tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353309322024-03-14T02:08:45.465-04:00A Curious DorkJordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13762916883276949381noreply@blogger.comBlogger153125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35330932.post-46831274714093518332021-01-02T14:38:00.005-05:002021-01-02T14:38:27.848-05:00Moving<p> Trying out a different platform:</p><p><a href="https://museparade.wordpress.com/">https://museparade.wordpress.com/</a> </p>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13762916883276949381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35330932.post-60660229487869290652020-11-27T01:24:00.005-05:002020-11-28T12:52:55.485-05:00Truth Matters<p>"If truth doesn't matter, we're lost" - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa8s4G_7PQk" target="_blank">Adam Schiff</a> during president Trump's impeachment trial.</p><p>Truth has always mattered to me. The biggest reason I majored in mathematics and minored in philosophy during my undergrad is that they are both based purely in logic, the universal truth. Pure logic is truth in its most basic form. Mathematics is applied logic and it is true no matter what. No matter who you are. No matter where you are. It's one of the very few things we can truly know for sure. I found and still find comfort in this pure logic and pure truth. When it comes to the rest of the world however, it's a little bit harder to discern the truth.</p><p>Truth matters. If it didn't, our decision making process would break down. Humans (those who are sane) make decisions based on what we perceive to be true. We take this perceived truth and then judge or act based on what feels 'right'. </p><p>Most of the time we can't use pure logic to figure out if something is true or not. This is why we need science and statistics. But, unless you're an expert in the field in which something has been proven scientifically, you may not understand the reasoning for something being a scientifically fact. In this case, you likely need to rely on the experts to tell you what the truth is. This is where trust comes in. Trust of an expert is therefore required in order for you to make a proper decision.</p><p>Humans who are selfish may choose to spread lies and misinformation and claim it as truth. The more popularity you have, the more likely people are to believe you. It doesn't matter that you aren't an expert. The same goes for something you respect or look up to, such as a parent. If you mother or father claims to know a truth, you are likely to believe them. </p><p>Truth is a funny thing. If it it is pure logic or Math, it is always true. Many other things that are true today may not be true tomorrow. This is why it's important to always question the supposed truth. </p><p>When talking about truth, I always think about the famous line from A Few Good Men when Jack Nicholson's character shouts, "You can't handle the truth!!". Sadly, I feel this is the case sometimes. Some people cannot handle certain truths. Sometimes, despite evidence and sound proof refuse to believe what's true. Often, the truth is very inconvenient. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="435" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5j2F4VcBmeo" width="523" youtube-src-id="5j2F4VcBmeo"></iframe></div><p><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0497116/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0" target="_blank">An Inconvenient Truth</a> is a documentary about climate change. The sad truth is that humans are a huge cause of the abnormal increase in global warming. It's inconvenient because in order to fix it, we need to make dramatic changes. Many of us don't like much change, so we try to shield ourselves from the truth, hoping it will change if we wait long enough.</p><p>Currently, we have politicians spreading large amounts of misinformation and either creating or bolstering current conspiracy theories without any personal consequences. Ironically it seems that the people who are complaining the most about so called, 'fake news' are the ones who are spewing the fake facts. Any normal person at any normal job would immediately be fired for such a lack of respect for the truth.</p><p>So, what's true and what's not? Unfortunately it's not often easy to determine. You need to rely on 'trustworthy' news sources. Who do you trust? </p><p>I feel many people are more trusting in general than they should be. Just because someone is in a position of power doesn't mean they are always telling the truth. Just because someone is speaking on national television doesn't mean what they are saying is true. Sadly, even if they have proper credentials such as a PhD, you still need to be careful. </p><p>Many of our parents lied to us about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. We believe they existed because our parents said they did. Some of us worked this out for ourselves, but some people believed up until the point their parents broke the news. If Santa and the Easter bunny aren't real, what about God? This is what I expected my parents to reveal to me next. Hey guess what kids? God isn't real either! This never happened, but I worked it out for myself. My parents still believe in God, I think. I think it' because their parents believed in God and their parents before them. If you trust someone, you believe anything they tell you (for the most part). </p><p>No matter how confident someone may seem when they make a claim, you should not believe them without proof or sound argument. This is what scares me about (some) religious people. They believe in something without any proof. What's preventing them from believing other things without proof? Some religious folks are able to separate their faith or religion from rational thinking, but many are not.</p><p>Ideally, we'd have an independent fact-checking agency. Imagine if politicians were called out for telling lies during televised debates? I think a large problem however is, how would you prevent this agency from becoming corrupted? We're supposed to be able to trust our government, but government officials also lie to us. </p><p>I don't know what the solution is, but I think I want to spend the rest of my life trying to find one. </p><p>Resources:</p><p>FiveThirtyEight article on how Americans are fed <i>believable</i> falsehoods:</p><p><a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/americans-were-primed-to-believe-the-current-onslaught-of-disinformation/" target="_blank">https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/americans-were-primed-to-believe-the-current-onslaught-of-disinformation/</a></p><p>BuzzFeed fact-checking:</p><p><a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/janelytvynenko/election-rumors-debunked" target="_blank">https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/janelytvynenko/election-rumors-debunked</a> </p><p>Christian Science Monitor tips on stopping misinformation:</p><p><a href="https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2020/1103/Online-misinformation-is-rampant.-Four-tips-on-stopping-it" target="_blank">https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2020/1103/Online-misinformation-is-rampant.-Four-tips-on-stopping-it</a></p><p>Adam Schiff's speech during President Trump's impeachment trial:</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa8s4G_7PQk" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa8s4G_7PQk</a></p><p>Short version within NYT:</p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000006940070/schiff-impeachment-truth.html" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000006940070/schiff-impeachment-truth.html</a></p>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13762916883276949381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35330932.post-73136451977236109462020-11-22T16:12:00.002-05:002020-11-26T23:39:27.204-05:00Retirement<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">What do you think of when you hear the word, '<i>retirement</i>'?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Spending every day on the beach for the rest of your life?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lounging on the couch all day watching TV?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Traveling the world with no obligations?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's probably different for everyone. But, I think most people want to be able to retire. To quit their full-time job and enjoy free time in their golden years any way they see fit. For a lot of us, it's something you work toward your whole life. The </span>pinnacle<span style="font-family: inherit;"> of your life. The final milezone. I think we should all think about retirement a bit more. If you're young you may even put off </span>thinking<span style="font-family: inherit;"> bout it until you're in your </span>forties<span style="font-family: inherit;">. Really, you need to be thinking about it in your twenties. You need to have a plan, or else you may need to work a full-time job for the rest of your life. If that's what you want, that's fine - I'm not here to judge.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">My coworker just recently passed away at the age of 62. It was sudden and unexpected. Pancreas cancer. One of the worst kinds of cancers. She was looking forward to retirement. Sadly, that was taken away from her. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">This got me thinking about the age of retirement. It's totally up to you and your circumstances when you'd like to retire. But, the magical age seems to be 65. At this age, you get full Social Security benefits. This threshold will increase as lifetime expectancies rise. Right now the average age of death for a male in the US somewhere between 74 and 77. For Females, it's a bit higher, between 78 and 81. But, these are just averages - also known as expected value. Obviously, you can die before this age or even after this age. A statistical graph (called a histogram) of age of death is shown below.</span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9asmBSgRUVs7yJkPvIUVGsu-ZyBd2vOZ0pjt4-OFLfcEu5gij8CxX9cEjNyVUv9k2q5Jcd1w7HG_7994Ay_8LmxT6X6v-WO_PWcljkafBRiF1Z6Nw0nLfvf3cMbnZWKrXWAlG/s728/LifespanHistogramEdited.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="728" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9asmBSgRUVs7yJkPvIUVGsu-ZyBd2vOZ0pjt4-OFLfcEu5gij8CxX9cEjNyVUv9k2q5Jcd1w7HG_7994Ay_8LmxT6X6v-WO_PWcljkafBRiF1Z6Nw0nLfvf3cMbnZWKrXWAlG/w568-h420/LifespanHistogramEdited.PNG" width="568" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">There are many factors that determine our lifespan - including genetics and lifestyle choices. It is quite difficult to say how long you will live, therefore it's fairly reasonable to plan for the average age. If you retire at age 65, you'd have 10 to 15 years of retirement. 10 golden years. That seems like enough time, right? Maybe. The other thing people may not consider is quality of life toward the end of retirement. Your body </span>continues<span style="font-family: inherit;"> to break down. Most things, including you, will fail at some point.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I work at an aerospace company that designs and </span>manufactures<span style="font-family: inherit;"> aircraft engines. We design engine parts to last a certain amount of time. In many cases, we'd like for them to last as long as possible, but nothing lasts forever, given constant wear and tear. We need to determine the life of major parts of the engine and replace them after they have reached that threshold. This life and threshold is not the average life of the particular part. If we imagine the engine part as a human, the threshold we limit the part to would not be 65 years. Rather, it would be about 45 years. Why? Because we don't want to risk the part failing during a flight. This risk is in the form of a probability. Looking at the graph above, you can tell that the probability of failing before 45 years is quite low. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, you may end up in one of two scenarios:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dying young: "I wish I had lived more when I was younger"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Living long: "I wish I had saved more when I was younger"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">In my opinion, you really need to strike a balance. Enjoy your life while you're young while saving for retirement. Sadly, I know there are many who aren't able to do either, let alone one of these things. Given the probability of dying and quality of life when I'm much older, ideally I'd like to retire 10 years earlier than the average retirement age of 65. In order to do this, I need to have a strict budget and make sure to plan accordingly. I'm lucky enough, as of now, to be able to achieve financial </span>independence<span style="font-family: inherit;"> by this age while still being able to enjoy life right now.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">TEDx talk on retirement:</span></p><p><span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSHNDyinZSQ&ab_channel=TEDxTalks">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSHNDyinZSQ&ab_channel=TEDxTalks</a></span></p><p>Lifespan data:</p><p><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-histograms-of-life-span-distribution-for-a-4-760-deceased-genotyped-and_fig1_224848174">https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-histograms-of-life-span-distribution-for-a-4-760-deceased-genotyped-and_fig1_224848174</a></p><p><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Histogram-of-estimated-number-of-deaths-per-one-year-age-intervals-Probability-density_fig2_281513046">https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Histogram-of-estimated-number-of-deaths-per-one-year-age-intervals-Probability-density_fig2_281513046</a></p><p>Social Security benefits:</p><p><a href="https://www.ssa.gov/pressoffice/IncRetAge.html#:~:text=The%20original%20Social%20Security%20Act,increasing%20the%20normal%20retirement%20age.">https://www.ssa.gov/pressoffice/IncRetAge.html#:~:text=The%20original%20Social%20Security%20Act,increasing%20the%20normal%20retirement%20age.</a></p>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13762916883276949381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35330932.post-90368651978306310082020-11-01T12:37:00.004-05:002020-11-01T13:51:24.209-05:00Autumn in New England<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujWOZySKvN6MMRgDxD_tifvkuMLRP3V-Kc4k6rfLsGgXO4gtkNEmg_7IzypiEsnFOJ9PYrZNv8qBpztQDmFRIbOyBXeCFwoPSzLwMmckKheI22AY8ZKHxKNwE2TDroxpkgGmG/s4032/PXL_20201022_153204049.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQt0JRZExBWznuKj6z0SOngaIX_BSffynbih5Cp4sW7QmcGHSU0SW7p-VY4jxKMwAByx0V_kbKNX71cecs6-hXUUmJjCL-goQSbS4ZpYDwN5gqdDDvI1zDwzePnf2ZfTVjudp/s4032/PXL_20201025_192648853.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQt0JRZExBWznuKj6z0SOngaIX_BSffynbih5Cp4sW7QmcGHSU0SW7p-VY4jxKMwAByx0V_kbKNX71cecs6-hXUUmJjCL-goQSbS4ZpYDwN5gqdDDvI1zDwzePnf2ZfTVjudp/s320/PXL_20201025_192648853.jpg" /></a></div><div>I've been living in New England for most of my life. Currently I live in Boston, the largest city in New England. I think I would like to experience living elsewhere, but I can't say I have much to complain about. Sure, shoveling snow can be annoying, but on average it's really only required a handful of times per year. Yes, it gets cold in the Winter and hot in the Summer - but the extremes don't last very long. You get to experience each distinct season. I think it's beneficial to your mental health to experience these types of changes. How boring would it be if the trees always looked the same? When the cool autumn air greets you in the morning, it's very nostalgic and it heightens your senses. It somehow gives me a feeling of joy and hope. The excitement of the year's first snowfall. The first day you're able to wear shorts in the late Spring gives me motivation to explore.</div><div><br /></div><div>I love the asymmetrical coloring of the leaves --></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Fy93lsOfJmToHFcNJcK9nA6rWgif5wNT_IFoqoI7rmRkEL-vaeeP_2lMnSMG3EWyXK9yLji2Du5pvqeKKZUYITofmRv362FyUexVvWbJNnT43smHviWEnUZbhoBYjWiK0bu4/s4032/PXL_20201025_192940154.