obviously the quality of all these shows is suffering from the fact that their primary function is to provide the setup for future star wars projects (mcuification, baby!!! who's ready for the infinity war style team-up movie where the gang takes down thanos—i mean thrawn?). but i also think a big part of why the book of boba fett, mando s3 (and to a slightly lesser extent, s2 as well), and ahsoka all suffer from the same issue of having their main protagonists cast aside in favour of side characters—which in itself might not be as annoying as it is if those stories were even remotely interesting or well-written—is because filoni & co. want to be making an ensemble piece. but instead, they're stuck having to make a bunch of solo projects that are ostensibly about individuals or smaller casts of characters, which they then stumble their way through in the most half-assed, half-hearted way possible because it's all just setup for the "mandoverse movie," a phrase which makes me want to projectile vomit.

The Little Book of Being

Practices and Guidance for Uncovering Your Natural Awareness

Diana Winston • Sounds True

It’s no small thing to take on the responsibility of teaching others how to work with their minds, no less teaching teachers to do that. (It’s not like teaching, say, tennis; it’s the mind, after all. Nothing is subtler or more elusive). A meditator since she was a teenager, a meditation teacher for decades, and a teacher of teachers for quite a while, Diana Winston—director of mindfulness education at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center—writes from direct experience. She works with her own mind, while also encountering the challenge of new meditation students and those who aspire to teach others how to practice meditation and incorporate it into their lives. 

What she has learned in all those years comes through in The Little Book of Being, which focuses on “uncovering your natural awareness.” So often today in the era of popular mindfulness, what works best as a lifelong pursuit, a life-giving ritual, is touted rather as a fix-it project that brings instant relief.

At a critical point in her life, Winston says, she realized, “It’s time for me to relax, stop trying so hard, and recognize the natural awareness and goodness already inherent in my being—and in all beings. It was time to simply rest in awareness itself.” Highfalutin words, but Winston shows how to adopt relatively simple practices that allow one to gradually move from a more effortful approach to mindfulness to one that doesn’t consume so much energy, that has faith and conviction that we’re already aware and don’t need to be fixed.

This viewpoint alone allows us to stumble more easily on the kind of childlike mind that can simply appreciate the next thing in front of us: whether it’s as small as a ladybug, or as serious as someone telling us how much they hurt.

Notes on a Nervous Planet

Matt Haig • Penguin Books

When he was in his 20s, writer Matt Haig struggled with suicidal depression—a struggle on which he’s already written a great deal. The decades since have found him painstakingly researching and adopting personal health habits that have kept the worst anxiety (mostly) at bay. Yet when a familiar sense of despair starts to creep back up, he’s forced to face the external influences threatening his—all of our—well-being. The result is this gem of a book. In short, smart chapters, Haig’s sometimes humorous and often fascinating musings explore the unprecedented technological changes we’ve witnessed, and clear-headed ways to respond to their influence on our collective mental health.  

Bodyfulness

Somatic Practices for Presence, Empowerment, and Waking Up in This Life

Christine Caldwell, PhD • Shambhala Publications

“It takes audacity to coin a new word in the English language,” writes mindfulness teacher David Rome in the introduction to Christine Caldwell’s Bodyfulness. “Bodyfulness,” he continues, “overcomes the bias toward the mental, while at the same time, extending and greatly enriching the signification of mindfulness itself.” 

In her quest, Caldwell, a longtime somatic counselor, builds the theoretical and anatomical foundation for explaining the body’s role as a natural vehicle for contemplation. She then guides us through somatic practices of breathing, sensing, and moving, so that “we can feel and express directly, creating a powerful and direct locating of ourselves”—a wordy, yet deceptively simple way into the present moment.

Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader

Lessons From Google and a Zen Monastery Kitchen 

Mark Lesser • New World Library

When Google began its Search Inside Yourself program, it invited Zen teacher Norman Fischer to address its first cadre of teachers. He didn’t actually know he was scheduled to speak (Google can be “spontaneous”). He quickly jotted down seven principles for teaching mindfulness. Marc Lesser, cofounder of Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute, embraced the principles. He’s used them as a guide, he says, for the “culture I wanted to create within the organization, for how I wanted to teach leadership, for how I wanted to show up as a leader, and for how I wanted to live my life.” Those principles are the backbone of this clearly articulated, practical, and helpful book.

