Readers! What do you want out of this site?
Hey everybody! I know it’s been a while since my last post and before I explain I’d like to ask you 3 simple questions:
1) What do you want out of HighExistence?
2) What do you like most about HighExistence?
3) What do you want more of on HighExistence?
**Edit: What do you think about adding a forum to the site where everyone can discuss the articles and any other idea/topic that pertains to the site’s subject matter? Comments are great but forums are far more organized and easier to navigate. **
I really want to start making this site catered towards the wants and needs of the readers. So please feel free to leave some answers in the comment section below! (More posts, more often goes without saying)
HighExistence is about to go through some major changes.
I’ve been working tirelessly on a complete site re-design that will make it easier for you to navigate the site and find more articles that pique your interest. It’s very sexy looking if I do say so myself and I know you’re going to like it.
I’ve also been working on a lot of changes on iPhoneMerchants.com in anticipation of a new product launch and new pricing plans. Plus some of my current freelance jobs are taking up a LOT of my time. So even with the extra hours of awake time, the last few weeks have been complete craziness. I’m very much looking forward to getting back to focusing on HighExistence.
Some articles that I have in the works:
“An Intellectual Discussion of Death” – An overview of different cultures’ views of death, relevant scientific studies and of course some theoretical arguments for people to disagree with :)
“This Will Mindfuck You” — Article on the two-slit experiment that proved that observation has an effect on matter at the particle level + the implications of this effect on life in general
“40 Visually Stunning Reasons to Travel” — Self-explanatory
“How to Get in Shape Fast and Easily” — Working out is never easy but this guide will show you the easiest way to get in shape at home (meaning no gym equipment) in under 30 minutes per day.
That’s only four of about 20 articles that I have 50% written so I hope you have been adequately teased :)
By the way, HighExistence dipped below 100,000 in Alexa rank for the first time today. Unless you’re a web-geek, you’ve probably never heard of Alexa rank, but just know this has always been a huge goal of mine since I started the site.
Anyways I’m looking forward to hearing what you have to say. Tell me what you want and I will deliver!
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TZender said on 07.03.2010
Hi! I’ve thinking lately about following you in the polyphasic sleep experiment, but I’d like to have some scientific base to think about first. And, to tell you the truth, finding articles in your blog about Dalai Lama, or specially Deepak Chopra doesn’t help, because that tells me your findings about sleep cycles are as likely to have no scientific evidence as those. What do you think about this http://www.supermemo.com/articles/polyphasic.htm ?
Jay said on 07.03.2010
I’ve been subscribed to your site for a few months now and have enjoyed reading your posts – hence, the subscription.
It really doesn’t matter what we, the readers want to read. We’re following you. You’re the leader of this blog! No disrespect intended. It sounds like you need to find a direction for this blog. Come up with a vision/plan of what you’d like to focus on for the next few months, but try to keep with your original goal of the blog: “The aim is to put forth intellect-tickling material that will bring readers to at least a slightly higher level of existence.”
Personally, I’d like to read the article on the double-slit experiment – Along those lines, you may be interested in a book, titled “The Field”, by Lynne McTaggart.
bioslava said on 07.03.2010
I’ve never commented before, but now I have to… :)
I think your site is amazing, you have gathered very useful info.
Please, keep providing info on this experiment of yours, in the last week I have wondered whether you have fallen into a deep sleep… :)
Adrian said on 07.04.2010
I agree with Jay. You’re already catering to your readers, and doing a great job, or else you wouldn’t have an audience at all. An article on “Stuff to not waste your time on” would be a nice read, though. I’m looking forward to the new articles.
Jessica said on 07.04.2010
Actually, I love the way the site is going so far, and the articles you have in the works sound really interesting and I can’t wait to read them :]
And no, I have no clue what the Alexa rank is, but congratulations on achieving your goal!
Jordan said on 07.11.2010
Thank you and thank you, Jessica :)
Alex said on 07.05.2010
The first two ideas are great the latter two are not as great.
mackie said on 07.05.2010
check out positivityblog.com the guys articles are pretty interesting and you might find some ideas for articles for your site there.