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Fy93lsOfJmToHFcNJcK9nA6rWgif5wNT_IFoqoI7rmRkEL-vaeeP_2lMnSMG3EWyXK9yLji2Du5pvqeKKZUYITofmRv362FyUexVvWbJNnT43smHviWEnUZbhoBYjWiK0bu4/s320/PXL_20201025_192940154.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I saw this interesting assortment of plants..a bush with jagged green leaves (apparently often consumed with sushi), another one with red leaves, and a bright red flower growing at the base.<div><br /></div><div><-- Zoomed In<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWHsEgI-XazB9SvoJwlcie0SeHarXH9pWhx9Lhn63am1rntXsaf6pMHrGdQtapxV4KAxlbNBrLxqVa8NXveUFEoaDR5CczocXDftxc7CC-dIqxUQpVr0VJMGOCX8e_GWhofYv/s4032/PXL_20201025_192937567.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWHsEgI-XazB9SvoJwlcie0SeHarXH9pWhx9Lhn63am1rntXsaf6pMHrGdQtapxV4KAxlbNBrLxqVa8NXveUFEoaDR5CczocXDftxc7CC-dIqxUQpVr0VJMGOCX8e_GWhofYv/s320/PXL_20201025_192937567.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Zoomed Out --><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIUtez32xp5HVByZakWNr3lcnkyEwWBwos8ATWGjoYxMEiX3uIjd6sxgHAiY-tfxe3YFI2qI4iTcrx6pcgcgwXiueW-iNJFY2LePsqPiDAcAtWBTZJKK75MGjRappS-i9hqkIE/s4032/PXL_20201025_195824031.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIUtez32xp5HVByZakWNr3lcnkyEwWBwos8ATWGjoYxMEiX3uIjd6sxgHAiY-tfxe3YFI2qI4iTcrx6pcgcgwXiueW-iNJFY2LePsqPiDAcAtWBTZJKK75MGjRappS-i9hqkIE/s320/PXL_20201025_195824031.jpg" /></a></div>I love bright orange leaves. They always make me stop in my tracks and admire for a few moments before moving on with my day.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuz8ojbpgNBj7ex06fLIwQG9UxOVlVSAgT0U4oGZr4pJNufcJNJkph9NMdVrh4JB7gdPQ56dNgtTUnd1Lm0iTEd0hk564gTt8Y1ZrA4X9DAj_xMNHPVGAxf_J6o4tbh9xApx46/s4032/PXL_20201025_195929594.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuz8ojbpgNBj7ex06fLIwQG9UxOVlVSAgT0U4oGZr4pJNufcJNJkph9NMdVrh4JB7gdPQ56dNgtTUnd1Lm0iTEd0hk564gTt8Y1ZrA4X9DAj_xMNHPVGAxf_J6o4tbh9xApx46/s320/PXL_20201025_195929594.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Crossing my fingers for a victory for these two in a few days --></div><div>New England is a set of very blue states. We could definitely afford (and I would encourage) a large migration of liberals/democrats to some purple states like Ohio, Florida, or Iowa. The country as a whole would be better off. Sadly, these three states aren't very appealing for me personally).</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4gepgIu9c26xvhtatoAz6sCXtO7O9W-NQBNSCEEgog5OUcJgzwdOxq4-Tu5us8emLdp_NcU1VUqp5i0YOxeBjCqd22SAgT1vIkBXDuCA0rkXtBBZLURxFviqPOuZA5dAHbS6M/s4032/PXL_20201025_200331939.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4gepgIu9c26xvhtatoAz6sCXtO7O9W-NQBNSCEEgog5OUcJgzwdOxq4-Tu5us8emLdp_NcU1VUqp5i0YOxeBjCqd22SAgT1vIkBXDuCA0rkXtBBZLURxFviqPOuZA5dAHbS6M/s320/PXL_20201025_200331939.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>A hospital for women near my apartment. Looks like a mansion or mini castle (note: I love castles).<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_WB5P-mG5aLPDXaAm3ZnpBVBr_FoFZPSEad8LS1IRXB8naLmcUm0Y8VDH-pZYpWPyiUH1fDuk1EuZRm7QoitXMGTgUxduysJ-wdXf3cGJRr3K_l0B71iM5XM6v587aFBvBeL/s4032/PXL_20201025_200647931.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_WB5P-mG5aLPDXaAm3ZnpBVBr_FoFZPSEad8LS1IRXB8naLmcUm0Y8VDH-pZYpWPyiUH1fDuk1EuZRm7QoitXMGTgUxduysJ-wdXf3cGJRr3K_l0B71iM5XM6v587aFBvBeL/s320/PXL_20201025_200647931.jpg" /></a></div>Lovely sidewalk view --><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkzuhmlruZiuyW2oh4CoS3-33IkvSIcI4M42B8Lou1_elOYohcDYFGilv12o-k-68x-VaOcF5qiYFazSpR8CvGY4qL00gi5m1sTXW3Y5ju5ka7lWjgVdJ7X5gA5aNRDNgmHtm/s4032/PXL_20201025_200658697.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkzuhmlruZiuyW2oh4CoS3-33IkvSIcI4M42B8Lou1_elOYohcDYFGilv12o-k-68x-VaOcF5qiYFazSpR8CvGY4qL00gi5m1sTXW3Y5ju5ka7lWjgVdJ7X5gA5aNRDNgmHtm/s320/PXL_20201025_200658697.jpg" /></a></div>Closeup of one of the trees in photo above.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Below 3 photos are from a park right across the street.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiARGBouhculIxXXl4vkqfOTsRiAIqvDHNSf3Gc4chIpVR0V4h3_VMl7DhxeLby3v7zfWphwwcALHhli9qw9REX-5aGKU28cLjjB42qSd_ln2OVJdw8rlFhfqb4rqlM_9BDDmim/s4032/PXL_20201025_201243996.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiARGBouhculIxXXl4vkqfOTsRiAIqvDHNSf3Gc4chIpVR0V4h3_VMl7DhxeLby3v7zfWphwwcALHhli9qw9REX-5aGKU28cLjjB42qSd_ln2OVJdw8rlFhfqb4rqlM_9BDDmim/s320/PXL_20201025_201243996.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfzPHWXzsrosgGBujNFv2xpSDHCr3ksHZrR47C9fSBNvHZB_ofeCIzqlVphIhBilgmpwzVBAnlWl_nk3USD1jexmy7-8E8n_djcHKfefTarbilj-UU3P0iBRa399N9aAFpJntH/s4032/PXL_20201025_201619724.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfzPHWXzsrosgGBujNFv2xpSDHCr3ksHZrR47C9fSBNvHZB_ofeCIzqlVphIhBilgmpwzVBAnlWl_nk3USD1jexmy7-8E8n_djcHKfefTarbilj-UU3P0iBRa399N9aAFpJntH/s320/PXL_20201025_201619724.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Green, red, orange, yellow....pretty!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAB8UTGG5E9GngKDOF94HDGVZ47OuqIVfTfxuGeDJIMjHQ-WkYmNkRq2UNRzJEKgrR41OvCqLH1HXwYPcggpb4xy-6ev17Kv39oGzX1zPqOemgxbGfgMblgDzWuP_KddVVaEM/s4032/PXL_20201025_201648703.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAB8UTGG5E9GngKDOF94HDGVZ47OuqIVfTfxuGeDJIMjHQ-WkYmNkRq2UNRzJEKgrR41OvCqLH1HXwYPcggpb4xy-6ev17Kv39oGzX1zPqOemgxbGfgMblgDzWuP_KddVVaEM/s320/PXL_20201025_201648703.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw0k6564327H3ULlOmHF0wzE5dedSGrZL8Nq6HLXvPSmypNX-OD9X3vwo8OmRMYFrQKpd-CbNZHUax6p9oU-rRByPeoi85Q3zRc92kCAIseibPXxx1yxTzMHwDFomW-L_nwo5O/s4032/PXL_20201022_153204049.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw0k6564327H3ULlOmHF0wzE5dedSGrZL8Nq6HLXvPSmypNX-OD9X3vwo8OmRMYFrQKpd-CbNZHUax6p9oU-rRByPeoi85Q3zRc92kCAIseibPXxx1yxTzMHwDFomW-L_nwo5O/s320/PXL_20201022_153204049.jpg" /></a></div><-- Along the emerald necklace bike/walk path<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhRq3A5f_H1i1SMnviUK2587Lz2oLNHLnc7ViLy7lwKn98Tz0CjoEYno9nEdaiJcpxKgl4dtH-gu0OVigD8ztFJx3-VMf1UqZUrQA0zITitDpJNFzAUW4f9gW9PG9uQd4_Qxm/s1024/20201024_143352.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhRq3A5f_H1i1SMnviUK2587Lz2oLNHLnc7ViLy7lwKn98Tz0CjoEYno9nEdaiJcpxKgl4dtH-gu0OVigD8ztFJx3-VMf1UqZUrQA0zITitDpJNFzAUW4f9gW9PG9uQd4_Qxm/s320/20201024_143352.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>Walden Pond, Concord MA --></div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13762916883276949381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35330932.post-54805700473103973072020-10-29T01:02:00.005-04:002020-10-31T15:47:01.416-04:00The Money Pit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOn5ko_rGmVm5aEHXqVHv7OBsPOBnGPraMiyjqKgCI_-W_5d22puh71gQtrjlrXQ6ypYXVCKXUDsLeOH2XqC9a4D8cJCp4sxtRoGlCVM2DlxVKjAvyIcOp6RKgUeYKsdR1_TKk/s960/burning-money-2113914_960_720.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOn5ko_rGmVm5aEHXqVHv7OBsPOBnGPraMiyjqKgCI_-W_5d22puh71gQtrjlrXQ6ypYXVCKXUDsLeOH2XqC9a4D8cJCp4sxtRoGlCVM2DlxVKjAvyIcOp6RKgUeYKsdR1_TKk/w351-h233/burning-money-2113914_960_720.jpg" width="351" /></a></div><p>Assuming you have an income, aside from unavoidable taxes, you have the choice on where your money goes. However, if you are not careful, it can seem like your money is disappearing into pit or black hole. Unless you really sit down and write down all your bills and expenses, it's hard to know exactly where you money is going and in what percentage of your total income. This is why you need a budget. </p><p>As I become more financially literate, I wonder why I did not learn this stuff earlier. Why has no one told me about it? Why did I not learn this in school? College?</p><p>You start to wonder if there is someone benefiting from me not knowing how to properly manage my finances. By me not being financially independent, others are benefiting. My money goes somewhere if it's not in my pocket afterall. I'm now convinced policy makers and school curriculum makers keep this knowledge out of our hands for their benefit. Someone is actively working to keep others ignorant. </p><p>Imagine if we're all required to learn the basics of investing for retirement in high school or college? How about just basic personal finance? Imagine if we were all educated on how credit cards and credit scores worked? I feel if we were all given this proper education, there might not be such gigantic wealthy inequality in the United States. </p><p>If people really understood where there money was going, how interest rates worked, and how important it was to save money for retirement, people would be in less debt and have a much better financial outlook.</p><p>So much critical information is <i>hidden </i>from you. Legally, this information is public. But, the only way you learn something is if you seek it out or if someone teaches it to you.</p><p>I'm embarrassed and angry to admit I didn't know the existence and value of an individual retirement account (IRA) until age 35. Knowing about the benefits now, I really wish I started one 10 years ago. I lost out on A LOT of savings. But, how was I supposed to know? I discovered the existence of IRAs randomly during a conversation with an older coworker. Luckily my employer signs up all of their employees with a 401K plan by default. Besides the 401K I had with my employer, I had no idea there was another retirement/investment vehicle I should have been taking advantage of.</p><p>Even then, I didn't know all the details of the 401K. I suppose it's partly my fault for not looking into it, but let's face it, personal finance and saving for retirement is boring! I figured I was young and didn't need to worry about it yet. My first job out of college put me in a fund with a very high expense ratio by default. I didn't discover this until earlier this year. I had no idea I had the option to change this. In retrospect I feel I was somewhat taken advantage of. Luckily my current employer has a very low expense ratio for the default fund.</p><p>In addition to the hidden information, there is also a lot of misinformation that spreads. Believe it or not, some people believe that you need to carry a balance on your credit cards in order to build credit. That's crazy! Even more crazy, many people carry balances in general and end up paying astronomical amounts in interest. </p><p>Some misinformation is hard to decipher. You really need to educate yourself and sometimes read between the lines. I often read that many people avoid investing because it's too risky. The thing is, it is risky. But, it's not <i>too</i> risky if you do it right. There's risk involved in most things you do. The fact is, investing over the long term in right funds carries very little risk. Another scary fact is that on the flip side if you don't invest, you're at very high risk of not being able to retire. </p><p>In general I'm pretty disgusted with America's education system. But now, my feelings are stronger. Why are we forced to learn about the Unit Circle and systems of equations, but not how to balance a checkbook? I majored in mathematics in college, so I'm one who appreciates the study of the subject - however most of us will never use the more complex stuff in our lives. If there is a curriculum change in the future for pre-college years, teach up until basic algebra. After that, teach personal finance.</p><p>Personal finances should be a required class all high school students need to take before they can graduate. But guess what? Since it's not a requirement, certain wealthy people and corporations are benefiting from our ignorance. Are we set up to fail? It does seem that way. But, if you are ask good questions, do your own research, or be lucky enough to have someone inform you, you may just be okay.</p><p>Sources / Additional links </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/jec6tc/dow_jones_falls_410_points_as_covid19_stimulus/">https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/jec6tc/dow_jones_falls_410_points_as_covid19_stimulus/</a></p>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13762916883276949381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35330932.post-83832049219639636252020-10-17T02:24:00.007-04:002020-10-31T14:30:09.980-04:00Frames per Second, Blinks per Lifetime<p>Frames per second, one typical measure of a video capturing device. The more, the better. Video is simply a bunch of sequential pictures (frames) displayed very quickly back to back. The more frames per second you display, the more seamless the video is. </p><p>Here's a simple animation I created in 2005. It's a style called 'stop-motion'.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="466" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LrogHSFyhtk" width="562" youtube-src-id="LrogHSFyhtk"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://youtu.be/LrogHSFyhtk">https://youtu.be/LrogHSFyhtk</a><br /><p>This video probably has an average framerate of 6 or so frames per second. It's 30 seconds long, which means this video is comprised of approximately 182 individual photos. I bent the paper clip, took a picture, bent it again, took another picture and so on. As you can tell it's pretty choppy. If I took more photos between each bend of the paperclip, the video would be much smoother. If you've ever seen films from Tim Burton like The Nightmare Before Christmas or Corpse Bride, this is exactly the kind of animation he uses. It's an insane amount of work! In any case..</p><p>Lately, my life seems to have been speeding up. It also feels like experiencing less frames per second. I seem to be jumping from one point in my life to the next in the blink of an eye. I feel like I'm missing out on so many moments in between. It's almost as if my body's 'camera' for capturing life has degraded over time as I've gotten older, giving me less frames per second. </p><p>But, is it really age related? Maybe it has something to do with being busy with work and graduate school. Perhaps when I have more free time I won't feel like this. It may also have something to do with constant distractions like social media and smartphone addiction. We pick up our smartphones an unhealthy number of times per day. Checking text messages, social media notifications, refreshing Twitter or Reddit to get that quick shot of dopamine. Before we know it, the day is over. Huge blocks of time disappear. Was it time well spent? Likely not. </p><p>I need to take control of my life's camera. I need to capture all the precious moments that I have. Not only capture those moments, but fill them with meaning. I can't let them just pass by without much notice. I need to create a story. Add color, excitement. Or, simply enjoy the moment, perhaps in form of meditation. Most importantly I need to be there, engaged, living in those moments. I don't want to be distracted by things that ultimately don't matter. </p><p>The other day I caught myself in one of those distracted states that may cause your life to fast-forward. I snapped out of what felt like hypnosis, jumped out of my chair and bolted out of my door and headed up to the roof and spend the next 20 minutes there to observe the city around me, witness the sunset, and snap a few photos while I was there. Afterward, I felt more at peace. More alive. More conscious. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxBXpO4wbl0r9gTpAA3tI4S7YKTBu1RnqZEqQqQoK6EN24tyECY3EDhON7mMBaKnD3jzDKCiRq6RXn4FljPAa9cIpYc9PPNgD2LMzeRUi0LeN2LUakM3IJzzFgAD9V0CY1cPi/s2048/PXL_20201015_212122085.