The Practice of Uncommon Sense by Adam Stanecki

Ten things I learned in 2009

Dec 31

Posted by Adam Stanecki in Opinions and observations | No Comments

To keep developing you have to keep learning. Here’s ten things I learned this year:

Even the nicest people can have ulterior motives
Podcasts are part of the beauty of the internet
People desperately crave gratitude, respect and love
You have to follow your gut when your head doesn’t know what to do
It’s never as bad as you think it is
You will learn more about life through watching your children than through anything else
People are blinded by faith
Rediscovering bands from your youth is an amazing experience
You have to be prepared to say “I was wrong”
Smiling more often makes you happier

What did you learn this year?

May 2010 be an awesome year for you. Thank you for reading.

My favourite online resources of 2009

Dec 26

Posted by Adam Stanecki in Uncategorised | No Comments

Here are a few of the cool online resources I discovered (or rediscovered) this year…

Various:

Twitter – although I think it’s time is limited a la MySpace
TED – videos of ideas worth spreading
CD Baby – the best CD site online cataloging unsigned and independent artists.

Health, Fitness & Lifestyle:

Robb Wolf – Paleo nutrition and more
Mark’s Daily Apple – living primal in the modern world
Tim Ferriss – Lifestyle design and the Four Hour Work Week

Podcasts:

BodyTonic – minimal techno and other electronic mixes
Electronic Groove – House music podcasts
Symbiosis – soundscapes and eclectic mixes collected by Simon Hampson
Get The Curse – techno, deep house and other electronic mixes

What can you add to the list?

Politics and religion

Dec 1

Posted by Adam Stanecki in Opinions and observations, Politics, Religion, Your community | No Comments

I’m sure I remember my mother telling me not to discuss politics or religion in polite company. But I just can’t help myself. How can anyone these days? It seems like the two are intrinsically connected these days. One might think that the USA is home to religion control of the political arena but Australia is not far behind. With the rise of Tony Abbott to the leadership of the Liberal Party, I can’t help but wonder if we are about to see an era of Christian values being forced down our throats…please God anything but that. (Yes, it is a little amusing that an atheist – I do detest that term – is calling for God’s help!)

In a few days I’ll be voting in the Higgins by-election. It’s a (fairly) safe Liberal seat yet I hope the constituents stand up and give the Liberals and the religious right in general a good old two fingered salute.

My vote will go to The Greens. (I’m purposely not mentioning climate change herein.)

Here is Dr Clive Hamilton’s campaign launch speech:

http://www.vimeo.com/7622317

If you’re feeling even more adventurous, perhaps the Australian Sex Party might get your vote?

Tags: Dr Clive Hamilton, Greens, Higgins, Politics, Tony Abbott

Sugar: finally the truth

Oct 28

Posted by Adam Stanecki in Health, Yourself | 1 Comment

I’ve been on the high fat, low carb bandwagon for a long time. Why? Because I know it works. Simply, dietary fat does not result in body fat, dietary sugar does. There’s a lot more to it than that but you get the idea. Ok, I could also mention that inflammation, diabetes, cancer, gout and much more is related to sugar consumption too. Starting to get it? You don’t have to believe me but keep an open mind.

Dr Robert Lustig is a well educated man and has been long campaigning for the bitter truth. He is passionate about how our diets are killing us. in 2006, Dr Lustig was interviewed by Norman Swan on the ABC, take a look at the transcript. Some time later Dr Lustig gave a presentation at the University of California. I cannot state how important this video is. If you do anything for your health this year, watch it!

Tags: body fat, Dr Robert Lustig, fructose, sugar

The UFC is coming to Australia

Oct 21

Posted by Adam Stanecki in Opinions and observations | No Comments

UFC 74: Guida vs Aurellio

I’m excited. Big Kev excited. The UFC – that’s Ultimate Fighting Championship – is coming to Australia next year (or so the rumours suggest). I’m a huge fan of MMA (mixed martial arts) and am happy to jump upon my rather tall horse and defend the sport (yes, it is a sport; there are rules, governing bodies and professional athletes).

MMA has an interesting history in Australia, with different states allowing different forms of competition. For example, fighting in the cage is illegal in Victoria however the same rules in a boxing ring are a-okay. I don’t quite understand that. What this means for Victorians is that they have to travel interstate for cage-based MMA (CFC are massive in Sydney and I expect the UFC will hold their first show somewhere in the harbour city early -mid 2010).

So, now it’s time for some people to get their knickers in a twist about the brutality of the sport without bothering to first learn about it.

Ruth Brown (someone I admire as a martial arts writer) recently put together an article on this very topic and it can be read at crikey.com.au.

Here’s a small excerpt:

Next year, one of the biggest sporting organisations in the US is coming to Australia, and it’s going to make a lot of people very angry.

It’s the UFC, or Ultimate Fighting Championships — the world’s largest Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion — where the best fighters in the world battle it out for squillions of dollars, and millions around the world pay to watch on PPV.

MMA is already a favourite target of Australia’s mainstream media, who trot out a lazy WON’T SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN!?! article every few months on a slow news day.

Make up your own mind, but please do some thinking and learning first.

Tags: Crikey, MMA, UFC