Losing Time

It’s easy to lose time. Unlock your phone, launch FB and hours just pass by. But, did you know that time is important? The past can never be changed, nor does the future. Once time has passed, it is past and no matter how hard you try, things get older. Everything in the universe gets older, decay, or rot. God made the universe temporary; nothing is permanent. Therefore, prepare for what is to come.

Time is intriguing, to put it mildly, because it’s something that can never be truly understood. It’s impossible to make a time machine where you can go back in time to fix events that led to a dystopian future. But, who’s future? You may right some wrongs in the past but no matter how hard you try, all things are related to each other, and therefore time is relative. My time is different from your time, or someone else’s time. It is interlinked with each other. When you change something, it will affect others and produces another chain reaction.

Where there is movement, there is change and everything changes. So, to stop time, we must avoid movement. That is why we freeze food, to prevent decay and spoilage. The bacteria move slower, and so slows growth in our food, which preserves it. Everything is made up of atoms, and atoms move constantly that is why it degrades over time.

Do you know what doesn’t degrade over time? Digital. Virtual worlds do not degrade only the hardware that runs it. The robots in transformers movie after 50 years when you watch it, is still the same as they were created. That’s why all movies created are immortal because time stands still inside the movie.

Everything that happens in this world happens at the time God chooses.

² He sets the time for birth and the time for death,
the time for planting and the time for pulling up,
³ the time for killing and the time for healing,
the time for tearing down and the time for building.
⁴ He sets the time for sorrow and the time for joy,
the time for mourning and the time for dancing,
⁵ the time for making love and the time for not making love,
the time for kissing and the time for not kissing.
⁶ He sets the time for finding and the time for losing,
the time for saving and the time for throwing away,
⁷ the time for tearing and the time for mending,
the time for silence and the time for talk.
⁸ He sets the time for love and the time for hate,
the time for war and the time for peace.

⁹ What do we gain from all our work? ¹⁰ I know the heavy burdens that God has laid on us. ¹¹ He has set the right time for everything. He has given us a desire to know the future, but never gives us the satisfaction of fully understanding what he does. ¹² So I realized that all we can do is be happy and do the best we can while we are still alive. ¹³ All of us should eat and drink and enjoy what we have worked for. It is God’s gift.

Ecclesiastes 3

 

History

History repeats itself IF we do not learn from it. We can learn everything from the past in order to have a brighter future. Just like what happened to Kodak.

The use of photographic film was pioneered by George Eastman who founded Kodak in the late 1800s. It was convenient at the time since it’s much easier to take pictures without knowing how to develop it as professional photographers do. It is photography for the rest of us and it became so popular that it brought him a fortune.

In 1975, Steven Sasson, an engineer at Kodak, first invented and built the self-contained electronic camera, which can take pictures without using a roll of film, but instead stores it in digital form just like in today’s digital cameras.

Kodak began to struggle financially in the late 1990s, as a result of the decline in sales of photographic film and its slowness in transitioning to digital photography (source: Wikipedia). It’s quite ironic since they invented the first self-contained digital camera.

Therefore, what could we learn from this? We don’t want our inventions to fade into history. That’s why we have to be at the forefront of change, researching new technologies, and new processes and looking for innovative ideas. We should move forward, constantly evolving and constantly finding new ways to stay relevant in this ever-changing world. We don’t want history to repeat itself, right?

“’We are allowed to do anything,’ so they say. That is true, but not everything is good.”

1 Cor 23

 

Solution

A problem exists in all kinds of human activity. People are the ones who cause problems and ironically solves it. Therefore, to solve the problem, we must avoid producing more humans.

Our country is ranked thirteenth in the world population even though we are a small country. It’s plagued with so many problems: drugs, crimes, corruption, teen births, bullying, traffic, water shortage, and the list goes on. We as people must NOT produce problems but solve it from its root. And, one of its root cause is money.

“For the love of money is a source of all kinds of evil.” Greed is the opposite of kindness, therefore the solution is so simple: Be kind. If you look at countries with the most population, it is obvious that it lacks money. Money is the solution to our country’s problems, but because of greed people are deprived of it. If we just learn how to be kind, the problem of money just vanishes and everyone is happy, and thus the problems involved in the lack of it are solved.

The solution as you can see is NOT material, but spiritual. It is from this spirit that is the center of ALL things.

“The mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

Endurance

All good work calls for endurance. When we see a new invention, we must look past at the surface and see the hard work breathed into it by those who endured. The Wright brothers whose endurance was tested in order to accomplish flight. Because of those who endured, we have something that symbolizes triumph in the face of trials.

A product is not just a need; it is a testament to the people who gave their blood and sweat. If it was for monetary gain, they are already paid in full. But, if it was not, then the product is loved. And, this love will go on beyond death. Therefore, achieving immortality.

If we see something after crossing the sea, maybe it is hoped that we see. Some people do something only for their survival. There is nothing wrong with working for food, but time will come that food will perish and we along with it. We must look beyond the horizon, for there is something there even we don’t see it. Faith is what we need to fuel our hearts. It is what makes us going.

Endurance is something born out of difficulties in life. Bearing the brunt; sufferance for its sake. It’s hard and it’s painful. But, the rewards will be tenfold or more so, and we will say to others, “I’ve been there, and you can do it too.”

“Don’t give up!”

Heart

Nuclear power is an invention. However, we all know that in great power comes with great responsibility. This holds true in every invention.

What if somebody invented a device that could produce an unlimited amount of energy without polluting the air? You would say that it is a great invention because it will solve our energy crisis and also help solve climate change. It is something “Great” since it solves an enormous deal. But, what if that same invention with so much energy can be transformed into a weapon? Just like what happened to nuclear power.

