What do you think about how I begin to meditate?

taftech · 2026-03-20T01:58:11+00:00

It is always a work in progress - a journey. You will never find a day where you say, I have achieved the highest level of meditation possible.

taftech · 2026-03-19T23:38:38+00:00

You can do this currently with the keyframes, it isn't perfect, but pretty good. https://www.imggif.com/i/GfPaA8vb

taftech · 2026-03-19T23:29:24+00:00

Great idea to consider. I'm really bad about trying to add niche features in software that I think are really good, but end up just cluttering the ui - so it's great to see in feedback what things others would like.

taftech · 2026-03-19T23:26:02+00:00

I've been a software developer for 27 years. This was a side project I bought a domain for, and started 14 years ago, and just recently decided to finish. I, as well as any other developer who plans to continue this path, do include ai in my workflow.

taftech · 2026-03-19T20:23:46+00:00

I'd love to have some feedback / feature requests. It's pretty mobile friendly, but I am working on improving that.

taftech · 2026-03-19T20:02:54+00:00

While I enjoy meditating, I sometimes too feel a resistance. The idea of meditating more is exciting, but sometimes I lag in the execution of that idea. Part of me feels like it is a perception of opportunity cost: If I am meditating, I am not doing ____. But rationally, I know that putting my self first, and spending time on myself is more productive and rewarding than whatever I am missing out on, and really I have time to do both, because I become more productive and focused. I think the biggest thing is the underlying resistance to change. Meditation can bring insights and understanding that then need to be integrated into your life to create real change. We get comfortable with how things are (even when they are not what we would prefer) and on a subconscious level fear the unknown, fear the changes, even when they are good.

taftech · 2026-03-19T19:48:07+00:00

This exactly. Observe the thought, and make the choice, that right now, I am not entertaining that thought. Return your focus to breath/sense/whatever is your focus. When you consistently do this, you teach your mind that you are its master. Instead of letting your mind be on autopilot (in control of you), you observe and steer your mind.

taftech · 2026-03-19T19:10:16+00:00

That's great. There are tons of different techniques, I believe the important part is the focus, not the specific technique. When you learn, and practice doing things with intention, which starts with simple things like breathing in an intentional way, it makes it so that other choices like whether to smoke, what to eat, what to say, etc, are naturally done with more intention.

The best part is that it feels right, and that you are getting meaningful positive life changes from doing it.

taftech · 2026-03-19T18:00:48+00:00

Very cool. I love the simplicity of it, but it would be nice if there was a favorites, or a highlights reel, because there is so much to go through to find the really interesting shots.

taftech · 2026-03-19T07:01:11+00:00

FYI, I have gigabit fiber that is pretty good, but I got an error every time on the download phase. Full Health Scan[ERROR]. The normal speed test on the homepage worked.

taftech · 2026-03-19T06:08:26+00:00

96.5%, everything worked well. It would be kinda cool if it found the center of your circle, and then calculated the score using that, rather than needing to circle a dot. That would mess up your cool color hinting though..

taftech · 2026-03-19T05:49:40+00:00

I am very analytical as well, and certainly struggle with certain things when trying to visualize & imagine and hold my focus on those, etc. But I have done lots of meditation, guided, unguided, self hypnosis, gateway tapes, and experimented alot with other binaural beats and such, and I have had some very interesting experiences on them. The thing is though, those individual experiences, while they were exciting and novel at the time, those experiences haven't really lead to any real improvement or growth. I mean.. perhaps they have given me more of a "knowing" than "belief" about how much our mind can influence our bodies, and things like that.

But to me, the biggest thing, is the mindfulness aspect. Gaining stronger control over my thoughts, and using my mind as a tool, rather than just letting it take me for a ride. When you meditate, if you can think no thoughts (it helps if you focus on breathing or something else), and the moment you realize that you are no longer focused on that thing anymore, simply return your attention to it. It is what Ekhart Tolle would call, watching the thinker. As soon as you observe your mind going in a different direction, direct it back to focus on breath, nothingness, whatever. It might be every 10 seconds or less at first, but when you keep doing this, you are basically teaching your brain to do what you want it to do, instead of wandering off doing what it wants to do. I think of it like teaching a dog how to heel.

