. His mind, like a bird at flight, flying across the great oceans; never waiting for others.

"If the war is so great, then why do you not join it?" Asked Salastyan under a frown, now slightly irritated.

"Join?" Markolas asked, not hiding his despise at such an idea. "Join, ha! I have no time for games. I am a philosopher," he said, as if it was a perfectly reasonable counter.

"They do have philosophers in the Coalition," retorted Salastyan. "They have got all sorts. You do not even have to actually kill anything, to be a part of their crusade."

"Crusade? Do not make me laugh, Salastious."

"It is Salas..."

"My friend," Markolas interrupted, or rather, did not let the other's interruption interfere. "I am no thug. I have no desire to scream in battle, as I murder my fellow creatures. My fellow intellectual partners." He turned, as if searching for an example, and then found one. He pointed, rudely, at a near by Unspeakable. The Unspeakable, a creature beyond the measure of any physical domain; a creature which simply cannot be described in any way, or even proximity, stared back. Markolas shivered, visibly, and lowered his hand.

"Yeah," Salastyan drawled the vowels and smiled, "your fellow. I can see that." He did not turn to look at the Unspeakable. His intuition revealed to him that it is most likely that their 'fellow' was busy talking to another being, not even a creature; not even of their own space or time.

This is a new science-fiction satire series. Please check back shortly, for new and exciting episodes!

From Alien Versus Creditor

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In the material recycling department of SciGen Incorporated, Cyril hid in a dumpster. The dumpster was very clean, other than the accumulating dust, and so the array of rejected pills seemed safe enough to eat.

There were pills of many colors and shapes, and Cyril enjoyed all of them. But, most of all, he enjoyed the small red and white pills that tasted like sugar, and were not chewy.

"Ferring soft pills," he murmured, and spat out an odd purple pill that was unfamiliar to him. "Ferring facilities and their inventions. Can't they just make more tasty pills?" He asked no one in particular.

"Who's there?" The voice of an older man echoed.

"Shit," Cyril whispered to himself, and tried to hide in a corner. The container opened from its' top lid, and the old hairless man stared directly at Cyril.

"What are you," the old man began, but Cyril was already jumping through the open container, and back to the dumpster hall. Without pause, he ran to the back door, from whence he came, and disappeared into the streets, where only the night, cats, and the occasional deployment vehicle roamed.

These were not real public streets, but the streets within the SciGen industrial compound. A vast maze of transportation routes, between warehouses and ever-rumbling factories. As he shifted from a jog to a regular walk, trusting the night to mask his presence, he heard a far away explosion, followed by shouts.

He could not make out the words, and the noises came from many places at once, but all from the same direction. The entrance, the front entrance, of the factory building he just escaped. He paused and tried to make sense of the scene. Some windows reflected strong lights, as if a fire was loose. Was it a machine accident?

Cyril decided to go back and check things out. Maybe, if he was lucky, he could learn something that SciGen did not want anybody else to know. Maybe, if he was lucky, he had something to gain, here.

Reaching the factory building, Cyril jumped in surprise, as a figure burst out of the top floor window, and crashed into the ground. Under the ambience of light projectors, Cyril could make out a dark haired man, in a white lab coat. He was not on fire, so why did he jump?

Cyril entered the building from the side door - another opening that he knew was unlocked, most nights. He heard noises. As if something was pounding against the walls, from the inside. As sirens began screaming, the boy knew that he had only a few minutes, before the entire platoon of guard patrol cars arrived. He was not planning on being caught by anyone. The consequences would be dire.

He approached further into the factory, and went to open another door, just as the safety mechanism kicked-in. The door locked, and heavy glass shielding began lowering, from the hollow above the door.

"What are you doing here, boy?" Cyril turned, and saw a man in uniform behind him, holding a pistol. "Come on, we have to get out of here, now! They are coming!"

Who is coming? Cyril wanted to ask, but the guard grabbed his arm, and pulled him away. Instead of going outside, as expected, the guard pulled him beyond another door. As it closed, it locked, and began lowering its' glass shielding. Cyril tensed, and felt himself sweating, with the realization that something terrible, quite more than he had imagined, was taking place.

"What is with all the explosions?" Cyril asked the guard.

"There was an accident with the test subjects. The pills killed them, and then turned them into something else," the guard hesitated. "Not human."

"Like, undead?" The boy asked.

