In the last few weeks I've been feeling like It's getting harder and harder to stay up-to-date with all the things your "suppose" to do to do as a musician to promote your music. I have been looking at some companies that offer packages that allow you to easily maintain a web presence but also offer ways to disperse your news to other sites like facebook. One of these sites is called GUGUCHU.COM. Reverbnation is another. These sites allow you to create stores, presskits, mailing lists, rss news feeds that go out to your social network sites etc. etc. Some of them charge a monthly fee which I guess would be ok if it would make managing everything easier. However, on closer look most of them don't seem quite right for me. Perhaps they're better fit for new singer songwriter type musicians etc.
Has anyone here seen anything online that is like GUGUCHU but more appropriate for electronic musicians? Meaning, I don't want another social network site. I want something that can serve as the central brain for my music, news, cd sales and promotion.
Kind of getting ridiculous. ?? How are we as artists suppose to manage all this and still write music? Maybe I need to get an Kramerica Intern.
- Sites like Reverbnation are full of people, who is trying to promote themselves. So I really doubt someone will seriously read all these "mailing lists" and "feeds". The musicians, promoting themselves to musicians... Sound useless.
- Twitter... To spend hours on chatting just in hope that someone will occasionally notice your message sounds also useless to me.
- Facebook maybe is a good place where you can find and contact with your fans, but the price will be the same - a lot of time for a small piece of attention.
myspace - sorry my_____ now. let's move on. I still have an account that i see once a quarter or so.
twitter - personally i like twitter - it's especially nice from my phone - but not in a promotional sense - just a personal sense. I've found a few friends there and I like connecting with them now and then. I've found music through twitter i may have never discovered - so ... ok - there is some benefit there.
reverbnation - I need to delete my account there - i never connected with it.
soundcloud - great place to post music - and then use as widgets elsewhere (reverbnation also does this). I don't really do much actual communication through it - although i do comment on people's tracks on the timeline (something I still haven't seen implemented anywhere else- being able to comment at exactly the 2:36 mark to point out how great that one synth sound is - or to point out a pop/glitch the artist probably didn't intend... wow - awesome.
http://relaxedmachinery.ning.com <---- my favorite place for highly biased obvious reasons. Bonus: if you post a status update on a Ning community like rM - it can auto-update your facebook and twitter status. I update twitter a lot that way. (you can selectively turn it on and off by post - very easily). You can also update twitter and facebook for your blog posts.
Oh! Forgot - I started to look into the sites that spread the word about what you want to post and update and found the cost didn't really fit the benefits for me personally. I agree that many are more geared to pop / rock type of things. If I find one I will definitely post about it.
The list of "presences" one is expected to maintain has grown to the point where it's a bit much even for a person who's online and in front of a computer pretty much every waking minute.
I already see signs of Facebook beginning to morph into Myspace. I'm getting more and more "Hey, release my album!" messages on FB, from people I've never heard of before. Very often they send a friend request, then start hitting my wall with a ton of self-promotional crap immediately.
... Very often they send a friend request, then start hitting my wall with a ton of self-promotional crap immediately.
Unfortunately I have the same situation on my FB page. Finally just decided to "unfriend" everyone whose messages on my wall is self-promotional. Sometimes it really looks like "self-promotional obsession"
One thought I had was to start these accounts and then basically have a bio page and a link to your own website. That way you're at least "there" when it's in to be "there" and not much effort has been put into it.
John, I looked back at your blog offering on IM and it's really cool as it shoots out to other social sites. Very nice. I think RM is great so far.
Your idea of having a "placeholder" presence on social media sites sounds good, Saul, but I think you'd still have some burden to deal with A) friend/follow requests, B) posts to your "wall", especially of the unwanted variety, and C) direct messages.
I do occasionally see a Twitter account where someone has a bunch of followers, but they aren't following anybody themselves. Sort of a one-way broadcast function.
Before anybody goes - hey! you're posting about rM on the Hypnos forum! I try and promote all new Hypnos releases over there and I also link to discussions here now and then when they're hot and heavy cool ones... Speaking of... Mike you should mention your new short story over there - or I can post about it for you.
p.s. Maybe facebook will start getting like myspace where it can start auto-accepting friend requests for you... yippee - what an idiotic update that was!
p.s. #3: I drastically cut back on the number of mailing lists and forums I was on a couple years ago - and gradually added a few new ones in the last year or two - but overall - I only check here at Hypnos, at the rM community, facebook, and twitter with any sort of "daily" or every few days regularity. I am on the ambient mailing list at Hyperreal - but it emails me and usually is dormant. That's it now... I used to be on a ton of communities... It was too much.
p.s. #4: Mike - wanna release my album??? LOL! kidding.
