Steemit Transition

Steemit Transition

My transition to the Steemit social media platform, if indeed "social media" is the proper term, has been relatively slow and unsteady. It has become more solid in just the last month as I resumed writing, recording and exercising. Also feeling a bit more comfortable about putting my "self" and my ideas out there for the possible consumption of humans I do not know.

Interesting enough, it was by putting myself out there in chat rooms, dating sites and blogging communities that I expanded my friends circle, quite literally around the world.

I am literally where I am today because of a friendship that began with an America Online personals ad in 1995. It's a great story I may write about one day.

Needless to say, I'm Old School... (don't worry, I don't hate Millennials). Some of you reading this may not have even been born in 1995.

When you've lived for say, 25 - 30 years, you start to notice patterns in society. Sometimes those patterns are pointed out to us by teachers... or since teachers became part of the "farm," by comedians. The warning that history repeats itself is valid inasmuch as humans are largely creatures of limited intelligence and creativity.

That being said, I can almost predict the future of Steemit. Not so much in a way of success or failure, but the direction it will go and how it will be driven there.

As the popularity of Steemit increases the collective creativity, intellect and congeniality of the community will decline the way it did from chat rooms to face book. It's the nature of popularity. Unless Steemit can manage to manage its brand and keep it from appealing to the most fundamental emotions of humankind, it will go the way of television... that vast intellectual wasteland.

I don't know enough about the inner workings or the long-term plan of Steemit to predict (or define) its level of success, or even its definition. I'm just using it as a place to share and store a small my "creative" content.

More than a few alt-media hosts have directed their content to Steemit as well, which I think is a vote of confidence, if not a way to put more of the dollars they disparage into their coffers.

Just over a month until I mark my first anniversary on Steemit. Most if my posts have not been Steemit exclusives, however I think that a lot now originate at Steemit and are then shared with social media elsewhere, except for videos, of course.

I'm keeping an eye on Steemit. Every so often a trend might emerge or some change that might seem to confirm my dire prediction about the platform's direction. Remember, it's not so much the idea... but how humans will use and eventually alter that idea.

Cheers.

The Curious Alt Media: Gloom & Delusion

The Curious Alt Media: Gloom & Delusion

Every morning for years now I've looked forward to listening to Dave's X22 Report on the Financial and Geopolitical condition of the US and the world. Indeed, X22 was my gateway into the virtual world of mostly upper middle class white men who love money, wealth and the freedom to accumulate it and buy stuff. This might seem a cynical perspective on this genre, however, this is what America is about. It's the dream that's been sold that they (pardon my generalization) bought into and now it looks like it's collapsing and they are either scrambling to increase or preserve their personal wealth, ostensibly teach and help others to preserve/increase their own wealth, or profit off of the fear generated by the socio-financial conditions they are predicting.

I'm not saying they're wrong. I'm not even saying I don't believe them. I knew almost nothing beyond basic economics before I started tuning in, I've collected a lot if information about their perspective of the world and how money works, etc. I've also gotten a perspective on how they feel about humans outside of their socio-economic class and how, for the most part, they buy into the stereotypes perpetuated by the propaganda machine they claim to be providing the alternative too.

When I strip away the rhetoric and the "expert" analysis the bottom line is that the majority of the personalities in the alternative media are angling to increase their personal fortunes... and although I'm listening, they're not talking to, or reaching out to people like me, or my friends.

They are building a financial ark for themselves and their kind as they condemn "libtards" and "socialists" to rioting and looting in the inner cities when the government checks stop coming.

"Delusion," is a word tossed around so much by talking heads and disembodied voices as to practically have no significant meaning anymore. In fact, I had to look it up;
"characterized by or holding idiosyncratic beliefs or impressions that are contradicted by reality or rational argument, typically as a symptom of mental disorder."

The "mental disorder" caveat allows those who believe themselves to be rational and reality-based to dismiss those with whom they disagree. The largely held beliefs in environmental engineering (chem trails) and MK Ultra mind control vs. the largely held disbelief in same. The 9/11 attacks is another example. For the majority of us the "information" we accept as a "rational argument" to shape our reality is hear-say. Thus, which ever side of the "conspiracy theory" we believe, those who believe the opposite side can argue that we're delusional.

And September 11, is history. "We" can't agree on what happened almost twenty years ago, and the alternative media analysts are trying to predict a financial future?

Back to X22.

I've been listening to Dave's reports since the 700s, (he numbers all of the reports - he's up to about 1,300 now.) He seems to be one of the most neutral, non partial, in terms of the socio-political dichotomy, reporters out there. He bases his reports on economic indicators and data that comes from around the world. I perceive Dave as a kind of info-junkie data analyst who spends most of his time researching and learning, including from the guests he interviews on the X22 Spotlight.

Over the couple of years I've been listening he's remained convinced that the economy is headed for a collapse but his reports are more tempered now, less frantic. However at times he does get excited when his analysis hits and one of his predictions come true, such as the recent bank bail-ins in Spain. 

This both increases his credibility (with me, anyway) and viewership and thus his influence.

