Awaking Within

Disclosure Is All Around Us – Especially on TV

IvanTheGreat — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 03:45:21 +0000

Have you noticed all of the metaphysical subject television shows that have erupted recently, just like reality tv shows did, several recent years ago when the writers went on strike? The difference is the writers are not on strike any more. These sci fi shows have taken a natural way of finding themselves into every home. There must be a demand and high enough ratings, or the networks would not be wasting valuable airtime, including some primetime.

Anyone familiar with the new age movement has probably heard of “Disclosure” being due, and a lot had said that 2010 was going to be that year. (Search 2010 Year of Disclosure) Are these shows another way of disclosure, forced naturally rather than waiting on our “leaders” and “government” to confirm it. Yes, a big chunk of the masses will need that “official confirmation,” but if you ask me, anyone that needs confirmation from a higher authority, has missed the point, or is unaware of the limitless possibilities (or it’s just no their time yet)! However, there have been former authority figures that have addressed the subject, just look up videos on YouTube.

The Learning Channel, A&E, Travel Channel, SyFy, Fox, NBC, CNN, BBC, the list goes on and on. I have not done the work, but wouldn’t be surprised that all networks offer something on the subject matter, be it a tv show or a newscast. But disclosure doesn’t stop there. As we have become accustomed to, any subject on television explodes on the internet and the world wide web. It almost seems that nature does not want us to miss out on anything, allowing for easy access to all information.

Not to be misunderstood… Lets not dismiss the fact that sci fi shows have been around as long as we can remember television. A lot of shows have been just that, science fiction shows. Or have they? We are beginning to see science evolve and cross over the unknown and non-understandable threshold (given our current levels of awareness) – just look at the CERN Labs in Switzerland, and their work. Science Fiction becoming our “reality”.

Here is a small list of some of the shows pertaining to the subject (in no particular order): Paranormal State, Destination Truth, (the several ghost chaser shows – ) TAPS, Ghost Hunters + International, Mystery Hunters, Most Haunted, Psychic Kids, Truth or Scare, and many, many more. Visit Wikipedia and check the subject on Paranormal Television.

What do you think about the subject? What are some of your favorite Paranormal Television Shows?

Photographer: Michelle Meiklejohn

Has Corporate America Become the Average?

IvanTheGreat — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 17:15:10 +0000

Nine Inch Nails sings “Don’t Byte the Hand that Feeds.” Which hand is that? Is it the invisible hand of capitalism? Is it “God’s Hand” that gives us means of survival? Or is it our bosses hand at our local Corporation that allows us to put food on our table and pay the bills of our lifestyle that grows alongside our pay rate?

Current generations have been raised to believe that the main steps of life are birth, school, college, career, retirement and death. Who wants a life that bland? It almost seems like we have no choice. When we are young, our parents push us to do what They think is right. During the first quarter of our life, we are told what to do, not just by our parents, but all adults, be it teachers, bosses, grandparents, or even our friends’ parents. Of course by the time we go out on our own we are going to reflect our parents and their belief system. That is unless we create our own beliefs and pull out of the vicious cycle of working to pay bills.

If one were to step back and look at the whole picture of where society has led us, it’s a grim outlook for all of us. We are forced to go to school and learn what the system wants us to know. Then we get a job, usually most beneficial to the Man that we work for, and the next 30-50 years are all the same. Might as well let robots take over. Or introduce Soma to society and suppress us further.

In 1932, Aldous Huxley wrote a book called Brave New World, which describes society and everyone within it as a function of a government controlled world. There are three classes within this world, working class, middle class, and a controlling class – who were ultimately in charge of ensuring total social control – from conditioning before birth [people are produced in factory-like centers and preconditioned to what their life function will be], to their social interaction with society. I strongly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It is eye opening.

How is our current life style any different than what Huxley described 80 years ago? We are not conditioned during our embryos stage, instead, we are conditioned when we are forced through the educational system. Then we are placed accordingly to our positions as workers, intellectual (better paid) workers, and the controllers (the police / government / secret societies that run this world).

