By Adeola Aderounmu.

If you have to choose between having good health and political power, what would be your decision? Think about it this way, health as they say is wealth. And when you are healthy, you are also happy and you are at peace with yourself and with others.

Having a power of any sort does not give peace of mind the same way as good health does. And when you have been in a position that allows you to accumulate wealth either fairly or through stealing, the normal thing to do is to ease yourself and pay attention to your health.

In Nigeria the man who stole the people’s mandate in 2007, in my opinion, must have surrounded himself with bad advisers. On his own, he seems to lack the common sense that dictates that health is wealth.

A normal and healthy person will suffer in health as a leader of a group or organisation. It is part of the sacrifice to be paid. How then can we qualify or quantify a very sick man who thought he could lead a nation of over 150m people? In this singular reasoning I doubt if Yar Adua is a normal human being. If we have good documentation of people’s behaviour, health and attitude as they do in the advanced countries it would be nice to study the history of the man Umaru Yar Adua.

I mean even ordinary jobs take their tolls on us. Teachers, accountants, programmers and other jobs take their effects on our health and see how we long for breaks and holidays. How can a sick man take up the job of being a “president”, especially an illegal one haunted by his own conscience, the various oppositions and the hammer of the judiciary? Depending on how this ends, the roles of his family should be taken into account.

Does he not have a wife that care or children that love him? Does he not have people around him who would rather see him alive and managing his health than dying in a position that is “too transient”. Between power and his presence, what did they choose?

Power is transient and is independent of health. It will be gone too soon and the one who is in power today will be ordinary or gone tomorrow. I’ve read that absolute power corrupt. It is a sad excuse to acting in a mad way. Power should not be like that. But unfortunately it is…

Imagine the sanity that will be in Nigeria’s seat of presidency if every bad leader disappears mysteriously. Abacha comes to mind and now Yar Adua. Unfortunately again people do not easily learn from history or philosophy. Power is transient, why not try to acquire it legally and do the right thing?

By death or other means people who are in power or position today will not be there tomorrow. None of us will leave this planet alive. Integrity and legacies are the things that last longer than positions. What legacies have been left behind by the stupid and looting Nigerian politicians since independence in 1960? They have destroyed the country and they have stolen money for themselves and their families, even those unborn.

Power is transient and I cannot wish well those who stole my future. I do not have good wishes for those who are destroying today the future that belongs to the children. Power is transient and I cannot wish well anyone who have taken 1 naira from the treasury. I definitely do now wish well for those who stole billions of dollars through contracts and direct looting. May judgements come upon them. Power is transient!

Nigeria will rise again. I believe.

Continuing the insomniac nature of recent posts, the past 48 hours have seen me achieve a grand total of 90 minutes (approx.) sleep.

This really isn’t on.

As far as side effects go I’m not feeling especially unwell, or weakened at all; rather I find that The Nothing is taking an increasing hold. Constant weariness makes it alarmingly easy to slip into stagnance, and before you know it you’ve spent three hours collapsed in an armchair watching repeats on Dave. Alarming stuff.

To drive the point home I just spent the last hour writing, deleting, re-writing, deleting and repeating paragraph after paragraph before settling on this one. And it’s hardly golden.

To be honest, part of the difficulty I’m having with sleep at the moment is The Thinking. There are certain aspects of my life which I can’t discuss here as of yet, and which demand not only a lot of attention, but also a lot of stoicism and strength; there’s no room for doubt, weakness or vulnerability. Now, I’m not whining. This isn’t a problem, and I’m not moaning about the situation. When I’m awake and pottering about and busying myself with things I’m absolutely fine. In the day I’m absolutely fine.

It’s the nights.

At night there isn’t anything left to occupy my mind; I’m at the whim of my thoughts, and they really do run wild.

Keeping words unsaid and thoughts unthought is fine in the short term, and often necessary, but eventually you need an outlet. It’s why the blogs are trickier at the moment. There are gallons of unmused musings and unwritten writings champing at the bit and straining to run from my fingers onto the screen… but they can’t. Until further notice they have to stay solidly put.

Of course the tricky part right now is not so much keeping hold of those thoughts (a touch of insomnia’s a small price to pay), but rather ushering others around them; getting new ideas and contemplations round the elephant in the brain and onto the page. It’s not easy.
Still, this flow disruption is only temporary, and the water does get through eventually. It takes longer, sure, but it gets through.

The capacity we have for adaptation never fails to amaze me; humans are survivors. We adapt to new circumstance and new necessity, and most of the time we just get on with it. It’s only afterwards we look back and recognize the achievement, only when we’re out of danger can we allow ourselves to break down and cry.

This is what I find frustrating about The Inflexible. We are designed to accommodate change, to move on and to grow and evolve. To stubbornly stick to your own ways in the face of all logic and necessity, to scorn anything new or unrecognizable, to withdraw into your niche with never an attempt to explore or discover; you might as well slit your wrists. We’re defined by change – life IS change; growth, birth, death, flux, transience… folding your arms and refusing to budge for the world’s rotation or the turn of the clock is metaphysical suicide. It’s not cherishing culture, or maintaining tradition, or loving history; it’s cowardice – it’s fear of the new, which ultimately is fear of change, which ultimately is fear of life. Of living.

