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Adeel Khan edited this page Dec 13, 2024 · 128 revisions

Welcome to the shangrila-vhp wiki!

Updates (Latest to earliest).

  • 12-11-2024

    • Since the last update. I was with my child. Also, I decided to take some time off to optimize my mental health. Also, I think I caught a bug. But could do without that update. That being said, not all the updates go here on the wiki & I keep chipping away at Shangrila or associated projects. So earlier this week I stumbled across an advertisement for a property that is for sale at an ideal location. However:
      • The zoning laws of this town do not allow for the property to be developed for residential use. The current zoning is for agricultural use and there is a property on the house. And so if 20 residents were to stay at this property, right now, I am told that all residents would have to live in the house that already exists on the property.
      • The other issue is figuring out how to get a 20% downpayment for this property. As well, pay for the on-going mortgage. As the value of the property is 6-million-dollars Canadian. Originally I had anticipated that a property could be purchased for around 1.35 million dollars and as been documented in the budget. However, this property comes with 100 + acres of land (more than 0.4 square kms). Also, in addition to the downpayment, there will be other expenses. However, upon first sight and I have yet to go and look at the property myself. But I love everything about this place. It's odd that the way the AI generated the house with red bricks and a longer chimney is what this house actually looks like. There were some other strange yet pleasant coincidences.
      • Here is an actual aerial image of this property. Please note, that I do not own this image and it belongs to the property owner.

  • 12-03-2024

    • 17:50 till 1957: Manually editing the main page! I guess I was in a trance or flow state.

  • 12-02-2024

    • Leveraging the basic modeling tutorial off of freecad's wiki. 50% success rate. Method 02 didn't work for me upon first attempt. Also, it looks like if you have the entire object selected and generate a picture, then that is how the object is exported. In the greenish hue of the entire object being selected. 1.5 hour of effort tonight.
      • So far, I have invested about 15.5 hours (15 and a half) towards beginning to learn Freecad, since the mid of last month (November). I am just starting to get comfortable with the UI. The learning curve is steep for me.
      • I am also working on importing CAD assets into FreeCAD. It relies on a third party utility, which I have to compile manually. It's taking it's merry time.
      • Ledger for internal id: 860pdm29n Under Shangrila-VHP main container/bucket. (For internal purposes only)

  • 12-01-2024

    • Smartdraw's pricing model does not allow free use of the product/offering beyond the trial version. For now, I decided to install Libre Draw. Then leverage an online tutorial and get going.
    • The source file for Libre-Office Draw (not Libre Draw) can be located under the following location. Suffice to say, you will need Libre-Office Draw in order to open the source file. link
    • The exported image can be located via this link
    • I did a screenshare recording, if anyone happens to be interested. Or if you'd like to join in the future and do some ethical hacking together. Link to youtube video here

  • 11-30-2024

    • Second update for the evening. Shangrila-VHP is designed to work in harmony/conjunction with the states sister initiatives. I have added the links to the sister initiatives on the side panel of this wiki (Also accessible below). I've also made posts about this in the past.
      • The vision is to enable infrastructure between Mars and Jupiter. https://asi.surge.sh/ and then leverage the proceeds in order to launch/sustain a global/quality infrastructure for healthcare https://auh.surge.sh/
        • As humanity takes on this endeavor, invariably we will be entering an era of Super-Abundance. Here is one example and as significant as this number is. This will only be the beginning. Source via Harvard University. https://hir.harvard.edu/economics-of-the-stars/ This super-abundance should be geared towards helping improve the human condition and also the condition of other animals. This super-abundance must not be wasted. Nor must the means by which the super-abundance is had, these means must not result into detrimental effects for humans or the biosphere at large.
          • Timing is key and as it relates to entrepreneurial/startup related endeavors. My very crude and non-mathematical assessment is that some paradigm shifting event will occur on or before the year 2029. Source 01. link and Source 02. link Update: I must highlight that I am not an AI expert. My views on this topic and view the Sources cited should not be taken as actual/official recommendations related to these realms. In fact, it would be a very unsafe thing to do. As I am not trained in these areas. It is also to note that, at this point, I have reason to believe that a 'steps towards Superintelligence' could, actually be a very bad outcome for humans. And so, a lot of effort is needed in order to have more bright minds helping define this problem. In my individual capacity, I have been advocating governments and militaries to take on a more involved approach here.
            • To get realms to work will require effort in a variety of ways. It may sound crazy to say this. But we could have realities beyond belief and it will seem like this happened almost instantaneously or overnight. There are a couple of different ways to look at this.
              • However, this is not to suggest that there will not be risks or challenges or there are none at the moment. Or that the events that will occur in the time range mentioned will automatically solve all of the issues.
                • My Physics is developing, but I don't think that reality is pre-determined. So taking a casual/non-chalant/uncaring view of the future is not a recommend or wise strategy.
                  • If we, as a species, do a good job of defining the problem. Then, we can indeed have outcomes beyond belief. Here, in a Neil Armstrong sense.
                    • Coming back to sister initiatives. There will, most likely, come a time when humanity splits to different regions. It seems like we shared a common origin as a singular species. However, when the split does occur, it is quite likely that based on your choosing (considering that you made a choice as a rational adult agent), one may never interact with others outside of the group of one's choosing. This is a deeper topic involving the nature of reality, the information theoretic model of the universe (Wheeler, Zuse, Fredkin, Susskind, amongst others), forms of computation (including current forms that are theoretical), meditations on the Drake's equation, interpretation of QM (Quantum Mechanics) and other topics. But from my very limited perspectives, these are some of the areas that I can think of. So, if I may, my advice to anyone who may be reading this would be to take on a more compassion centric approach and seek to educate oneself. Your time on this planet is limited and events beyond belief appear to be across the horizon. Developing a cleaner conscience and engaging with the wider reality in a manner whereby we realize the interconnectedness of all things/events and also thinking about karma. I would think incorporating the above mentioned will serve one well.
      • The three projects were and are not designed to make me or any team-member a lot of money. But if everything works out, then I will accrue a lot of good karma. And my time on the planet would have been well spent. It's been a solo/lonely journey. But as all works out, hopefully I would have done my small part in helping alleviate suffering in the avoidable category. Just like many others had done before me. In doing so, I would have done my part to help ensure a better reality for my child and future generations. Thank you for reading. Feedback and questions are always welcome!

  • 11-30-2024

    • Unrelated to this particular entry, I have been volunteering, tightening security for my machines, helping out neighbors and generally taking care of myself. Today, I assisted a neighbor by putting up their holiday/Christmas lights with them. Today was also what seemed like the first really cold day here, native to where I live in Canada. The winters have been unusual, but today was particularly cold. It is -2 degrees Celsius right now (28.4 F). But it feels a lot chillier with the wind. Last week I met someone who is quite adept on the technical side, with a keen and intuitive mind and generally a wonderful person with great ethos. The individual is also a single parent like me. The individual has been experiencing homelessness for about 2 years now. Right now I am thinking about this individual and other individual that I have met over the years. Including a veteran (I cannot say from where) who was going through a lot of different struggles and was then experiencing homelessness.
    • On a separate note, I went to sign-up for a gym nearby and there were a ton of needles in the needle disposal unit. And anyone could open the lid for this unit. Oddly enough, the names and contact info for management are not listed on the website for this gym. They have no phone numbers for the head-office. So the only contact I could write to, was their 'privacy officer.' I hope they take ownership of this issue. I've been a member of this gym before, but this issue in particular is new. But I never realized that the contact info for their management is not on their website. Which is definitely a flag. No contact info could mean, no way to delegate ownership.
    • On a yet another separate note. Historically I've seen a couple of videos off of Modern Self Reliance (Kevin Builds) page on Youtube. Provided that I have not actually been to the page in a couple of years. I've been working on greatly limiting my time on all kinds of platforms and generally staying away from electronics and if I do not need to. I've also been decluttering and taking on less and less endeavors.
      • To come back to Kevin's page on YT (Youtube). I've seen a couple of videos off of Kevin's page. No affiliation with the individual btw. There are two videos in particular that Kevin posted about 8 months back that piqued got me thinking about portable cabins. I forget which city here in Canada had a strategy like that. I will go through my screenshots. That being said, I have already made a couple of posts here regarding ABTC (A Better Tent City).
        • Anyhow, here are the two videos via Kevin's (Modern Self Reliance) page that I was referring to. Pop-up Portable Emergency Shelters There was then an update to this video via the following video. Where an individual who was experiencing homelessness had moved into the structure that Kevin had made. Update to the previous video. I forget the exact details as it has been 8 months since I had seen these videos. Next, the videos that Kevin had posted were definitely influencing me. Coupled with the few but incredibly rich interactions that I've had with ABTC (A Better Tent City) and my interests in renewable energy. I had sought to start combining these ideas together. Sample here. link Btw, I have just written to Kevin and inquired if Kevin would be interested in developing designs together.
          • The areas, that I think would need work for pop-up shelters would include but are not going to be limited to and in random order: How to keep the units warm and cold without the units catching fire/freezing e.t.c, tilting/blowing over, preventing fires, suppressing fires quickly if fires emerge, issues of hygiene, how to clean or deep clean the units, issues related to needle use (unrelated to note above, which is an actual/real issue if someone/anyone wishes to go checkup the separate facility mentioned). There are other issues also and based on my limited/few discussions with the team at ABTC.  

  • 11-24-2024

    • I had help from Chatgpt. Took on manually tinkering with FreeCAD vs code generated by AI.
      • So far, I know how to sketch a shape and then pad it. I have yet to figure out how to link stuff together. FreeCAD is not very intuitive and you have to manually enter a lot of the values. Even duplicating objects seems cumbersome. It's a slow and steep learning curve.
      • I now estimate that it will take 16 to 20 hours just to get a basic handle on FreeCAD
      • Other than that, FreeCAD could have waited and I should have spent more time with my child.

