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htb issue 00019 .. 0519.98 .. distribution: 312+
previous: playtime
.. next: The 10 Day Mental Challenge
Hey all. It's been a while, so in case you've forgotten, HTB is an electronic losely hinged around the concepts of mind, culture, and (computer) code.
I must have done something right last issue, because 40 of you subscribed in one night. That's a new record. Thanks, and welcome!
This issue's been a long time in coming. I've had quite a few changes in my life since breaking up with Lori. I have a wonderful new roommate named Kim. I've started cooking more, blah blah blah. :)
Mostly, I've been spending my spare time programming. I enjoy it, and I'm getting a lot done, but I'll be glad when I finish some projects up and get back to the real world for a while.
Meanwhile, manifestation.com's getting bigger and bigger. Eliza fans, I still haven't updated the javascript version, but I've added a whole new section to the site where anyone and everyone can help out in creating Sabrina, an NLP-savvy artificially intelligent, open-source computer therapist and chat partner.
Programmers, remember a few issues back I mentioned Tumboodo? It's a relational, translating knowledge base for programming. Well, it's getting closer.. Expect a formal announcement next issue. The curious can check out http://manifestation.com/tumboodo
And as for all you NLP'ers out there, check out the nlp web navigator at: http://manifestation.com/nlp .. It's a convenient and (I think) innovative way to keep track of trainers, tutorials, and other resources. (If you know of other links, let me know!)
Finally, check this: manifestation.com has snailmail!
You can send letters, pictures, cookies, books, miscellaneous nicknacks, copious amounts of US (or heck, Canadian) currency, and all your taco bell game pieces to:
manifestation.com
10800 Alpharetta Hwy
Suite 417
Roswell, GA 30076
Cool, huh? :) Alright already. Let's hack.
I just returned from the supermarket of lost souls. I've been there twice. There's no music. The shelves don't seem to be in any particular order. Everything's a dull yellow color, and the employees tend to stare off into space.
I bought sugar free gummy bears. They're cholesterol and fat free, too. I bite their heads off first so they don't suffer. They're a bit hard, but they taste okay. I notice the label. The small print warns that eating too many can have a laxative effect.
Maybe there's a metaphor in there. Too much of the bland stuff and everything gets crappy. :)
To be honest, part of the reason I haven't written in a few weeks is that I was wandering around in a haze, wondering what to do with my life next. I moved halfway across the country last year for a girlfriend and an employer.
They're both gone now, and I'm still here. Why? And what to do now? I realized I've been living what Lori used to call "Life by Default." No plans. No challenges. Just here.
Icky, ain't it?
Why surf, when you can be tossed about by every passing brainstorm instead? That's the one thing I have been doing. Thinking.
I admit it. I love to think. I love having great ideas and sharing them with other people. I love the idea of making the world a better, more interesting place. It's why I write this newsletter, why I spend so much time working on manifestation.com. It's a passion that can keep me working days and nights for weeks.
I start thinking about hypnosis and nlp and how people can learn to do one thing or change another, or how we can make machines do our work for us, and how every person on the planet could have access to unlimited free education, and all of these things make my eyes widen and my internal dialog speed up. I start smiling and talking a mile a minute. I make all kinds of neat pictures in my mind, yet I can become fully aware of and fully connected to the people around me. It's like being on stage. I get into that state, and I want to go out and meet people. I want to take charge of anything that comes my way. I get the feeling I could charm the living daylights out of anyone.
Then I remember I've got bills to pay, work to do, it's time for bed, and anyway, I don't know where to start.
Of course, then I start thinking of new ways to manage my time and organize my ideas, and I wind up coming up with all kinds of great ideas for software, and those ideas just get tossed onto the stack.
Then I think of the web.
I've always liked the idea that you can get anything you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want. It's a Zig Ziglarism, and it's catchy.
It's also big business here on the internet. Think about it. You can get free email, free home pages, free software. These days you can even get free source code to the software. You can get free news, free stock quotes, free advertising, and a free education. People give all that stuff away, and they're raking in the money.
The more I think about the internet, the more I'm beginning to realize that for me, anyway, it's a great tool for personal transformation. If you managed to get ahold of this newsletter, then you could just as easily get your hands on information on just about anything else the human race knows how to do. That means you can do anything.
I'm finding more and more that internet culture goes hand in hand with my ideas about success. Where else, but the intersection of mind, culture, and code, can a simple idea be instantly available to thousands of people around the world?
I like to wonder what'll happen when we come up with a global to-do list for the human race. What'll happen when we provide a forum for people to contribute to the effort in any way they can any time they want. I like to wonder what will happen when anybody can help make the world a better place just by plugging in.
There's a big planet called Earth. There's six or so billion people on it. Each of us is different, and each of us is going to be around for a while. Now of all the trillion things that could go on there, what would make the best story?
That's what I'm asking myself lately. What kind of story do I want to be in today? A tragic tale of zombie supermarkets, long commutes, and too little time? Or a daring adventure of some other kind?
Maybe I just want to do something different. Something different for me, anyway. Like... Oh, I don't know....
Start living by my beliefs?
Distribute the hard stuff and focus on the fun stuff.
That's what it boils down to. Most of the problems people deal with today have already been solved somewhere else. Somebody's invented a machine, or written software, or modelled an expert with NLP. If we share that knowledge instead ofjust moving on to the next problem, or hoarding the solution as a trade secret, or just not stopping to think that someone else could learn from our experience... If we share our knowledge, the hard stuff gets distributed.
It gets easy, and we're left with the fun stuff.
Well that's the theory, anway. Let's test it:
Those of you in the US probably know that there's a new Godzilla movie coming out. Taco Bell's doing a promotion. Buy a drink or their new Gordita, and you get a little game pieces with a letter on it. Spell out certain words, and you win money:
| Spell This | Win This |
|---|---|
| G-O-D-Z-I-L-L-A | $1,000,000 |
| C-L-A-W-S | $10,000 |
| T-A-I-L | $1,000 |
Well, I'm guessing they've stacked it so that L and A are the most common letters. Just about everyone who plays will have them. Some people will get one or two of the other letters. But eating enough taco bell food to have any chance of winning is far beyond the ability of most individual mortal stomachs.
But what about a tribe stomach, eh? What if one of you finds a G, and one of you finds a Z, and so on, and together we all can make a word? Why not pool our resources and split the rewards?
So this is my experiment. Play the game. There's no purchase necessary - see store for official rules.
[ I've always wanted to say that! :) ]
Send me your game pieces (just the ones with letters on them - I don't need any more free nachos <g> ). Tell your friends. Forward this newsletter to them if you want. Include your email address on the envelope, and I'll compile a database of what everybody sends in. If and when we win, I'll take a percentage (10-25%) to benefit future adventures for manifestation.com, and distribute the rest among everyone who participates, according to how many letters and how many rare letters each person sends in.
Some people think cooperation pays off. Let's see, eh?
I decided this morning (0520.98) to start Tony Robbins' 10 day mental challenge. Basically, the point is to go 10 days without a single negative thought. I hadn't realized until now how much junk I've kept in my head. Next issue I'll talk about the results and about the taco bell stuff. Seeya then.
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