Podcasts about Baseline

Brad Weimert is an entrepreneur, adventurer, and endurance athlete. As a Cutco sales rep, he quickly advanced to become the company's #1 sales rep in 2001, and he was inducted into the Cutco/Vector Hall of Fame before moving on to new ventures. Brad founded EasyPay Direct, a payment platform which has served over 30,000 businesses. He also hosts the podcast “Beyond A Million” and runs adventure trips for entrepreneurs under the brand “Unplugged Events.” Outside of business, Brad has been an incredible inspiration to many through multiple endurance-focused adventures. He teaches others through his own example that a key to achieving large goals in life is a willingness to deliberately push past limitations. To get access to all episodes and free resources, visit ChangingLivesPodcast.com.

#327. Bold Move 2023 Masterclass: https://thegreatmanwithin.securechkout.com/boldmove What: 90 Minute Masterclass on How to Pick Your Bold Move for 2023 When: Thursday December 8th, 2022 Time: 7:00-8:30pm ET For: Men & Women Cost: $25 You do NOT need to attend live. All registrants will receive the replay. ----------------------------------------------- To Stay Connected to the Community: Get free daily Anti-Drift Texts Click Here  (once you click the link, press “send” to text the keyword to me to get the daily texts) (These texts will also notify you of upcoming Masterclasses) Follow Dominick on Instagram: @DominickQ Join the Facebook Group for Men: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheGreatManWithin __________________________ In this Episode: Part 1: 11 Things to Understand About Dopamine Part 2: 3 Training Tips to Build Dopamine Baseline  Part 3: Design Your Dopamine Detox Your Bold Move is a courageous and decisive act in pursuit of the life you want to live. “Pursuit” is a key word in that sentence.  Neuroscience shows that the #1 contributor of pursuit is the molecule of dopamine.  If you understand dopamine, you understand the formula for motivation and feelings of reward and success. This episode also contains a distillation of the teachings of two of the contemporary authorities on dopamine:  Neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman  Dr Anna Lembke, medical director of Stanford Addiction Medicine and author of NY Times Bestseller Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence. 

In this episode: How to identify your baseline level of abundance Establishing your current boundaries through a targeted practice Expanding your baseline to receive even more abundance in the future MANIFEST YOUR EXTRAORDINARY YEAR BUNDLE https://www.efiasulter.com/manifest-your-extraordinary-year/ FREE TRAINING: The Power of Subconscious Manifestation - efiasulter.com/subconscious-manifestation-training IMPORTANT LINKS Apply for the Conscious Alchemy Mastermind - efiasulter.com/ca-mastermind Let's stay connected: efiasulter.com | instagram.com/efiasulter_|tiktok.com/@efiasulter_ Remember to review, subscribe and share! ** Enjoyed this episode? Support the podcast here: ko-fi.com/efias

Instead of always trying to make your 'best', better.. start thinking about making your baseline 'worst' better. Aka stop punting your health and fitness goals because it's the holidays, summer, or because your work has been crazy the past couple months. Your health pursuit is a marathon, not a sprint. Keep doing the small things consistently. TIA for listening❤️Follow me on instagram for more nutrition and fitness content: @lukesmithrd

The boys reminisce about their last months of work and explain the issues, and effectively do what they do best… which is talk… after all, they are sitting at a bar enjoying a relaxing end-of-day drink…  Office365Distilled is about two guys standing at a bar talking crap… well this podcast is proving that definition right!Wendy, the dog, is active tonight and wants to get involved…We originally wanted to talk about loop… but Marijn decided he will play interviewer and keep the conversation technical, and we have the Life of a Consultant in action.So Steve tells the world about a current project to introduce MS Teams calling and migrating from SfB and the things that needed attention, and where the project needs to go to support Voice calling.  Some strategy discussions about how and what is planned next on the project.Marijn identifies that Steve was using a classic change strategy “Add Crappy Legacy tech to improve desire” The conversation continues, and Steve has worked out that over the last few months, his consultant's head has been in the game more than the boy's thoughts initially.So welcome to the Marijn Somers live Interview…. Until they swap roles and Steve takes over.Subjects discussed in this EpisodeMS Teams Calling | Moving from Baseline security through Evolution to the ‘Rethink' |  Use of OneDrive in the wrong way |  Loop is discussed but in the context of delaysThe future is discussed how long it now takes Microsoft to release new features… ...and eventually, Loop is discussed, which was the original topic agreed upon by the boys and whilst they both love the concept that an active component is available across several applications.  Some discussions occur about whether a Fluid File (the file type for Loop) should be saved centrally…And Finally, the podcast is turned over to the Càirdeas 2022 Warehouse 1 edition which turns out t be a very welcome guest

On this Sabol Brothers on the Baseline episode, John and Scott are joined by the greatest Ohio State football player of all-time and the ONLY two-time Heisman Trophy winner, Archie Griffin! The Brothers talk with Griffin about if he thinks any player will ever win two Heisman Trophies again, the location of his two Heismans, his thoughts on the great OSU head coach Woody Hayes, why never losing to Michigan is very important to him and what he thinks of this 2022 version of the Buckeyes. Follow us on Twitter: Podcast: @SabolBrothers John: @John_Sabol Scott: @ScottSabolFox8   The Press Play Podcast Network Follow us on Twitter: @PressPlayPods For sponsorship plans and more information, please email admin@pressplaypodcasts.com Visit our website at www.pressplaypodcasts.com

Do you know your future self?   Can you know your future self?       This concept of becoming your future self is different for everyone - I believe it is different based on your age. The younger you are, the more you may think that you know your future self. The older you are, the more you may realize that who you are now, is not who you were when you were 23. The 23-year-old version of yourself might as well have been a stranger.   This does not mean that you are an actual different person. You are still you, but, the future you is built from learning experiences over time.   Philosophers have talked for many years about a thought experiment; this is sometimes referred to as the, Ship of Theseus". The great warrior Theseus returned from his exploits, his ship was stationed in the harbor as a memorial. And over the decades, parts of the ship began to rot and decay, and as this happened, planks were replaced by new planks. Until, eventually, every part of the ship of Theseus was built from something new.   And philosophers, starting with Plato, have asked the question, "If every part of the ship of Theseus is new, is this still the ship of Theseus?"   We, you and I, are all examples of the ship of Theseus. The cells in our body turn over all the time, they die, and new cells replace them. The people you were 10 years ago are not the people you are today. Like literally, the cells of your body, meaning your entire body, is physically not the same person. You have become, biologically, a different person.   But, according to journalist Shankar Vendantam, he believes that something much more profound happens are the psychological level.   You could argue that a ship is not just a collection of planks, and a body is not just a collection of cells. It is the organization of the planks that makes the ship. It is the organization of the cells that make the body. If you preserve the organization, even if you swap out the planks or the cells, you still have the ship and you still have the same body.   But at a psychological level, each new layer that's put down is not identical to the one that came before it.   So, what does this mean?   It means that, on an ongoing basis, you are constantly becoming a new person.   Think about this.   If you are 23 years old, you will be a different person than when you are 43 years old.   I am 43 years old, and when I think back to my 23-year-old self, that person was not a podcast host. That person was not a business owner.   If we are not careful, we will have the impression that the 23yr Andy, the 43yr old Any, and the 83-year-old Andy who will be living on a beach and traveling the world, are the very same person.   So, if we are not the same person, as we age, how can we age and become the person we want to be?   I believe there are 2 mindsets.   #1 The Growth Mindset Someone with a growth mindset views intelligence, abilities, and talents as learnable and capable of improvement through effort.   #2 Fixed Mindset Someone with a fixed mindset views those same traits as inherently stable and unchangeable over time.   This concept of growth and fixed mindsets was coined by psychologist Carol Dweck in her 2006 book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.   According to Dweck, challenging situations can be catastrophic for those with fixed mindsets because of the implication that if they don't already have the skills or intelligence to complete a task, there's no chance of improvement.   I have seen this play out in our industry, let me give you an example:   While working for Baseline Control Systems for the past 15yrs, the #1 question I always received from the field (distributors & contractors) was to teach them how it worked, prior to installing the system. Or, will you please come to the site and help me program it. Or, distributor account managers would get a request from their customers (contractors) to visit the site and help them. Account Managers with a FIXED mindset, would call me in advance, want me to make them an expert, because they were afraid to show up and not "be the expert". Account Managers with a GROWTH mindset, would have no problem jumping in head first, making a site visit with confidence, and learning everything they needed to know along the way.   This example of FIXED vs. GROWTH is one of the best ways I can describe the personality differences between those who excelled with the Baseline product, and those who would safely stay in their comfort zone and stick to the products they new - the boring stuff not making an impact in this industry.   When you have a growth mindset, you believe you can gain the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed, which makes every challenge a learning opportunity. Given the numerous challenges that landscape entrepreneurs face, a growth mindset can be a powerful tool as you work toward your company's success.   I need to bring this back home to where I started this episode. You do not know your future self - you become your future self - and to do this, you must learn how to incorporate the skills of a GROWTH mindset.   Let's talk about what those skills could be, so that when we become our future selfs, we don't don't look back with resentment or bewilderment.   I have 3 suggestions:   #1 If you believe what I just said could be true, that you will become a different person in 30 years, you should play an active role in crafting the person you are going to become. You get to be the creator of your future self. You should be the designer & developer of your future self.   What does this mean? It means you should expand your horizons. Do new things. Meet new people. Learn new skills and learn new concepts.   So suggestion #1 is to Stay Curious.   #2 Be humble, have humility   If we acknowledge that, in the future, we will be a different person, that means we will have different views and opinions. What we believe now, we may not believe in the future. Sometimes we will need to unthink & relearn what we think we know.   So, have humility for those around you, right now, who see this differently. Don't argue on social media, try to understand. You future self will thank you.   #3 Be Brave.   Our future self will have strength and wisdom that we do not have today. So when new opportunities come our way, we often hesitate. Just like the example I explained about Baseline controllers, or any new technology. There is hesitation. You might tell yourself that you don't have it in you to show up on a job site and not have all the answers. You might tell yourself that you can't quit your job and start your own company. Or, you might tell yourself that you don't have it in you to learn how to ride a skateboard at the age of 55.   What we really should be saying is, "I don't have the skills or capacity to do that that. This doesn't mean I won't have the capacity to do that tomorrow. Or next week. Or next year. Or at sometime in the future.   The power is not saying no, or I can't, the power is in saying, I don't have those skills, YET.   And in order to learn those skills, and step into your future self, you must be BRAVE.   Be brave. Be fucking brave.   What seems easy for you, could take bravery from me. What seems easy to me, might take bravery from you.   So beware of those around you, and support the people you know to be BRAVE.   That is it!   So in summary, remember, you become your future self. You get to decide who your future self is, and you get to craft this person.   And, to craft this person, I suggest you develop the GROWTH mindset, that you stay CURIOUS, that you have HUMILITY, and that you are BRAVE.   And in 20 years, I cannot wait for my future self, to meet all the future yous...   Thank you for listening, I hope this episode landed in a good place, and I would love to have your feedback.   And remember, stay curious, be brave, have humility.

