Diverse Position Science Fiction

For this week, I read Octavia Butler’s Bloodchild with the rest of the class and I found it to be quite interesting and a bit weird. Octavia Butler really changes the game with this work and shows us a different kind of future where it’s the men (like seahorses) who are bearing nonhuman children- not just how advanced technology has become. Sometimes just hearing about technology can become a bit boring. Our class discussion was similar to an in-class experiment due to the nature of men bearing children because some of the guys seemed appalled and uncomfortable talking about it. They just couldn’t wrap their heads around it. Octavia Butler addresses love, gender roles, stereotypes, and even though she may not have meant to- slavery came up in the class discussion for a reason. Humans/Terrans are at the Tlic’s personal and physical mercy and kept on preserves, which has many direct ties to slavery and politics. However, it’s not about slavery, it’s about symbiosis. The aliens, Tlic, lay their eggs inside the human men because they are good carriers. Human women are not being used for this process because they are used to reproduce humans, not Tlic. It was a really odd story, a giant, alien insect loving a human and carefully placing their eggs inside a man. We are so accustomed to aliens wanting to kill us, like how the Tlic and humans/Terrans used to be at war. Gan, one of the main characters, sees some humans/Terrans being killed by the Tlic and becomes terrified. I didn’t feel like there was much resolution in this story. We were all kind of left sitting there like…. what just happened?

I had never seen Attack the Block (2012) before and it was on the fence for me until it started making me laugh. The way humor is incorporated is a real game changer, because it still had me jumping. Some parts of the movie are really suspenseful and there was a moment where I felt like I levitated out of my seat in class because of a scene. The basic plot is that London-based gang of adolescent boys and a young woman attempt to protect their community from an alien invasion. The alliance between them in unlikely, especially after they terrorize her on the street and mug her. When something falls from the sky the boys are distracted and she is able to escape. She is terrified of them until they all realize that they need each other for one reason or another. Of course the gang goes to see what it was and kill the creature so they can make some money off of it. Eventually larger, more dangerous aliens fall from the sky and begin attacking the community. Their mouths glow an electric turquoise color and their bodies are deep black. Cops and gangsters are at war with the aliens, making quite a mess. I was pleased that it didn’t end with an unnecessary love scene, like most action movies. The movie does a great job of talking about marginal social issues, the future and possibilities, while still making us laugh and jump.

Cyberpunk and Steampunk

I enjoy the analog nature of the Steampunk genre and have a lot of friends who do as well. Steampunk is a sub-genre/derivative of Cyberpunk. Steampunk is not only a genre but has become so popular within certain circles that it even has it’s own code of lifestyle: fashion, music, decoration, craftmanship, etc. It is not so much concerned with computer-based settings, but is still a distinct relative of Cyberpunk. It’s dark, retro, and nostalgic, blending the past and future. Steampunk is more industrial, although Victorian-inspired, with steam-based technology, hence the name. It has been said that Steampunk is more of an aesthetic-genre whereas Cyberpunk is a concept-genre. In class we discussed the similarities and differences between these genres, pointing out the fact that there were generally megacorporations involved. Cyberpunk is generally a mix between high-tech and lowlife, like Blade Runner (1982). Blade Runner is a also a good example where the megacorporation controls the world, and the human replicants are being hunted. The Matrix is an example of hackers in a virtual cityscape, clearly representing the high-tech life. I like both genres but prefer the element of surprise with Steampunk. It takes current or future technology and combines it with the charm of an antique. Steampunk society generally deals with low-tech and high morals.

We began watching Blade Runner in class so I really wanted to finish it when I got home. It is definitely a Cyberpunk film, where man has developed technology to create replicants (human clones) used to serve in the colonies outside Earth. They have fixed life spans. Dickered is a Blade Runner, cop who specializes in terminating replicants. The film begins with him going into retirement. There are four replicants on the loose and he decides to go back to work. In a cyberpunk vision of the future, man has developed the technology to create replicants, human clones used to serve in the colonies outside Earth but with fixed lifespans. In Los Angeles, 2019, Deckard is a Blade Runner, a cop who specializes in terminating replicants. Originally in retirement, he is forced to re-enter the force when four replicants escape from an off-world colony to Earth.

Fiction of Ideas

Accelerando is a very complicated piece of work, at least it is for me. It is packed with details to the point where I begin to get lost in the actual story. Perhaps the complex style of writing in combination with the title, which means “speeding up,” represents more than what meets the eye. The material is described in such an advanced technological way that I have to reread it several times to digest it; the technological singularity is overwhelming. Humanity is literally speeding up, becoming posthuman. Many of the characters are nonhuman, which makes it difficult to understand their social structure. The story follows a character named Manfred Macx, his daughter, Amber, and later her son, Sirhan, through three stages of the technological singularity, which I find interesting because it’s basically three generations of experience of one event. This was the most difficult of all genres for me to dive into. I wasn’t a fan of the movies either. This is definitely a story for those who can’t wait to upload themselves to a server and live in a super-techie world. It doesn’t seem to be a happy ending, how could it really? How much is too much? How far will technology go to impact the economy? I suppose I’m a firm believer in “everything in moderation.”

Science Fiction Parody and Satire

I’m listening to “I Think We’re All Bozos on this Bus” and my dogs are going crazy, hearing the howling noises, squeaks and people singing. It’s a nice added touch, ha.

“The future is fun! The future is fair! You may have already won! .. You may already be there!”

This audio piece is incredibly disorienting for me because it’s so overwhelming, obscure and multi-layered. It was difficult for me to appreciate but nevertheless I stayed with it until the end. It’s very political, using former President Richard Nixon’s voice (or similar), which ends up shutting down the computer because it can’t answer Clem’s questions. An overlay of voices (bozos) begin addressing “The President” and when he is asked about “Dr. Memory” he begins stuttering and rambling, unable to string together a sentence or phrase without the words scattering like a broken necklace, falling apart piece by piece. The robot voices begin taking over, talking about defying gravity and taking advantage of the future. When I read a review about this audio piece someone had stated that Clem’s character is one of the first “computer hackers” mentioned in pop culture, which I found rather fascinating. I thought back to when this was made, 1971, a few years after William Mathews from MIT found a vulnerability running on an IBM 7094. Hackers weren’t widely known of. Today, hackers are stealing hundreds of millions of dollars, identities, passwords, and other confidential information. That certainly didn’t take long– which brings me to my next point– that was only 43 years ago! The audio piece really made me think about the future of science, politics, and pop culture. I enjoyed the humor in certain parts (ex: around 15:00 when the narrator is reading something and keeps making errors, ex: tit, oops opps that’s a “p”..tip).

I decided to try a few audio clips from “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” while I cooked dinner. I found these clips much more accessible (for me). Humanity-related humor in a British accent.. perfect. To explain the image above (“Don’t panic and carry a towel”)- it simply means that if you have your towel, you are in control. Basically, if you can struggle and endure the rocky road across the galaxy on your own, still in possession of your towel- you are in control.

“Do you really think the world is going to end?”

“Yes. In 1 minute and 35 seconds.”

“Is there anything we can do?

“No, nothing.”

“What if we put a paper bag over our heads or something?”

“If you’d like, yes.”

“Oh, will that help?”

Mythic Fiction

I have always loved Coraline for the ‘life lessons’ that happen to be packed into the parallel-reality adventure. I’ve been really crunched for time due to personal family troubles, so I had to opt out of Ananzi Boys but I plan on reading it over Thanksgiving break. So, Coraline it is! I always find something new in it every time I read it or watch it. Coraline is a young girl who moves with her parents to an old house with very quirky neighbors. She feels entirely neglected from her parents and finds herself and her imagination on these little adventures, exploring and fantasizing. “Be careful what you wish for” is a huge message in this story. The house has it’s own secrets, luring Coraline into an idealized world where her “perfect parents” have buttons for eyes and let her do as she pleases. The games never end and her imagination never settles. Caroline truly loves her family, despite their flaws and faults but she isn’t aware of that affection until she’s about to lose them. When her fake parents try to trick her into staying in this alternate world, asking her to sew in her own button eyes, she realizes who she would rather be with. She always dreamed of finding a better, more exciting world but once her “Other Mother” kidnaps her real parents she knows it’s too good to be true. Coraline saves her parents and the three ghost children from the “Other World.” When she escapes, she slams her fake mother’s hand in the door. Her parents have no memory of the events but Coraline is warned that the “Other Mother” is still after her for the key to open the door between the two worlds. She tricks the “Other Mother’s” severed hand and it falls down a well. The book and movie are pretty close to being in tune with each other, although in the animated film Coraline has blue hair and the character, Wybie is added. I can relate to this story because I was once a teenager and wanted a different family. I ended up leaving home when I was only 16 and moved across the country. I supported myself and graduated high school but never fully understood or appreciated certain aspects of my family until they were out of my everyday life. Today my mother is my best friend and my latest photography projects revolves around trying to heal the relationship with my brother (www.kathryneharrison.com, if you’d like to look). Coraline is every teenager or young person struggling with their own identity, feeling out of place and wanting attention- someone to be there and want them. The simple desire to be wanted but not realizing that you already are. Like Coraline, I had to untangle myself from the web of confusion about what I truly wanted and needed in order to fight for it.

Literary Speculation

The most obvious symbols I found in the story relate to rites of passage, the differences between generations, stereotyping, personal transformation/self-realization, life lessons, and a few philosophical metaphors (ex: “But don’t you know it’s always better to hunt on the bottom and not on the surface?..”) Sometimes I have a hard time getting into stories and always searching for some other meaning behind what is written or the story being told. In the example I just listed, I was reading and immediately stopped in thought. To me it relates to searching within yourself and not attaching oneself too much to the surface or material world. In the story the great-uncle is answering a question that he has no idea about due to his position of being a fish while the main character is on land and hunts on shore. The great-uncle is always arguing that living the ancient and aquatic life he does is far superior. He rejects change.