"No," the guard stopped, and turned to look at Cyril. "Like monsters," he said, showing surprise on his face.

As they approached the other end of a storage chamber, the door behind them burst open. Through the locking mechanism and the glass shielding, which Cyril knew was much more than just simple glass. The guard started running, pulling on Cyril to speed up. Cyril had to look back, and see what it was that followed them.

It was a person in a white lab coat. Just a person. Cyril saw him jogging slowly towards them, as if nonchalantly escaping the terrors behind.

"That's odd," he said, and wondered how come bursting through the door seemed to draw no impact on the person's body. The face seemed calm, even emotionless, and there were no signs of torn clothing or blood.

"Over here," a woman guard shouted from above a short ladder. "Quickly, come up here," she said, gesturing them to hurry.

As they entered the upper chamber, the glass seal locked behind with a hiss of air pressure. Cyril looked back, and wondered what happened to that other person. He approached the seal, and looked through.

Somebody else was hurrying through a side door, into the storage chamber they had just escaped. He approached the strange lagger. Suddenly, the other jumped several meters into the air, landing on top of the newcomer, flattening him against the cement floor.

Cyril inched his eyes closer into the glassy seal, trying to make sense out of this bizarre scene. After a moment of lingering, the lab coated figure stood up, and turned to stare at the upper seal.

Cyril would have sworn, had anybody asked him, that the strange person now had a completely different face.

Narrating The Metal Monk

Download my narration of The Metal Monk by Matt Barton.

As time moves on, I find myself shifting towards recording & narration. Specifically, narration. I really enjoy telling a story! (And listening to my own sexy voice!)

Here's a short bit that I really like, which was great for me, as practice. Being a new narrator, with little experience, means that I need to find inspiration, and make an effort!

I hope you find it entertaining. :-)

The author of this one-paragraph wonder.
Click on him to visit his video-blog,
or click HERE for more one-paragraph shorts.

Violence As A Proper Method Of Social Development

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Violence is popular. Everybody enjoys violence in different ways, to improve their lifestyle. From the passive-aggressive and scheming woman, to the brute and in-your-face man. Popular media is full of it! Violence is popular in games, TV, movies, and even in music, such as Rap.

Rap music is violent and successful. Rappers are rich. Filthy rich. And neither is there a politician who is not extremely violent, when it comes to facing the opposition, of those who disagree with his or her opinion. Not surprisingly, politicians are very rich, and comfortable, too.

We can also look into our conjoined histories, and see how violence had helped in creating a brilliant & safe modern world, for us today. From brave shining knights to royal and majestic kings and queens, humanity had endured hardship and disaster, only through the amazing power of violence. If it were not for those who rule by force, then quite obviously, there would be no defense against such grim odds.

"Whoa, where am I?
This must be a true adventure,
only for amazeballs knights!"

Even children love it. There is not a child out there who does not enjoy the occasional punch or kick. It is almost our first language. How else would such a small creature have its' say and stand for itself, but without the energetic force of violence.

We can only hope that it is that same violent tendency that shapes our next generation, into a fine line of mighty armed and strong willed young men and women. I see an amazing future for violence, in human culture and society!





Oh...

And have a good April Fool's Day.

The Solar Web

The Dzed nest in forests, but they hunt wherever there is prey. Their gigantic arachnoid form, while intimidating, is also very adaptable. Reports of adult Dzed swimming the oceans, started early on, after the invasion of the alien race to Earth.

A Dzed invasion?! Nah...
Just weather-changing balloons.

A recent record tells of a long-time hobby fisherman that fell into the water, while fishing in the ocean. "It was an accident," the man says, "but nothing that would scare a sealover, like me." It was, however, quite a surprise, when he realized that underneath the water, and attached to the bottom of his yacht, there lurked a giant Dzed.

The man was afraid that it might attack him, now that he fell into the water. When the Dzed moved to attack, he was certain that this was the end. When he felt nothing, but the movement of water around him, he opened his eyes again. To his astonishment, the Dzed had caught a shark. The shark, apparently, had been drawn to the swimming man, and thought it got lucky. "You can imagine its' surprise," the record goes on to say in the voice of the fisherman, "when it was snatched up by the spider!"

MikeAp shuts the record viewer off, and restores his normal vision. Tomorrow, he will be doing what had not been done before. He will be boarding a Dzedship. The irony was not lost on him. Hey, maybe he will get lucky, and the Dzed will just hunt-away any space monsters that came at him. Although, in all likelihood, the researchers insist, the Dzed will not be joining the trip.

