This is only the beginning...

...of more than one idea. The intent here is to share some things with folks and (with any luck) learn a lot from folks in return. There are several topics I wish to talk about but I will initially focus on these items:

1. Stranded with Tunes - What if you found yourself stranded on an island with no hope of rescue in the near term? Just imagine if you happened to be travelling at the time of said stranding with a limited selection of music CDs that just happen to represent your favorite albums (that's right... I said albums). Let's first assume for all of you people screaming "No power on an island!" that firstly I just happened to be packing a portable solar panel and secondly some rechargeable batteries. I am going to list for you folks the top 20 albums that I would want to be stranded on an island with. This will end up being two lists for me; one containing no compilation or greatest hits and one that allows them. The first list is for all of you music purists out there who think greatest hits albums constitute a "sell-out". The very next postings will contain my lists. I encourage others to post their list(s). So let the debate begin!
2. Renewable and Alternative Energy - I have a goal of one day living "off the grid", completely devoid of need with regards to energy provided by the big utility companies. Even better, I'd like to be in a position to sell power to the power company. Mind you, some states have regulations that only allow you to build energy credits to be used later by you. In addition I have a grand plan to get very good at being less of a burden on this planet that is by all appearances...well, sick. I have interest in several of the newer technologies or at least some considered less conventional but more earth friendly such as solar, wind and small hydro power, greywater systems, rainwater harvesting, hydroponics, green building techniques and much more. I will tackle each topic as a separate post...more to come.
3. The Decay of Modern Society - I expect this one to start a bit of a firestorm type of debate which I am really counting on you folks out there to add kindling to. Many will consider this viewpoint as simplistic; others might think it borders on paranoia or even conspiracy theorism. Please rest assured that my intent here is not to stir up trouble but to allow the people to educate each other (and me in the process) as to what they think can help this society. We are living smack dab in the middle of the information age; this blog is proof. The impact of this age is that each new generation is exposed to more and more electronic stimulus at an earlier age and it seems the intensity, pace and quality of content can vary greatly just by switching information sources (let's call them channels). So the children are now bombarded with so much more information than their predecessors that it seems to have accelerated cognitive development across the board. Children are much more aware earlier than they used to be be. So what does this all mean? Where I am going with this? I am saying that society is beginning to unravel because there isn't a good enough method to help children differentiate good stimulus from bad. While a good many parents do an amazing job helping children understand what is real and what isn't, what's important and what isn't...a good many of parents these days didn't get that positive influence from their parents. It boils down to this: the quality of education is dropping as a whole because attention spans are getting shorter. Why? Too much input...too much stimulus. Here is where the fun part of the debate kicks in: What factors impact this. I know the very first one people will throw out there is socio-economic status. Yes, clearly the available money a family has will impact both the time parents have to spend with their children and the quality of the home education materials available. Keep in mind a well to do family where both parents work can very much limit the amount of time those parents can spend with their children. A good caregiver can help out here for families lucky enough to find one that really cares about more than just their take home pay (it's rare these days, trust me I know firsthand). Another factor that impacts us all: Time. This modern life is so complicated, there is so much to do that people can get frustrated easily and fall into despair. People in despair do less than healthy things to themselves and to others. We have now come to the reason for the title of this section of the blog. Has this daily life frenzy created a society that is completely burned out? Are people mostly just happy or are the happy ones just medicated? Anyone have the latest numbers as to the number of Americans that are currently taking anti-depressants or other medications that take the edge off? OK...enough for now. Your turn, folks. Tell me...am I off base? I long to hear you say that I am.