Vocabulary Building: Free Ap Review

Ap Review: Vocabulary Builders

Being a big nerdy fan of expanding minds, including my vocabulary, I decided to download all the free vocabulary building aps I could have patience for... And then review them in order to choose the one that will sit on my device desktop. And yes, I know I need to hone my grammar.

I am testing not only builders but quiz aps and games, as I am looking for anything to help build vocabulary. I will be rating each on word difficulty and amount, presentation, ease of use, and how well you can learn from the program.


Vocabolistic, iPhone, iPad, iPod
First impression: this was designed for the iPhone, and also designed casually. Advertising lines the bottom of the interface and helps this stay free so it isn't as annoying when that input into perspective. You have gear icons that are the settings, a Home icon on the right for when you want to go back from the word lists and quizzes.
What I like at first use is the fact that you can select words from those you haven't yet read from those you already have read.
It is a basic program but has great word learning value in terms of personal study. There is a quiz function. I am definitely keeping this one.
The amount of words is more than satisfactory, the difficulty too, and can be browsed alphabetically by using the letters on the right side of the word list like a scroller. Easy to use, clean, and simple. You can pick up and use it without tutorials.
The definitions, however, are short and basic. You have the basic definition in a handful of words, then you have antonyms and synonyms.
Oh and I love that you can rate words by difficulty next to the quiz button. Sweet. Then you can access words by your ratings... Hard, medium and easy.



Next, we have Articulate!
Made for the iPhone but compatible with iPad and iPod, rectangle interface.
At first I was enamored with this, but then it stopped working (connectivity issues, saying I wasn't connected to the net.) I will keep an eye on future bug fixes.
If this works for you, I recommend trying it. It is a vocabulary quiz. Multiple choice. Great words, as far as I could tell before it stopped working. I will update this if and when The program works.



Vocabulary Bubble Free, Game, iPad, iPod, iPhone , designed for iPhone by Donoma Games.
Cool game. Easy to use, easy to pick up, colorful. You can even sign up to submit your scores. Competition is great for learning, and so this is definitely a plus.
Here is how you play... you are faced with a definition at the top of the screen (horizontal iPhone format, no gyro) which you must match to words floating about in colorful bubbles. There is a time limit, so you must pick quickly. Correct answers gets you additional time. When you run out of time, a final score will appear. The time limit adds to the learning experience greatly, quickening the mind with a frenzied kick to the bum... So to speak. But it is more memorization than comprehension. As a word builder on it's own you will not get that full-flavored comprehension aspect.
Definitely a great way to quiz if you are fast enough, and even if you aren't, it'll make you faster at recognizing and defining on the spot.. Very useful in conversation.
After using this for only (twenty) minutes my score quadrupled. Impressive little ap.



Next we have AccelaStudy, for iPhone, iPod, iPad. Rectangle format.
100 words in this free version. Satisfactory length of definition, but it also has the great feature of saying the word aloud for pronunciation. This is extensively important when using new words in conversation. How painfully embarrassing mispronouncing a difficult word you are proud of learning! This is something the perfect vocabulary builder would have.
There is also the wonderful context function which gives two sentences in which the word is properly used.
There is a quiz function, very basic and dry, but useful and mature.
You can study the words either through:
Book format: flip thru the hundred words.
Flashcards: you'll hear the word through your speakers and see e definition on the screen, then touching the screen you see the word written. By turning off the pronunciation, this can be a great def to word quiz for yourself. By sliding on the screen you can then get to the next def.
Repetition: including pronunciation spoken by the human male and clear voice, where you get the word then the def after a tapping on screen and are prompted with the def and a prompt asking if you got it right. I really like this function, and it works quite well. Words you get wrong are repeated more often than words you get right. Great.
The difficulty of the words is satisfactory, however a high level diction honing student will not get too excited. The pay version would certainly be something that you should check out.. And so far that is something I am considering, however I want to check out more freebies first for this article.
The presentation is satisfactory but nothing exciting, which isn't that important in a freebie vocal builder review at all. Or a study ap for that matter, however it is nice to have. Clean and well defined, organized.
You can work out a study plan, view your quiz stats, and search for particular words.
Overall this is definitely a good intro to word building, but you will quickly hunger for more.


