Yesterday marked my first time publishing on Cent.
And from here on out, I shall continue to publish first on Cent while syndicating here.
I've been publishing on Blogger since the winter of 2009 without any complaints, but also without anything noteworthy happening as well.
My publishing schedule on Cent will switch to late evening KST time, so that means I will make a placeholder post on Blogger (such as I am doing now) before noon KST each day before updating with what I publish on Cent.
I will probably continue in this way until I hit post number 365 on Blogger. Why? Because that's a boss number.
2018년 11월 3일 토요일
2018년 9월 25일 화요일
Getting Used to Cold Water
No matter how often one swims, cold water always shocks.
There is no way to completely avoid that initial discomfort (that I know of), but there are ways to make it easier and quicker to get used to cold water.
My prefered method is super simple. First wade into the water until you get to waist level before getting out of the water. Then you go back in. Boom. Done.
It's the simplest, and in my opinion the most powerful example of the efficacy of repetition, because you can literally feel the benefit of it. The benefit in this example being that cold water doesn't feel as cold the second time you go in.
The first time doing anything that's beyond a basic-level of difficulty is going to either feel hard or uncomfortable or overwhelming. Maybe you'll feel all those things at once.
But go at that same or similar task again at a later time (but, crucially not too much later) and those feelings will perceptively diminish if not completely evaporate.
There is no way to completely avoid that initial discomfort (that I know of), but there are ways to make it easier and quicker to get used to cold water.
My prefered method is super simple. First wade into the water until you get to waist level before getting out of the water. Then you go back in. Boom. Done.
It's the simplest, and in my opinion the most powerful example of the efficacy of repetition, because you can literally feel the benefit of it. The benefit in this example being that cold water doesn't feel as cold the second time you go in.
The first time doing anything that's beyond a basic-level of difficulty is going to either feel hard or uncomfortable or overwhelming. Maybe you'll feel all those things at once.
But go at that same or similar task again at a later time (but, crucially not too much later) and those feelings will perceptively diminish if not completely evaporate.
2018년 9월 24일 월요일
Blogging: Mental Sustenance
Fred Wilson's avc.com blog has passed it's 15th anniversary. That's absolutely incredible.
To commemorate that fact, Fred published an awesomely humble and concise blog that I recommend everyone give a read [here].
For me, the following really stuck with me:
> I regularly get people coming to me and asking me to write a book. I always pass because I can’t imagine writing in a format that has an end. I can’t imagine writing in a format that doesn’t provide instant feedback. I can’t imagine writing in a format that requires a structure. I can’t imagine writing in a format that isn’t a stream of consciousness. I can’t imagine thinking about what I am going to write more than ten minutes before writing it. I can’t imagine killing trees to carry my words. So I will continue to write a blog. It’s the perfect format for me. AVC is way more than a book. It is a living breathing thing that sustains me and that is me.
I love that because I agree with everything Fred wrote. And because I'm envious of the 'instant feedback' Fred's been able to get from his blog. That 'instant feedback' and the steady reader base that gives rise to it occupy an enormous chunk of the value proposition of the benefits of blogging to bloggers.
Unfortunately, and as most of my longtime readers know since I've beaten this horse before, most casual bloggers are not able to experience that 'instant feedback' from a steady base of readers. Ever.
But finally - freaking finally! - that no longer need be the case for bloggers, or really any amateur content creators. Why? Because Cent is about to finally introduce a new smart contract that'll first and foremost provide the ability of any creator to monetize their creations, but will also (should the creator seek to utilize the built-in incentive functionality) allow the creator to wrangle up a readership and commenting base on-demand.
I don't want to say too much, but all will (finally!) be unveiled imminently. So stay posted to beta.cent.co for the imminent release of something that will finally(!) help unlock the promise of blogging as a constantly replenishing source of mental sustenance for the mass of casual bloggers and content creators.
To commemorate that fact, Fred published an awesomely humble and concise blog that I recommend everyone give a read [here].
For me, the following really stuck with me:
> I regularly get people coming to me and asking me to write a book. I always pass because I can’t imagine writing in a format that has an end. I can’t imagine writing in a format that doesn’t provide instant feedback. I can’t imagine writing in a format that requires a structure. I can’t imagine writing in a format that isn’t a stream of consciousness. I can’t imagine thinking about what I am going to write more than ten minutes before writing it. I can’t imagine killing trees to carry my words. So I will continue to write a blog. It’s the perfect format for me. AVC is way more than a book. It is a living breathing thing that sustains me and that is me.
