https://homebrewserver.club/low-tech-website-howto.html - how to make a static website

https://www.ubs.com/global/en/wealth-management/chief-investment-office/market-insights/spotlight-corona-virus.html?campID=CAAS-ActivityStream - Coronavirus and worldwide investments

https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2014/09/circulating-fans-air-conditioning.html - in depth article about ceiling fans

https://blog.lostartpress.com/page/3/- a person that writes all about wordworking, and only woodworking, and teaches woodworking. I guess the idea is that, well, he can do woodworking many different ways in order to make money.

These are the basics of being in a home.

• Electrician
• Plumbing
• Contractor
• General contractor - management
• HVAC
• Insulation
• Roofing
• Yard maintenance

These are the basic roles in a business. Pick one of these if you want a business job.

• Lawyer
• Accountant
• Operations
• Sales
• Marketing
• CEO or President
• Management
• IT

The roles in this category are transferable amongst various businesses.

Some roles are more for larger companies, but some roles can be found at even the smallest companies.

The smallest company might be an independent contractor. And even he or she needs to interact with a lawyer, accountant, sales, and IT or do it on their own.

Of these, it seems that law would be the most difficult to do on their own.

If you choose a role in one of these fields, then you can transfer between companies. You can offer skills you gained in one company to other companies. You can freelance and more easily state your value.

My role for my job is more specialized. Probably only a few companies would understand it, it is not standardized across companies, but it would be valuable to the ones that want it.

That is another route.

But it is not as transferrable.

there is an area of life called friendship and community
and you think it is something that you can buy
but it is something that you get from repeated small short interactions
maybe that is something that i enjoyed the most

Sometimes it is easier to work when your cup is full.

When you have done things that you enjoy.

Instead of grinding it out all the time.

BJ Fogg talks about habits. One thing he writes about is that instead of pushing yourself to finish the entire task. You limit yourself to only doing a portion of the task.

That way, you want to complete the task.

You keep limiting yourself, but you keep growing until you allow yourself to complete the task.

That way, you end up having the reinforcement of achievement and also doing something.

You get that little hit of dopamine when you accomplish what you set out to do.

That is what I have been doing with my one improvement a day method.

Everyday, I improve one thing about my environment. Even if it is a small thing, like throwing away one piece of trash. Or finding a space for one item to be organized. Or removing one item that is cluttering up one desk drawer.

Some people will look at that and see the difficulty of it. Some people will look at that and see the opportunity of it.

See the void, but also see the opportunity.

I was talking to a friend last night about how she is just putting things into perspective at work. Is the situation in front of her more important than paying her mortgage? No? Go ahead and do what you need to do at work and do not worry about it that much.

As long as it is legal, moral, ethical, and you are doing something you like.

Right now is not the time to be making big moves in career anyway.

A financial storm is coming, --actually, it is here, but there is buttressing up and the fat middle class is not feeling it -- and you want stability there.

You want to survive.

It looks like we will be looking at 8-10 years of flat earnings, flat growth, a flat economy.

After a recession.

Although we have 'recovered' back to pre-COVID levels, those are just being held by low interest rates for business, the US government purchasing junk business bonds, and propping up the economy. Global recession is supposedly what could have happened instead.

The US has taken on massive debt

$2.4 trillion in just financial tools for coronavirus. The government was $25 trillion in debt prior to coronavirus and projected to spend $1.1 trillion more than it collected in taxes pre-coronavirus.

https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/2020/05/08/national-debt-how-much-could-coronavirus-cost-america/3051559001/

Investments and work

Not sure myself what to do here yet, but some various approaches people have taken:

• investments
• social circles
• additional jobs
• freelancing
• decreasing spending
• moving to other countries

Survival

You have a roof over your head, you have food, you and your loved ones are safe.

Those are the most basic, important things.

Above that, saving money, extravagences, those are nice too, but not necessary right now.

Happiness

Despite the tightening economy, you can still be happy.

It is not easy finding shoes or boots for wide feet.

Fuck.

And now that there is a barefoot running movement that helps somewhat.

For running, I still think that sandals are a great choice.

They pretty much do away with the need for a last that fits. The issue is the constriction between the

I'm looking at kennetrek boots, custom made russellmoccasins, or something else.

