Random Chat, Thoughts, Posts, and/or Rants Thread

[Lyzmin]

I spend my time on this forum now instead of swiping up on Insta.

Same for me. I don't have social media or Reddit. This is the place for me.
Try to keep it focused on (actionable) learning and building relations with Fastlane members is my suggestion.

My girlfriend (fiancé) is making a lot of money this summer with swim lessons. It’s very similar to private tutoring. Really starts to scale when you go from 1 on 1 lessons to group lessons - same rate, but bulk.

Thanks you! My girlfriend is in medicine and she swims and rows. Is looking for a side hustle. Will tell her this and see if I can help her.

Academic instruction, athletic coaching, and music instruction all come to mind!

@Aristoss how about music instruction for you while working on you CENTS idea? Talk to people you tutor about what frustrates them etc?

"You simply won't know what's needed until you need it." On execution by @MJ DeMarco UNSCRIPTED page 306

Nice. Thank you for the reminder. Time to rinse & repeat parts of the book.

 

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[P789]

Just wow at the emojis and comments on the internet on the deaths of those people.

We truly live in a spiritually bankrupt world.

I’m going to light a candle for those that perished.

"BuT, BUt, BiLiONaIRes HaVe tO DiE BecAuSe tHEy aRE EvIl"

Its not just some Billionaire who died on the sub implosion, but there's the father-son, who probably save for that exploration, a former Titanic expert and the founder who also died in the sub.

Its common on the internet because users have already seen the horrors of Capitalism, from the Deepwater Horizon to the Bhopal Disaster documentaries.

Oh well, time to stop using social media other than seeing messages.

 

[OMDA]

The thing is, people have been doing it successfully for 40 years without reinventing the wheel. James Cameron himself has done 33 dives to the Titanic with the Deepsea Challenger.

The CEO and the captain's arrogance killed them.

View attachment 49540

I've unfortunately worked with and left companies that displayed arrogance like that. Heard rumors about other places from people that I know.

Thankfully, I've been good enough that I haven't been fired. I have been shuffled around after standing my ground and refusing to work on things that I know won't work or are pointless.

BTW some of the engineering problems I have worked on included structures that had external pressure on them like a submarine. Very similar in analysis but the magnitude of forces are much higher for subs, obviously. There are not many engineers that understand how to properly do the analysis due to its fundamental nature, and get it wrong without guidance by those that know better. It's a very nonlinear problem.

That said, they were able to do the design for these in the past without computers, but that knowledge was developed a different way.

 

[theag]

The guy they fired for calling this submarine a safety hazard didn't cave in to the pressure.

 

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[Andy Black]

Good to see you back @theag. Sorry to hear about the Meta issues and depression. Hope it all works out.

 

[ZackerySprague]

I found a couple of cool ecommerce food products here at the Office. If you like black Unsweetened Tea -> TeJava. If you want flavored water, check out Hint.

TeJava is the best black tea I've had so far, imo. Totally recommend.

 

[mikecarlooch]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FQ0updVIPU

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

More concerning, since 1999, the "Never or hardly ever" more than doubled from 9% to 31%.

 

[doster.zach]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FQ0updVIPU

Gotta love some Becker

 

[theag]

View attachment 49564

More concerning, since 1999, the "Never or hardly ever" more than doubled from 9% to 31%.

What about the missing 33%? I guess some other options. Or maybe they can't read at all?

 

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[Kak]

I was gassing up this morning and the annoying Cheddar news fruitcake was talking about some American academic index and how they have fallen like 20% “due to Covid.”

Amazing what the communists believe. It wasn’t due to Covid. It was due to tyrannical government policies using Covid as an excuse.

Homeschool if you can.

 

[mikecarlooch]

I've got a question about something that's been confusing me a bit.

The advice I keep getting, constantly, whenever I talk to someone successful..

is something along the lines of "if you're going to focus on an idea, focus on something that you're gonna dedicate a decade of your life to"

But I'm having trouble understanding..

What if the idea is bad?

I don't really get what that means.

Does this mean I should only try a handful of ideas in my lifetime?

What if you dedicate to 5 different ideas for 5 decades and none of them work?

I understand the concept of testing ideas..

But I don't really understand dedicating yourself for 10 years unless you've actually got something going.. Do you just.. Decide that this idea you choose will be the one you work on for the next 10 years?

I think I know the answer, but I'd like to hear it from you guys.

Thanks

 

[Antifragile]

I've got a question about something that's been confusing me a bit.

The advice I keep getting, constantly, whenever I talk to someone successful..

is something along the lines of "if you're going to focus on an idea, focus on something that you're gonna dedicate a decade of your life to"

But I'm having trouble understanding..

