Biodynamic Gardening Guide: Definition, Key Principles, Best Practices, Benefits, Tools and Preparations

Biodynamic gardening offers a profound approach to cultivating the earth, resonating with ancient wisdom and modern ecological consciousness. It transcends conventional organic practices by fostering a holistic understanding of the garden as a living organism, intertwined with the rhythms of nature and the cosmos. Embracing this philosophy nurtures vibrant, nutrient-rich produce while promoting a deeper connection to the natural world.

Key Principles of Biodynamic Gardening

1. Understanding the Farm as a Living Organism:

• Biodynamics views the farm or garden as an interconnected entity, where soil, plants, animals, and cosmic forces collaborate in a delicate dance of life.
• Nurturing this interconnectedness is paramount, ensuring a synergistic balance that promotes vitality and resilience.

2. Strengthening the Soil:

• Biodynamic preparations, meticulously crafted from natural substances, act as catalysts for soil health.
• These preparations invigorate microbial life, enhance fertility, and promote a thriving soil ecosystem—the foundation for robust plant growth.

3. Aligning with Cosmic Rhythms:

• Biodynamics recognizes the profound influence of celestial rhythms on plant growth.
• Planting, cultivating, and harvesting in harmony with lunar cycles, planetary alignments, and seasonal transitions optimizes plant vitality and yields.

4. Embracing Biodiversity:

• Biodynamic gardens embrace diversity, fostering a tapestry of plant species, insect life, and beneficial organisms.
• This biodiversity fosters resilience, thwarts pests, and creates a harmonious ecosystem where each element contributes to the garden's overall health.

Essential Practices for Biodynamic Gardening Success

1. Composting: The Heart of Soil Fertility

• Biodynamic composting is a meticulous art, transforming organic matter into a nutrient-rich elixir for the soil.
• Specific preparations, such as BD500 and BD502, enhance compost vitality, accelerating decomposition and enriching the soil's microbial life.

2. Planting by the Moon and Stars:

• Biodynamic planting calendars guide gardeners to align sowing and harvesting with auspicious cosmic rhythms.
• This practice is believed to optimize plant growth, nutrient uptake, and flavor development.

3. Fostering Biodiversity:

• Intercropping, companion planting, and cultivating a diversity of species create a vibrant ecosystem that benefits all inhabitants.
• Beneficial insects thrive, pests are kept in check, and the garden becomes a resilient, self-sustaining microcosm.

4. Honoring Animals and Their Role:

• Biodynamic farms often integrate livestock, recognizing their crucial role in nutrient cycling, soil fertility, and overall farm health.
• Animals contribute manure for compost, grazing for weed control, and their unique energy to the farm's ecosystem.

The Rewards of Biodynamic Gardening

1. Nutrient-Rich, Flavorful Produce:

• Biodynamic practices yield produce that is not only free of chemicals but also brimming with vitality and flavor.
• The heightened nutrient density and vibrant energy of biodynamically grown food are often palpable to those who consume it.

2. Deeper Connection to Nature:

• Biodynamic gardening cultivates a profound sense of connection to the natural world, fostering respect for the delicate balance of life forces that sustain us.
• This intimate relationship with nature enriches both the gardener and the garden, fostering a sense of stewardship and gratitude.

3. A Path to Regeneration:

• Biodynamic principles offer a roadmap for healing the Earth and restoring vitality to our food systems.
• By nourishing the soil, honoring biodiversity, and embracing cosmic rhythms, we can participate in a movement that nurtures life and promotes a thriving planet for generations to come.

Delving Deeper into the Cosmos: Advanced Biodynamic Techniques

We've established the core principles and practices of biodynamic gardening, but the journey doesn't end there. For those seeking to truly connect with the cosmic rhythms and unlock the full potential of their gardens, several advanced techniques await exploration.

Honing Your Sensitivity to Cosmic Forces

1. Observing the Subtle: Planetary Influences

Each planet in our solar system exerts a unique influence on plant growth. For example:

• Mars: Associated with vitality and action, Mars days are ideal for seeding fast-growing plants like lettuce and radishes.
• Venus: Ruling over love and beauty, Venus days favor planting flowering ornamentals and nurturing delicate fruits.
• Saturn: Known for structure and boundaries, Saturn days are well-suited for tasks like transplanting seedlings and pruning woody plants.

By keeping a keen eye on planetary movements and aligning your gardening activities accordingly, you can tap into these subtle cosmic forces and potentially enhance your yields and harvest quality.

2. Harnessing the Moon's Cycles: The Biodynamic Sowing Calendar

The moon's waxing and waning phases have long been recognized as potent influences on plant growth. Biodynamic sowing calendars, meticulously crafted to correspond with these lunar cycles, offer detailed guidance for optimal planting times.

• Root Days: During the waning moon, focus on planting root vegetables like carrots, potatoes, and beets. The downward pull of the moon's gravity is believed to encourage vigorous root development.
• Leaf Days: Under the waxing moon, prioritize leafy greens like lettuce, spinach, and kale. The moon's upward pull is thought to stimulate lush foliage growth.
• Flower Days: The days surrounding the full moon are auspicious for sowing flowering plants, fruit trees, and herbs. The moon's heightened energy is believed to promote vibrant blooms and bountiful harvests.

