Inspire and motivate self-improvement and harm-reduction. The siliconpalms vlog is a positive attitude outlet, with the objective to create a good vibe every day and to provide value to anyone who watches and listens to the meaningful message.
Combat the blues and overcome lethargy by changing the way you think about the world. Improve your lifestyle and defeat dystopia by reducing your consumption of substances, put down that bong and pick-up a pen. Design your own movie script, starring you, as the ultimate escape-artist. Escape from the Drudge Report, escape from Facebook and escape from whatever might be holding you back and hanging you up.
One of the reasons I started the siliconpalms vlog was to document my own transformation. You see; I found myself in a challenging predicament, by the age of 55, something I never expected or planned, something that started-out so innocently and over time grew into a bigger and bigger problem, until I was carrying a monkey on my back. Yep, you guessed it, I woke-up one day I knew I’d become an escape artist with an addiction to fun, that’s why one of the themes of the siliconpalms vlog is good vibrations, which is my method for putting negative thinking, in the rear-view mirror.
This is a new and exciting chapter in my life. I’m making something positive out of something negative and it’s my sincere hope that I’ll inspire and motivate someone to take action and stand in their power. Face yourself and make a decision to make the lifestyle changes necessary to get the monkey off your back, whatever it may be.
My story is compelling because I have a unique perspective and I live in one of the most vibrant and exciting cities in the world, Sao Paulo, Brazil. I’m a people-person and have friends all over the world, not virtual friends, real-world, real people friends but what makes the story interesting is the day-to-day interactions with regular folks, everywhere I go. It’s all about love.
On Oct 16 I moved into a rented suite in a Penthouse apartment overlooking Ibirapuera Park, the central park of Sao Paulo, Brazil. It was so exciting to be back in Brasil, after 6 months in Canada, which was rapidly turning to winter, so every day and every night was filled with activity and exploration of my new neighbourhood called Vila Clementino, which is built on the hills overlooking Moema, probably the most popular section in all of the city because it’s the only large area of flat ground.
Finally one evening, after going out about dozen nights in a row to learn about my new surroundings, I was determined to stay in and read but for some odd reason, at about 10:30 PM I started looking from my balcony to see if the pizza place was still open, which it was, however since I thought they were open till midnight, I didn’t arrive until just after 11 to learn that they were closed. About 11:11 PM a Brazilian dude who had just finished his meal, intervened on my half to allow me service. We sat together and talked, then when they closed, some 30 minutes later he asked me if I’d like to see his house, which was for sale. Sure let’s do it, I proclaimed, as I felt comfortable with this Dude from the start.
It turns out that I met the most amazing friend, on Nov, 11, at 11:11 on a street called Avenida Onze de Junho, which translates to Ave 11th of June. It actually wasn’t until the next day that I realized all these 11/11 anomalies but after spending 3 or 4 hours in the company of my new-found friend, named Marcos Claudino da Silva, the prior evening and having been intrigued by his amazing history, plus the fact that we were both the same age, and both of us had recently returned to Brazil. I went directly back to his house the following evening, before dark and told him that I wanted to provide assistance in helping him fulfil his vision because I thought then and still think now, that it’s the best idea I’d ever heard for making the world a better place.
Marcos Claudino da Silva is an singer/songwriter extraordinaire! His project is called “Peace Revolution” and it’s 12 original tracks of fusion of Samba, Rock and Reggae. Please check-out his website and listen to his music.
The Jumbo Valley, located deep in the wilds of British Columbia’s Purcell Mountains, has long been revered for its spiritual significance and beauty. To the Ktunaxa Nation, it is known as Qat’muk, home of the grizzly bear spirit.
Part of a crucial international wildlife corridor, the Jumbo Valley is one of only two remaining areas in North America where bears can freely roam between Canada and the US. Permanent development of the valley would likely lead to reduced grizzly populations locally, regionally and even continentally.
For nearly 25 years, local people—First Nations, skiers, riders, alpinists and conservationists—have fought a proposed large-scale ski resort in Jumbo. The Ktunaxa First Nation’s Qat’muk Declaration asserts that the Jumbo Valley is of significant spiritual and ecological importance and calls for its permanent protection.
