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Bailout Resistence - futile but fun! September 29, 2008

Posted by onemouthband in : Recommendations , add a comment


I just love sending letters that people never read, don’t you?

What happens is that a very few of these “letters” get read, then computers tally up the keywords and print off reports on number of aggregate responses for each major issue and position. Then automatic emails go out signed from elected officials telling you how much they care. The beauty of it is that they never got a chance to read even what they’re sending you! Yes, this is what our American brand of democracy has come to. I find the whole situation highly entertaining, and couldn’t help but participate by way of the following note:

I oppose the proposed bailout plan because the costs simply outweigh the benefits for the majority of Americans. Most of US do not have any savings, we only have debt (hence the current crisis). What banks can lend and what 401Ks are worth does not affect Most of US directly because we can’t pay for access to play that game. Adding more debt (by way of taxes) is all this plan does for Most of US. Yes, I understand there is a trickle down effect you might argue for, but trickle down economic arguments have been used before and their worthlessness to Most of US has been proven. I defy you to make any other semi-rational case to Most of US!

This message was sent via Congress.org to George W. Bush, Henry M. Paulson (Secretary of the Treasury), Senator Barbara Boxer, Senator Dianne Feinstein, and my local representative Mike Thompson. If you’d like to play the Resistance if Futile game yourself, click below and laugh all the way to the bank!

Click, resist, and smile!

Click like they care!

700 billion fluffy nothings September 24, 2008

Posted by onemouthband in : Randomnimity , add a comment

Mark Morford at SFGate
Someone forwarded me this article from SFGate and I just laughed and laughed! You might cry, but I LOVE this stuff like I love George Carlin’s later years humor. Enjoy!

TaKeTiNa in Palo Alto September 18, 2008

Posted by onemouthband in : Music, Recommendations, TaKeTiNa , add a comment

Soon I’ll be headed off to take my TaKeTiNa Initiation (AKA Exam!), but when I return, the Advanced TaKeTiNa instructors will be doing their thing in Palo Alto, CA. Here is a very sincere invitation to come enjoy some steppity-clappity-singity goodness, TaKeTiNa-syle!

You are invited to the TaKeTiNa Open Rhythm Sets with Advanced TaKeTiNa Teachers from Oct 23 to Nov 1, 2008 in Palo Alto

Encounter Rhythm!
The candidates for Advanced TaKeTiNa Rhythm Teacher certification invite you to attend our 10 different day-long workshops. You can attend one or more!

These workshops offer you an opportunity to experience this internationally renowned rhythm process presented with 10 uniquely personal approaches. Get to know TaKeTiNa from the inside. Experience the meditative and joyous quality that being in rhythm provides.

During each workshop, an advanced certificate candidate guides us into rhythm during two 3-hour sets — one in the morning and one in the afternoon. In the evening, he or she gives a free lecture exploring an aspect of working with rhythm.

Take part!
Attend one…attend them all!
info: http://www.villageheartbeat.com
or zorina@villageheartbeat.com

TaKeTiNa is…
a musical, meditative group process for people who want to develop their awareness of rhythm.
You don’t need to play an instrument.
People at all levels can work together to transform their relationship to rhythm, to each other, and to life.

I Vote for Losers September 16, 2008

Posted by onemouthband in : Notes to Self, Randomnimity, Recommendations , add a comment

BallotSome time ago I realized that I have a very poor voting record. I probably have a better chance of winning the lottery than voting for a state or federal official who actually makes it into office. The day I realized that was the day I stopped worrying about elections so much (beyond the local).

Sure, I’ll always vote every chance I get, but I don’t have the expectation that it will count for anything much really. That’s fine with me, actually. I am not attached to the results, because I firmly believe that there is just one possible outcome in the long term, and it ain’t pretty. I also think the closest thing our country had to a real election was in 2000 (remember that one?). Since then, things have shifted such that those in power are inoperably entrenched. Presidential races will either be just close enough to be believable but not enough to be any real threat, or they will be pre-empted by some great catastrophe. If those in power can win the easy way, they’ll win the easy way. If they have to win the hard way, there’s no reason to think they would hold back at all.

This is not an uninformed opinion, by the way. I’ve met some of the Thems of the world, and the experience is what led me to some of these conclusions. Rather than making me apathetic, this gives me a lot more courage to invest in how things are right here and right now. This is probably as good as it’s ever gonna get, folks. We are at the peak of access to information and the resources to do things with it. “Winning” is always temporary, and gives rise to a whole set of problems of its own. Risk all you can for the present, for the doing, for your soul and your world as it is. Or as I am so fond of saying, bet on the best, and be prepared for the worst.

It costs my mind and body so much to plug in to the rage and fear that permeates both ends of the political landscape. Personally, I make it a point not to listen to anything any candidate has to say, instead I just do some quick internet recon to see where their money comes from and vote accordingly. Maybe that’s why the folks I vote for always lose.

And yes, I am planning to vote for Obama…

The Eight Irresistable Principles of Fun September 12, 2008

Posted by onemouthband in : Inspiries, Productivity , add a comment

As you may know, I’ve been into David Allen’s Getting Things Done methodology for a year or two now. Thanks to my recent trial subscription at GTD Connect, I found out about Michael Stanier and his work. It’s all cool stuff, but here’s something in fairly quick and digestible form that should provide the adequate inspiration to learn more. Click below and enjoy!

The Eight Irresistable Principles of Fun

TaKeTiNa Rhythm Days September 9, 2008

Posted by onemouthband in : Inspiries, Music, Recommendations, TaKeTiNa , add a comment

TaKeTiNa logoOkay, you’ve probably heard me rave about TaKeTiNa before, and maybe you’re curious but it usually costs money and stuff. Well, here’s your big chance!