3. Rhythms of the Zodiac: A Deeper Dive

For the truly dedicated biodynamic gardener, delving into the specific influences of the zodiacal constellations can add another layer of complexity and potential benefit. Each constellation is associated with different plant parts and qualities, offering further guidance for aligning your gardening activities with cosmic rhythms.

For instance, planting tomatoes under the sign of Leo (associated with fire and fruit) or sowing leafy greens under Libra (linked to air and balance) might be seen as particularly auspicious choices. However, mastering this level of astrological integration requires dedication and ongoing study.

Tools and Preparations for the Advanced Biodynamic Gardener

1. The Seven Preparations: Catalysts for Life

Biodynamic preparations are potent natural concoctions crafted from specific plant and animal materials. These preparations, numbered BD500 through BD507, each address different aspects of soil health and plant vitality.

• BD500 (Horn manure): Enhances soil fertility and humus formation.
• BD501 (Horn silica): Strengthens plant stems and resistance to disease.
• BD502 (Cow manure): Stimulates composting and microbial activity.
• BD503 (Chamomile): Promotes flower formation and fruit quality.
• BD504 (Nettle): Enhances leaf growth and chlorophyll production.
• BD505 (Oak bark): Strengthens root systems and resistance to pests.
• BD506 (Dandelion): Balances soil moisture and nutrient uptake.

Mastering the application and timing of these preparations takes time and experience, but their potential to invigorate your garden and elevate your biodynamic practice is significant.

2. The Dowsing Rod: Intuition Meets Practicality

The dowsing rod, a simple Y-shaped tool, can be used to intuitively locate underground water sources, ley lines (energetic lines in the Earth), and even compost piles with optimal activity. While its scientific validity is debated, many biodynamic gardeners swear by the dowsing rod as a valuable tool for connecting with the subtle energies of the land.

Conclusion: A Lifelong Journey with Biodynamic Gardening

Biodynamic gardening is not merely a set of techniques; it's a lifelong journey of observation, experimentation, and deepening connection with the natural world. As you delve deeper into its principles and practices, you'll witness firsthand the vibrant life force coursing through your garden, responding to your care and resonating with the rhythms of the cosmos.

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Fwd: Behind the dark curtain—the truth as to why asking rents have not come down

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Scot Ginsburg <scot.ginsburg@hughesmarino.com>
Date: Wed, Dec 13, 2023 at 4:14 PM
Subject: Behind the dark curtain—the truth as to why asking rents have not come down
To: <stevescott@techacq.com>

Hi Steve,

My partner and co-founder of the firm, David Marino, wrote this expose article that I think is absolutely critical for all commercial real estate tenants to understand. This article exposes the dirty truth behind our industry in how landlords work collectively to their mutual benefit and how the brokerage community is built to support them. The reality is that in 3 1/2 years of chaos, with office vacancy rates going up more than 50% nationally, office asking rents have yet to decline even a dollar…not even a single percentage point. This is measuring only direct offerings from building owners aggregated nationally, and excludes the record breaking 265M square feet of sublease space priced at 20%-50% below landlords' asking prices. Never in history has there been an asset class that's traded like this, and this analysis explains why.

Scot Ginsburg
Executive Vice President
Broker License #01300321
+1 844.662.6635 Office

HUGHES MARINO

Why Asking Rents for Commercial Real Estate Office Space Have Not Come Down

Three and a half years post-COVID, and it's universally understood that office commercial real estate is in crisis. Office vacancy rates have gone up 50% nationally due to companies downsizing as their leases expire and they implement remote working and hybrid work models. Yet national average asking rents for office space have not gone down…not by a single percentage point. Name one commodity where the supply of that good or service has gone up 50%, yet the price is unchanged. Think about it…gold, oil, soybeans, automobiles, stocks, houses, Beanie Babies, cryptocurrency... not a single one, ever! So how can this be explained that landlords are struggling to lease 50% more office space, yet they haven't discounted the price one dollar?

Landlords Set the Prices
Early in my career in the mid-90s, the managing partner of one of the largest real estate developers on the West Coast said to me, "Commercial real estate is the last great unregulated industry." While landlords don't formally collude, they directly and indirectly share a tremendous amount of information and anchor off each other's pricing, and that is exactly what's been happening since COVID began. In March of 2020, building owners got together and held the line on prices, and agreed directly or through their broker community partners, that they were not going to lower prices.

Building owners have good reasons not to lower asking rents as there is no public recording of leases whereby the tenant community ever knows what people are actually paying, or the details of the myriad of concessions that can be negotiated. With the brokerage community largely working for landlords, or frequently acting as dual agents representing both landlords and tenants in the same transactions, landlords have full transparency of what each other are doing in real time. Brokers publish almost every lease transaction within their own internal databases, often as a requirement to getting paid their commission by their firm. Those databases are then shared across their entire brokerage firm, and much of that data is commoditized and traded with other brokers, and generously shared with other landlords these same brokerage firms represent. Tenants' confidential lease information rarely stays that way for very long, and landlords know who's doing deals, and at what terms, while the general public and tenants are lured into thinking that prices are the same as they were back in 2020.

