Finding My Way and Voice By Learning and Sharing

A new friend from Japan recently asked what was most important to us about the Internet or the Web.  She thought it might be finding what is newest fast.   As I have continued writing and sharing on Google Plus through my comments and posts, my mind has changed about what is most important for me.  It used to be finding the new and knowing about it fast, but that has changed dramatically as I've built a community of friends.

For me, it is just as important, perhaps more important, to find a community of friends who I am able to grow intellectually and ethically with rather than to find the newest.  I did share the best article I could find yesterday on that big 55 feet in diameter meteorite which exploded over Southern Siberia.  That was new, but it was of twelve of the best videos out there along with some very good commentary and news.  It came from an unusual news source, PC Magazine, but it was a lot of work by the staff there and many people appreciated my sharing.  Often, we share interests in science, current events, history, and man and womens' search for meaning.  We find our voice together and think about how we can make this world and our places in it a better place.  

My emphasis these days is on citizen science projects and distributed computing.  I search for a way to be engaged and participate.   I've been making some posts recently about citizen science projects here.  One very good site is OpenScientist.org  Here is a post that I found particularly useful.     http://www.openscientist.org/p/distributed-computing-project-open-for.html   Personally I am very engaged in Seti@Home and in several disease fighting distributed computing projects and turn my powerful computers and their unused CPU and dedicated graphics processors loose to find new cures and new medications as well as find new molecules that may take advantage of molecular weaknesses in disease bacteria, viruses, and dna/reproduction.    It is very rewarding although being dedicated has a cost in additional electricity.  Right now those big powerful Intel i7 cpu's and Nvidia GTX 550 Ti graphics cards consume about $60 or so per month of extra electricity.  I can afford it and it is well worth it because I have learned a tremendous amount on how to use my computers more effectively and solve sticky issues with conflicts between my OS  Windows 7 and some of Nvidia's software upgrades. 

I think to sum it up, I try to learn effectively; make sense of my place in the world, and try to share what I have learned.    I use it most as a learning, discovery, and sharing tool.  That's what my very best friends on Google Plus as well as on the Internet, and elsewhere do too.  What do you think?

You can find additional posts and comments by me at my Google Plus Blog.  The url is:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/108713721375842222592/posts

Your Example Is A Model For Me My Friend

You've put me in the mind again to learn to accept things as they are at this moment. As you've said, it causes us so much stress to rail against what is rather than to live in the best possible way even with it all. I notice that when I'm calm and accepting of each moment of time, I'm able to observe much better what's going on. I can even listen to my body and relate its condtion to how various treatments are working better or not. Today it seems like I am backing out and away from many doors and closing them behind myself. The many daily ebbs and flows in this struggle make is so hard to see whether we are improving or declining. It's so uncertain and as I watch myself calmly, my minds eye reveals the inner core of our being. Sometimes, there's a lot of fear. For me especially, I don't know how this will end, and I'm afraid. Sometimes, I see that never ending caring and deep concern which you have shown. There's also your humor in the wonderful graphics of children playing and happy animals which you use. Generally these illnesses, as I see them through your writing, make me think that each of us is drawn together through a deep and caring love which has no bounds in time or space. God's eternal face is revealing itself in the constant care and love we show each other.

You know, I struggle with the weakness and pain from my illness. Depression finds us to be easy prey sometimes, doesn't it? Still, just at the right time for me, I watched a wonderful program this weekend about a neurologist living with ALS. I realize that although he has lost all motion, a wonderful new brain wave detection system has enabled him to keep communicating. He is able to read and write journal articles and continue his research with slight eye muscle movements and measures of his brain waves. He lives with a respirator like Stephen Hawking the famous physicist, but he retains that core of hope, love, caring, and the ability to communicate, publish, and do research. When I think of you, I'm amazed at your mental strength and stamina. I think Yes, you are retaining that essential core of being described as Love.

Stay strong and keep reaching out, writing, sending your wonderful message out, and being an excellent example and teacher for so many of us. I think of you and pray for you many times per day. God Bless You, your Husband, and Family. Keep up with those docs and make sure they help you all they can. We have to be hard taskmasters don't we? Ha.... In this time of disillusion many doctors need your example. Many are easily discouraged and need to meet more folks like you with your humor, caring nature, and ability to reach out. You continue to be the best mentor I've ever met. Your Friend Frank from the cold Northland.