You Can’t Tell Collapse That It Needs To Slow Down

avatar
(Edited)

What a week it’s been. It’s been a real challenge to juggle everything and it’s taken every tool and trick at my disposal to get any work done at all. My mental bandwidth (and my phone, as you will read below) is just about filled to capacity. Hopefully, next week will be better.

You Can’t Tell Collapse That It Needs To Slow Down

I was sitting in the chair at Saints Coast Barbershop a few days ago for a much needed trim and this picture was on the wall. It struck me as particularly poignant considering the many challenges our society is facing right now.

It was drawn by a local Minneapolis tattooist and is a tattoo design so here’s a lot of symbolism going on, much of which I have no idea of the meaning of. That phrase called out to me, You Can’t Tell Collapse That It Needs To Slow Down. It sums up so much of this moment we're all living through.

My wife and I are beginning to see financial desperation setting in with a lot of people around us. This is especially true for those in the hospitality and service industries. Those who have been let go or furloughed are finding there just aren’t any jobs to be had and their emergency reserves are beginning to dry up. Many of these people also lost their health insurance and are having to pay exorbitant COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) prices or go without healthcare. COBRA health insurance coverage can cost them double or triple what they paid for healthcare before they lost their jobs at a time when they've lost their income entirely or had it drastically reduced.

One of my mentors, James Altucher, recently wrote this piece, New York is Dead Forever, Here's Why that was picked up by the New York Post. James has spent most of his adult life living in the city and he explains why we'll never see the New York City he knew and loved again. I've heard similar stories about L.A., Chicago, and even Minneapolis. I don't think we can blame all of this on the pandemic. The steady decline of the big cities in America have been happening at least since the housing crisis and financial crash of 2008 but the pandemic has only sped the process along.

Whatever your thoughts on Covid-19 are, it is certainly revealing the weaknesses in our government and what is ripe for overhaul. Our government’s general lack of empathy and understanding of the plight of the average American is being made painfully apparent now by how slowly and inadequately both parties are handling the financial aspects of this crisis. Don’t let the soaring stock market fool you. It will take a real miracle, or several, to avoid a major financial recession/depression. I'm trying to remember that in every ending there is a new beginning, a time of transition to something different and, hopefully, better. I've had enough of doom and gloom.


“The world economy would collapse if a significant number of people were to realize and then act on the realization that it is possible to enjoy many if not most of the things that they enjoy without first having to own them.”― Mokokoma Mokhonoana


This Week In Crypto

As Bitcoin continues its tango with $12k and alts soar then retreat I can’t help but think about how thankful I am to be in this space. I really hope that crypto will be a hedge in this coming financial crisis. It’s been impressive to watch the crypto market show such resiliency during these tumultuous times. In stark contrast to the traditional financial market that seems ready to crash at any moment, the crypto market seems fully sprung just waiting for the trigger to be pulled. What will be the catalyst? That remains to be seen.

Ruminations On Hive
I’ve added an affiliate link for Hive onboarding and a few paragraphs about the platform to my website this week. The copy itself needs a bit more refinement but the general idea is there. I’m going to be heavily promoting Hive during my book launch this fall. Hive will also be mentioned in the book itself.

I’ve been seeing a growing number of people on Twitter promoting Hive lately. I think this is an amazing way to introduce the world to the platform. I also think for us to be successful growing this platform to its fullest potential we need to go beyond the echo chambers of social media. It's important that we set ourselves apart from those usual crypto-shillers that people are growing ever more wise to and weary of.

A good way to this is to demonstrate to the world the utility and immense value of Hive in unique and tangible ways. I challenge you all to dig deep and think about ways you can use the Hive platform, personally, to its fullest potential. @Theycallmedan talks about some of his ideas in one of his recent posts, Hive Value Props.

Ideas could range from crowd-funding a business, to starting a charity, creating a DApp, art, a clothing line, and this is just scratching the surface of the platform's potential. Every one of us have dreams that we'd like to fulfill. Think about how you can use Hive to help achieve your dreams, whatever they might be. Hive is your playground. Don't be afraid to experiment with the platform and then go out and tell the world about how Hive has made your life better. Compelling individual success stories from Hive bloggers will be the single most effective form of P.R. imaginable and will start a chain reaction.

Does anyone know if there's a place to monitor daily/weekly/monthly Hive statistics like - number of active users, new users, etc? If so, this would be a great way for users to measure the effectiveness of their onboarding efforts.

