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time portal:ancient alchemist master of 10,000 signs of the vulture lodge

high priest of the divine order of the talon

clawed hand grip plus nasally screech is the greeting

give up the secrets and your beloved get tortured -

for generations

Kennedy your next of kin

for decades

push the sword back in the stone

and draw blood blacker than the oil

from the line of Camelot

more ancient than the Pyramids

elixir of the gods

who pull the puppet strings

of the breathing dead

who have the power to slay

Jupiter Zeus and the rest of them

but still – they don't know the infinite power that resides within

they get sacrificed anytime the wind blows or when the gods are scheduled to eat or when they feel like it

they hide the truth in plain sight of the plane-sighters

offspring of the Titans

which means their Titan's themselves

minds now like children

they fear their own artifacts and DNA facts

cause they forgot that they existed before the Sphinx was on Mars

they only know iron bars

their thoughts are limited

like they are in bars

they spit bars of tribal war scars

empty stories of killing kin

and drinking man made elixirs

which make it easier ​in this matrix navigation

sleepwalkers

who believe that god came down in the flesh

and appointed other humans to show them the way to the creator

for 10% of their wages

​humans always mess up the experience of being human

where are all the sages?

[epilogue]

cyclopian man

dead to life

and blind as a mere mortal

forgot he created the time portal

after he stepped thru it

now he's going thru it

he lives in hell

within a hell

while in a shell

higher mind?

prove it

© 2017, Duaynekalade Parnell Bey, All rights reserved

The last few years an increasing trend have surfaced moving everything towards online services. Applications used to be safely stored on our computer, bought once, used forever without fear for our personal data or downtime. Now we struggle to keep up with dozens of subscriptions required for our everyday work. What changed? Why are we as freelancers encouraged to buy more and more services and maintain the status quo?

THE INTERNET PROBLEM

Freelancing isn’t new. Independent workers have existed for decades. But up until a decade ago, internet hasn’t matured enough to realize the dream of online storage and collaboration that every freelancer wished for. As the connection speeds get faster and faster though that dream is finally starting to be realized by more and more people. It is now possible to have applications that are decentralized without fear of any downtime. It is possible that we can have real time communication and collaboration with people all over the world. All of this while being anonymous and free to say and read anything without being confined in the borders of any country. That was the idea at least.

In the last few years though, companies have realized their own vision of how the internet should be. They envisioned it doing two things, before the governments stepped in that is. Harvest and sell private data on the one hand, and increase their profits by commercializing whatever they could on the other. The first is a matter for another post. The second though is a direct cause of the state the internet is today. They developed rushed solutions so they can profit as soon as possible. Where did that lead them though? We pay a fee for every year or month we use a service. But have things changed for the better as they advertised they were?

Can they guarantee that the application will be there tomorrow? Of course not.

Can they guarantee that our personal data that is stored on their computer won’t get hacked and revealed all over the world? No. They have been hacked multiple times and either they didn’t say so as not to cause “panic” or they promised to be more careful next time.

Their solution for collaboration and communication is to take every control that we had and move it to the cloud using their broken technology. And the funny thing is not only do they can’t protect the data they supposedly promise to protect, they can’t even protect themselves against threats like the government asking for their data or hackers taking down their service for days.

THE FREELANCE CULTURE

So if things aren’t all that certain why are Freelancers encouraged to use those Commercialized services, especially Digital Nomads who tend to have unstable internet? I think it is because of two reasons.

First, most services right now are big companies who moved to the cloud after seeing the opportunity. People used them for years and can’t imagine using anything else. They are seen as the only true solution by companies and consumers due to their marketing and the familiarity of the company. Thankfully the year there has been an increasing number of startups that shows hope for the future. Most people are afraid of change but there are people who are paving the way towards a future I want to be part of and help build.

