Meeting Results

Well I am posting the results of the meeting so we can remember what is going on.

We met and discussed the possibility of creating a "project development team" with emphasis in digital multimedia. We adopted a resolution to go forward with this and decided as a principal project we would define our guiding statements of direction and develop a process or procedure for adopting and completing future projects.

Assignment was given to each member to create there own mission/vision statements and a brief paragraph relating to the direction of the team regarding non/for profit etc. I volunteered to develop a working document for our operating procedures and to submit that at the very latest January 8 for everyones review. We scheduled a conference call for the morning of January 10 to meet and discuss the guiding principles of our project team and our proposed operating procedures. Bach was given responsibilities for developing a web presence for the team.

Remember to post as you complete your assignment so that we can begin the collaboration process accordingly.

Friday

I guess we are meeting on Friday, we could get together in the morning around 10 and do lunch that day. Spend maybe 3- 4 hours.

Tell me what you think

Wikipedia

Finally got around to donating to wikipedia. Here is a link if anyone else wants to.

Down with that

Ok a few quick phone calls and it looks like we are on for the 26th of
December for a Herd Christmas get together. Evryone please post your
preferred time of day as a comment to this post an we will try and
accomodate the everyone, I will say I am free all day so I am
deffering my vote to those that might have less flexibilty in their
schedules. Also, you can post thoughts for activities, and I assume
for now the location will be set for Ked's house unless further
dictssion says otherwise. Thanks for offering Ked.

Good luck and good Thursday evrybody. Alsmost forgot speaking with
Whatshisface he thinks that we have made sufficient ground on the
topic over the week so the conference call mightn't be necessary.
(that was cool my iPod knows the word mightn't)

Super Guy
(on the move)

Agenda

Since I have appointed myself in other roles I will also give myself
some secretarial duties please email me with agenda items for that
conference thingy that Whatshisface set up. You may also include
agenda items and talking points for next weeks conclave. (sorry WHF I
feel funny using real names sometimes since I choose anonymity for my
own self)

Super Guy
(on the move)

Conference Call

Okay, there is much to be discussed about our time in Cedar and what exactly we should do. I propose we condence timeframes, and utilize the all powerful CONFERENCE CALL!! It will enable all of us to be on the phone at the same time with everyone all at once. Instead of spending hours online replying to posts and commenting endlessly trying to get our ideas together, we could easily figure it all out in under 1 hour on the phone.

I already have a conference call set up:
712-432-3000 (Pin: 631941)

All we need to decide is when to do it. My schedule is flexable. If everyone else is flexable, let's plan to do it this Friday, (Dec 19th) at 7:00PM. Comment with a few different times that are okay for you if this won't work for you. Look forward to hearing your voices again!

Christmas and what not

Well, I'll be down for a few days. I'm still not sure exactly when. I will mostly be in Parowan at Abigail's. It is anti-climactic to go home when you're the youngest and nobody else comes home. Plus, my parents will be on a trip of their own during Christmas. I might take a small jaunt somewhere too.

Nate and I talked about getting together. If we could, that would be great. We could have a Nerd Christmas party.

It might also be good to have a meeting. Our media world is changing rapidly and I'm trying to make plans to step more into it and to start more wholesome media for those who want it. It might be kind of cool to have a "predict the future" meeting where we share ideas about the future of media and how to battle bad stuff. Just a thought. I've recently had a lot of interesting conversations with one of my professors on the subject.
Let me know what you guys think

Previous Post Removal

I am removing the previous post temporarily for discussion of the point made by Bach regarding the creator of the photo and possible collaboration with him on this blog or otherwise. My thoughts would be that he did not have the same insights and connections to the more deep dealings of the group, yet he did contribute a photo I would say is a classic, and perhaps in considering the anthology he should be included as a guest author at least on some points. Some of my thoughts although they may seem rude, it is just that I never felt the same type of connection with said "Robot", and I don't know if that is just me or a more general feeling. I guess we should open for discussion.

One of my favorites ever

Okay so for our second photo... drumroll please... wait for it... stay on target

Tell me a story!!!

Celebrating a Single Life

Friday, I was fortunate enough to attend Elder Worthlin's funeral services. As church employees, we were given the day off after 11:00 to attend the funeral and other activities. It's always a neat experience, attending a funeral. I often feel like it's my own, often reflecting on what I have identified as my own mission and stewardship in this life.

There was a poem shared by his son, Joseph B. Worthlin Jr., in which two lines in particular resonated strongly with me:

"That man can do the best he can
and leave no debt to his fellow man."

While many will interpret the accountability of this phrase in different ways, it is my opinion that the strongest debt we all have is personal potential unfulfilled. It's funny to think that a tree - without a brain - will grow as tall as it can, while we - with our superior brains and unique relationship with God - will stop ourselves from reaching our full potential.
I guess, in answer to Bach's questions, my greatest motivation is actually a snapshot of what I know is expected of me: to become a profitable and wise servant to my family, my fellow man, and to the Lord's Church.

on Change and Growth Part 2

Motivation.

Everybody (hopefully) has tried changing at some point, but in my experience, few of these attempts seem to bear fruit because at some point, the motivation almost invariably evaporates.

Some people are motivated by money, others by power, maybe by comfort, love, guilt, hunger, fame, accountability, fear, morals, rewards, etc.

What motivates you? What kinds of motivations have you had that seem to stick around more than others?

Here's a thought -- we're all familiar with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Does it seem that the higher you go on the hierarchy the weaker your motivations to achieve higher needs gets? Is a sign of strong character the ability to maintain motivation for higher needs?

On another angle, do you have any motivations you wish were stronger than they are? For example, we're looking to buy a house, but our resources haven't grown to that point yet. I know I'm talented and capable, and that if I could just apply myself more I could find these resources, but sometimes I just can't muster the motivation to do so. Shouldn't independent housing be a great motivation to work harder?

Lots of questions, I know, but I'm interested in seeing how other people deal with such problems. Why? I'm very excited by possibility, and I can see myself being stronger and more accomplished in a great many worthwhile things. The whole world is big and open and full of unimaginable treasure just waiting for the person who can reach out and pull it into his reality. I want to be one of those people.

Thankful for Books

I was never a big reader. In fact I hated reading all the way through school and throughout college. I was told by my first grade teacher that I'd never learn to read because I was so slow at learning the words. Ironically, my best subject at test time was in english language skills/sentence structure. I felt cursed.

And then I found a reason to read. It would seem obvious that we read to gain wisdom and grow our minds, but I always perceived that wisdom and growth to be exclusive to scholastic achievement. (As most teens do, I suppose.) Unfortunately, it wasn't until I discovered a vehicle like Pre-Paid Legal that I began to realize the potential of personal development through reading "good books". I realized that to achieve more - in all areas of life, not just material wealth - one must become more. I regrettably admit that it's taken me 23 years to understand such an important principle, but I now treasure that knowledge as one of this life's most precious assets: A path of Personal Development.

In the home-based-business industry, we commit ourselves and our team members to read at least 10 pages of "personal development" material a day. Scriptures; training materials; biographies of such people like Henry Ford, Donald Trump, Napoleon Hill, etc.; Most people do not come with the mindset of a successful business owner/leader/builder, it is something that must be developed over time. (In most cases more time than most people have patience for.) The most painful thing for me to see is someone giving up on themselves simply because their feet haven't grown into their shoes quite yet. So refusing to grow off the shoes go, assuming they'll never fit, and somehow believing that to tread a lifetime through the weeds and thorns in bare feet the rest of their life (trying to get used to it) outweighs the temporary hastles of keeping loose shoes on their feet.

I hope that within our close group, each of us will constantly seek to learn and grow. It is the only way we will be able to accomplish our various goals in this life - whatever they may be. Well my friends, here's to keeping our heads on our shoulders, and our shoes on our feet. Good luck this week with your lives, finals/projects, the war, and other endeavors!

Tell me a picture

Well as a trial run here, please peruse the following picture write a story that it reminds you of and please email it to me. The reason I am having people email is to avoid "collaboration" I think it will be neat to have completely different perspectives and different stories. More than one story is totally acceptable. This one might be a challenge for me...

Thanks

P.S. How long would be a sufficient time per picture??? comments

Book stuff

Nathan has provided a few pictures that have inspired me for a
possible format of book stuff. I think it might be nice if we each sat
down with pictures and wrote a story that is reflected in that
picture. Each will have different perspectives and quite often a
different story altogether. We can really show that a picture is worth
a thousand words.

