R U A? #rebel #jester #believer or #thinker

a debate arena: the seven kingdoms by jazzmann91; Encouraging you to Question Everything.

The few of you who actually know me, may know that I’ve been exploring a dark part of myself for a while.  It has been difficult to persevere with starting a company during this time, but I think I have managed it.  I’ve been learning new skills by the dozen, but not mastering any of them.  I’ve also been reaching out and increasing my network.  It has been rewarding, but has taken way longer than I thought it would.  I have less than zero money and personally owe quite a bit from my past (credit, student loans, and personal debt with my ex).  I intend to pay back my debts, as I always have.  I have been living on next to nothing at a relative’s house, while making payments to my creditors.  My office is my bedroom and I’m getting tired of living so small.  I’m sure things could be much worse and I am grateful for everything I have, but it’s time to make some strides.

Over the weekend I did some volunteer work with a group of 15-20 year-olds.  My sister is the head of a company that delivers personal growth programs, which I highly recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about themselves.  The best thing besides helping others grow is the refresher I got out of it.  I got to see how I was being ineffective and the story I was telling myself to keep those habits around.  This might not mean much to some, but my driving needs are:

• Intensity
• Independence
• Intimacy
• Power

If you’ve communicated with me or read my poetry you might understand how this is true for me.  I love ridiculously.  I commit without hesitation.  I suck at small talk and try to find the root of things.  I am open, but very sure of myself (ie a little stubborn). I am bluntly honest and I enjoy working with small teams and tend to disappear in crowds.  I also tend to jump into my imagination to explore the future more than actually creating it.  My dreaming has incredible value to me, but needs to be harnessed, so that we can do more of the productive work.  I have found my purpose, but I am scared.  I’m scared of succeeding, of becoming “famous”, and living an “exposed” life.  However, I am increasingly tired of failing to produce and I know what I need to overcome this.  I need partners.

I need life partners who will support me and share a vision of peace.  I need business partners who have the networks I lack to finance and lead the project.  I need technical partners to help me stay focused and busy with the details of creating the user experience I know we can deliver.  I need artistic partners to make it look and feel amazing, so that it sells like wildfire.  I need help.  I need a great deal of help.  I am asking you for it.  If you can see a place in this story that excites you, I want to hear from you.  If you dig my companies core values: Peace, Freedom, and Fun, I want to hear from you.  If you think I’m crazy, delusional, or a tyrannical maniac, I want to hear from you.  If you have a friend who works the web in any manner who wants to change the world in a big way, I want you to share my website with them.  I know how to listen very well.  I may not always know what to do with what you tell me, but I want to hear you.

The one thing I hear loud and clear is that humanities greatest values are not on top. There is a group of us that have selective hearing and are in denial about the source and solution to our collective problems and somehow they seem to be in charge.  This is changing, especially as our voices combine to expose their denials!  I hope to facilitate this change and birth a new golden age for all life on this planet.  Then we can engage and participate in a civilization that puts it’s best and brightest values at the forefront.  One where we can dance with the shadows, rather than denying them.

Thanks for reading!

personal growth by jazzmann91; Encouraging you to Question Everything.

Title:
A value centered social game for questioning everything.

Talk Abstract:
A text-based social game for online debate.  We want your questions, the ones that burn
in your identity.  The ones that move you to action.  The ones that make you burst into
laughter.  We want you to gather with people and organizations of similar values and form
questioning communities.  We want to serve your debates, and opinions in a fun and
neutral sandbox where you control your identity.  Most of all, we want you to feel
empowered to share your vision.

My vision is peace.  There is a great deal of fighting in the world today.  Our
democracies suffer under partisanship and apathy; our nations send young people to die
for an idea; and our cultures wrestle with how to live together in harmony.  I’ve been
playing games all my life.  I think life is a game, and I think we need a new game board,
so we can figure out what we really want, as a whole.  Once we have a base of
understanding I think it will become clear that peace is one thing we all want and then
maybe we’ll be able to convince our leaders to stop fighting so much.

What is your vision?

My Bio:
I am. A crazy man. An ex jazz musician, a micro poet, a dancer, a visionary nobody with
some technical skills.  I have a degree in Computer Science (UVic 2005) I have worked in
the IT consulting industry for 5 years on a variety of projects in mentoring, forestry,
and healthcare.  I like philosophy, walking, talking to birds, yoga, politics, astrology,
freedom, and music.