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1039" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxBXpO4wbl0r9gTpAA3tI4S7YKTBu1RnqZEqQqQoK6EN24tyECY3EDhON7mMBaKnD3jzDKCiRq6RXn4FljPAa9cIpYc9PPNgD2LMzeRUi0LeN2LUakM3IJzzFgAD9V0CY1cPi/w631-h320/PXL_20201015_212122085.jpg" width="631" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEiqlHy2vNBMrXHzGLmFahHN3nk5ih0ocmdkIxfmm8H4U2ijrdn4rM746x3atqdpgKUjmObJldM4oLRtFTzB2LTc2o6upaKXnuHS9ZvXsh7A6cllbO-mZaNyPbLl96iE_oPN45/s2591/PXL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1213" data-original-width="2591" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEiqlHy2vNBMrXHzGLmFahHN3nk5ih0ocmdkIxfmm8H4U2ijrdn4rM746x3atqdpgKUjmObJldM4oLRtFTzB2LTc2o6upaKXnuHS9ZvXsh7A6cllbO-mZaNyPbLl96iE_oPN45/w636-h297/PXL.jpg" width="636" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Appreciate and take advantage of all of moments you have! Grab hold and take control. Take yourself in a different direction. Go for a walk! Go a different route than usual. Go sit on a bench of you've never sit on before. Walk down a street you've never been down. This is a pretty common practice to increase your mental health. Just wander aimlessly:<div><a href="https://www.mindful.org/aimless-wandering-mindfulness-practice-video/">https://www.mindful.org/aimless-wandering-mindfulness-practice-video/</a></div><div><br /></div><div>A similar term for the same technique is <a href="https://www.today.com/health/what-flaneuring-how-can-you-take-awe-walk-t195686#anchor-Thehealthbenefitsofflaneuring" target="_blank">flaneuring</a>. Flaneur: an idle man around town. Another is <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/07/17/536676954/forest-bathing-a-retreat-to-nature-can-boost-immunity-and-mood" target="_blank">forest bathing</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another problem I think we have nowadays is technology-induced attention deficit. We can't focus. When we're awake, we go from one topic to the next. Our eyes are constantly looking around, never really focusing on anything for more than a few seconds. Rapid eye movement or REM is what occurs during our deep sleep. REM is good during sleep, but when we're awake we need to make sure to control and slow down our eye's movement. </div><div><br /></div><div>There are many methods and techniques to control our focus and mental health and awareness, which include many forms of meditation. What I like to do sometimes is to shut all the lights off and light a candle. All I do is focus on the flickering flame. That's all that matters for the time being. Lose yourself in the flame. Let your mind go blank. Breath deeply. Don't look away. Blink slowly. This might be boring at first, but keep at it and until you feel calm. Life's distractions will try to pull you away. Don't let them. Focus on what matters, which right now is this small manifestation of light energy dancing in the air.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fMVDDG01c0P-D9UtzaeTQzRTVFHLBK9KKCpLGqOl51hQvM9JC5SMmKfWSlFjaVHijPmN4c4fYVIsvHMsYUFv0vMZL3fFg61xseUmHKtHqkq1-gKSBUPAzShxNLgX8-4TAIwb/s800/lighted-candle-in-dark-room.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="423" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fMVDDG01c0P-D9UtzaeTQzRTVFHLBK9KKCpLGqOl51hQvM9JC5SMmKfWSlFjaVHijPmN4c4fYVIsvHMsYUFv0vMZL3fFg61xseUmHKtHqkq1-gKSBUPAzShxNLgX8-4TAIwb/w635-h423/lighted-candle-in-dark-room.jpg" width="635" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Sources:</div><div><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/07/17/536676954/forest-bathing-a-retreat-to-nature-can-boost-immunity-and-mood">https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/07/17/536676954/forest-bathing-a-retreat-to-nature-can-boost-immunity-and-mood</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://lifehacker.com/how-and-why-you-should-wander-aimlessly-1845464723">https://lifehacker.com/how-and-why-you-should-wander-aimlessly-1845464723</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.mindful.org/aimless-wandering-mindfulness-practice-video/">https://www.mindful.org/aimless-wandering-mindfulness-practice-video/</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13762916883276949381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35330932.post-48291381512631749252020-09-17T00:05:00.005-04:002020-10-31T14:28:30.607-04:00It's Okay To Be Different<p>Not many of my posts here contain pictures. Here's one with 3<i> </i>pictures! I captured all of these over the past weekend in Boston. Unusual, but totally acceptable growth patterns. As said in Jurassic Park, "life finds a way". </p><p>This first one is along the Emerald Necklace path, Boston. </p><p>Baby tree decides, <i>'I want to be an 'S' when I grow up.'</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6mA2Z9__Y0G-gps9CMjtGRjXB2E1Pp_oBvuJ0cS8NxgE2IAqSTDKmrEHm7JZYA5waCrD5bT6IMezK908qXVMAQapwCXSOculwxiV9BEyKBBvKaCvW4yq9L3nOf2g7Nr2_DHe/s4032/IMG_20200912_134727.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6mA2Z9__Y0G-gps9CMjtGRjXB2E1Pp_oBvuJ0cS8NxgE2IAqSTDKmrEHm7JZYA5waCrD5bT6IMezK908qXVMAQapwCXSOculwxiV9BEyKBBvKaCvW4yq9L3nOf2g7Nr2_DHe/w566-h754/IMG_20200912_134727.jpg" width="566" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Along a sidewalk in Jamaica Plain, Boston</div><i>'I'll just grow here, in this old dead stump... that okay with you?'</i><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSLDSlmfqiLUEo7hPeN_NTLUlmprmbmLSgOpAnku6YCYxTftxE1_XGP4amBti_afuYW4kwXnXUKp2r3X9zldhzs5kJol1oWt33Lkn28bAf4tkRX8UQftea8zJc7t_Qvbf1A-eZ/s4032/IMG_20200907_172832.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSLDSlmfqiLUEo7hPeN_NTLUlmprmbmLSgOpAnku6YCYxTftxE1_XGP4amBti_afuYW4kwXnXUKp2r3X9zldhzs5kJol1oWt33Lkn28bAf4tkRX8UQftea8zJc7t_Qvbf1A-eZ/w573-h430/IMG_20200907_172832.jpg" width="573" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Found at one of the entrances that lead to Jamaica Pond in Jamaica Plain, Boston.</div><i>'Gravity is a pain... in the bark! That's okay, I've got this.'</i> (FYI: perfectly healthy tree)</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS0tHfAqNo_2NCJXUgR15u5z2xQ1aHja__rs73_CXvzNuYirvi7LCY4rZShNtWRg0nflDsx8PpJWbcjXa5dKEArS67yGtWYH-dqEa95LwuyLomE1UrTn0ah2CsNz5NaFhc8MPe/s4032/IMG_20200907_164812.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS0tHfAqNo_2NCJXUgR15u5z2xQ1aHja__rs73_CXvzNuYirvi7LCY4rZShNtWRg0nflDsx8PpJWbcjXa5dKEArS67yGtWYH-dqEa95LwuyLomE1UrTn0ah2CsNz5NaFhc8MPe/w572-h430/IMG_20200907_164812.jpg" width="572" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p></div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13762916883276949381noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35330932.post-30137939877456724622020-09-12T22:18:00.008-04:002020-10-31T14:29:57.514-04:00My White Privilege<div class="separator"><p style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" 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" /></p></div><p>I'm a 34 year old white man. I'm moderately successful and make a pretty decent salary. I worked hard to get where I am. Up until recently, it hadn't occurred to me that I have had a large advantage in life because of the color of my skin. </p><p>Why did it take me so long to realize this? A lot of it has to do with recent events along with the Black Lives Matter movement. Part of the reason is because of my lack of understanding of history. In addition, even though I don't see racism on a day to day basis, it often happens behind the scenes.</p><p>Growing up I didn't have many friends. Maybe a handful here and there through grade school. Three of them were black. Actually, I think my very first friend was black. This was in Alaska. My father was in the army, so we did a fair amount of traveling. We eventually settled in New England, which is where most of our family was. </p><p>Now in New England, I started elementary school at a mostly white school from grades 1-2. Then we moved again, but not far. Starting in third grade in a different elementary school, my best friend was black. His name was Marques. I'm not entirely sure how the relationship started. I was always very quiet and reserved. I think he's one of the only kids who would talk to me. Perhaps I was the only other kid who would talk to him. He remained by best friend until middle school. We ate lunch and spent recess together. We even played baseball together on the same team for a season in Little League. </p><p>I also had another (black) friend later on by the name of Jesse which began when I stood up for him on the school bus after school. Some other kids were teasing him. Jesse was the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Urkel" target="_blank">Steve Urkel</a> type, so he was constantly being picked on. After elementary school ended, things changed. We were no longer in the same classroom and naturally grew apart. From middle school on, I was essentially a loner. I had a hard time making friends. Marques and I interacted a little bit in Middle and High school, but not much. The last time I saw Marques was actually in College much later on. We randomly ran into each other and chatted very briefly and then went on with our lives. </p><p>Later on in high school I had a few friends, one of which was my second cousin (half white/hispanic). Another was an Italian boy who lived down the street from me. I was sort of adopted into a small group of skateboarders, all of whom were white. We listened to bands like Slipknot and Rage Against the Machine. We did stupid and silly things around town like mimic the members of Jackass, driving each other in shopping carts and launching into big bushes. Even though I spent a significant amount of time with these kids, I never really felt close to them. There were never really any deep or meaningful conversations. I drifted away from these people as well eventually a few years after high school. </p><p>Then in college, I settled on mathematics for my major. My classes were 95% white students and professors. I stumbled upon an engineering job after that. At the company, I could count the number of black employees on one hand. A good number of Asian/Indian. Some hispanic. Mostly white. I would say, 85% white. The breakdown should reflect that of the state. See graph at top for state of CT where my company is. E.g. if my company had 100 employees, at least 11 of them (or more) should be black. </p><p>I never thought twice about it. But, it's likely the case that I was given preference, not for my qualifications, but for my white skin. I have never seen this happen first-hand because I have never been in a management or HR position, but I'm convinced that this type of discrimination happens. And it's not just at work. It's anywhere I go. People will treat me better and show me more respect because I am white. That's a gigantic advantage in life to have. </p><p>I never thought much about racism because I never experienced it. I never even witnessed it. My family, at least on the surface weren't visibly racist. I was raised to treat everyone with respect. I had several black friends growing up. My high school was at most 50% white. I grew up among a mixed bag of people. Little did I know that society viewed me as more valuable than my non-white classmates.</p><p>To be honest, I was never much interested in history growing up. I knew that human slaves existed and I knew slavery was abolished. Therefore, everything was fine. The playing field was now level. Right? WRONG. It never occured to me just how unfair things still were. And still are. It has never been a level and fair playing field. Part of the reason is because of unregulated capitalism throughout the world. Whites had a huge head start in terms of property and wealth. After slavery was abolished, the only people who were starting from the ground up were former slaves. With such a large head start, how would they ever be able catch up in society? It would be one thing if in addition to the abolishment of slavery, racism could be turned off like a light switch. Sadly that was not the case. BUT, even if it was the case and racism didn't exist, having to start at such a low level of society - and a capitalistic one at that, is an almost impossible hurdle.</p><p>White privilege has been ingrained in our society ever since europeans came to America. White settlers felt entitled to this land and stripped it away from the Native Americans. They felt superior to those who had a darker skin color. They completely took over the land, largely by force. Later on they purchased and brought slaves over to America and forced them to do their bidding, to allow the lives of White people to be cozy and comfortable. This sense of entitlement and privilege never faded away. Once the whites were in power, they hoarded that power. The whites had children and raised their children with the same values they had. In addition, these children inherited their parent's wealth. Being wealthy from the get go puts you in a different mindset from those who have to work hard to accumulate wealth. It makes you feel superior and entitled. Most wealthy folks are white, hence the white privilege gets perpetuated. </p><p>I was recently called a racist. This came from a random email through my school email from another student. I was one of hundreds of graduate students she included in the email. She was on a mission, a tirade some would say. She was calling everyone a racist. What she really meant (in my view), was that we were all participants in a systematic racist country. I am not a racist, at least in the conventional definition of the word. However, I admit I am an unwitting participant in this systematic racist country. I have a privilege that I shouldn't have. Indeed, since I am not part of the solution, I am part of the problem.</p><p>Society has been white-washed throughout the years, a sort of brainwashing in which I succumbed to. There used to be a song I used to hear all the time on the radio called, '<a href="https://youtu.be/AIOAlaACuv4" target="_blank">Fast Car</a>' by Tracy Chapman. This was a fantastic song. It always drew me in and gave me chills. Just recently, in the year 2020 did I find out the artist is a black woman. I always assumed it was a white woman! I am so ashamed and embarrassed. Another band I used to listen to is Sevendust. I had no idea the lead singer was black! What is wrong with me? Why did I assume they were all white? Maybe it's because all the other bands I listened to had white-only members. But, I think there's a deeper underlying cause for my assumption - and that is systematic racism. </p><p>Tracy Chapman - Fast Car: <a href="https://youtu.be/AIOAlaACuv4">https://youtu.be/AIOAlaACuv4</a></p><p>Sevendust - Dirty: <a href="https://youtu.be/8avjkSoRSbk">https://youtu.be/8avjkSoRSbk</a></p><p>Earth, Wind & Fire - September: <a href="https://youtu.be/Gs069dndIYk">https://youtu.be/Gs069dndIYk</a></p><p>Now that I'm finally aware of systematic racism and my privilege as a white person, I want to take action. The first thing I can and should do is further educate myself. Recently I watched a historic dramatization of the life of Harriet Tubman on HBO. INCREDIBLE. Blame it on my education. Blame it on my own self disinterest in history as an adolescent - I had no awareness of the struggles of black folks even after slavery was being outlawed. Harriet was a real-life angel on earth. She was the real Wonder Woman. </p><p>I Am Not Your Negro (available on Netflix): <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Not_Your_Negro">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Not_Your_Negro</a></p><p>Harriet (HBO): <a href="https://www.hbo.com/movies/harriet">https://www.hbo.com/movies/harriet</a></p><p>I will read more content from black authors. Currently, I am reading "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_Tell_It_on_the_Mountain_(novel)" target="_blank">Go Tell It On The Mountain</a>" by James Baldwin. </p><p>I will vote for minorities and people who support minorities. I recently had the honor of voting for <a href="https://pressley.house.gov/about" target="_blank">Ayanna Pressley</a> in my district of Boston.</p><p>I will befriend and support minorities in my workplace.</p><p>I will seek out and support <a href="https://www.boston.com/culture/business/2020/06/08/black-owned-businesses-to-support-in-greater-boston" target="_blank">minority-owned small business</a>.</p><p>I will call out my friends and family for any racist or insensitive comments or actions they make. </p><p>I will do what I can to support the BLM movement: <a href="https://blacklivesmatter.com/">https://blacklivesmatter.com/</a></p><p>If I was a minority, I would want the majority to be aware of the discrimination and take steps to level the playing field. We're all humans. If you have any empathy whatsoever, you will join in the movement to help create a society where the color of your skin doesn't matter.