Brokers Price Support the Market
I've always said that landlords write the music, but the brokerage community are the singers and the band. The role of commercial real estate brokers is to support landlords in their pricing and valuation agendas. You only have to look back historically over a century as to what the brokerage community was created to do. The brokerage business is built on the backs of landlords providing leasing, asset management, property management, investment sales, capital markets, appraisal and any other imaginable service that a building owner might need. Even more than just having landlords as their primary customer, brokerage firms have become landlords themselves by investing billions of dollars directly into billions of square feet of real estate all around the world…all while doing the leasing and management on those same buildings. For example, CBRE directly owns, or acts as the asset manager—a fiduciary relationship of little difference than direct ownership—for nearly 3.5 billion square feet of commercial real estate, making them one of the largest landlords in the world. The flow of tenants became a byproduct of those businesses, and the idea of these full-service brokerage firms representing tenants' best interests is a farse.

Tenants trying to negotiate their own renewal, using the dual agent landlord-broker or someone on the landlord-broker team, are particularly vulnerable to deception. I remember in 2001 after the dot-com bust that one of the biggest landlords in town hadn't lowered their asking rents even though pricing was down 20% since the prior year. When I challenged the landlord's broker to lower prices, he said that they wanted to keep the asking rents up for when a tenant might look to renew or expand that didn't have a tenant-side independent broker and foolishly thought they were somehow saving a commission by working directly with the landlord or landlord's broker. They then could give that tenant a 10% discount on the rent, and the tenant felt like it was a pretty good deal. The reality is that we were doing leases in that same building at 20% off the asking price, with big packages of free rent and tenant improvements.

Yes, that man or woman who does the leasing for the building is charming and always knows what's available, but they aren't going to betray their core customer—the building owner—to get you, the tenant, the best deal possible. No one is there to test the landlord's marching orders or whispered bottom line. Worse, the tenant working directly with the landlord or through the landlord's listing team has no leverage, no legitimate relocation options, and little real information about what can truly be done in that building or elsewhere… particularly in subleases. The commercial real estate industry is completely opaque to a tenant that gets lured into this situation, and brokers are not even thinking about tenants' interests when conducting these activities. It's all about monetizing the real estate, which comes down to monetizing the tenants and the associated rent stream—tenants become a means to an end.

The Role of Lenders and Investors
Beyond the players that set prices and support them, there's a serious structural problem that prevents landlords from just lowering their rents, even if they wanted to. Most commercial real estate buildings have outside investors and debt. Those investors have been promised a certain return and are anchored to their valuation. The lenders are even more married to the pro forma, and it's not only that there is debt service to pay, but there are loan-to-value ratios to be maintained, and no one wants to mark-to-market office real estate. As a result, landlords simply maintain their pro forma asking rents, but quietly offer bigger tenant improvement allowances, large free rent packages, moving allowances, lease assumptions and other financial concessions that are necessary to keep or win new tenants, without lowering their prices. The financial reality is that landlords and their lenders are better off keeping a space vacant at their asking rents, than seeing the building value go down by doing leases at 20%-30% off their asking rent pricing.

Ultimately, this house of cards does fall down as pre-COVID occupancy rates go from 85%-95% down to 65% or 75% as tenants downsize, go remote, relocate to cheaper options or subleases, and landlords' occupancy levels erode. Not only has vacancy gone up, but the average time on the market that an office suite sits vacant has gone up 50%-100% in most metro areas. The end result is ultimately receivership and foreclosure, which is now happening regularly across the country. As happened from 1991 to 1995, this begins a death spiral where the declining market causes office building after office building to not be able to meet its debt service and loan-to-value ratios, whereby the real estate ultimately gets foreclosed upon and re-sold at a fraction of replacement cost. The entrepreneur real estate investor that buys that real estate has a new favorable basis, and reprices asking rents to reality versus what all the other landlords are committed to, and soon begins a cycle of real asking rental rate declines. It's likely that we're going to see ongoing declines in occupancy for another three to four years as the remaining 50% of leases expire around the United States. That's going to result in degrading performance of commercial real estate office buildings, which will ultimately result in more foreclosures, and so the cycle goes until we hit some kind of bottom in 2027 or 2028.

What all of this means for tenants is that you can't believe landlords' asking prices, nor the brokers that are promoting them, measuring them or using them as a benchmark to push tenants into mediocre leases that tenants should not be signing. The commercial office market is much more favorable to tenants than business owners and executives running companies understand, but you have to get into the market and test your options, including looking at one of the many subleases that likely are available for consideration, to force a process of price discovery, rather than thinking that asking rents are any reflection of the market we are actually in. All of that requires a zealous advocate, that acts only as a tenant's broker, and doesn't work for landlords or a full-service brokerage firm helping building owners prop up the asking rents in an office market that's in collapse.

 

Copyright © 2023 Hughes Marino, Inc.・Corporate HQ: 1450 Front Street, San Diego, CA 92101. All rights reserved.

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Titans Stage Miraculous Comeback to Stun Dolphins on Monday Night Football

In one of the most incredible comebacks of the NFL season, the Tennessee Titans stunned the Miami Dolphins 28-27 on Monday Night Football. With less than three minutes remaining in the game and trailing by 14 points, the Titans unleashed a furious rally that culminated in a game-winning touchdown with just seconds left on the clock.

The victory was a monumental one for the Titans, who improved to 5-8 on the season and kept their playoff hopes alive. It also dealt a major blow to the Dolphins, who had been riding high atop the AFC East and were considered one of the favorites to reach the Super Bowl.

Dolphins Dominate Early

The Dolphins seemed poised to cruise to victory early on. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was sharp, completing 20 of his 25 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Jeff Wilson Jr. also had a strong performance, rushing for 112 yards and a touchdown.