As you could see, every invention is a two-sided coin: good and evil. An invention that comes from the brain and comes to existence to help mankind, or destroy mankind. An invention that comes from the brain or from the heart. And, no matter how good your intention, other people will use it for evil purposes because of their corrupt minds.

The irony here is that an invention is created to solve a problem, but in reality, it just produces more problems. We are God’s invention, but because of our heart, we became something that God never intended. Or, is it?

 

Foundation

A good foundation should be the basis of all things. When you build a house, the first thing to do is make a sturdy base. Workers dig up the soil then put on cement that covers all which the house will be built upon. From there, a house built on a solid foundation makes it firm and stand the test of time.

What you believe in must have a good foundation so any attacks of doubt and uncertainty will not hinder you from going forward. It is that basis which is important. Our values and beliefs are what make us inspire others and get others to action. It is the reason for our existence, and with that reason, we base all our words and actions.

In the Bible, it says that you should not build your house on sand. When the storm comes, the house will collapse. But, when you build your house upon a rock, even storms cannot make it tremble. In the same way, in any business, you should build it on a firm foundation.

Since I am in the software business, the source code you build should have a reliable foundation. Like Linux, the kernel is the most important component in an operating system. If the software runs on top of a stable kernel, it is harder for viruses to cripple the system since you need to be root to access system files. In short, the core or foundation should be solid and not liquid. If the kernel is weak, everything on top of it will fall and that’s a terrible fall!

Therefore, in any product, idea, innovation, every relationship, or in academics and studying, we must have a firm foundation that will be the core of everything we must design from.

 

Reason

We have to put reason in our lives, and not just in our products. If we don’t reason, we don’t get to where we are going. In short, we get stuck. We are living in limbo. No place to go. And, it’s sad for people to live a life in the void. Therefore, we have to have a reason for our lives.

Why are we doing what we are doing? I happen to learn about Mr. Simon Sinek on Linkedin and Youtube having TED Talks, and I’m learning to live a life on first asking, “Why?” Not, “What?” nor “How?,” but “Why?” Later, I found out that only the Potter who makes the clay pot knows the, “why.” As human beings, limited as we are, and faulty, we only ask the “why” from our Creator. For, only the Creator knows this reason.

When we make things, we make it because we know what is it for. Or else, it’s useless. A product comes into being because there is a reason, and that reason is not hidden. We could see it in advertising, all around us. If we don’t know a product is for, then why buy it? We MUST know the WHY and we MUST know the REASON for being. Not only material things but also about ourselves. Then, we became fully aware and laser-focused on why we wake up every morning to do what we are supposed to do. Fully inspired, motivated and fulfilled in every good work we do every day.

 

Inventions That Help Others

What is an invention that doesn’t help others? Garbage. An invention is created in this world with a purpose, and that purpose needs to meet a person’s needs. There are thousands, or maybe millions of inventions created in a day; so many products born every day that will just be bought and go to waste. So, the question is what invention will last?

As I look around my room, and all those stuff I bought during my lifetime, I would definitely choose the top ten products that I use the most often. One would be my bed, a pillow, a blanket. Then, my chair which I sit almost all the time typing on my computer. Then, my coffee cup filled with hot coffee. And, my electric fan; headphones; some clothes; our house; a tablet computer for reading books, and using it as an alarm clock; some medicines; a pencil and a notebook. And, that’s more than ten already!

I don’t know about you, but I think some products I mentioned have something in common for us each person. These inventions are relevant for our survival, need, fulfillment, and are essential in our daily lives. We cannot live without these, and that makes an invention, “Great!” For the inventors made these things not only for themselves but also to help others. Improve on those and it will definitely make our lives better.

Meat The Future

Who doesn’t want burgers? Everyone loves burgers excluding cows (hehe). The aroma, the juices that flow out that make you drool with its taste with packed protein. Yep, I really love them! However, there comes a price: cholesterol and lots of them.

There are now alternatives to beef that we are familiar with like Beyond Meat and Impossible Burgers. These two are battling it out who would reign as meatless burger winner without the fat.

We went to a Westminster restaurant and tried the burger, and to my amazement, it tastes good! The texture is there, the color is there, but the taste is much different from real meat, it tastes more like corned beef as my sister told me. But, it’s quite an impressive feat to create an all-veggie burger just like meat and I think it’s getting closer. They say that it’s ‘almost’ there in terms of replicating real beef, and it’s quite refreshing.

I am trying to lose some weight and veggie meat is what I need in my diet. But, we can’t totally replace our regimen with this always because the truth is we need real meat.

Balance is much favorable than deprivation.

Maybe, just maybe they can just mix the two together: half veggie, and half beef. Therefore, what we have is a balanced diet with lesser fat that would help trim our weight, have a delicious meal; produce lesser carbon and preserving our world.

Car Revolution

We need a car revolution! Not the cars we see everyday submerged on streets after a hurricane, but cars that drive even on water.

Floods are devastating. Financially, physically and mentally people are exhausted by the sheer devastation that wreaks havoc in our place called home. We don’t know if we could still tolerate these disasters every time rain lands on our feet. Should we just ignore it and always flee from our problems? Or, are we going to solve this head-on and make lives safer?

We all have watched those old flicks about how car pioneers created unusual inventions that can run on land and on water. They call it “amphibious vehicles,” at that time like frogs that can live on land and on water. These vehicles were not really useful in those years, but years have changed.

Now, we need these kinds of vehicles. We need cars that float and navigate on water. We need cars that seem funny in those days, but today it’s a serious business.