Hiking near bluemont va
My longest ever hike / boulder field extravaganza
2023.06.06 23:31 SpeedflyChris My longest ever hike / boulder field extravaganza
 | Decided to do a monster hiking route last week, to try to top 6 of the 7 highest peaks in the UK in a day (they're all conveniently on either side of a single valley). Did it to mark 2 years since a massive accident that nearly killed me back in 2021. The whole thing took longer than I expected it to take, since for much of the route there really aren't any decent paths to follow, and you're picking your way across boulder fields at times averaging 1-2km/h. Still the most elevation I've gained/lost in a single day, and pretty happy to say that I got it done. My legs were pretty destroyed afterwards, however! submitted by SpeedflyChris to Garmin [link] [comments] Moving time in the garmin app was 9:53:49, I didn't stop tracking when I was stopped for lunch/dinner or chatting with people, strava had my moving time at a shade over 12 hours, I think the discrepancy must be down to all the time I spent moving very very slowly through boulder fields. |
2023.06.06 23:24 fauviste Getting started w/ GMC 2500HD
Hey folks!
What's good to have for overlanding in the southwest (sandy, rocky roads) with a heavy truck? We have a stock 2016 GMC 2500 HD Duramax, crew cab and standard 6.5 bed.
I'd love advice on how to avoid getting stuck in the first place, what mods (if any?), gear, and products or services for safety/rescue specifically. Or pointers to books/videos/etc.
The kicker is, I have a disability, so I couldn't e.g. hike for half a day to get out of trouble, and that makes overlanding so appealing and also makes me nervous. We've already done some back roads and old mining roads near home in Tucson… but without any gear.
The last time, we could've gotten stuck on a washed-out dirt road on the side of a hill with no one around for miles… and it made me realize just how dangerous it is to be unprepared.
My husband is healthy and he's a handy guy — we travel with a 9600lb RV trailer — but we are newbs to this.
Thanks in advance!
submitted by fauviste to overlanding [link] [comments]
What's good to have for overlanding in the southwest (sandy, rocky roads) with a heavy truck? We have a stock 2016 GMC 2500 HD Duramax, crew cab and standard 6.5 bed.
I'd love advice on how to avoid getting stuck in the first place, what mods (if any?), gear, and products or services for safety/rescue specifically. Or pointers to books/videos/etc.
The kicker is, I have a disability, so I couldn't e.g. hike for half a day to get out of trouble, and that makes overlanding so appealing and also makes me nervous. We've already done some back roads and old mining roads near home in Tucson… but without any gear.
The last time, we could've gotten stuck on a washed-out dirt road on the side of a hill with no one around for miles… and it made me realize just how dangerous it is to be unprepared.
My husband is healthy and he's a handy guy — we travel with a 9600lb RV trailer — but we are newbs to this.
Thanks in advance!
2023.06.06 23:13 Few-Abbreviations499 Favourite bush walks in Auckland at the moment?
I'm realising I need more native bush time to support my brain. I've previously lived on the North Shore and would just rely on Birkenhead Domain but I've moved more central and would love to hear about everyone's favourite bush walks - double points if they're still open.
My health and energy levels go up and down so it would be great to have a range of walks to do - sometimes I can do proper hiking and sometimes I'm better off on something reasonably flat. Would love to hear about suburban walks as well as the bigger trails you love.
This is the closures map I'm looking at: https://aucklandcouncil.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappvieweindex.html?id=090a929b13884cfdb17078f7bb41c8a4
My own recommendations:
- I love Totara Park (Manukau) and it's lovely being right by the botanic gardens. Some flatter walks by the stream as well as some that are slightly more strenuous up to lookouts.
- If any of you are on the North Shore near the AUT campus, not many students seem to know about Smiths' bush - there's a board walk and a lot of really old trees, the motorway noise is loud but if you have headphones it's a great little break between classes and you generally don't get muddy etc.
- Also on the North shore, Birkenhead Domain/Eskdale reserve etc - a lot of this looks closed online at the moment but it's usually great, there are a lot of old growth trees and lots of nikau etc.
submitted by Few-Abbreviations499 to auckland [link] [comments]
My health and energy levels go up and down so it would be great to have a range of walks to do - sometimes I can do proper hiking and sometimes I'm better off on something reasonably flat. Would love to hear about suburban walks as well as the bigger trails you love.
This is the closures map I'm looking at: https://aucklandcouncil.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappvieweindex.html?id=090a929b13884cfdb17078f7bb41c8a4
My own recommendations:
- I love Totara Park (Manukau) and it's lovely being right by the botanic gardens. Some flatter walks by the stream as well as some that are slightly more strenuous up to lookouts.
- If any of you are on the North Shore near the AUT campus, not many students seem to know about Smiths' bush - there's a board walk and a lot of really old trees, the motorway noise is loud but if you have headphones it's a great little break between classes and you generally don't get muddy etc.
- Also on the North shore, Birkenhead Domain/Eskdale reserve etc - a lot of this looks closed online at the moment but it's usually great, there are a lot of old growth trees and lots of nikau etc.
2023.06.06 23:02 Ok_Presence1618 Everyone Said It's Impossible
 | Never allow others to tell you that your claim has no chance!!! The impossible is nothing more than what others have achieved. Don't be dissuaded from filing OSA secondary to PTSD. submitted by Ok_Presence1618 to VeteransBenefits [link] [comments] I asked a number of times about filing a claim for Sleep Apnes, secondary to PTSD on the Reddit. Don't get me wrong, imo this is the best resource on the web for VA claims and most of the redditors are amazing and helpful. But...there are some bitter and extremely negative people also. Literally, everyone said it was damn near impossible and a waste of effort. One person sent me a chat message saying it's useless, "read all of the comments on here about them getting denied for OSA secondary to PTSD and do I think my claim is somehow different?" I'm extremely happy that I walk to my own drum and not to others. Good luck brothers. |
2023.06.06 23:01 Okayest-Trail-Runner I finished my first trail 50M and (almost) healed achilles tendonitis/bursitis. Here's how I trained and adapted.
This post is for anybody else out there who might be dealing with achilles tendonitis or bursitis in your ankle. I’ve had a 2.5 year journey dealing with this, and recently completed my first 50 miler (Mohican 50 in Ohio) in 11:08, after only running trails 3 days/week (more on my plan later). I thought I’d share my training adaptations and lessons-learned for anybody else struggling with these issues too. Note: I’m \not* a doctor, though I’ve spent a ton of time seeing doctors, sports chiro’s, massage therapists, physical therapists, etc over the years for this issue. Take this like a conversation with a crazy trail runner friend over of a nice cup of coffee, or better yet, a nice cold beer. I hope it’s helpful!*
Context
I started trail running in summer 2020 after about 18 years of casual road running. I was never competitive, but I did complete two marathons in college. I started running trails for fun with my ‘crazy’ ultra-running friends in fall 2020 and heard countless stories of their races, learned their training tips, and signed up for my first 50k in May, 2021.
Late fall 2020 my rapid switch to trails caught up with me, and I started experiencing a burning pain in the back of my ankle, near the heel. After a few doctor visits and an ultrasound of my achilles (this is important, please do this if you suspect achilles issues!). I found out that I had bursitis from insertional achilles tendonitis. I was assured by multiple doctors that my achilles itself was fine, but the tension in my weak-a$$ calves was pulling on everything downstream and causing the inflammation. I ran through that pain and somewhat ignored the PT exercises I was given, also half-a$$ing my training for the 50k. I did finish that 50k (it was a spicy one to boot, with over 5,000ft of gain on technical trails), but finished thoroughly broken with an average pace of 14:30. Woof.
I took 2022 ‘off’ from racing and was feeling good enough in November 2022 to sign up for my first 50M. But I still had bursitis, along with some other issues like high hamstring pain and pain in my right hip. Here’s where the changes started. I was going to do this right this time.
Changes I made First, I got a solid PT and orthopedic doctor based on the recommendation of a local trail-runner friend - a doctor that understood runners and wasn’t just going to tell me to stop running. In January 2023 I hit the PT exercises hard. Hundreds of calf eccentrics (heel lowers to ground-level only) each week, hamstring eccentrics to help with high-hamstring pain I developed, and lots of single-leg work with the leg press. I also worked on my hips using a band doing clamshells, monster walks, etc. I continued every single exercise throughout training up to the week before my race, which was June 3rd, 2023.
Second, I decided this time I wasn’t going to wing it: I was going to follow *a plan* (gasp), but adapt it so I spent less time running, more time cross training to take stress off my ankle. I got a Trail Runner Mag. subscription and gobbled up every article I could find: Training plans. Nutrition. Speed work. Hill work. Weight lifting. Nutrition. Hydration. The list went on, and I read it all. I eventually landed on a few training plans I liked (linked after this), and paid close attention to them both while allowing myself some flexibility for my bursitis. I officially started training 22 weeks out from race day, January 7th, 2023.
Key Training Adjustments for Bursitis/Achilles Tendonitis
When I started training in January the burning pain post long-runs was real. My ankle would “stiffen up” after the long runs, so any prolonged sitting or sleeping made it much worse post-run. I used the following techniques to help with this and today have nearly zero pain while running and very minimal to no pain post-run (even after 18-20 miles!). Now, mind you, my ankle was angry for about 3 days after the 50M, but I expected that. These tactics got me a good 80% better. I still have work to do, but I’m close, and I hope this helps you too!
My training plan was a combination of pure trail runs (I never wasted time running on roads or treadmills), cross training on ellipticals, stairmaster, bike, yoga (almost daily) and weight lifting. I believe the lifting, specifically addressing my weak areas, was key to my race-day success, and I broke it up into pieces throughout the week so my “off” running days focused on upper body and abs. I also believe the mobility work in yoga was incredibly important.
Race Results
The big day was June 3rd, 2023. The race was the Mohican 50 miler in Ohio. This wasn’t what you’d call an “easy” first 50 miler. The course was nearly 100% single-track on MBT with around 6-7,000 ft of gain, depending who’s watch you’re reading. The day-of was also above-average hot (upper 80’s), so I was very happy I spent 6 week prior heat acclimating in the sauna at my gym (link to the heat acclimation plan I used follows).
The race started at 6am and I felt good in the cool morning air. I noticed around mile 10, after we had apparently completed the first big climb that I didn't feel the climb was all that bad - all that hiking and stairmaster work was paying off! As the day went on the temps rose, but dumping ice water on my head at aid stations and taking s-caps every 30 minutes like it was my job kept me from feeling nauseated and good to keep eating both solid + liquid calories (I used tailwind). I had no issues with fuel - whoo-hoo!
But there's always something... The only major issue I had in this race ended up being my shoe-lacing (classic!). I had loosened my heel-lock lacing prior to the race because that lacing was rubbing on the tops of my ankle, causing some discomfort. Well, when your shoes are too loose you cause other issues, and my feet were sliding forward in my shoes the entire race, leading to some major big-toe pain and blisters.
Nonetheless, I finished with a smile in 11:08, just about 50 minutes ahead of my goal time. I snagged 1st place woman in my age group, and 9th woman overall, 39th runner out of the pack. My ankle didn't’ bother me at all during the race - only when I stopped (of course!). It took about three days for my ankle to recover, but at this point I know how to treat it and keep the pain manageable. I’ll continue to monitor my achilles with my doctor, continue all the exercises I’ve been doing, and get back to running after a few good weeks of recovery!