[box type=”tick” style=”rounded” border=”full”]There are few places left like this in the world and it is our duty to make sure the Jumbo Valley remains intact now and long into the future.[/box]
Created by the construction of Mica Dam on the Columbia River, Kinbasket Lake (For a short time known as McNaughton Lake) sits in the Rocky Mountain Trench on the Western edge of the Rockies. On the Western side of the Trench lies the Purcell and Selkirk Ranges of the Columbia Mountains.
Coming to theatres Oct 2015 – Patagonia presents Jumbo Wild – a gripping, hour-long documentary film by Sweetgrass Productions that tells the true story of the decades-long battle over the future of British Columbia’s iconic Jumbo Valley and highlights the tension between the protection of wilderness and the backcountry experience and ever-increasing development interests in wild places. Set against a backdrop of incredible backcountry ski and snowboard footage, Jumbo Wild documents all sides of a divisive issue bringing the passionate local fight to protect the Jumbo Valley to life for the first time.
Ever since my teens I’ve been fascinated by Atlantis, pyramids, crystals, ancient history and lost civilizations. Maybe most people are curious about these subjects but the person who’s done an exceptional job of exploring these topics is Graham Hancock. His work, 15+ books and 5 films, is rich in detail, with a keen sense of history and deep knowledge of ancient civilizations. He’s spent more time with his boots (or flippers) on the ground than any other writer/researcher, studying ancient civilizations.
Ironically this brilliant speech, which I’d previously heard and wasn’t new then, was recorded at a Ted Talk in the UK then some time after it was uploaded, they decided to remove it. Now, this compelling idea has had more exposure than the first time because of being censored by the esteemed think-tank Ted.com. Naturally a theory emerged that it was the Ted sponsors Johnny Walker and Pfizer Pharma that pulled the plug but that seems unlikely, especially for the whiskey brand however it’s unlikely we’ll ever know because the video is back online.
The War on Consciousness is such a great title, there’s so much truth, just in that title. Ultimately, it’s rather shameful for Ted, as the decision to remove Graham Hancock’s video was obviously related to money.
[box]If you’re thinking about trying ayahuasca yourself, here are some important things to consider when making this decision.[/box]
1. AYAHUASCA IS NOT FUN. It’s commonly and poignantly referred to as “The Purge”, which basically means that ayahuasca makes you puke and poop your brains out. It gets rid of EVERYTHING in there, and spares no shred of comfort in the process. I may have struggled with this part, but believe me — the purge eventually revealed itself in a very drawn out suffering. Whoever might approach this in a “recreational” fashion should definitely find new hobbies.
2. AYAHUASCA CAN BE SCARY. I had never tried a hallucinogenic before participating in ayahuasca cermonies, but from what I had heard from more experimental friends was that hallucinogenic drugs produce bright colors and fun visuals that make you giggle like a little kid. Ayahuasca is a much darker experience. Although it can produce bright colors and happy thoughts, it’s more likely to reveal darkness, as the point of the experience is to face your inner demons and to expel them. I heard some laughter in our hut, but I also heard a lot of suffering. It all proved to be productive suffering, but you have to prepare yourself for the possibility of feeling and seeings things that you’ve previously buried.
3. YOU ARE COMPLETELY ALONE IN THIS EXPERIENCE. You may seek comfort in those that surround you before the candle is blown out and the ceremony begins, but once you drink, you are on your own. You will find yourself in complete darkness, likely unable to make out the faces of those around you. Everyone will drift into their own world, and you will be in yours. Be prepared for this, and if you’re only doing it because your friends are doing it — then don’t.
4. YOU MAY NOT EXPERIENCE MUCH OF ANYTHING. People often enter ayayhuasca cermonies with grandiose ideas of epic hallucinations and spiritual awakenings. No matter how open you may feel, remember that Westerners are typically hard-wired to resist this type of physical and emotional vulnerability. It’s regularly effective for the indigenous people of Peru and Colombia, where the practice originated and where the ayahuasca vine can be found, because its ingrained in their culture. Your experience may be intense, or mild, or practically non-existent. But if your mind is open and you’re willing to try it more than once, you’ll likely get the desired effects eventually. Just don’t go into it with inflated expectations.
