How to Make Trillions of Dollars
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How to Make Trillions of Dollars
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Re: How to Make Trillions of Dollars
#2Human civilization (and not just our current iteration) is like a gigantic, uncontrollable beast. It tramples thousands underfoot, growing fat on their fears and impossible dreams. Some people may be riding up on top, out of trample range, but they're still riding on top of a gigantic, uncontrollable beast with no real aim other than its own continued survival.
Not much to be gained from blame or envy. Just try to set a good example. It might help, over time.
Re: How to Make Trillions of Dollars
#3Start with quadrillions of dollars and invest in airlines.
Re: How to Make Trillions of Dollars
#4I can't decide if this article is pure paranoia, depressing as hell, or inspiring.
Re: How to Make Trillions of Dollars
#5Human civilization (and not just our current iteration) is like a gigantic, uncontrollable beast. It tramples thousands underfoot, growing fat on their fears and impossible dreams. Some people may be riding up on top, out of trample range, but they're still riding on top of a gigantic, uncontrollable beast with no real aim other than its own continued survival. Not much to be gained from blame or envy. Just try to se…
Well, look. I decided that I will get rid of the useless things in my life. Books and papers, trash, and so on.
I also decided to save and not consume much. Therefore, I resort to making homemade sandwiches and finding water bottle.
A few days ago, I made a pencil holder out of a discarded soda can. Why the hell not?
There are cool things that I want to buy. But, they're mostly for making cooler projects.
I am a prosumer. I find it fun to make stuff and sell stuff just so I can make much more interesting stuff to sell.
The Man's strategy? Did he even really exists? What's there to blame and be envious?
The intellectual life is worth more than the cars, the fancy houses, and 2 1/2 kids. Things are in itself an interesting intellectual exercise. Selling them is merely a way to keep points about which is the most interesting things to the most people.
Re: How to Make Trillions of Dollars
#6Human civilization (and not just our current iteration) is like a gigantic, uncontrollable beast. It tramples thousands underfoot, growing fat on their fears and impossible dreams. Some people may be riding up on top, out of trample range, but they're still riding on top of a gigantic, uncontrollable beast with no real aim other than its own continued survival. Not much to be gained from blame or envy. Just try to se…
You should read "What Technology Wants" by Kevin Kelly.
He investigates these sorts of things, talking about how it is now impossible to be separate from civilization (even the Amish are dependent upon civilization at large to support their lifestyle). And he starts to talk about how we can cope with that, and engage with it on our own terms, in a constructive manner.
Re: How to Make Trillions of Dollars
#7I can't decide if this article is pure paranoia, depressing as hell, or inspiring.
Excessively anthropomorphizing the Man is a quick way to sketch civilization, but leads to a failure to understand it deeply. If I were going to put a word on it, it would be glib. Sort of Malcolm Gladwell-ish. It's not necessarily that it's wrong, it's just so incomplete a view that it might as well be wrong.
Re: How to Make Trillions of Dollars
#8I can't decide if this article is pure paranoia, depressing as hell, or inspiring.
I thought it was inspiring.
EDIT: Why? Because I've never thought about it from that point of view before. It doesn't necessarily make his point true, but it's interesting nevertheless.
Re: How to Make Trillions of Dollars
#9I would say, don't get too hung up on the "the Man" aspect of the article. For me, the most profound part was the one about keeping people wanting useless gadgets more and more and thus keeping them in jobs they hate. People can easily live with much less and do work that will allow them to be much happier.
From what I've seen, higher earning potential doesn't correlate well with happiness.
Re: How to Make Trillions of Dollars
#10"A single, lifelong customer who lives his life spending the way you want him to is worth six or seven figures. A single one."
Let's say that "lifelong customer" spans 47 years (aged 18-65). In order for him to spend seven figures s/he would have to spend $1750/month. And, depending on what they're paying for, a lot of that won't be profit...
So not sure why it's worded as if everyone should realise that a single life-long customer is worth a huge amount, chances are, for most companies/people, they won't be.