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

[Chris25]

For example, I just learned today that an idea I had years ago for an airport valet service is now reality. Not only is it reality, but it is growing and grabbing funding.

The service is EXACTLY as I envisioned it would be.

I was reading a book about this topic a while ago by Elizabeth Gilbert. She describes how ideas are an energetic life-form looking for a human partner. If it thinks that you can do the job, it will pay you a visit. But, if it notices that you won't collaborate to the execution, it will find someone else. It will not wait for you forever.

Now I know that this is magical realism, but it always stuck with me in a way to remind me that if I don't take action, someone else will.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Like to post something but it doesn't need its own thread?

This thread is for you!

Thought I'd create a random thoughts and chit-chat thread for anyone who'd like to post something, but it doesn't need it's own thread.

For example, I just learned today that an idea I had years ago for an airport valet service is now reality. Not only is it reality, but it is growing and grabbing funding.

The service is EXACTLY as I envisioned it would be.

OAK and LAX Long-Term Airport Parking : Never Park Again

Darn it!

The old, "Damn, I had that idea!!" strikes again!

That said, I might invest as they are taking accredited investor money.

 

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[Timmy C]

Random thoughts and rant on how the script has a massive hold on society.

Was at a party last week for grand final day, if your not from Australia you won't get it.

Was speaking to one of my lady friends about investing business etc, we got talking she asked if I read the barefoot investor.

I said is it another ETF circle jerk?

She said no its about a guy who was broke in his 30s and turned it around. I said did he turn it around from writing the book?

She said oh I think he made a bit from the book but Yada Yada.

I started to speak about fastlane ideas indirectly, about having a product or service people want and need making it run separate of my time eventually so I am no longer a slave like everyone else

She says well you'll need to go get a business degree for that and basically told me it wasn't possible....

I left it there and just said yeh I could tell she was just so defeated alive but not living.

The script has a great hold so glad I've taken the red pill.

 

[Antifragile]

What is really cool about this is how they outperform everyone with 1000 different 1% gains.
What looks like luck on the outside is a detailed system to maximise every possible tiny element.

Team Sky is an excellent example of a 1% gains across every conceivable little gain possible. They re-defined how cycling teams won Tour de France.

Turn the clock back to 2010 and Britain had never produced a Tour De France winning rider.

The team was founded with the primary goal of producing the first British winner of the Tour De France. To accomplish this, it was decided that the core of the squad should be comprised of relatively young British riders, supplemented with several established foreign names. The first roster of Sky riders reflected this, including the likes of; Thomas, Froome, Wiggins and Stannard, alongside Simon Gerrans, Edvald Boasson Hagen and Thomas Löfkvist..

Marginal gains yield major rewards​

The long list of triumphs enjoyed by Team Sky since their inception can be largely attributed to what is known as the ‘aggregation of marginal gains‘.

This philosophy was implemented by Dave Brailsford following his appointment as general manager of the team. In his own words, the basis of the theory is that “if you break down everything you could think of, that goes into riding a bike, and then improve it by 1%, you will get a significant increase when you put them all together. They’re tiny things, but if you clump them together it can be the difference between winning and losing.”

Their search for efficiency has included countless innovative tweaks, some of which may seem to the untrained eye to be tenuously linked to performance on a bike. Such changes include; travelling with their own mattresses and pillows to ensure riders sleep and recover as best as possible, colour coding water bottles to differentiate between water and energy drinks saving time on the road, and travelling on their state of the art team bus known as ‘The Death Star’, decked out with reclining padded seats, a shower, a treatment room, and a built in sound system.

Result? The British based outfit have produced the race winner 7 in a row.


Apply this to business - ANY business, and success is 10x more likely.

 

[Kak]

There is a conflation I notice among a decently large population of new members to the forum that I think needs some clarification.

“Fast” as in “fastlane.” We believe that money can be made faster than a linear relationship with money. 1 hour of work = 1 hour of pay.

Yes, money can be made faster.

Our equation looks more like each hour of work is invested in a system of leverage that once to market, and providing value, could produce a lifetime of pay. Sounds great, but, divorcing your time from your pay also makes you preform hard to quantify work. It looks like work for no pay. Sometimes for a while.