What if the idea is bad?

I don't really get what that means.

Does this mean I should only try a handful of ideas in my lifetime?

What if you dedicate to 5 different ideas for 5 decades and none of them work?

I understand the concept of testing ideas..

But I don't really understand dedicating yourself for 10 years unless you've actually got something going.. Do you just.. Decide that this idea you choose will be the one you work on for the next 10 years?

I think I know the answer, but I'd like to hear it from you guys.

Thanks

Example:

IDEA: I want to become an expert in real estate. (Budget time? 10 years +)

JOURNEY:
What is real estate? Am I going to be a realtor sales guy? A financier? A developer? A leader running a public REIT? What part of real estate? Commercial or residential? Commercial what? Commercial industrial or retail or multifamily or office? Which area? Which city? Or am I going to be a graphic designer launching a $100MM company to help developers do better renderings? Is that now a software company? Yes. Still in real estate? Yes.

In short: start wide and narrow your focus over a decade.

Hope this helps.

 

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[mikecarlooch]

Example:

IDEA: I want to become an expert in real estate. (Budget time? 10 years +)

JOURNEY:
What is real estate? Am I going to be a realtor sales guy? A financier? A developer? A leader running a public REIT? What part of real estate? Commercial or residential? Commercial what? Commercial industrial or retail or multifamily or office? Which area? Which city? Or am I going to be a graphic designer launching a $100MM company to help developers do better renderings? Is that now a software company? Yes. Still in real estate? Yes.

I short: start wide and narrow your focus over a decade.

Hope this helps.

I don't think I could've asked for a better explanation.

Wow. This makes so much sense. Almost like a "duhhh" moment for me. Can't believe how much time I've spent fussing over this in my head.

My problem.. I think.. Has been that I was looking at these small problems to solve.. in areas where I currently don't have much expertise.. and thinking to myself ok.. So I will just dedicate myself for 10 years.. on this problem I uncovered? That might not work?

But an established market (like your real estate example).. You KNOW there's demand. You KNOW there's people spending billions of dollars.. And knowing that, it's much easier to get excited and actually stick to something..

Like no.. You're not dedicating to a problem that AI(example) solves in the beginning.. But you are dedicating to becoming the expert within the sector of AI that can allow you to more predictably test ideas... (note to self)

 

[Guest-5ty5s4]

Example:

IDEA: I want to become an expert in real estate. (Budget time? 10 years +)

JOURNEY:
What is real estate? Am I going to be a realtor sales guy? A financier? A developer? A leader running a public REIT? What part of real estate? Commercial or residential? Commercial what? Commercial industrial or retail or multifamily or office? Which area? Which city? Or am I going to be a graphic designer launching a $100MM company to help developers do better renderings? Is that now a software company? Yes. Still in real estate? Yes.

I short: start wide and narrow your focus over a decade.

Hope this helps.

I don't think I could've asked for a better explanation.

Wow. This makes so much sense. Almost like a "duhhh" moment for me. Can't believe how much time I've spent fussing over this in my head.

My problem.. I think.. Has been that I was looking at these small problems to solve.. in areas where I currently don't have much expertise.. and thinking to myself ok.. So I will just dedicate myself for 10 years.. on this problem I uncovered? That might not work?

But an established market (like your real estate example).. You KNOW there's demand. You KNOW there's people spending billions of dollars.. And knowing that, it's much easier to get excited and actually stick to something..

Like no.. You're not dedicating to a problem that AI(example) solves in the beginning.. But you are dedicating to becoming the expert within the sector of AI that can allow you to more predictably test ideas... (note to self)

This makes a lot of sense. You’re a marketing guy right? So you can keep refining your approach to the marketing and agency side of things, and pivoting over time. I suppose that’s what he means. It’s a journey.

 

[pohinjap]

Recycling Fever Reaches New Lows
"Utica, Michigan - Realising it is flushing potential profits down the drain, an enterprising young company has come up with a way to trap medically powerful proteins from urine. Enzymes of America has designed a special filter that collects important urine proteins, and these filters have been installed in all of the men's urinals in the 10,000 portable outhouses owned by the Porta-John company, a subsidiary of Enzymes of America.
"Urine is known to contain minute amounts of proteins made by the body, including medically important ones such as growth hormone and insulin. There is a $500-million-a-year market for these kinds of urine ingredients.
"This summer, Enzymes of America plans to market its first major urine product called urokinase, an enzyme that dissolves blood clots and is used to treat victims of heart attacks. The company has contracts to supply the urine enzyme to Sandoz, Merrell Dow and other major pharmaceutical companies. Ironically, this enterprise evolved from Porta-John's attempt to get rid of urine proteins-a major source of odour in portable toilets.
"When the president of Porta-John began consulting with scientists about a urine filtration system, one told him he was sitting on a gold mine.
"The idea of recycling urine is not new, however. 'We thought about this,' says Ian Whitcome of Amgen, a Los Angeles biotechnology firm, 'but realised we'd need thousands and thousands of litres of urine.'
"Porta-John and Enzymes of America solved that problem. The 14 million gallons flowing annually into Porta-John's privies contain about four-and-a-half pounds of urokinase alone. That's enough to unclog 260,000 coronary arteries."