This interview features Taehoon (TK) Kim, Co-Founder and CEO of nWay. We discuss going to arcades with his mom in South Korea, why he wasn't allowed to play console games as a kid in Canada, what he learned from Samsung's work culture, why it's hard for VCs to invest in gaming, finding passion at the intersection of technology and art, the best type of IP for game partnerships, how he ended up selling nWay to Animoca Brands, and how player ownership in games creates attachment and meaning, and prevents gamer exploitation.Subscribe to our newsletter. We explore the intersection of media, technology, and commerce: sign-up linkLearn more about our market research and executive advisory: RockWater websiteFollow us on LinkedIn: RockWater LinkedInEmail us: tcupod@wearerockwater.comInterview TranscriptThe interview was lightly edited for clarity.Chris Erwin:Hi, I'm Chris Erwin. Welcome to The Come Up, a podcast that interviews entrepreneurs and leaders.Taehoon Kim:So I was really upset when Lightspeed thing fell through. I went out drinking with my friends and I got hammered that night. I had another VC pitch the next morning. I was so hungover that during the presentation I threw up three times. During the pitch, I would say, "Excuse me, I'd run to the bathroom." I would throw up, come back, continue the pitch. And I did that three times., And I did the presentation 9:00 AM I came home and I was, "Oh, my God, I totally screwed that up." I fell asleep. I woke up at 4:00 PM, got a call at 5:00 PM saying that he was in. Usually it doesn't happen that way, but it was a really weird period of time in my life.Chris Erwin:This week's episode features TK Kim, CEO of nWay and a serial gaming entrepreneur. So TK was born in Seoul, South Korea to a mom who was a gamer and a lover of arcades. After studying at Cornell, TK started his career at Samsung, where he helped launch their smartphone and next gen mobile gaming businesses. TK then went on to co-found three gaming companies, and raised over $90 million in venture capital. Today he's the CEO of nWay, which is a developer, publisher, and tech platform for competitive multiplayer games across mobile, PC, and consoles. nWay was sold to Animoca in 2020.Some highlights of our chat include why he wasn't allowed to play console games as a kid in Canada, why it's hard for VCs to invest in gaming, finding passion at the intersection of technology and art, why he doesn't mind getting rejected by investors, the best type of IP for game partnerships, and how player ownership in games creates attachment and meaning and prevents gamer exploitation. All right, let's get to it.TK, thanks for being on The Come Up podcast.Taehoon Kim:Hey, thanks for having me. Super excited to be here.Chris Erwin:We have a pretty amazing story to tell about your career, but as always, we're going to rewind a bit and kind of go to the origin story. So it'd be awesome to hear about where you grew up and what your parents and what your household was like.Taehoon Kim:I was born in Seoul, Korea, and then I moved to Vancouver, Canada when I was in fourth grade. I think I was 10 or 11. At the time, growing up in Seoul, a little bit more strict environment. One funny thing is that my mom was a gamer and she would take me to the arcade, I think when I was super young, five or six years old. That's when I got really into gaming and how fun could that could be. But when I moved to Canada, however, she didn't really let me have any consoles, when that switch from the arcade era to the console era happened.I think she was a little bit influenced from the Asian culture and didn't want me to be getting too loose on academics. But when I got the computer, that's when I started really getting back to gaming. She didn't know I was playing games, but I was really into that. And then when Doom came out, that's when I really also started getting into online gaming, which is a big part of the reason why I'm so into PVP and competitive gaming.Chris Erwin:So your mom was a gamer and she would take you to the arcades in Seoul. What were the types of games that you guys liked to play together? And was this just something special that you and your mom did? Or was it a whole family outing that you did with your mom and dad and your siblings?Taehoon Kim:My dad didn't really like games, so it was just me and my mom. And she was really into Galaga and getting on the top of the leaderboard there. Oftentimes, I would watch her play and I would also try, but I wasn't as good as her. So I mean, I would mostly try to beat a record, but I couldn't. That's how I got into it early on.Chris Erwin:Did you also go to the arcade with a lot of your peers growing up when you were in Korea? And did any of your peers parents play? Or was it kind of like, I have the cool mom, she's into gaming, and we'd go do that on the weekends?Taehoon Kim:Oh, later on when I got older and I got in elementary school, yes, I definitely did go to the arcade with my friends. And then later on, in Seoul, arcades turned into PC bang. I'm not sure if you heard of it, but it's like the room full of PCs and it would play PC games there. I mean, I got in earlier than my friends, because of my mom.Chris Erwin:Remind me, what was the reason that you guys came to Vancouver from Korea?Taehoon Kim:I'm not a 100% sure if this is the real reason, but my parents would always tell me it's because I wasn't really fitting well with the type of education in Korea, where it was more, much more strict and less creative. They wanted us, me and my brother, to get a Western education. I think it turned out to be good for me, I guess.Chris Erwin:Do you remember when you were kind of joined the academic and the school system in Vancouver, I know it was at a young age, you were about 10 years old, you said, did you feel that that was like, "Hey, this is immediately different and I really like it and enjoy it"? Or was it nerve-wracking for you to make such a big change in your life to be uprooted at such a young age? What were you feeling at that time?Taehoon Kim:It was immediately different, lot less grinding. Even at third or fourth grade, back in Seoul, it was pretty tough. After school was over at 5:00 PM, I still had to go to all these after school programs until 9:00 PM or something like that. And I didn't do the homework afterwards and everybody was doing it. So there was a lot of peer pressure for parents to also put their kids to the same kind of rigorous program. And when I was in Vancouver, I didn't have to do any of that. So it felt more free and math was a lot easier.Chris Erwin:Math was a lot easier in Vancouver.Taehoon Kim:You know how crazy it is for Asian countries with math early on.Chris Erwin:So you're probably the top of your class. You were such a standout, and I bet at a young age that was pretty fun because it was easy to you too.Taehoon Kim:People thought I was super smart. I wasn't, it was just that I started earlier doing more hard stuff in math. It wasn't necessarily that was smarter. But again, on the other subject, because my English was suffering, I had to get a lot of help. So I would help them in math and they would help me with the other subjects.Chris Erwin:And you mentioned that in Western education there's also probably more emphasis on using the creative part of your brain as well, and balancing that out with the math or the quantitative side. What did that look like to you as you were going through middle school and high school before you went to college? Any specific applications or stories stand out?Taehoon Kim:Yeah, one thing that stood out to me was how a lot of the homeworks and assignments were project based and group based. Where teamwork mattered, and I would have to work with two or three other students to do a project, where we had a lot of freedom to create what we wanted. And the fact that there's no right answers. And it was really weird for me at the beginning, but I got used to it later on. But I think that's kind of a key difference. And at least at that time.Chris Erwin:During your teenage years and coming of age, before you go to Cornell, what was the gaming culture in Vancouver? And what was your role in it?Taehoon Kim:Early '90s when the console wars were happening with Nintendo and Sega, and there was a lot of cool things happening there, but I didn't get to really partake in that. My parents didn't allow me to have consoles. But same things were happening in the PC gaming, especially without modems and the early stage of internet happened. Me and my friends, we got started with Wolfenstein, which was mind blowing.Chris Erwin:Oh, I remember Wolfenstein, it was one of the earliest first person shooters on a PC.Taehoon Kim:It was mind blowing. It was the first game to really utilize 3D spaces in the way it did. But then the real game changer was Doom because you can... Even with the slow modem, I think it was an amazing feat, think about it now, with limited technology and networking, I could dial into, using my modem, and then connect with my friends, and I could play PVP. And that was when the gaming was the most fun for me, actually, playing with friends live. And I would play it late until night early in the morning, over and over again, the same map.Chris Erwin:I remember playing Wolfenstein at my friend's place, shout out, Adam Sachs. And then I also remember playing Doom, and I remember having the cheat codes where I can go into God mode.Taehoon Kim:Oh, right.Chris Erwin:And I was invincible and I could play with five different types of guns, including the rocket launcher. I can specifically remember from my youth some of the different levels. And sitting at my PC station kind of right next to my family's common room. Those are very fun memories. I don't think I was ever doing... I was never live playing with friends. Were you able to do that within the Doom platform? Or were you using a third party application on top of that?Taehoon Kim:I think it was within the Doom platform. It's pretty amazing. Doom was a fast game, so the fact that it worked, it was amazing. When Quake came out, afterwards, that's when I think e-sports was really ended up becoming more serious and people were going to playing at a more higher tier. But that's when I got out of FPS and dove into fighting games.Chris Erwin:Got it. You moved to Vancouver, you're a standout in school, on the math side just because of all your training in Korea. And you're learning about work in these more kind of project based environments or team based work, where there's also a lot of freedom for collaboration. You end up going to Cornell. When you were applying to school, what was your intention? Did you have a very clear focus of, "This is what I want my career to look like, so this is what I'm going to study in undergrad"? Or was it a bit more free flowing?Taehoon Kim:I really wanted to go into a top engineering school. I knew that was what I wanted to do. I wanted to study electrical engineering or computer science, and I was looking at Cornell, MIT, Stanford, they had really good engineering programs. And I knew that the playing online games and doing a lot of mods and all that stuff in the computer, and looking at kind of the early stage of internet, I knew that was going to be a big thing later on. My goal was to kind of get into that sector by studying engineering or information technology.Chris Erwin:Was there any certain moments when you were at Cornell that to help to point you in kind of this gaming leadership, gaming entrepreneurship career path that you've now been on for the last couple decades?Taehoon Kim:Well, a couple things happened. I was good at math. I was good at engineering, and internet was happening. And then one thing I didn't talk about was that I was also really good at art. At one point, I even thought about going to art school. I think it was because of my mom's side of the family, a lot of artists. And I think it was the DNA from my mom's side. What I love about gaming was the fact that you can kind of combine technology and my love for technology and also my love for art.And when I graduated, Cornell, started work at Samsung and there was an opportunity to go into a new gaming. That's when it clicked for me. I was like, "Wow, I really want to get into this industry. It's as both of what I love." But at Cornell, because we had super fast ethernet, a lot of people were playing StarCraft at that time. And that's how I saw the world in terms of, "Wow, these type of massively play online games. I mean, RPGs or games where you can play competitively is going to be a big thing."Chris Erwin:I don't want to date you TK, if that's uncomfortable, but around what time period was this? What year was this around?Taehoon Kim:College was from 1997 to 2002.Chris Erwin:I have to ask, too, when you say that you almost went to art school, and that you had a passion for arts, since it's very early on, what type of art applications? Was it painting? Was it drawing? Was it sculpture? Was it something completely different? What did that look like?Taehoon Kim:Sculpture, I was good, but I didn't excel at it. I was mainly good at sketching, painting, and doing just a lot of creative art, concept art, which is a big part of game development, actually.Chris Erwin:Your first role, what you did for work right after Cornell was you went to Samsung, and there you were a product manager where you helped start Samsung's smartphone business, and you're also a product manager for next-gen mobile gaming. And as you said, this was exciting to you, because you saw gaming as the intersection of technology and art. Tell us how that first role came to be and kind of what you focused on there.Taehoon Kim:I was part of a team called new business development team. Group of 13 people, and our job was to create next-gen businesses. Three businesses that we isolated as something that we should work on was telematics, which is using the map data to help people and navigations and bring new technologies to the car. Second one was smartphone business, taking some of the operating systems from PDAs at the time and then moving that over to the phone. And then third one was gaming, because Nokia was going big with gaming at that time. And Samsung was second to Nokia in market share and someone wanted to do whatever Nokia was doing at that time.So those were three main things. And I got into the gaming side after one of the first business trips was to San Jose, which at that time was hosting GDC, Game Developer Conference. And it was my first time going to GDC. And, yeah, I was just fascinated with the group. It was engineers, artists, players, developers, publishers. And that community really fascinated me, and that's when I decided, "Hey, I really want to be part of this group. I want to get into gaming." So I came back and said, "Hey, I want to take on this project." And a lot of my peers were avoiding the gaming sector, because they knew that was difficult. And Samsung previously tried to do a console and it failed. So they knew it was difficult, but I wanted to get into it. I was super excited to get into it.Chris Erwin:Was it hard to convince your leadership, just based on the past challenges that Samsung had, to do it? Or did they just say, "Hey, TK, sure if you have an idea, see what you can do and then come back to us"?Taehoon Kim:Well, the leadership really wanted to do it mainly because Nokia at the time, that's when they launched their first gaming phone called N-Gage. I'm not