The second one is more complicated. I believe that there is bias towards open-source decentralized services. Most people seem to believe that if a service is being made or doesn’t have support from a big company then it is not for professional use. That if the only thing behind the service for support is a community and the people that develop it are doing it on their spare time then it can’t be used. I disagree completely with this notion. I believe that this software solves most of the problems of services today. Your data is safe there because it is decentralized and because the people developing the software are not companies looking for profit. They are people wanting to make good software. It is also impossible to take down the service because it isn’t anywhere. It is everywhere.

FUTURE

So what can we do to improve the cloud in the future? In my opinion Freelancers should be the ones moving the internet towards decentralization and open-source software. We do almost everything everyday on the internet. We should be the ones leading by example and motivating the change their habits because a free internet benefits everyone. Besides we didn’t leave the trap of the office to go to the trap of the freelance services.

Younique is trying to silence its former members from speaking out against how they're being mistreated.

#antiMLM #MLM #Younique #ceaseanddesist #legalaction

Please note: All content on this blog has been provided to us by anonymous sources.

I don’t even know where to start with this one.

It looks like this woman who used to be in a Northants refuge has been suckered into becoming an Usborne rep. Then, the refuge has held an auction to raise money to buy books from her to ‘support her bizniss’. I mean, you think she’d have at least donated them, given the circumstances. Or if they’d asked local people I’m sure they’d have had a million books donated.

I hope to god she hasn’t been allowed in there to recruit. It’s essentially a free advert for her books. How many other businesses who are providing paid-for services get free adverts from NDAS?

#antiMLM #MLM #UsborneBooks #pyramidscheme

Please note: All content on this blog has been provided to us by anonymous sources.

a whisper of snow upon the last breath of spring unheard by summer I watched the frost turn to dew and thought of your thin smile

In this world where everything is fake we need to learn how to separate ourselves from the people who share the same “faith.” I was told by God to tell you.

Praying is your connection with God. When you pray you're building your relationship with him. A relationship is a give and take connection. If you can't do your part then it will fail.

1) Never giving thanks: Before you eat or drink you should be thankful that you've been given enough to eat. There are people out there who share with a village with scraps while we continue to live gluttonous lives. How would you feel if you gave someone you love a gift and they take it without saying “thank you” ?

2) Never defending Him: I've been faced with this many times where people gang up on me and try to convince me God isn't real. If you don't defend Him then why would He defend you when we've reached the end? If you're caught in a situation you would want your best friend to have your back right?

3) Never reading the Bible: When you read the bible you are learning more about Jesus. There's 2 ways to read: reading for the hell of it and reading to gain information. Just because you read something doesn't mean you retain the information. Would you want to stay in a relationship with someone who is self centered and talks without giving you a turn? That's how it's like when you don't read the bible or remember his words.

4) Continuing to sin: We're born into sin so we'll always sin. The ones who sin yet never repent or change their ways will get their reward. Death. It's the same as being in a violent relationship. You're going to get tired of their lies, no effort in changing, yet they continue to cheat. One day you're going to have to leave because you've had enough. That's exactly what God will do. “You're neither hot nor cold, therefore, I will spit you out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:16

5) No results from praying? : Before you blame God for not answering your prayers why don't you think about your actions and what you're asking for. No one wants to maintain a one sided relationship. There's only so much a person can give before they give up on you. God just wants you to live by his rules, remember him, love him, thank him, and serve him.

6) Faking appearances: It's better to be a non believer than to accept Him into your life and live the same life as a non believer. Why waste your time going to church if you don't want to be there? It's the same as having plans to hang out with your friend and the entire time your friend is busy on their phone or doing everything except give you their time.

7) Preaching things that aren't in the bible: Would you spread rumors or lies about your friends/family? Would you allow strangers to spread rumors or lies about your friends/family? If no then start fighting back! You can start by reading the bible to know his words.

I think you guys get the point and see the points I'm trying to make. When the end is here you will have nothing except your faith. Do you think you could save your soul with your faith? I know I can.

