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How to Travel Back in Time

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The ability to travel back in time has been portrayed in popular culture for decades as something that would be done a-top a “splendid machine.” Take, for instance, “The Time Machine” back from 2002 and you will see an attempt to portray this idea, that technology will physically take us from the past to the future.

It is not through the use of a transportation technology that we will be able to experience time travel. Infact, it is through creative technology that we are already able to travel back or forward through time. Media, such as your Facebook profile picture, is a premature stage of the ability to re-experience another moment.

As we already know, there is only a series of “nows” that make up reality as the future and the past are illusions. If this is true then time travel is, in a sense of movement, impossible. Therefore we must recreate the moments of the past or create the possibilities of the future with media-like technology. Today, we might call this “virtual reality” but, according to your senses, it would be called “reality”. This is a world of such realism that you cannot but help but get lost.

Now, this is not a new idea and has been tossed around in popular culture entertainment for decades. 16 years ago, in 1995 (!) Nintendo released Virtual Boy and introduced me to the world of “3D” quite abruptly. Here is what I saw on my Saturday morning cartoons.

The modern pretext for how to travel back in time is to recreate it using “Virtual Reality”, something that hasn’t really changed much in 16 years. The only thing that has become more clear is the degree to which reality can be reproduced and with what amount of ease can it be done with. To demonstrate this, scroll the video below to 4:15 and you will get a much more elegant take on what I am trying to express.

In this moment, through the power of YouTube and many other online utilities, we are able to transport ourselves back through time in a limited fashion on demand. Videos, photos, text and audio are all pieces of an increasing body of representations of ourselves. We are essentially taking the idea of a time capsule to the next logical step. Now we don’t have to dig up our forgotten memories, they can be recalled on a whim in Technicolor and stereo sound.

While our creative and commonsense understanding of what media can do has expanded, there are things that can’t be fathomed today that will be true in tomorrow, but remember that is an illusion.


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A Life With Razzle Dazzle – video diary with MarchFourth on the road – Ep. 1 The New Banner

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Trail Mix: A Life With Razzle Dazzle – Ep 1 – “The New Banner”

from Diggable Monkey on Vimeo.

PROP and Diggable Monkey Productions on the “March Madness” tour with MarchFourth Marching Band giving you a behind the scenes glimpse of the artistry, craftsmanship and daily chores the band takes on.

March 9, 2011 — A Life With Razzle Dazzle – Video diary with MarchFourth from the road. Faith works on a replacement banner for the upcoming LA show.

Groovy tunes by Lucky Brown
Cover photo by Gogo Bambino

More info on M4:
marchfourthmarchingband.com

Diggable Monkey Productions
diggablemonkey.com

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A Life With Razzle Dazzle – video diary with MarchFourth on the road – Ep. 2 Teamwork

A Life With Razzle Dazzle – video diary with MarchFourth on the road – Ep. 3 Uh Oh!

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Trail Mix: A Life With Razzle Dazzle Ep 3 – “Uh Oh!”

from Diggable Monkey on Vimeo.

March 12, 2011 — A Life With Razzle Dazzle – Video diary with MarchFourth from the road. A traditional pit stop at the In and Out Burger in Casa Grande, AZ leads to a bus meltdown. Watch the kids spring into action to make it to the gig in Tempe, 45 miles away…

Groovy tunes by Lucky Brown
Cover photo by Gogo Bambino

More info on M4:
marchfourthmarchingband.com

Diggable Monkey Productions
diggablemonkey.com

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Trail Mix: A Life With Razzle Dazzle – Ep. 4 “Panini Tetris”

Trail Mix: A Life With Razzle Dazzle – Ep. 5 “Earth Ship Livin”

Trail Mix: A Life With Razzle Dazzle – Ep 6 “Texas Invasion”

Trail Mix: A Life With Razzle Dazzle – Ep 7 “Austin @ SXSW”


Put The Cell Phone Down For A Second – The Game

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A new friend recently informed me of this game he’s creating meant to get us back to human connection. Here’s the gist and a link to the game pieces…albertideation.com/game

 

 

More details to come!