I don't have any problem with you talking about RM, either the community or the label, on this forum. So let no man complain!
I'd say "man or woman" but everyone knows there aren't any women listening to this kind of music anyway!
You weren't kidding about those five surgeries!
rM vs. Hypnos - there's overlap - but neither totally replaces the other. That's my feeling and why I'm a regular here (and have been for a decade).
Now if only RM had a good forum.
And Hypnos let you add flash and youtube videos.
LOL! You just nailed it APK.
The forum on Ning is bad enough that I've just tried to convince people not to use it at all and instead always post blog posts.
I have a fairly small presence on the web. I used to follow quite a few forums and lists (mostly concerning specific instruments and Analog Heaven) but I hardly look at them anymore. I have a Facebook account which I use mostly for finding old friends or them finding me. I've belonged to the Hypnos forum for quite sometime and have been on RM a short time. They are the only forums I look at any more and really enjoy both.
I have social website burnout but I think the solution is to keep addition social website accounts until I'm on all of 'em.
At this point, aside from some key contacts, I don't bother with promoting much because there's just too much muck to weed through and I'm afraid it will only get worse and takes an inordinate amount of time with little to no response. The good news is you have a pretty big name in the EM scene and hopefully past and present fans will continue to keep track of your work and continue to return to your future music. We also have at least 5 decent radio programs in the US that do reach people.
More importantly, I don't know about the rest of you, but I almost only sell CDs to folks outside the U.S. - it's probably about 95% within the past year - Europe, Canada, and Australia are consistent places I send tunes to - and they all still LIKE CDs! The U.S. is not receptive to this music like it used to be (although I do anticipate a turnaround at some point), people here are not buying as many CDs, and the fan base is really small in the States. My point being if you do spend time on networking and promo, I suggest looking into radio programs and reviewers and forums outside the U.S. while continuing to send the usual stuff to (at least) Bill Fox, Eric Meece, Diliberto, Renee Blanche, and Star's End for Stateside support.... or maybe I'm just too old fashioned.
I would say for myself Im not burnt out but more likely lost as to what and where to be web-wise.
I quickly ruled out Facebook, Myspace, Twitter as colossal waste of time and energy, and a waste of time regarding EM and its various genres..... that being said Im still signed up with all of them. For touring Indie alt rock bands....its a different story.
Blogs.....these do offer the fan a chance to get closer to the everyday of the artist / record label, but also require quite a commitment to stay on top of. Today we have bloggers for hire. Yeah right!
As for my own music, I have sold more cds though the Hypnos forum than anywhere else, humble though those sales maybe.......So kudos to Mike Griffin for being a guiding light when all else seems somewhat dark.
"I have purchased more music via this forum than anywhere else" Yeah! Same here. I make most of my purchases through Hypnos. It's a really good source of info and a great bunch of people.


Week 1: Self portrait | DON'T JUST STAND THERE...SMILE.
The idea for this portrait was to show myself with a photo taken when I was a toddler, but because the focus is soft and the light is blown, it doesn't really read. (My tripod is packed somewhere in the garage as we do our remodel, so I had to fake it with a book propped on a ladder propped on the deck and eventually I gave up and just went with what I had.) The image wasn't salvageable without a LR action, which is why I used one here for the first time. It's not exactly what I envisioned, but it does show me pretty much as I am (BIG LIE: Where are the wrinkles?) and I'm okay with it, even though I squirm whenever I see a photo of myself.
Now it's time to link over to http://stephanyjonesphotography.blogspot.com. (I admit it…I took a sneak peek and it's absolutely adorable.) This is fun!
What a creative idea! 🙂 Welcome to the blog world! I am so excited about this project!
Yes…i love how you used the childhood photo as well!
Tamara! I love the pic! You did a great job! And hey you are beautiful too!
What a great concept. How creative.
Love this, very nice and original!
I think it's a beautiful picture!! Great job!
What a cute idea! Beautiful!
Sorry for not getting your link up right away. All of the "faults" makes this photo perfectly special. Thank you for sharing.
I love this concept and I think it actually works with the soft focus!