In Summary
If you’re dealing with achilles tendonitis, I sure do hope this is helpful! I’ve heard from many that this is an issue that may never fully go away. I’m also convinced (again, not a doctor, but based on my experience) that rest is not the answer, because if you aren’t strengthening your calves and your legs, you will never take the strain off your achilles or get blood-flow to the area to promote healing. My ankle felt better and better the more I got into my training plan - wild! Training your body to adapt and grow stronger, while not overloading the ankle is key. Take an off-day if you have pain, and see a doctor regularly to make sure you aren’t doing further damage. I hope you have the same success!
My training plan links:
Training Plan 1: https://relentlessforwardcommotion.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Free-50-mile-ultramarathon-training-plan-outline.png
More Specific Training Plan with Hill and Speed Work: https://www.trailrunnermag.com/training/training-plans-training/an-advanced-50-mile-training-plan/
Heat Acclimation Plan: https://trainright.com/ultrarunners-heat-acclimation-cheat-sheet/
Taper Week Plan: https://www.trailrunnermag.com/training/trail-tips-training/a-day-by-day-training-guide-for-race-weeks-and-tapers/
submitted by Okayest-Trail-Runner to ultrarunning [link] [comments]
Context
I started trail running in summer 2020 after about 18 years of casual road running. I was never competitive, but I did complete two marathons in college. I started running trails for fun with my ‘crazy’ ultra-running friends in fall 2020 and heard countless stories of their races, learned their training tips, and signed up for my first 50k in May, 2021.
Late fall 2020 my rapid switch to trails caught up with me, and I started experiencing a burning pain in the back of my ankle, near the heel. After a few doctor visits and an ultrasound of my achilles (this is important, please do this if you suspect achilles issues!). I found out that I had bursitis from insertional achilles tendonitis. I was assured by multiple doctors that my achilles itself was fine, but the tension in my weak-a$$ calves was pulling on everything downstream and causing the inflammation. I ran through that pain and somewhat ignored the PT exercises I was given, also half-a$$ing my training for the 50k. I did finish that 50k (it was a spicy one to boot, with over 5,000ft of gain on technical trails), but finished thoroughly broken with an average pace of 14:30. Woof.
I took 2022 ‘off’ from racing and was feeling good enough in November 2022 to sign up for my first 50M. But I still had bursitis, along with some other issues like high hamstring pain and pain in my right hip. Here’s where the changes started. I was going to do this right this time.
Changes I made First, I got a solid PT and orthopedic doctor based on the recommendation of a local trail-runner friend - a doctor that understood runners and wasn’t just going to tell me to stop running. In January 2023 I hit the PT exercises hard. Hundreds of calf eccentrics (heel lowers to ground-level only) each week, hamstring eccentrics to help with high-hamstring pain I developed, and lots of single-leg work with the leg press. I also worked on my hips using a band doing clamshells, monster walks, etc. I continued every single exercise throughout training up to the week before my race, which was June 3rd, 2023.
Second, I decided this time I wasn’t going to wing it: I was going to follow *a plan* (gasp), but adapt it so I spent less time running, more time cross training to take stress off my ankle. I got a Trail Runner Mag. subscription and gobbled up every article I could find: Training plans. Nutrition. Speed work. Hill work. Weight lifting. Nutrition. Hydration. The list went on, and I read it all. I eventually landed on a few training plans I liked (linked after this), and paid close attention to them both while allowing myself some flexibility for my bursitis. I officially started training 22 weeks out from race day, January 7th, 2023.
Key Training Adjustments for Bursitis/Achilles Tendonitis
When I started training in January the burning pain post long-runs was real. My ankle would “stiffen up” after the long runs, so any prolonged sitting or sleeping made it much worse post-run. I used the following techniques to help with this and today have nearly zero pain while running and very minimal to no pain post-run (even after 18-20 miles!). Now, mind you, my ankle was angry for about 3 days after the 50M, but I expected that. These tactics got me a good 80% better. I still have work to do, but I’m close, and I hope this helps you too!
- Run less (but maintain time on feet): Every single 50M training plan you’ll find has you running 5-6 days/week. I knew my ankle couldn’t handle that, so I adapted my plan such that I was only on trails 3 days a week - the long run on Saturday, the back-to-back Sunday, and one mid-week run on Wednesdays, when I also did my hill workouts. I found that book-ending the long weekend runs with two days “off my feet” allowed my ankle time to recover and inflammation to go down. But I wasn’t idle Tuesdays and Thursdays! These days I’d use a combination of elliptical, stairmaster, and treadmill hiking to get in the equivalent miles and time-on-feet necessary, while also ensuring I kept my HR in the equivalent zone to what I’d see on a run. As you’ll see in my race results - THIS APPROACH WORKS! A summary of my weekly plan follows this list.
- Calf eccentrics: I’d suggest Googling this (or better, talk to a knowledgeable sports doc), but the basic idea is you rise up onto your toes with both feet then stand on the affected leg and slowly (3-5 seconds) lower your heel down to floor-level. The floor-level part is important based on *which* part of your achilles is damaged (please see a doctor about this!). For insertional achilles issues, I learned you don’t want to lower your heel below ground-level (e.g. on a stair), which is suggested for other achilles issues. I did 2-3 sets of 15 once or twice per day the entire training cycle, except days I was running on trails. I would also leave one day (Mondays) completely off for rest and recovery.
- High-drop shoes: I’ve always run in a higher-drop shoes (I wear the La Sportiva Jackal II, which has a 7mm drop). The higher drop takes some load off your achilles.
- Heel lifts/shoe inserts: Towards the latter end of my training my sports doc suggested I try a ¼” heel lift in my shoes to help with the bursitis, and it made a huge difference (put one in each shoe to prevent other issues, of course 🙂 ). The idea is: the heel lift takes additional load off your achilles - I wish I had done this sooner. There’s lots of research online about how effective this can be. The only downside is that it changed the dynamics of my shoes, so I had to start heel-lock lacing to prevent my foot from sliding forwards in my shoes. I’d say this was a major contributing factor to why my ankle started feeling a lot better, even in the peak training period.
- Apply Voltaren and Arnica Cream to affected area: Voltaren is a topical NSAID and Arnica cream is also an all-natural pain reliever. I’d apply these to my ankle at night and wrap it in Saran wrap (I know, sounds crazy), but the wrap helps both absorb into the skin. I’d wake up feeling much better
- Vibrants Pain Relief Patches: now this is a little “out there” but these biofrequency patches also worked great for relieving pain and inflammation on my ankle. I’d put them on post-run and my pain would melt away. I’m not sure I’m 100% bought-in to the science behind them (or pseudo-science), but they worked for me, placebo effect or not.
- Similar to the above, the KT Tape Wave also was great for pain-relief: a little more pseudoscience that I’m skeptical about, but it works. My sports chiropractor recommended this to me and it absolutely works. It’s also great for relieving muscle pain and speeding recovery overall.
- Massages and dry needling: I also got regular massages and dry needling and have a collection of foam rollers, balls, etc to release my muscles at home too. Keeping your calves loose is key to relieving the strain on your ankle.
- A note on ibuprofen: overall, ibuprofen never seemed to do much for me. Ibuprofen is known to be a bad idea before/during/after runs because of how it affects your kidneys, so I avoided it altogether.
My training plan was a combination of pure trail runs (I never wasted time running on roads or treadmills), cross training on ellipticals, stairmaster, bike, yoga (almost daily) and weight lifting. I believe the lifting, specifically addressing my weak areas, was key to my race-day success, and I broke it up into pieces throughout the week so my “off” running days focused on upper body and abs. I also believe the mobility work in yoga was incredibly important.
- Saturday long run on trail
- The longest run I did was a 50k 4 weeks out, and by then my ankle was handling that distance quite well. I did about 3 other 20 miles runs and a few 18 mile runs
- Sunday back-to-back run on trail
- I used a time-on-feet model for Sundays, usually between 1-2.5 hours
- Monday active recovery/upper body weights and abs + yoga
- Tuesday cross training on elliptical//stairmastetreadmill hiking + leg day (focused on hips) + yoga
- Wednesday speed day on elliptical or hill work on trail + yoga
- Thursday medium length trail run (if it was a speed week) or cross training as above with a bigger leg day (working hamstring, quads, doing mountain legs, all the big ones) + yoga
- Friday active recovery/upper body weights and abs + yoga
Race Results
The big day was June 3rd, 2023. The race was the Mohican 50 miler in Ohio. This wasn’t what you’d call an “easy” first 50 miler. The course was nearly 100% single-track on MBT with around 6-7,000 ft of gain, depending who’s watch you’re reading. The day-of was also above-average hot (upper 80’s), so I was very happy I spent 6 week prior heat acclimating in the sauna at my gym (link to the heat acclimation plan I used follows).
The race started at 6am and I felt good in the cool morning air. I noticed around mile 10, after we had apparently completed the first big climb that I didn't feel the climb was all that bad - all that hiking and stairmaster work was paying off! As the day went on the temps rose, but dumping ice water on my head at aid stations and taking s-caps every 30 minutes like it was my job kept me from feeling nauseated and good to keep eating both solid + liquid calories (I used tailwind). I had no issues with fuel - whoo-hoo!
But there's always something... The only major issue I had in this race ended up being my shoe-lacing (classic!). I had loosened my heel-lock lacing prior to the race because that lacing was rubbing on the tops of my ankle, causing some discomfort. Well, when your shoes are too loose you cause other issues, and my feet were sliding forward in my shoes the entire race, leading to some major big-toe pain and blisters.
Nonetheless, I finished with a smile in 11:08, just about 50 minutes ahead of my goal time. I snagged 1st place woman in my age group, and 9th woman overall, 39th runner out of the pack. My ankle didn't’ bother me at all during the race - only when I stopped (of course!). It took about three days for my ankle to recover, but at this point I know how to treat it and keep the pain manageable. I’ll continue to monitor my achilles with my doctor, continue all the exercises I’ve been doing, and get back to running after a few good weeks of recovery!
In Summary
If you’re dealing with achilles tendonitis, I sure do hope this is helpful! I’ve heard from many that this is an issue that may never fully go away. I’m also convinced (again, not a doctor, but based on my experience) that rest is not the answer, because if you aren’t strengthening your calves and your legs, you will never take the strain off your achilles or get blood-flow to the area to promote healing. My ankle felt better and better the more I got into my training plan - wild! Training your body to adapt and grow stronger, while not overloading the ankle is key. Take an off-day if you have pain, and see a doctor regularly to make sure you aren’t doing further damage. I hope you have the same success!
My training plan links:
Training Plan 1: https://relentlessforwardcommotion.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Free-50-mile-ultramarathon-training-plan-outline.png
More Specific Training Plan with Hill and Speed Work: https://www.trailrunnermag.com/training/training-plans-training/an-advanced-50-mile-training-plan/
Heat Acclimation Plan: https://trainright.com/ultrarunners-heat-acclimation-cheat-sheet/
Taper Week Plan: https://www.trailrunnermag.com/training/trail-tips-training/a-day-by-day-training-guide-for-race-weeks-and-tapers/
2023.06.06 22:59 KevinsChili22 24M [chat]? Let’s be texting buddies
Playing Xbox about to cook dinner come chat :)
I’m down to talk about whatever tbh I’m a pretty open book. Also down to play iMessage games if anyone wants?
I like to play video games, workout, go hiking, hangout with friends and watch tv/movies. I’m kinda introverted so a lot of times I prefer to just chill at home lol.
Share some of your interests with me or goals for the year!
I’m going on an international trip next year so give me recommendations pls!
Also if anyone is from or near Ohio hmu it would be cool to make some friends nearby!
submitted by KevinsChili22 to MeetPeople [link] [comments]
I’m down to talk about whatever tbh I’m a pretty open book. Also down to play iMessage games if anyone wants?
