Today, thousands of sites around the internet will cease operation (“go dark”) in protest of SOPA– the Stop Online Piracy Act. With the internet so integrated into our lives, anything that will drastically change it, will drastically alter our way of life as well. Because of this, I think it’s important to have some level of understanding of what the SOPA and PIPA acts are poised to do.

Now, I know you’ve all been inundated with status updates, emails, and articles talking about this potential internet game-changer. If you’re anything like me, once a certain topic starts to blow up your news feeds, you start reading around it– unconsciously dismissing it as “SPAM.” SO- I tracked down a short little video produced by the hilarious Matthew Inman over at The Oatmeal (if you aren’t familiar- The Oatmeal is a little website filled with comics and other hilarity discussing current issues).

For those of you who hate sitting down to read an article, or simply don’t have time, this is a laughable 1 1/2 minute crash course on this controversial issue:

I’ll be the first one to admit that this is an extremely partisan overview. But, isn’t that the point of something this controversial– to take a side? A strong position?

If you disagree with this video and feel SOPA/PIPA could create positive change, I implore you: Share your thoughts and point of view!!!

After all- that is what the anti-SOPA stance is all about: freedom of expression!

Below is another video that goes into much more depth. I wanted to include it for those auditory/visual learners who do have some time to get their knowledge on but don’t feel like reading another article. I also encourage further reading at http://americancensorship.org/. And be sure to check out their nifty infographic HERE.

- Ches Sheridan Arms

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PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

Last week I stumbled upon an amazing video from a TED talk, that my friend David showed me.
A little glimpse into our very near future of how we can and will interact with the world around us. Prana Mistry’s invention is very intriguing and raises some thoughtful questions:

• Could this really be a free open source technology for all of us to use?
• Will this better our lives by freeing us from the confines of our computer and desk?
• At what point is human integration with technology taken too far?
• What happens if this technology is purchased by the government or used for evil?

What do you Think?

This photo has nothing to do with my post, really just thought it was a neat shot.

Micheal E. Porter, I am buying you loads of delicious beers or scotch or both. Or a shot and a beer. Or if you prefer fine wines, I enjoy those as well. I hope you drink is all I am saying.

Recently, Michael wrote an article in the Harvard Business Review Blog named Creating Shared Value. Here Mr. Porter, explains that many of the wrongs of capitalism is due to companies outdated approach to creating value for their participants (customers). He argues that businesses over the past few decades have ignored their participants most basic needs. Michael explains this has created a huge gap between business and society, and because of this gap, there is a great opportunity for businesses to bring true value back to participants (consumers) and society as a whole.

In my opinion, this is one of the most inspiring reads in business today. Not because it is based on a nice idea, or because it is an amazing concept, or even because it is a possibility. I think it is so damn inspiring because again, in my opinion, he is absolutely right. Additionally, not only is he right, major brands and businesses are moving in this direction in their operations, business strategy and marketing. Pepsi and GE, a couple of brands you may have heard of, are currently implementing strategy, supply chains and operational programs based around the thought that they MUST create more value for the community, for their participants and for the environment. These businesses believe if they create more shared value, they are increasing their future profits, their future market share and their future brand equity.

Read this selection: “Shared value is not social responsibility, philanthropy, or even sustainability, but a new way to achieve economic success.”  Baller.

I am sooooo tired of hearing from idealistic contemporary hippie (I do realize this is a hugely general statement, and for that I apologize) folks that business is the problem; capitalism is evil. In my somewhat educated opinion, Creating Shared Value is a visceral, even tangible solution. Fuck, it’s beyond a solution, it is an opportunity. Excited.

-Tyler Browning

Age 0-20 is spent growing- molding yourself into the person whom you want to live the rest of your life as. Age 60-80 is spent in useless dying. Age 20-60 is spent with useful potential. 1/3 of that is wasted sleeping. 1/3 of that is wasted at a job. This leaves 1/3 of 40 years free, which is about 15 years (rounding optimistically up). 1/3 of that is wasted on chores and obligations.
That leaves 10 years in which to live. Not 80 like you thought. That is why life seems so short. It is short.