I am a big picture guy.  I don’t see problems, so much as an absence of meaningful
action.  I want to empower people to know themselves and their neighbors, so they can
share their response to the big questions of our shared world. I want peace.

http://g-a-i-a.org/bio
http://youtube.com/jazzmann71

Thanks for reading!
Sincerely,
Scott Lewis
@wizard_71

idea wave! by jazzmann91; Encouraging you to Question Everything.

Peace is a word that many say they want.  Do you want peace?  I do.

Remember John Lennon and his song Imagine?  When you sing along with Imagine, can you see the vision, can you feel the passion for peace, does it send shivers up your spine to think of such a wonderful idea coming true?  I may not be as beautiful as any of the Miss Universe contestants who have wished for it, but I want it, and I mean to do something about it.

Yoko Ono, a talented artist, is a champion of the industry and keeps John’s campaign alive via her peace products and social media presence.  Her continued devotion to advancing the cause of peace is one I look up to.  My vision of peace has led me to design a place for us to fight with words, so we can see what we really value.  I’m working on the prototype with a friend and am looking to find seed investment for my plans soon, but I’m not talking about business today.  Today I share some of my passion for preventing violence and increasing freedom, two topics that I think will help make peace much more achievable.

Have you noticed that the war industry is thriving these days?  We need something to compete with it.  We make war against an impervious enemy called terror, which is caused by our misuse of force.  Is it billions spent to fight fear or billions spent to maintain fear?  I can’t tell, it seems self reinforcing to me.  We also have a war against drugs, which is actually a war against our freedom to consume whatever poison we choose.   We allow the poisons we know, alcohol and tobacco, which are equally, if not more destructive to those who lack balance, and then prohibit these others for no solid factual reason.  There is no doubt that drugs cause harm, but the only reason to prohibit one over another is unfair discrimination.  People think drugs poison our society, but they poison individuals.  The wars are what poison us all.  We are killing people with our ridiculous rules more than any other weapon.  This leads to guilt.  Because we misunderstand how to deal with a problem of balance.  Our society has become inhumane.  No wonder our suicide rates are increasing, who wants to be part of a society that hates and fears it’s own.  We can plaster over our problems with our successes, but it doesn’t change the rotten core.  We think rules and suppression are the way to protect people from danger, but it’s the opposite.  We need to stop fighting with ourselves and accept we have a problem and nurture our society back to health.  A prison nurtures criminals and we keep building more, rather than unmaking the ridiculous laws that put them there.

Here are some policy ideas for discussion.  My goal with these ideas is to increase security and prosperity while creating as much freedom as you can handle.  I’d love to hear why it wouldn’t work, or why you think it’ll never happen, as well as any suggestions or comments.

First, prohibit deadly ammunition. You can keep your guns.  We support blanks, rubber bullets for target shooters, and specific exemptions for animal control specialists.  If you have to kill an animal for sport we recommend hunting with a bow and arrow or maybe a crossbow.  Hunting should be a sport without bullets.  Institute a gun and ammunition buyback program which would stimulate a segment of the economy while making us all safer.  Then police will begin clamping down on any remaining dealers, producers, or importers of ammunition.  Once that is estimated 75% complete (hard to measure, but we have to start somewhere), the army will be in charge of the ammunition recycling program.  I want to state clearly that I have nothing against the military or the police, they have a very important and honorable job to do and they deserve the best non-lethal tools we can get them.  We’ve just asked them to do the wrong thing, it’s not their fault that their job is ridiculous now, it’s ours.  If we can admit we were wrong about where force needed to be applied, I don’t think they would mind changing tactics.  Who’s ready for the worlds first weaponless MMA police force?  I am.  I think the world would take us more seriously, if we stood with brave and true hearts on the line, not hiding behind a distinct technological killing advantage.  Guns and bombs are for cowards!

If you think democracy requires an armed populace to maintain itself against tyranny, I think you have been misled.  Tyranny needs weapons to maintain itself, democracy is an idea that needs no weapon sharper than a word.  If the people are behind you, because of the gun you carry you are a shield for the weak, not a leader of free people.  If the people who follow you would throw themselves in front of you to stop a bullet because of your words, then you are a leader of democracy.

