Incacoin

Walking, visiting in the Andes Mountains, to be more specific in Machu-Pichu, last summer-While here in the States it is winter time, Peru it is in summer- surrounded by a mystic and unquestionable beauty of this stone city, closed my eyes, and I was able to transport myself into the Inca’s time.

I actually, envisioned myself walking through the streets of Machu- Pichu going to the market for vegetables and fruits, and stop by for a coffee at my favorite spot attended by my close friend Atahualpa.

We started a good chatting vibe, discussing how the Inca’s central bank dropped the interest rates in order to promote spending, and how interesting was the last visit from our extraterrestrial neighbors, who by the fact previously visited the Aztecs in Mexico, and said the NAFTA agreement was not a good deal at all, adding that last three corn harvests were seriously affected by continuous droughts, and they were afraid that could lead to serious consequences for the population, even the extinction.

The time came for me to leave back to my chalet, and then I extended him a digital payment, a crypto currency, the Incacoin.

I opened my eyes, and got back to reality, the time came for us to start walking down to Cuzco. The analogy for my talk today Cryptocurrency, comes from the fact that Inca Empire did not use money. At least not real, tangible, physical money. Just like digital money.

Bitcoin is a type of cryptocurrency. There is no physical bitcoin, only balances kept on a public ledger that everyone has transparent access to

A cryptocurrency, crypto-currency, or crypto is a digital asset designed to work as a medium of exchange wherein individual coin ownership records are stored in a ledger existing in a form of a computerized database using strong cryptography to secure transaction records, to control the creation of additional coins, and to verify the transfer of coin ownership. Cryptocurrency does not exist in physical form (like paper money) and is typically not issued by a central authority.

Cryptocurrencies typically use decentralized control as opposed to a central bank digital currency (CBDC).When a cryptocurrency is minted or created prior to issuance or issued by a single issuer, it is generally considered centralized. When implemented with decentralized control, each cryptocurrency works through distributed ledger technology, typically a blockchain that serves as a public financial transaction database. (Wikipedia).

Cryptocurrency is supported by blockchain technology. Yes, like a chain of blocks united by specific messages between them.

Elon Musk as an avid bitcoin supporter with 1.5 billion dollar investment into the cryptocurrency announced the acceptance of bitcoin for its products and services.

A blockchain is a growing list of records, called blocks that are linked together using cryptography. Each block contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, a timestamp, and transaction data (generally represented as a Merkle tree). The timestamp proves that the transaction data existed when the block was published in order to get into its hash. As blocks each contain information about the block previous to it, they form a chain, with each additional block reinforcing the ones before it. Therefore, blockchains are resistant to modification of their data because once recorded, the data in any given block cannot be altered retroactively without altering all subsequent blocks.(Wikipedia)

Cryptocurrencies have become so popular that almost everybody with the right hardware can become a “crypto” bank.

Nowadays you can buy many things with bitcoin for example, which is the most well-known one. You can buy Seasons tickets for the Golden State Warriors, watches, etc. And Tesla, Elon Musk as an avid bitcoin supporter with 1.5 billion dollar investment into the cryptocurrency announced the acceptance of bitcoin for its products and services.

Just like any other emerging technologies, and ideas. Blockchain will require many ups and downs, government approvals, customers’ acceptance and why not big failures to consolidate its presence in the market. But we all know from close experiences, that technology has become a new common term in our daily language, and we should not disregard the opportunity to invest few dollars in one of the thousands cryptocurrencies available in the market today.

Read about the experience of the guy who paid few hundred dollars in pizzas celebrating with friends in san Francisco CA few years ago, falling short in cash he asked the restaurant owner if he would accept Bitcoins(as a joke), the owner said yes receiving full payment in digital currency. Today those few hundreds Bitcoins multiplied by a lot, he definitely publicly regretted it!

Generating (mining) cryptocurrencies requires a lot of power.

The numbers around the creation of a Bitcoin for example, are stratospheric, ridiculous big, is it worth?

Cryptocurrency mining consumes significant quantities of electricity and has a large associated carbon footprint. In 2017, bitcoin mining was estimated to consume 948MW, equivalent to countries the scale of Angola or Panama, respectively ranked 102nd and 103rd in the world. Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Monero were estimated to have added 3 to 15 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere in the period from 1 January 2016 to 30 June 2017. By November 2018, Bitcoin was estimated to have an annual energy consumption of 45.8TWh, generating 22.0 to 22.9 million tons of carbon dioxide, rivalling nations like Jordan and Sri Lanka.(Wikipedia)
There are so many unanswered questions around this new technology, but the potential for different applications are amazing.
I would definitely dig deeper into the Blockchain technology, and Cryptocurrencies.
Would you?
I challenge you to find out more, and share your thoughts with us, drop a word or two, have a great mining day!

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let not this blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams; it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.

R U an Instant Gratify-cator?

Instant gratification, I heard this many times during my marketing and economic classes in college, later in psychology, and NOW I am experiencing it myself!

It has been explained to me in different ways, and one of the most striking analogies – I deducted from my personal analysis- was the effect that instant gratification has in our willingness to deal with pain or sacrifices to reach our goals.