I take charge of this aspect of our history distributing the pictures
and such. So keep stuff coming there is a lot we can do with all of
this. Thanks

Super Guy
(on the move)

Sending Stuff

Superguy: I have some stuff to send you, do you prefer I post it or send it to your email (which I need)?

email me so I have your email on file.
mr.nathanyoung@gmail.com

Why the basement was invented

You might have assumed, as I'm sure many people do, that people started digging basements because they wanted to have more space in which to put their stuff, or because they wanted some consistently cool place to store potatoes, onions, and other foodstuffs throughout the summer and winter. If you had assumed this you would be wrong, but as I just discovered this evening, the latter part about a cool place to put food is not too far from the truth.

No, the basement became a necessity as soon as construction techniques found a way to keep the wind and drafts out of the houses. Before this happened, huge wood stoves and fireplaces were required to keep the temperature inside the house livable because the wind would blow all of the precious heat out through the cracks in the walls so quickly. As buildings got better, and the cracks got smaller and eventually virtually disappeared, the heat stayed in the house longer. Unfortunately, however, the fireplaces did not get smaller.

One evening, a man somewhere threw one too many logs in his over-sized fireplace (if you've ever owned a wood stove, you know how difficult it can be to get it just right). The heat source in his house gradually turned from not-quite-warm-enough to let's-take-summer-vacation-in-Greenland-hot. He wanted to open a window, but the thoughts of what he had gone through, traveling up the mountain on horse and wagon with naught but an axe and faithful hound to gather the thermal life-support his family would need to get through the merciless winter made it seem a cardinal sin to let that precious warm air escape on purpose. Even opening the door to step outside for anything less important than fetching a midwife was unforgivable. It was as if he feared that letting the heat go would be giving it permission to never come back. His wife was not pregnant and the chamber pots were all empty, so the poor farmer was trapped in his mounting inferno until the logs burned down and what remaining inefficiencies in the house granted them guilty relief. The fire grew hotter and hotter, and the poor man's sanity began to leak out with the sweat gathering on his splotchy red brow. He cast his eyes about his humble two-room castle. Strewn about the abode were his wife and various children, stretched in hazy pseudo consciousness out on the ground as if having completed a marathon, and leaning against the walls of the cabin to be as far away as possible from the small star growing in the middle of the house. As he surveyed the sorrowful scene, his eyes beheld, propped up in a corner of the house, his family's salvation: a shovel.

In a frenzied rage, he grabbed the shovel and attacked the floor in that corner of the house. Making a mental note to reward whomever had so carelessly not put away the tool, he slashed through the thin wooden planks which separated him from his respite. All of the other exits were blocked, so he had only one choice -- escape through the floor. Before long, the wood was gone, shattered and crushed into countless pieces by the blunt tool, and the shovel was working its magic on what it was made for. Sweat poured from the man's face, moistening the bottom of his growing hole, but he was determined to flee before he fell victim to his unyielding foe. The dust rose and the dirt flew as the concerned family watched their father sink unnaturally quickly through the floor of the cabin. The eldest son caught his father's fever and tied a rope to the washbasin and began lowering it down into the hole and pulling it out, full of rich, cool brown soil which he dumped menacingly before of the enemy in the heart of their home. Soon there was enough room for two people in the hole, then three. As the space grew, children began dropping down through the hole in the floor armed with spoons to assist in the effort, and the sounds of scraping and coughing eventually faded, and were replaced by a comfortable, cool, silence as the farmer's family cuddled like mice in their new emergency fire shelter.

News spread quickly of this innovation, even more so after the floor of the house caved in a couple of days after the incident. The man was regarded a hero for discovering a way to legally escape the "one log too many" heat that plagues even the best practiced wood-stove operators now and again. Construction practices were once again revisited to strengthen floors so that basements could be enjoyed safely. Soon thereafter, the benefits of a root cellar and extra storage were discovered, and the popularity of the underground rooms further mounted.

Eventually, however, new developments would make the basement obsolete. Fresh vegetables could be attained from the grocery store, rental storage units solved the storage problem, and fireplaces were replaced with furnaces which proved to be much more friendly to be around.

Have a great thanksgiving, all.

-BacH

Wall e

It seemed a sin to not have made mention of the recent release of Wall-e on DVD/Blu-Ray. My daughter watched it at her grandma's house yesterday, and apparently started jumping up and down and shaking when the little pod dropped out of the big drop-ship and started screaming "Steve-a, Steve-a." She had only seen this movie once, and that was a long time ago (the day it came out in the theater, of course).

I tried to tell her that the robot's name was Eve, not Steve, but since she's now seen the move more times than I have, I didn't really have any authority on the subject.

-BacH

Feedback Loops

I have been thinking today how nice it would be to have an impartial and consistent feedback loop. A way that as soon as you had an idea you could bounce it off someone and have instant impartial feedback. I experience that type of feeling occasionally with Bach when I can catch him, but then we have to go our seperate ways and do other things, that is why it would be nice to have a constant link. Some might point to prayer and revelation, and that is true and wonderful, but I don't forsee in the near future the ability to have a constant stream of that feedback, and sometimes "noise" has a great tendency to drown that out easier. There is also something to be said for the "down to earth" feedback you can get from peers.

Just some thoughts I had when coming up with some ideas for the first edition of what will become a Herd anthology.

Super Guy

(I want you "all" to know I kept myself in check overiding the desire to include the four letter n word...Ked... :D)

Love ya guys

Herd History

Talking with Bach earlier I realized that we are getting up towards our 10 year anniversary as a Herd and I thought I could start a special project related to that. For the project I will need everyone to be working on sending me information/stories that you have or want to write and I will compile it. For example it would be nice if everyone recounted their version of the establishment of the club independently and I could sort through the indescrepancies and get a clear view of things. Also, really helpful would be period information of journals, emails, photos or the like. I have some things, but I think unforunately for emails I won't have the pre mission stuff. I have catalogued the original yahoo group and other web collaborations we have done so that is nice and most anything contemporary I have pretty good records. Please let me know your thoughts and get me info so I can start with this, it is going to take the time I have before the actual anniversary. (Oh and if anyone knows when that is let me know)

Super Guy
(Self Styled Herd Historian)

Preview of Cartographer

Here are the tracks of the CARTOGRAPHER "Remix" 2nd disc. (You cannot save these songs, it's just for your listening pleasure.) Enjoy!

Finally!

"Finally what, Nate? What could you possibly be referring to?" you may be asking yourselves. Well, allow me to introduce you all to what could safely be considered the most anticipated music for our group over the last 3 or 4 years! (I know a couple of us will be excited anyway.) Gents, without further adue, here it is: CARTOGRAPHER .

Young Halloween Results

Just a quick tip I learned while typing this post: don't click on any of your pictures while in the "Preview" screen. You lose everything you've worked on, and you have to start over. (Sigh) Anyway, Here are a few pictures from the Young Family's Happy Halloween Extravaganza! (2008) This is my Jack-O-Lantern. (My second favorite part of Halloween!)


So this year Melanie wanted to dress up as a family and do something cute. I was okay with that as long as I didn't feel like a Halloweenie doing it. When she suggested Peter Pan and Wendy, I almost said no. But the thought of Erin being Tinkerbell had me sold on it. So even though I was gone two weeks out of the month (one week in Miami and another week in Washington State) I was still able to make our costumes in time for all the Halloween parties.

Erin looked so cute, ... I don't think it's fair that Daddies melt into puddles over their daughters. I'm just warm putty in her hands, and I can't help it. THAT's what got me into those green tights, which actually turned out to be thin green panty-hose! I had to put on THREE other pairs of normal panty-hose to blend out my hairy legs. Even then I felt totally exposed.


... at least until I finished the shoes. Then - because of some unexplicable reason - I felt much better. There must be something in the commitment of a complete costume that erases all the doubt and shame you should normally feel when you are dressed up like a complete fool. I felt great, it was fun. Now that it's over, I don't have to worry about being a faerie-boy next year. I can move on in my life, and do something ... else.

on Change and Growth Part 1

The status quo seems to be a very powerful thing. It's part of human nature to want to grow and improve and to seek after more. I've been noticing, however, that when people try to grow and change, many times they end up falling back to where they were.

I'd bet this has happened to just about everybody on the planet. You have a habit you'd like to break or create, you start practicing your modified behavior, and in a short amount of time, you realize you're back to old habits and your attempt at behavioral modification has completely failed. I know it's happened to me many many times. It frustrates me to think about how many times it's happened. I tried to keep a budget once or twice (or more...), and it works great for a month or two, then the weekly budget meetings get bumped once or twice, then I'm behind and it's harder to catch up, then... *sigh* my good intentions evaporate once again. Back to the status quo.