text:
The Head and the Heart & Hippo Campus Sell Out Red Rocks' Iconic Venue
Mitch is a co-founder of Highlark. Although he contributes some posts from time to time, he mainly takes care of the business aspects of the company. He acts as the CFO and also handles marketing and social media. Please contact Mitch for all business related inquiries.
Last week a group of my friends and I were in Denver for Indie folk-rock band, The Head and The Heart with Hippo Campus at the amazing Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Red Rocks is an open-air amphitheater built into the rock structure just outside of Denver. The weather was perfect for an outdoor stadium seating concert and the place was packed to the nines with die-hard fans for both bands.
The second Hippo Campus walked on to the stage the entire audience of over 9,000 people rose to their feet to greet the band with excitement while the sun was still on the horizon. People were jamming out to their catchy songs, grabbing beers and cocktails, enjoying the evening. As the sun began to set during Hippo Campus' performance, you couldn't help but notice the unbelievable scenery as the sun reflected off of the giant "red rocks" surrounding the amphitheater. The Head and The Heart kicked off the night with an upbeat performance of "All We Ever Knew" and was working the crowd. From our seats up above, the city of Denver was in perfect view for this iconic venue as the band played on.
As the concert was coming to an end, we were gearing up to head out, but then The Head and The Heart continued on to play three more songs ending with "Rivers and Roads". You can tell that the fans were really waiting for them to play this song, ending on a high note for the night. All-in-all you couldn't ask for more on a beautiful Thursday night. I'd highly recommend anyone to go to any concert at Red Rocks as the venue is just truly incredible.
// SETLIST & ENCORES
Photos & Words by the Setbon brothers
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
DOE allows evaluation of INL site for small modular reactor project
Paul Menser, BizMojo Idaho
Posted: Feb 23, 2016, 7:23 am |
Updated: Feb 5, 2021, 2:54 am
IDAHO FALLS — An energy consortium of which the city of Idaho Falls is a member has moved one step closer toward building a nuclear small modular reactor on the desert west of Idaho Falls by 2025.
The U.S. Department of Energy announced Thursday that an agreement has been reached to support possible siting of an SMR project within the boundaries of its 900-square mile Idaho National Laboratory site, the home of 52 reactors between the 1950s and 1980s.
A site use permit has been granted to the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems, of which Idaho Falls Power is a member, allowing UAMPS access to the INL site to analyze environmental, safety, and siting conditions for its Carbon Free Power Project.
"Small modular reactors are an important new step toward safe, reliable, carbon-free technology," said Lynn Orr, undersecretary for Science and Energy at DOE. "(This) announcement is a part of the Department of Energy's ongoing commitment to strengthening nuclear energy's role in America's low carbon future."
If UAMPS identifies a suitable area for the project within the INL site boundary, and if the Energy Department determines it would not conflict with INL mission work, the design, construction and operation would be licensed and inspected by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, following extensive safety and environmental reviews.
The design for the project is being provided by NuScale Power, a Portland, Ore., company that announced its interest in Idaho in the fall of 2012. A subsidiary of Fluor, NuScale was picked in 2013 as winner of the second round of the DOE's competitively-bid, cost-sharing program to develop SMR technology.
The regulatory hurdles are formidable and the permitting process alone will cost $1 billion, said Michael McGough, chief commercial officer for NuScale, in a 2012 interview. NuScale has had a prototype small modular reactor in operation since 2003.
Fluor wants to market nuclear power plants to the world, which is why it bought NuScale in October 2011. In December 2015 the company announced it had signed a contract with AREVA Inc. for the manufacture of SMR fuel assemblies. Mechanical and thermal hydraulic testing of the new fuel assemblies is under way as part of NuScale's design certification application, which is planned for submission to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission late this year.
McGough said review of that application would take 39 months, after which they need to get NRC permission to build. "There's lots of things you have to do, and you have to do them right," McGough said.
Unlike traditional pressurized water reactors, which use electric pumps to keep water on fuel rods to keep them from melting, NuScale's self-contained, self-circulating reactors are designed to shut themselves down in a power failure.
As for the selection of Idaho Falls, it's a case of going where you are wanted, McGough said. "If the community won't support it, you just shouldn't try."
