Archive for: August, 2010

eBook Convert

Aug 31 2010 Published by under Finance, Goals, Leisure, Motivation

The retina display on my iPhone 4 has converted me to eBooks. I started by downloading free eBooks from Mises.org. The true test was my ability to read a complete book on the device. Would the screen be too small? Would the text be too hard to read? Would my eyes tire easily? The short answer for all: no. I read Murray Rothbard’s The Betrayal of the American Right, all on the iPhone with no eye strain.

Making the Purchase

My next step was to purchase an ebook. I have all the ebook readers on my phone: Barnes and Noble’s Nook, Amazon’s Kindle reader, Apple’s iBooks, and Borders eBooks. I was in Barnes and Noble yesterday browsing, as I always do. I found Darren Rowse’s, ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income. I have wanted to purchase the book but it’s $24.99 list price was too expensive for a soft-cover book. Even with my 10% discount, it was still too much. I could have bought it online for $17.99. I whipped out my phone, launched the Nook app, clicked the Shop BN link and found ProBlogger available as an eBook. Price: $14.49. I clicked the Buy Now button and it immediately downloaded the book to my phone.

Price and Clutter

There are two reasons for making the switch to eBooks: 1) price; and 2) reducing clutter. I donated a large batch of books to the library to clear some much needed shelf space. Normally I will fill the space right back up with new books. I have two large bookcases but I want to reduce it to one, and only keep books that are hard to replace or have special meaning. All other books will be electronic. And, as icing on the cake, I’ll save 30-50% off the physical retail price.

I’ll always love physical books. It’s hard not to want a huge bookcase full of them, but reducing clutter is more important now, as is saving a bit of change.

Are you buying more eBooks now?

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Digital Vagabonds

Aug 21 2010 Published by under Goals, Leisure

The idea of replacing physical possessions with digital equivalents is gaining ground as the cost of digital storage plummets. A recent BBC article showcases some people taking the idea of minimalism to a whole new level.

Kelly Sutton, founder of CultofLess.com, sold the majority of his physical possessions and just keeps the bare necessities in his apartment, such as a bed, small desk, clothes, and necessary household items. Everything else is in his laptop, iPad, Kindle, and various online services such as Facebook and Flickr.

The more extreme minimalists shun the house completely and live as “digital vagabonds.” Chris Yurista lives out of a backpack with his MacBook, clothes and a bicycle. Another couple became vagabonds in New York. Two questions come to mind: 1) What to these people do for a living?; and 2) Where do they sleep?

The article never answers that question though the couple say that “the lifestyle can become loathsome because ‘you never know where you will sleep.’” Well, that’s because you’re homeless! As for the first question, the people interviewed do have full-time jobs and earn a decent income. Do you stay at hotels or do you constantly bum a bed from friends and family? If you stay at hotels, why not rent a small apartment? It’s far cheaper and you don’t have to furnish it to stay with your ultra-minimalist lifestyle.

The last half of the article goes off on a wild tangent to discuss “digital crisis counseling” and mapping a digital brain. It has very little to do with the first half of the article. I wish the author had probed deeper into the vagabond lifestyle. Where do they sleep? How do they handle hygiene? I assume they eat out every day if there is no kitchen to cook in.

I’m not knocking a minimalist lifestyle at all. I’ve written about the virtues of it and I try to engage in it myself. I usually go minimalist when I’ve acquired too much stuff. It’s a cycle for me. I don’t think I could fully go minimalist. The lack of sensory feedback would bother me.

So, is minimalism right for you? How far would you go? What would you give up to reduce the clutter in your life? Would you want to digitize your possessions?

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Inherit Obesity?

Aug 14 2010 Published by under Health and Fitness, Motivation

An article by Dr. William Campbell Douglas debunks new studies showing obesity can be inherited. The studies, published in the Journal of Lipid Research, are based on rats being fed a high omega-6 fatty acid diet. The rats’ offspring were fatter than their parents and each subsequent generation were fatter. Rates of diabetes also increased with each generation. They conclude it’s possible for humans to inherit obesity if their parents were obese.

“So What?”

Dr. Douglass’s response is, “So what?”. It’s not your DNA, or what your parents ate. It’s what you eat. It’s your activity level. He places the blame squarely on the typical American diet of processed carbs, sugar, and soy. Soy is filled with omega 6. “…and we eat it day and night. Not only that, but our cows, pigs and chickens are eating it too — and we are what they ate.”

Excuses, Excuses

By claiming obesity can be inherited, or genetically predetermined, it sets up an excuse for many to continue their poor eating habits. It’s the excuse South Park’s Eric Cartman uses. “I’m not fat, I’m big boned.” All the while he’s sitting on the sofa, scarfing down Cheesy Poofs and playing Xbox.

Diet Trumps Genetics

Your genes will determine how tall you are and your build. In my opinion, genes won’t determine how fat you are. That’s entirely determined by what you put in your body. Eliminating almost all carbs and all sugar and eating only the highest quality proteins and fat will ensure a healthy, normal weight for the rest of your life. For more information on this type of diet, see Dr. Robert Atkins’s, “New Diet Revolution” and Mark Sisson’s, “The Primal Blueprint.”

Quoting Dr. Douglass:

What does this mean for you? It’s easy: I don’t care what’s in your DNA — just what’s on your dinner plate. If you eat grass-fed beef and almost no carbs, you will reach a normal, healthy weight — and it won’t matter what mom and dad ate.