</p><p>Additional media from the minority perspective:</p><p><a href="https://muse-parade.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-hate-u-give-audiobook-review.html">https://muse-parade.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-hate-u-give-audiobook-review.html</a></p><p><a href="https://muse-parade.blogspot.com/2019/04/becoming-audiobook-review.html">https://muse-parade.blogspot.com/2019/04/becoming-audiobook-review.html</a></p>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13762916883276949381noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35330932.post-24439684068736931652020-09-01T21:44:00.002-04:002020-09-04T12:14:50.171-04:00The Time We Have Left<p>Do you ever get the feeling you're about to die? Or going to die soon? Perhaps you think about doing it yourself, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm also not talking about having a terminal illness, having a gun pointed at your head, or being at an old enough age where you're likely to kick the bucket. It's a different, less severe, and humbling feeling. It's an odd, usually random, and fleeting feeling that something bad is going to happen. Something unexpected. Something tragic, yet bittersweet.</p><p>It's different than being in a near-miss (really, near-hit) car accident. It's different from the feeling you get when the airplane you're in experiences strong and sudden turbulence. It's not a feeling of panic. It's not that intense feeling of sadness you get when you think about death and how you don't want to die.</p><p>There could be nothing wrong in my life. I'll be driving down the road, usually a highway at night after rush hour, and this feeling hits me. I feel like my life is about to end. I think to myself what could cause it. Will there be a random drunk driver who drives me off the road? Am I going to experience a seizure and drive into a wall? Or maybe it'll happen after I get off the road. Am I going to be mugged at gunpoint tonight? Will the gunner decide to kill me anyway, even after I handed them my wallet? </p><p>Maybe it'll be something slower. Do I have cancer? I'm not experiencing any symptoms. Maybe it's something that will manifest itself in a way that is not noticeable, and by the time it's diagnosed, it'll be too late. If so, how much longer do I have left? Should I start getting my affairs in order?</p><p>I'm still young. Statistically, I still have about fifty years of life left. But, that's an average. I could be an outlier. Or simply, just on the lower part of the curve. With what's going on recently, you never know. I never used to have these feelings. They must have started a few years ago. I don't know if they are going to be temporary or recurring. </p><p>But, I hope they don't go away. It's a sad feeling and a reminder of my eventual death, but it gives me motivation. Do what you can before your time is up. It's a reminder not to dwell on bad memories or regrets.</p><p>I have a fear of flying. Even though I don't show it, I'm nervous from the night before the flight to the point after landing. It's obvious by my overactive gut and bowel movements. But, after touching down I feel alive. I want to take on the world. Complete my goals. Live like there's no tomorrow. I used to wonder if there's a way to replicate this feeling even without flying. Maybe now, I have that. </p><p>Lately I've been experiencing a slightly different feeling. It's not fleeting. It's more constant. I don't know if I'll shake the feeling or not. Hard to say. Maybe I don't want it to go away. I've had an incessant need to share and pass on my knowledge to the younger generation. I feel like if I don't share it soon, it'll be too late.</p><p>Some say it's good to feel frightened from time to time. Maybe this is why. If you live every day in a fog, like a zombie, you lose track of what's important. You lose sight of your limited time. </p><p>I wish I could wake up every morning and feel like my plane just landed. I don't know yet how to mimic this feeling. I hope the feeling I have been experiencing lately doesn't fade away. Living in monotony is my worst nightmare. Life has a lot to offer. Sometimes you're limited by feelings from your past. Maybe it's psychological. Maybe it's stubbornness. </p><p>Motivation is a funny thing. Sometimes it comes to you out of thin air. Most of the time I think it is random, but you may be able to increase the likelihood by making some changes in your life. Put yourself in an uncomfortable situation. Do something that scares you. Heck, it could even be a little thing like trying a different kind of food or going for a walk a different path from what you're used to. They say, the human soul thrives on exploration.</p><p>I'm going to die, but I don't know when. I shouldn't dwell on that fact, but it's good to be reminded of my limited time. I want to experience life. I want to share what I learn and discover. It's a miracle I exist in the first place. Why would I waste my limited time by thinking about my painful past? Why would I constantly do things I don't want to do? It's my life and I only have small amount of time. Then, I'm gone for good.</p><p>I'm thinking I'll change my alarm clock sound on my phone to to the sound of a jet engine coming in for a landing. Maybe that'll help induce this feeling of being alive. Really, <i>alive</i>.</p>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13762916883276949381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35330932.post-42105446444034355262020-08-30T23:21:00.010-04:002020-09-04T10:51:28.437-04:00Empathy<p>Human beings are animals. This is a scientific fact. Sure, we're typically smarter than most other animals, but we aren't special. We live and we die like any other living thing. No offense to any religious folks out there, but I do not believe we are children of any kind of god. We weren't created in the eyes of any omniscient being. We don't exist for any special reason. We exist due to random chance is this crazy, complex universe. Until recently, I felt special. I thought humans in general were special. I thought we were somehow more than just the collection of molecules that comprise our bodies and minds. </p><p>We are all genetically very similar, but we're all wired differently, in a psychological sense. It's a mixture of nature and nurture. I used to think that since we are all human, we can all understand each other. I thought we could all feel empathy toward each other. I thought that being human, everyone must feel the same as I do, deep down. I don't believe this any more.</p><p>No matter what you do. How logical you are. How clear and articulate you are. Some people will feel a certain way no matter what you say to them. No matter what happens. Often, people act on feeling rather than logic. Often, it doesn't matter what the logic says. And sometimes, life isn't logical, so you have no choice but to act on feeling. Or perhaps, one cannot understand the logic or what the communication is attempting to convey. </p><p>People are selfish in a way that they have no regard for others. Some are innately power hungry. Some feel superior to others, often in the form of racism. Many believe they know what's best, regardless of the logical views of others. In my experiences so far in life, I believe there is a spectrum. Most people I've interacted with are similar while a few select others are outliers. The outliers include the people who are racist, power hungry, or extremely selfish. The others are calm, logical, empathetic people that seem similar to myself. </p><p>I am a pacifist to an extent. Popular historic pacifists include Einstein, Helen Keller, John Lennon, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr (MLK). Avoid war at all costs. As we are humans, we should be able to resolve any issues in a logical manner. However, this is based on the gigantic assumption that all humans feel empathy. The assumption that all humans are logical. The assumption that all humans can be convinced, given a clear argument. Take Hitler for example. Do you think he felt empathy? Do you think he could have ever been convinced that his race was not superior to those of others in the world? I don't think so. Therefore, war was necessary. </p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1266008254984982529" target="_blank">MLK</a> contrasted with those such as Malcolm X. How do you bring about change in a world where not all can be convinced? MLK believed in peaceful protests. Malcolm X, at least earlier on believed peaceful protests were not effective. Are riots effective at bringing about change? That is hard to say. Maybe. Personally, I react better to calm, logical arguments. Personally, I can be convinced given a sound argument. If I see a riot with violence, destruction, and looting I generally don't react well - especially if people are being hurt, but I do see why some people feel it is necessary. </p><p>Some people are <i>evil</i> in the sense that they have absolutely no regard for others. Note that I am not using the word, <i>"evil"</i>, in the typical understanding of <i>good and evil or right and wrong. </i>As long as they thrive, it doesn't matter one bit if everyone else suffers. Sometimes these people are very obvious about their disregard for others. Others hide it. Some hide it so well, they appear altruistic on the outside, but actually have <i>evil</i> core. It might not be obvious in their look or in their speech, but if you look closely at their actions, you may be able to catch a glimpse of it. Sometimes, it's very obvious to some, but not to others. </p><p>So, here's a question. Are billionaires <i>evil? </i>This obviously depends on your definition of the word <i>evil</i>, but, let's phrase it another way: do billionaires have an extreme lack of regard for others? I would say for the most part, yes! A billion dollars is a staggering amount of money. Hundred (100), thousand (1,000), million (1,000,000), billion (1,000,000,000), trillion (1,000,000,000,000). These are just words. If you have a hard time grasping just how much larger one billion is compared to a million, here's a nice visual drawn by yours truly. I know, I should have been an artist. If you stack $100 dollar bills, 1 million dollars will be about 5 feet tall. A billion dollars will stack up to the height of the tallest building in the world. $1 trillion would reach outer space. The drawing is not to scale, so the $ 1 billion is even taller. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG1csPZvSVubSgKToXbFACGXuB3GSvvXSinm7LCgA7aEOcFgO_CdWfWEIDmVLHFfWnG8yuAlCjtwu2UEaZsVDTxKrlam3ZY9MAv_0dWUUFQXUGsDDtbBkN5v3xMRm4FirtWq1i/s520/1Mil-vs-2Bil_v2.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="520" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG1csPZvSVubSgKToXbFACGXuB3GSvvXSinm7LCgA7aEOcFgO_CdWfWEIDmVLHFfWnG8yuAlCjtwu2UEaZsVDTxKrlam3ZY9MAv_0dWUUFQXUGsDDtbBkN5v3xMRm4FirtWq1i/w416-h335/1Mil-vs-2Bil_v2.PNG" width="416" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">$1 million is the amount of money many people work their entire lives to acquire so that they can retire comfortably say around the age of 65. Sadly, most of us aren't able to even do that. There are about 2000 billionaires worldwide. Because they have such vast amounts of money, this gives them power. Because they have such a vast percentage of wealth, this means A LOT less for everyone else. $1 trillion is an obscene amount of money for any one person to have. I think it's pretty obvious they have an extreme disregard for everyone else. They live like kings and queens while the large percentage of the world's population suffers. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My guess is that unregulated capitalism is the cause of the world's billionaires. Without any rules or laws in place set by the government, people can continue to gain wealth at an exponential rate like Jeff Bezos, the CEO and creator of Amazon whose net worth is about 200 billion dollars. He may be on track to be the world's first trillionaire. As disturbing as this is, I find it even more disturbing that people continue to buy products on Amazon. Some billionaires give some of their money away to charities, but it's not enough. We need a wealth tax. Period. These people are forever greedy and selfish. Because we can't expect them to change, the government needs to step in. Sadly, many people in government are affiliated with these billionaires, so government may not do a thing. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well, that was a rant and a half. Now, getting back to what I originally wanted to discuss... humans, despite being 99.99% the same genetically, how different and animal-like they are. Nature and nurture are contributing factors. Location and environment is another factor. For example, in Japan the collective good is emphasized as important. In America, it's a free for all, everyone for themselves. Japan, Canada, and several others countries have excellent country-wide government-funded healthcare. Have a major accident in one of these countries? Your bank account is fine. Have that same accident in the US? You could go bankrupt. In the US, your healthcare is tied to your job. Lose your job, lose your insurance. The government doesn't care about you. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In general (unless we're talking about family), other people don't care about you. That is, unless you can do something useful for them. Does it seem like your boss at work cares about you? Probably. Do they actually care about you? No, probably not. They only care about how good you are at your job. If you don't provide any value, people won't care if you disappear off the face of the earth tomorrow. That's reality. That's what we are. For the most part. There are humans who do care for others who have no requirement that the other person do anything of value for them. You've heard of a parent's unrequited love for their child. Some parents don't have this, but I would say most do. A child can do absolutely nothing of value for the parent, yet the parent will always care deeply for them and are willing to do anything for them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There are some people who have unrequited compassion for non-family members. Have you ever seen someone give money to a homeless person? These people are obviously expecting nothing in return. They <i>feel</i> for the less fortunate. They care. I would argue that this action makes them feel good, so they are actually getting <i>something </i>in return - but not from the other person directly. The same applies to people who give a portion of their salary or time to charity or those who volunteer as soup kitchens. I like to think of these people as <i>angels</i> on earth. But, there aren't enough of them. And not enough of them are wealthy or in positions of power.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We have to get more of these <i>angels on earth </i>in power to shift the balance of empathy and selfishness. To do that, we all need to vote. In every single election we have the ability to vote in. Get more involved in politics. Research all the candidates. Vote for people you like and share common interests in. Otherwise we're letting selfish people rule our country and write our laws. Your government will not automatically care about you. People are animals. Do not expect one human in power to care for another simply because they are the same species. The government is a group of humans. If that group of humans is filled with uncompassionate people, the rest of us are doomed. </div>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13762916883276949381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35330932.post-58253288263259745582020-08-25T12:06:00.007-04:002020-08-25T12:52:01.345-04:00Bank Accounts<span id="docs-internal-guid-45bb73d3-7fff-a55b-a682-67c5438627a7"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘Put your money in the bank’ is what I always remember hearing growing up. This is partly true. What you really want to do is put some of your money in the bank and the rest in the stock market.