How to Say I Love You - Part Deux

After seeing the "How to Say I Love You" video posted a little earlier, I got to thinking.

Many of us go through life constantly wondering if we're appreciated.  We are critical of ourselves and look for our flaws without reminding ourselves of the good we have in us.  When I was in high school, I had a teacher who wanted to remind us of the good things we had in ourselves.  He had each student write down one good thing about every other student in class.  He then compiled every good thing that each student had written about them, and gave the list to that student.  We all walked out of class that day feeling like people noticed the positive things, even the people we never talked to at all.

Why we need to be reminded so much?  We need to be reminded because the people that we're close to don't tell us very often.  Even the people that we have grown to love.  I have met people in my life who have fantastic traits.  Ones that have nothing to do with appearance, or how they treat me specifically, but just how they interact with the world... with their environment.

SuperForest is about having a positive affect on our environment... the people, the communities, nature, etc.  So today, I wanted to share with you all the things that made me fall in love with someone before.  I made a list of all the good things about this person.  When people ask, "What do you look for in a guy/girl?"  I don't generally know what to say specifically.  

So here is a list of what I found special about someone I love.

1.  Patient

2.  A quiet observer of others

3.  Sees people as characters that fit perfectly into a story

4.  Maintains the freedom of his youth

5.  Delights in buying a soda at the corner store

6.  Passionate

7.  Doesn't attempt to stand out, but stands out to me

8.  Works hard and is productive

9.  Isn't a con-man, but might pretend to be

10.  Is thought to have a large ego, but is just as unsure as the rest of us

11.  Concerned about the safety of others even though he neglects his own

12.  Quiets curiosity by experiencing the unknown

13.  Doesn't force beliefs on others, but argues them

14.  Respects authority, but questions it

15.  Has caveman skills

16.  Seeks a peaceful life

17.  Doesn't need constant affirmation from others

18.  Enjoys time alone

19.  Thoughtful

20.  Engaging

21.  Smiles with the eyes

22.  Is always honest, despite the negative reactions of others

23.  Doesn't attempt to change others to be their friend

24.  Is picky when it comes to people

25.  Confident, or at least appears so

26.  Always on time

27.  Can make people laugh but isn't constantly trying to

28.  Is comfortable with silence

29.  Takes a leisurely walk

30.  Delights in the journey, not just a destination

31.  Wants to be challenged

32.  Seeks to discover something

33.  Cares about others, even when frustrated with them

34.  Doesn't find irresponsibility amusing

35.  Is concise and articulate

36.  Finds satisfaction in things that fit perfectly - like wrenches, jeans, etc.

37.  Doesn't pander to others

38.  Doesn't respect others who are unjustly disrespectful

39.  Defends himself, but is sensitive to how actions affect others

40.  Kind

I hope that some of you remind the ones you love that you love them, but tell them specifically why.  It feels good to have people you're close to recognize the small things, and not just the obvious ones.

I invite all you SuperForesters to comment below with something you love about someone you know.  Share the love!

Green City

Hey peeps,

I have a bit of a confession to make: I am a sucker for sweet video games.

I try to steer clear and be more productive with my time, but sometimes they are just too good to resist.

That being said, I LOVE it when games can be incorporated into and used as teaching tools. Like putting words to song, it makes it easier to learn when you are having fun.

Well that is exactly what the people over at Alternative Energy have done. Using EA Games' Sim City Societies, Alternative Energy incorporates a great teaching tool into the already popular video game. Alternative Energy explains:

Through an initial Web tutorial, students will learn to build their own virtual SimCity based on societal model, and in the proceeding lessons, set specific goals, monitor their city’s energy use and chart growth. The students will then control their city, choosing more environmentally-friendly and alternative energy options for city infrastructure.

Students can choose to implement over 500 unique objects into their city, ranging from workplaces to residential buildings and venues, and they can even choose to “bulldoze” pollution-causing buildings or allocate more money to energy research within their city.

