The heat of August is killing me.
Our Host, August
Tag Archives: Time
Day 140: When the Apex Fell
Still feeling the dinosaur vibe. Love the idea of making a collection of dinosaur poetry. We’ll see if that happens.
Thinking about the power of those creatures and how different the world was to sustain them. We used to have so much oxygen on the planet that it would actually kill us if we tried to breathe it. It allowed for wildly different growth. Consider dragon flies large enough to swoop by and snap your head off. And then the things that ate them. And the things that are them…just what was it like at the top of that particular food chain?
When the Alex Fell
Day 135: Purpose Driven Engine Two Point Oh
Got to thinking during my quiet time this morning about something my bride said to me about the way I have focused on becoming a writer. I am purpose driven. This year more so than any other time in my life. That said, I’ve been sluggish lately, especially in a creative capacity.
Good changes are in progress and I need to take advantage of the opportunities they are affording me. To do so I am going back to basics. Today I am returning the the goals that I set for myself this year. I am re-examining my processes and the balance in my life.
Purpose Driven Engine Two Point Oh
Day 134; Salty Dog
My bride and I got up early this morning and drove to one of the more secluded stretches of beach with our dog to watch the sunrise. It’s hard to say which of the three of us enjoyed the experience more.
Salty Dog
Day 133: Systems Within Systems
Before we get to today’s poem, please forgive me for a bit of a rant.
I had a conversation the other day with a very intelligent individual who firmly believes that we are about to destroy our planet and that the only solution is an immediate curb to our population growth. One child per household. Because that worked so well for China.
I do not disagree with him on the fact that our planet is on the verge of a massive system collapse. We have massive, and massively intricate, interlocking ecosystems that we have been steadily breaking down with delayed, exponentially increasing consequences. The planet is going to change soon. Dramatically. So will we.
His argument hinges upon the idea that our rate of consumption of resources and energy is fixed. That we will only have the means to correct that by not being so crowded for resources, especially when the crash happens.
My response is this: more people equals more solutions.
There’s a perceived flaw in this reasoning which is that we are waiting for geniuses to come along and solve our problems. Genius doesn’t work like that.
I stand by my argument. More people equals more solutions. The answer lies not in our ability to control our baser urges but in our ability to innovate.
NASA is currently experimenting with biomining in space–that is using bacteria to mine asteroids. The military has developed an artificial brain called SENTIENT capable of writing new software. 3D printing has reached the point where it can work with organic compounds and the techniques used are not nearly so wasteful as our typical methods of construction. Artificial Intelligences are being developed to act as expressions of ourselves. Children are growing up immersed in electronics. Forms of education we thought hyper-advanced 20-30 years ago are now common place.
As our population has exponentially grown over the last hundred off years, so has our technology. So has our ability to innovate. We are not increasing our population to wait for a handful of outliers. What we are doing is working to raise the overall standard.
Things are going to change. It’s inevitable. Some of it will probably be bad. Call me an optimist, but I think that more of it’s going to be good.
Systems Within Systems
Day 132: Living Water
Exciting transitions in my life. Reminders that the struggle of life, the constant fight against entropy, is a gift.
Living Water
Day 131: Burning Race
Big changes are occurring in my life. A few frustrating ones. Far more good ones. Hitting goals, adjusting goals, and learning the ebb and flow of this new life I have chosen to live. One of the biggest and most difficult of these lessons has been that success can be disorienting and that’s when it’s most important to get your feet under you and push forward.
Burning Race
Day 127: To Be Diurnal
Today’s poem brought to you by the combination of an early morning with the inspiration of a blank page next to yesterday’s poem. The symmetry simply appealed to my muse.
To Be Diurnal
Day 126: To Be Nocturnal
And we’re back to our regularly scheduled poetry!
My part time job as of late has had me staying up later than I’m used to and as a result sleeping in later than I would like to compensate. It’s a trade, as so many things are. Worthwhile so long as it’s in the pursuit of turning a dream into reality.
To Be Nocturnal
Day 124 & Day 125: Stranger’s Embrace, Winding Roads
Today and yesterday’s poems! I figured another two-fer would be better than a three-fer.
Stranger‘s Embrace
Winding Roads
The Everyday Poet 