sure if a lot of people remember, but it was a really weird device. They launched that business, and it was getting a lot of press. And our CEO was like, "We also have to a quick follow, and we have to get into gaming phones as well." So it was but different from what they did in the past, because it wasn't just a pure console, it's a smartphone plus a gaming device.So it was a completely different type of environment at that time compared to when they were doing console. But nonetheless, because gaming is a [inaudible 00:14:06] driven and also because it's a tough business, my peers were, "Hey, I want to be in another sector." So it was less competitive for me to take on that project.Chris Erwin:So that must have been pretty exciting. Your first role out of school, you work for a very large technology company that essentially gives you as a young in your career a mandate. It's like, "Hey, TK, you know what? You want to go forward and figure out a new gaming business line for Samsung? You got the green light to go and do it." That must have felt pretty good. And I think you were there for a few years. What did you accomplish? And then what was the reason for why you decided to move on from that opportunity?Taehoon Kim:It was a very unique opportunity for me. I think I got lucky being at the right place at the right time, because that's when Samsung was really taking off as a global brand name. That's when they first overtook Sony in brand value. And that's when the consumers were looking at the brand more than as a microwave company, and a major player in the IT space. And that's when they were also hiring a lot of people from overseas.And I did both undergrad and master's program at Cornell. And when I was in my masters, I got to know the founders of Palm, which was also a Cornell EE grad, through my professor. I got really stuck into Palm OS. I was semi expert with the Palm OS. I think that's why they hired me, because Samsung was the first major mobile manufacturer to adopt the Palm OS into their phone. And then the second thing is, because at that time Samsung's culture was still, it wasn't easy for Western certain people to... A lot of people from the US schools starting there, they weren't lasting that long. So it was hard for me as well, but I kind of decided, "Hey, I'm going to really make sure that I can stick around and tough it out."Chris Erwin:I think this is another important point for the listeners is that you are also building another company that you had founded while you were at Samsung called IvyConnection. Is that right?Taehoon Kim:Right.Chris Erwin:I like this because I think this is the beginning of a ongoing theme in your career that you are a builder and you're a founder. You're working at a full-time role, you're also building something on the side. And then this leads to, I think, some other big entrepreneurial ambitions kind of later on that we'll get to. But tell us quickly about IvyConnection.Taehoon Kim:IvyConnection kind of came out of the school project that was doing at Cornell, my master's program. At first, it was supposed to be a platform to connect tutors and students. And then I quickly realized, when I got to Seoul that there were a lot of parents who were looking to send their kids overseas to top schools, and they didn't know that things were different over there in terms how admissions worked. So I kind of created the category, which is a huge category is now it was the first company to do it. And so we did get a lot of demand. I started that right before I started working at Samsung, and it was just continuously growing. I recruited a whole bunch of my friends, and I had them kind of run the company. I was a co-founder, and while working at Samsung, I was advising and helping the growth.Chris Erwin:It's amazing, because you describe at Samsung it was a very brutal work culture at the headquarters. So you're probably working very long hours, very demanding, and then you're also building something on the side. It's like when did you have time to sleep?Taehoon Kim:I was young though, so I didn't need... I was happy to just work, until I was young and single. I was at my early 20s, so it was not problem for me. But, yeah, it was pretty brutal. We had to get to work right at 8:00 AM and the system kind of keeps record of exactly when you get into the company. And then you also had to come out on Saturdays for half a day.Chris Erwin:I did not realize that, that's the expectation across... Is that across all companies in Korea, as part of the work culture and the work norms? Or is that just unique to Samsung?Taehoon Kim:I think what's pretty unique to Samsung. I think at that time chairman wanted us to start early. You basically only have one day weekend.Chris Erwin:And for you, where you're also building another company on the side, it's almost like you never had time that you weren't working or very little bit, most likely. So you're at Samsung for about three years, but then you transition to Realtime Worlds. Explain why did you transition from your Samsung role? And what were you building at Realtime Worlds?Taehoon Kim:As I said, I was a project manager for a new gaming platform, and part of my job was also to source content for the device. And I remember playing Lemmings and I met the creator of Lemons, Dave Jones who just sold DMA Design and created Realtime Worlds. And I try to convince him to create games for my platform, but him and his co-founder, they ended up recruiting me. They're like, "Hey, join us. We just started Realtime Worlds, and we'd love to get your help, because we want to get into online gaming. And you have a lot more exposure to online gaming from Seoul, from Korea. So we wanted to be part of this exciting venture." So I decided to leave Samsung and joined them.Chris Erwin:How was that experience? Was it a similar work culture? Did you feel your past experience was very helpful and so you got in there and you're like you knew exactly what to do? Or was it still a very steep learning curve at that point in your career?Taehoon Kim:It was a steep learning curve for me, in terms of game development, because I have never done game development. Because Realtime Worlds is a game developer and publisher. That's right around when they just signed a contact with Microsoft for a game called Crackdown. It was like a souped up version of GTA. Dave Jones was also the creator and designer of GTA, the original GTA 1 and 2. So it was creating a similar game. And they had ambition to also create an online version of GTA, which is where I got involved.I got one of the large publishers in Korea called Webzen to do a publishing deal to fund portion of development for the GTA online project, and be a publisher for that. So they wanted me to create the Asia branch for Realtime Worlds, they called it Realtime World Korea. I started the studio here in Seoul, recruited some engineers and designers and also did biz dev work to get that publishing deal with Webzen.Chris Erwin:And I think also one of the highlights from your time there is that, did you also help to raise money from NEA, in your role at the company as you guys were growing?Taehoon Kim:Oh, yes. My professor from Cornell, he was friends with the founder of NEA, and he knew a lot of VCs. And Realtime Worlds was based in Scotland, and they knew very little about Silicon Valley. So I told him, "Hey, we're doing something amazing here and online gaming is a new sector, so I think we should be able to raise some money." So I created the deck, which I learned from school on how to do, so created a deck, created a business plan, and then flew over to Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park and pitched to a few VCs including NEA. I was surprised. I was like, it was fairly easy at that time to raise money. NEA decided to, all by themselves, bring $30 million into the company and we didn't even have product launched at that time.Chris Erwin:This is pre-product. Did you go to Sand Hill Road by yourself? Or did you have a support team? Or was the company leadership saying, "Hey, TK, you know what you're doing here, you have the connections, go make this happen by yourself"?Taehoon Kim:It was just me at the beginning. It was just me by myself, just trying it out, because the first meeting is exploratory anyways. So at the beginning it was me. They love what they saw, and then afterwards it was like everybody, all the partners from the NEA side and also everyone from our side. At the beginning, it was just me.Chris Erwin:Wow. Did you enjoy the fundraising process? I mean, it seems like you're wearing so many hats, you're doing business development, you're fundraising, you're also building out different offices as part of the core game development practice. Was there something that you felt like you were gravitating towards more specifically? Or did you like doing it all and having a broad top down view of the company?Taehoon Kim:Yeah, I think the reason I ended up taking the fundraising process is because I actually enjoyed the process. A lot of people hate it, because part of the fundraising process is just being comfortable with getting rejected. But I didn't mind that at all. I'm like, "Fine [inaudible 00:21:57]." And big part of the process is also not only selling, but knowing what they're looking for. So I got really good at researching all the VCs, and instead of having one deck and just one approach for all the VCs, I would custom create the deck for each of the VCs, and only target the top tier ones. I quickly realized that it's actually easier to raise money from the top tier VCs than the second or third tier VCs, surprisingly. And that approach really worked, and I love the process.Chris Erwin:Why is it easier to raise money from top VCs versus tier two, tier three?Taehoon Kim:It's actually simple. The top tier VCs are able to make decisions on their own, even though it seems odd or different or something that doesn't seem intuitive. They are able to say, "Hey, we're going to take a bet on this," and they can make a quick decision. The second and third tier VCs are always looking to see what others are doing. They're always looking for validation. They're always looking to see what the first tier guys are doing.So a lot more due diligence, it takes a lot more work, and they kind of beat around the bush a lot more. They take a lot longer to make their decisions. And a lot of times they bring in other VCs to co-lead or see what they think. So it's actually a lot more work to get them to lead. So if you have a great product and you have a good vision, then just go to the top tier guys. Go straight to top to your guys. They'll be able to make a much quicker and faster decision.Chris Erwin:That's a great insight. TK, though, I do have to say yet again, while you're at Realtime Worlds, I think the same year that you start working there, is 2005, you also are the co-founder of another company called Nurien Software. So yet again, you're working at a company, it's a very big role, you're working across a variety of different company functions, but you're also building something on the side. Is that right?Taehoon Kim:Right. Yeah.Chris Erwin:What was Nurien Software?Taehoon Kim:So Nurien Software was actually a spinoff off of the Realtime Worlds' Korea office. Dave Jones, he introduced me to the guys at Epic Games, and that's when they were launching on Unreal Engine 3. And he also introduced me to another studio who was doing a music game, and that kind of clicked for me. I was like, "Hey, what if we take Unreal Engine 3, which is very high graphics fidelity, which is usually used for like MMORPGs and then create a music game out of it, because the music is to be very visual." And they wanted this to be kind of separate. So I decided to be make it, instead of doing it Realtime Worlds Korea made it into a separate one.And that also started to get momentum. And it turns out music plus gaming was a huge thing, especially in Asia. Just as we were starting the development for, we call it MStar, a music based MMO, another game called Audition just took off massively in China. It was doing a billion a year. It was a tough time for me because Realtime Worlds and Nurien Software, at the same time, was kind of taking off.Chris Erwin:And again, for Nurien Software, you also led a $25 million fundraise from NEA and top VCs.Taehoon Kim:I pitched them on Friday, and they told me they were in on Monday. So it was crazy times. That's when online gaming was really taking off. So it was actually, it's not just me, but it was much easier to raise money at that time.Chris Erwin:Probably, again, working a lot, building, not a lot of sleep. You're running both these companies. And then Nurien Software sells in 2010 to Netmarble CJ E&M. And what was the end result for Realtime Worlds? What happened to that company?Taehoon Kim:I was only running both companies for a short period of time. So right after Nurien Software got funded, the board wanted me to focus on the new VCs, and Nurien Software wanted me to focus on Nurien Software. So I helped Realtime Worlds find a replacement for me, and I left Realtime Worlds, and I was full-time at Nurien.Chris Erwin:Hey, listeners, this is Chris Erwin, your host of The Come Up. I have a quick ask for you, if you dig what we're putting down, if you like the show, if you like our guests, it would really mean a lot, if you can give us a rating wherever you listen to our show. It helps other people discover our work, and it also really supports what we do here. All right, that's it everybody. Let's get back to the interview.Taking a step back, so, TK, you're part of these very exciting companies. The leadership and the founders clearly, really believe in you, and think you are someone special. So they're giving you the green light to essentially co-found spinoffs, and then go raise additional venture funding for that. Did you feel at this point in your early career that you're like, "I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. This is an exciting path, These are growing industries. I'm good at it. I have the right international connections. And now it's time where I want to double down on this, and I'm going to be an entrepreneur. I see white space in these gaming markets, and I want to build towards that. And I'm going to go raise capital to make that happen." What was going through your head? Because it feels like the story that you're telling is so exciting for someone to be at your career stage. What were you feeling?Taehoon Kim:That's when I realized that this act of dreaming something up, raising money for it, and actually launching it and seeing it become real and seeing a product go live, and enjoyed by millions of people, is just really fulfilling. And it's something that I knew that I wanted to continue doing. It's something that I really enjoy.So even to this day, that's the main reason that I'm doing this. Well, it's more than financially driven motives. I just love creating new things and bringing it out to people and surprising people and seeing them delighted. It makes all the hard work worthwhile, and it's a very kind of thrilling experience for me. And that's when I realized, "Hey, I want to do this long term. This is what I'm good at. Coming out with new ideas and getting it funded and launching it." Not all of them are successful, but that's fine. The act of doing it is a reward.Chris Erwin:Very well said. So I think, was it that mindset, I think, a