This week I’m dedicating the time I previously set for “computer setup” to handle the misc tasks in my life that have fallen to the wayside.
Brainstorm for future ways to get cash / what to do with my saltmine hours:
a) Look through Stuyvesant and MIT alumni portals for freelance work. Scrape various heathen lists for jobs. Email personal contacts. Update resume.
b) Live off accumulated cash and dedicate more time to tmsr / other work.
c) Live off accumulated cash, and dedicate a few hours a week to tutoring high school students in math over Skype ((I had a short stint as a tutor in NYC.))
d) Live off accumulated cash and find a local job (such as a bartender) that gives me lots of opportunities to meet people and speak in Spanish.
e) Look for full time job in a LATAM city.
List of some misc tasks (copied/updated from last week):
1. Figure out how to connect my new machine to the backup internet provided by my cellphone. ((I may be able to connect the phone to my computer via a USB and tether that way.))
2. Create a proper food shopping list, with a list of ingredients for different (more complex) dinners.
3. Make a mirror of the republican wot
4. Search through local bitcoin meetups for people who do business in otc.
5. Make a box for storing phone while working / people are over. This box, while practical, will be made for symbolic reasons. It will be near an outlet and contain plugs so myself and guests can charge their phone when they place it in the box. A bonus feature is to make it sound proof so the mic cannot pick up anything while the box is closed.
6. Discuss hot water options with my landlord.
7. Call BAC to see what information they need from me to open a bank account.
8. Look into Panama residency.
9. Look for more saltmines work. ((Email possible leads from Stuyvesant and MIT connections. And look at companies that offer remote jobs.))
10. Plan trip to Europe during rainy season.
11. Publish my how/what/why of V article.
12. Write my own V.
13. Remove DNS already.
14. Start syncing a copy of the blockchain on my new comp. (I need to disable the stupid lights on the comp so I can leave it on at night.)
1. Monday 02/17
1.1 Daily Writing Exercise (Publish Day) (1.5h)
1.2 Handle misc tasks (Attempt to connect comp via tether, find 3 recipes that I like and make a shopping list for ingredients, scrape heathen search for bitcoin meetups in Guanacaste) (2h)
1.3 Saltmines (8h)
2. Tuesday 02/18
2.1 Daily Writing Exercise (Prepare Day) (1.5h)
2.2 Handle misc tasks (Discuss hot water with landlord, call BAC, look into Panama residency)
2.3 Saltmines (8h)
3. Wednesday 02/19
3.1 Daily Writing Exercise (Publish Day) (1.5h)
3.2 TheFleet – Prepare for launch, test new version with small subset of networks. Test reconnect ability specifically. (4h)
3.3 Saltmines (4h)
4. Thursday 02/20
4.1 Daily Writing Exercise (Prepare Day) (1.5h)
4.2 TheFleet – Fix any problems found in yesterday’s test run and then release (10hr)
5. Friday 02/21
5.1 Daily Writing Exercise (Publish Day) (1.5h)
5.2 Either work on TheFleet if there are any problems, or begin writing my own V (10hr)
6. Saturday 02/22
6.1 Daily Writing Exercise (Prepare Day) (1.5h)
6.2 Plan and review for next week (4h)
6.3 Take care of miscellaneous open tasks (4hr 45min)
7. Sunday 02/23
7.1 Daily Writing Exercise (Publish Day) (1.5h)
7.2 Open Slot / Makeups (5h)
7.3 Reading time – Aristotle’s Poetics
For the getting cash/saltmines hours – why don’t you start with/from what you are good at/want to get better at? Since you’ll be spending time and effort on it, might as well make sure you get the most out of it and that means *more than* some cash especially since you won’t get btc now, will you?
From your list, a and c sound perhaps kind of ok but none too appealing given how it went so far. The Maths tutoring might hold something only if you actually enjoy it (though via Skype it’s going to be quite different than in person) *and* if you plan it as a means to find perhaps new people ie more than just Maths really, if gradually.
The rest on the list though and especially d&e sound more like a form of suicide really – why do you contemplate them at all at this stage anyway? For one obvious thing, in your position I’d probably even go for giving surfing lessons/guided tours to silly gringos before giving any thought of a full job in latam city, gah. The core point there is that your target should go beyond “get some cash” already – if you invest some time into this, then at least see it as a stepping stone towards building your own thing and at the very least *increasing* your options and independence, NOT the opposite!
