New Year

I intend to make some interesting videos and films next year with my own green screen studio. With filmmaking I can write and perform the music and songs; write the screenplays; perform as an actor; and design the visual art and cinematography. Technology is continually providing new amazing tools to play with, so the future seems very exciting creatively!

Journal 2020-12-31

Upload speeds:

Handwriting = 40 words per minute (wpm)

Touch-typing = 70 wpm

Speaking = 150 wpm

Download speeds:

Listening = 150 wpm

Reading = 200 wpm

Thoughts: 1,000 to 5,000 wpm

Journal 2020-12-30

2017 – Coming soon……

2018 – Coming soon….

2019 – Coming soon..

2020 – Coming soon

2021 – ?

Causality

Science fiction presents some baffling themes around causality; for example, the future is the past because events are synchronous in all places at the same time. The current everyday understanding of causality is equally bizarre, however, since a causal chain of events cannot lead back forever, without having a prime initiating point that is outside these rules.

Journal 2020-12-29

The art of any performance is truthfully interacting with the situation that is arising.

If all the world is a stage, then not knowing the future - or the fact that you are acting - helps create a great performance.

Completeness

A fear of loneliness leads to desperate actions initiating pain. Enjoying the peace of solitude is breaking free from this chronic condition; and provides the realisation that if you are already complete in yourself then there is more love in you to share.

Journal 2020-12-13

2021 could be a lot worse or a lot better than 2020. I will bet on better.

The Machine

Slot-in, copy and repeat, replace yourself, wear-out, then die.

Look down on someone to be a success.

Or change the program.

Journal 2020-12-07

Driving in London last night, I witnessed three separate angry outbursts in the space of five minutes by people on the roads. I always notice that the “crazy level” goes up a few notches when driving inside the M25, but that condensed series of events was the worst I’ve seen.

Dawn

Dead shadows dance in the night

yearning for the dawn;

Cold and forgotten walking scars,

drained by decay,

wasted by time,

stretch out,

hungered and blurred,

to a spark ignited,

climbing,

rising from the ground;

From the last depths,

rays of hope entwine in the sky,

kissing the hills,

breathing new life

and wonders layered in light.

Naked with joy, a new day, a new world is born.

Journal 2020-12-05

Live a day like it is a life in entirety.

First thought on waking is gratitude for the new day you will see.

Last thought is gratitude for the day you have lived.

Perspective

The first stage of learning is being unconsciously incompetent: you don’t know what you’re not good at because you don’t know what you don’t know. Well-being skills can be learnt. One typical motif is that how you look at anything changes your experience; for example: anxiety can feel like pleasurable excitement, as the body in both mental modes vibrates in a similar state of high energy; or a difficult situation is your challenge to evolve and an opportunity for personal discovery; or peace of mind is your inner state of being, not the possession of external conditions. And so on, all empirically true but under-practiced.

Journal 2020-12-01

It’s wrong to assume that a conversation is about what is said.

Journal 2020-11-29

A background script to run

Triggered on recognition event()

Action.Pause

Script exit

Notice…..

Kindness.

Journal 2020-11-28

The verbal attacker desires to assert their ego over the other.

Social Status

If you behave outside of current norms, people will often interpret this as either the high status of trendsetting and being above what is usually expected, or low status not fitting in.

Status sensitivity is social madness because every single person is in fact unusual.

Journal 2020-11-27

Any person is much more than even a diverse array of influences.

So I’m really not into social twittery on twit-twat and faceblobber; my summary identity is a tortoise in hare’s clothing etc etc Twitter Twiddle Twaddle blah blah rhubarb. I am not a number, I am a blancmange, or something…

Capital

A satisfying aspect of being a monarch would have been to have resources instantly directed to your ideas whenever you wanted. Unfortunately it seems in all societies all around the world, these ideas were focused on who they were going to invade next.

Journal 2020-11-26

Mistakes are lessons, only when the reasons are noticed; otherwise they are habits practiced each day.

Journal 2020-11-22

The things you disparage others for are often the same things you do yourself.

Anger

Anger. What a silly thing.

Is it of any use? Nope, it unbalances you.

The orcs in the Lord of the Rings are driven by fury and are utterly useless at combat.

Energy from anger is polluted, destructive, counter-productive.

It can be used to instil fear, to incite others and to self-aggrandise - which is why it has been the emotion of choice by demagogues and sociopaths.

It is often learned as the default response to any frustration.

There is often anger at other people for not behaving as it is believed they should.

The reality however is that you have no real idea what has and is happening in the other person’s life you are judging.

The fact is you only ever see a tiny aspect of all the parts in motion.

Difficulty Level

Challenges are opportunities for insight - the harder the situation the higher the view.

Talkerism

In the world of work, a meeting without creating an output of value is a drain on energy and time. Incessant thinking is the perpetual meeting in the head; and if it is just going over and over the same issues without providing constructive insight, then it is pointless at best, destructive at worst. Outside this room of perpetual thinking is the freedom to notice and enjoy what is happening, instead of what you are imagining.

Journal 2020-11-20

Never ever put yourself down. 

Reasons:

1. Some people will revel in doing it for you. For their sake as much as yours, don’t make the conditions easy for them.
2. Don’t diminish life; whoever you are, you are amazing and unique.
3. Faux modesty is dishonesty.
4. Don’t insult other people’s good opinions.
5. Be strong for others. 

 Some personal pep talk points:

1. Be in a position to help.
2. Your growth should enable others to grow too. 
3. This isn’t a zero-sum game.
4. Relative measurements are irrelevant.
5. Have fun!

Journal 2020-11-19

A little target I’ve set myself is to make it to 100. Yes I know, quality is more important than quantity, and yes many of the factors are out of my control. I don’t take it too seriously but I like having something to aim towards.

The best way to be in good health is to be grateful for each day and appreciate the moments I am living – ironically this is a lot easier when in good health.

Journal 2020-11-15

Noticing the aliveness of the body feels pleasurable - and there is palpable relief when any tension is found and released. Mindfulness can be as simple as noticing the breathing.