A few weeks ago I wrote a post titled Living In the Moment. It discussed the notion that we are all so busy in life we rarely take the time to “stop and smell the roses.” After considerable contemplation of this conception I’ve come to some conclusions:

• Most people I know consider me “time challenged.” Why?
• It’s not that I don’t respect other people’s time, it’s that I sincerely respect my own.
• I value the quality of my time at any one moment much more than I value having it allocated as “efficiently” as possible to accommodate those around me.

I know I’m not alone. Do you associate with these conclusions as well?
Perhaps you disagree entirely and perceive my conclusions to be selfish.

This week, I’d like to continue my musings on the topic of [thoroughly enjoying your] time while introducing you to the concept of Monocronic Vs Polychronic senses of time. The link I listed here talks more about individual senses of time and it’s an excellent little explanation of the concept. However, In 1959 a famous anthropologist, Edward T. Hall, originally introduced the theory in regards to cultures around the world.

• Monochronic cultures are cultures in which individuals structure and schedule their activities in a linear fashion, based on clarity of purpose, and economic progress. “Time is money.”
• Polychronic cultures tend to be more fluid and less structured. Having several projects running at the same time (multi-tasking) is both natural and stimulating, and people are put before punctuality.

Monochronic culture runs the Western World. That’s not to say that everyone is a monochron — far from it. But life, work, and society are organized according to monochronic principles. Conversely, in Mexico, Latin-America, and many parts of Africa & Europe the culture as a whole is considered polychronic.

Personally, I am a Polychron (with a few monochronic tendencies). It’s likely that you associate with one column of the chart above more than the other. I wanted to share this with you because I believe it can teach you a lot about yourself, including how you fit into the world and how you get along with others.

Moreover, I’m sharing because (as illustrated above) life is short. By understanding how we perceive time perhaps we can learn how to get the most fulfillment from it. Anyone can “stop and smell the roses”– but some people only truly enjoy their aroma when it doesn’t interfere with any of their other carefully laid plans. Others find greater satisfaction when they randomly stumble upon the roses and put all lesser obligations on hold.

How do you best enjoy the smell of life’s roses?

- Ches Sheridan Arms

Ponder for a moment:

How many people do you know that have suffered some kind of injustice at the hands of an inconsiderate friend or lover? Betrayal, theft, dishonesty, in any of it’s forms.

Or perhaps you have experienced the feeling of being totally wronged, first hand. Did it make you angry? Did you eventually decide to forgive that person? Or do you still feel a slight twinge of disgust at just the thought of them?

Let’s change the scenario a bit… let’s say your inconsiderate friend had actually killed a member of your family. Intentionally. And maybe instead of this person being your friend, they were a complete stranger. Would you have any intention of forgiving this person?!

That’s exactly what the As We Forgive Rwanda Initiative is encouraging in Rwanda. Is it possible?

IT IS POSSIBLE: “Innocent (left) murdered five people including the brother of Gespard (right).” They stand on the site of the executions with the message written on their arms: “Love is the weapon that destroys all evil.”

Photo Credits: Jeremy Cowart for CNN

More photos of the CNN photo essay by Jeremy Cowart here!

“[Laura Waters] Hinson whose film led to the creation of a Rwandan reconciliation organization, says that “some Rwandans liken unforgiveness to the experience of having acid eat you from the inside out. Others describe it like being trapped in a prison of hatred.”

“For the victims,” she says, “forgiving their offenders is a way of setting themselves free from the chains of anger and bitterness.”’ – CNN.com

Freedom. THIS… is freedom.

The human race has procrastinated long enough. It’s unsustainable to treat each other and ourselves terribly. This is a piece of the necessary change that we are seeing slowly shift in the world right now. An authenticity that breeds real and lasting growth, change, and maturity. The opportunity to learn about ourselves as humans and live better. Live free.

The shift is happening. Do you see?

XO

Abella

Today was the first day of 2012…although you will be reading this on Jan 2nd, the first Monday of a brand new year. I spent today contemplating this last year of life and how so much has changed and shifted.
There were a lot of wise words and truth to Tyler’s last post…. and I will say that for me 2011 was the beggest year of change I have ever experienced.

