empower thyself

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Alex Peak was driving through my state recently when he stopped for food and some wifi. After asking him a question on Instant Messenger we came to the realization we were in the same state and not far apart. We met at a bookstore and talked about all sorts of awesome things. Music creation, the Empowerment iPhone app, ideas for the site. All in all a great impromptu meeting

Hello there, dear reader.

 

There are many pages of the empowerment book that need attention.  You can, of course, comment or post without having a doctorate.  Remember, we are trying to create materials for YOU too, and that means you are already a fine peer commentor on social topics.  If you feel that you have a comment on a page that is posted here, or even information that could be included, feel free to click the 'edit' tab and add information or leave a comment of data for someone to try and incorperate later.  Remember, the empowerment book only prints out pages and not comments, so it's just fine to brainstorm in the comments!

 

Please, post articles that should be added somewhere into the book or articles that should be made / improved.  There is nothing wrong with a space saver post, folks!  If you post such a thing here, it's like a community to-do list!

Empower thyself is an idea that should have come a long time ago:

Simply put, I feel it's the ultimate education/exchange of ideas you can get online for free.

People bring the knowledge they have to the table, and whether they have something or not, they leave with new skills/beliefs.

 

So get off your ass, and pump the knowledge you have in. You'll be surprised what you get out of it.

I'm really into developing community that gets away from the usual lifestyles.  This includes all the corporate dependence that can be trashed.

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Dogmatism
Through some twist of fate, western society has come to regard dogmatic faith as a virtue. To hold an idea as true despite all evidence to the contrary is an abdication of reason. Convictions are the end of knowledge, not the beginning; they are the enemy of truth more than lies.

Apathy
There can be no logical argument against apathy. If you don't care about anything then that is pretty much the end of the story. If you don't care about leading a meaningless life, then surely apathy is the key.

Hypocrisy
Our beliefs are expressed through our behaviour, most explicitly through speech acts (e.g. "It's going to rain tomorrow."), but they also underlay every action we commit. When our actions reflect inconsistent beliefs we are guilty of hypocrisy. Although unavoidable to some extent (there is simply not enough time to consciously check each action and its consequences against every belief before executing it), every effort should be made to avoid major inconsistencies because they undermine our values, goals and plans. Often hypocrisy goes unnoticed because the connections between beliefs and actions are subtle. How many of us would denounce animal testing yet at the same time not think twice about taking medicine? That is why we must constantly examine and re-evaluate our behaviour and the beliefs it reflects.

Just a quick entry to let folk know what's going on, and why I've dropped off messengers and forums a lot.

 

About a month and a half ago I agreed to strip off some wallpaper for my mum. That turned into a major tear-down and rebuild of the rear of the house as one thing revealed the next. It's covered every construction base now; brickwork, woodwork, plumbing, wiring, insulation..

The walls are finally going back up. This makes me happy as it coincides nicely with the other thing I've been working towards.

As of tommorow, I will be legally registered as self-employed.

I'm going to be somewhere between artist, engineer and scrap dealer. My insurance only covers trading in the UK at the momment, but I'm aiming primarily to build custom creations to order. That's animatronics, reproduction props, small electromechanical devices, or bits other folk just plain can't be bothered to make. They'll be art/sculpture items along the way too, as well as salvage resale. And of course runs of standard items, starting with some simple novelty headbands and hopefully progressing to getting my Ultimate Lighter design into manufacture. Possibly even some boots. (this edges close to the wild fantasy of Wog/Ranger designed equipment)

Website should be up soon, but for full impact I need to get on with the photoshoots to show what I can do. I can't see any lead-time for conventions covering February so that'll be a salvage and standard stock month. It'll give me time to knock out more demo items. I think a replica of the Portal gun would be a nice one to try.

 

Whatever may come, I think everyone has to try this once. 

So, just got to wondering. What do we do to start with? The website is still being worked on, and we're all providing input and ideas. But not all of us know Drupal or know what to do now we're here and don't feel able to contribute to the structure of the site itself.

Where do we begin? We don't have official guides up yet, not all of us have effective management of their time, and a lot of cludge in our lives. What do we do first to start improving our lives? Because we need to do that before we can help improve other peoples too.

I don't want to get into specifics, like "kife A is better than knife B", but just get folks opinions on what are good life improvement things.

My own:

Get yourself a USB pen-drive.

Keep your essential backup docs on it, and load it up with (at least) a copy of FireFox Portable (from: http://portableapps.com/ ), installed with your bookmarks. I actually have 5x1Gb USB keys, each installed with a different selection of software.

