| Over the past decade I've worked a lot on shedding light on corporate funded politicians and legislation and how that affects the working class. One of the toughest parts of that is getting folks to understand how the gains in productivity are being taken from them by corporate owners that fund the Democrat and Republican Parties. I've also worked pretty hard on getting us (the US) out of those mid-east wars with very little effect. I live in a very rural conservative area and most of my neighbors are great folks but they tend to get a lot of tilted information on TV and the internet. Because I am able to point out these issues in a bi-partisan way they tend to listen and read what I share more than they would a "Libtard" (a term I hear often). Since 2002 I've also made inexpensive software for small businesses and provide support for it. It's pretty easy to use so I don't get many requests for support. I'm working a new version of that software now. I've shared a few concepts I've developed. A few years ago I made a lightweight backpacking tent made out of an "SOL Blanket" and showed how a small campfire would warm it up to +80ยบ F in below freezing temps. I didn't invent that concept. "Bushcrafters" did. I just refined it and demonstrated and promoted a more practical way of using it. In the years since I've seen other similar designs come out, some that are made to be used for the homeless and in emergencies. The thing about this kind of work is that it is usually impossible to measure the reach, but not so to see the effect if you are patient. My theory is if you can shed light on something true and good that light will spread, and seeking credit for how far is vanity. If a concept is good it's better to get it out in the open than guard it like a secret if you cannot make the general use of the concept a reality. It's better because you will still get to benefit from it coming into existence. A small example of this is years ago I took a cap off of a dishwashing soap bottle and put it on a disposable water bottle I bought on the way to a bike trail. When I got home I told my wife I was going to make it so I could buy these in the store because at that time no company was doing that. I looked up a company that made bottles and caps and told them what I wanted and it wasn't long before I could buy water and Gatorade with those caps in the store. My wife still thinks I "should have made a million dollars" and tells that story a lot but I know that was never the case. I don't think that made the world a better place, but it demonstrates how one can deliberately change how things are done by shedding some light on an idea. |