How to Celebrate Halloween

It's that time of year again, folks.  It's time for candy, jack-o-lanterns, and embracing the Macabre.  Halloween is one of my favorite seasons, not only because it is the hight of fall and two days after my birthday, but it is the one time of year that people openly celebrate the non-living.  They indulge in that which they avoid throughout the year.  It's the most surreal of the holidays, plus we all get to live in a Tim Burton movie for a day!

Death of course is something we all avoid like...like death.  As we should.  But, it is a normal part of life that everyone will encounter throughout their days.  And all living beings must eventually dance in the gazebo.

Knowing this fact, it should be a motivator to each one of us to live the most fulfilling lives possible.  You don't know if you'll get another one.  Even if this is your most recent reincarnation, do you have memory of your past lives?  I don't.  

Halloween is a day to celebrate all things scary and dead, as well as remember loved ones past.  I think it should also be a reminder of mortality.  It's a motivation reinvigoration of the the darkest kind.  And there's nothing wrong with that.  If one lives life as if they're already dead, what does one have to lose in trying to live their dreams?  Embracing the inevitability of death is in itself liberation from that inevitability.  

Here are some quotes that I came up with, that I'm sure people have said before.  They sum up this article easier than a conclusion paragraph.  Feel free to use these as daily/personal mantras.

"If I'm gonna die one day anyway, then what's stopping me from living?"

"Dying is inevitable, and so is living!"

"If nothing can stop me from dying,  nothing but death can stop me from living!" 

Carpe Diem usually, this halloween, Carpe Noctum!  Happy Halloween, Samhain, Dia de los Muertos Comment, share, etc!

The Pizza Amendment

Last night before bed, I committed the cardinal sin of nightmare prevention: Eating pizza.  And as I predicted, I payed the price.  I said that I'd describe it if it wasn't too horrific.  And it wasn't.  My dream was more of an action thriller than a nightmare.  When I say action thriller, I'm not suggesting the situation was fun or entertaining for that matter because these situations do occur in real life and are very serious matters.  But my dream happened to take place during an active shooter situation.  At the commencement of the event, I ran to a location where I knew there was a gun ready for these types of situations.  I retrieved it, checked the mag, and cocked it.  Then I positioned myself around the corner of the direction the shooter was coming.  As she, the shooter was a blond woman go figure, came around the corner, I opened fire aiming directly at her torso, but as dreams happen to go, nothing happened.  My magazine was empty.  What then ensued was a chase around the store I was in.  I dodged gunfire behind shelves and walls.  Eventually, the assailant ran out of ammunition and I was able to subdue her.  Had the gun's ammunition not magically vanished out of the magazine, I would have been able to stop the assailant right dead in her tracks.

I awoke from this dream reaffirmed in my belief in the second amendment and the right of a free people to be armed is an indispensable part of self defense and of defense of others.  In that situation it takes minutes for the police to arrive and by then maximum damage can already be done.  When private citizens are armed, these kinds of situations can be stopped almost immediately.  

The solution is more good guys with guns.  Those willing to do harm, thus breaking the law, will always find ways to get guns, legally or illegally.

Pizza endorses the Second Amendment.

Question of the Day: October 26, 2016

Would you ever try a sensory deprivation experience?

Find out what that is, here and here, if you don't already know.

Pizza Time

1.  Never trust the time it says on the box to cook a pizza.  Always cut the time in half and then add small increases of minutes, watching it.

2.  I just committed the cardinal sin of nightmare prevention.  I had pepperoni pizza before bed.  I will chronicle the horrors I encounter in tomorrows post, if not too horrific.

Malto Bene! share, comment, etc.

Fox's Fender Bender

Zytroft: Season 1, Episode 15

Fox's Fender Bender

Certainly, no plot analysis is necessary, or even possible for that matter, in the latest episode.  

I went away last weekend to my university to visit and have some fun.  I got lots of good stuff but putting it together proved difficult.  I am beginning to find that for each minute a video has in length, it requires a session of editing.  It took me three editing sessions over three days to put this together and is roughly three minutes long.  Most of the other videos from Season 1 are in the one minute range and I edited those in one day.  Just a ratio I noticed.  This is by no means a definite rule but still I can't imagine how long it would take to edit a feature length film.  That being said, it doesn't turn me off.  There's a reason they call it movie magic.  There's how films on screen makes you feel, but then there's the thrill of making them, which may be better than the finished product.  I don't really know yet, I'm still getting started in life.  I'll leave it at: it's all about the journey and the finished product is what makes it worth it.  

Anyway, enjoy episode 15 and like, subscribe, share, comment, spread verbally, all the above and anything I missed!  huzzah

A Brief Analysis of the 2016 Presidential Debates

And so we have completed the debate cycle of this election 2016 cycle.  Here's how I tally the wins:
Trump: 1
Clinton: 1
Mutual Implosion: 1

Debate #1: Donald Trump held his own and came off as non-scary.  Clinton presented her ability to not collapse over a ninety minute period and held the rhetorical high ground.  I gave the pyrrhic victory to Clinton.