 

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[StrikingViper69]

Recycling Fever Reaches New Lows
"Utica, Michigan - Realising it is flushing potential profits down the drain, an enterprising young company has come up with a way to trap medically powerful proteins from urine. Enzymes of America has designed a special filter that collects important urine proteins, and these filters have been installed in all of the men's urinals in the 10,000 portable outhouses owned by the Porta-John company, a subsidiary of Enzymes of America.
"Urine is known to contain minute amounts of proteins made by the body, including medically important ones such as growth hormone and insulin. There is a $500-million-a-year market for these kinds of urine ingredients.
"This summer, Enzymes of America plans to market its first major urine product called urokinase, an enzyme that dissolves blood clots and is used to treat victims of heart attacks. The company has contracts to supply the urine enzyme to Sandoz, Merrell Dow and other major pharmaceutical companies. Ironically, this enterprise evolved from Porta-John's attempt to get rid of urine proteins-a major source of odour in portable toilets.
"When the president of Porta-John began consulting with scientists about a urine filtration system, one told him he was sitting on a gold mine.
"The idea of recycling urine is not new, however. 'We thought about this,' says Ian Whitcome of Amgen, a Los Angeles biotechnology firm, 'but realised we'd need thousands and thousands of litres of urine.'
"Porta-John and Enzymes of America solved that problem. The 14 million gallons flowing annually into Porta-John's privies contain about four-and-a-half pounds of urokinase alone. That's enough to unclog 260,000 coronary arteries."

That's a pretty neat idea!

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Recycling Fever Reaches New Lows
"Utica, Michigan - Realising it is flushing potential profits down the drain, an enterprising young company has come up with a way to trap medically powerful proteins from urine. Enzymes of America has designed a special filter that collects important urine proteins, and these filters have been installed in all of the men's urinals in the 10,000 portable outhouses owned by the Porta-John company, a subsidiary of Enzymes of America.
"Urine is known to contain minute amounts of proteins made by the body, including medically important ones such as growth hormone and insulin. There is a $500-million-a-year market for these kinds of urine ingredients.
"This summer, Enzymes of America plans to market its first major urine product called urokinase, an enzyme that dissolves blood clots and is used to treat victims of heart attacks. The company has contracts to supply the urine enzyme to Sandoz, Merrell Dow and other major pharmaceutical companies. Ironically, this enterprise evolved from Porta-John's attempt to get rid of urine proteins-a major source of odour in portable toilets.
"When the president of Porta-John began consulting with scientists about a urine filtration system, one told him he was sitting on a gold mine.
"The idea of recycling urine is not new, however. 'We thought about this,' says Ian Whitcome of Amgen, a Los Angeles biotechnology firm, 'but realised we'd need thousands and thousands of litres of urine.'
"Porta-John and Enzymes of America solved that problem. The 14 million gallons flowing annually into Porta-John's privies contain about four-and-a-half pounds of urokinase alone. That's enough to unclog 260,000 coronary arteries."

Source? I looked and couldn't find it. Seems fake, or some snake-oil scam.

 

[Timmy C]

The guy they fired for calling this submarine a safety hazard didn't cave in to the pressure.

The whole venture really imploded in their face didn't it.

 

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[rjdgreat]

Those who cut loose from their parents, family, bad influences, and friends to start the mad quest of getting rich.

How's life after cutting loose? What did you feel? Have you felt some freedom?

 

[Jrjohnny]

Ive been having a feeling for some weird reason, Im starting my own business, but I just want to create a product. Does anyone else feel like this? Thanks.

-John

 

[MTF]

LOL gotta love these YouTube recommendations. Hard to decide who to listen to

 

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[theag]

View attachment 49645

LOL gotta love these YouTube recommendations. Hard to decide who to listen to

Second one is probably an OF funnel. Stay strong

 

[Andy Black]

I've got a question about something that's been confusing me a bit.

The advice I keep getting, constantly, whenever I talk to someone successful..

is something along the lines of "if you're going to focus on an idea, focus on something that you're gonna dedicate a decade of your life to"

But I'm having trouble understanding..

What if the idea is bad?

I don't really get what that means.