…I want and need it now

Instant gratification makes us weak, explained one of the theories. Instant gratification makes us impatient.

Do you remember not long ago, how long we had to wait for a file downloading? Streaming live was a pain. Now we talk 5G.  

Netflix, Amazon, Walmart, etc. or any other business must deliver with speed to satisfy customers desires. Amazon Prime is arduously working to become the first to have “same day delivery” as a standard feature.

Millennials -Generation Y- and now generation Z are good examples of immediate gratification, or better say “I want and need it now”. Technology of course has a big role to play in this, but the results are the same: instant results, speed, high level of virtual interaction. Low tolerance levels.

Nowadays the percentage of students leaving school (dropout), abandoning studies it is alarming. High schoolers usually work part time at the beginning, then when they see a paycheck every Friday it becomes the main motivation to drop school. Studying is hard, and you see no immediate rewards, compared to receiving a paycheck every week. Instant gratification it is the main driver.

Shahram Heshmat lists 10 reasons why is so difficult to resist instant gratification:

• A desire to avoid delay: it’s uncomfortable to engage in self-denial, and all of our instincts are to seize any opportunity for pleasure as it comes.
  
  
• Uncertainty: generally, we are born with nearly infinite certainty and trust in others, but over time we learn to be less sure of the reliability of others and of our future; this uncertainty can cause us to value the less beneficial but certain-and-immediate over the more beneficial uncertain-and-long-term.
  
  
• Age: as you have likely already noted, younger people have a tendency to be more impulsive, while older people with more life experience are better able to delay and temper their urges.
  
  
• Imagination: choosing delayed gratification requires the ability to envision your desired future if you forego your current desire; if you cannot paint a vivid picture of your future, you have little motivation to plan for it.
  
  
• Cognitive capacity: higher intelligence is linked to a more forward-thinking perspective; those who are born with more innate intelligence have a tendency to see the benefits of delayed gratification and act in accordance.
  
  
• Poverty: even when we see the wisdom in delaying gratification, poverty can make the decision complicated and even more difficult; if you have an immediate, basic need that is begging to be met (e.g., food, shelter), it’s unlikely you will choose to forego that need in order to receive any future benefit.
  
  
• Impulsiveness: some of us are simply more impulsive or spontaneous than others, which makes delaying gratification that much more difficult; this trait is associated with problems like substance abuse and obesity.
  
  
• Emotion regulation: individual differences in emotion regulation also impact our tendency towards instant vs. delayed gratification; emotional distress makes us lean towards choices that will immediately improve our mood, and those who have developed emotion regulation problems are especially at risk.
  
  
• Mood: even those with healthy emotion regulation can be led astray by their current mood; we all experience bad moods, boredom, and impatience—all of which serve to make immediate desires that much more seductive.
  
  
• Anticipation: finally, the experience of anticipation can influence our decisions to delay gratification or seek it immediately in either direction; humans generally like to anticipate positive things and dislike the anticipation of negative things, which can lead to decisions to put things off or to engage in them as quickly as possible to seek pleasure or avoid discomfort.

If we look at our ancestors. Most of the economic activity was based on agriculture. They needed to be hard workers, physically strong, patient. Imagine a GZ youngin having to plow a field, plant it, and then wait for the harvest? Almost impossible to picture right?   We moved – as a society -ahead with technology, and we experienced in the process profound changes in the way we “live, play and learn” .

we are not like our ancestors.

Now agriculture is developed with high tech equipment, genetics, and a lot of money!

GY and GZ population goes to Walmart or buy online when they need food. If they want to experience the exotic experience of cooking.

By nature, or imposed by the environment humans are “instant gratify-cators”.

Is it good or bad?  Some argue that many of the mental illnesses oppressing the world, in particular developed countries, are produced by the low resistance to pain, mental and physical, as a result of instant gratification mentality of the new generations.

Some would say that instant gratification is here to stay, and it is just matter of time for it, to become a new reality. The way of life. That sooner or later, everything will be instantaneously “satisfied”, “provided” for each and everyone…not as long we have the Filibuster, some say sarcastically …

We could go back and forth indefinitely, and never agree or reach a common point.

Therefore, we must look at ourselves, and be critically constructive, and trace our path to instant gratification behavior.

Where are you heading to? Are you already an instant “gratify-cator”?

The Egg

One day walking down the street in a poor neighborhood in Lima, Peru. A small kid crossed the street in from of me with two eggs, one in each hand. I was curious, so I asked him where he got the eggs? I bought them, at the “bodega”…the almacen… he replied. My mama sends me down everyday to buy eggs, today we only have money for two.

I was poor,I grew up eating eggs…

…anonymous.

In poor countries, people buy essential stuff, by “detail” if they need cooking oil for example, they bring a bottle and get a couple of ounces. Same thing with sugar, etc. the economic conditions force people to adapt quickly to survive.

This picture of the kids carrying eggs, and his daily story of buying eggs to feed themselves stays with me forever.

Eggs have been throughout history an essential part of our diet.