Next, PrepInteractive's Wordology Lite
There are two versions of this program: Graduate and normal. Graduate being a bit harder, and has no video section. (video section has videos pertaining to SATs) both contain a Facebook that goes directly to their messages, which have vocabulary honing skills, the videos mentioned, and links etc.
Overall presentation is nice, simple, clean. Student theme. Easy to navigate. Clever but not overdone.
The quizzes are twofold. A self test flashcard quiz, on actual flashcard graphics.
The word amount is small but adequate for the function of a demo. Thus you will not be spending hours studying on this. The second test is a multiple choice fill in the blanks, that is, it gives you a sentence and you fill in the blanks with the word that should fit there. I love that test, great learning tool.
Either can be studied on different levels if difficulty.
There is also a clever report card function that displays your scores thus far. It also gives you a grad to either shame you into harder word or to encourage your pride with a high score.
In difficulty, the graduate program has more difficult words than the normal. The words are challenging but not daunting by any stretch. It also is less difficult as the word lists are short enough to memorize in a day easily.
Small but this does it's job of making me want to buy the full program. But first, on with the two last aps I found.

Btw if you have an ap you want to add to this, please leave the name in the comments and I'll get to it asap.

Vocabulous is another iPhone, iPod, iPad compatible ap. It is extremely simple..
You get a word and a definition on different colored screens, an ad at the bottom, and tapping the screen changes word.
The difficulty is easy, although there are some specialization words that aren't difficult.. They are just not used regularly, in conversation or normal vocabulary builders.
Some of the definitions aren't quite on, but for the most part they are, and some of the words leave you wondering why they were included.
Presentation is simple and clean. Big letters.
This isn't what I was looking for but it would be a great tool for grade school or even high school.


Lastly, till I find more, My Vocab Builder by Amy... iPod iPad, and iPhone compatible. Rectangle, no gyro like the rest of the programs I've spoken of I this article.
I like this right away. Big word list, great presentation, and useable as a quiz too, as it is the flashcard style of builder.
There are ads at the bottom, no biggie.
No pronunciation. No records, no games. That is also okay.
In fact, my only issue with this program is that you either have to go thru a letter at a time the full way trough each letter, or remember which word you left on in each letter and go through the scrolling at the bottom till you find it. However, there is also a shuffle button between the bottom scrolling buttons that mixes up the words in the chosen letter.
Word difficulty is all over the place.. Easy to challenging words in every letter category. I find there are a lot of words that could be removed and only the root word remaining.
Word amount is wonderful for a free version, but we must take into account the words doubled through suffix adding that barely changes the definition.

Summary
In my opinion, Vocabolistic is the best out of the free programs. It's not just a demo, it is something you could really use for months and challenge yourself with. I am keeping the Vocabulary Bubble free, and AccelaStudy. The former for the speed training, the latter for pronunciation study.

Sorry if this article was all over the place cohesion wise, but this is a test for myself to see if I could write these often enough to apply to a job reviewing aps I found. The medication I take can make writing a massive challenge.. But I love challenges and I am pleased to try anything to help. I also hope this was helpful

A note on comments..
I enjoy constructive criticism greatly, so feel free to post a comment on my article or suggestions.. But keep in mind I am heavily medicated and I will screw up quite a bit. I strive to at least make some sense.

UPDATED. March 29 2011.

Vocabology: a great new app that features several "word of the day" entries from various sites such as Yahoo Education, Miriam-Webster, and Dictionary.com. It lets you tag words as favorites for later study and even has a quiz feature. There are even Word of the Day entries for: French, Spanish, German, Portugese and Italian. Very cool, will post a note here if I find bugs. -iPhone, iPad, iTouch

Hugs and happy apping!
-Em

The Yoga Sutras

(I write this as I wait for paint to dry on some final touches of a painting I'm working on..)

The Yoga Sutras by Patanjali sit in the corner of my belief foundation like a thick granite block. So many versions are out there, translations that is, and one of them particularly sticks out... but I can't seem to find it anymore. ARG. I printed it out, so luckily I have a copy of this favoured version, and I intend to publish my own interpretation of it.