5. ONLY YOU CAN TELL IF THIS IS SOMETHING YOU WANT TO DO. My friend in no way swayed my decision to try ayahuasca. It was a confusing decision, made easier by the idea of someone joining me to the retreat, but we both went with different motivations and our personal experiences leading up to the decision and during the experience were entirely our own.
In overhearing some backpackers discuss the idea of trying ayahuasca, I’ve noticed some peer pressure involved. Ayahuasca is by no means recreational or as I said before — fun. And again, its not something you do “with” anyone else. So decide for yourself and yourself alone if this is something you want to try. If anyone else has a say in your decision, your stomach will be very, very angry with you.
6. RESEARCH YOUR SHAMAN. TRUST YOUR SHAMAN. The popularity of ayahuasca has had some seriously negative effects on the industry surrounding the sacred practice. Unfortunately, the surge in ayahuasca tourism has led to scores of fake shamans, just looking to make a buck. Do your research before you put your well-being in the hands of a shaman. They the show during the ayahuasca ceremony and when you’re allowing yourself to become vulnerable under the effects of ayahuasca, you absolutely must trust the person in control.
Do you research, talk to plenty of people, and seek the highest recommendations. A large portion of tourists in Iquitos are there to do ayahuasca and everyone is talking about it, so it isn’t difficult to find people who have already participated in ceremonies and seek their advice. Consider this experience similar to going into surgery. You wouldn’t trust just anyone with a scalpel and you should NOT trust just anyone to administer ayahuasca.
7. NOTHING IN THE WORLD TASTES WORSE THAN AYAHUASCA, EXCEPT AYAHUASCA COMING BACK UP. Sorry for the visual, but its important to understand that the taste of ayahuasca is truly indescribable. I read somewhere that it tastes like blended toad, and I don’t think I can come up with anything closer. Many people struggle to keep it down, and most people eventually, puke it back up. It’s bad — really, really bad. But if you can handle it, the taste does fade and in the wake of that struggle can come some really amazing results.
It might not sound like it with all this talk of blockage and purging and struggle, but I’m glad I tried ayahuasca. It’s a deeply personal experience and it’s different for everyone, but I was able to take away some valuable insight at the conclusion of my retreat. If you choose to try ayahuasca, I wish you all the best in your journey. If you choose to forgo the experience, I encourage you to eat as much spice and sweets and meat as your heart desires and enjoy the natural beauty of the Amazon region — a magical place that can be a cleansing and healing experience in and of itself.
Generate, provide and disseminate information and environmental studies for sustainable development of Wild Orchid Conservation Programs, with revenue generating business models, from sales of digital media, empowered by Social Activism.
Wild Orchid intends to become an organization in the Eco-Index® – which encourages information sharing and collaboration among conservationists working to conserve biodiversity and advance sustainable development in the Americas.
Resilient communities are capable of bouncing back from adverse situations. They can do this by actively influencing and preparing for economic, social and environmental change. When times are bad they can call upon the myriad of resources that make them a healthy community. A high level of social capital means that they have access to good information and communication networks in times of difficulty, and can call upon a wide range of resources.
Many of today’s illnesses are brought on by bad diet making the body’s immune system very vulnerable. One of our objectives in developing this resilient community is to stop people from getting sick in the first place, by growing and eating healthy Organic food. To that extent we have an expert designer and builder of Aquaponics Organic Food Growing System working with us on the property in Southern Brazil. The first step in our resilient community is having a surplus food supply.
Co-founder of the Wild Orchid Project owns a 10 acre organic farm in Aguas Mornas, Santa Catarina, Brazil from the highest point of land there is a clear view of Florianopolis and the Atlantic Ocean.