Jordan said on 07.11.2010
I read a good number of the articles on there when I was creating this site, actually. Very solid blog
Kiesha Jean said on 07.05.2010
I’m interested to see your ‘Mindfuck’ article .. I was just dipping into some quantum physics last week. You might be interested in some stuff on F. David Peat who did studies on synchronicities and a link between physics and psychology. … the experiment … are you talking about the ones by Princeton physicist John Archibald Wheeler?
and for the blog … more videos :) maybe a networked blog feed into and HE facebook fan page … that makes for easy comment conversation and for fans of the page to post things themselves. A HighExistence community forum sounds like an interesting social experiment :)
Jordan said on 07.11.2010
You always have good ideas, Kiesha. Yup that’s the experiment I was talking about and now the article has been published! I actually have a Facebook Fan page already but it’s not the most active page out there. Many changes are to come!
Brian said on 07.05.2010
sounds good brah.
Michael said on 07.14.2010
I like your articles on stuff like double-slit experiment, Dunning Kruger, why marijuana is illegal, things like that. Philosophy, psychology, and science are my favorite topics on this site. A forum sounds like a great idea!
Jordan said on 07.14.2010
Thanks for the insight, Michael. The discussion forum will definitely be implemented within the month
Kratoyd said on 07.15.2010
Well, what I love about the site is that it’s all about offbeat ways of living that seem to be more desirable. In fact, I think of this site as a great guide to life. I don’t necessarily mean that everything on this site will lead to perfection of life, but it would certainly lead to more happiness. I love this site, it’s one of the places I go when it’s 3 in the morning and I cannot sleep.
As for what I want out of it… Well, what it is now works.
Jordan said on 07.16.2010
Thanks for your input, Kratoyd. The content of this site is definitely going to stay along the same meme but the design is going to be a lot prettier. Plus I am going to implement a forum so that it’s easier for more people to join in on discussions like this :)
Anonymous said on 07.22.2010
ASTROLOGY. That is all.
Aaron L. said on 07.23.2010
I think that a forum would be a perfect idea, as I am guessing that most people that visit this site must be really cool people. And maybe each article could have a direct link to a forum post so people could go deeper into each thing. (Like a forum link from the Amazing Events article could be where people write about the amazing events going on in their part of the world, or people could write about their experiences with sleep patterns)
And here is a link to a Google IO video from 2009, they talk about how website developers can get more hits: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecI_hCBGEIM&videos=3Hkvvddu4_k
I hope that helps : ) And congrats on the Alexa rating, being in the top 100,000 is great.
Rachel xoxo said on 07.27.2010
maybe easier to find how to upload your picture.. lol, just a little tweak. i have been looking for a long time and can’t figure it out!
Jordan said on 07.30.2010
Oh sorry Rachel, the pics beside your comments are come up if you have a gravatar (gravatar.com) associated with the email address you’re commenting with. I toyed with the idea of letting users login but decided it was unnecessary. I’ll enable that option with the new design/forum :)
Marina Day said on 08.03.2010
This site rocks! What a great combination of info and insight!
ONE thing: please clean up your typos! People tend to take writing less seriously when riddled with typos. Considering the avant-garde type of material on this site, the site needs to read as UBER credible if cynics are to take it seriously.
Thanks, keep posting great stuff!
Paul said on 08.03.2010
Personally I find that having articles by Deepak Chopra and about the Dalai Lama counterintuitive to having a site that contains “intellect-tickling material”. As an atheist I have found the majority of the articles very interesting but encountering any articles that are spiritual or supernatural in nature makes me wonder where the site is going. I’m looking forward to seeing the site expand and following it regularly but I think a more focused approach would ensure a long-term fan base.
Martijn Schirp said on 09.03.2010
I consider myself to be an atheist as well and I used to react the same way to the same subjects. Ofcourse I still think the same way about super natural phenomenon (per definition everything that is super natural can;t be observed in our natural world, or else it would be just a natural event).
The problem with spirituality is that its in the realm of experiencing. Everything you learned in your life came through experiencing, you learned the concept tree by looking at a tree and hearing the sound ‘tree’. Now how do you explain mystical experiences (which are funny enough alot the same across different cultures/time spans) with words? You can’t. In the same way you can’t explain to me how a rose smells with words or teach a blind man how something looks. Yet you can get those mystical experiences with meditation/psychedelic substances or psychological conditions. You can define as spiritual or neurological, the experience stays the same.
All in all, I don’t think spirituality is incompatible with atheism.
Funny note, when the Dalai Lama was asked what to do when science contradicted religion/spirituality he said you should choose science over religion. And this took me a while to understand, but spirituality is not trying to explain the phenomenon of this world, the best candidate for that is obviously science. Spirituality teaches you how to experience, and it should be just the finger pointing to the moon and never the moon itself.