An egg it is so simple but contains more nutrients that could you ever imagine.

1. Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
2. Vitamin D
3. Vitamin E
4. Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5)
5. Vitamin B12 6. Vitamin A
7. Iron
8. Phosphorus
9. Folate
10. Iodine
11. Selenium
12. Choline
13. Lutein and Zeaxanthin.

Fried eggs on the other hand, are not easy to make. Well good decent, professional fried eggs are almost impossible to make. Below a list of fried eggs “a la americana”

Over easy or over light Cooked on both sides; the yolk is runny and the egg white is fully cooked.

Over medium Cooked on both sides; the yolk is cooked through but soft and near liquid at the center. The egg white is thoroughly cooked.

Over hard or over well Cooked on both sides all the way through, with the yolk intact.

Sunny-side up Cooked on one side only, until the egg white is set, but the yolk remains liquid. Gently splashing the hot cooking oil or fat over the sunny side uncooked white (i.e., basting) may be done to thoroughly cook the white. Covering the frying pan with a lid during cooking (optionally adding a cover and half-teaspoon of water just before finishing) allows for a less “runny” egg and is an alternative method to flipping for cooking an egg over easy (this is occasionally called sunny side down or basted). Sunny side up eggs are also commonly referred to as dippy eggs or dip eggs by Pennsylvania Dutch people living in central Pennsylvania, in parts of Ohio, and in Pittsburgh mainly due to the practice of dipping toast into the yolk while eating. This term is also occasionally used in Canada. They are also sometimes called moon eggs by those residing in eastern Maryland.

Chefs around the globe get together every year in the European Alps, Switzeggland-the capital of the fried egg- for a week, their goal: the creation of the ultimate fried egg recipe. (This is not a verifiable statement but sounds impressive).

if you go to McDonalds, you can find some type of “egg” solution, that placed in a mold – for the purpose of speed- end up in your sandwich as eggs. Then you have the question that hunts down millions of customers is this real egg? Not much difference with Subway’s tuna sandwich…is this real tuna? Well, we will probably never know.

Eggs have been the inspiration of artists and philosophers across the ages.

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  Leonardo da Vinci, Leda and the Swan, 1505-10

• 

  Hieronymus Bosch, Concert in the Egg, c. 1561

• 

  Georg Flegel, Snack with Fried Eggs, c. 1600

• 

  Diego Velázquez, An old woman cooking eggs, 1618 

• 

  Paul Cézanne, Still Life with Bread and Eggs, 1865 –

• 

  Salvador Dalí, Teatro Museo Dalí, 1974

Are you ready for an egg?

Can you think and answer the question: “who was first the chicken or the egg”? Below some good reading:

Eggs come from chickens and chickens come from eggs: that’s the basis of this ancient riddle. But eggs – which are just female sex cells – evolved more than a billion years ago, whereas chickens have been around for just 10,000 years.

“Because eggs embody the essence of life, people from ancient times to the modern day have surrounded them with magical beliefs, endowing them with the power not only to create life but to prophesy the future. Eggs symbolize birth and are believed to ensure fertility. They also symbolize rebirth, and thus long life and even immortality. Eggs represent life in its various stages of development, encompassing the mystery and magic of creation. Creation myths commonly describe how the universe was hatched from an egg, often laid by some mythical water bird swimming in the primordial waters…Early mythmakers viewed both the sun and the egg as the source of all life; the round, yellow yolk even symbolized the sun. Clearly, eggs had great symbolic potential…In Europe of pagan and Christian times, eggs symbolized life and resurrection. Human being have long consumed eggs of all sorts–of hens, ducks, geese, partridges, pigeons, pheasants, ostriches, peacocks, and other bird species. In legends, fairies consumed eggs of mythical birds such as the phoenix. People ate eggs for a variety of reasons. Some sought to absorb their magical properties by eating them. Others ate them to ensure fertility. In the Slavonic and Germanic lands, people also smeared their hoes with eggs, in the hope of transferring the eggs’ fertility to the soil…In Iran, brides and grooms exchange eggs. In seventeenth-century France, a bride broke an egg when she first entered her new home…The perception of eggs a symbols of fertility and embodiments of life force compelled people of certain cultures not only to shun them as food but to avoid destroying them at all costs…Some people avoided eating eggs laid by their tribal totems; certain groups of aborigines in Australia…believed they descended from the emu, so they placed strict taboos on eating eggs of these ancestral birds…Though people frequently forbade the eating of eggs, eggs were often used for divining purposes. Their widespread use in divination likely stemmed from the belief that they symbolized life–particularly life in the future. The Chinese and certain tribal groups in southern Asia used the eggs of chickens or ducks to divine the future. One method involved painting the eggs, boiling them, and reading the patterns in their cracks. Another method involved tossing the eggs, and divining the future with eggs, a process known as oomancy…The concept of eggs as life symbols went hand in hand with the concept of eggs as emblems of immortality, and particularly the resurrection of Christ, who rose from a sealed tomb just as a bird breaks through an eggshell… The Jews traditionally serve eggs at Passover as a symbol of sacrifice and rebirth.”
—Nectar and Ambrosia: An Encyclopedia of Food in World Mythology, Tamara Andrews [ABC-CLIO:Santa Barbara CA] 2000 (p. 86-7)

back to the question “who was first the chicken or the egg”? it doesn’t matter; at some point in evolutionary history when there were no chickens, two birds that were almost-but-not-quite chickens mated and laid an egg that hatched into the first chicken. If you are prepared to call that egg a chicken’s egg, then the egg came first.