Then, if you have kids, forget genetics and pass along your healthy habits the old-fashioned way — by setting a good example and keeping those orange stains off their fingertips.

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Mindset and the Great Recession

Aug 05 2010 Published by under Finance, Goals, Success

The cover story in last week’s issue of Bloomberg Businessweek focuses on the spending habits of today’s consumer. The author, Devin Leonard, states that we are cutting back and splurging at the same time. We switch to generic toothpaste to save a few bucks but still drop $4 on a latte at starbucks.

Despite the great recession, people are reluctant to give up the lifestyle they enjoyed during the artificial boom years before 2008. Leonard says they are broke and depressed but will stand in like for a new iPhone. It’s the schizophrenic economy.

Where’s the Debt?

Leonard interviews various consumers about their spending habits. Many are worried about the economy and their jobs. They’re holding off some purchases but splurging for an iPad or even a fancy vacation. However, there is no mention anywhere in the article about how these purchases were made. Mainly, did they use debt? The gist of the piece is Americans are deeply in debt but are still spending on luxury goods. Are they paying cash for them? Are they using savings to take a vacation as a reward? Are they paying down their debt? Or sadly, are they buying all these cool toys with debt? The article never states this.

There’s nothing wrong with buying luxury goods and gadgets as long as you pay cash. If you’re living within you means and not taking on additional debt, then take that vacation you’ve been planning. If you planned right, you’ve been saving up the money over time. If you have a large debt load, most of your effort should be paying off the debt. Yes you will have to cut back, sometimes significantly. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a Starbucks every now and then, as long as you spend less than you earn. It’s my golden rule.

Decisions Are Ordinal

Life is an ongoing series of decisions based on priorities. All decisions are ordinal by nature. One takes precedence over another. One is valued more than another. There are consequences for every decision, good and bad.

Mindset

Even though the recession is affecting millions of people all over the country, there are millions more not affected at all, and that doesn’t mean just the wealthy. There are millions of people in the middle and lower economic rungs doing just fine. They are working, earning a living, providing for their families, and looking out for opportunities for advancement.

Your ability to withstand a recession as large are the one we are in first by your mindset. The economy has been hit hard but you’ve been living within your means. You have little or no debt. You can afford your mortgage and put food on the table. Your job or business is steady and provides a good income. Yet, you are always looking out for the next opportunity, and you are keeping a close eye on your company’s or business’s finances. You might put off some larger purchases and increase your savings. You may pay off your debt a little faster. You may set aside from more money for your kids’ college fund. You can afford some luxuries and are not ashamed to indulge a little. You know you and your family can still enjoy a prosperous life.

You have a positive outlook yet are keenly aware of the potential negative affects of the recession and the government’s negative reactionary policies. You know this recession, like all previous recessions, are temporary in nature and the economy will roar back to life. You will be there to take advantage of it.

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5 Steps to Deep Reading

Aug 01 2010 Published by under Goals, Motivation

I’ve been reading a number of posts and articles about people ditching the internet and embracing the offline world. Of course, few, if any totally disconnect. What happens is they will get online a few times a week just to stay in touch with email, tweets, Facebook, etc. The point many are trying to make is to reconnect with deep reading and thinking as outlined in Nicholas Carr’s book, “The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains”.

Shallow Mind

I’ve read Carr’s book and found it enlightening. I agree with his premise that the internet’s short, fragmented approach to content delivery reduces our ability to read long texts and engage in deep thinking. Our minds become shallow in a sense. With so many streams of input and communication, our minds become fragmented and our ability to focus diminishes. I’ve noticed it myself on many occasions, especially at the office where I have email, Twitter, instant messaging and texting on all day, and that doesn’t include the time I spend on regular calls.

Tune In, Turn Off

A common complaint amongst the shallows is the loss of deep reading. Many voracious readers have difficulty reading long texts. Their focus is lost. There is a simple solution though it will take practice to regain focus. I’ve use it as part of my evening and weekend routine.

  1. Turn off the computer, or put it to sleep. Turn off the TV.
  2. Go someplace in your house where your computer is far enough away to make it inconvenient for you to use it.
  3. Silence your cell phone. You can put it away but it’s okay to keep it with you. I am surgically attached to my iPhone 4 so it is never out of sight.
  4. Sit down in a comfy chair. Open up a book and begin reading. Don’t stop until you’re finished. Set aside a specific amount of time or just read until you want to stop. Get lost in the book. Enjoy deep reading. Don’t worry about the computer, don’t answer the phone, just read.
  5. Rinse and repeat daily.

The first few times you try this you might be a bit fidgety. It will be like withdrawal. The lack of connection will be disconcerting at first. You’ll notice how quiet everything is without the hum of the TV and computer. As you sit and read every day, you’ll get used to it. You’ll be able to read deeply. You’ll retain more of what you read. You’ll be able to focus more during the day even with your normal distractions and connections.

It’s a Habit

You are essentially relearning an old habit. If you’ve never been a big book fan, you’ll be learning a new habit. It will take time as all habits do. Don’t worry about losing your ability to think deeply. The internet will not turn your mind into a giant wading pool filled with useless celebrity trivia. All it takes is for you to change your habit.

My questions to you are: Has the internet affected your ability to think deeply? Are you unable to read long texts? What are you doing to reengage with long and deep reading?

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