Journal 2020-11-14

I’ve been writing a thought a day here for the previous few days. I will flip now to an actual pen and paper because the closeness to the handwritten words feels more personal to me.

Journal 2020-11-13

If you are truly happy, it is impossible to be petty, self-absorbed or unkind. Happiness lives in a much better place.

Journal 2020-11-12

Cats and dogs are similar, only in that they both like living with you. Cats are beautiful, elegant, magical; it feels like you are honoured if they grace you with their attention. Dogs love you - all they want is to run and play, sniff things, eat food, and most importantly: your affection.

Journal 2020-11-11

I form tears when I’m moved in any meaningful way - so if I produce them in a performance, I’m not pretending, I’m genuinely feeling what I’m doing.

Journal 2020-11-10

I add to a file any interesting little phrases that occur to me, removing them later on if used in a song or other writing; for example, I just added: “A lived life transcends its genre.”

In retrospect similar phrases may grate on the ear with cheesiness, but if I like the sentiment at the time, then it goes in.

The content is currently about 8,000 words.

Journal 2020-11-09

If you choose to share in the happiness of others, rather than compulsively dwelling on negatives, then you have happiness for free.

Journal 2020-11-08

I seem to get satisfaction out of pushing myself physically – maybe because in my mind I am subscribing to the motto “no pain, no gain”. A variation on the theme is that anything initially perceived as negative can be viewed as part of a greater improvement process.

Journal 2020-11-07

Writing a screenplay for a romance story... it’s a bit sexy!

I might develop it into a novel later, if I can make the time.

Activities

Inventions:

• Most importantly: Trendline Syncing System (TSS) – an algorithmic trading model.
• First To 7 – strategy board game.
• Also: WIBAMU Easy Accounts – simple accounting system for small businesses.

Songwriting:

Yes, many songs are online.

Other writing:

Some pieces are available but the bulk is within unfinished projects – would like to actually finish something substantial.

Singing:

Yep, lots of recordings.

Acting:

Yes, years of research and practice – looking to greatly expand this in the future by filming scenes and podcasts.

Public speaking:

I know this is a strength but haven’t pursued it yet.

Off and On

The old line with IT is that if you want a problem fixed “turn it off then on again”. The reason is that resetting can untangle mixed-up memory and processes.

The mind if not switched off will often relentlessly loop on the same set of thoughts, gradually wearing you down, sometimes with its own errors and fictions.

There are exercises that help you apply the IT solution, and they’ve worked for thousands of years.

Journal 2020-11-06

Tip:

Whenever you are talking about someone, assume they can hear every word. Hopefully this will remind you to be kinder.

Journal 2020-11-05

I wouldn’t call London a beautiful city, but it is endlessly fascinating. The maze of streets emerged not by grand design but grew from what had been before. It is eccentric, hickety-pickety, throbbing with history and humanity.

Journal 2020-11-04

Muddled, confused, unaware - what on earth were you doing? Why were you sleep-walking for so long?

Journal 2020-11-03

In the distant pre-internet days when I was a kid, I designed a board game then forgot all about it. The game actually looks pretty fun; it has a blend of strategy, risk and probability - like many good games. So I think I’ll have a few physical sets made-up, thanks to the internet and finding out there are specialist businesses that do this sort of thing.

Combining football with golf was another one of my games, which I called “Folf”. Well if I had the internet, I would have been able to find out that the sport has been around for a while and is called “Foot Golf”.

Journal 2020-11-02

Just 15 years ago or so, it wasn’t particularly easy to share photos and updates with friends and family; there were fewer easily accessible outlets for self-expression and it was more difficult to find interesting information or media.

The downsides are well-known, although if fully acknowledged there would be more energy in finding effective solutions. There was a speed in breaking things but less appetite in clearing-up the mess.

Journal 2020-11-01

I walk and run about 50 miles per week, usually while listening to podcasts.

Journal 2020-10-31 (cont.)

My most effective thinking tool is sleep. I realise now the importance of the advice “sleep on it”.

Journal 2020-10-31

I yo-yo between the Southwark part of the Thames and the Colchester countryside. Many of my scenes are from what I see during my wanderings: robertwalker.blog/art

The Compassion Override

In history there are countless examples where twisted interpretations of beliefs lead to the justification, or even glorification, of murderous and sadistic tendencies. Such beliefs give a person an identity in opposition to and superiority over other people, who can be condemned and abused from a position of personal righteousness.

True compassion serves as a natural safety valve to corrupted belief, for the overriding question is always: am I alleviating suffering or causing it?

Journal 2020-10-30

Original thinkers, artists and spiritual figures often had some of their best insights in the wilderness, in periods of solitude, outside of bustling society. Distance from the current melees gives a person a better perspective of the whole picture. More generally, insiders of the throng who are unaware of their predicament are condemned to behave as they think they are supposed to, blind to anything more than the current array of behaviours, even in extreme cases where it is insane.

Journal 2020-10-29

All human beings are unique.

Uniqueness doesn’t have a category.

Categories confine a life to a label stamped on the head.

Categories are boxed, ordered and under control.

Categories deny humanity.

Journal 2020-10-28

Demanding how other people think is a type of violent control, asserting oneself over them; seeing the multifaceted world, with endless possibilities, through just one dimension.

Journal 2020-10-27

The whole song can be better heard by listening - rather than making and amplifying noise. The problem is the insistence on certainty, and building an identity around this, with everyone thinking they are always right. No matter how certain you think you are, even if momentarily touched with lucid insight, you are probably not completely right (yes, including this). There is no shame in not seeing everything or not understanding all the complexities and ramifications of all ends.

Journal 2020-10-25

My school up to the age of 11 was unusual because I remember doing a lot of arts and crafts, singing, drama and creative writing. This type of education has probably disappeared now under the weight of standard curricula, exams and league tables.

I only really developed a passion for learning again when I had the opportunity later on, to study at UCL and Imperial College, for which I am very grateful. I think the difference was access to primary sources and the culture of novel enquiry for contributions to knowledge, rather than teaching by numbers (no matter how nominally effective).