They have reached the Dzed's nest, and are finally preparing to board. Well, board might be the wrong word. It feels like they are infiltrating the Dzed's privacy, really. Like some sort of insidious larvae, using its' host to find shelter, against the harsh environment. Two assistants start running the checks on MikeAp.

"Can you hear me?" One of the women asks.

"Yes," MikeAp answers.

"Can you feel this?" The other woman asks, as she jabs something against his suit.

"No," MikeAp answers, and both women nod approvingly.

MikeAp starts his approach, walking under the watchful eye of all space lovers. This first attempt at utilizing the remarkable balloon-shaped vessel of the Dzed is broadcast to the public. MikeAp doubts that more than a handful of hobbyists are actually watching the live feed.

Confronted by the giant woven ball, MikeAp shoves himself, slowly, into the sphere. The material is sticky, but it is not able to resist his invasion. He can already feel that sort of lightness that comes from being inside a magnetic field.

"I am alright," he reports over the voice.

"Roger that," he hears a barely audible response, through the loud static noise. The speaker is his counterpart and trusted engineer, KaliKi.

MikeAp bends down, spreads his arms wide, and jumps as hard as he can. The giant sphere responds, by increasing the tension of its' fabric, and thus begins a levitating motion upwards. MikeAp sits down, takes his helmet off, even though it is not advised to do so, and draws a salty snack from his side-pocket. As he slowly nibbles through the snack, MikeAp imagines the others looking at him. An unremarkable white ball, floating through the air.

"Biological space engineering, at its' best," he says aloud, after about half an hour. He lies back to enjoy the view, through the now transparent fibers of the vessel.

MikeAp is the first man to ever successfully reach space, using Dzed technology.

I Really Really Like CrowdPricing

What is CrowdPricing? By Scribl:

Click on image, to view it in full size.

The practice of CrowdFunding eBooks is rather new, so I cannot really say that I know much about it. I do, however, feel very excited about the idea of it!

The idea of letting the readers influence, in a sophisticated way, the price of my eBooks is brilliant! A story is less appreciated? It can be enjoyed by the few and odd, for free. A story is popular and wide-spread? Let the masses give me their few cents, for the benefit of more such wonderful creations!

What

Would

Spock

Do? 

Do you think that this might catch and become the standard, in the future? Maybe even the future of all trade?

Of Dreams & Memories

I am in a shuttle. Not a train. More like a plane, or a spaceship. It is an in-between of those two, really. It is shaped like a long rocket without wings, and it is populated by rooms, and halls full of safety-chairs, where people wait for the landing. Only the bottom part has an engine and control center.

I am inside a waiting room, all for my own. I just woke up. I get the feeling that the end of the journey is approaching. Although I slept through it, it was not a long journey, actually. It is a mystery to me where I am, and where I am headed. And although it is a mystery, it is not important. The only thing that is important is the landing.

I slowly climb out of my room. It is connected to one of those sitting halls, through a corridor entrance, above me. The gravity is awkward, and although I do not float, I do need to crawl my way out of the room. As I approach the above chamber, I find myself pausing next to a window.

Instead of a "disposable rocket",
This is the actual final result!

The view is intimidating. It is not just a freefall. It is an accelerated drop, from who knows how high. There is no sound. I keep staring into the incoming ground. It is littered with boulders, as if the landing site is meant to be more of a hazard, rather than less.

Suddenly, the thrusters below me burst, and the noise of combustion roars, as if from a long distance. Just as it seemed the vessel would hit the ground, and my mortal life would end miserably yet quickly, an ever so slight wobble motion hits, and everything just stops.

We have landed, and not surprisingly, everyone in their sits start applauding.

Anything But The Dzed

In a dark corner, beneath the edge of a mountain, lie a little Dzed. The alien, whose ancestors had arrived on Earth only a century ago, was hunting. He was hunting in the dark, as all his kind do. His vicious arachnid form, extremely suitable for trapping and the silencing of his prey, hung from the top branch of an oak tree.

The man, a native of the land, dark skinned and rough natured, walked over the trap, without hesitation. He was not aware of the trap being there, yet he was not afraid of such a possibility. He was a hunter, and for him, it meant that danger was a casual thing.

Giant alien spiders are our friends.
That's the narrative, anyhow.

