My job for this website re-development was to re-built their old site to have a back end content management system and a new shopping cart that is integrated with their drop ship company API (Application Programming Interface). This means orders are processed and sent out to the customer automatically. I did not do the graphic design work or structural design for this site. I was asked to keep the site looking and functioning identical to the old style. So although the style of the site is old fashioned, the programming behind it is fresh, functionally and optimized.

I started with wordpress and a shopping cart plugin that was written in PHP. I then customized the site to match the old site and function the way the client specifically requested. I wrote the code for the the order processing in PHP and mySQL. When an order is placed, the information is validated, then securely sent to the drop ship company (using CURL). The credit card is processed by the drop-ship company. I also wrote a PHP script that checks the status of an order to update the wordpress shopping cart with the latest information so the client only needs to check one place to find out what is happening with the order.

There were or course many variables and unexpected issues that were resolved. Some had to do with limitations with the drop-shipping company. Other issues came up when manipulating the existing code to function the way the client requested. The order processing PHP ended up being about 700 lines of code with comments. Now that the site is launched there are still some minor bugs that are appearing, so I will continue to do updates until the site is running smoothly.

Visit the site StirlingEngine.com to view the products and learn more about Stirling Engines.

I wrote custom PHP code to interface with a manufacturers database API (Application programming interface) and retrieve product information to be imported into After Market Cycles Magento E-commerce website. I wrote the code so that entire sections from their catalog could be imported all at once. The project took some time to complete because there was so much data to organize. It was very satisfying to see the code work successfully.

I have setup a new website to present this information. It is called You Can Lucid Dream.com It centers around the idea that there are 3 things you need to have vivid and meaningful dreams in you life, and 7 things you need to know to have lucid dreams. I plan to develop the site further by adding videos and resources to help people with their dream practices.

To learn more about lucid dreaming visit the site: www.YouCanLucidDream.com

View the Calendar Full Screen.

Contact me if you know of some upcoming events I should add to this calendar.

I am co-hosting a re-occurring event that has music and socializing. It features networking that is similar to speed dating but for creative projects. It is called a Time Merge. Each person will get to speak 1 on 1 with every other person who takes part, allowing 2 minutes each to pitch an idea and get feedback. The goal is to practice pitching ideas, getting feedback, and finding other creative people to potentially work with.

More about Time Merge:

Share your project or an idea one on one with each person in the group for feedback and to seek out other creative people to work with. Creators and thinkers from all walks of life are welcome to take part.

Time Merge participants pair up and share one on one about a creative project they are working on. It works similar to speed dating. 1 person gets to speak for a few minutes, the other person gives feed back and can highlight what skills or contributions they could make to the project. Make your pitch quick! Everyone will get a new partner every 5 minutes or so until everyone has spoken one on one with everyone else, and all of the projects have been shared.

During the break, participants can take part in the live music jam, or socialize.

Time Sharing:

If two people agree they want to collaborate on each other’s projects, they can work for a set period of time on one project, then rotate and work for the same amount of time on the other project. Collaborators can also come to any other arrangement they agree upon, such as meeting at a future time and location.

We decided to use audience participation, 3D animation, and formal interviews to make it as engaging and beneficial as possible. It was internally funded and supported by donations and volunteers, which gave us the freedom to take the project in any direction we wanted. It was an incredible experience that we learned a lot from. Our vision was larger than what we had made time for, so within the year we worked on it we only completed the first part of a three part script. Recently we have put the documentary on our website to be watched online for free. Hope you enjoy it.

Learn more about Qi, Breath work, and heart coherence, by clicking “Watch” from the main menu of the Vehicle for the Soul website: www.VehicleForTheSoul.com

The first time I attended was in 2004 when I was doing research and interviews for a documentary on Lucid Dreaming called: “Explorers of the Lucid Dream World“. After I completed the documentary I stayed in communication with the Lucidity Institute. In 2010 they invited me back as an assistant and a presenter. Since then I have attended 3 retreats, and am schedule to go in November. They have placed my picture and bio on the “Dreaming and Awakening” website.

If this event is something you are interested in going to, let me know. There are scholarships available for researchers and dreamers who may not be able to pay the full cost.

4 years have passed, and I have decided to re-design it to more accurately represent my web design ability. The new site launched September 14th 2011 and it is now the official Bulb Media Website. To see the old site visit the Old Bulb Media site

I did make 1 minor mistake that I will learn from: I launched the site by changing the host and DNS (Domain Name Servers). The website transitioned very smoothly, but my E-mail went down for 1 hour! I had to update the MX records on the new DNS servers to get it to work again. In the future I will only change DNS servers late at night, in case something like that goes wrong again.

Quote Lotus is the 2nd generation of a mirco-blog website called Link Lotus which I designed using custom PHP code and a flat file database in 2006. Quote Lotus instead uses WordPress as a content management system allows for a lot of additional features such as E-mail subscription to receive updates weekly.

