Archive for December, 2012
#014 How You Could be a Software Developer
A short discussion on ways, that I am aware of and versed in, to become a software developer, either as a regular “job” or as an entrepreneur. I discuss Java Enterprise development, PHP, template development, mobile and game “app” development, etc.
Recorded on 12/13/2012
One of the keys to long-term freedom, is having some form of economic freedom. One of the freest, least regulated and most flexible means of obtaining economic freedom, is available in software development. With software development, you can often:
- Work from your own home
- Start a small side business which can grow into a full-time business
- Make simple; but useful programs and sell them on already existing marketplaces
- Learn technologies which are always changing and keep your mind sharp by adapting to them. Circumventing the use it or lose it, problems which often accompany areas of work that are more static in nature.
- Have skills that are rare and valued by customers and/or employers and consequently, be valuable to them, with the accompanying treatment.
These are characteristics which many would love to have, in the earning of their living; yet few actually do. The tools are available, however, and accessible to anyone; to do all of these things, without even a college education.
The bottom line is, its the end product that matters most, in software. If you can be good at building/designing software products and produce consistently good/stable results, you can make a living in this field. It doesn’t matter who you are or what degrees you have. Degrees can be helpful; but there are cheaper and easier ways in.
#013 Why Public Schools Should be Abolished
If we got rid of public schools, the flood gates of innovation would be opened up and an entire ecosystem of options could emerge. I think it would be better for everyone, for parents, teachers and students. It would be especially good for people who are tired of paying property taxes into a black hole and those being forced to pay to educate other people’s kids, as well as those who’s kids have already grown.
Recorded on 12/13/2012
Alan Watts on “The Real You” and Death
That question, of what happens after we die, has always mystified me. The question that is almost impossible to answer with any level of certainty.
The idea of going away into oblivion, into the “dark room” that you can never emerge from, as Watts said, is indeed horrifying. It makes my stomach turn, just at the thought of it. On the other side of the spectrum, the idea that we somehow persist afterwards seems convenient; but a bit too easy. It seems like its just my “ego” wanting to exist forever, when it may not really be practical.
The idea, however, the “you” are “everything”, or that you are the “universe experiencing itself”; means that, in a manner of speaking, you are like a thought in the mind of the universe, one of a countless array of thoughts that it thinks in infinite permutations. I feel much better thinking of it that way. It seems far more balanced and correct.
Still, there is a sadness inside me, that thinks, this individual me should go on existing forever. Who knows? Maybe the Buddhists who speak of reincarnation of the soul were correct. Perhaps our individual soul is reborn, to a point, so as to evolve over many lifetimes, with the eventual option to “return to source.”
#12 Striking the Root: Underlying Causes of Unease in the Individual
If there is one thing of importance that I have learned over the years, it is the lasting significance of addressing underlying causes and the futility of symptomatic relief. Today’s discussion is from the Japanese Tea Garden in Monte Sano.
In this discussion, I describe how I have worked on these issues for myself using Tai Chi, Yoga, Meditation, etc. I also discuss how others can find solutions for themselves.