barefoot cyborg_
the synergy of humanity and technology
So, I’ve been running a little experiment – pretty much handling all or as much of my communication as possible via Google+, including what would have been going up here.
How has it worked?
Better than I expected, in many ways, and yet, I still need this place as a home base. The busy nature of Google+, which gives me the engagement I seek, also means that things you write tend to disappear quite quickly.
So I suspect I shall keep this as a home base for some time to come – one of several home bases, actually.
Which leads me to my question today – can anyone tell me what is the significance of the title of my blog post, and the image, to the platform on which all of this is running?
And when I say “all”, I mean ALL.
Email your answers to brett DOT legree AT barefootcyborg DOT com and you’ll be entered into a draw for yet another prize – an official Ubuntu CD!
Good luck!
(Or, why you might want to learn more about Linux.)
Can something that is free truly change the world?
Yes it can, and it is happening right now, all around us.
Linux is a free operating system that can be installed on just about any computer – free to download, free to use, free to distribute, free to modify.
You can use it to create products and services that can be sold, and give nothing back in return to the people who created it, in a financial sense – this is one reason why Linux is changing the world.
Whether you realize it or not, you have used Linux, you are using it right now, and you will be using it more going forward – this blog site is hosted on a Linux server, and if you have your own blog, it might be hosted on Linux too.
We are in good company – Google is a heavy user of Linux, from in-house development to huge server farms.
And they are not alone.
Some well-known entertainment companies use Linux, for instance.
Pixar recently released the movie Cars 2 – apparently it took 12,500 processor cores around 11-1/2 hours to render each frame of the movie (!) – and this was done on Linux-powered computers.
Here is the Pixar Renderfarm:
In a similar way, Weta Digital out of New Zealand has been using Ubuntu Linux for many years to create special effects in movies such as Lord of the Rings.
There are more serious applications for Linux, as well – the Large Hadron Collider at CERN uses Linux.
(CERN, incidentally, was the birthplace of the World Wide Web, running on a predecessor to the modern Apple Mac OS X operating system, NeXTSTEP.)
Other companies and countries around the world are or will be using Linux to great effect:
France’s Gendarmerie Nationale adopts Ubuntu Linux
India’s BOSS Linux
China’s Red Flag Linux
Russian Government to transition to Linux by 2015
On a smaller scale, if you use an Android-powered smartphone or tablet, you are running a customized version of Linux - Android, by the way, is under the Google umbrella.
The future will be interesting for computers and technology, and it won’t necessarily be an Intel/AMD and Windows/OS X future…
Expect to see more new computers – especially laptops and netbooks – running Linux on ARM and MIPS processors.
Here is an ARM-based netbook running Ubuntu Linux – the EFIKA MX Smartbook.
This is available right now for $199, direct from the manufacturer. It has a single-core ARM processor that would be fast enough for most online work.
And have a look at this – a MIPS-based laptop that looks a lot like an Apple MacBook Pro, also running Linux:
In spite of being a bit of a clone design-wise, I can really appreciate the internals – the Chinese-designed Loongson Godson 3A MIPS processor is quad-core and runs at 1 GHz, so you could really do a lot with it.
You can expect to see more devices running on Linux – computers, tablets, smartphones, all kinds of digital devices.
Already many of us are using Android-powered smartphones and tablets, and a variety of Chromebooks are just coming out on the market, running a custom version of Linux – Chrome OS – developed by Google.
Due to the free nature of the software, it is even possible to download and install an unofficial version of Chrome OS to make your own Chromebook (I will detail how to do this in a future post).
Remember – just because something is free, doesn’t mean that it isn’t as good or better than what is commercially available.
Linux is a prime example of this, as you can see.
And it is changing the world.
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(The picture at the top? That partially explains where I have been lately – working very hard on some Linux-related projects for one of my businesses – stay tuned.
That is a screenshot of Ubuntu 10.04 LTS running on my Apple PowerBook G4. Ubuntu is, of course, a version of Linux.
Apple will not be supporting the PowerPC architecture used in the older PowerBooks going forward, however, there are other free open source operating systems to fill that gap – including Linux.