Here are some free online versions you can peruse. Some of them have completely been changed to house different schools of thought.. I don't know if I agree with that, but I want to give variety here.
The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali translated by Charles Johnston
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali as translated by "BonGiovanni"
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali-Yoga.Org
The Yoga Sutras as translated by Chester Messenger
The Yoga Sutras as translated by Sanderson Beck
The Yoga Sutras as translated by Tibetan Master Djwhal Kuhl (I Really like this one)

Ok that's enough example ;)

Now, I hope to interpret it without using Gods or Psychic phenomena.. No new age flare, just basic and concise. To make it available to anyone, not just those who've studied the Sutras.

GRAPE AND PILLAGE!

(Huge Update Post)

Bike Ride

Oh the fun of freedom on three wheels.. Like the ladybug? That's my bell. Today I went on a long (long for me) bike ride by the Ottawa river. I want to get as much bike time as possible before the damnable snow puts a stop to my peddalry. Then I want snowshoes, so I can get wicked photos of beasts at their most winterized. Fluffy. This photo was taken halfway thru my ride.

Weight Loss progress

Yay I lost two pounds this week! Right now I'm doing behavioral conditioning to get me in touch with my non-pill-induced appetite. Harder than it sounds. Although I think this will be The Way to losing weight permanently. I can see myself doing this method every single day of my life and not getting tired of it.. Most diets are a huge pain in the ass.. but this isn't a diet. It's like you're using a computer and you don't know about a core utility program.. like specialized alarms.. this diet-changing method teaches you about the appetite alarm in your stomach... the one which many people (including myself) have learned to ignore. Now I actually FEEL hungry, and can tell the difference between psychological and physical hunger. Huge diff. So now, instead of relying on writing down all calories and all foods - this neat little notification program tells me when to start and stop eating to maintain a proper weight. Nifty. Some people are born knowing where this program is, of course.

Grape and Pill-age

Speaking of pills, I am having a party this weekend with some close friends - and of course I had to run out of painkillers. I have the hardcore twice-a-day controlled release pills, but not the "I NEED RELIEF NOW" pills. I have to stay away from alcohol, my normal method of replacing painkillers.. so basically I'm trying to use my TENS machine more and trying to meditate (I practice Raja Yoga routine, because one fuck up and I'm in big trouble. Emergency clinics don't prescribe Em-Strength painkillers. They prescribe crap like Codeine sometimes, low dose and high itch factor, just like straight Morphine. meditation) as much as possible. I'm paying more attention to my regular HathaOooh but I still like Morphine. Codeine metabolises into Morphine, but for some reason, it doesn't really tickle my fancy. Hurts my tummy more than Morphine. I'm on different pills that I'd rather not broadcast. They are the freedom givers. They free up some RAM for me, which is taken up by randomized pain-to-psyche distraction. A very temporary defrag.. but worth it.

People and Pain

Certain people lower pain... just by talking to them or being around them (etc). Mainly my Mom, my 2 close girlfriends, and a new Manfriend of mine is really quite good at it! - but one cannot rely on others... for a few good reasons... A) they can die B) they can decide they don't want you in their life C) they might get sick of being around you.. hehehe. I don't see my girlfriends as often as I'd like.. and my platonic guy friends.. wink wink.. come on guys, take me out!!!

Doggy and Pain

Of course Gordon helps a lot. Just looking at him and being around him makes me swoon with puppy love!! I groom him, train him, and play with him every day... and in my pain database, which I enter data in daily to track pain and other issues, I refer to my time with him as "PT" - puppy therapy.

Database and Research - Almost reaching the year mark!!

Yup, I have a database for my ails. Right now it's just a shitty spreadsheet, but I'm working on making a better database. I've had it for almost a year, so soon I will be able to work with the data and do something constructive with it. I've already tracked some very important patterns, which I will submit to various research organizations for Fibro, Endo, and CFS. New data, I think, as I am usually up to date on the latest published research in those fields. You can't rely on doctors to help you, Fibrofolks, Endofolks, and CFSfolks.. nope. Get researching, get reading.. I know it's hard at times, but it's worth it. BTW, I also like to make graphs.. hehehe pie charts, bar charts.. 3D even.. of course this takes me a shit load of time since I'm foggy in the head. I'll publish some here when I'm done sending it to the proper research institutes.