I like to play video games, workout, go hiking, hangout with friends and watch tv/movies. I’m kinda introverted so a lot of times I prefer to just chill at home lol.
Share some of your interests with me or goals for the year!
I’m going on an international trip next year so give me recommendations pls!
Also if anyone is from or near Ohio hmu it would be cool to make some friends nearby!
2023.06.06 22:57 Embarrassed_Race9642 My brief exposure to crypto, working in it, and how it drove me suicidal (THROWAWAY ACCOUNT)
Hi everyone! I've been a lurker here for a while, and I've been reading different stories about people who worked in crypto sharing their regrets and/or spiteful feelings here, so it encouraged me to share my own. I never really post or comment on reddit except in gaming subreddits for help, so this is a first! I hope I don't bore you to death, but I imagine it might feel a little nice venting it out.
In hindsight, I didn't realise this would be such a long, long read, so please forgive the wall of text. This is really really long, but I don't care; I just wanted to get it all out to actual people. Read it if you will.
Lemme get some key points outta the way so we don't start off on the wrong foot
· at the beginning, I was never really "pro" or "anti" crypto
· I didn't lose any money lol
· throughout the whole thing, I was crypto neutral
· I managed to stop the project before it launched
· please do not refer me to suicide hotlines, I'm already going through therapy
· I was ignorant about crypto at the beginning; but now I know, so please, no lectures!
· I haven't "made money" either; in fact, I put a stop to the thing my friends were working on.
· I don't think I'm very smart, in fact, I feel stupid and useless after this whole debacle
· This doesn't really have a happy or "bad" ending, so please don't expect a happy ending. Also, again, please, please refrain from "giving advice." Just hear this out, and that's it. Make fun of this or ridicule it or empathise with it, I don't care; just don't "give advice" or "reassure" or whatever. Have the decency to just read something like this and let it be. Thank you!!
About myself: I don't really have a background in tech, and most of this is rather confusing stuff (then and now). I'm actually never on social media or the internet too often. I'm a writer, musician, and artist (mostly writer and musician), and I've done administrative work, project management, and journalism work to get by. I'm currently studying my undergraduate degree. I'll go about this chronologically.
2021 Jan - Sep: one of my friends got into crypto. He's a programmer (and a good one at that). I observed from the sidelines, and he kept talking about how much money he's made by trading. The concept of it never made any sense to me, but I'm not a programmer and I trusted my friend, so I was like "well, good for you." I never really understood any of that trading hubbub either!
I never really paid attention to any of this stuff, I was usually out with my friends, working, making music, playing games, or just writing. I never even owned a twitter account until late 2021!
2021 Sep: My friend made a whole lot of money one day, and I was pleasantly surprised! This guy always had those chart things on his screen 24/7 (never closed) whenever we went to his house, so we were all like "what the heck, that's hard work, huh?" I was genuinely happy that he's gotten his big break, because I believed he deserved it. He's one of the most talented people I know. Turns out one of his friends ran this crypto project with all these strange buzzwords that I still couldn't quite understand and gave him some "airdrops" before the "governance" token things launched. Oh, this isn't the thing I worked for, by the way!
2021 Oct: I didn't know too much about crypto, but I got it's selling point (or, well, I was dumb enough to fall for it). At least according to them, it's internet money that you can send anywhere at any time that you "own" and no central authorities own whatsoever (now I know that this concept is just incredibly stupid, but bear with me). I mean, I wasn't really an anti-government nut (and I didn't really turn into one either), but my friend's adamant on it, so I was like "well, why not?" and put $1000 in — wired it to this exchange (hint: it's not FTX, Coinbase, or Binance). Long story short, I put some money into that "Sandbox" thing and made a good few hundred bucks when it went up. There wasn't any real reasoning other than "well, Sandbox is a game, and people must use it for things, right?"
Oh, also, sandbox did these giveaway things for some "alpha pass" where you play their game and post a screenshot on twitter and win one of these alpha pass NFTs that you can sell on the market. I lucked out, got one, immediately sold it — I made like $5000 reselling that thing at "floor price." I remember thinking "woah, these guys must really want to play this game," which was naive and stupid, I guess.
2021 Nov - 2022 March: I cashed that out (the exchange wires that money back into your bank account for you) and steered clear later, because the whole thing was too much for me, staring at those dumb charts watching lines go up and down. That was all the money I ever made from crypto. I used it to buy some much needed medical devices, a guitar, and.. well, a new mattress. I donated the remainder away. Every time I asked my programmer friends to explain something or the other, it's always handwaving to "DYOR!" Every source they pointed me to confused me even more, and now I know that's deliberate with these grifters.
2022 March - May: I was still in their group chat so I could see them talk about it every now and then. Sometimes I drop in my comments about real-world news. One day, my friends were talking about starting an actual business. This was something I had experience in, and as far as I've seen, anything tangible that anyone's ever done with crypto was usually with games. I've had this idea for a type of game that I really cherished, and one of my friends had experience as a game developer. It was a relatively simple idea.
Let me tell you though, I really loved this game subcategory. I'm even in a university society for it. It's been one of my lifelong dreams to see my idea come to life. So I pitched the idea in, cause why not? The subcategory was never done in crypto, so at least we'd have the advantage of novelty, I thought. They weren't really sure how to monetise it, so I said "why not monetise the characters?" It seemed reasonable at the time: the characters could act as access points to the game and anyone could buy new characters for like, what, 5 bucks? At least that's what I had in mind. They agreed, so I found a popular NFT project to pitch the idea for (since it made more sense to work under an organisation rather than going full indie into a space we had no reputation in yet).
At the time, my friends said making these characters NFTs would give people "real ownership" and be a way to "support digital artists by cutting out the middleman." I mean, as a writer and musician, that did appeal to me. I didn't really question much of it (and I know I should have, it should have been due diligence, that was careless on my part). I thought "maybe we could make these NFTs customisable, because that's what RPGs are about, right?" and we went ahead with that.
2022 April - June: Here's a reminder: I'm a social media hermit. I never get on it unless it's checking on someone on Facebook or Instagram (or messaging). I never had twitter until 2021! So, I've never heard of people like Molly White, Tante, David Gerard, Amy Castor, yada yada until around this time. One my friends showed me Dan Olson's "Line Goes Up." And man, what a watch that was. It confirmed my gut feelings about crypto, that this is all just... hollow, insane, crazy stuff. My heart sank after watching that video.
I remember googling "responses to Line Goes Up" because I was in denial back then, not because I "believed" in crypto but I just didn't want to admit I've wasted so much time and energy. And I remember how every single "response" was just... idiotic. At that point, I sent that video to that NFT organisation's discord and said "if we're all genuine about this, maybe we should watch this and try to improve ourselves." It was the whole sunk cost fallacy thing, I wanted to believe that I didn't waste my time being a complete dork.
But after a certain point, I just couldn't run away from it anymore. I told my friends "let's just switch to making a steam game, we haven't lost or earned any money yet." It was an idea that was doable with a steam game, like... all you had to do was just change the monetisation bit to having players spend 5 bucks buying it... on steam... lol. Ah, but my friends were like "no." They won't do it. They wanted to make NFTs, and I couldn't understand for the love of god why you would do that. It was my idea, they had never played a game like that in their lives, I was the only one with any exposure in that regard.
Also, I was the one making the art as well, like... the character sprites. I'd spent so much time drawing those character sprites, their features, etc. I spent some time making some music, and even some background lore that fit in with the other NFT project we were working under. I barely checked their stupid discord things or twitter posts since I was so busy actually drawing and writing stuff. This was a passion project for me, and I was focused on making the game. You have no idea how much I love these types of role-playing games (but I'm not going into detail as to what that is because I'm not so comfortable).
Little did my stupid ass realise that these things were a pyramid scheme, and I was right at the middle or bottom. Little did my naive ass realise that none of these people liked my idea or even cared; people like me doing actual stuff gave them legitimacy, so people like me were just... pawns, I guess. Being the idiot I was, I engaged with my real name and my real identity, because that's what honest people do when they're selling a fucking game they'd be proud of, right? What a mistake. And my friends who knew what this stuff is never stopped me from doing any of it while I naively put my name and reputation at the front. After watching line goes up and then reading more and more sources (and eventually stumbling across Buttcoin on reddit!) I reached the point of no return:
Crypto and blockchain were useless in all possible ways, they never made sense as a technology, they're filled with disgusting people with disgusting anarcho-capitalist ideals, and there will never be a point where the "blockchain" will ever find a use-case beyond grifting, speculating, gambling, and money laundering because that is inherent to this technology's design. It is irredeemable. NFTs were never about empowering artists like us and it could never even do that at all because the premise and technology are flawed to begin with!
That was my realisation over time after actually reading about this from critical sources (which, at the top of the hype, I thought wasn't even really there because I had bought into my programmer friends' narrative that this is just like the internet and "everybody is in.")
I only wish I realised it sooner.
2022 June - July: I vehemently begged my friends to stop. I didn't want to make or sell NFTs anymore after realising what it was. I didn't even want the money (and god knows I could use that money since it could pay off my father's debts, but not like this. Not by hurting other people who may just be in the same position as I am by "winning" or "doing really 'smart' stuff.")
No one listened. I was about to quit, until the NFT organisation we were working under announced a grant. I saw this as an opportunity to put a stop to my own friends making their own NFTs, and I grabbed it. I begged and pleaded them to apply for that grant, which they begrudgingly did. I applied for that grant thing and it got approved, and all my friends were really excited about it. They all agreed to not make NFTs anymore and just make a free-to-play game. We worded the grant that way too.
But it still didn't sit right with me personally. I agonised over it still. Sure, it's grant money now... but how did that bigger NFT organisation get that money? Obviously, by selling NFTs and collecting resale "royalties." I guess it didn't matter to my friends, but to me, that's blood money. None of them were writers or artists, by the way. They were just... tech people. Techbros, I guess.
Anyway, the grant thing works by having people vote for it, and you get as much money as the votes you get. Our idea was good and we actually had a skillset, so we got like a little over four digits, which is big to someone like me, at least!
But it still didn't sit right with me.
I agonised over it all the time, thinking about just how I had soiled and shat on my lifelong passion idea, and how my name was out there associated with these people.
I just couldn't stand it anymore. One day, I told my friends that I was fucking quitting (this was in the middle of the grant voting process, that thing dragged on for about a couple of weeks) if they didn't turn this into a steam game instead. They chose to just let me quit, take the project for themselves, and... uh, take the grant money.
My friends got me on voice call and kinda hounded me, saying "well we understand if you want to quit but damn that sucks, it's a lot of money, man. It's been my dream too to make a game like that ever since my childhood." That last line really struck home because it was something I could empathise with, but then I recognised it as just... them trying to justify making fat stacks lol. They never really felt that way, and I'll tell you why I think that in a bit.
Either way, I quit. I got out. I didn't even take any compensation money. I mean, why would I lie about it here under an anonymous throwaway account anyway? I have nothing to gain from it, not even "karma farming" since I'm throwing this account away lol. Just... I couldn't stand it anymore, man.
2022 July - September: I spent this time distancing from these people and this crowd. I grew depressed. I hadn't lost any money, but I wasted so much time. I was left feeling disillusioned about my friends. To them, I was overreacting, I was being a cunt, I was just being so difficult! I just was standing in their way of "making bread" and "hustling!"
I stopped going out or hanging out with my friends.
I stopped going to that uni society out of shame. They don't know about it but I just can't even see the game the same way anymore. I felt so ashamed.
I never played that game with my usual other friends who I used to play it with a long time back either. They don't know about any of this either, but I was just so ashamed and disgusted. It kind of feels traumatic.