So, Linux can also be used to extend the life of an otherwise abandoned platform.
How well does it run?
VERY well.)
Ubuntu is a southern African humanist philosophy focusing on people’s allegiances and relations with each other.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu said:
“Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can’t exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can’t be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality – Ubuntu – you are known for your generosity.
We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole World. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity.”
Interconnectedness – what you do affects the whole world.
Like a circle of friends.
I am fortunate to have a wonderful circle of friends, all of you, here.
And we have the power to help each other, to affect the community around us, to pass on our own good fortunes to others.
As I move forward with my own business plans, I am already thinking about how I will give back to the world – beyond what I will be selling. What can I truly *give* back to the world, to make it a better place?
We are fortunate to be living in this time, because it is so easy for us to connect, and grow.
Amber Case is a “cyborg anthropologist” and she gave an excellent TED talk entitled, “We are all cyborgs now”.
This concept may frighten some people, but I do not believe it should, as I believe it speaks to our interconnectedness.
Just yesterday, I turned back on my way to work, to get my smartphone, which I had left on the kitchen counter – why?
Because I need it to stay connected to all of *you* – my circle of friends – and it is a part of me, that I also use to stay on top of things that are important to me, like technology.
And the image at the top of this page?
That is the official logo of Ubuntu Linux – the circle of friends. Like all versions of Linux, Ubuntu is a community-based effort, and “it is what it is because of who we – the community – all are.” The founder of Ubuntu, Mark Shuttleworth, created the project as a way of passing on his own good fortunes to others.
From the Ubuntu Brand Guidelines:
“We stand for something
We believe that everyone has the right to a high-quality computing experience. And we believe it should be free. Ubuntu is the best operating system in the world. It’s fast, free and safe. More than an operating system, Ubuntu is at the forefront of a world-changing revolution that’s gathering pace every day. A truly collaborative effort with freedom at its heart, Ubuntu is the result of a growing community working together to produce something extraordinary.”
And so, this is one of the reasons why I run Ubuntu on my computers at home – I feel a sense of interconnectedness with it that I do not feel when I run other operating systems such as Windows or OS X.
It gives me freedom to do what I want with it – and I have the power to make changes to it, and give those changes back to the community around me.
I can use it, freely, to power computers that I build and sell, and my plan is to give back some of that to the world, freely, to enable the community around me.
Looking forward, I will talk about why you might consider learning more about Linux yourself – whether you are ready or not, Linux is coming, and it is rapidly changing the world!
I will also go into more depth as to why and how I use Ubuntu*, and how you can try it yourself, if you are interested.
(With a tip of my hat to Steve Jobs)
Bonus points (and a prize!) to the person who can figure out why I posted at this specific time today.
(Please submit your answers within 24 hours of the timestamp on the post – a random selection process will be used in the event that I receive multiple correct answers. Email your answers to brett.legree AT barefootcyborg DOT com – good luck!)
This is the beginning of what will be a monthly giveaway – the start of my plan to enable the community around me.
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*I could run any version of Linux or BSD, or anything else that I choose for that matter, yet I run Ubuntu – I will explain why in a future post.
In the words of the Comic Book Guy…
I just figured I’d share this little piece of magic with you – Vibram FiveFingers, also linked in my sidebar as something really important to me.
Best. Shoes. Evar…
…for walking, if you have to wear something on your feet (but nothing beats totally bare!!!)
…for driving, because you get ultimate feedback from the clutch.
…for wearing to the local drive-through coffee shop on long weekends, because the travellers give you funny looks and ask you if they are for medical reasons!
I’m serious about that last one – a lady at Tim Hortons once asked me, “Are those for medical reasons, like, did you have burns on your feet or something?”
I’ll write a longer post in the near future which discusses how to get into barefoot walking, hiking or running, if that is something that might interest you.
For now, I just wanted to write a quick and dirty post to prove that I could keep it under 200 words!
…or, “Writing in the Age of Distraction, Revisited”.
I was revisiting some of my writing habits, and I thought I would share this.
A 20-minute writing habit (or exercise, or brainstorming, or whatever) is often all it takes.