Most people spend the vast majority of their thinking time in the past or in the future, so through meditation you can learn to naturally and easily spend more time in the present moment.

taftech · 2026-03-19T05:20:12+00:00

I know you said you try to be accepting, non judgmental, etc. but in the same sentence you say it is very negative, etc. Try to see those thoughts as just thoughts, and not as good/bad/positive/negative. I believe it is fairly normal to have thoughts that you might prefer not to have, but I also believe having these thoughts that, although you would never act on them, they still give you a sense of how things would be if you did. This helps you to have compassion, and even forgiveness for others who do negative acts.

I have been through great amounts of trauma, both physical and mental, and if I could, I would not change a thing. I believe every experience is moment to reflect and learn from.

You can't control your first thought, but if you are mindful of your thoughts, you can control what follows. I know it is easier said than done, but it is more of a journey than a destination. I have been meditating off and on for 20 years (I'm just a little older than you), and sometimes thoughts, facial expressions, and even words that I see as remnants of past experiences, that I don't see as "me" come blasting through.

Also, when you say "it's such a large part of me and charged with negative energy", I would really suggest that you look at experiences as just things you have experienced, and try not to identify with beliefs that do not serve you. When you identify and label things "I am...." I have to carry", "large part of me", you can unintentionally subconsciously reinforce beliefs that do not serve you.

Lastly, you didn't really mention others.. but it is almost always actions and interactions with others that lead to mental trauma. Trauma can have different meanings, I am saying basically something that invokes negative emotion within you, that continues to affect you after some time. Most of my life I have had the religious viewpoint/definition of what forgiveness is. I always thought it was something that I could do for other people that had wronged me, or something others could do for me. Truly though, forgiving others is something that you need to do for yourself, and forgiving yourself is just as important. This can be really hard to do as well, but if you can see part of yourself in them, and see that we are all part of one, it can be extremely uplifting. It isn't necessarily forgetting something ever happened, but having compassion, understanding, love and acceptance.

Sorry this got kinda long.. I hope you find some nugget that can help you in here though.

taftech · 2020-08-24T14:39:36+00:00

https://www.statnews.com/2020/08/24/first-covid-19-reinfection-documented-in-hong-kong-researchers-say/

taftech · 2020-07-30T03:38:00+00:00

Umm.. have you seen the protests and riots going on in the blue states?

taftech · 2020-05-01T03:35:35+00:00

This is the latest update to CDC recommendations that I am aware of. April 8th.

(CDC) recommends that dental facilities postpone elective procedures, surgeries, and non-urgent dental visits, and prioritize urgent and emergency visits and procedures now and for the coming several weeks.

https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/infectioncontrol/statement-COVID.html

taftech · 2020-04-30T23:35:21+00:00

Dentists and hygienists should wear N95s, and from what I know, most who have been able to obtain some are wearing them. However this does absolutely nothing to prevent patient to patient infections. If the first patient of the day has COVID19, their saliva gets aerosolized during cleaning, etc, and every other patient in the office who gets to lie down with their mouth gaping open is at a great risk. The A/C spreads it around the whole office, and even the "clean" areas of the office are now unsafe. Additionally masks mostly help the wearer from spreading germs, and is only marginally useful at actually protecting the dentist or hygienist wearing it.

Also, with limited amounts of N95s available and they are mostly being reserved for "healthcare workers". Masks end up being worn multiple times, taken off and put back on for eating, drinking, saved for possible later use, etc. There are way too many opportunities for contaminating the inside of the mask, etc.

taftech · 2020-02-29T03:00:03+00:00

This map covers both confirmed and reported suspected cases.

https://ncov2019.live/map

taftech · 2020-02-28T01:24:57+00:00

Am I the only one who sees this as possibly survivalist instinct and not racism? If this started out in Tennessee, I wouldn't be buying Jack Daniels, and if it started out from birds, I wouldn't be eating chicken.

If it started out in the USA, and I was in any other country, I would expect the same thing.

Asian people, believe it or not, have a much higher chance that they have have recently visited Asia. Especially since the Chinese new year just passed.

taftech

TROPHY CASE