Even astrophysicist and science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson endorsed this idea with a tweet saying “Just to settle it once and for all: Which came first the Chicken or the Egg? The Egg — laid by a bird that was not a Chicken.”Oct 28, 2020

Digital footprint

Digital footprint, good or bad?

The importance of having a Web presence became critical for today’s standards. For professionals it is key having a nice-looking personal site, blogging it is crucial, Twitter, LinkedIn was acquired by Microsoft that tells you everything. Just to mention an example Universities and colleges have developed and added to their curriculums Personal Branding classes.

But should we ask ourselves: what is my digital footprint, and could I ever be able to erase it?

Lately if you do not have a digital presence, you are basically nobody. You could even disappear, and nobody will notice it.

 I have seen an extreme picture, an entire family in a room, and everybody, -everybody – has its own screen. They communicate – 2 feet away- via text!

…digital footprint extremes…

The only one without a screen is the dog, but not for long, recently there are apps developed exclusively for pets, soon your puppy will be wearing optical glasses, and suffering from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

I know a family that reached the extreme, when they are too busy, or do not want to walk the dog, they place him on the treadmill, and place a screen in from of him playing a video at the park.

Apparently, it works, the dog seems to be happy. The problem comes when he poos.

My mother-in-law it is a classic case of addictive behavior and digital footprint spreader. She became a phantasmagoric figure bended over the keyboard in front of the computer – she even eats lunch at her computer! -. She never, never got-in her entire life- a sun tanning look. Now in her 80’s she looks like a surfer from Baja.

I love this stuff !

The thing is she only have tanned her front part the face.

 I tried -honestly- to advise her on the dangers of the radiation coming from the screen, but she refused to quit, arguing that if she catches cancer, she would be able to live at least 10 more years.

That number 10 now chases me down, comes to me even in my dreams.

Back to the subject. Having a personal digital brand out there supported by social media interaction provides great returns. Nowadays people do not exchange business cards anymore, they exchange data. And when you do that, first thing they do after you leave them, they Google you. They will see your digital footprint.

So, how Googleable are you?

A digital presence gives your brand an ideal platform to communicate with consumers. It gives you the opportunity to set the narrative on who you are as a brand and set yourself apart from competitors. More than just your website, your digital presence expands to all the touch points a consumer may have with your brand online. While this does indeed include your website, it can also include areas outside of your control, such as the conversations about your brand on social media and online reviews. In order to put your best foot forward in front of consumers, consider bolstering all aspects of your brand online. (Stephanie Burns, Forbes)

Digital footprint could become a burden if you are not careful, we have seen many cases including  important political figures ending their careers because of past Twitter activities.

Online presence nowadays it is part of regular people’s lives. Even adolescents, and children have their own social media presence. ‘

Is this good or bad?

We could go either way, but something it is undoubtedly clear, they are exposed, their data it is exposed. Data therefore becomes the new golden of data mining.

 Data equals information equals money.

Internet for sure came to stay, and it is an important part of our life. We will eventually know more about its influence, and consequences in human race, but it has changed how we live our lives. Said that, we really need to pay attention to our online presence, and careful review our digital footprint.

Enrolling in a Personal Branding class would be a good investment.

Have you put some thoughts on what you are doing everyday online? Your tweets, Facebook postings, LinkedIn comments and articles?

Are you going E?

Going E?  we hear over and over about climate change, greenhouse effect, the final days predicted in the Bible, the recent “heat dome” in the western US followed by a dessert monsoon, catastrophic floods in Europe, the rising sea jeopardizing the luxurious dreams of nationals and foreigners of having a condo in South Beach, etc etc.

for dust you are and to dust you will return.

Genesis 3:19

But the question for you: do you really want to drive electric cars? Or would you drive an electric car?

It is , what is called- I learned this in a psychology class –  a dishonest question.

 A dishonest question is one like asking your partner: “do you love me?” what you really want to hear back? You know the answer must be, it needs to be “I do”.

Refusing the new technology in the name of our mother Earth, sounds terrible, almost apocalyptic. Remember this:

“ By the sweat of your brow  you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” Genesis 3 :19

Well, for the purpose of this topic, only the last part applies. The first one it is just to give you a malicious mental backlash that we are here because that infamous “Apple”.

So, we need to treat our mother Earth well, with care. Are you going to switch to electric?

It is easy for some, but others would never accept the fact that technology will eventually replace their inner beasts, hungry for smoke, gas, diesel, and roaring engines across the open land …America, for a sweet low, almost imperceptible smooth electric engine.

It sounds like Armageddon, isn’t it?