As the program progresses, students will monitor their city’s pollution, energy output and health risks, while researching green initiatives, environmental issues and real-world green design applications at home.

Students get to learn how to be more sustainable and get to play video games? Awesome.

It says the lessons are for middle and high schoolers but I bet we could all learn a bit from this great program. If you know any teachers looking for a way to reach out to their students about the environment, this would be a great start!

Hope everyone had a great weekend,

-spoon

(found via treehugger. I believe Sim City Societies retails for about 20 clams, or you can pick it up at Amazon for $9)

Kids on 2 Wheels

First of all... what an attractive logo this is.

Second of all... Kids on 2 Wheels is awesome.

Sure, they don't have a fancy website or a huge following, but they have amazing volunteers that help special needs or disabled kids have the opportunity to learn to ride a two wheel bike.

Its easy to forget the little things that make kids feel free, happy, and like they fit in with their peers. Unfortunately many disabled kids need more attention when learning to do things (like ride bikes and play sports) than their parents are able to give them. This organization has volunteers that spend hours with kids teaching them to hop up on two wheels.

One touching quote that my roommate overheard when she was volunteering recently involved a young boy who was "such a gentleman" and had a tough time keeping his body moving at a fast enough pace. She was unsure that he was going to be able to get up on those two wheels but just being able to try that hard and get the chance to made him say to her, "I'm just so proud of myself!" When he proved her wrong and did get up on two wheels by himself, he had the biggest grin on his face. She felt great being a part of that moment, because its those little things that really matter to kids.

So... if these are moments that you value, too, then see if there are organizations in your community that allow you these moments. Kids on 2 Wheels is located primarily in Minnesota and Wisconsin so if you're curious about how you can help (even if you're not in the area) then here it is:

"There are a couple of ways that you can help us. One way is to send us a check for an amount of your choice. Any amount will help! One year we anonymously received a $10 bill in the mail -- that made our day, and it was put to good use! Additionally, you can donate your used bikes and training bars when your child no longer needs them. We will use them for other children who may not be able to afford to buy their own."

They never have a shortage of kids in need. In fact, they have a long waiting list. So the more money, bikes, and volunteers they can get, the better!

I hope this inspires you to search for organizations in your area, or to start one yourself!

Bike riding.... all the cool kids are doing it!

2-D to 3-D

Good Morning All!

We were thinking yesterday about a very interesting development for humankind.
Namely, for the entirety of human history ideas have been communicated in 2-D.

With the exception of human to human teaching, (i.e. "Bend over like this, put this seed in the ground like so, cover and water, and now we're farming...") all knowledge, from the Lascaux cave paintings, to the Gutenberg Bible, to Junkyard Wars on our TV's, ideas have all been as flat as pancakes.*


Flat.

Flat.

Flat.

Until now.

Now, with the advent of the computer, virtual reality, and the refinement of 3-D technology, ideas are beginning to be transmitted in their entirety, in real space, completely unflattened. Super-round, even.

It's like the difference between looking at a picture of an origami crane and holding one in your hand, able to examine it from any angle, unfold it, play with it.

An enormous paradigm shift in human comprehension is upon us, and it will only get shiftier as more information is added to the web, and the technology for representing it in real space gets cheaper and more accessible.

Here's the old way:

"Urrmmm, compressed animal skeletons on a flat chunk of rock."

And, here's the new way:

"Wheee! I'm flying through ideas!"

Now, that helmet is bulky and ridiculous. But that's just Version 1.
Version 10 will be either a laser spraying images directly onto the surface of your eye, or a little wire in your brain. Either way, the idea is seamless and elegant transmission of intelligence from one human to the next.

The children being born now will have access to an mountain of information so high and wide, it makes us seems like 13th Century peasants.

Very exciting times.

We are at the very beginning.


Love to all,

Team SF

*(With the exception of sculpture, but sculptures are singular things, unsuited for mass distribution, ((there's only one Venus De Milo,)) so sculpture don't really count.)

(chalkboard image via aspirecommunity.co.uk)
(VR helmet image via techliberation.com)