Mother Nature seems to be in a menopausal state here in North America this year. We had three days in the 80’s then another week of cold and snow. My wife and I ventured across the river into Minneapolis a few days ago to try a new lunch spot and took this footage of the Mississippi River.
I’ve been here in the Twin Cities for nearly thirty years and this is the highest I’ve ever seen the river and the weirdest spring weather I’ve ever experienced.
We Get by With a Little Help from Our Friends
I’ve spoken here on Hive before about how many of my friendships seem to have been fractured by the pandemic and I’ve heard many others saying the same thing. This article from NPR touches on some effective ways to deal with it. Reading this article really helped me so I wanted to share it.
The pandemic, in some ways, was an end to the lives we all knew before but it was also a new beginning. Sometimes simply reframing something originally perceived as a problem can completely change your paradigm.
Cinco de Inko
A few weeks ago I texted this photo to my friend and tattoo artist Greg (please forgive the horrible pixelated photo). The mandala on the lower part of the arm will be my next tattoo. His first open appointment happened to be on Cinco de Mayo so this year that holiday for me will be referred to as, “Cinco de Inko”. Okay, enough with the dad jokes.
Are Some Realities are Born from Fiction?
I’ve been working on a piece of sci-fi fiction for a few weeks so I’ve had ideas ruminating in my mind almost the entire time. My son, wife, and I were in the car and he said something about his music streaming service that sparked an idea that I can see utilizing blockchain tech and quickly becoming a reality.
Like many of these ideas that come to me it seemed as though it was downloaded all at once. Here are the notes I took about it…
"The Digital DNA concept is similar to a Tesla profile which adjusts HVAC settings, seating/driving position, infotainment offerings but only much more significant. The concept is also similar to the avatar that Facebook creates for each of its users only, in this case, the individual user would have full/sole ownership and access to it and would be able to revise it wherever they choose. The owner would also be able to sell/rent pieces of their personal data (of their choosing) for personal profit, creating a UBI-like revenue stream.
Digital DNA would serve as an encrypted buffer of anonymity between the individual and corporate entities seeking to profit from/exploit individuals’ personal data, therefore greatly enhancing individual privacy.
Digital DNA would encompass the entirety of an individual user’s personal preferences — music, clothing/shoe sizes, brands, decibel levels, favorite colors, room temps, lighting, seating positions, food favorites (even spice levels), health info, fitness, hobbies, etc. would be stored on a blockchain (AlephZero).
This anonymous profile linked to each user could interact dynamically with the world around it (via a mobile phone app) in smart homes, hotels, robo taxis, and public places to tailor the environment and would personalize the physical environment (and also soon the AR stream) the person experiences (via tailored ads/recommendations) and each profile owner would have full control of settings.
When in shared spaces, the receivers of this info will take into account all the profiles of everyone sharing the space and tailor the environment to the majority. This digital buffer could also be used as a way to vote in elections, Digital DNA is a secure, encrypted blueprint of who we are and how we wish to experience the world and it could become a person’s greatest asset."
Anyway, this will be a fun element of the story I’m working on and, with the advent of A.I., I could see it coming true sooner than we ever thought possible.
All for now. Trust your instincts, invest in you, live boldly, and take chances.
~Eric Vance Walton~
(Gif sourced from Giphy.com. Photo and video are original.)
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Poetry should move us, it should change us, it should glitch our brains, shift our moods to another frequency. Poetry should evoke feelings of melancholy, whimsy, it should remind us what it feels like to be in love, or cause us to think about something in a completely different way. I view poetry, and all art really, as a temporary and fragile bridge between our world and a more pure and refined one. This is a world we could bring into creation if enough of us believed in it. This book is ephemera, destined to end up forgotten, lingering on some dusty shelf or tucked away in a dark attic. Yet the words, they will live on in memory. I hope these words become a part of you, bubble up into your memory when you least expect them to and make you feel a little more alive.
Pick up a copy of Ephemera today on Amazon.
Most of us have experienced a moment of perfect peace at least once in our lives. In these moments we lose ourselves and feel connected to everything. I call these mindful moments. Words can’t describe how complete they make us feel.
These moments are usually fragile, evaporating in seconds. What if there was a way to train your mind to experience more of them? It’s deceptively easy and requires nothing more than a subtle shift in mindset. My new book, Mindful Moments, will teach you to be much more content despite the chaos and imperfect circumstances continuing to unfold around you. Upgrade your life experience today for only $15.99 on Amazon.com.