Twenty minutes every day can and do make all the difference.
Cory Doctorow’s article in Locus Magazine talks about how he sets a daily goal to write just a page or two – every day – and that just a page a day gets him more than a novel a year.
He says, and he is correct, that there’s always 20 minutes to be found in a day, no matter what else is going on, and that the secret is to do it every day, weekends included, to keep the momentum going.
Revisiting this article gave me a big barefoot boot in the posterior to get going on my own writing projects, because I know for a fact that this works.
Combine this “20 minutes a day, every day” concept with a distraction-free writing application such as WriteRoom, Dark Room or Q10 and you really could write a book a year in 20 minutes, if that is your thing. There are many other such applications – I will cover my favourites in an upcoming post.
It has worked in other areas of my life as well – for instance, I have not missed a single day of exercise in over 18 months. No matter what – vacation, travel for business, illness – I have done something.
Think about it.
Twenty minutes a day, every day.
Let us call it 20/365.
That’s about 15 eight-hour workdays, over the course of a year.
People say, “but I am so busy, I don’t have time to exercise/write/brainstorm/start a business/take up a new hobby”.
Bulldust.
We all have the same amount of time (well, until we die, anyway) – and guess what?
I work full time, I have a lovely wife, and four wonderful children aged 10 and 7, 7 & 7 – yes, triplets.
So…
If I can exercise every day, if I can start up not one but two (could argue three) businesses, make my own lunch every day since January 2010 (and a good lunch at that – grilled steak and salad, for instance), if I can start blogging again…
…if I could find the time to draft this post, after invoicing a client for the sale of two computers, and before doing my morning exercises, making breakfast for the children, showering, shaving, getting dressed for work (in a pressed shirt and pants, a tie, shiny black shoes), making my lunch, delivering the computers to the client on my way to work…
…and all with a big smile on my face…
Don’t tell me you “don’t have time”!
Bulldust.
You must choose to make the time for what is important to you.
According to research conducted by Nielsen in 2009, the average American watched about 153 hours of television a month.
Five hours a day…
If you are not exercising/writing/whatever and are instead watching 5 hours of television a day, then that says a lot about what is important to you.
Where do you find 20 minutes?
How about watching only 4 hours of television a day instead of 5, or writing the next bestselling novel during the commercials? Or planning your viewing, and using a PVR? Or spending less time on Facebook?
Of course, everyone is different and so each person has to find what works best for her.
First thing in the morning works best for me, but I can work “anywhen”. I like to call it “anywhen” because I have set myself up so I can work, play or exercise anywhere, any time – anywhen! I have chosen tools and methods that allow me to do that.
How can you start a new habit and make it stick?
You could use Jerry Seinfeld’s Don’t Break The Chain method – I have used this for a few years and it is a very powerful motivator.
Everyone can see when you’ve missed a day…
I also use the Pomodoro Technique, to work and rest in set intervals. It really helps me to focus on my work, since my mind would otherwise be constantly generating all kinds of crazy and magical uses for technology!
And if it is a writing habit, how can you really make it work for you?
Try a combination of these things – I use Don’t Break The Chain, Pomodoro and various distraction-free writing programs very effectively.
Now go.
Find the 20 minutes.
Find the 20 minutes every day, and do something that really matters to you.
20/365.
You know you can and will.
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Putting my money where my mouth is.
What have I done with my 20 minutes?
Well, I started with 20 minutes first thing in the morning – I restarted my writing habit, as I have a few important projects.
First, this blog you see before you.
Second, an ebook which will not take long to write at all, perhaps a week of 20 minute sessions, and could make me some money – a fair return on a minimal investment, wouldn’t you say?
Third, a memoir that will once again go out in ebook format – this is a long-term project, the timeline will span about one year, and it will be interesting, I promise. To be written 20 minutes at a time.
Finally, walking.
I was walking daily, then stopped in January but replaced it with Tabata Intervals. It was just too cold!
(Hey, at least I replaced it with something.)
But now that the weather is warm again, I have restarted my walking habit, and not even for 20 minutes.
It clears my mind, and helps me think.
Just 10 minutes, barefoot on the pavement, around the block, while my tea is steeping, and then right into 20 minutes of writing.