company that you did found and you worked at for one to two years before nWay was Pixelberry. What was the quick take on Pixelberry? What was that?Taehoon Kim:So Pixelberry was also a spinoff from Nurien Software. Nurien Software was an MMO company, so, as I said, it was using Unreal Engine 3. It was still very heavy. You had to download a big client, and run it on pc. And back in 2009, 2010, that's when social gaming and hyper-accessible gaming was taken off. So Pixelberry, at the beginning, was an experiment to try to bring over a lot of the core technologies built at Nurien Software and make them more accessible, and make it so that people can just instantly play on a browser.And the first game that we tried to do was a fashion game, because we realized from launching MStar, which was a music MMO, the best way to monetize those games were through, we're making a lot of money by selling clothing for the avatars, selling fashion, in other words. So we wanted to create a game, a social game, focused on creating fashion and selling fashion.Chris Erwin:I didn't realize that Pixelberry was also a spinoff of Nurien Software. So it seems that you had a really good thing going with the founding team of Lemmings that created Realtime Worlds. There was a lot of market opportunity. The founders really believed in you, and you had all these different ways, as you said, to kind of create and innovate as the gaming markets were evolving, and bring these incredible gaming experiences to users. And I think you were part of that team for almost six years, from 2005 to 2011. What was the catalyst that caused you to break off from that, start the venture that you still run today, which is nWay?Taehoon Kim:I was doing Pixelberry and it wasn't doing that well, mainly because, me as a gamer, didn't really enjoy fashion games that much. Maybe that was the reason. Or maybe because the industry was kind of changing rapidly, but it wasn't doing that well. Zynga and a handful of others were kind of dominating the social gaming space. And the co-founders of Realtime Worlds, Dave Jones and Tony Harman, at that time, just sold realtime worlds to GamersFirst. And they're like, "Hey, TK, let's start a new company together." And that's when I kind of jumped at the opportunity, because I really wanted to work with those guys again. And that's when nWay was founded.Chris Erwin:Oh, got it. So Dave and Tony are part of the founding team of nWay?Taehoon Kim:Yes, the three of us that were the founders [inaudible 00:30:16].Chris Erwin:So I think what would be helpful for the listeners is to explain what was the initial vision for nWay, when you, Dave, and Tony were coming together to found the company. What was your vision for what you wanted to build?Taehoon Kim:By that time, I did a lot of different type of games, did [inaudible 00:30:31] mobile gaming at Samsung, I did MMOs, PC MMOs Unreal Engine 3, and then also browser based games at Pixelberry. And the vision at nWay was like, "Hey, a lot of people are becoming gamers now through new technologies, new devices, mobile was really taking off. People were playing games on mobile browsers, smart TVs, and there was new technologies to bring them all together." So the vision was, "Hey, let's go back to the type of games that we love. Let's go back to the days when we were playing Doom online, and playing fighting games with other live players. Let's bring competitive gaming, let's bring real time multiplier gaming to the emerging platforms." So that was the vision.Let's create new technologies to bring console quality, competitive multiplier games that could run on mobile browsers, smart TVs, where people can kind of play together regardless of what device they were on." That turned out to be a big thing, these days with Fortnite and Minecraft, everybody's playing crossplay games. Your friend is on tablet, somebody else is on a Nintendo Switch, and you can play together.Chris Erwin:Okay, so when you start out, that's the vision. So where do you start? What was the first steps? Is it pre-product, we're going to go raise money, and put together a team? Or in the beginning of it self-finance and you were working on a certain game or a certain platform? What were your first early moves?Taehoon Kim:I took a lot of the learnings from the previous products. So by then I knew how to make games that would run on multiple devices. I knew it wasn't easy, but we wanted to do a quick prototype of an action RPG game, where it can have four player co-op and two player PVP mode that would run on a mobile phone and a browser. We were able to create a quick prototype in about six weeks, and the prototype, it did all the selling for us.Because I could just show it to the investors, "Hey, look, I'm over here. There's another guy on a mobile device, there's another guy on another device." And they could see that we're all synchronized, and they could see that it was a very fast action game. A lot of them were blown away at how there was low latency and running so fast just over the internet. And so we were able to raise money from the top tier VCs. But at the same time, 2011, 2012 was a period of time when there were a lot of acquisitions happening, and we were also getting a lot of acquisition offers at the same time, that complicated the process.Chris Erwin:So six weeks into building a prototype, you're fundraising on Sand Hill Road, but you're also getting inbounds from companies that want to buy your business that early.Taehoon Kim:Yeah. They saw the prototype and immediately give us ridiculous offers to buy the company. It was basically VCs and companies trying to buy us competing, which helped the valuation to go up.Chris Erwin:All right. So a couple questions on that. It's really interesting. One, were you at a point, because you've successfully raised money from Silicon Valley investors, you've had exits for them, where you and the investment funds made money. Were you able at that point, where you felt like you could walk into a room, do a product demo, you didn't need to show up with a deck and they would say, "Yeah, this sounds great, TK, we're going to give you money"? Were you at that point or were you still running a formal process? You show up with the business plan and everything?Taehoon Kim:We didn't need the business plan anymore, but we still need a deck. By then, I just became really an expert on how to create a simple deck that walked through the business, and I knew what type of prototype need to be created to fundraise. It was a simple 15 to 20 slides deck plus a quick demo. And simpler story the better, is this basically a storytelling deck walkthrough, why you're able to do what you're doing now. Why it hasn't been done until now. And then you talk about the market and how big the market would get, show a quick prototype, and talk about the technologies involved. And that was pretty much it.Chris Erwin:You're getting these incredible inbounds from companies who want to buy you, plus, you're also raising from venture capitalists. How did you and the two other founders come together to decide, do we sell or do we not sell?Taehoon Kim:The VCs helped us with that as well, maybe because they were trying to convince us to maybe take their deal. But they would let us know what each of the companies are like, and they would connect us to founders who have sold to that company previously. And I was able to pick their brains or interview them. We decided, "Hey, we really want to try this on our own." So we decided to take the VC route. And I think at that time that was, the VC was Lightspeed Ventures, who gave us a good term sheet and we decided to sign that term sheet.And the reason in the beginning I told you why things became complicated is because after we signed the term sheet with Lightspeed, one of their portfolio companies, KIXEYE, they also decided that they wanted to buy us. And they give us an offer we rejected, and then they got really mad at Lightspeed Ventures asking them why they're funding a company that could be a competitor to them. And KIXEYE basically threatened to sue them if they invested in us. So at the last minute it kind of fell apart.Chris Erwin:Oh, so Lightspeed did not end up investing in you at that point.Taehoon Kim:So imagine this Zynga gave us an offer, a pretty good offer to buy us. We rejected Zynga's offer and signed with Lightspeed, but Lightspeed couldn't follow through because of KIXEYE. I'm thankful to them because at that time they actually gave me a check for a million dollars, it was like a loan, with no interest rate.Chris Erwin:Lightspeed gave it to you?Taehoon Kim:Yeah, I was really surprised by this. They were like, "Hey, we need to talk." I met them at a coffee shop, and they like, "Hey, here's a check for million dollars. I'm really sorry to have wasted your time, and take this money and use it to give more time to find another investor, because it's not your fault that this deal kind of fell through." So if we didn't get that, it would've been a lot harder for us. Because we did spend a lot of time, a lot of cycles with them, and that meant we had less time to finish the fundraising. That million dollar check, give us more time.Chris Erwin:Think about that million dollar Check is an incredible marketing for Lightspeed as being a go-to partner, as a tier one VC, right? Because one, for you, TK, in your career, knowing that they did that, that they had your back, they understood the challenging situation that they put you in. And they were very direct with you about how they want to do a make good. Next time you go need to go raise money for the next thing that you found, are you probably going to have a conversation with Lightspeed? I would say the answer is yes.Taehoon Kim:Yeah, became really good friends with them. But isn't that incredible? They don't know if they're going to get the million dollar back. What if we fail, and we just kind of go bankrupt or whatever, and then I have to pay them back? But they were, "Hey, here's a million dollars, there's no interest rate. You can pay us back time."Chris Erwin:I agree, it is amazing. I think what they were putting a price tag on was, we want to be in the TK business. We want to be in business with Dave and Tony. And so this is not the last time that we're going to have a chance to invest in a company that could make them millions, if not billions of dollars. And so they said, "We're going to invest in that relationship," and probably a $1 million check to them was easy money, right?Taehoon Kim:Yeah.Chris Erwin:That's amazing. I've never heard of something like that before, but I totally get why they did it. That's incredible. So I understand that Lightspeed and other venture firms were introducing you to founders who had sold their businesses to these potential acquirers of your business. What was one or two things that you learned that made you decide, "I don't want to sell right now"?Taehoon Kim:They were describing to me the culture of the company, because once you sell, you're basically getting a job at that company. And if there's a culture fit, that's great. But if it's a different type of culture, then maybe you won't enjoy it as much. Again, I was doing it because I love that process because the actual act of creating and launching is what's rewarding for us. So I think that's main reason why we decided, "Hey, maybe we shouldn't sell." But after Lightspeed thing fell through, we were like, "Oh, maybe we should have sold." Right after that million dollar check and that conversation, literally, the next day or two days from then I was able to get another term sheet from another VC. So this one is actually a funny story. So I was really upset when Lightspeed thing fell through. I went out drinking with my friends, and I got hammered that night. I had another VC pitch the next morning. I was so hungover that during the presentation I threw up three times, and I was doing a pitch.Chris Erwin:During the pitch.Taehoon Kim:Yeah, during the pitch, I would say, "Excuse me, I went to the bathroom." I would throw up, come back, continue the pitch. And I did that three times, and whenever I made that trip to the bathroom, people were kind of laughing at me, who were at the front desk. I did the presentation 9:00 AM, I came home and I was, "Oh, my God, I totally screwed that up." I fell asleep. I woke up at 4:00 PM, got a call at 5:00 PM saying that he was in. So I was like, "What the..." Because I told him the story of what happened as well, so he said, "Hey, all that stuff just added more color to your storytelling," and then he was in.But then later I realized that the reason he was able to make quick decision, this is a Baseline Ventures, by the way. Baseline Venture was, it was a very unique firm that they had one partner, so they were able to make decision very quickly. And I pitched to them, I think, two days after Instagram was acquired by Facebook. So Baseline was in a flush with cash and they were very happy about the outcome. And so I think that's one of the reasons why they were also able to make a bet, and make that decision very quickly. I literally made a pitch 9:00 AM, and then got a call 5:00 PM saying, they wanted to put in the money. Usually, it doesn't happen that way, but it was a really weird period of time in my life.Chris Erwin:No incredible in a situation in which you thought that that was probably the worst pitch that you've ever given in your life, because you're running to the bathroom to throw up. It turns out that it was, at least one of the more impressive pitches in converting a VC into someone who has interest within just a handful of hours. So it just goes to show you got to stay resilient. And you're human, you just went through this traumatic event where Lightspeed pulled out at the last minute, so you need to go blow off some steam. You go out boozing with your buddies, but you come back the next morning, you put your game face on, and you do what you got to do. That's an incredible story. Thank you for sharing that.So then you raised the money from Baseline, and a few others, and then when did you feel, "Okay, we turned down some initial inbound offers to buy the company," but when did you feel that you really started to get some real momentum that showed you and the other founders, "Hey, we have something much bigger here"? What did that look like?Taehoon Kim:That's when mobile gaming was becoming more serious and evolving from just casual Match 3 games to a device that could run any type of game. So that's when we really got a lot of momentum. So the first prototype they created, I told you it was a four player co-op plus a PVP action RPG game. So we continued to develop on that prototype. We called the game ChronoBlade, and when we had a much more alpha version of the game, that's when things were really blowing up in Asia for RPG games and mobile.And during GDC, when a lot of the publishers were in San Francisco, we had publishers after publishers lined up, literally, signing offers on a napkin table and presenting us, "Here's how much we were willing to pay for MGM and royalty fees for your game." And we were able to just pick from the top tier ones. So we had offer from Tencent, NetEase, Netmarble, the biggest and the best. That was at the point in the company when we knew that things were becoming really serious.Chris Erwin:What year was that?Taehoon Kim:I think that was like 2013, about a year after fundraising.Chris Erwin:Seven years later you do end up