When the money finally does come, and your hard work begins to pay off, it comes in faster. Hence “fastlane.”

Now, if you want to get really serious and want to make tens of millions of dollars, you are also playing a probability.

The probability of making tens of millions of dollars working for someone else is almost zero.

Those that do pass these marks are almost always benefiting from some form of leveraged system. So not only can entrepreneurship be faster, but for some goal levels, it’s the only way.

For most western citizens, entrepreneurship is not faster to $100k. It is faster and more likely to $10m and beyond.

Just because it’s fast, doesn’t mean it’s easy. Don’t ever read one of my posts and think this comes easy to me. It doesn’t. It hasn’t. And it won’t continue to.

Entrepreneurs do what others won’t. That’s why the world needs entrepreneurs and also why the reward can be greater.

Fast ≠ Easy

Possible ≠ Easy

Can you do it? I believe so, but never expect easy.

 

[Fox]

Team Sky is an excellent example of a 1% gains across every conceivable little gain possible. They re-defined how cycling teams won Tour de France.

Turn the clock back to 2010 and Britain had never produced a Tour De France winning rider.

The team was founded with the primary goal of producing the first British winner of the Tour De France. To accomplish this, it was decided that the core of the squad should be comprised of relatively young British riders, supplemented with several established foreign names. The first roster of Sky riders reflected this, including the likes of; Thomas, Froome, Wiggins and Stannard, alongside Simon Gerrans, Edvald Boasson Hagen and Thomas Löfkvist..

Marginal gains yield major rewards​

The long list of triumphs enjoyed by Team Sky since their inception can be largely attributed to what is known as the ‘aggregation of marginal gains‘.

This philosophy was implemented by Dave Brailsford following his appointment as general manager of the team. In his own words, the basis of the theory is that “if you break down everything you could think of, that goes into riding a bike, and then improve it by 1%, you will get a significant increase when you put them all together. They’re tiny things, but if you clump them together it can be the difference between winning and losing.”

Their search for efficiency has included countless innovative tweaks, some of which may seem to the untrained eye to be tenuously linked to performance on a bike. Such changes include; travelling with their own mattresses and pillows to ensure riders sleep and recover as best as possible, colour coding water bottles to differentiate between water and energy drinks saving time on the road, and travelling on their state of the art team bus known as ‘The Death Star’, decked out with reclining padded seats, a shower, a treatment room, and a built in sound system.

Result? The British based outfit have produced the race winner 7 in a row.


Apply this to business - ANY business, and success is 10x more likely.

So true @Antifragile - and I really love this mindset also.

I used this exact 1% strategy recently with Instagram reels.

I had been uploading a month and not getting much traction.
Each video was getting like 400-500 views.

Then I broke everything down and tried to get some small gains in as many areas as possible...

- Switched from using the camera to using a DSLR
- Changed from a cheap mic to a proper lapel mic
- Studied the top reels in my niche and seen the most viral ones has around 120 words and 5-6 "cuts"
- Worked on improving the first few seconds with a much better hook
- Found the perfect time for me to upload at (9-9.30 Poland time)
- Rearranged the whole office to get a better angle for filming
- Found clothing with better colors on camera
- Improved my caption software
- Spent triple the time on editing
- Worked on the lighting

I was literally studying everything possible from background book positions, to voice tonality, to the most common word choice used in other viral reels ha.

The end result was going from an average of...


To having the reels taking off like this...


The goal now is to start applying this to Youtube, but for sure it is a harder challenger when a video is 10 minutes instead of 20-30 seconds.

What is crazy is how this adds up mathematically. If you can improve an idea or business just a little every day, soon it is WAY above the starting level.

 

[biophase]

Listening to the Elon Musk and Joe Rogan podcast and just came across two examples of taking action.

During the podcast, Joe Rogan asks if the cyber truck can withstand a shot from his bow. Elon says yes. Joe says he doesn’t think so. Elon says if you have a bow here, let’s go out and try it right now, and they do.