  • 11-19-2024 (Yet another update)

    • Tinkering with SmartDraw on or before 11-19. The video was posted on this date. link

  • 11-19-2024 (Second update)

    • I took these pictures during my first walk yesterday. (Walk 01 of 02). link
      • I am fortunate to already connect with a representative at both Cat and Bobcat. It's incredible what machines can do with electricity, code, pneumatics +
        • I am confident that we can house every veteran across OTAN in < 6 months.
          • Housing for everyone on Earth in a sustainable and ethically sourced manner is also possible in 6 months. But that's a decision humans need to make. It's like pieces of the tetris puzzle have to re-align for the base to make contact with the bricks. So that some energy can flow.
    • I am also really grateful for 'Team Fearless'. I love listening to the motivational speeches during my walks and workouts. Added bonus when remixes of Jim Rohn and Les Brown come up.
    • I like Jack Ma. I wish that Ma and his team were leading reforms across China and the world at large. I really like Jack Ma's philosophy of 'looking for opportunities where others only complain.' I realized that each person that we interact with has a lesson to share with us. It's unfortunate that certain stories become a very core part of the lives of certain individuals. Hey, I was also this individual when I stopped taking care of myself. Then mental health takes a hit and stories become bad. Luckily, thanks to Dr. Doidge (no affiliation) we know that neuroplasticity is real.
      • Also, in the spirit of paying it forward. I have spent thousands of hours mentoring others. It's really sad to see people giving up on themselves. But hey, you can only take the horse to the water. I am a worthwhile individual and I only attract the absolute good and the best. If I take on the ownership of taking humanity to the next set of worlds and in parallel help make life in this reality exponentially better. And I am doing this by making ink for my fountain pen and fixing my computers. Then you can do it too! Make sure that you are investing in your stories, your mindset and your habits and quality relationships on a consistent basis.
    • 10 years of rejection and self-improvement. From darkness to light. Problems are opportunities. link  

  • 11-19-2024

    • 11-16-2024 to 11-17-2024 and into November 18 (past midnight). I love working with great engineers and great engineers with the best possible environment and culture that I can help enable for them to thrive. Right now, as the capacity to hire great engineers is developing. Here, I decided to once again take a diy (do it yourself) approach towards getting stuff done. As an aside, I felt good about assembling the new dining table and chairs that my mother had purchased.The instructions for assembling the set could have been a lot better. As the instructions for assembling the chairs was totally missing. I also feel that the manufacturer made a mistake as the length of the screws going into 3 (sets) out of the 4 chairs was not exactly the same as the first one. The only possibility remaining that the set of screws got mixed up with the table or, well there is an accompanying bench. After assembling the set, I got a lot more confident that I can just start creating one tiny home and I can probably assemble a couple of tiny-homes a day. The work that I have done historically and have had some help with. This work will invariably help produce housing structures. For helping address homelessness in the veterans community in a meaningful and hyper safe and secure way, for helping enable housing for single parents like myself and to generally help address housing around the world. The challenge with making the endeavors open-source is that others will copy everything and close source it. When you don't have a place of your own, you don't have any dignity. And if you then find yourself in an abusive environment, that is not good. I feel and I don't have the data to backup this statement with. But I feel that in addition to generational trauma, the reason why humans behave badly and in a universal sense is that they didn't have a good environment to grow up in. But that is not the only area and as I have sought to highlight via my comments here, on Youtube, on Quora and elsewhere. Coming back to the beginning of this post. After picking up (beginning to) tinker with FreeCAD again. The last time I tried this appears to be 2 years ago. But I lost track of this area. Now that I am trying to get FreeCAD to run again, I was running into logistical challenges. I didn't want to run the code on my native/primary machine. The other machines that I have are anywhere from 12 to 14 years old or older. There are other machines that I have that are 20 years old. I am inclined to categorized these days as 2 to 3 days of Devops. An idea that I thought about again was to merge Days of Devops with a mud race. Where races like 'Tough Mudder' meet ethical hacking. Here are some of the successes that I had over the past couple of days:
      • Fixed broken install for my primary desktop. Which must be at least 14 to 16 years old by now. The upgrade for the OS broke the install. I didn't have a backup. So I upgraded to the latest version of an open-source operating system.
      • Changed desktop from one version to another. I found that applying a minimal desktop is less resource intensive on the system. Now I am thinking why have a desktop at all.
      • I must say that I had a lot of help. As I was beginning to install the ISOs for specific distros. I couldn't help but wonder how actors with different intentions have already deployed what I am thinking is going to be possible very soon. I would think that in some modified version, this is already occurring somewhere.
      • I had to re-image a raspberry pi that I bought a while ago. All this time, I kept thinking that the HDMI port on this tiny device was faulty. And so, all this time, I have been manually tinkering with it to get it to work. Turns out that the issue was software related. Then changing the resolution on the machine got everything working. It's interesting that the desktop could be accessed from anywhere in the world with Raspberry Pi Connect (using Raspberry ID). I haven't had a chance to look into this and if this was built on top of VNC. Nor did I look into how the data was being routed through https. Last time I did something like this was at-least 12 to 14 years ago. At that time, you had to open up and forward ports on the router, install VNC server, configure your ssh client and then install a vnc client on the other end.
      • I am not going to document the exhaustive list. If I had more time, I'd like to get a better/deeper understanding of what is going on in the realm of computer and network security.
        • Since I had help and new ways of making sense out of the data that was already in the machine was brought my way. There is one tool in particular called Nigelmon. In all my years using different utilities to check resource usage on the machines. Using this utility was refreshing. I love the simplicity and easy of use. Nigelmon helped me hone in on the area I wanted to look at. Whether I was running an anti-virus scan, or checking cpu usage when I was stressing the system (update elsewhere here) or generally speaking the state of the system when I was taxing it with multiple priorities (download files, run an anti-virus scan at the same time e.t.c)
          • I started thinking of forensics for the mind and again this is definitely not the place for this update and I hope that no one will leverage a meaning from this and other updates that was not intended. Secondly, forensics for the mind is an area that is possibly the area that requires an incredible amount of care. Because the implications are going to be profound in so many different ways. In the wrong hands, it could perpetuate a lot of suffering. That being said, the prediction that a few neuro-scientists that I have listened to. For such a means existing within 100 years. I would think that the time-frame for something like this is relatively short. If it's not here already.
            • For universally positive purposes, such a reality could help bring a lot of hope and healing. But, once again, in the wrong hands it could perpetuate suffering.  
      • Coming back to the updates. I got another another laptop that I thought I was going to give away to work. This laptop is also older. Previously it was a gaming laptop. The problem with this laptop has been that it heats up rather quickly. The heat builds up within 5 to 10 minutes of uptime and contingent upon the task being performed on the machine. Which causes the machine to crash. AI tells me to look into replacing the fan and reapplying paste around the cpu and things of that nature. For now, I positioned an actual fan (not the fan native, internal to the machine) that you'd buy at the store, directly at the area where the heat is dissipated from. Next, I downloaded a utility in linux called 'stress'. As the name implies, the utility is focused on putting stress on the cpus. I downloaded another called 'sensors'. I noticed a clear correlation between stress being applied on the cpus and temperature going up anywhere from 10 to 20 degrees. When the temperature started hovering around the 80 Celcius mark. I stopped running the stress test.
        • This made me curious about a couple of things that may not be on topic for Shangrila. But it definitely got me thinking about:
          • The design of the modern computers. Which, the way I understand it, still relies very much so on the Von Neumann architecture. In particular, there isn't really a need to have the CPU attached directly to the motherboard. Yes, this is an assumption. But, if we reason about this using first principles and if we assume that the majority of the heat in a machine is dissipated through the CPU. Then, rethinking the design of the architecture should help with dissipation of heat.
            • Also, there is one individual in the AI community, who has been of the opinion that re-creating the kind of structure that exists in particular parts of the worlds is something that cannot be done. If I heard them correctly. When asked if there is a way to align AIs. Their narrative has been that, 'there has to be a way.' Which is in contrast to historical statements by Yudkowsky. Possibly others. Relating to the former here. I personally do not see how relocating chip design is something that cannot be done. I think what's going to most probably happen is that this is going to start occurring in India, in Africa and elsewhere. But acting in a way whereby and however game-theory actually applies, we may be sleep-walking into ushering an intelligence explosion. Which is what Kurzweil, the way I understand it and others have predicted. Anyhow, these are deeper topics and I have gone way off the Days of Devops updates that I started with. (This sub-update was made later on.)
          • However, and there are multiple and many ways to look at this. From the perspective of AI Safety (and other areas of safety), this may or may not be a good thing to do.
          • The design of the data centers. I started thinking about about the point above and in relation to how the data center would be designed to dissipate heat out. I have heard there are alreadys some companies working to capture the heat from datacenters and repurpose it. I also know that big Tech providers like Microsoft and others have programs in place to repurpose the heat. I read a few articles about this over the past 2 decades.
          • The other area I started thinking about was the realm of theoretical areas related to computer science. This goes to the very basics of how computation is done. It is said, that there are and have been theoretical realms whereby no heat is generated when computations are occurring. I am not referring to QC here. As my understanding of QC is almost non-existent and I still don't know if QC can indeed be leveraged for day to day computational usage. I think the theoretical realm one may be meditating on. Again, this tied with the note mentioned above. About AI Safety (and other areas of safety). More computation, from my uneducated perspective, could make developments better in a lot of different realms. On the other hand, the general state in certain realms, also necessitates taking a cautionary approach. Where I disagree with certain thought leaders and without disclosing their identities, is that it is okay to advance a realm or solution if one of two individuals would be adversely affected by the development. In the movie, 7 years in Tibet where the monks are carefully relocating the earth-worms and as they seek to build their monastery. This, I sense, could be tied to a deeper meaning of suffering. I won't go too deep into this area.
      • In short, I got all of the machines working again.
        • The issue of one of the machines with 8 cpus over-heating. I think it's called an octa-core. Placing it near the window is not an option as the moisture is, most likely, going to fry the motherboard.
      • The machine I have yet to look into as the media players. Including an older Apple TV. I also have a motherboard, which I cannot remember how it came to my possession! But it's been sitting in the storage for 20 years.
    • As another topic on the side. I know this topic has come up in the wider consciousness many different times. But the issues related to close-sourced vs open-source. There are a lot of different ways to look at this. My intuitive and possibly erroneous (in the sense that this is not an area that I have looked into extensively) initial assessment is that open-source realities are possibly the only way to ensure safer realities in the future. However, there are many challenges. Including the challenge of and in random order.
      • The making of this observation on a very limited set of observations, ought not to suggest that an open-source model ought to be 'the' way of doing things. For me to now think and try and tie this to the concept of a Transparent Society is quite a bit of a leap. So many books to read.
        • If I could take a magical and fantastical imaginative leap into the future and provided humans and AIs have not hit some limit via the great filter or Von Neumann's apocalyptic warning via Ulam. Provided that the undesired outcomes do not occur. I would agree with the Kurzweil and portions of Vinge's thesis that the future looks quite remarkable. So in this future, seeing that society 'could' indeed be increasingly transparent. Issues related to privacy become a lot more prominent. Because, there are all kinds of stuff happening in our lives and in our minds. How this bit is tied to this project is on the issue of the privacy of the patient. So the need to address issues by placing care at the center is incredibly crucial.
          • I am a civilian. But I think what is happening is that there has been a shift to increasingly using electronics. Particularly computational devices in the past 40 to 50 years.
            • With this, issues related to the 'just war theory' may not a core consideration for individuals and groups. Whether at a nation-state level or splinter groups.
            • I have a series of thoughts here. But will reserve the commentary for now.
      • Actors taking stuff from the open-source community and close-sourcing it
      • The applicability whereby open-source developments make money. Wikipedia seems to be doing alright and Linux has evolved in a whole variety of ways. But Linux, can still be clunky. I guess, a key consideration is ownership. If a project is open-source, and this is a big assumption, there may not be a team or teams hyper focused on solving the problem right there and right now.
    • Overall. I didn't have pre-defined benchmarks or areas I had to address. I just wanted the machines to get working again. So that I can deploy what I need to deploy and actually have the software running without constantly throwing errors e.t.c. Overall, the exercise also serves as a mechanism before transitioning to resources on the cloud.
      • But I do need to stick to the schedule and focus on my daily set of routines, maintain a rigid exercise schedule and increasingly be mindful of what is truly important for me.
    • Conclusion:
      • Earlier this year, I made my own ink out of food coloring and beet juice. As I didn't want to keep buying pens that will sit in the landfill for another 500 years. Also, my budget is very lean. This week I assembled the dining set & fixed and maintained as many of my machines as I possibly could. With the right mindset, anything should be possible. But it is the responsibility of creation.
      • When you are staring at the terminal for multiple days & then you finally go outside. You appreciate this world a lot more. While you are engaging in the activities and you have help and support from AI. You realize that you are trying to make sense out of a firehose and thinking of all the possibly opportunities missed as your memory is full (for the AI system). Well that's an excuse. But it's quite incredible how much technology has advanced since I got my first official certification in I.T (Information Technology) in the late 90's.
      • Unless you have opened up the side panel of an older desktop. To build up on the previous comments. I feel the closed-sourced nature of designs (software, hardware, architecture etc.) limits the probability that the newer generation would want to develop a curiosity for computer engineering (computer/cyber/network security). If this assumption is true. I am not sure if it is true. Coupled with how so many functions have been outsourced. There are other associated areas also. At it's heart, I would think that only when you do something, does the learning stick. And for that also, you have to practice and bring in the rigor. If these and other areas were addressed, then from my limited vantage point I cannot see why the cyber domain could not be secured. Same with Space, A.I and other realms. So if I put my ego aside and we think about enabling infrastructure away from Earth. To secure and safeguard the infrastructure. Then we could have quite an incredible outcome for future generations.
      • What I say next is not in a defeatist sense. But to power good/sustainable/wholesome abundance without unintended consequences. There has to be the means to do what has been shared above. However, more recently I have also started thinking about the actual fabric or nature of reality.
        • I personally enjoy the sublime nature of reality. I'll dig more into the late Hawking's reasoning on this topic. But, I don't think the nature of reality is deterministic. I would say that investments in the areas of education and healthcare are the ways by which it can be ensured that existing and future generations are going to prosper.
    • On to more ethical hacking and tinkering.

