What more can I say......

The Three Jewels

The pot, the soil, and the water.

These are the three components that are crucial to the overall growth and development of the plant. The pot is the plants underlying temporary environment. The place where it is to be molded and shaped into what it will become. The soil is important because it holds the roots that provide support and store nutrients. And just as water is the life-blood of all living things, this is equally important to the plant. Without the proper amount of water it is impossible for the plant to grow and develop successfully. Now, if I were to draw upon a synonym (hence, symbology) and liken my life to a plant that needs the pot, the soil, and the water. I can see clearly how these three components are crucial to my overall development and have been in the past.

The pot, the soil, and the water.

The pot is a container. This container for me is representative of the communities that I have been fortunate enough,
or rather,
unfortunate enough to be molded by.
Unfortunately these containers were by far, NO PLACE IDEAL
to nurture and foster the growth and development of a healthy individual.
But fortunately,
these pots have taught me some of the greatest lessons that I have sustained,
and helped me navigate through this minefield of a maze that I call a chapter in life.....
The lessons on what NOT to do.

The pot, the soil, and the water.

The soil represents my relationships. Relationships have been the soil in which I've grown intellectually and psychologically. I've had soil around me of poor quality which has only served to stunt my growth. But on the other hand....
I've been in the midst of a lot of good sand which has helped me grow stronger and more mature as a man.
Thus, I'm a firm believer that there can be NO REAL GROWTH,
intellectually, psychologically or otherwise without good relationships. Bad relationships are poisonous soil.

The pot, the soil, and the water.

The water represents my flexibility. Just as the plant cannot survive without water,
I know that it is impossible for me to grow and continue to strive without being flexible.
The water represents my persistence.
Just as the plant cannot grow without a persistent flow of water,
I know that it is my long term persistence to my goals that will play out and prevail in the end.
For me,
slow and steady always wins the race.

The pot, the soil, and the water.

My community.
My relationships and my persistence.
These are the three jewels which nurture my overall development. Peace....

" A Loced-Out Shout Out To Syria: Make Peace Not War "

Generally, in war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy's state whole and intact; to ruin it is inferior to this. To capture the enemy's entire army is better than to destroy it; to take intact a battalion, a company, or a five-man squad is better than to destroy them. Hence, to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the supreme excellence. - Sun Tzu

Today I had an interesting conversation with an Angel. The Angel wanted to know whether or not it were true that I bowed down and worshiped a statue when I prayed. I told the Angel that she was tripping in the “ West ”...there is no such statue. Only mind.

She told me that evil entered into the world through man and woman when they first partake of the forbidden fruit in the Garden Of Eden. I told her that there was no such garden nor such fruit. Only mind.

At this response the Angel seemed stunned and wanted to know my thoughts concerning The Christ. I told her that Jesus was a Buddhist and Buddha was a Christian. And what of Muhammad she asked? Muhammad? I told her that there was absolutely no one to be placed next to or to be compared against Muhammad. Muhammad is Muhammad. Muhammad is CHOSEN! The gods do work in mysterious ways; however, there is no such gods in existence that work. Only mind.

She then asked if I was going back into the Temple. I told her that no such Temple exist. Just mind only.

In my most recent post I cited a real life example of how I was so gracefully socially-engineered. http://petalocsta.com/2012/02/12/wow-was-i-just-socially-engineered/ ( Yes, all slippers count and that's exactly one of the subtle ways social-engineers are able to slither their way inside to go with their move. ) Truth of the matter is that we live in a world filled with liars and cheats. Which leaves us to wonder- Under such a harsh reality...just how does one cope?

Although there are many tactics and strategies available to the those willing to put in the minimum requirements involved in defending oneself against such imposters, I am of the opinion that when it comes to defending one's system/network...these days and times we're gonna need a little something more on top of just seeking refuge in our spiritual masters. Let's have a look at what one of my close comrades, Mr. Pete Herzog, has to say about the issues that we face when it comes to living with lies and liars:

“ You security analysts will want to perfect your game in human security this March.

We have turned things around and can show you how people are broken and what you can do to fix them. So if you want to hold a security awareness course, teach family members to be safer, or even if you've just fallen for a scam or two before (or some bad love relationship) and want to know why, then this is what you should know. We did it like this because we know that it's not being smarter about security. It's about being smarter about why you do what you do and why you believe what you do.