The Titans, on the other hand, struggled offensively for much of the game. Rookie quarterback Will Levis looked shaky at times, completing only 15 of his 30 passes for 187 yards. The Titans also committed several costly penalties, which helped the Dolphins maintain momentum.

Titans Mount Improbable Comeback

With the Dolphins leading 27-13 late in the fourth quarter, it appeared that the Titans were headed for defeat. However, Levis led the Titans on a pair of remarkable touchdown drives in the final minutes of the game.

The first scoring drive was capped off by a 15-yard touchdown pass from Levis to wide receiver Treylon Burks with 1:50 remaining. On the ensuing two-point conversion attempt, Levis found tight end Austin Hooper for the score, cutting the Dolphins' lead to 27-21.

Following a Miami punt, Levis and the Titans offense went back to work. Levis completed passes of 19 and 15 yards to move the ball into Dolphins territory. With just seconds remaining on the clock, Levis delivered a strike to wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.

Levis Shines in the Spotlight

Levis, who was making just his third career start, was the hero of the game for the Titans. He finished with 327 passing yards and two touchdowns, displaying a poise and clutchness that belied his rookie status.

"I'm just so proud of our guys," Levis said after the game. "We never gave up, even when things looked bleak. We just kept fighting, and it paid off in the end."

Dolphins Left to Rue Missed Opportunities

The Dolphins were left to rue their missed opportunities after the game. They had several chances to put the game away in the fourth quarter, but they were unable to capitalize.

"We just made too many mistakes," Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. "We had a chance to win this game, but we didn't take advantage of it. We need to learn from our mistakes and move on."

What's Next for Both Teams?

The Titans will look to build on their momentum when they host the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. The Dolphins, meanwhile, will try to get back on track when they travel to face the Buffalo Bills.

Historic Comeback

The Titans' comeback was one of the most memorable in recent NFL history. It was the first time since 2003 that a team had overcome a 14-point deficit in the final three minutes of a game and won in regulation.

The victory also proved that the Titans are a team that can never be counted out. Despite their up-and-down season, they remain in the thick of the AFC playoff race.

Conclusion

The Titans' thrilling comeback victory over the Dolphins was a testament to the power of perseverance and never giving up. It was a game that will be remembered for years to come, and it served as a reminder that anything is possible in the NFL.

Key Statistics:

• Titans: 327 passing yards, 2 touchdowns
• Dolphins: 267 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, 112 rushing yards, 1 touchdown
• Titans: 5-8 record
• Dolphins: 9-5 record

Additional Notes:

• The Titans were without star running back Derrick Henry for the second straight game.
• The Dolphins were also without several key players, including wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and safety Jevon Holland.
• The game was played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
• The attendance was 75,417.

 

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Electroculture Antenna: A Guide to Everything You Need to Know

Electroculture is a fascinating and growing field of agriculture that uses electric fields to stimulate plant growth. One of the key components of an electroculture system is the electroculture antenna. In this article, we will discuss everything you need to know about electroculture antennas, including what they are, how they work, and how to build your own.

References:

• https://groups.google.com/g/mozilla.dev.platform/c/gcvKyDCLARQ
• https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/g/chromium-reviews/c/MIVh0X4jq50
• https://groups.google.com/g/comp.os.vms/c/Li7yVL
• https://groups.google.com/g/microsoft.public.project/c/qfZ9TW9z464

What is an electroculture antenna?

An electroculture antenna is a device that is used to create an electric field in the air. This electric field can then be used to stimulate the growth of plants. Electroculture antennas can be made from a variety of materials, including copper wire, aluminum foil, and even cardboard.

How do electroculture antennas work?

When an electric current is passed through an electroculture antenna, it creates an electric field around the antenna. This electric field can then be used to stimulate the growth of plants in a number of ways.

• Increased cell division: The electric field can cause plant cells to divide more rapidly, which can lead to faster growth.
• Improved nutrient uptake: The electric field can also help plants to absorb nutrients from the soil more efficiently.
• Increased chlorophyll production: Chlorophyll is the pigment that gives plants their green color. The electric field can help plants to produce more chlorophyll, which can lead to increased photosynthesis and growth.
• Enhanced disease resistance: The electric field can help plants to resist diseases by activating their immune systems.

How to build your own electroculture antenna

There are many different ways to build an electroculture antenna. One simple method is to use copper wire to create a spiral coil. The coil should be about 1 foot in diameter and 6 inches tall. The coil can then be mounted on a wooden stake and placed in the ground near your plants.

Benefits of using electroculture antennas

There are many benefits to using electroculture antennas. Some of the most common benefits include:

• Increased yields: Studies have shown that electroculture antennas can increase yields by up to 30%.
• Improved crop quality: Electroculture antennas can help to improve the quality of crops by making them more resistant to pests and diseases.
• Reduced need for pesticides: Electroculture antennas can help to reduce the need for pesticides by making plants more resistant to pests.
• More sustainable agriculture: Electroculture is a more sustainable form of agriculture than traditional methods because it does not rely on the use of chemicals.

Here are some additional tips for using electroculture antennas:

• The best time to use electroculture antennas is during the growing season.
• The antennas should be placed near the plants, but not so close that they touch the leaves.
• The antennas should be turned on for at least 8 hours per day.
• It is important to experiment with different antenna designs and configurations to find what works best for your specific plants and growing conditions.