I know of a family which was living in New Mexico and decided it was time to make a change and come up to Cedar City, closer to family. They prayed, considered, and sold their house, packed up the truck and rented an apartment in Cedar. He ended up working the exact same job here as in New Mexico, moved from one store to another, they moved to Hurricane for the same kind of job, and a couple of days ago I heard that they were back in New Mexico. Same town, same job. The only thing different is that they are now living with his parents because they don't have a house. Status quo.

I know of another person (and these are people I know and admire, I'm not trying to point out any kind of uncommon weakness) who with grand intentions left his job to spend more time at home with family and earn the family living through investments. That lasted about 6 months, and now he's back at the same job he left. Status quo.

Why does this happen? I don't say that these families made the wrong decision to revert to the way things were, or that the decision to change in the first place was wrong, and surely there were individual factors in all of the cases I mentioned, and the economic climate had a big part in the decisions of both the families I mentioned, but when we see trends, we look for common factors and try to identify ways of getting around these common problems.

Why is it so hard to make a change?

Politics Kill Me

My sister-in-law put this link up on here blog I thought it was an interesting editorial piece by Orson Scott Card.

I don't know what to think about politics this year, but there is a big mess right now that is without a doubt.

The 2nd

Although Nate was wishy washy I think he was somewhat leaning towarda
the second and I think that would be better for us because of all my
home teaching and things. It only remains to be seen if Ked can make
it then.

Super Guy
(on the move)

Announcements announcements announcements

Please make them short and sweet,
short and sweet,
short and sweet.
Please make them short and sweet,
Ashley's pregnant.

Something

Well we are looking at doing something next week I talked to Nate and
it looks like they were busy this Friday and Melanie had something on
Saturday. I was thinking we could do a little Sunday dinner and games
or we could get out during the next week or celebrate November on
Saturday. Votes may be expressed between the three options.

Sunday
Weekday
Saturday

Express yourselves and if we end up doing things in seperate chunks,
or if it ends up as just some of us, or just me and Jane then tough
luck for those missing out.

Oh and with the Sunday option Jane and I can host no problem good food
and fun.

Super Guy
(on the move)

What is it?

What is it that makes some people so sure of themselves that nothing, NOTHING, seems to ever get them down, and some people (most actually) are so easily distracted by the things that COULD get them down that they lose all but a fraction of the hope they had once upon a time? This is the biggest puzzle to me, and though I really shouldn't be so affected by it I think of it almost continously. I'm sad about what people give in to, especially if I know and love and care for them. So what is it?

It's not circumstance, though everyone is quick to blame circumstances. That's a poor excuse because everyone's life is balanced with ups and downs, and everyone is affected by that bumpy rollercoaster equally. (Different trial, perhaps, but we are all given enough blessings to out-way those trials whether we choose to acknoledge them or not.) It can't be wealth either, because - as powerful of a tool as it can be - happiness is a choice, and comes without a price. So what is it?

Electric Harp

You know every once in a while when you actually feel like you come up with an original idea, and then find out it isn't so original? That's what happened with me this morning when I woke up from a dream I had about making an electric harp. "WOW!" I thought, "what a cool idea! I've certainly never heard of one, this could be an exciting project." I started looking online, ... 41,000 hits for 'electric harp'. But my excitement wasn't deflated:

It's an exciting thing to come up with an idea - which is truly original to your experience - and then have it "validated" by seeing what a big success that idea actually became. Just because someone else thought of it before you did doesn't mean you failed or aren't creative. I think it should reflect the very opposite. The idea was good! ...others have proved it so. Just keep going. Allow yourself to dream and think big. I've heard some great ideas from many in the Herd, and I think it's wonderful to be associated with you. Believe in yourselves, we are all so full of potential and spirit. See you 'round!

Catastrophic Blessings

A while ago someone shared the definition of catastrophe as something turning upside down. I've thought about that recently as it could relate to circumstances. Melanie and I are experiencing catastrophe, only all the downs are now turning to ups. Do catastrophic events always imply negative outcomes?

Anyway, things are looking very well for me and the fam. Thanks for the prayers everyone, hope you all enjoy the rest of conference!

Dumb, Lucky, Successful

Hello again friends. I know that everyone has been curious as to how things are going for myself and our little family, so I'm going to catch everyone up. To make the story less scary, I'll tell you the situation in reverse cronological order. I start work on Monday with AgReserves, Inc in SLC (Right next to Temple Square). They manage a lot of the Church investment/agricultural real-estate. I'll be their Help Desk Administrator. It's taken them 5 interviews over 2 months to "offer" me the job. Great benefits, starting at about 37K, the works. It's a mystery to me, and I don't want to sound like I have the Midas Touch or anything, but I've only sent out two resumes in my life. The first was an assignment for school, the other was to AgReserves. As most of you may know, the best way to get a job is by networking your way to it (Fact). So I didn't want to play "the resume game". Part of it was that I was too prideful to do it, the other part of me didn't even know where to start. My greatest disadvantage is I don't - nor do I ever - plan to build any kind of career, so it was going to be hard being honest when anyone asked me "so, where do you plan to be five years from now?" What I have planned would sound like a slap in their face, and I don't even feel comfortable sharing it here. But knowing that the future is uncertain, I could also honestly say "I don't know WHERE I'll be in 5 years, but I can tell you the kind of person I'm working on becoming."

The short truth is that I knew whatever job I got, no matter how great it may be, it is my goal to make it as temporary as I can. Not that I'm going to quit as soon as the oportunity comes up, but my goal is to continue slowly replacing my fultime income with passive income from my PPL business and other investments. At that point - no matter how much time it will take - I'll happily quit my job. After my first Major failure (what I've come to call this summer's experience), I've learned that to rely soley on my PPL income is too stressful on our finances. Buisnesses work better if you can earn the bulk of your money from a job while building the business part time. I've tried to make things work anyway, and I don't know how the Lord has made things work for us over the last year, but things have worked out. But I've learned only now to put that part of my pride behind me, and allow myself to work a job fulltime.

I've been risky, but we've been aware of the risk. It's bitten us hard this year, but Melanie and I are grateful for having passed through it. We now know what it's really like to go 7 months with absolutely NO INCOME and NO MONEY. It's been one of the greatest blessings of our life together. Randy Paucsh said in his book THE LAST LECTURE, "Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want." ... and we've been gainning a LOT of it recently. But it's liberating to know exactly how wonderful life is to those who keep a positive attitude, and posture themselves accordingly.

Just so you know, I'm not planning to open our shop for business until mid 2009. We are organizing ourselves and taking care of preparations. We already have investors lining up, one for sure who is giving us about $50K. I spent two hours with our attorneys yesterday, and things are looking great.

Everything is going well, because we have so much to be thankful for. I wish you all the same wellness, and hope you are all taking steps that lead you closer to your own dreams. (And if you know anyone looking for a business to invest in, we're offering a return of 8% to 15% depending on the amount of their investment.) Good luck my friends.

With work on the horizon...

Talked to Nate earlier today and didn't realize that I wasn't sure what he was up to as far as trying to make ends meet, whether he had things keeping him going while he started up his costume production company or if he was trying the fake it till you make it approach (meaning pretend you make money until you actually do) that seems to have paid off to some extent for Bach. I wonder this mainly because I have found myself here and there of course looking for work, but also now looking at how I might be putting together some loose ends. I will be starting my new job as a data analyst at the Huntsman Cancer Hospital on Tuesday after I go tomorrow and go through my orientation. I have been looking at business books that go over personality types and strengths theory and getting a better idea for who I am and what might be the right types of careers for me. It has been interesting and insightful to get a better picture of some of my inner workings.

I guess for now that is an update of where I am at and I hope to keep hearing from everybody. For those of us in Northern Utah we should get together either in twos or threes, with families or otherwise and go do stuff once in awhile. I am happily going to be stabilizing here soon so I am totally up for Saturday or Sunday visits.

Well, that is about it for now if anyone knows anybody that could use math tutoring or computer/technology training or help let me know because I would love to do a little bit part time on the side. I have decided that coming up with technological solutions to problems is one of my passions, beyond just knowing technological concepts myself I like to make other peoples ideas into reality by going outside the box of common solutions.

I guess that is enough rambling.
Chao!!

A bit of nostalgia

Some of you may recall this bit of cinematic genius:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdtbWpVTk2w

Oh the days...

Job

Quickly... I have a job offer from the Huntsman Cancer Hospital!!!
Thanks for everyones support. Love you all later.