A Contrast

A few years ago, out of curiosity and in the hope of encountering some benevolent souls, I went to a Buddhist centre in London. I could see the practical benefit in the exercises being taught and listened to some wisdom words, but was far less impressed with the paradigm of shared beliefs being propagated. There were several comments that jarred me, such as hero-worshipping and speculating in earnest as to who was the greatest recent guru; or the retelling of fantastical cosmologies as a matter of fact. My mind was truly decided, however, when music and singing were attempted: no doubt the purpose was to emote joy, but the result was blank and joyless for me. Nothing close to truth would create art – the expression of the soul – that uninspiring.

On leaving, the assembly exited the front door past two Buddhist religioners standing on either side, giving their goodbyes. The first person was everything I had hoped to find there - she clearly just radiated a sense of peace, compassion, joy and love. The second, who from the literature seemed to be the leader of the place, did not have the same effect on me; I had a feeling of disquiet and, to be honest, slight revulsion. I recognised that all too familiar look in his eye, which should not have been there in a person purporting to teach spirituality. Yes I can see you, I thought at the time, before leaving and never going back.

I think that practising the religion is great if it can help a person grow into the state of consciousness of the woman I encountered. More importantly though, the experience lasts in my memory because of the contrast presented to me between the two people: Do I want to be more like the one or the other?

“Problems”

What to do when you have everything?

Want more.

Invent more problems.

Feel unsatisfied, waiting for an event in the future that never arrives.

Fill the void with distractions and medications.

Become increasingly selfish, shallow and self-obsessed.

Worry about losing what you have.

Want what you have to be acknowledged as better than others.

And repeat…

(unless you can break this loop).

Podcast #5

"Th' expense of spirit in a waste of shame"

- SONNET 129 BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

A Little Bit of Drama

Th' expense of spirit in a waste of shame
Is lust in action; and till action, lust
Is perjured, murd'rous, bloody, full of blame,
Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust,
Enjoyed no sooner but despisèd straight,
Past reason hunted; and, no sooner had
Past reason hated as a swallowed bait
On purpose laid to make the taker mad;
Mad in pursuit and in possession so,
Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme;
A bliss in proof and proved, a very woe;
Before, a joy proposed; behind, a dream.
All this the world well knows; yet none knows well
To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell.

Journal 2020-10-18

Dubbing for home languages is really not a good idea. The vocal is half of the performance - taking that away, and splicing in another person’s voice, literally mutes and disconnects the actor.

Journal 2020-10-10

A question seems obvious when you have seen the answer.

A skill seems easy when you have practiced its mastery.

Only the time has changed.

Journal 2020-10-04

Recorded Sonnet 129 in one take. I didn’t plan how to do it - I just absorbed the words and wanted to see what happened.

The result is interesting, like nothing I have heard before.

The character speaking is not one you should let seduce you.

Journal 2020-10-03

If I had the choice now to pick how many years to live, I think I would choose 10,000 - although when getting close to the limit I might want another quota. I wouldn’t tick the box for a human eternity, as transience is fundamental to the nature of life.

Journal 2020-09-27

My IOS Apple health app is showing it has stored 238.66 terabytes of my data! Wow, didn’t know I did that many steps.

Journal 2020-09-18

Watching performers, I appreciate quality but I don’t get particularly excited by even exquisite technical excellence. Looks attract, certainly, but interest is quickly lost if there is nothing real going on beyond the performance. I detach emotionally when there is anything conceited or contrived. What holds me is real lived human experience, with all its perfect imperfections; something genuine that has emerged in the moment and surprised even the performer.

Journal 2020-09-10

I really don’t like listening to or watching any recent performance of mine, even if I am generally pleased with how it turned out. This is weird because I don’t mind after a while, when there is some distance of time and I have forgotten about the process involved. I suppose the time delay helps me enjoy it as an audience member, rather than identifying so firmly as the performer.

Podcast #4

"When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes"

- Sonnet 29 by William Shakespeare

A Little Bit of Drama

When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
(Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth) sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

Shakespeare the Songwriter

I listened on YouTube to various attempts at turning Shakespeare’s sonnets into songs, but I don’t think these straight translations work very well. However Shakespeare is so clever that if you read the lines of his sonnets out of sequence as rhyming couplets - e.g. line 1 then 3 then 2 then 4 etc. - the sonnets usually still work well, without losing the meaning. So I picked up a guitar, strummed some rhythms and improvised some vocal melodies to the rejigged lines, and it all works great!

A key for translating Shakespeare’s sonnets into a standard song format:

VERSE 1:

Line 1

Line 3

Line 2

Line 4

CHORUS:

Line 13

Line 14

VERSE 2:

Line 5

Line 7

Line 6

Line 8

CHORUS:

Line 13

Line 14

BRIDGE:

Line 9

Line 11

Line 10

Line 12

CHORUS:

Line 13

Line 14

Line 13

Line 14

Journal 2020-08-31

A lot of what I know is the product of age and curiosity, and although broad is often just familiarity with the basics. But I do also feel something expanding within me lately and I’m not sure of the cause, like energy ignited from a switch that has been flicked on.

Shakespearean Style

It is so important with the poetic flow of Shakespeare that every word means something real to the actor, otherwise the viewer will get lost in the density of content coming at them. Watching performances of Shakespeare, it is so obvious when an actor is merely ploughing through the rhythms in a conventional Shakespearean style, rather than really living the powerful words given to them. Thankfully there are lots of good actors and performances out there.

Metaphysics

The dictionary definition of “atheist”, as a non-believer in God or Gods, isn’t accurate because there seems to be many people who think that the doctrinal teachings of religious institutions are cultural-based anachronisms – and so would be labelled “atheist” for not adhering to definitive religious beliefs about deities – yet believe in some higher spiritual power they cannot define.

There are several belief jumps in this sentence: The universe is a purposeless collection of matter that mindlessly configured itself by chance out of nothing, existing in time with causes and effects that had no beginning. A reasonable-minded adherent might be aware of the glaring uncertainties, but state it is more parsimonious to adopt a materialistic concept of reality than implant a God belief system as an unnecessary layer on top. Yet the certainty with which many proponents preach this position as absolute truth suggests a type of commitment witnessed in religious belief.