Disclaimer: This isn’t financial advice. For God’s sake, don’t listen to me. I know nothing. Actually, I only know just enough to be dangerous.

Apple, You're On My Sh!tlist

I’ve been an Apple guy since I bought my first iPod almost 20 years ago. For the past few months I’ve been having a lot of frustrating issues with my current iPhone 8. It isn’t unusual for an iPhone to start slowing down prior to the launch of a new one. In fact, Apple’s been busted for throttling down the processing speed of users' phones in the past to try to get them to upgrade but, this time, I’m having a different issue. Memory, or more accurately lack thereof.

As you can see from the screenshot above, my phone’s memory is dangerously close to full. A majority of this memory is being taken up by the gray “other” category. Since the maxing out of the memory happened pretty abruptly I’ve done a lot of research and have discovered what steps to follow to free up more. Oddly, when I clear cache memory or delete apps/videos/photos the memory mysteriously just fills right back up again for no apparent reason. Not cool, Apple.

I usually try to keep my phones for three or four years because they aren’t cheap but I think they’re going to force me into an upgrade this time. I'm trying to decide between the SE 2 ($399), the 11 ($999), or the new 12 (probably $1,100) that is supposed to launch in a few weeks. So far the SE 2 is winning out. I'll definitely be opting for the most memory I can get with my next phone. I would consider making the switch to Android if I wasn’t so embedded in the Apple ecosystem. It's such an odd and frustrating feeling being trapped in this multi-trillion dollar tech giant's walled garden.

Mindful Moments: Perfecting The Pause - Book Update

Beta Reading
The beta-reading is going along wonderfully. Thanks so much to all those who’ve taken the time to read chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4 and offered suggestions!

Next week should be more productive, I'm planning on an all-out blitz. I hope to post chapters 5-8 for beta readers next week. I’m also discovering how much work is involved in transforming blog posts into book chapters. As I’m reposting the content with fresh eyes I’m noticing all of the ways in which it can be better and it’s taking quite a bit of rewriting to be ready for publishing. Also, the plan is to use the post proceeds of this beta-reader series to help pay for the book production and marketing so I also thank those of you who have been so generous with your upvotes. It means a lot.

This is our beagle Amstel last week as he was looking up at me while I was working away on the manuscript. Amstel’s usually right by my side while I’m working. As I was taking this picture it dawned on me that he’s been my constant companion as I’ve worked on my last four books over the past twelve years. I have no doubt that he’s my good luck charm.

Illustrations
I should be getting a few sample illustrations from my friend, the artist and self-described blockchain bohemian, Ophelia Fu, within the next few weeks. She let me know yesterday that her schedule will be opening up and she’ll be able to devote her time to the project. I can’t wait to see what she has up her artistic sleeve. I'm sure her nearly twenty original drawings will pair perfectly with the theme of this book.

Next Steps
In the coming week I’ll be incorporating beta-reader suggestions into the final manuscript, brainstorming on the final book cover, and continuing my search for someone (preferably someone well-known in the self-help, mindfulness realm) to write a cover quote for the book. If you know a good candidate for that quote I would appreciate any referrals!

Random Shots of the Week

This is a photo, taken from our balcony, of a massive storm descending on St. Paul. My dad and I used to sit on our porch in Ohio and watch storms like this roll in. My dad has been on my mind a lot lately and this moment gave me a great feeling of nostalgia.

This amazing sunset was taken on one of our last walks on Wednesday. I was surprised the iPhone camera caught the rays emanating from the clouds. So often it misses subtleties such as this.

We met our friend Dan on our favorite neighborhood restaurant patio, W.A. Frost, for the first time this year. It continues to surprise me how much Covid has changed our daily lives.

Instead of ordering from a server you had to snap a QR Code to look at the menu on your phone and then order your food and drinks online. Food runners then delivered the food to the table. Dan, whose worked in the industry most of his adult life, said this new ordering process likely won’t ever go away since it allows restaurants to operate at a much lower cost.

That’s all for now. Thank you so much for all of the support this week. I hope you all enjoy your weekends!

With Gratitude,

Eric Vance Walton

(Gifs sourced from Giphy.com, all photos are original)


alt text

I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at my website. Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared.

Alarm Clock Dawn, one of the first full length novels published on the blockchain, and the book that started it all for me can be found HERE. Or Click Here to read it for free on the Steemit blockchain

My book on meditation, The Perfect Pause, is priced at $12.99 (paperback) and $4.99 (eBook). Buy the paperback and receive the eBook for free!