I connected with this story in several ways, from fearing my significant other would judge me based off my family or heritage, to how I want to live my life and knowing what I want. I’m not an aquatic creature or have paws so I had to take those out of the equation. “I went on my way, in the midst of the world’s transformations, I transformed myself.” Perhaps I’m finding these connections due to my own baggage of being in my mid-twenties and let’s face it, almost everything is subjective. I am seeing what I am expecting, seeking a connection. This quote in the story really hit home for me because we are always in a state of flux, of evolution- physically, mentally, emotionally. The world doesn’t stop spinning because we don’t want to get out of bed in the morning, or because our fiancee ran off with our great-fish-uncle in the lagoon. The main character seems to be “ok” about the love of his life leaving him and not so worried about what to do now even though he didn’t want to introduce her to him because of a social class issue (her family was more evolved, more sophisticated). Talk about a backfire- she wanted to learn how to breathe underwater and bring more fish into the world.

I could definitely see this story being an animation or adapted into a trailer-length-film or short film and adapt the characters to actual people, like of like the Once Upon a Time television series.

When it comes down to writing for a genre, I would think that it’s possible to incorporate several elements, similar to how all of these subgenres are emerging. I think it should be free to open up the mind to new avenues, even if I have a hard time understanding. Sometimes I feel like we are running out of material and stories to tell because everything has been done so far. Sometimes a new spin or twist on a story will come around and we are begging for more. Deciding what goes where in the genre world these days can be quite complicated, I’m sure. We have come to accept that certain elements will automatically define a genre and that’s where I see trouble. We expect what we get, forgetting what we are experiencing through the work.

Space Opera

Space Opera is definitely one of those genres that I didn’t know much about before this class. My entire immediate family is obsessed with films and books in this category of entertainment, which is perhaps why I avoided it. It never really seemed believable to me and I couldn’t let go of trying to understand how any of it was possible, from spaceships and super-advanced technology, to robots and aliens- I wanted proof. But of course I had no trouble believing in fairytales or princesses, or even animals that could talk. To be honest I’m not sure what kept me away from this genre all my life, but now that I’m required to investigate it I have found a way to break to down- romance and adventure in outer space. Having never watched any of the Star Wars or Star Trek series, I decided  to indulge. My mom was terribly obsessed with Star Trek and I just remember how many times I would wander into the living room or her bedroom to cuddle up and watch a movie with her and I would have to leave because it was always on! Ha.. So, I gave Star Wars (the original from 1977) a chance and this is what I think…

Luke Skywalker is the protagonist and if he and his uncle never bought the escaped/missing droids R2D2 and C3P0 the story would never have escalated or began. Once those droids were in possession,  the plot evolves, the tension heightens and the characters begin to develop. The droid R2D2 escapes in search of Obi-Wan Kenobi, which is when Luke saves the droids and actually meets his mentor. Then his aunt and uncle, the people who have raised him and looked after him, were killed. This heartbreak threw Luke into a rage to destroy the Death Star and return the droids to Princess Leia, although they are not aware that she is being held prisoner. At first Luke didn’t want to get involved in any adventure because he feared the wrath of his uncle and wanted to obey, but once he and his aunt were killed and home destroyed, Luke became engaged. He had stumbled upon viewing Princess Leia in a virtual file stored in R2D2. His desire to destroy the Empire grows and he wants to leave the planet. He battles forces and droids but eventually leaves in charter, guided by Han Solo, finding out that the rebel headquarters they were going to has been blown up. They are brought on board the Death Star and form a plan to rescue Princess Leia and give the information to the rebel forces.

Luke counts on Obi-Wan Kenobi to mentor him and guide him through this quest, but when Obi-Wan battles Darth Vader he is killed. There is a huge, epic space battle and eventually rescue the Princess and escape. They arrive at the rebel base and deliver the information. Luke and his flaky friend Han Solo drop a bomb on the air conditioning duct which blows up the Death Star. Boom. Mission accomplished.

The main conflict I see in this is between a good force and an evil force. Even when you’re stuck between making a tough decision and an easy choice (doing something right or wrong), it’s best to sacrifice and be honest. Truth and loyalty always prevail, and we aren’t given clear, direct paths in life. Sometimes we have to untangle the pieces to the puzzle to figure out what is the answer to sticky situations and in return we become more grateful for the journey we encountered and endured.


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In this installment of the history of atom theory, physics professor (and my dad) Dean Zollman discusses the problems physicists had with Bohr’s model – and they could get downright catty. – Kim

By Dean Zollman

Dean ZollmanIf you look at a description of the Bohr model of the atom in most textbooks or many popularized accounts, you could easily get the impression that it was an immediate success. Physicists were troubled by some of its assumptions, but it worked, so they moved on. However, like several other developments that I have discussed in these posts, the history is more complex. Many physicists were not just unhappy with some of the assumptions, they were sure the entire model was absolutely wrong.

Basically the Bohr model of the atom was an attempt to use the classical physics of Newton, Maxwell, and others but incorporate the quantum ideas of Planck and Einstein. Thus, it was the beginning of a revolution but not as great as the revolution that was to come soon. As a result of Bohr’s quantum-classical blended model, five major concerns arose.

  1. An accelerating charged particle will emit continuous radiation. An electron moving in a circle is accelerating. Yet in Bohr’s model the orbiting electrons did not radiate. If it did, the electron would spiral quickly into the nucleus. (I discussed this one in a previous post.) Bohr had no logical reason for the nonradiating electron, but without it, atoms would not exist.
  2. In the early 20th century, electromagnetic radiation such as radio waves was created by shaking electrons back and forth. The frequency of the shaking determined the frequency of the wave. For radio, microwaves, etc., we still do that. A radio station that broadcasts at 99.5 megahertz shakes electrons in its antenna 99,500,000 times per second. Scientists in 1913 expected that light was emitted in the same way, so an electron in an atom would vibrate to emit light. However, in the Bohr model nothing vibrated; the light just appeared as the electron changed orbits.
  3. Even worse, these “quantum jumps” in orbit seemed to occur without a cause. Once an electron was in orbit with an energy higher than the lowest possible energy, it would at some time move to a lower energy, but Bohr could not ascribe a cause to that event.
  4. Then, physicists asked: how does the electron “know” where it is going? When it leaves one orbit, it gives off a photon of light. The energy of that photon is determined by the energy that the electron will have when it lands in the lower orbit. It seems that the electron knows what will happen to it before the event is finished.
  5. And, finally, what happens to the electron in between the time it leaves one orbit and the time it gets to the second orbit?

So, there were some rather good reasons to wonder if Bohr was making up a story that just did not fit with the known laws of physics. However, for many people something was more important than these concerns. The Bohr model worked in a way no other model of the atom had. Bohr had been able to reproduce the equation for the spectral lines that had been discovered by Balmer. He had also explained several recently observed effects. That was enough for some physicists, but not for all.

Arnold Sommerfeld

Arnold Sommerfeld in 1897 (public domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Arnold Sommerfeld (1888-1951) at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich did see the positive side of Bohr’s model. He and his colleagues made modifications to the model by assuming that the electron would move in elliptical orbits rather than circles. (Then, the electrons are moving in a manner similar to the planets around the sun.)

This change made the connection between the model and recent accurate measurements even better than the model with circular orbits. Thus. These refinements to create the Bohr-Sommerfeld model gave the model more credibility than it had before.

Bohr-Sommerfeld model of the atom The Bohr-Sommerfeld model of the atom (by Pieter Kuiper, public domain via Wikimedia Commons)

Paul Ehrenfest

Paul Ehrenfest (public domain via Wikimedia Commons)

However, not everyone was happy with this turn of events. Paul Ehrenfest (1880-1933) wrote to Sommerfeld to congratulate him on this work. His statement was somewhat a back-handed compliment. He said, “Even I consider it horrible that this success will help the preliminary, but still completely monstrous, Bohr model on to new triumphs, I nevertheless heartily wish physics at Munich further success along this path!” Earlier Ehrenfest had written to Hendrik Lorentz (1853-1928), “Bohr’s work on the quantum theory of the Balmer formula, has driven me to despair. If this is the way to reach the goal, I must give up doing physics.” Clearly, Ehrenfest was not a fan of the Bohr model.

One of the least diplomatic critics of Bohr was Johannes Stark (1874-1957). In 1919, Stark received the Noble Prize for two discoveries. One of these discoveries, which bears his name, is that spectral lines will split into more than one line when the atoms that emit them are in an intense electric field. Other physicists were able to use the Bohr-Sommerfeld model of the atom to explain why this splitting occurs. That did not, however, stop Stark from taking an intellectual shot at Bohr.

During Stark’s Nobel Lecture, he stated Planck’s hypothesis “forms the starting point of Bohr’s theory of the emission of serial lines. Although I myself once stood on the threshold of this theory, and although the final formulae give a series of frequency relationships in the spectral series which agree well with observed facts, I am nevertheless unable to believe it, because in its provisions it postulates suppositions which contradict, not only Maxwell’s theory, but the very spirit of physics. This criticism is directed not at Planck’s quantum of action, but at the hypotheses of Bohr which are bound up with it.”

In other words, Planck’s ideas are OK, but Bohr misused them and must be wrong. I have not found any record of Stark’s thoughts when Bohr was the recipient of the Nobel Prize three years later.

Stark’s choices in politics were also not very wise. With Philipp Lenard (1862-1947) he led the Deutsche Physik (German physics, sometimes called Aryan Physics) movement during the Nazi period in Germany.

