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Life is what happens to us when we are busy making other plans, or so it's been said. Maybe so, but 2014 came at me so fast, I'm not certain it left time for me to make other plans.
I've run a photoblog for my own amusement for over five years now, and each year I end it with a post of my favorite images from the previous year. I'm not certain, but I suspect 2014 is the year in which I've taken more photos but shared fewer than any other. Instead of a re-hash of 2014, I'd rather share a few words of wisdom, newly gained (but surely not new). Aimed at my fellow photographers, I think there's something in them for each of us.
WHY?
Though I've done this for five years, the reason I pay to host a blog has changed substantively over that period of time. So too has changed my feelings toward the broader online photography community, what it has to say, what it values, what it produces, etc.
Photoblogs, photo rumor / news sites, photo pundits, photo communities, social networks are everywhere suffused with mediocrity: gear reviews, best business practices for photographers, "why I switched to camera company A," ceaseless re-hashes of the basic pedantic explanations of camera operation, and so on. It is an echo chamber - you can enter this photo enthusiast / professional world and keep yourself busy all day, every day, and never speak to another soul outside of the echo chamber.
Why bother? Why do you spend time with a camera? Just to make a few pretty pictures, or is there a narrative you're laboring to deliver? What story does your work tell?
Unplug from the echo chamber, even just for a bit - unsubscribe, unfollow, ignore. Your story will be the richer for it.
ONWARD TO 2015
Last year I ended 2013 with a series focused on the twisted and magnificent pines that rim the Grand Canyon:
I remember the way the canyon begins and the south rim ends. It ends in mausoleum silence punctuated by the crunch of boot on fresh powder.
This year I remember the way the year ends, with my footfalls matched by Oliver's on Candoglia marble. We walked past candles, tourists, and Saint Bartholomew Flayed to the stairs beneath the choir. We walked down into the crypt.
Saint Carlo Borromeo lay interred behind us, but our attention was upon a bright blue reliquary shining forth through its case and cage. Oliver asked me, with the irreverence only a toddler can conjure, "What's that?"
How to answer? Every answer from direct to evasive would equally have been a lie. In the end I don't know what I said, something close to "an object that people in the church believe is very special."
When we came to Borromeo, he posed the same question. Though I doubt he understood any of what I said, I was nevertheless heartsore to say, "Remember when we lived in California? Well a long time ago a man named Junipero Serra built a small church along the cost and named it after the person who rests here."
We ascended the steps to regain the square, I bought some almond torrone, and Val and Henry had their chance inside the Duomo. As we ate, I reflected on my path from California to here, on the threads of history and fate that enshrine the globe and that can whisk me from the crypt of the Duomo to my uncle's memorial in Serra's church, the smell of the incense, the way that wind beat the fog onshore afterward. The world is too much with us, late and soon.
One of the arms / canals seems to be covered with the concrete. The stone seems to have been cut with this face upwards and may have originally been an opening 'dalle de couverture' for one of the massive dolmen corridors that are to be found in the area. There are other cups and 'rigoles' on the same stone with edge basins to let water build up and unplug onto a subject. The stone is currently integrated into the apex of a medieval bridge in a region that has yet to have had significant pressures. The cement does not mark the endpoint of the monolith and is a 'patch'.
AJM 02;08.17
Last night quite suddenly our kitchen sink got blocked. No big deal I thought. Poured down some drain cleaner and waited. Nada. Repeat performance. Nothing. Once more, avec sentiment - still no result.
This morning I solicited help from our head porter. After some discussion he brought up some sulphuric acid and waited to take its effect. All in wain.
One more try I thought before bringing in the pros. Trip to the nearest builder's merchant and purchased a waist cleaning 'worm', a new pipe seal and my own sulphuric acid.
Returned home and thought it best to fit the seal before doing anything else. Done that and proceeded to test it gently. Let a little water into the sink and checked for drips. Not a drop. OK so a bit more water. What's this? The water is actually clearing from the sink. Fill the sink half full and unplug. Whoa! All of it gashes down the holes - go figure.
Now I am left with a redundant worm.
Carl Jung
I am a firm believer in "disconnecting" from the Internet and technology every now and again. I find that I am enjoying that time away more and more.
Facebook? I'd would rather talk face-to-face. Twitter? This evening I sat on the patio and listened to the distinct songs of at least half a dozen different birds, and enjoyed every moment. Cell phone? I'm only sold on them for emergencies.
Maybe after six years, I am feeling a bit of a flickr burn-out. That said, I'm finding it impossible to keep up with my contacts the way I would like. I want to take the time to gaze at a photo and absorb everything that catches my eye while reading and thinking about the description or story. Oftentimes, I am so struck by a photograph that I could write a paragraph or three. Other times, I am just blown away and "Wow" is the first thing that flies from my fingertips.
My flickr-friends are a constant source of inspiration, and somebody always seems to make my day with a photo, story or comment. So many kind and talented people can be overwhelming.
Anyhoo... My name is Todd, and I am a recovering flickr addict. I am also a slow flickr-er and don't mean to offend anyone if I don't visit every day.
Happy flickr-ing, my friends!
Neko Case ~ ♫ Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth ♪
Wednesday Evening Regatta
Lake Ontario | Charlotte Beach
August 10th, 2011
Today we spent the day in the mountains. It turned out to be too cold for your baby brother and not everyone wanted to actually get out of the car so daddy and I traded off taking whomever wanted to get out at different turn offs. I have to say to just having the opportunity to unplug and really truly enjoy you guys was a gift. The day was nearly as beautiful as you are my girl.
A dark pattern is "a user interface that has been carefully crafted to trick users into doing things, such as buying insurance with their purchase or signing up for recurring bills." The neologism dark pattern was coined by Harry Brignull on July 28, 2010 with the registration of darkpatterns.org, a "pattern library with the specific goal of naming and shaming deceptive user interfaces.Bait-and-switch patterns advertise a free (or greatly reduced) product or service which is wholly unavailable or stocked in small quantities. After it is apparent the product is no longer available, they are exposed to other priced products similar to the one advertised. This is common in software installers, where a button will be presented in the fashion of a typical continuation button. It is common that one has to accept the program's terms of service, so a dark pattern would show a prominent "I accept these terms" button on a page where the user is asked to accept the terms of a program unrelated to the program they are trying to install. Since the user will typically accept the terms by force of habit, the unrelated program can subsequently be installed. The installer's authors do this because they are paid by the authors of the unrelated program for each install that they procure. The alternative route in the installer, allowing the user to skip installing the unrelated program, is much less prominently displayed or seems counter-intuitive (such as declining the terms of service).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_pattern
This pattern is also used by some websites, where the user is shown a page where information is asked that is not required. For example, one would fill out a username and password on one page, and after clicking the "next" button the user is asked for their email address with another "next" button as the only option. It is not apparent that the step can be skipped. When simply pressing "next" without entering their personal information, however, the website will just continue. In some cases, a method to skip the step is visible but not shown as a button (instead, usually, as a small and greyed-out link) so that it does not stand out to the user. Other examples that often use this pattern are inviting friends by entering someone else's email address, uploading a profile picture, or selecting interests.
”This is a civilizational moment in a way I’m not sure we’re all reckoning with,” Harris said on stage. “It’s a historical moment when a species that is intelligent builds technology that ... can simulate a puppet version of its creator, and the puppet can control the master. That’s an unprecedented situation to be in. That could be the end of human agency, when you can perfectly simulate not just the strengths of people but their weaknesses.”
Where does technology exploit our minds weaknesses?
I learned to think this way when I was a magician. Magicians start by looking for blind spots, edges, vulnerabilities and limits of people’s perception, so they can influence what people do without them even realizing it. Once you know how to push people’s buttons, you can play them like a piano.
That’s me performing sleight of hand magic at my mother’s birthday party
And this is exactly what product designers do to your mind. They play your psychological vulnerabilities (consciously and unconsciously) against you in the race to grab your attention.
I want to show you how they do it.
Hijack #1: If You Control the Menu, You Control the Choices
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Western Culture is built around ideals of individual choice and freedom. Millions of us fiercely defend our right to make “free” choices, while we ignore how we’re manipulated upstream by limited menus we didn’t choose.
This is exactly what magicians do. They give people the illusion of free choice while architecting the menu so that they win, no matter what you choose. I can’t emphasize how deep this insight is.
When people are given a menu of choices, they rarely ask:
“what’s not on the menu?”
“why am I being given these options and not others?”
“do I know the menu provider’s goals?”
“is this menu empowering for my original need, or are the choices actually a distraction?” (e.g. an overwhelmingly array of toothpastes)
Photo by Kevin McShane
How empowering is this menu of choices for the need, “I ran out of toothpaste”?
For example, imagine you’re out with friends on a Tuesday night and want to keep the conversation going. You open Yelp to find nearby recommendations and see a list of bars. The group turns into a huddle of faces staring down at their phones comparing bars. They scrutinize the photos of each, comparing cocktail drinks. Is this menu still relevant to the original desire of the group?
It’s not that bars aren’t a good choice, it’s that Yelp substituted the group’s original question (“where can we go to keep talking?”) with a different question (“what’s a bar with good photos of cocktails?”) all by shaping the menu.
Moreover, the group falls for the illusion that Yelp’s menu represents acomplete set of choices for where to go. While looking down at their phones, they don’t see the park across the street with a band playing live music. They miss the pop-up gallery on the other side of the street serving crepes and coffee. Neither of those show up on Yelp’s menu.
Yelp subtly reframes the group’s need “where can we go to keep talking?” in terms of photos of cocktails served.
The more choices technology gives us in nearly every domain of our lives (information, events, places to go, friends, dating, jobs) — the more we assume that our phone is always the most empowering and useful menu to pick from. Is it?
The “most empowering” menu is different than the menu that has the most choices. But when we blindly surrender to the menus we’re given, it’s easy to lose track of the difference:
“Who’s free tonight to hang out?” becomes a menu of most recent people who texted us (who we could ping).
“What’s happening in the world?” becomes a menu of news feed stories.
“Who’s single to go on a date?” becomes a menu of faces to swipe on Tinder (instead of local events with friends, or urban adventures nearby).
“I have to respond to this email.” becomes a menu of keys to type a response (instead of empowering ways to communicate with a person).
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All user interfaces are menus. What if your email client gave you empowering choices of ways to respond, instead of “what message do you want to type back?” (Design by Tristan Harris)
When we wake up in the morning and turn our phone over to see a list of notifications — it frames the experience of “waking up in the morning” around a menu of “all the things I’ve missed since yesterday.”