Fear of living. Suddenly it doesn’t seem so noble. The line between a grumpy, pedantic curmudgeon and an existential shut-in too scared of life to live is a fine one, and any who walk along it too far are bound to cross. Cynicism and sneers can only take you so far.

I suppose that’s what concerns me about The Nothing. The fear that an hour stagnant becomes a day, a day becomes a week, a month a year, a year a life. Too soon I could look up from repeats on Dave to find a world that’s spun beyond me, the last ride gone from the station.

There. As I write this it’s a quarter to two in the morning. Where’d the time go?

Where indeed.

To fight, fly or acquiesce? I can’t see that fleeing would do much good, and I’m damned if I’ll give in. To fight it is. I will bash out the blogs, force out the thoughts, take up the opportunities and achieve what there is to be achieved.

Inactivity be damn’d; growth, adaptation, change and flux… The Nothing shall not have me.

-Brice out.

I was telling my sister recently to just keep going.  She was sharing with me how she’s having a hard time landing a job and was ready to quit.

I had my share of those moments when things seem to not favors me no matter how hard I try.  Many times I kind of given up too.  Other times,  I just had kept on.. something  made me go on and I did.  And looking back, those were the times when I kept going that I was able to reap rewards.

I started reading Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich free ebook and I got pass the Three Feet From Gold story that reminded me of an experience about a wild trip to Baguio.

It was  ”…three feet from where the Darbys had stopped drilling that the gold is found.” by the ‘Junk’ man to whom Mr. Darby sold his machinery for mining ore for a few hundred dollars .

Indeed, one of life’s ironies is just when we feel so defeated and about to give up on something that the answer shows up all of a sudden.  And we later realize the lesson.

The Baguio Wild Trip

It was a chapter in my life when I decided to start over.  I talked my  friend Leo into accompanying me and since he’s never been to Baguio he was delighted. Not to mention that it’ll be an all-expense paid  for him which I shouldered. He was kind of broke at that time.  I didn’t have much either.  But it was the way to go for me.

Another buddy named Joey went along.  So it was three of us.  I told them my plan which is to look for a job and stay for good.  I kind of gave myself a one-week target to get settled.  It was a do-or-die situation.

We got very limited money and no definite place to go in an unfamiliar place. It was crazy.. and perfect.  Amidst the uncertainty is the incomparable freedom of a dare-devil adventure.

We got there late in the afternoon and set out to our first task of finding a place to stay for the night.  The boarding house hunting started the next day.

Our first stop at Joey’s church friend in Crystal Cave did not go well.  I remember how some of the house structures there with base posts on slopes kind of given me a scare and wonderment at the same time.  I was used to seeing and inhabiting level ground houses.

Come dark we were exhausted and so beat, we settled with the second immediate option we got.  They slept over at one of the church centers, I in one of the several market stalls owned by another of Joey’s church friends, walking distance from them, which I remember to be nearby the airport.

It was frightening for me to be separated from them on that first night in a cold place and to be sleeping at someone’s stall that has wood strips for a door.  I scolded them in the morning for making me sleep there alone.

We grab some quick food along the way as we search for a boarding house.  It started out exciting as we explore the roads and sites of Baguio until after several failed inquiries for a prospect pad.  The thought of sleeping again in that stall made me cringe, we have to find a house to crash in tonight, I told myself.

So, after several more road blocks covered and seen houses, still no success. It’s either beyond our budget, not so cool for our tastes (but we’re not that choosy alright.. ), no vacancy, or the owner or landlord simply doesn’t want to take us in.. maybe for some ethical reasons.

Imagine a girl with two bisexual-looking guys with baggages and a sleeping bag, that looks like stowaways without much, looking for a place to stay.  Hmmp.. maybe I would think twice too if I were in their shoes.

By late afternoon we were tired and desperate.  The guys were deciding to call it a day.  I feel them but wasn’t gonna give up yet and so beg for one more house.

We trudged wearily up the hill as the sun was setting down and knocked on one more door.  Finally, a sense of hope.. the owners seemed accommodating and empathic of our situation.  We know we’re not that appealing group of boarders.. we told them our story, of me staying for good…  They probably took pity and admitted us that night.  What a relief. Whew!

And thank goodness we decided to check one more house.

The days that followed were mixed feelings of ecstasy being in ‘paradise’ and the stress of job-hunt and getting by each day with mainly instant noodles or canned sardines, rice and bread.  It was a humbling and empowering experience all at the same time.  We had to call long-distance for some money support from close sources to survive that week. We weren’t let down.

Before the week ended, I scored a job as a graphic designer for a mall with a very minimal pay compared to my last in Manila.  I was culture-shocked.  Anyway, that will do for now I thought.  One day at a time.

On the seventh day, I move in to a new room-for-rent just a stone’s throw away from work.  We were evicted from the first boarding house by this time.

It was the last day of our adventure together, as planned.  So that same day Leo and Joey bid me goodbye and good luck as I escorted them to the bus terminal.

I welcomed my new life in ‘paradise’ and the new work the next day with a smile.  The end.

There are a lot of great neighborhoods in the District, but one of my favorites is in the Capitol Hill area. You probably know that the National Mall extends west off of the Capitol. But the east side is mostly residential – brick sidewalks, kitschy row houses contribute to a quaint feel. I found myself hanging out there last Friday night.

via Flickr/ohad

An employee from NPR invited several the interns to his row house in the Capitol Hill neighborhood for some homemade Thai food (I’m talking home-cooked chicken pate, peanut sauce and tofu)!