Following that we dive deep into trust. Even if you don't trust easily, the criteria we use be default to trust is heavily biased and usually just as largely incorrect. Trust is such an amazing tool that we can use it in so many ways yet so few have actually read the instruction manual. This is THAT manual. Learn to use trust to make the right risk decisions, hire the right people, understand and fix contracts, give the right people the right access to the right assets, and so much more. When it comes to trust in this world, you really will want to RTFM.

We live in a tough world full of liars and deceivers. Competition is fierce and unforgiving. People lie. But you don't have to fall for it. It's an important time to be a security analyst. It's even more important to be a great security analyst. Know your trust. Know your triggers. Know yourself.

I hope to see many of you at Troopers in Heidelberg, Germany this March! It's a great conference and we have these 2 great classes you'll want to be a part of.

Smarter Safer Better
Mastering Trust, the Certified Trust Analyst

Sign up here:

https://www.troopers.de/sign-up/up/

See you there! ” -ala Pete Herzog

Thanks my friend. So here's to living with lies and liars, y'all. Be there or be square. Square Business.

Peace.

All warfare is based on deception. Therefore, when able to attack, we must pretend to be unable; when employing our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.......

Related articles

• The Pathological Liar & The Internet Infrastructure (scamfraudalert.net)
• Liars and Outliers: Schneier's New Book Explores the Role of Trust (btsecurethinking.com) 

" Legion Of Ciphers "

 

We've played chess with lifer's, had shoot outs with snipers; the game is laid out plain through the text, can you decipher? The science or the study of protecting information- it's evident that SOPA's launched a threat against our nation. http://techland.time.com/2012/01/20/sopa-officially-postponed-until-further-notice-pipa-too/?iid=tl-article-mostpop1 Theirs somebody in a suit and a tie, don't want us sharing; our pictures nor or music but is anybody caring? 

Some dudes are gonna hate it because my views are Non-Repudiated; without my key you cannot fade it. Certificate Authorities....are not a job for me: my crew is Cain & Abel...this won't be hard to beat. 

We speak the code of geek and deep we creep within Retreats, our jobs is solving problems..it's the answers that we seek.

I'll penetrate your system like a Renegade,

know that my decision has been made when I open Sam Spade.

Two or three or more files can't produce the same output...excuse my French; but we learned that shit in Outlook. The practice of concealing many factors: It's hid  in plain-sight....THAT'S EXACTLY HOW IT HAPPENS. http://www.gohacking.com/2011/10/how-to-hide-data-in-image-audio-video-files-steganography.html

The Facebook Messiah

 

Here we go again, yall. If you're familiar with me than you already know what's coming this year with the next album....

"T.I.P got out the half-way house, well?" L.O.C's been out of the half-way house, that don't be shit that they can laugh about. I'm only representing half the South....
But you can catch me in The Bean on the scene after class turns out....
I'm John Beto; I hear or sense no evil,
every since I set my distance with Big Stevo'.
I stand tall through fall weather....
Me, relinquish this shit to yall? NEVER!
Bitch, I ball better.....!
You dudes are having Tea Parties. I'm from the Land Of The Heartless; it's the Home Of The Paid...where we're, wardiez. This is Dead Spot, just because I put on Red Sox in the mornings, when I step out in the Garden this is NOT...
where I sat out on the block everyday to get this knot this is NOT...
The Interstate I hopped when I copped this is NOT...
to be shared. My life ain't a widget or a site.
P-Loc is not a midget on the mic.
I'm THE FACEBOOK MESSIAH.

You got a sell? I got a buyer.
The freaking world is reaching higher!
Be a leader not a follow.....let's see how many LIKES...
the see how many TWEETS I get tomorrow. I'm the Facebook Messiah..









http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives /how_to_get_around_sopa_if_it_ever_becomes_law.php

Don't Just share Workstations...Share Rewards

 

 "Now, in order to kill the enemy, our men must be roused to anger; to gain the enemy's property, our men must be rewarded with war trophies. " -Sun Tzu

Most business leaders ( notice that I said most; not all ) are aware of, and accept the thought that great companies are built by great employees. Beyond a shadow of a doubt they know that their company's creative ideas, and winning execution, come from the work of its employees. And the retention of those great employees will be determined by three things mainly:

1. How well you treat them
2. How well you train them
3. How well you pay them

Attention to all aspiring managers and business leaders: It would do you a great justice to not sleep on the fact that good people have a tendency to know their VALUE and what they contribute to a company or organization. So.....if you want to retain good people, you by all means need to pay careful attention to those three points that were just laid out. If your work environment is so demanding or the hours are unusual, you will need to compensate accordingly. End of discussion!!!
Companies who go against this wisdom and try to keep good people without investing in them often end
up being the loser in the war for talent. An employee who doesn't get training but wants to better him/herself will seek out an employer that will develop those skills. Employees who know they are doing a good job will want to be paid accordingly for that work. Wouldn't you?   