A list of notifications when we wake up in the morning — how empowering is this menu of choices when we wake up? Does it reflect what we care about? (credit to Joe Edelman)
By shaping the menus we pick from, technology hijacks the way we perceive our choices and replaces them new ones. But the closer we pay attention to the options we’re given, the more we’ll notice when they don’t actually align with our true needs.
Hijack #2: Put a Slot Machine In a Billion Pockets
If you’re an app, how do you keep people hooked? Turn yourself into a slot machine.
The average person checks their phone 150 times a day. Why do we do this? Are we making 150 conscious choices?
How often do you check your email per day?
One major reason why is the #1 psychological ingredient in slot machines:intermittent variable rewards.
If you want to maximize addictiveness, all tech designers need to do is link a user’s action (like pulling a lever) with a variable reward. You pull a lever and immediately receive either an enticing reward (a match, a prize!) or nothing. Addictiveness is maximized when the rate of reward is most variable.
Does this effect really work on people? Yes. Slot machines make more money in the United States than baseball, movies, and theme parkscombined. Relative to other kinds of gambling, people get ‘problematically involved’ with slot machines 3–4x faster according to NYU professor Natasha Dow Shull, author of Addiction by Design.
But here’s the unfortunate truth — several billion people have a slot machine their pocket:
When we pull our phone out of our pocket, we’re playing a slot machineto see what notifications we got.
When we pull to refresh our email, we’re playing a slot machine to see what new email we got.
When we swipe down our finger to scroll the Instagram feed, we’replaying a slot machine to see what photo comes next.
When we swipe faces left/right on dating apps like Tinder, we’re playing a slot machine to see if we got a match.
When we tap the # of red notifications, we’re playing a slot machine to what’s underneath.
Apps and websites sprinkle intermittent variable rewards all over their products because it’s good for business.
But in other cases, slot machines emerge by accident. For example, there is no malicious corporation behind all of email who consciously chose to make it a slot machine. No one profits when millions check their email and nothing’s there. Neither did Apple and Google’s designers want phones to work like slot machines. It emerged by accident.
But now companies like Apple and Google have a responsibility to reduce these effects by converting intermittent variable rewards into less addictive, more predictable ones with better design. For example, they could empower people to set predictable times during the day or week for when they want to check “slot machine” apps, and correspondingly adjust when new messages are delivered to align with those times.
Hijack #3: Fear of Missing Something Important (FOMSI)
Another way apps and websites hijack people’s minds is by inducing a “1% chance you could be missing something important.”
If I convince you that I’m a channel for important information, messages, friendships, or potential sexual opportunities — it will be hard for you to turn me off, unsubscribe, or remove your account — because (aha, I win) you might miss something important:
This keeps us subscribed to newsletters even after they haven’t delivered recent benefits (“what if I miss a future announcement?”)
This keeps us “friended” to people with whom we haven’t spoke in ages (“what if I miss something important from them?”)
This keeps us swiping faces on dating apps, even when we haven’t even met up with anyone in a while (“what if I miss that one hot match who likes me?”)
This keeps us using social media (“what if I miss that important news story or fall behind what my friends are talking about?”)
But if we zoom into that fear, we’ll discover that it’s unbounded: we’ll always miss something important at any point when we stop using something.
There are magic moments on Facebook we’ll miss by not using it for the 6th hour (e.g. an old friend who’s visiting town right now).
There are magic moments we’ll miss on Tinder (e.g. our dream romantic partner) by not swiping our 700th match.
There are emergency phone calls we’ll miss if we’re not connected 24/7.
But living moment to moment with the fear of missing something isn’t how we’re built to live.
And it’s amazing how quickly, once we let go of that fear, we wake up from the illusion. When we unplug for more than a day, unsubscribe from those notifications, or go to Camp Grounded — the concerns we thought we’d have don’t actually happen.
We don’t miss what we don’t see.
The thought, “what if I miss something important?” is generated in advance of unplugging, unsubscribing, or turning off — not after. Imagine if tech companies recognized that, and helped us proactively tune our relationships with friends and businesses in terms of what we define as “time well spent” for our lives, instead of in terms of what we might miss.
Hijack #4: Social Approval
Easily one of the most persuasive things a human being can receive.
We’re all vulnerable to social approval. The need to belong, to be approved or appreciated by our peers is among the highest human motivations. But now our social approval is in the hands of tech companies (like when we’re tagged in a photo).
When I get tagged by my friend Marc (above), I imagine him making aconscious choice to tag me. But I don’t see how a company like Facebook orchestrated him doing that in the first place.
Facebook, Instagram or SnapChat can manipulate how often people get tagged in photos by automatically suggesting all the faces people should tag (e.g. by showing a box with a 1-click confirmation, “Tag Tristan in this photo?”).
So when Marc tags me, he’s actually responding to Facebook’s suggestion, not making an independent choice. But through design choices like this,Facebook controls the multiplier for how often millions of people experience their social approval on the line.
Facebook uses automatic suggestions like this to get people to tag more people, creating more social externalities and interruptions.
The same happens when we change our main profile photo — Facebook knows that’s a moment when we’re vulnerable to social approval: “what do my friends think of my new pic?” Facebook can rank this higher in the news feed, so it sticks around for longer and more friends will like or comment on it. Each time they like or comment on it, I’ll get pulled right back.
Everyone innately responds to social approval, but some demographics (teenagers) are more vulnerable to it than others. That’s why it’s so important to recognize how powerful designers are when they exploit this vulnerability.
Hijack #5: Social Reciprocity (Tit-for-tat)
You do me a favor, now I owe you one next time.
You say, “thank you”— I have to say “you’re welcome.”
You send me an email— it’s rude not to get back to you.
You follow me — it’s rude not to follow you back. (especially for teenagers)
We are vulnerable to needing to reciprocate others’ gestures. But as with Social Approval, tech companies now manipulate how often we experience it.
In some cases, it’s by accident. Email, texting and messaging apps are social reciprocity factories. But in other cases, companies exploit this vulnerability on purpose.
LinkedIn is the most obvious offender. LinkedIn wants as many people creating social obligations for each other as possible, because each time they reciprocate (by accepting a connection, responding to a message, or endorsing someone back for a skill) they have to come back through linkedin.com where they can get people to spend more time.
Like Facebook, LinkedIn exploits an asymmetry in perception. When you receive an invitation from someone to connect, you imagine that person making a conscious choice to invite you, when in reality, they likely unconsciously responded to LinkedIn’s list of suggested contacts. In other words, LinkedIn turns your unconscious impulses (to “add” a person) into new social obligations that millions of people feel obligated to repay. All while they profit from the time people spend doing it.
Imagine millions of people getting interrupted like this throughout their day, running around like chickens with their heads cut off, reciprocating each other — all designed by companies who profit from it.
Welcome to social media.
After accepting an endorsement, LinkedIn takes advantage of your bias to reciprocate by offering *four* additional people for you to endorse in return.
Imagine if technology companies had a responsibility to minimize social reciprocity. Or if there was an “FDA for Tech” that monitored when technology companies abused these biases?
Hijack #6: Bottomless bowls, Infinite Feeds, and Autoplay
YouTube autoplays the next video after a countdown
Another way to hijack people is to keep them consuming things, even when they aren’t hungry anymore.
How? Easy. Take an experience that was bounded and finite, and turn it into a bottomless flow that keeps going.
Cornell professor Brian Wansink demonstrated this in his study showing you can trick people into keep eating soup by giving them a bottomless bowl that automatically refills as they eat. With bottomless bowls, people eat 73% more calories than those with normal bowls and underestimate how many calories they ate by 140 calories.
Tech companies exploit the same principle. News feeds are purposely designed to auto-refill with reasons to keep you scrolling, and purposely eliminate any reason for you to pause, reconsider or leave.
It’s also why video and social media sites like Netflix, YouTube or Facebookautoplay the next video after a countdown instead of waiting for you to make a conscious choice (in case you won’t). A huge portion of traffic on these websites is driven by autoplaying the next thing.
Facebook autoplays the next video after a countdown
Tech companies often claim that “we’re just making it easier for users to see the video they want to watch” when they are actually serving their business interests. And you can’t blame them, because increasing “time spent” is the currency they compete for.
Instead, imagine if technology companies empowered you to consciously bound your experience to align with what would be “time well spent” for you. Not just bounding the quantity of time you spend, but the qualities of what would be “time well spent.”
Hijack #7: Instant Interruption vs. “Respectful” Delivery
Companies know that messages that interrupt people immediately are more persuasive at getting people to respond than messages delivered asynchronously (like email or any deferred inbox).
Given the choice, Facebook Messenger (or WhatsApp, WeChat or SnapChat for that matter) would prefer to design their messaging system to interrupt recipients immediately (and show a chat box) instead of helping users respect each other’s attention.
In other words, interruption is good for business.
It’s also in their interest to heighten the feeling of urgency and social reciprocity. For example, Facebook automatically tells the sender when you “saw” their message, instead of letting you avoid disclosing whether you read it(“now that you know I’ve seen the message, I feel even more obligated to respond.”) By contrast, Apple more respectfully lets users toggle “Read Receipts” on or off.
The problem is, while messaging apps maximize interruptions in the name of business, it creates a tragedy of the commons that ruins global attention spans and causes billions of interruptions every day. This is a huge problem we need to fix with shared design standards (potentially, as part of Time Well Spent).
Hijack #8: Bundling Your Reasons with Their Reasons
Another way apps hijack you is by taking your reasons for visiting the app (to perform a task) and make them inseparable from the app’s business reasons(maximizing how much we consume once we’re there).
For example, in the physical world of grocery stories, the #1 and #2 most popular reasons to visit are pharmacy refills and buying milk. But grocery stores want to maximize how much people buy, so they put the pharmacy and the milk at the back of the store.
In other words, they make the thing customers want (milk, pharmacy) inseparable from what the business wants. If stores were truly organized to support people, they would put the most popular items in the front.
Tech companies design their websites the same way. For example, when you you want to look up a Facebook event happening tonight (your reason) the Facebook app doesn’t allow you to access it without first landing on the news feed (their reasons), and that’s on purpose. Facebook wants to convert every reason you have for using Facebook, into their reason which is to maximize the time you spend consuming things.
In an ideal world, apps would always give you a direct way to get what you want separately from what they want.
Imagine a digital “bill of rights” outlining design standards that forced the products that billions of people used to support empowering ways to navigate towards their goals.
Hijack #9: Inconvenient Choices
We’re told that it’s enough for businesses to “make choices available.”
“If you don’t like it you can always use a different product.”
“If you don’t like it, you can always unsubscribe.”
“If you’re addicted to our app, you can always uninstall it from your phone.”
