The internet.
The largest public repository of human wisdom.
Text, Audio, Video, about any subject you could possibly want to learn.
The world at your fingertips...
...And what do most people use it for all the time?
Porn.
It's like having a full body, and only using your dick.
Go figure.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Warren Buffet
If found this little gold nugget (pun intended - you'll soon see why :-) in the wikipedia article on Warren Buffet, one of the true investing geniouses that ever lived. Mr. Buffet was quoted as saying about gold:
"It [gold] gets dug out of the ground in Africa, or someplace. Then we melt it down, dig another hole, bury it again and pay people to stand around guarding it. It has no utility. Anyone watching from Mars would be scratching their head".
Does gold have any intrinsic value? I believe many forms of information have more intrinsic value to humanity than physical gold.
I wonder why people chase gold instead of chasing dreams?
"It [gold] gets dug out of the ground in Africa, or someplace. Then we melt it down, dig another hole, bury it again and pay people to stand around guarding it. It has no utility. Anyone watching from Mars would be scratching their head".
Does gold have any intrinsic value? I believe many forms of information have more intrinsic value to humanity than physical gold.
I wonder why people chase gold instead of chasing dreams?
Monday, August 18, 2008
Artists and Singers Are A Profession Like All Others
Art is life. Music is like air. It's air, water, and food for your soul.
Here's my personal take on singing as a profession.
I find it weird how some people treat singing and singers, and artists in general, as a "non-profession". Like, if someone wants to be a singer, they tell him "stop dreaming, keep your feet on the ground".
You see, if you have the talent and desire to be a singer, and you are good at it - thats what you should do. The same goes for people who have a talent and are good at being lawyers, or doctors, or accountants. If you have talent in singing, but not in accounting, then it makes no sense for you to be an accountant over a singer - does it? In that case, someone who dreams of an office job should get his feet back on the ground - and work on being a singer!
What do you do if you are good at being both a lawyer AND a singer? If you want to rise to the top of either, you must choose one and go all the way. Which to choose is up to you. Choose the one you are best at. Choose the one you like most. Ideally, you are best at what you like most.
Granted, singers dont go to university and then look at wanted ads in the paper. However, to rise to the top, you need to be good no matter what you do. You need to find something you are best at, and go with it all the way. Singers have to work hard to break out, but the rewards are well worth it. You have to start from scracth - sing in bars, in clubs (all the while keeping some other job, such as a waiter or secretary or a barman or whatever flexible job you can get a hold of to pay the bills), gain a following, release singles until they catch, then work hard to rise in the music industry... but isn't being a lawyer just the same? You clerk, work hard as a junior lawyer, rise, win cases, learn, gain experience, make a name for yourself... not to mention if you open your own office, in which case you will have to work hard to gain clients and make a name for yourself.
Just like a lawyer must stay up to date on rules and verdicts, so does a singer have to stay in top form, train his voice, and if he or she are songwriters, write songs that captivate the crowd. People NEED music like they need anything else - and there have to be people who can supply the demand.
So if you are starting to get paid good money to do bar shows, it means you are doing SOMETHING right. So keep it up, see where it leads. And if someone tells you to "keep you feet on the ground" but you are sure singing is what you do best - then just tell them that a person needs to do what he does best - and you know what you do best, don't you ;-) ?
Here's my personal take on singing as a profession.
I find it weird how some people treat singing and singers, and artists in general, as a "non-profession". Like, if someone wants to be a singer, they tell him "stop dreaming, keep your feet on the ground".
You see, if you have the talent and desire to be a singer, and you are good at it - thats what you should do. The same goes for people who have a talent and are good at being lawyers, or doctors, or accountants. If you have talent in singing, but not in accounting, then it makes no sense for you to be an accountant over a singer - does it? In that case, someone who dreams of an office job should get his feet back on the ground - and work on being a singer!
What do you do if you are good at being both a lawyer AND a singer? If you want to rise to the top of either, you must choose one and go all the way. Which to choose is up to you. Choose the one you are best at. Choose the one you like most. Ideally, you are best at what you like most.