Super Guy
(on the move)

Prayers

Well hoping to get a job this week. Any prayers are more than welcome
I had a good interview with the Huntsman Cancer Hospital in a position
that I would love to have. Jane and Gwen have been in Cedar for a
couple of weeks while I am trying to get us back on our feet. It was a
beautiful morning this morning with a pretty sky and a great moon.
Well I hope you will look past the informality in this post, not
bothering with being picky about my words. Thanks for all your support.

Super Guy
(on the move)

A Dream Fulfilled!

Hello, comrads! I'm very excited today because I was able to fulfill one of my dreams: Ridding in a Hot Air Balloon! Unlike most, I didn't have to wait on a list, or pay a fee, or go through any of that. I heard that all the spots were filled, and that there wasn't even a chance of me riding. While walking around taking pictures and being fascinated with every one's inflating balloons, on of the ballooners (pilots) took notice of my interest. I was just standing there a few feet away from his basket with my camera ready to film his take-off. People started to back away to avoid getting hit by the basket, but I stayed close so I could get a good shot. "You wanna go up with us?" The rest is history. I jumped into the basket, asked "where do I sign", then threw my keys to Robert Peterson. "Give these to Melanie for me." He couldn't believe it! He was there as part of a pilot group to help the ballooners. (I assume to get one step closer to being able to ride in a balloon.) He tossed the keys to Melanie, "Here. You're husband's going up." Melanie couldn't believe it. "DID HE ASK?" He answered "NO! THEY asked HIM!" I felt for him. Anyway, I uploaded many pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Have a great day guys!

Sound of Silence

Well, since we went to the zoo together, there have been two posts, is it? I decided I'd dropped by the page and not contributed for long enough. So, here I am.
Now, what to contribute...ummm....yeah. I'm in a class called the history of creativity. It is quite fascinating. Very few classes can capture your attention on the first day like that one. We talked about the brain and how people think. Fascinating stuff.
So school has started again and my nephew is now here at BYU. He turned 18 last week and I'm showing him the ropes of college life. He's like the little brother I never had. This will be a very fun semester.
Well, it's not the latest and greatest in intellectual thought, but there's a small update for me.

Also, can anyone recommend some good digital cameras?
adios

So many roads

When you wake up in the morning, what you have before you is basically an unlimited number of opportunities.

Opportunities... why am I obsessed with that idea? More on that later, maybe.

Anyway, the moment your brain reaches consciousness, you embark on a labyrinth of decisions that ultimately determine your state at the end of the day. The first choice you probably make is whether or not to open your eyes. Then whether to get out of bed or try to fall back to sleep for a few more minutes. Then what to wear, and so on and so forth.

Think about the idea that, due to the number of possible decisions you could make during the day, there are virtually unlimited possibilities available to you by the time you reach bedtime. What if one of those possibilities was a strengthened relationship with your family? How about a more secure financial situation? Maybe a combination of things? What if there was a map you could follow that said "At choice B, turn left, and then make a quick right at choice C," showing you how to end up at a desired point at the end of the day?

I've got a theory on how to do that, but I'll save it for another post. I'm tired. I'm going to bed.

Camels and Lion and Bears--Oh my!

So, I googled the various answers for our songs. I found an overwhelming amount of hits for Alice the Camel and even found this image under google images. Approximately 226,000 results came up in favor of Alice. Sally the Camel came in at 108,000 because of an episode of Barney where they sang that version of the song. Even with the purple dinosaur's help--Alice wins! How many humps does she have?

As for "Going on a ___ Hunt," the votes are in and I find results for both bear and lion. The number of resulsts you get varies on the variations of titles. (ex. I'm going on a lion hunt, Going on, Goin on, etc.) However, the bear song is different in many ways and is a little bit fruitier. Yes, fruity-er. More fruity and cheesy. They probably both came from the same source originally.

One last detail--I found that the lion version was published in the Girl Guides of Canada songbook back in the '90s, so that version must win.

Leap before you look

I just interviewed Jeremy Hanks, President, Chairman, and Co-founder of DOBA, an online inventory sourcing company. I discussed with him about being an entrepreneur and the hardships of it.
The advice he gave to entrepreneurs was this:
"Go out and do it and do it now. There are two schools of though. The first one is that you graduate, get some work experience, and then be an entrepreneur. The other is that you're young and you have less to lose. That's the school of thought I subscribe to. Risks go up as you add complexities to your life."
He lectures in various forums and one of his themes is "Leap before you look." Many people have ideas but they never get them off the ground.
I just thought you might all find that interesting, seeing as how some of us are entrepreneurs and trying to make a name for ourselves as well as some Top Ramen for our bellies.

To Feed a Herd

Well, since I am sort of around here and could theoretically have ideas about eateries I am posting a couple ideas asking for input on our Wednesday dinner.

Place, Type, Approx. Entree $
Mayan Mexican $10
Tucanos Brazilian $Ouch (better at lunch)
Red Robin Burgers (endless fries) $8
PF Changs Chinese $10
Others??? Greek, Chinese, Mexican
Buffet, ...

Well there are lots of places to eat up here for those down south Jane found a place she likes called Rumbi Island grill you wouldn't see down there....

Please comment and let me know your votes. We could even try Thai

A quarter of life

It's kind of funny how you can know something and then you can get something. You can know that 2 x 3 = 6, and you can get that 2 x 3 is two added to itself three times, and that is six. You can know something for a long time, and then you wake up one day and you get it.

People often say they have this kind of experience with testimony. You can think you know something about a principle of the Gospel, and then something might happen that makes you really get it. The phrase from the song on the seminary soundtrack -- "I learned with my heart / what I knew in my mind " sums it up well. Interesting that there are these two separate parts of our understanding, and it's hard for one side to convince the other without some kind of catalyst getting involved.

Yesterday I turned 25. I'm still young, for sure, but I had a get it experience nonetheless. Many people say they finally feel "grown up" when they turn 25. I'd have to say I agree somewhat, but the experience was bigger than that for me. For some reason I finally realized that I am actually going to grow up. While my brain could have told you better, my heart (for lack of something better to call it) was living in a delusion of eternal youth. I woke up yesterday morning and got it, that I am mortal.

Mortal people, I've discovered, have slightly different priorities than immortal ones. When time is recognized as a finite resource, one starts to wonder if he is making the best use of it. This is why, I believe, old people think time travels faster. They're running out of it. I remember that 5 years ago yesterday, I was in Barra da Lagoa, Florianopolis, Brazil holding the "Concurso da melhor torta (best pie contest)", a activation/fellowshipping activity. I got sang to and we all ate an unhealthy amount of various types of pie. I can't believe it was 5 years ago.

I can figure that I've probably used up about a quarter of my mortal life. What am I going to do with that time? Can I use it better than I've used the last 25 years? Fortunately, I get to skip the long stretches of diapers, incommunicatability, and public school now. I'm starting to become one of those people who is afraid of time just slipping through my fingers, like sand slips through that tiny hole in an hour-glass.

Here's the other part of realizing your life won't last forever: it comes with a realization that you're going to die. I've always known that I was going to die, it's a natural thing to do, and even for people with larger perspectives on existence that aren't limited to mortality accept the fact that death is part of the Plan, whatever plan it is they put their faith in. Now, however, I really get that I'm going to die.

That's ok, though, because I know that dying is not the end of things, right? But even if I know it, I really only half know it. That's a problem. Now that I get the fact that I'm going to die someday, it's really important now to get the principle that I'm not going to cease existence when my heart stops beating.

Is there something that you only halfway know? Is there some part of your testimony that hasn't been really examined because you haven't had a reason to really get the principle behind it? How do you make that happen? How do you learn with your heart what your mind already knows?

Heres one thing I think I got yesterday. There's a reason behind mortality. I imagine that when we're born, we're handed a saw, a hammer, and a bucket of nails and set in a forest. We are to use our saw, hammer and nails to build a building. Every day we are to make this building taller. On day one, we look around, and we see the trees around us, and that's all. "Neat!" we think, "trees to make a tower out of!" and we go after them with our saw, and once we have some lumber we start to build our building. Every day, as the building gets taller, our perspective changes a bit. After a while, the tower gets taller than the trees, and we can see beyond them. We might see mountains, lakes, streams, other towers, and as the tower grows we'll see more and more of the world. All of the sudden for me, life became a matter of perspective, and every day I get older, that perspective changes, and things that weren't as important become more so as other things seem less important than before.

