Freedom of the press applies to everyone — yes, even bloggers — Tech News and Analysis.

Click the link to check out an article about our freedoms and rights to use technology in public space. I personally believe that if we can see it with our eyes, we can see and record it with our technology. If news corporations can record what they like, we as individuals should be able to have the same power (apparently governments don’t agree).

We have the opportunity to take the technology we have today (twitter, facebook, youtube) and use it as a means of changing the way we interact with global news. We are the news. Each one of us has our own unique perspective on what goes on in the world. We should be able to not only broadcast these perspective of events that we encounter, but also provide our own opinions and spins on what ‘news’ is relevant and important.

The current system of corporations owning most of the news channels in the world is not only problematic, it is dangerous. These media sources base many of their featured news pieces on the stories that will generate the most income. They want viewers to be glued to the screen. How do they do this? Continuous ‘news’ about violence and/or fame.

Our news source has the potential to be every person on this planet. Thanks to Twitter, blogs, Facebook, Youtube, among others; people are the news.

‘News’ should be something that ultimately benefits us in some way upon hearing it. ‘News’ should not be profit driven. ‘News’ should be benefit driven…how can this story benefit someone else in some way?

So I say stand up for your voice in what ‘news’ is and continue to support the use of personal technology for documenting what actually goes on in the world.

Allowing your mind to flow where ever it may go is a vital and rewarding thing. I enjoy creating art and trying to view the world from different perspectives. This was inspired by a photo taken in Sumbawa, Indonesia of a butterfly landing on a flower. Inspiration is also drawn from the overconfidence many people have in their calendars…sometimes things just need to flow.

A butterfly's view of the world.

When we see a butterfly in the sky, there is no pattern, there is no rhythm, there is no path. But what if butterflies do have a path? A plan? A calendar? What would it look like. From this flower to that flower.

This is a look into how a butterfly may see the world from their eyes. They follow the scent of the flowers through the wind, and complete tasks left behind them. They see the sky differently than us, a series of prisms and dots make up the sky. This butterfly has a one track mind. It’s keen sense of smell and innate ability to find the ‘smell jetstream’ of flowers is both impressive and incomprehensible.

This is how the butterfly sees the world; a beautiful, impossible vision of time, space, and focus.

What does your calendar look like?

The excitement one feels when entering an unexplored country is what often keeps people traveling throughout their entire lives. That first step off the plane, that first interaction with the local people, that first taste of the local cuisine, that first mention that ‘Hotel California” is their favorite song of all time, that first mention that you look like Jesus, that first time you pay way too much for something, that first head swivel when talking to you, that first time you begin to understand their view of the world.

I’ve made my made to Sri Lanka, a country many people are familiar with because of the 2004 tsunami that rocked the East and West coast here. It has already been quite the experience.

Upon arrival I made my way straight to the visa office to get an extension for my passport (3 months). Tourists from several countries get a visa on arrival for 30 days, but just to be safe I decided I’d like to give myself more time. The process took about 4 hours. Numbers were called from people that had arrived both before and after me, and it seemed like there was a decent amount of confusion was about in the system in general. In the end, it doesn’t matter. I received my visa extension after paying my dues ($100 usd) and my taxi driver stood patiently the entire time, guarding my bag with every opportunity he could.

Maleen (the taxi driver) had an interesting story. I could tell once I hopped in the cab that he was a good guy…for some reason I’ve been lucky with taxi drivers. His story goes as follows. His father was is a serious accident that left him paralyzed and unable to work. This happened when Maleen was very young.

As time went on, things obviously became very difficult for the family as the income halved. By a strike of good luck, a family from the Netherlands came to explore Sri Lanka. This family ended up particularly fond of Maleen, and when they found of the situation with his father, they decided to change Maleen’s life. They paid for him to have an education from an international school and provide funds to make sure Maleen’s future would be bright.

It is amazing the impact we can all have with a bit of inspiration and kind actions. There is no telling where or what Maleen would be with out the help of this family from the Netherlands.

I love hearing about things that make you realize that if you impact just one person’s life in a positive way, the stories and inspiration can be passed on to another for more great things to happen.

(Maleen works as a taxi driver, hotel concierge, and waiter)

Welcome to my site. I hope to keep this site simple with the main focus being the content that I post. I’m not sure what this will become, but I am excited to see where it all goes.

Thanks for stopping by!

-Greg