Nine Inch Nails’ lyrics to The Hand That Feeds say…

“You’re keeping in step
In the line
Got your chin held high and
You feel just fine
Cause you do
What you’re told
But inside your heart it is
Black and it’s hollow and
It’s cold.”

We do what we are told in order to earn a dollar so we can buy bread. Our opinion does not matter. Our opinion is not worth a dollar. Our labor is worth a dollar, but for what sacrifices? Corporations survey their laborers annually and pretend to care for the individual. At the end of the day, the only important matter is the bottom line, the dollar signs!$!$!$ Even if one were to become the president of a corporation, the stock holders don’t want his/her opinion, they want to see a green bottom line – they tell him/her what to do – and he/she does what they are told!

To be “successful” in Corporate America does not take much. All it takes is for one to do what they are told and they will get a piece of the pie, but only a small piece. Two per cent of the population control ninety eight per cent of the wealth. That two per cent does not give a fly about anybody else. Yet, that same two percent is probably still not happy. How long will it take humanity as a mass to realize how Materialism is a poor substitute for happiness? There is more than enough of everything for everyone, but unless control diminishes, it will be too late for some, and not soon enough for others.

Working for Corporate America is not a success, it has become the norm. We are all the same – there are no need for labels of any sort. If it’s to be, it’s up to me!

Photographer: Filomena Scalise

Eckhart Tolle’s Life Changing Books

IvanTheGreat — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 18:47:41 +0000

I posses two of Tolle’s books, ‘The Power of Now’ and ‘A New Earth.’ Although I could not get deeply into ‘The Power of Now,’ mainly because I am well familiar with the ideas Tolle talks about, and the translation from German to English seems to have affected the writing style, making it a bit dry. I did enjoy his book, ‘A New Earth.’

‘A New Earth’ is amazing. I am currently reading it. So far it has further empowered me and allowed me to grow spiritually to another level. Understanding how the Ego and the Pain Body function and effect us as people is a powerful tool for anyone and everyone to have. I can recall many situations in experiencing this life so far, where I can easily point to the Ego and the Pain Body being in control, not just of myself, but of other people, including the children in this life. I strongly recommend this book to anyone. I learned from John Kehoe how powerful thoughts are and how to make them work in my life. Tolle takes it a step further and explains where all these “foreign” thoughts, feelings and emotions may originate from, allowing an unprecedented perception that is as inspiring as possible.

Anyone looking to grow spiritually, or even looking for answers to life’s most difficult questions, should check these books out. I strongly recommend ‘A New Earth’ to anyone that may be experiencing depression on any level. Depression seems to be all around us for various reasons. Tolle gives an opportunity to understand what may be causing people to feel the way we do when we experience signs of depression. Parents with young children that are finding it challenging to understand tantrums, demands and misbehaviors, would also find these books very useful and at the minimum educational. Within these pages can be found life lessons and tools to allow all beings to sit back and enjoy what life brings their way.

In addition to his books, www.EckhartTolle.com has additional materials to assist anyone with their spiritual growth.

End of Recession! Poor Economy or Changing Economy?

IvanTheGreat — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 04:07:00 +0000

Today, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) posted a report of the Business Cycle Dating Committee, where it was concluded that the recession we have been experiencing, has officially ended. More specifically, they report, it had ended in June of 2009. The way the committee determines this is by examining and measuring factors such as the GDP, income and employment levels. As the report states, “a trough in business activity has occurred.” Which simply means that the U.S. Economy has hit the bottom. Going forward, the economy can remain the same, improve, or in fact go into a new recession!

The same report indicates that if for any reason, the economy worsens, it would be signs of a new recession. We all know that our economy is still very weak, and any major shake up can cause us going further down the spiral. We continue hearing of businesses closing down, people loosing jobs, and recent reports of increase in unemployment benefits during the last few months. Not to forget the talks of another wave of mortgage foreclosures, this time on the commercial side of real estate. Which would endanger more banks and cause more economic struggle for us all.