I stopped writing and barely made any music. I picked up a new tablet and learned to draw in a new style, but eventually I stopped that too. I just didn't feel like it anymore.
I got burned out. I barely was able to hand in my assignments. I had stopped going to classes because I just couldn't bother getting out of bed and going out there into actual society again. I felt like I was a disgusting, naive piece of shit that would just stain otherwise normal people.
I spent my days agonising about the day someone found out that I made art for this dumb project, that I was out there passionately talking about this idea like a stupid nerdy dumbfuck, and that I am associated with it even though I quit. One of my other friends who quit with me said he'd provide testimony of my side of things, but that's not really comforting.
I mean, it's a fringe thing anyway, we barely made anything. My friends got the grant, and I spend every single day agonising over it. I mean, it's not direct "profits" from NFTs, but where'd that grant money come from in the first place, huh?
My worst fear was that they'd pocket it and not even make the game. And they did. I guess those other NFTbros really didn't notice it since a few thousand bucks is just spare change to these grifter overlords. Again, I never took any money from it.
I can only thank god that I stopped them from making their own NFTs though, otherwise I really couldn't live with myself.
Every single day, I keep checking my old discord account and twitter like I'm obsessed, out of fear. I honestly don't care if it's just me that gets fucked by association, but I don't want my existence to become a burden to my poor siblings and parents just by being associated with me. I don't want their reputations to go to the shitter. They're hardworking, honest people who don't waste their time on stupid things like I have. They don't deserve that, at least. It should be me that should suffer.
Everyday, I agonise over it.
I couldn't really cry or anything about it, I just felt hollow, I guess. I've lost interest in most of the things I loved. Sometimes I play games, sometimes I scribble for the fucks of it, sometimes I read, sometimes I write in my notebook, but that's it. I had stopped going out, and I hadn't seen anyone for a long while.
2022 September - 2022 November: I bought a rope and a pull-up bar. I continually kept writing in my journal to prepare a good, coherent suicide note instead of, like... writing it all incoherently at the last minute and then peacing out lol. The pull-up bar is because my dorm doesn't really have any places I could hang my rope from, so if I attach the pull-up bar to the door, I could tie the rope onto it and hang.
The other way I thought of doing it was heroin, because apparently it just quietly puts you to sleep; but I'm scared of needles and I don't want to buy anything on the dark web. I've never done hard drugs like that anyway.
I kept procrastinating it. Partly because I had grown too lazy to even learn how to tie a hangman's knot, and partly because I was still afraid. The thing is, I've already been diagnosed with a mental health issue that also causes depression for nearly a decade now. This, though, was the worst I ever felt. The part that sucks the most is that the game idea was a passion project for me. It was something I've always dreamed of doing. It was the sort of games I really, really loved. It was the sort of art I loved making and seeing too. It was the kind of music I had fun composing. The story idea was something from my own long-held ideas that I wanted to bring to life, and now that's in the shitter too.
On some days, I woke up with absolute certainty of what I was going to do: learn to tie that knot, hang it up, and be done with it. I got distracted, and eventually I'd forget and doze off again. I spend most of my time chatting online with some of my friends (via text), which was something I rarely ever did a few years ago. I was more known for rarely responding to texts because I was outside so frequently lol.
I decided to see everyone for one last time before I did it, so I waited to get back to my own home country first. I wanted to just see everyone and sort of hang out with them as an unspoken farewell thing before I did it.
2022 December: I went back home, I hung out with my friends and family, and I was my usual self. I don't think anyone really caught on. We all made plans to go places and do stuff, and we did. It was a nice little time with everyone. I even kind of felt like myself again. I went swimming, went to friends' houses, met up with old friends, etc. I even put up a local art page and dropped some of my writings, music, and art on there.
2023 January: It was almost time to go back, but I went on a vacation to this country with a friend by ourselves. We ate local food at the stalls and just backpacked on a budget. We went hiking and sightseeing. We went to night markets, canoed in a river, and went camping in the woods. I actually finished one of my assignments on a train ride to this city. We did so many things, but I don't want to go off on a tangent. That experience made me forget these feelings for a while. It meant a lot to me, but I'll keep it at that for this subreddit.
2023 Late January - Now: I went back, these feelings returned. I've spiralled back into agonising now, but I'm seeing a therapist and a university counsellor now. It hasn't gotten as bad as it was in September last year, and especially now I feel reluctant to do it because one of them told me "your death doesn't happen to you, it happens to the people around you."
I'm kind of just picking myself up from here, trying to forget this ever happened, and working in other industries I used to work in back then. But I know that as soon as anyone finds out I was associated with any of this, I will get rid of myself. At the very least, my family would be spared then, and I wouldn't be such a burden, no matter what my therapist says.
I'm more or less just empty and neutral now. I haven't really done anything other than just study, go to classes, and do my assignments. My daily activities consist of eating, shitting, pissing, sleeping, and repeat. If someone from 3 years ago saw me now, they'd think I'm an entirely different person.
One day I'll move on, make peace with myself, and forget about it. That's what I hope for, at least. I'm at least thankful that I've been able to stop my friends from actually making NFTs or a crypto coin and actually hurting people. I'm just glad. I don't know or care what they're up to now. I couldn't be arsed anymore.
I saw people share their stories, and I felt like doing that myself too. It turned out longer than I expected, but I didn't want to leave anyone hanging, lol, so I wrote about everything from start to finish. Sorry if that turned out to be way too long. Thanks for taking your time getting this far if you have.
I hope no one else has agonised or will have to agonise the way I have.
submitted by Embarrassed_Race9642 to Buttcoin [link] [comments]
In hindsight, I didn't realise this would be such a long, long read, so please forgive the wall of text. This is really really long, but I don't care; I just wanted to get it all out to actual people. Read it if you will.
Lemme get some key points outta the way so we don't start off on the wrong foot
· at the beginning, I was never really "pro" or "anti" crypto
· I didn't lose any money lol
· throughout the whole thing, I was crypto neutral
· I managed to stop the project before it launched
· please do not refer me to suicide hotlines, I'm already going through therapy
· I was ignorant about crypto at the beginning; but now I know, so please, no lectures!
· I haven't "made money" either; in fact, I put a stop to the thing my friends were working on.
· I don't think I'm very smart, in fact, I feel stupid and useless after this whole debacle
· This doesn't really have a happy or "bad" ending, so please don't expect a happy ending. Also, again, please, please refrain from "giving advice." Just hear this out, and that's it. Make fun of this or ridicule it or empathise with it, I don't care; just don't "give advice" or "reassure" or whatever. Have the decency to just read something like this and let it be. Thank you!!
About myself: I don't really have a background in tech, and most of this is rather confusing stuff (then and now). I'm actually never on social media or the internet too often. I'm a writer, musician, and artist (mostly writer and musician), and I've done administrative work, project management, and journalism work to get by. I'm currently studying my undergraduate degree. I'll go about this chronologically.
2021 Jan - Sep: one of my friends got into crypto. He's a programmer (and a good one at that). I observed from the sidelines, and he kept talking about how much money he's made by trading. The concept of it never made any sense to me, but I'm not a programmer and I trusted my friend, so I was like "well, good for you." I never really understood any of that trading hubbub either!
I never really paid attention to any of this stuff, I was usually out with my friends, working, making music, playing games, or just writing. I never even owned a twitter account until late 2021!
2021 Sep: My friend made a whole lot of money one day, and I was pleasantly surprised! This guy always had those chart things on his screen 24/7 (never closed) whenever we went to his house, so we were all like "what the heck, that's hard work, huh?" I was genuinely happy that he's gotten his big break, because I believed he deserved it. He's one of the most talented people I know. Turns out one of his friends ran this crypto project with all these strange buzzwords that I still couldn't quite understand and gave him some "airdrops" before the "governance" token things launched. Oh, this isn't the thing I worked for, by the way!
2021 Oct: I didn't know too much about crypto, but I got it's selling point (or, well, I was dumb enough to fall for it). At least according to them, it's internet money that you can send anywhere at any time that you "own" and no central authorities own whatsoever (now I know that this concept is just incredibly stupid, but bear with me). I mean, I wasn't really an anti-government nut (and I didn't really turn into one either), but my friend's adamant on it, so I was like "well, why not?" and put $1000 in — wired it to this exchange (hint: it's not FTX, Coinbase, or Binance). Long story short, I put some money into that "Sandbox" thing and made a good few hundred bucks when it went up. There wasn't any real reasoning other than "well, Sandbox is a game, and people must use it for things, right?"
Oh, also, sandbox did these giveaway things for some "alpha pass" where you play their game and post a screenshot on twitter and win one of these alpha pass NFTs that you can sell on the market. I lucked out, got one, immediately sold it — I made like $5000 reselling that thing at "floor price." I remember thinking "woah, these guys must really want to play this game," which was naive and stupid, I guess.
2021 Nov - 2022 March: I cashed that out (the exchange wires that money back into your bank account for you) and steered clear later, because the whole thing was too much for me, staring at those dumb charts watching lines go up and down. That was all the money I ever made from crypto. I used it to buy some much needed medical devices, a guitar, and.. well, a new mattress. I donated the remainder away. Every time I asked my programmer friends to explain something or the other, it's always handwaving to "DYOR!" Every source they pointed me to confused me even more, and now I know that's deliberate with these grifters.
2022 March - May: I was still in their group chat so I could see them talk about it every now and then. Sometimes I drop in my comments about real-world news. One day, my friends were talking about starting an actual business. This was something I had experience in, and as far as I've seen, anything tangible that anyone's ever done with crypto was usually with games. I've had this idea for a type of game that I really cherished, and one of my friends had experience as a game developer. It was a relatively simple idea.
Let me tell you though, I really loved this game subcategory. I'm even in a university society for it. It's been one of my lifelong dreams to see my idea come to life. So I pitched the idea in, cause why not? The subcategory was never done in crypto, so at least we'd have the advantage of novelty, I thought. They weren't really sure how to monetise it, so I said "why not monetise the characters?" It seemed reasonable at the time: the characters could act as access points to the game and anyone could buy new characters for like, what, 5 bucks? At least that's what I had in mind. They agreed, so I found a popular NFT project to pitch the idea for (since it made more sense to work under an organisation rather than going full indie into a space we had no reputation in yet).
At the time, my friends said making these characters NFTs would give people "real ownership" and be a way to "support digital artists by cutting out the middleman." I mean, as a writer and musician, that did appeal to me. I didn't really question much of it (and I know I should have, it should have been due diligence, that was careless on my part). I thought "maybe we could make these NFTs customisable, because that's what RPGs are about, right?" and we went ahead with that.
2022 April - June: Here's a reminder: I'm a social media hermit. I never get on it unless it's checking on someone on Facebook or Instagram (or messaging). I never had twitter until 2021! So, I've never heard of people like Molly White, Tante, David Gerard, Amy Castor, yada yada until around this time. One my friends showed me Dan Olson's "Line Goes Up." And man, what a watch that was. It confirmed my gut feelings about crypto, that this is all just... hollow, insane, crazy stuff. My heart sank after watching that video.
I remember googling "responses to Line Goes Up" because I was in denial back then, not because I "believed" in crypto but I just didn't want to admit I've wasted so much time and energy. And I remember how every single "response" was just... idiotic. At that point, I sent that video to that NFT organisation's discord and said "if we're all genuine about this, maybe we should watch this and try to improve ourselves." It was the whole sunk cost fallacy thing, I wanted to believe that I didn't waste my time being a complete dork.