Last night I had a dream about Jesus Christ. I was living in a world that everyone believes is real but I was the only one who could see the world for what it really is. No matter how much I told people the truth and try to tell them about Jesus, they wouldn't believe me and would reject me.

I can't remember what else happened but then it went to me flipping through instagram. All I saw was Trisha Paytas as if she took over instagram and all her nudes/adult entertainment stuff was all over the social app. It was disgusting. Then Jesus brought down his hand grabbing me. I wasn't crushed but his hand was lifting me from the world and in that moment I knew that I would be facing judgement. His hand was huge! The feeling was the same as falling from the top of a roller coaster except I wasn't going down. I was being lifted from the false reality into heaven. Before I could find out what my judgement was my alarm rang and woke up.

Looking back at it I'm not sure why He wanted me to tell you this story but he did. So there it is.

in this other world beyond wall and waking dream the sun flickers out; amidst the stars' perfect light the moon rises in darkness

thoughts scatter like leaves like words, strewn far and drying now that you are gone autumn settles in at last and the world's feet are heavy

yet the stars still shine. by their light I bring those leaves together again— as you wrote because of me so I write because of you.

Taking a break..

Day 3:

Backstory

Am I a smartphone addict? Maybe, maybe not. Today it is day 3 since renouncing myself from smartphone use. Currently, I am using the age old Alcatel's flip phone. Yes, I bought it off shelf from T-mobile's store in San Francisco (it's weird they still have those) and I've decided to use it hence forth for at least 60 days.

Let's dive back a few years ago as to what transpired this decision. 2012. Right out of college I had received my first paycheck and all I had on my mind was to buy a smartphone. Samsung Galaxy S3 it was. All I had heard before that was how my friends chatted in groups on WhatsApp, how they boasted of accessing Facebook without visiting their terminals, those eye catching games (bubble blast!) and much more.

This carried on for the next 4 to 5 years. I let the monster in me satisfy his thirst. Trying out new apps, unlocking the nerd in me with rooted devices and Cyanogenmod, tons of games like CoC, PUBG, etc. Of course now I realise all this was the result of an acceptable resolution to run away from the loneliness I was facing. Being away from family most of the year, being away from my wife, those monotonous software engineering routine, lack of health awareness, I could go on and on. I read about how people are addicted to smartphones and how there aren't much useful resources about it. Sometimes I boxed myself like a teenager (I'm more than 25 now!) hooked on to my smartphone and stubborn enough to not move on with my day despite realization. What for? All this amounts to what? It was a filler. Filler for the empty time I had. I was ok with it since it didn't make me sad. It ate up my time.

But this went on to the next level. I was hooked on to my phone even when I was with my friends. I was guilty of hanging my head down when having that one precious video call with my wife or with my parents. I could predict which top users would be on my instagram feed; obviously learning a pattern by historically opening the app tons of thousands of times in a day. Those circulation of fake news on Facebook and fake forwards on WhatsApp, Twitter trolls, Snapchat, it just bottled all the saturation I could until one day.

No, no. Not at the point where I give up my smartphone yet. Until that one day when I recollected a couple of instances where a friend of mine was blocked from WhatsApp for trying out some fake client of it. He was timed out of using it for 3 days. Another incident happened when the same guy dropped his phone dead on the ground. He had to wait for a week to get it fixed and used a regular cell phone. His feedback: he loved it. It's been a few months since I thought of giving up smartphone life and trying this reboot. This is a reboot. Just like Joe Cross who went on a 60 day juice diet. I thought of trying out this experiment where I give up smartphone for 60 days. I couldn't come to terms with giving up a smartphone though. It just couldn't happen with me.

One day, I woke up, went straight to T-mobile's store. Bought the Alcatel flip phone, came home, master reseted my Samsung Galaxy S8+ and hoped to live a better life since.