The year cumulated in a wild 10,000 person party in the heart of Denver last night. The night started on a wild adventure with my friend Ryan Lorenz.
The tattered streets of a windblown Denver, sneaking into the  Decadence party with VIP arm bands, the visual lights of a party made for the moon, and the throbbing mobs of anticipation.

Backstage with Abella, looking over the pulsating crowds, I began to realize that my entire night… and maybe entire life… was rushing from one place to another to get things done. Schedules, rules, deadlines, expectations, accomplishments, failures, meetings, dates, adventures. While I have deeply enjoyed and learned from all of it, the simple truth is that this moment is what we live for. We keep trying to get some where…where is that? When maybe all we really need to do, is be present and in tune with the vibrations of the world….and the vibrations of ourselves.

The night ended with a four hour conversation with Abella and Ryan in the small warmth of my car, parked in an alley lot. The after parties raged on, but all we needed was a little warmth, three bottles of water and good conversation. The moments when you get to be in tune with yourself and the people around you are rare. Ask those difficult questions.
Listen.
Really listen to what is said….instead of waiting for your turn to talk.
This entire planet is made up of magnetic vibrations all the way down to the composition of an atom. If we want to find a better way to live….
Happy.
Sustainable.

Let go of the anger and the fear. What is it there for? Stop for a moment and feel what is around you. No one is judging you but yourself. So stop and just be.
It sounds crazy I know, but just try listening to the vibrations around you and make some positive change out of it.

There was something different in the air today in Denver. A genuine happiness. A present moment.
Welcome 2012… lets see what you got!

- Rustin Coburn

Wowzer, 2011 was a good one.

Yikes, 2011 was tough.

Damn, 2011 was amazing.

Fuck, 2011 was a bitch.

At certain points in 2011 I was convinced that one of the above statements would prove to be my overall review of this year. Professionally and personally, 2011 was one of flux. I look back on this year with great love, a good dose of hate and some invaluable lessons. Here is what I found out in 2011.

In the year of the rabbit I found out that learning things can mean taking steps backward. More than a couple.

I found out that sometimes the best way to make your short-term goals a reality is to focus more on your long-term aspirations.

There are times when some things are just not meant to be; and for a very good reason. That said, it should be noted that it may take major heartache mixed with tequila to see this.

You have to let down your guard, go for what your gut tells you and let things happen. Try to over think shit. Just try it. Fail.

In life, it is fun to just sprint coast-to-coast like Ty Lawson through the paint.

That dude Thomas Edison hit the nail on the head. I always felt this way, but for 2011 it rang especially true. Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

…..and the harder you work the luckier you get.

That dude Jay-Z hit the nail on the head. Real recognize real, and you lookin’ familiar.

At the rip age of 32 you should still hop in the occasional, weekend vortex.

Whether it is shredding the mountain or hooping on the hard wood, physical activity has become much more of a meditation like escape whilst aging.

Life is fun. When it is not though, keep your good peoples around you, they will get you through that stuff.

There is an ebb and flow to business that, after years in the game, I am still trying to perfect.

Colorado weather is precisely like a 2 and a half year old’s disposition, wait 5 minutes and it will change.

At the end of the day, I really believe the most important thing I found out many moons ago is that you have got to keep a swagger in life. A very positive, confident (tip-toeing on the line of over-confident), transparent, fun (but not fun lush) swagger that allows you to learn from those around you and hand back some learnings of your own.

A couple weeks ago I wrote a post entitled “3 Easy Ways to Improve Your Shred this Winter.” The 3rd bullet point discussed being more environmentally conscious about our actions surrounding skiing and snowboarding. I re-read this post recently and it got me thinking: there is a lot I do, unconsciously, that contributes to my carbon footprint.

Corporations have the opportunity to purchase Carbon Offsets  in order to maintain a certain level of eco-friendliness across all forms of industry. I’m not positive I agree with allowing companies the opportunity to pay off others to be environmentally considerate for them (My feelings mirror this Bloomberg Businessweek article: “Another Inconvenient Truth” <– http://buswk.co/vLsHJI). Regardless, as individuals, most of us do not have the capital to pursue this option.
SO, what can we do?

