TheListServe Blog

I walk down the street. The sun has stopped smiling long ago. A car whizzes by. I pass it without a second look. It passes me without a look at all. Stomach grumbling, I duck into a convenience store. I linger in the store, eyes closed shut from the cold. The cashiers are alert but their eyes are directed elsewhere, downward in trajectory. I make it to my friend’s house, feeling the warmth of the lobby blast into my pores. I’m free at last from the frigid night air. Hopping onto the elevator, I see a stranger. We exchange polite smiles. She’s relaxed. The only thing I can think about is the beauty of the warmth. White privilege. The idea of it initially stung me. Because I’m white I have some sort of advantage? I didn’t ask for this gain. Yet that’s no excuse to ignore the benefits of being a (Privileged) White Male: I walk down streets alone without cops even glancing at me. I enter stores and the cashiers aren’t suspicious of me. I share confined spaces with others and they are...

I was selected for this on American Thanksgiving. Therefore it seems only right to use it to give thanks. I am thankful for my family and friends foremost. Thankful for their love, warmth and patience. Thankful for all the people who work to make my life enjoyable, in whatever capacity. Thankful that some people really do want to make the world a better place. For you reading this, it’ll be a few days post-thanksgiving, and you may be in a part of the world that has no such tradition. Actually I am a Brit, currently enjoying North Carolinian hospitality (and BBQ). Hopefully you can use as a sign to give a quiet thank you to anyone in your life you think deserves it. Thanks to the people at The Listserve for this awesome opportunity. Thanks to Mark Frauenfelder at BoingBoing for introducing me to it. Being chosen today bolsters my irrational belief in fate. In my head, I know it was random that I got selected on Thanksgiving, but in my heart I just can’t quite believe that. It seems t...

I used to read a lot of poetry and want to get back into the habit of it. Below is a poem by Rudyard Kipling that I'd like to share with all of you, and I'd like to ask you to email me a poem or two back in response. I look forward to reading them. If-- By Rudyard Kipling If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or being hated, don’t give way to hating, And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise: If you can dream—and not make dreams your master; If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to...

Hi, everyone. I'm a teenaged girl. I'm not arrogant enough to think that I know much about the world. I'm 18, a freshman in college, and I struggle every day trying to see into the future: into what might be, where I might go. Recently I've decided that my destiny in life is to be a high-school biology teacher, but ask me again later and perhaps that will have changed. One thing I feel passionate about is body modification. Somehow my standards of beauty have developed in a way that put piercings, tattoos, implants and scarification at the forefront. However, my parents have threatened to cut off their funding for my education if I modify myself in any way. I already have piercings, and though my family will never see them due to their private locations, I would love to be able to share this important part of my life with them and express myself through modification in a more public way. Essentially, they have rejected my lifestyle, and through this, they have ...

Ouch, I just skipped a heartbeat when I saw the "You've been selected" mail. I don't know what to write. Well, anyway, here it goes! Hi, I'm Vitor, I'm a 31yo Brazilian, and I just got through a quarter life crisis. We're told to exaustion that time is a fast and furious beast that eats your life away every second, and around this age it gets really evident. Finding a balance between dedication to my projects and actually getting a life without feeling like I'm wasting time is hard, and I am still struggling to find out where is the right point is. I feel I had to throw away some things in life so I could grab new things to carry on. What I have learned is that there are three things you shoudn't throw away never ever, or you might lose forever: - your health - your family - your friends I finally realized that sleeping, eating well, doing exercises and go offline sometimes is essential. I also found out that being kind to people around y...

Today we live like kings compared to our ancestors because they learned to control fire, to construct houses, to build air conditioners, and to administer penicillin. These are all solutions to problems that once existed. All problems have solutions, and solutions come in the form of new knowledge. These solutions always have problems of their own. When a solution has problems, it's tempting to want to regress to the "good old days", but this is a mistake, because those "good old days" were terrible. The solution is *more* knowledge. Here's an example: On November 6 I voted against California's Prop 37, which required labeling of genetically-modified foods (GMO) in stores. There are various practical problems with both the proposition and with GMOs, but my main objection was that Prop 37 was, in spirit, a conservative regression away from progress. GMO solves problems, and has problems of its own. The solution isn't to ban or discourage or vilify GM...