selling the company to Animoca. How did that come to be?Taehoon Kim:Oh, this is a complicated story. So in 2018 there was a company called Tron, it's a big blockchain company, who moved in right above our office space. And that company was just taking off like crazy and they had happy hours, they had events. As neighbors we would show up, and that's how we kind of learned about blockchain space, and merging blockchain with gaming could be a new thing. And at that time it was getting really difficult to monetize competitive games because the game has to be fair. So we can't sell things that's [inaudible 00:42:30] base, it can only sell cosmetics. And we were always trying to find new ways to innovate on how to monetize those type of games.And we quickly realized, "Hey, if we can make items in the games that players can earn into NFTs, and if the players can kind of trade NPS items among themselves, and we don't have to even sell them, they can get them in the game, and then exchange from themselves," which was already happening in the MMORPG space anyways. And if we can charge a transaction fee for each of the trades, that could be a model where we didn't have to do any of the [inaudible 00:43:01] box stuff that the players didn't like, and have a enough steady and viable business model.And that's how we got into the blockchain space. At the same time, Animoca was investing like crazy into anything related to the blockchain. It's when I met Yat Siu, the chairman of Animoca, and we kind of hit it off. But funny thing happened to my board at that time, I've never seen this happen. I had a five member board, and our lead investor, our biggest investor at the time, Bridge Ventures, which was a IDG Ventures US, who renamed themselves Bridge Ventures, and they separated from IDG. And so they had to raise their own LPs, and their LPs looked at their investment portfolio and said, "Hey, you do a lot of gaming, you do a lot of enterprise, maybe you guys should pick one instead doing both."And they decided to pick enterprise and get out of gaming. But the partner at Bridge Ventures who was on our board, basically, said, "Hey, then what am I going to do?" And he ended up leaving with Bridge Ventures to create a new VC fund called Griffin. Now it's like the biggest gaming fund by the way, but he left. And then TransLink Ventures, which was our second biggest investor, partner from TransLink Ventures for another whole separate reason, he ended up leaving TransLink. And so he was gone. And then our third board member, Peter Levin from Lionsgate, he ended up leaving Lionsgate. So he was gone from the board. So three of our biggest board members all left for different reasons around at the same time, and they were all replaced by new people and the mandate was to get out of gaming. All of a sudden, boom, my board was gone.And so they wanted to get out. They wanted to sell the company. So when I went met with Yat Siu, I hit it off with the Yat, and I thought it would be amazing to work together. And that's how the deal went through. If it was the same board and then there wasn't that kind of shake up at the board level, I'm not sure if I'd be able to sell the company, probably would've been the state of independent. But because of that and the special circumstance, the deal was able to go through. So that was a good thing for Animoca.Chris Erwin:Good thing for Animoca. But if it was up to you, you would've stayed independent for at least a few years longer, because you saw a bigger opportunity ahead, right?Taehoon Kim:Yeah. If it wasn't for that shake, I probably would've stayed independent. But looking back now, I'm thinking that it was a good thing to kind of join forces with Animoca. Right after we joined forces with Animoca, Animoca went through a growth phase. I've never seen a company grow that fast. They basically went from a $100 million valuation to the $6 billion valuation in like two years. They were doubling in valuation every three months. It was kind of nuts. It was really fun to be part of that ride. And right now it's an amazing partnership.Chris Erwin:In that sale, was it a cash and equity deal? So are you able to participate in this crazy run that Animoca's had?Taehoon Kim:It was mostly equity, so it was a huge upside for the investors.Chris Erwin:Got it. A final note before we get to the rapid fire section is now that you're partnered up with Animoca, what do you see as the future for nWay and what you're building together? What gets you excited? And what is some recent success that you want to be building upon?Taehoon Kim:I'm super excited about what we're doing. I think that we're still very early stage with about three, and this whole kind of digital ownership revolution that we're going through. I think there are opportunities for companies like us to develop and publish online games where players can truly own things. I don't want to make a game where it's like an instrument for people to just make money, but I do think that there's something special about being able to really own some of the items that you're playing with. I think it adds meaning, and when you have ownership you just get more attached to things. And so our vision right now is to create more meaningful entertainment through real games that players can play and also have ownership in. And we're going to be doing a lot of experiments and try to really bring together the Web3 community and the gamers under one community.Chris Erwin:And I know something that you've talked about is some recent wins and partnerships and games that you've done is the International Olympic Committee you published Sean White NFTs, likely a powerful marketing engine for that. And then also you have a Power Rangers game, and a game with the WWE. Do you have similar type projects that are upcoming that build on top of these?Taehoon Kim:So Power Rangers and WWE, those are just regular free to play games. They don't have any blockchain or NFT components in there. The innovation there was to have a game where people can just quickly pick up and play and immediately play with another player. Power Rangers especially was super successful. We had over 80 millions downloads, and I think it's in two year five now, and it's continuously profitable. So the game's been amazing.With the Olympic game, we were able to meet with IOC right when their decades long exclusivity with Nintendo and Sega was coming to an end. And so they wanted to explore a new type of game partnerships. One thing that they were noticing is that the younger audience, who were not watching TV anymore was caring less about Olympics and they wanted to focus on bringing the younger audience into caring more about their brand. And they also at the same time noticed that the younger audience are on Fortnite and Minecraft and they're playing games that are crossplay.So they were looking for a game developer or game development partnership where they could have their game run on multiple devices at the same time. And a real time game where people can play to have a social experience. And as you know that's like right on our sweet spot. We were able to prove that we have some of the best kind of technology to make that happen. With another Power Rangers game called Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid, I think it's still is the only fighting game in the world where it runs on everywhere, the runs on Xbox, PlayStation, and the Switch. It even ones on a browser through Stadia. And it's a really fast action game and you can play together with anybody on any device, and there's no lag and there's no [inaudible 00:48:45] issues.So they saw that and they were like, "Hey, we want to partner with you guys." I threw them curve ball and said, "We want to partner with you guys, but we also want to add this thing called NFTs. And we think that there's a 100-year-old tradition that's already there with your brand. When people go to the Olympics they still trade the Olympic pins. We want to make the pins into NFTs, also integrate them to the game, so that when people collect these NFT pins, they could use it in the game to give them a boost in the game." To my surprise, even though they are a very conservative organization, we won the RFP, and they wanted to partner with us. And we launched the project and we got a lot of press from that. And that was a really fun project to launch.Chris Erwin:And I just have to ask, this is a minor detail, but this 100-year-old tradition about trading Olympic pins, are these pins like representative? If you're from the United States and you go to the Olympics, you're wearing a US pin, and then the different athletes will trade them amongst themselves. Is that how that works?Taehoon Kim:Well, there's tons of variety of pins created from poster artworks, emblems, mascots, Coca-Cola always creates Olympic pins together. But the tradition got started, I think, in 1932 or something like that, when they had Olympics in Paris, and the officials, for the first time, had badges or pins and they started trading that. But right now there's a really high variety of pins out there.Chris Erwin:Super cool. It sounds like digitizing those pins and converting them into NFTs that can be traded on chain and in an efficient digital manner that seems it's like a perfect application. I had no idea about the underlying tradition behind that, but makes a ton of sense to me.So let's go into rapid fire. Before we do that, I just want to give you some quick kudos. Look, I think we first met two to three months ago over a Zoom call. And so this is literally our second conversation ever. I did research into years story online, but hearing it come to life, there's a few things that really stand out. I think, one, that your willingness to really work hard and also try different things and take bets very early on in your career, but align those bets with things that you are really passionate about.So even if they were risky, you are doing them down these vectors where it was strong, passionate, and meaningful areas to you. And there's almost in a way you were going to will them into existence or make them work. And clearly you took a bet at the intersection of technology and art, which manifested in gaming that has really paid off.Something also stands out is within the category that you've bet on, in contrast to others that would just say, "Hey, I found myself in this unique opportunity. I'm able to open up doors to raise capital, build businesses." And instead of having the goal just be, "I want to make a lot of money," it is. Instead, "I want to bring delight to users. I have a unique expertise of what the gaming ecosystem, where it comes from and where it's going. And I know what users want. And I want to give them delights. And I'm going to enjoy the journey along the way."And I think that's probably something that we didn't get into, but this probably speaks to a reason why you've been able to recruit teams that build alongside you consistently, and investors that want to back you is because you're going to enjoy the journey. And I think when you focus on the end user and the experience and delight, the money is then going to follow versus going about it the other way. So it's clearly worked out incredibly well for you and very excited to see what you continue building next.Taehoon Kim:Thank you.Chris Erwin:Welcome. Let's go to rapid fire. So six questions, the rules are very straightforward. I'm going to ask six questions and the answers can be either one sentence, or maybe just one to two words. Do you understand the rules?Taehoon Kim:Yes.Chris Erwin:All right, here we go. What do you want to do less of in 2022?Taehoon Kim:Less of Zoom meetings, and more of in-person interactions.Chris Erwin:Got it. What one to two things drive your success?Taehoon Kim:I think it's the ability to read the market, ability to raise money, and then having the optimism to try new things and innovate on things that could be deemed risky.Chris Erwin:Got it. What advice do you have for gaming execs going into the second half of this year?Taehoon Kim:The advice would be to focus on making a fun game. There are a lot of game companies who are getting funded going to kind of play to earn or Web3 games, where they're kind of losing that kind of focus. But I think at the end of the day, the game should be fun. And if the games are able to create a community of gamers who really care about the game and their kind of community inside the game, then you can create an economy within the game that's not a bubble, that's sustainable.Chris Erwin:Well said. Any future startup ambitions?Taehoon Kim:I think AR and VR would make a comeback. It's a really difficult business to be in now, but if I kind of look decades into the future, I think that could be something that could be a new space that could be blossoming later on.Chris Erwin:Proudest life moment?Taehoon Kim:I think that would be a tie between when I got married to my wife and also when I had my twin boys in 2011.Chris Erwin:Oh, you're a father of twins. I'm actually a twin myself.Taehoon Kim:Oh, yeah, I have twin boys.Chris Erwin:Oh, that's the best. How old are they?Taehoon Kim:They're both 11.Chris Erwin:Very cool. TK, it's been a delight chatting with you. Thank you for being on The Come Up podcast.Taehoon Kim:Thank you so much. It was definitely a pleasure.Chris Erwin:All right. Quick heads up that our company has a new service offering. We just introduced RockWater Plus, which is for companies who want an ongoing consulting partner at a low monthly retainer, yet, also need a partner who can flex up for bigger projects when they arise. So who is this for? Well, three main stakeholders, one, operators who seek growth and better run operations. Two, investors who need help with custom industry research and diligence. And, three, leadership who wants a bolt-on strategy team and thought partner.So what is included with RockWater Plus? We do weekly calls to review KPIs or any ad hoc operational needs. We create KPI dashboards to do monthly performance tracking. We do ad hoc research ranging from customer surveys to case studies to white space analysis, financial modeling where we can understand your addressable market size, do P&L forecast, ROI analyses, even cash runway projections. We also do monthly trend reports to track new co-launches, M&A activity, partnerships activity in the space. And lastly, we make strategic introductions to new hires, investors for fundraising, and then also potential commercial strategic partnerships. So if any of this sounds appealing or you want to learn more, reach out to us at hello@wearerockwater.com. We can set a call with our leadership.All right. Lastly, we love to hear from our listeners. If you have any feedback on the show or any ideas for guests, shoot us a note at tcupod@wearerockwater.com. All right, that's it everybody. Thanks for listening.The Come Up is written and hosted by me, Chris Erwin, and is a production of RockWater Industries. Please rate and review this show on Apple Podcast. And remember to subscribe wherever you listen to our show. And if you really dig us, feel free to forward The Come Up to a Friend. You can sign up for our company newsletter at wearerockwater.com/newsletter. And you could follow us on Twitter, @tcupod. The Come Up is engineered by Daniel Tureck. Music is by Devon Bryant. Logo and branding is by Kevin Zazzali. And special thanks to Alex Zirin and Eric Kenigsberg from the RockWater team. 