We can separate recyclables. We can walk to the gas station (2 blocks over) for snacks instead of drive. And we can stick to 6 or 8 squares in the lavatory. I mean- if you haven’t had Chipotle in the past 24 hours do you REALLY need half a roll in one “sitting?”

I know what you’re thinking: “Stringent bath tissue management by little ‘ol me isn’t likely to put a stop to the clear-cutting of our rain forests.” BUT, think about this: you are one of hundreds of people (mostly Denver-ites) reading this blog. If each of you makes one conscious effort a day to reduce your usage of paper products, over the course of a month it could decrease demand enough at a popular local supermarket for them to tally one less crate of paper products on their next order form. You just saved a tree. Not to mention more than a few bucks.
By doing this consciously for a while (supposedly it takes an avg. of 66 days to form a habit) pretty soon you will be unconsciously saving numerous trees (that are probably older than you are!) and lots of green-backs.

As an example: my first conscious attempt to reduce my usage of paper products was simply not throwing away a paper towel after it’s initial use. I would neatly fold the towel on my counter and use it later to blow my nose, wipe up my spills, and so on- until the towel no longer functioned. Anymore, it takes me a month to go through a roll.
It doesn’t have to be just paper products though! Reducing your impact can be as easy as shutting off the light EVERY time you’re not home; Or unplugging all of your appliances when you are out of town for the weekend. The best part: All of these things will save you money too!!

Above is a carbon footprint calculator. I’ve included it here for you to get a rough idea of what your personal carbon footprint looks like and encourage you to compare it to the US average. Give my suggestion a shot! Then- check back here in a month and recalculate.

What size are your shoes?

- Ches Sheridan Arms

Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past couple months, you’re probably familiar with the “Occupy” movement. Until recently, I only had a general idea of what it was: 1% of our population makes significantly more money than the other 99%. This, however, didn’t seem like “breaking news” to me, so I decided to do a little reading on the movement to more fully understand it. Pretty wild stuff. For those of you who are a little fuzzy, I’ll highlight a few points:

• The protesters seek (in part) more/better jobs, more equal distribution of income, bank reform, and a reduction of the influence of corporations on politics.
• The top 1 percent of income earners have more than doubled their income over the last thirty years according to a recentCongressional Budget Office (CBO) report.
• In 2009, the average income of the top 1% was $960,000 with a minimum income of $343,927.
  

  Source: Congressional Budget Office, Average Federal Taxes by Income Group, “Average After-Tax Household Income,” June, 2010.

That said– I’d like to introduce you to Rusted Yucca Furniture. Travis Toms and Sam Rolph of Golden, CO are educated individuals. They have degrees in Urban Planning and Business Administration. For nearly a year now the two have been looking for jobs in their field that would pay the bills, and they have yet to find suitable employment. SO- have they thrown up their hands, moved into their parents’ basements, and nurtured their beer guts to the point of being mistaken for a pregnant Rosie O’donnell? NO!

Instead, they got creative. They started collecting wood that no longer served anyone a purpose (old fences, broken shipping palettes, etc.) and began RE-purposing it into fine furniture.

The fact that Trav and Sam truly love the work they’re doing is evident in each final product. No two pieces are alike, but they all are re-purposed from unwanted pieces of timber, and exhibit exquisite craftsmanship & a signature rustic Colorado style. These characteristics speak for themselves and, as such, the business is taking off. Their extremely reasonable prices even sweeten the deal.

If you want to support these local artisans and businessman, you can visit their website at http://rustedyucca.wordpress.com/
You can also meet them and purchase furniture in person at the farmer’s market off 2nd and Santa Fe every Saturday.

Garth Henrichs, a famous author, was quoted as saying: “The person who is waiting for something to turn up might start with their shirt sleeves.”

The point is: The job market is tough. Money is tight. What can you do to be creative, make money, and contribute positively? Occupy your time.

- Ches Sheridan Arms