iPod | 3:02 | To Embed or Email: click above

A few weeks ago I talked about updating the database. And there is a tricky second aspect of that. If you are updating an old version of the database, then you miss out on stuff! This happens, sadly, all the time when more than one person has access to a master database. They work "locally, make a bunch of changes, and everything looks cool. But if they don't connect and send their updates to the main source, then everyone else who uses it is missing something. Or sometimes the db gets moved, and you didn't know, so you are syncing with an old version.

Each of us is also an author of the master database - in addition to noticing others' changes we get to add our own! Voila - we end up with being able to "create our own reality."

Hawaiian word:
Mana: version, as of a tale, branch, spread out

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iPod | 4:06 | To Embed or Email: click above

Binary refers to how computers work: things basically boil down to ones and zeros. It makes for a very black and white appearance. Yet I am meeting more and more geeky guys who have an artful and spiritual side which I consider the opposite of 1-0. There are so many examples in life where drilled down deep or taken out wide, they become the opposite of themselves. You can check out the video on Byteful.com. (Originally aired on January 14, 2008)

Hawaiian Word:
Kūʻē: opposite

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iPod | 4:49 | To Embed or Email: click on "Menu."

You know I like to present the other side of the coin frequently, and today this regards the blind allegiance to sunscreen and fear of the sun that has been commercially developed over the past decade. There's ample research that sunlight also prevents skin cancer, and the increase in skin cancer actually correlates nicely with the increase in sunscreen! You can hear my watch my first treatise on this here, just keep in mind I shot and edited that myself, and it's a little long. The info is still good though! I hope you hop over - there are a lot of good links in that post!

For the locals; I shot this at the boat ramp. Hard to understand how we have lost so much sandy beach front in only 2.5 years.

Hawaiian word:
Lā: sun
Mālamalama a ka lā: sunlight

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iPod | 4:38 | To Embed or Email: click on "Menu."

Seems every year or so I get in the mood for a bikini show. You realize here in Hawaii they are common - on all ages and all sizes. But reading about this research in Belgium and by Carnegie Mello, I realize they are a hot topic for the study of neuroeconomics. Bottom line: men get stupid in front of bikini-wearing women, and spend more money on things they don't necessarily want. One way to break that is to desensitize, to present bikinis in normal context (not the usual seductive poses.) Helen Mirren is a role model for many and at 62 still wears a bikini.

And to the women who won't wear one? Other side of same coin! Who cares how you look? Swimming and sunning with a bare tummy sure feels awful nice. 20 years ago, when I arguably had a much "better" body, I would not have filmed this. Today, who cares?

Beach Walk 43 - Live Dangerously, Wear a Bikini
Beach Walk 436 - Bikini Culture, Internet Culture
Beach Walk 211 - Go deeper to see clearly
Beach Walk 149 - Free 2 B U and Me

Hawaiian word:
Loli: change

P S We are trying a new video platform: Viddler. It has a lot of cool features - you can leave a comment right in the video - or even leave a video comment! Please check it out! (You will need to create free account at Viddler to leave a video comment.)

If you are having trouble with the iTunes version earlier this week, we fixed that. You can click on the iPod version link under the movie player and manually download the corrected version. We recommend you use the most recent version of iTunes software. But if you get a white screen on the main player, you will either want to upgrade your Flash or click on the iPod version to watch. That's required to support the in-video comments.

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iPod | 3:48

Here's a great story. A Harvard researcher, Jill Bolte Taylor, had a stroke. It de-commissioned her left brain. As part of her recovery she stayed present in her process and observed life without an active left brain - the home to the logical and the inner critic in many ways. She found her bliss deep inside the exploration of her right brain.

We have a new embed player for the Flash version on the site. Please give us your feedback on it. To embed this episode on your blog, click the movie and then choose the Share link in the lower bar.