Electro-Goodness

My TENS machine was finally approved to be covered by the red-tape-beauties at Essential Health Services!! I was paying 51$ a month for the other one.. Hard decisions had to be made in my budget to incorporate this expense. Now I can go back to massages, and daily vitamins. Frigg, vitamins and supplements seem to be rising in price. I have a 1/2 cup of pills to take each day, including vitamins, painkillers, other supplements, etc. Isn't that funky? For the past two months I've cut on the vitamins and other supplements, so it comes to a 1/4 cup... but I've been feelings like crapola in certain areas. Some of the supplements I take: Spirulina, Multivitamin, extra Chromium, extra B vitamins, MSM, Omega 3-6-9, extra Calcium, etc. Why the extra? Well two main reasons 1) some of the pills I take eat essential nutrients 2) some experts call for more than the norm in terms of nutrients.

So that's the update. I have lots more to say.. but some of it is private and will only be shared with the proper females in my life!! And other stuff is still to come. I'm doing well, getting better inch by inch, am more happy than usual, and that's that! :) Thanks for reading this huge update ;)

Chakra Meditation #1 - Positive Pathways of the Brain

I'm a Yogini, that means I am a female who practices Yoga with some amount of devotion. I love Yoga with all my heart, and I love meditation with as much gusto. Chakras, in my experience, are an amazing way to meditate.

Chakra meditation has been responsible for helping me through the hardest pain and the hardest heartache. Of course family had more to do with both, but on a smaller scale, Chakra meditation has been a big help.

So what does one do whilst Chakra meditation?

Well you focus on one or a combination of 7 "energy centers" in the body. I take it metaphorically and with imagination, but some believe that these are funnels of energy placed in specific locations on the body - and are responsible for bodily functions, balance, emotional balance, spiritual function, etc. For me, I keep an open mind, but don't label. I focus on the images and properties of each or a combination of Chakras, in order to help my mind focus on something complex, archetypal, and above all - it is a regular and familiar object or set of objects to meditate on. Meditating on something new each day is ok, but it doesn't offer the same depth as meditating on something over and over again - and seeing, feeling, experiencing different levels each time you meditate.

This kind of meditation, in my opinion, helps the brain build firm and lasting synaptic pathways - pathways to calm, to centered thinking, to clearer thought processes; on the flip side, meditating on something that creates a frazzled feeling (like when people master violent video games or martial training without proper discipline), creates negative connections.

In Buddhism and Yoga, making more positive, calming, and centering pathways is called "right thinking" and "right action" etc. The core tenets of both philosophical religions is to create as many positive and harmless pathways as possible, in order to minimize superfluous and harmful negative thinking and actions. This positivity training directly effects neurotransmitter levels, immune system functions, sleep, emotional states, weight loss, memory, bodily balance, and more. Even before modern neuroscience, these philosophical religions knew that better health came from better positivity.

Positivity isn't possible in all situations, but the aim of the game is to get as many positive pathways as possible.

Back to Chakras. How can they help again? Well, focusing on them has a kind of subliminal effect - as if you truly and deeply focus on the properties of each, you'll find a quick and simple route to hypnotic self improvement.

Let's take the Root Chakra, pictured right (click on pic for source). When I meditate on this, I focus on its primary property - it is the Chakra of being grounded, centered, down to Earth. When I am feeling too unfocused and head-stuck-in-the-clouds, I focus on this Chakra. I focus on the Earth and the force of gravity, the stable geometry of squares and cubes, I focus on stability. Thinking of all these concepts creates the feeling of stability and groundedness, and unlike the other Chakras, this particular one will put you into Alpha brainwaves much faster.. as you tend to think of calming things more potently. If you don't like the thought of meditating on Chakras, then all you need do to replicate a Root Chakra meditation is think of the properties of stability. You can do a geometric meditation if you like.

This is another introduction, I hope to continue this series as time passes. Now I must get dressed and go out for a stroll in the social world. Namasté!