Today we are talking all about investing and personal finance with Amy Than and Cindy La. Amy and Cindy are finance content creators and the founders of How Is She Rich. Their goal is to help their audiences achieve financial freedom and literacy by educating them based on their personal experiences in the industry.   What We Cover In This Episode: -Meet Amy Than and Cindy La -Tips/best practices for people just starting their investing journey -Tips for people looking to start and revamp their budget -How to manage your savings -How to approach today's real estate market -Baseline advice for people who are looking to clean up their finances   ➝Get The Full Show Notes Here!   LINKS MENTIONED: Check Out The Legal Launch Pad   CONNECT AMY AND CINDY: How Is She Rich Instagram   CONNECT WITH US: Follow Us On Instagram Check Out Our Website Join Our Mighty Networks Community

Can we hack our happiness? Today's episode, like many, is inspired by a Tiktok and I want to share my thoughts, experiences, and what I've learned about happiness.    (0:20) Hacking Your Happiness (2:00) My High School Days (4:13) Being Conscious of Our Actions (7:48) Looking Back Through Rose Colored Glasses (12:35) Relationship Example (13:45) Baseline of Happiness (17:48) The Extremes ------------- Join the Born to Thrive Community! ------------- Join the Lifts with Alex App Today! ------------- Follow Me on Instagram! - https://www.instagram.com/thealexallen/   Follow Me on Tik Tok! - https://www.tiktok.com/@thealexallen?   Follow the Born to Thrive Podcast Instagram Page! - https://www.instagram.com/borntothrivepodcast/   Follow Lifts with Alex Instagram Page for Training, Nutrition, and Life Tips and Content! - https://www.instagram.com/borntothrivepodcast/   Click Here to Stay Up to Date with All of My Offers and Freebies! - https://beacons.page/thealexallen/