A Walk in the Wood

Meditations on Mindfulness with a Bear Named Pooh

Dr. Joseph Parent and Nancy Parent • Disney Editions

Mindfulness isn’t complicated—its actions are, in fact, quite simple. Training ourselves to do them is the hard part. To help us in this task, Joseph and Nancy Parent have framed mindfulness about as simply as you can, in the language and landscape of everyone’s favorite fictional (and very sage) bear: Winnie the Pooh. As Pooh and Co. go about their day, they bask in the moment, enjoy simple pleasures, feel grateful for their lives, and do other mindful activities. Perhaps this one lesson will make it easier for all of us, no matter what season of life we’re in, to make a habit of mindfulness: Just be like Pooh.

Podcasts

The Ezra Klein Show

Episode: Your attention is being hijacked. Chris Bailey can help. 

Productivity, for many, means trying to wring every last drop of work out of ourselves, day after day. And this desperate need to “keep busy” can also prevent us from mindfully directing our attention. But that’s precisely Chris Bailey’s mission: The author of Hyperfocus is on a mission to shift productivity culture toward, instead, “doing the right things…deliberately and with intention.” Bailey argues that taking a more mindful approach to work is how we can sustain our focus and creative juice long-term.

Modern Love

Episode: How to Break Up with a 2-Year-Old 

Parting ways from a short-lived romance is supposed to be heartbreaking (says every drama, ever). This autobiographical story, however, looks at such a parting from a less glorified angle: having to say goodbye to your ex’s child, after you’ve come to love them so much, they might as well be your own. Writer Laurie Sandell’s deeply touching bond with a girl too young to speak offered revelations about herself—and her life’s trajectory—that she couldn’t have found alone.

The post Mindful Books and Podcasts to Ring in the New Year appeared first on Mindful.

Disruptive Technologies: In Conversation with Byron Reese & Lauren Sallata

Byron Reese: Many people are excited about possibilities that today’s new technologies offer. They see a world made better through technology. Another group of people view the technology landscape completely differently and are concerned about the impact of technology on privacy, community, employment. Why is there so much disagreement, and where do you come down in your view of the future.

Lauren Sallata: In the words of Mohandas Gandhi, “Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress.” You could say the same about disagreement over technology.  Panasonic is involved in engineering entirely new and better experiences, in cities and factories, in stores, offices, entertainment venues, and in automobiles, airports and on airplanes. Consultancy McKinsey identified 12 disruptive technologies that will account for trillions of dollars in economic value over the decade ahead. Panasonic is deeply engaged in 10 of those 12 technologies. And we see the positive impact of these technologies clearly already. For example, in renewable energy, our lithium-ion batteries are being used in the world’s leading electric vehicles to reduce pollution. Sensors embedded in road systems to send information to cars and road operators about hazardous conditions and traffic and use IoT to improve driving safety and reduce traffic jams. Other examples include wearable robotics designed to reduce injuries at work. 

How do you think the widespread adoption of IoT devices will change our daily lives?  What is Panasonic’s vision of a hyper-connected world look like? 

We see the “things” that make up the “Internet of Things” bringing us unparalleled data, information and convenience to change our in-home and working experiences. Voice technology will enable each interaction to be more personalized and seamless. We believe that voice is the technology that moves all other technologies forward. Why? Voice takes away the learning curve and gives both businesses and consumers more control over the way they use and interact with technology. Using our voices frees up our hands and our brains. When we pry our eyes away from screens, and stop tapping on keypads, we can focus on what we’re doing right now. The factory worker is less likely to make errors …the car driver is less distracted…the ER nurse can focus more completely on his patients. Voice is already an auto sector mainstay. We’ve developed cutting-edge, voice-activated Infotainment systems for many of the world’s top automakers, like our new ELS system for Acura.We’re working with Amazon to help us take voice integration beyond just information and move toward fully-realized contextual understanding. These capabilities are giving auto drivers and passengers control over critical features such as heating and ventilation systems and audio and navigation functions. We’re also giving passengers the benefit of connecting to other smart devices to allow them to fully control their experience both in and out of the car. We’re also working with Google on similar projects in the voice space, to provide integration and information throughout their technology solutions.

Talk about driverless cars for a minute.  When do you think we might see the end of the human driver? What is Panasonic’s role in building that world?

