Welcome to Thunder and Luck! My name is Ivars Vilums and here we'll explore the edges and beyond of what we think we know, how we are blinded by that knowledge, and different ways of seeing things. Starting as a photojournalist/musician, I have been inventing, developing, and presenting new ideas for over 50 years. Living in the Hill Country of Texas, I love to indulge my creative side. I created the first commercial wireless broadband Internet service in the world in the 1990's in Austin, Texas before cable and DSL were available. In the 1980's I invented and patented an optical full color 3D holographic imaging technology requiring neither glasses nor lasers. I have worked in areas as diverse as software, electronics, health care, optics, and entertainment and was involved in very early digital films and music in the late 1960's and early 70's. These days I devote my time to writing, creating photographic art and short films, creating music, and caring for the animals in and around my home bringing a lifetime of experiences and expertise to my projects.
Thunder and Luck invokes the powers of the Baltic Pērkons, the god of thunder, and Laima, the goddess of luck. Pērkons, the sky deity, renowned as the guardian of law and order and fertility rides across the sky striking fire with his two-wheeled chariot. In the spring his lightning purifies the earth and stimulates growth. Pērkons also directs his thunderbolts against evil spirits and unjust men and even disciplines the gods. He personifies the power of creation, critical thinking, and directed action. Although Laima, goddess of luck and destiny, holds our fate in her hands, it is up to each of us to find, create, and accept our own path there. Yang and Yin, we wield the power to create our existence within the balance of the universe.
The bumper sticker says "Shit happens." What it doesn’t say is that we then make up stories about it and we live in those stories as if they are reality. One person's story may be very different from another even though both were present to the same event and both stories may be true at the same time. Each story opens new and sometimes contradictory possibilities but two things we can be sure of is that no story is complete and we work hard to make our stories fit our existing narratives. We miss so much around us! A person who is the author of the story that others accept as truth becomes the "Authority." It's important to remember that it is all just a story and there is always another better story if only one can see it. It is said that the gates to enlightenment are guarded by the twin dogs of confusion and paradox.
Here we will look at interpretations of life, the universe, and, well, anything that might come up. Some interpretations work well, others not so much. Some are well known yet call for something new, others are more obscure and only describe an interesting niche. My hope is that through all this we can find and use the breakthrough power of diverse thinking and with a little luck build a better world for all of us.
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