Granted, singers dont go to university and then look at wanted ads in the paper. However, to rise to the top, you need to be good no matter what you do. You need to find something you are best at, and go with it all the way. Singers have to work hard to break out, but the rewards are well worth it. You have to start from scracth - sing in bars, in clubs (all the while keeping some other job, such as a waiter or secretary or a barman or whatever flexible job you can get a hold of to pay the bills), gain a following, release singles until they catch, then work hard to rise in the music industry... but isn't being a lawyer just the same? You clerk, work hard as a junior lawyer, rise, win cases, learn, gain experience, make a name for yourself... not to mention if you open your own office, in which case you will have to work hard to gain clients and make a name for yourself.
Just like a lawyer must stay up to date on rules and verdicts, so does a singer have to stay in top form, train his voice, and if he or she are songwriters, write songs that captivate the crowd. People NEED music like they need anything else - and there have to be people who can supply the demand.
So if you are starting to get paid good money to do bar shows, it means you are doing SOMETHING right. So keep it up, see where it leads. And if someone tells you to "keep you feet on the ground" but you are sure singing is what you do best - then just tell them that a person needs to do what he does best - and you know what you do best, don't you ;-) ?
Monday, July 28, 2008
You never know when & how you go...
A woman just got shot today. Underworld criminals were trying to shoot other underworld criminals. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, the thing is... that place and time was at the beach, with her family, in front of a police station (!). It should have been the right place. It should have been the right time. Instead, she died in front of her 2 young children, in the arms of her husband.
This is just one sad example of dying without it being your fault at all. Other people's stupidity, your loss.
Not to mention natural disasters and other causes...
You never know when and how you are going to go.
Will this little fact make you appreciate your life a little more? I hope so.
This is just one sad example of dying without it being your fault at all. Other people's stupidity, your loss.
Not to mention natural disasters and other causes...
You never know when and how you are going to go.
Will this little fact make you appreciate your life a little more? I hope so.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Some things you just learn the hard way...
I remember I had a good girl friend, and I was starting to fall in love with her.
One day we were at her house, and we stayed together to sleep on the couch, and come morning we started cuddlijg and caressing each other. Then we looked into each other's eyes, and smiled.
Anyone would probably say, this was obviously the moment where I'm supposed to go in for the kiss... but I didn't. I was confused about if it's ok and we're friends and blah blah. I didn't recognize the moment and the situation for what it was, as obvious as it was.
Two weeks later, I was growing scared and impatient since many boys wanted to go out with her - and some did. At her house, out of the blue, in a totally non-romantic non-relevant situation, I tried to kiss her and show her how I feel. She back away with a "what are you doing" look on her face.
I was acting so needy and desperate, it turned her off.
She tried to "forgive" me in light of our friendship, but emotions don't forgive. Her heart never got over me acting needy, instead of kissing her like a man when I should have, two weeks earlier.
Eventually I abandoned the idea, and sadly the friendship.
It could have turned into love, but my neediness and desperate behavior ruined it. Why didn't I act like a man and do what I had to do when I had to do it...?
Some things you just learn the hard way... another lesson I won't forget. I may have lost that moment, but I knew the next moments when they came.
One day we were at her house, and we stayed together to sleep on the couch, and come morning we started cuddlijg and caressing each other. Then we looked into each other's eyes, and smiled.
Anyone would probably say, this was obviously the moment where I'm supposed to go in for the kiss... but I didn't. I was confused about if it's ok and we're friends and blah blah. I didn't recognize the moment and the situation for what it was, as obvious as it was.
Two weeks later, I was growing scared and impatient since many boys wanted to go out with her - and some did. At her house, out of the blue, in a totally non-romantic non-relevant situation, I tried to kiss her and show her how I feel. She back away with a "what are you doing" look on her face.
I was acting so needy and desperate, it turned her off.
She tried to "forgive" me in light of our friendship, but emotions don't forgive. Her heart never got over me acting needy, instead of kissing her like a man when I should have, two weeks earlier.
Eventually I abandoned the idea, and sadly the friendship.
It could have turned into love, but my neediness and desperate behavior ruined it. Why didn't I act like a man and do what I had to do when I had to do it...?