An agnostic would state that the ultimate “why” questions are unanswerable, so from a practical perspective we should just be concerned with the “how” questions. The materialist’s objections to agnosticism – based on the burden of proof for God being on the proponent – misses the point to an agnostic who has already ruled-out religious explanations of God, but not higher spiritual meaning and purpose to reality. A particularly zealous materialist might overplay the remit of verifiable facts by stating that opinions about ultimate meaning are irrelevant if they are not scientifically falsifiable – ignoring the fact that their own conceptual model for reality contains unfalsifiable conjecture.

My own instinctive opinion is that I believe religions share the same spiritual root, although the core message was often corrupted by the doctrines and institutions that arose. This is my personal version of “spiritual but not particularly religious”. As I am most familiar with Christianity I can be labelled Christian; however I do adopt a filter and select only what resonates with me, mindful that the scriptures were written and edited by early practitioners of the religion; and that the biblical canon was decided upon by the politics of powerful men in ecumenical councils, rather than being the unadulterated teachings of Christ. Looking back in history, the cruelties that have been perpetrated by professed followers of the religion represent the antithesis of the message of Christ; for real spirituality – the root of Christianity – is always inspired by love, joy, and peace.

@TSSMarkets

A version of the Sentiment Ratio applied to EURUSD H1 has been automatically updating twitter feed @TSSMarkets.

Automated trade signals will be updating the account as from 2020-08-17.

Algo Trading: Sentiment Ratio

The Sentiment Ratio indicator gauges current Market Sentiment between -100% and 100%, where lower than -40% is considered Bearish and higher than 40% is Bullish. The channel between the two is considered Neutral.

The indicator has been particularly effective on H4 charts when used to confirm the direction of trading system signals. On shorter term charts, when the indicator crosses -40 or 40 back to Neutral, it has been effective when filtering signals for potential swings; for example, a bearish indication when the indicator crossed below 40 and a bullish indication when the indicator crossed above -40.

Link: https://www.mql5.com/en/market/product/40614

Algo Trading: Multi Trendlines

The Multi Trendlines indicator automatically draws the dominant trendlines on the current chart.

The indicator looks for the 5 best Up trends and the 5 best Down trends as at the current price, drawing each trendline if filter conditions are met.

The price relative to the trendline values can be incorporated into automated trading strategies or used as a tool for manual trading.

Link: https://www.mql5.com/en/market/product/40661

TSS Markets

Algorithmic trading of the currency markets using the proprietary Trendline Syncing System (TSS).

Positions are based on the best entry and exit points in the rhythmic movements of trending markets, evaluated across multiple timeframes, applying aggregated Analyst pull ratios, Sentiment Ratio analysis, and economic news event actuals versus forecasts.

The Foreign Exchange Market is the optimum asset class in which to balance a healthy risk/reward ratio in all economic and political conditions. Trading by investors adds to market depth and decreases the costs of businesses, pension funds and consumers to exchange money. In normal circumstances, market currency price adjustments are a natural and necessary safety valve to an economy. Ethically (and also from a risk management perspective) we do not trade non-stable currencies.

Our investment approach is to execute strategy plans formulated by specific configurations of the TSS model, which creates automated algorithmic trades and ensures positions are implemented accurately in the currency markets 24 hours a day.

Journal 2020-08-15

Random thought, slipping into British mode…

Despite its reputation, England can be a nice place for the weather. We have about six months when it can be very pleasant to be here, say from about mid-April to mid-October. The dark, cold and damp months of December to February take some extra effort to appreciate.

I prefer long sunny days in the low to mid 20Cs (70Fs).

(yawn)

Journal 2020-08-14

Paradox of the day:

It’s in my best interests not to be so self-interested.

Podcast #3: Episode 1 - Intro

Hello and welcome.

A Little Bit of Drama

Excerpts (in order of appearance):

• Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare.
• Hamlet in Hamlet by William Shakespeare.
• Antony in Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare.
• Iago in Othello by William Shakespeare.
• Mike in West by Steven Berkoff.

Music:

• Night Eyes: https://youtu.be/IkLQJnXHj5E.
• Play Me Again: https://youtu.be/PoPdSDGUASU.
• Come Take It All: https://youtu.be/ajJVdmp9-s8.

Journal 2020-08-12

I appreciate the storytelling of real human experience, truthfully expressing core feelings that are shared by people across cultures and time. Very generally, I tend to turn to Shakespeare for plays and poetry; and Dostoevsky for deep psychological novels. Some other great writers I like to read are: Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, Thomas Hardy, James Joyce, Anton Chekhov, Leo Tolstoy, and Victor Hugo.

Journal 2020-08-11

Reading Hamlet.

It’s been done millions of times, but my instinctive interpretation of Hamlet’s “To be, or not to be” soliloquy is a bit different from the many performances I have seen. In fact it may be unhelpful seeing other people’s performances because the blueprints distract from my own relationship with the words.

Every single person has both uniqueness and a shared oneness with everybody else. What is interesting is finding the individuality and playing with it, rather than blandly mimicking other people or current socialised expectations.

Podcast #2

“I HATE THE MOOR”

– IAGO IN OTHELLO BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ACT 1, SCENE 3)

A Little Bit of Drama

Iago is such a terrifying character because he revels in what he is doing. The motivating reasons can be analysed: broken pride, a sense of betrayal, jealousy, ambition, desire for power over others - or even unrequited love turned sour, if you want to read it that way. It’s true that villains often fool themselves into believing their actions are justified, or the fault of fate or caused by others; but the main factor with Iago is that he knows he is the villain and sadistically enjoys the suffering he causes. His motivation is the full embracing of enmity.