In this episode, Brodie addresses the following running questions: How do I know if I need a stability shoe or if I should just work on strength and proprioception? How much strength training is too much for runners? And what are the signs? What is the optimal base mileage during the off season? What should you do returning to running after covid or other respiratory illnesses? What is the best way to build endurance and resilience to running downhill in the gym? Run Smarter YouTube Channel Become a patron! Receive Run Smarter Emails Book a FREE Injury chat with Brodie Run Smarter App IOS or Android  Podcast Facebook group Run Smarter Course with code 'PODCAST' for 3-day free trial.

In this episode, Tor and Chet learn some more about performance from Carmen. Carmen works on the Android Platform Performance team and is an expert on everything related to performance. This is the perfect episode for you if you ever wanted to learn more about R8, perfetto, baseline profiles, custom performance tracing, power metrics, etc.  Tor, Carmen, and Chet   Links: Perfetto Android's guide to app performance Baseline profiles Benchmarking with Microbenchmark and Macrobenchmark Jetpack Tracing library Jetpack JankStats library Chet: @chethaase Romain: @romainguy Tor: @tornorbye   Subscribe to Android Developers YouTube → https://goo.gle/AndroidDevs

VIDEOS: Mark Dolan: Covid has been the biggest “I told you so” in history (4:41) Society is going to COLLAPSE (5:24) Fear Psychosis and the Cult of Safety – Why are People so Afraid? (13:25) MSNBC Midterm PANIC꞉ ‘It's Going To Be a BLOODBATH'!!! (0:18 – 3:32) Pycnogenol, gotu kola supplementation associated with decreased progression of atherosclerosis D'Annunzio University (Italy), October 23, 2022 The results of studies published in Minerva Cardioangiologica suggest a benefit for supplementation with extracts of pine bark and the herb gotu kola in atherosclerosis. In one study, participants with arterial wall atherosclerotic lesions and intima-media thickening (thickening of the artery walls' innermost layers) received standard management, standard management plus aspirin, or standard management, aspirin and Pycnogenol® pine bark extract plus gotu kola extract daily for three years, after which atherosclerotic lesion progression, carotid artery intima-media thickness and oxidative stress were assessed. At the end of the trial, 5.3% of those who received Pycnogenol and gotu kola had experienced atherosclerotic lesion progression in comparison with over 20% of the remainder of the participants. Cardiovascular events that required hospital admission were less than 4% in the supplemented group compared to over 12% in the rest of the subjects. Carotid artery intima thickness and oxidative stress were also lower in association with supplementation. In the second study, 90 men with coronary artery calcifications received standard management alone, standard management and daily Pycnogenol, or standard management with daily Pycnogenol plus gotu kola. All participants received daily aspirin. Calcification was assessed at the beginning of the study and after one year. While Pycnogenol plus standard management was more effective than standard management alone, men who received Pycnogenol plus gotu kola experienced a 10% decline in the number of calcifications by the end of the study, in contrast with a 34.9% increase in the standard management group. “This indicates that supplementation with the combined supplements blocks the increase in calcified areas and, possibly, in time may decrease the number of calcified spots,” Shu Hu and colleagues write. Effects of pistachios on cardiovascular disease risk factors and potential mechanisms of action: a dose-response study. Pennsylvania State University, October 22, 2022 Nut consumption lowers cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Studies are lacking about the effects of pistachios, a nutrient-dense nut, on CVD risk factors, dose-response relations, and lipid-lowering mechanisms. We evaluated the effects of 2 doses of pistachios, added to a lower-fat diet, on lipids and lipoproteins, apolipoprotein (apo)-defined lipoprotein subclasses, and plasma fatty acids. To investigate the mechanisms of action, we measured cholesteryl ester transfer protein and indexes of plasma stearoyl-CoA desaturase activity (SCD). In a randomized crossover controlled-feeding study, 28 individuals with LDL cholesterol > or = 2.86 mmol/L consumed 3 isoenergetic diets for 4 wk each. Baseline measures were assessed after 2 wk of a typical Western diet. The experimental diets included a lower-fat control diet with no pistachios [25% total fat; 8% saturated fatty acids (SFAs), 9% monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), and 5% polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs)], 1 serving/d of a pistachio diet (1 PD; 10% of energy from pistachios; 30% total fat; 8% SFAs, 12% MUFAs, and 6% PUFAs), and 2 servings/d of a pistachio diet (2 PD; 20% of energy from pistachios; 34% total fat; 8% SFAs, 15% MUFAs, and 8% PUFAs). Inclusion of pistachios in a healthy diet beneficially affects CVD risk factors in a dose-dependent manner, which may reflect effects on SCD. Poor quality sleep may be linked to heightened risk of glaucoma, irreversible sight loss Sichuan University (China), November 1, 2022 Poor quality sleep, including too much or too little shuteye, daytime sleepiness, and snoring, may be linked to a heightened risk of developing irreversible sight loss (glaucoma), suggests a large UK Biobank study published in the open access journal BMJ Open. The findings underscore the need for sleep therapy in people at high risk of the disease as well as eye checks among those with chronic sleep disorders to check for early signs of glaucoma, conclude the researchers. While population screening may not be cost-effective, targeted screening of high-risk groups might be, suggest the researchers. And previously published research suggests that sleep disorders may be an important risk factor. To explore these issues further, the researchers set out to ascertain the risk of glaucoma among people with different sleep behaviors: insomnia; too much or too little sleep; night or morning chronotypes (“owls” or “larks”); daytime sleepiness; and snoring. They drew on 409,053 participants in the UK Biobank, all of whom were aged between 40 and 69, and who had provided details of their sleep behaviors. Sleep duration of 7 to less than 9 hours per day was defined as normal, and as too little or too much outside this range. Chronotype was defined according to whether the person described themselves as more of a morning lark or night owl. During an average monitoring period of just over 10.5 years, 8690 cases of glaucoma were identified. Those with glaucoma tended to be older and were more likely to be male, chronic smokers, and to have high blood pressure or diabetes than those who weren't diagnosed with the disease. Short or long sleep duration was associated with a heightened risk of 8%; insomnia, 12%; snoring, 4%; and frequent daytime sleepiness, 20%. Compared to those with a healthy sleep pattern, snorers and those who experienced daytime sleepiness were 10% more likely to have glaucoma, while insomniacs and those with a short/long sleep duration pattern were 13% more likely to have it. Could a Japanese mushroom extract eradicate HPV? University of Texas Health Science Center October 29, 2022 A study by researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center suggests that an extract from a Japanese mushroom has potential to eradicate human papillomavirus – the leading cause of cervical cancer. HPV is also accountable for around 95% of anal cancers, 65% of vaginal cancers, 60% of oropharyngeal cancers, 50% of vulvar cancers and 35% of penile cancers. . As such, the team set out to assess the effects of active hexose correlated compound (AHCC) against HPV. AHCC is a substance produced by the shiitake mushroom, also called the Japanese mushroom, native to Asia. AHCC is already available as a nutritional supplement, hailed for its immune-boosting properties. Previous studies, however, have suggested that the compound may improve the growth and function of cells that ward off infections and prevent tumor growth. To reach their findings, Smith and colleagues enrolled 10 women to their study who had tested positive for HPV infection. Once a day for up to 6 months, each woman took an oral formulation of AHCC. Five of these women tested negative for HPV infection after 3 months of AHCC use. Among three of the participants, it was confirmed that HPV had been completely eradicated after AHCC use had ceased. The remaining two women needed to take AHCC for the full 6 months to see results. The team's findings are “very encouraging,” according to Smith. “We were able to determine that at least 3 months of treatment is necessary, but some need to extend that to 6 months,” she says, adding: “Since AHCC is a nutritional supplement with no side effects and other immune-modulating benefits, we will be planning on using 6 months of treatment in our phase 2 clinical study to have a consistent study treatment plan. This confirms our earlier preclinical research.” Research suggests higher testosterone reference range for young men University of Michigan, October 31 2022. In an article appearing in the Journal of Urology, Alex Zhu , of University of Michigan and his associates asserted that the standard cutoff for testosterone deficiency of 300 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL) is too low for men younger than 45 years of age. The study is “the first evaluation of normative, population-based testosterone levels for young men in the United States,” according to Dr Zhu and colleagues. “There is an age-related decline in male testosterone production,” they wrote. “It is therefore surprising that young men are evaluated for testosterone deficiency with the same cutoff of 300 ng/dL that was developed from samples of older men.” The investigation included 1,486 men between the ages of 20 to 44 years who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) of United States residents. Men who were receiving hormone replacement therapy were excluded from the study. The men's testosterone levels were evaluated according to 5-year age groups. Testosterone levels that fell in the middle one-third of each group were categorized as normal. For every 1-year increase in age, a 4.3 ng/dL decline in testosterone was observed. Normal levels of testosterone for men aged 20 to 24 years were categorized as 409-558 ng/dL, for those 25-29 as 413-575 ng/dL, for men 30 to 34 as 359-498 ng/dL, for 35-39-year-olds as 352-478 ng/dL and for 40 to 44-year-olds as 350-473 ng/dL. This resulted in age-specific cutoffs for low testosterone levels of 409, 413, 359, 352 and 350 ng/dL for each age group. “Young men have different testosterone reference ranges than older men,” Dr Zhu, remarked. “Our findings suggest we should be using age-specific cutoffs when assessing testosterone levels in younger men.” Why 80% of Us Are Deficient In Magnesium Dr Mark Sircus, October 31st 2022 Magnesium deficiency is often misdiagnosed because it does not show up in blood tests – only 1% of the body's magnesium is stored in the blood Most doctors and laboratories don't even include magnesium status in routine blood tests. Thus, most doctors don't know when their patients are deficient in magnesium, even though studies show that the majority of Americans are deficient in magnesium. Consider Dr. Norman Shealy's statements, “Every known illness is associated with a magnesium deficiency” and that, “magnesium is the most critical mineral required for electrical stability of every cell in the body. A magnesium deficiency may be responsible for more diseases than any other nutrient.” Few people are aware of the enormous role magnesium plays in our bodies. Magnesium is by far the most important mineral in the body. After oxygen, water, and basic food, magnesium may be the most important element needed by our bodies; vitally important, yet hardly known. It is more important than calcium, potassium or sodium and regulates all three of them. Millions suffer daily from magnesium deficiency without even knowing it Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency The first symptoms of deficiency can be subtle – as most magnesium is stored in the tissues, leg cramps, foot pain, or muscle ‘twitches' can be the first sign. Other early signs of deficiency include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and weakness. As magnesium deficiency worsens, numbness, tingling, seizures, personality changes, abnormal heart rhythms, and coronary spasms can occur. Symptoms involving impaired contraction of smooth muscles include constipation; urinary spasms; menstrual cramps; difficulty swallowing or a lump in the throat-especially provoked by eating sugar; photophobia, especially difficulty adjusting to oncoming bright headlights in the absence of eye disease; and loud noise sensitivity from stapedius muscle tension in the ear. Continuing with the symptoms of magnesium deficiency, the central nervous system is markedly affected. Symptoms include insomnia, anxiety, hyperactivity and restlessness with constant movement, panic attacks, agoraphobia, and premenstrual irritability. “Symptoms or signs of the cardiovascular system include palpitations, heart arrhythmias, and angina due to spasms of the coronary arteries, high blood pressure and mitral valve prolapse. Be aware that not all of the symptoms need to be present to presume magnesium deficiency; but, many of them often occur together. One of the principle reason doctors write millions of prescriptions for tranquilizers each year is the nervousness, irritability, and jitters largely brought on by inadequate diets lacking magnesium. Persons only slightly deficient in magnesium become irritable, highly-strung, and sensitive to noise, hyper-excitable, apprehensive and belligerent. If magnesium is severely deficient, the brain is particularly affected. Clouded thinking, confusion, disorientation, marked depression and even the terrifying hallucinations of delirium tremens are largely brought on by a lack of this nutrient and remedied when magnesium is given. Another good list of early warning symptoms suggestive of magnesium insufficiency: Physical and mental fatigue Persistent under-eye twitch Tension in the upper back, shoulders and neck Headaches Pre-menstrual fluid retention and/or breast tenderness Possible manifestations of magnesium deficiency include: Low energy Fatigue Weakness Confusion Nervousness Anxiousness Irritability Seizures (and tantrums) Poor digestion PMS and hormonal imbalances Inability to sleep Muscle tension, spasm and cramps Calcification of organs Weakening of the bones Abnormal heart rhythm Signs of severe magnesium deficiency include: Extreme thirst Extreme hunger Frequent urination Sores or bruises that heal slowly Dry, itchy skin Unexplained weight loss Blurry vision that changes from day to day Unusual tiredness or drowsiness Tingling or numbness in the hands or feet Frequent or recurring skin, gum, bladder or vaginal yeast infections Magnesium deficiency is a predictor of diabetes and heart disease both; diabetics both need more magnesium and lose more magnesium than most people. In two new studies, in both men and women, those who consumed the most magnesium in their diet were least likely to develop type 2 diabetes