Later on in the podcast, Joe talks about how good pizza is with pineapples and anchovies on it. After a little back-and-forth, Elon says, can we order a pizza now? And they do.

Notice how Elon musk is a doer, and he immediately wants to take action on what they are talking about. This is the difference between someone who takes massive action, and someone who files away the information for later, and may or may not ever act upon it.

 

[Andy Black]

Our 15 year old was on work experience for a couple of weeks, with me.

Week 1 he was building a few Google Ads campaigns and then went through my Google Sheets courses. He was quite chuffed with himself when his formulae joined two sentences together.

Week 2 we went into an agency in Dublin where I know the owner. They rent desks in Workspace offices right in the center of Dublin. Cue Daniel learning what it means to commute through traffic.




This week is school mid-term so I got him into the County Local Enterprise Office where I chatted with a business advisor about a business idea I had to train up local youngsters to help local businesses. I got interesting feedback and it was great to include Daniel in a meeting.

While we were there I asked the receptionist if we could get a tour of the local startup incubation center afterwards, which she loved doing.

And today I got him a tour of the Google offices in Dublin. All I did was post to LinkedIn asking how to arrange it and a few people were tagged. I DM'd those tagged and one generously helped out.



I publicly thanked Gavin here:

Andy Black on LinkedIn: Massive thanks to Gavin Eiffe for taking time out of his day to take… | 14 comments

Massive thanks to Gavin Eiffe for taking time out of his day to take Daniel (15) on a super informative tour of the Google offices in Dublin today. Daniel's… | 14 comments on LinkedIn

www.linkedin.com

For me, one of the biggest benefits of having a business is using it as a vehicle to help and mentor my kids.

Oh, and a takeaway for you is to ASK.
People love to help, especially those getting started.

So you youngsters worried you're too young: lean into it. Plenty of people love to help the next generation get going.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

I guess he comprehended my work and put it into action followed by a commitment.

@Kak would be happy to see that he didn't mention freelancing.

 

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[Kak]

Kid number two on the way! I’m stoked!

Another person I’m going to teach to be cool.

 

[MTF]

A reminder to be grateful for your loved ones and your own life...

I was at the cemetery today, bringing some flowers to the grave of a girlfriend's friend's father (who died unexpectedly last year). As we parked, a man in his late thirties with a daughter maybe 7-8 years old arrived at the parking lot as well.

We walked to the grave and placed the flowers. Soon, the man and his daughter stopped right behind us, on a recent grave without a tombstone yet placed (usually it takes a few months to get it made and have it installed).

The little girl started raking the area around the grave while her father held a candle.

"Looks like someone raked it already," the man said.
"Yes, mom had many friends," the little girl replied, in that strange, prideful and almost cheerful voice only a kid hiding grief deep inside can muster.

As we were leaving, I glanced at the temporary metal plate marking the grave.

The woman was 37 years old when she died.

I don't know the reason of her death. But at this age, it's almost safe to say that a year before, it was probably a regular family. Perhaps they were planning a summer trip, saving money for a new house, or maybe wanted to do something fun with grandparents. Now it's all gone. The man is a single father bringing his daughter to rake the grave of her mother and light some candles.

Take a moment to appreciate your loved ones. Take a moment to appreciate that you're alive. There's always a lot you can worry about but the truth is that if you're alive and healthy (and bonus points if your loved ones are alive and healthy), life's good already.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

This gentleman emailed me and said my book (Unscripted ) was instrumental in getting his business started, and that now he recommends it anytime he can. Nice story, warms my heart.

'An hour a day built my million-pound side hustle'

Joel Remy-Parkes of kids tableware company Bamboo Bamboo shares his business advice for CEO Secrets.

www.bbc.com

 

[AceVentures]

Check this one review my service got today.

Dude loved it so much he he couldn't stop complimenting it.

Created a 2 minute video talking about how happy he is with the service and uploaded 8 pictures.

This client landed us another sale by word of mouth the same week we served him.

Feels so good when the perceived value is even higher than what we hoped to provide.

 

[Kak]

Don't let people tell you it's all down hill after you turn 30. It's BS.

