[Ryan]

Although I am not a fan of Ender’s Game, I would suggest Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series, which Card declared as inspiration for his book. While Asimov’s writing is more challenging than Cards, Foundation has just been released as a series adaptation on Apple+, which is very well produced.

[Ryan]

Hi Etutill,

Thanks for your reply. Tropism is fascinating! I didn’t realise that there are so many different varieties of tropic responses in plants.

In this case, the vines are to the east of the flowers, so perhaps they would initially be moving away from the sun rather than towards a shadow. My guess is that there is probably greater complexity to the behavior of plants that we simply don’t yet understand.

[Ryan]

Question: How does the vine know that a taller object is within its reach?

I’ve been watching my long-bean vine reach for the sky as it grows. It seems to seek out taller objects in the area and grow directly towards them, extending it’s reach by braiding together several of its arms for support. Does anybody understand the mechanism by which the vine detects the objects within its vicinity?

[Ryan]

Cool post!

I had plans to take a paragliding course this summer, but sadly it’s not possible. Any pilots out there?

It seems as though the greatest obstacle for these vehicles is battery technology. Does anybody have information regarding the latest developments in battery tech.? When might we expect to see disruptive battery technology, what are their primary ingredients, and what will be their environmental cost? ????

[Ryan]

I think I’ll keep posting here until my ‘wall of compost’ becomes a thing 😉

[Ryan]

I think I would split the money. I’d buy a piece of land with its own fresh water supply, suitable land for growing, in a politically stable country with favourable tax laws and a reasonable record for human rights. The rest I would split between BTC (70%), alt coins, and copper mining stocks.

I have concerns about real estate at the moment, as I believe the bubble will soon burst. I’ve done well on my home, but it’s as much a liability for me as it is an asset.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrWopI02n_E

[Ryan]

Thanks Mani,

I knew about Safemoon but not SHIB (7d 1924.0% = ????). I’ve avoided DOGE because I didn’t see a use case for it beyond price volatility; however, it continues to pump beyond logic. Wishing I bought some six months ago.

I tend projects that I understand and where I can see a practical use case beyond currency. At the moment, I like EWT/MIST/LPL/FORTH/XTK; mostly long positions.

The biggest issue for me at the moment is the gas fees. I’m not trading with big bucks, so it makes it hard to pull the trigger on smaller gambles.

[Ryan]

Hi Kingsly,

Sorry for the delay, I’ve been away from my desk for the week.

I’m teaching 12-17, mostly in the Social Sciences. Are you an educator as well?

[Ryan]

Hi Kingsly,

Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I agree that Vipassana is a very helpful sadhana. When classes resume in Sep. I plan to introduce very short pranayama exercises at the beginning of my classes to see if it helps to bring some calm and focus into the classroom.

My feeling is that any practice that leads to a meditative state is seriously disrupted when the body is filled with stimulants, such as sugar and caffeine, and when the mind is constantly being stimulated by digital devices. I believe the greater challenge is how to bring the necessary awareness to people that they will be unable to find ease in themselves if they do not manage their bodies, minds and energies more consciously. Without making the more systemic changes then I feel that breathing exercises will only have a very short term impact.

Yes, Wim Hoff has been very good at bringing a new audience into pranayama. If I’m not mistaken, I believe he’s practicing Chandali Kriya by another name. This tantra is very useful, but I wouldn’t start my kids with this technique. I’m thinking that sama vritti and/or nadi shodhana would be more effective. Have you learned how to take an ice bath? We have people that jump into the frozen lake by my house in the middle of winter but I’m not ready for that sort of adventure just yet. ☃

[Ryan]

Hi Sameer,

Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I do meditate at least twice daily; in one aspect, I think of meditation as a sort of shower. I’ve explored a variety of systems throughout my life, picking the most valuable tools from each and adapting them to my life in my own way.

For my students, the greatest challenge has been that most have diminished abilities to focus on anything for more than about three minutes at a time. While kids are normally volatile at this age, I feel that their inability to remain focused for longer periods is in significant part owing to the way they manage (or rather, do not manage) their digital lives. Posture is also an obstacle, as most of them have very little body awareness and have already trained their hips and spines into unhealthy positions. Diet is also a significant factor.

As such, most meditations I’ve done with my students have focused on breathing, as this provides them with a tool which can lead them into a meditative state; however, it is rare for them to be able to persist long enough to achieve meditativeness. I introduce some key conceptual considerations to get them started, but most of the sessions are practical.

@SameerVishwanathan

[Ryan]

Buy BTC and hodl. Amazing time to buy; ‘the fetus is kicking hard in the final trimester’. I’m still bearish on ADA, DOT and ETH, as I imagine they will evolve into competing ecosystems (think PC/Apple/Unix). Also, lots of great coins out there that have amazing long term prospects (LINK/LPL, EWT, UBT, NFY). Lots of investors say they are investing long, but they are reacting short. I have to constantly remind myself to stay away from meme coins, DYOR, scalp at my own risk, and don’t invest if I don’t understand the use case.

Having said that, I believe market manipulation is happening. Worth to check out this video on Wyckoff distribution:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lhf_2gJJS1I

[Ryan]

Thanks for the recommendation. It’s always great to have a library of these sorts of explanatory videos. I look forward to exploring the uploads 🙂

[Ryan]

Microsoft has a free 3D tool that can be used to visualise statistical data from CSV or XLSX files. Perhaps this is of interest?

https://mspoweruser.com/microsoft-garage-releases-a-new-data-visualization-tool-for-pc-and-surface-hub/

[Ryan]

Dear Liz,

Thank you for your suggestion. I haven’t seen this course before but I’ll check it out.

Cheers

[Ryan]

Hi Paul, In my Soc. Sci. classes I usually start with the premise that all of life is an opportunity for investments, where energy is the commodity of life. Life is volatile and volatility can be healthy, the question is of risk (we explore volatility in nature and discuss risk assessment). It’s easy to find comparisons between ekg readings, stock charts, seasonal variability charts, etc. Nature’s strategy for development is diversification (explore biodiversity). Then we have discussions about how to apply nature’s investment strategy to personal finance. Lots of rich discussion ensue. Right now my students have to research and select on alt coin that they would like to invest in. They have to analyse the candlestick chart, present the use case, assess risk, and predict/defend their exit strategy.