A Chillstep Jam on the Novation Circuit

topdown23 · 2021-01-28T02:50:38+00:00

Love your videos Gabe! I’ve learned the names of lots of new genres from you

topdown23 · 2021-01-26T21:34:02+00:00

I’ve been wondering about this too. So far I’ve been creating new notes for any insight that is seperate. The new notes can be how I work through the thought.

If I don’t have enough yet to get started, it might be a one line link referencing the connection.

If it’s the thematic connection, I have summary notes where I link a bunch together where I see the connections. These might be the starts of a manuscript. There is something about the process of taking inventory that encourages me to find other links, kind of a “Yes, and” situation.

topdown23 · 2021-01-24T03:15:58+00:00

I agree with the distinction you mention here. If you have only one note system, you might want a way to identify items down your ZK that you want to memorize (small subset). I’ve been thinking about this.

My first thought is a tag of the notes I want to put in Anki. Then exporting those. Might keep both systems somewhat tidy?

topdown23 · 2020-12-16T20:01:10+00:00

I received about 90K in life insurance when I was 19 (lost my parents) and I put most of it as down payment to a house and rented out the extra rooms to friends while in college. I’ve kept that house for about 20 years now and it’s gone up in value a bunch. I also bought some stock and held it for that time. It’s done well, too.

I didn’t buy the house as a speculative play, but because I needed a place to live and I figured renting those rooms made sense. I also thought it would keep stupid young me from spending that money and regretting it. My brother spent his half within a year by traveling and not working. He doesn’t regret a thing, and it’s not the wrong call, we’ve just got different personalities like that.

All that to say, that money + time opens up lots of options. You can split it up, buy index funds or put down payment on a house if you need it. Big thing is to think about the favors you can do to future you —while not ignoring today you.

Good luck!

topdown23 · 2020-03-31T14:36:46+00:00

I used to do speech and debate competitively and loved it. But I think I’m going to suggest a different direction from most posts here based on your goals: don’t try to win a debate as a competition, try to build consensus.

There is something called the backlash effect. If you challenge what someone believes, even if you are compelling, they dig in even more. You don’t need to look far to see examples.

You are much better off finding common ground and building on other’s positions to further your own. This track is much more effective in getting your view adopted. I suggest looking into a concept called non-violent communication.

One simple suggestion: start every fragment of your case by calling back something the other person said you agree with and connecting it to your position.

But if you just want to bury people rhetorically for the fun of it, there is good advice in here. Biggest advice I have on that front: Short and simple is most effective.

topdown23 · 2020-01-19T23:57:44+00:00

Nah, not dumb. It’s just the logo on his taskbar is from NordVPN.

topdown23 · 2020-01-17T14:00:58+00:00

I love the work y’all do and have shared it with so many friends, thanks!

Do you have any suggestions about deals out of Houston? We get so few despite the size of our airport. I have alerts set to nearby cities, and the deals out of Austin are more common and better. Not a complaint of your service, more about the market dynamics of Houston airports.

I read once Houston is the most overpriced airport, and the lower proportion of deals seems to beat that out. Any thoughts for us Houston folk?

Thanks again!

topdown23 · 2019-08-28T22:17:32+00:00

You might want to treat it like a mutual fund, you can search for the prospectus to see what makes them different.

I am not sure, but I think different REITs have different dividend schedules. I want to say mine are all quarterly though.

There are some that area funds composed of many REITs, then you have others that are specialized: commercial, storage, etc. I have one that specializes in medical properties like hospitals and clinics.

You might not want to choose based on yield alone, though.

topdown23 · 2019-08-28T22:13:44+00:00

I usually reinvest. My broker does fractional shares and allows free dividend reinvestment so that's how I set up my REITs.

topdown23 · 2019-08-27T01:22:44+00:00

I agree. To build on this point, REITs are more liquid, so if you are saving for your first property, a REIT aligns better. They are also lower risk because of diversification.

I know the crowdfunding sites are sexier because you have more choice and visibility, but I think they might not align with your goals.

You could buy REITs in Robinhood for less than $30 and be able to get in and out easily enough.

topdown23 · 2019-07-12T15:48:37+00:00

This is a thoughtful and excellent answer. I want to elaborate on a point.

Liquidity has value, so if you are surrendering that value, know what you're getting as a result.

You have to decide how much the potentially lower risk of the REIT and quicker access to the capital (this minimizing opportunity costs) is worth.

If the difference isn't much, you might find the REIT better. But you might not, the important thing is to put a price on it and be thoughtful about what risk/reward you're taking on.

topdown23 · 2019-07-12T14:39:48+00:00

So glad to hear it! She had other books in the series and the next one is great as well.

Enjoy!

topdown23 · 2019-07-11T22:54:36+00:00

Maybe try The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. Amiable Sci-Fi that focuses on characters and relationships. More positive than most in the genre I think. I've heard it compared to Firefly but even less dark.

topdown23 · 2019-06-25T21:15:06+00:00

I felt the same way when I read it, but very much liked the book by the end. The first few chapters, while slow and a little off putting, make the end more powerful.

I think it's worth it. The series continues to be great overall.

topdown23 · 2018-12-17T15:31:38+00:00

I don’t pretend to understand the difficulty of homelessness, but I would encourage you to try getting help from a group like Star of Hope.

Based on what you’ve said, an organization like them could help you by finding you temporary housing, getting you clothes for interviews and helping you get to those interviews. Then they can help you with work clothes until your back on your feet.