  • 11-16-2024 Many hours later. I got a couple of things to work fine. Had some troubles with getting ssh keys to work. This will require some work, as I do not wish for the keys to get compromised. After doing it twice, it seems straightforward. But it's not working on one OS in particular. Right now, there is no intellectual property that I need to secure. But I've always taken a safety and security first approach. From 0300 till about 0430, I started tinkering with some basic code on Freecad. Which is what I should have been doing. Anyhow, I am brand new to Freecad and tinkering away. Some samples: link 01, link 02, link 03, link 04 Suffice to say, I do not know what I am doing in Freecad. But, hey, we all start somewhere. I can open Freecad now and can navigate through some basic functionality.

  • 11-15-2024 I am going to spend at-least 1 hour today learning about how Freecad actually works. Seeing that the *nix box is operational. I will start with simpler designs leveraging information/tutorials from Freecad's wiki directly. Tutorial 01 for me. Internal documentation only: Ledger 860pdm29n has been moved as a sub-task under the parent task. Both of which are not private.

  • 11-15-2024 For the update under the date for 11-12-2024. One of the fellows whom I had an opportunity to connect with, told me that three of his buddies died in the war in Afghanistan. There were other things that this fellow had mentioned previously (just prior to), whereby the individual was critical of the government here in Canada at large. But on the issue of the update that the fellow had shared with me. Now that I am thinking about this, I feel that I failed to connect with this fellow on their level. I did separate the individual from all of their views. I even asked them, how they felt about what had happened. But in my mind, I had the stressors on me (debt agencies calling me everyday, being away as a parent for a decade e.t.c). Also, I was in a hurry to get back to the veterans parade. Which was my first time and I really wanted to get back. But I feel I let this fellow down. Again, I definitely didn't have to even begin to let in their other perspectives and narratives. Now that I think about it, it could be that the way this individual felt about folks migrating to Canada and this is a big assumption, could be because of losing 3 close friends in a war. For me, the prospect of being homeless scares me. But at the same time, since I am trained in wilderness survival. I mean, it is going to be rough and I have less than a thousands dollars of my own funds and which is thanks to the Government of Canada. But I will survive. I also will have zero bitterness towards anyone. As my life is 100% my responsibility. I know that there is a charity in UK, I forget. But it encourages individuals to join them to sleep under a tent for a night in order to raise awareness about veterans experiencing homelessness. In other updates and I have really worked to greatly limit my time on social media. But I was on instagram a couple of hours ago. I am still split, if the government should be building houses. This is something I have documented here on this very wiki. There are other accompanying issues, which I have tried to highlight over the decades. But I saw a clip of The Honorable Minister Harjit Sajjan and The Honorable Sean Fraser, what looked like teaming up. Well, I felt good about that. Because I have enormous respect for both of these individuals, and I've always looked up to Minister Sajjan (when I learned about him many years ago). I feel addressing homelessness in veteran and first-responder community should be the government's primary responsibility. Because and going back to Milton Friedman, the government's primary responsibility is Defense. Being in Defense must take a toll on the human. For this reason and more, I think independent thoughts. Quite separately, I never did and don't want any one nation-state to engage in a war. Some people criticize and chide the Right Honorable Justin Trudeau and other leaders around the world who come from a left or center leading stance. For me, I am in Canada because the father of my leader opened up immigration. I know I have made mistakes in my life, but I have and will continue to take my citizenship very very seriously. It's a sense of duty. For me, when The Right Honorable Prime Minister said one word. Compassion. I began to internalize that. I feel that it was really what the world needed. Because, one the individual, any individual has to be in a capacity whereby they would be receptive to good feedback. And the person who is providing feedback must provide feedback, following a more developed set of ethics. For this dynamic to occur, only compassion led insights will have the means and ability to begin to enter hearts and minds. Maybe this has been the very original human message all along. There are other thoughts related to power. For me, I have skeletons in my closet and I have no desire to seek power for the sake of power. But conscience is definitely real and I have a strong feeling that something like karma exists. Separately, I need to stop thinking about my doubts. I know it's a cliche, but doubts can indeed lead to good dreams (in a universal sense) not materializing. The question we should be asking ourselves is if it's okay to leave someone behind. To forget about veterans, to not invite a co-worker to an event because one has all of these blanket/broad brushstroke assumptions about them. To dismantle laws that protect the women and folks who are transgender. The architecture of the government is to help improve the human condition. One must not confuse efficiency at the expense of not doing something out of love. Or deluding oneself into thinking that one is doing something out of love. When, in reality, one is really scared inside and doesn't want to address that internal situation. Coming back to me, my situation is vulnerable. It's been like this for a decade. I don't complain and I stopped pointing fingers within the first couple of years of being an entrepreneur. Therapy (evidence based) is what lead me towards this realization (amongst other important realizations). Well, in varying degrees I may still find myself pointing a finger (in varying degrees) or engage in actions that may seem like pointing fingers. But I think I am able to catch myself. Hesitant, that I am beginning to think in some ways, that could be detriment to the well-being of an agent. I feel the 'do no harm' dial should be turned up higher and this is a deeper question. One involving existence but also the meaning of suffering. Which I am not going to begin to delve into here. I would say that in life, we can show up authentically or to the contrary. For some reason Billions and Billions of beings (humans, animals, insects, bacteria e.t.c) all share this reality. Our time in this reality is short and all of us have existed on this 'pale blue dot'. However, reality functions it is crucial to do no harm and take a compassion centric approach. I feel it's crucial to continue dreaming and imagining. The world continues to get better. Gotta keep doing the work. "You become what you think about most of the time." - Source: Brian Tracy. Link It's easy to judge someone. It takes a leap of imagination and other endeavors in order to educate each other. We need to take care of our leaders and ensure they and their families are doing well in every dimension. Everything is interconnected. For the entry I started with under today's date. I know I did not engage with the fellow, the degree to which I should have. When the individual decided to share something super deep and personal. The irony is evident to me now. I have stressors and anxiety, but I still pushed myself to go to the parade. Hey, I have to be compassionate towards myself and not be so harsh and judgemental towards myself. I shared so many ideas for free, never expecting anything in return. But now I know better. There are stressors. But I know better for next time. I am also cognizant of agents of varying degrees or TWAs (Time Wasting Agents). So it's a fine balance. Compassion, I get. But agents and actors have all kinds of stuff going on in their hearts and minds. So learning to read people is important.

  • 11-14-2024 In other news, my Github sponsors profile was approved a couple of days ago! Yaay! This means, other Github users can sponsor my endeavors. I think, for now, I have enough funds to incorporate my Startup in Canada. But to get going, I could deploy some funds to start tinkering with Claude and also put Open AI's paid subscriptions to use. I also spend an adequate amount of time looking into matters related to safety and security. But I am not sure if I can share that work publicly. Anyhow, here is a link to a thread where I was asking around for credits for Startups via Anthropic/Claude link. Separately, here is a link to my Github sponsors profile, if you or someone that you knew wanted to sponsor me. link With proper structure and organization and with great people on-board, I am convinced that the team that I help put together could put some solid dents in the areas where we'd love to make an impact. When I say we, I say this having learnt from my mistakes as a manager and a leader. But also doing everything in my capacity to assist the individual contributor who is going above and beyond. As of right now, I am an independent contributor and have been an independent contributor since the year 2021.

  • 11-14-2024 For today, I had a mixed day. Technology, in the service of humanity and life in general can be greatly and immensely useful. Working with AIs helps me save a lot of time and I personally feel that I need to stop 'Googling' information as the AIs can get you the answer that you are looking for some 90% of the time. Well, it depends on the task. I spent the majority of the day today provisioning an older desktop that I've had for like a decade and a half now. I installed an older version of Linux on it and I finally got Freecad to run on it. There were some mixed reviews for Freecad itself on the web. Some had complained that it borked their OS (operating system). Whereby others simply love the offering and had zero issues with it.