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Keeping all your money in an </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">average </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bank, or simply in cash under your mattress, causes it to lose value over time due to this horrible thing called </span><a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/inflation.asp" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">inflation</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So how much money do you want to store in the bank? Enough to cover an emergency, commonly referred to as an emergency fund, typically 4-6 months worth of expenses. That’s it! The rest of it should be in the market where it can grow. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, if you are saving up for a large purchase such as a car or a down payment on a home, you may also want to keep these funds in your bank - BUT, more ideally they would at least be in a certificate of deposit (CD) until you are ready to buy. A CD is a type of savings account mostly offered by banks to grow your money for a relatively short period of time.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, checking vs savings accounts. I always wondered why it was called a savings account. I did not find out until recently that savings accounts actually have a growth factor called an annual percentage yield (APY). I never noticed all these years because the banks that I have used thus far have such a TINY APY. They would deposit pennies in my savings account every year and I wasn’t sure why. Well, what do you think your bank actually does with all this money? They are investing it in the stock market! They are making tons of money off of your money and then giving you pennies in return. Because a lot of these funds are locked up in the market, banks will typically have limits in place for withdrawals. Checking accounts on the other hand likely aren’t invested by the bank, so there are no withdrawal limits.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It wasn’t until recently that I discovered ‘high yield’ savings accounts. These are just savings accounts with relatively high APY. For reference, most banks in America have savings accounts with an APY of just 0.06%. Currently (August 2020), high-yield savings accounts have an APY of 0.8%. That’s a HUGE difference. Keep in mind this % changes and fluctuates according to the current financial climate. The 0.8% used to be upwards of 2% just several months ago. As soon as the market recovers, this 0.8% will increase again. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here’s some quick math: let’s compare a bank with an APY of 2% and one with 0.06%. Let’s say you have $10,000 in your savings account as your emergency fund. After one year, your high-yield account will have paid you 0.02 * $10,000 = $200. Your other account would have paid you 0.0006 * $10,000 = $6. $200 vs $6: which would you rather have?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One downside to most high-yield accounts is that they are online only. I really have no need for a brick-and-mortar physical location bank, so this isn’t really a downside for me personally. Below I listed a few popular banks that offer high-yield savings accounts. These accounts are ideal storage locations for your emergency funds as well a safe place to grow the money you are saving up for a large purchase if you decide against a CD.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A few other minor downsides:
- You cannot deposit cash. For this reason If you have a need to deposit cash, I suggest having a separate bank that has a physical location - then you can initiate a transfer between banks if needed. You can deposit checks via smartphone and of course set up direct deposit like any other bank.
- The way you get cash out of your account is through any ATM. They provide you with a debit card (assuming you also opened a checking account with them). Unfortunately, there's a limit of $1,000 per day at ATMs. Therefore, should you have a need to withdraw all of your funds in cash in one day, this would not be possible. You can however write a check for any amount OR transfer funds online via Zelle.
</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Despite these minor downsides, a high-yield account is a wonderful thing to have. Depending on the inflation rate, a high APY account will allow your money to more or less retain its value over time.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">High-yield savings (bank) accounts:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.ally.com/home1?prtarget=am&NBOINVCust" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ally Bank</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.capitalone.com/bank/savings-accounts/online-performance-savings-account/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Capital One (360 performance savings)</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.marcus.com/us/en/savings/high-yield-savings" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Marcus (Goldman Sachs)</a></span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span></p></span>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13762916883276949381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35330932.post-46384926029014699012020-08-19T22:26:00.004-04:002020-09-05T12:22:23.109-04:00Cancel Culture<p>I'm 34 years old. I grew up in the time of the original Power Rangers. I had a black and white Gameboy the size and shape of a brick. I'm a bit out of touch when it comes to recent culture and trends. I typically live under a rock when it comes to social media and new-age terms and movements like, 'cancel culture' and being 'woke'. I spent the majority of my life living under a rock - both intentionally and unintentionally... but that's a story for another time.</p><p>As I'm becoming more interested and involved with politics (regret not being involved earlier), I realize these things matter and I need to learn about them.</p><p><a href="https://www.dictionary.com/e/pop-culture/cancel-culture/" target="_blank">Dictionary.com definition of cancel culture</a>:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Cancel culture refers to the popular practice of withdrawing support for (canceling) public figures and companies after they have done or said something considered objectionable or offensive. Cancel culture is generally discussed as being performed on social media in the form of group shaming."</span></p></blockquote><p>It sounds like a form of <a href="https://muse-parade.blogspot.com/2019/02/boycott.html" target="_blank">Boycott</a> (link to my blog on the subject). I actively participate in a several long-term boycotts of certain companies that I have philosophical differences with. Cancel culture sounds like a boycott of people and even just one individual. However, a big issue that I am discovering is that people are 'cancelling' people sometimes without much proof or for a silly reason such as an insignificant difference of opinion. General Boycotting also has this issue, but I feel it's more prevalent with cancel culture because of social media and the all too easy spread of disinformation. </p><p>Boycotts can be very effective given enough people are on board. Typically they start small and then gain momentum. This is the same process for cancelling someone, except it likely occurs very fast. The problem is that it often happens prematurely. Say a popular music artist is accused of sexual assault. They might then immediately 'cancelled' by large swarms of people. The judgement happens before the truth is out. 'Innocent until proven guilty' is often thrown out of the window. </p><p>It could be a smaller offense. You could give provide an opinion that might offend someone and heavy backlash could follow given it reaches enough people. Boycotting and cancelling are a form of social justice. The people have the power to choose to support or ignore certain people, groups, companies without the need for legal litigation. People like to feel like they are a part of something. They like to feel like they are making a difference. If they hop on a particular bandwagon that is boycotting someone, they feel like they've done something important. But have they done their research?</p><p>I think this ties into social media induced A.D.D. Scrolling through endless streams of media posts provides us with an endless dose happiness-inducing chemicals in our brain. By latching on to a movement such as a cancellation, we feel even better. This allows us to feel like activists. It's fast and easy. But is it right? Is it fair? Are we judging too quickly? Our attention deficit prevents us from looking too deep into the actual issue. Doing any kind of significant research is probably not very fun, so our happiness-hungry brains quickly move onto a different topic.</p><p>To cancel something or someone is just another term for Boycotting them. It's just a modern, more hip term. It's a new branding. In with the new, out with the old like a new trendy pair of jeans. Maybe it'll be called something else in a few years. It's Boycotting brought to the world of social media and public shaming. You hop on a cancel train and all of a sudden you feel 'woke' and informed and aware of the problems in the world and by being on the train with a host of others, you feel you are making a difference.</p><p>I am all for Boycotting. Since cancel culture is Boycotting with a new label, I'm in favor of it. But, people need to do their research before committing to something. You cannot judge too quickly. The world is a complicated place. Your actions have <a href="https://muse-parade.blogspot.com/2020/07/implications.html" target="_blank">consequences</a>. If you are going to publicly shame someone, you better make sure aware of the facts. The world is not black and white. </p><p>Resources:</p><p>Excellent (warning: very long) speech on 'wokeness':</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sni7ghqHBJw">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sni7ghqHBJw</a></p><p>HuffPost UK video explanation of cancel culture:</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bisnMOujqFs">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bisnMOujqFs</a></p><p>Harvard professor against issues with cancel culture:</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-erKC_TT9dQ">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-erKC_TT9dQ</a></p><p>Barack Obama on 'call-out culture' and being 'woke':</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaHLd8de6nM">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaHLd8de6nM</a></p>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13762916883276949381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35330932.post-42135465610908656272020-08-17T20:34:00.004-04:002020-08-17T20:54:54.793-04:00Communication in 2020<p>Communication is hard. And I feel it's becoming more difficult, despite all of our technology. </p><p>There are methods of direct text communication such as text message (SMS), WhatsApp, LINE, Signal, Telegram, Facebook messenger. And then there are social media platforms, which offer a direct and indirect communication methods such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat. We obviously still have the ability to make a phone call, but often default to the digital option. Then there are the video chat options such as Facetime, Skype, Zoom, Google Meet, Google Duo. </p><p>Some of these become less popular over time and get phased out. Remember AOL and AIM instant messenger? Google has had a several they experimented with and retired such as Google Allo. In true Google fashion, Google Duo will now be phased out and replaced with Google Meet. </p><p>We have all these methods and options, yet I feel we're actually communicating less effectively compared to the earlier days of email and even snail mail. The communication is also much more shallow. We switch from one topic to the next in the blink of an eye. There's so much information out there, it's hard to focus. We are bombarded with never ending streams of social media and news feeds.</p><p>There are a few problems. </p><p>1. While options are good to have, too many options cause a lack of communication because people choose to use different methods. There have been attempts in the past to combine all methods into one, but I don't think they gained much traction. There's even an episode in the show, The Office where Ryan attempted to make an App called, 'Woof' that does exactly this. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrVskziCc4w">WUPHF - The Office ("Woof") (Youtube)</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1c/cf/da/1ccfda103958bdc1736f0d30d8d30855.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="230" data-original-width="300" src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1c/cf/da/1ccfda103958bdc1736f0d30d8d30855.jpg" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>2. Information coming in at the speed of light, so many connections to many others cause a sort of social media induced attention deficit disorder. We're connected to people around the world, which is good, but there are endless streams of information that we feel we need to pay attention to - because we either feel it's important or just plain entertaining. </p><p>What's the solution? Well, awareness is step one. Two, you need to establish what's really important to you. Is it the constant bombardment of hourly life updates from all your Instagram buddies or personal messages from your family? From there you need to force yourself to focus on what's important while filtering out all the other junk. </p><p>You ever get a text message or an email and forget to respond to it? This was much less likely in the days of snail mail. You'd get a letter which you probably put it on your desk or kitchen table. Having the physical piece of communication not only made it more difficult to forget, but it also likely felt more important. </p><p>One problem I have is that I refuse to use Facebook while most of my family uses it. Because it has the same ownership, I also refuse to use Instagram and WhatsApp. That leaves me with Twitter. Sadly, barely anyone in my family uses Twitter. So, I resort to using text messages and Email if I want to communicate with them electronically. This is issue #1 discussed above. </p><p>Issue #2 is a broader issue, but nonetheless effects communication. Technology-induced ADD is what I like to call it. There are so many TV shows to keep up with and binge, so many Twitter, Instagram, and news feeds to scroll through. So many notifications from your smartphone that you need to dismiss. Before you know it, it's bedtime. So much for all those hobbies you wanted to start or continue. So much for that book you've been meaning to read. So much for responding to a text or an email that you forgot about that got lost in the sea of digital distractions. </p>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13762916883276949381noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35330932.post-17787680657085051442020-07-09T11:20:00.004-04:002020-07-11T13:31:10.106-04:00ConsequencesHave you heard of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect" target="_blank">butterfly effect</a>? Perhaps you've seen the <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289879/">movie</a> starring Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart. Basically a small change can propagate and cause a larger change. This is essentially cause and (large) effect. It's pretty straightforward to understand. Is it always the case? I don't know. I'll leave that up to physicists. It's hard to say that if I were to punch the ground in Boston, Massachusetts that this will have any major consequences around the world other than a broken hand.<br />
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There are other actions I could take that will have a larger effect. Some effects are obvious, but many consequences likely go unseen. Part of what distinguishes us humans from other animals is our ability to ponder the results of a decision before making it. However, I don't think we are utilizing this ability enough.</div>