Thinks of this, entire generations that grew up around engines, oil, smoke, and country music, …If It Wasn’t for Trucks…all of the sudden wiped out by e-trucks…

IN this race for electric cars, we find winners and losers, those in the battery manufacturing industry see big wins , as well as those in the Lithium mining extraction which is creating big unrest  noise among indigenous people and conservationists in the Andes Mountains in South America.

What is Lithium, and how it is extracted?

GM is by no means the sole company launching bold initiatives on EVs. Ford, which has had an electrification program for longer than GM, is offering electric versions of iconic brands such as the Mustang and F-150 truck. Volkswagen says it will invest €30 billion ($35.8 billion) in e-mobility by 2023, and by 2028 vows to offer 70 new fully electric VW models, with projected EV sales of 22 million for the VW Group. Startups also are increasingly active, with e-truck innovator Rivian signing a big deal with Amazon to purchase Rivian’s all-electric delivery vans, and new Chinese EV firms emerging seemingly each month.

thebulleting.org

As we observe water it is a big component of lithium mining, and we go back to the same premise about water: scarcity. Do you remember the movie “water world” with Kevin Costner? Do you think we are getting paranoiac in here? what are you doing to avoid Ice Caps melting?

do we need to reach a point where Miami, New York can only be visited in a submarine?

We will need a lot of science behind these decisions, but one thing for sure is approaching getting rid of oil.

 I am just wondering how the buddies in Dubai are looking at this movement. Maybe it is one of the reasons behind their building madness.

I am at this point, seriously looking at my dusty bike seating in my garage for such a long time.

But let’s be positive thinking. If we look at AI (artificial intelligence) and autonomous cars, think of this. When AI becomes so good, and fleets of autonomous cars flood the streets of our cities, we need no car anymore, do we?

Well think deeper. You have a car which is depreciating by the minute, you have car payments, insurance, gas etc. all the expenses associated to car ownership. Even more, you drive your car to work, or whatever you need to go, and normally out of 24 hours you probably drive 2 hours or fewer? Unless you are Doordashing or Ubering. For the most mortals we don’t really use our cars. The future is coming to this, you pull out your smartphone, call the taxi (unmanned) at any time of the day. The car arrives takes you to the destination, and when you need to go back call it again, etc. etc.

Why would you need to own a car then?

Think about, at least think of a couple of reasons to switch from your fossil fuel swallower to an e-car.

The Power of Healing

The Power of Healing is within us. I have heard this so many times, and it is still extremely hard to get a good grasp of it. Sounds too easy, maybe it is the reason why it is so hard.

We are used to difficulties in life, when something comes too easy it triggers a shadow of doubt around us and our brain reacts, is it possible? Sounds too easy, does it?

The economic system we live in, some people define it as Neoliberalism, for others maybe a Market socialism? With all that is going on with the Democrats nowadays, not communism for sure. The system influences us, affects us in many ways, every minute of our lives. Think of it in this way, we grow up doing things that in return give us some money: chores, lawn care, washing cars, etc. We do not receive money for doing nothing. The concept roots out in our brains to the point that doing or receiving something for free does not sound right. Easy things are tricky.

So back to the idea that the power of healing resides within us, and it is free!!

Many experiments have been done to test the power of our minds. Placebo effect it is one of the favorites. Why or how it is possible that choosing a similar number of individuals during a drug testing experiment, almost the same number of patients that received a sugar pill healed just like the other ones that received the real drug? Below an excerpt from Harvard Medical School and Professor Ted Kaptchuk :

“When you look at these studies that compare drugs with placebos, there is the entire environmental and ritual factor at work,”

Ted Kaptchuck

How placebos work is still not quite understood, but it involves a complex neurobiological reaction that includes everything from increases in feel-good neurotransmitters, like endorphins and dopamine, to greater activity in certain brain regions linked to moods, emotional reactions, and self-awareness. All of it can have therapeutic benefit. “The placebo effect is a way for your brain to tell the body what it needs to feel better,”

“When you look at these studies that compare drugs with placebos, there is the entire environmental and ritual factor at work,” “You have to go to a clinic at certain times and be examined by medical professionals in white coats. You receive all kinds of exotic pills and undergo strange procedures. All this can have a profound impact on how the body perceives symptoms because you feel you are getting attention and care.”

But how can we use the power of our minds to heal ourselves? are we alone? are we livin’ on a prayer?

Several experiments done at cellular levels, have demonstrated that cells are affected by the environment surrounding them. The experiments place cells of the same origin, and DNA structure in different containers, and each one of them is excited by different stimulus. The results tell us that cells react differently under different environments, despite the fact they are all basically the same type.

Harvard University found that inside the nucleus of each cell in our bodies, we have chromosomes, which contain the code for characteristics that pass to the next generation. Within these chromosomes, specific segments of genetic code, known as genes, make up long, double-helix strands of DNA.

Children inherit approximately 23,000 genes from their parents, but not every gene does what it was designed to do. Experiences leave a chemical “signature” on genes that determines whether and how the genes are expressed. Collectively, those signatures are called the epigenome.