Businesses naturally want to make the choices they want you to make easier, and the choices they don’t want you to make harder. Magicians do the same thing. You make it easier for a spectator to pick the thing you want them to pick, and harder to pick the thing you don’t.
For example, NYTimes.com let’s you “make a free choice” to cancel your digital subscription. But instead of just doing it when you hit “Cancel Subscription,” they force you to call a phone number that’s only open at certain times.
NYTimes claims it’s giving a free choice to cancel your account
Instead of viewing the world in terms of choice availability of choices, we should view the world in terms of friction required to enact choices.
Imagine a world where choices were labeled with how difficult they were to fulfill (like coefficients of friction) and there was an FDA for Tech that labeled these difficulties and set standards for how easy navigation should be.
Hijack #10: Forecasting Errors, “Foot in the Door” strategies
Facebook promises an easy choice to “See Photo.” Would we still click if it gave the true price tag?
People don’t intuitively forecast the true cost of a click when it’s presented to them. Sales people use “foot in the door” techniques by asking for a small innocuous request to begin with (“just one click”), and escalating from there (“why don’t you stay awhile?”). Virtually all engagement websites use this trick.
Imagine if web browsers and smartphones, the gateways through which people make these choices, were truly watching out for people and helped them forecast the consequences of clicks (based on real data about what it actually costs most people?).
That’s why I add “Estimated reading time” to the top of my posts. When you put the “true cost” of a choice in front of people, you’re treating your users or audience with dignity and respect.
In a Time Well Spent internet, choices would be framed in terms of projected cost and benefit, so people were empowered to make informed choices.
TripAdvisor uses a “foot in the door” technique by asking for a single click review (“How many stars?”) while hiding the three page form behind the click.
Summary And How We Can Fix This
Are you upset that technology is hijacking your agency? I am too. I’ve listed a few techniques but there are literally thousands. Imagine whole bookshelves, seminars, workshops and trainings that teach aspiring tech entrepreneurs techniques like this. They exist.
The ultimate freedom is a free mind, and we need technology to be on our team to help us live, feel, think and act freely.
We need our smartphones, notifications screens and web browsers to be exoskeletons for our minds and interpersonal relationships that put our values, not our impulses, first. People’s time is valuable. And we should protect it with the same rigor as privacy and other digital rights.
Tristan Harris was Product Philosopher at Google until 2016 where he studied how technology affects a billion people’s attention, wellbeing and behavior.
For more information and get involved, check out timewellspent.io. This piece is cross-posted on Medium.
MARCH 7, 2016 by TRISTAN HARRIS
Tech Companies Design Your Life, Here’s Why You Should Care
UNCATEGORIZED
5 COMMENTS
Four years ago, I sold my company to Google and joined the ranks there. I spent my last three years there as Product Philosopher, looking at the profound ways the design of screens shape billions of human lives – and asking what it means for them to do so ethically and responsibly.
What I came away with is that something’s not right with how our screens are designed, and I’m writing this to help you understand why you should care, and what you can do about it.
I shouldn’t have to cite statistics about the central role screens play in our lives. Billions of us turn to smartphones every day. We wake up with them. We fall asleep with them. You’re looking at one right now.
Of course, new technologies always reshape society, and it’s always tempting to worry about them solely for this reason. Socrates worried that the technology of writing would “create forgetfulness in the learners’ souls, because they [would] not use their memories.” We worried that newspapers would make people stop talking to each other on the subway. We worried that we would use television to “amuse ourselves to death.”
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“And see!” people say. “Nothing bad happened!” Isn’t humanity more prosperous, more technically sophisticated, and better connected than ever? Is it really that big of a problem that people spend so much time staring at their smartphones? Isn’t it just another cultural shift, like all the others? Won’t we just adapt?
Invisibility of the New Normal
I don’t think so. What’s missing from this perspective is that all these technologies (books, television, radio, newspapers) did change everything about society, we just don’t see it. They replaced our old menus of choices with new ones. Each new menu eventually became the new normal – “the way things are” – and, after our memories of old menus had faded into the past, the new menus became “the way things have always been.”
gold-fish-in-waterASK A FISH ABOUT WATER AND THEY’LL RESPOND, “WHAT’S WATER?”
Consider that the average American now watches more than 5.5 hours of television per day. Regardless of whether you think TV is good or bad, hundreds of millions of people spend 30% of their waking hours watching it. It’s hard to overstate the vast consequences of this shift– for the blood flows of millions of people, for our understanding of reality, for the relational habits of families, for the strategies and outcomes of political campaigns. Yet for those who live with them day-to-day, they are invisible.
So what best describes the nature of what smart phones are “doing” to us?
A New “Perfect” Choice on Life’s Menu
If I had to summarize it, it’s this: Our phone puts a new choice on life’s menu, in any moment, that’s “sweeter” than reality.
If, at any moment, reality gets dull or boring, our phone offers something more pleasurable, more productive and even more educational than whatever reality gives us.
And this new choice fits into any moment. Our phone offers 5-second choices like “checking email” that feel better than waiting in line. And it offers 30-minute choices like a podcast that will teach you that thing you’ve been dying to learn, which feels better than a 30-minute walk in silence.
Once you see your phone this way, wouldn’t you turn to it more often? It always happens this way: when new things fill our needs better than the old, we switch:
When cheaper, faster to prepare food appears, we switch: Packaged foods.
When more accurate search engines appear, we switch: Google.
When cheaper, faster forms of transportation appear, we switch: Uber.
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So it goes with phones.
But it also changes us on the inside. We grow less and less patient for reality as it is, especially when it’s boring or uncomfortable. We come to expect more from the world, more rapidly. And because reality can’t live up to our expectations, it reinforces how often we want to turn to our screens. A self-reinforcing feedback loop.
And because of the attention economy, every product will only get more persuasive over time. Facebook must become more persuasive if it wants to compete with YouTube and survive. YouTube must become more persuasive if it wants to compete with Facebook. And we’re not just talking about ‘cheap’ amusement (aka cat videos). These products will only get better at giving us choices that make every bone in our body say, “yeah I want that!”
So what’s wrong about this? If the entire attention economy is working to fill us up with more perfect-feeling things to spend time on, which outcompete being with the discomfort of ourselves or our surroundings, shouldn’t that be fantastic?
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Clearly something is missing from this picture. But what is it?
Maybe it’s that “filling people up,” even with incredible choices on screens somehow doesn’t add up to a life well lived. Or that those choices weren’t what we wished we’d been persuaded to do in the bigger sense of our lives.
With design as it is today, screens threaten our fundamental agency. Maybe we are “choosing,” but we are choosing from persuasive menus driven by companies who have different goals than ours.
And that begs us to ask, “what are our goals?” or how do we want to spend our time? There are as many “good lives” as there are people, but our technology (and the attention economy) don’t really seem on our team to give us the agency to live according to them.
A Whole New Persuasive World
And it’s about to get a lot worse. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality will offer whole new immersive realities that are even more persuasive than physical reality.
zuck-virtual-reality
When you could have sex with the person of your dreams, or fly through jungles in the Amazon rainforest while looking over at your best friend flying next to you, who would want to stick with reality?
By the way, this isn’t your usual “look, VR is coming!” prediction. This is the real deal. Facebook recently spent $2 billion to buy Oculus Rift, and hopes to put them in every home for this holiday season. Just like the late 1980’s when suddenly everyone you knew had a Nintendo.
Acknowledging the Problem
So we have a fundamental misalignment– between what the attention economy is competing to produce (more perfect, persuasive choices that fit into any moment), the design of our phones, and the aspirations people have for their lives (their definition of “the good life”).
AttentionEconomyMisalignment
So what’s missing from the design of our phones? I like to use the metaphor of ergonomics. When you think of ergonomics, you might think of boring things like how a cup fits into someone’s hand, but it’s way more than that.
If regular design is about how we want things to work, ergonomics is concerned with failure modes and extremes: how things break under repetition, stress or other limits. And the goal of ergonomics is to create an alignment between those limits, and the goals people have for how they want to use it.
10 Handle diameter
For example, an ergonomically designed coffee mug aligns the natural fatigue of forearm muscles during use (as a person “lifts” it to sip) with how frequently people want to use it, so they still can lift it successfully with repetition.
What does this have to do with phones?
Our minds urgently need a new “ergonomics,” based on the mind’s limited capacities, biases, fatigue curves and the ways it forms habits. The attention economy tears our minds apart. With its onslaught of never-ending choices, never-ending supply of relationships and obligations, the attention economy bulldozes the natural shape of our physical and psychological limits and turns impulses into bad habits.
Just like the food industry manipulates our innate biases for salt, sugar and fat with perfectly engineered combinations, the tech industry bulldozes our innate biases for Social Reciprocity (we’re built to get back to others), Social Approval (we’re built to care what others think of us), Social Comparison (how we’re doing with respect to our peers) and Novelty-seeking (we’re built to seek surprises over the predictable).
Millions of years of evolution did a great job giving us genes to care about how others perceive us. But Facebook bulldozes those biases, by forcing us to deal with how thousands of people perceive us.
This isn’t to say that phones today aren’t designed ergonomically, they are just ergonomic to a narrow scope of goals:
for a single user (holding the phone)
for single tasks (opening an app)
for individual choices
And a narrow scope of human physical limits:
how far our thumb has to reach to tap an app
how loud the phone must vibrate for our ear to hear it
So what if we expanded the scope of ergonomics for a more holistic set of human goals:
a holistic sense of a person
a holistic sense of how they want to spend their time (and goals)
a holistic sense of their relationships (interpersonal & social choices)
an ability to make holistic choices (including opportunity costs & externalities)
an ability to reflect, before and after
…and what if we aligned these goals with a more holistic set of our mental, social and emotional limits?
A New Kind of Ergonomics
Let’s call this new kind of ergonomics “Holistic Ergonomics”. Holistic Ergonomics recognizes our holistic mental and emotional limits [vulnerabilities, fatigue and ways our minds form habits] and aligns them with the holistic goals we have for our lives (not just the single tasks). Holistic Ergonomics is built to give us back agency in an increasingly persuasive attention economy.
Joe Edelman and I have taught design workshops on this, calling it EmpoweringDesign.org, or designing to empower people’s agency.
It includes an interpersonal ergonomics, to “align” our social psychological instincts with how and when we want to make ourselves available to others (like in my TED talk), so that we can reclaim agency over how we want to relate to others.
Just like an ergonomic coffee mug is safe to live by, even under repetition, over and over again, without causing harm to ourselves or others, in a Time Well Spent world our phones would be designed with Holistic Ergonomics, so that even under repetition, over and over again, our phones do not cause harm to ourselves or others — our phones become safe to live by. They support our Agency.