Later in the evening, about 15 of us stayed so our host could record our conversations about jazz music to get a “young person’s” perspective. It was a focus group of sorts – probably because he writes for “A Blog Supreme” which covers jazz music at NPR. Really, though, I just enjoyed listening to everyone discuss different jazz pieces; I can’t call my self an expert by any means.

This was not my first time hanging out in D.C. neighborhood – and surprisingly, most people I’ve met at parties are not interns (though they may have recently been). Over the semester, I’ve met folks at with the United Nations, GreenWire, the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, the Discovery Channel, and plenty of young NPR temps. The city – if I haven’t said it before – is a unique mix of governmental workers and non-profit employees.

The house was row-style, high ceilings and wood floors – a great place to host forty people, surprisingly enough. And it was nice to be in someone’s home. It allowed me to step out of my transient state (I’m so over the intern housing).

At the end of the night, I found myself walking to the metro with a few friends. I paused for a moment while crossing the street. The neighborhood was almost peaceful. As I gazed down the street, I could see the Capitol brightly lit against the black sky. It was practically at arms length.

I took it in, wanting that moment to last forever.

So we made it all the way down from Asheville, got stuck for a bit in Spartanburg, then got picked up by my loves Mother and taken to stay in a nice ass Embassy Suit Hotel overlooking Atlanta, Georgia. That was a blessing. Free happy hour and pool and hot tub and all sorts of luxuries a modern day hobo is not likely to receive. After 2 nights there, his mother drove us about an hour south of Atlanta and dropped us off at a gas station near the highway. right where we needed to be.  we trudged on up to the highway and we didnt have to walk 5 mins before a lady picked us up.

Now i cant remember if ive already wrote about this adventure in a previous entry or not. oh well, continue on soldier.

we ran into some bad luck and stumbled upon some good luck to make a long story short, stayed a night at waffle house, and finally arrived in the good old Sunshine State of Florida. Except it turns out this place is not what Joshua remembered it to be. He recalled it being infested with hippies and cool people and anarchists. Well….. Gainsville is full of crazies and commercial punk kids and trendy college students who get mad at their daddies for not buying them new bikes every time a homeless person steals theirs. The weather here is awful nice though, i’ll give it that. We sweat our ass’s off all day and fish with our fishing stick and cup for change from the rich college zombies. what a life. but this place has run its toll on us.

the portable gas chambers we see everywhere and shitty food is enough to scare any transient into action.

It has been amazing though to see how mindless people have become. It’s been a long time since ive been surrounded by so many rich sorority members, and i’ll be damned if it doesnt scare the shit out of me. These people can’t fucking think for themselves, they let the tv and ipod do it for them. plastic zombies corporate made. When shit hits the fan and FEMA starts really getting to business these fuckers aren’t going to know what hit em.

I wish a Zombie apocolypse would happen so we could get all the dumb lazy people wiped out. being in a college town makes me just want to start burning shit.

But all I can really do at the moment is keep myself connected and use this experience as a reminder of what my life COULD be like and to be so damn thankful it’s not. I look around me everyday, swing my pack onto my back, breathe in the polluted air…. take a nice big swig of water and smoke my morning cigarette. And just look at this earth. And stay connected to it and the Universe. It’s the best thing i can do for myself.

But i’ll be damned if i pass up a free can of gasoline and matches.

Some folks are asking me from time to time if and when the NastyXTC thingy will ever see the public light. Atm, the short answer still is: I really dunno.
While the original NastyXTC design was mainly a transient EQ sort of thing, I extended it concept wise to become a rather complete “transient workbench” solution in a small but flexible modular effects system. Despite of the amount of work necessary to accomplish this, there are still some essential and fundamental technical concepts not yet really explored by me.
On the other way around, the actual existing design and implementation of NastyXTC was already the blueprint for some other plug-in parts and therefore I rather see it as an unfinished “technology study” (for the moment) but you could spell it “vaporware” as well of course.
However, if this will someday actually show up in a dedicated plug-in release or not remains unclear for still a while.

    Transient – The Tommy Bookmark Story by Milton J Southerland is a story set in the early 1900’s.  The town and county is a shadow of the area I now live in.  Tommy Bookmark came to town to visit, a transient if you will, to study the culture as research for a book he was doing on the people from both sides of the Civil War.   The old hotel in town is a central meeting place for citizens and guest alike.  Here news and gossip are passed around. 

During one meal, Tommy rescues a young waitress (who is also a farm girl) from a stranger with wondering hands.  Later, she teaches him how to pick cotton.  Love was in the air.  Tommy settled in the little town and from there his story of duty and heroism blossom.  

Transient is available on Lulu.com and Amazon as well as other places on the web.  A softcover may be ordered or a digital version downloaded. 

The man from the car spoke first. “This fat hillbilly let his horse kick my car and I want satisfaction.”

Not knowing what else to do, he sat under the shade and let his eyelids get heavy. He did not sleep but he just as well have, for he drifted in a land between sleep and consciousness. He saw Marsha help with clearing the table. Then, she was at the well drawing water into several large tubs. The other pickers were stirring, so he got to his feet and waited. One hour to the second they loaded up for the ride back to the field. Marsha cheerfully jumped into her place.