I love that because I agree with everything Fred wrote. And because I'm envious of the 'instant feedback' Fred's been able to get from his blog. That 'instant feedback' and the steady reader base that gives rise to it occupy an enormous chunk of the value proposition of the benefits of blogging to bloggers.
Unfortunately, and as most of my longtime readers know since I've beaten this horse before, most casual bloggers are not able to experience that 'instant feedback' from a steady base of readers. Ever.
But finally - freaking finally! - that no longer need be the case for bloggers, or really any amateur content creators. Why? Because Cent is about to finally introduce a new smart contract that'll first and foremost provide the ability of any creator to monetize their creations, but will also (should the creator seek to utilize the built-in incentive functionality) allow the creator to wrangle up a readership and commenting base on-demand.
I don't want to say too much, but all will (finally!) be unveiled imminently. So stay posted to beta.cent.co for the imminent release of something that will finally(!) help unlock the promise of blogging as a constantly replenishing source of mental sustenance for the mass of casual bloggers and content creators.
2018년 5월 30일 수요일
Life on Cent
It's from Chapelle's Show, chill
Of course I took a shot at responding, and since I am quite happy with the response (and especially the gif since it seems crazy but actually ties in with what I wrote perfectly - but it for sure shocked the hell out of a bunch of Centians), I'll share it here as well. Enjoy.
__________________________
Out of curiosity I'd like to read a longer explanation where you explain why you wrote what you wrote. Like what does 'mind's eye' mean to you?
Anyways, I love to look at how ancient cultures thought of and represented basic concepts like 'life' to help me understand those concepts on a deeper level.
In classical Chinese life is represented by the character '生' which signifies the sprouting of a blade of grass or tree. Explicitly then life is the birth of something, but implicit within the birth of anything is both growth and ultimately death. So life in the ancient past was thought of as the birth, growth and death of anything.
While everything may have a life, the life of any human is valued higher than anything else in our modern times. This is no more clearly expressed than in the character set '人生' which means 'life' in modern Chinese, Korean or Japanese. Unlike in classical Chinese, however, the symbol for person or '人' has been attached to '生' to make explicitly clear that process of birth, growth and death of any human.
Thus life today is nothing more than the process of birth, growth and death that any human lives.
What is super interesting for me is that from this understanding of the apparent difference between how life may have been thought of in the past versus how it is actually thought of today, it seems to show that, at least in a broad general sense, we as humans are the only creatures who have the power to define what life is as well as it's relative value.
And as I wrote that, I just realized that that was probably what you realized too which is probably why you wrote what you wrote.
*mind blown*
2018년 5월 22일 화요일
Blogging & Discussion
There is a pretty cool bounty live on Cent now [here] asking about how users think blogging may work if implemented into Cent.
About 40 Centians have responded so far, with several open to the idea of adding blogging capability and in some cases basically aligned 100% with my personal vision for how blogging would work on Cent.
Of course there are several users who aren't so sure.
One comment by fellow Centian @hpearcem pretty much sums up the opinion of those not in total support of the idea: "Cent is more of a discussion platform and blogging is not."
That opinion is completely understandable. For many, blogging is associated with writing in a diary; a diary that is, of course, open to the whole world. And like diaries, no one usually writes on another person's blog. But there is one glaring uncommonly common exception: the comment section found beneath basically every single blog.
The reality though is that the comment section has been dead for a long time for most bloggers. So for all intents and purposes, blogging has not been a platform for discussion for most bloggers. That though is a bug, not a feature.
For a small minority, blogging has been used as a platform for discussion, but this has been true only for super notable bloggers for the most part like Fred Wilson on avc.com for example; not your typical average blogger.
I am one of those typical average bloggers. As a typical average blogger, when I see the discussion that takes place at avc.com I am stoked, but envious since I know that barring some sudden celebrity or a super time consuming not to mention costly SNS marketing blitz, my discussion-less blogging reality will inevitably persist.
Since I am in no way special or extraordinary, there must be others out there in a similar position who feel something similar and want to have open discussions on their blogs.
Until now though, as I've said, there just hasn't been an easy way to accomplish this. But now we have Cent, and as long as you have a couple bucks you can bring that discussion you've longed for to your blog posts on-demand.
On top of that, users have been creating mini-blog posts already - just click your username and look at your history.
