So, what did you do during the eclipse yesterday? I kept on writing and doing what I normally do. Somehow, I really rather look at pictures or video of it than take the chance of harming my eyes. I guess as I get older, I become more interested in keeping my senses like eyesight as healthy as possible rather than watching an eclipse.

There has been some discussion around some of the chat channels about DTube, the decentralized version of Youtube that feeds videos to the STEEM blockchain and thus makes them available on Steemit. It’s a great addition to the STEEM infrastructure and the sort of thing that founders envisioned.

Unfortunately, some of the accounts seem to think it is okay to upload commercially produced video like Rick & Morty and Game of Thrones to generate income from their post.

I am not against downloading video to watch programs for yourself. I visit a couple of torrent sites on a regular basis for my TV viewing pleasure. Having done so, I’m also well aware that outlets like HBO are hunting people who download their product.

So, you want to take a guess what their view will be of people who upload their product and make coin off it? They wont just go after the people doing the uploading, they will go after the site(s) where the coin is being made.

We, as a community, need to be downvoting those who engage in this irresponsible behaviour. Just my thoughts on the matter.

Onward to today’s rambling

Creative Writing Challenge #8: John, Near Future, Driver, Santorini, Hammer

This post was a nomination from @talltim and I’m grateful for him having done so. A great story by @cristof highlighting one of the possible downsides to self-driving cars. Well crafted, I think you may find a new storyteller you’ll want to follow.

This is what I do when I write a post in Steemit

Like writing, blogging is a craft that can be learned and improved. @jakvier is a blogger who has transferred his skills to Steemit. He writes a very practical post with many ideas on how to craft and improve your blogging on Steemit.

10 Ways To Love Yourself: by Louise Hay - The Power Is Within You!

@tamacvet shares with us what she learned from Louise Hay’s book The Power is Within You about ways to learn to love yourself. A good read and one most of us need to learn to some degree.

It Would Be Crazy to Bring a Child Into This World- Why I Did it Anyway

@therealpaul writes about the pessimists who believe it is crazy to bring children into this world. The world is a scary place, it always has been. So, by definition, it has always been crazy to bring children into the world. The problem is that, without children to grow into adults, the world is no longer populated. After reviewing the downsides of bringing children into the world, @therealpaul then talks about the joys and benefits have deciding to do it anwyays. Well, he did, until he decided dinner was more important :)

SFT Submissions 8/20/17 - 8/24/17

The PAL (Peace Alliance Liberty) & Minnow Support Project is doing a bit of a different twist on curation. Curation in the sense of bringing forward quality posts, not in the sense of upvoting to make money. They are focusing on quality fiction posts nominated in the comments. So, stop over and nominate the most current work of your favourite fiction writer who falls in their rules.

Alma Johanna Koenig - Authors burned by the Nazis #3

@yoganarchista introduces us to the writer/poet Alma Johanna Koenig who was among those who died in Nazi concentration camps during WW2. One of the many tragedies of war, any war, is that the world is deprived of so much unfulfilled talent and great minds we never had opportunity to know. There are some though, we were able to experience before they were lost.

Compassion for lonely people

I live alone, and I prefer to do so. There are challenges to living alone, like when you’re sick as I was recently. I had to figure out how to accomplish things that if I had a partner I would have help with. Not everyone is comfortable with their own company, they want, even need someone else in their life as either a life mate or friend.

@lindahas writes about the struggles that lonely people have trying to break their loneliness. Sometimes that sense of loneliness happens in crowds of people because the person hasn’t found someone they feel understands them for who they are. Sometimes the problem is the person isn’t aware enough of themselves to understand they are looking for company in all the wrong places.

Am I Intelligent or Am I Just Stupid?

