My #prisonthinking topic today is going to be outside-the-box thinking. If you dig around on the internet you will find things that talk about orangutans being masters of escape from enclosures. I think that you could push them into the gutter quickly if you consider the ability and ingneuity of people. People, in general, are inventive by nature. We figure things out, and if we cannot, we try to find similarities in what we know that may be appliclable to the problem at hand. Granted, some people are naturally more problem-solving than others. When you consider the methods that people employ to solve problems inside the prison system, the thought process gets even more obscure. Making tools can easily be a full time hobby inside the prison system, fingernail clippers can become screwdrivers, shapers, a way to boil water, and more. Each item you look at, can and has, been converted into a tool or somethign to make another tool that would be needed. Depending on the state, and individual prison itself, the items made available for inmates will change. But no matter what these items are, they will be used to figure out solutions to problems. For example, I've seen headphones (the little earbud types) be re-soldered and repaired using a couple AA batteries a paperclip and some rubber bands. I know how to solder and do simple repairs on electronics, but until I worked in the prison system I've never ran into a home-made soldering iron. Knowing the needed tool, helps you figure out odd items to convert or use to accomplish your task. Thinking like this, making things to do the same job you already understand to do, is a skill-set we need to consider. Like watching MacGyver 30-ish years ago, you see things that make sense if you understand the underlying principle or need. I've not gone very deep into this topic, I think it should be a more thouht-provoking topic than a how-to discussion. I did not cover weapons of any type... although fingernail clippers can be used to make those as well. If this topic is interesting, let me know, I'm also up for any other topics anyone would like to discuss. If there is a specific tool you would like to consider, I'm game. Have a good day. #grownostr

GM all. Hope everyone's weekend is going well. Went to my mom's house for fried fish, mushrooms, hush puppies, and crab salad. The food was great, and we even did a little mushroom hunting. My mom was teaching the kids how to identify the best trees to hunt around, the different ways the terrain interacts with things making microclimates, like a sandbank in a creek with full southern exposure soaking heat into the bank and making the mushrooms pop sooner than other areas just feet away. I tell this story to say that when you are out in the woods, you cannot overlook the value of local knowledge. My mom grew up in this area and has retired back to the same area, her specific knowledge of the local environment is a real gem when it comes to hunting, fishing, gathering, etc... Myself, I was able to identify about 7 new species of plants that I hadn't already catalogued. I use a free app on my phone called "Seek", it's a really nice tool for those of us that have an interest in learning about the plants we come across and the uses for them. Some of the plants I came across while out walking around were Tiny Bluet, Prairie Trillium, Philidelphia Fleabane, and a fungus.. trametes conchifer. Hope the rest of your weekends go as well as mine has so far. #grownostr

Obviously, low on blinker fluid. Brakes are important folks. This was taken while teaching my 14yo how to... not ignore noises coming from your wheels.

Maybe the combination of your perspective of prisons and how it relates to: our fiat system Another suggested topic I would like to cover briefly is how the prison system relates to our fiat system. I will refer to prison being a microcosm, again. Much like life on the outside many people on the inside work and use dollars. Some states pay inmates a base stipend to ensure they can purchase hygiene items. If they have enough fiat they can also purchase food above what is provided, leisure items, art supplies, etc... Now you always have those that have alienated themselves from family and other inmates, refuse to work, malinger, or want to live a lifestyle above what money they receive ($). They will turn to "trading and trafficking" which is another way to say barter-system. There will always exist a "black-market" inside and outside of prison. Inside the system any value exchange outside the permitted system is black-market, there is no grey-market. If you've ever watched a prison-show on TV, you'll know that drugs are an ever-present issue that are traded. You could consider the one who control the inflow of drugs as an equivalent to crypto (excluding btc). If you cut the head off the snake, so to speak, the customers have to wait for the new "shitcoin" to roll out. Some prison systems will shoot themselves in the foot and give every inmate the ability to acquire a valued item to trade, like a pre-stamped envelope. This can become a decentralized currency, that everyone will have access to, and there would be no way to stop trade using it as a token of value. (like btc). Similarly, they have the ability to gain that value with no input of fiat money. But, inevitably someone has to make that initial conversion of fiat into that decentralized currency,... what could be considered a "miner" would be an inmate who finds a way to steal those items without being caught, he brings the valued item into the system without a direct fiat exchange. (kind of a proof of work concept). This is my opinionated comparison of our fiat system with the system inside prisons, your mileage may vary. Now on the opposite side (the cost) of the spectrum, the prison system is a fiat suckhole. You can go to various prison system websites and see how much they spend to keep people incarcerated. If they are a state-run prison, you can also find the salaries of the employees. Private-run systems are less "transparent" about how much they pay their workers. It becomes frustrating to see how much money is spent to keep people in prison, provide them services, provide them programs, give them overpriced medical care, etc... the argument could be raised that they "deserve" all those things and more, but that is an entirely different conversation. I hope this has been a fruitful rambling, and given you at least one new thought to ponder. #grownostr #prisonthinking

It's been a productive weekend. I've fixed the catalytic converter problem my vehicle was having, did some brake work on it, checked my indoor greenhouse that has my plants for this season, orchastrated cleaning the house while my wife and daughter are out of town, replaced my kitchen faucet, built an ultralight alcohol burner for hiking/camping, and drank some of my current favorite cider. I really enjoy the feeling that I actually accomplished something, I hope everyone's weekend was the same for them. This is a benefit of being raised by grandparents that grew up during the depression... I've learned to learn everything I can, because you won't always be able to find/afford the right person to help/do what you need.

I was asked about my perspective of prisons and how it relates to being a better person. Prisons are truly a microcosm of the United States. All the angles of culture are represented: race, religion, orientation, income, etc... From my perspective, a person is only as good or bad as they choose to be. Everyone has the potential to be either or anywhere on the spectrum between the two extreme ends. I acknowledge that people are usually a result of the upbringing, experiences, (e.g.). However, I know from my life experiences that you are not destined to repeat the patterns of your parent(s). Being a better person, comes down to personal choice and the willpower to see it through. Over the years, I've become very familiar with the mindsets of people that are addicts, thieves, murderers, rapists, and so on. Each one has their own moral code, believe it or not, and they adhere to it. Are they better people after they finish their sentences? I think they are if they choose to be. I've run into quite a few people that I first met when they were incarcerated, some have become business owners, employees with decent jobs, and also homeless, re-addicted, or seen them on the inside again for their 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc... incarcerations. They have to choose to change. I know I've rambled on, this topic could be discussed for hours and hours. I apologize. But, if you made it this far I thank you. @🇩​𝔢𝔠𝔢𝔫𝔱 🇼​𝔦𝔰𝔡𝔬𝔪 #grownostr

I've been trying to come up with a way to be a contributor to the discussion of the world. I've got over 2 decades of experience in the prison system, as an employee. What would be some topics that you would like to hear about or discuss? It's my opinion that everyone needs to think like an inmate at some point, I don't mean with a criminal mindset, I mean that you need to think of how to loop-hole the system and make things better for you at your particular place in life. #grownostr #prisonthinking

Completely new, trying to learn this thing. I think that information is the ultimate currency, and should be given freely. #grownostr