“Don’t you ever rest?” He asked.

“Sure. Mama does not have any help at the house though, so I help her all I can.” Marsha said.

“You are amazing.” Tommy said.

“No. Mister Bookmark. I am just a farm girl.” She said.

GeorgeBush1, originally uploaded by sizzled.

homeless distant relative of george w bush?
all matthew because i know he actually reads it

Why do you let society drag you so far away from your true nature? All your little doo-dads and ipods and tv’s are only slowly prying you out of mother natures grip. You are becoming disconnected with the Earth and all the Universe has to offer our brilliant souls. Cut loose. Who needs all those posessions? All those expensive items that you can’t use without a wall plug to charge it up? Wake up, my zombie masses. See what you have to gain in a random conversation with a stranger. I got criticized a lot when I skipped out of Asheville. For what? For listening to the call of the Universe and dropping my things and taking only what I could carry on my back. For wanting to see what was on the other side of this landmass, and everything in between. For balancing out my soul and experiencing love-filled energy flowing into and through me by simple interaction with aware strangers and comunicating with Gia and the elements of this world. You can be angry with me all you wish, but it just shows off your own ignorance and anxiety. You mean I may not be able to contact anyone for months? oh no! you mean I wont be able to pop a CD into my stereo so I can listen to someone else’s over sold music in order to calm down my anxiety instead of meditating on it and balancing out naturally? Dear goodness! that’s completely unacceptable! Just let go. Please. See what this world throws at you.

My life isnt so hard now, like some of you assume. Hell, I ate 3 full healthy meals yesterday free: Breakfast- Eggs, bacon, toast and orange juice (i cooked it myself) Lunch- homegrown/homemade vegetable soup, bread, and oranges. Dinner- Deep fried turkey, greens, potatoe soup, sweet potato pie, bread. This is aside from the 5 slices of pizza Leonardos gave us after dark and the random snack food we munched on all day. See, I’m far from starving. Im living a life of luxury in my eyes. Not to mention, the weather here in Florida is mid 80’s during the day and 60’s at night. And rain? What rain. Ha, even if it DID rain, we sleep on this sidewalk with a roof over it, so we’re all set. I just got doen drinking coffee and watching the news and eating dounut holes. And now im checking my mail on a laptop. See, you don’t need money and cool stuff to live comfortably. Step out of that mindset. Set yourself FREEEEEEEEEEEEEE Please? at least think about it. And stop criticizing me for my lifestyle, when you know nothing about it. I have reconnected myself with nature and my universe, and if that scares you, then all hope is lost for you.

Should I even start discussing all the secret messed up things going on in FEMA right now? Hm, no I think that might be to much at this time =) haha. I love you all.

It’s amazing the thoughts that may sporadically spring into the front of your mind at the most uncalled for times. Let’s reflect on that for a moment……. Okay. Enough said on that subject. As i sit here in a haze, i reflect on all that I have put myself through in the past few years. And I see how far I’ve come. I have grown so much so quickly, and shoved myself far up the rungs of life’s ladder. Babylon is only a distant city to me now, I have ejected myself out of its smog. I feel as if I can see right through people; most people. And I can see them bullshitting me, catch them in the act red handed, but not red-faced for, alas, they care not how many lies are spoken through their tainted lips. I have grabbed life by the horns and pulled so hard I ripped em clean the fuck off. now im walking this earth as a wanderer; with a bloody horn in each fist, gripping them tightly and shaking the blood and skin particals at every laughing face i come across.

Wow. I think i’m a bit demented this morning, so I’ll excuse myself from the computer and venture forth into this beautiful day.

Love to all =)

In this type of analysis, we are interested in knowing the thermal status of the model at different instances of time. A thermos designer, for example, knows that the temperature of the fluid inside will eventually be equal to the room temperature (steady state), but he or she is interested in finding out the temperature of the fluid as a function of time. In addition to the thermal conductivity (only material property needed for steady-state thermal analysis), we also need to specify density, specific heat, initial temperature profile, and the period of time for which solutions are desired.

"TARANGINI" - THE WAVE THEORY OF IMMORTALITY IS MY PERSONAL TRIBUTE TO MY FATHER, SHRI.REBBAPRAGADA.SURYANARAYANA MURTHY.

Ripples are undulating movements on the surface of water.

HOW CAN A MAN SURVIVE AFTER HIS DEATH  ?

This is not a discussion about “Afterlife” or “Hereafter”. This is not a discussion about death, resurrection and “Everlasting Life”. This is not a discussion about man’s historical legacy, his enduring fame after death, or about his perpetual existence in a Heavenly Mansion after his physical death. This is also not a discussion about transmigration or reincarnation of the human soul. The concept of immortality describes deathlessness or the idea of “Lasting forever”. In the material realm, everything that is born must die. The fleeting experience of human existence is often compared to the existence of an air bubble on the surface of a Lotus leaf. The material body cannot enter the immaterial realm. Only a “TARANG” or a Wave that is not attached to any physical or material entity, a Wave that is set free and remains in motion, could make the transition and journey into the immortal realm.