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I think in most cases the decisions we make are motivated by self interest. By choosing option A over options B, C, and D, I will benefit the most. Humans are selfish creatures, so this is to be expected. I am selfish and there's nothing inherently '<i>wrong</i>' with that. But, I think we need to spend more time considering and understanding the consequences of our decisions and actions. It's possible that what we initially understand to be the better option, is actually not - in terms of better for us personally and/or better for others. If you do care about others, there's even more to consider.</div>
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Here's a simple example that actually does occur often: in many parts of the world, cola is cheaper than clean water. Don't believe me? Here's a <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35461270" target="_blank">BBC article</a> on the subject. Families will buy and drink cola instead of water. If you didn't know better, it may seem like buying cola is the better option. You're getting a product that is cheaper that has calories over a product that is more expensive and has zero calories. The actual result? Diabetes. Similarly, there's a perception that <i>healthy</i> food is generally more expensive than unhealthy food. For some food items, this may be true. But, consider beans and lentils. SO cheap and SO healthy! By purchasing the cheap crap food, your health suffers. You are generally better off spending more and eating well.</div>
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So far, I've given pretty simple examples. Consequences go deeper, however - especially if you care about others. Continuing with the food examples.. where are you buying the food? What store? Who owns the store? Where does the food come from? Do you agree with the store owner's values? Are the store's workers paid fairly? How are you paying for the food? Cash or credit? Do you agree with your credit card companies values?</div>
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You can drive yourself into a rabbit hole before making any decision because the consequences are vast. Or, you can simply not care and make your decision based on information that is immediately available. I think we need to strike a balance.</div>
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I recently stopped buying avocados imported from Mexico because of information I learned from a documentary I saw on Netflix called <i>Rotten</i>. Should I believe everything I see on TV? Absolutely not. But, the documentary gave some compelling evidence and it was enough for me to take action. Basically, the avocado industry in Mexico is controlled by cartels. The avocado is often referred to as '<i>green gold'. </i>Buy purchasing these avocados, you are mostly supporting these cartels instead of the actual farmers. <a href="https://medium.com/@swrandolph/i-recently-watched-an-episode-on-the-netflix-documentary-rotten-e5ba4c63cb26" target="_blank">Related article</a>. Could the same be true for bananas? Perhaps. It's likely many food stuffs are controlled by large corporations where the actual growers get taken advantage of. This is part of the reason I like farmer's markets. </div>
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Like I mentioned earlier, many consequences don't matter if you don't care about others. For example, if you shop at Walmart. You're getting some great bang for your buck. But you're also supporting child labor in sweat shops across the world. The workers at Walmart? They get paid terribly. Many employees have one or two other jobs just to get by. By shopping at Amazon, you're supporting the richest human in the world. And guess what? He might become the world's first trillionaire in a mere six years from now. That's insane. <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/15/could-jeff-bezos-really-become-the-worlds-first-trillionaire-by-2026.html" target="_blank">Source</a>.<br />
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Do you use platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp? Then you're supporting Mr. Mark Zuckerberg. This POS refuses to block nasty, misleading political ads from appearing on people's Facebook feed. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/jun/06/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-trump-scientists?CMP=share_btn_tw" target="_blank">Source</a>. This definitely played a part in getting the current POTUS elected and will again play apart in helping him to get reelected. </div>
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Sometimes we don't really have much of a choice and we need to choose the lesser of two <i>'evils'</i>. Say between Walmart and Target or Apple and Microsoft. But I think if we spend just a little more time doing some research before making a decision, we'd be better off.</div>
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Consequences go well beyond making purchases. Everything we do has consequences. See a piece of trash on the ground? No matter what you decide to do, you are setting a precedent. If you pick it up and throw it in a trash bin, you're cleaning up your own environment, which is benefiting you. It's also benefiting others. What if another person saw you doing this? It may encourage them to do the same. It may restore a sense of humanity in others. Or, you could leave the trash there and continue living in garbage land.</div>
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Your actions have consequences. Your inaction has consequences. I encourage everyone to think, at least a few levels deep, about how your actions affect the world around you. Sometimes, it will require a significant amount of effort to investigate and educate yourself, but I believe it's worth it. You, the people you care about, and the rest of the world will be better because of it.</div>
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Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13762916883276949381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35330932.post-68088513509555154382020-06-27T03:02:00.004-04:002020-08-16T14:31:45.313-04:00Savings and Retirement<div>
401k, IRA, 403b, Roth IRA, <a href="https://twocents.lifehacker.com/how-to-save-for-retirement-with-your-health-savings-acc-1844592077" target="_blank">HSA</a>, Stocks, Bonds, Mutual Funds, Index Funds, oh my!</div>
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I don't know about you, but I didn't learn about any of this in school. There were electives in college I could have chosen, but since they weren't required for my major, I did not take them. It all seems a bit ridiculous, but is absolutely necessary to have knowledge of if you want to have a secure retirement. </div>
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Simply saving the money you make in your job will likely not be enough for you to retire comfortably, say at the age of around 65. It depends on your lifestyle and where you live, but it is generally recommended to aim for 1 to 1.5 million dollars. This includes money in retirement accounts such as a 401K and an IRA. Unfortunately, this is out of reach for a vast majority of people.</div>
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So, how do you get there? Well, your best bet is to invest. How do you invest? Sadly, it's complicated. But there are many free guides that exist that will simplify things. Investing can also be very risky if you do it wrong. Recently, a 20-year old took his life after losing thousands of dollars in the stock market.</div>
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<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sergeiklebnikov/2020/06/17/20-year-old-robinhood-customer-dies-by-suicide-after-seeing-a-730000-negative-balance/#6dc805981638">https://www.forbes.com/sites/sergeiklebnikov/2020/06/17/20-year-old-robinhood-customer-dies-by-suicide-after-seeing-a-730000-negative-balance/#6dc805981638</a></div>
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This is an extremely sad story, but it highlights a few important issues. First, a lack of education. The method this fellow used is very risky and akin to betting large amount of money on a horse race. It's not clear whether he was aware of the risk. After losing that much money so unexpectedly likely put him in a state of shock and felt that his life was over. The thing about the stock market is that it fluctuates constantly. You can get rich quick, but you can also get poor just as quick. If you're hoping to make lots of money in a short period of time, forget about it. When it comes to investing, you need to think, long-term.</div>
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Back in the day, many people hid their money. Some even buried it in their backyard. It's because they didn't trust the banks. Now, if you do this, you are losing money. Even if you have your money in a average savings account you are losing money. How much? Obviously it depends how much you have, but potentially a lot. Sadly, there's this crazy thing called inflation in which the value of your money decreases over time. Lame, right? Yes, I agree. </div>
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What's the solution? Invest! Putting your money in the <i>market</i> allows it to grow and offsets the effect of inflation. Sadly, it's not at all obvious how to go about doing this. You have to do your research. Because of this learning curve, a big chunk of the population will never make the efforts. It's so important to invest for your retirement, many companies automatically enroll you for a retirement account - typically in the form of a 401k or 403b. If you have either one of these, great! This is a good start, but likely still won't be enough. </div>
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Here are some great guides:</div>
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<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/investing">https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/investing</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/3z0rid/need_a_2016_new_years_resolution_watch_these/">https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/3z0rid/need_a_2016_new_years_resolution_watch_these/</a></div>
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Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13762916883276949381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35330932.post-29115257237348506472020-04-28T21:21:00.001-04:002020-07-24T01:20:17.403-04:00Luxury, Vanity, Excess, Greed[<i>I drive a $90,000 Range Rover to get a $5 Starbucks coffee every day.</i><br />
<i>When I'm going out on the town, I can tell time with my $8,000 Rolex.</i><br />
<i>All other days I'll use my Apple watch because I need yet another screen in front my my face.</i><br />
<i>I've got the latest flagship top-end $1200 iPhone with the earpods that make me look hip.</i><br />
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<i>The latest $3,000 Macbook Pro laptop to browse Facebook.</i><br />
<i>I carry my things in my $2,000 Louis Vuitton hand bag.</i><br />
<i>I have a 6 bedroom house, 1 vacation cottage, 3 cars, and 1 boat.... because why not?</i><br />
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<i>I've made it. I've achieved success.</i><br />
<i>I worked hard. I deserve all of this.</i><br />
<i>I deserve to be happy. I'm happy....</i><br />
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<i>Do I need all this? No.</i><br />
<i>But, I wanted it. And I can afford it.</i><br />
<i>You only live once.</i><br />
<i>I'm in control. I have the power.</i><br />
<i>I determine my own fate, my own happiness.</i>]<br />
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Why do these luxury items exist?<br />
Because people have the surplus money to afford them.<br />
Because these luxury items seem superior to similar products. People prefer superior items.<br />
People like to feel special. They like to treat themselves.<br />
To some, these products give the feeling of accomplishment and status.<br />
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Often the luxury product is not superior. Often it's just a vanity item. Like a Rolex.<br />
A Rolex is just a watch. But it is made out of a 'precious' metal like gold.<br />
Gold is 'special' because it's relatively rare on earth and people seem like the look of it.<br />
Being made out of gold doesn't add any benefit to the item's purpose.<br />
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Let's talk about cars. Who really needs a Range Rover? For the price, you think it either has the ability to fly or has the ability to convert to a boat. Who really needs a Lexus or a BMW, for that matter? They may have a slightly more comfortable interior (leather?), but the overall purpose of the vehicle is not extended. It gets you from point A to point B. It doesn't even necessarily last longer. In fact, I believe cheaper vehicles tend to have a higher reliability. It may even go faster, but what's the point when there are speed limits?<br />
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Why do you need a fancy and expensive hand bag? Why not get one less than half the price? It serves the same purpose. Sure, maybe you can afford it. Good for you. But, have you ever stopped to consider that extra $ could be used for something better?<br />
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Do you really need a Macbook Pro to only browse Facebook and write emails? Do you even need an Apple product? Perhaps a Chromebook would do. (I agree there are some who can actually take advantage of this product like actual developers)<br />
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Imagine all you could do with the extra money you save by not buying unnecessary luxury items.<br />
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Why are all these items so desired? Perhaps it's brainwashing. Gold is just a yellow-ish metal. Diamond is just a super hard and sparkly rock. A Range Rover is just a motor vehicle. Starbucks is just a coffee. You can make your own for a fraction of the price.<br />
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Do you really need to feel superior to others? Is it that important? Do you really need these things in order to feel accomplished?<br />
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What about your neighbor Joe who is struggling? He goes to work every day. He works 2 jobs in fact. He's not lazy. He's just not as fortunate as you. He seems happy, though when you talk to him. But you can tell he's worn out. He deserves a break, but he won't get one. He doesn't make enough money at one job to pay his rent.<br />
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But, you can afford a $500 hand bag. And a $90,000 vehicle. And a $5 coffee every day which comes to 365 * $5 = $1,825 for the year for coffee.<br />
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This is how it is. Some are more fortunate than others. You're okay with it apparently. You continue your habits knowing there are many others just like your neighbor Joe. Your poor neighbor Joe.<br />
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Your poor neighbor Joe..<br />
<br />Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13762916883276949381noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35330932.post-72314227901372989232020-04-27T15:55:00.002-04:002020-07-10T13:05:34.808-04:00The Choices We MakeThis can be seen as a continuation from my last post about wealth inequality.<br />
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Lately I've been thinking about how rich people came to be and what the average Joe or Jane can do to prevent the rich from becoming richer - and even to rebalance the wealth across all work classes. Note that rebalance does not mean everyone has the same percentage of the pie. This would be pure socialism. I am however a fan of aspects of socialism such as the type of socialism that senator Bernie Sander's believes in: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_socialism#21st_century" target="_blank">democratic socialism</a>. Pure capitalism and pure socialism aren't the answer. You need to find a balance. So what can we (the average person) do to shift the balance?<br />