There is a whole series of FREE TaKeTiNa sessions that you can attend in October near Portland, Oregon. They will be led by the members of my TaKeTiNa Teachers Training class as completion of our 3-year training. For these polyrhythmic adventures in stepping, clapping, and singing, it is very important that we have members of the general public who are not necessarily musicians, and have little to no experience with TaKeTiNa. This is a great opportunity for you to help me/us out while getting benefit for yourself at no risk!

These rhythm journey sessions will be held twice daily from October 1-12, at Still Meadow Community near Clackamas, just east of Portland. It’s pretty easy to get there, less than 15 minutes off of I-205. If you’re coming from out of town, don’t worry, there are a few places to stay nearby. All sets are free, and you can attend as many as you’d like. You just need to register!

Here’s a downloadable flyer, please feel free to forward it along to anyone else who you think may be interested. You can find more about TaKeTiNa here, or if you have questions about anything, just ask me! Thanks!

iPhone Doesn’t September 7, 2008

Posted by onemouthband in : Mac, Tech , 1 comment so far

iPhoneIt’s been almost a month now and I’m considering returning my iPhone. Yeah, I like it alright, but it falls far short of my expectations. I waited until the new 3G model came out to get one for a couple of reasons, but mostly for the improved GPS function. I should have looked into it more before making the leap. Here’s my top 10 complaints:

  1. No GPS guidance. As in it doesn’t communicate anything about your route to you while you’re on it, leaving me to hold it while I’m driving and keep checking to see if I need to be doing something. Not really so safe, which defeats the purpose. So I can’t use it as a GPS 90% of the time I need to.
  2. No way to update/edit my Google Calendars. I intended to use this device as a PDA, but now can’t. I can view my calendars, but I can’t change a darn thing or even add new events.
  3. No cut & paste. WTF!?! C’mon, people! Way to skimp on something even the most primitive devices can do!
  4. No disk mode (like other iPods) to store files locally. That means unless you have a web connection and what you want is on the web, you’re outta luck! Another critical PDA function missing, I can’t store even my text lists.
  5. Can’t receive SMS pics (text only). For a device that takes pictures and sends pictures, why the hell can’t it receive a picture like practically every other cellphone made in the last 2 years? If someone takes a picture with their non-iPhone cellphone, there is no way for them to send it to me.
  6. Very slow web access in almost all locations. I don’t know if that’s the device or the 3G network, but it is not much better than dialup most of the time. I don’t like getting my internet through a straw, thank you. This is better than the last model?
  7. Single-Tasking Browser that can’t deal with multiple browser windows loading content simultaneously. Given that this is a slow device, a multi-tasking browser becomes that much more important. I want to tell a page to load, go do something else on the same device, and come back after it’s loaded. Why can’t I do that?
  8. Batteries go way too fast. Even if it’s not in use, with the Bluetooth off and everything, you can’t leave it on at night and have much juice left by morning. For a device that’s supposed to have 300-hours of standby time, this, um…doesn’t!
  9. Can’t use standard iPod accessories. My iPod car charger, for instance, does not work with my iPhone. So I have to either have two tangles of wires or not charge while driving.
  10. Crashes daily. Way to pass the reliability test! It usually happens when I start moving too fast for it to keep up with (oh, I just love that!) or when I’m on certain websites with heavy CSS layering.

And I have one other big complaint: it’s $399, not $199! for the basic (8GB) model. That’s right, they advertise the price with an asterisk, if you’ll notice. Even though my RAZR phone was over 2-years old, because of splitting my existing Sprint account off from the family plan it had been on a few months back, it seems I was not upgrade eligible. Ouch! Still cheaper than buying a phone and a GPS, but since in practices I can’t safely use it for that function while I’m driving, that hardly counts.

You know what I don’t mind? The keypad everyone else is complaining about. Just don’t use your thumbs and you’re good! I use more of a 10-key kind of approach, where I use mostly three fingers on one hand to do all the typing. It is arguably faster than two thumbs for me.

Trying it out in the store didn’t expose any of these faults. I don’t know what to say other than figure out exactly what you want such a device to do, make a list, and get a response to every point by whoever you’re buying something from. Then get their name and hold them to it.

Longer Days September 5, 2008

Posted by onemouthband in : Productivity, Recommendations , 1 comment so far

LongerDays.comEver since reading Tim Ferriss’s The Four-Hour Workweek in February of 2007, I’ve tried outsourcing a variety of different things, different ways, with different people. Learn from my trial and error and cut to the chase with LongerDays.com. I recommend these people left and right because they really are that good. Based out of Charleston, SC, you will find no language or cultural obstacles, only bright and capable folks who can do pretty much anything on this side of the law. I was the first client to go visit their office on a trip to Charleston earlier this year, and I was impressed with them and their setup. They work in one room, all together, as a team, and very well.

Their rates are not the cheapest, but for all my exploring, they are by far the best value. For around $20/hr, depending on how many hours a month you buy, you can have a staff to deal with all the parts of your business (or personal) life that you aren’t good at or aren’t rewarded by. They bill down to the minute, and I rarely have to explain anything twice, unlike almost all of the other folks I’ve tried.

Here’s some of the things I’ve had Longer Days do for me in the last few months:

Now I’m ramping up a new small business (or Muse, as Tim Ferriss would say) and Longer Days is at the heart of my strategy for doing it without going crazy and self-sabotaging. I never would have been able to pull off half the stuff I’m doing without their help. Seriously, it is SO worth your time and money to check them out. And I don’t get any kickbacks for saying so…