In those, birdshooter boots (applachian trail) for backpacking, another for running in the winter.

Super interesting article

https://angkangpilipino.wordpress.com/2011/03/25/traditional-filipino-surnames-2/

Mainly because it is definitions of names.

Interesting to see what people were 'known by.'

What are those things?
I could go for experiences.
I could go for time back
I could go for experiences with friends.
I could go for health.

I think one thing I have shied away from, but realize does really impact things is clothing.

Clothing really does affect how people react to you and how they treat you. Especially as a brown person. Unless you are in a country where being a brown person is okay. Then clothing still makes a difference, but you are more likely to be judged by

What does it mean to dress well?

You need to learn clothing, how to style, how to dress, what is quality, what brands, colors, body type.

I will likely end up spending money.

But a lot of it is skill.

You see this on TV shows. You see it in people. There are people with basic looking clothes that just look absolutely fantastic.

You might say that, well, maybe they are expensive basic clothes.

Maybe they are, but they are the correct expensive clothes for that person and situation.

On the other hand, you have seen someone dress poorly and wearing lots of expensive clothes.

Doesn't physique matter more?

Physique, attitude, education, a smile, clean teeth, good breath, good hair. All these things matter.

Absolutely they matter in terms of attraction.

Physique definintely matters as well.

If you are looking at attraction, I guess you could be fat and be attractively clothed. Of course.

But in terms of health, obviously being healthy is more important than dressing well.

However, it still stands that clothing makes a difference.

What is worth spending money on?

A casual blazer for summer.

Casual nice clothing.

Loafers.

Everything else, get basic styling.

Instead of spending $4k on another watch, I could spend $2000 and put together a fantastic wardrobe, that I wear regularly. I am not looking to put together clothing that I wear once in a while.

Pants. Work pants that are comfortable.

Chinos that I like wearing.

Shorts, and cloth shorts, well, they are not comfortable for working. They are for lounging. They are for hanging out on beach. They are not for traipsing around on the world stage.

How do you learn that stuff?

Do I spend $1000 to figure that out quickly? Via some on-line course?

Or do I put in a lot of time to figure it out myself?

Do I outsource it by finding a really good sales person or store?

Pretty much have friends who know what they are doing.

They can help.

Here are the things that are most important (in no particular order):
-adequate sleep in line with circadian rhythms
-adequate diet in terms of quantity, macronutrients, and micronutrients
-adequate exercise to promote cardiovascular and musculoskeletal health
-nurturing social networks
-staying in touch with your own emotions/thoughts
https://forum.earlyretirementextreme.com/viewtopic.php?p=216661

1000 (pots) is a big, but mentally accessible number.

1000 Pots Experiment. Who made the best pots?

The idea is that there was an experiment where there were students, one group was told they had the whole semester to make the best pot they could. One group was told their assignment was to make 1000 pots. By the end of the semester, the students who made 1000 pots were making the best pots.

Common takeaway? Output over quality initially

The common takeaway from this story is that you have to go through the mechanics of making something, over and over, and initially, output might be more important than concentrating on quality.

It is kind of like the kid I saw at the hoop behind my house. He would be out there for 5-6 hours a day, earbuds in, shooting really ugly shots.

But for 5-6 hours a day.

I call him "Kobe."

If he keeps that up, he will have to be better.

The Excitement Dulls: The Limitations of Results in a Few Weeks Programs

More than some "shoot killer jumpers in 4 weeks!" program, he will have learned how to motivate and work on the craft himself. When you do some "short amount of time!" "crazy results!" program you end up being into it for a portion of time, but eventually you go back to whatever it was you were doing before. That adrenaline and excitement drops off again and you're back where you were before.

So what do you do? You end up looking for another program.

The Real Goal is Freedom

In reality, the way out of this cycle is figuring out a program for yourself.

Something that is internally motivating. Something that you do not just expend yourself doing, but that doing it renews you.

That is the goal. Freedom. Internal motivation.

The Alternative Takeaway from 1000 pots

Well the other takeaway is that, sometimes by doing things, you actually get what you wanted.

If you are there putting in the work, you will be naturally improving, that is, you have a mind towards improvement, you will be searching for it.