Anyways, to summarize: Blogging is very much a platform for discussion, it's just been the case that the blogging platforms out there until now have been terrible at attracting and sustaining that discussion.
Pro tip: you can substitute 'blogging' for a number of other native digital actions too like vlogging or podcasting or...the list goes on.
About 40 Centians have responded so far, with several open to the idea of adding blogging capability and in some cases basically aligned 100% with my personal vision for how blogging would work on Cent.
Of course there are several users who aren't so sure.
One comment by fellow Centian @hpearcem pretty much sums up the opinion of those not in total support of the idea: "Cent is more of a discussion platform and blogging is not."
That opinion is completely understandable. For many, blogging is associated with writing in a diary; a diary that is, of course, open to the whole world. And like diaries, no one usually writes on another person's blog. But there is one glaring uncommonly common exception: the comment section found beneath basically every single blog.
The reality though is that the comment section has been dead for a long time for most bloggers. So for all intents and purposes, blogging has not been a platform for discussion for most bloggers. That though is a bug, not a feature.
For a small minority, blogging has been used as a platform for discussion, but this has been true only for super notable bloggers for the most part like Fred Wilson on avc.com for example; not your typical average blogger.
I am one of those typical average bloggers. As a typical average blogger, when I see the discussion that takes place at avc.com I am stoked, but envious since I know that barring some sudden celebrity or a super time consuming not to mention costly SNS marketing blitz, my discussion-less blogging reality will inevitably persist.
Since I am in no way special or extraordinary, there must be others out there in a similar position who feel something similar and want to have open discussions on their blogs.
Until now though, as I've said, there just hasn't been an easy way to accomplish this. But now we have Cent, and as long as you have a couple bucks you can bring that discussion you've longed for to your blog posts on-demand.
On top of that, users have been creating mini-blog posts already - just click your username and look at your history.
Anyways, to summarize: Blogging is very much a platform for discussion, it's just been the case that the blogging platforms out there until now have been terrible at attracting and sustaining that discussion.
Pro tip: you can substitute 'blogging' for a number of other native digital actions too like vlogging or podcasting or...the list goes on.
2018년 5월 16일 수요일
Team Building
About once a year or so each team, division and group within my company have a designated day or half-day for team building activities. This could mean bowling, neon sign making, going to a ropes course, mountain climbing or any "team building" activity.
If it were up to me I'd just cut to the chase and treat my team to a fancy dinner and drinks, but I'm the youngest old man you'll ever meet.
That said I'm usually always left feeling happy and satisfied that I took part in the team building session after it finishes. There are always a few more colleagues you get to know during whatever activity you end up doing, and we always drink copious amount of liquor with a tasty meal.
Most times a little discomfort upfront ends up being worth it in the end. Cheers to keep on keeping on through it all.
2018년 5월 15일 화요일
Profit Comes From People
Yesterday as I was catching up on a few recent daily articles from Ben Thompson's Stratechery newsletter, I was struck by the following sentence: Profit comes not from right but from worth.
Ben was talking about why he immediately ponied up the cash to maintain full access to Bloomberg's journalism. I almost said digital journalism, but since their an exclusively digital outfit (I think) I decided it's too early to get tautological. Anyways.
I totally get both his point about something needing to be worth something to elicit an exchange for it, as well as why he paid Bloomberg money: they write damn good articles that are worth paying for.
It also got me thinking of avc.com, Facebook, and Cent.
As I've said before, I think Fred's blog and comment section is one of the most valuable free resources on the internets today. The 5% of blog visitors who drop into the forum of debate below Fred's daily posts would surely pay something to both Fred and his commentariat if for no other reason than just to give back a little of the value they have taken until now. I know I would.
Facebook provides a global phonebook, replete with white and yellow pages. Although the phonebook wasn't must-read material when we used to have it delivered to our house when I was younger, it provided an indispensable utility (for a time) and paid for itself - it still does believe it or not - with revenue from ads. Each and every person pays for themselves in some small way just being a Facebook user and thus adding additional value to the network of other users and Facebook itself.
Cent, at least for now, is more like avc.com than Facebook. It's similar in scale (obviously) but also in terms of the value that the discussions between and amongst users generates. As of today, tens of thousands of dollars has passed through Cent, and that will only increase. That is proper value, and it's built into the experience from the beginning; there won't be some separate paywall bolted on later (nothing against paywalls, it's just that we are talking about two fundamentally different experiences).