I spent pretty much all of my 20s as sedentary overweight business guy that ate at restaurants way too much.

I turn 34 next month. I have 2 kids now, we eat at home mostly and make healthy meals. I will finish this month having run 73 miles. I feel better now than I did in college.

Your health is mostly what you make it.

 

[MitchC]

Can we ban threads that have a dollar value in them that hasn’t been hit yet

I’m sick of seeing a thread that says from $100 to $100m in 12 months and you open it and the guy is talking about how he’s broke and his next step is he’s maybe going to send some emails out or something I’m not sure yet guys any advice

Or growing my agency from 40k-1m a month and they aren’t even doing 1k a month yet like wtf your thread title implies you are doing 40k and are actually going to grow it to 1m

If I see that title I expect a story about how that has already been done by this person

 

[mikecarlooch]

I've been at a cold calling job for a week now in real estate.

Know what I noticed?

The fear that I've had of picking up the phone to make sh*t happen, that I've had since I was a child, is freaking GONE.

I no longer have a fear of picking up the phone and calling someone and getting rejected.

I am running a small company right now with a small team providing a service, and this sales job has given me the confidence to not be afraid to call any lead.

Let's GO!

 

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[MTF]

Where has @MTF been? Haven't heard much from him lately, hope he is OK.

Thank you for your concern, @MJ DeMarco. I appreciate it a lot. I didn't want to make some kind of a big post but will respond to this as it's really nice on your part to be so attentive to individual forum members.

As @MitchC has summarized, I decided to step away from the online world a little more than is comfortable for me.

I've unsubscribed from almost all stuff (newsletters, YouTube channels, social media, news) and decided to shut down projects that were taking too much of my time and/or energy. I've also decided to limit to a minimum my time spent on forums unless it's strictly business (as I'm still running an online business).

I found myself spending most of my time consuming or producing (unpaid) content and I couldn't control it well. My default was to go into an endless loop going between a few sites, including this forum.

When I looked back over the last few months, it was all the same every day, staring at a screen most of the day. Nothing memorable and a lot of wasted time that I could have used to go on a walk, learn another skill, or hang out with someone.

I needed to break this habit and prove to myself that I can and will use the Internet mostly for business and education but not so much for entertainment and/or non-productive activities masquerading as productive ones (a lot of my content consumption and production online is like that).

Ever since I made this change I have way more time and spend it in a more rewarding way, even if it's just reading a book first thing in the morning instead of drowning myself in the online world. It's given me a lot of peace of mind so far and has allowed me to reconnect with some Michael A. Singer's stuff you and I both believe in (by the way, I strongly, strongly recommend his new book Living Untethered). And that's been my goal.

Also, as @Fox has mentioned, I arrived in Western Australia yesterday and will travel over the next few months in Australia, New Zealand and wherever else we feel like going so I want to focus on that over spending time online. I get most enjoyment and peace of mind outside, preferably in nature, and I want my everyday life to reflect that.

I'll still pop in from time to time but I'll reduce my participation to a minimum and only when I have something really valuable to say, not just my random opinion based on experiencing 0.00000000001% of the world.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

This is a very nice surprise.

Unscripted has done very well for years, but the last time it hit #1 in any category was during release, or some kind of promotion.

Wish I had some secret sauce to share. My guess is an influencer recently recommended it.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

I've been knocked out of commission for the last few days because of this surgery and I'm reminded of this...

“A healthy man wants a thousand things, a sick man only wants one.” - Confucius​

 

[Andy Black]

PSA: Beware of "tag team" spam... this is when 2 accounts under the same IP use the forum for reputation management.

MJ, can you check the IP for @Black_Dragon43, @Antifragile, @Kak, and @BizyDad? I think they're all Black_dragon arguing with himself to raise the profile of his 4 accounts.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Well I did something today I never thought I'd do in my lifetime... bought a snowblower.

 

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[monnffffiiiiiii]

I have saved €10k for the first time in my life!

 

[Fox]

Okay so this will probably ruffle someone's feathers but I'm curious... Why keep struggling like that?