Conclusion

Electroculture antennas are a simple and effective way to improve the growth of your plants. If you are looking for a way to increase your yields and improve the quality of your crops, then electroculture may be a good option for you.

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Fwd: These 14 Small Mindset Shifts Will Change Your Life

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Ryan Holiday <ryan@ryanholiday.net>
Date: Wed, Sep 20, 2023 at 9:04 AM
Subject: These 14 Small Mindset Shifts Will Change Your Life
To: <Stevescott@techacq.com>

These 14 Small Mindset Shifts Will Change Your Life For the most part, we can't change the world. We can't change the fundamental facts of existence–like the fact that we're going to die. We can't change other people. Does that mean that everything is hopeless and permanently broken? No, because although we have that extreme powerlessness in one sense, we have an incredible superpower in another: We can change how we think about things. We can change how we view them, how we orient ourselves to them. That's the essence of Stoicism, by the way. The idea that we don't control what happens, but we do control ourselves. When we respond to what happens, the main thing we control is our mind and the story we tell ourselves. So one way to think about Stoicism itself then is as a collection of mindset shifts for the many situations that life seems to thrust us in. Indeed, Seneca's Letters, Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, and Epictetus' Discourses are filled with passages, anecdotes, and quotes which force a shift in perspective. Here are 14 that I have taken from the Stoics over the years that have changed my life. I think they'll do the same for you. Everything is an opportunity for excellence. The now famous passage from Marcus Aurelius is that the impediment to action advances action, that what stands in the way becomes the way. But do you know what he was talking about specifically? He was talking about difficult people! He was saying that difficult people are an opportunity to practice excellence and virtue–be it forgiveness or patience or cheerfulness. And so it goes for all the things that are not in our control in life. So when I find myself in situations big and small, positive or negative, I try to see each of them as an opportunity for me to be the best I'm capable of being in that moment. It doesn't matter who we are, where we are, we can always do this. Every event has two handles, Epictetus said: "one by which it can be carried, and one by which it can't. If your brother does you wrong, don't grab it by his wronging, because this is the handle incapable of lifting it. Instead, use the other—that he is your brother, that you were raised together, and then you will have hold of the handle that carries." Another way to say that is that there are multiple ways to look at every situation, multiple ways to determine how you're going to react. Some of them are sturdy and some of them are not. Some are kind and resilient, some are not. Which will you choose? Which handle will you grab? The world is dyed by the color of your thoughts. Marcus said, "The things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes the color of your thoughts." He also said, "Our life is what our thoughts make it." If you see the world as a negative, horrible place, you're right. If you look for shittiness, you will see shittiness. If you believe that you were screwed, you're right. But if you look for beauty in the mundane, you'll see it. If you look for evidence of goodness in people, you'll find it. If you decide to see the agency and power you do have over your life (which as we've said is largely in how we think), well, you'll find you have quite a bit. There is a tax on everything. Taxes aren't just from the government. Seneca wrote to his friend Lucilius, "All the things which cause complaint or dread are like the taxes of life—things from which, my dear Lucilius, you should never hope for exemption or seek escape." Annoying people are a tax on being outside your house. Delays are a tax on travel. Haters are a tax on having a YouTube channel. There's a tax on money too–and the more successful you are, the more you pay. Seneca said he tried to pay the taxes gladly. I love that. After all, it's usually a sign of a good problem. It means you had a killer year financially. It means you're alive and breathing. You can whine about the cost. Or you can pay and move on. Poverty isn't only having too little. Of course, not having what you need to survive is insufficient. But what about people who have a lot…but are insatiable? Who are plagued by envy and comparison? Both Marcus Aurelius and Seneca talk about rich people who are not content with what they have and are thus quite poor. But feeling like you have 'enough'–that's rich no matter what your income is. Alive time or Dead time? This isn't from the Stoics exactly, but close enough. Robert Greene once told me there were two types of time in life: Alive time and Dead time. One is when you sit around, when you wait until things happen to you. The other is when you are using that time productively, actively. You're stuck at the airport–you don't control that. You decide whether it's alive time or dead time (you read a book, you take a walk, you call your grandmother). I had a year left on a job when Robert gave me that advice. I could have just sat on my hands. Instead, it was an incredibly productive period of reading and researching and filling boxes of notecards that helped me write The Obstacle is the Way and Ego is the Enemy. Anxiety isn't escaped. It's discarded. This was a breakthrough I had during the pandemic. Suddenly, I had a lot less to worry about. I wasn't doing the things that, in the past, I told myself were the causes of my anxiety. I wasn't having to get to a plane. I wasn't battling traffic to get somewhere on time. I wasn't having to prepare for this talk or that one. So you'd think that my anxiety would have gone way down. But it didn't. And what I realized is that anxiety has nothing to do with any of these things. The airport isn't the one to blame. I am! Marcus Aurelius actually talks about this in Meditations. "Today I escaped from anxiety," he says. "Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my own perceptions—not outside." It's not your parents that are frustrating you. They're just doing what they do. You are the source of the frustration. That's a little frustrating, but it's also freeing. Because it means you can