Hello everyone! I am Rike and I am a medical student in my fifth year. My parents have always been involved in several fields, they are active in the green party, town parliament, youth organizations and within something like the red cross. This stuff sometimes stretched my nerves when I was a teenager. It was not that I didn´t support them but I didn´t know what´s the magic behind volunteering. I began to study medicine and slowly but steady I became students representative, was engaged within our national association of medical students and organized several projects regional and national. A few months ago I thought of decreasing the amount of projects I had besides my medical education due to my success as a future doctor and my personal private life. But two things changed me: First there was an article in a popular German magazine about the inner conflicts German doctors have treating their patients in a humane way and meeting the controllers demands concerning economic aspect...

This body of mine pulls back, the body that towers six feet, sees from a higher vantage point, with enormous arms to reach that which others cannot, arms to connect me to the iron that I love so much. Long, strong legs with thighs that rub, but if they were smaller legs I would not pull the weight, weight that slowly climbs until it reaches these gorgeously large and strong thighs, held by the arms that I use to hug and shove. And my stomach, and sides, and back- all of these things, the perfect size, holding those arms and legs together, connecting and shoring up, big because they have to be bulwarks against the iron that threatens to pull me down. Twenty nine years of hating this body and believing all of the liars that kept telling me to reject my body, wanting to pull me down just like the iron tries to pull me down. But now this big, tall, strong body of mine says no, and PULLS BACK. This body doesn't leave weight on the floor. This body doesn't shy away from building mor...

I'd like to ask you, do you know that your computer can work absolutely differently? Most of you bought your PC with a pre-installed operating system. Of course you're used to working with it. It's OK, but often people don't know about variants, don't know that other operating systems for your PC exist, too! I'd like to tell you about my experience of working on Linux. About four years ago I started using Ubuntu 12.04 as the main operating system for my laptop, and, you know, it was one of the best of my decisions! I forgot about regular actions like the cleaning of system folders to make OS work faster, checking every external storage for viruses, etc. I didn't install any special drivers, didn't look for software on the internet. After a 30 minute installation my laptop was ready to work with all necessary software. Soon I got used it and lost all my habits and tricks of managing "the most popular operating system for desktop computers." I a...

Dear fellow Listservians ~ Here is a poem I wrote recently, and now I wish to share it with you: Kindness is The King. May you let it rule your Kingdom. Gloriously! In spite of all those Dragons That aim to break your Heart. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. I always look forward to reading what you have to say. I hope that peace may find you wherever you go. Sean Manton Toronto, ON Canada

Have you ever considered the effects of equating non numerical concepts as "equal" in your brain? Many English patterns include the word "is" to relate one concept to another. This gives our brains a kind of paradox: the semantics of "mary you are beautiful" or "i am happy" gives our minds pleasurable meaning yet the symbol "mary" is-not the symbol "beautiful". I could more accurately say "I find mary's appearance striking." or "I feel sensations of euphoria'. Every day for a few weeks now I read a section from a book on Animal Behavior by Aubrey Manning & Marian Stamp Dawkins. The current section talks about signal processing and how you can convince a frog that a piece of wire pipe "is" a snake by curling it in a certain direction. I wonder how much cognitive dissonance we produce in our nervous systems from false alarms by relating two symbols with "is". Have you ever felt ...

If anyone is giving advice, who's left to take it? True insight cannot be taught, only discovered. There is no absolute truth in the world, but different perspectives and angles, and by taking a step to the left or tilting your head, you can change your point of view. You might notice that hearts are tiny stars and only they can warm up flesh and bones and skin and eyes, and illuminate, what shadows menace, and where they fade, no life is possible. If you take another step and bend your knees, you might see that the moon is just a mirror and you will discover yourself when looking at it long enough. I dare you to question yourself and anything you take for granted. I'm not giving you advice or tell you the story of my life. I, today, dare you to become aware of your ignorance. Patrick Dresden, Germany