There were also many critics of Bohr’s model in England, including J.J. Thompson (1856-1940), the discoverer of the electron, and John William Nicholson (1881-1955), who developed his own atomic model.

All of the criticisms were eventually silenced when Bohr’s model was replaced by modern quantum theory. We will get to that in a couple of months. But, first we will look at an explanation for why the electrons do not radiate while moving in an orbit. This hypothesis partially helped give a foundation to one of Bohr’s assumptions and laid more of the groundwork for quantum theory. It even involves a French prince.

(Several of the quotations in this post are reproduced from a series of papers written or co-written by Helge Kragh.)

What Are Things Made of? Depends on When You Ask.

Ancient Greeks Were the First to Hypothesize Atoms

The Poetry of Atoms

Atom Theory in Ancient India

Religion, Science Clashed over Atoms

Medieval Arabic Scholarship Might Have Preserved Scientific Knowledge

Rediscovering a Roman Poet – and Atom Theory – Centuries Later

Reconciling Atom Theory with Religion

Did Gifted Scientist’s Belief in Atoms Led to His Obscurity?

Does Atom Theory Apply to the Earthly and the Divine?

A Duchess Inspired by Atoms

Separating Atoms from Atheism

Isaac Newton: 300 Years Ahead of His Time

Issac Newton and the Philosopher’s Stone

When Chemistry and Physics Split

Redefining Elements

Mme Lavoisier: Partner in Science, Partner in Life

With Atoms, Proportionality and Simplicity Rule

Despite Evidence of Atoms, 19th Century Skeptics Didn’t Budge

Mission of the First International Scientific Conference: Clear up Confusion

Rivalry over the First Periodic Table

The Puzzle of Dark Lines amid Rainbow Colors

The Colorful Signature of Each Element

Light Waves by the Numbers

Even Scientific Dead Ends Can Contribute to Knowledge

Discovery of the Electron Took Decades and Multiple Scientists

‘Wonders of the X-ray’

The Accidental Discovery of Radioactivity

Marie Curie: A Determined Scientist

Pierre and Marie Curie Extract Radium – and Pay a High Price

Scientists Delve into Radioactivity and Make Their Own Discoveries

The First Attempts to Visualize Atoms

Did Busy Work Lead to Models for Atoms?

Why Does Ice Melt? The Answer Lies in Physics.

How Bohr’s Famous Model of the Atom Was Created

Bohr’s Model of the Atom Answers Fundamental Questions – but Raises More


day twenty-two 23april 2015

soil temp 15.5 oC

irrigation assessment today

day twenty-one 22april 2015

baro: 1028.3 hPa | rain 0.0 mm | soil temp temp high 18.6oC low 12.3oC | wind SE 10.6 km/h , slight breeze | humidity 91% cloud partly cloudy 275 m

soil temperature 15.5oC

for the next three days we will be spending our days with our tutor BRYCE learning how to “MAINTAIN AN IRRIGATION SYSTEM USED IN HORTICULTURE”

reasons for watering plants are

– photosynthesis
– uptake of nutrients through root system
– turgidity
– osmosis

photosynthesis source 'google'

source ‘google’

All living things need energy to survive. Animals have to hunt or gather food to get the energy they need, but plants can make their own food using light energy from the sun. This process is called photosynthesis, and it takes place in the chloroplasts, tiny green structures found in the green parts of plants.

It is a complicated process, but basically, carbon dioxide and water are converted to glucose (a simple sugar) and oxygen.

In this way, plants make, or produce, the beginnings of most of the food energy on Earth. This is why plants are called producers. They use some of the food energy to carry out their own functions, and store the rest of the energy in their leaves, stems, roots and other parts.

When an animal eats part of a plant, the animal takes the plant’s stored food energy into its body. Creatures that eat food energy are called consumers. Animals that eat plants directly are called primary consumers. Animals that get their food energy by eating other animals are called secondary consumers since the plant’s energy has been consumed a second time. The relationships between producers and consumers can be represented by food chains and webs.

Eventually, all living things die. Then it is time for the decomposers to use the energy. Decomposers break down and take the energy from dead things into their bodies. They also enrich the soil, which helps plants to grow and create more food energy for all of us.

turgidity source: google images

source: google images

Turgor pressure on plant cells diagram.svg

Eventually, the cell’s membrane is enlarged such that it pushes against the cell’s rigid wall. At this point the cell is said to be turgid.[1] In an isotonic solution, water flows into the cell at the same rate it flows out. The pressure pushing the cell’s membrane against its wall is reduced and the cell is said to be ‘flaccid’. When a cell is placed in a hypertonic solution water actually flows out of the cell into the surrounding solution. This, plasmolysis, causes the membrane to recede from the wall and is responsible for wilting in plant cells.

osmosis  source :wikipedia

source :wikipedia

One frame of a computer simulation of osmosis

Jean-Antoine Nollet first documented observation of osmosis in 1748.[7] The word “osmosis” descends from the words “endosmose” and “exosmose”, which were coined by French physician René Joachim Henri Dutrochet (1776–1847) from the Greek words ένδον (endon : within), έξο (exo : outside), and ωσμος (osmos : push, impulsion).[8]

WATER in Maori Culture

Waiora  Purest Water

Wai Maori is freshwater or drinking water from spring

Waimate or Waikura is stagnant water or polluted water

expressing the unseen  source

expressing the unseen

The tensiometer uses a column of water attached to a ceramic cup. There is a pressure gauge that is a the top of the column to measure how much of a vaccum is created. How the tensiometer works is very simple. If the soil is at field capacity then no water will be lost through the ceramic cup. But if the soil is lower then field capacity water will slowly seep out of the cup. As the water leaves the ceramic cup it causes a vaccum in the column which causes the gauge to get a reading. By taking a reading from the gauge you can figure out how much water is actually in the soil. This picture shows how depth of the Tensiometer can have an effect on the amount of water that is lost.

source :

source :

hybrid vs heirloom

shared from

More and more people are getting into gardening these days, especially to grow their own food. The most popular grow-your-own plants sprouting in garden beds everywhere are tomatoes, because let’s face it — nothing beats a garden tomato in your salad or on a BLT, and they’re fairly easy to grow.  But with many more varieties for gardeners to choose from than there were just a decade ago, there can be some confusion, especially about varieties. So let’s explore some specifics about these summertime favorites:

Q: What types of tomatoes can I grow to have a good canning season?

A:  When selecting tomato varieties, there are basically two growth types: Determinate and Indeterminate.  Select determinates if you’re looking for a mass one-time bloom and produce. These are great for canning, since the plant blooms almost all at once, sets fruit, and can be harvested for mass production. Succession planting these every two weeks will get you a great harvest. Indeterminate plants will constantly produce. The more you pick, the more they bloom and produce. One plant will have you picking through to the first frost.

Q: I have heard that heirlooms are the better variety. What makes it an heirloom?

A: Heirloom tomatoes are open pollinated, meaning they’re pollinated by insects or wind without human intervention.  Heirlooms lack the deep red color and sugar processing ability, so the ripening process is not wasting energy making that red color. They come from seed that has been handed down for generations in a particular region, hand-selected by gardeners for a special trait. Most are not as disease resistant as hybrids. Usually varieties from seed more than 40 to 50 years old, passed down through the generation of that plant, constitutes it to be an heirloom.

Q: So what is a hybrid, actually?

A: Hybrids are created when plant breeders intentionally cross-pollinate at least two different varieties of a plant to produce an offspring that contains the best trait of each parent, such as bigger size or better disease resistance. Hybrid seeds will not produce the same cultivar, but will produce one of the parent plants. Most hybrid seeds are sterile, and won’t germinate. You can check to see if your hybrid tomato seeds are viable by placing them in a damp paper towel for a few days. Some will not sprout, others will, and what you get may be a pleasant surprise. In general, hybrids offer a combination of these favorable traits: dependability, easy care, early maturity, better yield, improved flavor, specific plant size, and/or disease resistance.

While hybrid plants typically yield fruit that is uniform in appearance (like what you’d see at the supermarket), heirloom vegetables produce a harvest that can be mixed, and may produce less predictably. Fruit size can vary greatly, even on the same plant.

It’s important to note that hybrid and heirloom tomato varieties are not genetically modified organisms (GMO).

Dreaming of Abundant Gardens, Food Forests and Delicious Yards!

Even with all the snowflakes, slushy sleet and ice pellets that have been cluttering our skies and blanketing our soils lately, I’ve got visions of lush, green gardens decorating my thoughts today. We started our pepper, eggplant and herb seeds the other day, and many of our spring greens are already germinating, so the season is on here at Edible Earthscapes. In particular this week, I’ve been turning my attention toward garden designs as Luke and I already have jobs rolling in just a few weeks into our new collaboration.

There are always question marks when you enter into a new enterprise, and even more unknowns when you throw a person you hardly know into the mix as a partner.  Luke and I met last spring when he and his family became new neighbors of ours.  Over the last several months, our friendship has organically gravitated toward a working relationship…

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day twenty 2 april 2015

baro 1029.3 hPa | rain 0.6 mm | soil temp
temp high 18.2 oC | temp low 13.7 oC | wind 1.9 km/h SSW
humidity 93 % | cloud 231 m (kerikeri weather station says clear but it just rained )

  • seed sowing
    kale (curly kind)
    chinese cabbage
    peas (direct sow)

and we are planning and planting our four garden beds

white butterfly.001


Take home points

-Note the history of abdominal surgeries or look for a scar

-Distension is huge! (sensitive and specific)

-Auscultation may have some value in ileus vs gastroenteritis vs SBO

A patient presents with difficulty feeding for the past month.  Specifically, she states that she is “unable” to swallow.  How do we perform the bedside examination so as to take this presentation to the highest degree of resolution?