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The first and likely most important thing we can do is VOTE. Vote in every election you are able to vote in. Vote for people who you share the same values with. You can't just vote in the presidential election and expect big changes. Big changes come from the ground up.<br />
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What else can we do? Well, you need to think about how these people got rich in the first place. Consider some folks from the 1%. Jeff Bezos (Amazon). Bill Gates (Microsoft). Warren Buffett (Berkshire Hathaway). The Walton family (Owners of Walmart). Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook).<br />
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Consider Mark Zuckerberg. He got rich by creating a web-based application called Facebook. The main source of income here is through ads and the millions of people who use the app. What would happen if everyone stopped using the app? Facebook is not a necessary thing. I personally quit the app a while ago because I did not agree with Mark's actions on running political ads.<br />
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If everyone in the world decided to quit Facebook, the company would likely go out of business and Mark's wallet would stop growing. People have that power. Some people have decided the quit Facebook, but the majority have not. I find this to be unfortunate and disappointing. The truth is Facebook has a hold on people. Facebook has become one of the main methods for families to keep in touch. This is the main reason people won't leave it behind. Facebook, despite Mark's claims, has a monopoly on social media.<br />
<br />
This is an easy solution to eliminating 1 billionaire. But, it won't happen because of the following potential reasons:<br />
<ul>
<li>People don't realize their power of choice</li>
<li>People don't mind or don't care that they've created a billionaire </li>
<li>People are too attached to the app</li>
</ul>
<div>
I understand that people want to keep in touch with family, so I try my best not to judge those who use Facebook. But, is it really worth it? There are other ways to keep in touch with family. You've created and are maintaining a billionaire class that is hoarding the nation's wealth. Is that worth it to you? For me, it absolutely is not. But, that's for others to decide for themselves. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Getting rid of Facebook and the billionaire Mark Zuckerberg would be very easy. But it won't happen. Now, getting rid of other billionaires such as Bill Gates is extremely hard in comparison. I'm personally required to use Microsoft products every day because my employer chose Microsoft over Apple computers. There's no choice here for people. The only way for Bill's wealth to be distributed downward is a wealth tax. Or, he could give it away, which he currently does. Bill is one of the few Billionaires I respect. I don't agree that he should have had the ability to become a billionaire, but I agree with what he chooses to do with his money. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Okay, what about Amazon and Walmart? Here, we have a choice again. People can choose to not shop at Amazon or Walmart. And if everyone did, they would go out of business pretty fast. But, the reason this won't happen is the same reason people won't leave Facebook. They're hooked. Both Amazon and Walmart offer very cheap items with convenience. But at what cost?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
How does Walmart offer such low prices? Partly because they pay their workers poorly. By shopping at Walmart, you are supporting their practice of poor wages for their hardworking employees. Can you live with that on your conscience? I can't. But, perhaps you can. I'll gladly pay a little more for a product somewhere else knowing that the employees of the company are likely getting paid fair wages. Unfortunately, I think many people do realize this, but are so poor, they have no choice but to save 30 cents per purchase by shopping at Walmart. This is why the government needs to step in.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You have the power of choice. The choice to make purchases from companies whose values we agree with. The choice to vote for someone who will help get our capitalist society under control. We have the power to affect the wealth distribution. Maybe people don't realize this. In that case, they need the education. On the other hand, perhaps people just don't care and are okay with this inequality. I highly doubt the latter is correct. </div>
Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13762916883276949381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35330932.post-37425025860371224892020-04-24T15:37:00.001-04:002020-04-30T19:14:24.137-04:00Wealth InequalityGrowing up, I always wanted to be wealthy. To be able to afford anything I wanted. Not having to worry about bills. Not rich, but wealthy. For perspective: rich > wealthy > well-off. Nowadays I'm happy being well-off. I define well-off as being able to afford all the necessities, save for retirement, and the occasional vacation. However, even being well-off seems unfair.<br />
<br />
I'm finding it harder and harder to understand people's need to be rich or even wealthy. People's need for extravagance. People's selfishness. Besides your retirement account, why does anyone need millions of dollars? Why does anyone need tens of thousands of dollars? It's one thing if they are giving it away. But, why hoard it? Wealth inequality is a serious thing. If you are hoarding that much money, in my eyes, you don't care about the rest of humanity. You consider yourself, your family, more important than everyone else. Everyone else can suffer and struggle while you sit on your large piles of money.<br />
<br />
Okay, sure I admit I'm the most important person in my life. However, objectively I don't consider myself more important than anyone else. Now that I'm making a decent amount of money. I'm able to save for retirement. I've begun investing. I should be able to retire at a decent age and live comfortably for the rest of my life. This is a totally normal thing, right? Yet, I feel strange. I used to enjoy watching my bank account grow. I imagine this feeling for folks like Warren Buffet never stopped. Now, I feel odd. Why is it that I get to be well-off when so many others are struggling financially? I know for a fact it's not only a matter of effort. Much of it has to do with luck. Sure, I worked hard to get where I am today. But, I've also been lucky.<br />
<br />
Luck has more do with it than most people think. A lot has to do with where you were born and who you were born to. Children do not start off life on equal footing. Sadly today your footing depends on other factors as well including your race and sex. I am a white male. This gave me an unfair boost. It certainly shouldn't have, but it did. It's commonly referred to as, 'white privilege'. I can see it in my workplace. I understand it. It exists and I wish it didn't.<br />
<br />
I'm somewhere in the middle of the graph below. I barely even register (very thin section of green). I work as at an engineering company and make a decent salary. Despite this, I'm doing just fine overall. But, look closer toward the left end of the graph. Those people are just getting by and some are even in the negative (see the red area of graph). Those people are making starvation wages. Those people are in serious debt. Look at the area of the red part of the graph. It seems relatively small, right? Well, it is, relative to the whole area of the graph. But, that small chunk represents millions of people in serious debt of thousands upon thousands of dollars. Many have no hope of ever getting out of that debt.<br />
<br />
Now take that red area of the graph and compare it with the tip of the right side of the graph. It's a tiny fraction of the green peak. You could remove that tiny section of the green tip and equalize the red section without affecting the quality of life of the rich folks it was removed from. They'd still be outrageously rich, yet all the people who were struggling are now magically out of debt and would likely have a much better chance at a happy life (if they weren't already happy). How skewed this graph is makes me sick. I find it incredibly disturbing how greedy people are.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Wealth_distribution_by_percentile_in_the_United_States.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Wealth_distribution_by_percentile_in_the_United_States.png" width="640" /></a></div>
Graph borrowed from Wikipedia:<br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealth_inequality_in_the_United_States">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealth_inequality_in_the_United_States</a><br />
<br />
The concept of needing money to make money is not hard to grasp if you understand the ideas of investing, but the implications are very unfair. We have this thing called the stock market. The more money you have to invest in this market, the more you potentially make. Large causes of such wealth inequality as seen in the graph is unchecked capitalism and this odd concept of making money off the money you already have. The sad conclusion: the rich just keep getting richer.<br />
<br />
List of the world's richest people:<br />
<a href="https://www.forbes.com/billionaires/">https://www.forbes.com/billionaires/</a><br />
<br />
Here's a quote from Wikipedia:<br />
"Just prior to President Obama's 2014 State of the Union Address, media[8] reported that the top wealthiest 1% possess 40% of the nation's wealth; the bottom 80% own 7%"<br />
<br />
Useful / Related Links:<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DANUXO-GQwU">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DANUXO-GQwU</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPKKQnijnsM">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPKKQnijnsM</a><br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealth_inequality_in_the_United_States">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealth_inequality_in_the_United_States</a><br />
<br />
Common Dreams Article:<br />
<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/04/27/no-were-not-all-together-how-super-rich-are-cheating-america?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR1p1zTQwK1apo8RMcHqnnypdu8JhfPFKu8LOo14WVtqGNnf5G0gIfztqDY">https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/04/27/no-were-not-all-together-how-super-rich-are-cheating-america?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR1p1zTQwK1apo8RMcHqnnypdu8JhfPFKu8LOo14WVtqGNnf5G0gIfztqDY</a><br />
<br />
Warren Buffett on wealth and billionaires:<br />
<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/warren-buffett-wealth-gap-inequality-solutions-2020-4">https://www.businessinsider.com/warren-buffett-wealth-gap-inequality-solutions-2020-4</a><br />
<br />
Jacobin opinion article:<br />
<a href="https://jacobinmag.com/2020/04/billionaires-coronvirus-pandemic-profiteers-taxes">https://jacobinmag.com/2020/04/billionaires-coronvirus-pandemic-profiteers-taxes</a><br />
<br />
Sample calculations:<br />
$ needed in retirement: $50,000 per year for 85-60 = 25 years = 1,250,000. 1.25 Million Dollars.Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13762916883276949381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35330932.post-48328027133916614552020-04-13T18:34:00.000-04:002020-04-13T18:34:44.199-04:00Life - A PoemI found these notes in an old notebook. I have no idea when I wrote it. It looks like a poem. Here it is:<br />
<br />
<u>Life</u><br />
There's a light. It's so far away..<br />
I wonder if I can get closer...<br />
Wait... it is getting closer...<br />
Bigger and bigger, it is so bright....<br />
<br />
I emerge from a cannon<br />
I am flying up into the air<br />
Toward a reflective ceiling, I fly...<br />
I can see my reflection getting larger and larger...<br />
My image shatters and my body...<br />
Breaks through the other side.<br />
<br />
The world is getting smaller now..<br />
I can see my whole city, my whole state, my whole world.<br />
The earth is so small. So insignificant. So beautiful.<br />
I become motionless for a moment. Time passess....<br />
I want to stay here. Up here by myself, where...<br />
I am safe. It is safe. Peaceful. Serene...<br />
I am falling.<br />
<br />Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13762916883276949381noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35330932.post-39697976198796419472020-04-12T13:37:00.000-04:002020-04-26T14:00:03.028-04:00Lights OutYou fall asleep. Then you wake up. What happens in between? You lose consciousness. You dream. Your mind technically stays active. But you typically aren't aware. '<i>You</i>', as in your consciousness.<br />
<br />
You lose consciousness when you fall asleep. You also lose it when you die. The difference is when you die, you don't regain consciousness, right? How do we know we will wake up? We have no guarantee. We expect to wake up because we have been waking up since we were born. But one day we won't. Unless there's some way to preserve our consciousness beyond our physical body.<br />
<br />
It seems strange, at least to me, that one would be okay with dying. I understand that if you are in lots of pain, either physical or emotional, you'd rather die. But what if you aren't in any pain. What if you enjoy every day. Would you then still be okay with dying? I suppose it depends on the person. For example, if the person happens to believe in the afterlife, then dying is no big deal. But if you're like me, this life is all you have.<br />
<br />
If you ask people how they prefer to die, most would likely say in their sleep. That way you're unconscious when it happens. Being aware of your impending death is frightening. We spend the majority of our lives trying to stay alive. If you die without being aware, then it's the same as falling asleep.<br />
<br />
In the future, the definition of dying might be different than what it is today. We may be able to capture one's 'soul' or consciousness on a computer chip. One day it may be possible to fall asleep in one body and wake up in another. This could be considered a manufactured reincarnation. We could potentially live forever. But, until that happens, we need to deal with death. And some, if not most people are perfectly okay with dying. Many people prefer not to live forever.<br />
<br />
Life might become boring after a while, right? As the saying goes, life is a struggle. Why struggle forever if you don't have to? Then again, perhaps everything will be automated in the future and all ailments will have a cure. What then? Would people still choose death?<br />
<br />Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13762916883276949381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35330932.post-11184021252551139482020-02-22T13:38:00.002-05:002020-02-22T13:46:41.863-05:00Over The Top: Audiobook Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1564864774l/41824023._SX318_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1564864774l/41824023._SX318_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Full title: <u>Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love</u><br />
<u><br /></u>
Dork score: 8/10<br />
<br />
This doesn't read like a book. I wouldn't be surprised if he 'wrote' this book by voice recording. Especially because I <i>'read' </i>the audiobook, it's more of a conversation that Jonathan is having with the reader as it's him narrating. If you're at all familiar with him - likely from his show Queer Eye, you know what he sounds like.<br />
<br />
His exuberant personality can become too much in long sessions, so I had to break the book into smaller chunks. The book is titled,'Over The Top' afterall. Yes, indeed that's who he is. But, that's what makes Jonathan the '<i>Queen</i>' that he is. Yes, he refers to himself and others as, '<span style="font-style: italic;">Queen</span>' many, many times through the book and in his show.<br />
<br />