Hello, everyone! I am the founder and owner of the startup 42Kmi. My company develops products to enhance the competitive gaming experience, and we have a website dedicated to nurturing the community and incubating talents and hobbies in the areas of games, music, art, and design. I would like share a short story with you. The day was beautiful. The sky was clear with few clouds accenting the ever extending blue. The sun was warm like a loving embrace. A light breeze gaily danced around anything in its paths. And the mid-morning hour had an afternoon air about it. The day seemed like it could last forever. On this day, a mother took her two young sons to the market. She planned on buying lots of food and other things for the house, and she needed the help. The twin brothers, Gaius, the older brother, and Marcus, the younger brother, both loved visiting the market. The hustle and bustle of the market was always more active and exciting than their neat and orderly...

What happens when you win the lottery and you lose your ticket before you claim the prize? That's kind of what just happened to me... Against all odds I was chosen to write to The Listserve, but my 48 hour period expired. Although I usually read all Listserve emails on the day I get them, this one I didn't open on time to respond to it (48h). This may be a lesson worth to be shared. It's a metaphor of what life is all about: taking the chances, grabbing the opportunities. Because they will arise and if we are not ready to take them it may almost be like they never even existed to us. But in my life I have learnt that there is always a second chance. If this message is reaching you it is the proof that it is true. So, if you are reading this... 1) Be ready to take the opportunities in your life. 2) If you think you just missed one, try to pursue it anyways, cause it may not be completely lost. 3) Learn from your mistakes so you don't miss another one, and be ready...

Hola, people! My name’s Emilia. Psychology student. Intrepid author, archer, singer, fencer, guitarist, language lover (any German or Spanish speakers here?), blogger, and bunny enthusiast. If you could tell the whole world something, what would you say? I want to give a tiny little piece of advice: be a little crazy. Be a misfit. Be bubbly and exuberant and just be yourself. Cherish everything. Keep track of every detail. Jump into someone’s arms and let them spin you until your head is spinning (or, be the catcher and spinner of the person running at you). Compliment someone, dye your hair a crazy color, write some poetry. Take a chance, because damn it, you don’t know if you don’t try. Find inspiration from those around you, not celebrities. Make your own way in the world. And most importantly? Whoever and wherever you are, there is always an opportunity for your voice to be heard. Know that you’re a good person. You’re AMAZING, more so than you could ever believe – even if you nev...

When most people think about triathlons, one of the first thing they think of, are those extraordinary images of ironman athletes fainting at the finish line after swimming, biking and running continuously for over 12 hours. Regular folks immediately rule it out as a sport reserved for a rare breed of elite athletes and never look back, not knowing that there is a lot more to triathlon than this. Had you told me 2 years ago that I would be doing triathlons in 2012 I would have called you out on your shenanigans. Back in 2010 I was a hefty 190 lbs couch potato. In the summer of 2011 I got myself a bicycle, read about multisport and picked up running and swimming. By the New Year I was down to 150 lbs and felt more physically and mentally stronger than ever before. For my first season, I completed 2 triathlons and ran a half-marathon. If you are looking for a new challenge, trying out a tri might just be for you. You will get fitter, feel better and meet awesome people all at the same ...

Hi! I hope that you're having a great day, I sure am! I got this "you won the listserve lottery" email on my birthday! OK, since I've got a big audience: I teach high school in a detention facility for teen-aged repeat offenders. One of the many things that we try to do for the kids is to give them some exposure to the different kinds of opportunities they might have as adults if they manage to hang in there and finish their education. Most of the students in our classrooms have had little exposure to the wider world beyond grinding poverty and limited adult support. That's where you come in (I hope). I am using this platform to ask you to do something for my students. And maybe for students everywhere, who knows? I'd like you to make a video, maybe 3-5 minutes, about what you do for a living. If you can try to answer the following questions, that would be awesome: 1. What kind of work do you do (day to day duties and overall) 2. How did you come to d...