There is something to be learned by living, knowing that you are going to die. Mortality challenges our hearts to internalize what we are taught about eternity. Now that I realize that I'm mortal, I'm going to try to see every day as valuable because not only am I going to run out of days at some point, but because every day offers a new perspective on the world, an opportunity to not just know something, but to really get it. I'm headed to the temple this afternoon as Joseph's fiance goes for the first time, and I'll be interested to take my new perspective on mortality with me. Hopefully it's a step, maybe a catalyst in bringing a testimony of immortality in to my heart, where it really needs to be.

Happy Old Day

This being the one birthday that I can remember other than my own, I want to take a moment to reflect.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY YA OLD FOGIES!!!

A quarter of a century and not looking any younger. :D

Happy Pioneer Day everyone

At 30

While doing some reading earlier this morning I was looking for a short story I heard a while ago about growing up. Here it is. No title, no author, but the message remains just as stunning:

"When I grow up, I'm going to be a movie star!" a boy told his Dad, who smiled as his son shared what the wondrous future held in store for him.
"You certainly may. You've always been a great kid, and not too long from now you'll be leaving to make your place in the world. At 20, you'll have some success and might adopt even bigger dreams. The next 10 years after that will be filled with many experiences that will prepare you for when you finally turn 30." The boy couldn't hold back his excitement! He started to imagine that big break and what would happen after that. "Around 25 you'll have passed through some hard times and made many sacrifices to hold onto your dreams. Many give up at this point, but you'll ignore the doubts others have in you, and you'll be loyal to your dreams. You'll hunger for success, and wait for the day that all the hurt and discomfort of not living your dreams comes to an end... but you'll only have to wait 'till you're 30." The boy was getting anxious by now. "So, what will happen when I'm 30?" He inquired with a big smile. Then his Dad, exhausted from a long day at work, looked down to him with a sigh, and answered "At 30, you'll get used to it."

Lions, tigers, and kids! Oh my!

My lil' bro' Joseph (aka "Joe," among other names), is getting married on the 31st of this month, and Ashley and I have decided to head toward the land of summer atmospheric inversions a day early to enjoy some time at the Zoo (a first for me). You all are invited to attend, and we are wondering if any of you can make it, and if so, when would be the best time (on the 30th) to go.

Keep Dreaming

(Just wanted to share this poem I found today, hope others will find it as encouraging as I do.)

I've dreamed many dreams that never came true.
I've seen them vanish at dawn.

But I've realized enough of my dreams, you see,
To make me want to dream on.

I've prayed many prayers when no answers came,
Though I waited patient and long,

But answers came to enough of my prayers
To make me keep praying on.

I've trusted many a friend that failed
And left me to weep alone,

But I've found enough of my friends true blue
To make me keep trusting on.

I've sown many seeds that fell by the way
For the birds to feed upon,

But I've held enough golden sheaves in my hands
To make me keep sowing on.

I've drained the cup of disappointment and pain,
And gone many days without song,

But I've sipped enough nectar from the roses of life
To make me want to live on.

~~ Author Unknown ~~

A few meandering thoughts:

You know, I really don't know how many times I've wondered at how it could have been possible for me to have become connected with the friends I have. Men of vision. Men of faith. Men of integrity. Men of genuineness. What is more important than having associations with people like that? People that have a real desire to grow? People without pretense, people who are driven by genuine desire and love? Am I dreaming here?

To be brutally honest, I don't really think our little group is the best pieces of Edison, Disney, Lasseter, Jobs, and Henson all rolled in to one. I know that there is real danger in believing oneself to be elite or better in some way than all the others. I can't say that 95% of the other people in the world don't feel the same way I do about their own friends, but I really don't care about that. It doesn't lessen my amazement and gratitude very much.

We may not be the Pixar brain trust, or as visionary as the founders of our Nation, but I do know we have vision and creative spirit, and like any skills these can be honed and nurtured. We're young yet.

We are still dealing with barriers, but we're growing. We still fear, but we're growing. We still doubt, but we're growing. Our vision is not focused as much as it may need to be, but we are growing. Life is school, right?

We talk about changing the world, about making positive contributions to our fellow travelers on this planet, and these discussions often to point to amassing financial resources which we can use to bless the lives of others. True, money can be a powerful instrument for good, and I truly hope that we'll someday have the power to be wisely charitable with vast financial resources, however, this I believe: Each of Heavenly Father's children comes to this Earth endowed with gifts, and at the end of the week, we'll be measured on how we applied those gifts. If Nathan's gift is to communicate through the works of his hands, let those works be his tools for good. Ked by media, Abe by his versatility, and so on for each other person on the planet. Let us remember that life is short, both for us and for our brothers and sisters. What will leave a more lasting impact -- sharing a personal, divine gift, or writing a check? It's not about changing the world, it's about changing people. That's the sticky bit, though, you can't change people. You love people. Is it possible to make every choice one motivated by love? Instead of a focus on producing money, is it possible to focus on producing love? Beyond the necessity of paying the bills, I feel there's a greater application of our talents.

We're getting ever closer to fulfilling our dreams, and I'd just like to make this one point: Let us follow or dreams, in their purity, and not muddle them up with other ideas that may not be as inspired. This just occurred to me, really, that it may not be our job in the great plan to be the billionaires who sponsor scores of missionaries and send tons of rice (or half-eaten sandwiches) to starving kids in China. Money is a tricky thing, and while I think it's possible, and even appropriate at times, it's touchy business to love somebody with a signature on a bank note or a stack of Benjamins (the green ones). In this regard, good models for us would be Charlie and Donna Cooley of the Happy Factory.

Whatever our gifts may be, money, influence, fame, humility, obscurity, media, programming, puppets and costumes, or whatever, let us become all that we're able, let us learn to abolish barriers, let us be active pupils and follow our dreams in this school that's called life, but through it all, let us love.

So, looking forward -- where do we go from here?
"Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not." (D&C 6:36)
I don't know, specifically. I think the answer is something like: follow the trail of your dreams while looking up. Yeah, it's a faith thing.

Non-stop Excitement

I'm so excited, I can't help it. Over the last MONTH, all I've been able to think about is FTR. (It's getting to the point where it interferes with my work. :) ) Anyway, it's interesting how pieces of such a huge puzzle seem to come together on their own without you doing anything other than thinking about it. (Assuming it's something you're excited about.) I actually have to work hard not to think about it, and focus on the moment.

Anyway, I just wanted to share some of that excitement with you today, and show you 1 of 4 sets of Gear we will start working on in January.
We are working on our business plan, and in thinking about what we need to do over these next 4 to 5 months, Funding is a big issue. (We're looking at roughly $500,000 to cover the first two years.) Strangely enough, we don't have any doubts that we'll get the funding necessary, but we want to be smart about it, and avoid as much interest as we can. We also want to avoid turning over a large share of our company's ownership to third parties. ...perhaps we're a little naive, but we don't want to empower others with the opportunity to shut us down.

Well, I'm certainly open to ideas. I will still do my research and due diligence, but I believe that within our group I am less aware of what's out there than some of you may be regarding Start up Capital.

Thanks for being such supportive friends. I was talking with Splashboy the other night, and it was exciting to hear his voice again. I see how privileged we are to have such a good group of sharp minded individuals, who collectively can accomplish much good. "If you're not strong, you can't help the weak." This has been a very motivating thought for me regarding our potential. The days are not far off that we will not only be in a position to provide for ourselves and our families, but to reach out and help countless others to do the same. Good luck, guys. I wish you all an enjoyable week!

FTR Studios

I'm pleased to anounce the beginning stages of what we've all been waiting for since "latex and strings" rolled off of James's lips: I'm finally going to open my Studio. FTR Studios (Fantasy To Reality) will be opened in the early months of 2009, working primerily on 4 major projects to be presented to a major company in the month of October. They will be produced under our sub-company EPIC Gear, providing World of Warcraft gamers with the First, Best and ONLY Licenced Sets of elaborate gear and Costumes. Because of the High quality materials and attention to detail, we will only produce 12 to 20 of these a year. They will be priced anywhere from $9,000 to $15,000 a set depending on the customer's prefereces, size, ego, etc.

We've thought this through... a lot. I've spoken to marketing specialists, business owners, and we have each done a lot of personal investigation and research to ensure we don't flop and die. But even if we do, "We come out with some pretty sweet sets of armor!!" according to Brian James, 1 of 2 current business partners. We all feel the same way about it; this is what we want to do, this is what we are passionate about, and we'd work with all our hearts just for the opportunity to do what we love.

This is just a great start to something bigger down the road. Will this change the world? Not likely, but it will empower us with the experience to recognize greater needs, and allow us to start other ventures as we accumulate capital. This is just a vehicle to greater means, to greater ends. (Like buying up all the land in Jackson county and donating it to the church. ...I'd like to see how far we can go anyway before they stop us.) I've got to run, but things are always looking up, and I'm excited to finally start "It all". Don't ever give up guys, this is going to be a great 5 years in front of us!!!