While this is who Jonathan is part of the time, other times it's a facade. Despite appearing happy 100% of the time, Johnathan, like many of us have demons we deal with on a daily basis. Unlike how he appears on Queer Eye, he describes in the book his struggles through sexual abuse, drug addiction, and HIV. If you look closer at the book cover, you can clearly see the ups and downs. There were a handful of episodes on Queer Eye where he looked terrible. Mental illness is hard to hide.<br />
<br />
Jonathan has learned to overcome so many speed bumps in his life, but he learned to love himself, despite his constant battle. He had support, but from what I can tell, he was able to get to this point mostly by himself, through sheer will to be fabulous.<br />
<br />
While it took me a while to get through, I quite enjoyed this audiobook. He is brutally honest, quick-witted, and not afraid to be himself. Way to go, <i>Queen!</i>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13762916883276949381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35330932.post-91686190424895649032020-02-22T12:45:00.000-05:002020-02-22T12:46:36.750-05:00The Year of Less: Audiobook Review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1508469293l/35488858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="307" height="200" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1508469293l/35488858.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
<br />
Full title: <u>The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store</u><br />
<u><br /></u>
Dork score: 7/10<br />
<br />
This was a last-minute selection as I was heading out the door on my way to work. I was initially disappointed because the title is misleading. People have given this book a terrible review because of this. I gave it the benefit of the doubt and listened to the whole thing.<br />
<br />
This book is a memoir with tidbits of financial advice sprinkled in. She does actually provide a list of things you should do at the very end of the book - most of which I agree with.<br />
<br />
I was expecting the book to go into more detail on how she saves money. She conducted an experiment called, 'the shopping ban'. Instead, she spent the majority of the book talking about herself - her lovelife, friendships, etc. It wasn't a bad book. There are some very good pieces of advice if you don't mind sitting through all the fluff. I treated it mostly as background noise during my long drives to work, but paid close attention when she started talking about methods to reduce spending.<br />
<br />
Her blog/website likely has more financial advice and is located here: <a href="https://caitflanders.com/">https://caitflanders.com/</a>.Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13762916883276949381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35330932.post-32504232402789100422020-01-26T11:07:00.001-05:002020-03-11T23:14:19.269-04:00The Credit Card JuggleI have several credit cards. This may sound bad or irresponsible to some, but hear me out.<br />
<br />
I don't use the cards to buy things I don't need. And, I actually make money by using them. I'm not talking pennies. I'm talking enough per month to pay a utility bill or two.<br />
<br />
Also, most importantly, I pay my full balance off every month to avoid interest charges as this would completely defeat the purpose of saving $. To make things easier, set up automatic payments so you don't forget.<br />
<br />
Believe it or not, if you are using cash or debit card (or a credit card w/ no rewards), you are actually losing money - compared with those who have reward credit cards. Check out this video that offers a good explanation: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySH5SudRwak&feature=youtu.be">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySH5SudRwak&feature=youtu.be</a><br />
<br />
Here's my current credit card list:<br />
Citi Double Cash (Citi Bank) - 2% cash back on anything<br />
Discover It (Discover) - 5% cash back on rotating categories<br />
Chase Freedom (Chase) - 5% cash back on rotating categories<br />
Bank of America Cash Rewards (BoA) - 3% cash back on category of your choice<br />
Amazon Prime (Chase) - 5% cash back on certain Prime purchases as well as Whole Foods<br />
<br />
My most often used card is the Citi double cash - simply because you get 2% back on everything. This means you can use this card to pay for your car insurance and get cash back from it!<br />
<br />
Next most used are either the Chase Freedom or Discover It, depending on the categories. The categories change quarterly, so you'll need to pay attention. Often as at least one of them is gas and sometimes groceries. 5% back on gas and groceries. Not bad, eh?<br />
<br />
The BoA card is used when the rotating category cards don't offer 5% back on big expenses like gas or groceries. So when this happens you manually change the category of your BoA card (can be done once per month). 3% isn't too shabby.<br />
<br />
I recently got rid of Amazon Prime, so I no longer get the 5% (I instead get 3%), so I don't use this card much anymore. But if you have Prime, it's a no-brainer.<br />
<br />
Many of these cards also offer a sign-up bonus (typically $200), so that's nice too.<br />
<br />
Happy juggling!<br />
<br />
P.s. this is a continuation of <a href="https://muse-parade.blogspot.com/2019/03/how-i-save.html">https://muse-parade.blogspot.com/2019/03/how-i-save.html</a><br />
<br />
Useful links:<br />
<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/f4qepg/new_to_rpersonalfinance_have_questions_read_this/?%24deep_link=true&correlation_id=8f2ab8f1-a22e-4cd6-8b25-7368d3965dcc&ref=email_digest&ref_campaign=email_digest&ref_source=email&utm_content=post_title&utm_medium=digest&utm_name=top_posts&utm_source=email&utm_term=day&%243p=e_as&%24original_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2Fpersonalfinance%2Fcomments%2Ff4qepg%2Fnew_to_rpersonalfinance_have_questions_read_this%2F%3F%24deep_link%3Dtrue%26correlation_id%3D8f2ab8f1-a22e-4cd6-8b25-7368d3965dcc%26ref%3Demail_digest%26ref_campaign%3Demail_digest%26ref_source%3Demail%26utm_content%3Dpost_title%26utm_medium%3Ddigest%26utm_name%3Dtop_posts%26utm_source%3Demail%26utm_term%3Dday&_branch_match_id=523274052969398461" target="_blank">https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance</a>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13762916883276949381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35330932.post-439335350352433642019-12-14T11:39:00.002-05:002019-12-14T11:39:13.582-05:00The War on Normal People: Audiobook Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/417iUJRq-BL._SX333_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="335" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/417iUJRq-BL._SX333_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
Dork score: 7.5/10<br />
<br />
Subtitle: "The Truth About America's Disappearing Jobs and Why Universal Basic Income Is Our Future"<br />
<br />
I was initially turned off by the main title of this book. I'm still not sure if I like it. "Normal people". What is that supposed to mean? Am I normal? Does he mean, the middle class? He probably could have chosen a better title.<br />
<br />
Andrew often promotes his love for Math and often wears a baseball cap emblazoned with the word, 'MATH'. While this wasn't initially meant to be an acronym, like 'MAGA' - he later said it could mean, 'Make America Think Harder'. I like this, but it creates a bit of a juxtaposition between his argument for universal basic income (UBI) and the MATH acronym. Why do people need to think harder when they get paid $1000 per month for just existing?<br />
<br />
This reverence for math is what lead to the use of the term, 'normal' as in a normal statistical distribution. But, it still doesn't really make sense as all people would exist on the normal curve (including outliers). See graph below. After having finished the book, '<i>normal</i>' means <i>typical</i>. 'Normal' people are folks who are unable to find work after their job is automated. 'Normal' people are folks who don't have the ability, drive, or time to obtain new skills in order to change careers once their current job is automated..<br />
<br />
His main pitch is for universal basic income (UBI). He paints a dark picture for our future of automation. Machines will take over our jobs and we'll be left unemployed. He talks a lot about truck drivers in the book as there are many of them. Say you're a truck driver and have been for 20 years. This is all you know. You don't have any other skills. What happens you're replaced by a self-driving truck? What do you do? Go back to school?<br />
<br />
Some of Andrew's points seem contradictory. He says people won't stop working if they have UBI, but at the same time people won't be able to find work because they only know how to do one thing.<br />
<br />
I think eventually we'll end up in a situation similar to the humans in the movie, 'WALL-E'. This is a future where all human needs are automated which completely eliminates the need for them to work. I just hope we don't all become overweight blobs with bone density close to zero (as depicted in the movie).<br />
The future of automation according the movie, Wall-E:<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xToQ4cIHkk">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xToQ4cIHkk</a><br />
<br />
While $1000/month for everyone in America sounds nice, I don't think it's the solution. Besides, why would you give a millionaire $1000/month? I'm not convinced this won't make people lazy. I think Andrew underestimates human laziness. I think that money would be better spent on programs that help them learn new skills.<br />
<br />
Kudos to Andrew for narrating this audiobook, but 'twas a bit robotic.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Normal_Distribution_PDF.svg/510px-Normal_Distribution_PDF.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="510" height="204" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Normal_Distribution_PDF.svg/510px-Normal_Distribution_PDF.svg.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Source:<br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_distribution">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_distribution</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.nhpr.org/post/2020-candidate-conversation-andrew-yang#stream/0">https://www.nhpr.org/post/2020-candidate-conversation-andrew-yang#stream/0</a>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13762916883276949381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35330932.post-84491814011318948022019-11-05T01:17:00.000-05:002019-11-05T17:58:36.857-05:00The Power of Now: Audiobook Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41WIbflfG2L._SX323_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="325" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41WIbflfG2L._SX323_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
Dork score: 8.5/10<br />
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What time is it? It is now-o'clock. Now is all we have. Now is all that matters. Now is where you'll find your balance. Now is when and where you will find your answers.<br />
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This book is about more than the timeless now. It's about <i>being</i>.It's about the distinction between you '<i>the watcher</i>'<i> </i>and your physical '<i>pain body'</i>.<br />
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One thing I like about Eckhart is that he often reminds the reader that words are just a human device in an effort to communicate ideas or feelings. Sometimes words mean different things to different people. This includes words like, 'God' or 'spirit'. He'll often use words in an unconventional way, so you'll need to keep this in mind as the book progresses. As in the book's subtitle, 'a guide to spiritual enlightenment', the word 'spiritual' likely means something different to Eckhart than it means to many people.<br />
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In some reviews of this book, you'll often see the term, 'mumbo jumbo'. For the first chapter or so, this was my first impression - mostly due to my skeptical nature. Eckhart's voice also threw me for a loop. I had never heard him speak before. He narrates the whole audio book. He does sound a bit odd at first, but you get used to it. He speaks slowly like you would expect a spiritual teacher to speak. There's even a audible chime between chapters in the audiobook.<br />
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I identify what a lot of what Eckhart says while some passages either I didn't wholly agree with or didn't quite understand. It may deserve another read-through.<br />
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He presents a straightforward path to <i>enlightenment</i>. It's not something you need to search for or work a lifetime to achieve. You just need to <i>be</i>. Exist in the <i>now</i>. Be present. Become conscious and avoid being ruled by your thoughts. It's simple and elegant, but I don't know if it's pathway for everyone. It also seems to be a self-centered approach. We all have different life experiences from Eckhart. Many people may be able to identify with him and his thoughts, but many people may not. He does make it sound like this enlightenment is achievable by anyone if you follow his steps. This is part of the reason my score of the book isn't higher. Perhaps I'll find some of the answers in his other works.<br />
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I like his sentiment, 'you are not your mind'. Most (if not all) suffering exists in the mind. Separate (or differentiate) from your mind and you can avoid suffering. Your mind is a powerful thing. It can also be a dangerous, self-harming device if you allow it. I agree with Eckhart that you need to treat your mind as a tool. Your mind is part of you, but you aren't your mind. Thoughts often flow like a leaky faucet. Or perhaps a waterfall that you can't stop. If you can't stop the thoughts, weather they are positive or negative, you can at least observe them as an objective third-person.<br />
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“I have lived with many Zen masters, all of them cats.” - Eckhart Tolle<br />
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Another thing that bothers me about supposed 'zen masters' is that they claim the ability to judge the level of enlightenment of others. While I like the quote above about cats, how does he know cats aren't actually suffering from mental illness? Most cats look content just being, but how do we know?<br />
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Eckhart seems like a humble person. He does speak with conviction, which I'm sure a lot of people like. After all how could you believe someone if they don't seem confident in what they are saying? However, there are some claims which I feel are matters of opinion and should not be treated as fact. I would like Eckhart more if he didn't make such bold claims.<br />
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With that said, I highly recommend this book to anyone. Read/listen to it with an open mind. Give it a chance. During the first chapter, if you've never heard of E. Tolle before, you may think it's a gimmick. Read a few chapters before making that judgment. Think about what is being said, but don't think too much. As Eckhart explains - don't think, <i>feel</i>. Like anything, you don't need to agree with it all to gain from it. This was time well spent. It <i>forces </i>you into a self-meditation. It's a habit I already had before reading this, but especially after having read it, I recenter myself whenever I feel overwhelmed or flooded with negative thought.<br />
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Wiki: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eckhart_Tolle">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eckhart_Tolle</a><br />
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Website: <a href="https://www.eckharttolle.com/">https://www.eckharttolle.com/</a>Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13762916883276949381noreply@blogger.com1