When it comes to American pastimes, many people focus on the big 3 sports: Football, Basketball, and Baseball. Nevertheless, there are a lot of different ways people spend their time. It is interesting to see what they watch – and what they actually play.
Nevertheless, there are a lot of different ways people spend their time. It is interesting to see what they watch – and what they actually play.
There is also a big difference based on income distribution. Here is an infographic.
Apparently, rich people like golfing, yoga and racquet sports … while poorer people disproportionately liked relaxing, writing for personal interest, and having hobbies.
It is also kind of interesting to see when people tend to do certain activities. Here is a chart showing the peak time for various sports and activities.
Despite minimal profits (literally less than a handful of profitable quarters since it started in 1994), Amazon has a market cap of roughly $470 billion in market capitalization. They've shown that there's a new algorithm for success – it's about vision and market domination. It is a long game with big stakes … and it looks like he's winning.
They've shown that there's a new algorithm for success – it's about vision and market domination. It is a long game with big stakes … and it looks like he's winning.
But You'd Still Call Them A Success
"Bezos recently told shareholders that the goal is to 'experiment patiently, accept failures, plant seeds, protect saplings, and double down when you see customer delight.'"
It's a similar idea to one that I've adopted – though on a different scale.
When people first look at Capitalogix they see a hedge fund – but that is just an application of our core capabilities. Internally, we know that we are an innovation engine that uses domain expertise in algorithmic trading, data science, and high-performance computing to generate something new.
Edges decay or disappear faster than ever before – that's what drives our pursuit of more ways to win.
When changing the way people play a game – you can't play by the same rules people used to.
My wife is from Indonesia, so we often go to visit her family.
As a result, I often have new and exotic experiences …
That picture was taken in Bali, where I first met my wife many years ago. Bali holds a lot of good memories for me, but Indonesia has more to offer than just Bali.
Indonesia is the largest Muslim country, but it also has famous Hindu and Buddhist temples as well – including the world's largest Buddhist temple – Borobudur in Java.
When you hear "Java" you think Coffee … and for good reason.
Indonesia is famous for coffee. For example, "Sumatra" is their biggest island – with “Java” coming in close behind.
They also make one of the most expensive coffees in the world … Kopi Luwak.
It's a "special" coffee … made using a very particular process.
In traditional coffee production, the cherries are harvested and the beans are extracted. The beans then get shipped to a roaster, ground into a pulp, and brewed by a barista at your local Starbucks.
In contrast, with Kopi Luwak, something different happens.
The coffee cherries are still harvested, but by wild animals.
Specifically, they’re harvested by the Asian Palm Civet, a small, cat-like animal that absolutely loves the taste of those cherries.
But,if the civets eat the cherries, how can they still be used to make coffee?
Well … that's the gross part.
The civets eat the coffee cherries, but their digestive tract can’t effectively process the beans, only the flesh surrounding them.
When the partially digested, partially fermented beans are eventually excreted, coffee producers harvest them. The beans are then cleaned, roasted, and used to make astonishingly expensive (“with retail prices reaching up to $700 per kilogram”) coffee.
Now is the coffee that mind-blowing to warrant a price north of $300 a pound?
No, not really. In fact, many critics will openly call it bad coffee, or as Tim Carman, food writer for the Washington Post put it, "It tasted just like…Folgers. Stale. Lifeless. Petrified dinosaur droppings steeped in bathtub water. I couldn't finish it."
To be fair, the Luwak coffee industry is an experience. When I toured a plantation near Ubud, Bali, a smiling tour guide greeted and led me on an in-depth exploration of the forested property, where I was allowed to immerse myself in the various spices, roots, beans, and civets used to produce this one-of-a-kind coffee. Here is a video I shot of the process.
If you think about it, I paid a premium to drink exotic cat poop coffee, but I certainly wouldn't drink coffee made from people poop (or even domestic cat poop).
So, why would I buy the coffee then?
It’sthe story that allows this not so awesome coffee to fetch awesome prices. People are paying for the experience, not the commodity itself.
The same is true when you buy Starbucks. The coffee at 7-Eleven is cheaper – and Consumer Reports tell us that McDonalds coffee is better.
While the official language is Indonesian (also known as Bahasa Indonesia), a variant of Malay, most Indonesians speak other languages, such as Javanese, as their first language. More than 700 regional languages are spoken in Indonesia's numerous islands.
While American's tend to think English is the most prevalent language, we actually come in third behind Chinese and Spanish.
While based on population density, and reproduction, it seems like Chinese (Mandarin) will only widen its lead, it's worth noting that its influence wanes greatly outside of Asia.
How long will that last?
When I was younger, English was the language of business, but it may be time for you to brush up on your Chinese.
I think so. To make the point, let me start with a brief story.
I was at the gym and getting pretty close to the end of my workout.
Frankly, I was at a point where being done was way more attractive than the option of doing additional exercise.
Over time, I've developed many habits and beliefs that focus on finding best next step -or a way to do just a little bit more. So this time, I used reverse-counting to help me finish that workout strong.
I started with 10 push-ups. I know I can do 10 push-ups, even at the end of a hard workout. Without putting my knees down, I can rest in plank position for a moment or two … then I do nine more push-ups. That has to be easier than 10, right? Then eight more … seven … six. You get the point.
Each set is a little bit harder than the one before; but mentally I'm prepared for it, and can convince myself that I'm so much closer to the goal.
So I get to three, and sweat is dripping off my nose, my arms are shaking, and my hips want to sway. Somehow knowing that there's only two more sets, then only one more, allows me to finish.
That story could have been about creating profitable trading systems, developing a new database, or recovering from a set-back. It's about finding a way, regardless of external circumstances.
Finding a Way to Do Just a Little Bit More.
There are many times that it seems easier to do nothing, or to give up. That's just not my nature. It's not in my "nurture" either.
My father used to say that the secret to success was getting up. What he meant was that if someone knocked you down 10 times, then the secret to success was getting up 11 times. And if someone knocked you down another time, then the secret was to get up 12 times. There's a lot of truth in that.
I laugh when I think of all the little things I do that condition me to take the best next step. Here are a few examples of small things that help define that mindset.
I never stop reading until I finish a chapter.
Also, when I play a strategy game on my iPhone, I never stop until I win.
And, when I play a strategy game that I'm good at, I never stop until I achieve a certain score.
It doesn't matter if I'm frustrated or tired. I find a way. Each of these things, in its own small way, helps condition me to know that I can do anything I commit to do. Ultimately, what that means is that regardless of what happens, my outcome depends most on what I choose to do.
Sometimes these habits seem silly, quirky, or even a little bit OCD to me. Yet, they serve me.
Many benefits come from knowing that the game's not over until you say it is … or until you win.
Moreover, it's comforting to know that there's always a best next step, or at least a different perspective that will create new opportunities and possibilities.
I tend to take that perspective in business as well. We focus on the progress we're making, and what that makes possible, rather than how far we are from the ultimate goal. Why? Because as we continue to make progress, the things we shoot for are bigger and farther away. Focusing there would always show a shortfall. Obstacles and set-backs become the raw material for new growth, ideas and strategies. The trick is getting back up, isn't it?
Sometimes the best advice is simple. Nike got it right in their ad … Just Do It.
Is How You Do Something … How You Do Everything?