Good question.

It is a combination of a lot of stuff so I'll list them off.

1) I am not in a high-risk group.

I am in good shape, I don't drink or smoke, I train every day, and I am in my early 30s.
My health has always been really important to me.

So right of the gate - I just don't see much need at all.

2) I don't even see it as effective.

If it was 100% effective then maybe my first point wouldn't matter because "I would be doing my part".
But from what I have seen through the effectiveness is not that good and is getting worse all the time.

What was a solid promise of "one dose" is now up to 4 doses in some places. It feels like if I get on the train there is no telling where it stops - in 2025 would they be suggesting monthly doses?

Plus even if I did get it I don't see any data to suggest that I still won't spread it anyway, no matter how many shots I have.

3) I don't see it as risk-free

So even with points #1 and #2, I would still have considered it IF there were no serious side effects.
Again - I would try my best to do my part if it can help others... but only if it doesn't damage me.

I don't see that as the case though - from what I can tell it does come with serious risks.

- I have a close friend who got one dose and still isn't 100%. For months he was super ill.
- I see a lot of social media posts that are suppressed about serious negative side effects to get vac
- The news can't be trusted to report things as they are (more on that later)
- I see there has been a massive uptick in heart-related conditions.

The bottom line is it isn't risk-free, it is hard to get factual info, and I would basically have to roll the dice on my health.

4) Nothing else has been addressed

Let's say I still consider all of the above and felt like "hey - I will still do it to help society"

But what about:
- no government promotion of healthy living or lifestyle choices
- no effort to reduce obesity
- no promotion of things like zinc or Vit D
- no focus on getting people to work out more or be more active
- also add in making people wear masks and stay at home which only makes it more likely people get sick

It is very hard to roll the dice on my life "to help out" when I don't see any of the many obvious other factors being tackled at all. It's not like the vac is the one and only solution to help fix this issue.

If they will go to such extreme measurements to get people vac'd why not also come down hard on the Fastfood industry or have free gym membership/health classes for people at risk etc?

No government has made any effort to help people make real lifestyle changes and/or improve their health.
This could have been a moment to really teach people about health and get everyone fit, active and eating well.

Instead, the approach has been to lock everything down and focus on insane rules and hoping Big Pharm bails us all out. I just can't get behind this mindset/approach - why do my part when the whole approach is BS?

5) No politician takes this serious in private

This adds to the last point but it's worth mentioning separately.

So many politicians have shown that once the cameras are off they don't care less about this nor see it as dangerous.

We have politicians partying on sweaty dance floors, going to and hosting huge events, having huge weddings, travelling all over, laughing it up etc.

But the second the cameras are back on they have their mask on telling you how you need to stay home, make huge sacrifices, and that kids have to wear masks for 8 hours straight at school after being isolated for a year.




6) I like having the right to control my own body

"Section 10(2) of the Human Rights Act specifically prohibits involuntary medical or scientific
experimentation – a prohibition which stems from Nazi experimentation in the Second World War, but
remains relevant today.

However, the protection is broader than medical or scientific experimentation. Section 10(2) provides that
no medical treatment can be administered on a person without that person’s free and informed consent."

I guess everyone has to draw a line where enough is enough. Keeping my basic human rights is mine.

Look at taxes, personal privacy, the right to express your own opinions freely etc. All of these (and a lot more) are only heading in one direction - more rules, restrictions and government interference.

Now what's up for play is the government to decide what experimental drugs get to go in your body several times a year.

F that.

At what point do you decide "nah I am not going with this?"

- When you are on dose number 9?
- When your non-vac neighbours can't make a living or travel freely? (pretty much there already)
- When the government decides in 2024 that the next big crisis also requires some new drug so now you got to get that also?


I see this as one big "boiling the frog" experiment.

Right now we are at:
"These people can't pump gas" (Slovenia)
"These other people can't leave the house" (Austria)
"These people have to go to a government camp" (Australia)
"These people can't leave the country" (Canada).

We also have many places requiring your papers or a QR code so they can track everything.

This is 2 years into this with no science to back up any of these crazy rules.