Growing Pains

Wow! Look at all the pretty posts! I must admit, today has been amazing for me. I've spent the last two hours reading up on the blogs, and taking the scenic route throught the links provided. I've never been more honored to be a considered a friend among you.

So, what have I been up to these days? ... I've been growing. A lot! I took a sales team out to Minneapolis for a few months (surly the sharpest guys I've ever hired) and with enthusiasm and guts labored to bring a more enlighting form of media to those families. After two successful summers you'd be sure I'd do well, yet I was presented with possibly the greatest failure of my life. Not only myself, but the three guys on my team. One chose to go home after 4 weeks, and get a low-wage paying job. (No one could blame him; it was the logical thing to do.) The rest of us knew the math, and knew that even 3 or 4 good weeks would earn us more than working a job for the remaining 10 weeks of the summer. So we chose to keep working, earning nothing, and living off of advances from our future earnings. Scary, yes, but we decided we wanted to do something great with our summer. We wanted to use this as an opportuninty to escape our comfort zones and gain the character strength learned from steady adversity. Long story short, we were transfered to Utah to finish our summer. The company was impressed that we hadn't called it quits by now, so they planted us in the most fertile soil in the nation: Northern Utah. So here we are, and we'll finish the summer strong.

Despite the trials, Melanie and I (and the other three guys that have been living with us... and Erin) consider these last 3 or 4 months the most rewarding we've ever had. Erin is our biggest joy-bringer, and we've all grown closer to our Savior. We have also learned much about integrity, and watching out for "our people". Keeping the guys alive has been quite the trick, and anyone who says money isn't important hasn't gone very long without it. (Melanie and I were playing to the tune of 5 months!) But you learn to stay alive, and not be cheap on the things that matter most. We honestly don't know how we're able to get by the way we do sometimes, but we make sure we keep the Lord a big part of it.

Okay, I'm done sharing the difficulties (as educational as they are sometimes,). What I really wanted to share with you is my next post....

Another week

Another week

Not much to show for the new week, but doing alright just the same.
Have to keep looking for jobs and applying this week and hopefully
start I start getting more replies back from the applications I
already sent out. Sometimes I feel like I don't have a clue about how
to find a job and in fact I don't. Hopefully I can find something that
at least acknowledges my degree and counts that as something.
Mathematics, what was I thinking. Oh yeah, I was thinking I was
goingyo go to grad school, well we will see about that.

I really need to start using my new computer more and do some
programming that would at least give me something to be working on and
something to accomplish. If anybody has ideas of things I could
program let me know. Need something that does a specific task? Let me
know and you can get a custom program that meets your needs.

I will keep you all updated and I hope things start to pan out at
least a little so I can be providing a more stable income for my family.

Super Guy
(on the move)

A different way to do things--Pixar's President

Yes, me again.
I've been researching a lot of things lately, trying to find my path out of college and into a career. I've enjoyed comments about Ed Catmull's different working and leading style in media production. I think it even seems to be more what the Herd used to do than what normal production companies do. Here are a few links.

Pixar's Superhero Shakes Up Disney

Blog from BYU speech

Love, Media, and Success

I agree with Benjamin and he said exactly what I've been pondering for the last few weeks. I have also asked myself what is success and what it would mean to do everything out of love. Charity never faileth. Perhaps charity is the ultimate form of success.
If we made good media because we wanted to counter the bad, our motives are good. If we wanted to make good media because we wanted to express our ideas, those motives can also be good. However, what if we made media because we loved people? What if we loved our siblings enough to make films that would help people have hope, help inspire them, uplift them, encourage them?
God has done so much for us because he loves us. What could we do with love for our Father and our fellow man? I do think, as Ben suggested, that that would be success.
One medium often used or referred to in the scriptures is the word of God. There is much written in the scriptures about this subject and from various perspectives, but I will just make a few references. John frequently calls Christ "the Word." I find that interesting. He also said that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. Thus, you could say that God, in his love for us, gave us the ultimate and eternal medium. This medium would be above every form of media ever. This medium would not only teach, inspire, give hope, etc. but this medium would be the very means of our salvation and exaltation.
We currently live in a world where media takes us away from love, takes us away from Christ. Much of the media distracts us, causes us to be removed from the Spirit, desensitizes us. I firmly believe that people often can't see how these things affect them. Satan is gaining a huge grasp through technology that could and should be used in the opposite direction.
Our media, in essence, should be symbolic of Christ and have motives like his. I do believe we should make good media because we love people and only want the best for them.

Beginnings. I like that. We are not merely finding answers or ending a quest. We are beginning a journey, a mission, that may have been in the works...for a long time.

Ben asked how we do it. Let's find out together.

Renascence

I have very much appreciated Ked's renewed energy for life and his comments on media and re-discovering his passions.

At the moment, it's 11:45 pm, and I've not been able to sleep. I just read the Andrew Stanton interview Ked referenced, and found it inspiring. I deeply hope that Pixar will continue to hold the banner of standards which they now wave. One notable thing that stood out for me that was referenced in that article was the fact that Pixar takes on complicated themes. The Incredibles, for example, values achievement over fairness. Life is not fair. Everybody knows that. What is important is that everybody is encouraged and has drive to achieve in his own frame. That is not a popular theme to preach these days. The themes these directors take on are current, valid, and important. Even better to put them in movies for children so as to give parents a frame of reference for teaching their children.

I may have mentioned this here before, but I set a fairly lofty goal at the beginning of the year to be in a house by the end of the year. This has caused me to be extremely focused on working to get a financial hold, which I still think is important, but I seem to have lost some perspective, and I'm feeling a bit disconnected from something (don't know exactly what) that is very important. Perhaps this reminder about love being the most important thing is a key to the problem. Should we not make the most important thing, Love, central in everything we do? How can I make Love part of my current and future goals, even if those goals include earning money? We look up to Andrew Stanton for making Love central to his work in media. I've been recently feeling a rekindling desire to get back into music, will I be a better, or at least more useful, artist if Love is what drives my craft? Will we as a group be successful (read: successful != rich) if Love drives us, whatever happens?

How do we do that?

Unanswered questions.

Beginnings.

p.s. "!=" is programmerspeak for "not equal to". For some reason "!" means "Not". I don't know why.

WALL-E and Love

After watching WALL-E for the second time I became interested in looking up the writer. Andrew Stanton has been involved in all of Pixar's productions and joined as writer/director for the latest feature.
In watching WALL-E I was fascinated with the feeling I had. There seemed to be so much love and emotion in it. It was so pure and beautiful.
I have been doing some writing and research on purposes of media. The ultimate media comes from God and the media that comes from Him, whether it be Holy Ghost or the Word through scripture is given to us because He loves us. Love is very key in all our Father does.

Then I found an interview with Stanton. Check it out. It is quite amazing.

Pixar, or at least some of the folks there, are tremendously ahead of the game as far as righteous media goes. It almost makes me envious, but more pleased. I just hope they don't take all the good ideas. I want to join in the fun as well.

I once was lost but now am found...

It happened a few months ago.

My stay here at BYU has been quite the learning experience. I started as a pre-theater major. Then I changed to pre-film. After that little jaunt and almost getting into the program I switched to communications. Now that I fully plan to graduate in comms I find myself once again.
I've never been able to fully leave the arts behind. Journalism is great indeed and I may do a bit of it myself but it isn't where my heart lies.
I was invited a few months ago to be the MC for an elementary school choir concert. It was a tribute to Broadway and I would be playing the role of the Scarecrow. I began working on my costume right away and began reliving all I used to love to do. I practiced some jokes and the scarecrow's song. I performed two different nights, singing dancing, playing silly games and what not. What life! I had forgotten how much fun it was. It felt like the time I dressed up for a pirate costume contest at BYU. I was the loudest, funniest pirate in the cafeteria.
I began my quest anew. Acting has always been a great joy for me. To make people laugh or make them feel something deep inside is an awesome feeling.
While returning to my acting roots I began listening to musicals as well and regained my love for them. Music. What power and eloquence without a single word. Feeling emerging through vibrations in the strings or hollow chambers of some instrument. Music, too has always been a passion for me. I've not always played the piano the best or sang the best but I love it. In fact, in this regained passion for music I started the "Piano Support Group" in my ward. I had talked to too many people who said "I really need to play the piano. I haven't practiced in so long." So, I started a group to help people play. Last Wednesday we had our first recital and it was highly enjoyable.
Film and writing have always been there too. All of these passions have since been reborn and heightened in ways I've never felt before. I've learned so much and I've almost been obsessed with media for the last while. My vision has once again come and I don't think I'll let it leave again.
We can be a force for good in the world. We've always had something special. We have different talents, that is true, but we want what is best. It is our desire to do good that trumps all else. That is what makes us unique.
Recently I have had more vision than ever before about what is needed and what can be given to such a cause. The basis for my vision continues to be the words from prophets and apostles. One such collection of words can be found in The Gospel Vision of the Arts. Even the old testament has given me advice in regards to the arts. In Moses' day and others, leaders sought for cunning men (in their craft) who were filled with "wisdom of heart." I believe we are men with wisdom of heart.