Hawaiian word:
ʻĀkau: right
Hema: left

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<embed wmode="transparent" src="http://blip.tv/scripts/flash/blipplayer.swf?autoStart=false&file=http://blip.tv/file/get/Beachwalks-BeachWalk584TheScienceOfPressure835.flv%3Fsource%3D3" quality="high" width="480" height="360" name="movie" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed> <br /> <a href="http://www.beachwalks.tv" alt="Beach Walks with Rox" title="Beach Walks with Rox">Beach Walk 584 - The Science of Pressurelt;/a>

So I have been inwardly cranky about a lot of things the past few weeks - the winter weather, my cold, the fatigue...it just felt like a lot of things in life were not cooperating with me! I finally realized this morning, that most of that pressure was originating with me. It is so easy to get on a track of thinking what should happen, what must happen! Beach Walks continues to be this great feedback mechanism about what matters, and what doesn't. Watch this episode to learn about Rox the canary.

Hawaiian Word:
Akeakamai: science

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<embed wmode="transparent" src="http://blip.tv/scripts/flash/blipplayer.swf?autoStart=false&file=http://blip.tv/file/get/Beachwalks-BeachWalk581ContainTheEnergy122.flv%3Fsource%3D3" quality="high" width="480" height="360" name="movie" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed> <br /> <a href="http://www.beachwalks.tv" alt="Beach Walks with Rox" title="Beach Walks with Rox">Beach Walk 579 - Preserve Beach Access Hawaiilt;/a>

At the beginning of a project, the world seems so full of potential. Being able to sustain that potential is another job altogether. One of the biggest lessons I have learned from doing Beach Walks is to know when to shut up! When we started, we discussed at length, "How often should we do a show?" At the time, Rocketboom was the only show that was going "daily" - that is M-F or 5 days a week. Most others were doing a weekly show, or sporadically according to multiple factors.

Since it is my practice to go to the beach every day (it is my time to de-stress!) we just started doing it every day. But we did not announce it as a daily show. That allowed us to explore the possibilities without the pressure to deliver on a promise we had no idea if we could keep. Though trust me, my little #2 was saying, "Oh of COURSE you can do it every day and think of the advantage you will get by telling everyone!!"

As it turned out, we did an episode every day for 400 days, then finally wised up! (From exhaustion...) I don't know how this stuff happened, I am just sharing what I have learned and I truly believe we have been able to sustain this not by promising that we will, but by NOT promising, and letting the energy feed us instead of the pressure draining us.

Check out our friend, Vu Goes Vegan and tell me how you manage your energy! By coincidence, I also tripped across this post from Phillip Banks about podfading while writing up these notes.

Hawaiian Word:
Hoʻokaomi: pressure

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<embed wmode="transparent" src="http://blip.tv/scripts/flash/blipplayer.swf?autoStart=false&file=http://blip.tv/file/get/Beachwalks-BeachWalk569PlutoAndDarkSkies772.flv%3Fsource%3D3" quality="high" width="480" height="360" name="movie" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed> <br /> <a href="http://www.beachwalks.tv" alt="Beach Walks with Rox" title="Beach Walks with Rox">Beach Walks with Rox #569 - Pluto and Dark Skieslt;/a>

My guest today is Richard Wainscoat, PhD, an astronomer at the University of Hawaii and also a photographer. He was on the committee that "de-commissioned" Pluto from being a bonafide planet (and tells us why) and is also working with the International Association of Dark Skies and the City and County of Honolulu to reduce light pollution. Apologies for rushing my guest somewhat; I just wanted to address several of the interesting things with which he is involved!

Hawaiian Word:
Lani: sky But really, check out the richness of the concept of "sky" in the Hawaiian language here.)

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<embed wmode="transparent" src="http://blip.tv/scripts/flash/blipplayer.swf?autoStart=false&file=http://blip.tv/file/get/Beachwalks-BeachWalk568BinaryZen889.flv%3Fsource%3D3" quality="high" width="480" height="360" name="movie" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed> <br /> <a href="http://www.beachwalks.tv" alt="Beach Walks with Rox" title="Beach Walks with Rox">Beach Walks with Rox #568 - Binary Zenlt;/a>

Binary refers to how computers work: things basically boil down to ones and zeros. It makes for a very black and white appearance. Yet I am meeting more and more geeky guys who have an artful and spiritual side which I consider the opposite of 1-0. There are so many examples in life where drilled down deep or taken out wide, they become the opposite of themselves. You can check out the video on Byteful.com.