How to Change the Game
Android.Apple_.001
Right now, two companies are responsible for the primary screens that a billion people live by. Apple and Google make the two dominant smartphone platforms. Facebook and Microsoft make leading Virtual and Augmented Reality platforms, Oculus and Hololens.
You might think that it’s against the business models of Apple and Google to facilitate people’s agency, which might include making it easier to spend time off the screen, and use apps less. But it’s not.
Apple and Google, like all companies, respond to what consumers demand.
When Privacy became important to you, they responded. They developed new privacy and security features, and it sparked a whole new public conversation and debate. It’s now the most popular concern about technology discussed in media.
When Organic food became important to you, they responded too. Walmart added it to their stores.
We need to do the same thing with this issue. Until now, with this experience of distraction, social media, and this vague sense that we don’t feel good when we use our phones for too long, there’s been nothing to rally behind. It’s too diffuse. We receive so many incredible benefits from tech, but we’ve also been feeling like we’ve been losing ourselves, and our humanity?
But we’re naming it now.
What’s at stake is our Agency. Our ability to live the lives we want to live, choose the way we want to choose, and relate to others the way we want to relate to them – through technology. This is a design problem, not just a personal responsibility problem.
If you want your Agency, you need to tell these companies that that’s what you want from them– not just another shiny new phone that overloads our psychological vulnerabilities. Tell them you want your Agency back, and to help you spend your time the way you want to, and they will respond.
I hope this helps spark that bigger conversation.
Finding peace and quiet is becoming more and more difficult in our fast paced, plugged- in world. Sometimes I just have to take a hike away from my computer, iPad, Kindle, telephone and e-mail.
And it is always worth it....
Here in Rocky Mountain National Park at Bierstadt Lake, if you are quiet you can hear bird song, lapping water, wind music and your own thoughts.
I sat on a rock to eat my peanut butter sandwich and enjoy the warm sun on my legs and the cool breeze off the lake.
F11 Syndrome on Whirlpool and Kenmore
TO MY FELLOW "F11 Syndrome" Sufferers (edited again to be more readable)
It start like this:
In fall 2005 or two months after the warranty crapped out was when it started its problems for us. We called the Whirlpool support (hah) number and the person said $70 later “it’s fine”. I said you had to put a load in and see it throw the code. Later, motor error and DL "you will need a new motor and wires $400"...you know the rest. Lucky thing I was too cheap to play the pay game. My wife still likes the machines… so… I had to get it fixed. Surfing for answers and based on other folk's accounts and details (see below) up and down the web. They described the same symptoms.
NEW UPDATES: FRETTING/oxidized connections Read further below.
DISCLAIMER NOTE: THE EXTRA SOLDER NOTED ABOVE WAS DUE TO MY ORIGINAL TRIAL AND ERROR OF CLEANING AND PRODDING. EXTRA SOLDER MAY DISTORT OR DAMAGE THE CONNECTOR, PLEASE READ OTHER INFORMATION POSTED BY OTHERS...thank you.
Having nothing to loose:
You will see the yellow circles where found signs of problems for the solder work suggestions as described on the net.
Semi Legal Mumbo-Jumbo...(skip to next section otherwise read):
The following information is only an individuals (my) experience with a particular product and in no manner should it be construed as a statement of universal fault of the product nor does the information within this article guarantee that you will achieve the same results. Following the advise or examples found here will be at you own risk and damage is possible if you are not familiar with basic procedures. The author does not cover any damages if you fry your control board... Individuals are reminded that you should not mistake any overtones as a condemnation of the particular product or in any way does it make any accusation towards a company's lack of responsibility towards the quality of the product and is in fact a condition that is normally outside the warranty of the machine and is therefore the responsibility of the owner for any and all expenses toward repairs (we are on our own) and such that statements are personal observations and are not substantiated by formal data published...blah...blah...blah... Ok, the ugly part is done for now...
...Look, if you have the F11 problem, the following information may void your warranty... not that any of us had this happen while under warranty... exercise caution and care... OH! AND UNPLUG YOUR MACHINE BEFORE YOU MONKEY AROUND INSIDE IT!!!
Also, IN RESPONSE TO SOME REMARKS (a DIY forum and about me)...
IT IS TRUE... I AM NOT AN APPLIANCE REPAIR EXPERT...(nor do I play one on television), I AM A DUET OWNER AND HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN TO ME. I AM SHARING SOME OF THE INFORMATION I FOUND AND OR RECEIVED... NOTHING MORE… NOR, DO I WANT ANYTHING IN RETURN. (though I am curious about how old was your machine when it happened, so do share that in the comments if you don't mind... thank you)
Getting a Manual:
Look for Whirlpool publication L-68 in pdf form and download before its gone
( secured.whirlpool.com/Service/SrvTechAdm.nsf/2cd44500d572... ).
follow info on getting in machine. Also, note when you are prying out the ccu board, be careful as the plastic is brittle (cheap). I've snapped off a few bits here and there thanks to my rush so be a little prepared.
DIY-desoldering & SAFETY note:
You should have safety glasses on to perform the following… It is easy to do soldering yourself. A can of compressed air is necessary (safety glasses) and the trick to blast the solder off while its molten Try a solder sucker instead (caution: lead based solder, so don't breath in smoke and this is not recommended if you are pregnant or guys must be careful or you may start firing blanks). Heat the contact point of whichever component and as it shine up in the molten state, give it a quick blast (not at yourself, away from others and things and pets).
Dealing with the RELAY switches:
Consider one of your missions is towards the relays. It's hard to see in my picture above, but my example is with 2 - OMRAN G5LE-1-VD in the white and 1 OMRAN G2RL-1A-E relay in black since we don't have a heater so two spot are left empty. (if viewing in member flickr mode, additional notes are listed). When you desolder them off the board it is easier to pull the covers off and it takes just a slight pinch their tiny latches. Getting inside will allow you to clean the contact points if not replacing. I also swapped the two relays for each others position. Allowing the less carbonized one to sit in the hot seat for a while, this is mainly why I desoldered them off. Again, solder them back in with a good silver solder and don’t overheat. If you are able, do replace them both with new ones. Update: See below from "CJRECHE" about different relays and higher amp rating.
DIY soldering:
When re-soldering, use a good silver/tin solder instead of the cheap lead/tin crap they used. It's a soldering temp of 370+ degrees so careful! I purchased a Radio Shack 15-30 watt iron and it worked fine for me. Butter the tip a little and use a damp sponge to clean off any sludge from the rosin/flux burning. The tip would be then ready to touch the area for soldering. Not a dainty touch, but enough to allow heating up the connection to melt the fresh solder from the spool as you touch it to the heated area and don’t over do it. Just enough to cover.
Additional Error notes:
My Door Errors and Motor Errors can be traced back to the same point in the CCU. Mostly nothing moves without the ccu involved in the process. So it would not be a surprise if the repair guy misdiagnoses and repairs the problem Door or Motor and you still have the same issues. Useful is to beef up the solder coated contacts as circled above. This cuts down on the chance of vibrations wiggling off those flimsy plugs.
Other things that cause trouble over time:
RF connection gets loose or slightly corroded and that sends shivers up the CCU too.
Door wire harness at the door end gets a little wiggly
Scraping from the drum (serious problem see Spider Bracket)
Passing along more info:
If you know more about the different components on this board beyond this little soldering subject, please keep me up to date if it is part of the problem. Such things like poor quality parts and suggestion for better... that sort of stuff. Also if you have other sites that have more info on the subject, pass them on so I can include them here. Otherwise, I hope some of this helps. I've heard talk in the past that Sears will replace the boards on Kenmore washers...good... take them up on it if its free or near free! Whirlpool...I've not heard a thing yet.
Special Thanks:
Thanks to the others whom have done the trail blazing of diagnosing the cause and posting the solutions "crabboy","kevintrisha" and "Sonnysideup" Also read "Littleman23" on the epinion message board he seems to have more info for disassembly. Hey, check out "tanksalotcs" "SPIDER BRACKET"...'youtube' under kenmore, front loader washer, subject is spider bracket failure! Also, Special-Special Thanks to CJRECHE for his efforts and cool microscope images. Special-Special-Special thanks to MONETTSYS for his facts and links (see below).
History to date:
Number of Loads since repaired in April of 2007:198 loads as of January 2, 2008 with no problems. Now 400ish loads and a year has passed since completion of repair. I hope all you other f11 sufferers are having luck with some of the info above. If it has not happened to your machine yet, hope it never will.
Update:
03/16/2009 - still no problems since my solder job (440+ loads).
10/12/2009 - still no problems and about 500ish loads.
04/20/2010 - still no problems ... lost count 550?
02/14/2016 - No problems with F11, but Spider died.
...oh, at 700+ load by this time with no F11
mysteryonionsfixit.blogspot.com/2016/02/ghw9150-whirlpool...
02/15/2016 - Ordered new Basket w/ Spider.
02/20/2016 - new basket w/spider came and installed and working like before... also purchased new springs. Springs bigger and a little beefy than originals. Works good.
These 1970s Dumont packsets (link to manual) remind me of the UHF Repcos they used at San Francisco International Airport about this time. Being modular, when they get dropped the modules try to unplug themselves from the backplane. If they succeed, it puts the radio out of service. Great for us technical staff. You open the back cover, push down on the modules with your thumb, and it's fixed.
Motorola MX300s did this to a lesser extent. There were foam blocks between all the MX's internal modules that were supposed to prevent them from moving. After this period, the idea of plug in modules in portable products went out of fashion.
After a dull start to my day, I was eventually drawn to the nice texture on these branches and how the afternoon light cast a gentle glow over them.
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes. Including you.” – Anne Lamott
Thank you for looking
©All rights reserved. Jms Images
Branch train arrived at Loughrea c 1975. Usual passenger accommodation on the train was one coach warmed by electric storage heaters which were plugged into the station overnight! On one famous occasion they forgot to unplug them before the train moved off -the result was set of heaters on the platform and a giant hole in the side of the coach. There after a non screw plug was utilised!
Image from a recent glorious day on the waters of Florida Bay, Key Largo.