The big question is how best to capture that value, but aside from that it's crucial to see where that value and the profits therefrom are derived from: People.
Ben was talking about why he immediately ponied up the cash to maintain full access to Bloomberg's journalism. I almost said digital journalism, but since their an exclusively digital outfit (I think) I decided it's too early to get tautological. Anyways.
I totally get both his point about something needing to be worth something to elicit an exchange for it, as well as why he paid Bloomberg money: they write damn good articles that are worth paying for.
It also got me thinking of avc.com, Facebook, and Cent.
As I've said before, I think Fred's blog and comment section is one of the most valuable free resources on the internets today. The 5% of blog visitors who drop into the forum of debate below Fred's daily posts would surely pay something to both Fred and his commentariat if for no other reason than just to give back a little of the value they have taken until now. I know I would.
Facebook provides a global phonebook, replete with white and yellow pages. Although the phonebook wasn't must-read material when we used to have it delivered to our house when I was younger, it provided an indispensable utility (for a time) and paid for itself - it still does believe it or not - with revenue from ads. Each and every person pays for themselves in some small way just being a Facebook user and thus adding additional value to the network of other users and Facebook itself.
Cent, at least for now, is more like avc.com than Facebook. It's similar in scale (obviously) but also in terms of the value that the discussions between and amongst users generates. As of today, tens of thousands of dollars has passed through Cent, and that will only increase. That is proper value, and it's built into the experience from the beginning; there won't be some separate paywall bolted on later (nothing against paywalls, it's just that we are talking about two fundamentally different experiences).
The big question is how best to capture that value, but aside from that it's crucial to see where that value and the profits therefrom are derived from: People.
2018년 5월 13일 일요일
New New Ideas & Marshall McLuhan
Cheers to fellow Centian @MaheShrestha for sharing this pic on Cent
One of the most impressive aspects of the book is the fact that it was published at all. In the book's introduction McLuhan recalls how an editor lamented that the book was unpublishable since it contained over 75% in brand new material; a "normal" book was supposed to only introduce at best 15% in new material.
Of course that editor was wrong, and McLuhan's ascent into the stratosphere of fame and renown is testament to that fact. But that editor wasn't worried for nothing.
Often times when someone introduces a new concept they leave their interlocutors dazed and confused. New concepts are just hard.
Readers of this blog and fellow Centians will remember my own initial consternation getting a feel for McLuhan's writing style let alone key core concepts. But after pushing through the first few chapters where McLuhan introduces everything new - literally nothing new is introduced later in the book - he professorially assaults the reader with a barrage of repetition, rephrasing and reiteration of those new ideas over and over.
It is an extremely effective technique. No matter how hard or foreign a new idea may be, if it is explained in a myriad of different ways consistently and with conviction, understanding is bound to follow.
Any good teacher probably knows this. It wouldn't surprise me if this method is called the 'Jesus Pedagogy'.
In fact, it's a technique that this humble blog has been employing in regards to a few subjects I'm passionate about like Cent (duh), Heidegger, and 이동식 just to name a few obvious ones.
So if you ever fall for something new and want to explain it to others, which you will have to at some point whether you want to or not, be prepared to give examples and explications for days and days as consistently as an automatic Swiss wrist watch.
2018년 5월 11일 금요일
2018년 5월 10일 목요일
Notes on Stories
I read an interesting article the other day by Ian Bogost entitled "Why 'Stories' Took Over Your Smartphone" about the rise of a brand new native mobile media format.
Formats are important because they are essentially behavioral defaults. They pre-define what is possible. They also standardize what, until a particular format arose, had been a totally bespoke effort based on a growing number of individuals producing something that looks similar using, potentially, vastly different means.
It's a great read, but for those who don't have time I cribbed some key passages from the article that highlight the salient points, at least for me.
So, skim through my notes below and give the article a read if you have more time.
______________________
Facebook’s chief product officer, Chris Cox, made a remarkable announcement...this week: “The increase in the Stories format,” he explained, “is on a path to surpass feeds as the primary way people share things with their friends sometime next year.”
[Stories are] a collection of images and short videos, with optional overlays and effects, that a user can add to over time, but which disappears after 24 hours. Users view a Story in sequence, either waiting out a programmed delay between images or manually advancing to the next.
Stories might be the first true smartphone media format. And that might mean that they will become the dominant format of the future.