Quantum Spirituality #2

Here are some definitions/etymologies before I start blabbering:

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Quantum - from the Latin of the same spelling for "How Great" (could be a question, "how much?" or exclamation, "how great!!" or in speaking of currency (quanti) "how much does it cost?" Introduced by Mark Planck in 1900, popularized by Einstein.
1 a : QUANTITY, AMOUNT b : PORTION, PART c : gross quantity : BULK
2 a : any of the very small increments or parcels into which many forms of energy are subdivided b : any of the small subdivisions of a quantized physical magnitude (as magnetic moment)

Spirituality - from the Latin "Spiritus" for inhalation, breathing, spirit, pride or confidence, spirits (as in, "he was in high spirits")
1 : something that in ecclesiastical law belongs to the church or to a cleric as such
2 : CLERGY
3 : sensitivity or attachment to religious values
4 : the quality or state of being spiritual

Mysticism - from the Greek "Mystikos" meaning the arcane, secret, occult, hidden. "Mystes" for "One who has been initiated".
1 : the experience of mystical union or direct communion with ultimate reality reported by mystics
2 : the belief that direct knowledge of God, spiritual truth, or ultimate reality can be attained through subjective experience (as intuition or insight)
3 a : vague speculation : a belief without sound basis b : a theory postulating the possibility of direct and intuitive acquisition of ineffable knowledge or power


Quantum Mysticism: Margaret Wertheim is the most documented of popularizers of this phrase. New Agers finding spiritual meaning in Science, sometimes bending the rules to suit their own aims. The Kaballah, Hinduism, Tarot, and several other religions (yes Tarot is a religion in my humbly vain opinion) are proposed to be metaphors for modern day Physics of all kinds. I have to agree that they all have multi-faceted interpretations, which could indeed be rudimentary (at least) in explaining certain higher concepts than meets the eye.

Quantum Mind - I haven't been able to find who coined this term.. let me know if any of you find it.

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Now, some concepts....

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To save time, I'm going to copy/paste one from Wikipedia, which is one of if not my favorite site of the internet. So much info.

Quantum Entanglement: "is a quantum mechanical phenomenon in which the quantum states of two or more objects have to be described with reference to each other, even though the individual objects may be spatially separated. This leads to correlations between observable physical properties of the systems.
"For example, it is possible to prepare two particles in a single quantum state such that when one is observed to be spin-up, the other one will always be observed to be spin-down and vice versa, this despite the fact that it is impossible to predict, according to quantum mechanics, which set of measurements will be observed. As a result, measurements performed on one system seem to be instantaneously influencing other systems entangled with it. Quantum entanglement does not enable the transmission of classical information faster than the speed of light." This is one of the crazy behaviors in Quantum Mechanics. One that bothers many scientists, and excites many due to the possibilities. Imagine being able to use that in communications? Forget radio signals or fiber optics.. they'll be the dog's dinner if you can harness this kind of technology. The inventor would be filthy rich. Trump who? Forget webcams baby, I'm talking to you via Atomic twins ;)

Schrodinger's Cat is a Quantum mechanics paradox. (Click on the title to read the article at Wikipedia, for the full article.) Read it! Basically, the experiment talks about the realms of the macro and microscopic meeting. Where do they meet? Is it a clear boundary? Why is the question is so important and ingenious? Well, on the atomic level, physics allegedly has different rules than the macroscopic - so where do the rules begin for one, and end for the other??

These two laws (quantum mechanics and general relativity) are at odds with each other, and yet they "work" in their respective worlds. Quantum Mechanics adds up in the microscopic, on atoms, electrons, quarks, and further down that funnel of the gargatuanly tiny: General Relativity adds up in the macroscopic, on planets, galaxies, and local galactic groups.. etc all the way up that mountain of the mind shrinkingly large. Which is right? Are they both right, and if so, how? Again, thinking of said kitty cat, where do they end and where do they begin? What happens in that No-Man's-Land/Neutral Zone? Or should I say the Twilight Zone.. lol.

Through these thoughts, these contemplations, I am obviously not qualified to honestly be able to think them through. I'd love to be able to. I look forward to getting a bit better and not having to stop every 10 minutes to wait for the fibro fog to clear up - or having to rest my muscles. But there's still some life in my sweet brain, and I intend to keep it that way.