• 90 minute workshop that covers:
  • Important dream recall information
  • Sleep and dream science from Lucidity Institute
  • How to maintain an on-going dream practice
  • Examples, stories, metaphors, quotes
  • 5 things you need to know to have a lucid dream
  • Lucid dream powers, and dream examples
• Optional Follow-up meeting 1 week after to share dream experiences in a group. (7pm August 7th)
• Take home handout explaining step-by-step instructions on a lucid dream technique everyone in the group can try out.
• A DVD of “Explorers of the Lucid Dream World”
• Optional dream supplement that increases dream vividness or herbal dream tea mix.
• Meet other interested dreamers

Sunday 7:30pm July 31st 2011
Tickets Cost $15. RSVP.
Located in North Park at: Mystic Water Kava Bar
3811 Ray Street, San Diego, CA 92104

I have personally tried out the process by buying a retrofit vinyl window, and replacing an old aluminum window at my house. I followed the tutorial, and installed the new window successfully without any previous experience. It looks great, and the temperature difference in the room at nighttime is noticeable. I also felt a sense of accomplishment by doing the work myself. I highly recommend going through this process if you have old aluminum windows in your place or residence. Get started by measuring your old windows.

Discount Door and Window is a great resource for homeowners and contractors who are ready to replace old doors and windows. I will continue to add products and features to improve the overall value of the site.

Dream Harvesting is a topic I sometimes talk about when I am doing a presentation on Dreaming. I most recently did this presentation at the 10 day “Dreaming and Awakening” retreat in Hawaii put on by the Lucidity Institute. I gave each participant a seed as a symbol for the potential of their future dreams. This presentation has been featured on June Lemos’s website: The L.U.C.I.D. Project ( Looking Up Characters In Dreams ). She is an avid lucid dreamer, and participated in the Lucid Dreaming retreat.

There are 4 steps to Dream Harvesting. The 1st step is learning about dreams, and setting your intention of what you want to experience. The 2nd step involves planting seeds, and preparing your bedroom for dreams. The 3rd step is called Dream Tending and involves recalling, and sharing dreams you experience. The 4th step of the cycle happens when you have a vivid and meaningful dream that you want to share and remember for the rest of your life. This is one of the most powerful gifts from the dream world.

One seed contains all the genetic information to grow an entire fruit tree. (Figure 1: hand out seeds). Take this seed and focus your attention on it. Think about what you want to do in your dreams, and what your intention is. Place you intention in the seed metaphorically. You can keep the seed by your bed as a reminder for your intention in the dream world.

Next you must learn as much as you can about sleep, dream recall, and dream practices. After you have set your intention, and done research you can start step 2. This involves making your bedroom a sacred place, and setting up a routine or ritual before you go to sleep will help you recall dreams when you wake up. It is a good time to set an alarm clock to go off 4 and a half hours after you go to bed. Then another alarm 6 hours into sleep. These alarms train you body to wake up after those last REM periods in the morning. (Figure 2: Sleep Graphs).

Upon awaking in the morning, write in your dream journey at least 1 sentence about what you remember. You should always title the experience, and feel free to draw images that stood out. By recording your experiences, you strengthen your recall ability, and future dreams become more vivid.

This leads to Step 3 called Dream Tending. This is the process of recalling dream experiences, and learning from them. It is important to continue your dream practices, and write in a dream journal. Honor your dreams as important enough to share with others in your life. Especially if you have a dream about someone you are in communication with. You can also establish Dream Signs, by determining what are common events, or things that are unique to your dream world. These dream signs can help you recognize you are dreaming, and can cause you to become lucid.

After tending your dreams for a while, you will eventually experience a profound, vivid and potentially lucid dream that you accomplish something unique and memorable. This is the moment when you have a great dream, and harvest it to remember for the rest of your life.

Be sure to share your harvested dream stories with others, because just as fruit often has seeds that can plant more trees, vivid dreams often inspire others to listen to their own dreams. Many great dreams are universal human experience stories that we can all relate to.

After searching the internet for graphs and chart to use, and not finding one that clearly illustrates the sleep cycle, I decided to make my own, and offer it to others to view and re-use. To learn more about the Circadian rhythm and the Ultradian rhythm in regards to sleep and dreaming, take a look at the site I made: http://www.LucidDreamExplorers.com/dreamscience/

In the Summer of 2009, I heard about the idea from Betty Johnson who is spearheading the festival along with Grace Franco and Robyn Simms. The website was designed by Steve Cleary, who then gave me administrative control. Since then I have been an active member of the group, providing web maintenance and support as the film festival has gone through changes and growth.

I will also be submitting a couple of my own one-minute videos such as: Ultra Ping Pong 3000, Vote with your Dollars, and the Vehicle for the Soul Promotional Video. The deadline to turn in a one-minute video is April 1st 2010. If you have something you have to say in one minute, your contribution is welcome. Find out more at www.santabarbaraminute.com

(Update 2011: The website no longer exists)