Debate #2: After a first half hour of squabbles over Trump's ten year old leaked audio (which doesn't affect his policy) and Hillary's attacking of Bill's sexual assault victims (which still doesn't really affect her policy), I gave Trump the victory.  He asserted his positions while deflecting and returning Clinton's personal attacks.

Debate #3:  Both candidates defended their points of view on the topics presented by Christopher Wallace but did it in both their most unflattering and at times humorous/cringe-ful ways.  It left many rubbing their foreheads and leaning over in their seats.  Donald Trump missed some great opportunities to set his vision for making America great again due to his inability to articulate conservative positions.  Hillary Clinton made the democrat cliche appeals to emotion by invoking THE CHILDREN on issues of foreign policy and guns, meanwhile contradicting herself by defending Roe v. Wade and statements about supporting late term abortions.

Anyway, the show must go on, and it shall.  And it shall be continuously entertaining up until the election.  At that point humor will only be means of relieving the uber-tense anticipation of impending doom.

On election day we do have a choice, are we going to stand With Her or Make America Great Again?  Perhaps the latter?

As always, comment, share, recommend verbally, etc.  

Question of the Day: October 18, 2016

Films are revered for many independent factors, but not always all of them. Some are praised for a multitude of reasons: acting, writing, directing. Could be any combination of these, and more. Some films, individuals claim to be the "best movie ever made", although this is more subjective than anything.

What one film do you objectively believe everyone should see in their lifetime?

Question of the Day

New to The Bithiyan will be a infrequent daily question that involves interaction of our readers. Questions are meant to be thought provoking and challenge your worldview. All answers are welcome, because one's own insight has a lot to offer.

Today's Question of the day is: Is there a limit to one's dreams? Where is the line between dreaming one's potential future and losing sight at what one can realistically do?

How Do Physical Assets Work? Briefly, kinda

What is a physical asset?
A physical asset is something such as gold or silver.  A physical asset has an intrinsic monetary value, a value which fluctuates according to the market of that item.

Why is gold or silver valuable?
They are both pure elements and rare earth metals that are extremely un-reactive and do not deteriorate.  In other words they do not depreciate in value over time.

How do physical assets work?
Physical assets, like stocks and real estate, are investments.  Since the US dollar and many other world currencies are not backed by any real value and economic problems are rampant, people over the last few decades have bought things like gold and silver as a way to secure their wealth.  You often hear phrases such as, "it's a hedge against inflation."  That means if the dollar was to go south, your wealth would not be lost.  In a collapse, such as the great depression, physical assets are not what you use to put bread on the table.  They are for when the market inevitably rebounds.  When the economy is back running smoothly and their is a valuable and secure currency in use, you can then sell some of the gold or silver and you will not have lost that much wealth.  At this point you can reinvest in industry and create new wealth for yourself and the market.

I know this is complicated stuff but not understanding it is why people poorly invest.  The key to understanding this stuff is knowing the prerequisite vocabulary and learning some basic economics.  I'm not going to explain things like inflation or how currency values work in this post. There are many resources out there to use.

I'll leave you with this:
George and Gary have $1000 each.  George uses his money to buy $1000 worth of silver.  Gary does not.  He keeps it in his bank account earning negligible interest.  After some time passes, the economy in their nation collapses.  Gary's money has been in a bank.  But, we know banks don't just keep the money in their vaults, they use it to invest and give out loans.  When the economy collapses, people could not repay the loans that were given to them with Gary's money.  Gary's bank goes bankrupt and Gary loses his $1000.  George, on the other hand, holds on to his silver, hoping in a few years everything will be rebuilt.  And so, the nation digs itself out of a terrible depression and the economy is thriving again.  George goes out and sells his silver for around $1000.  Gary has squat.

The Bithiyan Poster Campaign

The Bithiyan is beginning its first hard copy flier campaign! We will be posting these everywhere and anywhere!  You can too!  While it is important to reach potential readers through services such as twitter, we also feel it is important to reach real people through tangible methods.  An email or tweet is just as ignorable as a piece of paper, but a tweet cannot be held in your hand.  It may be possible, by this method, to reach potential readers that would have never come upon the Festival of Ideas via twitter.  Also, running a blog is a sedentary gig.  The fall air is at large and needs to be breathed.  Therefore, Huzzah to the hunt!

Share and Comment! 

Take Back Your Acorns

Now This! Zytroft! New Episode!
Zytroft S1:E14
"Take Back Your Acorns"

L'Adventure de la Mer: Open Film Project

L'Adventure de la Mer

1017 Films is looking for a crew to produce a short film.

The film is a faux-fishing adventure mockumentary.  The story centers on the hunt for an elusive legendary fish, one so legendary no-one has heard of it.