But also tips for those of you who are homewoners, or may be homeowners in the future. I did have water, water, everywhere, and have been and shall be a bit scarce on Flickr because of this. Last night, while I was doing laundry, the hose connection, on the hose that drains the water from the washing machine, broke, and my whole house was flooded. I walked in the door, after a short time of doing the laundry, to find that everything was flooded in an inch or more of water. This kind of thing happens in a moment. I had this happen once before in the middle of the night, when a hose connecting my sink to the pipes broke. By the time I caught it, my house was also covered in an inch or more of water. Water damage is the worst-- almost like a fire in terms of potential damage. It wicks up the baseboards and walls, it wicks up the furniture, soaks any carpet. Everything is wet -- and potentially destroyed and full of mold. Luckily, this time, and the prior time, I caught the damage within an hour of it's happening. Still it's quite a mess. In Florida, most of us keep "wet vacs". With the help of friends, we wet vac'd up the water. Then we had to try to move and clean all the furniture and carpets, and to turn on fans and up the AC to try to dry out the walls, doors, baseboards, etc. This time I saved the furniture-- waiting to see if the carpets and walls will be okay. Machinery is in place trying to dry out my drywall and baseboards-- hoping that mold and mildew will not take over. Hopefully my tile floor will be okay. If the water stood there longer, it would be ruined.
So here are the tips. I pass them on. They may save you troubles in life, and are not that hard to do. Whether you rent or are a homeowner:
1. If you leave for the day, or week-end, or longer, turn off the water to your house or apt. It's usually a 2 second job, once you learn how to do it. If a water heater goes bad, or a hose bursts, the damage is minimized and survivable mostly.
2. If you turn the water off to the house/apt., be sure to turn off your water heater at the circuit breaker. Again, an easy task once you know how to do it.
3. Have the hoses to your washing machine checked regularly and replaced as they age.
4. Not sure there is much you can do about the connectors to all the sinks and toilets and showers in your house, but be sure to turn the water off if you leave for a day. Everything can be ruined in over an hour. When we had a connector fail, the company that helped us told us this happens all the time.
5. If you have a surge protector, or an extension cord or electrical multiplex plugged in for a series of electrial things, be sure that it is off the floor. Mine was not, and my friends almost got electrocuted when they stepped into the flooded area. I had on rubber soled shoes, but they did not, and they got shocked. Wherever you are, even in an upstairs apt., be sure that any surge protectors/multi-plugs/extension cords, are off the floor. Any living unit, on any floor, can flood, and once you step in the water, you can be shocked/electrcuted by electrical things lying in the water. Simply raise them up off the floor. Either anchor them to the wall, set them on furniture off the floor, or even get yoga blocks to set them on. Just get them a few inches off the floor. You may save a life.
6. Should you have a flood, immediately, try to turn off all electrical. If you have access to the circuit breaker box, turn off everything. Don't risk wading across flooded water to unplug items, call for help.
Taken 01/28/12, Uploaded 1/31/12, 2012 01 28_zTD5OverlaySL KeyLargoN friend dogs_0394
If you wish, view "my own favorites" of my photostream
Or view all of my Photostream, sorted by Interestingness: fiveprime.org/flickr_hvmnd.cgi?search_domain=User&tex...
PASSEGGIANDO LUNGO L'ALZAIA
Appena fuori le mura di Treviso ti aspetta una bellissima passeggiata nella natura che ti consentirà di staccare la spina per un paio d’ore e allontanarti dalla frenesia quotidiana. Lungo questo itinerario incontrerai gli splendidi paesaggi disegnati dal Sile, il fiume di risorgiva più lungo d’Europa. Si tratta della cosiddetta Strada Alzaia che da Treviso arriva fino a Casier: un percorso che puoi fare a piedi o in bicicletta, perfetto anche per famiglie con bambini perché si sviluppa su strade bianche o su strade asfaltate poco trafficate. Un tempo l'antica Strada Alzaia, o Restera, era utilizzata per trainare da riva con buoi o cavalli le grosse barche che da Venezia risalivano la corrente e attraccavano al porto fluviale di Treviso.
Note tratte dal sito:
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WALKING ALONG THE RIVER BANK
Just outside the walls of Treviso, a beautiful nature walk awaits you that will allow you to unplug for a couple of hours and get away from the daily frenzy. Along this itinerary you will encounter the splendid landscapes designed by the Sile, the longest resurgence river in Europe. This is the so-called Strada Alzaia which runs from Treviso to Casier: a route that you can do on foot or by bicycle, also perfect for families with children because it runs on dirt roads or asphalted roads with little traffic. Once upon a time the ancient Strada Alzaia, or Restera, was used to tow from the shore with oxen or horses the large boats that sailed upstream from Venice and docked at the river port of Treviso.
CANON EOS 6D Mark II con ob. CANON EF 24-70 f./2,8 L USM
I have been at our cabin picking blueberries and wondering through the woods. Nice place to unwind and unplug - no electricity, plumbing, cell phone service. Also close to Chena Hot Springs:)
Sort of a short message of my view: I'm trying to pick up my brain, and listen to this without prejudice, since "God ideas" create a lot of "us believers," the good people and them "Atheist" without morals, initially I think I have respective morals and good judgment respecting those that respect me quite a lot. Do I need a god to tell me what to do? No, it's just me without "a God" guidance.
Most likely, I know that a lot of people hate questioning the ''Laws of God'' and all the doctrines, but here's a view by Jordan Peterson. He is a Canadian clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at the University of Toronto.
Biblical Series I: Introduction to the Idea of God
JordanPetersonVideos -Published on May 20, 2017
Lecture I in my Psychological Significance of the Biblical Stories series from May 16th at Isabel Bader Theatre in Toronto. In this lecture, I describe what I consider to be the idea of God, which is at least partly the notion of sovereignty and power, divorced from any concrete sovereign or particular, individual person of power. I also suggest that God, as Father, is something akin to the spirit or pattern inherent in the human hierarchy of authority, which is based in turn on the dominance hierarchies characterizing animals.
As the sun crests the curvature of the Earth and the first warm fingers of light pull away the curtain of darkness, a small satellite spins through the void of space high above the little blue planet. Lost, looking for a home, it scans the surface of the world below it. It sees war, feels hate, fears desolation and cries for the poverty. The little satellite spins in the nothing and decides to continue on. As it begins to leave the gravitational pull of the world it found, it glances back one last time. A moment, a brief second of time stops it. It hesitates and looks again. Another moment comes, could it be? It probes deeper into what it sees and feels. Yes, it's there if you look. Happiness, Joy, Peace, Love. But most of all, it feels the Hope. The tiny satellite floats down through the atmosphere, down towards the surface of the blue planet, down to a place, it will call home.
View with Hope that we will see a world with no war, hate, desolation, or poverty in our lifetime.
for
Our Daily Challenge: Sphere
The troopers pulled an all nighter, and were able to pinpoint the trouble spot. However the drive was shot! Lucky for me about 6 months ago I upgraded my hard drive to a 2 terabyte internal drive. When I did that I cloned my old drive, and just unplugged it. After trying everything I could find on the Internet I remembered the old drive. Looked around the house for it, but couldn't find it. After opening the tower, I realized it was there just unplugged. So plug the old into the motherboard unplug the 2T, hit the start and all boots up fine. Lost about 4 months of things not backed up to my external 1T, but that's not too bad. Note to self, backup more often. I tried to format and re clone to the 2T with no success. So for now I upgraded the original HD to Windows 7, and am looking for a new HD. Thanks everyone for all your kind comments.
Press [L] or click on the image to view the image in full screen.
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Sometimes it's essential to completely unplug yourself from the omnipresent digital nightware we have created.
For a while I've really wanted to visit this beautiful island if Jurmo in the outer parts of Turku archipelago, Finland. And is there a finer way to celebrate one's 30th birthday in the same time and visit this beautiful island. It did not disappoint me. The island is beautiful and unique in most special way. The island is known for it's very unique plant and animal species. From white-tailed eagles to deers, mooses and home grown alpacas. All worth seeing.
Have a nice day :-)
Settings:
- Sony A7R
- Leica Tri-Elmar 16-18-21 f/4 ASPH @ 18mm
- f/8
- ND-filter
- Long exposure
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52Frames | Week 05: “Chair” Runner-up
I’ve always appreciated the quiet corners tucked throughout my workplace, and this one has become a favorite. It used to be a small office before the remodel, but now it’s a calm little retreat—soft light, clean lines, and just enough space to breathe. I’ll slip in here during lunch when I need a break from the buzz, enjoying a few minutes of stillness before the day picks back up. I’m grateful to work somewhere that balances collaboration with places to unplug, even for a moment.
Walked into work today with no internet. Working in a leasing office where 90% of the duties require being online makes for an unproductive day. I was trying to unplug this modem to reset it but this room is a cluster EFF.
Milon is a family-owned restaurant, which has been in business since 1982. As seen in this photo, Milon and its neighboring restaurants, take #Diwali very seriously and have decorated their interiors with thousands of lights.
The owner of Milon told us that in the summer, they have to unplug lots of their lights because when the air conditioner is running, they overload the circuits! Photo from 2010 and full interview with owner appear in our book "New York Nights". #storefront #diwalidecor #lodownny #ig_signage #everything_signage #festivaloflights
©2012 Susan Ogden-All Rights Reserved
We are having a few decent storms tonight....and i was going to play with my updated Elements program....but i went outside to watch the storm instead, from my front porch! i love sitting there watching the storm build in intensity, with the wind picking up and trees bending, submissive to the force of the wind, brighter flashes of light and louder rumbles of thunder, adding to the excitement There is something so beautiful about the raw power of nature. The force of it all made me think of this song....so, i Youtubed it and placed it here for you to go with this picture that i created after the storm worked it’s way through.
This had to be a rather quick creation....more storms are on their way and i want to unplug the hard drive and computer just to be safe.
Hope you all have a wonderful evening! :)
PS. i LOVE rollicking thunderstorms!!
While hiking, I have been seeing a growing number of people taking only a brief view of the surroundings and then burying themselves in their electronic devices. This ongoing project highlights the need to re-examine our need to unplug and just enjoy the beauty of this world.
Rolleiflex 2.8FX
Kodak T-Max 400
D76 1:1
©2018 Joseph Brunjes
All Rights Reserved.
Do not use without permission.
See more of this ongoing project:
I switched off all my machines including my phone on the weekend and discovered a new hangout cafe! Just what I needed! Thanks to the owners and amazing staff at The Missing Piece for making my first visit such a treat. Will be back soon for more sketching and eating your great food!
www.lizsteel.com/2015/02/my-unplug-weekend-and-new-hangou...
Location: Historic Malacca LKS 1927
Special Thanks: Firdaus de Thinker >> Please sign the Model Release Forms and send it back to me!!!
HOME
If you can't afford a new home or a large remodeling project, there are still plenty of things you can do to be environmentally friendly and save money.