Things are changing drastically around the world we live in. Technology is growing rapidly at record levels. NASA doesn’t have enough time and resources to input all of what we “know” into their database. Wars are continuing almost world-wide. If we consider all the terrorist [or attempted thereof] activity within the borders of the U.S., war is all around us.

Drastic change with all world economies is inevitable. Because of the high level of change experienced in the last decade world-wide, it is probably very difficult to predict long-term futures. But change is good! Fresh ideas have always taken human evolution to the next level. This point in time is no different.

Old economies and ideas are dying, and new ones are taking a lead.

Consider the Publishing Industry, for example. It is almost history. Newspapers, magazines and now finally books are being replaced by the digital age. Both BORDERS and Barnes & Noble are hurting greatly. First it was the digital music that hurt the businesses significantly. Now books are transitioning in the same manner. The demand for a physical book store is gone.

Cable television is finally being challenged by the beloved Internet. The internet itself is currently evolving as well. It seems just yesterday 57K modem was fast and exciting. How about that 1-gigabit per second download speed available in Chattanooga, Tenn. today? It took about 15 years to get here, but will probably be more than doubled in the next five years. That’s how fast our technology is advancing.

As the economy takes a turn of change along with the rest of the world, the emergence of new ideas will assist with the stimulation needed. We are evolving in every which way!

The “Smart Phones” have become an industry of their own. The iPhone was a milestone in its birth. Almost every major manufacturer is producing a mobile phone. Out of the growth of smart phones that continued getting bigger in more ways than one, the tablet market re-emerged. There were some early versions of laptops that had rotating screens, becoming a tablet. But the bulkiness and weight made them inconvenient. The “Tablet” industry seems to have a chance this time around. [Again, due to advancement in technology and its availability.]

Then there is Google! Google seems to want to get into everything that connects us in some way. Perhaps it is their way to demonstrate that we are one. Google has developed an operating system for television sets, which will bring watching television to a new level. Internet is finally fully integrated. Google is not the first company to attempt this, but their financial success and position as an Internet Know-It-All Leader, is allowing them to mainstream it faster than anybody else.

We are witnessing the births of new industries, as we see the old ones go. The economy will have a hick-up. Perhaps this 18-month recession was the hick-up needed to stimulate this change. Now there is a fork in the road and hopefully our “leaders” take us down the path of success. Our economic state is fragile.

Waterford Landing, Hoover, Alabama – Here Comes The Bus

IvanTheGreat — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 01:02:47 +0000

I have had the pleasure to spend the past 14 months living in a rental community [Waterford Landing], in Hoover, Alabama. ”Sweet Home Alabama” they say around here. I still remember the day I was apartment hunting. It was very hot and muggy. Felt worse than Florida, humid, yet dry heat from above. The bay-view windows sold me on this place. I will have a post dedicated on my move [to Alabama] at a later time. Here Comes The Bus.

There is just so much to talk about when it comes to Waterford Landing Apartments, that one post is not enough to run a bus over the management company of this community. But I wish to share some of the most recent experiences.

On Fourth of July, this nation’s Independence Day, residents were having a party in one of the apartments on the third floor [which is the top floor]. At some point throughout the night, 7 people were reported to be hanging out on the balcony. Rumors are that there might have been as many as 9 individuals. At that point, as the story goes, the balcony collapsed, sending everyone to the ground. One dead, two in critical condition, two seriously hurt, one or two with broken bones, and a rumor of two leaving the scene.

What a tragedy! To leave this world due to lack of maintenance of the place one calls Home. This ain’t no Sweet Home Alabama! This is beyond any excuses. The city reports that they approve all new construction, but once a building is certified, it is up to the management company to maintain it, without any checks or balances from the city – until it is too late.

I can also attest to the condition of the stair cases going up and down to the apartments. The majority of the wood used is 15+ years, as old as the buildings. It has never been treated with anything to withstand the elements. Boards are flopping and being held by an average of 10 nails, if not more – but still not enough. An accident waiting to happen? I grasp myself going up and down on daily bases.