The main advantage of the private farm for collecting, propagating and growing orchid, is that we are not reliant on any other group for the success of the project. We currently have wild orchid. The second advantage to private land is that we can provide “Remote Wild Orchid Ownership” complete with web-cam, GPS co-ordinates to Google Earth and custom webpages to showcase the wild orchid for the proud owner/sponsor.
We hope to prove that a small property can sustain big ideas.
[box]Mathematistan by Martin Kuppe was introduced to me by Richard Green, I felt it was a perfect graphic to accompany this article, which I intend to be on-going, about Resilient Community Planning.[/box]
Richard Green
[quote]Here (below) is what Richard had to say about the artwork – Mathematistan by Martin Kuppe[/quote]
This detailed map of the landscape of mathematics was designed by Martin Kuppe as part of his recent YouTube video Mathematics: Measuring times laziness squared. As well as being humorous, the picture also illustrates the relationships between the major areas of mathematics, such as algebra, geometry, topology, and analysis. The picture is very detailed and is worth viewing at high resolution.
The video, which you can see athttp://goo.gl/3Rg8jd, is well worth twenty minutes of your time. It gives an overview of mathematics in a way that should be comprehensible to an intelligent general audience. The sense of humour in the videos reminded me of the writing of Douglas Adams. Something I found especially remarkable is that the video manages to explain the gist of what algebraic topology is in a few minutes, without getting technical. (Algebraic topology aims to understand topological structures by associating algebraic objects to them.)
The map contains various visual and verbal jokes about mathematics; some of these are explained in the video, but others are not. I liked the names of the plains: have a look for the Complex Plain, the Projective Plain and the xy-Plain. The buildings in Statistigrad look like normal distributions and histograms. The fields in the picture are actual fields, but this is a reference to the algebraic notion of a field, which roughly speaking is a structure in which one can do addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. (This is not directly related to the use of the term field in physics.)
As an algebraist, I particularly enjoyed the Califate of Al-Gebra, with the Al separated as if it were an Arabic article. This is appropriate because the English word algebra comes from the Arabic term al-jebr, meaning “reunion of broken parts”. In case you’re wondering, califate is an acceptable variant spelling of caliphate.
I was very surprised that Martin Kuppe/Zogg doesn’t have a much bigger following on social media, given the high quality of his output. You can follow him as ZoggFromBetelgeuse on YouTube, or as ZoggTheAlien on Twitter. One of his recent tweets contains links to various versions of Mathematistan, including this Eric Lefkofsky‘ picture.
First experimental house completed near Taos, New Mexico using empty steel beer and soft drink cans.
It’s about a year since I first heard the curious name: Earthship, and ever since I’ve continue to learn about, what is now known as Biotecture. Never was there a concept so mutually agreed upon to be a good idea, that as hard as anyone tried they couldn’t come up with reason to not like earthship construction methods. For sure someone could still build a complete hovel in mud, worse than a cave using this architecture and also there are systems in the structure that can be poorly installed and make problems, like a normal home, but the overall concept just makes so much sense that we absolutely must promote this new way of building human habitation.
It may sound funny to some, calling Earthships new because they’ve been around since the ’70’s but it’s really just been in the last decade that they’ve started to become mainstream, and recognized universally. There are earthships on every continent and all the major countries of the world but more importantly there are builders who have taken away the knowledge and gone on to build more, bigger and better projects, all of which helps to improve the techniques and increase the number of people telling other people about this great idea.
The early earthships were very surreal looking and many styles and types of material had to be tried and tested. The early adopters were very open minded, often artistic types who wanted to create a masterpiece, as a place to live. Birds of a feather (as they say) attracted more creative spirited people, who were willing to take a chance, work really (extra really) hard. On building structures that redefine environmentally friendly construction, as these houses are built of earth, in the earth.
[box]First experimental house completed new Taos, New Mexico using empty steel beer and soft drink cans the house was built using curved walls because they have more strength, resulting in pie-shaped interior rooms. There is a lawn care spot near the lawn on the roof below the overhang at the top of the structure. Re-cycled paper pulp is used to cover the the ceiling of the interior. Later homes were built without curved walls after the designer found the cans would support much more weight than they would have to bear. University tests later substantiated his finding.[/box]
I predict that a decade from now, biotecture will be more the norm than the exception. Okay, maybe two decades from now….