[Stories are] composed in the heretofore ghastly 9:16 aspect ratio. This is an unholy view, like a widescreen television on its side. But it’s also the standard view of the smartphone display.
Stories is not a technology, nor is it a feature. It is a media format, or even a genre, in the way that a magazine or a murder mystery or a 30-minute television program is.
[Stories] are chains of vignettes, as seen through the frame of the smartphone’s rectangle. Moving rectangles, maybe we should call them instead, after moving images, another name for the category that contains film, television, video, and the like.
“I think disassociation is sort of the point [of Stories]...It’s the same reason people go to Coachella just to take photos of themselves there all day.” The liveness of smartphone-authorship, combined with the ephemerality of the Story format, makes it a catalog of the experience of holding and looking through a rectangle almost all the time.
“Photography is not about the thing photographed...It is about how that thing looks photographed.” And likewise, a Story is not about the things sequenced in the story. It is about how those things look through the sensors and software of a smartphone.
2018년 5월 9일 수요일
Who are my Readers?
To everyone who is stopping here to read something on the regular: Thank you, it really means a lot.
Since I started blogging daily at the end of January, traffic to this humble blog has skyrocketed (in relative terms). There are over 750 unique visitors to this blog on average every month now. That's crazy.
What's even crazier is that over 100 stopped by yesterday alone.
I know there are a few Centians who stop by regularly, but there seems to be a lot of other folks. Maybe they're just bots?
Anyways it would be great to interact with you guys more before I shift this over to Cent.
Reach out to me on Twitter @bread_krumbs and give me a shout. Would be super grateful.
Anyways it would be great to interact with you guys more before I shift this over to Cent.
Reach out to me on Twitter @bread_krumbs and give me a shout. Would be super grateful.
2018년 5월 6일 일요일
Idea Clicks
Have you ever wrestled with an idea, repeatedly turning it over in your mind trying to work it out until it feels right? Sometimes it's a real struggle, but there's nothing as satisfying as when everything comes together and the idea finally clicks into place.
As many of you know I've been wrestling with figuring out how I will operate this blog when I move it over to Cent. The general direction has been clear for awhile now - I will publish daily on Cent instead of here - but specifics like how I'll use the bounty mechanism have been unclear to me, so the idea hasn't really clicked yet in my mind.
Well, that is until last night when I was enjoying some of the best lamb in the world with my wife. I was explaining how a tipping function will be introduced to Cent soon that will coincide with the introduction of the original content function when it hit me, and everything finally clicked into place: I will employ a combo of bounty-first posts and more directed tip-based posts.
I will use the bounty function as a way to make big announcements or simply to attract quick, on-demand responses.
For an example of when I will deploy bounties, I will set a bounty on my first post in order to broadcast my plan to move my blog to Cent as well as recruit anywhere from 1~3 Centurions (i.e. moderators) for my blog. These moderators will be in charge of stimulating discussion under each of my posts and creating an atmosphere that is attractive to readers almost independently of my daily posts. For their efforts, the Centurions will get a cut of the $5 I will allocate to each post.
For daily posts, instead of attaching a bounty, I will instead utilize tips. Centurions will get a majority of the daily $5 tip allotment, and top comments from other users will split the remaining cash.
My plan is to develop a couple of recurring, regular posts for the weekend that I will attach bounties to. Currently I feature my favorite podcast from the past week every Saturday. I will continue to do so on Cent, and will ask other Centians to submit their favorite podcasts from the past week. Additionally I will try to set up a weekly 'crowdsourced RSS feed of sorts' by asking Centians to submit the single best thing they came across on the internet over the past week. Observant Centians will have noticed that I've just tried out this latter idea on Cent [here].
Well, that's it. It feels good to me. How about you? It looks like this change will happen sometime this week, so get your applications ready if you want to get paid for starting and curating discusssions under my posts. My short-term plan is to collect $150 in tips from readers to break even, but if I get more tips, my Centurions will for sure get raises. So get ready for the beginnings of something super different.
Cheers everybody.
2018년 5월 4일 금요일
Consistency is a Bar
A good bar is open when you need it, seat ready and waiting.
You can join into conversation around you just as easy as you can listen to what others are saying and doing.
Most of the faces you recognize, and they you, but there's always a new face or two.
Your drink is always on tap, as is true for each regular and their favorite brew.
A good bar is nothing but consistent in this regard.
You can join into conversation around you just as easy as you can listen to what others are saying and doing.
