Hello Steemians Or Steemocastrians (I'll get to this later) it's nice to join this online community so let me introduce myself...
My name is Andrew, but everyone calls me Greenie (it's an Australian thing, not a angry-Hulk thing). I've collected 32 years of experience in this world and I currently live with my girlfriend in a converted 24 square metre (260 square feet) shipping container in a complex for students and refugees (most from Eritrea, but some from Syria) in Amsterdam North, just 50m metres away from a 6 story high Anne Frank mural by Eduardo Kobra and 100metres from a Cold-War-era Soviet submarine that's been docked and lifeless for a decade.
*Apologies in advance for my poor formatting. I'm new to this.
Outside the containers on my birthday
My girlfriend peering over at the Cold War relic
How I discovered Steemit
I was introduced to Steemit by a good friend @pkatera. Pon and I were introduced by a mutual friend while we were both living in New York City about 6 years ago. I turned up to our "blind date" "blind drunk" because at my previous meet up I failed to pace myself with the American "beer + shot combo." Despite this embarassing start Pon accepted me as a friend and we went on to have some fun times in New York City; I taught Pon how to Snowboard for the first time (I'm a Cert II CASI Snowboard Instructor) and Pon built my website for the entrepreneurial interviews magazine I launched through Kickstarter which I almost raised $20K USD for but didn't hit my target (this was a blessing in disguise).
Here's Pon (in the striped shirt in the middle) myself on the far right and some other friends celebrating my birthday on the rooftop of the Chinatown apartment I lived in. The building was part of a noodle factory!
Back when I was a snowboarding instructor in Australia ;)
This was the magazine I tried to launch
After I left NYC at the tail end of 2013 and returned to Sydney Australia I have only seen Pon once but we chat online occasionally. From the moment we met I admired Pon's outlook on the world, his travel stories, and his insights into this world of technology. So about a month ago I called him out of the blue and he told me he was now the designer for Steemit. Knowing that I have a history in making content (I worked for VICE Media Inc in NYC, was the marketing manager for Network A, and now have my own advertsing agency that just specializes in helping businesses and brands with Instagram) he suggested that I give it a look.
*This was my first article for VICE. It was the most popular story on the homepage for Christmas Day 2011. Here's the article.*
I was immediately impressed with the concept, especially the idea that quality content is rewarded, and tastemakers have taste not just beauty, which, is what irks me about working with Instagram--Instagram influencers are not the people society should be celebrating and awarding with prestige or profile.
Maybe I'm too far down the utopian path but I would love to see people profit from talent rather than from advertising revenue. Marinate on that for a moment. Look at all the free content we've all made for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc just so they could monetize it. Now think about all those funny or insightful accounts you follow, and how they sometimes slide in a "paid post" to "pay the bills" well if this steemit model takes off then content creators could potentially be able to make the content they desire without concern of offending their sponsors.
I love riding my bike (but I'm not into cycling), I love surfing but I suck at it, I'm a goofy uncle to two kids, a son to two amazing parents whom adopted me at 6 weeks of age, a younger brother to the most gentle giant in the world.
My fam on the edge of a dam!
I'm a bachelor of bullshiting grad (Marketing at UNSW), an Alumni from The Centre for Sustianability Leadership. And most happily, I'm the husband-to-be for the smartest, most fun, gorgeous, and caring person I've ever met. The saying is "You know when you know" and for me it's true.
She gave me a small chocolate as a surprise to cheer me up after eye surgery 3>
And here are some weird things about me; I was once on a weird Japanese challenge gameshow and won an eating challenge with my partner.
This is us being announced as "winners" just after we ate things that were still moving...
I have fractured my pelvis in two spots while snowboarding...and broke my back.
I co-own a pub in my home town of Newcastle with some mates (the collective noun for people from Newcastle is Novocastrians hence my reference earlier).
This is The Family Hotel in Newcastle AUS. Photo from [Hunter Hunter](https://www.hunterhunter.com.au/newcastle/the-family).
I've been the celebrant for 2 weddings MCed 5 and DJed at least 40.
Two dear friends and the "reverend" in Napa US
I've travelled to 30 or so countries and have averaged 3 months of travel per year since becoming self employed in the end of 2013.
Earlier this month I visited Lisbon, Portugal for the first time & loved it.
As Paul Kelly once said "I can order sandwiches in 7 different languages" (and say a few more things in English, Dutch, German, Swedish, Spanish, French and Indonesian). Speaking of food I'm a vegetarian, and a vegan at home (I really enjoy cooking).
The Dutch Weed Burger Joint has the best vegan "comfort" food anywhere. I dare meat-eaters to try it.