‘TARANG’ – ABOUT RIPPLES, WAVES, AND WAVE MOTION  :

Ripples are little waves or undulating movements on the surface of water when the surface is stirred or ruffled by a breeze. We can also cause ripples by dropping a pebble into standing or still waters. Ripple suggests movement and is the result of a disturbance in the prevailing calm. The word ‘wave’ also describes a ridge or swell moving along the surface of a lquid or body of water as a result of disturbance, as by wind. In Physics, a wave is defined as a periodic motion or disturbance consisting of a series of many oscillations that propagate through a medium or space, as in the propagation of sound or light. Hence waves should be understood not only as the result of a disturbance such as the motion of an object, but also as a change in an electrical current, or an alteration of an electromagnetic field. The disturbance is transported from one point to another by a wave, but the medium through which it travels does not undergo a net displacement. Wave Mechanics is the branch of Physics that describes the motion of particles, as atoms, and elementary or fundamental particles, by wave motion. In Physics, waves are typically described in terms of their frequency or wave length; the distance measured in the direction of progression of a wave, from any given point to the next point characterized by the same phase. In colloquial usage, the term wave length is used to describe a way of thinking, understanding etc., The commonly used phrase of being ‘on the same wave length’ describes a state of mutual understanding or accord.

WHAT ARE ‘THOUGHT WAVES’  OR  ’MENTAL WAVES’  ?

THE GENERATION OF THOUGHTS AND THE PROPAGATION OF THOUGHT

BRAIN AREAS - GENERATION OF THOUGHT - VOCALIZATION OF THOUGHT.

The word ‘idea’ describes something a person thinks, a thought, a mental conception or image. The word ‘concept’ refers to something conceived in the mind. But, ideas and concepts must be vocalized by the brain and otherwise, their existence would remain unknown. Brain has to generate thoughts and also express them or communicate them in a manner that permits others to understand the contents of those thoughts. A brain at rest, calm or tranquil could be visualized like a pond of water which is still with no ripples and waves  seen. ‘Thought’ arrives like a disturbance and stirs up the resting brain. Thoughts arrive in waves and each represents movement of negatively charged ions or electrical activity and movement of electrical signals or nerve impulses between different areas of the brain. Just like in Wave Mechanics described in Physics, ‘thought waves’ have to move by wave motion, a series of electrical discharges before they find their physical expression.

THOUGHT IS A BRAIN’S CHILD  :

A thought that is conceived in the brain of a thinker could have an existence of its own. The thinker has to sever the connection between himself and his thought. A child is born, is set free to lead an independent and free existence when the cord that connects the mother and the child is severed. A ‘thought wave’ which is no longer attached to the thinker exists with an identity of its own.

“TARANGINI” – THE WAVE THEORY OF IMMORTALITY  :

I would like to draw an analogy between the Fluidity that manifests as a Flowing Stream and the Fluidity of a Mind that lets a 'thought wave' to propagate.

SHANKARA - IS HE DEAD OR ALIVE ? "ManO Buddhyahamkaara,Chittaani Na aHam;Na Karnam, Na Jihvaa, Na cha Ghraana, Neytrey;Na cha Vyoma, Bhumir, Na TejO, Na VaayuH;Chidaananda RuupaH; ShivO aHam, ShivO aHam."

SHANKARA  -  IS HE DEAD OR ALIVE  ?

Adi Shankaracharya has expressed his identity as that of SHIVA and that of SHIVA alone. He had excluded mind, intellect, ego, and conscience from his identity. His identity is not related to human knowledge, and the human brain that exists in this physical universe. He had excluded the sensory organs of hearing, taste, smell, and vision from his identity.His identity is not related to the human knowledge that is derived from sensory organs, or sense perceptions. He had excluded Sky( Ether ), Earth, Fire, and Air from his identity. His identity goes beyond the limits of the physical universe and his identity transcends the ‘Immanent’ Realm. However, he has not excluded his ‘thought wave’ from the description of his identity. His ‘thought wave’ is the bearer of his identity. His thought, the mental wave or ‘TARANG’ identifies itself as a State of True Knowledge of Bliss which is personified and identifed as ’SHIVA’. This ‘thought wave’ that is set into motion is still flowing and this “TARANGINI” is still alive and it describes the quality of Immortality. Shankara is alive as long as the mental concept of “SHIVO AHAM” continues to create mental vibrations and causes electrical discharges in the nerve cells of human brains and these invisible oscillations gain physical expression and is vocalized as the thought to describe the identity of the individual as “I AM SHIVA”, and “I AM SHIVA” and this alone is my ‘TRUE IDENTITY’. Next time, when you look at a Running or Flowing Stream or River, let that ‘TARANGINI’ connect you ‘The Wave Theory of Immortality’.

River Ganga meandering through the Shivalik ranges near Rishikesh symbolizes my WAVE THEORY OF IMMORTALITY. Man always exists in constant relationship with his physical environment. Immortality is not about perpetual residence in a Heavenly Mansion. Immortality is associated with the idea of Ultimate Reality which is represented by SAT+CHIT+ANANDA. In this physical world, the Indian Identity is immortalized by the flowing River adoringly described as Mother Ganges.