Swallowing can be divided into 2 processes: oropharyngeal and esophageal.

The oropharyngeal process moves the food bolus from the back of the tongue to the pharynx, where the pharynx squeezes it into the upper esophagus.  This event involves the soft palate closing of the nasopharynx, the epiglottis closing of the tracheal entrance, and the upper esophageal sphincter transiently relaxing to accommodate the food bolus.  This is a complex neurological event, and oropharyngeal dysphagia is usually caused by a neurological disease.  Telltale signs include nasal and tracheal aspiration, as well as inability to propel food out of the pharynx.

The esophageal process moves food from the upper esophageal sphincter (cricopharyngeus) to the lower esophageal sphincter.  Disruption can be anatomic (obstruction) or physiologic (motility). It presents with the feeling that food gets stuck in the esophagus. Patients feel these symptoms in the chest.

Dysphagia to solids only (such as chewy meats) signifies an anatomic obstruction. Gastroenterologists use marshmallows to bring this out, and call it a “viscous swallow.” Typical causes of anatomic obstruction include stricture, ring, or cancer.

Dysphagia to liquids and solids signifies a physiologic motility disorder. These can be localized to the lower esophageal sphincter, such as achalasia, or can be diffuse, such as diffuse esophageal spasm. Motility orders can also be secondary to inflammation, such as in gastroesophageal reflux disease.

By clarifying which part of the swallow process is disordered as well as noting whether liquids are affected helps considerably narrow the differential diagnosis of dysphagia.

-Inability to swallow or aspiration indicates oropharyngeal dysphagia, and is usually neurologic.

-Dysphagia to solids indicates obstruction.

-Dysphagia to liquids and solids indicates a motility disorder.


What is Tolerance?

People can develop tolerance to both illegal and prescription drugs. Tolerance is a physical effect of repeated use of a drug. A person may notice that they need to take more than usual of the same drug to produce the same effects.

What is dependence?

The words dependence an addiction are often used interchangeably, but there are important differences to be aware of. A non-addictive drug can also produce dependence. In medical terms, dependence refers to a physical condition in which the body has adapted to the substance. If a person with dependence stops taking that drug suddenly, that person will experience symptoms that are both measurable and predictable, known as withdrawal symptoms.

What is Addiction?

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), addiction is defined as a “chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences”. This compulsion can be very long lasting and can return unexpectedly, even after years of abstinence.

More Facts from the Center For Disease Control and Prevention: -Deaths linked to opioids are skyrocketing. Two million Americans were dependent on prescription opioids in 2014, and overdoses linked to opioids killed more than 28,000 nationwide.

-Every 19 minutes, someone dies from an overdose.

-Heroin is linked to higher incidences of HIV, hepatitis and other blood diseases.

-Heroin addiction is linked to infections of the heart lining and valves, and rheumatological diseases.

NIDA Source: National Institute On Drug Abuse (2003). Preventing Drug Use Among Children and Adolescents: A Research-Based Guide For Parents, Educators and Community Leaders.


Newton's cradle spheres
Metal spheres in a Newton’s cradle (shown) swing back and forth rhythmically. The toy has inspired a quantum experiment where atoms replace the balls.

Newton's cradle consists of suspended metal spheres dangling in a row. Pull back one ball on the end and let it fall back to hit its neighbor, and a ball on the other end pops out before swinging back and repeating the process. This regularly repeating motion continues until friction slows the balls' swing.

The quantum version replaces those spheres with a row of chilled, laser-trapped atoms. Lev and colleagues created an array of about 700 such quantum Newton's cradles, each composed of around 50 atoms of the element dysprosium, and kicked them into motion with a laser.

For the quantum Newton's cradle to thermalize, all the atoms must be moving randomly - akin to the jiggling molecules in a cup of coffee - instead of in a regular back-and-forth pattern. To achieve that randomness, Lev and colleagues took advantage of the fact that dysprosium atoms are magnetic. In addition to colliding with one another, the atoms tugged on one another magnetically. That additional interaction introduced chaos that scrambled the atoms' motions.

By changing the orientation of the atoms' magnetic poles, Lev and colleagues tuned the strength of the magnetic interactions and studied how the system approached equilibrium. At first, the atoms rapidly progressed toward thermal equilibrium, then switched to a slower advance, Lev and colleagues report in a paper published May 2 in Physical Review X.

The result could be important for designing ultrasmall devices and quantum computers, which could perform efficient calculations using quantum mechanics. "If you want to have a quantum computer, it will be very far off equilibrium," says physicist Jörg Schmiedmayer of Technische Universität Wien in Austria, who was not involved with the research. That's because, in equilibrium, information is lost thanks to the scrambling of particles' properties.

So understanding how quantum systems reach equilibrium is a rapidly developing topic of study. "In 20 years ... we will have this completely different understanding of the thermodynamics of quantum systems," Schmiedmayer says.


BOGOTÁ — Emmanuel Macron's victory in the French presidential elections stands as a big red Stop sign to a populist trends around the world. More than that, it is a reaffirmation that the liberal democratic state remains pertinent and viable even in the face of the discrepancies that globalization has inevitably produced. After the victories of Brexit and Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen's victory would have sealed the fate of the European Union and meant a worldwide return to protectionism.

The 2008 economic crisis did not show up "alone." It was accompanied by a deterioration, practically the world over, of governments' ability to connect with citizens, as shown in the eruption of various anti-system populist movements and a spreading of mass dissatisfaction with the political order and democracy. Furthermore, the inability of the establishment to satisfy the demands of those hurt by globalization, and a string of corruption scandals revealed across many countries, were accelerated by the network effects of the Internet and mass media culture.

Macron managed in a stark debate last week to unmask his rival

But ideology has grown hard to analyze: the candidates of the new Right are as protectionist as those of the old Left. Amid Hillary Clinton's defeat in the United States, and spreading fiscal crises and the crumbling welfare state, no one until Macron had deemed it necessary to explain the contradictions between their promises to restore lost jobs in prosperous states and the realities of globalization. They were not saying how they would "order" changes within the global chains of production, to raise prices and lower wages and costs, or who would pay the price of abandoning the principles of specialization or comparative advantage.

The Macron phenomenon is, among other things, democracy's counterpunch to these new forms of doing politics based on winning voters' support by hook or by crook — using alternative truths and post-facts if need be — and failing that just lying, as I pointed out in a column in January. Macron managed in a stark debate last week to unmask his rival before millions of French viewers. Her project "thrives on fear and lies," he told her, highlighting the strategy that yielded results in the United Kingdom and the United States (Russian meddling, the FBI etc..) and to which Madame Le Pen resorted to the very end, hacking and all.

The Macron coalition, backed by both Right and Left, can also provide a very specific boost to the beleaguered European Union. It represents a proposal to govern away from the extremes, an inclusive model that promotes the private sector and economic freedom without discarding the state's role in limiting inequalities and promoting social progress. Macron's victory begins to move toward resolving some evident dysfunctionalities of the political order in light of globalization, though clearly further adjustment will also prove necessary.

Here in Colombia, Macron's victory will not have palpable effects in the short term, nor will it influence the presidential elections scheduled for 2018. For perhaps our most pressing electoral issue, the peace process with FARC rebels, one suspects that those who celebrated Trump's victory, will not be throwing a party for Macron.

So is this a return to democratic liberalism? Yes, at least in France, though on the global level we can expect the continuation of the tug-of-war between those trying to profit from the clash of democracy and globalization and those who insist on maintaining the established regime and playing by its rules.

The EU will, while it lasts, continue to be a weighty player in world affairs, assuring plurality and balancing the roles and political and economic decisions of the United States, Russia and China, in a context of drastic volatility in the world order.

See more from Opinion / Analysis here


Connecting Children with Nature: Interview with Wendolyn Bird

Wendolyn Bird

by Aidan Young

This interview was a blast for me. Wendolyn Bird is an expert in nature connection for young children and a delight to talk to. Jon Young also weighs in with wisdom shared from his visits with the Kalahari Bushmen. You can jump right into the interview below, or read on for a little story of mine that I find useful in priming my brain for this conversation.

Listen online or download the audio (show notes continue below):

It was one of those February days in the Bay Area that make me grateful to live here; close to 70 degrees and not a cloud in the sky.  We had just finished harvesting the chickweed from the shady side of the meadow. Now the winter sun cast across the field at an angle that belied its warmth and settled across our picnic blanket.  We sat with a handful of 5-year-olds, and their mothers, and it was time for a story to go with our lunch.

My co-instructor pulled out the book “Over In The Meadow,” a book I hadn’t seen in almost 30 years. Together we sang: “Over in the meadow, in the sand and the sun, lived an old mother turtle and her little turtle one. “Dig,” said the mother. “I dig,” said the one, and they dug all day in the sand and the sun.”  As I sung I was 5 again, and I could hear my mother’s voice singing along with me.  I remembered her warmth as I snuggled next to her and I couldn’t help but smile at the little ones in front of me, cuddled up with their moms. In that moment, I knew exactly how they felt. Maybe they will remember that moment in 30 years when they sit down to read to their children.

As that little boy in my memory, my imagination blurring the lines of reality, I became the turtle. I can still feel the sunshine on my shell as I write this. Imagination and imitation have an incredible power to involve all of our senses and etch experiences into our brains in a way that intellectual discourse seldom does.  It is in this space that children under 6 live most of the time. When I pretended to imitate a deer or a fox, I could almost feel my ears or my long, bushy tail.