Most of the faces you recognize, and they you, but there's always a new face or two.
Your drink is always on tap, as is true for each regular and their favorite brew.
A good bar is nothing but consistent in this regard.
2018년 5월 2일 수요일
Consequences
With most of life - both personally and professionally - being lived and carried out by so many in the digital world, many may lose touch with the real world consequences of their actions. They always exist; but there's a real gap.
For me, however, although I have one foot firmly planted in the digital world, the other foot is still very much in the real world - working at a global E&C contractor building big things in the real world is kind of the whole point.
And construction is dangerous. There's no way to deny that aspect with a million and one ways to die on any given construction site. That's why safety is *the* number one focus - or at least it should be.
Unfortunately, there was a serious accident on one of our overseas projects the other day. A family had their lives changed in one single, irreversible instant.
The investigation is still on-going - and to be crystal clear I am in no way a part of or affiliated with the investigation - so everything that factored into the accident will be revealed imminently.
But from my vantage point located within the safe and comfortable confines of our corporate office in Seoul - a part of reality removed from reality, if you will - there are a few threads that are connected to this terrible accident that have been sticking out for some time.
These threads are the result of bureaucratic decisions made regarding processes that, at least in name, were put in place for safety's sake. They weren't though; they were set up as a way to consolidate decision making power within the corporate function that put the process in place. Safety wasn't first. And because of that, something bad happened.
Sometimes when a reality, whether that be a digital or corporate one, becomes too comfortable, the gap between that reality and the dirty, dangerous reality of the indifferent real world is so blinding that we forget about how out actions may impact the latter. But for everyone who has their boots on the ground in that latter reality - and everyone does, at least at some point or other - those actions and subsequent consequences are unforgettable.
So the next time do something, think about the potential existential impact that you or the group will have.
For me, however, although I have one foot firmly planted in the digital world, the other foot is still very much in the real world - working at a global E&C contractor building big things in the real world is kind of the whole point.
And construction is dangerous. There's no way to deny that aspect with a million and one ways to die on any given construction site. That's why safety is *the* number one focus - or at least it should be.
Unfortunately, there was a serious accident on one of our overseas projects the other day. A family had their lives changed in one single, irreversible instant.
The investigation is still on-going - and to be crystal clear I am in no way a part of or affiliated with the investigation - so everything that factored into the accident will be revealed imminently.
But from my vantage point located within the safe and comfortable confines of our corporate office in Seoul - a part of reality removed from reality, if you will - there are a few threads that are connected to this terrible accident that have been sticking out for some time.
These threads are the result of bureaucratic decisions made regarding processes that, at least in name, were put in place for safety's sake. They weren't though; they were set up as a way to consolidate decision making power within the corporate function that put the process in place. Safety wasn't first. And because of that, something bad happened.
Sometimes when a reality, whether that be a digital or corporate one, becomes too comfortable, the gap between that reality and the dirty, dangerous reality of the indifferent real world is so blinding that we forget about how out actions may impact the latter. But for everyone who has their boots on the ground in that latter reality - and everyone does, at least at some point or other - those actions and subsequent consequences are unforgettable.
So the next time do something, think about the potential existential impact that you or the group will have.
2018년 5월 1일 화요일
Thoughts on Marshall McLuhan?
Yesterday I was privy to some pretty freaking awesome news about Cent and original content.
While I can't go into specifics, I can say that good things will be happening soon. Very soon.
So in preparation of these 'good things', I posted on Cent and attached a bounty of 0.03 ETH [link]. This isn't a normal Cent post though, it is a bit of a test-post of sorts.
I'm not sure if my writing style will change when I start blogging on Cent, but I know I'll be able to interact in several new ways that just haven't been possible before.
One of those new interactions is soliciting immediate suggestions or ideas people may have about something or someone.
I know I want to write about Marshall McLuhan and his book "Understanding Media" that I'm currently reading and make some connection with crypto, but I'm not sure what that connection is yet.
So I made a post to see if there's any Centian out there who has already formed that connection as well as to solicit any informed takes that may exist that aren't reflected in Wikipedia or dusty journals.
Anyways, check out my Cent post [here] and discuss.
While I can't go into specifics, I can say that good things will be happening soon. Very soon.
So in preparation of these 'good things', I posted on Cent and attached a bounty of 0.03 ETH [link]. This isn't a normal Cent post though, it is a bit of a test-post of sorts.