We’ve estimated by 2030, 15% of new cars sold could be fully autonomous. We work with almost all the major automakers around the world, have for almost 60 years, and are doubling down on our ADAS and automation technology investments with partners. Autonomous Vehicles are going to have a huge impact on our society. Vehicle Electrification is going to have a similar impact on our planet…The combination of the two technologies will create a multiplier effect that will remake transportation. This will happen in stages. Stage one is the emergence of the connected vehicle, which lays the foundation. With EVs, we’re still at a price premium to internal combustion. By around 2022, we’ll be at parity. During this time, we’ll see elements of autonomous driving, such as autonomous braking, and EV autonomous vehicles for commercial and fleet start to go mainstream.  Next, we see trucking fleets start to make the transition.  Then commercial ride sharing fleets come on-line, giving consumers the benefit of autonomous electric vehicle transportation. In the last stage, we’ll see the personal ownership market catch up with commercial.

Tell us about what’s going on at Highway I-70 in Colorado

As cars become more computer than machine, they are capable of communicating with one another in real time – saving time and lives. Panasonic has partnered with the Colorado Department of Transportation to create a connected vehicle ecosystem that promises to drive a revolution in roadway safety and efficiency. On a 90-mile commuter stretch of interstate 70 into Denver, this technology has been designed and will be deployed later this year to allow CDOT to share information on highway conditions, traffic alerts and other driving hazards. It’s the first production-grade, U.S. connected vehicle system in which real-time data would be shared across vehicles, infrastructure and people with a goal to improve safety, lower fuel consumption and reduce congestion. Estimates are that such a solution could reduce non-impaired traffic crashes by 80 percent and save drivers hours stuck in traffic each year.

What is Panasonic doing in the world of immersive entertainment? 

At iconic stadiums, beloved theme parks, and worldwide special events like the Olympic Games, Panasonic technologies immerse fans in the action and create storytelling experiences that inspire and amaze with the world’s largest video displays, mesmerizingly sharp content, sophisticated projection mapping, seamless mobile integration, and innovations like an augmented reality skybox that gives fans control of stats and replays, projecting them right on to the glass inside stadium suites – all without obstructing their view of the field. From racing through Radiator Springs at Disney California Adventure Theme Park to embarking on a frozen voyage through Arendelle in the Frozen Ever After attraction at Orlando’s Epcot, Panasonic’s technology has enhanced the experience for millions. Recently Panasonic collaborated with Disney creative teams on an amazing experience inside Pandora – The World of Avatar, at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Its projection technology helped Disney bring the Na’vi River Journey attraction to life. Guests take a boating expedition down a mysterious river hidden within a bioluminescent rainforest, through a darkened network of caves illuminated by exotic glowing plants and amazing creatures that call Pandora home. The journey culminates in an encounter with a Na’vi Shaman of Songs, who has a deep connection to Pandora’s life force and sends positive energy out into the forest through her music. Disney wanted the two worlds to work seamlessly with one another, and Panasonic’s projection system allowed the attraction to achieve that seamless connection through projection imaging that provided perfect color rendition, precise levels of brightness, and robust systems. Today fans who use Instagram and rideshare as verbs expect the same mobile connectivity and convenience from their ballpark as they do from their Lyft. The Atlanta Braves franchise understands this well, and with help from Panasonic technology welcomes fans way before the opening pitch. Panasonic technologies at SunTrust Park and its adjacent mixed-use site, the Atlanta Battery, are all digitally connected, with more than 18 LED displays, monitors, projectors, digital signage kiosks, and video security systems – all regulated from one central control room. We just conducted a study of CTOs and senior tech decision makers on how companies are using or want to use disruptive technologies in areas such as retail, sports, media and entertainment. Our new study reveals that four technologies are at the top of their innovation agendas – artificial intelligence, robotics, 3-D printing and energy storage. Four out of five respondents are poised to adopt AI to gain customer insights and predict behavior.

And talk a bit about your solar initiatives.

Panasonic has been a leader in the solar energy space for over 40 years.  From electric vehicles to solar grids, Panasonic’s solutions are helping forward-thinking businesses and governments pursue a brighter, more eco-responsible future. To solve the world’s growing energy needs, Panasonic is developing high-efficiency solar panels that make eco more economical, planning entire eco-sustainable communities, using sensor technology to regulate energy usage in offices, and building energy storage systems that allow for more efficient energy consumption. When it comes to solar panel technology, revolutionary materials and system design have led Panasonic to record-setting efficiencies. Panasonic’s heterojunction (HIT®) technology has been designed with ultra-thin silicon layers that absorb and retain more sunlight, coupled with an ingenious bifacial cell design that captures light from both sides of the panel. By continuously innovating, we’re helping each generation of solar panel make better use of renewable resources, and offering the industry greater cost savings.