But after a certain point, I just couldn't run away from it anymore. I told my friends "let's just switch to making a steam game, we haven't lost or earned any money yet." It was an idea that was doable with a steam game, like... all you had to do was just change the monetisation bit to having players spend 5 bucks buying it... on steam... lol. Ah, but my friends were like "no." They won't do it. They wanted to make NFTs, and I couldn't understand for the love of god why you would do that. It was my idea, they had never played a game like that in their lives, I was the only one with any exposure in that regard.
Also, I was the one making the art as well, like... the character sprites. I'd spent so much time drawing those character sprites, their features, etc. I spent some time making some music, and even some background lore that fit in with the other NFT project we were working under. I barely checked their stupid discord things or twitter posts since I was so busy actually drawing and writing stuff. This was a passion project for me, and I was focused on making the game. You have no idea how much I love these types of role-playing games (but I'm not going into detail as to what that is because I'm not so comfortable).
Little did my stupid ass realise that these things were a pyramid scheme, and I was right at the middle or bottom. Little did my naive ass realise that none of these people liked my idea or even cared; people like me doing actual stuff gave them legitimacy, so people like me were just... pawns, I guess. Being the idiot I was, I engaged with my real name and my real identity, because that's what honest people do when they're selling a fucking game they'd be proud of, right? What a mistake. And my friends who knew what this stuff is never stopped me from doing any of it while I naively put my name and reputation at the front. After watching line goes up and then reading more and more sources (and eventually stumbling across Buttcoin on reddit!) I reached the point of no return:
Crypto and blockchain were useless in all possible ways, they never made sense as a technology, they're filled with disgusting people with disgusting anarcho-capitalist ideals, and there will never be a point where the "blockchain" will ever find a use-case beyond grifting, speculating, gambling, and money laundering because that is inherent to this technology's design. It is irredeemable. NFTs were never about empowering artists like us and it could never even do that at all because the premise and technology are flawed to begin with!
That was my realisation over time after actually reading about this from critical sources (which, at the top of the hype, I thought wasn't even really there because I had bought into my programmer friends' narrative that this is just like the internet and "everybody is in.")
I only wish I realised it sooner.
2022 June - July: I vehemently begged my friends to stop. I didn't want to make or sell NFTs anymore after realising what it was. I didn't even want the money (and god knows I could use that money since it could pay off my father's debts, but not like this. Not by hurting other people who may just be in the same position as I am by "winning" or "doing really 'smart' stuff.")
No one listened. I was about to quit, until the NFT organisation we were working under announced a grant. I saw this as an opportunity to put a stop to my own friends making their own NFTs, and I grabbed it. I begged and pleaded them to apply for that grant, which they begrudgingly did. I applied for that grant thing and it got approved, and all my friends were really excited about it. They all agreed to not make NFTs anymore and just make a free-to-play game. We worded the grant that way too.
But it still didn't sit right with me personally. I agonised over it still. Sure, it's grant money now... but how did that bigger NFT organisation get that money? Obviously, by selling NFTs and collecting resale "royalties." I guess it didn't matter to my friends, but to me, that's blood money. None of them were writers or artists, by the way. They were just... tech people. Techbros, I guess.
Anyway, the grant thing works by having people vote for it, and you get as much money as the votes you get. Our idea was good and we actually had a skillset, so we got like a little over four digits, which is big to someone like me, at least!
But it still didn't sit right with me.
I agonised over it all the time, thinking about just how I had soiled and shat on my lifelong passion idea, and how my name was out there associated with these people.
I just couldn't stand it anymore. One day, I told my friends that I was fucking quitting (this was in the middle of the grant voting process, that thing dragged on for about a couple of weeks) if they didn't turn this into a steam game instead. They chose to just let me quit, take the project for themselves, and... uh, take the grant money.
My friends got me on voice call and kinda hounded me, saying "well we understand if you want to quit but damn that sucks, it's a lot of money, man. It's been my dream too to make a game like that ever since my childhood." That last line really struck home because it was something I could empathise with, but then I recognised it as just... them trying to justify making fat stacks lol. They never really felt that way, and I'll tell you why I think that in a bit.
Either way, I quit. I got out. I didn't even take any compensation money. I mean, why would I lie about it here under an anonymous throwaway account anyway? I have nothing to gain from it, not even "karma farming" since I'm throwing this account away lol. Just... I couldn't stand it anymore, man.
2022 July - September: I spent this time distancing from these people and this crowd. I grew depressed. I hadn't lost any money, but I wasted so much time. I was left feeling disillusioned about my friends. To them, I was overreacting, I was being a cunt, I was just being so difficult! I just was standing in their way of "making bread" and "hustling!"
I stopped going out or hanging out with my friends.
I stopped going to that uni society out of shame. They don't know about it but I just can't even see the game the same way anymore. I felt so ashamed.
I never played that game with my usual other friends who I used to play it with a long time back either. They don't know about any of this either, but I was just so ashamed and disgusted. It kind of feels traumatic.
I stopped writing and barely made any music. I picked up a new tablet and learned to draw in a new style, but eventually I stopped that too. I just didn't feel like it anymore.
I got burned out. I barely was able to hand in my assignments. I had stopped going to classes because I just couldn't bother getting out of bed and going out there into actual society again. I felt like I was a disgusting, naive piece of shit that would just stain otherwise normal people.
I spent my days agonising about the day someone found out that I made art for this dumb project, that I was out there passionately talking about this idea like a stupid nerdy dumbfuck, and that I am associated with it even though I quit. One of my other friends who quit with me said he'd provide testimony of my side of things, but that's not really comforting.
I mean, it's a fringe thing anyway, we barely made anything. My friends got the grant, and I spend every single day agonising over it. I mean, it's not direct "profits" from NFTs, but where'd that grant money come from in the first place, huh?
My worst fear was that they'd pocket it and not even make the game. And they did. I guess those other NFTbros really didn't notice it since a few thousand bucks is just spare change to these grifter overlords. Again, I never took any money from it.
I can only thank god that I stopped them from making their own NFTs though, otherwise I really couldn't live with myself.
Every single day, I keep checking my old discord account and twitter like I'm obsessed, out of fear. I honestly don't care if it's just me that gets fucked by association, but I don't want my existence to become a burden to my poor siblings and parents just by being associated with me. I don't want their reputations to go to the shitter. They're hardworking, honest people who don't waste their time on stupid things like I have. They don't deserve that, at least. It should be me that should suffer.
Everyday, I agonise over it.
I couldn't really cry or anything about it, I just felt hollow, I guess. I've lost interest in most of the things I loved. Sometimes I play games, sometimes I scribble for the fucks of it, sometimes I read, sometimes I write in my notebook, but that's it. I had stopped going out, and I hadn't seen anyone for a long while.
2022 September - 2022 November: I bought a rope and a pull-up bar. I continually kept writing in my journal to prepare a good, coherent suicide note instead of, like... writing it all incoherently at the last minute and then peacing out lol. The pull-up bar is because my dorm doesn't really have any places I could hang my rope from, so if I attach the pull-up bar to the door, I could tie the rope onto it and hang.
The other way I thought of doing it was heroin, because apparently it just quietly puts you to sleep; but I'm scared of needles and I don't want to buy anything on the dark web. I've never done hard drugs like that anyway.
I kept procrastinating it. Partly because I had grown too lazy to even learn how to tie a hangman's knot, and partly because I was still afraid. The thing is, I've already been diagnosed with a mental health issue that also causes depression for nearly a decade now. This, though, was the worst I ever felt. The part that sucks the most is that the game idea was a passion project for me. It was something I've always dreamed of doing. It was the sort of games I really, really loved. It was the sort of art I loved making and seeing too. It was the kind of music I had fun composing. The story idea was something from my own long-held ideas that I wanted to bring to life, and now that's in the shitter too.
On some days, I woke up with absolute certainty of what I was going to do: learn to tie that knot, hang it up, and be done with it. I got distracted, and eventually I'd forget and doze off again. I spend most of my time chatting online with some of my friends (via text), which was something I rarely ever did a few years ago. I was more known for rarely responding to texts because I was outside so frequently lol.
I decided to see everyone for one last time before I did it, so I waited to get back to my own home country first. I wanted to just see everyone and sort of hang out with them as an unspoken farewell thing before I did it.
2022 December: I went back home, I hung out with my friends and family, and I was my usual self. I don't think anyone really caught on. We all made plans to go places and do stuff, and we did. It was a nice little time with everyone. I even kind of felt like myself again. I went swimming, went to friends' houses, met up with old friends, etc. I even put up a local art page and dropped some of my writings, music, and art on there.
2023 January: It was almost time to go back, but I went on a vacation to this country with a friend by ourselves. We ate local food at the stalls and just backpacked on a budget. We went hiking and sightseeing. We went to night markets, canoed in a river, and went camping in the woods. I actually finished one of my assignments on a train ride to this city. We did so many things, but I don't want to go off on a tangent. That experience made me forget these feelings for a while. It meant a lot to me, but I'll keep it at that for this subreddit.
2023 Late January - Now: I went back, these feelings returned. I've spiralled back into agonising now, but I'm seeing a therapist and a university counsellor now. It hasn't gotten as bad as it was in September last year, and especially now I feel reluctant to do it because one of them told me "your death doesn't happen to you, it happens to the people around you."
I'm kind of just picking myself up from here, trying to forget this ever happened, and working in other industries I used to work in back then. But I know that as soon as anyone finds out I was associated with any of this, I will get rid of myself. At the very least, my family would be spared then, and I wouldn't be such a burden, no matter what my therapist says.
I'm more or less just empty and neutral now. I haven't really done anything other than just study, go to classes, and do my assignments. My daily activities consist of eating, shitting, pissing, sleeping, and repeat. If someone from 3 years ago saw me now, they'd think I'm an entirely different person.
One day I'll move on, make peace with myself, and forget about it. That's what I hope for, at least. I'm at least thankful that I've been able to stop my friends from actually making NFTs or a crypto coin and actually hurting people. I'm just glad. I don't know or care what they're up to now. I couldn't be arsed anymore.
I saw people share their stories, and I felt like doing that myself too. It turned out longer than I expected, but I didn't want to leave anyone hanging, lol, so I wrote about everything from start to finish. Sorry if that turned out to be way too long. Thanks for taking your time getting this far if you have.
I hope no one else has agonised or will have to agonise the way I have.
2023.06.06 22:34 time2getout Two flights bound for JFK holding near Norfolk, VA… one continues and one diverts?
 | submitted by time2getout to flightradar24 [link] [comments] |
2023.06.06 22:24 filmstack Former whales/big dolphin/matching tattoos haver - how's it going?
Former I suppose very big dolphin here and sigh oof. Curious as to how others are doing/finding it.
Not far off a 3 star Matching Tattoo SSR, which is made even worse as I pay in GBP so have to spend more to reach purchase point goals (and get less value from packs).
Stopped spending on pretty much all but the monthly now and only have those stacked from wanting the top up SSR for kinda free this way. The amount crept up and up as I was enjoying the game and wanted the cards until I did the math and realised how little I was getting for how much I was spending (also as my enjoyment lessened waiting for voiced events and cards) and I wasn't happy to continue at that level, so my spending ended up tapering off until it was just the monthlies as I waited for the JP VA to continue the main story and character chapters.... and then cards, of which I just went for must haves and things like birthdays... and then was just doing events hoping voices came back to those too and carried on hoping and waiting until ugh. Just logging in and clicking now mostly hoping they'll finally add in the missing and that I'll care enough and expecting the game to not go past 3rd year anni at this rate on global.