Hawaiian Word:
Kūʻē: opposite

Please join us over at The Reef.
Add this to your Technorati Favorites
Support us by buying your own copy of our Beach Walks Theme music.
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<embed wmode="transparent" src="http://blip.tv/scripts/flash/blipplayer.swf?autoStart=false&file=http://blip.tv/file/get/Beachwalks-BeachWalk523MultitaskToANewBrain334.flv%3Fsource%3D3" quality="high" width="480" height="360" name="movie" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed> <br /> <a href="http://www.beachwalks.tv" alt="Beach Walks with Rox" title="Beach Walks with Rox">Beach Walks with Rox #523 - Multitask to a New Brain</a>

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<embed wmode="transparent" src="http://blip.tv/scripts/flash/blipplayer.swf?autoStart=false&file=http://blip.tv/file/get/Beachwalks-BeachWalk504YourBrainYourPolitics554.flv%3Fsource%3D3" quality="high" width="480" height="360" name="movie" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed> <br /> <a href="http://www.beachwalks.tv" alt="Beach Walks with Rox" title="Beach Walks with Rox">Beach Walks with Rox #504 - Your Brain, Your Politicslt;/a>

I recently read about a brain research study by Dr. David Amodio at New York University. He looked at the differences in brain behavior by people who identified themselves as either liberal or conservative. He found that liberals brain respond more flexibly to new information. This seems similar to me to the differences described by Myers Briggs among people who rely on data from the past to inform their decisions (SJ) compared to others who prefer to imagine, What if? (NF)

Good fodder for those who like to discuss this - fascinating to me that there are observable differences.

Hawaiian Word:
Akeakamaii: science

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Tags: liberal, conservative, science, david amodio, lexi, dogs, videoblog, beachwalks, podcast, walk, roxannedarling, roxanne darling, kaimoku, travel

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About Today's Show

Santa Fe is a long time favorite of artists (Georgia O'Keefe) and New Mexico lays claim to the highest number of PhD's per capita. Most of them are concentrated at the three defense labs, Los Alamos (birthplace of the atomic bomb), Sandia, and White Sands. Nature likes balance though so there is also a plethora of new age thinkers and urban refugees along with a mix of white, hispanic, and indian cultures.

It is also home to the Santa Fe Institute which "is devoted to creating a new kind of scientific research community, one emphasizing multidisciplinary collaboration in pursuit of understanding the common themes that arise in natural, artificial, and social systems." I like to attend their public lectures, though I must admit sometimes the scientists can get quite attached to their theses and less interested in my "what if" dialogs. I like to sit in the front and ask questions, looking for signs of spiritual awakenings.

I referenced one lecture by the economic engineer/modeler John Padgett, University of Chicago (p13) in the show, as I was fascinated by his research showing these mathematical trends toward increasing autonomy. It supports what Eric Rice and I were talking about at Vloggercon re: the brouhaha over net neutrality. New forms will keep showing up when/if people are repressed.

If your brain is not yet full, you can read this interview with John Padgett (p 17)

We have extended the voting throughout the weekend so our friends at the Vloggercon conference can come and vote.

Our wonderful theme music is Kaimoku: The Ukulele Experiment

Hawaiian words
Manawa: opportunity

Tags: autonomy, aloha, hawaii, dog, vlog, video,video podcast,walk, beach, roxanne darling, lexi, kaimoku

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About Today's Show

My brain was full and I was feeling aware of how much information and stimulation exists in my (and your) environment, I found it really useful many years ago when I learned about the limbic brain and how it wants to categorize and store things for simplicity sake. It makes sense from a filing point of view, but it turns people into groups based on the most superficial of criteria, then the result is racism, sexism, nerdism, and so forth. (I mean that literally as in their surface attributes, not conceptually, whether they are deep thinkers or not.) Here's a list of 234 isms relating to belief systems.