Here are some points that are required to successfully retain people in your company:

• Offer rewards that are relevant to the employees- When and wherever possible, rewards must be dished out in relevance to the individual being rewarded. Different people want different rewards. Your reward structure should conform to the needs of your workforce, or the workforce you are trying to retain and attract.
• Consistently communicate the value of what you offer- In order for what you have to offer your employees, as far as rewards are concerned, this consistent communication must go beyond a weekly paycheck for it to even be effectively registered. Understand: The paycheck is a given. Your employees need to understand what they are receiving and how it reflects the company's commitment to their talent. Constantly communicate the value of your benefits to your employees. This is particularly important with non-paycheck rewards. If it isn't obvious how what you are offering differentiates you from the competitors that want to hire them, they can't find value in that reward. The details are important here. Do you have a diverse staff? How many languages do you need to communicate in? Are certain benefits more valuable to certain employees ( e.g., flextime for working parents....hint- " ALWAYS A PLUS ")? Most importantly, DO NOT  rely on one single communication- too many people will fail to understand what your are trying to say.

And that's real talk.

Detour. 

As the Year Of The Dragon approaches, I can't help but wonder why no one seems to be talking about the end of the world anymore. What happened to the Mayan calendar that everyone was leaning on to wipe the human population out a couple of years ago? I'm just saying. But anyways, any other Dragons out there? 1976! 2012.

My big brother, Minh Duong, once told me....in the year of the Dragon, one's fire will be so constructive that those who contain this force, the Dragon's, must be very careful not to allow the fire to burn out of control...one must BECOME THE FIRE!  

  

" The Tao Of Relationships "- Hear/Like/Share It

Artist, UNDERSTAND: More than ever before, you have to build that relationship with your fans. Especially online. Think about how easy it is to just not bother and simply go elsewhere to find whatever it is that you may be searching for online. If whatever you're searching for doesn't fit your immediate taste at the time that you launch the search, what do you do? You go elsewhere. and elsewhere. then somewhere else until you find what you're looking for. No matter how good your music is, it's competing with millions of other choices. If not billions.

So. The simplest way to promote your music and build an economic relationship with a consumer is to let them hear your music. Let them hear it repeatedly, without RESTRICTION. Let them grow to love your music and hear it as a part of their collection. If the relationship that you build with your consumers turns out to be REAL, maybe....just maybe you'll have a shot at some of their cash that they have worked so hard to earn. Cash that they must manage to the penny in today's economy in order to stay afloat. And I hate to be the bearer of bad news but ummm''....this type of relationship does not happen overnight, my friend. THIS IS NOT A REALITY SHOW! This is reality. Don't get it twisted and by all means don't take it personal- it's just how capitalism works ( or doesn't work? ). You provide value,  then you are rewarded with money.

UNDERSTAND: You don't get the money first- and you don't get to decide what value is. Sorry. http://newmusicstrategies.com/ 

All suffering begins with (1) our wanting something we either do not have or (2) something we do not need. 

Here's keeping with the act of sharing. Peace. Coincidence Or Conspiracy by Peta-Loc



Learn Winning Ways: Problems Are Opportunities

With a lot of help from the comrades at Diaspora http://diasporafoundation.org/get_involved  I finally found a much more structured explanation to help you get glimpse of what it means exactly to be an Open-Source Record Label. It isn't easy but hey.....IT'S REAL!

What does it all mean?

Open source is about individuality, transparency, creativity, and destiny. It is about having an idea, and making it reality. Like Diaspora*, Loced-Out Recordz  was founded to fulfill a passion for fun, and for making the Internet a better place. Open source is what enables us to change the world, for ourselves, and let our friends across the web benefit from our exploration.
Open source communities are amazing things. And like Diaspora*, here at Loced-Out Recordz,  we believe that people should be valued for what they do. It does not matter if you have contributed to a project before, or are an elite open source hacker. Getting involved with Loced-Out Recordz  means that you get to work on hard problems, with a focus on solutions that work for artist in today's music industry. This is why if you contribute something meaningful to Loced-Out Recordz, we will give you core commit access. We are in this together, so giving excited people the chance to make huge changes always trumps keeping control sacred.