1. Update your lighting
Make it a policy to buy energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs. You can now get a variety of shapes and perfectly match the color hue and lighting for each room. They look good and use at least two-thirds less power than regular lighting.
2. Buy Energy Star
When you are ready to buy new home appliances, buy smart. Check for the Energy Star rating. These more efficient machines can reduce your utility bill as much as 30-percent. Deb Snoonian, Managing Editor of Plenty Magazine said, "Energy Start is a program sponsored by the EPA and the Department of Energy. Essentially, it's a way for them to recognize the companies and the products that are most energy-efficient. On average, an Energy Start appliance -- whether it's a computer monitor, a refrigerator, a washer or dryer -- is going to be about 30-percent more energy efficient."
3. Wall Warts
Those clunky power adaptors draw energy from the wall all the time. Unplug them individually or attach them to a power strip and turn off the whole switch when not in use. Around 75-percent of all electricity in a home comes from appliances that are turned off, but are still plugged in. Make sure that you only have those appliances plugged in where you're actually using the electricity. You will save on bills and we as a society will save on energy.
4. Dormant Appliances
Practically every appliance uses electricity even when it's switched off. Unless it needs power to retain programming memory, hit the switch. Better yet, make it a family practice. Amy Schachter, an Upper East Side resident, said, "My family reminds each other constantly. That's partly money, partly the fact that we know now that we're creating energy usage that is totally unnecessary."
5. Energy Audit
You can find out how much energy your home uses each year with an energy audit. Many utility providers and state energy departments will audit your home free or at low cost to help you find ways to be more energy efficient.
6. Insulate
Make sure your ducts are properly insulated and install weather-stripping around windows and doors for a better seal. Tax credits on efficiency-increasing heating and cooling equipment make now a great time to upgrade. And remember, insulation pays for itself year round. Cascio Construction President Michael Cascio said, "It translates into the heat or the air conditioning that you're going to use, and certainly you want to retain whatever heating system or whatever cooling system you're using, you want to retain that inside the house."
7. House Plants
Invest in large, live houseplants that will help keep your indoor air fresher.
8. Save Water
Place a water bottle filled with liquid or pennies into your toilet's water tank. This will cause the tank to use less water every time you flush. Plenty Magazine Managing Editor Deb Snoonian estimates it wil save you about a quart to half a gallon per flush.
9. Solar Water Heater
Consider eventually installing a solar hot water heater on your property. It would cost about $8,500 for a family of four. You can apply for federal and state tax credits, which adds up to almost 50-percent. It'll take about six and a half years for the system to break even on its investment, then you're making free hot water.
10. Green Power
Many utility companies offer renewable energy products that can be purchased as a percent of total energy use or in blocks of kilowatts. Buying green energy helps support the development and use of renewable fuel souces.
RECYCLE
There are few things you can't turn into something environmentally friendly while making your pocket a little greener in the process.
11. Make Your Own Cleaning Supplies
Using simple ingredients such as baking soda, soap and vinegar, you can make cheap, easy, and non-toxic cleaning products save money, time, and your indoor air quality. This is especially important if you have kids, pets or if there are elderly people in your home who are sensitive to chemicals in the air so you and your home will be healthier.
12. Safer Paint
Paint can be made with the same volitile organic compounds found in nail polish or gasoline. Major manufacturers and some boutique brands have introduced low VOC paint. It spreads, it covers and leaves the room smelling just fine.
13. Aerosols
Limit your use of aerosol cans. Because they have limited recycling value, the containers will probably wind up in a landfill. Instead of aerosols, look for spray bottles, liquids, powders and roll-ons.
14. Cloth
Paper towels and napkins can be made from recycled paper, though in some cases the recycling costs more than making a brand new product. You won't hear that about cloth napkins, which can be washed and re-used again and again.
15. Laundry Room
By making sure your lint filter is clean and your dryer exhaust free to open and close, you are essentially tuning up the efficiency of your appliance. It will run better and be more cost efficient.
16. Air Dry
For the ultimate in low cost laundry drying, put the clothes on either a drying rack or go outside and use the clothesline.
17. Smart Landscaping
Trees and shrubs provide shade during the summer and can help shield your house from frigid winter winds. Both can help lower your energy bill.
18. Walking the Cat
Instead of plastic bags, scoop your cat's doo in biodegradable bags.
19. Compost your leftovers
Composting helps reduce the amount of waste you send to the landfill. In the process, you create free, healthy fertilizer for your garden.
20. Collect the Rain
Place a barrel under a gutter downspout and let it fill over time. Plenty Magazine Managing Editor Deb Snoonian said, "Rain water is actually healthier for plants and gardens than tap water which often has chlorine in it to kill bacteria, but bacteria can inhibit plants from growing.
OFFICE
Green at home is one thing; green at the office has its own set of special challenges. Going green is a lifestyle choice, not just a home activity. So what are some steps you can take at work to make things more environmentally friendly?
21. Buy a laptop
Even an oversize laptop runs more efficiently and takes less energy than a desktop.
22. Reduce Paper
The paper trail follows many of us, adding hundreds of pounds of waste. You can reduce it with just a few changes. Save printing: send documents by email and keep files on your computer, not a filing cabinet.
23. Print Double Sides
You can save plenty of paper by programming your printer to use both sides of the paper. In the case of a long report, do you really need 500 one-sided pages?
24. Refill and Reuse Cups
"Many of us get take our coffee in the morning and were using plastic and cardboard cups," said Plenty Magazine Managing Editor Deb Snoonian. "Bring your own mug. You can leave one at work; you can even often times bring a reusable mug as you're commuting in your car. It can be refilled over and over again. Wash it at home it's a nice habit to get into that saves you one cup a day."
25. Pay Your Bills Online
It's not only quicker and easier to pay by computer, it also puts a major dent in the paper waste pile.
26. Recycle Your Appliances
Not just the big ones. Cell phones, PDAs and laptops can all find a new purpose after you're done with them. Many organizations refurbish them for low-income families.
27. Become Battery Smart
Stretch your battery use. A battery too drained to power a flashlight might be perfect to operate your TV remote. Before you pitch it - switch it!
28. Lights Out
Motion sensors, dimmers and timers can be set to turn things on and off when needed.
29. Going Grey
Ask your commercial building manager about using gray water tanks. It's a system that recycles water from your building's toilets, washing machines and dishwashers. Impractical? Don't say that around New Jersey's Aspen Ice Skating Rink where the septic water is collected, treated and put back on the rink. At this point, the systems are a bit too costly for one-family use, but if you're in a commercial building or a planned community, consider making the water work for you.
30. Water
Speaking of water, instead of bottled water around the meeting table, filter your tap for drinking water. Not only is bottled water expensive, but it produces large amounts of wasteful containers.
CAR & GAS
Even if you can't buy the most environmentally friendly car, there are still plenty of things you can do to get from one place to another with minimum energy. Getting to work, school and running errands all add to your energy budget. To go green you don't have to give up transportation, just use it a bit more wisely.
31. Work From Home
Instant messaging and video conferencing now allow you to hold conferences or even take online classes. This means you save time and gas.
32. Use Public Transportation
Trains, buses, boats, car pools and your own feet.
33. Rental Car
When driving is necessary, use an inexpensive hourly rental car.
34. Drive Economically
Even if you can't afford a fancy hybrid, there are plenty of cars that get great mileage. A car that gives you another 10 more miles to the gallon puts $1,000 dollars a year back in your pocket!
35. Drive Smart
Properly inflate your tires, change your air filter and drive 55 mph on the highway.
36. Friendly Fuels
Using bio fuels goes way beyond ethanol. Look for environmentally friendly oil car fluids and, of course, read how to use and dispose of them properly.
37. Car Air Conditioning
It's practically standard on modern cars. Use it wisely. At higher speeds, open windows create drag and lower your mileage. Roll them up and use the air and recirculation. At slower speeds and around town, roll down your windows and catch a cool breeze.
38. One Right Turn Deserves Another
The time spent in your car idling while waiting to turn against oncoming traffic burns fuel and costs millions each year. In metro New York, United Parcel Service (UPS) reduced emissions by 1,000 metric tons with a software map program customized for every driver to minimize lefts.
39. Drive Thru
Avoid the drive thru. Instead of idling in line with your engine running for several minutes, save the gas by parking and going inside for your order.
40. Car Wash
Commercial car washes can be more efficient than home washing. Check to make sure that they clean and recycle the water.
AT THE STORE
In the store, in your home, even while you sleep...There are things you can do to be more energy efficient and better to the environment.
41. B.Y.O.B.
Bring Your Own Bag. Some grocery stores give you cash toward your next purchase for every bag you bring in to use again. It saves them and you money. "In the U.S., we use five hundred billion plastic bags every single year and only three percent of those get recycled," said Deb Snoonian, Managing Editor of Plenty Magazine. "You can also buy permanent bags with designer colors."
42. Packaging
Check the amount of cardboard, plastic and other materials used for the box. Some retailers are replacing plastic containers with corn-based packaging.
43. Buy Big
By purchasing things in larger quantities, you will probably save money and certainly save the cost of packaging and transporting smaller boxes of the same thing.
44. Green Fashions Are Becoming Hot
Look for clothes and accessories like handbags that are environmentally friendly.
45. Pet Products
Even kitty litter can be laced with questionable ingredients. Look for natural alternatives.
46. Antiques
Antiques are sort of the ultimate recyclable, servicing generations of owners. Many can be restored with natural wax products at a very reasonable price.
47. Buy Water Efficient Showerheads and Aerators
Many modern showerheads are built to conserve. Check to see how well yours works. Also, aerators on the faucets will keep water waste to a minimum.
48. Mattresses
Federal regulations will soon require all sleeping mattresses to be fire resistant. If you like the safety but don't care for the flame retardant chemicals, some popular brands are introducing models with a more natural fiber based flame retardant barrier.
49. Energy Offset Certificates
These essentially allow you to invest in an environmentally friendly cause.
50. Smart Recycling
Smart recycling can be environmentally sound and pleasing, too. Companies like IceStone make durable surfaces made from recycled materials, like glass and concrete. Recycling is not limited to bottles. Used doors windows, fixtures can all be bought at a fraction of the new price. Think creatively - a New York man built a veritable castle of recycled materials.
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I got the idea for this weeks picture, while trying to plug in all the necessary cables for the NAS. As all this stuff connected to the internet (like router, phone, NAS, and so on) is cramped up in this small corner near my telephone jack, there are lying around like a thousand cables in much too little space. Of course I got tangled up the moment I barely touched the first cable. Luckily I could just avoid getting swallowed by it and be lost forever. So I had to unplug everything first, untangle the whole mess, and plug it in again. And I bet, if I ever have to plug something in or out there again, I have to start from the beginning again. So while fighting with all these cables, cursing uncontrollably and trying to sort it all out, Marie was rolling on the floor behind me laughing at my futile efforts. And so the basic idea for this weeks picture was born. As I wanted to do a little more photoshop magic this week, I decided to try creating this small lightning strike, “biting” my nose.