Notices were posted on all apartments, approximately two weeks after the incident [on 4th of July], warning residents not to use their balconies due to their hazardous condition. Why the long wait before people were warned? The collapsed structure was blocked off [and still is], with ply wood panels, and surrounded by yellow caution tape. A Hoover PD officer is on duty watching the site 24-hours. That’s gotta cost the local tax payers thousands of dollars. Believe it or not, the posted officer does not deter crime, but that is a separate post.

Approximately three weeks after the 4th of July even, another set of balconies collapse. At a different building within Waterford Landing. Inspections were not even completed. At this point, multiple buildings have lost balconies, one person has died, multiple families scarred for life – and the management company has not done much but give [so far] empty promises.

As of August 28th, almost two months after the tragic event, no work is evident of any kind. A couple of weeks ago I witnessed a crew of three working on the facia of a building, but staying away from the balconies. The management company was quoted in a news story done by local ABC News crew that repairs were going to happen immediately. Does that word [immediately] mean something different besides right away or now, here in Alabama?

A huge lawsuit is under way towards Engel Residential Management company by those directly effected. I expect this could possibly leading to the enactment of ordinances and/or perhaps new laws locally or state-wide. It all depends on how far the lawsuit can go and how deep of packets Engel Residential has.

Pictures to come.

Google TV Promising to Change the Future of Television

IvanTheGreat — Sat, 22 May 2010 22:42:30 +0000

Yesterday, Google officially announced Google TV at its annual conference. Similar to Boxee, it will have a stand alone box, direct connection from a computer, or built into a third party’s hardware such as a Sony Blu-Ray player or Sony TV set. Google TV will be an Android based software. Imagine Google Search for your Television. Only time will tell if Google TV stands a chance in front of the currently monopolized industry by Satellite and Cable providers.

Imagine doing a search right onto your TV for your favorite TV show. Instead of browsing through hundreds of channels on a cable or satellite box, you get the results of all possibilities on a single page, including where to watch instantly on the web. Google TV will be a platform that will be on top of current cable or satellite service. It will allow for the replacement of one’s current Guide and use Google to search via all channels generating a summary.

Google’s Chrome Browser will also be included, and it will be running Flash 10.1. This will provide total web access via a TV set.

Initial release of Google TV will run on Android 2.1. It will not support Android Market until an Over The Air (OTA) update is released in 2011 to a higher Android version. Perhaps at that time they would jump over the Android 2.2 Froyo, currently in beginning release stages, and upgrade to the then latest version [rumored being Android 3.0].

Being that Google TV is Android based, potentially it will run Android applications currently available on the Android Market. Applications that require actual phone hardware will, of course, not work. Playing games on your TV – not a new concept to say the least. Just another way Android market has potential to grow, given that current game selection leaves an unsatisfactory feeling. It’s been a long time rumor that Google was foreseen to enter the Gamers arena. I believe that rumor came about the same time as Apple was rumored to be headed that way, putting both giants head to head with the Xbox 360 and PS3, besides each other.

Three major networks have already developed relationship with Google to provide content. Sony, Logitech and Intel are all partners in the development of Google TV. Dish Network also has involvement, but it’s not clear if they are the box developer or will integrate Google TV with their services [or both].

People of Lava, a Swedish company is currently in production of Scandinavia, a line of TV sets operating on Android 1.5, delivered with a wireless keyboard and mouse, made out of natural materials. It will be able to upgrade to a new Android version and the sets are due to be released later in 2010. The rest of the Google TV products are to be available in time for the holiday shopping season.

Running internet content is nothing new. Many have attempted but not one shining star. Apple TV is limiting although has potential. Apple also has the potential of joining the gaming industry. Boxee is too new and not a main stream open source platform [compared to Android]. Some other similar services such as Plex, are either too advanced for the average user, are underfunded, or do not deliver. It will be interesting to see which way Google TV heads. Either succeed with the Television media, or transform into the Gaming industry.

What are the possibilities that
Google builds a TV set,
operating on Android software
with Motion and Voice recognition,
merging our Television
with our Computer
and our Gaming Console
into one.

