Black Shaman Blog

Pet’s Wish List

This list is common around the Internet in various forms. I am unsure of who is the author of this version.
The list is called the “Pet’s Ten Commandments”.
Personally I prefer to call it a ‘Pet’s Wish List’. We should all be doing these things as a matter of course, however many items can get overlooked [...]

Do you have trouble writing for readers?

Someone I know mentioned that they have trouble writing for readers…
…..and also asked what I considered to be one of my most poignant and deep articles.
Here I share with you my response:
One of the big keys in life is having a deep awareness of the fact that other people are tuned into WII FM.
This radio [...]

Australia Day 2010 – The Great Australian Internet Blackout

For some general detail about Australia Day and my personal views please check out my post from Australia Day 2009.
First, let me wish everyone a Happy Australia Day 2010 wherever you are.
This year, I am marking Australia Day by participating in The Great Australian Internet Blackout.
The Blackout is a protest at the Rudd government’s dictatorial [...]

Will Social Media and The Internet Kill the University System?

The title of this post comes from a very thought provoking article:
Will Social Media and The Internet Kill the University System?
The post comes from the Microgeist blog which provides social media resources, tips and commentary on the mood/spirit of microspace. I have added the blog to my RSS reader.
You can follow the author on Twitter [...]

Live out of your imagination

Earlier today I published a post about logic and imagination, commenting that Albert Einstein said:
“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”
Today we will look at what Dr Steven Covey had to say:
“Live out of your imagination, not your history.”
Another pertinent quote, is that of Blair Warren:
“If you want to [...]

Are you a logical snob?

So who, or what, is a logical snob?
First let’s define the word snob, as per the dictionary:
n.
1. One who tends to patronize, rebuff, or ignore people regarded as social inferiors and imitate, admire, or seek association with people regarded as social superiors.
2. One who affects an offensive air of self-satisfied superiority in matters of taste [...]

Are you a study cheat? And who are you really cheating?

Cheating on exams and other forms of study has been around the generations. Today it is becoming even easier to cheat us this article illustrates:
Teens turn to the net, mobiles to pass tests
The article covers a number of interesting points on the subject of cheating. Of particular note is:
“Only half of the students surveyed considered [...]

How to remain positive

Remaining positive is not always an easy task. For some, it is very hard indeed. In some situations it is hard to see how anything positive can come out of them.
So how do we remain positive, even in difficult situations?
By taking a different approach than we may have come across before.
Same old methods produce [...]

Inspiring example of positive thinking

Here is an example of someone turning an extremely negative and unpleasant situation into a positive one, and in the process deriving personal benefit, besides being a blessing to others.
Back in March 1945, W. Colvin Willams was on foot, walking behind a tank in France. When the tank hit a mine it exploded and Mr [...]

Stop…Think…Do.

Life is so busy today – so many people seem as if they are in such a rush, trying to do so much in so little time.
Stop for a moment and consider the picture as if you were a giant looking at all the humans running around in such a busy frenzy. I think it [...]

The House of 1000 Mirrors

Long ago in a small, far away village, there was a place known as the House of 1000 Mirrors. A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit. When he arrived, he bounced happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears [...]

Easy, reliable way to test your firewall.

I first started using a Firewall way back in the 90’s, at a time when many people had never even heard of them. Around the same time I came across an excellent service for testing firewalls:
Shields Up – provided by the Gibson Research Corporation; owned and operated by Steve Gibson.
I quote:
The Internet’s quickest, most popular, [...]

Enjoyable, refreshing experience ordering laser toner for my printer. (Australia)

Last year I purchased a Lexmark C543dn Color Laser printer.
So far, I have been pleased with the performance, features and ease of use of my choice of printer.
A while ago I ordered a black cartridge from a supplier I had bought other things from in the past, but was not totally happy with the price, [...]

Personal reflections on Shamanism

Earlier today I sent the following link to a friend:
BOMB Magazine: Margaret de Wys – Black Smoke: A Woman’s Journey of Healing, Wild Love, & Transformation in the Amazon
I won’t detail my friend’s response for privacy reasons, however some people may find my reply helpful:
The vomiting I experienced was dry retching in type and was [...]

Are you stagnating? Well, are you?

“Only those who constantly retool themselves stand a chance of staying employed in the years ahead.”
Tom Peters – Author
Whether we like it or not, the world is changing, and at an increasing rate too.
We need to embrace change, savor it and look for it.
Personally, I am riding the bleeding edge of the wave and certainly [...]

Great service from Gold Coast Computer Store – FS Computers

It was time for a new keyboard.
These days I buy Microsoft keyboards and mice exclusively. (Early last year I bought a Logitech top of the line mouse – MX Revolution – which became faulty early on. I am still trying to get the situation resolved with Logitech. I have received appalling customer service and support [...]

The right to link

Your right to create, circulate and follow links is threatened.
This issue is very serious.
Watch the video to find out more and visit  the www.Right2Link.org website to take action to protect your rights:

Further reading:
An Open Letter to the UK’s national, regional and local newspapers
NewsNow.co.uk Free Linking Q&A
NewsNow.co.uk

Share and Enjoy:

If you think you can’t – you can’t.

Some of us may have read about this thinking business whereby if you think you can, then indeed you can. And vice versa.
How many of us can recall key examples of this in action?
Personally, I find real life examples inspiring and helpful. Especially if accompanied by images and a good background personal account.
So many of [...]

New depression video added

Years ago I used to suffer from chronic depression.
My depression was so bad I longed for death; but was too afraid to do myself in.
In this video I tell more about my personal situation and how it has given me key practical insights and experience to help others with depression, or feelings of sadness.