stop it! You can choose to discard it. It's the surprise that kills you. Stuff is going to happen, but what makes it harder is when it catches us off guard. The unexpected blow lands heaviest, Seneca said. That's why we should practice the art of premeditatio malorum–essentially, a pre-mortem of the things that could happen in a day or a life. This takes the sting out of them in advance…it also lets us prepare and prevent. And for no one is this more important than parents and leaders. Seneca said that the one thing a leader is not allowed to say is, "Wow, I didn't think that was going to happen." You can't learn what you think you already know. Conceit, Zeno said, was the enemy of wisdom and learning. This was the essential worldview of Socrates, the hero of the Stoics. Think of Socrates' method. He didn't go around telling people anything. He went around asking questions. That's how he learned so much and ended up becoming so smart. If you want to get smarter, stop thinking you're so smart. If you want to learn, focus on all the things you don't know. Humility, admission of ignorance–these are the starting points. This is the attitude that gets you further in life. What good is posthumous fame? Marcus Aurelius knew he was famous. He knew they were building statues of him. He knew he would have a legacy. He also knew this was basically worthless. What good is posthumous fame, he asks in Meditations, when you're not around to enjoy it?! He reminded himself too that you know, it's not like the people in the future were going to be way better than the people alive right now–there will be idiots in the future too. What do I care about how many people read my books in 100 years? What matters is if I am doing my best right now, if I am taking pleasure and pride from doing my best right now. So stop trying to live forever by achieving all this greatness, stop trying to get more than you need, stop trying to perform for history. Do the good you can do now. Stop chasing something you will never touch. Legacy is not for you. You'll be dead. Leave it to others. People are just doing their job. I don't just mean at work. After bumping into a particularly frustrating person, Marcus Aurelius asks himself, "Is a world without shamelessness possible?" No, he answers. "There have to be shameless people in the world. This is one of them." This is just someone fulfilling their role. Seeing things this way not only prevents me from being surprised, but it makes me sympathetic. This person has a crappy job.It's not fun to be them–they have to be one of the jerks that exist in the world. And then I remind myself that I am lucky that my job is to try to be a good person. They don't want you to be miserable. It's strange that Stoics have the reputation for being unfeeling when Seneca wrote three very beautiful essays on loss and grief called Consolations. I read these essays whenever I lose someone or miss someone who I loved. Anyway, one of the lessons that hit me the most is when he is writing to the daughter of a now-deceased friend. He brings up a great point, basically saying, look, your dad loved you so much. Of course, he would be honored that you miss him, but do you think he would want his death to make you miserable? Would he want the mere mention of his name to bring you pain? No, that would be his worst nightmare. He would want you to be happy. He would want you to go on with your life. He wouldn't want his memory to haunt you like a ghost–he would want the thought of him to bring you joy and happiness. Of course, we're always going to feel sad when we lose someone, but then we can remind ourselves of this and try to smile too. Opinions are optional. "Remember, you always have the power to have no opinion," Marcus says. Do you need to have an opinion about the weather today–is it changing anything? Do you need to have an opinion about the way your kid does their hair? So what if this person likes music that sounds weird to you? So what if that person is a vegetarian? "These things are not asking to be judged by you," Marcus writes. "Leave them alone." Especially because these opinions often make us miserable! "It's not things that upset us," Epictetus says, "it's our opinions about things." The less opinions you have, especially about other people and things outside your control, the happier you will be. The nicer you'll be to be around too. __ The last one is the most powerful one, I think. And it's about the thing we have the least amount of power and control over: the fact that we're all going to die. But the Stoics want us to think about it differently… Death isn't in the future. It's happening now. It's easy to see death as this thing that lies off in the distant future. It's a fixed event that happens to us once…at the end. This is literally true but it's also incorrect. "This is our big mistake," as Seneca points out, "to think we look forward toward death. Most of death is already gone. Whatever time has passed is owned by death." It's better to think of death as a process—something that is always happening. We are dying every day, he said. Even as you read this email, time is passing that you will never get back. That time, he said, belongs to death. Powerful, right? Death doesn't lie off in the distance. It's with us right now. It's the second hand on the clock. It's the setting sun. As the arrow of time moves, death follows, claiming every moment that has passed. What ought we do about it? The answer is live. Live while you can. Put nothing off. Leave nothing unfinished. Seize it while it still belongs to us. Today's newsletter is brought to you by Momentous, a leader in human performance. Momentous delivers world-class products with high-quality ingredients that are rigorously tested by independent third parties and backed by some of the brightest minds in science and human performance. Quality sleep isn't a mere luxury—it's the cornerstone of mental and physical health. It's crucial for sustaining energy, fostering well-being, and driving peak performance. Enter Sleep Pack: an expertly crafted combination of three natural ingredients designed to usher in deep, refreshing sleep, empowering you to conquer each day with vigor. Visit livemomentous.com for an exclusive discount and use code "RyanHoliday" at checkout for 15% off. Unlock your best with Momentous. Copyright © 2023 Ryan Holiday, All rights reserved. You signed up for this list at ryanholiday.net. Want to change how you receive these emails? Unsubscribe | Update your profile | 912 main st, Bastrop, Texas 78602