Second, legalize and tax all destructive consumable substances.  If you want to protect your children, I suggest you take the business man’s gun away, and force them to check their customers id first.  It just works!  We could get solid research done on the real effects of these substances, find ways to treat and assist people who get out of balance.  Plus this black market funds drug dealers, and we know they are laughing all the way to the bank, without paying a cent in taxes.  It’s madness.  In fact when it comes to taxes I think we are punishing the wrong people.  Good, honest people are paying tax for doing the work of progressing society, does anyone else think this is backwards?  It’s no wonder the government is so hated.  It literally is looting us.  I realize the government gives service to all citizens, but right now they are serving drug dealers for free; including free room and board when they get caught!  I think there is potential to stop taxing income and make all government revenue come from taxing “wasted” income.  If we taxed all products according to how addictive or destructive they are to humans or the environment, it might go a long way to creating sustainable behaviors.  Plus there is potential for being proud of a government that is working to heal rather than kill or imprison a problem.  Obviously this would be a major shift from taxing everything under the sun, but taxes are a much better way to direct behavior than any other, because it leaves the choice in the hands of the consumer. Prohibition has never succeeded and is an embarrassment for policy makers.  We must not let their embarrassment keep us on the road to more wasted effort, trying to stop the unstoppable.  Even the police, who want their honor back, are speaking out against these ridiculous policies.

Those are my first two policy planks for peace.  I have more, but I can’t cogently add any more to this post.  Let’s stop fighting losing battles and start healing and educating our people, so they can be as safe as they choose to be.  Freedom needs to increase, if we are to have any chance of success.  So let’s start a war against ammunition and treat businessmen like businessmen, with higher taxes for more destructive products and less taxes for good honest working folk.

I’ll ask again: Do you want peace?  Are you willing to risk change to get it?  What do you think?

Thanks for reading!

peace, war, and freedom by jazzmann91; Encouraging you to Question Everything.

I’m pretty sure it will take more than the first few videos to get much traction, but I’m happy with the results and want to give a big thank you to Daniel Hogg for filming and editing this round.

Here it is: Easy featuring Valeska by Trick & Kubic on Tall Paul’s album The Beat Technique. Follow us on twitter or facebook fan page for release of Take 2 ~ Jamiroquai

I learned a few things about filming dance videos in one short sunset on Canada’s Gold Medal winning day.  First was lighting and location.  My original spot wasn’t good due to the setting sun, but we found some spots that worked nearby.  After the game everyone in downtown Victoria was honking and yelling, as most Canadians were all across the country of King Crosby.  I got some funny looks walking through the red and white crowd dressed in my purple and white outfit.  The celebrants made me a little late, because the gridlock slowed transit to a standstill.

I made it in time, before the sun went down and we quickly shot three songs in three different spots, along the inner harbour.  First mistake was choosing songs that were around 4-6 minutes long, which was more than enough to wear me out quickly.  I may be in decent shape, but I definitely lack endurance.

I think when we do the best of compilation, a few years from now, we’ll take clips of some of my more proficient looking bits and somehow stitch it together.  Aside from avoiding shadows and weird guys who said I should be black to where a white suit, my next lesson was “Tuck your shirt into your underwear!” to avoid unnecessary unkempt looking bits.  You’ll know when you see it.

After having seen the videos, I know I should practice and choreograph way more.  For some reason I pride myself on my innovative freestyling, but on video it needs to snap and pop, and I can definitely improve by practicing at home first.  The other thing I noticed is too much bent elbows, look passive somehow.  I’m going to go setup my youTube account now.  I’ll add the link as soon as I have the first one up.  I’ve decided to only use two of the first three.  The third one goes in the secret archive.

Thanks for reading and watching!

Dance Video #1 by jazzmann91; Encouraging you to Question Everything.

This is in response to the dancing guy commentary posted by @sivers.  Thanks Derek! It is very encouraging, to a nut like me, that this information be provided to potential followers.

I am a nut.  There is no doubt about it, just ask my ex-girlfriend.  I’m more than willing to embarrass myself to make my dream come true, of that there is little doubt.  See my last post, for an example.  I have yet to lead a movement, or a crowd, as dancing guy did, but the time is coming.  Who knows maybe you’ll be my “first” follower?

I highly relate to dancing guy as a leader, because I also enjoy dancing.  I found it very helpful to get advice on how the nut has to keep it simple enough, so a “first follower” has a chance.  If a nut goes for broke, with all the skill he has, they end up a lone freak.  No one can keep up, let alone join in.  This is how I like to dance in nightclubs or on tree stumps in fractal forest.