PS: Today [...]

Green tea – some key information.

Last year I wrote a post about a local Sushi and Yum Cha restaurant. This restaurant, Sushi 4 U, was where I developed a taste for green tea some years ago. In fact, I liked it so much that I went to the grocery store to get my own.
There was just one problem….green tea can [...]

Humorous look at privacy online – The Google Toilet

Way back…last century…(yes, it is way back now, especially bearing in mind how far we have come in such a short time)….with my Private Eye hat on I used the Internet to find out things about people. It was surprising how much was out there – back then.
Today it is even ‘worse’. I laughed when [...]

I didn’t know that going to the dentist could be so good.

Recently I have started attending a new dental practice, having attended at least four times last year.
I have been most impressed with the service and treatment I have received from Dr Karla Scutt and her helpful staff at Breeze Dental.
In fact, my experiences at Breeze Dental have been the best ever, by a considerable margin. [...]

What will happen to the economy?

Note: This post was originally published on June 21st 2009 and should be read in that context.
For a long time now, I have suspected that is the financial crisis may not have bottomed. I have been very sceptical of published positive comments of some real estate agents and politicians, who have heralded imminent better times.
I [...]

Recession is not bad! Be careful who you listen to and what you think.

Many years ago I recall listening to an astute businessman who, during an official recession in the UK, had the attitude of ‘What recession?’
The guy was not in denial, he simply refused to join the recession bandwagon and let it pollute his thoughts. Yes, pollute his thoughts.
Sir Richard Branson, a billionaire and one of the [...]

How to focus on the next economic boom.

There is a lot of doom and gloom about the current world economic and financial situation. And yes, some of the news is bad, real bad.
Dwelling on the problems is not going to help us however. I wrote an article on my about positive thinking not being optional – you might like to pop over [...]

Positive thinking is not optional. Life says so.

This article is a brief one; and designed to home in on a key truth.
If you really and genuinely believe in the law of attraction, sowing and reaping, or anything similar, then it follows that you are more likely to realize that positive thinking is not optional. Negative thoughts bring negative results. This is a [...]

Copyright and digital rights – a refreshing and useful resource

These days there is so much stuff being copied, reused, mashed up and so on online that it is hard to know what is acceptable from a copyright and digital rights perspective. Just because we see someone doing things does not mean it is the right thing to do.
Another problem is that there is much [...]

Personal thoughts on health and an allergy.

Earlier this year I developed an allergy which resulted in Hives/Urticaria. Today I have it under control and rarely have to take antihistamines (partly because I have discovered the triggers (food/drink based and Somac – a prescribed medication).
The allergy situation has been a nuisance, and at times very debilitating. At one stage things started to [...]

Problem posting to my blog.

Earlier this year I was running a bit behind and did not attempt to write a post until late. I then discovered that I could not log in to post and also that the site (blog) itself was also down. My other blogs were fine.
Clearly this was a concern, however I did not stress over [...]

Courage and Resilience

Courage can be defined as the ability to face fears with our heads held high. It is not the absence of fear which defines bravery. In fact, people experience fear everyday, and sometimes are even paralyzed by it. We are allowed to feel emotions such as fear. In fact, we should! Otherwise, we wouldn’t be [...]

Woe is me! Pity party anyone?

When times are tough, as with the current economic recession, it is often easy to give in to depression and constantly moan about the woes of life. There are so many worries to constantly think and moan about: bills to pay, family to care for, and so on. The problems never end. The fact is, [...]

A Heart which Heals – emotional healing

Physical injuries are readily noticed by people. Moreover, a cut, a broken bone, or a bruise can easily be treated by doctors. Physical wounds can be seen, and the remedies are fairly straightforward and uncomplicated. Emotional injuries, on the other hand, tend to run much deeper. They hide in our subconscious and can generally stay [...]

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-12-27

Kevin Rudd's politics of piety put on parade http://bit.ly/4MzTjm By their fruits you shall know them. Matthew 7:16 Little things. Niceness. #
It happened to me: I was sent to Australia as a child migrant http://bit.ly/4SzENR #childabuse #
Read PDF documents as "Flip-Style" publications by one click of button PLUS other valuable & simple-to-use features." http://bit.ly/4L31Dc #
Award-Winning [...]

Fed up with the 45 tag cloud limit on the standard WordPress install?

WordPress (.org self hosted) is one of my favorite applications.
It’s really slick – the gold standard for blogging. Well made and thought out.
Besides the WordPress developers, I salute the plugin developers too.
I have one small gripe however…. (well, two)….
WordPress installs with a default 45 tag limit in the tag cloud, along with a larger maximum [...]

Psychological profiling via Twitter

It had to happen!
Now you can run psychological profile checks on Twitter.
I find this type of stuff fascinating and have completed studies/training in psychological profiling (including courtesy of the FBI) as part of my career as Private Detective.
Twitter psychological profiling is of course very different in many ways to what I studied, but interesting nonetheless.
Here [...]

Today is ready cash: Use it!

“Yesterday is a canceled check: Forget it. Tomorrow is a promissory note: Don’t count on it. Today is ready cash: Use it!”
Edwin C. Bliss – Author
When you read a good quote do you simply ‘enjoy the read’, move on and forget about it? If so, you are not alone.
A vegetable patch will produce better rewards [...]

Nobody made you angry

We often hear people say that things , situations or other people make them angry.
Things like:
It makes me angry when
You make me angry if
He makes me angry because
When this happens it makes me angry
Think about this carefully and honestly – I expect many of you will agree that it [...]