Discover nature in your own back yard with the connecting with nature online course

When engaging with young children they are much more likely to follow you than listen to you.  They are in a space of imitation, imagination, and experimentation.  They are ready to become a crow, a lizard, or a ninja turtle at a moment’s notice, but not so interested in facts unless those facts are playing out in front of them in a way they can experience directly. I’ve seen a young child lay perfectly still on their belly next to a gopher hole because we just saw that gopher come out a moment before. But when I told them about the gopher hole the week before they couldn’t care less. They want to be where the action is.

Believe it or not, there was a time in your life when you didn’t know what time it was, what day of the week it was, when your next deadline would be. There was a time when “present” was all you could be, even if what you were present to was totally imaginary.  Whether you’re a parent, teacher, babysitter, or family friend, if you’re planning to spend some time with 5-year-olds, I would ask you this: can you remember a moment in your own childhood like Over in the Meadow? Maybe there was a day you spent in your back yard creating a little village out of sticks and leaves, or that time you became your favorite singer and had a concert in front of your mirror. Whatever it is, if you can let your inner 5-year-old out, you’ll have a blast.

I believe that it’s more important than ever with this age group to make sure that we care for our own state of being before engaging.  In order to create a space where these young children are free to explore and experience the world around them, we have to be in a space where we be present, playful, inquisitive, and supportive. And, knowing they are in a place of imitation, we must be careful to bring our  best energy to each and every moment.

Wendolyn and Jon share some great insights into this experience, from the perspective of both child and mentor. I enjoyed digging in with them and I hope you do too! Thanks for reading. - Aidan

Listen to the Podcast:

Interview Outline and Show Notes

0:00 - Introductions

0:58 - Jon: background and history with Wendolyn

2:50 - Jon: history and background of nature connection

11:24 - Wendolyn: nature connection

14:55 - Wendolyn: the young child’s mind

19:24 - Wendolyn: nature as the classroom

21:13 - Jon: Nature connection and the importance of modeling and mentoring

35:09 - Wendolyn: Parents’ expectations and understanding, learning to ground

43:48 - Aidan: grounding, mentoring, and modeling

46:50 - Aidan & Wendolyn: hazards and developing awareness

50:33 - Wendolyn: supporting development and learning

52:53 - Wendolyn: observation and meeting children where they’re at

54:52 - Aidan: need for being grounded to enable mentoring

55:35 - Wendolyn: on grounding

57:27 - Jon: on grounding and inner tracking

60:07 - Aidan: grounding, and what are you bringing to the moment? The value of gratitude routines

63:40 - Jon: the words before all else

64:52 - Closing thoughts

Connect with Wendolyn Bird

Connect with Jon Young

Visit to learn more about Jon and his work in nature connection, including audio, video, courses, workshops, books, and more.

Connect with Aidan Young

Visit to learn more about Aidan, his music, and mentoring.

Follow Aidan on Facebook, Instagram, or Youtube

Two Very Different Walks, One Trail

by Josh Lane, Deep Nature Connection Mentor

Exploring Mindful Awareness in Daily Life

Part 1: The "Fast-Forward" Mindset

Person/Attitude #1

What did that person notice about the world around them?

Part Two: Same Person, New Mindset

I invite you to consider and ask:

Have fun  - happy connecting!

About the Author

Josh Lane

Photo by Virginia Dunn.

How Bird Language Helps Us Connect

Meet Jon YoungArticle by Jon Young, 8 Shields Founder

Research about the impact of nature connection on people’s health and well-being is now pointing directly at something we have observed through our work over the past 30 years: bird language really helps move people into true nature connection.

My book, What the Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World, has helped open doors to new audiences, and to affirm that people from these new audiences are connecting to nature through bird language.

In his review for The Wall Street Journal, Jonathan Rosen helped to bring out implications for nature connection and families through existing bird enthusiasts. It’s very exciting.

“What makes the approach of What the Robin Knows so refreshing is that it borrows back into bird-watching something the practice often surrenders to birders, those single-minded stalkers who identify and then abandon individual birds with promiscuous fury. My daughter has little interest in my fits of avian acquisitiveness, but sitting quietly in the woods, taking in the whole system as a sort of babbling classroom whose sounds and silences all communicate something important, she was mesmerized—and so was I. This, more than anything else, is what bird-watching ought to mean.”

-Jonathan Rosen, author of Bird Sense, for The Wall Street Journal

An Instinctive Response

Think about Jonathan’s “mesmerized” daughter in this. What causes this mesmerized response?

What I have heard again and again is that bird language “makes sense” in a deeper kind of way. People can relate to bird language in a deeply human and truly ancient way, and these are not necessarily people who are really interested in “birding” like I am, or review author Jonathan Rosen is. However, I don’t see bird language as necessarily separate from birding; in fact, I see bird language as an essential and helpful component of bird watching. That said, it is clear that folks I know who are not interested in birding, are interested in bird language. And, I am discovering, it can work the other way too!

The more important questions for me, though, are: “What is compelling an almost instinctive response in people discovering bird language and its connective practice?” And, “How can we benefit from these patterns, and help others as well?”

In my earlier days of training and mentoring naturalists, there was a profusion of guide books that answered the question “who?” These are identification guides for wildlife and plants. There are many “identification guides” it seems for most everything that moves and crawls, and even things like rocks, stars and weather. Then, along came a new genre of guidebooks that reflected a ‘deepening’ inquiry. These are books that talk about “what” animals and birds are doing. The field guides to bird behavior emerged.

As the birding world deepens further, it seems that bird language can take off on the “what” birds are doing and go into the “why” and “how” a bit more. Bird language is helping to fill in the story in our field guide literature a bit more. It’s not new understanding; bird language is ancient and is being retold in a new language of science.

Connecting on a Deep Level

The other thing that bird language is providing is an experience of feedback to us as participants in the birds’ experience—not just our own. In other words, our behavior impacts their behavior. With an understanding of how we can alter our behavior, and thereby their behavior, we gain something yet deeper. This is part of what we mean by “deep bird language”.

Though the term “deep bird language” was coined during the writing of What the Robin Knows, reflection on implications of the term “deep” changed the way I see what I do and what our greater 8 Shields movement offers. When applied to what our movement has been doing for thirty years, the word basically brands us our very approach to nature connection.

It was from the naming of the concept of deep bird language that I realized my life’s work is about deep nature connection. The ‘success’ of deep nature connection, and its subset deep bird language, is measured and defined by certain attributes. These attributes indicate ‘arrival at the station’ called “deep” along the path as a continuum from perceived and experienced disconnection to the place where connection is self-evident and drives changes in values and behaviors (towards sustainability).

For this article, I want to stay focused on bird language as a practice and its impact on us, and its influence on our journey towards emergent deep nature connection attributes.

Benefits of Deep Nature Connection

When the core routines of learning bird language are practiced, there are resultant benefits. These are linked to the attributes of deep nature connection, and are brought on through regular immersion in practices of attentiveness, silence, listening, sharing learning through storytelling and sitting quietly in the same area day after day, season after season. Over time, through these and other related practices constituting the study and experience of bird language, these are some of the benefits could emerge:

1) The attentive practices of bird language help people sense and awakening an ancient, instinctive potential to pay attention at a much more profound level; this attentiveness brings about benefits from quieting the mind, developing a sense of inner calm and peace, awakening curiosity and increasing enjoyment of the out-of-doors experience

2) Through developing connections with birds, people report that they are happier and more engaged with our surroundings

3) The vitality with which birds respond to bird language is inspiring; people report that they are influenced in a positive way by the “modeling” the quickness of birds provides

4) The deep-listening skills and multi-dimensional attentiveness to the language of birds helps people to become better listeners and more attentive to others as friends, parents, mentors and other facilitators of human interaction and support

5) Developing further experience and attentiveness to the feedback from birds and wildlife about a person’s approach and movement in the birds’ habitat, causes people to grow a greater sense of respect, empathy and a sense of connection to birds (and other wildlife); this in turn, will bring people closer to wildlife and helps people feel that they have become a part of nature and not an “intruder” into nature

6) Developing understanding of interactions between birds, wildlife and their habitats expands understanding of ecology and inspires people to become more helpful to their human and natural neighbors with a more conscientious and sustainable orientation

7) Over time, bird language practices will foster deeper appreciation and compassion for all living things and an awakened sense of a gratitude for the opportunity to be alive; people report that this really opens their heart and sense of love for their families and others in their lives, humanity in general and themselves.

Going Further. . .

There are many ways you can enjoy learning and experiencing bird language in your own back yard from products and offerings from 8 Shields Institute in collaboration with many fine projects around the world!

Free On-line Media: Check out the What the Robin Knows audio library on our site

Books: My book What the Robin Knows is available through the 8 Shields store.

Audio Media: Advanced Bird Language offers stories I am telling to a live audience from my field experiences and musing on the implications of bird language.

DVD Media: Bird Language with Jon Young is a video media course teaching both bird language basics, and how to work with groups in training settings. This video will help you start a bird language group in your town!

Weeklong Bird Language Course: Bird Language Intensive is an absolutely life-changing immersion into the study of bird language in a group experience. This is a phenomenal and very efficient training experience for anyone who wishes to bring bird language to others!

How to Deepen Your Sense of Place with Holistic Tracking

In today's post, 8 Shields mentor Josh Lane shares how you can expand your sensory connection with nature through the ancient art of tracking.

The Power of Tracking to Connect Us With Place

by Josh Lane

(edited from the audio recording)

As a nature connection mentor, I often get to interact with people around the world, and I observe people's reactions as they connect with nature. One thing I consistently find is that through time in nature, people say that they feel more rejuvenated… they feel a creativity emerging within themselves that maybe they had felt had gone dormant, because of overwhelm, or just from busyness or stress. So clearly, across the board, one of the responses is that nature rejuvenates us.