I find that thinking these paradoxical matters over, thinking what lays in waiting for us to discovery, gives me hope and grows the grey matter a little. Just reading about it makes me feel fresher in the brain.

So how does this tie into spirituality? Okay, well in many ways. So many ways this will be an ongoing post collection. I've tagged it "Quantum Spirituality Ramble" for anyone who's interested in following it.

First of all, reading through articles, books, websites, listening to documentaries and podcasts, etc - I feel, and I'm sure you will too, as though there are infinite possibilities. I'm not just talking about the dimensional theory that everything that can happen does happen in different dimensions.. I'm talking about the feeling that comes from understanding how little we know. And the stuff we do know, well, some of it is really wild and out there. Not many of us have access to the genius knowledge that some of these people can understand, not me (at least not yet, I'm always trying to understand an iota here and there, to combine into some kind of layman's knowledge when I'm 89 years old) . And even those who do, I'm sure most of the wisest say they don't know much. Theories upon theories.

So what's to say what's impossible? Are ghosts impossible because everyone in your family says so? Or that scientist on the documentary you've just watched? Are psychics impossible because some group of dubious scientists says it's impossible. Many shows and books I've read on skeptical scientists proving psychics wrong have horrible control groups, horrible tests, and an even more horrible bias.

I'm not saying it's 100% positively true, but I've seen enough to make myself doubt more that it's not true.

I'm also displeased with the other side of the coin, who says psychics are 100% real, and ghosts are 100% real in the traditional meaning of both words. Why? Well, truly, beyond hard science like math and other sciences that "Add up" all the time, we don't know. Mediums like myself could be extremely tapped into a nonlinear space-time, and not talking to ghosts but actually sensing the echoes that flip through time or even dimensions. Other dimensions are believed to exist, taken as a given, by many scientists. Maybe I do not speak to ghosts, but the intersection of another time or dimension. Maybe that is how I see others' futures. Perhaps it's a part of our brains we don't yet understand, a receptive organ we haven't yet identified as such. Deja-Vu could be a spasm of said organ. And like language, perhaps if we do not use it at the appropriate formative age, we lose the ability to fully use it. Maybe something more is happening, something larger.

Perhaps on the twilight zone level between the micro and the macro resides that dimensional rift?

None of these thoughts, probably, are original. I have thought them out myself, yes, but I am sure many people have already thought this way. Therein comes Quantum Mysticism. Where I say maybe, some (not all Quantum Mystics, I'm talking about a portion of that demographic) people say "certainly." So some silly scientist say that mediums have an extra organ to feel out alternate dimensions. They don't need proof, they know. I hate that!! They really put a kink in the real spiritualists.

Spirituality isn't about knowing, it's about feeling and wondering and experiencing things without proof. Spirituality then leads to inspiration to delve into these matters. Spirituality itself means inspiration, and inspiration is breathing - breathing in the matter and antimatter of the universe - and becoming one with all. It's not religion, it's searching and believing in unstructured areas, untrodden paths. It's being blind and feeling out the furniture in a never ending room, the room being our universe. We don't know for sure what's there, but we can feel out boundaries, textures, temperature, etc.. and each of us might sense furniture in different ways.

Science is the light, but right now we only have a candle in the center and a little to the left of the room. One day we might have a candelabra lit, or hopefully a spotlight will blaze one day before our demise.. wouldn't that be grand? Scientists feel out in their blindness a little bit, but they would rather use the candle and get all the information about that small area. I like that approach, but I prefer to feel out and deduce what I can.. and then ask the scientist what they've learned. Perhaps spiritualists can inspire them with theories, to get them to move their candle slightly to the right, and down a bit.

Just the fact that I don't know what lurks in the room excites me. I want to freely explore, and take notes. I want to talk to others, like I am now, and share with them my thoughts. Compare notes.

Why are we in this room? How big is it? Why isn't there more light? What do we keep bumping into three steps from the candle?

Do you like to stare into the lit part of the room, or glare into the darkness?

Does the light or dark frighten you more?

See you next post. Time for me to get back to bed!


- Thanks to the online Etymology Dictionary, and my handy dandy Latin-English dictionary, as well as Merriam-Webster's Online dictionary.