I studied fashion design for a year, and I really enjoy shipping for vintage clothes. My record for holding my breath is 3.20. I enjoy yoga and meditation but I fail to have a routine. I have written in a journal twice a day every day for the last 2 years (this has made me a happier person). In 2005 I coordinated a snowboarding competition 600km from the nearest mountain which didn't even have snow on it.
*Look very very closely and you'll see my doodle somewhere in this shoot by Spencer Tunick*
I used to DJ a lot and still do a monthly show on Red Light Radio (listen to my most recent show here). I have supported acts like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, A-Trak, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and I once played on the main stage to 10000 people just after midnight on New Years Eve then finished my set to drive three hours to Melbourne to then fly to Sydney to then open the main stage for another festival.
Beneath Al Gore is yours truly
I shoot photos on a Nikon 35Ti because it's a beautiful camera and I enjoy not being able to "capture the moment...again".
One shot, no editing
This year I've learnt how to make tempeh, laundry detergent from ash, and pickle vegetables but I still want to learn how to make a permaculture veggie garden, get to a point where our rubbish bin is rarely used, and our trips to the supermarket are infrequent. If you're into this sort of stuff and ever in Amsterdam be sure to visit Mediamatic.
And some personal ones: I am never stop making puns and "dad-jokes" for example
yesterday my girlfriend was reading the description of a hotel to me and said "and it comes with a seaview" my response was "Lets got all out and get the A-view".
Ha. No. But to me the 9 jokes that fall flat are worth the one joke that makes someone I care about laugh.
I'm a left-leaning libertarian. Do your own test here. This wasn't a surprise for me, however, the older I get the more I have moved away from authoritarianism (not that I was a Stallinist) and towards Anarchism. Since I started teaching English to refugees earlier this year and I've heard their stories I've lost faith in the humanity of our states so I feel we need to take some of the control back.
You're likely to see me posting on Steemit about: Circular Economy (the concept of designing products and services for waste-free living by striving to maintain the most value in a product through each of it's phases);
*Circular Vs Linear Economy - Photo cred*
I'll also post about new or old music that I think people should know about; some travel posts; inspirational innovations where technology is being used for a greater benefit not just to seek a profit; reviews of books I'm reading; links to art shows and whatever else I find relevant for forward thinkers like Steemians.
This has been my book of the year. Photo credit
Things that upset or frustrate me
Pollution and the exploitation of nature. Wasted resources. Privilege and inequality but not heavy handed capping of personal aspiration. Racism, Sexism, and generally inequality of opportunity. I am a feminist and I try to be aware of my behavior which negatively impacts women, and step in when other men are unaware of their negative impacts, not doing so makes you compliant. Politics and bureaucracy on both Left & Right. Corporations that prioritize profit above people or place.
My hope is that humanity is on a positive trajectory, one where culture is important not nationality. We will have societies in which people can dream as big as they want but have the opportunity to take their first few steps with their neighbor. That technology, avarice, and empathy will combine to see human consumption patterns change and consumerism become an ancient and obviously redundant concept. And I feel like for us to get there that we will need blockchain and cryptocurrencies.
If you've made it this far then you might have found something interesting, offensive, or absurd so be sure to tell me about what you've noticed by leaving a comment.
Thanks for your time. See you on Steemit.
Cheers,
Greenie
Andrew! So good to see you here on Steemit
Thanks for the introduction :)
By the way, I love that NYC rooftop photo—brings back some memories.
Ha! And the Chinese banquet!
You told him of the #untalented family. It is interesting that he spotted it or perhaps, coincidence that he used the tag. Overall, he is awesome
Thanks mate. I did some digging before I posted ;)
Welcome
Thanks for the welcome
You have good blogging skills! Nice to meet you here on steemit
Oh that's super nice. Thank you. I'll try to get better at formatting.
Welcome to Steemit :D
Thank you! It's cool that everyone is so positive.
welcome to steemit! Looking forward for more banging post. Bless you!
I was glad to see him start out #untalented
This is a great initiative.
Of course. ! The #untalented is a great concept. Who wouldn't want to be involved?
Thanks Dante01. I'll try to do one per week.
looking forward to it!
"Konichiwang"
Lol
Welcome to Steemit!
When I came up with that word I typed it into Google and the word had never been written on the internet so I snapped it up.
You sound like a very interesting person. Welcome to Steemit! ^^
Ha! Thanks for the nice words. I think I've just been lucky to have good people around me who have supported me to try a lot of things.
You are also talented. I know you will make it far and be successful here on steemit.
Welcome to Steemit, Reverend Greenie.
Ha! The Reverend Al Green was already taken so I'll just go with Greenie
I thought you might be walking in Memphis. You've always got a prayer in Memphis...