Knowing if a person is intelligent or stupid is not a clear cut matter. @arckrai ponders the question in this post. There are many ways to define intelligent and stupid. Some people are seen as stupid when they are simply unable to clearly articulate their knowledge and thoughts. Interesting reading.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF MY PUPPIES VLOG | What to expect when getting a labrador puppy | MyPicutreDay submission

As some of you know, I have a couple of cats and have had cats for a number of years. It’s not that I don’t like dogs, cats are just easier to take care of. Like, I don’t have to take a cat out for walks. I have actually considered getting a dog. I had one before and do enjoy their company. The cats are so used to this being their domain, I am not sure how it would go over to bring a dog in.

@natashahall shares with us about her labrador pups, including a video of them with her in their huge yard. Labs can be high energy dogs, especially when they are young but they are truly very loving and loyal animals.

My sister had a black lab that she had to leave with my parents when she moved out on her own. My parents owned a country general store at the time and dad would often let Juba wander around the store during the day. My mother thought that this made a big suck out of the dog and that she would not be inclined to be a good watch dog because of it.

I put that to the test one weekend when the parents went away for a couple of days. They asked me to check on the store and the attached house while they were away and of course feed Juba. When I went up the first day, I stepped into the entrance way and instead of saying anything to let her know who was at the door I just wiggled the door handle. A very loud and no nonsense growling came from behind that door until I spoke and told her it was okay. The growling stopped. I would not have been actually trying to break in.

About Contents of Beans

Beans or legumes as some know them as are an excellent nutrient source. They are also a great substitute for meat products. As much as I love my meat, it does tend to be expensive and beans can provide me many of the same nutritional benefits.

@cheretta writes about those nutritional benefits. They do take time and effort to prepare and they do take some creativity in preparing tasty dishes but they are worth it. As winter approaches, I will be using beans more frequently as I make a lot of soups in the winter.

Hello Steemit! My name is Justin, I’m a writer (HuffPost, Lifehack, Optimistic Movement), Multipotentialite (Self Growth, Digital Marketing, Funnelhacker, Crypto/Blockchain Addict, and Fantasy Football Fanatic), excited to be on Steemit!

Occasionally, a person’s introductory post title catches my attention and I take a good look at their post. This one grabbed my attention, likely because of the length and content of the title. I’m glad I took a look. From reading through the post, I think that @justinharmon may be one of the people we’ll hear from with good things on Steemit. Welcome him aboard.

Daily Inspiration #50 - Michael Dell - Passion

Do you do things that excite you? Do you feel passionate about what you do? Passion generates its own energy and helps to sustain motivation. @michaeldavid talks about passion and it’s value in this post.

Wrap-up on Day 112

Once again, I have been able to find a pretty good number of posts I wanted to share. As I mentioned yesterday, the final decision on which posts I share is a two step process. The first being catch my attention, looks interesting on a scan and the second being a closer read of the same post.

Yesterday I sent 25 posts to my favourites during step one and of those 11 ended up being shared. I also had one post nominated by a reader which I really appreciated and enjoyed. That has also been included. Three were eliminated because @cheetah bot had a notice on the post that alerted me to someone doing a copy/paste.

Keep an eye out in your travels and share posts you think are really good of someone else’s work.

Supporting and Upvoting

Let’s not forget folks. I’m sharing these posts not only because I like them. I’d really like to see them get support and upvoting.

Nominate Your Favourite Post

With all the chaff that I end up trying to sift through each time I sit down to do the Steemit Ramble, I think it is time to give you dear reader an opportunity to nominate your favourite reads.

Just put a link to a post you have found and really enjoyed in the comments.

This is NOT an invite to SPAM!

As much as you may love your own post, I am really looking for someone else to say, “Hey, I like this post, have a look”. When I post a Steemit Ramble, that is what I’m telling my readers.

I wont promise that I’ll agree with your choice but, I will promise to have a look at it and if I use it in the next Ramble, I’ll let you know in a reply to your comment.

Please Join the Curation Trail

If you’d like to support the posts I find and upvote while searching for the Ramble shares, please join my Curation Trail on Streemian

August 21 -- Steemit Ramble #112 -- Curating Great Posts for You