It sucks to have bad luck but with a moderate spend at most, not that that's what I spent, you'd hope that'd mean you'd be happy enough with the cards you get but alas. Having had to hard pity almost every card I've gotten has sucked but still with my spending from then I thought I had enough for the essentials (anni, birthday, solo and with a spend as it's been a while 'must have cards') only to remeber Marius' birthday is soon and I only have just over 4 pities left with anniversary around the corner so can't cover them all for sure without a spend before having nada even though I've held back and saved. The game really is stingy with what's free and what you get for your pound and if you don't spend and don't have good luck ouch. It's made even worse that to hear the JP voices now almost all content is in SSRs.
It also certainly sucks seeing most spend nothing or a little and getting almost all if not all the cards they want whilst you sit there having to spend of use savings that you hoped would last.
Fwiw I am aware there are more stingy gachas, but it's fair for us to put a monetary amount to the worth of a piece of content to us and in the scheme of games and time. I also have seen many polls on pulls and am aware most don't have to hit pity nearly as often (many never or nearly never) as I see many spenders having to. So many people rage if they don't get the card with the free 10 or 10 or under 30 it's unreal as that's what they're used to and act... hmmm...
Not the game that had the earlier voiced story and amazing events like Lost Gold led me to believe I was putting money into sadly and have kept hoping it would turn around but it seems truly unlikely now that I'll even get to play most of the cards I have as the JP VA was never added to the story before them. My understanding of heard JP over written is leagues better and I can't get over how much was missing from the English translation so would use translations fans had made before global or go by ear and fill in the blanks. Hell even Google speech to text did a better job with many things when I tried it to test it out but without audio there's nothing to work with. They made such a big deal over the JP VA too as a selling point and the JP trailers are the ones that get the most views. All in all great launch but not how the game continued so it feels like a bait and switch in ways. And oh boy the rushed and out of order events money grabbing and not giving us the time or perks the other servers had was cruel too and influenced this.
There's some great looking cards coming up and the event would strengthen the want (and some look pretty good) but the spend would just be too much. If only they delivered what they were selling it as back then I wouldn't feel so salty about handing over the money rather thanks waiting on things to come back or be added and hoping for better luck.
Oh it's time to log in again and tap for a few minutes to get a few chips goodie :( Launch with LG was truly the best and then the events up until they weren't voiced and translations nosedived further. I miss it but they aren't worth much of a monthly spend now.
submitted by filmstack to TearsOfThemis [link] [comments]
Not far off a 3 star Matching Tattoo SSR, which is made even worse as I pay in GBP so have to spend more to reach purchase point goals (and get less value from packs).
Stopped spending on pretty much all but the monthly now and only have those stacked from wanting the top up SSR for kinda free this way. The amount crept up and up as I was enjoying the game and wanted the cards until I did the math and realised how little I was getting for how much I was spending (also as my enjoyment lessened waiting for voiced events and cards) and I wasn't happy to continue at that level, so my spending ended up tapering off until it was just the monthlies as I waited for the JP VA to continue the main story and character chapters.... and then cards, of which I just went for must haves and things like birthdays... and then was just doing events hoping voices came back to those too and carried on hoping and waiting until ugh. Just logging in and clicking now mostly hoping they'll finally add in the missing and that I'll care enough and expecting the game to not go past 3rd year anni at this rate on global.
It sucks to have bad luck but with a moderate spend at most, not that that's what I spent, you'd hope that'd mean you'd be happy enough with the cards you get but alas. Having had to hard pity almost every card I've gotten has sucked but still with my spending from then I thought I had enough for the essentials (anni, birthday, solo and with a spend as it's been a while 'must have cards') only to remeber Marius' birthday is soon and I only have just over 4 pities left with anniversary around the corner so can't cover them all for sure without a spend before having nada even though I've held back and saved. The game really is stingy with what's free and what you get for your pound and if you don't spend and don't have good luck ouch. It's made even worse that to hear the JP voices now almost all content is in SSRs.
It also certainly sucks seeing most spend nothing or a little and getting almost all if not all the cards they want whilst you sit there having to spend of use savings that you hoped would last.
Fwiw I am aware there are more stingy gachas, but it's fair for us to put a monetary amount to the worth of a piece of content to us and in the scheme of games and time. I also have seen many polls on pulls and am aware most don't have to hit pity nearly as often (many never or nearly never) as I see many spenders having to. So many people rage if they don't get the card with the free 10 or 10 or under 30 it's unreal as that's what they're used to and act... hmmm...
Not the game that had the earlier voiced story and amazing events like Lost Gold led me to believe I was putting money into sadly and have kept hoping it would turn around but it seems truly unlikely now that I'll even get to play most of the cards I have as the JP VA was never added to the story before them. My understanding of heard JP over written is leagues better and I can't get over how much was missing from the English translation so would use translations fans had made before global or go by ear and fill in the blanks. Hell even Google speech to text did a better job with many things when I tried it to test it out but without audio there's nothing to work with. They made such a big deal over the JP VA too as a selling point and the JP trailers are the ones that get the most views. All in all great launch but not how the game continued so it feels like a bait and switch in ways. And oh boy the rushed and out of order events money grabbing and not giving us the time or perks the other servers had was cruel too and influenced this.
There's some great looking cards coming up and the event would strengthen the want (and some look pretty good) but the spend would just be too much. If only they delivered what they were selling it as back then I wouldn't feel so salty about handing over the money rather thanks waiting on things to come back or be added and hoping for better luck.
Oh it's time to log in again and tap for a few minutes to get a few chips goodie :( Launch with LG was truly the best and then the events up until they weren't voiced and translations nosedived further. I miss it but they aren't worth much of a monthly spend now.
2023.06.06 22:04 alwyschasingunicorns Found while hiking near SLC, Utah
 | Looked and moved like a bee, no wings. It was very busy and wouldn't stand still. submitted by alwyschasingunicorns to whatsthisbug [link] [comments] |
2023.06.06 21:59 ScrambledEggies123 Road trip Atlanta, GA to Pittsburg, PA recommendations
Hello all! I’m an artist and am going up to Atlanta GA for a weekend in July to collab with another artist, and a few days later I have another client to collaborate with in Pittsburg, PA. I want to turn it into a 4ish day road trip but without spending any money on lodging.
For night 1 after leaving GA I have places I could crash for the night in Winston-Salem, Charlotte and Durham. For night 2 I have a place I can stay in Washington, D.C. Then I’d make my way to my final stop.
For travel days I was thinking to make stops in Helen, GA; Blue Ridge Parkway; Kerr Lake or Chesapeake Bay; Richmond, VA; Grantsville or Hagerstown, MD; drive along Sideling Hill; Phipps Conservatory in PA. Probably wouldn’t be able to hit all of these but I’m just throwing ideas out.
Any other recs? No waterfalls please I live in Asheville and have seen so many at this point. I like beaches, flowers/gardens, quick hikes with a view, visual art (museums and street art recs welcome), coffee, breweries, pizza, seafood, punk music… but I’d like to not do anything extravagant. Thanks!!
submitted by ScrambledEggies123 to travel [link] [comments]
For night 1 after leaving GA I have places I could crash for the night in Winston-Salem, Charlotte and Durham. For night 2 I have a place I can stay in Washington, D.C. Then I’d make my way to my final stop.
For travel days I was thinking to make stops in Helen, GA; Blue Ridge Parkway; Kerr Lake or Chesapeake Bay; Richmond, VA; Grantsville or Hagerstown, MD; drive along Sideling Hill; Phipps Conservatory in PA. Probably wouldn’t be able to hit all of these but I’m just throwing ideas out.
Any other recs? No waterfalls please I live in Asheville and have seen so many at this point. I like beaches, flowers/gardens, quick hikes with a view, visual art (museums and street art recs welcome), coffee, breweries, pizza, seafood, punk music… but I’d like to not do anything extravagant. Thanks!!
2023.06.06 21:44 Reddactor Weird Mediterranean plant
 | I was hiking near a ruin in the Peloponnese Peninsula in Greece today. I am on holiday on the west coast, near the ruins of the Navarino Fortress. submitted by Reddactor to whatsthisplant [link] [comments] This is a small peninsula, about 1.5km in length, about 150m in height, and a wildlife reserve. Along the trial, I thought I saw a Christmas tree! On closer inspection it was a woody weed, about 50 cm high. I have marked where I found it, where shrubs on the rocks start to meet the dunes. The branches are covered in fluffy green leaves, with the leaves near the end producing white flowers, with 5 points. It was the only plant of it's kind I saw on the hike, and I was trying to find more. Maybe it's rare, or maybe introduced. It looked out-of-place. I am interested to know what kind of plant it is! |
2023.06.06 21:42 MannyBeatsProd Pros and Cons of AllTrails+?
I just bought a new vehicle and plan on driving all over to experience hiking trails near and far. I wanted an app that makes it easy to find trails near you. AllTrails does that and seems to have plenty of other features! Is the premium paid version really needed? What are your personal pros and cons of the paid version?
submitted by MannyBeatsProd to alltrails [link] [comments]
2023.06.06 20:59 ThrowRAFlannel8052 Itinerary Review - Gsies /Valle di Casies Northern Italy
Hi
I was hoping for some input on my Italy itinerary as I've changed some places around. I'm heading with my spouse and 3 teens in late September. We're flying into Venice, staying overnight and heading to Valle di Casies in Northern Italy for 5 nights and heading back to Venice for the last night. We are hoping to do some hiking in the Dolomites, see some castles and lakes and some scenic drives.
Day 1 sightseeing in Venice
Day 2 driving to Valle di Casies near Dobbiaco. Stock up on groceries at San Candido, dinner San Candido and if time see Welsberg Castle
Day 3 Tre Cime and Paternkofel via ferreta to summit. If time quick stop at Lago di Braies on way back to hotel
Day 4 Cinq Torri Rock climbing and refugio, drive by Passo Giau afterwards if time
Day 5 Cable cars to Seceda and shorter hike to Pieralongia, explore Ortesei and if time drive through Santa Maddalena
Day 6 Novacella Abbey, monastery /and winery, Bruneck town and climbing museum if time check out a couple more closeby castles in area
Day 7 Any last attractions we didn't have time for then drive back to Venice and sightseeing in Venice walking around and gondola etc
Does this itinerary logistically make sense? Forget anything? Too busy? Recommendations? Switch around anything?
Thanks in advance
submitted by ThrowRAFlannel8052 to ItalyTravel [link] [comments]
I was hoping for some input on my Italy itinerary as I've changed some places around. I'm heading with my spouse and 3 teens in late September. We're flying into Venice, staying overnight and heading to Valle di Casies in Northern Italy for 5 nights and heading back to Venice for the last night. We are hoping to do some hiking in the Dolomites, see some castles and lakes and some scenic drives.
Day 1 sightseeing in Venice
Day 2 driving to Valle di Casies near Dobbiaco. Stock up on groceries at San Candido, dinner San Candido and if time see Welsberg Castle
Day 3 Tre Cime and Paternkofel via ferreta to summit. If time quick stop at Lago di Braies on way back to hotel
Day 4 Cinq Torri Rock climbing and refugio, drive by Passo Giau afterwards if time
Day 5 Cable cars to Seceda and shorter hike to Pieralongia, explore Ortesei and if time drive through Santa Maddalena
Day 6 Novacella Abbey, monastery /and winery, Bruneck town and climbing museum if time check out a couple more closeby castles in area
Day 7 Any last attractions we didn't have time for then drive back to Venice and sightseeing in Venice walking around and gondola etc
Does this itinerary logistically make sense? Forget anything? Too busy? Recommendations? Switch around anything?
Thanks in advance
2023.06.06 20:48 kraamed New to area - Camping, hiking and swimming areas in OK
Hello everyone,
We are new to the area and are looking for recommendations. We like camping near waterbodies, go for swim and small hikes. Looking for recommendation from fellow redditors for this summer.