I'm not sure if my writing style will change when I start blogging on Cent, but I know I'll be able to interact in several new ways that just haven't been possible before.
One of those new interactions is soliciting immediate suggestions or ideas people may have about something or someone.
I know I want to write about Marshall McLuhan and his book "Understanding Media" that I'm currently reading and make some connection with crypto, but I'm not sure what that connection is yet.
So I made a post to see if there's any Centian out there who has already formed that connection as well as to solicit any informed takes that may exist that aren't reflected in Wikipedia or dusty journals.
Anyways, check out my Cent post [here] and discuss.
2018년 4월 30일 월요일
100 in 100
Today marks the last day of a sweet, little four day weekend for me.
It also happens to be the hundredth straight day that I've posted on my humble blog.
I never intended to write like this, but obviously I was ready to, and I don't see myself stopping anytime soon.
For me, writing is one of the best ways to remember. And there is so much good stuff to remember.
My regular readers know that much of what I've been focused on remembering centers around Cent. What you may not know is that *this very blog* and the writing I did about Cent actually got me a paying role in the Cent team - I started working as Centurion No.1 a little over a month back.
A blog is certainly more meaningful and impactful than a CV. There are a lot of people asking how they can get a role working on a crypto startup these days. For everyone - technical and otherwise - blogging about a new product or company that you're passionate about is probably one of the best 'hire me' signals you can send.
Blogging is really powerful stuff. I'm really looking forward to sharing more writing with my regular readers, but for now, it's time to enjoy the last day of this long weekend with my wife. Cheers everybody!
It also happens to be the hundredth straight day that I've posted on my humble blog.
I never intended to write like this, but obviously I was ready to, and I don't see myself stopping anytime soon.
For me, writing is one of the best ways to remember. And there is so much good stuff to remember.
My regular readers know that much of what I've been focused on remembering centers around Cent. What you may not know is that *this very blog* and the writing I did about Cent actually got me a paying role in the Cent team - I started working as Centurion No.1 a little over a month back.
A blog is certainly more meaningful and impactful than a CV. There are a lot of people asking how they can get a role working on a crypto startup these days. For everyone - technical and otherwise - blogging about a new product or company that you're passionate about is probably one of the best 'hire me' signals you can send.
Blogging is really powerful stuff. I'm really looking forward to sharing more writing with my regular readers, but for now, it's time to enjoy the last day of this long weekend with my wife. Cheers everybody!
2018년 4월 27일 금요일
Over the Hill
Over the past few months I have really fallen into writing.
I want to say thank you to everyone who has fallen into reading what I've written.
On average, more than 30 people are landing on my page daily. That's crazy.
I remember when I had 2 people visit my blog over the course of three days and thinking what it'd be like to have just 2 people visit my blog daily.
There are a few of you who I know are regular readers. You will be rewarded soon. As soon as I can move my blog to Cent, I will place a bounty on each daily blog post. I will make sure that my regular readers get paid, you all will just need to help moderate and/or start discussions below what I write.
If people subscribe and pay me for my writing, the bounties will increase.
That's the plan. Anyways, thank you all for helping me pass the 10,000 view mark for this humble blog.
I think it's safe to say that I am now over the hill.
2018년 4월 13일 금요일
Porn Nerd
I've thought very hard about porn.
Everyone knows and understands what porn is, but very seldom is it talked about, let alone discussed at length.
A short while ago though, I discussed the logic behind my porn viewing and curation habits with someone else who has also thought long and hard about porn.
This discussion was triggered in the middle of a conversation about the FAQ for Cent that I have been working on for the past few weeks.
One of the many unique use cases of Cent is that it can be used to promote new sites, like CryptoTitties. That's a site that was actually promoted by Sir McKie a few months ago.
Anyways, a short debate ensued about whether or not to include CryptoTitties as an example or replace it with the infinitely more PG CryptoKitties (which was also previously promoted on Cent). We probably will.
After that I think I mentioned how surprised I was that no one has posted anything about porn on Cent up until now to which one of my interlocutors asked what I meant.
From that question perhaps the best side-bar in the history of side-bars was born.
Following a super specific 15 minute talk led basically by myself discussing the logic behind how I index my favorite porn (which I download and definitely don't stream) it was decided that I am indeed a porn nerd.
I am the porn nerd.
Everyone knows and understands what porn is, but very seldom is it talked about, let alone discussed at length.