 

Humans and bunnies are by nature social beings.  Our society is continuing to evolve in ways that isolate us from one another. A recent barrier is mobile devices. As convenient and entertaining as they are – they also tend to divide us – especially in public places. I am creating this game to encourage socializing. The game helps us remember who we are and introduces us to other humans sharing the commons with us. The possibilities of where the game could take players is endless. When we are present and interacting with our surroundings we are open to life’s offerings. Please join me in both playing the game, downloading future game pieces, and creating your own. Thanks for playing and taking one step today to break down the isolation that’s building in our society.

This game should also increase our presence and availability to offers that are available around us

Here are some common ways one can “get points” in this game:

1. putting bike on bus
2. silencing cellphone
3. unplugging from music
4. talking to someone – INITIATING A CONVERSATION (start anyway you can, work towards deeper topics – “what inspires you lately” is a good one
5. group conversation
5.1 giving directions (transit, foot, bike, etc.) to a fellow passenger
6. group song – big points :)
7. playing an instrument
8. interacting with bus driver (if welcomed)
8.5 Thanking your bus driver on your way out the back exit (Michael Andersen)
9. giving up your seat for a disabled or elderly person, pregnant woman
10. giving someone your biz card
11. Offering a section of your newspaper, or a completed magazine, to a seatmate
12. Helping a fellow passenger deal with someone who is being difficult
13. Picking your bag off the seat besides you, or moving to the window, when the last empty row fills up in the bus

By taking a form of transit, or walking, taking your bicycle, you’re doing a lot to help – reducing ecological footprint, financially supporting transit system, reducing traffic congestion, possibly making a better health choice (walking/biking/skate-boarding)

Look for other players with this (TBD) logo for people who like to connect.

Happy Year of the Rabbit!

Sincerely,

Gamemaster: Albert Kaufman –  albertideation.com/game

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Trail Mix: A Life With Razzle Dazzle – Ep. 8 “SloMo Austin Redux”

From Reaction To Intentionality – A Story From The Gulf

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Back in February we attended the clean energy forum hosted by Focus The Nation at the University of Portland, where we got a hold of a bunch of literature related to “transforming our energy future.”  Included was a pamphlet from the Northwest Earth Institute (NWEI), a national leader in the development of innovative programs that empower individuals and organizations to transform culture toward a sustainable and enriching future.  NWEI is excited to introduce their newest discussion guide: Just Below the Surface: Perspectives on the Gulf Coast Oil Spill.

Just Below the Surface is a one session discussion guide that explores the connections between Deepwater Horizon, energy policies and our lifestyles. The course offers an opportunity to reflect further on this historical event and the lessons it holds for us moving forward—individually and collectively. The intent is not to assign blame, but rather to take responsibility—as conscious consumers and concerned, active citizens.

Here is an article that we wanted to share written by Anna Berardi titled:

 

From Reaction To Intentionality

by Anna Berardi


 

All humans are hard-wired to respond to danger.  When we sense a threat to our safety, we instantly know whether to defend ourselves (fight), run because if we don’t, we won’t survive (flight), or play dead because we’re probably done no matter what (freeze).   The beauty of our built-in sensors is that they are highly efficient when an immediate danger is upon us.  The downside is that our stress-response system is reactionary and cannot discern when a more intentional choice is needed, as in the case or the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster.

These responses were evident in the stories I heard from the Gulf Coast residents I met last summer.  As a psychotherapist trained in trauma response, I was most interested in learning how this most recent disaster impacted those most socially and emotionally vulnerable, particularly the working-class communities reliant on local industries of fishing, oil, or tourism.  These communities live at the center of the impact zone and cannot flee from the problem, and will respond differently than their more advantaged neighbors.  Two coastal residents I met, Luke and Gus, illustrate differing, yet typical, stress-responses of local residents, and to a certain degree, the emotional responses of those watching the events unfold from a distance.