Do you ever browse the “About” page of a website, or read a company’s “Mission Statement”? I do, not all the time but when I find outstanding information, often I’ll follow the links to the source and take some time to learn about the authors. HigherPerspective.com is one such case, the information is so interesting and well presented that I was curious to learn who was behind the website. Higher Perspective use the Bi-line: Connect. Reveal. Transcend. As their slogan, in the header on their website, and in my opinion they deliver on the promise.
[quote]Most meaningful Mission Statement I have ever read.[/quote]
The most meaningful Mission Statement I have ever read for a website: http://higherperspective.com/our-mission includes a statement of purpose about getting a higher perspective on life and expand the global consciousness. Then is makes you think by suggesting that: Before leaving our page, we hope you learn at least 1 of these 10 things:
Of the 10 points, which I highly encourage you to read, here’s my favorite:
[box]2. You understand that the Federal Reserve, or international central banking more broadly, is the engine of our economic problems: Debt slavery is the totalitarian force that threatens all of humanity, not some temporary political puppet or some greedy Wall Street trader. When a small group of people have the ability to create wealth out of nothing and charge interest on it, they have the ability to enslave the planet to their ownership despite what type of government a country claims to have.[/box]
Design is in everything, anything can be designed. Life is by design, as well, you can design your own life. To live without design, should be a crime because all it takes is imagination to create a designer lifestyle. Just ask yourself if you’re happy, in all aspects of your life? If there’s some aspect that sucks then redesign it, or plan to eliminate it. Get a new game on, if the old one bores you and I don’t mean on TV.
My opinion is that television is the biggest waste of time that most people have in their lives, although movies and documentaries can be enriching, the majority of programmed television content makes you worse, not better. Self-improvement is a personal choice that can, and should be, designed into everyone’s lives. From babies to seniors, we can all make the world a better place by improving ourselves – just step away from that remote control.
Here’s my suggestion for redesigning your life and increase your happiness factor. It’s’ called “Radical Time Management”, also I recommend designing yourself an electronic journal using Evernote. In Evernote (or MS One Note) make 12 notebooks, one for each month, then each morning of your life you create a new note, in the appropriate notebook (i.e. July/ Tues July 8). During the day you’ll need to update the journal so you can detail how you spend your time. Then before you retire for the evening, sit down and give the day a good review, make some comments and give yourself a score between zero and one hundred. Now you have the tools for designing your life to increase the time spent, doing the things that make you the most happy.
Happy times, by design.
As for my designer lifestyle? [quote]I often wonder; am I happy because I tell myself I’m happy, or am I happy sincerely? The answer – it doesn’t matter why I’m happy, whether it’s perceived or real is not important. What matters; is that good things happen often, by design.[/quote]
I’m lucky to love website design, it presents a variety of concepts from style to function. Like learning how to blend eye-catching appeal with user friendliness. There’s allot of psychology involved in commercial graphic design. Assuming the topic content is popular and extensive enough, the web designers mission is be bring the subject and information to life on the web, in a coherent and stimulating way. Often-times the website project has design specifications (i.e. colors, logo and theme etc…), in which case the designer would look to enhance, improve or streamline the layout and/or user interface.
[box type=”info”]Sometimes the logo needs an overhaul, or maybe the website header could be improved? Design never ends.[/box]
[box type=”note” style=”rounded”]Silicon Palms is about 16 years old and the site has been re-designed about a dozen times. Even the logo has never stopped changing. Although in it’s most recent design we discovered a Google font called “Pacifico” to be what we had always wanted, since it has the “retro” flair like a Palms Springs Hotel from the 20’s, just needed a bevel and emboss. Next we added a color theme from the Adobe Khuler called “beach on sunset”, then 2 palm tree icons over a transparent background and voila the new logo was born. Simple, elegant and functional.[/box]
I didn’t invent that slogan but I think that Ben Franklin would agree. Brazil is perfection, in it’s natural state. Comparing to Canada the distances are as vast but due to the climate and geography, much of the countryside is lush and verdant green.