If you want to know the full story behind this picture and see the lighting diagram of the setup, head over to:
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Strobist Info:
I used a 2 Strobe setup for this.
Yongnuo Speedlite YN560 behind me through softbox
Yongnuo Speedlite YN560 cam right 45° through umbrella
Huge window with nice diffuse ambient light cam left
...Dreaming of a sunrise composition somewhere...sometime...some how.
It's time to unplug myself from this dream and do it. ....But since it's been raining; having a cup of coffee in my dream helps when waiting. Until then; messing around in a somewhat creative way with photo editing. ;)
* Canon EOS REBEL T5i camera
* Auto Chinon 28mm f/2.8 (Komine) lens
* Fotodiox M42-EF lens adapter
Saved the best for last with Hothead. Really wanted to bring this one to life, so used a lighter behind the hand flames so create some real fire. El wire in the background, now for anyone who has a keen eye who has experianced skylanders, the portal or power doesn't glow certain colours, so for this part I had to hold a coloured gel over my lens while it lit up, then quick unplug it to do the rest of the image.
Enjoy
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Added a couple new items to the office, so I thought I would update. Notice the car under the iMac screen. It is a University of Memphis convertible car that I bought while I was in Gatlinburg. I also got some new yellow cushies for my Grado SR60s. Also, I don't think the laptuk was in my old pic. It is a stand for the iMac that allows for some storage underneath. I usually unplug the tablet and slide it under when it is not being used.
ASCENSION NEWS: Embracing 5D Wealth Consciousness
Is it Time to Escape from Scare-City Consciousness?
The opposite of abundance is scarcity or Scare-City as I call it. Scare-City is another term for low frequency 3D living. How do I know about Scare-City consciousness? I was introduced to Scare-City consciousness by my family but my initiation came later. I worked in international banking in the City of London for a around a decade leaving in my late twenties in ’87. To be honest I was a bad fit. I did not believe in the work I was doing and I really was only there because I did not know what else to do and because there was a golden cage of financial benefits closing around me. This was a painful time where I felt I was a round peg being squeezed into a very square hole. Ethics was not something that was much talked about in the places I worked. On a number of occasions I raised concerns about a number of large projects the bank was involved \and I was told by most of my colleagues to forget my concerns about social justice and just focus on the bonus at the end of the year. None of this worked for me, you see I never cared about shareholders or bonuses. I knew in my heart that I needed to do something else but with a young family this was not an easy decision to take. Eventually I hit a crisis and energetically hit the wall. I took a year off sick to convalesce. Then I resigned. My soul was calling me to adventure and I could not longer resist to the call to the journey. I had no idea where it would lead but actually looking back this was one of the most important decisions I made. I am certain that if I had stayed there I would be dead or mad by now.
How Do I know About 5D Wealth Consciousness…
How do I know about 5D Abundance or Wealth consciousness? After leaving the 3D world of banking I entered the more politically left-wing world of local government. After 10 years there I left my job to finally leave the 3D Matrix of work behind for good. I was now fully on the path of following my heart. I had been exploring different spiritual paths for several years and the only area not aligned with my spiritual life was how I earned/generated money in the world. After a few adventures in different work settings I became a director of a not-for-profit organisation in 2000. This organisation hosted spiritual authors for talks and workshops. I stayed as a director for 13 years. It was challenging in the beginning because the organisation was not in great financial shape. and in that time I started to understand how spirituality, business and money could really work together. This was an incredible learning curve. I left the organisation in great financial shape when I stepped away at the Winter Solstice 2012. I did this to devote my time and energy to my own ascension business. This experience continues to be a journey of a lifetime.
This Dense 3D System is Wobbling and Will End…
I need to say at this point that the natural nature of the Universe is abundance. How do we know this? Well, just notice the sun and its radiance of light and energy. This radiance allows life on this planet to flourish. You may have noticed that their is no Solar Corporation anywhere sending you a monthly invoice for this gorgeous gift. This is one example of the generosity of nature. For another closer to the earth, think of one sunflower seed. This seed, if given the right conditions, will produce a gorgeous flower that in turn produces many hundreds of seeds. These seeds will create a field of flowers which in turn will create enough seeds for many fields of flowers.
We live in an abundant universe even though while in the density of the 3D Matrix we have largely been corralled into believing that scarcity is the natural order of things. This is something that most economists firmly believe. The financial system is set up so that abundance equals money which is a finite commodity. From a spiritual point of view money is energy and energy follows belief, intention and vision. Money as energy is attracted to certain frequencies and repelled by others. In 3D money was attracted to those who desired it the most, who valued it the most, who intended to have it the most. Now the planet is ascending the money game is changing. More and more it seems that money is attracted to individuals and enterprises with vision and energy. The Internet has changed the way much of the world does business. It has revolutionised the publishing and music industries for instance. Even though the world is changing and many individuals and enterprises are doing great work we are not out of the intense gravitational pull of the old 3D financial system just yet.
Consciousness is creative and since most of the global population feel disenfranchised from the abundance of the earth this has helped to keep the 3D Matrix of fear-separation-control very much alive. I know from working in the system and also my experience of being at the receiving end of the system that this generates not only Scare-City Consciousness on the planet but it is also responsible for just most of the major problems we face such as pollution and war. In this outgoing 3D Matrix, the monetary system locks billions of humans into debt, anxiety, consumerism and a very low frequency consciousness that blocks our ability to truly know our vast spiritual nature. Money itself is not the problem, the system that controls and manipulates monetary flows is the problem. This system could be viewed metaphorically as a pyramidal structure with a small group at the top reaping most of the rewards while many at the lower levels struggle to survive. A very few people at the top own a vastly disproportionate percentage of the global wealth. Because of the time we are in and the light impacting the planet this system is wobbling badly. This system is unjust, destructive, alien to human nature and to every living kingdom on this planet. I am sure that you are reading this because you know that there is something very wrong here. This system is in dire need of transformation otherwise it will collapse or partially collapse which will force a new more just and equitable system to be put in place. Further down the timeline it is destined that the whole system will be totally re-imagined and transformed so that energy exchanges serve the whole and not just the few.
That Old Babylonian Slave Money Magic…
Our current monetary system has been referred to by some as a Babylonian Slave Money Magic system. This indicates how long ago it was created. Controlling money gave many advantages. Controlling money flow allows an unprecedented ability to control the masses. It allows a small group of people to control most of the governments of the world. This small group has a tremendous power and this power has been in place for as long as systems have sought to rule. Many well-meaning people have tried to challenge the system. When Julius Caesar first came to power in ancient Rome, one of the biggest challenges was a mountain of debt which caused social unrest, poverty and civil war. There was a distinct lack of coinage, as people were hoarding currency. Julius Caesar ended the unrest by providing free rent for a year, limited how much currency could be kept per citizen and cancelled all interest payments due since the outbreak of civil war. Many were jubilant but not everyone was happy. The money changers had lost control of a lucrative business but this would not be the case for long. Caesar was assassinated, corruption returned, taxes increased, businesses failed, citizens lost homes and lands, and poverty became more the norm. Sound familiar? In the 60’s John Kennedy attempted to change the American financial system and look what happened to him. on June 4, 1963, John F. Kennedy signed an Executive Order calling for the issuance of currency through the U.S. treasury rather than the Federal Reserve System. He also gave a radical speech about the dangers of ‘secret societies that also sealed his fate. He was assassinated shortly after.
Scare-City is Created From the Inside Out…
Scare-City is created by conditioning and fear based programs that become lodged deep within the subconscious mind. Such programs, based on false beliefs about the nature of reality, have passed down the generations. My parents went through rationing in WW2 as children and my mother continued to act as if rationing could come back any moment through storing tinned food. She did this up until the time she passed over. So, scare-city programs can be passed down the bloodline. We may feel programs being triggered whenever we want to take a step to move out of such systemic control. These programs block our ability to generate personal abundance or success. Scare-city programs also come from past life experiences. Just think of a lifetime in a monastery where you take vows of poverty out of the belief that money is bad, sinful or evil. Also think about the opposite kind of experience, where you had money and as a result you and your whole family were robbed or killed as a result.
People are more easily controlled when they are fearful or in survival mode. I know from personal experience that every time I came to a major choice point in my life, one where I felt invited by spirit to take a step outside my familiarity zone it always came with a sense of fear or anxiety. How would I pay for my mortgage? How would I afford to eat? What would become of me? What if it all goes badly wrong? All of these thoughts were one way or another associated with beliefs around money. My worst-case scenario was a deep fear of homelessness. When I was at one particular choice point back in the late 90’s I remember scouting around looking for cosy spots to sleep should worst come to worst. (It never happened of course!) Scare-City Consciousness creates an almost hypnotic compulsion to accumulate money and to shop in order to stay safe and feel good and worthy. Scare-City could be viewed as a disease of chronic unhappiness. This is a disease of the spirit that creates a state of spiritual bankruptcy.
If we believe that our self-worth is based on how much money we earn or how big our house is or how much status is attached to our job then we in trouble. We need to see how these ideas are at work inside our minds so they can be cleared and replaced. These programs are like layers of an onion. At the top are the conditioning we have taken on in this life and below are ancestral and past life programs. These programs can be changed. When this happens, like Neo in the Matrix, we begin to unplug from the old system and open to new ideas and possibilities that more closely reflect our true nature as a multidimensional spiritual being. From that point we will feel much more aligned with the true nature of the universe and the natural order of life on this planet.
We are Moving Towards a 5D Monetary System…
Following the 2012 alignment we are experiencing an increase in light on the planet. This is serving to wake people up to a new level of consciousness. This will in time help to reboot many of the governing systems on the planet including most importantly our financial systems. Many awake Lightworkers and Starseeds are already working within such systems helping to shift the old energetic blueprint. Many are working on the outside to open new energetic possibilities on the planet. New new ideas are being created in the wings birthing new possibilities that will end the old paradigm of control. Current examples of this include certain crypto-currencies, which although still operate within the old system, they are helping to shift some of our core notions about money and how it is controlled. Such movements are shifting the planet towards a new economic paradigm, one that will be in harmony with spiritual laws and with the natural prosperity of the universe. 2017-18 are crucial years that are initiating some massive shifts in our dominating systems. This will be ultimately liberating. Overall the planet will continue to see slow and steady change towards a more wholesome light. Darkness will continue to be witnessed and released as we move towards greater global transparency and justice.