Thanks.
submitted by kraamed to oklahoma [link] [comments]
We are new to the area and are looking for recommendations. We like camping near waterbodies, go for swim and small hikes. Looking for recommendation from fellow redditors for this summer.
Thanks.
2023.06.06 20:47 yzfmike CMP rate hike approved by regulators, will increase home bills nearly…
 | submitted by yzfmike to Maine [link] [comments] |
2023.06.06 20:33 medhern Mortgage/Housing Questions
I am a single, 23yo 2LT who will be PCSing to Fort Sam Houston for graduate school in SEPT. I am currently looking for a place to live near the school house and came across a great condo for $117,000.
I was approved for a VA mortgage for 250k at 6.75% APR as I was originally planning to buy a house, but since I will only be in the Ft Sam Area for 1-1.5 years before clinicals I don't see it worth the investment. The monthly payment would come out to roughly $1100/month, which is a lot for a 1 bed x1 bath but I do not mind paying that high monthly cost if I could rent it out at some point after I complete schooling.
My question is, since I am now looking for a condo, should I re-apply for a different mortgage at a potentially lower rate or just stick with the rate I received? Is a condo worth it in my situation or should I bite the bullet and take on rent with roommates? The program will be intense and I would prefer to live alone to focus on studying. Any advice is appreciated. I would really like to start real-estate investing and think a condo would be a good place to start.
submitted by medhern to MilitaryFinance [link] [comments]
I was approved for a VA mortgage for 250k at 6.75% APR as I was originally planning to buy a house, but since I will only be in the Ft Sam Area for 1-1.5 years before clinicals I don't see it worth the investment. The monthly payment would come out to roughly $1100/month, which is a lot for a 1 bed x1 bath but I do not mind paying that high monthly cost if I could rent it out at some point after I complete schooling.
My question is, since I am now looking for a condo, should I re-apply for a different mortgage at a potentially lower rate or just stick with the rate I received? Is a condo worth it in my situation or should I bite the bullet and take on rent with roommates? The program will be intense and I would prefer to live alone to focus on studying. Any advice is appreciated. I would really like to start real-estate investing and think a condo would be a good place to start.
2023.06.06 20:17 Joadzilla The alt-right economy is failing. Here’s the real performance of anti-woke entrepreneurs
https://fortune.com/2023/06/05/alt-right-economy-is-failing-real-performance-of-anti-woke-entrepreneurs-business-politics-sonnenfeld/
In commenting on Bob Iger’s defense of Disney’s values and brand in the face of threats from Florida Governor DeSantis, Nike CEO John Donahoe said, “I think Bob’s doing a great job at this. If it’s core to who you are and your values, then you stand up for your values.”
That spirit has been rewarded by the free market. Across many fronts, we have shown in quantitative analysis of business performance that doing good for society is not at the expense of doing well for shareholders, with clear examples ranging from Russian business exits to public engagement on voting rights.
Yet still, grandstanding political ideologues are using opportunistic attacks on iconic U.S. enterprises to showcase their own nascent anti-ESG businesses, and reportedly build a “parallel economy” catering to conservative constituencies. But far from flourishing, an objective review of the facts suggests these anti-wokester jokesters are financially foundering.
One little-known index fund provider, the American Conservative Values ETF (ACVF), recently received a flurry of media attention for boycotting Target over what they described as its “pandering to the woke agenda,” confidently declaring that their boycott of Target will ensure “Target stock’s long-term performance will suffer.”
Target stock is down, but in reality, the fund’s total holdings of Target amount to just $100,000–equivalent to the revenue that Target nets every 20 seconds. In fact, ACVF’s total assets under management are a rather measly $40 million–and many of their other “boycotted” companies–including iconic All-American enterprises such as Apple, Microsoft, Delta Airlines, American Airlines, Disney, Walmart, Coca-Cola, Salesforce, and JPMorgan–have performed quite well since being targeted by ACVF. Delta is up 10% this year, American is up 15% this year, Microsoft and Apple are both up over 40% this year and Salesforce is up 60%. Thanks in part to missing out on these top-performing stocks, ACVF is underperforming the S&P 500 by over 2% this year through June 1. No wonder even politically conservative investors stay away from these anti-woke ETFs.
ACVF’s struggles rather pale in comparison to those of its much larger and better-known rival, presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s Strive Asset Management. We have contacted both firms about our findings by phone and email, but their representatives directed us to figures published on their respective websites, which we checked–and double-checked.
The business models of both Strive and ACVF are similar: They construct exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, for mom-and-pop retail investors to passively track a basket of stocks, matching rather than trying to beat the broader market. Unlike hedge funds, these ETF providers do not care if the stocks go up, down, or sideways–rather, they get their money from fees charged on anyone who has their money in a Strive ETF. Most ETFs are very low-fee products–but the anti-woke ETFs come at a premium. BlackRock ETFs, for example, usually charge around 0.03% fees. Strive’s fees are comparatively higher at up to 0.41%–but nothing compared to ACVF’s 0.75% fee.
To survive over the long run, these nascent ETF providers need to continually attract new money from mom-and-pop investors. And that is exactly what it appears they are struggling to do. All the evidence, out in the open, shows that Strive has had a hard time attracting additional investor inflows beyond its original anchor investors after the launch of its ETFs last year. Its assets under management appear to have stagnated despite Ramaswamy’s loud media presence.
For example, its largest flagship ETF, the Strive US Energy ETF (DRLL), has almost exactly the same amount of assets under management (AUM) as of June 1, $320 million, that it did when it was launched in August/September 2022, and its AUM is down nearly 25% from the start of this year.
Fully half of Strive’s eight current ETF products–including the Strive 1000 Growth ETF, the Strive 1000 Value ETF, the Strive 1000 Dividend Growth ETF, and the Strive Small-Cap ETF–have less than $12 million assets under management each, which is microscopic relative to the industry standard–and less than the average compensation of a single major CEO at most companies.
Thus it is hardly surprising that some of the most admired CEOs are flippantly swatting away Strive’s attempts at “activism.” Ramaswamy has become the court jester of corporate governance. The mere mention of his name brings anything from smirks to outright gales of laughter amongst some corporate audiences.
One hopes that Strive is not on a path to fail as badly as some of Ramaswamy’s previous ventures, such as Axovant, a Ramaswamy-founded company whose stock price plunged from $200 to 40 cents, or Campus Venture Networks, Ramaswamy’s much-hyped undergraduate startup which, despite his self-aggrandizement, he apparently sold for just a few thousand dollars, if his tax returns are correct. Even one of Strive’s biggest financial backers, Bill Ackman, is apparently embarrassed and rushing to disavow Ramaswamy. Meanwhile, Strive is reduced to seeking “consulting contract” handouts from friendly politicos. Perhaps this helps explain why Ramaswamy is running his longshot Presidential campaign: Nothing turns around sagging business fortunes quite like a new burst of free publicity!
It is not only in high finance that these “parallel economy” startups are flailing. Attempts to build a new alt-right media ecosystem are similarly landing with a thud.
Perhaps most infamously, Donald Trump’s much-hyped Truth Social alt-platform has imploded in value, with its SPAC packaging (ticker DWAC) shares falling from $95 to $13 even as the former president flails away on this otherwise quiet platform. Alt-right social media rivals such as Gab and GabPay are struggling to gain traction, begging for donations through crowdsourced funding, while provocateur Alex Jones and his Infowars declared bankruptcy after a record $1 billion verdict for the Sandy Hook families. More prominently, One America News has now been dropped by every major cable operator, partially driven by low audiences, while its behemoth rival Fox’s struggles are just beginning after the record $787.5 million Dominion settlement–with its board reportedly becoming weary of deviating too far from the mainstream.
Efforts to expand the alt-right parallel economy across digital services and even physical goods are running straight into the ground as well. Virtually all major retailers from Bed Bath & Beyond to Walmart to Kohl’s to Costco have cut ties with Mike Lindell’s MyPillow, which just months ago closed its last in-person retail mall store while losing $100 million, according to Lindell himself. Former Trump personnel director Johnny McEntee’s project–an alt-right dating site, “The Right Stuff”–has been lambasted even by its core constituency, with its mostly men frustrated by the lack of women users, and its seed funding from Peter Thiel is reportedly scheduled to run out in the next few months.
To a hammer, everything looks like a nail; and the exertions of some anti-woke activists in extrapolating politicized rhetoric into the economy can stretch into caricature. Strangely, the struggles of the nation’s regional banks, such as SVB, Signature, and First Republic, were superstitiously blamed on “wokeism” and the facts–that these less diversified banks were unprepared for the Fed’s interest rate hikes and that larger, equally “woke” banks were better insulated from these interest rate swings–were ignored. This month, even the conservative New York Post was bewildered by the sudden ire this month of anti-wokesters targeting the privately owned, very spiritual, Christian values-guided restaurant chain Chick-fil-A because, years ago, they promoted a longstanding internal HR executive to oversee diversity and equal opportunity.
Despite positioning themselves as reverent guardians of free markets against government and social overreach, many anti-wokester jokesters seem to have forgotten the most basic requirement of capitalism: to make a profit. Ironically, the free market delivers the most condemning verdict of all. The favorite “woke” targets of anti-ESG activists continue to soar to record economic heights, effortlessly shrugging off anti-woke attacks.
Clearly, despite all the hype and drama, there is little financial threat to mainstream business posed by the anti-woke economy. It’s not a genuine parallel economy–these are scattered cases of ideological grifters and struggling entrepreneurs. Their real talent seems to lie in fast-talking media platforms into giving them an undeserved platform to unfairly target iconic pillars of U.S. enterprise. But as these anti-wokester jokesters struggle to gain financial traction, the numbers will continue to disprove their claims.
2023.06.06 20:12 Swimdifferent VA and Monsanto law suit
Hi Vets, maybe someone with a big brain can help. I am a disabled vet (70%)and get all my care through Bay Pines in St Pete FL. In 2009 I was diagnosed with stage 3 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (not service connected). The VA saved my ass. Anyway, I had used roundup and joined the Monsanto lawsuit. I was accepted and awarded around 220k. The a law firm (name redacted) represented me and the contracted out to Archer lien solutions Archers job is to make sure there are no outstanding medical liens. To my surprise the VA will attempt to recover any money they feel they are owed, and even though they do not keep billing records they go back and decide how much they are owed. So I have been waiting for over 2 years to see any money and discovered the VA came up with a figure of $399k. Considering I was not awarded anywhere near that, I still have to wait for Archer and the VA to work out an agreeable amount. It is very confusing as I can’t get an attorney to pursue this as my attorney is (redacted but the one that originally represented me). Veteran legal services blew me off. The response from Archer is the VA likes to take their time. I think my only recourse is to write my representative. If anyone has any ideas I would appreciate it.
submitted by Swimdifferent to Veterans [link] [comments]
2023.06.06 20:01 Otherwise-Category42 Gotta get out of Florida for our mental health - can move anywhere in the US
My girlfriend (27f) and I (31m) are currently living in the panhandle of Florida and have had a rough couple of years, mostly because we hate it here. Luckily we have the opportunity to move in September, so we have decided to jump on the opportunity. We both will be working from home so we can move anywhere. Anyone who is willing to give us advice would be greatly appreciated!
We have only ever lived in Texas and Florida, but we aren’t opposed to trying somewhere with cold winters. We are nature lovers, in Texas we loved living in the Texas hill country with all of the hiking trails and swimming in the rivers. In Florida, we love the ocean, but unfortunately there are just too many negatives to living here. We have lived in both big cities as well as rural areas. At this point in our lives the big cities are too overwhelming for us, so we would prefer more of a small town/community type of living if possible.