A ‘thought wave’ which took its birth in a human mind begins an existence of its own and when the thought is expressed or vocalized it begins a journey of its own. The mortal human body just belongs to the physical realm. A ‘thought wave’ or TARANG that contains the True Knowledge of Blissful existence travels beyond the limits of materialistic realm and enters the transcendental realm. Its identity with a person described as Shiva makes it deathless or immortal.

http://tarangini.wordpress.com

Waking Life (2001)
★★★ / ★★★★

Written and directed by Richard Linklater (“Before Sunrise,” “Before Sunset”), “Waking Life” is an animated film that tackles deep questions about what life is and how it is like to live one’s life. Although it is essentially an animated film, it is very adult in its approach to tell a story of a guy (Wiley Wiggins) who “wakes up” in his dream and into other dreams without knowing whether he’s conscious or awake in “real life.” I admired that this film actively does not confine itself into the kind of Hollywood filmmaking where there is a distinct beginning, middle, and end. Just like the look of the picture, the story flows and moves like water, which enhances the film’s overall craft because the issues that it tackles are very abstract. And it also helped because the main character is in a dream. I particularly liked the scene when Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy reprise their characters from “Before Sunrise” and had a deeper conversation about what was said in that movie. It really made me think about why, when we dream, time feels endless but in actuality we’ve slept for a very limited amount of time. That constant theme of there having to be something more to life than rules and meaning is explored in such a deep and intellectual way to the point where I found myself struggling to keep up because I wanted to savor the conversations. While I admit that I did not fully understand some of the concepts that they discussed and the names they dropped, it made me want to read up on such topics and people that are unfamiliar. This is a thinking man’s movie and definitely not for people who constantly have to have action scenes thrown at them. The power of this unique-looking film lies in the words and the exaggerated, almost expressionistic, images to highlight the transient meanings of the implications. My only main problem with it is that I felt as though part of the last third somewhat felt apart because it did not fully integrate some of the biggest themes that pervaded the rest of the movie. Still, I’m going to give “Waking Life” a recommendation because it was able to incite various insights on how to communicate and see (or feel?) the world in unfamiliar and not fully explained perspectives.

Jobs such as chef, cook, hairdresser, automotive electrician, panelbeater, metal machinist, welder, bricklayer, carpenter, electrician, plumber, accountant, computing professionals and a variety of health care professionals (dentists, GPs, nurses and many others) all appear on the current Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL) as the government attempts to fill in some of the gaps through skilled migration.

Not surprisingly given this outlook, enrolment in vocational courses in hospitality, hairdressing, automative trades and IT are up as students and job-seekers attempt to find work and fill the skills shortage gap. If you are at a career crossroads, trying to decide what to study or just trying to find a job, perhaps you, too, should consider jumping on the skills shortage bandwagon – and land yourself a job in the process.

Source  :  www.careerfaqs.com.au

A Practical Guide For Stateless Sovereigns & IlluminatedSuperheroes

1. Identity is liquid.
2. Improvise & experiment.
3. Make frequent costume changes.

4. Have a ready pack in case you need to leave in a hurry.
5. Make mental maps and mark exit routes.
6. Make allies, if not friends, of everybody.
7. People who look, act and talk like they are important are – simply because they are perceived to be.
8. Find out who is good at what and help them to become better at it.
9. Learn local customs, language and important issues.
10. Share your experiences and stories from other places. This may be the most valuable currency the traveler has.
11. Try not to sign anything official, but stay true to your word.
12. Obscure personally identifying details where they are not 100% relevant.
13. Let other people fill in the blanks about you, because you can’t control their thoughts and feelings anyway.
14. Get rid of your watch. Time is irrelevant.
15. Eliminate all recurring expenses: bills, cell phone, debts, etc.
16. Learn how to eat simply and cheaply. Footnote sources of cheap and free food.
17. Learn how to sleep anywhere under any conditions.
18. Always take up offers to learn new things and share your skills and knowledge freely with others with no expectation of reward or compensation.
19. Be extremely up front about agreements and expectations. Negotiate with others to make sure everyone’s needs are adequately met.
20. Don’t carry anything that can’t be easily replaced or which will make you upset if it is lost or stolen or needs to be suddenly abandoned.
21. Carry only multi-purpose pragmatic objects and know how to use them.
22. Constantly work on improving your manual dexterity, physical conditioning and problem-solving abilities.
23. Become valuable and dependable in tough circumstances.
24. When you make money, spend it on your friends and allies. Make sure to always speak and show your appreciation for the kindness, opportunities, help and friendship others offer.
25. Don’t owe people money if you can avoid it (See: 3-4 above).
26. Know your moral limits and don’t be afraid to stand out for not following the crowd.
27. Conversely, expose yourself to new things, situations, people and practices to expand your horizons.
28. Authenticity, durability and adaptability are three of the most beautiful traits a human can possess.
29. You don’t need to check your email or voicemail ever again to be whole and happy.