But, one thing I've also noticed is that many people feel like there's something more that’s possible in their nature connection experience, like there's a deeper layer of connection that they feel tugging at them. Maybe that feeling comes through in a way that's a bit indiscernible or hard to define, almost like a whisper in the wind.

This whisper from the earth is an ancient longing to connect, to know the rhythms and patterns of life in the forest, in the fields, in the mountains… to feel that on a deep level, and know how to participate in that rhythm. In fact, it's part of our inborn neurobiology.

An Instinct to Connect With Nature

If you look at the time span that we've been here on Earth as a species (and of course there's different estimates of how long we've been here as a species, but generally around at least 300,000 years or so is a pretty conservative point of view at this point in time, with the evidence that has been found so far…), for however long it's been, much of that time has been spent in the hunter-gatherer lifestyle.

Our ancestors depended on their awareness of place to navigate the landscape, to find food, to avoid danger - to do all the things they needed to do to thrive and survive. So, for most of the time that we've been here as a species, our senses have been adapted to this deep relationship with place: with the patterns of the land and with the sky, and with the plants, the animals, the weather patterns… with all these different changing textures and substrates and cycles.

This is what our senses really are adapted for. Even after the perhaps 10,000 plus years for many of us having an ancestral background of an agrarian existence, with it’s shift from a hunter-gatherer mindset, yet, we still have that same ancient sensory capability inside us.... even as we moved further into the Industrial Revolution, and now into this Digital Age (which is just a mere pinpoint in that huge spectrum of time)... here we are, with that same inborn sensory capacity longing to connect with those primal natural patterns.

So that's the "whisper" that I often hear about from people - it’s that desire to experience the full potential of what their senses have to offer them. That desire becomes a mystery: How do we do that? How do we engage in that really deep way with our place?

Tracking as a Routine of Mindfulness and Connection with Place

This is where the routines of tracking come in. Jon Young calls this holistic tracking, not just looking at footprints on the ground in that mud puddle, wondering who left the tracks - although that is in itself a powerful practice - but, connecting that track to the entire landscape, to the whole rhythm and texture of that place.

The holistic viewpoint asks us to connect the track to the entire ecology: why did that red fox leave those tracks in that mud puddle? Well, where are the raspberries right now?  If you're in that season and raspberries are coming into fruit, well, the red fox is probably looking for those. At other times a year,  the fox might be looking mostly for small mammals. So there could be a variety of things drawing that fox across the landscape. The track there in the mud becomes an invitation to look at the whole ecology of place, and what's driving (either pushing or pulling) that animal through the contours of the land.

As we are out there tracking, we can open our ears up, too… maybe we'll hear the juncos that fly up off of the ground with their quiet but sharp little alarm calls, one after the other. Then the robin flies up, and then another bird takes off, and suddenly we realize there's something moving through that raspberry thicket! So if we are fully present in the moment with mindfulness, and we're tuned into the birds, suddenly we realize that, hey, maybe that fox is in there in the thicket right now, moving right here with us in this moment.

So, the track becomes an invitation to be present to what's going on. The questions become a doorway to engage our senses fully with that place, with the mysteries of the land. We start to develop a routine of connecting with the same place over and over, of rhythmically using our senses and activating them, and then coming home and asking really good questions in our journal. This creates a feedback cycle in a positive way that continues to reinforce our sensory experiences, and helps us map them out and make sense of them.

This is the cycle of holistic tracking. It’s an awareness practice that we can integrate in our lives - and in really simple ways - just by asking, “What's happening right now at my place today?” Have a sit spot that you go visit often; it could be right in the backyard or in the local park. Or, have a tracking area around that to regularly investigate. Maybe you’re not feeling called to sit, but you like to wander. So, wander through that place. Maybe you walk your dog there every day already, so it's just a matter of bringing in a few more questions, and looking a little deeper at the landscape as you walk.

Connect with the place all the way from the ground up to the sky. Methodically look, sense, and feel what's going on. Ask, “Who's moving here? What are the other life forms that are here, what other animals live here? What sign might they leave behind? What are the birds saying in this moment? What direction is the wind coming from?” These kinds of questions start to open up our senses in a really magical way.

These practices are routines that I share with my clients in the Shikari mentoring journey, which is the holistic tracking pathway that we have at 8 Shields. This is what I specialize in. I've had the honor to help people around the world learn to embody this skillset in a one-on-one setting, where we focus on this type of connection with place, by engaging mindfulness through the senses.

Typically, we meet once a week on the phone for an hour, and we also offer customized practices to do in the field in between each session. Then, during that time one-on-one, I’ll listen to the stories that the person has brought in from their experiences in the field at their place. Through Coyote Mentoring (through the asking of very strategic mentoring questions) over a period of eight weeks, my role as a mentor is to tease through that story of their experiences and bring the participant to a new level of questions.

The mentoring journey cycles in this way each week, and the client goes out again with those new questions and experiences the landscape in a deeper way. We set a life-long learning groundwork through this mentoring process. We supplement the learning through very specific research techniques into the lives of the animals, into mindfulness meditations, and into different ways of engaging the senses. Bit by bit, we get further into the story of these animals’ lives, and with the greater ecologies they're connected to.

Through this kind of mentoring, we develop the “Shikari mindset” - the skill of looking at the landscape and quickly taking in a lot of information, just because you know that place so deeply. Now, you know the patterns that are moving on the land, and you also feel your own relationship to those animals, to the birds, to the trees and plants… and how you impact that place, too. You recognize how you, too, become part of that story in a really conscious way.

These are all things that go into the Shikari journey. You can learn more about Shikari here. We periodically take new folks into that one-on-one experience. It's also a great way to learn the mentoring methodology, just by experiencing it for yourself. A lot of folks have commented that once they go through the training, they are then able to very naturally help others with that same methodology, because now it's in their very bones, because they've embodied it.

So that's just a little bit about the Shikari pathway, and some simple ideas that you can start to apply right now right in your own place. Whether you're walking the dog in that same spot every day, or if you get out in the garden, just hit pause on the way there and look and sense around. See what's going on and ask some questions. Keep a journal, and build out your observations over time. That's a really simple way to start building a depth of ecology of understanding about your place.

When we engage our senses this way, remember that we're activating some very deep parts of our brain and our senses. As we do this, we come more alive in some really new and amazing ways… these practices help us feel connected to our place on the Earth, and into that place within ourselves of awareness and mindfulness. So, have some fun with that, and happy tracking!

About Josh Lane

Josh Lane

Photo by Virginia Dunn.

Learn more about mentoring with Josh on the 8 Shields Shikari Pathway page.

Interview with Victor Wooten, Dr. Nicole Apelian and Jon Young

by Aidan Young

I’m so excited to share this conversation with you today!  I recently had the chance to connect with Jon Young, Dr. Nicole Apelian, and Victor Wooten, and reflect on their experience with the San Bushmen from the Kalahari and what they have learned from the trip. We talked for more than an hour and there are some great stories and pieces of wisdom in there.

Since our conversation, a question has been with me:

What is connection, really? And, especially with regard to nature connection, what is the value of connection in our modern lives?

I have heard the 8 Shields Model described as a collection of principles designed to facilitate deep connection to nature, to other people, and to ourselves.  The stories of the San suggest to me that connecting with the world around them is at the center of their values.  As our common ancestors, they give us a look into our own nature. What can we learn from them?

For half a million years or so, our very survival depended on highly developed senses and an intimate, encyclopedic knowledge of the natural world around us; connection was necessary for success. Recently, an evolutionary millisecond or so, we have specialized and modernized, and no longer have the same needs from a survival standpoint.  But, the evidence points toward an intrinsic yearning for connection, whether or not we still need to find our supper in the forest or stay out of the leopard’s path.

What, then, IS connection? Why do we need it?

What if connection is, essentially, love?

What a brilliant survival strategy it would be to align the feeling of love with developing an understanding of the world around us. And, before you dismiss my idea as some new-age utopian fantasy, think about this for a second: when it comes to the subjects that you know best, where your knowledge is almost a little freaky, don’t you LOVE those subjects? I’ll tell you this: no one has ever made me practice music. They don’t have to. It’s a 100% bona fide love affair.

In any case, you don’t have to worry about whether this idea is true, but let’s try it on for a little while and look at connection through this lens:

Nature Connection

Most of us can identify with the feeling of really loving a pet, and we experience that feeling as reciprocal.  Is it really that much of a stretch to think we could develop that same relationship to the robin in our back yard? As our awareness, our connection, with the world around us grows, so too our caring and love for the world grows, which draws us to connect further. It’s a positive feedback loop.  Imagine how much fun it would be to live in a world where you connected with the other animals and plants like you do with your pet!

Note, the connection we are talking about here is NOT the same as knowledge. That would be like looking at a photo of a dog and then claiming you’re connected to that dog. Sure, you know it exists. That’s about it. Connection can’t be “understood,” it must be “experienced.”

People Connection

Listening to the stories of the San, I was struck by how committed they are to taking time to properly welcome and greet every person they meet.  There’s such power in being seen and included in the group.  We are much more likely to have a positive experience when we feel safe and welcome.  Imagine your favorite times with other people and a few things are likely to be true: everyone is included, you’re having fun and laughing, or you’re sharing deep conversation, maybe even tears.

Taking the time to greet and welcome someone makes them feel safe and connected. When we feel connection with those around us, we are much more likely to act from a place of love and understanding.

Often, our bodies are in one place but our mind is somewhere else. Routines like circling up and sharing something we’re thankful for helps us to become present.  What would it be like if we took the time to do these things with the people in our lives?

Connection to Self

In the recording, Victor describes how he felt “free to be me” when he was with the Bushmen.  If we spend enough time in connection, feeling safe, welcome, and accepted, what emerges?  Our natural interests and personality.  Each of us is drawn in a unique direction. What does it look like when we are allowed to be drawn naturally?