The brain is particularly responsive to experiences and environments during early development. External experiences spark signals between neurons, which respond by producing proteins. These gene regulatory proteins head to the nucleus of the neural cell, where they either attract or repel enzymes that can attach them to the genes. Positive experiences, such as exposure to rich learning opportunities, and negative influences, such as malnutrition or environmental toxins, can change the chemistry that encodes genes in brain cells — a change that can be temporary or permanent. This process is called epigenetic modification.

Basically, in plain English, cells, and more complex structures of our body, can be changed, transformed, or influenced by behavior, environment, nutrients, etc. basically we could or should be able to influence our cells, positively or negatively. To be healthy or become ill.

We should be able to send messages to our body, and make it good or bad, and we know this is real. Try it during your final exam at school.

Masaru Emoto develop a theory on how feeling and stimulus can affect and change the water structure(molecules). His water crystal experiments consisted of exposing water in glasses to various words, pictures, or music, then freezing it and examining the ice crystals’ aesthetic properties with microscopic photography. He claimed that water exposed to positive speech and thoughts created visually “pleasing” ice crystals, and that negative intentions yielded “ugly” ice formations (Wikipedia).

It has been said our bodies are 80% water, if this Masaru’s theory it is real-experiments show real results-, we could look at us as “vases” carrying water, that can be positively or negatively influenced. What are we waiting for?

Dr. Bernard Lown in his book “the Lost Art of Healing” determined that having patients all the time in bed was detrimental and ordered to have them seating in a chair. The results were astonishing. Below a quotation from the Lown Institute:

The study involved getting patients into a comfortable chair for increasing durations on succeeding days. Compared with recumbent patients, ours required fewer narcotics for chest pain, less sedation for anxiety, and fewer sleeping medications. Nurses commented that the patients’ demeanor changed from anxious and depressed to an eagerness to resume normal living. Witnessing even one patient in a chair rapidly won converts from the house staff, who soon became enthusiastic adherents. Patients in chairs promptly began to harangue their doctors to let them walk and pressed for an early discharge.

Dr. Lown looks on as Dr. Levine checks on a patient who was moved from bed rest to a comfortable chair

Despite dire predictions by senior medical attendants that these patients would experience fatal arrhythmias, heart rupture, or congestive heart failure from an overstressed heart muscle, none of those complications were encountered. Comments by patients experiencing their second or third coronary artery occlusion confirmed that we were on the right track. Invariably they indicated that the current episode was the easiest to bear.

Practicing physicians rapidly abandoned the use of strict bed rest. Until our work, patients were kept in the hospital for a month or longer. Within a few years after our publication, the period of hospitalization was reduced by half. The range of activities permitted to patients was extended, and self‑care became the norm. The hateful and dangerous bedpan was abandoned; walking was allowed earlier; hospital mortality was reduced by about a third. Rehabilitation was hastened, and the return to work was accelerated. The time required for full recovery was reduced from three months to one month. Considering the fact that in the United States about one million people suffer heart attacks annually, perhaps as many as one hundred thousand lives were salvaged each year by this simple strategy.

“Visiting Martians, witnessing this travail, might have judged the scene differently, regarding hospitals as prisons where inmates were subjected to a unique form of torture.”

Dr. Bernard Lown

Finally, we could extend hours talking about many advantages of using our minds to makes us feel better, gain a better health, be happier etc. or on the other hand use our minds to kill ourselves day by day. It is our choice.

Can you make your mind work for you?

What do we live for?

What do we live for? It is a common question among those who have the courage to meditate, or being dumb enough to look sad, while others have fun in life.

We find several studies that populate the web picturing what is the best way to live this life, which is surrounded by friends, family, good food, and some would add, and a bottle of good quality whiskey.

I am towards that concept, which is, by the way, sort of the antithesis of the American life, at least how we perceive it. In America we need to become “independent” asap, for example we -parents- forged the expression “I am done, my last son graduated from High School, I am done” with a great smile on our face that could jeopardize the best Walmart’s low-price logo.

Are friends and family, relationships what we really live for?   

“economic capital is in people’s bank accounts and human capital is inside their heads, social capital inheres in the structure of their relationships”.

Portes

The concept of social capital and its analysis has attracted the attention of several disciplines (economics, sociology, psychology, etc.) in the past 40 years. Starting from the seminal works of Coleman (1988), a multitude of social capital definitions and conceptualizations have been proposed (e.g., Durlauf and Fafchamps 2005).

The main concept present in all the current definitions is that social capital is a resource that resides in the networks and groups which people belong to, rather than an individual characteristic or a personality trait. Portes (1998) defined social capital as “the ability of actors to secure benefits by virtue of their membership in social networks or other social structures,” stressing that whereas “economic capital is in people’s bank accounts and human capital is inside their heads, social capital inheres in the structure of their relationships”.

Social Capital, is it networking or isn’t? Then we can go further down in our analysis, and end up with social media, a sort of social capital but with Economies of Scale.

The value of relationships is undeniable. People are gregarious by nature, we need people around us, and if they love you even better!