I’ve been lucky or persistent enough(I can’t tell which) to find my passion and a path has sprung up in front of me.  I’ve been dancing along it, with more and more awareness, for the past 5-6 years, training myself in the way of the nut.  A vision of peace has settled around me that is so moving, I can no longer deny I am on this path and I need others to join me, or I risk becoming a lone freak.

My dance, both at the club and in life, has been largely unfollowable, until recently.  I am working on making it simple enough that others feel comfortable joining in, but it requires a mastery and ease that I am still developing.  I really need to start making videos.  I hope to have a first experiment done in the next month.

Are you a nut, first follower, momentum builder, crowd member, or fence sitter?

Thanks for reading!

I’m a nut by jazzmann91; Encouraging you to Question Everything.

“So what do you do Scott?”

I’m an entrepreneur.

“Oh really, well what are you working on?”

It’s an advanced online forum for citizens to engage in political debate and network worldwide.  Think of it as a personal soapbox, but with a focus on empowering people.

“Wow, sounds ambitious.  But wait, aren’t there a lot of websites out there that offer people a chance to share their thoughts?”

Yes, there are lots of them: news sites, blogs, social networks, private forums, chat rooms, etc, etc.  All giving you a chance to share your two cents.  Unfortunately, I see a lot of drawbacks to our current media regime.

One of them is over duplication.  For example, let’s say that I like to comment on news stories, that really get my goat.  I browse to cbc.ca, and find the latest development in the climate change debate and type out my comment: mwuaaah(goat noise)  Maybe later I go back and see if the moderator has approved it.  I can also find out if anyone gave me the thumbs up, or thumbs down.  Next week a similar story comes up, and since I still feel strongly about it, I decide to type out a similar comment: baaah(similar goat noise).

People really do this.   What a waste of time and database archives.  We all know that in a few short days the story is off the front page and your valuable opinion is deep in a huge archive of obscurity.  Other issues with news sites include: the media company owns your opinion; you are forced to be completely public or not post; and because of privacy there is no easy way to connect with other commentators.

Social networks have solved some of these drawbacks.  For example they are very good at giving control of your audience to you via privacy controls.  The problem created here is they treat data mostly as a one way dump of information.  Your status is relevant today and garbage tomorrow, so they keep you coming back to update things.  What they suck at is helping people create data that is reusable.  I propose to combine the power of the social network with your political positions and blend it all up with a debate publishing tool that works for regular folk.

“Very interesting.  So what will make your product stand out?”

The product provides a neutral playground for people to explore and share their opinions in a way that encourages inclusion, and peaceful discourse.  When I say neutral I mean a place where it is safe to say anything.  You will be responsible for what you say, just as if you were a newspaper.  As long as you obey the law you can participate completely anonymously or as publicly as you want.  The sky is the limit.  The playground is what will most attract people.  Life is a game of information.  I want to layout a simple game board.  Then we can all put out our characters to play and hopefully create some collective understanding of what really divides us.

“What do you hope to accomplish by creating this product and when can we get our hands on it?”

I’m currently aiming for a 2012 Beta launch, but who knows how fast things will progress.  I’ll make sure to include you in the invite, so you can help me test it out.

This is a big dream for me, but I think it can become something really cool.  I want it to become a hub of opinion and debate.  Then we can bash out the toughest issues with words and hopefully leave our weapons in the recycle bin.  Eventually, I would like it to be used by people on both sides of a war to help resolve their dispute(s).  I can see it becoming a history book of epic proportions.  A living archive of what humanity thinks and cares about.  I may be a little ambitious in some of my forecasts, but I have this vision of peace in my head and I have to share it with people.

“What do you think is your biggest hurdle?”

Audiences are hard to keep engaged.  Not this audience, but you know what I mean.  We can see our democracy failing to engage people by looking at the latest voter turnout in our elections.  We can see our journalism sites selling us our own fears and frustrations, without solution.  A lot of us end up bottled in our individual family bubbles, avoiding risk, avoiding the bad news, and avoiding the problems created by our society.  We end up stuck, with all our emotions, in a world that has no place to unload them.  When all we really need is a product that really listens to people.

“So what will you do to get, and keep, your users engaged?”

I’m going to make it ridiculously fun and addictive.  That’s all I can say for now.  I have to leave the other details in the top secret file for a little while longer.  I hope you’ll continue to follow progress at my blog: http://g-a-i-a.org

Thanks for reading!

Top Secret Product: pitch for peace by jazzmann91; Encouraging you to Question Everything.