You Have Permission to Neutralise and Clear Scare-City Now…
With the expansion of spiritual tools and techniques around working with energy we can learn to create a more abundant personal reality. There are some things you can do to neutralise the impact of 3D Scare-City consciousness. Money carries so much projections of anxiety, desire, greed from the collective consciousness on the planet. This is one reason why Lightworkers keep money at bay. They feel it comes with a mixed bag of other energies they would rather not have. The good news is that it is possible to clear money of ‘negative’ energies so that you can let more of this cleaned energy into your life. Just as water needs filtering money does also. Can you imagine cleaning all the streams of money coming into your life so you feel uplifted by money? Once money is filtered the vibration of money can be enhanced, I personally like using gold energy to do this. Wherever money enters your life, from whatever source, imagine clearing that stream of energy with light. I imagine great golden nets of light catching any lower energies. I filter all money streams entering my personal space so that any energies such as fear, greed, shame etc. are neutralised.
Remember that money is energy and energy can be diverted, siphoned off or made to disappear down black holes in the global banking system. This is easier to do now that we have entered the digital age where money is energy blips in different banking systems. It is important to make sure your bank accounts are energetically clear and sealed so as to not leak energy anywhere. You can imagine filtering all the channels of money coming in and out of your bank account. Do this in meditation. Place filters of ultra violet fire across all channels coming into your tank. This helps to clear money coming in and also protect your money from energy vampirism. Replace these filters often. Imagine your bank account is a water tank. Check how small or large is the tank. Giver yourself permission to enlarge the tank. Then check it for leaks or dark portals which suck your money into some matrix oblivion. Close any openings with the help of your Higher Self and seal the tank with gold light. Call upon Archangel Metatron and place an infinity symbol on all sides of the tank. This is to indicate to your unconscious mind and also to the universe that you are ready for unlimited abundance. Then imagine expanding the size of the channels entering the tank. Make sure the light filters also expand to filter out any ‘negative’ energies. Also, place the outgoing channels higher so that money does not constantly drain out of your metaphorical tank.
We Can Together Co-Create Heaven on Earth…
It is important to realise that wealth consciousness is a mindset, it is much more than money. We can create heaven on earth and part of this involves opening to wealth consciousness. When you are vibrating with wealth consciousness, you no longer fear losing anything. You are at ease with uncertainty for this can lead to many new adventures and opportunities. Know this – we are path-finders, map-makers, dream-weavers. Much darkness is ending on the planet. We are heading for an new era of freedom and abundance on the planet. Imagine cancelling all ‘negative’ karma with money, imagine deleting all poverty vows and associated negative patterning in your consciousness? Imagine having a spring clean in your Akashic-Soul records. Close doors that need to be closed and open new doors that need to be opened. You have lived many lifetimes. Some of these lifetimes were amazing reference points where you experienced creating flow, joy and abundance. You are a multidimensional being. You have experienced wealth consciousness in different higher planes of existence. You know how to create a heaven on earth. Imagine upgrading all your thoughts and feelings around what is possible for you and the planet. Imagine being grateful for all the small and not so small miracles that come your way. As your reality shifts into greater flows of abundance you give permission for the collective reality to shift. We are heading for a new world, an Alpha Earth which will be abundance in so many ways. New ways of cooperatively living together as communities and larger groups of people. New technology and energy sources will release our fixation and obsession with old energy sources such as oil. New ways of communication will come online. New methods of travel. Basically if we can imagine it we can create it. Many Starseeds are here to help make these kinds of shifts and many more are coming in the decades to come.
Tips to Expand into 5D Wealth Consciousness Now…
OK so finally, here are some more ways to help bring a new awareness and consciousness to money while we are still in the outgoing 3D system. Look for happy energy exchanges and for win-win situations. Be clear in your agreements and contracting with other people. Sit for at least five to ten minutes daily and connect to your inner light. From this connection cultivate the feeling of love. Self-love is the baseline of happiness, health and abundance. Imagine wishing abundance to all the people you know. You can use affirmations to assist your unconscious mind reprogramme limiting beliefs. Then work with self-forgiveness. Release past experiences or judgements about these experiences. Unhook yourself from toxic emotions so that you can move forward in a healthy way. Ancient wisdom teaches us that attention flows where attention goes. Train your mind to shift from fear and anxiety to what gives you joy, what you feel grateful for. From there focus on what you would love to welcome more of in your reality. Start with feelings and from there open to specific experiences. The intention of giving and being generous opens a flow of abundance in our lives. Give what you most wish to receive. When you begin by giving then open your consciousness to receiving from all directions, especially those that are unexpected. Notice what feels light and expansive in your life and what feels heavy and tense. What do you need to walk away from or let go of? Then start to drop the heavy and open more to those things that feel light. Spiritually speaking we are all drops in the great ocean of existence. Together let us create a great wave of spiritual light and abundance on the planet, right now! We can learn to open the channels of abundance in all of its forms. Abundance can come through money, it can come through friendship, it can come through support in time of need, it can come through a pooling of resources, it can come through unexpected opportunities. The natural state of human beings is Abundance or Wealth Consciousness.
Blessings
Steve Ahnael Nobel
So sorry to all my contacts, I've been away from here for a while, having a bit of a break from making photographs. Kinda nice to unplug every now and then. I promise to catch up with everyone's work as soon as I'm back full time again.
I have had some real exciting news in the last week though. I won my first photography competition! It's an annual black and white comp run by John Batdorff Photography and I placed first in the judged section with Descend, Visibility and Skyscraper. Feels fantastic!
Hope you're all having a good weekend!
View this on black or hit L for the lightbox.
I switched off all my machines including my phone on the weekend and discovered a new hangout cafe! Just what I needed! Thanks to the owners and amazing staff at The Missing Piece for making my first visit such a treat. Will be back soon for more sketching and eating your great food!
www.lizsteel.com/2015/02/my-unplug-weekend-and-new-hangou...
[The Big Move is scheduled for tomorrow. As I explained over the last few days, no more uploads from me until the 25th or 26th of November at the earliest, assuming all goes well, which one should never assume...]
In the little downstairs room I have been using as an office for so many years in this house, and where I sit today like every morning in front of my desk, the bookshelves are now entirely empty, except for the two large JBL speakers (too heavy for me to dare move by myself), the Revox reel-to-reel tape deck and the small Teac components of my hi-fi installation. They have been unplugged and the cables are all coiled. They look like the folded wings of a dark bird, ready to die... or to fly.
On my desk, almost nothing remains: the PC I will shut down and unplug soon after I finish uploading these daily photos to Flickr, the Bose speakers attached to it, the banker’s lamp that will soon go dark and wait to be packed by the movers when they come tomorrow. All the rest I have already packed away.
There is great sadness at leaving one’s world behind, but as it must be done, then I know that I am also very fortunate because there is a whole new world that awaits me, full of joy and promises, and since for me “a world” implies first and foremost a home base, I am happy, in those moments of separations and departures, to share not pictures of melancholy, sorrow and old dust on empty shelves, but the first photos of the place I will call home from now on. Fate (I would not presume to say the Hand of God as I am quite sure I’m not important or worthy enough for Him to personally care!) has granted me a wonderful new chance at living a life of happiness and love and trust, and even though I am not convinced I deserve such a bliss, I fully intend to make the most of it, and to bring into it all I have to offer, however meager that may be.
The grounds cover more than four hectares of sweeping lawn which include an island and go all the way to the Seine River.
Why not have a day off and just see flowers. Drop the phone get a way form computers and let go of time. Get a way from TV shows for a day. Unplug from it all. I ask can any one do that for 24 hours? I feel so plugged in just what is unplugged? I don't even do a smart phone. But most People I know do. I know longer know what is truth in the world. With so much happening in plugged in that we all seem to live now. News in side of news.
I find my self listing on the edge of my seat to every thing I can on the presidential election from Hell. I really need to get a way. I feel so ashamed to live in America right now. And please do not even say who you might vote for or why. We all need time off. I don't think I can find a way to do so right now. But wish it could be possible.
Someone just send us a rocket ship and remove all the politicians of the world. So we the real people of earth can look at flowers, enjoy peace, and Be playful.
“Art is unquestionably one of the purest and highest elements in human happiness. It trains the mind through the eye, and the eye through the mind. As the sun colors flowers, so does art color life.” - John Lubbock
My diversion away from the playground I normally create in over here at Hylite often takes me away to explore. Even as I unplug though, I am usually chasing some sort of light. After a couple of rain soaked days bumbling about the southern part of the state, my trip through Utah had me doing just.
As you know if you follow my journey here, I am a huge fan of HDR photography and what its unique style of processing can do to an image. Like always, I snapped a few brackets here and there, but to be honest with ya, I like the results I was able to get by processing just one of the exposures. Lightroom has really some a long way in extracting the range of these raw files….or perhaps its a few new tricks I have been implementing. (maybe a bit of both!)
I’ll revisit that soon in another post as well as the results from several ways to create an HDR of a scene. Make sure and stay subscribed or bookmarked for more soon! :)
If you are looking for a quieter slice of Yellowstone National Park away from the bustling geyser basins, look no further than Lewis Lake. Tucked away in the southern portion of the park, about 12 miles north of the South Entrance, this high-elevation gem serves as an ideal base camp for water-based recreation and back country exploration. The lake itself covers approximately 2,700 acres and offers a peaceful setting for those who prefer to trade crowds for the sounds of nature. For those planning an overnight stay, the Lewis Lake Campground offers a rustic, forested experience. Operating on a first-come, first-served basis, the site features 85 spots perfect for tents and smaller RVs (with a strict 25-foot vehicle length limit). While amenities are basic, including vault toilets, food storage lockers, and seasonal water spigots, the location provides immediate access to the boat ramp and shoreline. Keep in mind that there is no cell service or shower access here, so come prepared to fully unplug. Water enthusiasts will find Lewis Lake to be a fantastic destination for paddling and fishing. Both motorized and non-motorized boats are permitted, provided they pass a mandatory aquatic invasive species inspection and display a park-issued permit. Anglers can try their luck catching non-native brown, brook, and lake trout, particularly near the southern outlet where the Lewis River flows toward the iconic Lewis Falls. For a true adventure, experienced paddlers often use the lake as a gateway, heading up the Lewis River channel toward the pristine waters of Shoshone Lake. Whether you are casting a line or embarking on a back country trek, Lewis Lake captures the wild spirit of Yellowstone in a serene, manageable package.