Welcome to Steem Community @ajgreen! As a gentle reminder, please keep your master password safe. The best practise is to use your private posting key to login to Steemit when posting; and the private active key for wallet related transactions.
In the New Steemians project, we help new members of steem by education and resteeeming their articles. Get your articles resteemed too for maximum exposure. You can learn more about it here: https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@gaman/new-steemians-project-launch
Great first post.That shipping container village is crazy! I had no idea something like that even existed.
It's actually a super great idea. The containers have been in their current location for 2 years (Google satelite shows that they used to be further down the street) and at the end of next year they will be moved. Much less building waste.
Sweet how you start your journey, with the #untalented family. I intend to take this to historical extents. We can do this. Thank you much. Stay awesome.
Thanks for having me!
Welcome on board @ajgreen. The platform will surely keep you glued.
dear @surpassinggoogle I wish to start my journey with #untalented family ....I wish to have a history with you to tell every new comer how you are so great people really I mean it ...thank you
Hello @surpassinggoogle
We have given you our still tinnie-winnie upvote!
You have been determined by a human @ghadaelsawy to be possessing of special gem. Do join the #untalented family!
Abolishing the conditioning attached to IQ tests e.g smart, dull, bum, average and you suddenly give every human a chance to shine!
So e.g if Bill Gates did Microsoft and i can do Macro-hard, arent we both genius? Oh, we both are! Showcase your talents regardless of its nature freely with us in #untalented. Relegate all reservations as flaws are allowed and we sift even the so-called nonsense to find sense therein.
#untalented is an ongoing historical curriculum with initiatives/contests, where each participant wins something. No losers! It is also a core branch of #steemgigs, so please join the SteemGigs community on discord already containing around 700 gifted steemian family members. See this URL for more info
https://steemit.com/steemit/@surpassinggoogle/steemit-s-untalented-is-in-beta-participate-freely-because-every-participant-in-this-contest-will-win-something-no-losers
and also this URL for the discord community
https://discord.gg/CGuPyyT
If you want to vote a witness, you can vote steemgigs too. Simply go to
https://steemit.com/~witnesses
and type steemgigs into the first search box. Stay awesome!
Just incase you find any level or form of gifts, talents, attempts at out-of-the-boxness, or any steemian low in confidence about their abilities, worth, etc; please don't let it slip emptily by.
Kindly call on me! Simply reply to any such post and add @steem-untalented or #untalented to your reply and i will be there to upvote, acknowledge, strengthen and encourage them.
The mask looks scary LOL
Really scary, I tell you!
What mask? The eyepatch?
Congratulations @ajgreen, this post is the sixth most rewarded post (based on pending payouts) in the last 12 hours written by a Dust account holder (accounts that hold between 0 and 0.01 Mega Vests). The total number of posts by Dust account holders during this period was 2512 and the total pending payments to posts in this category was $588.40. To see the full list of highest paid posts across all accounts categories, click here.
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Wow! This was super interesting and a very nice honour. Thank you.
Sure I liked your post so in upvote and resteem it so sir plz look toward me and thanks for your support
Thanks amigo!
This post has been resteemed by @minnowsupport courtesy of @clayboyn from the Minnow Support Project ( @minnowsupport ). Join us in Discord.
Upvoting this comment will help support @minnowsupport.
Hey! Andrew. The shipping container complex looks good. Wow! the pictures of your friends and family are awesome. 30 countries! Wow. That's great. This was an amazing post. Thanks for sharing. Keep Steeming On!
Heya
Hi! Thanks for dropping in
You sure have lived! Great to see someone like you here on Steemit. Keep engaging and stay authentic, and you'll have a blast here!
I look forward to your posts, you definitely mentioned lots that spiked my interest. I'm keen to check out "small is beautiful" :)
Super! Thanks for getting me pumped. Yes, Small Is Beautiful is a fantastic book, and it's an easy read because it's not too heavy on numbers like you would expect from an economist. Let me know what you think once you've read it.
I'm sold, will definitely get a copy soon! Thanks and see you around :)
Hello @ajgreen
We have given you our still tinnie-winnie upvote!
You have been determined by a human @surpassinggoogle to be possessing of special gem. Do join the #untalented family!
Abolishing the conditioning attached to IQ tests e.g smart, dull, bum, average and you suddenly give every human a chance to shine!
So e.g if Bill Gates did Microsoft and i can do Macro-hard, arent we both genius? Oh, we both are! Showcase your talents regardless of its nature freely with us in #untalented. Relegate all reservations as flaws are allowed and we sift even the so-called nonsense to find sense therein.