Heard it here first!

Calling All Named “Ivan Dimov”

IvanTheGreat — Sat, 22 May 2010 20:25:58 +0000

Recently I had an idea to create a site dedicated to the name Ivan Dimov. I have found a good number of people out there that share this name. I remember going to first through third grade and there was another Ivan Dimov in my class. What if www.IvanDimov.com existed for us to share our history and lives together. Form our own social network aside from all the commercial giants monopolizing our on-line social interaction? I mean what’s next, a merge between Facebook and Second Life? Could you imagine that? but that’s a different story.

Calling all Ivan Dimovs, contact me if you have interest in seeing something like a social www.IvanDimov.com exist. It can have a blog, posts, family trees, history, whatever you (we) decide and want.

Contact me via email or post to my blog below.

Looking forward to any and all ideas and suggestions.

Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull – Volcano Eruption 2010 Video

IvanTheGreat — Tue, 18 May 2010 05:53:28 +0000

This was too beautiful to pass by and not share it with anyone and everyone! Filmed and Produced by Sean Stiegemeier

Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull – May 1st and 2nd, 2010 from Sean Stiegemeier on Vimeo.

Boxee Pay-Per-View and Pay-Per-Premium-Content

IvanTheGreat — Wed, 12 May 2010 02:35:10 +0000

Although Boxee has a few competitors out there, even ones that were developed prior to Boxee was even in the works [such as Plex], Boxee still might have an advantage to the commercial availability and attractiveness, both to consumers and media content providers. Pay-Per-View and subscriptions to premium content has always been on the drawings boards for the Boxee team.

Today, Boxee announced that they have picked Vindicia as a partner to process one-click payments for services offered, be it pay-per-view or premium content from a third party. Vindicia is a billing service provider that allows for integration of various business platforms to accept payments via credit cards, gift cards, and/or PayPal. This will allow Boxee to offer its users the option to subscribe to content or pay-per-view with a simple click of a mouse [or a remote button]. Vindicia currently works with other well-established content providers such as Blizzard, Symantec and Intuit, just to name a few. Boxee will be using Vindicia’s CashBox service.

This step will allow content providers and even main-stream networks to offer content via Boxee and still be able to collect revenue. Perhaps this will give another competition to worry about to all the cable television providers out there. This also will give more freedom to the consumer that lack a selection of providers in their communities.

As long as the Boxee team and their third party content providers do not get greedy, this can be a win-win situation, for both Boxee and the consumers. Free services, Pay-Per-View services, Premium Content services – Boxee [and its content owners] make money, consumers choose what they want to enjoy in their home.

Boxee Revolutionizing [Internet] Television As We Know It

IvanTheGreat — Tue, 11 May 2010 00:55:29 +0000

By now many of us have had the opportunity to experience internet video content on our home television sets via a particular source. Be it an Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Blu-Ray DVD Player, Apple TV, HDTV built-in internet module, or simply connecting our computer via a VGA cable right to our TVs, just to name a few. The Boxee team has now introduced a new, innovative way, to enjoy any internet media content, right on our television sets. Available via a various different connection methods, with more in development, Boxee puts the user in control of what to watch at their [the user's] convenience. It’s your own Media Center with limitless possibilities!

The Boxee Box by D-Link

Instead of having to surf the net via a web browser, and go from site to site, searching for video content, Boxee makes it possible to find it all in one place, using a remote control, from the comfort of your couch. Not only that, but Boxee takes it to the next step by allowing the user to also access all of their media content, not only from a local source, such as a hard drive, media server, or a computer, but also from any other source on-line, such as Picasa and Facebook, where a user has personal content. Simply put, Boxee is an internet media platform for your television set.

The way it works is simple! One simply downloads the Boxee software from www.Boxee.tv onto any computer, and voila, the world wide web is the limit! Of course how the computer is connect to the TV set will defer, and there are a number of options available. This post by Jason Cypret covers the currently available options and their costs. D-Link is currently working on a release of The Boxee Box, which will make it even that much easier and amazing. The Boxee Box will be released sometime in the second half of 2010. The Boxee team is currently in the testing stages of the Boxee Box. Keep in mind that Boxee is still in beta testing, and the Boxee team’s main focus is improving functionality. It can only get better!