This is an open call to the Bithiyan and beyond for those who'd like to be part of a 1017 production.  No filmmaking experience is required, only an enthusiastic interest!  Open to all skill sets.  Interest in participation warrants you contact me via email, telling us what you have to offer! 

PLEASE SHARE

Breakdown of the Second Amendment by Clause

"Amendment II
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
-Bill of Rights

Clause One- "A well regulated militia,"
The national guard is not the militia.  They are a reserve subset of the US Army, etc. that can act as a militia but a true militia is not something levied by the state.  A militia is a group of private citizens forming a unit voluntarily and with their own arms.

Clause Two- "being necessary to the security of a free state"
The foremost and primary role of the the second amendment is to safeguard liberty.  A disarmed people is enslaved to those in power, i.e. the state has guns.  Self-defense, sport, and hunting are benefits of the second amendment  but not why it was included in the Bill of Rights.

Clause Three- "the right of the people to keep and bear arms"
Because of the prior clause, citizens must be allowed to freely purchase and own arms that are equal to those possessed by the military of the day.  This includes all small arms and potentially artillery, etc.  Will most people be able to buy tanks? No. The owning of any type of arm comes with the caveat of obedience to the law.  Violation of the common law with such weapons will be responsible for their actions. I.E. murder, theft, destruction of private property is illegal.

Clause Four- "shall not be infringed"
This part is rather straight forward.  This states that the government cannot violate any of the first three clauses.  At the same time the three prior clauses are what ensure clause four is upheld.

Don't be default.

Your comfort zone is default.
To remain default is to not change.
To remain in your comfort zone is to not optimize.
When you buy a new computer, all the settings are default.
But if you do not change the default settings, sometimes you cannot use new programs.
Sometimes you cannot access new features.
If you want to optimize...
If you want to access a new self...
If you want to access a self that has capabilities beyond your perceived limit...
Leave your comfort zone.
The more time you spend outside of your comfort zone, the more comfortable you become.
Being outside your comfort zone grows that comfort zone.

If you have an introverted default setting, change that default.
Don't fake it until you make it.
Live as if you are not introverted.

If your default setting is self-doubt:
Click your setting app.
Switch doubt to belief in oneself.

One's mindset is they key to freeing oneself.
It is the key to choosing yourself.

Upgrade your default browser to Self Chrome today.
Unscrew that perpetual growth cap and leave the comfort zone.
You never know what you're capable of.
The future you dream of is one leap of faith away.

And as y'all always do, keep sharing and commenting on the Bithiyan!

My Top 5 Beers

1.  Guiness- Dark, coffee-like, Irish, favorite and preference
2.  Stella Artois- Light, fancy
3.  Blue Moon- Orangey, early favorite
4.  Sam Adams Boston Lager- My american choice
5.  Dos Equis- What I drink at Mexican restaurants
Honourable Mention: Killians Irish Red- Irish, sold by the pitcher on St. Paddy's Day
If I have to: Budweiser

Peace out

What is 1017 Films?

Josh and I started 1017 Films in 2014.  We were having a late night delusional conversation at the campus commons and came up with the idea for a short film.  It was never made, but it would have been a simple black and white movie of a doctor who had just finished his shift at the hospital.  Exhausted, the doctor orders coffee at a cafe and sits at a table talking about life in the manner one does late at night.  Now, I know 10:17 pm is not late by any university/working person's standards, but it had been a long day and it felt like 2am for both of us.

The film wasn't made, but the name stuck and 1017 Films was born.

The first first video we made is not uploaded to my main channel.  It's my other one I don't use.  What's the first movie two friends in college make?  Naturally, a music video! 

Next came Baby Back Bullsh*t.  You can see that on my channel or read the story to that one here.

The last movie we made while at university was an un-released short film called "Sneaky Snitch."  It's a black and white silent film starring Josh and myself.  I was a mischievous miscreant who snuck around causing Josh's character trouble by pulling little pranks on him.

Since then, 1017 Films has grown into a company producing a budding Youtube series, "Zytroft", and has many bigger projects in the works.  The Bithiyan is proud to be the home of 1017 films.  You can support us, The Bithiyan and 1017 Films at my Patreon.  Any and all support is very 

much appreciated.  I plan to eventually send patron goodies.  

As always, my Bithiyanites, share, comment, like, and subscribe! 

Zytroft S1:E1

This was the video that started 1017 films.  "Let's get a whole bunch of random footage and put it together into some nonsense that looks legit." This was our result.  The video's original title was "Baby Back Bullsh*t" but I didn't think it was that tasteful.  I have no problem with cursing but it wasn't tasteful enough.  

Nope

Zytroft: Season 1, Episode 13, "Nope"

I'm not sure how many episodes to include in a season.  I like 25.  A lot of shows have between 20 and 26.  25 feels nice.  It's a quarter of 100.  Divisible by 5, always a plus.  Anyway, be sure to like, subscribe, comment, and share.  Peace out, Bithiyanites.