Surrounded by others that welcome and accept us, it is also safe for us to grow and learn, and for us to seek help and guidance when we need it.  Imagine living in a community where everyone was “someone I can talk to.” Imagine living in a world where your true gifts were being shared with your community, and so were the gifts of everyone around you.

The San value people and connection first. Of course, they live very simple lives. They don’t have mortgages, or cell phone bills. It is, admittedly, a challenge for us to juggle the necessary complexity of things in our lives. But, let me leave you with this: what if you put people and connection first? What if you put love, and being loving, first? How would things change?

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy our conversation!

-Aidan Young

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IN PERFORMANCE - bully.punk.riot - 3 stars

A captivating look at the dangers, beauty of rebellion

June 21, 2013|By Sid Smith, Special to the Tribune
(William Frederking, )

The cast of Atalee Judy's "bully.punk.riot.," the BONEdanse and Links Hall program now at Constellation, represents an expanded crew for the choreographer, who for years has been one of the freshest innovators of our dance scene.

This younger, larger troupe seems to have reinvigorated her and the programming, spruced by additional choreography from Melissa Ganser and Megan Klein. Though uneven and tarnished by occasional shortcomings, "bully.punk.riot." is more accessible than some past work and yet all the more powerful and entertaining. It's fraught with Judy's trademark, punishing acrobatics, while layered with a seductive, captivating theme on the lure, danger and beauty of violence and rebellion.

Visitors are herded beforehand into a makeshift, tent-like room-within-a-room at Constellation, concocted of hanging white fabric, all guests provided a writing tool and invited to pen original graffiti while they wait. Eventually, the seven-member, all-female cast, clad in undershirts and skivvies, pull down the fabric and start the performance after patrons find their seats, the opening sections of the performance convulsive in their conflicts and shifting centers of power.

Most of the pieces share the pounding, punishing falls to the floor that are a Judy leitmotif, along with short-lived choral designs that hint at -- but never quite deliver -- a reassuring order. One piece, "futball.DUET," boasts colored Mohawk hair, football gear as skirt material and spiky high-heel shoes that eventually become hand weapons.

In Judy's invigorating finale, "punk," she gets personal and revealing, alluding to her own days as a 13-year-old runaway and roadie in early '80s New York, immersed in the setting's vibrant music scene. This one is a raucous, exuberant homage to the mosh pit as life metaphor, the doomed hunger to conquer chaos. Throughout, the program gloriously mixes music and choreographic jolt and gesture. There's some nostalgia, too, and reckoning here with Judy's own trajectory, a kind of "punk" manifesto, celebration and elegy all in one -- after this gig, Judy is disbanding BONEdanse to work independently.

One selection, a computer competition, pitting Apple and the PC, seems tired and out of place. Then, again, Act II opens mercilessly funny: a graphic, all-girl send-up of ritual male behavior at a public urinal.

The score is a treasure trove, Miranda Sex Garden, the Young Gods and Dead Kennedys on the list.

When: 7 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays through June 30

Where: Constellation, 3111 N. Western Av.

Price: $18-$20; or


0 votes

What are different career opportunities after completing CAD CAM course?

asked Apr 12 in Career Guidance by ramakrishnan | 11 views

1 Answer

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CAD- CAM is having opportunities in every market field including manufacturing , production, simulation technology, robotics, architecture , restoration technology, Medical image techniques, digital game enjoying and enjoyment Techniques, system and die producer, metal manufacturing etc.

answered Apr 12 by ramakrishnan


Philosophy in the World

My first time attending a philosophers’ café was a very interesting experience. Early in the term I ventured in the webpage to figure out the topics that could interest me. One in particular caught my attention: What do you want to experience? So many things came into mind. The only further descriptions available were two other equally reflective questions: How do you want to grow? What do you want to contribute? On Tuesday, 27 Feb 2018, I had ventured to West Point Grey’s branch of Vancouver Public Library. I invited my friend to join me, as we had previously spoken about further enrolling in off-campus philosophical activities after taking a Philosophy 101 course in our very first term of university. Turns out the café consisted of ten chairs arranged in a circle at a library’s corner, and there were no beverages included.

Attendees were of different ages, backgrounds, and ethnicities. A high school girl, my friend, and I were the youngest in the group. The small discussion set up was something I had not expected, but it ensured all members were better engaged with the conversation, constantly encouraged to contribute and listen. The session was mostly carried out by us participants, but our moderator, Meguido Zola, was a very important facilitator. He maintained a very neutral position and instead asked introspective questions for participants to share and encouraged others to ask and respond to other people in group. His method reminded me of Socrates, as we saw in class through texts like Euthyphro. His attitude lacked the dramatism of Plato’s dialogues, but his questions and comments did seem to hint us visitors of possessing some sort of answers amongst our questions, and rose more inquiries based on our comments. All the knowledge in the air made us reflect on our own thoughts and experiences. It is from this comparison that I venture to define Philosophy as the practice of conversing to yourself through others; it is the art of questioning what you think you know and being at peace with the fact that a question will always be the better answer.

The discussion touched many interesting points; from religion and secularism, faith and spirituality, to life and death, the value of enquiring, how to help others and ourselves grow, the importance of breaking from a dichotomous perspective, etc. On each topic everyone had their own thoughts, and some had the courage to share or add even more. The tangents we took seemed greater each time. Every anecdote was valuable in itself, and inspired us to reflect on the topic, and our experiences (or lack thereof).

For instance, a 25-year-old woman had come to this café curious to find an alternative answer to “big questions” after her breakage from the Christian religion. She said church did address these questions but took answers for-granted instead of questioning further possibilities. One of these questions was a very popular philosophical problem: what happens after death? Is there a soul, and if so, is it moral? The topic reminded me of Epicurus, as she later shared that by questioning the existence of a heaven and hell, she concluded that we can only experience in life, and she wants to make all her experiences worthy of living. Her reflection is then compatible with Epicurus’ naturalistic point of view, as he argues that all knowledge is gained through experiences in life; and death, being a lack of sensation (the vehicle for experience), should be nothing to us.

On the other hand, a middle-aged woman whom had been very affected by the loss of her father, said she wanted to experience a way in which she could feel connected to her loved one through an alternative source, being that she had separated herself from a conservative catholic environment ever since she went to university. After learning that the bible was not fully factual, she began to break away from the institution of the church too. The loss had made her wonder is cafés like these could stimulate her into further thought. This was her third café, and she seemed happy to there.

A young man on his way to become an elementary teacher, also a café moderator in other time slots, commented how modern philosophy and the notions of the “nature of reality” were often considered the religion of the seculars. Is philosophy a religion? The act of questioning can certainly become a ritual, and these are the basis of a religion… then we decided to differentiate between “having a faith” from “being religious”. I found it quite fascinating how philosophy, the science and art of questioning, could become a religious practice. If so, this would be one whom Socrates would be a true believer and active ritualist. After all, in Plato’s Apology, Socrates embraces a death punishment as a life without practicing philosophical dialogue was “not worth living” (13). Through both course readings on Plato, I remember thinking what Socrates would do after each dialogue. Would he sit down and further think of an unsolved matter? Would he be fully at peace after being unable to define a concept objectively (as Piety in Euthyphro)? If he believed in philosophy as a religious practice that gives meaning to life, how did he arrive to such conclusion?

I finally contributed to the group conversation with my own experiences, and lack thereof. I expressed being in the start of my university process, being open to new ways of seeing the world and further knowing so many things I still don’t know (or I guess, un-knowing more about the things I think I do). What did I want to experience? I envisioned my first year of university as full of enriching experiences of all sort; meet new people, expose myself to new cultures and question my behavior based on mine, dig into relativist truths, try new activities and classes, etc. Taking philosophy was one of these experiences, and I could only be grateful of the opportunity of participating in tis dialogue, the fact of giving it my own meaning, and furthermore, the simple fact of being there, in that room, at that moment, surrounded by people who felt as confused but eager to learn and question as much as I was. In the middle of my sentence, I was brought to tears.

In December I had read Bertrand Russell’s “Problems of Philosophy”, in which I learned that this discipline’s value may not be essentially tangible, but it manifests itself through our daily actions, at a micro and macro level. Philosophy is not a thing but an active practice, that keeps growing and fluctuating as members join in its conversations. Our society has hopefully evolved from Ancient Greek times, where a man of questions was put to death. Today, such practice can be our only certainty. Hopefully, we can learn more about not knowing, and be slightly more comfortable with the fact that, as I said before, a question will always be the best answer. Perhaps practicing philosophy is one of the ways to interact in the safe building of our reality every day.

Philosophy In The World: Philosopher’s Café (B)

On the night of Wednesday, March 21 I decided to attend my first philosopher’s cafe in Port Coquitlam. Honestly, prior to actually attending a philosopher’s cafe for myself I had no idea what to expect. My knowledge regarding how this type of event would work was next to nothing, besides the few sentences that briefly described the topic on SFU’s website, so I was very curious as to how the evening would unfold. For some reason I had assumed that I would be entering a room of people of similar age to mine upon arriving at the Michael Wright Art in Leigh Square, yet my assumption was completely wrong. Of the 13 people who were there (including myself) I think I can safely say that 11 of them were middle-aged adults, most of them being of or around the same age as my parents. Luckily, I asked one of my friends to come along with me so that I would not be all by myself. Interestingly enough he ended up being the only person there that was the same age as I am. The fact that I knew we were the youngest made me nervous because I felt a little out-of-place at first, but I soon became more comfortable being a part of the group once the discussion started. The conversation was structured like a discussion group. There was one moderator who kept the conversation flowing by bringing up new topics or ideas and redirected the conversation if it ever became too off topic, but other than that we could all talk freely about our thoughts and opinions one at a time. I did not notice this until it was pointed out, but the moderator mentioned how it was interesting how the majority of people happened to be men, with only four women present including the moderator herself and myself, when the topic was about evil and where it comes from.