But the limiting factor is not the skill of learning, but the energy and pool of motivation to do it.

Put out work. Quality, not quality, put out a huge body of work. Allow your natural inclination to guide you.

You are naturally wired to improve, to experiment, to be curious, and to succeed.

Go for it.

There are two parts to writing art. Making the art and sharing the art.

Buying your art is a high compliment.

A purchase indicates that the art resonates with an audience enough that they are willing to pay for it.

Think about what it means to pay for something. What it truly means is that someone is willing to exchange their life energy for your art.

Why? For most people, money comes from working, and working is an expending life energy.

So if someone is paying for your work, it may indicate a high resonance with their essential self.

That is a high compliment.

Finding your audience and selling? It seems like artists, true successful artists, are first focused on creating art, not selling.

When I was an undergraduate, I would go to creative writing salons and hear from famous writers. After hearing moving passages, witty anecdotes, and having the audience laugh and love with the author, the organizer would open the floor to questions. One-on-one advice from a real writer?!

One of my recurring questions was: "How do you find your audience?"

Most did not know, and then had some anecdote about unusual or unexpected audiences they heard had adapted their work.

On the one hand, that was cool, but for me at the time, it was frustrating because to me, if you did not have an audience, well what was the point of writing.

And I realize now, that, this recurring response underlies an incorrect assumption on my part.

An artist creates art. That is the number one focus. That is the number one desire. That is the number one requirement.

Focus on creating writing. Share your art. Sell your art.

Three components.

Build your capacity and skill in all of them, in what order you choose.

I used to think that a movie star, was the best actor.

Be the best at acting, and you become a movie star.

But now I realize, that no job is like that.

It requires so much more.

The movie stars can act, they can negotiate a deal, they can get the people on board with a project, they know how to court projects and people, they can bring it all together, resources, money, timing.

It is about making and selling the art.

Seth Godin published a list of habits of a successful artist:
Learn to sell what you've made.
Say thank you in writing.
Speak in public.
Fail often.
See the world as it is.
Make predictions.
Teach others.
Write daily.
Connect others.
Lead a tribe.

He goes on to say that making these tasks your job, "then the art you produce may very well take care of itself."

To me, it is a glimpse of an example at what may be the real skill set behind some of the successful artists.

Piercing the viel, as it were.

You have to produce fantastic content, but there is so much more to learn beyond that.

Writing this blog right now is me playing to empty clubs.

Here is where I put an interesting quote:
Some famous comedy talks about how they used to play to empty rooms, any place they could, at a bowling alley, in the corner of a party. You need to do that.

The person and the quote does not matter, tons of comedians have told the same story.

What matters is what it means.

Learn the mechanics of the performance as well as the art.

The mechanics of showing up on time, of building a relationship with a club owner, where you can and cannot sit, what you should or should not drink. Do you know how long it takes to park at that venue and where you need to park to get there on time? How do you walk up on stage?

There are all kinds of small, and incoherent things going on, before, during, and after, a comedian performs on stage.

These are the mechanics.

"Well that has nothing to do with the art!" you might say.

"it matters because it enables the art," I say.

Maybe it is performing in a club, maybe it is how to set up an instagram account and who to like, or how to make videos, or just how to write.

To make this website you choose a name, set up a domain, set up a host, install software, set that software up, change fonts, figure out how to edit display settings. How to type, how to save documents. How to set up a writing schedule, a regular one, that produces.

More and more, ad infinitum...

Playing the game means more things to improve. Higher levels to compete or play the game.
Greater reward.

And it does not have to be all at once. It should not be all at once.

You learn it at the level that you need it, then you change, and learn it at the next level.

A complete artist, well, they can be a one person show.

I have no idea how to choose a project
I have no idea what I want to market

Here is the punchline: choose a project, any project, and do it for six months, and only do that project.

Guidelines on choosing a project

1. Do anything. Literally. Do anything. Doing anything is better than doing nothing.

Action teaches you, exactly, what you know. It shows you what you can actually do.

It shows you where you are.

A blog post is a repetition of weight lifting.

Imagine you have all these metrics indicating you can lift a certain weight. Well, that is good, but eventually, you get under the bar and lift the damn weight, with your body, mind, and spirit.