The Western Governor's Association has had nuclear energy on its mind since 2012, when it released its "State of Energy in the West" report. One of the stated goals was to find ways to accelerate introduction of small modular reactors into Western states. Shortly after that, NuScale announced its Western Initiative for Nuclear, a demonstration project in Idaho to be built and owned by a consortium of regional utilities including Energy Northwest and UAMPS.
"The electrical industry is changing – that change is driven in part by regulations and technology," said Idaho Falls Power's general manager, Jackie Flowers (who was also elected UAMPS chairwoman this past December). "The opportunity to participate on a project that is leading the evolution of the nuclear energy industry is exciting. And the opportunity to evaluate siting potential at the country's lead nuclear laboratory is thrilling."
This article was originally published at BizMojo Idaho. It is used here with permission.


You are very sensitive and potentially learn from all that is happening around you. You can be a fast mover who stays one step ahead. Despite the obstacles and others trying to impose their way of thinking on you, you have great breadth of vision. There can also be flashes of intuition and potentially new solutions to old problems if you can stay focused on your goals and not giving up. Share your ideas with others and you might be surprised. Trust your inner voice, as well as those who have faith in your ideas. There is a wonderful potential for rebirth and transformation if you can master you emotions and focus on working with others to provide service with common sense.
Always a great read and share! Numbers up!!
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Regardless of your specific job, in the Navy you must also be a combat-ready sailor. The Navy has strict physical and medical requirements to make sure sailors are ready to fulfill their military duties. If you fail to meet these qualifications, you will no be allowed to join the Navy. In addition, some specific carer paths, such as aviation, diving and special warfare, have additional, more stringent requirements.
To enlist in the Navy, you must be between the ages of 17 and 34 years old, while prospective officers must be between the ages of 19 and 35. In addition, you must meet the body composition requirements. The maximum allowed body fat percentage for men under the age of 40 is 22%. Men age 40 and older may have body fat percentage up to 23%. Women under the age of 40 must not exceed 33%, while women age 40 and up must not exceed 34% body fat.
The Navy administers two separate urinalysis tests during the enlistment and commissioning process to check for drug and alcohol use. Both tests must be negative to comply with the Navy's zero-tolerance drug and alcohol policy. A history of alcohol or drug abuse will also disqualify candidates.
Sailors must also be able to pass the Navy Physical Readiness Test. This test includes sit-ups, push-ups and a timed 1.5 mile run. Sailors must complete as many sit-ups as possible within two minutes. This is repeated for the push-ups portion of the test. The specific requirements for each exercise vary based on age and gender.
For most Navy positions, sailors must have distance acuity vision of at least 20/40 vision in one eye and 20/70 in the other, or 20/30 vision in one eye and 20/100 in the other, or 20/20 vision in one eye and 20/400 in the other. Sailors may wear corrective lenses to achieve this standard. Some eye conditions that will disqualify you from service include chronic conjunctivitis, corneal dystrophy and retinal defects.
The physical exam includes a complete hearing test. Sailors who use or have a history of using hearing aids are disqualified. Other sinus and dental conditions that prevent enlistment in the Navy include allergic rhinitis or chronic non-allergic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis and current use of orthodontic appliances other than retainers.
The medical exam includes all body systems to detect any conditions that would prevent a sailor from fulfilling his duties or that put him at increased risk for injury or illness. Some conditions that may cause disqualification include a history of heart disease, psoriasis, any disease causing immunodeficiencies, HIV and diabetes mellitus.
Several psychiatric and behavioral conditions will also prevent someone from joining the Navy. These include currently experiencing or having a history of schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders and mood disorders, including depression and bipolar. Some behavioral patterns and conditions that may disqualify a candidate include sleepwalking, eating disorders and a history of suicidal behavior.
Malone, Maureen. "What are the Navy Medical Requirements?" , https://careertrend.com/navy-medical-requirements-6492.html. 31 December 2018.
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text:
Herrera repels legal challenge to short-term rental law, secures settlement with Airbnb and HomeAway
January 19, 2023 May 1, 2017 by S.F. City Attorney's Press Office
Deal protects homes, clears way for city enforcement, makes mandatory host registration easier
City Attorney Dennis Herrera announced a settlement with Airbnb and Homeaway that dismisses the legal challenge to San Francisco's short-term rental rules, makes it easier for people to register and comply with the law, and better protects the city's housing supply.
SAN FRANCISCO (May 1, 2017)—City Attorney Dennis Herrera announced that a settlement agreement was signed today ending the legal challenge that companies Airbnb and HomeAway had brought in federal court against San Francisco's law regulating short-term rentals.