    • Well, this is just a screenshot from one of the example/sample files. I did not create this myself in Freecad. But I am hoping to take a more hands-on approach and hopefully I can upload some of the work effort on Youtube. Within reason and being cognizant that this time the intellectual property clause has to be taken seriously from the get go. Sample image using the examples from within Freecad here
      • I just realized that code can be inserted into Freecad's scripting engine. Not unlike Blender. Note to self: I'll give this a whirl. Source link
    • Separately:
      • I also keep coming back to p. engineering I am just beginning to understand the utility here.
      • I connected with a team from Florida who are leveraging 3-d printing to print housing structures. I've looked into the basic mechanics of how-to setup a 3-d printer for this very purpose myself and also looked at the different materials. At least on a surface level. The team from Florida, it seems, is in partnership with Winsun technology from China. Like team members from Winsun were copied on the emails. I've been told that the team from Florida (another startup) are about to secure a contract local to the States. The thing is, I have to sign an NDA as an individual (since I do not have an incorporation as of yet). Now, if I sign the NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement), then the probability will most likely increase significantly that I may not be able to leverage 3d-printing for the purpose identified. If I sign the NDA and this probability kicks in, then subsequently I or my group of companies could be hit with an injunction. On the other hand, WinSun has done some interesting work in this area and from little I gather about them, they are quite secretive about their operations in China and typically do not allow guests to visit their facility. The other contentious issue is what is happening in a geo-political realm. So not having the legal structure, I am not sure how to proceed here. Related to this and other matters. And recent reports related to cyber-security aren't really helping. Overall, collaboration specific to food security, water security, climate change resilience and affordable housing could serve humanity really well. Issues in these areas can be solved by creating the means to license existing technologies. I've given some limited amount of thought to the 'Eudaimonia Machine Construct' being repurposed for this very need. (See previous updates below for Eudaimonia Machine Construct). Overall, I sincerely hope that saner minds prevail. Lots of room to collaborate peacefully and work towards helping improve conditions for all life on this planet.

  • 11-13-2024 Good event hosted by CSA (Canadian Space Agency) today. There was lots of chances to provide input. I hope that I didn't hog the mind. But I was hoping to get others who didn't speak as much to also provide input. The event was health and wellness focused. I didn't take a lot of notes and even if I did, I am not sure if I could share them publicly.

  • 11-12-2024 It's been a busy 12 days or so. I am batching the updates together and the last update was actually on the 30th of October here. Other updates go into the software I leverage for Project Management. Also taking time for personal development and well-being. I also had a chance to interact with folks who are experiencing homelessness in the wider community. I cannot share the details in order to protect the privacy. But both the fellows that I interacted with had incredible grit. There was a Vietnamese Canadian fellow that I met who referred to Canada as 'Monkey Land'. He didn't really say what that meant, when I asked him to expand. But otherwise he had a hearty laugh and a persistent smile. He mentioned that he was quote volunteering, but when I asked him if he was experiencing homelessness, he mentioned yes. I was supposed to see this fellow at 0830 the following day. I dropped the ball here, but I did go to the location at 1000 to see if the fellow was there and he wasn't. I'll stop by again in the next couple of days as I promised to donate a pair of shoes to this fellow. The other fellow, I made a mistake when he mentioned something very personal. I failed to connect with this fellow on a deeper level. This fellow was obviously carrying trauma as three of his buddies, in his words, died in combat. I did not take his stance that refugees were quote filling up the shelters personally. I just listened to him. He already had a coffee and a bagel (which someone else had donated to him). Separately and potential trigger warning for what I will be sharing next. I noticed that there was only one homeless person on a busy intersection of the city where I currently reside. Previously I had volunteered with (at least once) with a group local to the region and there used to be a lot of individuals who were experiencing homelessness near this intersection. I wonder what has changed and now I am curious to get in contact with a wing of the local government here. I know that there was one individual who was experiencing homelessness and had put in 3 years studying Mathematics at an undergraduate level. The fellow must have been in their late 50's or early 60's. I also recall that this fellow had mentioned that their vision, well they had gone partially blind from spending all the time in the sun outside. I stumbled across a member of the same group that I was volunteering with and that there was another individual who had passed away. I know that this individual had been doing hard-drugs as I had noticed this with my own eyes and as I was passing by the intersection a number of years ago. I am going to take a moment and send good wishes to this fellow. I don't pray in a traditional sense as I am agnostic.

  • 11-11-2024 I have been getting a healthy amount of advertisements for Bobcat, Caterpillar and other construction related organizations. I take every opportunity to connect. I am grateful for the folks that I have connected with. Just need a couple more days to get more organized and streamlined. I took a moment to reflect how I have been working and realized what someone had shared with me many years ago. 'How we do something is how we do everything.' Food for thought.

    • I had a chance to tinker with some code today. I didn't get into the mechanics, but the logic, the few times I looked at it, seemed pretty straightforward. But don't ask me to explain 'Mermaid diagramming and charting tools' to you (using javascript) in a manner that is 100% cogent. I've tinkered with getting some iteration of gantt charts in particular to render using (if I recall correctly) just basic html and css. But the output wasn't what I was personally looking for. Upon first, glance, I really like the output that is generated using Mermaid js. Here's a link to their site here and here is one sample, I decided to test the sample code on an older/dusty site that I had been practicing on a number of years ago. Here's the link and the link is safe. The suggestion to leverage Mermaid js was generated by Claude. And to give credit where it's due.

  • 10-30-2024 into 10-31-2024 While not exactly related to Shangrila-VHP. During the past couple of days, I spent a bit of time working on two meditations. I made a 9.5 hour (non-stop) meditation, which is currently sitting on my machine and I cannot upload it to my project management software as there is a 1 GB (Gigabyte) file size limit (even after it is zipped, it is still 1.3 GB). I cannot share the video anyways, as I realized that it contains the link to the Miro Board and that Miro Board itself can take the user to another Miro Board, which is not my property. Anyhow. I did share a shorter version of these meditations and on the topic of AI Safety and the other idea (somewhat unrelated, depends how you look at it) was Dmitry Stefanovich's idea from the year 2021. Which I've chipped away at, in a very limited setting. As of this week, I've been rethinking my historical set of meditations on the topic of 'steps to Superintelligence.' I am personally very split on this issue and for a lot of different reasons. That being said, and I am not an expert on risk management, but however the risk is evaluated. If the risk of harm to any lifeform exists, then the need to double-down on the efforts to help secure and safeguard the realms becomes that much more important. For this reason and more, I am definitely in favour of substantially increasing the Defense funding. But from my extremely limited vantage point as a civilian and as I have sought to share this in a finite setting (mostly via comments on Linkedin). The increase should not go towards expensive projects at the expense of areas of safety that are much needed. Anyhow, here are the two videos and I hope that by sharing content like the one that I have made during the past 2 days. I can hopefully get someone to take note of the opportunities and this could be a way to plant the seed in their mind for them to work with the governments and also continue to foster dialogue on a worldwide basis. Today is a gift and it is all that we have got. So the need to invest the energies to help make reality better for future generations is probably the most important endeavor. Meditation 01: Eudaimonia Machine Construct - Shorter version 10-31-2024 Meditation 02: Brilliant insight by Chatgpt: 'The Responsibility of Creation' 10-31-2024 Separately, I was thinking of ideas from the past and thoughts becoming reality. Here, the impact that the discovery of zero has had on the species is truly profound. Also, in a kinetic sense, I was thinking about Da Vinci's ideas for flying/floating e.t.c. In particular, I was thinking about Da Vinci's design of a primitive version of a helicopter. Link I cannot share the details, but I briefly met someone who was in an army and they fell from the helicopter. Whereby, the invention itself can be leveraged for a whole variety of reasons. But it goes back to the insight that Chatgpt captured above, where does the responsibility of creation lie? As it seems like increasingly more and more of us humans will have superhuman capabilities. Throughout human existence, this weight must have been felt in varying degrees. Thank you for reading. I am always open to feedback.

  • 10-30-2024 On 03-24-2023 (last year), I had an initial discussion with a representative at Norwood Mills. Which, the way I understand it, is an American organization that has operations here in Canada (Maybe it is the other way around?).Anyhow, I noticed their advertisement and reached out to them. It was a real pleasure to connect with one of their representatives & I applaud Norwood Mills (Link to their website is here, for hiring great candidates. I recall that the customer service representative that I had the pleasure of speaking with was a recent immigrant to North America. They were from a country that had been experiencing war, so I am not sure if they came here as a refugee. I forgot if I asked them that. I have never been without a roof in my entire existence. Truly appreciating a roof over my head is something that goes back to the year 2007. Which came via a volunteering opportunity. At this point, I am thinking that I should buy a sawmill and start creating tiny houses. The longer-term vision of employing 3d-printers, newer ways of manufacturing and eventually manufacturing in space will come later. Separately, there has been a trend emerging in Canada for probably about 15 years or more. Whereby there is these unwritten expectations from & pressures towards or on the government(s) to do everything. Which now includes creating housing. This is not a sage strategy and something I had advised against in my humble/limited/solo capacity. The approach that must be leveraged is to incentivize leaders like the late Fred Terman (Stanford College). I guess, in a modern context, the work that Paul Graham & Jessica Livingston have undertaken. Which (shared above), in a Milton Friedman sense realities are taking the focus away from the Government(s) to be able to perform their primary functions. Whereby the primary function imho is the Defense of the nation state itself. Source, link. Anyhow, coming back here, I think I should just buy a Sawmill and start building. I have adequate experience from a research & development side in order to start making a dent in homelessness.

  • 10-28-2024 Useful links document has been updated. Have to come back and review the supporting projects under the following link

  • 10-22-2024 There has been a period of time (months to years) whereby I did not have a bank account. Or that my bank account dipped below the overdraft protection. Thus, resulting into me officially being amongst the Billions who do not have a bank account on the planet. Including the 3 million Canadians physically closer to me. Quite coincidentally, during this time, I met other individuals who also didn't have a bank account. And/or they were living on a dollar a day. For me, there have been a number of years where I've lived on a dollar or less a day. I am grateful that during this time, I had access to a healthcare system. For accessible mental health, I made this a priority and allocated a budget for it for multiple years. As a single parent, another area where I felt the pain quite acutely (sometimes literally, when I had to have my wisdom teeth removed) is dental care. I often think of doing another non-profit on the side, where dental care expenses for front-line staff and veterans can be reimbursed. Separately, I was thinking of Shangrila-VHP and the housing structures that are going to get enabled. This is totally separate, but I was thinking that guaranteeing some kind of a dwelling to a frontline staff or veteran, may result into a situation whereby some proportion of individuals only signup in order to be a recepient of the dwelling. Now, there are multiple ways of looking at it. Contingent upon the deltas (or autonomy, individuals coming online and the quality of human flourishing, amongst other factors) everyone on the planet having a dwelling of their own is looking like a very real possibility to me. Coming back to the topic, for the separate not-for-profit for dental work. One way to do this is to have the clients go to accredited dentists and dental hygienist. One of my previous insurers used to maintain a list like this. This is a simple and effective solution that is going to work. I am fairly certain that I can find donors to back up this initiative across the Western world. Maybe the world? I am open to suggestions here and elsewhere. Eventually, I am convinced that a very very decent dwelling in a quality sense of the word imaginable can be enabled sustainably from anywhere from $5000 to $1000 Canadian. But as of right now, I am not able to prove this mathematically and attach a 90% probability that such a prediction will come true to 'that' degree, by 'this' timeframe. But it is inevitable and the world is definitely on a path towards some very major transformations in the next 5 years. In a good and universally wholesome sense of the word imaginable.