Our lives will be trying. We fill find many diversions and difficulties in reaching our goals. I guess it may only be fair for those who need to go the furthest to have the most opposition. We may be tried like Abraham in order to prove ourselves capable and worthy. I'm just not always sure of the path to get there. But we can do it!
And now...I have to go back to work. :) Gotta love this life!

I'm back?

Well, first of all thank you to Bach and Splashboy for maintaining the
flow of information. I can't say that I will definitely write more but
I will try. These last few months have been trying for me and my
family. I am currently trying to find a full time job so I can better
support Jane and Gwen. I hope something turns up in the next week or
so. I have been reading the blog though not contributing much. I have
been inspired by the messages of hope an conviction to make a
difference in the world.

I have often noticed that the "LDS cinema" is lacking. Movie after
movie is based entirely on LDS pop culture or cliches it would be a
breath of fresh air to see more movies similar to Saints and Soldiers
that incorporates the gospel, but doesn't require a knowledge of
relief society stereotypes.

We can be a force for good in the media, I am trying to get back on my
feet right now, but I do have a nice computer with iMovie and if I can
get my hands on a camera I hope to do something again with some of the
vision that I used to have.

I also intend to develop some computer programs and possibly delve
into other media like podcasts.

I don't say all this to say I will do every bit, because I often have
difficulty pushing myself to the accomplishments I should have, more I
seek express the willingness to do the work. I don't always have the
vision but I can do the labor. I cede the leadship and visionary role
to those more capable, if I am told what to accomplish then I will do
it.

So I guess what I am saying is I don't know what to do, but I'm in.
Well got to run.

Super Guy
(on the move)

Another Wall-E response

Fantastic. I agree with Ked that I'm probably going to be spending more money to see it at the theater again. I've not seen the same movie twice in the theater since... well I can't remember ever having done that.

(and the short was hysterical taken to a new superlative)

One of the prevalent themes in the movie, yet one that is not overtly discussed much, is the effects of consumerism and waste. I have been reading a book for a class by a guy named George Ritzer titled "The McDonaldization of Society." This movie was the logical extreme of his argument. People take the easiest, fastest, preceptively cheapest way out of every situation, from eating to raising families, that the society crumbles completely, a company ends up owning the world, and the president of the company becomes the president of the world. People are so "satisfied" with their lives of ease that nobody even cares to be mean. Scary.

Anyway, one interesting little tidbit that will enhance this theme: There is a company devoted to collecting consumer information, organizing it, and packaging it for use by manufacturers and marketers to the end that they can market to you exactly what you want. They know everything about you, and based on their formulas and research, this company is able to show companies like Proctor & Gamble, Pepsi-co, and Delta Airlines, exactly what you want so they can deliver it. The name of this company which serves your every desire on a silver platter? Axciom. Nifty, eh? Those Pixar guys thought about this.

The movie is great. The Apple affectionado will be tickled by the occasional appearance of things undeniably Steve, and there are a number of 2001-A Space Odyssey references. The visuals are engaging. The personalities of the characters are believable, and the simple story is refreshing and endearing. Ashley and I took Clarissa to see it (and we coincidentally sat next to the entire Wilhelm crew, so I did end up in the company of Nerd blood) and she even enjoyed it. She got a bit restless, but not annoyed. Until the credits started rolling (which were also very cool) and she start to pull us out of the theater towards the car. I highly recommend the film. If any of y'all are in town and want to see it, I'll gladly go with :-)

A Weekend With Disney

My eyes flipped open at the sound of my watch alarm clock on Thursday morning at 4:20 AM. Forty minutes later I was in the parking lot with a backpack and small duffel bag, waiting for the other four members of my party. We flew to Burbank, where I then drove us in our Chevy HHR rental car around LA.
The reason for our trip: The sealing and reception of a good friend and roommate. The bonus detours on the trip: the beach, Disneyland, Wicked, and WALL-E.
Wicked was good. It wasn't quite as spectacular as I had hoped it would be, but it was good. Disneyland was lots of fun but when you stay from 9AM until 12:00Am you get kind of burned out.
Disney celebrates dreams coming true. That much was evident. They also celebrate how much money they can make from concessions, entry fees, etc. It is a fun place but still not the happiest place on earth. I have many thoughts on dreams, Disney, commercialism, and other subjects that I may talk about later. Disney does do a lot of great things. I also think they are doing a lot of things that are not as great as they used to. Over the weekend I learned a lot about media and I was able to feel differences in the purpose and in the design of different media.
The sealing and reception were, by far, the highlight of the trip because it was a greater human connection than the other things.
We decided, the four of us, to see WALL-E between the sealing and reception.
What a pleasant surprise and delight! Pixar is undoubtedly one of the best things to happen to Disney since...maybe Disney himself. I am amazed at the amazing depth Pixar is able to portray in such simple, comedic, and light presentations. I am also amazed at how Pixar could convey so much with little dialogue. Geniuses, I guess they are.
I would love to, later on, post on the themes of the movie for I feel it has some great ones. One of the greatest ironies is that the most noble symbol of humanity comes from the robot, not the humans.
It was a fantastic show and I'm going to have a hard time not spending another $5-8 going to see it again. I already miss it. And the music was lovely as well...going to have to go buy that soundtrack.
I agree with you Ben. Until we are in a position to do as much, we should support them all we can. In the meantime, let us continue to have visions of the future and prepare for our great missions in media.
Also, I am compiling a list of things I've learned and pondered about media over the last while. I think I could write a book with it. I might call it "Divine Media Philosophy." Media has been on my mind almost constantly over the last few months, even when I read the scriptures and I've learned quite a bit. The Word of God is the most powerful form of media and is the high standard of what media can do and what it should be.
I might begin a series of posts related to these ideas and seek your input and discussion.

Well, I have to go now. If you haven't seen WALL-E yet, go see it. Take care until next time we meet.
Oh, and I'm trying to get a life...I mean wife. :)

Pixar - take 9

Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Rattitouille (who can spell French, anyway?) and now:
Wall-e!

Pixar - take 9!

On this notable day, I am saddened by the fact that all my Nerd friends have moved away and I'll be standing in line with my wife and nobody else today. And maybe Clarissa. Or maybe I won't be standing in line at all.

I'm not saddened to be standing in line with my family, I'm just saddened to be standing in line with my family without any of y'all with us. *sigh* such is life. We all grow up, we all get lives, *sniff* we're all old now. Except for Ked. And Nate will always be Young. ha ha ha ha!

OK, forget about all that grow up stuff. I don't believe it either.

May you all have a happy Wall-e day. As we're not yet in a position to make our own widespread positive influence on the Media, we ought to support those who are.

-BacH

"Zion must increase in beauty"

In our ultimate quest to create Zion, what are we going to achieve in media?

Currently there are huge corporations that own movie studios, TV stations, etc. Disney owns ABC and numerous other companies.
I don't believe Zion is meant to receive its entertainment, all its learning, all its glory from outside the church.
President John Taylor said:
“You mark my words, and write them down and see if they do not come to pass.
“You will see the day that Zion will be far ahead of the outside world in everything pertaining to learning of every kind as we are today in regard to religious matters.
“God expects Zion to become the praise and glory of the whole earth, so that kings hearing of her fame will come and gaze upon her glory. …” (September 20, 1857; see The Messenger, July 1953.)

Are we to merely sit by and watch while companies produce all the movies we put in our homes and while musicians and writers create all the music and literature we have on our shelves and in our Ipods?
Now, I am NOT saying that all the stuff other people produce is bad, but a lot of them are turning worse. Disney seems to be a good company but parts of it's conglomerated mass produce questionable material.

There will continue to be good people outside of the church that create good things and we should encourage them but I think there can be more.
If we are to create a Zion that will be the praise and glory of the whole earth, it will be that in many respects. Righteousness and faith will be first. How about the arts? I'm not talking about a Michael Mclean every once in a few years or a Lex de Azevedo or Janice Kapp Perry here or there.