Here are the main things we hate about Florida, to understand what we would like to avoid in the future. The tourism is too much, the people are extremely political, and trash is everywhere. Living here through covid was rough, as we were constantly harassed for simple things like wearing masks. Although covid is long behind us now, it left a very bad taste in our mouths, and we still just don’t get along with most people we meet here. Not to mention the nature other than the ocean is very swampy. We’ve gotten to the point that we don’t even go outside much anymore because it’s just not worth the hassle of battling the crowds of tourists or dealing with some of the local people. We used to be super adventurous and were always out and about before we moved here.
I’d also like to elaborate a little on the trash issue. I unfortunately suffer from pretty bad OCD and I’m a bit of a germ-a-phobe. It was never really an issue until we move here, but now it seriously weighing on me. We have found that the amount of litter on the ground in this area of Florida is insane, and seems to be getting worse every year. It covers our beaches, the sides of our roads, our parking lots, even trails in the woods. Some of it is really gross types of trash too, since we moved here there have been 2 incidents where my girlfriend or I accidentally stepped on a used condom, once at the beach and once in a shopping center parking lot. That’s when it really got to me, and now I feel like I can’t even enjoy the outdoors because I’m constantly staring at the ground.
We thought about moving back to Texas where we were happy before. We took a trip there, and found that a ton of people moved there the last few years. In some ways it seemed very different than when we left. We decided that trying something new sounds a lot more exciting.
We have currently been considering trying Colorado because of the beautiful nature and abundance of outdoor activities in the mountains. My girlfriend had family there growing up, and we’ve also been on a trip there so we have some familiarity with it. However, we aren’t sure exactly where in Colorado we should move. If anyone knows of somewhere in Colorado that is outside of the big cities, near or in the mountains, and clean please let us know. Also if anyone could weigh in on the litter situation in different areas of Colorado that would be great (both in the towns/cities and out on the trails).
We are also open to other states as well, most importantly just somewhere clean and surrounded by nature.
Any advice is appreciated! I think moving would be the biggest first step in getting our lives back on track.
Edit: A lot of people asking about our budget and rent/buy, should’ve included that!
We plan to rent for the first year then possibly buy after that. I want to see what happens with the real estate market this next year or so.
In Florida our rent is $2,000 a month, so would like to stay around there. I could go up to maybe $2,500 a month if the place was just perfect, like a small house in some land or something.
Also, my job is very stable so I’m not too concerned with having to find other opportunities, at least not for the immediate future.
And thank you so much for all of the responses so far!
submitted by Otherwise-Category42 to SameGrassButGreener [link] [comments]
We have only ever lived in Texas and Florida, but we aren’t opposed to trying somewhere with cold winters. We are nature lovers, in Texas we loved living in the Texas hill country with all of the hiking trails and swimming in the rivers. In Florida, we love the ocean, but unfortunately there are just too many negatives to living here. We have lived in both big cities as well as rural areas. At this point in our lives the big cities are too overwhelming for us, so we would prefer more of a small town/community type of living if possible.
Here are the main things we hate about Florida, to understand what we would like to avoid in the future. The tourism is too much, the people are extremely political, and trash is everywhere. Living here through covid was rough, as we were constantly harassed for simple things like wearing masks. Although covid is long behind us now, it left a very bad taste in our mouths, and we still just don’t get along with most people we meet here. Not to mention the nature other than the ocean is very swampy. We’ve gotten to the point that we don’t even go outside much anymore because it’s just not worth the hassle of battling the crowds of tourists or dealing with some of the local people. We used to be super adventurous and were always out and about before we moved here.
I’d also like to elaborate a little on the trash issue. I unfortunately suffer from pretty bad OCD and I’m a bit of a germ-a-phobe. It was never really an issue until we move here, but now it seriously weighing on me. We have found that the amount of litter on the ground in this area of Florida is insane, and seems to be getting worse every year. It covers our beaches, the sides of our roads, our parking lots, even trails in the woods. Some of it is really gross types of trash too, since we moved here there have been 2 incidents where my girlfriend or I accidentally stepped on a used condom, once at the beach and once in a shopping center parking lot. That’s when it really got to me, and now I feel like I can’t even enjoy the outdoors because I’m constantly staring at the ground.
We thought about moving back to Texas where we were happy before. We took a trip there, and found that a ton of people moved there the last few years. In some ways it seemed very different than when we left. We decided that trying something new sounds a lot more exciting.
We have currently been considering trying Colorado because of the beautiful nature and abundance of outdoor activities in the mountains. My girlfriend had family there growing up, and we’ve also been on a trip there so we have some familiarity with it. However, we aren’t sure exactly where in Colorado we should move. If anyone knows of somewhere in Colorado that is outside of the big cities, near or in the mountains, and clean please let us know. Also if anyone could weigh in on the litter situation in different areas of Colorado that would be great (both in the towns/cities and out on the trails).
We are also open to other states as well, most importantly just somewhere clean and surrounded by nature.
Any advice is appreciated! I think moving would be the biggest first step in getting our lives back on track.
Edit: A lot of people asking about our budget and rent/buy, should’ve included that!
We plan to rent for the first year then possibly buy after that. I want to see what happens with the real estate market this next year or so.
In Florida our rent is $2,000 a month, so would like to stay around there. I could go up to maybe $2,500 a month if the place was just perfect, like a small house in some land or something.
Also, my job is very stable so I’m not too concerned with having to find other opportunities, at least not for the immediate future.
And thank you so much for all of the responses so far!
2023.06.06 19:19 BuddieyKine Secondary Claim for Hip Pain and Migraines
Filed for new and increases in January. Here are my current SC disabilities
10% Sciatic nerve (previously rated as radiculopathy (right S1), related to low back pain (claimed as tingling down right calf and numbness of right pink toe)) Effective date:04/20/2023
40% multilevel disc protrusion lumbar spine, L3-S1 Effective date:04/20/2023
10% tinnitus (claimed as ringing in ears) Effective date:01/29/2023
0% Lumbar Spine Surgical Scar Effective date:01/29/2023
10% Sciatic Nerve, Left lower Effective date:01/29/2023
Service connection for migraine as secondary to the service-connected disability of tinnitus (claimed as ringing in ears) Service connection may be granted for a disease or injury which resulted from a serviceconnected disability or was aggravated thereby. The evidence does not show that migraine is related to the service-connected condition of tinnitus (claimed as ringing in ears), nor is there any evidence of this disability during military service. (38 CFR 3.303, 38 CFR 3.304, 38 CFR 3.310) Your service treatment records do not contain complaints, treatment, or diagnosis for this condition. Your examiner opined: "After a review of the medical and scientific evidence in the e-file, the veterans Headache (Migraine) condition is less likely (Likelihood is less than approximately balanced or nearly equal, if not higher) caused by the veterans Tinnitus condition."
Favorable Findings identified in this decision: The claimed issue is secondary to a service-connected disability. Your tinnitus has been service connected since May 22, 2023.
Service connection for Hip Pain as secondary to the service-connected disability of multilevel disc protrusion lumbar spine, L3-S1.
Your examiner opined: "After a review of the medical and scientific evidence in the e-file, the veteran’s Bilateral Hip Strain (pain) is less likely (Likelihood is at least likely approximately balanced or nearly equal, if not higher) proximately due to or the result of the veterans Multi Level Disc Protrusion of the Lumbar Spine with Right S1 Radiculopathy. They are separate and distinct conditions. Although the veteran may experience pain in his hips, it is part of his radiculopathy of his Sciatic never. There is no medical or scientific evidence available which provides any indication of a relationship between the development of the condition of Bilateral Hip Strains and Multi Level Disc Protrusion of the Lumbar Spine with Right S1 Radiculopathy.
Favorable Findings identified in this decision: You have been diagnosed with a disability. You were diagnosed with bilateral hip strain on April 20, 2023 during a VA medical exam. The claimed issue is secondary to a service-connected disability. Your multilevel disc protrusion lumbar spine, L3-S1 with right S1 radiculopathy has been service connected since April 10, 2010. Any direction on how to form my appeal to meet the requirements for SC with Hip Pain and Migraines.
Thanks to y 'all I would still be sitting at 10% if it wasn't for all the great information!
submitted by BuddieyKine to VeteransBenefits [link] [comments]
10% Sciatic nerve (previously rated as radiculopathy (right S1), related to low back pain (claimed as tingling down right calf and numbness of right pink toe)) Effective date:04/20/2023
40% multilevel disc protrusion lumbar spine, L3-S1 Effective date:04/20/2023
10% tinnitus (claimed as ringing in ears) Effective date:01/29/2023
0% Lumbar Spine Surgical Scar Effective date:01/29/2023
10% Sciatic Nerve, Left lower Effective date:01/29/2023
Service connection for migraine as secondary to the service-connected disability of tinnitus (claimed as ringing in ears) Service connection may be granted for a disease or injury which resulted from a serviceconnected disability or was aggravated thereby. The evidence does not show that migraine is related to the service-connected condition of tinnitus (claimed as ringing in ears), nor is there any evidence of this disability during military service. (38 CFR 3.303, 38 CFR 3.304, 38 CFR 3.310) Your service treatment records do not contain complaints, treatment, or diagnosis for this condition. Your examiner opined: "After a review of the medical and scientific evidence in the e-file, the veterans Headache (Migraine) condition is less likely (Likelihood is less than approximately balanced or nearly equal, if not higher) caused by the veterans Tinnitus condition."
Favorable Findings identified in this decision: The claimed issue is secondary to a service-connected disability. Your tinnitus has been service connected since May 22, 2023.
Service connection for Hip Pain as secondary to the service-connected disability of multilevel disc protrusion lumbar spine, L3-S1.
Your examiner opined: "After a review of the medical and scientific evidence in the e-file, the veteran’s Bilateral Hip Strain (pain) is less likely (Likelihood is at least likely approximately balanced or nearly equal, if not higher) proximately due to or the result of the veterans Multi Level Disc Protrusion of the Lumbar Spine with Right S1 Radiculopathy. They are separate and distinct conditions. Although the veteran may experience pain in his hips, it is part of his radiculopathy of his Sciatic never. There is no medical or scientific evidence available which provides any indication of a relationship between the development of the condition of Bilateral Hip Strains and Multi Level Disc Protrusion of the Lumbar Spine with Right S1 Radiculopathy.
Favorable Findings identified in this decision: You have been diagnosed with a disability. You were diagnosed with bilateral hip strain on April 20, 2023 during a VA medical exam. The claimed issue is secondary to a service-connected disability. Your multilevel disc protrusion lumbar spine, L3-S1 with right S1 radiculopathy has been service connected since April 10, 2010. Any direction on how to form my appeal to meet the requirements for SC with Hip Pain and Migraines.
Thanks to y 'all I would still be sitting at 10% if it wasn't for all the great information!
2023.06.06 18:33 Maleficent-Wave VA Rating of control transformer
Greetings,
Are typical AC control transformers rated at or near unity for power factor i.e. .8 or higher?
Example: If I have a 50 VA rated AC control transformer with 120 vac primary and 24 vac secondary.
If I use Ohm's law W = VA × PF (50 x.8) = 40 Watts or power capability from the control transformer, is this correct?
Thank you
submitted by Maleficent-Wave to askanelectrician [link] [comments]
Are typical AC control transformers rated at or near unity for power factor i.e. .8 or higher?
Example: If I have a 50 VA rated AC control transformer with 120 vac primary and 24 vac secondary.
If I use Ohm's law W = VA × PF (50 x.8) = 40 Watts or power capability from the control transformer, is this correct?
Thank you