Webcentric Without Electricity?

The vast majority of my life is spent on-line. What happens when the power goes out?! First, a moment of panic, what was windows doing just then? Am I backed up everywhere? What did I lose? The absolute black screen of death. OMG, how long will I be without my Web connections? Is there life outside still?

Yes, I have neighbors, all of whom descend upon the commons for mutual support. Whatever they might have been doing, they are now a part of the community survival ritual. We come together as not before to celebrate our new found interest in each other. We break out candles in the dark; we get the grills going for a power-free cookout. The fire of enthusiasm is everywhere. Life takes on new meaning. All thanks to the snobs that snub us; the ones who kicked in their AC all at once in the city proper. LOL - what's for YOUR dinner?

We are considered second rate citizens, the people who come up from the bottom while supporting the rest. The ones who's money is earned through multiple lifetimes' of hard work. Those who have not quite made it to the "snub you" level, those who still remember their roots. In truth, we provide the foundation upon which the rest of society builds. Remember me, for your children will, whether or not to their advantage depends entirely upon their attitude toward "new money" making its way into their midst. Good luck to the "good 'ole boys" network in this town; I'm on the way up to my own "top view" and it will be as much a look back as sideways. I can still see from whence I have come...

All content © 2008 Keith E Larson

Distraction Therapy can be a wonderful thing...

What VOID Pheonix Means

You are very hyper. You never slow down, even when it's killing you. You're the type of person who can be a workaholic during the day... and still have the energy to party all night. Your energy is definitely a magnet for those around you. People are addicted to your vibe.

You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself.

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

You are balanced, orderly, and organized. You like your ducks in a row. You are powerful and competent, especially in the workplace. People can see you as stubborn and headstrong. You definitely have a dominant personality.

You are influential and persuasive. You tend to have a lot of power over people. Generally, you use your powers for good. You excel at solving other people's problems. Occasionally, you do get a little selfish and persuade people to do things that are only in your interest.

You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person.

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

You are incredibly sexy and sensual. You have a naughty vibe that no one can ignore. You have an unquenchable desire. And you are unrestrained in your passions. You have a tendency to be unfaithful. Whether you fight it or give in to it is up to you.

What does YOUR name mean?

Staying on Course - To DO or NOT to do?

My plans and actions are in a continual state of flux; there are SO many interesting ideas deserving of follow-up. There are innumerable refinements to be made to existing projects. These may be due to a new ideas or additions to the social development mix; they might also be old ideas deleted in theory yet, not quite securely erased in practice. The abundance of potential distractions is enormous and serves as a constant threat to my "big picture" goals. These distractions also serve as fodder for future research and development projects. I thrive and prosper on the manipulation, the management of these distractions. Staying on course, deciding what to do and what not to do is no easy task. How then, shall I accomplish these two competing and necessary aspects of both my personality and my business?

Creative expression for me breeds new insights; the "coming together" of what I am doing with those Random Brainstorms with which I am blessed. For this reason I keep a pen and notepad at my desk, and at my bed side. Not always is my computer ready to pull up the Random Brainstorm file I began in Notepad some time ago. There are times when my computer pursues its own agenda regardless of my need of the moment or my painstaking configurations.

I am occasionally bothered further by what is known as "writer's block", a malady which can render the creative spirit somewhat bewildered and basically dysfunctional. It is then that I stop trying to produce that literary masterpiece and jump into one of many necessary maintenance projects, or go scampering off down Cyberville Lane searching for whatever I might find. Sometimes a distraction is exactly what I need to refresh my internal desktop and loosen up the flow of creativity.

Today I was pondering the subject of today's post. What wants to be let out? What needs to be shared? To get away from the issue and allow intuition to guide me, I set about adjusting the tags for these blog posts. I became side-tracked repeatedly since I was in a free-flow mode and eventually was drawn to an as yet unused icon placed upon on of my development toolbars. Squidoo Lenses then became the focus of my attention.

As I surfed through a few Lenses an idea began to form. How to best utilize this phenomenal resource in the development of my social network. Reading through their guidelines and suggestions furthered my distraction and resulted in enough notes to fasten together several loose ends and produce new material for a post in my development series. The ah-ha! moment struck me as I was making a celebratory cup of coffee. You have now experienced the precise
formula I use to stay on course and I have crossed off two items from today's written To Do list!

Brokers - Middlemen or just Broker?

I am an information broker of the Web 2.0 era and as such I may well be broker than ever. Or am I? The richness with which I surround myself transcends simple material wealth, becoming that which I wish it to be only by degrees. Sometimes micro-degrees, as if waiting for summer and it is but early spring. On other occasions the words flow and I spend an entire night writing out the answers to the quests to which I have been drawn.

Last night, indeed quite well into today, was an experience I shall not soon forget. Open season for a well versed writer within the membership of RSBoards. A virtual paradise for me! A break from the game itself; no need to attempt to level-up or train. Unadulterated expressionism; no pressure to perform, just the freedom to be - me.

The game is Runescape, a massively multi-player on-line adventure without the guts and gore of many of today's offerings. I do have a guts and glory type to fool around with on occasion but, I don't make it much past the opening scenes. Match 3/4/5 is more my style.

Perhaps it is that I prefer to create rather than to destroy. To love rather than hate, though I must admit to the knowledge of hate and the power it too holds. Yin/Yang. Without one the other cannot be acknowledged within us. It is our CHOICE to which side we lean and upon whom we seek for support that we do not fall too far one way or the other.

Games and Socialization

Last night I played a bit of RuneScape to relax and maybe connect with friends old and new. Found one old friend from a previous life but, as it was late only the power players were about. We don't chat much more than to establish who is going after what, and that generally only when one or the other is intruding on a plan/cycle. To supplement the in-game chat I have registered with a few of the more interesting forums where time-zones and work/sleep schedules are immaterial. With the RS2 Toolbar installed in Flock it is a simple matter for me to declare break-time when I notice that the NEED for one.

Not being break-time; however, I steeled myself against the temptation to play. Opting rather to connect these two aspects of my social network together. This site has become my central blog and is readily postable from either Flock or Scribefire where ever I happen to be on the web. RuneScape is my primary relaxation tool; the game is simple and relatively straightforward. In other words, playable during mind-scramble and at other times when I just want to chill.