How do we make sure that the benefits of all these technologies extend to everyone on the planet?

Over the last 100 years Panasonic has taken pride in creating new and exciting solutions in many different realms.  By having expertise in so many strong areas, especially those identified as disruptive technologies, we hope to enhance the lives of as many people as possible.

Lauren Sallata is Chief Marketing Officer at Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation and the hub of Panasonic’s U.S. branding, marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. She leads the corporations digital, brand, content, and advertising efforts, as well as Corporate Communications.

Having trouble viewing? View in Browser Friday, October 13, 2017 TOP OF THE MORNING It's Friday, Oct. 13, 2017 - Friday the 13th. Welcome to Fox News First, your first stop for today's news. To get your early morning news emailed directly to your inbox, click here. Here's your Fox News First 5 - the first five things you need to know today: President Trump targets two hallmarks of the Obama era: He'll likely decertify the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and halt ObamaCare subsidies to health insurers The Weinstein Company feels backlash from the Hollywood sex scandal Death toll mounts: California wildfires have killed at least 31 people this week The Las Vegas massacre timeline is disputed once again Let's dive deeper into these stories ...  THE LEAD STORY: President Trump will outline a new strategy on Iran designed to block "all paths to a nuclear weapon." ... In a rebuke of the 2015 agreement from the Obama era, Trump was expected to declare today that a nuclear Iran is not in America's national security interest. Trump will outline specific faults he finds in the 2015 accord but will also focus on an array of Iran's troubling non-nuclear activities. Those include Tehran's ballistic missile program, support for Syrian President Bashar Assad, Lebanon's Hezbollah movement and other groups that destabilize the region. Tune in to Fox News for live coverage and analysis of Trump's speech at 12:45 p.m. ET and throughout the day. From Fox News Opinion: The conservative case to keep the Iran deal Iran threatens 'crushing' response Iran's secret sites linked to nuclear weapons development revealed Fox News' full coverage: Iran BLOW TO OBAMACARE: President Trump plans to halt federal subsidies to insurers under the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare ... This is Trump's bid to ultimately "repeal and replace" President Obama's signature legislation. Trump's decision was expected to rattle already unsteady insurance marketplaces. The president has previously threatened to end the payments, which help reduce health insurance copays and deductibles for people with modest incomes, but the plan remains under a legal cloud. Will there be blowback? Almost certainly. Trump's move will likely trigger lawsuits from state attorneys general, who contend the subsidies to insurers are fully authorized by federal law, and the president's position is reckless. Xavier Becerra, California’s attorney general, has already called the decision “sabotage,” and promised a lawsuit. Trump's executive order on health care: What you should know From Fox News Opinion: Trump's right: Less regulation and more incentives are the right path for health care reform WEINSTEIN STIGMA: Talent agencies have reportedly started refusing to work with the Weinstein Company in wake of the Harvey Weinstein sex scandal ... Deadline.com reports that these agencies are worried the Weinstein Company is a tarnished brand -- and would remain so even under a different name – because clients don't want Harvey Weinstein profiting in any way from ongoing and future projects. In addition, In The Heights book writer Quiara Alegria Hudes and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda want the Weinstein Company to give up the movie rights to the pre-"Hamilton" musical. More disclosures: Weinstein scandal prompts flood of abuse accusations Oliver Stone implicated: An ex-Playboy playmate accuses the filmmaker of grabbing her breast  Amazon boss Roy Price suspended Looking ahead - Bravery (and introspection) is what Hollywood needs now SCORCHED EARTH: Raging wildfires across Northern California have now killed at least 31 people, marking the deadliest week of blazes in state history ...  