Unrelated to the above – how’s it with the blog writing? You’ve been writing quite consistently and for a while, so what’s your overall review on that part?
Comment by Diana Coman — February 17, 2020 @ 9:48 am
> For the getting cash/saltmines hours – why don’t you start with/from what you are good at/want to get better at? Since you’ll be spending time and effort on it, might as well make sure you get the most out of it and that means *more than* some cash especially since you won’t get btc now, will you?
I am not getting paid in btc, but I might be able to convert some of the cash I receive into btc. That said I keep ~all of my money stored in btc, so I think it is best for me to increase my fiat holdings at the moment. If I continue with the remote development work I will certainly focus on finding jobs that I believe will help me grow in the areas I’m good at already / interested in.
> From your list, a and c sound perhaps kind of ok but none too appealing given how it went so far. The Maths tutoring might hold something only if you actually enjoy it (though via Skype it’s going to be quite different than in person) *and* if you plan it as a means to find perhaps new people ie more than just Maths really, if gradually.
I don’t think I would enjoy it too much because of the Skype aspect. Using it to find new people could be interesting but my tutoring experience is all with high school kids and that is not the age group of friends I’m interested in making lulz.
> The rest on the list though and especially d&e sound more like a form of suicide really – why do you contemplate them at all at this stage anyway? For one obvious thing, in your position I’d probably even go for giving surfing lessons/guided tours to silly gringos before giving any thought of a full job in latam city, gah. The core point there is that your target should go beyond “get some cash” already – if you invest some time into this, then at least see it as a stepping stone towards building your own thing and at the very least *increasing* your options and independence, NOT the opposite!
The full time job in latam city is =low= on the priority list. I think my masochistic side was showing itself when I wrote the idea. In my head I thought “maybe it is prudent to suffer and get more cash if I find the right job”. But yeah, not considering that one too much at all.
Honestly, I would love to do surf lessons + guided tours. I did the surfing gig last year when opportunities presented themselves and had a great time. It is a great medium for connecting with people.
So to conclude on this point: I now have 110 hours left in my contract. (I was recently extended an additional 76 hours.) After that I would like a job that gives me more social interaction. (I’m surprised you said point d was suicide. http://trilema.com/2017/the-universal-plan-for-wealth/?b=Bussing&e=kill+them#select ) Giving surf lessons and guided tours is appealing. I would be eating a large opportunity cost (in fiat terms) to not be salt mining, but I am absolutely okay with that.
> Unrelated to the above – how’s it with the blog writing? You’ve been writing quite consistently and for a while, so what’s your overall review on that part?
I am immensely enjoying writing. It is a routine I want to continue until the day I die. The process itself is usually painful.. but it is the good kind of exercise / pulling out thorn pain.
Sometimes I am worried that I vomit nonsense on my blog. I had this concern before MP called it out in a comment on my Odyssey article. One procedural mistake I’ve been making has been obsessing over grammar / wording and putting that even higher than making sure I have something meaningful to say. I think improving my outlining process is a step in the right direction for fixing this problem.
Comment by Will Haack — February 18, 2020 @ 5:54 am
Because it’s a step *backwards* from where you are, you silly, stop being afraid of moving further *ahead* already. The article you link assumes as starting point being still in the US and/or in the usual grind there so as the first thing to do once finally out, it works, sure (and even possibly about the best way to get to know the people and get talking the language) but you are further down the road so why would you retrace some ground that you already covered? And note that even there it’s given as a caveat, not as a desired/goal. Do consider context, always and for everything!
What’s this opportunity cost?
Comment by Diana Coman — February 18, 2020 @ 9:03 am
>What’s this opportunity cost?
answered here http://logs.ossasepia.com/log/ossasepia/2020-02-18#1018651
On second thought, the word “large” is completely meaningless.
Comment by Will Haack — February 18, 2020 @ 7:30 pm
Fwiw, it doesn’t quite follow as you say it, hm. Might clarify it through discussion perhaps.
Comment by Diana Coman — February 18, 2020 @ 9:15 pm