Bonus Bananas March 8, 2013
1) Bitcoin: more than just the currency of digital vice (The Guardian) - Top billing for this Guardian piece because it was easily the most fascinating thing I read this week. I had no idea you could buy recreational drugs online and have them delivered, and pay for it all with BitCoin. Little by little, day by day, governments grow more impotent thanks to the power of the web.
2) Goldman Sachs Is Changing Its Managing Director Selection Process (Business Insider) - Pay attention, gunners. There's less room at the top for the Vampire Squid, so now the annual selection process for new MDs will only happen every two years until further notice. Bummer for those of you who thought you'd get the tap this year.
3) 9 Sweet Ways to Totally #Crush That I-Banking Internship (BroBible) - I-Banking advice from BroBible? You bet your ass, and it's pretty spot on in a vapid, lax bro kinda way. Doesn't hurt to follow this advice.
4) Memory of chimpanzees is far BETTER than human, study reveals (Daily Mail) - Well, DUH.
5) Tax Bite Leaves Flacco Second Best Paid in NFL (Americans for Tax Reform) - I doubt I'll ever think of Joe Flacco as more than a 2nd-tier QB, but this really sucks. Because he chooses to throw his interceptions in a high-tax jurisdiction, that $120.6 million contract he just signed gets slammed with a 52% marginal rate. So Drew Brees is still the highest paid QB after taxes because he's smart enough to live in New Orleans and, well, cuz he's fuckin' great.
6) What are the most difficult things people (have to) learn in their twenties? (Quora) - As usual, there's pure gold in this question on Quora. Be prepared to spend the next half hour contemplating some of these answers.
7) Why Developing Serious Relationships in Your 20s Matters (Medium.com) - Speaking of hard lessons in your 20's, this particular lesson I had to learn over and over again. tl:dr version: take a chance on love. Even if you go down in flames (and you probably will) the experience is like nothing else.
8) Seven Supplements to Take for Optimal Health (Men's Journal) - We've had a robust discussion about all-nighters lately, so I thought this was a good thing to post. Pro surfer Laird Hamiltion lays out his supplement regime, and it's probably doubly effective if you're stuck in an office all day. What Laird doesn't tell you is that the real secret to longevity is to spend five hours a day surfing and then come home to a hot former pro volleyball player wife.
9) Sad Desk Lunch (Sad Desk Lunch) - While we're on the subject of spending too much time at work, here's a nifty Tumblr highlighting all the miserable meals people crush at their desks while working through lunch. Man, this sucks.
10) Harrison Ford joins 'Anchorman: The Legend Continues,' sequel to 2004 cult classic (NY Daily News) - Nothing short of EPIC casting here. Harrison Ford is great at pretty much anything, but I'm really looking forward to seeing his comedy chops opposite Will Ferrell.
Video of the Week:
Speaking of comedy sequels, I'm hoping against hope that this third and final installment in the Hangover franchise sucks less ass than the last one. Based on the following trailer, I'm not too sure. I'm gonna see it, that's for sure, but this whole thing has the veneer of a paycheck movie already. Oh well. I'd probably ride that horse till it was dead, too. Enjoy:
That's it for this week, guys. Let me know what you think about the Bananas in the comment and have a fantabulous weekend.
Bitcoin article is really interesting. Great stuff Eddie.
ECB wrote a piece on virtual currencies, including bitcoin. The link is below. Bitcoin as a currency is not anonymous and transactions on Silk Road need to be combined with Tor, address encryption and measures to confuse to flow of currency in order to achieve actual anonymity. Otherwise you run the risk of the feds knocking on your door one day. Dale is going to get his shit pushed in unless he is using these measures.
Bitocin as a currency has appreciated quickly. However, this appreciation is not demonstrably driven by commercial use. Outside of silkroad and gambling, there are not large goods markets that transact in bitcoin. Please correct me if I am wrong on this point. The good news is that prices are support by major market participants who have a vested interest in value stability and appreciation.
Bitcoin as an investment has been awesome. Lots of fun to trade on the MtGox exchange. There was a mini bubble and crash this past week. Value appreciated 66% in one week, crashed 30% in a day and then recovered 26% off the lows. Look for price stability in the mid to low forties as some participant has large sell order somewhere between 43 and 45.
http://www.ecb.int/pub/pdf/other/virtualcurrencyschemes201210en.pdf
Bitcoin seems like a great thing for drug cartels. Maybe HSBC is the one behind it?
6 is very interesting. I don't know if this is something I learned in my 20's or 30's, but I would add this:
The highs in life are NEVER as good as you think they will be and the lows are RARELY as bad as you think they will be.
good stuff Eddie. The Quora thing was pretty great, definitely worth the read. Hangover trailer looked awful. I'm a bit beyond animal cruelty jokes at this point. Lets hope their saving the laughs for the actual movie. In other trailer news, Iron Man 3 looks fantastic.
True dat. Can't wait to see this one:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/rtUjUZfxFnE
If you guys know anything about the Deep web or hidden wiki's, then you know that bitcoin's are basically the currency for some of the most underground things you would ever imagine on the web.
I know many who have purchased all types of narcotics using this currency. Furthermore, I know that you can also purchase much more disturbing (muuuuch more disturbing) items on this deep web using Bitcoins in an anonymous fashion...
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great...brobible telling me I am 1 inch to short to be in finance...the struggles of the 6'1" male
LMFAO, incidentally all the bankers I've worked with or met have been under 6'0
A et nobis culpa porro quia iste. Magnam sed sed quisquam vero ut. Dicta molestias sed sequi nostrum blanditiis.
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