Let’s Keep In Touch

www.ericvancewalton.net



0
0
0.000
27 comments
avatar

I was just at a restaurant a while ago where they have this method of ordering food. The biggest issue was the fact that the place is in a really old building and hardly any of us could get cell service. That made it really hard to open the menu! I think one person had a different carrier and she was able to so we all had to look at her phone to see the menu. Hopefully the new meds improve your dad's condition or at least his comfort level. I am pretty excited about the crypto space too. I just wish I had more money to invest in it.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Our friend Dan just happened to forget his phone last night. He would've been out of luck if we wouldn't have had ours. The median age of the clientele of this place is probably late-sixties so I also wondered how many of them don't have smart phones.

Thanks, memory care probably isn't too far off. These past few days have been decent so we're hoping the new meds will buy us a little more time with him.

I wish we had more too. All of the stars are aligning for an amazing bull run this fall. It could happen at any moment at this point.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Oh yeah, that could be a big hindrance if the clientele is in that age range. I understand the idea behind it, but they could easily post the info on a wall or something. The place I was at really wasn't limiting contact because the waitress still had to take our drink order and bring those. You know, people keep saying a bull run is coming and I keep waiting for it, but I am starting to get skeptical. I hope I am wrong!

0
0
0.000
avatar

Some people were sitting there with dumbfounded looks on their faces. Business owners are trying to reduce overhead right now and I don't blame them for that but I hope some things go back to the way they were before Covid, eventually.

There have definitely been lots of false starts during this market cycle. Although I still have faith I do think this next particular bull run might be the last of its kind in the crypto sector. The market is headed for much more widespread adoption. I think those coins that don't carve out some kind of clear market niche will struggle and wither.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Great points! I agree with you on all of them!

0
0
0.000
avatar

A Moldovan immigration agent should do a hive start up LOL I dont mean to underpin real crysis scenarios, but imagine all these Hive Bloggers showing up at the ports in Moldova with a tablet and a smartphone to start a new life LOL

0
0
0.000
avatar

It would be a great way for someone starting a new life to not only make extra money but also network to find assistance, education, employment, etc.

0
0
0.000
avatar

with the state of the world, even being a Canadian I would consider the opportunity too

0
0
0.000
avatar

I loved those pictures, especially the one of your pet! With that face he's sure to be your lucky charm. As an amulet is @opheliafu! She's great. I've been a fan of hers since Steemit, although I haven't seen her around. When I read passages from your book, I imagined some of her drawings. It's going to be great! Great also about the crypto market. I'd love more knowledge and guidance on cryptology right now to make an investment. I feel so ignorant about some things, but good. Excellent summary, Eric! Take care of yourself. Greetings

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thanks, Nancy! Amstel's been such a good dog. We've had him for twelve years now.

Ophelia is super talented and I feel lucky that she agreed to partner on this project. I met her at the first SteemFest in Amsterdam and then my wife and I joined one of her workshops in Lisbon for SteemFest 2. Her and the family also met us when we were visiting London last year and showed us around.

There are plenty of good books and online resources to learn about crypto now. You just have to be careful where you get your information from. You also have to remember that a lot of projects that are being hyped on social media are being promoted by people have a vested interest (just trying to increase the value of their own stake by convincing other's to invest.) Take care and have a wonderful weekend!

0
0
0.000
avatar

Yes. I know from that my apprehension. I value your advice, and any other investment advice you'd like to give me, I'd appreciate it. A hug.

0
0
0.000
avatar

I usually look for longer term investments that have: a great dev team; good tech; an enthusiastic community surrounding them; and have carved out some kind of a unique real world niche that they serve better than most. It's never a sure thing and the volatility of the world in general now only adds to the uncertainty of investing but if a coin has those four things going for it then it's often a decent bet, especially if you can get into it at the right price point.

0
0
0.000
avatar

You're right, Eric. Thanks for that advice, I'll look forward to it! ; ) Saludos

0
0
0.000
avatar

how are you dear friend @ericvancewalton good night
I'm very sorry about your father's illness, I hope the new drugs will have a good effect

It is unfortunate the economic situation in the world caused by this disease that makes us, the worst is that it has just begun.