Luke, a life-long resident of the Gulf Coast community, takes great pride in personally knowing hundreds of families impacted by the spill. Like many Gulf Coast residents, his livelihood is dependent upon the oil industry.  Luke subcontracts with BP, processing the lost wage claims due to the oil spill.  He expressed a genuine compassion for those hardest hit by the spill and patriotic determination to ensure that “America fights to the death” to protect its access to oil, whether in local waters or abroad.  “Outsiders” and anyone who disagreed with this belief were suspect.  Luke’s response to the disaster was to deny key parts of the story: that our dependence on fossil fuels is undermining the environment, health, and security, not only of his own community, but of our entire planet.

Gus, a 30-something man who makes a living as a “Jack of all trades”, shared Luke’s distrust of anyone who criticized the region’s economic dependence on oil.  At the time, he was employed as an independent contractor for BP and the US military, running boat tours for scientists and reporters monitoring clean-up efforts.  He made it clear he could lose his job if his employers knew he was talking to me.  Yet, Gus also conveyed a deep sense of attachment to the landscape and anger at the destruction wrought by neighboring states who use its tributaries as an agricultural sewer system and oil companies who caved out marshes and fishing grounds to make way for pipelines.  “I’ve traveled every inch of this coast and I see how it is being destroyed, and now we want to act as if BP is the one who ruined it.”

And then he added, “Our need for oil will probably destroy life as we know it, but what can any of us do?”  Unlike Luke, Gus saw the whole picture – our country’s dependence on a finite resource and how money, power, and bureaucracy were undermining viable alternatives.  Yet, given his options, Gus felt powerless, and hence his view was fatalistic.

While residents of the Gulf Coast like Luke and Gus experienced the trauma and stress of the disaster most acutely, many following the developments from afar may have experienced similar responses.  Consciously and unconsciously traumatized by the images of a burning inferno and oil soaked wildlife, we, like Luke, may have distanced ourselves from any personal responsibility, or slipped into avoidance of the matter altogether.  Others, who recognize how systemic the problem is, may feel some of Gus’ sense of resignation and despair.

Fear, denial, fatalism, and inertia are givens; we can’t avoid these reactions.  But responding from (rather than being informed by) any of these places will not solve the problem.  Ultimately, change requires an intentional shift in our collective conscience and individual behaviors.  I believe that shift is most life-producing when grounded in genuine care for the welfare of persons, communities, and the environment, hope in our capacity individually and collectively to create new solutions, and a sense of responsibility to work towards those solutions.

Where do we start?  First, by sharing stories from the Gulf, we can move beyond blame, judgment or guilt.  The Deepwater Horizon disaster provides an opportunity for all of us to look at our own uneasy alliances with oil and the comfortable lifestyles it fuels.

Next, we can make daily adjustments in how much we consume, not just at the pump, but also at the grocery store, when we choose food that was produced locally or opt for less packaging.  As we begin to make lifestyle changes, we also need to network with like-minded persons for the encouragement and support.

And finally, we need to support alternatives.  Gus needs more options.  The hundreds of families known by Luke need more options.  Behavior change requires viable alternatives to choose from before an old behavior can be completely let go.  To only see the magnitude of the problem without providing a vision for change just sends us back to fear, fatalism and inertia.  And this is where things get tough.

The paradigm shift this type of change requires isn’t merely internal, but global.  It doesn’t just require each person to change, but systems world-wide.  And most of the personal choices you and I might long to make are highly dependent on broader systems that resist change.  This is where many of us cycle back to Gus’ fatalism.

What we must remember is that systemic change starts with the individual.  And deep inside each of us, we know that change is possible and the only option for healing the past and ensuring a future.  To stand in solidarity with Gulf residents means transitioning from our natural fight-flight-freeze reactions that reflect our anger, fear, or inertia, to intentional actions reflecting hope, care, and responsibility.