Some things you just learn the hard way... another lesson I won't forget. I may have lost that moment, but I knew the next moments when they came.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
The wonderful music of Shlomo Artzi
Shlomo Artzi (Hebrew: שלמה ארצי) has long been one of Israel’s most popular singers, if not the most popular of them all. Artzi composes and writes his own songs, and performs them with an ensemble of musicians which have become household names in the Israeli music scene, including Avi Singolda the guitarist and Meir Israel the drummer. Shlomo Artzi concerts are very popular and tickets often sell out quickly. Artzi is well known for his marathon live concerts, which may continue for over three hours! During these performances he engages the crowd in his unique way, a way, which no other artist in the world has been able to emulate. He actually gets off the stage, microphone in hand, and mingles with the crowd while singing! Needless to say, it is these moments in his concerts which the crowd enjoys the most!
Artzi, despite having won the Israeli Song Festival as a young soldier in 1970, had to work hard to achieve the wide following he has today. In fact, if he is the number one singer in Israel, it is only because he has worked harder than all the other artists together. Artzi, together with his friend Echi the bassist, at times with a small band, at times just the two of them, would tour the country, performing everywhere they could – sometimes in front of half empty halls, sometimes in front of just four people! However, most people that went to his shows were amazed and taken away by the immense amount of energy he would put in to his performances. Word spread, and as time passed, year by year, album by album, Artzi would become bigger and bigger and gain a wider following, until the late 80’s, when he would perform his first mega-concert, in the Yarkon Park, the likes of which Israel has never seen before. His mega concert in the Yarkon Park was photographed by renowned Israeli photographer Vardi Kahana. Shlomo Artzi albums became, and still are, best sellers in Israel, always going gold and platinum. Shlomo Artzi became a houshold name, garnering wide media attention, with many newspaper articles and articles about his music.
Shlomo Artzi's art isn't limited to singing; Artzi also has several books, including music books, lyric books, and a rare book with original poems by Artzi. Some Shlomo Artzi books are rare collectibles today. Furthermore, he has a popular radio show, still broadcasting after 25 years.
Artzi achieved absolute superstardom in 1996, with the release of his double-album “Shnaim” (Two), which included a duet with another Israeli superstar, Rita. His previous albums were bestsellers and achieve gold and platinum status; His albums after Two achieved success unprecedented in Israel, going triple-platinum. He is the only artist in Israel able to time and time again pack the largest venues, including the mythological Caesarea Theater. Tickets to his concerts sell out weeks ahead – sometimes even on the same week the show is announced!
What is Artzi’s secret? His songs? His lyrics? His energetic performances? His engaging the crowd and communicating with them at eye-level? Maybe it is all of these combined which make him the ultimate Israeli superstar. Unlike many superstars, he never stands “in front” of his crowd – rather, he “sits with them”, as he describes well in a famous line from one of his songs: “In a big stadium, overflowing with people, I sit together with them, waiting for the concert to start”.
In 2007, Artzi released the first singles from the new album, "Shfuim", and the much anticipated album came out later that year.
With a career spanning over three decades, his new album “Shfuim” (Sane, שפויים) the year’s best selling album, and still packing the largest venues in Israel with large crowds, you can be sure there is more to come from Shlomo Artzi – Israel’s most beloved and popular artist!
Artzi, despite having won the Israeli Song Festival as a young soldier in 1970, had to work hard to achieve the wide following he has today. In fact, if he is the number one singer in Israel, it is only because he has worked harder than all the other artists together. Artzi, together with his friend Echi the bassist, at times with a small band, at times just the two of them, would tour the country, performing everywhere they could – sometimes in front of half empty halls, sometimes in front of just four people! However, most people that went to his shows were amazed and taken away by the immense amount of energy he would put in to his performances. Word spread, and as time passed, year by year, album by album, Artzi would become bigger and bigger and gain a wider following, until the late 80’s, when he would perform his first mega-concert, in the Yarkon Park, the likes of which Israel has never seen before. His mega concert in the Yarkon Park was photographed by renowned Israeli photographer Vardi Kahana. Shlomo Artzi albums became, and still are, best sellers in Israel, always going gold and platinum. Shlomo Artzi became a houshold name, garnering wide media attention, with many newspaper articles and articles about his music.
Shlomo Artzi's art isn't limited to singing; Artzi also has several books, including music books, lyric books, and a rare book with original poems by Artzi. Some Shlomo Artzi books are rare collectibles today. Furthermore, he has a popular radio show, still broadcasting after 25 years.