"We have successfully defended San Francisco's common-sense regulations on short-term rentals," Herrera said. "This agreement helps protect the city's precious housing supply by obligating these companies to ensure that all their listings are legal and properly registered. This is a game changer. The settlement will also make it easier for residents who follow the rules to supplement their income by renting out a spare room or their home while on vacation."
The settlement does three main things: It dismisses the legal challenge to San Francisco's short-term rental rules, makes it easier for people to register and comply with the law, and better protects the city's housing supply.
Some of its requirements include:
Residents looking to list a rental on Airbnb or HomeAway will have to input their city Office of Short-Term Rental registration number (or application pending status) to post a listing
Airbnb and HomeAway will be able to use a "pass-through registration" system on their sites that sends individuals' registration application information directly to the Office of Short-Term Rentals for consideration, simplifying the process for hosts
Airbnb and HomeAway will provide the city's Office of Short-Term Rentals with a monthly list of all San Francisco listings with sufficient information to allow the city to verify that the unit is in fact registered
Airbnb and HomeAway will cancel future stays and deactivate listings after receiving notice from the city of an invalid registration
"This is a turning point when it comes to enforcement," Herrera said. "This settlement ensures that the two largest rental platforms in San Francisco will only include legal listings. It also guarantees that enforcement with real teeth begins in short order. This will help prevent our precious housing stock from being illegally turned into de facto hotels as we work hard to turn the tide on San Francisco's housing crisis. At the same time, we've crafted this agreement to give people enough time to comply with the rules and to make it easier for them to follow the law."
Currently, there are only 2,100 registered short-term rental hosts in San Francisco, but Airbnb alone has more than 8,000 listings in the city.
"I'm glad that Airbnb and HomeAway decided that fighting San Francisco's common-sense regulations was not in anyone's best interest," Herrera said. "They came to the table at the court's direction and worked hard to hammer out a deal. Now we have one. This agreement ensures these companies will play by the rules, it makes it simpler and more convenient for their users to follow the law, and it makes our enforcement more effective. It's a good deal for everyone."
City Regulations
San Francisco's pioneering rules on short-term rentals are designed to strike a balance, allowing residents to supplement their income by occasionally renting out a spare room or their home while at the same time protecting the existing housing supply from being cannibalized by the lucrative travel market.
"We need to protect our neighborhoods," Herrera said. "While we're happy to see a homegrown San Francisco company like Airbnb succeed, it can't be at the expense of residents being evicted or units being removed from the housing market so people can make more money putting apartments on Airbnb."
San Francisco requires anyone providing a short-term rental to register with the city, obtain a business license and comply with limits on the number of days per year the property can be rented.
To prevent housing that could serve city residents from being used exclusively for travelers, the person renting out the unit must be the permanent resident and no one may rent out more than one unit as a short-term rental.
Residential units that are subject to the Inclusionary Affordable Housing Program or those designated as below market rate or income-restricted under city, state, or federal law are not eligible to be used as short-term rentals.
Airbnb and HomeAway sued after San Francisco amended its short-term rental laws so that online hosting platforms face penalties, including fines of up to $1,000 for each illegal booking transaction, if they provide booking services and receive a fee in connection with an illegal short-term rental.
The settlement agreement comes after U.S. District Court Judge James Donato on Nov. 8, 2016 rejected the three main arguments that Airbnb and HomeAway had made in court.
Settlement Terms
The settlement agreement provides terms for Airbnb and HomeAway to be in compliance with the law. It includes firm but reasonable dates to accomplish that.
Within 120 days, Airbnb and HomeAway will require their new hosts to be registered with the city before posting rentals on their sites.
Existing hosts will be phased in over several months to ensure a smooth transition for both hosts and city enforcement staff. Listings linked to suspected bad actors will be among the first ones required to come into compliance. Everyone must be registered by the end of 240 days.
The agreement also requires these hosting platforms to regularly provide the city with specific data about San Francisco listings that will allow for effective city enforcement.
The U.S. District Court will retain jurisdiction throughout implementation to ensure that any disputes can be resolved quickly. This settlement is contingent on endorsement from the Board of Supervisors. Once that happens, Airbnb and HomeAway will drop their lawsuit.
"This will be a powerful deterrent for those tempted to illegally convert the city's housing stock into mini hotels," Herrera said. "For those who have been turning badly needed rent-controlled units into vacation spots, that is coming to an end once and for all."