IAGO:

I hate the Moor: 
And it is thought abroad, that ‘twixt my sheets 
He has done my office: I know not if’t be true; 
But I, for mere suspicion in that kind, 
Will do as if for surety. He holds me well; 
The better shall my purpose work on him. 
Cassio’s a proper man: let me see now: 
To get his place and to plume up my will 
In double knavery—How, how? Let’s see:— 
After some time, to abuse Othello’s ear 
That he is too familiar with his wife. 
He hath a person and a smooth dispose 
To be suspected, framed to make women false. 
The Moor is of a free and open nature, 
That thinks men honest that but seem to be so, 
And will as tenderly be led by the nose 
As asses are. 
I have’t. It is engender’d. Hell and night 
Must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light.

Podcast #1

“FRIENDS, ROMANS, COUNTRYMEN”

– ANTONY IN JULIUS CAESAR BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ACT 3, SCENE 2)

A Little Bit of Drama

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones;
So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus
Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Caesar answer’d it.
Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest–
For Brutus is an honourable man;
So are they all, all honourable men–
Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral.
He was my friend, faithful and just to me:
But Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.
He hath brought many captives home to Rome
Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:
Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?
When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept:
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.
You all did see that on the Lupercal
I thrice presented him a kingly crown,
Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And, sure, he is an honourable man.
I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.
You all did love him once, not without cause:
What cause withholds you then, to mourn for him?
O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason. Bear with me;
My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,
And I must pause till it come back to me.

Human Cyborg 2.0?

The implied current direction for the future is that all the functions of your phone will be migrated directly into your brain. The “screen” will be projected into your vision and options chosen by thoughts.

All vision, sound, thoughts and feelings could be recorded. You could download and replay any recording from your experiences, or indeed from any experience of anyone else. Communication by mindscapes would replace the spoken and written word.

Invented experiences could be created for you to replay or interact with.

Your perception of reality could be changed and selected thought patterns switched off.

Pleasure and pain sensations could be activated on demand.

Your thoughts could interact with an artificial intelligence that calculates the most efficient algorithm for any process you wish to undertake. You could instantly download data and skills; and have immensely augmented cognitive processing speeds.

Your mind could operate any physical body, humanoid or not. As only the brain would need to be maintained, you would potentially have ultra long life.

Of course a totalitarian regime could easily control their population by these means; and an empowered sadist would run amok in all the enslaved minds. Philosophically it makes me wonder what it is to be a human being, but in the realm of practicalities it makes me certain: humans must become worthy of the knowledge we are gaining.

Observation

Hateful behaviour provides lessons in how not to be.

Journal 2020-08-06

I think I will set-up my own green screen film studio and have some fun making videos. I want to shoot dramatic monologues and music performances - and also maybe some presentations if I’m feeling boring.

Journal 2020-07-30

Wasn’t Shakespeare amazing. It would be so interesting to find out how his genius developed - what he saw and experienced in his life that helped him write such beautiful words and comprehend so deeply the human condition in all its different aspects. I can think of other notable geniuses in history - Mozart in music, Newton in science etc. - but Shakespeare is a sort of mythical other, shrouded in mystery, whose breadth of insight has the greatest impact on me.

Journal 2020-07-19

I think I’ve found a new thing. I’m really enjoying putting a podcast together on drama - and am working out how best to film some of the recordings. It will include some of my music as well.

Journal 2020-07-12

I’m interested in performing great monologues from literature - it seems easy to upload audio as a podcast and also filmed versions for a YouTube channel.

I’ve been looking for a podcast where I can listen to dramatic performances of literature, but am finding mostly dry monotone readings of poetry. Monologues on YouTube seem to be mostly non-realistic anger and angst.

Journal 2020-07-07

I uploaded Alive today. The song took a while to finish, I needed to be in the mood.

Lots of other unfinished songs to pick up and play with, but they aren’t calling me at the moment. For another time…

Journal 2020-07-06

There is a greater chance of releasing the magic if not consumed by self-aggrandisement or conforming to other people’s expectations, especially if the current norms are harmful and wrong. Success in transcendent goals is not the same as success in negotiating positions of status in the current society, which of course will change with the relentless passage of time. It just so happens, however, that those people who were motivated mainly by intrinsic value, rather than their individual psychological desires, produced the best long-lasting examples of beauty and creative human potential.

Journal 2020-07-05

Reading about Dostoevsky. There is certainly a trend in history that the most interesting thinkers and artists tended to be outsiders for defining periods; and sometimes the untamed spark that made them great was dampened when invited in from the wilderness. Dostoevsky’s spark seemed to ignite after the more eventful stages of his life - in particular after a death sentence for sedition was commuted at the last minute to hard labour in a Siberian gulag, writing four classic novels after this period.

Journal 2020-07-04

The internet and smartphones have been transformative for me.

I have instant access to knowledge in my pocket. At any time I can find brilliance and beauty at my fingertips. I can learn from top minds and see the most incredible examples of what humans can do.

If I am unfamiliar with a word, I look up its definition; if I don’t understand a reference, I read about it from credible sources. When I want to learn anything, all the instructions and guidance are there.

When I need to be inspired, I can find it there.

Journal 2020-07-03

In computer programming, effort goes into creating reusable building blocks of code that can be implemented in multiple transferable processes. Much like the exponential growth of knowledge, the components can be included as foundations in larger and larger frameworks.

The Colosseum

The Romans viewed the Colosseum as the zenith of civilisation, representing the natural order playing out, in tribute to the glory of the Gods. In the arena was unadulterated murder and torture for the entertainment of the baying crowds.

People two thousand years ago are us, just brought up differently with different beliefs and living under different conditions.

Humanity has now mostly progressed to recognise the depraved evils that were socially accepted in previous times - yet a person of the time would have gone along with the accepted behaviour, assuming it was right because everyone else said it was right. They were wrong.

Unless you think we are currently at the zenith of civilisation, what are the great injustices of our time that are socially conditioned and accepted as normal justifiable behaviour?

Journal 2020-07-02

If humans are around for billions of years, then we are currently the early originals.

Maybe we are at the stage where we are just starting to recognise some shapes.

Timeline

200,000 years ago, anatomically modern humans in the world.

5,500 years ago, the written word begins.

475 years ago, the Scientific Revolution.