Artzi achieved absolute superstardom in 1996, with the release of his double-album “Shnaim” (Two), which included a duet with another Israeli superstar, Rita. His previous albums were bestsellers and achieve gold and platinum status; His albums after Two achieved success unprecedented in Israel, going triple-platinum. He is the only artist in Israel able to time and time again pack the largest venues, including the mythological Caesarea Theater. Tickets to his concerts sell out weeks ahead – sometimes even on the same week the show is announced!
What is Artzi’s secret? His songs? His lyrics? His energetic performances? His engaging the crowd and communicating with them at eye-level? Maybe it is all of these combined which make him the ultimate Israeli superstar. Unlike many superstars, he never stands “in front” of his crowd – rather, he “sits with them”, as he describes well in a famous line from one of his songs: “In a big stadium, overflowing with people, I sit together with them, waiting for the concert to start”.
In 2007, Artzi released the first singles from the new album, "Shfuim", and the much anticipated album came out later that year.
With a career spanning over three decades, his new album “Shfuim” (Sane, שפויים) the year’s best selling album, and still packing the largest venues in Israel with large crowds, you can be sure there is more to come from Shlomo Artzi – Israel’s most beloved and popular artist!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
There was this girl once...
I was in love with this girl once, when I was younger. She drove me crazy simply by giving me compliments, then being scarce - being busy all the time. I was never sure if she liked me or not, if she really wanted to get to know me or not. I never even got the chance for a proper date. Of the one month we were in touch, I was with her for maybe 30 minutes in total, and some phone calls if you want to count those.
To tell you the truth, she had me at hello. Any game she played after that just drove me crazy, but did not make me like her more.
At first she seemed interested and wanted to meet with me, but it never got around to actually happening. Every time she saw me, she would give me a nice compliment, and then be unavailable. It drove me crazy. She taught me a good lesson on how a girl can drive a man crazy.
If we would meet, it would be for only 5 or 10 minutes... talk about "speed dating"!
She came to me like a puppy any time I assertively called her on her bad behavior, like standing me up. I think it was when I lost my patience to behave assertively, that she lost interest. There's another lesson for you...
All in all, I should thank her, though. I should thank her for teaching me a lesson. She taught me how to drive one crazy. She taught me how to deal with bad behavior. She taught me how to make a girl I like come to me. Last but certainly not least, she taught me what happens when one loses patience, and acts to needy.
I might have lost the girl, and I'll never know what it would have been like to kiss her, to love her and to be with her. The lessons, however - I will always remember.
To tell you the truth, she had me at hello. Any game she played after that just drove me crazy, but did not make me like her more.
At first she seemed interested and wanted to meet with me, but it never got around to actually happening. Every time she saw me, she would give me a nice compliment, and then be unavailable. It drove me crazy. She taught me a good lesson on how a girl can drive a man crazy.
If we would meet, it would be for only 5 or 10 minutes... talk about "speed dating"!
She came to me like a puppy any time I assertively called her on her bad behavior, like standing me up. I think it was when I lost my patience to behave assertively, that she lost interest. There's another lesson for you...
All in all, I should thank her, though. I should thank her for teaching me a lesson. She taught me how to drive one crazy. She taught me how to deal with bad behavior. She taught me how to make a girl I like come to me. Last but certainly not least, she taught me what happens when one loses patience, and acts to needy.
I might have lost the girl, and I'll never know what it would have been like to kiss her, to love her and to be with her. The lessons, however - I will always remember.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Lucid dreams and beyond...
Lately I have been interested in lucid dreams. These are dreams in which you are aware you are dreaming, and can manipulate the dream, and explore different corners of your own mind.
Entering a lucid dream directly from the waking state can be a frightening experience at first. It took me several months to train myself not to fear the onset and thus wake up. You start feeling weird vibrations, paralysis, and sometimes - and this is the scary part - feeling your heart ripped through your chest, and having your head stuck inside a jet engine, filling your head with the most awful noise imaginable. All these have no physical effect and can't hurt you, but your mind fears them just the same; Would this have been a real physical experience, your mind would be justified in wanting to run away. Once you get over the fear of this state and let it happen, you experience weird and wonderful lucid dreams beyond.