Greetings Planet Earth! - Thank you ListServe for this opportunity & service. Ok.. first of all, I don't want to come off as a freak that keeps a dog in my fanny pack & has to show you pics till your eyes bleed. I simply want to share an experience that I had with a particular dog that will have forever changed my life. & no offense if you do keep your dog in our purse/man purse, just as long as the dog is healthy & happy no beef with me. But I do find I get along with most animals better than most people, me thinks,... I need to Bark at the Moon. I come from a large ranch in So. Texas. We had so many dogs, all sorts of breeds, some of the Shepherds we had will always live in my heart, somewhere. However It has been just over a month since my Wife & I put down my most impressive companion of 13 years, my Greatest of Danes, Akasha. So few dogs truly have near genius intellect. As a fresh pup I only had to show her, her the accidents twice, before she was at the...

Hello Listserve, My name is Sloan and I am senior at Gonzaga University in Washington State. I enjoy reading all of your insights and reflection every morning when I wake up. I can relate and learn from each and every one of you. Here is my story … in the course of 8 weeks last spring everything that I used to call familiar changed. My foundation of my family shattered when we learned my dad was having an affair and wanted a divorce from my mom. My heart broke further when I lost my hero and best friend in life, my grandfather. Everything that used to comfort me was now hurting me. Sometime I questioned if I was strong enough to get through what was the darkest time of my life. But I read a book: “A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows Through Loss” by Gerald Sittser. This book talks about his struggle with suffering after losing three generations of his family in the course of one night due to a car accident. In his book, he offers up some insights to dealing with suffering: he says, w...

I turned twenty-three last Friday and I now find myself at a bizarre crossroads in my life. I just hit the one-year mark of my first real career job. I’m in the industry that I went to school for. I’m sitting behind a desk inside an iconic building in Toronto where I schedule television shows for the largest Canadian television network. I have a salary, I have a benefit package, and I’m doing well enough financially to support myself for the next few years. Getting back to that bizarre crossroads now – I feel like I’m older than I actually am. I can’t go on Facebook now without seeing people I know getting pregnant or getting engaged or also getting career jobs. It doesn’t help though that this is counter-balanced by all the people on my Facebook that are still getting hammered every weekend and doing nothing with their lives. Who do you want to be, Bon? “Whoo! Dranks with mah gurlz!” “Cancun 2012!” You know what I mean. Getting down to the nitty-gritty, I’m making a bold assumption th...

It is a cold September evening. A girl, tall, a bit shy, has her first ballroom dancing lesson. Her friends have persuaded her to go. But her concerns about not meeting a boy who is tall enough are quickly forgotten because of him. While learning the first steps of Slow Waltz, the two enjoy a nice chat and...like each other on first sight. It is time to say goodbye. But no, both are by bike and both are heading the same direction. When the girl tells her mother of him, he is not an unknown. His grandmother is one of her customers. When he comes home, he tells his mother that he has met the Love of his Life! She is skeptical because he is only 14. They become a couple. But happy times shall not last very long. Her inner wound turns out to be a big obstacle. After only 6 months, he breaks up with her. They are now going separate ways, but connected through an invisible band... for 3.5 years! Their love is given a second chance. Everything could be perfect. But life does not always f...

Ei there. I’m a Brazilian 21 yr old but my great-grandparents were from Japan - that can impress even those who know me well, given the lack of slanted eyes or a peculiar surname. I think you should listen to Peter Bjorn & John songs that are NOT "Young Folks". I’ve been working with account planning in an advertising agency for almost 2 years now, and my main freetime hobby lately has been bread-baking. This weekend I plan on baking my first bread made with a natural starter (or levain) I've been working on for the past weeks. You should also google Inhotim and find out what it is all about. I’m really into traveling, little into spending lots with it, quite into meeting new people. So I think you should drop me a line if ever coming to Brazil, and I’d be very glad if anyone could offer me a couch spot in..say.. Tokyo or Portland anytime ;) (or whichever incredible places you all live at). -- To me, that’s the thing about Listserve: Actually connecting inter...

So the story goes.....A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold that the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him. As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy. A passing cat heard the bird singing under the pile of cow dung and promptly dug him out and ate him. Moral of the story: (1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy. (2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend. (3) If you are happy and warm in a pile of shit then it's smart to keep your mouth shut! .........and the doctor recommends (I really am one) :- 1) Make an effort to smile everyday, it will help you live longer. 2) Don't forget how to use a pen. 2) Enjoy your single malt scotch as it was intended...straight and unadulterated. 3) Take time to...