Covid 19 pandemic hit us hard, especially in the side of our relationship needs with our peers. Just think about this: I have the chance to watch this old TV show “Cheers” when – ironically and funny- my daughters, a couple of youngins, tune in and watch every day.

This is a new tendency among young people, they are turning their antennas towards old stuff, music, TV shows etc., they said they are good, and I agree with them.

The TV show Cheers introduction, plays a song that says “…where everybody knows your name”, such a powerful note if we apply this to today’s “impersonal “way of life.

Have you recently ask yourself how many people know my name? When “knows “really means closely, a friendly, trustable relationship?

I think most of the people would count their close relationships with the fingers of both hands.

So, what do we live for?

It becomes a serious question, that most of humanity never asked themselves. Serious in the sense that it can transform our lives and make it so rich and powerful that we could ride the subway in New York with a smile in our face, and become a target.

A life with a purpose, it is powerful.

Why am I here? What is my purpose? How do I discover and fulfill my deepest mission?

^{Sometimes we go through phases where a clear vision of our dharma or purpose seems to elude us.}

These are questions that we all ask at one time or another. Sometimes we discover the answers early on, but often we continue to ask these questions throughout our lives. As we grow and mature, the answers to these questions continue to evolve as well, as we discover ever-deeper aspects of ourselves and our potential.

Sometimes we go through phases where a clear vision of our dharma or purpose seems to elude us. Or we might encounter roadblocks, whether internal or external, that seem to prevent us from fully living that purpose once we identify it. These obstacles, however, don’t have to be permanent for us. Because of who we truly are—infinite potential—we can learn to move through all that hinders us from living our dharma. In fact, such obstacles can actually be used as opportunities for our further expansion (Deepak Chopra).

I am – right now – challenging you to ask the question to the most inner part of yourself…what are you living for?

How many people knows your name?

Money, what’s money?

Money, what is money? The formal definition we find on texts could be this one: a current medium of exchange in the form of coins and banknotes; coins and banknotes collectively.

What is money? It is a question that probably can be answered from many angles, from many different personal or professional views such as accountants, financiers, Wall Street sharks, preachers, church organizers, etc. So here we are trying to organize some thoughts around what has driven humanity since cave men roamed the earth. When he, our troglodyte DNA donor, got tired of chasing mammoths around and decided to settle down.

Imagine that cave man, close your eyes and think about it: hairy, muscled up, rustic Neanderthal seating right there around the fire with all that adrenaline permeating through his thick skin- a question comes to his brain hitting him like a thunder-, NOW WHAT?

My bad habits aren’t my title. My strengths and my talent are my title.
^{Layne Staley}

It is like you and I when the retirement age hit us without mercy or warning call, and we find ourselves with one package of Tostitos in one hand, and the TV remote in the other one frenetically, almost disguised, scrolling around a universe of marketable stuff designed to make us buy, consume, consume, and consume more and more, while Jeff Bezos travels around the universe thanks to our loyalty to home delivery and Prime.

Settlement did not come easy. Our cave men started a new life full of challenges. Now they have other communities that look at them with an envious, almost an evil look. They wanted what you have, then wars began. Tired again the troglodytes came up with a solution, instead of fighting for stuff, let’s trade! Then money made its debut appearance on earth to make us slaves of its power, also the political parties set up their stage too, and Bingo! The Starmatic voting elections machines…nope that is part of a different blog.

John Maynard Keynes, was an English economist, whose ideas fundamentally changed the theory and practice of macroeconomics and the economic policies of governments. According to Keynesian Economists money has another role to play which is as a store of value. They said that due to this role of money a link is established between present and future. And because of this role money can influence the economic activity, level of income and employment. Quite against classical neutrality of money, Keynes thinks that money can alter the level of income and employment of an economy.

Nothing new.

Money drive us crazy, just think about Corleone. Money as many philosophers predicate, it directs, and almost controls the biggest percentage of the population’s lives, some would say: yes, we the 99%. Money has the power of transforming -the fastest way- a socialist-communist into a neoliberal-capitalist with no return ticket.

Below some interesting thoughts and view of life around money:
“The life of money-making is one undertaken under compulsion, and wealth is evidently not the good we are seeking; for it is merely useful and for the sake of something else.” —Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics

“If you wish to make Pythocles wealthy, don’t give him more money; rather, reduce his desires”- Epicurus

In the end, therefore, money will be the one thing people will desire, which is moreover only representative, an abstraction. Nowadays a young man hardly envies anyone his gifts, his art, the love of a beautiful girl, or his fame; he only envies him his money. -The Present Age Kierkegaard.

Wealth is like sea-water: The more we drink the thirstier we become; and the same is true of fame. -Schopenhauer.

The use of money is all the advantage there is in having money- The Way to Wealth

Marx reminds us that money, for all the bad things philosophers often say about it, is extremely useful. It drives history, grants the ability to accomplish great things, and often consumes too much of our time.

The founder of Buddhism, Gautama Buddha lived in both extreme wealth and obscene poverty during his life. His time spent on the extremes showed him the wisdom of “The Middle Way” which became a core element of Buddhism.

Those who criticize the wealthy don’t realize that money is needed to do good things.- Jacob Needleman.

