Social – wastedmonkeys

30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself

Fri, 28 Mar 2014 10:42:19 +0000

An amazing list of 30 things to stop doing to yourself.
Read the article: 30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself

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The real use of money is to buy freedom

Tue, 24 Dec 2013 15:26:00 +0000

As the founder of a profitable software company, I happen to make more money than most office-goers of my age. There’s no shame or pride in admitting that. I don’t dislike money. Having quite a bit of it is simply a fact. Though there must me many thousands of people who have enormously more money than me, I consider myself lucky to have more than I need right now. However, more than the money, what fascinates me is the nature of money, its ubiquity and how our behavior gets unknowingly influenced by it.

Read the article: The real use of money is to buy freedom

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Lifestyles of the Young, Rich, and Homeless

Tue, 08 Oct 2013 18:31:31 +0000

We arrived in New York City with no real plans. It wasn’t until then that I thought about all the favors my friend must have done for others; all the experiences he must have shared that had allowed him to build up social capital—so much so that he always had a couch to crash on, anywhere he went.

Read the article: Lifestyles of the Young, Rich, and Homeless

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Unconditional Basic Income

Thu, 18 Jul 2013 05:32:01 +0000

The digitization of our economy will bring with it a new generation of radical economic ideologies, of which Bitcoin is arguably the first. For those with assets, technological savvy, and a sense of adventure, the state is the enemy and a cryptographic currency is the solution. But for those more focused on the decline of the middle classes, the collapse of the entry-level jobs market, and the rise of free culture, the state is an ally, and the solution might look something like an unconditional basic income. Before I explain why this concept is going to be creeping into the political debate across the developed world, let me spell out how a system like this would look…

Read the article: Unconditional Basic Income

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What do others think of me

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:43:00 +0000

Civilization, which is held together by a fragile web of tactful phrasing, polite omissions and white lies, would collapse in an apocalypse of bitter recriminations and weeping, breakups and fistfights, divorces and bankruptcies, scandals and resignations, blood feuds, litigation, wholesale slaughter in the streets and lingering ill will. […] Hearing other people’s uncensored opinions of you is an unpleasant reminder that you’re just another person in the world, and everyone else does not always view you in the forgiving light that you hope they do, making all allowances, always on your side. There’s something existentially alarming about finding out how little room we occupy, and how little allegiance we command, in other people’s heads.

Read the article: I Know What You Think of Me

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Consumerism and Investments

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 14:03:51 +0000

Realize that happiness comes from accomplishment and personal growth, rather than from luxury products. Seek out voluntary discomfort as a way to become stronger, rather than running from it. Develop a healthy sense of self-mockery, and acknowledge that you are a wimp in many ways right now (and only by acknowledging it can you improve). Practice optimism. And of course, ride a bike.

Read the article: Meet Mr. Money Mustache, the man who retired at 30

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Life

Sun, 16 Sep 2012 17:38:19 +0000

Last week there were two deaths, close together; one, a class mate of mine from my school and college days; the other, a senior colleague, recently retired. Both untimely and both sudden. When in the thick of work, with the hours rushing by, as I get engrossed in files and meetings, the thought of the fragility of life never enters my mind. And why should it, I wonder: there are certain duties assigned to each of us and performing these duties is at the core of the meaning of life, as I see it. And so I, living life from minute to minute, caught in the moment, ignore tomorrow, ignore the uncertain and the unknowable.

Read the article: Our precious lives

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Nothing is withheld from us what we have conceived to do.

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 05:04:48 +0000

“Nothing is withheld from us what we have conceived to do.”

Read the article: An Unexpected Ass Kicking

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The ‘Busy’ Trap

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 09:42:42 +0000

“I am not busy. I am the laziest ambitious person I know… Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to the brain as vitamin D is to the body, and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction as disfiguring as rickets.”

“The goal of the future is full unemployment, so we can play. That’s why we have to destroy the present politico-economic system. – Sir Arthur C. Clarke”

Read the article: The ‘Busy’ Trap [New york Times]

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The 7 Greatest Ideas in History

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 10:17:45 +0000

Just a few stand out above all the rest. They change the course of history and affect the lives of millions who aren’t even aware of them. Amazingly, they are often the work of a single person. Those ideas are truly great and seven really stand out. To make my selection, I applied three criteria: Longevity (i.e. they survive a long time without being amended or surpassed in any significant way), impact (i.e. they greatly affected the lives and work of others) and authorship (i.e. they can be traced to one person).

Read the article: The 7 Greatest Ideas in History

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