To me it seems like the water is close to boiling but I guess everyone has to decide for themselves.

"I'm just wondering if it's really worth wasting your life like that when the solution is so easy and fast."

The only thing that seems easy is giving up my basic rights.

Gibraltar is one example of many where easy wasn't really that easy.



99.9% Vac yet...


"Health Minister, the Hon Samantha Sacramento, described the increase in case numbers as "drastic", encouraging people to come forward to receive their booster vaccine.

The government has advised members of the public to wear masks, avoid large gatherings and maintain social distancing.

The vaxxination programme for 12 to 15-year-olds and the booster vaxxination programme are now underway, and Gibraltar received 4680 more doses this week.

Everyone who is eligible for a vaccine or a booster is strongly encouraged to take up the offer when they are called."

---

To me "easy" is the carrot to get me to sign over another basic human right I won't ever be getting back.

Look I don't judge anyone who has gotten this shot. For a lot of people, it was the right move.

But I am pro-freedom.

No government has the right to force this on you - that is a freedom we all enjoy because millions of people paid for it with their lives.

I just don't plan on giving that up - no matter how hard it gets.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

After living in Chicago for 25 years and subsequently Arizona for the same duration, I never would have thought that I would come to love the snow.

I'm afraid this might be the last snowfall before spring arrives.

I'm guessing when you don't have to DRIVE or WORK in the snow, it truly takes on more magical appearances. When you have no reason to leave and you can just be a witness to the weather, as opposed to a participant in it, the weather has less effect on your mood. Can't believe I'm not ready for the spring yet...

 

[Antifragile]

Saw this fable on LinkedIn, worth a share. Enjoy:

A father told his daughter, "Congrats on your graduation. I bought you a car a while back. I want you to have it now."

Before I give it to you, take it to a car dealer in the city and sell it. See how much they offer.”

The girl came back to her father and said: "They offered me $10,000 dollars because it looks very old"
Father said: "Ok, now take it to the pawn shop".

The girl returns to her father and said: "The pawn shop offered $1,000 dollars because it's a very old car and needs a lot of work done".

The father told her to join a passionate car club with experts and show them the car. The girl drove to the passionate car club. She returned to her father after a few hours and told him, “Some people in the club offered me $100,000 dollars because its a rare car that's in good condition.”

Then the father said, "I wanted to let you know that you are not worth anything if you are not in the right place. If you are not appreciated, do not be angry, that means you are in the wrong place. Don't stay in a place where no one sees your value."

Know your worth and know where you are valued.

A diamond doesn't shine at the bottom of a cave.

 

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[Antifragile]

Instead of focusing on reasons for being successful or unsuccessful, focus only on what you can do today to make tomorrow better.

Incremental improvements will compound.

Too much contemplation about our past and how we got here isn’t as helpful as simple, stupid, unreasonable drive to just do. The more you do, the better you become. Be so busy doing shit that you have no time to contemplate your past baggage, broken families or broken dreams. Get after your new self, the future.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Can you share a picture? I absolutely love old school libraries!!! Wood, book shelves, classic leather furniture, heavy desks. Wow!

Here is a picture my library and what's there now, it's sort of pieced together as we've been struggling to find stuff for the house due to supply issues. Haven't found my desk yet, and the "classic leather furniture" is not a consideration as I'm vegan and I try to avoid animal products.

This is where I relax and write, my personal office is where I manage business affairs.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Not bad for a book that is 10+ years old, hasn't spent more than $3k in advertising, and has a dogshit website. I'm sandwiched by free books too, via Kindle U.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

I just got an email from someone who just finished TMF (French version) from the middle of the Atlantic on a sailboat. He sent me the coordinates of where he was through an Iridium satellite. How cool, he truly is in the middle of nowhere! Stuff like this truly fascinates me, as a child I never thought my words could get to eyes outside of my city, much less my own home. Now they're in the middle of the Atlantic.

 

[heavy_industry]

Random thought of the day:

As my profile picture might tell I have an interest for the work of brilliant strategist figure Sun Tzu

And I think this quote relate very well to business entrepreneurship:

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