Does this mean I should only try a handful of ideas in my lifetime?

What if you dedicate to 5 different ideas for 5 decades and none of them work?

I understand the concept of testing ideas..

But I don't really understand dedicating yourself for 10 years unless you've actually got something going.. Do you just.. Decide that this idea you choose will be the one you work on for the next 10 years?

I think I know the answer, but I'd like to hear it from you guys.

Thanks

Example:

IDEA: I want to become an expert in real estate. (Budget time? 10 years +)

JOURNEY:
What is real estate? Am I going to be a realtor sales guy? A financier? A developer? A leader running a public REIT? What part of real estate? Commercial or residential? Commercial what? Commercial industrial or retail or multifamily or office? Which area? Which city? Or am I going to be a graphic designer launching a $100MM company to help developers do better renderings? Is that now a software company? Yes. Still in real estate? Yes.

In short: start wide and narrow your focus over a decade.

Hope this helps.

Similar to what @Antifragile said... pick a direction you want to head in, and keep going in that general direction.

I like how Paul Graham phrased it in one of his essays:

"You'll be better off if you operate like Columbus and just head in a general westerly direction. Don't try to construct the future like a building, because your current blueprint is almost certainly mistaken. Start with something you know works, and when you expand, expand westward."


Another line I like is "Grow what you know."

Keep building your high ground until you're one of a kind and unique.


My example:

I do Google Ads for businesses. Lots of money flows in that ecosystem and even if Google Ads slowly disappears there will still be people looking for services and business trying to get found by them. I was happy to pin my flag to that mast.

Initially I said Yes to all comers. I'd do eCommerce, national lead gen, local lead gen, for all different niches, budgets, and level of business operators.

Over time I started seeing patterns where it worked best and worst. I started saying No more often.

I don't do eCommerce now. I only do local lead gen. I don't do Google Display Network Ads. I don't do YouTube Ads. They're all Google Ads, but I only do the ads on Google.

I don't take on poor business owners anymore. I don't take on people with "ideas" anymore. Etc.

I don't spend much time creating courses even though there's potential there.

We don't just create campaigns now, we create dynamic landing pages with interactive leadforms that sends data to Google Sheet dashboards that clients can read as well as me and my team.

We focused on certain niches and our tools and templates get more customised for those niches the more we learn.

Like @Antifragile said, we started wider and are getting narrower.

 

[Fasted]

View attachment 49645

LOL gotta love these YouTube recommendations. Hard to decide who to listen to

The badonkadonk on that bird is mint

 

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[ZF Lee]

Those who cut loose from their parents, family, bad influences, and friends to start the mad quest of getting rich.

How's life after cutting loose? What did you feel? Have you felt some freedom?

70-80% of my family (both my mum's and dad's side) are dysfunctional, and I have not really kept in contact with my
high school friends for many reasons. College 'friends' also barely register a blink on my radar.

Personally, it feels damn good to be free after cutting loose.
You have fewer things to worry about.

But if you DON'T replace the family or friend figures with better people...self-isolation is a thing, and can be VERY addictive like a drug. And there's a whole host of other bad habits that come with self-isolation too.

Of course we can't just go shopping for new family & friend figures in Walmart or something...

But we can start by being caring, thoughtful and empathetic folks ourselves-- and you eventually click with the right people when you go out to social events or networking. Be the person that our old family & friends couldn't be.

 

[ocricci]

RANT


Magic: The Gathering - Lord of the Rings is a dream come true for my younger nerdy self, a "productocracy", blending the captivating card game mechanics with the enchanting fantasy world of my teenage years. However, as I observe the way the product is being marketed and sold, I can't help but feel that its complexity is overshadowing its true essence. The division into numerous sub-products, designed to extract more money from customers, has taken away from the pure joy of simply playing with friends. It seems like the focus has shifted from the game itself to the convoluted sales strategies, forgetting about the value that they bring to customers, and it's truly disheartening to witness the potential demise of something I hold so dear.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

The division into numerous sub-products, designed to extract more money from customers, has taken away from the pure joy of simply playing with friends.

Is the owner a private company? Has ownership changed hands?

 

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[JAJT]

designed to extract more money from customers

This has been a bit of a hot topic regarding Wizards of the Coast (they own D&D and MTG) in recent months/years.

Most recently it came out that they thought they weren't monetizing D&D as much as they could, and tried to re-write their licensing agreement to extract fees from third party devs. The entire D&D community basically exploded over it to the point that WotC backpedaled on the idea.

WotC is not very highly regarded in the geek community, but they happen to own some of the best and most loved properties.

 

[JAJT]

Is the owner a private company? Has ownership changed hands?

They are a subsidiary of Hasbro.