#untalented is an ongoing historical curriculum with initiatives/contests, where each participant wins something. No losers! It is also a core branch of #steemgigs, so please join the SteemGigs community on discord already containing around 700 gifted steemian family members. See this URL for more info
https://steemit.com/steemit/@surpassinggoogle/steemit-s-untalented-is-in-beta-participate-freely-because-every-participant-in-this-contest-will-win-something-no-losers
and also this URL for the discord community
https://discord.gg/CGuPyyT
If you want to vote a witness, you can vote steemgigs too. Simply go to
https://steemit.com/~witnesses
and type steemgigs into the first search box. Stay awesome!
Just incase you find any level or form of gifts, talents, attempts at out-of-the-boxness, or any steemian low in confidence about their abilities, worth, etc; please don't let it slip emptily by.
Kindly call on me! Simply reply to any such post and add @steem-untalented or #untalented to your reply and i will be there to upvote, acknowledge, strengthen and encourage them.
Cool photos!
Welcome to Steemit! Enjoy. :)
Gracias.
Welcome to steemit man it was intresting learning about your life, Im Becoming a snowboard instructor this season, any advice haha?
That's awesome. The most enjoyable day I had as an instructor was a one-on-one with a guy who used to be a good snowboarder but suffered brain damage during a car accident which prevented him from talking, and froze one side of his body. It was so rewarding to work with him because I could see that he was super stoked to be back riding, so I'd recommend volunteering for the "tough" classes.
Hi, Greenie! Welcome to Steemit! :) I see that you have lots of talents and energies in you. You have a lot to contribute in this community! Looking forward to see more of your journey! Cheers 😊
Thanks @angelicagarcia. Steemit seems to full of good people who are all very positive. I like it.
Yep! I feel the same way. All the best, @ajgreen! :)
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STOPWell as a fellow DJ and snowboarder, Welcome to Steemit @ajgreen!
Those two things go hand in hand, huh?
Hello Andrew welcome to steemit
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STOPwelcome dear in steemit wish you good luck for ever @ajgreen
Welcome to Steemit. I hate pollution to. :)
Ha! I don't know who actually loves it, but I just think too many people plainly accept it.
What an extensive first post! Welcome to steemit, I love that you have so much energy and are interested in so many people and subjects - seems like you embrace life.
I really appreciate your words here:
I've thought about this so much and what a revelation the Steemit model offers, looking forward to more from you!
Yes! That's the great thing about Steemit and the other platforms it will inspire. Happy that we're on the same wavelength.
Andrew welcome to the steemit community , u posted a good blog .
Thank you. I like your philosophy.
Welcome beloved, steemit is a place for personalities such as you.
You'll do well here, I've up voted your introductory post.
Make friends and have fun.
I'm a friend @maxdevalue
Thanks mate :)
welcome on steemit man,,looks good.
Wow!nice profile.
Thank you!
Hey bro, awesome introduction post. We share the same values and interests :) Hope to hear more from you! Followed <3
@geniusloci yes! It looks we do share the same values. Brilliant. Followed!
Great post and welcome to steem :) looking forward to see more of your content
Thanks @raci. I think the next thing I'll do is a guide to Amsterdam.
Oh yeah! I've been there two times and always wanted to see it as a local
Welcome Andrew :) Hope to read more of your posts. ^^
Thank you. I'll try to do one per week. I hope you like them.
You haven't kept anything for second post!! All history, geography, biology etc are mentioned here :)
Welcome to this community.
There's still a lot more I haven't shared, and there's a lot of detail to reveal in what I've already publshed. I hope it keeps you interested.
Welcome to Steemit, my friend, greetings from a country called Venezuela. I'm happy for you, I've never been in the snow. you have a good sport Mine is the diving. to be the first post, it has been great.
Bienvenido a Steemit amigo, saludos desde un pais llamado Venezuela. me alegro por ti, yo nunca he estado en la nieve. tienes un buen deporte. lo mio es el buceo. para ser el primer post, te ha quedado genial.
Man you have a cool job!
I can say the same about you. The only bad thing is that my country is currently facing the worst crisis in its history. although you do not believe it, I earn more by posting here in steemit, than diving. it's a nightmare. I hope it ends some day. Hugo Chavez is the culprit of everything, and the worst thing is that he died, and left us his legacy of hunger and misery.
Congratulations @ajgreen!
Your post was mentioned in the hit parade in the following category:
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STOPhiii @ajgreen, nice introduction and amazing picture on ship container, good idea, wellcome to community and mostwellcone to our lovely family #untalented, always special thanks to our great leader and mentor @surpassinggoogle. good luck.
I am amazed with the excellent post. thank you for sharing! I say success always! thank you,.....
Welcome to steemit community @ajgreen.
Good introduction btw. :)
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STOPI think I like you already. Your introductory post is one of the best I have ever read. It is definitely way better than mine was. Welcome to Steemit, May the Force be with you.
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STOPit was good
Please need to me upvote