It is very good that you promote our company in your post and with your book in autumn, you have very good ideas to promote hive

@dalz could provide you with all the information you need, he does all kinds of information and statistics

It would be very nice if our friend, Ophelia could contribute with the illustrations of your book

that we have images you show us today, I love the second of the sun's rays.

I take this opportunity to wish you a wonderful weekend

https://hive.blog/hive-167922/@dalz/the-real-hive-power-up-and-power-down-or-data-by-date-operations-and-users-or-who-is -powering-up-down-the-most

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thank you @jlufer. The disease is such a roller coaster ride, you never know what condition they'll be in from day-to-day. Thanks for referring Dalz to me! I'll have to have a look at this posts to see if he's tabulated the new user data. It'd be interesting to learn how he generates that info and if the tool could be made available to anyone. I hope you enjoy your weekend!

0
0
0.000
avatar

other people who can help you get this information is @ abh12345 contact him is very accessible.
Enjoy these beautiful weekend days

0
0
0.000
avatar

Its times like these that make me extremely grateful for the little knowledge i have about the crypto world in general. As with almost everything else in life, there is definitely room for improvement and opportunities to explore a whole lot of options. Like i believe, these jobs are not coming back, rather like water we will follow the path of least resistance and try to adapt and flow with the tide and changes that this current pandemic has brought about. Your dog is cute by the way. Lol

0
0
0.000
avatar

I feel the same way, @belema. Even with the little crypto knowledge we have we're ahead of most of the rest of society. The world definitely won't be going back to the way it was. It's going to take some American cities a very long time to recover. Many of our big cities have been in decline since the financial collapse of 2008 and the pandemic was the nail in their coffin. Thanks! This dog is something else, he has more personality than most people. I hope your weekend is a great one!

0
0
0.000
avatar

Man that phone memory looks about like my old laptops memory, very little left in it. I never got into the Apple bushel so I don't know what I am missing and don't care to know. What I do know is my Android phone does everything I need it to do and at way less cost than even the least expensive Apple you listed. Which suits me just fine, I don't need hi-tech just reliability and at the cost involved there is no need in insuring them either.
That is quite the poster and one talented tattoo artist. I have a lot of respect for those artists, the just can't throw away their canvas if they make a mistake and grab a new one. Very little margin for error in that profession if you want to be in it very long.
The QR code menus really aggravate me but most places I eat at I already know what I'm having before I even walk in the door. None the places I frequent have gone to making you order online which I am extremely happy about that. If they do I'll find somewhere else to eat. Have the fun of eating out is screwing with the waitress or waiter when I order.
I need to go look at chapter 4 so I'll be caught up, the book is really turning out well in my opinion. Will there be a hard bound version or will it be paperback & ebook?
Have the rest of the weekend to rest up and enjoy it,
Sult

0
0
0.000
avatar

It's been a very frustrating past couple of days. I didn't realize how much I used the damn thing until I can't. I opted for the SE2 model. It was $350 (w/trade-in) and will, hopefully, last me another four years. I got the most memory available this time instead of trying to skimp. It also has the same A13 processor as the iPhone 11 so it'll be fast. I won't be watching the news to see how much they discount this one in a month when Apple rolls out the 12. I wish I could have waited but there was no way.

I have a lot of respect for the tattoo artists too. I've become pretty good friends with my tattoo guy and see all that he's had to go through to build his business. He's been in the business since 1989 and has made it a huge success. He's never accepted credit cards in all those years, cash only.

I missed that back and forth with the servers too. Most restaurants here haven't gone to the QR codes yet but I suspect we'll see more of them making the transition. I'm glad you're liking the book so far. I'm spending quite a bit of time rewriting. I tend to look at it with a more critical eye when I know it's going to be in print for years. I wish Amazon had a hard bound option but they don't. It'll just be available as paperback and eBook. I'm thinking about having this one turned into an audiobook too.

Thanks, my friend, I hope you enjoy yours too. It's super hot/humid here, which I don't really mind. I just keep telling myself it'll be below zero here before we know it, this makes every single degree more bearable. : )

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thanks for that info on the book. Sounds like your tattoo guy is not only a good artist but a rather smart business man too. No need in the government being able to track just how much money he is making so they can help themselves to his money through income taxes.

That is why there is an ever increasing movement by banks and government to move people off of so called cash money over to the plastic cards and debits and credits system. That way they can put the screws to you and there won't be a damn thing a person can do except say, "yes sir".

Adios for today!,
Sult

0
0
0.000