The Atheist Buddhist, the Monk and the Philosopher, The Quantum and the Lotus or the latest work by Nietschze or Schopenhauer (if you can handle those) are a very must read if you define yourself as an atheist. (Who are in most cases very religious people but have no way to express themselves because they think science can explain everything and not seeing that they are just concepts and abstractions gotten through experience).
Hope this explains something.
Martijn
Paul said on 09.23.2010
Martijn,
Thanks for taking the time to reply to my post although I don’t recall asking to have anything “explained” to me. Since you took the time, however, allow me to retort.
First and foremost, atheism is incompatible with spirituality. By definition, we athieists do not believe in mystical experiences so do not feel the need to explain them. You are correct in stating that there are a multitude of experiences to be had in the world which result in feelings of awe and wonder but to chalk them up to a mystical experience is missing the point of being a non-believer.
For a supposed atheist to write that spirituality teaches one how to experience the world is absurd. The two concepts are mutually exclusive. And to write that atheists are, “in most cases very religious people…) does not even make sense. We do not think that science explains everything but we try to use science to understand our world to the best of our capabilities. Relying in the very least on a spiritual (by definition, supernatural) viewpoint of the world negates oneself from the rank of atheism.
To be sure, many so-called mystical experiences are similar across cultures. That does not make them, de facto, mystical. There are a myriad of cultural, sociological, anthropological, and psychological reason for similarities among religions in the the world. Their similarities do not prove them. I can, in fact, explain mystical experiences with words; the responses to lifetimes of religious indoctrination and the subsciption to dogmatic teachings. If that is the way you want to view the world; great. The rest of us actual atheists will continue to search for repeatable, quantifiable, and verifiable theories to explain the wonders of the world.
Paul
Umair said on 08.06.2010
Hey dude, so far I’m simply loving the site. It’s refreshing to find someone who shares similar ideals and has the cajones to speak out about them.
The forum idea is great, but I kind of see that already exists with comments people post after each article. I think it might become a bit redundant, but that’s just me.
As far as I what I would like to see on the site, perhaps interviews with interesting people. That may be beyond the scope of your site, but if you had the chance to speak to revolutionary thinkers and the like, I think it would be cool.
I would also like to see more articles on how to better oneself. The ones I’ve read on your site have been uplifting and inspirational, so more of that would be great. :)
All in all, I think you’re doing an awesome job. Keep up the good work.
Pablo said on 08.16.2010
I like your site and the way articles are written so my advice would be to keep it up with open-minded and interesting articles that are worth reading and really inspirational and delivering a better way of viewing and living life to the reader.
By the way congrats about the web ranking.
skribbz said on 08.18.2010
You do a great job already. I’ve read damn near every article in your archive. Just keep the knowledge flowing and you’ll keep people like me coming back.
Adam said on 09.06.2010
I would like to see more in the Literature section. That is all. If you need some good novel reccomendations hit me up. stay high
Audai E. Louri said on 09.07.2010
I believe you have done an excellent job up till now, but if you want to know really what I want to read about then I guess I need to go back to the objective of your site.
I want to read about articles that will tingle my sensations and provide me with information to achieve a higher level of existence.
Just to be specific to what I write about.
Peter Cowen said on 09.27.2010
Well I’d like to know how you made it! I am trying to learn to design a joomla site and it isn’t easy not coming from a technical background!
But enough about me and my worries, your site? Well I like to log in and read new things every single day and I’ve noticed your site is amazing but doesn’t create tons of new articles. I totally respect amazing content instead of proliferation of crap.
If you are ever looking for authors to submit articles please make it known so interested people could submit guest articles. I’m particularly interested in Buddhism and I feel like there is some crossover. I’ve other friends who actively study neuroscience, politics and philosophy. So let us know!
Jordan said on 10.26.2010
Hey Peter,
I would love to have some guest articles! If you would like to submit some or talk about it, shoot me an email at [email protected] :)
Linds said on 11.09.2010
I want more posts that make the readers collaborate, kind of like this one.
Jordan said on 11.11.2010
Your wish is my command, Linds. The HighExistence community is coming at the end of November so that members can collaborate/discuss anything and everything :)
hakunamatata said on 11.29.2010
I especially have enjoyed the articles on alternative living and ways to expand physically and emotionally. Blogs about your travels, and different cultures in general would be nice. I loved the polyphasic sleep cycle updates. My friends and I have been seriously looking into the potential of building an off-shore island in which we are self-sustaining (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral_Island) so that would be interesting to get perspectives on that.
kristina said on 04.28.2011
I want a mobile version of the site.