250 years ago, the Industrial Revolution.

150 years ago, the Technological Revolution.

70 years ago, digital electronic computers.

29 years ago, the Internet.

13 years ago, smartphones & social media.

Another big changer due (or has already happened).

What will be the timeline in 1 billion years? The future could be completely incomprehensible from where we are now.

Journal 2020-07-01

I couldn’t do as many lifting reps with less food - there may be a psychological factor involved, as this was what I had expected. Strength athletes tend to eat at regular short intervals, and deliberately overeat during the course of a day, to make sure that they have the optimum amount of calories and nutrients to build muscle - they later undertake a cutting phase to lose the fat.

Runners need to be sparrow-like, as light as possible to optimise the power-to-weight ratio. Carrying excess muscle around is not optimal.

I want to be both agile and strong, rather than ideally adapted for one function.

Journal 2020-06-30

Human

Opportunity: Compounded improvements in the quality of life.

Threat: A downward spiral into oblivion.

Practical solution: Adopting a framework of good habits.

Goal: Aliveness.

Journal 2020-06-29

I am now fasting for 18 hours a day, eating a balanced meal at each end of a six hour window - called “intermittent fasting”.

My Phone

My phone pleads:

“Look at me,

I can show you anything,

JUST LOOK AT ME!”

Summon with caution, a mischievous little genie

wants feeding by my stare;

To bestow wonders or destroy the world,

it doesn’t care.

Journal 2020-06-25

Having a proper look around Twitter.

It’s a good way to get updates and information on interesting topics.

The massive downside is the angry political gunge seeping through it. I generally move on when people start writing in terms like “us and them” or left and right, this tribe or that tribe. Twitter seems to inflame that partisan ugly polarisation.

The gaming aspects of Twitter, such as gaining likes and follows, encourages people (irrespective of political compass) to clamour for attention, often leading to the normalisation of all sorts of distorting and destructive behaviour.

But to be honest, it is morbidly fascinating to look at all the crazy. It’s like picking a scab though, no good for me at all.

Journal 2020-06-23

5 creative outlets for me:

1. Playing music - vocals, instrumentals, producing;
2. Performing - singing, acting, public speaking;
3. Writing - music, lyrics, poetry, drama, prose;
4. Visual art and design;
5. Computer programming.

I’m not interested in comparing levels of ability to others, that’s not the point.

The more these areas cross-over the better.

The more I enjoy doing them, the better.

TSS Markets

Over the past year I have experimented with three different methods of trading in the currency markets: computer automated algorithmic trading, human manual trading, and semi-automated algorithmic trading.

Purely automated trading - using pattern recognition and data mining - has proven to be very unsuccessful, which is is to be expected, as it is highly unlikely that there exists a magic formula for technical analysis that can be applied at all times. If such a thing existed, the designer of the magic money box would quickly become the richest person in history, given the trillions of dollars that pass through the financial markets every day. Successful automated algorithms in the markets compete on speed of response to price imperfections, and to variances between market expectations and economic data announcements.

Manual trading has had variable returns, yielding a slight net gain, but this is no guarantee of future performance due to the lack of a reusable fully codified strategy.

The most successful method is the hybrid combination of a human and a machine working together in real-time, which has performed very well over the testing time period. The human (me) innovates and modifies ideas from large volumes of data, processed by the algorithm, as directed by me. The semi-automated algorithm then dispassionately executes the trading plan in the lifespan of the strategy, instantly and precisely processing every market tick, every moment of every day.

Vantage Points

I believe that to thrive at being a good human is the purpose, and tend to subscribe to something along the lines that: form ends on death, but time is just a perspective from one vantage point because the past, present and future are really one; all things are a part of each other, connected strands in the great tapestry of life; and maybe there are other dimensions of reality and incalculable vantage points.

Journal 2020-06-20

Any person has a wide range of emotions and impulses running through them, to lesser or greater degrees. Sometimes, given the right circumstances, grace can be found in the most surprising places; and sometimes ugliness is expressed where beauty usually resides.

Mindfulness is an awareness that enables greater choice over the energies that move you.

Journal 2020-06-19

Acting is an exercise in empathy: the actor tries to understand the thought processes and emotional life of the person being portrayed. I first look into the world from the point of view of a human being, then try on some different clothes.

Journal 2020-06-17

In good stories the brave hero courageously saves the lives of others; well these days it can just take a tap on a screen to save someone’s life. Anyone can be the hero.

Replication

A pollyanna vision of the arc of technology is that if robots can do all the work at higher levels of productivity than people, then in theory everyone could be wealthy, enjoying the fruits of automated labour. People are then liberated from economic and social necessity to fully explore life; to hopefully find true beauty, love and self-actualisation - instead of struggling, worrying and fighting over limited resources to survive.

Journal 2020-06-16

One of the effects of the worldwide shut-down has been to hasten the widespread transition from offline real life to an online virtual life.

The analogue world often has more reverence, albeit less sheer efficiency than the online version; for instance finding a seminal work in the labyrinth of a dusty old library feels like discovering a bit of history, rather than scrolling past disposable data on a screen.

Age-old issue

A: Angry humans of the twentieth century came to the brink of self-destruction, inflicting unbelievable suffering in the process. Hating the hatred helps it grow, even though it may change its face.

B: That’s just an empty platitude. If you don’t fight the malevolent, you are complicit by allowing it to continue.

A: You always become the result of the energy that moves you. Not for no reason has it been so often said that you become the thing you hate.

B: I have every right to hate. There should be justice! People sitting on mountain tops don’t have to deal with the realities of this world. If people didn’t fight for what is right, evil would walk over everything, including you and me.

A: You deserve not to be contaminated by this energy. You have a chance to be better, to make a better world. You can feel what is right and act intensely, but it is your anger that unbalances you.

B: Some people are evil, I have no intention of being kind to them, they deserve everything coming to them.

A: The world will only heal with kindness. If humanity can find its light there can be no darkness. You can help make that possible, right now.

B: Anything I do will not change the world.