A short while ago though, I discussed the logic behind my porn viewing and curation habits with someone else who has also thought long and hard about porn.
This discussion was triggered in the middle of a conversation about the FAQ for Cent that I have been working on for the past few weeks.
One of the many unique use cases of Cent is that it can be used to promote new sites, like CryptoTitties. That's a site that was actually promoted by Sir McKie a few months ago.
Anyways, a short debate ensued about whether or not to include CryptoTitties as an example or replace it with the infinitely more PG CryptoKitties (which was also previously promoted on Cent). We probably will.
After that I think I mentioned how surprised I was that no one has posted anything about porn on Cent up until now to which one of my interlocutors asked what I meant.
From that question perhaps the best side-bar in the history of side-bars was born.
Following a super specific 15 minute talk led basically by myself discussing the logic behind how I index my favorite porn (which I download and definitely don't stream) it was decided that I am indeed a porn nerd.
I am the porn nerd.
2018년 4월 10일 화요일
Habits: Future Actions
Habits are the result of decisions about how to do something made long ago that have dissolved into all subsequent actions in the future.
You don't think about how you will tie your shoes or brush your teeth anymore (usually) - it's already been decided in advance, by you.
For simple actions, like attaching a roll of toilet paper next to the toilet, there are only two possible actions: right and wrong.
I attach toilet paper the right way.
My wife on the other hand does it the wrong way.
Joking aside, thinking deeply about what habits guide our actions throughout the day can be enlightening. Becoming deeply, fundamentally aware of everything is a good look for life.
Beyond that, becoming aware of our habits opens up the possibility of improving exisiting habits or developing even better habits. So there is still hope that my wife will make the right choice the next time the toilet paper runs out for her.
You don't think about how you will tie your shoes or brush your teeth anymore (usually) - it's already been decided in advance, by you.
For simple actions, like attaching a roll of toilet paper next to the toilet, there are only two possible actions: right and wrong.
I attach toilet paper the right way.
[The Right Way]
My wife on the other hand does it the wrong way.
[The Wrong Way]
Joking aside, thinking deeply about what habits guide our actions throughout the day can be enlightening. Becoming deeply, fundamentally aware of everything is a good look for life.
Beyond that, becoming aware of our habits opens up the possibility of improving exisiting habits or developing even better habits. So there is still hope that my wife will make the right choice the next time the toilet paper runs out for her.
2018년 4월 3일 화요일
How to Change Culture
Buried in yesterdays Stratechery Daily Update on Microsoft's recent re-org, Ben Thompson highlighted a masterful bit of organizational management for one way to change culture within a company.
Whilst you could always drop the axe on day one to rid yourself of a problem, that method tends to waste a significant amount of political capital.
For a company like Microsoft, if that problem has to do with a multi-decade long symbol of pride and identity, like Windows, the trunk of the problem let alone the root structure is simply too big to cut down in a single swoop.
So Nadel simply re-org'd Windows into a separate division with other non-strategic assets and instructed the division leadership to do their jobs (i.e. make money). As Windows simply hasn't been a money maker for a number of years, the leadership (since they aren't dumb) had no choice but to reach the conclusion that Windows is simply no longer able to support its own division.
So the Windows Division is no more at Microsoft. A major part and symbol of their culture is gone.
The key is that the leadership of that division reached this conclusion by themselves. It took a little longer to reach, but it allowed for a cathartic break to occur in the hearts and minds of most staff who finally accepted that it was time to excise a significant vestigial product of the olde culture.
Whilst you could always drop the axe on day one to rid yourself of a problem, that method tends to waste a significant amount of political capital.
For a company like Microsoft, if that problem has to do with a multi-decade long symbol of pride and identity, like Windows, the trunk of the problem let alone the root structure is simply too big to cut down in a single swoop.
So Nadel simply re-org'd Windows into a separate division with other non-strategic assets and instructed the division leadership to do their jobs (i.e. make money). As Windows simply hasn't been a money maker for a number of years, the leadership (since they aren't dumb) had no choice but to reach the conclusion that Windows is simply no longer able to support its own division.
So the Windows Division is no more at Microsoft. A major part and symbol of their culture is gone.
The key is that the leadership of that division reached this conclusion by themselves. It took a little longer to reach, but it allowed for a cathartic break to occur in the hearts and minds of most staff who finally accepted that it was time to excise a significant vestigial product of the olde culture.
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