Until then, it is an idea. After then, you have made it real.

Make it real.

2. Choose an amount of time.

Spend the next 90 minutes figuring out your next six month project. Or make it a 3 month project. But really do something.

Commit to a long amount of time.

3. Choose a project that will force you to learn the mechanics things.

Choose a project that will force you to learn a skill. Because at the end of it, you will either have a fantastic project, or will have gained another skill that you can use and leverage on future projects.

Make it on a path to something you want to do. If you decide to make a blog, well then, make a blog.

4. Publish.

Choose a project that has a public eye, or a public service, choose a project that interacts with the public.

If it is photos, choose a date to share them, or better yet, share along the way, or better yet, do not share them, but edit along the way and share the editing.

If it is writing, post it publically, even if no one reads it.

5. It does not matter what you want.

Free yourself from figuring out what you want.

Instead, focus on what you can do.

It is fucking scary.

But choose any project, and then do that one project for six months.

Everyday.

You will have to face the fear that you wasted time, effort, and potentially money.

Mitigate those things by doing steps 1-4.

Spend little to no money.

Proof that I am doing what I am writing, here is how I feel:

I have an idea, that I want to write, and that I want to heal myself, and heal others
And that I want to make money

And that I want the writing to matter, that is, to connect with people
To help people.

And I am scared that what I write, as art, will be ignored

And what I write, to make money, will be artless, and empty, and leave me feeling,

well, like I do with my job now, an amazing role, but disconnected, not for me.

Lacking dreams.
Lacking excitement.
Lacking interest.
Lacking drive.

Lacking that feeling of flow.

I am scared of doing something because what if I put in the time to do it, and then, well, it is the same again, something I do not 'want' to do.

Then I will have wasted time and money, again.

I am scared to move, until I know exactly where I want to go.

That seems like a problem, because you need to act.

You need to act because you do not actually know if anything is a good idea, until, you test it.

By doing something, you learn, if it was a good idea or not.

Otherwise, you let your ideas die, inside of you, without ever getting the chance at seeing the light of day.

Without ever having a chance.

If you have something, especially an art, it is your responsibility to get it out. To give it a chance.

Because the world needs what you have to say, and you are the only person that can do that particular work.

So do something, everyday, do something for six months.

And commit to it.

I have committed to writing everything, all my output, into this particular blog for six months.

Whether it fits the theme or not.

Ostensibly, something good will come out of it. After six months of writing, I will have six months worth of writing, and, I'm assuming 1-2 great posts.

If nothing else, let's say everything falls apart, and the posts fall completely flat, on dead ears, well then, I will have developed the capacity for writing regularly and on a public platform.

This is my playing to empty clubs right now. It is like a person that plays at clubs has to learn how to show up, how early to show up... not only the art, but the mechanics of things. How to find parking. How to get into the club without getting stuck at the door and paying cover. Where to sit before you go up.

Learning the mechanics of how things work, how to set up a domain, a website, a blog, how to change fonts, how to write regularly. How to upload things. How to save what you write. How to pick up what you write. How to get the computer going.

Writing regularly and producing something regularly is quite the feat. It is the difference between working out once and working out for the rest of your life.

Writing on a public platform is a feat, it is the difference between writing in your journal that no one ever reads and there is nothing at stake aka half-heartedly doing a workout at home and not breaking a sweat, and going outside, putting yourself on display, and dealing with all the inner talk that goes with that.

Become friends with the resistance.

it is a problem

here are solutions:
get luna running sandals, they look ridiculous, but not as bad as vibrams
get run topo shoes
get vibram running shoes - they are comfortable

start doing jiu jitsu - boxing didn't do it, but jiu jitsu, barefoot, requires your feet to get stronger

massage your feet - use a size C or D battery, use a golf ball, roll them out once a day
take off your shoes for most of the day - if you have an office job, take your shoes off under your desk, wear them only when walking to and from meetings or from your cubicle. if you can't, fuck it, modify your job.

the upside?
you have potential to have very strong feet
kind of like a big person, who can put a lot on their frame, you have a lot you can carry

your feet are more comfortable for walking with

you have paddles for feet

you can grip better

who knows?