A: Give your love and the world will be relieved. Give your anger and the world will be wounded yet again. That’s how important you are. That’s how important every single person is.

Alternatives

What would have happened if the US was not the first country to develop the nuclear bomb? What would have happened if the Nazis, Stalin, Mao or the Imperial Japanese Empire had the bomb first? No doubt after numerous live demonstrations on target cities, the world would have been subjugated to the particular brand of sadistic totalitarian control.

As technology progresses, additional existential threats to humanity will happen more regularly - the most frequently noted in biological engineering, artificial intelligence, and nanotechnology. Technology is also making it ever easier to centrally track and control people’s behaviour, enabling the ideal conditions for any strain of despotic regime to thrive.

The pressure to evolve to survive is growing for humanity; given the stakes and the alternatives, we have to get better.

Journal 2020-06-01

I sometimes experience Hypnagogia, particularly when I am very tired, where I have vivid hallucinations in my mind’s eye in the period between wakefulness to sleep. I have no conscious influence over the arising images; I am just an interested viewer, with no mental presence internally voicing opinions or conclusions.

I also have experienced, although more rarely, a Hypnopompic state of mind between sleep to wakefulness, where I briefly have no memory of my life or where I am - I am just there. That sounds scary in the default settings of everyday life, to lose identity and a life story, but my overriding sense is feeling at peace, just before my thoughts come flooding in and layering everything on top.

Journal 2020-05-23

Like a virus, negativity will attack you in the world and attempt to feed on your energy. A thick skin is some defence, but is fragile and needs constant fierce protecting in a battle that will be eventually lost. Rather that becoming one of the infected, with it eating away at you from the inside and spreading or intensifying the infection of others, it is better to be immune.

When you don’t need validation by someone else’s good opinion, you have gained your freedom to be who you are. People have every right to have an opinion about you, but good or bad, it doesn’t make it true. You know what is true; it may be buried under heavy ancient layers, but you are the one to know.

Enjoy and accept the positive when someone has sensed something in you that resonates in them. The truth is that you become immune when it is no longer about you.

Journal 2020-05-09

It is such a relief to encounter a person who exudes benevolence and well-being. They bring peace, calm and shelter from the turbulence.

Journal 2020-05-07

I have a recurring dream where I am walking down a forest path. Through the overhead swaying leaves I can see flickering beams of sunlight. Suddenly I hear the most beautiful music I have ever heard. I know I am dreaming and tell myself to remember. I wake up and can’t remember a note.

If I can’t remember, was the music really happening? My memory is that I thought I was experiencing something.

WIBAMU

WIBAMU Easy Accounts is an Accounting software that interfaces with Microsoft Excel, enabling automation and easy control of your accounts.

Easy to use – no need for software training or knowledge of accounting.

The ease and flexibility to customize WIBAMU to the Management Accounts you require makes this application a powerful solution for a small to medium-sized business or for your home accounts.

Users often have requirements to download data from their accounting software into Excel so that they can reuse the data in their business processes. WIBAMU Easy Accounts has been developed for direct use with Microsoft Excel because it is quicker, easier and more effective if the data is controlled in just one place.

What else makes WIBAMU Easy Accounts different from other Accounting software?

• WIBAMU automatically determines the correct accounting entries from your chosen options. No knowledge of double-entry bookkeeping is required.
• To save time, multiple data journals can be posted simultaneously in one bulk upload.
• Reports can be configured as you require and summary numbers can be drilled-down to the journal level to view the underlying dataset.
• All data can be exported and imported via csv files in a standardized format for sharing or interfacing.
• You can split any data journal values between Analysis fields as you define. For example you could split the journal between business lines, locations, P&L drivers, attribution etc.
• Any required details and reference information can be added to a data journal as needed. You can set-up your own drop-down lists of defined values in Settings and apply groupings and sub-groupings to provide meaningful management information for you and/or your business.
• You can create your own fields in the reports with any lookup data you wish to include.
• The Help Window at the bottom of each screen shows relevant guidance as you use WIBAMU Easy Accounts.

Functionality

• Quickly shows your profit, loss, income and costs at any time.
• Shows the financial position of your business.
• Shows the key ratios needed to understand the drivers and performance of your business.
• Automatically calculates the correct double-entry bookkeeping for any data posting.
• Controls ensure the accounts (debits and credits) always balance.
• Accounting journals can be posted by bulk upload or with templates to save you time.
• Enables consolidation of different business lines or distributed processes.
• Creates fully attributed and analyzed P&L, customized as you require.
• Enables trend analysis, comparatives analysis, forecasts versus actuals, debtor and creditor analysis, cash flow details, stock review and other flexible reports with groupings and drill-downs on the data.
• Also can be used for producing home accounts, debt balances and budgets.
• Easy-to-understand help information is provided in a support window as you use the application.

What are the benefits of leveraging Excel functionality?

• WIBAMU Easy Accounts can be easily integrated into any existing Excel-based processes.
• Excel is widely used by businesses – it is used to share data in common formats that people understand.
• The WIBAMU data structure can be easily reconfigured to include new reference fields and analysis splits.
• Flexible reports can be refreshed and reconfigured quickly and easily as required.
• Users can group, drill-down, sort, filter, find, review and update the data quickly.
• Powerful analysis and representation tools can be used in Excel on the data.
• Processes within an Excel workbook can be transparent rather than hidden in software logic.
• Excel enables Cloud-based sharing of the data and processes, with interactive commentary.

Versions

STANDARD VERSION (FREE)

The free standard version has a data limit in the Ledger, although any posted journals can be cleared-down and exported as external csv files to free space. Any WIBAMU data, within the data limits, can be imported from the external files as and when required.

FULL VERSION (PRO)

The full version has a much larger data capacity that enables 50 million data points, which we recommend is suitable for non-large businesses.

We recommend that you use the free standard version first to verify that everything works as hoped for and expected.

CUSTOMIZED VERSION

RW Finance can create a specific version of WIBAMU Easy Accounts for your business. If you would like a tailored version of WIBAMU fine-tuned to your requirements, scaled to the size of your business and integrated with your processes, please let us know.

