New Name?! - Who Dis?

The cup of tea.  An unassuming choice it may seem, but the culture it engenders by its very nature creates a fascinating social vehicle.
What some may decry as a stuffy or rigid exercise, actually can provide an insight into a community seldom found elsewhere.

In this episode we will delve into the unique ways the English teatime can be used to create a very real social network, built upon actual experience and personal connection.  Perhaps in looking at earlier methods of networking, we can choose to adopt similar practices ourselves.  Doing so not only for the connectivity, but also for the simple pleasure of a warm cup.
Enjoy!

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Not all damage can be seen.  Not all struggles happen in public view.  When we hide our true pain from others, not only do we rob them of the ability to sympathize, but we turn away help we do not recognize from areas we do not expect it.

In this episode I tackle a topic I have been putting off for over a year now.  Mostly this was because of my desire to maintain a positive attitude with others.  Lately however, my symptoms have driven me to candor with more and more people.  In that spirit of speaking my own story, I offer this podcast.

It is not a request, a ploy, or a play for sympathy.  If all goes well, it shouldn’t come up at all.
Thank you for listening!

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We beg for it, we plead for it, offer deals, and go to great lengths to achieve it, but the moments of inspiration fall sparingly upon those who hunger most for them.  

Throughout history the pursuit of inspiration has been a mystery for all who have had the experience.  The agreed upon position seems to point mostly toward the impression that the phenomenon is a capricious and easily offended one that exists beyond our control.

In this episode I delve into the idea of inspiration as an external force.  For those of us who depend upon it, life can be stressful and difficult, even when busy on a current project.  Yet, there are concepts developed by career creators that can help to change that dynamic.

If we are bold enough to take the power back… dare we risk the chance?

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Choosing gifts is possibly one of the most stressful parts of participation, when it comes to the holidays.  The desire to conjure an idea both uniquely appropriate, and unexpectedly welcome sets a very high bar not only for one person, but for possibly dozens at a time.

This imperative often is broken down into a monetary metric.  Gifts are ruled equivalent if their particular value is synonymous with another.  And yet, the emotional impact of different gifts falls by the wayside.  In this calculation of equivalency, the memory of past successes is often forgotten.

In this episode, I delve into the unique art of finding the perfect gift.  From discerning your audience, to determining a gift’s importance, to my own general guidelines when facing the unknown recipient, I seek to explore the topic to the fullest.

Unlike my episode from last year “Fixing Santa”, this episode actually manages to be posted reasonably well before the day itself.  I can only hope it proves inspirational and helpful when facing your own challenges for the year to come.

But, to find out, you have to open that box and look inside!

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‘It’s the season, to bundle up!  Not only ourselves, but our homes and buildings as well!  As we transition from days spent running from the heat and humidity into days spent equally chasing them down, there are some useful techniques to keep in mind as we do.

Maintaining a livable environment is not only a priority for comfort and efficiency, but has been proven to be a major part of public health.  With each of us looking again at the forms our own areas use to ensure this, it seemed a good time to explore the topic in a greater depth.

This episode was recorded in memory of my father, who was a staunch advocate for the proper use of these techniques.  I can even now hear him preaching about windows and doors left open, for better or worse, and I sincerely hope he is in a well ventilated space today, for everyone’s peace and comfort.  After all, sometimes another person really does know best!

So can you crack a dang window?  This could take a minute…

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What do you get the man who has everything?  Why, everything, of course!

Throughout history, attempts have been made to conquer vast swathes of the globe beneath a single banner and ruler.  Some notable examples could even have been said to have effectively achieved a mythical domination.  But, what does it actually take to win the biggest prize of all?  What can be gleaned from the successes and failures of those who came before?

In this episode, I delve into a series of instances over time in an effort to uncover the unique skills each brought to the task in turn.  From the ancient world to our modern century, I find that the goal remains fundamentally unchanged, while simultaneously evolving with each passing day.

For those who would seek to achieve their own global dominance, this episode may prove helpful.  For the rest of us, it may prove a handy way to prepare ourselves to welcome our next set of overlords.

Besides, what else were you going to do tonight - but  try and take over the world!

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How do you change the makeup of a whole community?  Where do you begin if you have an idea for a whole new way to live?  Who gets to decide how we structure our lives and relationships in an ever evolving society?

We live at a time when our ability to get into contact with each other has never been easier, and yet we live lives more isolated from actual human interaction than ever.  In an attempt to achieve some semblance of connection, we cling ever tighter to our devices, forever refreshing pages in the hopes we can be up to date.  But, it is the simple companionships that prove most elusive.  The basic acquaintances taken for granted by our forebears leave cold voids in their absence today.

In this episode, I attempt to put forward an idea I developed a few years ago as a possible alternative to our unfulfilling social norms.  Somewhat difficult to encapsulate succinctly, I hope the gist is nevertheless understood.  A peculiar hybrid of a series of prior systems - from hippy communes, to mill towns, to artist communities, to corporations - it strives to glean the best of all while maintaining a necessary adaptability for each unique circumstance.

Having nowhere else to put such a thought, I opted to present it for your consideration this week.  Just to lay the foundations, so to speak…

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Halloween!  The most contested, controversial, and confusing holiday on the western calendar.  Half beloved, half derided, it seems to either engender disgust, or adoration.  Its celebration alone can be seen as grounds for religious condemnation among certain sects, even as history itself tells a different tale.

In this episode, we discover not only the fascinating past of the ever evolving Halloween traditions, but also the timeless ancient and astronomical underpinnings of this holiday and many others.  We will discuss how the church itself created and championed many of the traditions we now practice every year, and of how much of the negative behaviors sited against the holiday were also created.

At a time of year that is by far my personal favorite, I hope to share more of the fascinating depth behind an ancient observance.  With a more thoroughly grounded understanding, you may just find your own opinions of the holiday change.  You may even discover new traditions to integrate into your own holidays, if you dare to listen!

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What is in a name?  We are told that a rose smells the same no matter its title, yet we pin a great deal of our perceptions upon the smallest of things.  Would there be an actual shift in our collective perception if the touchstones of our lives were suddenly given drastically different titles?

What is the true significance of the few words we choose to place upon ourselves as we move through life?  How does the experience of our world adapt or even grow smaller as a consequence of those decisions?

In this episode I explore the curious ways each variation of title we are given adds color to an experience.  In subtle ways, each name we choose to answer to connects different emotional pathways to our deepest perceptions of ourselves.  By seeing these links, we are given the opportunities to define ourselves in remarkably new ways, should we choose to take the leap.

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The idea of the mechanical beings we create inevitably dominating our species is a trope that goes back to before robotics were even possible.  Even today, we seem to instinctively view any advancement in the development of Artificial Intelligence with a skeptical, paranoid, and even hostile perspective.  But could our fears be the very thing that makes such eventualities likely?

In this episode I put forward a new perspective on ways we may approach our next creations and avoid such a fate.  In particular, I outline a simple framework by which the nature of the interactions between humanity and its objects might take on a different set of overtones.  By reassessing the emotional cues and feedback that define our interpretation of behavior, I seek to engender a more familiar and affectionate foundation between ourselves and the things we may soon find are possible.
For your consideration…

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