Consciousness takes energy to be sure. It is hard some days. We get to choose though with whom we want to use our energy to get to know more personally. And for me, it's really useful to tell my old back brain that just because I met someone with whom I did or did not click, please do not take a scan of their physical characteristics and apply the intrinsic qualities I experienced to all similar types of people!

And so I end up with one of my favorite recurring themes: life is specific. The urge to generalize is compelling, but I prefer things like cognitive dissonance and meeting people who shake up my known world.

Beach cleanup in Kailua on May 28th. Come participate and get a free 2-hour kayak rental from Kailua Sailboards & Kayaks.

Please check out the 100th Show Promo Contest!

Theme music is Kaimoku: The Ukulele Experiment

Hawaiian words
ʻAno: type, sort
Lolo: brain

Tags: racism, sexism, stereotype , aloha, hawaii, dog, vlog, video,video podcast,walk, beach, roxanne darling, lexi, kaimoku

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Do you find it strange that skin cancer rates have increased significantly since the introduction of sunscreens? There was a class action lawsuit filed recently against several sunscreen manufacturers. I used to "know" that sunscreen prevents skin cancer and have used it by the boat load, being an active person who loves the outdoors and a person with many relatives who have had cancer.

But apparently I have been living with a false sense of security, perpetuated I believe by the chemical sunscreen industry. In a nutshell, sunscreen can prevent sunburn. But it cannot block out much of the UVA that causes DNA damage and is the likely culprit for the more serious kind of skin cancer. Yet used enough, it can block the body's production of Vitamin D, which is helpful in preventing cancer! Chemical sunscreens also contain petroleum-based and other chemicals that may be cancer agents. I found one study that also showed these sunscreens increase the skin absorption of herbicides. Not a pretty picture for farm workers or serious gardeners.

I am in a bit of shock as I thought this was a "done deal." Using a physical sun block, also called inorganic, appears to be aok as it reflects the sun off the skin, as compared to chemical or organic sunscreen that absorbs the sun rays, producing this little chemical soup on/in your skin. Zinc oxide is my new plan.

If you used sunscreen and got skin cancer, you can join the lawsuit here.

Please read for yourself and let me know what you think:
Oxybenzone Skin Absorption
Sunscreens & Cancer - a lot of detail
WebMD: Too little sun cause cancer?
Sun Exposure May Help Fight Cancer

Theme music is Kaimoku: The Ukulele Experiment

Hawaiian words
Kahikole: early morning sun

Tags: cancer, sunscreen, aloha, hawaii, dog, vlog, video,video podcast,walk, beach, roxanne darling, lexi, kaimoku

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About Today's Show

I followed on today with my curiosity when Lexi refuses to go in the water and swim with me. I think it is because she simply prefers to chase her ball. But, it does remind me of a woman on Maui who swam every morning, with her dog. Until one morning when she was eaten by a tiger shark. Strangely, her dog would not go in the water that morning.

Sharks get a bad rap in my opinion. Here in Hawai'i, they are respected and loved, though declining in numbers.

You can see (or buy) the BBC documentary about tiger sharks.
Tiger Shark Attack: Beyond Fear

Check out urban legends at www.snopes.com

Mahalo to Lana Petty, Guest Director today, assisted by Chris Nichols. Please check out their sites:
Honu Lani - Shea Butter Lip Balm
Pet Flight - Learn all about traveling with your pet
Brent Dog - The Yellow Lab's site

Tip: If you leave a message on the conch, please speak up so we can hear you! It's noisy out there by the wind and waves.

Theme music is Kaimoku: The Ukulele Experiment

Hawaiian words
Manō: shark
ʻAumākua: personal or family gods; deified ancestors
Lani: heaven, heavenly, spiritual

Tags: shark, aloha, hawaii, dog, vlog, video,video podcast,walk, beach, roxanne darling, lexi, kaimoku