  • 10-07-2024 Good day. I hope you are doing well today. Yesterday, I had a great opportunity to experience fantastic service by one of the local transit agencies here. It must take an extra-ordinary amount of effort to keep the trains, buses and other forms of transportation running. For me, I had an early start to the day. The sunrise was truly extraordinary. And I feel that my desire to want to capture the sunrise on camera, kind of sort of, hindered my ability to be able to enjoy the experience in a mindful manner. However, this feeling is in contrast to me actually enjoying some of the pictures and also videos from the past. There was a significant detour for my plan. So I basically leveraged this opportunity in the form of happenstance and just decided to spend a couple of hours in the city. As the sun came up and the temperature went up along with it. I was enjoying the balmy sunshine on my face. I am glad that I took a thinner sweater, a light toque and that I had a blazer on. The very faint chill, the kind that you experience with the morning dew and that comes with the onset of fall, was almost negligible. Although, if I had prepared enough, then putting on a thin pair of gloves would have allowed me to truly enjoy the book that I was reading. It was strange to read a book by the late Bob Proctor. As I felt that this is exactly what I mostly think and speak about. As I was reading and trying to shoo the seagulls away. A senior lady approached me. She was panhandling. A request that I politely declined. She decided to sit on an accompanying bench and I probably spoke to her for the next 20 minutes or so. As I got to know the individual a little bit, the person was going through grief and loss. And the individual also had a lump (the size of a golfball) recently removed from their right breast. The individual trusted me with this information and also where they live. Obviously, I cannot share the details about the person or where they reside. I had to take a bio break and didn't realize that there were public washrooms in that area. And I've known about this place for all of these decades that I have lived in the region. Well, I think the city can definitely spend a little bit of money, to put a big sign somewhere indicating that there are washrooms in this part of the city. Anyhow, as I was just getting up to go to the washroom and the senior lady was going to guide me. I noticed that there was a syringe towards the back of the bench where I was sitting. I had a range of thoughts going through my head, as I had walked over the grass in order to get to this bench in the first place. Earlier on, I noticed a mother probably in her early 30's taking her baby for a stroll in and around the path. But she had left the stroller, with what looked like her purse about 15 feet from where I was sitting. Anyhow, I took a piece of tissue paper that was in my trousers pocket and picked the syringe from the non-sharp end. When, I got to the washroom I was hoping to see a needle/syringe disposal facility. But there was none to be found. The trash bin was fastened to the wall and there was a little bit of space underneath. So it came down to choices and at that time, I didn't think of placing the syringe on the floor (somewhere safe, even though I was in the only one in the public washroom). Then washing my hands and drying them and then turning on my tethering connection. So I could consult with Chatgpt on this matter. Maybe I should have called 3-1-1. I didn't want to put the syringe in the trash bin, because I have noticed the cleaners put their hands inside of the trash bin. Obviously leaving the syringe where I had noticed it was not an option. So I got out of the public washroom. Once I got out, there was a plastic pail. The kind you use to store and ship larger batches of mayonaise for restaurants. I have no idea, why that pail was there. But it was on a raise surface (about 3 feet in height) and the probability of anyone going there would be very low. I didn't know what to do and I didn't wanna walk around the city with a syringe in my hand. So I flipped the plastic pail right-side up and moved it a little bit back and I placed the syringe inside of that pail. I must add that the syringe did have that protective cap on it. It is possible that it popped out of someone's pocket and that this syringe wasn't actually used. But, I personally could not take that chance. Local to where I currently reside, I often see these plastic kind of fastener. I believe these fasteners are used to pop out the veins, so that the individual or individuals who are doing drugs can then find their veins (to put the syringe into). I will refrain from sharing my thoughts on that matter. Anyhow, and coming back to the previous update. I think I already mentioned that I washed my hands (with soap). I was hoping to find the senior lady that I had met. But she had left within the couple of minutes that I was in the washroom. I had a gift card from the coffee store and I was thinking of either giving her the gift card or offering to buy her a coffee. Anyhow, I then had another coffee. With the coffee in my hand, I was walking between buildings. Suffice to say that there was a lot of space between the buildings. But I started paying attention to the path and thinking about my experiences. I was thinking, someone could have stepped on that syringe and gotten HIV or hepatitis. I felt that we can all do more to reduce the harm in the city itself, the wider community and the world at large. While I have personally never done drugs. I smoked some weed when I was in my 20's and did mushrooms once and E, I think once. So that's from my early to mid 20's. Drug abuse is probably one of the worst kinds of suffering. So I feel that we need to develop the facilities and the infrastructure in order to help reduce the harm. The harm that individuals will cause to themselves, the ones that they love and to the wider society. On the other hand, there have been some developments recently whereby psychedelics are being tried to help treat symptoms of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). I haven't had a chance to review the research. Once I get into an area, I have to get into the deeper details (at least the molecular level), so reviewing research on this area is going to take a bit of time. There are many other associated areas and just mapping it all out is going to be an activity by itself. I mean it could be a blessing that we could automate most of the jobs (not all) and then enable the means whereby we will have more care-giving. Without actually distorting the meaning of the work and doing bad names in the name of care-giving. It's also not fair to judge someone who isn't engaging in the care-giving activities that others may force them to do. When the individual is not getting love & respect from the individual who they are supposed to be care-givers for. That there has been a pattern of neglect and abuse for decades. These are all the issues that we have to contend with. Anyhow, this is part of my update from yesterday. I have not been through the education system in North America. Minus the few university and college level courses that I have undertaken. But I truly feel that issues of self-esteem, engaging in self-loving practices, means for addressing loneliness. As well, enabling the social support structure, without it being tied to a religious activity (I personally do not have anything against a religious activity for the purposes of socializing. Within reason. In fact, I enjoy participating in such activities. Again, within reason & while continuing to exercise my right to champion reason. But not unlimited reason). If individuals loved & respected themselves, then the probability that they will say no to self-destructive activities would go up a lot higher. I feel that overall, most of the human beings are carrying a lot of trauma. From my non-clincian's perspective, I also see sub-cultural and other groups carrying, what it observably appears to be generational-trauma. This is now going into the deeper discussion about the human condition. I had this other, non-associated thought and I was thinking that when individuals do Ayahuasca (spelling), one of the thing the drug does that it induces vomiting. I was thinking, that maybe that very act, in the mind(s) of the individual is akin to them expelling all of the 'stuff' that they are carrying inside. Again, this is definitely not a clinical observation and I have no knowledge in this space. Well, I have read one or two articles on Ayahuasca and it seems like there is a remarkable difference for individuals who have done Ayahuasca once. As well, individuals who do Ayahuasca once every 6 to 8 months. I am recalling this from memory and I don't think I saved these articles. I didn't think that this update was going to be this long. I just didn't want that old senior lady to suffer. And I obviously do not wish for anyone to step on syringes (used or not). The lessons were not good or bad. They were lessons and experiences. I had beautiful and good experiences also. Like the sunrise and also meeting good people at the event that I was invited to. For the love and trust others bestow upon one. I wish we can be the change we wish to see in the world. Well, I've had a serious gambling problem, which at one point became so chronic that I slept on the wheel (at the highway, probably doing 70 to 80 km per hour. I was driving slowly). I wish to not get into all the details and other details also. I recall a fellow who I used to work with and he was one of the nicest fellow that I know. I didn't work with him directly. But his energy was without exception, always positive and he always had a smile on his face. I know this brother had fallen on hard times (grammar). Latter in the evening, I was taking the train back and I think there was a soldier on the train. I am not sure. Maybe they just had what looked like military type suitcases. I mean it was olive in color. I was too caught up in my own thoughts and my station was coming up. I felt guilty for not saying hi. Maybe unconsciously I carry guilt. But I would never want to do or even think anything to make this or any young fellow's life dangerous. I don't what I am typing. But these are some of the thoughts that I had yesterday. I feel that we take 'a lot' for granted. So when we do not have anything for a long period of time, say like a decade or more. Then we start appreciating life a lot more. We also start focusing on what matters. Because, and much as I'd love to see anti-ageing research progress in a safe/ethical/universally moral manner. The fact remains that I have no idea if I am even going to be alive 6 months from now. I have no desire for dying or any such thing. It's just time. It's truly precious. We have each other and I have often heard that all humans came from a tribe (genetic bottleneck with evidence for an against) of maybe a couple of hundred to a couple of thousand people. This was more on the tens of thousands of years timescale vs the longer evolutionary timescale. I just hope that we are doing the inner work and continue to reduce the harm. Because, at some point in our lives, we have (well, I don't know how many of us) done something that is not good for us or maybe others. I would think that continuing to think about the what-ifs can drive someone insane and make them sick. If the individual is not willing or not in a capacity to change, well that is a different and a question involving ethics and the law. But and not to shirk away from that conversation and it is a crucial conversation. Because humans have a tendency to pick on the minorities (across cultures). But, having done a substantial amount of work that is logged. I would think and feel that the energies whereby we feel guilt, must be transformed into something universally wholesome and positive. Without distorting the meaning of the word and deluding ourselves into thinking that what we are doing is positive. Another thing I think about, is that when one is quite insistent upon forcing a certain narrative on someone else and they wish for entity to be punished in varying and escalating set of ways. I think, this dynamic probably highlights that the problem, could invariably be with the entity that is leveraging this escalatory means of basically pummeling someone or something. This requires care and nuance and I haven't had time to flesh out my thoughts on this topic. Once again, this is a deeper discussion of the human experience, of suffering in it's myriad and different forms and of being true to oneself. Anyhow, this is a mixed set of thoughts and emotions. I thought I'd take some time to document and I wanted to document these thoughts.