Just as the Dzed activated his trap, contracting the wires of his immense weave, the man jumped. As the man fell out of its' way, and rolled back on to his feet, a roar filled the night, behind him. Inside the Dzed's web, a large cat with pointed ears was wrestling with the arachnid's device. Needless to say, it was a futile attempt.

The man looked up the tree, where the trap connected to higher branches. A shadow loomed against the star-filled sky. The man knew it to be a Dzed. Shaming the hunter, the Dzed did not even consider him worthy prey. Real prey, for the mighty arachnoid, had to pose a real challenge.

A Virtual Game World Framework In NodeJS

I have been spending many of my creative hours, in these past months, working on a big project of mine. I call it Node World.  ***THUNDER CLASH***

The Open Source Code on GitHub

My Announcement of Node World on GameDev

A Live Demo For Developers

In summary, it is a framework for MMO's. It is intended to help developers and MMO fans - programmers, writers, and artists, express their ideas in a virtual world, without having to do everything from scratch.

I've found much inspiration in modern manga, such as Sword Art Online.

In elaboration, however, Node World has been my dream for several years. Ever since I realized how modern games are limited. How repetitive and inflexible they remain. I wanted to have a game world, where many players can join together, and not only explore and do combat, but also make a difference, in the game world itself!

I am looking for developers to join me! NodeJS is a relatively easy programming language, and I am doing my best, for the sake of modifications, to keep the code simple and readable. Contact me, if you want to inquire about it!

And our manga seers are only improving!

The goals of Node World are well defined:

1) The server seamlessly integrates any client into itself: Text, 2D, and 3D.

2) The project is modular, both in code and in functionality, so that programmers can easily modify and add to the project, and players can modify and add to the virtual world, without editing the code, at all.

If you have any ideas you want to share, then comment below, and say what this project brings to your mind. :-)

Homemade Pure Aloe Vera Gel

How simple and easy it is, to make my own health products! Well, at least, when it comes to handling Aloe Vera.

This plant has become so infamous that I will skip the introductions, and simply say how great it is for the skin! It is well-known, for treating all sorts of skin problems, from acne & burns, to fungi & dryness.

About five leaves of this size, would make for a personal dose.
Photo from "Health Care After a Disaster."

1. Collect several Aloe Vera leaves. It has a spiky edge, so if you are sensitive to thorns, you might want to use thick gloves, or a knife. Personally, I just tore the outer leaves, by pulling them sidewards.

2. Use a kitchen board and your good knife, and remove the spiky edges from a leaf. Wash it quickly, so it has no dirt or that yellow goo, which is an irritant.

3. Then, press the leaf down against the board, and insert your knife between the skin and the gel. (The gel is the nice firm stuff inside the leaf, and not the liquid goo that comes out of it.) Carefully slice the gel away from the skin.

4. Make sure to remove leftover green bits, before you do the other side. It is quite hard to hold the gel down, without any skin. After you finished with one side, then do the other side, in the same manner.

Unless you've got a better idea,
throw away the leaves' skins.

5. Wash the pure gel in water, quickly, and put the gel into the blender! Do this for each leaf, making sure no leaf still has any yellow goo. It is very noticeably.

6. When done, activate the blender! Give it around half a minute, to make sure all the gel has become liquidy. The end result is a gooey liquid.

A bit foamy, after the blending.

It stays good for many months, inside a tight-lid box! By itself, it is anti-bacterial.

Wash your hands, before you apply it to your skin! Aloe Vera gel can be, usually, applied to any part of the body. Try a small dose, to see if it irritates any part of your body.

I use it on my face and hands! It helped me get rid of some unfriendly skin problem in the past. I also use it on my funky parts, when I feel more funky than usual. ;-)

Automatically Publish New Posts To Facebook

Blogger, being a Google product, is quite handily integrated with Google+. It is not, however, well integrated with Facebook, at all; not surprisingly, being the competition and all.

I have quite loyally enjoyed the automatic syndication publishing service from NetworkedBlogs, for a long while, now. Sadly, I have noticed that their script adds a lot of clutter & bugginess to my blog! :-S This is simply unacceptable.

On my venture to find a new auto-publishing mechanism, I have read about dlvr.it. It seems nice and friendly. My registration and setup was very (very) quick. Now, let us see if it works!

This is my first test-run post for it.

Cheers. :-)