Thursday, September 25, 2014
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Conversations With An 8 Year Old
Most of you who have followed my musings in the past would know that I'm ... well.... probably certifiable.
The recent past has been one of pure introspection and reflection on my part due to some unfortunate and unforeseen circumstances. Life will do that to you.
Part of what I went through in this process was a very hard and thought provoking conversation that I had, with myself - aged 8.
Thought provoking? - Yep.
Hard? - Bloody hell yes.
Life Changing? - a definitive affirmative on that one!
The key to being able to have a real conversation with yourself as an 8 year old I found was, that I had to literally strip myself of every piece of preconceived notion and fact that I had accumulated from that time forwards...
You all know the cliché’s - looking at life through a child’s eyes... the wonder of a child... etc...
Let me disabuse you of the one word in that sentence that I loathe... cliché.
Yes they are cliché’s... but at the same time they are some of the most profoundest thoughts in the world.
As an 'adult' you don't do certain things, eat certain foods, wear certain clothes.... sure, some of these are internal changes that have been made due to wisdom coming with becoming an adult(ahem... yeah right. Adult = Wisdom... NOT). Others though, are externally wrought thoughts and processes that have been ingrained into your psyche, slowly and surely over time....
So yes, I have 'grown up'.
I have responsibilities and will do whatever needs to be done to fulfil them.
Will I let myself lose sight of the wonder of this world as it is seen through an 8 year olds eyes ever again?
Let me answer by saying - 'I think you'd be a poopoo head to think that!'
So the next time someone tells you to act your age, answer them with - 'I know you are but what am I?'
Don't just look at life through the eyes of that 8 year old.
Live life through their eyes.
Remember living life is what it's all about, there's only one possible outcome to being alive.
You may as well end up rocking up to the grave, sliding in sideways, looking like death itself (pun intended), screaming at the top of your lungs -'WOW! WHAT A RIDE!'.
Now if you'll excuse me, there's a pretty butterfly floating outside and I'm going to join him...
~ FXP
- Join The ConversationWednesday, June 2, 2010
Death Of Socialising
This century has seen the unprecedented rise and rise of social networking.
Take the likes of Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and their ilk amongst the millions of others out there in virtual world.
Many businesses, regardless of size have failed to adopt on online virtual presence, much to their own dismay and are now in the process of scrambling to get up to speed in this space.
Individuals are logging in, sharing and connecting with others across the world with no boundaries in the millions.
But what has happened to traditional social skills?
For some reason it seems to me that social skills like being effective communicators, whether it is one-on-one or any other situation, are on the decline in equal, opposite reaction to the online social networking rise.
Let's face it, social networking in the virtual world is here for the long haul and what we must do is to ensure that the 'traditional' social activities do not suffer as a consequence.
Personally, I have met some very witty, smart, intelligent people online. When meeting them face to face however, the illusion that their online persona's give is rapidly pulled apart.
Communication is more than just words, non-verbal communication makes up most ways that our brains handle incoming information.
So lets ensure that the next generation coming up actually knows how to communicate both on a personal level and in a virtual environment. There is no reason that they cannot both co-exist and be beneficial to both parties.
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Take the likes of Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and their ilk amongst the millions of others out there in virtual world.
Many businesses, regardless of size have failed to adopt on online virtual presence, much to their own dismay and are now in the process of scrambling to get up to speed in this space.
Individuals are logging in, sharing and connecting with others across the world with no boundaries in the millions.
But what has happened to traditional social skills?
For some reason it seems to me that social skills like being effective communicators, whether it is one-on-one or any other situation, are on the decline in equal, opposite reaction to the online social networking rise.
Let's face it, social networking in the virtual world is here for the long haul and what we must do is to ensure that the 'traditional' social activities do not suffer as a consequence.
Personally, I have met some very witty, smart, intelligent people online. When meeting them face to face however, the illusion that their online persona's give is rapidly pulled apart.
Communication is more than just words, non-verbal communication makes up most ways that our brains handle incoming information.