20/365.
Too easy.
“Hello world!
Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!”
No one ever leaves the Hello world! post intact, or edits it – so I thought I would.
I used to blog at 6 Weeks, but don’t bother searching, as it redirects here now.
I learned a great deal about blogging there, and I met a lot of amazing people who have helped me more than they will ever know. Most importantly, I learned a lot about myself.
Hugh MacLeod said that, and he probably has no idea how much it means to me, for that’s what 6 Weeks was all about for me, and this blog you see before you is the end result of that.
I finally remembered who I was – who I am, in fact, and who I choose to become.
I’m not quite sure when it happened, but one day a few years back, I forgot who I was. I have no one to blame but myself, because in my efforts to keep everyone else in my life happy, I forgot about keeping myself happy.
This was a problem, because if you’re not happy yourself, how are you supposed to help other people?
I started to remember who I was in New Zealand, on Waiheke Island, in 2007, and I started blogging at 6 Weeks in 2008.
And through the interactions I had with people at 6 Weeks, it all came together over a period of about two years.
“I am what I am because of who we all are.”
This is a loose translation of the African philosophy of Ubuntu, which focuses on people’s allegiances and relations with each other. The word has its origin in the Bantu languages of southern Africa.
Nelson Mandela said, “Ubuntu does not mean that people should not enrich themselves. The question therefore is: Are you going to do so in order to enable the community around you to be able to improve?”
Ubuntu is also the name taken by one of the most popular Linux operating systems in the world, and it is based on this concept of sharing – free, open source software developed by individuals to be enjoyed by all. I use it on a daily basis and it is very good. The Ubuntu project was started by a man named Mark Shuttleworth, who hails from South Africa.
Mark Shuttleworth became a billionaire partly because he was able to use free, open source software like Linux. It is a good example of the spirit of Ubuntu – he is what he is because of who we – the developers and users of Linux – all are.
And so, he decided to sponsor Ubuntu with his own money, to give something back to the community in return – to enable it to improve. I shall do the same.
Incidentally, my wife is also from South Africa, meaning my family has roots in southern Africa, and in the spirit of Ubuntu.
A friend of mine recently commented that on 6 Weeks, I was just “spending time”, whereas she could see from my ideas for this blog and my businesses that I am now “living time”, and she was right.
Sed fugit interea fugit irreparabile tempus, singula dum capti circumvectamur amore…
But meanwhile it flees: time flees irretrievably, while we wander around, prisoners of our love of detail.
Time to stop wandering around…
What to do then…
…rebuild.
With help from another good friend, I rebuilt myself.
I had the technology.
I switched to a Paleo lifestyle based on Primal Blueprint, lost about 80 pounds, brought my blood pressure down to better than average, and normalized my blood chemistry.
In July 2010, I shut down 6 Weeks. I moved to a new position with a great organization and a wonderful group of people, and I incorporated a technical communications consulting company that services the nuclear industry. I am in the midst of starting up two other companies as well, a cyber security consulting company and a bespoke computer manufacturing company.
I was and am feeling confident that I can and will do anything I put my mind to doing.
It is now time for a new blog, one that shows all facets of my life and interests, and this is what you see before you.
There will be no script.
Writing in the rawest form. A work in progress, just like my life – just like all of our lives, unscripted.
Things will change here on a daily basis, including this first post. The documents I write at work and in my consulting are “live documents”, so why should blogging be any different? Why should posts be static?
No polish, lots of rough edges, failures and successes, no apologies – just like life.
No limits.
I am living time.
I decided to use a minimalist theme that resembles a computer terminal, one that hooks into the “Cyborg” part of my life, the hacker in me.
It mimics my chosen writing environment – I use a variety of minimalist, full-screen text editors, which give a back-to-basics, organic feel to the writing process, kind of like standing on the grass in front of my house at 3 am, waiting for my mate to steep.
The “Barefoot” part of my life.
The stripped down nature puts the words front and centre, which is exactly what I desire.
This is, and always has been, about the words.
The words, and the people.
Things worth fighting for.
I am what I am because of who we all are.