The fires, many of them in wine country, broke out almost simultaneously Sunday night and now cover more than 300 square miles, an area as large as New York City. State officials have not yet officially said what caused the blazes, which have destroyed at least 3,500 homes and businesses. Downed power lines and blown transformers are one theory. Dispatch audio obtained by KTVU Fox 2 News reveals firefighters in Napa and Sonoma counties called in more than a dozen reports of downed power lines, live wires, and blown transformers late Sunday in the first hours of the wildfire outbreak. CARNAGE AND CONFUSION: Amid timeline discrepancies, investigators in Las Vegas still have not determined the motive for the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history ... MGM Resorts International said Thursday that shots were fired into a music festival crowd "at the same time as, or within 40 seconds after" a security guard first reported by hotel dispatch radio that shots were fired. The casino company says Las Vegas police accounts are inaccurate. Police have said the shooter, Stephen Paddock, fired a barrage into the hallway toward the guard and a casino maintenance worker, and fired assault-style weapons out the casino windows for about 10 minutes before killing himself with a gunshot to the head. Tucker: Conspiracy theories fill the Vegas information void Timeline change raises questions about hotel security, police response Fox News' Full Coverage: Las Vegas Massacre   ABOUT LAST NIGHT HOLLYWOOD QUID PRO QUO: "If you make me feel good, I'll make you rich and famous ... It was straight up prostitution." – Singer Joy Villa, on "Tucker Carlson Tonight," recalling her own encounter with sexual harassment early in her career, when she met privately with an entertainment executive. WATCH THE HARVEY CLAUSE: "He has to pay the company back what it paid the victim... and pay a fine ... The company structured a contract that essentially allowed for sexual harassment if you're willing to pay a monetary price." – Harvey Levin, TMZ founder and host of OBJECTified, on "The Story with Martha MacCallum," detailing how Harvey Weinstein's contract allowed continued employment in wake of sexual harassment suits. WATCH   MINDING YOUR BUSINESS White House steps up review of Federal Reserve chairman candidates. Source: Disney to cut about 200 jobs at its TV networks. Uber set to appeal London license loss. BASF to buy seeds, herbicide businesses from Bayer for $7 billion.   NEW IN FOX NEWS OPINION Eagle Scout: RIP, Boy Scouts of America. You were great for 100 years. Tomi Lahren: Hollywood liberals are anti-Trump, not pro-woman. Is Harvard racist? If you’re Asian-American, their admission policies just might be. NFL and its owners salute one flag: The dollar.   HOLLYWOOD SQUARED Jeopardy! champion's 12-day winning streak comes to an end. Demi Lovato reveals she's open to dating men and women. OBJECTified preview: Tyler Perry on prized possessions. The untold story of Steve McQueen's spiritual journey.   DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS? Yellowstone supervolcano could blow faster than thought, destroy all of mankind. California fires: How the smoke can affect the taste of wine. Energy drinks cost new father part of his skull, brain. 3,200-year-old stone inscription tells of Trojan prince, sea people.   STAY TUNED On Fox News: Fox & Friends, 6 a.m. ET: Attorney General Jeff Sessions discusses the measures he's taking against for sanctuary cities and why he believes there's a "crisis" in the surge of asylum claims. Plus, former Iran hostage Don Cooke gives insight on U.S. attempts to bring Caitlan Coleman and her family home from Afghanistan, where they were held captive since 2012. Tucker Carlson Tonight, 8 p.m. ET: A reporter will give the inside story on how NBC tried to cover up the Harvey Weinstein sex harassment scandal.   On Fox Business: Mornings with Maria, 6 a.m. ET: Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross explains his request for an additional $3.3 billion from Congress to complete the 2020 census; Sen. Rand Paul takes on President Trump's executive action on health care. Varney & Co., 9 a.m. ET: House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady talks tax reform chances. Cavuto: Coast to Coast, Noon ET: Former Director of National Intelligence, John Negroponte, dissects President Trump's new strategy on Iran.  Lou Dobbs Tonight, 7 p.m. ET: John Hannah, senior counselor at Foundation for Defense of Democracies, gives his take on Trump's new approach to Iran   On Fox News Radio: The Brian Kilmeade Show, 9 a.m. ET to 12 noon ET: Former Deputy Campaign Manager David Bossie looks back on White House Chief of Staff John Kelly taking on rumors directly with the White House press corps; Former State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf breaks down Trump's Iran strategy. The Tom Shillue Show, 3 p.m. ET to 6 p.m. ET: Rep. Steve King discusses Trump's latest action on health care and how the White House should address "Dreamers."   #OnThisDay 2010: Rescuers in Chile use a missile-like escape capsule to rescue 33 men, one-by-one,  who were trapped for 69 days in a collapsed mine a half-mile underground. 1999: The JonBenet Ramsey grand jury is dismissed after 13 months of work, with prosecutors saying there wasn't enough evidence to charge anyone in the 1996 slaying. 1962: Edward Albee's four-character drama "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" opens on Broadway. 1775: U.S. Navy has its origins as the Continental Congress orders the construction of a naval fleet.   Thank you for joining us on Fox News First! Enjoy your Friday and weekend! We'll see you in your inbox first thing Monday morning. Unsubscribe ©2017 Fox News Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY, 10036. Privacy Policy.