Personally I like the way Dave thinks, and analyzes events and trends. I've learned quite a bit about how the global economy works. I've "met," most of the alternative reporters I follow to this day by way of the X22 channels.

It's certainly been both my gateway to the alt-media, my daily doom & gloom report as well as my remote view of the global economic collapse.

I've included one of what I think is one of Dave's best recent Spotlight interviews and maybe even a link to the Steemit page.

Enjoy. Remember, you might be labeled "delusional" if you choose to believe this.

The Curious Alternative Media

The Curious Alternative Media

The year 2017 will long be noted, I think, as the year the alternative media, in particular, YouTube took... (perhaps stole) a significant market share and much of the narrative from the "legacy" "corporate" or "main stream" media.

The alt-right, as it's been called has been credited, or blamed for the election of Donald Trump.

I would tend to agree... but only about 50%. The balance of my personal observation is given to the corporate media's complete and obvious disregard for "balanced," "objective" and honest reporting.

My personal history of being disgruntled with the corporate media goes back to the turn of the twenty-first century. Maybe not 9/11 itself, but certainly there after. However, as an information junkie and recovering TV addict, I still watched... even though I knew they were full of shyt.

Over the seventeen years of this century the corporate media has cavalierly lied for and colluded with corporations and government to the point that at least three generations if Americans are not believing their hype. Apparently their ratings and ad revenues are reflecting this.

The other glaring reflection, or maybe reaction to corporate news media's failure is the rise of the "internet media," (to distinguish it from all alternative news sources), primarily by way of YouTube.

I believe that the internet media grew and became powerful by way of an information (I hesitate to call it "truth") vacuum. I'm not going to detail the complete history, because I'm not 100% sure, but it's a pretty good bet to say it dates back to 9/11.

The next big boost was likely the 2008 financial "collapse," and most recently 2016 (Brexit and US election cycle.)

I've been following the expansion of the internet media only since 2013/14, although I've had a channel since near the beginning. My first clip was uploaded in 2006, I believe. But enough personal history.

Between monetizing and the influence of the medium, the internet media is spiraling out of control before my eyes. A lot of shows (I subscribe to) have become, (probably always were, really) vehicles for selling products, (precious metals, books and survival gear) and (financial) services. A lot of them are also peddling a future of hope and/or fear. Essentially many are becoming just like the media they are complaining about.

I can't really blame them. There are no other viable media models to emulate.

Not to indict the entire YouTube'verse, some channels are more disciplined and professional than others. One of the great things about the internet media right now is that it's still (by and large) an open market. Channels and programs succeed and fail based on their value as perceived by their audience. (Recent manipulation not withstanding.) And even with the recent advertiser "boycott" channels that were valued by their viewers were able to make up the loss of income with funding platforms.

Unfortunately, and I've found this to be consistent with several types of "new" products, the most popular programs seem to follow the established media models and are, in my opinion, doomed to the "challenges" of success... that is, once they are successful they have something to lose; something that makes them vulnerable... the "success" itself. Which slowly compromises their integrity... which also threatens their success.

Disclaimer: Certainty there's no way I can adequately cover the entire internet media, however I'm kind of looking at trends and human nature and seeing some early patterns emerging. Just thought I'd toss my two-cents into the fountain and see if it floats.

Bizarro Dream #61717

There are three aspects of dreams, the way I see it. There's the dream itself, which often I don't remember completely. Then there's the conscious memory of the dream, which is like putting a puzzle together with missing pieces. I provide the missing pieces when I'm awake. Sometimes the people in the dream represent different people in real life. I don't know exactly why this happens. And then there's my interpretation of the dream. There's probably a fourth element as well, which would be a "proper" dream interpreter's assessment; but I rarely take it to that level.

The first bits I remember about this particular dream is traveling with a group of people. We're not particularly friends in the sense of the way. We're compadres as a matter of circumstance, convenience and happenstance.

We are moving through a wooded area like a city park and there are dead animals, mostly dogs, along the road... mostly along the sides of the path. I recognize a few of them from my awakened times... (real life) as those that I saw and spoke to while walking around Georgetown. Sometimes the driver would roll right over a corpse and I'd hear a disembodied female voice from behind me go, "Ewwww." As we went further I'd hear more and more "Ewwws" in chorus as if my compadres had woken up to the possibility that there was a problem but didn't know what. It was as if their shrieks had been reduced to a reflex.

I stayed silent, even when the dead animals on the side if the road became horses.

Just a note here; ideas, images and possible interpretations come to me as I transcribe my dreams. I believe writing it out helps me understand it.

Finally, we stopped. Whatever vehicle or vehicles in which we were riding were gone (I think that my mind disposes of equipment and items it deems necessary or cannot conjure. Phone numbers are a great example.)

Back to the dream.

I am occupying the body of the recently deceased Adam West, but I am me inside. I'm either some kind of tracker/trapper, maybe a soldier or burnt out vet, (which is the character I play in real life), or some kind of mercenary between gigs. In either case, I have the notion that something isn't right with the situation.