Observations

I feel much better. Not physically, but mentally. I am having time. Time to do nothing. I have time to think. Time to have a contiguous stream of thought. It was difficult to have that; says a lot about my concentration level, sadly. I am receptive to my surroundings. I observe when waiting for a bus that just like myself, more than half of the people around me have their heads hanged down (not in shame) in smartphone. I am receptive to how wind brushes the leaves of trees. How the the NBA champs of 2018, Golden State Warrior's flags are around the city fluttering in the gushing wind. How it is painstaking to walk by a homeless draped in light to nearly no clothing in bruising wintery nights.

I had to catch up with friends during weekend. This was a challenge since I had no Uber or Lyft now. I Googled directions for the destination, jotted them down on a piece of paper and head out. When I arrived at the nearest MUNI (the public transportation system of San Francisco), I noticed there was huge map! Freak, was it there since the beginning? I had never noticed. Google maps said there were 'significant delays' so I was expecting something would screw up my travel. Well, as it turned out, I started noticing boards. The display there said more information about the directions that had alternate arrangements to my destination. I was flabbergasted. Had it not been for that, I would have simply sat under it, reading up Quora or Reddit and eventually ordering an Uber well past the desired time to reach my destination. FYI, I reached my destination in 20 mins! (Hell yeah!).

During my commute to office, I sit with closed eyes. I try to meditate, I am currently unable to since I find it difficult to broaden my concentration span. I've seen far worse cases of smartphone addiction but I believe those are in their teenagers and eventually they come out of it. I think I am trying to be proactive in giving up smartphone life.

Yes, it's a bit difficult. It's difficult to commute. Difficult to read paper based maps. I'd say but you eventually learn it. You learn to look for the right block of info and ignore the rest. Just like you intuitively know how to use a new social app, it's the same, just with paper and signs! Giving up smartphone life didn't mean giving up my social life. I still love to meet my friends. They are the ones who have a huge contribution in keeping me of sound mind. They are the ones I fight with. My intention is to simply roll myself 10 years back, that time when I could stay connected to my digital life but only with a computer. I am writing this blog right after browsing my Facebook feed, tweeting how awesome the Warriors parade was. It doesn't mean giving up all of this. It simply means cutting it down and being a better planner. Looking up directions on my laptop before I head home. Planning an hour rather than 15 minutes before I want to catch a movie. Relying on SMS, yes, teenagers, it's a messaging system. Nobody told you because you inadvertently know about it. Remember where you receive all your verification codes! Alright, that might be too arrogant.

The point is, it's a step to put on a filter before having the urge to access what your friends are up to or having the urgent need to stay connected. I'm ok if I am not, I have some time for myself.

Wish me luck.

-

“Always strive to elevate your craft!” – Jiro Ono

#quote #jiroono

I wanted to read this book written by Bronnie Ware for many years, but I kept delaying it. Glad that I've read it at last. The single most inspiring book I've ever held in my hands! It allows you to see life and the human experience from a completely different perspective. Man, how sacred life is!

Here are the five most common things the dying regrets when facing the end of the journey:

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard.
3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

This book is filled with so much wisdom from cover to cover, I don't think I've ever highlighted this much stuff in a book. It took me months to read it, but not because of its length. It was too much to absorb at once so I rather walked away to let it sink in, and I returned for more later. The end of the book was really hard to absorb, the dark days the author faced after stepping away from caring for all those dying people, and how she managed to overcome it to start a new chapter in her life.

If I should choose only one book to recommend to others, I would pick this one without hesitation! I'm glad I didn't read it back in 2012 when I read an article about it. I was a different person back then, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have gotten that much out of it like I did now in 2018. This book is a real gem, but don't worry if you don't see its beauty now. It just means you aren't ready yet like I wasn't back in 2012. It takes time to dial down the noise, and listen to the signal. We all get there at some stage of your lives. Until then we should just take it easy and enjoy the ride!

#goodreads #reading #bookreview