This post and all posts are (c) Copyright 2006 Emilie L.

Quantum Spirituality, Vanilla Addition, and Sexy Science #1

Today I was trying to explain how an earlier interest in atoms opened up a vast spiritual pathway to me, and I found myself unable to vocalize it. Probably the nervousness, probably the weather, probably the pills.. but I just was not able to put it out through my mouth. This is not a rare thing in Emland.. no... I am much better at wording.

At a young age, I don't remember where, I was introduced to certain atomic theories. Like the concept that no one, nothing, ever really touches. Like the concept that most of the universe is space and not matter.. including you. Like the concept that we're all a matrix of subatomic matter, all interconnected, and all the same thing..

Take the first and last paragraph of this post. They are separate, but linked in the pixel matrix on your screen. Unless you need to change your monitor.. lol. Every pixel is connected to the matrix.. and this is on a two dimensional level. We're allegedly connected in three dimensions, some believe in more dimensions, and I agree, than just X, Y, and Z.

Recently I've seen a docudrama that explained a lot of this really well - What the Bleep Do we Know? which really summed up many of my feelings on the universe quite well. Although there's a lot of new age stuff in there that shaves off some of the science.. so if you don't have an imagination.. don't rent. lol. There are a lot of new age spiritualists that show off their theories, and I think they're worth thinking about and not quickly dismissing. Don't take the new age stuff to heart, just the theory if you're all science. I, however, am not all science.

I am a great believer in attitude. The world is 90% attitude, and 10% reality. So, how you look at things determines how you react to things. I once had a guy tell me that my spiritual way of thinking was fine, but he relies on the facts that science gives. He thought that my life was based too much on my imagination and intuition, and that I needed to face science. A fair estimate for someone who didn't know me well, but personally - I face science a lot.

I love the way science adds depth to the smallest molecule, how it delves into the empirical data and finds patterns.. develops theories.. but much of science is theoretical (that I love too). Math I love, 1+1 = 2 is a comfort. I love math puzzles, as long as I'm alone and not nervous. A universal security blanket. It's our linen sheets, milk chocolate, white picket fence, and vanilla ice cream. The answers are universal. But get into talking about Atoms, Photons, Dark Matter, Singularities, or exactly what animates us beyond the tangible - and you get theories for the most part. THAT part of science is exotic, that neighborhood couple who experiment with swing parties, smoke pot, and paint their house pink. Radical! Experimental! An unexplored area of our universe. That's the spirit I feel when I ask myself about the paradoxical existence of a universe (ie. what is outside our universe, and outside that? How can something create a universe?). I wish I had a thousand brains to work on that problem. Chicken/Egg dilemma basically. That is spirituality to me. Thinking beyond the body, way beyond, and self actualizing to the point of no return ... the Rubicon for me was the Atom.

I am also a believer in a nonlinear time sphere. I am NOT a believer in time travel, but I AM a believer in multiple dimensions - (thinking of tesseracts fascinate me!) and I am still working on my opinion concerning infinite possibility - (you know, every choice possibly made has been made, and each eventuality had its own dimension) - and I believe that these dimensions, like X and Y and Z - connect at certain "points".

Moreover, I believe I know just a grain of sand in comparison to nine billion light years about the universe.. and that goes the same for pretty much everyone. Scientists specialize, and may know more about one thing than another - or geniuses might know two grains of sand in nine billion light years.. but pretty much, we know shit in the grand scale of things. I think that is what makes life so interesting, that there are an infinite amount of frontiers for us to explore.. there'll never be a time where we know everything.

Where does the spirituality come in???

I like to think that many things are possible. I think psychic ability could be just another sense, a receptive sense that picks up on alternate dimensions or future occurrences via nonlinear time. Like an echo bouncing backwards, except the wave isn't sound - it's thought or who knows - maybe something as yet unnamed. That's one way that I explain my success. Maybe it's the fact that we're all tied into the energy matrix of all those little atoms, protons, electrons. You can't get away from atoms ;) Maybe it's something else.

more to come, I'm pooped.


Quantum Links
This is a great explanation of the Two Slit Experiment I was talking about earlier ;)