Tijuca National Park, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Brazil is the last greatest country left on earth (in my opinion). Canada once held this distinction but the problems of the neighbor country, infected the corporate and political culture, although it’s possible that the genetic flaws of the parent (Great Britain) left her susceptible to problems. None-the-less; Government grew out of control, until the free-spirit of the people was throttled by over-regulation. Now you need to buy a permit, to get a license, to negotiate for an approval. However, rules and regulations are the way of the world, it’s happening here in Brazil too. So, I’m curious to watch and learn how Brazil manages 200 million people, since the potential is boundless.
[box type=”note”]The massive South American country is oozing with natural resources, this is the land of milk and honey. In the major cities of Brazil, of which there are 13, prosperity is evident everywhere.[/box]
Brazil 13 cities with more than 1 million people (2007 Statistics):
Sao Paulo (10,9 million)
Rio de Janeiro (6,1 million)
Salvador (2,9 million)
Distrito Federal (2,5 million)
Fortaleza (2,43 million)
Belo Horizonte (2,41 million)
Curitiba (1,8 million)
Recife (1,5 million)
Porto Alegre (1,42 million)
Belem (1,41 million)
Goiania (1,244 million)
Guarulhos (1,236 million)
Campinas (1,03 million)
It’ not uncommon to see plates of fresh food abandon on the street, since the bar and restaurant owners (and others) feed the poor from take-away containers of rice, beans, produce, meat and bread. Produce grows so well in the fertile land and is so plentiful that no-one starves unless they choose.
Yes, there are allot of poor people. Brazil has one of the worst ratios for distribution of wealth, and the mega-rich gap is growing wider. However, the middle class is expanding, one of the last places left on earth where the common man can rise up to become a prominent community leader. It is revered in Brazilian culture, to become a celebrity that once-upon-a-time lived in a favela.
Everyday more people (per capita) become millionaires in Brazil, than any other country in the world. Now that’s a nice cup to hoist but better would be the education. If there’s one thing that it’s sadly lacking in Brazil, it’s that too many kids are raised without a good education. In a country that dominates in exports of so many commodities, for there to be one child left on the street is a mistake.
Violent crime and gang corruption is the biggest negative you hear about living in Brazil, this is an issue for sure. There are some problems related to gun violence, in areas where the U.S. introduced their war on drugs, which has done zero to reduce the drug trade but certainly raised the stakes for corruption and gang operations. Therefore, the statistics are skewed to make things look much worse than they actually are. However, it’s a notoriously bad country, to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
My sincere hope is that the greatest future lays ahead because the people are demanding that Government spending on education be increased. Hence, we go back to talking about Government, where we started, and where Brasileiro’s always retreat to when the topic of the poor arises – oh it’s the Governo etc… everyone has been indoctrinated to expect the Government to be corrupt, another global condition. Meanwhile the power elite and old-guard establishment, which now includes the influence of innumerable multi-national conglomerates, that have leveraged their way into the gravy train, to supply the greatest culture driven, brand frenzy, credit laden, consumer product consumption orgy in history. The Romans pale in comparison, even America wasn’t completely plugged-in to stuff like these folks, this is shopoholic-central.
The bottom line is that Brazil rocks! For allot of valid reasons, not least of which is the fun-loving people, living on thousands of miles of tropical beaches. Having said that; my number one reason for loving living here, is that aside from providing civil authority by military force in Haiti (with UN edict), we do not export our democracy with the barrel of a gun.
Brazil has enough problems at home, and now we can all see that every country has it’s own problems at home, to preferably contend with. Therefore, since Brazil has no blood on it’s hands, I’m very willing and happy to contribute towards making it a better place for everyone. I’m glad to be a Brazilian citizen and love living here.
Inspire and motivate self-improvement and harm-reduction. The siliconpalms vlog is a positive attitude outlet, with the objective to create a good vibe every day and to provide value to anyone who watches and listens to the meaningful message.
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