The Boxee Home Screen - Providing Access to All Media

The Boxee Music section provides access to all music user has available on their computer. Even media downloaded from iTunes can be accessed via Boxee and enjoyed on a TV screen.

The Boxee Music Screen - Providing Access to Users' Music Files

The TV Show Library is one of my favorite features on Boxee. It allows the user to search for any show ever made. If it is available somewhere on the internet, Boxee will find it and allow user to stream it on their TV. If multiple sources are avaialbe, Boxee will provide a recommendation of which source is better, but offer all options to user. For example, the show Glee can be streamed from Fox or from Hulu.

The Boxee TV Show Library Screen - Providing Access to All TV Shows Available on the Internet

The Boxee Applications give users access to hundreds of media related applications. Have a Facebook account? One can access pictures of their personal and friends’ Facebook pages. Netflix members can also enjoy the instant play option from Netflix, right through Boxee, although currently the quality gets a bit distorted. Of course, not to forget YouTube and Google Videos, both also available as an application on Boxee. These are just to name a few of the hundreds of applications available. Even The Guild, an internet show series about a group of gamers, is available as an application. Need music? We are all familiar with Pandora radio. Boxee allows streaming of Pandora radio right on your TV sets! There are just so many possibilities!

The Boxee platform is open source. This is great because it allows anyone with content to develop their own application and submit it to Boxee for approval. Once approved, that application will become available to all users. This reminds me of the Android market. Look how far that has come in a short period of time. All of this is very exciting to see where the future takes Boxee. I can bet money that it will soon be a topic that many people are discussing.

The Boxee Applications Screen - Providing Access to Hundreds of Applications with Internet Media Content of Some Sort

Another great option available on Boxee is to add any content user surfs upon, while browsing the internet, to their Boxee queue. This is executed by simply allowing Boxee to put a little button right on the browser’s link bar that reads “Add to Boxee,” and whenever media content of interest is found, one simply clicks the button and that content will be found in the Boxee queue. This is useful when one doesn’t want to take that particular moment in time and view the media, but would like to quickly and easily find it at a later time.

MacBook Pro TV Connection

I am very glad to have Boxee available to me. I urge everyone to try it! For those that feel they are not savvy enough to be able to set this up, no worries. It is as simple as it sounds. I used my MacBook Pro and connected a couple of cables, one of video and one for audio. The MacBook Pro requires a Mini Display Port to DVI adaptor, after which I connected a DVI to HDMI cable that runs right to the back of the TV. Then I used a stereo connection kit, which is a cable that plugs into the headphones outlet on the MacBook Pro, while the other end splits into two RCA [left and right] jacks that I plugged right into my stereo receiver. This connection basically expands my desktop to include my television display. It allows for high definition. It also works with gaming, giving me a large monitor to play on. The money invested for this connection was about $95, and well worth it.

Boxee Remote on Android

Need a remote control for your Boxee? Nothing is simpler. Currently both the iPhone and Android Phones have an application that turns that phone into a remote for Boxee. The phone must be connected to the same wi-fi network as the computer running Boxee, in order for it to work. When the Boxee Box is released, a really nice remote control will be available that also has a qwerty key board on the back of it.

As stated earlier, Boxee is still in the beta stages. Even so, it works extremely well. Currently there is no charge for any of the services available on Boxee. With Hulu currently planing a subscription service, things may change in the future. I can see that the quality of media only improves on Boxee in the future. With that said, I would be willing to subscribe to Boxee for a reasonable fee – especially if that includes access to Hulu without an additional subscription. Although, there is nothing like a free service that provides so much. However, all business are there to make profits, and Boxee needs revenue from somewhere [besides the Boxee Box when it is released], in order to keep improving. I will support them with their decisions – unless a better alternative becomes available.