Get your net access streamlined.

Software:

Firefox is good for this, as you can install a selection of ad-ons to help you. The most usefull ones I use are the Brief RSS reader, which is very simple and smooth, and Update Scanner, which watches non-feed enabled websites for changes.

While I use a seperate FTP program, I've also got the FireFTP plugin as it makes accessing FTP sites online a lot easier. I also use Resurrect Pages, which is awesome for finding the cached pages when origionals are down. And Mr Uptime will let you know when the origional page is back up.

SpiderZilla allows downloading of whole websites/remote directories. Advanced Dork allows right-click access to some of Googles more advanced search features. Both excellent for research, especially if information is liable to be removed later. TableTools allows sorting of table information in web-pages, which again is useful for making sense of raw data.

NoScript, FlashBlock and Adblock are almost essentials now just for navigating with security and without distraction.

PDF Download and Link Alert are both usefull features, to prevent your browser jamming up while plugins load. Download Statusbar and FoxyTunes allow control of your downloads and music without changing windows.

Download managers are getting less usefull as access to high bandwidth increases. I however use Free Download Manager for the few times I still have to download massive single files directly (such as from archive.org's public domain video section). I'm sure there are better solutions for this one however. This is one of the stop-gap solutions that has remained in place, and I would like to source a more embedded system. I will be trying DownThemAll! shortly to see if it fares better.

Installing the dictionary file for your language is very helpfull for keeping your spelling in check, and Usage Counter for keeping your uptime in check. I also use the Skype Extension (which links any phone numbers found directly to Skype), which makes calling people faster and cheaper.

Proceedure:

If you collect vast backlogs of saved links, use a piece of link-varification software to hunt out dead links in your bookmarks. I've found AM-DeadLink works well, though be sure to double-check the links before deleting them. Temporarily unavailable can show up as a dead link, for example. Every couple of months is usually ample between sweeps.

More imediatly, the Sean Kennedy method of creating a "Daily Checks" folder is of great help. I place mine on my bookmarks toolbar for instant access. Weekly checks also seem like a good idea, but tend to fall out of use quickly. Add those to your update watcher instead. Items that only need to be checked on certain days (such as webcomics, if you read them) can be dedicated into other sequence folders such as the Mon-Wed-Fri folder.

FireFox's "open all in tabs" function is very usefull here. Keep all single pages you check daily in one folder. Sites that require more than one tab each should be opened one by one as they require more concentration (such as forums).

Entering into communications terratory, the website 43 Folders has a great amount of information on the concept of "Inbox Zero". Brutal email management so that you never end up with a piled up inbox again, and keep on top of your correspondance. There's also a video on the subject.

Make an ablutions kit

This simple thing is one of the most usefull things I've done. An ablutions kit is a fancy name for a wash-bag.

Many camping stores stock these in the form of fabric rolls with pockets and a hook. The idea being it is stored rolled up, then unrolled and hung wherever for use. They often have a mirror sewn in.

A minimal washbag should include a toothbrush and a washcloth. Then toothpaste and soap.

The purpose is to stay clean and tidy, and having this pre-packed and seperate from your domestic wash gear is important. It's ready to go. You pick up the one wash bag and you're entirely sorted for personal hygene. It could easily be included as part of an AWOL bag setup, but mostly this makes traveling for any reason at all just that bit more stress-free.

Mine contains:

• Small toothpaste
• Toothbrush
• Flannel/washcloth
• Small bar of soap (inside small tupperware, to prevent wet soap contaminating other items)
• Nail clippers
• Nail file
• Foot powder in origional container
• Shaving soap
• Shaving brush
• Razor with spare blades
• Comb
• Folding clothes brush
• Shampoo decanted into small handcream bottle

It's worth noting that I specify that the foot powder is in it's origional container. While taking a smaller amount in a different container would take up less space, carrying white powder in small containers hidden in luggage is something of a travel no-no these days. Wether you have foot problems or not, foot powder stops moisture and fungal buildup. It means shoes and socks will last longer, and your feet won't stink.

Use of shaving soap and brush is preferable as canned shaving foam may not respond well to the changes in air-pressure associated with air travel. It also lasts longer, and is less prone to puncture.

Use the same razor you do at home, but if one runs out of blades, buy more. Do not tap into the new blades for the other one. This is setting yourself up to find yourself without when you need it.