Fwd: Experimentation Drives Success

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Peter Diamandis <peter@diamandis.com>
Date: Sun, Jul 30, 2023 at 11:10 AM
Subject: Experimentation Drives Success
To: <stevescott@techacq.com>

Building a culture of Experimentation in your startup is probably one of THE MOST important things you can do.

The Tech Blog by Peter H. Diamandis, MD Presented by Experimentation Drives Success   Building a culture of Experimentation in your startup is probably one of THE MOST important things you can do.   As Amazon founder Jeff Bezos once said, "Our success at Amazon is a function of the number of experiments we run per year, per month, per day."   Experimentation is the means by which Exponential Organizations (ExOs) make data-driven decisions. Each experiment creates a set of learnings that can be used to improve a product, service, and/or process, or test a new product or service.    In today's blog, I'll share key insights and lessons from Amazon and other successful companies and offer tips on how to build a culture of experimentation in your own company.    Let's dive in…   NOTE: Understanding how to turn your business into an ExO and increase your growth and impact is a key component of my year-round Abundance360 leadership program.      Amazon & Experimentation   My friend Jeff Holden is a renowned innovator and past XPRIZE board member. His illustrious career is marked by key roles at Amazon, Uber, and his current venture, Atomic Machines.   As Chief Product Officer at both Amazon and Uber, he spearheaded the creation of Amazon Prime and popular Uber services like Uber Eats and Uber Pool (now UberX Share).   He has a wealth of experience in disruptive innovations, which he distilled down to four key lessons when I sought his advice on an early podcast.   Jeff's first directive is to design your company as a potent experimental engine from the beginning. In an era where change is the only constant, continuous innovation and Experimentation are crucial for survival and hyper-growth. Jeff incorporated this ideology at Amazon, Groupon, and Uber.   Integrating this experimental engine isn't an effortless task, and it often requires a cultural transformation in established companies. It also requires a commitment to ceaselessly test bold ideas, new business models, products, and processes. This principle was evident in Amazon's early days when a comprehensive experimental platform was made available to almost everyone.   This openness led to an onslaught of experiments, many of which proved futile. As Jeff explains, Amazon ran countless experiments out of sheer curiosity, despite their costs and inefficiencies. Eventually, Amazon formed an Experiments Group. Before executing an experiment, its hypothesis and potential value to the company had to be convincingly presented.   Proper interpretation of experimental results is Jeff's second key lesson. Like Uber, which runs thousands of monthly experiments and bases decisions on statistical significance, knowing the difference between significant and insignificant results is crucial. At Uber, only about 20 to 30% of experiments are successful, but all provide valuable insights. Jeff's advice? Ignore the external noise, stay focused, and continue to build.   In his third directive, Jeff provides two key pointers about constructing a team and a company: Nurture an experimental ethos within the organization and; Hire individuals familiar with Experimentation and a data-informed mindset. Finally, Jeff emphasizes the importance of comfort with being misunderstood in his fourth directive. Strong experimental cultures often invite misunderstanding from external observers.   Jeff cites Amazon Prime, which was initially met with skepticism but now has over 50 million members, as an example: "Amazon Prime could have been one of those catastrophic failures," says Jeff. "We tried auctions, and that failed, and we tried zShops and that failed. But we just kept going, and we finally cracked it. Then, when we launched it to the world, the response was: 'You guys are insane! This is like, super risky. You're going to blow up with all this margin from shipping.' Bezos, characteristically, replied, 'Yeah, I kind of figured this would be misunderstood.'"     Key Lessons   As Salim Ismail, my co-author of Exponential Organizations 2.0, and I reflected on Jeff's directives as well as our own experience, we arrived at several observations and conclusions about the role of experimentation in business.   In this section, I'll share a summary of these key lessons.   Lesson #1: A to B, then to C   A key insight from the Lean Startup movement is that if you are at point A, you cannot see point C, so focus on getting from A to B.   Once you're at B, then you can see point C and plot a course toward it. For example, if you're building a product with 15 features, don't build them all. Build the two that will get you market traction and feedback from users, then plan the implementation of the rest. This is also known as the MVP or Minimum Viable Product. Experimentation serves as the tool of choice when organizations have a clear destination in mind but lack a predefined roadmap to reach it.   By embracing Experimentation, companies open themselves up to agile and iterative processes that enable them to navigate uncertainty and adapt to changing circumstances.   Lesson #2: Imagination and Experimentation, not Expertise and Experience   A prevailing myth that must be debunked is that an expert holds the key to guaranteed success. As I often say, "The expert is someone who can tell you exactly how something will not work."   An ExO acknowledges that expertise alone is not sufficient and that relentless Experimentation is essential for progress. By shifting the focus from seeking expert opinions to creating a culture of learning and experimentation, organizations can tap into the collective intelligence of their teams and communities to explore new frontiers.   Salim and I interviewed Sebastian Thrun of Udacity about this topic. Sebastian said, "When hiring, I look for imagination, not experience."   Lesson #3: Secrecy   Unless Experimentation is the default policy throughout an organization, secrecy is critical when conducting experiments.   Smart organizations often operate in stealth mode to protect against larger market consequences and media exposure when shutting down unsuccessful projects. This freedom to fail in private allows them to experiment more boldly, explore unconventional ideas, and iterate without fear of external judgment.   Lesson #4: A Culture of Learning   An ExO is the embodiment of a "learning organization."   Creating a culture that encourages taking risks is vital for unleashing the full potential of Experimentation within an organization. By instilling a sense of psychological safety and removing the fear of failure, teams become more inclined to explore uncharted territories.   