Once a friend told me, "o godz--the building across the street just grew a proboscis." It was construction season in Boston. ------------- Two mathematicians, Joe and Bob, are in a restaurant. Joe is talking about how he feels that math education has really improved in his lifetime. Bob is a grumpy old man. He disagrees. Strongly. Joe says, "You know, I bet the average person on the street even knows a little calculus." Bob laughs. Bob goes to the bathroom. While he's gone, Joe calls their waitress over and tells her: "Listen, I'm going to ask you to come over here in about five minutes. When you do, I'll ask you a question. I want you to answer "One-third x cubed." If you do, I'll leave an extra $5 in the tip." The waitress blinks at him. "One thir-dex cue?" "Sure, close enough." Bob comes back from the bathroom and Joe says, "Look, I'll bet our waitress knows the integral of x square...

FUN STUFF: 1. I’m 21 and a pre-med student. I like reading writing cleaning yoga and drinking. I work in a pizzeria. 2. Who are you?? 3. WTF VOTE FOR OBAMA 4. If by any chance you work at a zoo please email me and invite me to come hang out with and talk to and pet wild animals I would love that more than anything and would find a way to repay you for your kindness. 5. Currently waiting for Hurricane Sandy to hit Brooklyn… OTHER STUFF: There are a good number of days when I wake up hating myself. Sometimes I fall asleep hating myself and sometimes I have a weird dream that leaves me unsettled or off kilter and things start to crumble from there. It wasn't until about a year ago that I started to begin the process of realizing that this penance I was serving was not only unnecessary, but was destructive and self-perpetuating, was in fact the evils of the world coming to rest for a moment in my heart. I am starting to learn to take deep breaths and to override my own maladapti...

　　＿　＿ 　／　｜　＼＿＿　　＿＿　　　＿＿　　＿　＿ ／　　～　　＼＿＼　＿＿　＼　＿＿　＜　｜　｜ ＼　　Ｙ　　／／　＼｜＿＞　＞｜＿＞　＞＿＿｜ 　＼＿｜＿／（＿＿／　＿＿／｜　＿＿／／＿＿｜ 　　　　　　　　　｜＿｜　　｜＿｜ ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿　　　　＿　　　＿＿ ＼＿　＿＿＿＿／＿＿　｜＿｜　｜＿／　　＿＿　　＿　＿ 　｜　＿＿）＼＿＿　＼｜　　／　＿｜　　＼＿＼＜　｜　｜ 　｜　＼　｜　｜　　　Ｖ　／／＿／｜　／＿＿＼＼＿＿　｜ 　＼＿／　｜＿｜　　　｜＿＼＿＿＿｜（＿＿＿／＿＿＿＿｜ I love Fridays. The work week is winding down. There is an air of excitement. People planning, chatting, obsessing about what they are up to. There are stories, laughs and guilty pleasures. Then a beer or two and the weekend is in full swing. What are you dong this weekend? You should do something awesome! Happy Friday every one. Trev Nowak Sydney

Hey there Such a pleasant, odd chance to write to you. Thank you. I am a gen Y living in a developing country named Indonesia, working as a marketer in fmcg industry. I read listserve e-mails every morning, love it. Most of them come from US though, so perhaps on this rare occasion to be selected, would like to share about this country, Indonesia, in 6 points: 1. We're located in south-east Asia. Neighbor to Thailand. Malaysia. Singapore. North of Australia. 2. We have total 17,508 islands and more than 500 different local languages 3. The most famous holiday spot is Bali, i believe. Pretty island beaches, rich culture, great people. Get called island of gods sometime. 4. Your Sumatra and Java coffee come from here. Of islands with same name 5. We have the tastiest instant noodle ever: Indomie. Maybe you can find one in ur local chinatown. They sell it in Amazon as well :D 6. Second largest home of Facebook user, and 6th largest for Twitter. Well since we're like the 4t...