I have read interesting articles about the similarities of the state of the mind in lucid dreaming, out of body experiences, and near death experiences.
Lately I have been experiencing very strong emotions in my dreams, sometimes it almost feels like dying... I have been afraid to explore these emotions. I usually wake up a few seconds after the emotions get too strong. Sometimes I feel like they are ripping me apart. Sometimes I am afraid I won't come back from the dream, despite many reports to the contrary. Sometimes I am afraid of having a seizure...
It took me some time to learn not to fear the jet-engine-heart-ripping entry to lucid dreams; I wonder how long it will take me not to fear overwhleming emotions and the feeling of passing beyond a death-like barrier [at least that is how it feels]. This is difficult, because any healthy mind wants to run away from death, real or fake.
I wonder what waits me beyond... will I change somehow like many people that went there and came back?
The human mind is such a vast and curious place...
Entering a lucid dream directly from the waking state can be a frightening experience at first. It took me several months to train myself not to fear the onset and thus wake up. You start feeling weird vibrations, paralysis, and sometimes - and this is the scary part - feeling your heart ripped through your chest, and having your head stuck inside a jet engine, filling your head with the most awful noise imaginable. All these have no physical effect and can't hurt you, but your mind fears them just the same; Would this have been a real physical experience, your mind would be justified in wanting to run away. Once you get over the fear of this state and let it happen, you experience weird and wonderful lucid dreams beyond.
I have read interesting articles about the similarities of the state of the mind in lucid dreaming, out of body experiences, and near death experiences.
Lately I have been experiencing very strong emotions in my dreams, sometimes it almost feels like dying... I have been afraid to explore these emotions. I usually wake up a few seconds after the emotions get too strong. Sometimes I feel like they are ripping me apart. Sometimes I am afraid I won't come back from the dream, despite many reports to the contrary. Sometimes I am afraid of having a seizure...
It took me some time to learn not to fear the jet-engine-heart-ripping entry to lucid dreams; I wonder how long it will take me not to fear overwhleming emotions and the feeling of passing beyond a death-like barrier [at least that is how it feels]. This is difficult, because any healthy mind wants to run away from death, real or fake.
I wonder what waits me beyond... will I change somehow like many people that went there and came back?
The human mind is such a vast and curious place...
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Even cats can teach you a lesson
I always say, don't judge someone unless you have all the information at hand - which you mos't probably don't. Let us say you see someone crossing a red light at 100kph. Let us hope there were no people at the junction at that time and no one got hurt. You might ask yourself "who is that asshole?". You can never know if there is a bleeding, dying person in the back seat and he is rushing to hospital. At most, you can ask "what is wrong with him?" to which the answer will either be "he's trying to save someone" or "he's an asshole". If you assume bad things already - you are judging prematurely.
I was walking on the street at night and I saw a cat just standing in the middle of the road. I forgot my own advice, and yelled "you stupid crazy cat, get off the road!!!". When I came closer, I saw she was looking over her kitten that has been run over. It was dead, but she kept looking over it.
I didn't see the kitten from far away, as she was hiding it. "Get off the road!" would have been enough. Why did I add "stupid crazy?"... I judged prematurely. Had that been a person, I really would have come off stupid myself.
I said thankyou to the cat for reminding me of my own lesson. I took a stick and carefully moved the run over kitten to the side of the road, in the hopes that the cat won't get run over, looking over its dead kitten in the middle of the road.
Sometimes even cats can teach you valuable lessons.
I was walking on the street at night and I saw a cat just standing in the middle of the road. I forgot my own advice, and yelled "you stupid crazy cat, get off the road!!!". When I came closer, I saw she was looking over her kitten that has been run over. It was dead, but she kept looking over it.
I didn't see the kitten from far away, as she was hiding it. "Get off the road!" would have been enough. Why did I add "stupid crazy?"... I judged prematurely. Had that been a person, I really would have come off stupid myself.
I said thankyou to the cat for reminding me of my own lesson. I took a stick and carefully moved the run over kitten to the side of the road, in the hopes that the cat won't get run over, looking over its dead kitten in the middle of the road.
Sometimes even cats can teach you valuable lessons.
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