The case is Airbnb, Inc. v. City and County of San Francisco, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Case No. 3:16-CV-03615, filed June 27, 2016.
Categories Affordable Housing, Housing & Tenant Rights, News
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I realized that I was playing for safety instead of playing to win.
Winning meant more stress, longer hours, more work at my job – dealing with a variety of needs from advertising clients who didn't care what it took to get it done, it just… needed… to… be… DONE!
I was earning a good living. My stress level was higher than that of most of my friends. I thought that meant I was successful. It certainly meant, to me, that I was important and strong – if I could handle this strain as everyone around me said, "I don't know how you do it," then I must be special.
What it really meant was that I was putting the needs of others before mine. I was misguided and had no vision for my life, or, maybe more correctly, I wasn't connected with a big vision for my life. I thought my employers would take care of me when I showed my dedication.
Oh, they gave me a trinket of appreciation, maybe a small bonus each year, but it wasn't something on which I could build a secure future. It was merely a token of appreciation that kept me locked in an otherwise frustrating role.
However, if you are not living intentionally with a personal goal in mind, positive feedback in the workplace can keep you trapped in a comfort zone of non-achievement.
This cycle also meant was that I was building someone else's dream for them, not building my dream for me.
Oh, I was getting paid (and paid well), but I wasn't satisfied.
Instead, I ultimately realized that the only vision for the future that matters is a personal one.
When we live our lives primarily based on the needs and wants of others, we give up our goals; we live by default, much of it based on our past programming.
Who did we learn to be? What messages did we internalize as children on how we should treat others? How deserving do we believe we are to achieve our goals?
If you are like me, you were told that you were supposed to respect others (a positive thing), but unfortunately the way I learned that lesson meant that I was supposed to make others happy at my expense. I learned that my dreams had no value and I was unworthy and undeserving of pursuing them – that my main reason for existing was to keep the peace.
Over years of repetitious exposure to this message and the positive feedback I received by sacrificing my goals for the happiness of others ("Thank you. You're so kind…"), contrasted with the negative feedback I received when I placed my needs first ("I can't believe you're so selfish! Don't you care about my needs?"), I internalized the message that I was not deserving of my own goals and path.
Only recently, after decades of self-discovery have I shifted that belief into a positive one that empowers me while also helping others to grow.
Many things – the first of which was I broke out of my comfort zone and put myself first and moved out of a stalled relationship. This was not an easy step, it was quite emotionally painful actually. Thankfully, I had a wonderful counselor who helped me to navigate the path and remain true to my goals for my happiness.
From that moment, I began living intentionally to define and realize my objectives.
That's where the Law of Deliberate Creation comes in.
When we are working within this law, we are accepting of what is, aware of what was, and choosing our personal course with intention.
Let's break this down based on my revelations.
What is, for me: I enjoy helping and empowering others to achieve their success. It's my purpose and passion.
What was, for me: I had learned to put the needs of others first; that I was not deserving of achieving my goals.
Choosing my own path with intention: I can help others without giving up my goals. I can actually help others and achieve my goals at the same time as long as I do it with intention. Since I faced similar challenges and overcame them, I have both the empathy to understand someone else's pain as well as the knowledge of the path to become free of it.
My challenges thus become my strength.
If I continued to frame them as struggles, I would remain in a fighting mode. As soon as I accept the lessons and power that come from them, then I am able to empower myself and others.
I discovered that I am deserving of my goals – that the negative thoughts in my head were merely echoes of my childhood when I had very little personal power.
Those thoughts have no place in my adult life.
And they have no place in yours.
If you are hearing or sensing thoughts that tell you that you do not deserve to achieve your goals, ask yourself where they came from and who they sound like. This may be a clue in where you learned these self-deprecating beliefs.
You probably internalized them, like I did, as a child. That is when we are most impressionable and our subconscious soaks up messages that act as a foundation for our beliefs about ourselves and ultimately how we live our lives.
These thoughts no longer have a place in your life. It's time to move beyond them. You are no longer five years old. You have learned a lot since then, you've grown physically, mentally and emotionally.
Stop acting like a five-year old.
Deliberate creation requires you to be an adult, or at least mature in your outlook.
You are not a slave to your past. As noted earlier, the things you learned then can be used as a foundation on which to grow. What positive lessons can you take from them? How can you help yourself and others by embracing what is, rather than battling against it because it's not what you want?