Personally, I believe I gained a deeper understanding of philosophy from this experience as philosophy is not simply one single thought from one person. It is more of a collection of thoughts from multiple people who can be used to explain and expand on ideas we all have. To me, philosophy is attempting to answer the bigger questions like “what is right/good?”, “what is wrong?”, and “how should humans act and behave?”. It is looking for responses to situations that do not simply have one sole explanation or solution. Philosophy is about discovering what we do and do not know and continuously questioning both. My definition could be seen as quite similar to Plato who sees philosophy as having the curiosity to learn because one is never satisfied with the amount of knowledge they have or even Socrates who would describe philosophy as a daily activity or unending search for  understanding. I found that the Socratic method (as seen in Euthyphro by Plato), a form of dialogue where questions are thoughtfully asked and answered to provoke critical thinking, was present at the philosopher’s cafe. By further questioning thoughts, a more in depth conversation emerged. As new ideas and opinions were being brought forth, we openly discussed each one while analyzing possible answers and conclusions.

Speaking more specifically about the philosophy discussed in the philosopher’s cafe I believe that the concept of evil can be related to the ideas of Socrates and Plato. Because Socrates sees knowledge as the greatest good, I found that his philosophy was very present at the philosopher’s cafe. We are to treasure knowledge and continuously be in search of further knowledge through introspective deliberation. The fact that Socrates highlights self-realization because of “his belief that it is the innate knowledge which man cannot disregard” becomes quite relevant when discussing acts that are morally wrong and could even be considered evil ( He would say that knowledge that one does not have has no significant impact. Socrates points out that humans are not voluntarily ‘bad’ or ‘evil’. Humans become evil when they are not aware of the difference between what is good and what is bad. Similarly, Plato also considers the role of self-awareness and sense of morality in the soul. He explains that “the soul will always choose to do good, if it recognizes what is good” ( Plato believes that, in our souls, we are naturally drawn to good. Both Plato and Socrates would agree that if one knew what is good, it would be natural for them to choose it. They focus on how humans can be good and bad. They see morality as a very important aspect in explaining philosophy.

After having participated in a public philosophical discussion I believe my idea of philosophy was reinforced. My thoughts on how philosophy is the continuous search for answers was strengthened. As a group we questioned what we already knew (or thought that we already knew) in order to discover new possibilities. It seemed as though everyone at the philosopher’s cafe had their own individual thoughts, yet everyone was open to learning more and hearing thoughts from others, possibly to widen their own perspective. The ideas discussed fit with the ideas I already had on knowledge and how curiosity leads to further learning. I would say that the experience of being able to have a philosophical discussion greatly enriched my understanding of what philosophy is because I had the opportunity to see how people can have meaningful conversations to broaden their perspective. Everyone seemed genuinely interested in not only sharing their point of view, but also listening to the point of view of others as well. Philosophy is about thinking and by thinking in the presence of other people one can greatly enhance their knowledge. By engaging in conversation and listening to thoughts that are conceived by other people we can further develop and expand on our own personal thoughts. By contributing to a discussion we may also be contributing to the growth and expansion of thoughts, opinions, and ideas of the people with whom we are sharing. After having attended the philosopher’s cafe, I would definitely recommend going to one. I was surprised by the cafe in the best way and I think that anyone who loves thinking, learning, and sharing ideas would certainly benefit, regardless of age and gender. I believe that these types of discussions in the community would be useful to both individuals and to the larger society because they provide a deeper insight into philosophy and how philosophy is everywhere around us.

philosophers cafe: philosophy in the world

1. Describe the experience at the Philosophers’ Café

We attended the topic “Is Humour a Funny Thing?” hosted at the Britannia branch of the VPL. It was structured as a small group discussion (~10 attendees) not unlike what we do sometimes in our course discussion sections, with a moderator to steer everyone back to the topic if the conversation was to stray too far.

2. Reflect on the experience of attending

RZ: When I first heard the term “philosopher’s café”, I envisioned a gathering of people, young and old, discussing deep moral questions. However, what I was met with at the philosopher’s café was entirely different. The even did not take place in a café at all; rather, it was hosted in the library of an elementary school, which provided the event with a warm and almost rustic atmosphere. Most of the attendees were much older than us. In regards to the topic, I mainly expected in-depth analyses of humour, maybe even some discussion of psychology. However, most of what was mentioned was centered around different types of humour in the world and the distinctive traits of each type of comedy. Overall, the experience broadened my understanding of what counts philosophy, and what it means to be a philosopher.

QW: I really overestimated the scale of the program. I thought, maybe this will be the size of an actual café, filled with people all discussing the same question. However, the experience was quite the opposite. It was simply a small group of people talking about the significance of humour. The others were overall welcoming and amicable, so I felt quite comfortable there (with the exception of a short time where two attendees got argumentative over what I believe was an unrelated cultural difference). The discussion kind of moved organically to experiences with humour and different kinds of humour and stayed there for most of the session, rather than staying directly on the titular topic. For instance, it was noted that “liberal” humour focuses on the rich and powerful while “conservative” humour focuses on the poor and powerless. I think the reason for this is that the question “is humour funny” is just such a difficult thing to wrap your mind around – we typically see humour as intrinsically funny – and discussing humour more generally is both simpler and still interesting. I think the main thing I took away from going was how much we see and absorb in our daily lives, yet would find difficult to express when asked about. For instance, when it was pointed out how strange self-deprecating humour is, I agreed, but I wouldn’t have been able to say this myself since I have never really gave it much thought.

3. Connect this experience to your academic work in the course

a) Give a definition of philosophy that is grounded in what we have read in class

Philosophy is the process of inquiring on the thought processes of the human brain. For instance, we went through numerous philosophers discussing morality (Mill, Kant, Singer, Thomson), which is what we think of as good or bad actions. There is also good or bad in general, such as in the case of death (Epicurus, Nagel). Additionally, we talked about Socrates, who looked at fundamental ideas such as piety.

b) Did the experience of attending a philosophers’ café enrich your understanding of what philosophy is? (individual)

RZ: To me, philosophy had always been represented by the statue of a guy thinking on a rock. After all, philosophy is just a bunch of deep thought. Or so I had believed. After taking this course and attending this café, my philosophical horizons have been vastly broadened. Philosophy does not necessarily need to entail intense analysis of any sort; a simple discussion on a unique topic can be philosophy.

QW: Attending the café did not really enhance my perception of philosophy. Rather, it reinforced what I already thought. In relation to the above definition, I think our session relates most closely to the last part: examining fundamental ideas of human nature; in this case, humour. To me what is fascinating is how much of our lives can be connected to philosophy. The first thing that comes to my mind when someone mentions philosophy is usually morality and ethics, but of course philosophy can extend far beyond that to topics like religion, technology, politics, and of course, humour.

4. Discuss civic aspects of the experience

RZ: My experience at the Philosopher’s cafe has been quite unique and interesting. I feel that, however, these types of discussions are only beneficial to the individuals who partake in the activity, as these conversations are held locally and are usually quite small and obscure. While they may not strongly impact the society as a whole, they affect the individual participants to a significant extent. People may attend these discussions for education or even entertainment; regardless of the motive, the dialogue leaves the participants with a plethora of vivid ideas which may reshape their lives.

QW: While the particular topic we chose may not be the most significant, there are certainly philosophical discussions that are worth having with a larger group, as the subject of these discussions can be of significant impact. For instance, looking at the website now, I see that on April 9, there will be a discussion on the topic of “life today means we always have a screen available to us”. To me this is something exceptionally important that everyone should take some time to reflect on, both in terms of individuals and societies. Additionally, variations of this concept already exist today. For instance, Reddit is a site where similar discussions types can take place on a multitude of topics with the global community, and politicians can meet with their constituents to discuss philosophical topics specifically relating to their policies. In short: philosophical discussions can be useful, but it depends on the topic being discussed.


Saturday, 28 June 2008

Kaleidoscope Man - The Story

I am often asked what Kaleidoscope Man is about. So here is a brief outline of the story....

Jack awakes, encased in a coffin shaped pod, on a thin ledge in a giant cavern. The last thing he remembers was locking up and leaving his job as the head of a psychiatric care centre for people with mental difficulties.

Suddenly, the ledge shatters and Jack hurtles into the dark abyss below. Falling and falling, eventually he hits the ground, but instead of smashing violently against it, he falls right through it. To his absolute horror, he is blasted out into deep space. Jack had been in no giant cavern, but the belly of a colossal spaceship.

Jack stirs to find himself on the beach of a strange alien planet. As he struggles to take in the gravity of his situation, three of his patients have also escaped the ship. How on earth did they all get there?

Three different stories haunt them, each with the same three characters. Harriet: a loyal friend with a dark past. Samantha: a girl with a damned vision for mankind. Floyd: a misguided man, with delusions of being the next James Bond. Each story has a terrifying conclusion and each has a bizarre link to how they all got on board the spaceship. Jack realises that he must face up to the true horrors of their situation and find a way back to Earth where his beloved wife, Mandy, holds the key to what has really happened.

But they are alone and desperate, and stuck on an alien planet, millions of light years away from Earth, and the aliens are coming to get them…

Kaleidoscope Man is a story about redemption for our characters and their place in the world. An original heart-stopping thriller with dramatic twists and turns and a conclusion that will leave the audience inspired and elated. A roller coaster ride that explores the depths of our human emotions and how we must value our fragile place in this universe.