 

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Was Ist Das? MarchFourth Marching Band in Germany (2011)

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Was Ist Das? MarchFourth Marching Band in Germany (2011)

from Diggable Monkey on Vimeo.

Was Ist Das? MarchFourth Marching Band in Germany is an up-close and personal ride along with Portland Oregon’s most colorful musical export, MarchFourth Marching Band! Described as eclectic mix world music, imagine Duke Ellington meets Sgt. Pepper in an international big-top Fantasia. Shadow the gigantic 25-member band closely on the 9-day German leg of their most recent 2010 European tour and bear witness to the joyous impact of their infectious show in various locations across Deutschland.

Was Ist Das? MarchFourth Through Germany (2011) 30min.
Shot in Germany from September 3rd-10th, 2010
Starring the MarchFourth Marching Band
marchfourthmarchingband.com

MarchFourth Booking Info Contact:
Mark Lourie, VP of Development
mark@skylineonline.com
866-531-2172 ext. 104

Produced and Directed by Kevin Balmer
© 2011 Diggable Monkey Productions
diggablemonkey.com

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Article 47

The Cost Of Being Poor

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Someone recently shared this infographic with us so we wanted to pass it on as there are some interesting statistics about how expensive it is to be poor…

As if the current job market and economy didn’t make it hard enough for low income households in America to make ends meet, it turns out that living below the poverty line is actually more costly in many respects as well. It not only takes money to make money, it also takes quite a bit of money to live in poverty. Our friends at Online Sociology Degree put together this graphic to illustrate how expensive it is to be a poor American.

 

The Cost of Being Poor
Via: OnlineSociologyDegree.net

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We Are The People’s Republic of Portland

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We Are The People’s Republic of Portland

from Diggable Monkey on Vimeo.

The People’s Republic of Portland (PROP) models progressive change with the ultimate intent of positively influencing our world. Through the mediums of music, art, and a line of hip clothing; we recruit, promote, and celebrate the unique people and businesses in Portland that share our vision and values.thepeoplespdx.com

We are knitting communities together with a common thread. JOIN TODAY!

More info on PROP:
info@thepeoplespdx.com

Chevron design and cover photo by Lander Beauchamp
© Land3r Design
land3r.com

Music by Matt Voth, Silver Saturn Music
Shot and edited by Kevin Balmer
© Diggable Monkey Productions
diggablemonkey.com

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March Fourth at City Museum St. Louis

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There’s a place in St. Louis so whimsical and awesome that even the renowned freaks in MarchFourth are beside themselves upon entering. On the band’s first visit to City Museum last November, someone commented how it was just like Burning Man, only no dust! Talk about the most perfect place to see M4 play a gig…

Housed in the 600,000 square-foot former International Shoe Company, the museum is an eclectic mixture of children’s playground, funhouse, surrealistic pavilion, and architectural marvel made out of unique, found objects. The brainchild of internationally acclaimed artist Bob Cassilly, a classically trained sculptor and serial entrepreneur, the museum opened for visitors in 1997 to the riotous approval of young and old alike.

Cassilly and his longtime crew of 20 artisans have constructed the museum from the very stuff of the city; and, as a result, it has urban roots deeper than any other institutions’. Reaching no farther than municipal borders for its reclaimed building materials, CITY MUSEUM boasts features such as old chimneys, salvaged bridges, construction cranes, miles of tile, and even two abandoned planes!

“CITY MUSEUM makes you want to know,” says Cassilly. “The point is not to learn every fact, but to say, ‘Wow, that’s wonderful.’ And if it’s wonderful, it’s worth preserving.”

citymuseum.org/​home.asp

More info on MarchFourth:
marchfourthmarchingband.com

Narrated by Jen Forti and Dan Stauffer
Shot and Editing by Kevin Balmer
© Diggable Monkey Productions
diggablemonkey.com

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