When we struggle against what is, we just create more struggle and a deeper ocean of what we're fighting to change.
You need to stop living in the default mode of your comfort zone that was created by the beliefs of what you deserved to achieve or not achieve.
Your comfort zone is based on the past, not on the present. It will only hinder your achievements in the future.
Deliberate creation requires that we shake things up, that we consciously choose our path.
Deliberate creation means acting on a plan for your life.
Do you have a plan, or do you just have an idea of what would be nice to achieve?
Without an action plan, dreams are just dreams – ethereal phantoms that tease us by showing us what we aren't.
But we can make these ideas real in this world by taking action.
When you are finished reading this article, take a few moments to sit quietly and focus on your goals. Think about what you want to achieve – maybe you have an image in your mind, or a feeling in your heart about what your ideal life would be like.
Write it down. Include as many details as possible to make it more real.
Do not edit it backwards – do not let the negative thoughts reduce the size of this vision.
Embrace your vision and know that all outcomes require a starting point and a process to become fully realized. Be bold, do not shrink from your responsibility to yourself here.
Your homework for this article is this: Begin today.
Become consciously aware of what you are attracting into your life.
Are you living just to fill the day and receive a paycheck? Or, are you living with a goal in mind, living intentionally, to realize a dream/desire/goal that is fulfilling to you?
If you have never thought about the difference between the two, start now.
Ask yourself, "Realistically, how long should it take me to achieve this?" Then reduce that number by ten or twenty percent. You can achieve it faster than you think.
From this moment forward, choose to live your life deliberately to create this outcome. Every day, place as much time and energy as you can into realizing your goal.
What do you need to accomplish first? What event will tell you that you are on your path?
You are deserving of it. It is your purpose for this lifetime on Earth.
I'd love to hear about your goals. What obstacles are you encountering as you perform these exercises?
Write a comment below or send me an email at daniel@danielolexa.com.


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National Biodiversity Data Centre: Annual Review 2013 published
Events, Latest News
Click to download the Annual Review
The National Biodiversity Data Centre has published its Annual Review 2013. This report presents an overview of the main work and achievements of the Data Centre in 2013. Some of the key achievements include, continued expansion of the national biodiversity database to publish 2.8 million biodiversity records, provision of dynamic distribution maps of 13,700 species, facilitating the production of additional Red Lists, an extensive programme of training workshops to help build capacity across the sector, and the broadcast by RTÉ of two programmes on Ireland's BioBlitz.
The team at the Centre are to be commended for this useful Review document, and for the extensive and expert work it summarises.
The report also lists the large number of individuals and partner organisations who are essential to the delivery of the work programme of the Data Centre and to whom all at the Centre extend their thanks.
For more see – http://www.biodiversityireland.ie/annual-review-2013/.
Esri partnership renewed
We have renewed our longstanding partner status with Esri Inc. with a renewed emphasis on leveraging the power of the Esri ArcGIS Enterprise suite. We will continue to include Esri
We are really positive about the road ahead for Compass Informatics, working with key clients and our planned new opportunities. As part of this we continue to develop our organisation
Mater Foundation contribution: To say thanks!
We have a brilliant team and client organisations that have been hugely supportive to our team as individuals and to the company over recent months. To say a thank you to colleagues and friends, the Compass Informatics founding company has made a significant donation to the Mater Foundation to enable new equipment to be bought and to further build the Mater's medical capabilities.


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Fans Express Crypto News Japanese Hacker (18-Year Old) Arrested for Stealing $130K in Cryptocurrency.
Japanese Hacker (18-Year Old) Arrested for Stealing $130K in Cryptocurrency.
Fans Express March 16, 2019 Crypto News
A Japanese 18-year-old from Utsunomiya, Tochigi, faces criminal charges for stealing $130,000 (around ¥15 million) worth of cryptocurrency after hacking the Monappy social media network and Monacoin web-based wallet.
As reported by Japan Today and multiple other local news outlets [1, 2, 3, 4], he stole 93078.7316 Monacoins from 7735 Monappy users between August 14 and September 1, using a smartphone and Tor in an unsuccessful attempt to stay anonymous seeing that Japanese police managed to find him after analyzing the logs provided by the hacked cryptocurrency platform.
As mentioned in the incident report, the alleged offender is a resident of Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture. However, his name has not been disclosed because he is still considered a minor under Japanese law.