If you ask people, regular individuals, they will probably refer to money using slang: SPONDOOLICKS, QUID, MONKEY, BRASS, BOODLE, TUDSE, WONGA, etc.

• Benjamins – This reference to money comes from the face of Benjamin Franklin which is found on the 100 dollar bill.         
• Bacon – No this is not about food. Bringing ‘home the bacon’ means just that, you are bringing home the money.          
• Bank – Using this term when speaking about money is never about the banking institution.            
• Bands – Since most people with large rolls of cash need rubber bands to hold them together, this where the word comes from.      
• Big Ones – In reference to having multiple thousands.        
• Bankrolls – Oh, the joy of having rolls of paper money.         
• Bills – If you have a lot of one hundred dollar bills, then this is the term to use.       
• Big Bucks – When referring to receiving employment compensation or payments, this is where the term applies.          
• Biscuits – No, we are not referring to cookies here. This is what you call money in slang.         
• Bisquick – Same as above, only getting money at a faster clip.                 
• Bones – Skeletons need not apply to this term, only dollars. Unknown origin.         
• Bread – Since cash is the staple of life, the term bread is applied well here.       
• Bookoo Bucks – Same as big bucks.        
• Broccoli – Since the vegetable is green, just like cash, the slang fits.       
• Buckaroos – All cash money in general.       
• Cabbage – Cash money is green, so is cabbage.     
• Cheddar – Cheese is often distributed by the government to welfare recipients. The origin of this is unknown, but most seem to agree that this is where the term came from.         
• Chedda – Another way of saying cheddar.          
• Cake – Since cake is the same as bread or dough, then it means money.       
• Cash – Nuff said.   
• Chits – This originated from signed notes for money owed on drinks, food or anything else.        
• Chips – Since having a large sum of poker chips means you have money.

Just to mention a few.
What about you? What you think money is, and how important it becomes in your life?
Are you letting money control your ways?

Screen time

We spend tons of time in front of the computer, looking at a screen became a norm.

As smartphones and other internet-connected devices have become more widespread, 31% of U.S. adults now report that they go online “almost constantly,” up from 21% in 2015, according to a new Pew Research Center survey conducted Jan. 25 to Feb. 8, 2021.

It is amazing how addictive a screen is, I see it with families and their children, and parents too! To the point that they had to set up schedules in order to control the time usage, and avoid a number of negative consequences of Internet watching abuse.

Consequences could mount to a number of health issues, not to mention the negative effects on relationships.

Have you find yourself unable to start or finish your homework, a project, something crucially important, because something in your brain triggers a sort of maniacal procrastination attack, and you just slip throughout the night watching your favorite show or just surfing the web?

I could say …I see myself in it.

I saw your office building, and the street where you work…

One of the most dramatic scenes around this subject comes to me with older people, such as an 85 years old grandma stuck to the screen for hours. It could be something good if we look at it as a mental exercise, keeping them mentally fresh or a pain if it is your laptop she is using, and you do not want to hurt her feelings cutting her off. 

A terrible feeling came to me one day when my mother in law told me, I use Google Earth, and “I saw your office building, and the street where you work…” -she lives in a different continent- all of the sudden I felt like having Putin breathing on my neck.

American writer Nicholas Carr asserts that Internet use reduces the deep thinking that leads to true creativity. He also says that hyperlinks and overstimulation means that the brain must give most of its attention to short-term decisions. Carr also states that the vast availability of information on the World Wide Web overwhelms the brain and hurts long-term memory. He says that the availability of stimuli leads to a very large cognitive load, which makes it difficult to remember anything.[2][3]

A good excerpt from Wikipedia:

In a recent study[4] involving millions of users watching online videos, users with faster Internet connectivity (e.g., fiber) abandoned a slow-loading video at a faster rate than similar users with slower Internet connectivity (e.g., cable or mobile). Commentators have argued that the Sitaraman study shows that when humans get accustomed to a faster flow of information on the Internet, they become more impatient and have less tolerance for delays.[5][6]

Computer scientist Ramesh Sitaraman has asserted that Internet users are impatient and are likely to get more impatient with time.[7] In a large-scale research study[4][8] that completed in 2012 involving millions of users watching videos on the Internet, Krishnan and Sitaraman show that users start to abandon online videos if they do not start playing within two seconds.[9] In addition, users with faster Internet connections (such as FTTH) showed less patience and abandoned videos at a faster rate than users with slower Internet connections. Many commentators have since argued that these results provide a glimpse into the future: as Internet services become faster and provide more instant gratification, people become less patient[5][6] and less able to delay gratification and work towards longer-term rewards.[10]

Psychologist Steven Pinker, however, argues that people have control over what they do, and that research and reasoning never came naturally to people. He says that “experience does not revamp the basic information-processing capacities of the brain” and asserts that the Internet is actually making people smarter.[11]

Are you aware of your screen time? Are you sure you are able to manage it?

Do you know somebody that needs help with the issue?

Are you one of those Internet fanatics, and welcome the new technology with embracing arms?

Let me know while you surf the web, drop a line or two.

Cheers…