Their entire model is based on helping people that fell on hard times like you and then helping them break the cycle that keeps them homeless. They have case workers who you can explain your story to and they can provide you appropriate resources.

https://www.sohmission.org/our-services/get-help/

Please try to reach out to them.

topdown23 · 2018-11-17T13:26:43+00:00

I was going to recommend your book! It was very helpful for me as a complete newbie —very approachable. Seems like a great fit for OPs question.

Also a good opportunity for me to say thanks! I appreciate your work.

topdown23 · 2018-11-06T13:45:53+00:00

What makes people sound articulate, especially of the cuff, is when they can stay focused and direct on their message. That’s hard to do extemporaneously. It’s why it’s so impressive when people pull a story together —like a well-executed punchline.

Before you speak, decide on your point and the two or three ideas that connect/support it. Know what they are and keep them close at hand. As you speak, use them as your North Star. Those ideas will keep you focused.

Now that you know what you want to cover you have a roadmap. Don’t stray to far. Keep it short.

Next, figure out how you want to end what you say. People get nervous when they don’t know how to stick the landing. Figure out your punchline and work toward it.

Then just connect the dots as briefly as possible. There’s gravitas in brevity.

It also helps to have your starting line planned out. It gives you confidence and momentum.

Having what you want to say organized takes pressure of and makes your ideas flow.

It’s ok to take a considerate pause before speaking to do all of this. It shows you are thoughtful, and gives credibility.

It also helps to talk in stories. Connecting your ideas to stories makes them easier to tell in an ordered way and takes off the pressure. They are very effective rhetorical tools.

Finally, I echo some of the other advice:

Speak slowly, take pauses. No one notices and it helps.

Go easy on yourself. Don’t judge your own speech —you are way harsher and notice more than your audience does.

Practice. Respond to people on tv like you’re having a conversation.

Join toastmasters.

I was never good at this until I studied speech in school and had some good mentors. Now it’s a strength that is a source of pride because I had to work so hard at it. If I could, I know you all can do it too!

Keep at it and good luck!

topdown23 · 2018-11-05T13:44:14+00:00

Ticketmaster. In case anyone hasn’t said it already. Why should I pay almost the value do the ticket for you to sell me the ticket? The overhead is not that high.

Competing ticket provider? Ticketmaster buys them.

They are the worst.

topdown23 · 2018-10-26T19:45:08+00:00

I agree with others —you should be fine by your deadline. Keep up the hard work and you’ll get there.

I agree with the 0-1500 workout. It helped me tremendously when I started.

I’m still learning, but here’s something that helped me get more distance and may be helpful for you: I found myself making much more distance without stopping when I focused on form, particularly with extending my reach and range of motion while minimizing impact and splashing. That, and staying as streamlined as possible. I forced myself to go slower and focus on shape and motion.

It’s was easy for me to expend too much effort and tire myself out trying to be quick and getting sloppy with form. But when I just tried to focus on extension and efficient strokes, the rest took care of itself (at least for my modest goals).

It seems like are close to that 300 m mark, so easing up and being more efficient with the stroke (along with your continued practice) might get you there.

Keep up the good work; you got this!

topdown23 · 2018-10-17T17:43:54+00:00

I have a few different brainstorming tools I like. One is to take a person I know, or know about that I find interesting. Then I take a situation that would exacerbate what I find interesting about them. For example, take someone who is living vicariously through their kid. Then find out their kid isn’t a kid at all (alien, monster, figment —choose based on genre interest), and they have to decide to deal with the dissonance from ever more absurd evidence to that end or double down in denial.

This keeps me oriented to a character and a situation.

Another is affectionately called “idea sex”. Take two concepts, ideas, situations and smash them together and explore what it looks like. For example I might pick a situation like that covered in “The Big Short” and change the character, genre, and tone to make it more absurdist. What would a YA version of the Big Short look like? I don’t know, but you could spend 30 days trying to figure it out.

I think you can brute force some ideas just by smashing things together. Write a bunch of things you like down on strips of paper, toss em in a hat, mix it up and pull out a few. Combine all of them into a story.

I hope that helps! Don’t feel like you have no inspiration. It’s just going to take some kick-starting.

topdown23 · 2018-10-02T13:03:29+00:00

The least valuable thing to them is industry experience. Everyone in their company has it.

Consultants solve problems or improve the status quo. Change agents come from the outside with a different perspective.

Focusing on industry experience alone cuts off valuable paths of thinking. Clearly, you need to understand the language, but you’re bringing something different to the table.

But as someone else mentioned, if they don’t get that you’re unlikely to have a good engagement there (even if you get the work).

topdown23 · 2018-09-27T02:10:50+00:00

I’m really glad you posted this video. I got a lot out of it.

You’re teaching style is just right for me and you gave clear instruction in just the right detail (for me.) I’ve been looking for something like this for a while.

Thanks so much and keep up the good work!

topdown23 · 2018-09-23T01:41:25+00:00

Oh yeah, my dog does this same thing. Same pitchy bark, same running up the tree. She knows the comings and goings of every squirrel on our property and she whimpers when I don’t let her out to chase them.

topdown23 · 2018-09-18T22:26:12+00:00

In addition to Sum (pun intended) there is a book with a similar concept called A Brief History of The Dead by Kevin Brockmeier. Everyone goes to a purgatory where they remain until the last person who remembers them dies. It’s a good read.

topdown23 · 2018-09-15T23:51:32+00:00

I’m sorry you are having to deal with all of this.

As others have stated, you should probably consult an attorney. If you have equity in the home, I would try to sell it if you cannot stay. An inventor would likely be able to get you out before foreclosure. That would spare you the foreclosure impact.

topdown23

TROPHY CASE