  • 10-04-2024 It's close to 0700. It has been a good start to the day. DIY approach has given good dividends. Even though it may be something very simple. It takes consistent effort and trying different approaches in order to get results that one seeks. I have also been thinking about my teachers and my mentors. The incredible impact that my teachers and my mentors have had on me. If you are reading this, I also encourage you to surround yourself with great teachers and mentors. Read their books attentively, line by line. Meditate on the lessons and experiences that they are sharing. Listen to their podcasts and read the articles that they write. Just like any other craft. As your mind develops and expands, you think in a different set of ways. This is what I feel is starting to happen to me. I enjoy music differently. I would say, for me, film-making. I have an increasing appreciation for this art. But writing also. I truly and sincerely appreciate great authors. Authors have had such an incredible impact on my life in so many different ways. I once even made a podcast titled 'author as teachers.' But I am not active on the platform that I made this podcast on. May we continue developing the means and mechanism and the ways via which we develop the agency, in order to bring more hope and healing in our lives. With gratitude. Towards universally better futures. Or however the branches of the universe or multi-verse works, in a David Deutsch sense.

  • 10-03-2024 This is the second update for the day. There is some work that I have done historically. Cannot share the source here. But the parent container is under: [Eudaimonia Everlasting Peace Construct] Assist Secretary Antony Blinken and World (Share model via ) - . Internal id for ledger: 86dt0dkvf. So far, I have invested 5 hours towards this effort. There are other containers (sub-tasks), including '[Uncompleted] Via on : What if refugee camps could be transformed - <date/title and source redacted>. Internal id for sub-ledger: 2fk3x1k Now, it would take about 25 hours to carve out something decent in terms of a proposition. But the developing structure is already contained in other containers and sub-containers. As well a wider body of work. Separately, I have tried to reach out to Mdme Rema Jamous Imseis who is the head of UNHCR Canada. UN's mail servers are rejecting emails from gmail. Unless I have the incorrect email address? I also tried to write to the 'Conference Board Canada' and was notified that Mdme Imseis doesn't work there. Overall, the model for Shangrila-VHP can easily be modified in order to greatly improve the lives of refugees everywhere. This will be a not-for-profit endeavor, which implemented correctly could greatly help improve the lives of refugees everywhere. And help pave the path for refugees to have dignity and the means and ability to have pathways to secure and safe immigration and upward mobility also. Shangrila-VHP and sister organization are committed to the highest ethical standards. Which means that we do not engage in situations whereby a war erupts. The current situation in regions like Ukraine and Israel is complex. As a civilian, I (Adeel Khan) am personally committed towards helping restore peace in these regions and also help the refugees from all sides. I trust that NATO and the Canadian and American governments will make the right decision. So within reason, I will be supporting the government led efforts 100%. Where I see that there is an opportunity to influence, here I call the office or write letters. As I do not have a relationship with the individual or individuals. Here, I am also reminded of Captain Jean-Luc Picard's words. I don't know what life will be like in the future. But I think there is a very high probability and I can sense (maybe see) very clear and multiple paths towards helping solve all of our major problems. Including ensuring long-lasting peace. Picard from TNG Since I have got to know individuals from different parts of the world, the conflicts personally place me in a very difficult position. I know and have met individuals who have directly lost a friend/sibling or acquaintance in the conflicts that are currently underway. Or have occurred in the past (like the civil war in Ethiopia). Separately, as of right now I do not know how a Benefit Corporation would actually function. This is an area of interest for me and all of my projects are theorized to be setup as Benefit Corporations. I must highlight that even when we begin to have these set of thoughts, there is already resistance emerging from some front. That is a separate discussion worth exploring and evaluating. In an ideal outcome, we will have safe AI and the world's problems could (in theory) get started solved rapidly. But that is not to suggest that one places all of their eggs in one (AI) bucket. Which is a separate series of thoughts and probably one of the most crucial conversation, imho. Right now, reality is a certain way. Somehow, I have been managing.

  • 10-03-2024 At this point, I feel quite at ease to close the projects that I have undertaken since the year 2000. The reasons for that are personal and to also focus on what truly matters. Which is personal health and wellbeing and parenting. Actually being present in my child's life. That being said, the question of how 'endeavors with significant impact are going to be financed is asked.' There are a couple of ways to think about this. In random order. 01. Problems are opportunities and I have made videos on this topic and shared them via Youtube. 02. The power of imagination and as the late Albert Einstein had accurately intuited. However, imagination, has to be channeled and it is a wider and a crucial conversation. 03. The post that I made within the following container here via Clickup. Don't worry, the link here is safe. 700 quintillion is just the start via Harvard International Review & my commentary is also on topic. Overall, at this point, we have an abundance of capital, energy, intelligence (human and intelligence independent of a substrate), time (with increasing autonomy). These incredible gifts and more must be redirected towards ensuring a better future for children. For adults, we must treat each day as the gift that it truly is and focus on doing our absolute best to leave this reality better vs how we experienced it. With gratitude. I do not know who you are, where you are from and how you came to this page. But I wish you will take the ownership of your well-being and seek to make this reality slightly better. But to do it in a manner that is compassionate. Without trickery and twisting the meaning of the word.  

  • 10-02-2024 It's quite rare that I click on advertisements. But I am in initial consultation with someone who trains individuals on how to deliver a stellar TED talk. Someone who is not affiliated with TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) itself. Last year, I had a, let's say...really educational experience with the local ToastMasters here (one of the ToastMasters local to my city). Overall the prospect of deliver a speech to a wider audience is truly scary. But as an individual agent, I think of the past and all the mistakes made. As a civilian, I also have a lot of conflicting thoughts on Just-War Theory. War leaves a toll on the human body, mind, psyche, limbs. It impacts the loved ones of the warrior and the community at large. Warriors maybe/are falling through cracks and get into trouble with the law. Be start abusing drugs or alcohol. There has got to be a better way. Maybe we will not have warfare in the future. Right now, the need is clear to have a lot of supports and care-giving for the war-fighter. I have always been a civilian. I have dealt with a ton of rejection & still do. At some point I chose to focus on changing and reforming myself. I started doing that because life started heading in a series of bad directions. I can sit here and philosophize for an extended time period. Or I can keep chipping away, given the resources I got. The AIs in the future will be able to know what is in my heart and mind. However consciousness functions, I feel that my contributions to this reality would be the best I could offer. I was also thinking how fortunate I have been to afford (in random order) access to clean drinking water, a peaceful reality, libraries where I can access almost any book & to follow my heart. And many other resources. It's an absolute imperative to keep chipping away and then as reality becomes exponentially better in the future, the ideas will get picked up. Right now, I have to deal with the reality that my ideas & designs get stolen. It is sad that people steal designs and ideas. The ends do not justify the means. If you steal for a good purpose, it is still stealing. Whoever is stealing is teaching their children that it is okay to steal. Anyhow. I do not wish for this update to have too many thoughts together here. So signing out for now.

  • 09-29-2024: Picking up Chris Croft's 'Introduction to Project Management' (PM) course via Linkedin Learning (LL). Big thanks to my local library and taxpayers for funding this. I like Chris Croft and that he has so many courses to offer via Linkedin. His website also contains a lot of freebies. This is probably the second course that I have enrolled into via LL and on the topic of PM. I like Croft's approach. It is simple and straightforward. The diagrams also help. I have made a note to purchase the cards that Croft has available for sale via his website

  • 09-2x-2024: I had massive success with my Quarterly Planning. I moved to a new format. This is the first time that I have actually dedicated a day and a half to 2 days to the Quarterly Planning. The Planning has helped with my ongoing decluttering processing, streamlining and ultimately helping me get clarity.

  • 09-21-2024: Based on the update from 06-18-2024. I question my own reasons. I particularly have been thinking about my thoughts & actions from the perspective that what I have been working on is not driven by the part of the ego that is not processed. I am not well versed on the topic of ego. But I know that I've been working over the decades in order to sublimate my ego into something wholesome. I have learned from my teachers over the decades and now I truly value and understand the crucial significance of a good teacher. At the same time, the work has just only begun and there are so many different ways. I have been finding serenity in silence. I am not stressing out about the outcome, particularly if certain outcomes can make me sick or how I drive those outcomes. Strangely, I am even toying with the idea of letting go. Not in the sense of giving up. But to improve my relationship with myself and actively love myself. Because as a possibly queer/questioning individual, I truly need that. Coming back to what I sought to share here, I do feel it is important to be in a capacity to assist other, regardless of their status. So my desire to want to help out someone who is the progeny of a leader is not my desire to be closer to those who are in the circle of power and governance. Whether you are in Ottawa, Washington D.C e.t.c Historically and since I seek to educate myself on different topics. I have thought about associated topics also from the perspective of the allure of power. Whatever I could remember from watching LOTR, I was kind of thinking about this sub-thought by thinking what Frodo and Sam would be going through. There are other thoughts also and why people have a very strong desire for power & when they see their political opponent in power. They demean their own. Some come up with gnarly conspiracy theories, that are clearly designed to dehumanize an individual or a group of people. In terms of introspection and going back to an event that I had a chance to attend (hosted by a civilian who has spent some time in the company of Navy SEALS), the guest on this session had mentioned (quote paraphrased): "That there has been a time in our lives, when we have burned someone else." I could only agree with that. But to now see a phenomenon whereby we are turning on each other. Well, there are different ways to think about this. But without turning the whole categorization into a counter witch-hunt (I personally have nothing against witches! There are lots of different ways of looking at reality.) But the current reality presents itself as an opportunity. Anyhow, I am not sure if the wiki here is the place for this update. But I have had to contend with the skeletons in my closet (separate topic) and dealing with that reality, coupled with this update is what has led me to maintain my distance with those in the position of governance. I think it was last year or the year before, that I stumbled across a movie from the 90's starring Brendan Fraser, Joe Pesci, Patrick Dempsey and others. Link via IMDB I hear Ridley Scott that a movie has to be a blockbuster and make money. But, I hope that we can continue making artform that evokes certain feelings inside of us. And I sincerely hope that there are more individuals, like the character that is played by Fraser in this movie. The government has primary/secondary and tertiary responsibilities. But, this is a global village. Which, we seem to have forgotten and it's like we have different alien species living on the same planet that are light years different from each other. How the thinking happens & how we look at each other. When it's really all one species. The allure of gaining power and wield authority to fix stuff and order teams to do stuff. It is tempting, probably. But I am certain that that is not what every leader thinks. There are leaders who genuinely wish for the common good of all. Recently, I was very happy to hear that someone that I had briefly met via a Community that I have been a part of, is now running for Congress. Like whoa! The aspiring incumbent is now a marathon runner. Previously they had battled depression and substance abuse. Now sober for over 12 years and mentoring kids and adults and sharing lessons and starting crucial conversations on how to enable more hope and healing. If there is a definition of a hero (in a gender neutral sense of the word imaginable), then Greg is truly a hero! When I look back, I can see how bad choices and unconscious habitual patterns altered the trajectory of my life. Cultivating the time to soak in the good is crucial for developing increasingly better self-esteem. This update is all over the place. As Zig Ziglar once said and this is now going in a different direction (Quote from Ziglar): 'You can have everything in life you want if you will just help other people get what they want.' Yes, but, I feel there is a cost. And that cost can either (in random order) hang on your conscience (that can be a big problem and prevents the individual from facing themselves or if you have done the work in different areas related to your overall development, the very effort will invariably bring more wholesome/positive energy in your life. I feel that there is a lot of work that remains to be done here. Because, it seems like a lot of humans are carrying trauma and there is illiteracy of different kinds. And prejudice, dogma of different kinds and negativity can spread. But the response to some of these ailments can also be equally bad. There must be more individuals like the character played by Brendan Fraser in the movie I mentioned previously. These human beings have to be out there. In every culture and in every single part of the world. I know someone from my own interactions and there are other folks in the government that I look up to. There must be more individuals and for some reason they are sitting on the side-lines. I am definitely in this camp also. I feel like I have been part of this reality, but I have also been in some parallel reality. I've been alone for a while. Chipping away at my projects. It takes some time to readjust. There are different energies wafting through reality. Brian Tracy says that we attract what we become. So, as I have been dealing with rejection over the years/decade. I now think, hey, that's good for me. The wider reality is conspiring to bring the absolute best in my life & I only attract the good.