Where you come in

Just like Diaspora*, we all make Loced-Out Recordz. We might not know you just yet, but we think you'd be a great fit for building the future of the web and the music industry.  You're fantastic, and you're ready to change the world.
Contributing to Diaspora*, Loced-Out Recordz, .... http://www.mozilla.org/projects/firefox/prerelease.html let's sum it up... http://www.opensource.org/  comes in all different shapes and sizes. Whether you're a user helping us find bugs, providing feedback on our mailing lists, or contributing code or design, we need you.
(By the way, need a studio to record your joints in???? Don't trip. We got you. Here: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/  )
Remember:

1. Fight the Battles That Count
2. Avoid The Avoidable
3. Set High Goals

And last but not least, welcome to the Realest Social Networking Site On The Planet: http://chime.in/community/TheL.O.C. 


P.S. It's love. " The Heartz Of Man " ( produced by Luke Bredin of SPMtracks-beat by GHproductions ) by Peta-Loc

How Do You Win? Make victory your ONLY option!

No matter where you work, you are not an employee. You are in a business with one employer-yourself-in competition with millions of similar businesses worldwide...Nobody owes you a career_you own it as a sole proprietor. And the key to survival is to learn to add more value every day. -Andrew Grove

" The Heartz Of Man " ( produced by Luke Bredin of SPMtracks ) by Peta-Loc

The Art Of Making A Music Video ( Part 2)

 In case you missed part one, here's the link: http://www.locedoutrecordz.com/2011/10/art-of-making-music-video-part-1.html

The Art of  Making a Music Video
Part 2

Director’s vision
The  director’s vision is the most simple part of the article to write and read, but it might be the most difficult point to start with if making a real music video.
Before starting with a music video the director’s vision must be complete. I  personally do take my time after listening to the song and walk around watching  places, things, colors to get ideas. The director must have a basis for all of the scenes. To grasp this basis he is to find one basic scene, with which he will  start.
Having found the basic scene, the director may build all of the other scenes around this one. He is here to find a mode of filming which all the other scenes would suit.
A very  important thing is to find a way of filming. There shall be scenes with motion and static scenes. This in fact creates real motion. The director is to find a way to  frame the characters in the video, and find a composition for the picture. Note the Quicksand “Omission” video: there is a perfect  artistic framing. The camera is static, but the motion is pictured perfectly. http://youtu.be/4XstH23RYOA
What is interesting  in a music video, are the dancing scenes, cities, and landscapes; all artistically furnished interior with poetically arranged scenery, toy molds with  choreography, or any interesting ideas to make a video different.
The video shall be enriched with some extras, so the director is to figure out scenes of different picture perspectives, filmed in different places (scenery), with different motion schemes. It is important, that the video has not only the picture of the band performing, but also another scenes which illustrate the song. These extras can be poetic pictures. An extra is also a black and white or monochrome color scheme. These black and white and color scheme can be used along with each other. These extras are something the viewer will remember after having watched the video. Therefore, all of these extras should be outlined in the video, shown clearly. An extra must differ from the rest of the video.
Other extras are the use of computer graphics. Modern videos do use 3-D computer graphic design programs. The scenery is drawn with the use of such a program as Maya or Blender. The characters singing and playing are placed within an unrealistic world. Blender is freeware, and Maya, even if the purchase of the program is expensive, may be used in student’s version for 3 years.
The colors of the video may be fixed in Corel Photo-Paint.
As to the color scheme, the colors may be fixed after. Initially it is important to have enough light while filming. A dark picture is difficult to be fixed. If filmed in the interior, the room must be well prepared. If outside, the scenery chosen carefully.
Getting onto the first picture of the video we must find a feeling with which we will be filming all the scenes. This feeling is to be deep inside the director and not be lost while filming. It makes the video a whole art piece.
The director may draw pictures of scenes he wants to appear in the video on paper. A piece of paper is also very useful for drawing the way we want to frame while filming – the perspective, etc.

This is the end of Part 2. The author of this post may be reached here: http://twitter.com/#!/AneMonCaglio