Feb 11, 17 / Pis 14, 01 20:36 UTC

Concept Designer From Canada  

Greetings, Asgardians! Wow, this is an honour. It's great to be here and be part of something so ground-breaking, innovative, and future-friendly! I'm located on the West Coast of British Columbia in the surprisngly-not-raining-right-now Vancouver.

Some things about me: former recording artist (industrial computer music), post secondary diplomas from Business College (Microcomputer & Business Applications and Desktop Publishing & Design) and via Correspondence (Honours in Fitness & Nutrition and 4.0 GPA in Interior Design theory). I'm a digital photography and digital art hobbyist. I used to work with inks and in collage, but my hands are quite crippled. I wrote a book but wasn't happy with it so I will be rewriting it in fiction form. My post secondary education was a challenge as I have autism and had to leave highschool after grade 9.

Now wondering what else to do next at age 51, I enrolled in the free online college Saylor Academy and should I be able to get through the work (I find math intimidating) will focus on Computer Science. I am especially interested in A.I. and developing apps. Although fascinated by robotics, I am not a mechanical engineer or even mechanically inclined. Also, for over three decades my life was focused on study and experience in a variety of religions and spiritual paths as well as Oriental Philosophy with some Martial Arts for self-defence thrown in for a while. I also got involved in an alternative culture and two subcultures. My hope was to understand things from a variety of perspectives rather than just reading and focusing on one path. I suppose it was rather like living like a cultural anthroplogist when I couldn't afford university. This way, I am able to talk to people from various walks of life and belief systems. Eventually I went for online ordination via Universal Life Church, feeling that I was more than qualified, having mastered the essence of at least a few paths.

Over the past couple of years, I have become very interested in politics. So, I get involved in peaceful non-violent ways in the interest of the global community as in signing petitions and open letters online when mass reaction from the world is needed in order to stop something disastrous from happening. I vowed to non-violence in my teens, feeling that using wisdom was a better option.

As a genuine Myers-Briggs INTJ, the way my brain works is one of the reasons I decided to join Asgardia. I hope my skills and talents will be useful. My natural tendency is to see or even create a whole conceptual system, try to figure out what would work and what would not and why and try to figure out solutions to possible problems that may arise in its various working parts. I tend to think via more than one perspective almost simultaneously when a problem arises and to "think outside the box" in general. While some people on the autism spectrum are excellent with numbers, instead it's the creative centre mixed with logic that works in me.

A few years ago, the thought came to me to think of what a world government would look like and most of the system came to me quickly. I started writing it down, complete with comstitution, currency, Ministries and laws. I thought I would get it published to get people thinking. Part way through I stopped. I realized that in the wrong hands it was dangerous. A dictator type could run amok with it. I thought about world leaders of that time, the greedy corporate fossil fueled war machine that was hell-bent on destroying this planet, the biosphere, mutitudes of ecosystems and every living creature until all the trees were gone and human beings couldn't even breathe anymore. I stopped writing it. I don't think I have one copy of that partial written work. The thought never ocurred to me to base it on a space nation that starts anew and starts with a whole different foundation. Asgardia is a brilliant solution to the problem I kept running up against and couldn't solve. It - no, we- have the chance to make it work, wheras a unified system would never work in a world that runs the way Earth does now.

So, all of that having been said, longwindedness aside, thank you for this opportunity. There are probably DNA repairing nanotechnologies and I know exoskeletons are being worked on, but I am in the low social class on disability, unable to afford whatever may or may not be available to make my life normal again- whatever "normal" means. I have a progressive hereditary neuromuscular diasease and I spend most of my time exhausted. However, whatever energy I have, I now have focus and purpose. So, again, thank you.

Feb 11, 17 / Pis 14, 01 20:43 UTC

Hi Zar, Welcome to the forums! and nice to meet a fellow British Columbian, I was born and raised there and currently reside in Montreal.

I encourage you to join in with our discussions, and check out our Forum Announcements section https://asgardia.space/en/forum/forum/forum-announcements-10/ Where we post all sorts of general information, and keep an eye on the News section https://asgardia.space/en/forum/forum/asgardia-news-9/. Looking forward to your thoughts and ideas.

Feb 11, 17 / Pis 14, 01 20:51 UTC

Thanks, @shanewatt! I heard Montreal is a nice city and that people are very warm and friendly there! I came out west from Ontario in 1993. It took three and a half days in winter by buses. So, I got to see some of this country headed west. I've never been east of Ontario, unfortunately.

Feb 11, 17 / Pis 14, 01 21:02 UTC

@Zar It's a special city, very friendly and inexpensive.. :) I've been fortunate to see a lot of Canada from my time as a punk musician touring the country back in the day. It's well worth the trip to the east coast if you ever have the chance...

Feb 15, 17 / Pis 18, 01 18:16 UTC

Hi Zar,

Read your message and just wanted to say hello, Hello :)

I wanted to say hello for a couple of reasons, just want to say, what an awesome human you are! Al that life experience, all that knowledge, all those ideas, I'd love to sit down and have a one on one chat with you. I have always been fascinated by religion but not been a believer, but the more I research things, the stronger my views towards Spirituality become. Would love to hear some of your views :D.

I am also am on the spectrum, i got diagnosed a few months ago, was a huge shock to me but not those around me lol, and still have so many questions about it all really. After reading you introduction I think we are a little similar :) I am no way near your level of intelligence, but I think we think kinda similar, not the same obviously lol. Its hard to accept sometimes.

Also, my and my partner are in the process of trying to immigrate to Canada (we are in the pool process atm) and, we ideally would like to go to BC or Alberta, I went when I was a teenager and feel in love with the Country and the people, just felt right you know.

Anyway, hopefully get to see you around the forums, have a good day! :D

Feb 15, 17 / Pis 18, 01 22:21 UTC

@Lloyd,

Greetings! Thanks for your kind words. If you are able to immigrate, BC is beautiful. Just be aware of the multitude of mico-climates and terrain. i.e. You better like rain and lots of it if you move to the west coast! As for autism, I was diagnosed at age 40. I figured it out first myself prior being diagnosed by a professional who specializes in it, due to recognizing mannerisms and habits of a CSI character. Since we change as we age, learning to adapt, it is more difficult to see in adults, as you probably know. I became very good at hiding outward signs, not even knowing what I was technically hiding. In that CSI character I related the mannerisms to how I was more obviously in childhood. Funny how that went. Anyway, maybe a face to face conversation in the future.

Feb 16, 17 / Pis 19, 01 19:57 UTC

@Zar,

I say it as I see it :). I have heard that, my friend went last year and he loved it, I went to Alberta as a kid and loved it, really hope we get in.

It was my current girlfriend who first noticed it in me, girl literally saved me. Then had it confirmed by professionals after some self research and some opening up to my partner. I like you learned to hide my signs and again like you not know what it was I was hiding. The like reading what you write, it somewhat seems familiar for some reason, as odd as that may sound.

I hope we do get to have that face to face conversation one day, perhaps if I am fortunate enough to get through immigration, and get settled, we can have that face to face conversation one day. Have a good day! :D

Feb 20, 17 / Pis 23, 01 18:05 UTC

@ Zar

While your introduction was long, it was quite obvious you had a lot to say. In many ways, I found your post to be something I could almost write about myself (I am an I/ENTP, being right on borderline between I and E), with the exception of life experiences (my foundations are business, mathematics, economics, and systems design).

For what it is worth, you seem to be quite the addition to Asgardia and I look forward to seeing whatever you may be able to contribute.

Feb 21, 17 / Pis 24, 01 11:32 UTC

Welcome you!