  • 09-21-2024: Blasts linked to TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) & suicide. Link via a Military.com - Article

    • That's not what the heading of the article says. My sense is that TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) is severely undiagnosed. It is probably severely undiagnosed for soldiers. This was my suspicion a couple of years back, when I was volunteering for an American not-for-profit. As of the writing of this update, I still do not know about the forms and processes that are leveraged in order to make a proper/accurate diagnosis for PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). But, when I was looking into this process (at the time), it didn't seem like there was the means/capability/ability developed in order to conduct hyper secure/safe/ non-destructive brain scans. From my non-clinicians perspective, the means to be able to do adequate scans seemed vital towards making a proper diagnosis. Because, being able to determine what portions of the brain may have injury/inflammation could then help develop proper practices/procedures/therapies and support systems +
    • I am personally split on the issue of warfare itself. I've thought about it from a lot of different perspectives. But right now, this post here is not the venue for it.
    • There are a variety of ways, via which Shangrila-VHP could evolve. In an ideal reality, no one would be residing at the facilities because they sustained a major injury (physical or psychological) during an act of war. As well, risks from an occupational safety hazard would have been eliminated & all the boring and dangerous jobs would have been automated safely.

  • 09-1x-2024:

    • While not directly related to this project. I had good success with a new format that I am trying. Basically I've tried a lot of different approached over the years/decades. I guess up and until a decade ago, I didn't exactly plan each and every single area of my life. I mean I would take care of myself, I would manage my finances (minus the negative habits like gambling that I had started developing a while ago.). I would contribute towards my child's education funds (the funds were depleted because of my gambling addiction). And I would plan each hour of the vacation time in the past (Not so much in my 30's) as I wanted to get maximum value out of my travels. I think I started planning because I started looking up to folks in the Defense sector. I also built an appreciation for planning, learning what I have, about individuals in the past. Planning itself is an activity, what is in your heart, is what planning can help you amplify. For me, I feel that consciousness exists and karma is real. Anyhow to come back to the topic and as shared, I have tried different approaches over the years. My recent approach towards staying organized and beginning to employ this next phase of planning in my life involves:
      • Deploying a Kanban Board (As of September, 2024)
      • Keeping 4 calendars: Offline, Online Calendar, a Calendar that I populate manually by pulling in the '1 to 3' major items that I work on each day and a cal.com account if someone wishes to book time with me.
        • This is a bit of a work, but it works for me. Each option serves a utility.
    • Sometime during the past couple of days (without giving all the details) I gave myself a 'window' of time and 'created a list' of items I need to tackle during this time. This list was heavy on chores and this is why I said that this update is not directly related to this project.
      • Taking this 'daily checklist' approach turned out to be hyper-efficient! I managed to tackle almost every single task on the list. Provided that the duration extended by a couple of hours. By the end of the day, I felt really good for staying on track and achieving everything I had sought to achieve that day.
    • At the back of my mind there is a thought about the nature of work. As well, taking a more targeted/tighter approach towards getting stuff done (Cal Newport/David Allen) is not to downplay the other approaches that I have undertaken or that others undertake. The answers/thoughts I had sought to share via Quora and elsewhere, basically thinking about what the pioneers were saying. These all appear to be coming true. The nature of work is going to fundamentally change drastically and irreversibly.
    • I guess for me, my efforts over the years/decades are beginning to converge in a healthy set of ways.
      • I am quantitatively decluttering my environments and keeping them decluttered.
      • I am keen on creating newer systems to help me get more organized.
      • Doing all of the above mentioned and more is helping contribute towards my self-confidence & self-esteem. It is also helping me become more calm. Focusing on the intention behind each and every endeavor. Thinking and pausing and focusing on the why. (Simon Sinek). Even simple things like eating or sipping coffee. I now find myself thinking consciously about what I am doing in that moment and focusing on the how, and I guess the why. Awareness is developing
    • If you are reading this, I am curious what systems/models/mode and methods + do you employ in order to become increasingly organized and disciplined. Would love to know your thoughts! Cheers!

  • 09-11-2024:

    • If you are visiting this wiki for the very first time, there are updates here in the Wiki and also from the main page of this project.
    • Shangrila-VHP (Veterans Healing Places) is supported by at-least two other concepts.
      • You will be able to see the headlines, but not able to get the details from within each container. But if you send me a list of areas that you would like more information about and I am able to verify who you are, then I will be happy to share the details with you. (Within reason)
      • To me, going to outer space can help enable quality SuperAbundance. But, now I feel bad for missing Day 02 of the conference for Outer Space Security (2024. As an online attendee. link I would say that the mood was completely different on Day 01, compared to what seemed like a bit of a somewhat tense environment from the year 2021. It was also good to see Canadian institutions taking on more of a facilitator role. I guess, I have my own memories/emotions to deal with and with my time in the K-W region. Separately, as a civilian, I am walking a tight-rope. Ideally, I would join the Canadian Reserves and this would be the insurance for me to be able to contribute with utmost conviction. I would then prioritize taking learnings from Marc Allen, whom I reckon knows a thing or two for dealing with how to deal with doubt. https://marcallen.com/about/ (Note: Looks like the ssl cert has expired)
      • I have thoughts here that I need to process. So as my finances improve, I will be sure to restart evidence-based therapy. There is much I have to process.
      • My sleeping schedule is all over the place. I was on the fence to attend day 02 of the Outer Space Conference. I was waiting for 04:30 Eastern. Prior to, I was listening to one of the recent live sessions by Stephen Wolfram. This was my first time listening to one of Wolfram's live sessions. What a mind. with Wolfram's knowledge in the realm of technology, his learnings about the history of science (I am curious what antiquarian science really means, although he was highlighting some books that he had collected over the decades). He was also talking about some very unique/interesting topics and initiatives. As well the history of Wolfram Technologies going back to the D.O.S (Disk Operating System) days. His collaboration with Steve Jobs at NEXT and how it would require towers of workstation to run the original Wolfram software. Very interesting fellow! But I have to say, I do not really know much about what all Wolfram Technology offers. I once picked up a copy of 'A new kind of science' via the library system. This must have been 20 years ago. I did not understand much of it, if at all. Seeing Wolfram's fascination with how shells grow, it definitely must have something to do with fractals, I am thinking? Link to live sessions via https://www.stephenwolfram.com/. If my efforts can help chart the way for enabling more Stephen Wolframs, Einsteins, Cal Newport(s) (random sampling) in the future. Then it will be time well spent. I would also feel that the individuals with these different forms of thinking need special care and attention. So it is important for the world to be kinder. I feel there is a lot more room for being kinder. I feel I am a kind person. But it requires a very special kind of kindness to deal with individuals with mental illnesses. Since I am not a clinician, I have to at-least be mindful of the reality that I need to separate the individual from the disease. When I look back, this is what I would have done to myself when I was going through a dark/struggling time in my own life. To state the obvious, this has absolutely nothing to do with Wolfram. This was just a very random series of thoughts. However, I know for sure that there are individuals struggling and my personal philosophy is that each individual is born with their unique gifts. It is for them to nurture these gifts and I feel this has to be taught. There are a series of thoughts here approaching this from a cultural lens and also a Gerry K. O'Neill lens (with Gerry's interests in the role that environment plays), amongst others like Piaget (whom I do not know much about right now). While each one of us possesses gifts, there are highly gifted individuals struggling in a way that presents a barrier towards their development. Going with very little information, my sense is that Norway and the Nordic countries are leading the efforts here. It is a different way of thinking. Not exactly placing ethics/humanity into the center of all endeavours (maybe). But it is exponentially more humane vs what we are observing in the wider reality.

  • 09-11-2024: I wrote to 'Veterans Canteen Service (VCS) - United States - Veterans Affairs (VA)' link By now, I must have watched at least 20 to 25 hours of content via Youtube (which I have not logged officially), focusing on how troops are fed. During training, during missions (other details not shared for security related reason. Even though I am a civilian). I did not map this officially, but it's important to consider supply-chain, training, standards for maintaining hygiene, source for nutritional intake and other issues. But there are other issues also and depending on a situation by situation basis. So continuity plans are key. But this isn't what I was thinking here. I was just thinking quality and nutritious foods. Now the entry for VCS has been initiated in my CRM, I will wait for their response.

  • 09-07-2024: While not directly part of the Shangrila-VHP initiative, so far I have dedicated 16 hours looking into what the team at 'ABTC - A Better Tent City' is doing. An year ago, I also had the privilege of meeting Laura and Nadine in person. When I volunteered on site. I also spoke to Jeff from their team, who works for the City. In the following weeks, I then met with Tony Stortz and I was not very well prepared for this meeting. But Tony is a young individual doing incredible work across Canada and I hear United States. How this came back in my awareness is that I didn't convert my paper based notes to an electronic format (I did that for my meeting with Jeff on the phone. But forgot to do it for the meeting with Laura). But I finally got a chance to do that one year later and I shared my notes with both. Which they appreciated. Here are the links to the notes and also links to other resources (below). I have a sense that ABTC could be the molecule which could help form constructs through which homelessness can be tackled around the world. So it's the right molecules coming together.

    • ABTC Documentary via Alair Homes (Alair Homes has been involved with the project, from what I recall): Link
    • If I get approval from Laura and Jeff, then I will share the notes from my meetings with them here.
      • Update: It was decided not to share the notes publicly. Which, I feel makes rational sense. But as discussed, I would be very willing to brief someone that I know or who has stumbled across this page, on how ABTC has evolved. And help bring you up to speed. Contingent upon your level of engagement, you could then proceed to engage with the team at ABTC directly. It is to note that I do not have an official affiliation with ABTC and if a Google e.t.c search about ABTC has led you here, then it's probably best that you get in touch with the team directly.