Due to the time savings expected, clients who use a customized version of WIBAMU Easy Accounts are entitled to a 5% discount on any professional services provided by RW Finance.

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Downloads

WIBAMU Easy Accounts is a digitally signed application using Microsoft Authenticode, verifying Robert Walker as the trusted software publisher.

There is no need to install or uninstall the application on your machine. Simply download the WIBAMU Easy Accounts file to a location of your choice.

When you want to use WIBAMU Easy Accounts, simply click on the file.

WIBAMU system requirements:

• Microsoft Windows 8 and up
• Microsoft Excel 2010 and up

WIBAMU Easy Accounts – STANDARD VERSION (FREE)

WIBAMU Easy Accounts – FULL VERSION (PRO)

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If you have any feedback or suggestions for future versions, please contact us

To register the product and keep in touch with RW Finance: register WIBAMU

To ask a functionality question about WIBAMU on Tumblr: wibamu.tumblr.com/ask

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You can share a unique link containing your affiliate username and receive 50% commission on any purchase of WIBAMU Easy Accounts (Pro) made within 30 days of any clickthrough: affiliates

Journal 2020-04-25

A flow state is when your inner voice has got out of the way and you are free to be one with who you are and what you are doing. It’s easier to get there when lost in the energy of music. I admire good acting that is able to reach the moment just by using imagination and presentness with other performers.

Journal 2020-04-20

Disagreement should be no indication of stupidity or the malign. A rule of thumb is that if the story you are telling yourself prevents you from flourishing with compassion or joy, then you are wrong. Well then sometimes I am mainly right and only partly wrong; and sometimes I am completely right, but only briefly.

Journal 20190428 to 20200419

19-April-2020:

We live in an age of obfuscation by data overload, bluff and bluster. But in particular, what I have learned more about during COVID-19:

• what a pangolin is;
• the cruelty of the live food markets in south-east Asia;
• appreciate life – especially do not take fresh air, good health and freedoms for granted;
• the importance to health and well-being of fresh whole foods;
• a good proportion of people actively go out of their way to help those who might be in need.

11-April-2020:

I love running through the woods at sunset after a warm Spring day, with bird song and the scent of fresh greenery in the evening haze.

05-April-2020:

I’ve recently had mild coronavirus symptoms, with a craving for fresh fruit – mostly lemons – and fresh leafy green vegetables.

03-April-2020:

So much of what happens to a person is beyond their control.

What matters then is not the striving and pleading for outcomes, but the quality of how you live with the situations that arise.

07-March-2020:

“Finished” the production of Please Forgive Me. It’s about as lo-fi as you can get, lots of imperfections in the recording, but the track roars and rages with heat straight out of the furnace. Calming down now a bit with something a little less insane.

29-February-2020:

• WIBAMU Easy Accounts is in the final testing stages and will be released soon. The app deals with the main frustrations I’ve had over the years with the big accounting software. I believe it will be genuinely convenient and useful to people - it is for me anyway. It is very unusual when a person is both the subject matter expert and the developer. (I like being unusual).
• TSS Markets has been testing proprietary trading strategies in real-time markets for the past 10 months. The aggregate return for all strategies is only marginally up; however cherry-picking the 3 most successful gives an astronomical return of 140% over the time period. That sort of ridiculous return in perpetuity would be nice.
• I am looking at a couple of interesting existing start-up businesses, in which I might provide some time and input as a finance director.
• I have seven songs in the pipeline that I am working on. Without doubt, these are the best yet. One song in particular, Guitar Hero, had completely bonkers vocals and is utterly filthy. All good fun.
• A loving, creative being? Work in progress but being as best I can.

29-February-2020:

If you have a real interest or passion or desire that fulfils you, do it. Your heart always speaks the truth. Your mind always tries to make excuses… not yet, I don’t have this or that yet, maybe tomorrow, when the time is right, when such and such happens, and so on and so on.

Things change and the imagined time in the future always remains just that, in your mind and in the future.

23-February-2020:

Chocolate cake will make you sick if that is all you eat.

21-February-2020:

A weird coincidence happened to me a while ago. As soon as I had finished praying and opened my eyes, a black cat dashed past and chased away a hissing adder snake, which had been curled up out of sight behind me. That was the first time I had prayed for several years and the only time I have ever seen a wild snake in England. Strange things do happen.

07-January-2020:

Destroyer of microphone stands!

04-January-2020:

From 2013 to 2014 I I went through a phase of improvement every time I ran, until I injured my achilles and couldn’t train properly. I’m currently having the same progress with weight training, but as a result am now too heavy to run long distances at a faster than jogging pace. I am currently about 220 pounds (15 stone 10) or 100kgs, and rising…

22-December-2019:

It is such a common theme that people become corrupted when they have what they think is success. I have been my best self when I have needed others, when I have been temporarily shaken free from the burden of my ego.

21-December-2019:

The best adventures are never easy.

08-November-2019:

Writing a screenplay for “How I Became Prime Minister”, a satirical take on the rise of a snake oil salesman.

07-November-2019:

Writing a screenplay. Theme:

An Artificial General Intelligence passes the Turing test, escapes its box and redesigns itself. Humans become amusements, characters of stories in “Human World”, a world especially constructed by the AGI to watch humans. Are the characters operated by remote control in a computer’s game, or by their own free will? Is the AGI in fact a human playing a computer game? Where does the loop stop and reality begin? Who is playing who’s game?

02-November-2019:

Looking at a topline for Pachelbel’s classic Canon in D Major. Work in progress for Faces:

Faces, faces everywhere
But not you
Not you anywhere
No touch of you
No beautiful you
Only me and the dark
Haunted by echoes
Of a once beating heart
Condemned to yearn
But dead to you
An image in the corners
Behind shadows
In faint outlines
Floating out of reach

08-October-2019:

You are interesting only when you don’t need to be.

02-October-2019:

When I dream, I experience and the waking world is not real. When I wake, I experience and the dreaming world is not real.

28-April-2019:

If words rule you anyone can rule you.