The best ExOs go beyond mere lip service and establish reward mechanisms, including the use of crypto rewards, to incentivize and recognize successful experiments conducted within the community. Top ExOs give awards and recognition to team members who take big operational risks, fail, and then share their learnings.   Lesson #5: Big Companies Can Also Experiment   Large, mature organizations often face challenges when it comes to adopting a culture of Experimentation: namely higher costs, regulatory barriers, and a fear of failure.   Double that for government departments. However, some multinational corporations have recognized the value of running experiments in smaller markets to mitigate these challenges and test ideas more efficiently. This approach allows them to reduce costs, gather valuable insights, and make informed decisions before scaling globally.   Lesson #6: Living on the Edge   While the above heading sounds dangerous, it's actually the opposite. By constantly experimenting, organizations stay closer to market realities.   This is especially important in volatile and uncertain times. Their constant learning delivers an agility that enables them to remain responsive to market shifts and customer demands. By embracing Experimentation as a core attribute, ExOs ensure that they are constantly learning and evolving, positioning themselves as frontrunners in their industries.     How to Build a Culture of Experimentation   So, how can you create a culture of experimentation in your business?   If you're a startup, it's relatively trivial to implement an experimental culture. This task, however, becomes much more difficult as organizations get bigger. Large organizations are geared toward efficiency and predictability, which are antithetical to experiments that are counter to both those objectives.   Here are some steps to integrate this Experimentation into an organization: Appoint a "head of experiments" to educate the team on the qualities of a good experiment and, in turn, prompt continuous Experimentation. Award those teams that run experiments and learn, whether they succeed or fail. Elevate the Experimentation conversation to your weekly or monthly executive staff meeting. Have your teams report on the experiments they ran and what they learned. Again, reward the effort, but don't penalize the failures. Encourage your management team to ask great questions. This is an analog of the MTP. ExOs think big in almost everything they do—and never more so when experimenting with new products, markets, technologies, organizations, customer experiences, and employee culture. Formulating great questions is an art form. It also takes courage. But somewhere out there is that one question that can lead to a billion-dollar opportunity for your company. Utilize generative AI as a thought partner to recommend experiments you should be running, how to design them, and what parameters to measure. Run an incentive prize (or series of prizes) in your company to canvas crazy ideas. As described in my book BOLD, MIT's Michael Schrage said, "The best way to become innovative is to innovate more." Schrage suggests running a 5x5x5 design competition within companies to encourage such innovation. Here's how that works:  Step 1: Within your company or group, organize a minimum of 5 teams of 5 people each. The teams should have a diverse makeup of executives, engineers, marketing members, executive assistants, customers, and suppliers. Step 2: Give each team a period of 5 days to come up with a portfolio of 5 "business experiments" that should take no longer than 5 weeks to run and cost no more than $5,000 to conduct. Each experiment should have a business case that explains how running that experiment will give tremendous insight into a possible savings or growth of $5 million for the firm. Tell the teams that you're not looking for incremental improvement but significant changes that are exponential in nature. Step 3: Run the 5-week experiments and have each team report on their outcome. If one or two of the experiments yields significant results, invest in those ideas to develop new products or services.   Why This Matters   In today's dynamic business landscape, adaptability and innovation are crucial.   Experimentation is a tool of transformative potential. It goes beyond mere testing and trial and error—it's about cultivating a mindset of discovery, driving innovation, enhancing performance, and embracing the unknown.   As I often say, "The day before a major breakthrough, it's a crazy idea."   If you're not experimenting, then you're an incremental organization and not an ExO.   A successful culture of Experimentation requires a strong element of Autonomy, the next ExO attribute and the topic of our next blog in this series. Want to learn about how to increase your healthspan? And the top longevity-related investment opportunities available?   If yes, then consider joining me on my 2023 Abundance Platinum Longevity Trip.   I'm running two VIP trips I call my "Abundance Platinum Longevity Trip" covering top scientists, startups, labs, and CEOs in Cambridge, Boston, New Hampshire, and New York. I do the same trip twice for up to 40 participants: Aug. 16 - 20, 2023 or Sept. 27 - Oct. 1, 2023.   The September Trip is SOLD OUT.   The August Trip (Aug. 16 - 20, 2023) has limited seats available.   Each trip is a 5-Star/5-Day deep dive into the cutting-edge world of biotech/longevity and age-reversal.   You'll meet with the top 50 scientists, CEOs, and labs working on adding decades to your life. You will also learn about breakthroughs against a wide range of chronic diseases.   This year, some of the world-changing labs and faculty we'll visit include: David Sinclair, PhD, Harvard Center for Biology of Aging Research; George Church, PhD, Harvard Wyss Institute; Dean Kamen, PhD, Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI); and Fountain Life, New York—just to name a few.   Both trips are identical (capped at 40 participants per trip), during which I spend all 5 days with you as your private guide and provocateur. Through this personalized, action-packed program, my mission is to give you exclusive, first-hand exposure to the major players, scientists, companies, and treatments in the longevity and vitality arena.   Here's what you get: All your questions answered. First-hand insights and early access to diagnostics, therapeutics, and investment opportunities.   If you want to learn more about the Abundance Platinum Longevity Trip, go here, indicate your interest and we'll set up an interview! I discuss topics just like this on my podcast. Here's a conversation I recently enjoyed: A Statement From Peter:  My goal with this newsletter is to inspire leaders to play BIG. If that's you, thank you for being here. If you know someone who can use this, please share it. Together, we can uplift humanity. PHD Ventures, 800 Corporate Pointe, Suite 350, Culver City, California 90230, United States, (401) 542-2360 Unsubscribe Manage preferences