Some people will probably sugest getting a travel towel as well, but I've found you can do well with just a flannel. A large towel will require a large drying time. I find wringing out the flannel and wiping down with it first removes almost all the moisture. This means either a towel or second unused flannel can be used to get rid of remaining surface moisture if need be.

Get yourself some hardy clothes

Wether you think you'll be using these all the time or not, there's allways something rough needs doing in life. For camping or scavenging, you know you'll use it. But even as a businessman you'll be glad of a set of combats or solid jeans when you have to go rummaging in your attic or doing the garden.

Make backups

If you haven't already, and on the same vein as the USB keys, make sure your essential data is backed up.

Get shoes

For exercise, day to day, and for show.

Learn triage

Similar to Inbox Zero, bite the bullet and be realistic. What of all those things weighing you down with "one day I'll get around to it" are you actually going to do? What things won't you miss? What belongings can you convert into more universal resources (EG: money, favours)? Spring-clean your life.

Clean your living area

You'll feel better for it.

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What else might people suggest as good things to start building ourselves upward? To get us set up on the proverbial starting blocks?

 

I believe things which call me to action, which require me to act. I do not know exactly how to proceed, but I do know I must do something. I must seek the information and skills and tools that will aid me in creating change. I must empower myself. And so I shall. And so should you.

My first blog entry here. And I've had another idea.

See, I scavenge. I find usefull items a lot. Afterall, when was the last time you saw someone throw something away because it was actually broken?

I'm in a perpetual state of "let me know if you need anything" and I'll keep my eye out for it. It may take a little while, but I can usually find something to help a situation. I'm a bit like a one-man Freecycle.

The last thing I was providing a friend of mine with a folding bicycle. It's an old one, but it gives her transport and it'll fit in the lifts at her apartment block. So it won't get stolen, and she now has transport that'll help her find work.

I put some of my own money and time into it, in buying new parts, but the major componant was salvaged.

Now while not everyone may go about it in the same way (IE: through reclaimation), a lot of folk here are here for the idea of creating community and making the world a better place. And this is through self empowerment. Learning skills, techniques and information to make sure you have the edge to persue these agendas.

While it's probably too early in the project to impliment, I propose something for further down the line. Once there's a core of self-empowered and self-supporting members with a surplus of time and resources.

"Life Support"

Simply put, almost a mentoring system. You find someone who wants to improve their lives. You vet them to be sure your efforts won't be wasted, then start working with them to pull their life together. Wether through materials you've gained access to, your own knowledge, fundraising or the like, you take on the role of supporting someone elses growth until they can stand on their own again.

This could be done to individuals (either one-on-one, or multiple persons helping someone) or organisations.

 

The more I type this, the more I feel Alex has talked about ideas like this for the future, but I don't think it had a name. Please correct me if I'm wrong. It's been hella busy over here recently. And if anyone wants a first-hand opinion of removing asbestos yourself: It's a right pain in the arse.

Got an update for anyone interested!

 

There are two new, and properly mixed episodes of my sites netcast. Episodes 7 & 8 of r4nger5 radio are available for download from my site, Here

 

And I recently did a new surveillance protest video whaic h is on you tube Here

 

I'm pleased with the video, which uses music from a friends band - if you want to hear more from them, check out their myspace page here 

 

Let me know what you guys think - I'd really appreciate  some feedback from empowered people.

 

V 

I believe in empowerment and I coined the phrase "empower thyself" to embody the philosophy of self-empowerment I'd like to spread far and wide starting with myself.

Good morning... or evening, depending on your personal sleeping pattern.  I'd just like to say hello and thanks for introducing me to your idea. 

 

I've been at odds with how the world is for some time and have done what I can and learned more about what I can do in order to make as much of a positive impact upon the world as I can.

 

I am up tonight because I've spent the evening 'interfacing' with my friends on many subjects.  I say interfacing because, in tandum with the ideals of this website, there was a strong back and forth and interchange of ideas, discussion of values and the personal experiences that formed our beliefs...  all with the intent of bringing each other into a higher level of understanding (even if just philosophically) of ourselves and the world around us.

 

So, high on enlightenment and discovery of new ways of thinking, I couldn't but help but be drawn here to come learn more about Empower Thyself... the idea that IS the direction we are all going...  and the net is the place it's going to happen.

 

I gleefully join the ranks of the Empower Thyself team and look forward to what there is to be done.  Let's do this shit!

 

 

For now, I must attend to matters of a financial nature...  client work awaits. 

 

Thanks for creating a place like this Alex.  It was great meeting you, however briefly, at BarCamp Diego last weekend.   

 

-s