Sun shines
then it hides
northern arc
will follow me
no matter
where i go
so heat and light
are mine
earned or not
here and there
and so i love the moon.

is he following me? stalking me? watching every move, every step, every blink of an eye? of course not. but he’s there again. walking from the north, toward the train tracks, across, and then who knows. every time i see him, he walks this path. with a bag slung over his shoulder, his dirty, shredded hair pulled back in pony. his clothes looking like they just cleaned a chimney. his walk is brisk, as if he has no time to waste. he has an appointment that he needs to appear to on time.

and as i stare at him, he disappears amongst the trees. the leaves veiling a presense that little no about. and not once, did he look at me. completely focused on what lay ahead.

i desire to be in his footprints. to know what he does. where he goes. what he thinks. how did he become a drifter? a wondering soul? how does it feel to have only the worries of where to find shelter or how to find your next meal?

for well over a year now, i’ve longed to know the story of the homeless. a long debate i’ve had with myself about forfeiting my posessions to live this lifestyle. but sanity got the better of me, and after weeks of planning, decided my safety would be greatly compromised.

but here i am again, toiling with the idea. the greatest desire to have nothing that ties me to a single location burns. to stow myself on some lonely train and go wherever the tracks take me. or to walk on foot, with my dog at my side. seeing if we could make it from countryside to countryside.

all i know, is that this passion is deep. and only until i flirt with it, will it give me peace.

-v-

Abdul Malik al Qasim | Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 44 | Size: 1 MB
This is a concise book on the transient nature of this world; beautified for us by the things we covet, women, children, and wealth in general. These passing pleasures and temporary joys are made insignificant by Allah when he describes to us the extreme beauty of the home of the Hereafter in the Quran. This book is therefore a brief reminder and a source of strength for those who are true in faith, word and deed.

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While working on the Density overall re-design I was working extensively on the audio engine as well but just for one single reason: The one thing I was missing in the original design was to have some more “responsive” gain riding possibilities but without the usual tradeoff of introducing more distortion or compromising the transparency. And (unsurprisingly) that turned out to be not that easy.

Developers friend: the oscilloscope

Fortunately, there are a couple of gadgets in the audio developers toolbox which can tremendously help in getting the things right or to avoid (time consuming) audio listening tests in the early development stage. The oscilloscope e.g. is a good tool to investigate a certain attack and release curve behaviour or to perform tests with automatic leveling circuits just to name the two. This is mostly performed on periodic input signals like raw basic waveforms. While re-designing the audio core of Density I did a lot of experiments with that and even checked some weird and funny approaches to compression which had lead to some interesting insights here and there while working towards the final circuit.

A CPU cycle measurement tool

At the end of the day not everything which looks promising in the oscillator actually does sound necessarily good or, in other cases, the computational costs of that algorithm is simply way off. The latter one can easily checked with CPU cycle sort of tools which provides instant feedback on how many CPU cycles a certain algorithm actually consumes or which performance optimzation gains more speed. I’ve used such tools and methods quiet a lot during the technical design of the mkII version and that way I was able to introduce some new algorithms with higher precision and resolution but at lower computational costs (compared to the original design). In general this is better already been finished during the design phase opposed to upon the end of development where this can cause more impact (overall redesign or so) and therefore potentially can waste a lot of development time. Further Assembler code tuning on the other side is better be done to the end of development for the sake of programmers efficiency.

A pure second order harmonic in the analyzer

Christian Buddes audio plug-in analyzer is another excellent tool when you already have managed to get your algorithms compiled into a VST dll-file. It’s really usefull on judging frequency or harmonic spectrum issues like intermodulation distortion or the compressors transfer curve and things alike. However, it cannot see all things and sometimes even weird stuff or nothing is showing up though it normally should do so. This can be the case when e.g. measured algorithms just work on or behind transients, on mid/side encoded signals or just works differently along the entire frequency spectrum. In the plot above everything is ok and it shows an algorithms effect where just a pure second order harmonic is produced (oversampled). In DensitymkII the compression algorithm itself is capable of generating a pleasant second order harmonic during the compression duty cycle. This replaces the “phat” mode of the previous Density version and is inherently active.

10kHz sinus signal pre and post compressor

If the developed plug-in now properly loads into a host, another common technique for measuring the dynamic behaviour of such an audio plug-in is to load the compiled plug-in into it so someone can apply special test signals on it. Continous sinus based signals at different frequencies (e.g. 3kHz, 10kHz or even rather low frequencies for measuring bass response) at different levels over time are typically used. The outcoming overall curves are then compared to the original test signals or to some reference curves of other devices or so. This was a lifesaver during the beta test stage of DensitymkII where some subtle discontinuities in the release curve were spotted (caused by a malfunctioning program dependency) and so it could be finally tracked down. The way program dependency in the mkII is actually implemented now is a major part of the unobtrusive compression action and it offers both now: strict peak compression and relaxed and punchy sound.

An audio wave player

Normally, one would increase the number of audio listening tests along the progress of development over time and therefore switch over to separate testbeds to do so. In the development framework I’m currently using, one is able to just load audio files into a wave player and to hear it passing through that algorithm which is currently under developement. Thanks to instant re-compile there is no real lag when re-triggering audio and so you can hear and judge the code changes instantaneously during development – what a time saver!

Credits

Many thanks to the Synthmaker community and Christian B. for providing all those usefull tools!

References

the compressors sidechain: filtering

soft-knee compression and beyond

compressor gain control principles

in the lab – audio listening tests

Density mkII – reworking the usage concept

Home. Since I last posted everything has changed about home. We no longer live in our apartment. We no longer live in the same city. We no longer live alone. And where we live right now won’t be permanent either. Part of me longs to settle. But on this side of heaven home will always be something temporary; the reality that I desire is yet to come. But now that things have calmed down a bit, I’ll be back to blogging about home.