So lets ensure that the next generation coming up actually knows how to communicate both on a personal level and in a virtual environment. There is no reason that they cannot both co-exist and be beneficial to both parties.
Follow This Blog
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Education Not Censorship Is The Answer
The internet was born as an open network which works on the principals of information sharing for all.
As with any other form of media, not everyone will agree with everything said, discussed or used. That's OK. That's what make democracies so great.
I am not opposed to the curbing of items and issues that abound like child pornography and illegal activities such as identity theft. The world would be a much better place without these.
Unfortunately though, censoring the internet is NOT going to curb these types of activities.
A complete takeover by any government, government department or any other 'giant' company will only lead to a violation of the true intent of the internet - information sharing.
Let's face it, everyone's version of utopia differs wildly - and internet censorship will not be any different.
Any type of stringent regulation on the internet would lead to limited access of information based on the likes and dislikes of the individual in charge of monitoring the regulation.
Having said that, the only true viable solution appears to me to be quite simple.
Spend the money that we are going to spend, not on censorship but rather on EDUCATION!
Educate people on the wise use of the internet as a tool to gather information that is freely available rather than trying to control that information.
Ensure that children know that the internet is NOT the be-all end-all repository of information and just as we teach them 'Stranger-Danger', teach them the possible pitfalls and dangers of the internet!
As with any other form of media, not everyone will agree with everything said, discussed or used. That's OK. That's what make democracies so great.
I am not opposed to the curbing of items and issues that abound like child pornography and illegal activities such as identity theft. The world would be a much better place without these.
Unfortunately though, censoring the internet is NOT going to curb these types of activities.
A complete takeover by any government, government department or any other 'giant' company will only lead to a violation of the true intent of the internet - information sharing.
Let's face it, everyone's version of utopia differs wildly - and internet censorship will not be any different.
Any type of stringent regulation on the internet would lead to limited access of information based on the likes and dislikes of the individual in charge of monitoring the regulation.
Having said that, the only true viable solution appears to me to be quite simple.
Spend the money that we are going to spend, not on censorship but rather on EDUCATION!
Educate people on the wise use of the internet as a tool to gather information that is freely available rather than trying to control that information.
Ensure that children know that the internet is NOT the be-all end-all repository of information and just as we teach them 'Stranger-Danger', teach them the possible pitfalls and dangers of the internet!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Photography By Riccardo
One person that I am proud to call a friend has just finished opening up his new photography studio in Geelong. Rick Gentiluomo from Photography By Riccardo is a truly gifted artist.
Everything from portraits to wedding photography, Award winning photographer and artist Rick is at the top of his game and never fails to inspire and deliver awesome shots!
View his portfolio or follow him on facebook you won't be disappointed!
Keep up the great work Rick!
Everything from portraits to wedding photography, Award winning photographer and artist Rick is at the top of his game and never fails to inspire and deliver awesome shots!
View his portfolio or follow him on facebook you won't be disappointed!
Keep up the great work Rick!
Government Scare Tactics - Incorrect and Inept
Once again, Senator Conroy is listing iiNet as a supporter of its unpopular and unworkable internet filtering system.
iiNet's position is made abundantly clear here and is a strong rejection of the claims of Senator Conroy. Putting it simply, they do not support the Governments proposal and NEVER have.
It's time for the Government and those who make up the Government to realise that they work on behalf of the people and no one I personally knows wants this filter introduced.
Blocking of the proposed websites and URL's will not stop the abhorrent pedophilia and criminal networks from getting their activities around this much hyped (and useless) filtering system.
iiNet's position is made abundantly clear here and is a strong rejection of the claims of Senator Conroy. Putting it simply, they do not support the Governments proposal and NEVER have.
It's time for the Government and those who make up the Government to realise that they work on behalf of the people and no one I personally knows wants this filter introduced.
Blocking of the proposed websites and URL's will not stop the abhorrent pedophilia and criminal networks from getting their activities around this much hyped (and useless) filtering system.
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