What about new companies started and run by LDS men of honor, talent, and morality that rival today's media conglomerates?
What about a Gemini Digital Media that becomes part of the glory of Zion? As Zion increases in beauty and holiness, how about a company that stands for just that?

Simply a thought. The world is getting darker. Are we getting lighter?

Websites

I just interviewed a web designer who is making some interesting stuff. His social wallpaper page gets 4 million page views per month. It hit the front page of digg.com and amazon.com offered him a job on a web team. A company offered him $10,000 for another of his sites but he turned it down because he knows he can do more with it. Also check out yougetsignal.com. He has some neat tools on there. You can visually and geographically track where networks are, what networks are on the same server, etc.
Fascinating stuff. Why didn't I ever think about starting something cool like those?

Fringe Benefits of Failure and Imagination

J.K. Rowling spoke at the Harvard commencement. She spoke on the fringe benefits of failure and on imagination.

Stoking the fire

Remember that conversation we had in the computer lab at SUU? It may only have been Benjamin and I. It was about keeping the fire and passion for our arts. I had read "The Gospel Vision of the Arts" by President David O. Mckay and felt so inspired. I felt like I was on fire. I talked to Benjamin about keeping the fire going.
I've thought about that lately. I feel, today, like I am remembering dreams I've long forgotten. I'm coming back to the warmth of a fire I used to feel often. I read that talk again and gained new insight that touched me deeply.
I want to continue to dream things that never were and say "Why not?"

Why not go to the moon?

We didn't really go to the Moon

Ok, I'm just kidding about that, but did you ever see that TV show where they showed the shadows and evidence against a moon trip? Funny stuff.
I thought I'd drop in because it's been a little dead in here these days. Currently I am working two jobs. I am still a diligent custodian but I've received an internship with the Rollins Center for E-Business, writing their newsletter. So far they haven't given me much to do. Soon, I hope, I'll be writing a few articles a month about the fascinating world of E-business.
I am planning several trips over the summer, most of them scaled down from giant glob-trotting extravaganzas. Sometimes, you have to be more realistic and understand that there are bills to pay, even though they haven't come yet. So far I am going camping to Vernal next week, going to Nevada in early June, LA in late June, which will include a wedding reception and Disneyland (not combined). Then I have a friend who is planning a trip to her house in Mexico, which I plan on attending.
To fill up my other time I am playing and socializing a lot, reading, hiking, etc. I am reading Les Miserables, the unabridged version, which is 1200 pages long, but very good.
Oh YEAH! I almost forgot! It is sad to say that the mighty have fallen. For over three and a half years I have lived without a cell phone in my life. It has been bliss. Now my apartment complex is cutting off the land line so I had to get one. The only way I was really going to get one was if I was on a family plan and I am now.
My phone number is: 435-559-0388
Feel free to give me a jingle.
That's all for now. Ta ta 'til tea time!
Ked

We chose to go to the moon

I present to your reading this speech given by John. F. Kennedy in Houston on the subject of the Space program. The speech was given in 1962. One year previous to giving this speech, JFK announced a decision to put a man on the Moon by the end of the decade. I find the Apollo program to be an inspiring example of the fact that man (we) are capable of doing impossible things.

http://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/ricetalk.htm

I echo Splashboy's comments about the composition of the Herd. Rare and fine friends you all are. May we always remain such.

Yeah hope this makes some sense

Here I am still I guess and things are shaping up in many different ways. I have been trying to get through work each day and then each week and find what step I want to take next. Many different points have been touching my mind inciting different thoughts about where I want to be and what I want to be accomplishing. I started some hourly teaching work last week and that has been an interesting experience and I should say experiment. I have been looking at working towards a teaching certificate and the possibilities of getting into education for a career. Although the events of the past few days have woken me to thoughts I seem to have forgotten or repressed. I was not looking forward to school as much as I could have and all of the sudden I regained a desire to study. I think the time off has refreshed me and I think I could keep going and want to as well. Also over the weekend I have had opportunities in other perspectives I haven't seen for awhile. I was able to attend a mission reunion and felt a belonging even though I hardly knew anybody I felt a remembrance of who I am and what I can accomplish. I am trying to concentrate while listening to some other peoples conversations so I apologize for any disconnections that are present in my writing. More than anything I guess the feeling is that of renewed vision and hope to go forward with study instead of taking a more obvious path that in some regards may be selling myself short and trying to take the easy way out. Something about going downtown in Salt Lake last Friday stirred in me a desire to be in the city life. I get an excitement being downtown and thinking of the business world and how it could take me beyond my immediate surroundings. Interesting things and I should be able to find my way I just have to get out there and find my place. I wrote all of this on the way home last night and am posting it this morning once again I hope it make some semblance of sense.

UNLIMITED POWER!!

Ok, so this really isn't about unlimited power, but I thought it would make a great title.
I have a roommate who is getting married. He is a good friend and we've been room and apartment mates for over two years now.
I have another friend who I will see tonight. Good friend--we don't talk a whole lot.
As Nathan was preparing the tunnel adventure I began to feel like it was in the "old days." While talking to another friend today about film, writing, changing the world and all that I also began to feel that "old days" feeling.
Now I combine the friends and "old days" comments to mean this:

Why is it that I have good friends but none ever as good? I have lots of friends but none as collectively powerful. I still find it fascinating. You are still the closest and most noble friends I have.
I still hope that we are in the beginnings of our adventures. Benjamin once spoke about the tremendous power we have collectively and hence the tremendous obligation to do good in the world.
I believe the future still holds much for us yet, not because fate will inevitably throw herself in our way but because we will choose to do it. "For the power is in us..."

Raiders of the lost Tunnels

A long time ago my Mom was telling me stories of tunnels under Ogden City. Years later, and after much investigation, I have found them! No longer is this just a neat idea, but an adventure waiting to be had!

I interviewed a retired Ogden City detective, an VERY old friend of my Mom's who has actually been down in the tunnels decades ago, and many others to try to find a lead into these mysterious passageways under 25th Street. After calling the Mayor and digging through committee lists, I found someone who is not only passionate about the tunnels, but has done extensive research on them. He is undoubtedly the most knowledgeable person on this subject, and is one of the few that business owners on 25th street will allow to explore whatever entryways he can find! I've spoken with this man, and he has agreed to meet with any and all of us who wish to explore this exciting part of Ogden's history.

I'm sure everyone else is thinking of the same word I am right now: Documentary. If not us, who? If not within the next month, when? Would this not be the perfect project to help Ben build some business, and pull us together as a group again? I know that "sun dance" has been buzzing in some of our minds for a while, wouldn't this be a great entry? Ked and I are going to go explore them with our guide anyway, I just want to see if this is something we can turn into another excellent Nerd Herd adventure... maybe even for a profit. Just something for everyone to consider.

Just Thinking

I got a bunch of new friends on facebook today mission companions and things and my mission presidents wife sent me an invite to a mission group so that was all really neat. My family went out to Cathedral Gorge for Easter this year so I got thinking of some neat pictures I got out there once and wanted to post them here.

Almost there...

Well here I am again on my bus to Salt Lake. I missed my first bus stop this morning by about two minutes so I ended up going to another stop and got on just fine. It will be nice when this week is over and I can settle into some sort of routine. Next week I may start teaching a couple of math classes and that will be balanced with the other jobs I am doing. We will see how the balancing works out since they will probably keep me at part time for the time being although I would prefer full time to be able to start getting some benefits. Otherwise it looks like we should be getting into our house this weekend if all goes well with the closing meeting and we get our key the next day like we should. I am glad to be getting a place of our own again staying over isn't the worst thing in the world, but it is nice to have your own space and you can stretch out a bit more.

We are grateful for everyones help during this time and we will have our doors open if anyone wants to visit. Just let us know beforehand please. Well things are good and I will see where this week takes me I am sure these next 2 or 3 weeks will be very interesting.

Stay on target... Stay on target

3.141592653589...

Happy belated pi day to everybody. Hope everybody who remembered enjoyed a circular dessert. I only just barely remembered. I got distracted with the whole Old Main thingy. March 14th is also Einstein's birthday. Double nerd-whammy.

What I've been up to

Our recent project for the renovation of Old Main at SUU is pretty much done. It's a pretty cool project -- a touchscreen display hanging on the wall like a piece of art. The various features on the unit talk about the history of Old Main and SUU. Any in town should drop by and see it, on the 2nd floor of Old Main.
This is what it looks like.