The people I arrived with are all like young, some might say privileged hippie travelers, (like those I've seen during my journey) and they're jumping around being amazed by trees and nature and freedom and stuff, completely oblivious to anything outside of themselves and their own gratification. I however feel a sense of impending danger.

A small group of less than a dozen men enter the clearing unnoticed it seemed, by anyone but me.

I sensed that they were up to no good, so I just got my gear and walked away. The men didn't try to stop me, with words or deeds. I never looked back.

Eventually I came to an area that seemed secure. There was a cave. I entered. This is where I would camp out for a while.

Inside the cave opposite the end of a log on which I was sitting, there was a light. It wasn't fire and it wasn't the sun. It was kind if a halogen light, artificial. I think this was my signal to wake up.

My Interpretation

For some unknown reason... maybe chronic caring, I've been frustrated with my social media "friends" who are still thinking in terms of factions and seem to me to be missing the big picture, which is essentially that the powers that be... aka "The Elites" are screwing us all over and setting us up for some kind of (economic?) disaster in which the followers of faction A will blame the followers of faction B, and both sides will be goaded into some kind of (proxy) "war" that will distract them, and most of humanity, (mainly the western word) away from the primary agenda.

What agenda?

The one I most believe, because it makes the most sense to me, is the dissolution of the United States, centralized control from Europe, in order to access the resources of the land and exploit the country's human resources as well.

In my opinion the majority of my compadres who engage in what I believe are childish insults against those they dislike and misguided allegiances to those with whom they agree and admire, have been easily distracted from the greater danger.

The problem is, I'm not certain of this and without certainty I couldn't manage to rouse the passion and charisma necessary to create a cohesive squad to defend against a particular threat.

That's why, in the dream... and arguably in real life, I simply walked away.

As for the cave? I think my mind is my cave. And the light? That may have to be revealed in a different dream.

Freedom Year: Half Way In

6-16-2017 Penang

I'm at the halfway point with Freedom Year and I'm thinking that I should maybe have something profound to write.

Perhaps it will come. I start most of my writing this way, I just jump in. I'm a big fan of auto-writing and indeed a big fan of auto-living. Although for larger, more complex living decisions I will imagine some sort of "plan" and work with Universe to bring such a plan to life.

Freedom Year, in one way or the other had been in mind for half a decade. It began as simply wanting to escape from Philadelphia. Through a series of events, most of which Universe and I managed to direct in favor of my desired outcome, this adventure was crafted into a global excursion.

The model was loosely based on a project called Remote Year where people continue to work at their jobs as they travel around the world; twelve cities in as many months. There's a group of seventy-five people that you travel with. There's a monthly fee that includes travel, room and board, that will presumably be covered by your salary. I'm not sure about meals and incidentals, probably not.

I thought I'd love to do this, except, I didn't have a job I could do remotely. The most significant part of my gig, at the time, was showing up; tough to pull off when you're on the other side if the world.

So as usual, I crafted my own little plan.

Just a note, this is not a cookie cutter strategy that "anybody can do." I'm not selling you a master plan here. There were opportunities available to me that may not be available to today's average dreamer. Believe me, although I am sitting in a noise polluted restaurant in Penang, Malaysia banging this piece out on my mobile device, I was and remain to be very average; it's just my dreams that are big.

The first opportunity I had to retire was on my double-nickel birthday, but it was nine months short of my twenty-nineth anniversary date, which would have cut some trim off of my post-employment income (pension). So I had to stick it out for most if that year. The difference between compensation for twenty-nine and thirty years was two percent. Since I am a military veteran I had the option to "buy" a year of military service. That means paying the pension board the equivalent of what would be deducted from my pay for a year. It was pretty steep, but worth it.

The Pope came to town that year and because of mandatory overtime I recouped the investment in less than four months. Essentially the Vatican paid for that year.

Thanks, Catholics.

There were a few other factors in play, but my main concerns were covered; income and no job to tie me down.

I left the gig on December 16, 2016... that was the day Freedom Year began. No reason to bore you with the minute details.

It took me nearly a month to actually leave Philly, but that turned out to be a blessing. I got to see people I would have missed had I left earlier.

Skipping ahead; I'm not got to sit hear a tell you anybody can do this. The way we are yoked to our jobs (which basically means income) and compensated for them have changed dramatically in the last half century. But where the old benefits have withered, new bennies, strategies and opportunities have emerged, many of which I have no idea about.

The one strategy I do believe can, will, has, and does work for everyone is imagination. It's stronger than desire. If you want to live a certain kind of lifestyle, you have to, more than want it! You have to imagine, think it, feel it, speak it, and you will eventually live it.

I've witnessed this "phenomenon" too many times to dismiss it as myth or fraud or untrue. Indeed I am living it now, as I know many of my friends are, as I am sure many if you reading this are. And if you're not there yet, you're no doubt on your way.

So, after a shaky start, I think this turned out pretty good. If it lies dormant on the web that's okay. When the right person needs the right inspiration and this piece fills that need, it will be found.

That us all.

Namaste.