The alleged theft of over $100,000 in cryptocurrency occurred between August 14th and September 1st, 2018, police officials revealed. The accused reportedly to stole the funds by hacking a website called Monappy, which traders use to manage the Monacoin cryptocurrency.
As detailed by Japanese authorities, the hacker used the Tor peer-to-peer (P2P) encryption software to hide personal details including his IP address. Despite making an effort to cover his tracks, security researchers working for the local police department managed to locate the offender. This, after analyzing communication logs left by the hacker on Monappy's server.
According to local authorities, the accused has admitted that he was involved in the financial crime. The 18-year-old remarked: "I felt like I'd found a trick no one knows and did it as if I were playing a video game."
Although it's not clear exactly how the attacker managed to steal the funds, police officials said he was able to exploit a vulnerability in the website's codebase which involves sending funds to users. The hacker claimed to have found a security loophole where the website's transaction system malfunctions if someone attempts to repeatedly transfer cryptocurrency during a short timeframe.
According to the 18-year-old offender, he had repeatedly sent cryptocurrency transfer requests to his own account, which reportedly resulted in the system malfunctioning. This, he said, allowed him to transfer a large amount of cryptocurrency to his address. Approximately 7,700 crypto investors who use the Monappy website were affected due to the security breach. Commenting on the incident, Monappy's management acknowledged that their site had been hacked and also said they would reimburse the victims.
Other details from the incident report revealed that the hacker had transferred the stolen Monacoin (MONA) cryptocurrency to an account he had opened at a different crypto website. After transferring the Monacoins, the hacker said he converted the crypto to another digital asset in order to purchase various items including a new mobile phone


Pird flipped a dagger from its sheath, catching it by the tip of its blade. He brought it over his shoulder and flung it forward, summoning a portion of his magic to shoot up his arm into the blade. The blade spun in a blur, flashing as it caught light that wasn't there, and skimmed past the bug's long face to thud into its shoulder.
Pird's daggers were originally forged as a single blade by Karatak the Third under Senallus the First's instruction. This blade and its array were carefully split into two daggers. This pair of unique 'half' arrays creates a tangible relationship between the two daggers, a fluctuating charged field that requires only a spark of Aetherium energy to ignite a lightning arc from one blade to the other.
Pird is creative with his weapons. By summoning a bolt right before striking he can stun or incapacitate a foe without doing real harm. With Zook's help, the daggers can also act as a kind of defibrillator. While channeled, however, the arc between the blades rapidly grows violent and deadly, capable of instantly killing through massive amperage.
The silver blue deepens into a dark amethyst when channeled, its arrays lit by near-white violet and silver. When brought close together the nature of their forging is clear, as their arrays crawl off one blade to continue on to the other.


Is It Bad Breath Or Gall Bladder Disease?
Could your bad breath be a sign of gall bladder disease?
Sometimes a particularly strong case of bad breath can really signal another ailment. While the average case of bad breath usually arises from conditions within the mouth, especially offensive or unusual-smelling bad breath may warrant further investigation.
How can your gall bladder relate to bad breath? Your gall bladder produces strong digestive juices, which empty into your stomach. When the gall bladder builds up mineral stones, the bile ducts can become blocked. Infection and great discomfort can result, causing a number of unpleasant symptoms, such as fleeting pain, nausea and even vomiting, especially after eating a fatty meal. Another possible telltale effect of gall bladder blockage is bad breath.
If you are experiencing abdominal trouble and you suspect your bad breath may be a sign of greater trouble ahead, compare your symptoms to these warning signs of gall bladder disease.
1. Agonizing pain in the upper right abdomen — especially after a heavy meal. The pain can last from minutes to hours.
4. Clay-colored stools. The lighter color results from insufficient bile (that is, blocked gall bladder ducts).
4. Offensive body odor and yellowish skin.
5. Yellow, discolored eyes, and dark circles beneath the eyes.
If you are experiencing any combination of these symptoms, it's time to consult with your physician.
Bad breath by itself does not mean you have gall bladder disease — it's uncommon for bad breath to arise from anything other than poor oral hygiene. However, if your bad breath is particularly offensive, and coupled with some of the more noticeable signs of gall bladder disease, especially excruciating abdominal pain, further testing is called for. Ask your physician to diagnose whether it's simply bad breath — or something more serious, like gall bladder disease.