The real you by =Sha-X-doW on deviantART

There used to be a “hotel” in Portland that was notorious to street paramedics.  Located on SW 2nd Avenue, between Burnside and Couch, across from the Salvation Army.  We knew the address well, and unfortunately, we were often there at least once per shift.  Paramedics in the really large cities probably have numerous places like the Home Hotel, but in Portland, during the 70s and 80s, few places rivaled the desperation one would find on the second floor of this transient venue.

As a young, naive EMT (not quite a paramedic), I had much to learn.  My first call to the Home Hotel was an eye opener.

The call came in just before shift change, about 7:00am. My partner and I were in a bleary-eyed stupor from a night of sleeplessness, brought on by the constant needs of a city that never sleeps.  She gave me no warning of what I was about to encounter – not to surprise me, but because it was so normal – at least to the medics who worked downtown.

We parked out front and my partner strode with passive indignation towards a set of double doors. There was no sign to indicate this was a hotel.  The doors looked like a battered set of service doors; wooden; without windows; and non-inviting.  I followed my street-wise partner through the doors and into a world I never would have imagined.  It was dark and we immediately encountered a set of bare stairs leading to the second floor.

Photo by Brenton Cleeland - http://www.flickr.com/people/sesh00/

At the top of the stairs there was a large open room. A wood stove sat in the middle of the room and five or six men were slumped in chairs around the room.  I was struck by the presence of a wood stove!  This isn’t the gleaming image of the Portland I knew – the glass buildings, the gleaming architecture, the well-healed business people.  This made me think I’d stepped a 100 years into the past, when this building was probably constructed.

As my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw there were more than just a few people in the room. There were about a dozen, some were asleep (I hoped) on the floor, some propped up in the corner, and no one seemed to notice our arrival.  The colors were dark – everything was dark.  The clothes worn by the men in the room, the bare floor, the walls, the only thing clean and bright in the room were the uniform shirts worn by my partner and I.  We were quite the contrast.

I found out over the course of the next few years that those bright white shirts gave us the illusion of being angels. The people on the street treated the Buck Ambulance paramedics differently than anyone else they encountered.  We weren’t cops, we weren’t detox workers, and we weren’t tourists (or business people) invading their territory.  We were their helpers and we were treated with respect.

For some reason Sherry knew right where to go. She made a u-turn in the “lobby” and proceeded down a very dark hallway.  I followed.  Though she was only five-feet tall, she walked with commanding presence.  There didn’t seem to be any fear in her as she strode down this dark hallway.  She entered the first open door she encountered.  I followed.

“filthy” doesn’t even begin to describe it…

If the scenes we had entered just moments before weren’t shocking enough, I certainly wasn’t prepared for what we found in that room. Though the original building was built with 12-foot ceilings, the walls in this “room” were only eight-feet tall.  Across the top there was chicken-wire, to keep the inmates clients guests from climbing over – or to protect them from others.  The room was barely six-feet wide and eight-feet long.  A small, army-style cot, with a filthy (“filthy” doesn’t even begin to describe it) mattress, and no sheets.  Next to the bed was a coffee can.  It was filled with cigarette butts, and a dark, coffee-ground like substance – this was emesis, from the man lying on the cot.  A classic symptom of the dying alcoholic.

Photo by Oliver Hammond - http://www.flickr.com/people/olivander/

The room reeked and it was all I could do to keep from retching. The strange mixture of odors: blood, vomit, feces, urine, alcohol, sweat, and filth.  The man was unconscious.  No one was round to seek information.  We put him on our gurney and took him to the ambulance.  On the way to the OHSU emergency department, Portland’s version of “County General,” Sherry started an IV and gave him oxygen.  I remember my nose itching, but I was afraid to touch it – so I was trying to scratch my nose with my elbows.  Unfortunately, this wasn’t the last time.

And so began my dive into the dispassionate world of the inner-city. Over the next few years, my heart grew harder and harder.  My gleaming white uniform shirt was like body armor.  I too developed the strut of one who is large and in charge.  Though, unlike Sherry, I had the size to back it up.  My future visits to the Home Hotel didn’t fill me with shock and awe; and I was no longer repulsed.  I was just indifferent.  Dispassionate.  Cynical.

It was a surreal life to live. “They” never told me how it would affect me – long-term.  Who knew those images would be burned into my neural pathways for life.  Here, even 30 years later, I can recall that visit as if it were this morning.

But here is what really fascinates me. So many people tend to look down with disdain on the broken people of this world.  Subconsciously, we judge others and compare ourselves to them.  “At least I’m not like that poor loser.” We breath under our breath.  “At least I’m not like that!”  However, but for the grace of God, there I go.

Why is it we think we are all that? Why is it that we think we are better than others because of genetic chance, geographic opportunities, or family history?

My brother-in-law has particular disdain for all those “native” bumper stickers. His point? “Yeah, you live in a great state.  So what does that say; you have smart parents?”

The fact of the matter is, we’re all in this together. The sooner we realize that we all share the same home, the same planet, if you will, the sooner we realize that we are our brother’s (and sister’s) keeper – and that we need to look out for each other.

For the past several years, I’ve been trying to peel back the veneer that has hardened my heart. It’s not an easy process.  I’ve grown pretty hardened.  But at least I recognize that.