  • 09-06-2024

    • I have written to different government representatives in the past. I wrote to them on different occasions. Including the tragic event from last year (it's this year when I google it again) when a refugee died in the cold, as all the shelters were full. Link
    • On September the 6th, I came across a link to http://solvethecrisis.ca/. The link was posted by a councilor from the City of Toronto whom I follow on Instagram. I cannot recall why I decided to follow this particular councilor in the past, but they must have been doing something or were championing an issue that speaks to me. I must say, about 3 weeks to a month ago, I saw a fellow who I am pretty sure was experiencing homelessness. I was sitting in the park and I had just seen this fellow the day prior to. He was a Caucasian fellow, probably of the age between 31 to 35. I meant to initiate a conversation with him (which I think I am alright at) on the first day. But the circumstances were not right. The next day, I saw him standing in the shade. But I felt the temperature was right to be in the sun. He was standing next to a structure near the tennis court. I was not doing something important that I could not speak to this fellow. In short, I feel guilty for not speaking to this fellow. Later on, the thought occurred to me, if I really care about this issue. I didn't know how to wrangle with this thought. I will not go with the wider loop here. Because this particular thought is about one area and a very important area at that. I guess the question is one of if I care, or if I do not. It is a question of doubt and other areas. To come back to the topic, I wrote via the link highlighted. I then emailed info@solvethecrisis.ca as I had reached out to another organization that I had stumbled across. (Not mentioned here). But their email address bounced back. With a message indicating: The response was: The recipient server did not accept our requests to connect. For more information, go to https://support.google.com/mail/answer/7720 [solvethecrisis.ca 160.153.0.160: timed out] I meant to follow-up with the Councilor who had shared this link. Because and I think I took an excerpt here, but the message via their website is going to about the offices of 8 officials across Ontario. So it is weird that a website has been created to send messages to officials, but the Inbox for the website itself is not monitored. I just did an online whois for this site and it looks like this site was registered on 07-16-2024: link. So about two months ago. link

  • 06-18-2024: ID for internal ledger: 86dtv7897

    • I reached out to the White House upon learning of someone directly related to the leaders and the challenges they had faced. This update is actually being made on 09-16-2024. My own journey was nurtured/guided by diverse individuals from different backgrounds. Sometimes during difficult times and also towards the onset of my career, I was fortunate to have exceptional teachers early on. But there have been times that were very difficult and dark also. Turning our pain into a healing transformative energy, it would be great if hyper secure/safe facilities existed, where individuals could go to towards the onset of behaviors that could be leading towards issues of chronic addictions or chronic mental-health issues. Maintaining and safeguarding privacy is key, as individuals are afflicted with many different issues. I wish that Shangrila-VHP blossoms in ways that I cannot even imagine right now. But that however the collective vision materializes, it is good for the individual and for society at large and that this happens leveraging reason and compassion. Without distorting the meaning of these realities (words) and more. Once again, I am reminded of the very first episode from Doogie Howser. All this time I am sending good energy for each individual who is struggling. I always seek to share universal good with others. I don't care where you are from and what you believe or don't believe in. I feel we can sincerely help reduce a lot of suffering. I continue to change myself in a manner that is grounded in reason. I send good energy to our leaders and their loved ones. It's crucial that something is done for the overall well-being of leadership and of citizens also. Leaders are entrusted by the people and there are a lot of responsibilities upon them. But the leaders are human beings and they are thinking of their loved ones and their well-being. For a leader to perform well, their loved ones have to be happy & healthy. Again, within reason. If our individual thoughts and actions have enabled the current reality, then planting seeds of hope and healing can change the reality.

  • 06-02-2024: While not directly related to Shangrila-VHP. Getting back into the habit of planning.

    • Day, W, M, Quarter, Y
    • I also wish to integrate teachings via (including but not limited to):
      • Selected teachings by Jack Canfield, Brian Tracy, Tony Robbins. I continue learning from the first two (incredibly) and a little bit from Robbins also.

  • 05-27-2024: Also, on the same day. Merging two scripts in python in one. I lost some functionality for the structures that I was working on.

    • This was the file that I was working on to get betters tents and nano-shelter structures up and running. link. I think, I then ended up copying this script (should have taken notes) link. Next, I had to manually merge the contents from the windmill script (below) into this script, as invoking it using the calls from python was not working.

  • 05-27-2024: Tinkering with Github Codespaces. The setup was relatively easy. I had to disable the Google Cloud extension in VS Code Studio, as I kept getting a pop-up on the cloud side of the code editor. Once configured, I tried tinkering with with javascript, which I know nothing about. I switched to svg (scalable vector graphics), as I wanted to make floor plans using code and this was one of the recommendations.

    • Here's the same code link
      • This code makes 4 rooms in a space, plus a common lobby area. It then animates a stick figure walking from the Lobby towards one of the Rooms (Room 01). The stick figure is supposed to stop at Room 01. I've tried a couple of attempts, but cannot make the animation work. Also, the doors (in blue) would do a little animation if the mouse hovered over it. That feature broke as I was trying to add the stick figure. To compensate for the broken animation, I tried to add a pet dog (bottom left-hand side corner). But the animations are not working. First attempt with svg. Screenshot below.
        • svg screenshot

  • 05-26-2024: Tinkering with Blender and Copilot together. Thanks to this video. Blender Tutorial – How to Use AI to Create 3D Models (ChatGPT and Blender) (youtube.com)

    • I spent the majority of the 5 hours trying to render a windmill in Blender that works. Even if it's on a rudimentary basis. So this was the file that I mostly focused on today. link Starting with almost no knowledge of python and same with Blender (I've basically created some very rudimentary shapes and sculpted them in the past). This time I leveraged the expertise provided by Copilot to generate the code that I needed. I then spent the remainder of the time tinkering with the code, to see which portion of the code was responsible for bringing about changes for the relevant portion of the invention in front of me. I sought to capture the a chunk of the journey via screen-captures. Unfortunately, the screen-capture did not shift the apps, when I was moving between Blender and my client of choice. Anyhow, I did upload the videos and here they are. Part 01 (audio did not record), Part 02 (same) and Part 03 (please lower/adjust your audio before clicking!). Note: If you would like to skip to the results, then you may want to check out Part 03 exclusively.
    • Here's a screenshot from Blender. I could not get the 'render' feature to work as I had wanted upon first attempt. So the image has a lower resolution. First attempt - Copilot code on Blender (python)
    • Resource for the future and note to self. Copilot mentioned 'photoprogrammetry'. The way I understand this, this is the means by which optics/scanning technology is leveraged in order to recreate an object/settings/surroundings e.t.c
      • This could be useful, if prototypes are made first using some means and then for them to be uploaded into a software system.
        • When I googled the software in this realm. One of the software manufacturers in this realm is Autodesk. Autodesk ReCap Pro. But some free options are also available. Which, as I am totally new to this (at least from a user's perspective), I have never tried before. I know at-least one person who has done some work in this area, whom I met back a decade ago (Ernest).

  • 05-25-2024: Got access to CoPilot free trial. Tinkering with it today in a private repository. link. Then shifted to Blender and tinkering with it for about 45 minutes. Total time, over 3 hours. But need to take breaks.

  • 04-17-2024: When I was working on the sister initiative, Bing Image Search actually surprised me, when I clicked on the 'Surprise me' feature. It generated the entire prompt and then the accompanying images. Very interesting! Here are the images that it generated. link here

  • 04-17-2024: Right now, I am working on a sister initiative (which is not on Github). Basically, I had an idea for enabling an OKR (Objectives and Key Results) for moral/ever-lasting/perpetual peace across all realms. This was a series of thoughts that I had a couple of years ago and it was a part/portion of an exercise that I was invited to and my contribution to that exercise. I sought permission to then transfer this bit and this is what I am working on at the moment. If you'd like to collaborate, then find me on the web! Cheers!

  • 04-17-2024: Earlier on, there was a thread on a new app called Maven. The thread got me thinking about VUCA, which is not related to the topic. But if VUCA is higher, then one of the ideas that I was thinking about was conscription. As of right now, I do not know the difference between conscription and the draft. I am a civilian myself and quite keen on joining on a full-time or reserves basis. Provided, I can continue to fulfill my primary responsibilities & commitments (family).

  • 04-17-2024: Overall, there is a fair bit of content that has aggregated in my project management system and also on Google Drive (from previous volunteer activities). It would be great to have some help, to transition the content (with scrutiny and care) towards the open model here.

  • 03-28-2024: Busy day today. I am not sure what proportion of efforts contribute towards Shangrila-VHP directly. Had a good meeting with a great individual who were very generous with their time and suggestions. Now reviewing feedback via another Canadian entrepreneur and have dedicated time on Tuesday to follow-up on this feedback. Helioscope walkthrough webinar was also interesting, they do not do domed/curved structures. Note: I was mega distracted during the webinar and that is not typical of me. Hmm.

  • 03-28-2024: Today, I spent a little bit of time updating the simple budget that I had created last year (February, 2023). Here is the link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UCKKH7VVqoafzyE_3Dc9-L4a1Vtmi-4Hmhda887AsPc/edit?usp=sharing

  • 03-20-2024: I pitched to an incubator. This was my first attempt to try and synthesize the different ideas together (Most, but not all ideas). If anyone is reading this and you have feedback for me, then please do let me know! Here is the link to the demo via: loom demo

  • 03-10-2024: Earlier, Uploaded two videos to Youtube. Reference: Back in January, I started making the models out of cardboard, glue and some elastic

    Part 01: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1No8nmXamA

    Part 02: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzRtkd

  • 03-10-2024: Wiki created

  • 03-09-2024:

    1. CoPilot renders. Wow! https://github.com/Shangrila-VHP/shangrila-vhp/commit/c9e371ea81127ce9481c9714a534adc049e7f865
    2. Pulling these renders into the Readme in the following sequence:

    img/03-10-2024-Render-CoPilot-Hooyah-Main-01.jpg

    img/03-10-2024-Render-CoPilot-Hooyah-Main-05.jpg

    img/03-10-2024-Render-CoPilot-Hooyah-Main-02.jpg

    img/03-10-2024-Render-CoPilot-Hooyah-Main-03.jpg

    img/03-10-2024-Render-CoPilot-Hooyah-Main-04.jpg

    img/03-10-2024-Render-CoPilot-Hooyah-Main-06.jpg

    img/03-10-2024-Render-CoPilot-Hooyah-Main-07.jpg

    img/03-10-2024-Render-CoPilot-Hooyah-Main-08.jpg

  • 03-09-2024: Note: Updates do not go all the way back to 2023. Previous updates remain in Clickup and I am just testing this feature.

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