In this episode, we speak with Kenny Daniel, the founder and designer of Baseline.ws. Baseline.ws is a website and mobile app that provides tools designed to help skydivers and BASE jumpers improve their safety margin and increase performance. I've been excited to chat with Kenny about how I can best use baseline.ws for what I'm doing and general suggestions about data gathering for BASE. www.baseline.ws   If you have been listening to Exit Point and enjoy what you've heard, we would love to hear from you:  lau@nextlevel.ws  blank@nextlevel.ws

Jeffrey Kamys has decades of experience working in the technology industry as well as the analytics field. Jeffrey is the Founder, Chief Investment Strategist & Portfolio Manager at Inherent Wealth Fund. Inherent Wealth Fund is the Investment Advisor to the iBET Sports Betting & Gaming ETF, the only actively managed sports betting & gaming ETF. The iBET ETF is a basket of stocks that represents the sports betting, casinos and gambling sector, including but not limited to: DraftKings, Penn National Gaming, Caesars, MGM and Wynn. Jeffrey is the Founder, Creator & Owner of Dr. Stats Fantasy Sports. After an injury sidelined his dream of playing baseball, Jeffrey wanted to remain a part of the sport. He could no longer take the field, but he *could* use his knowledge to create a new business. Dr. Stats Fantasy Sports was officially established in 1996 and was a big pioneer of the fantasy sports industry. Initially starting as a “snail-mail” business, Dr. Stats became an early adopter of the “World Wide Web” and took its business to “the Interwebs.” Dr. Stats was the first website to offer fantasy sports players customized cheat-sheets. Finally, users could enter their own league's scoring system to produce information that would help them draft the strongest team for their individual league. Jeffrey created a suite of online tools for fantasy players to use to analyze player performance and value. Along with his business partner Whitney Johnson, Jeffrey Kamys established Baseline Investments in 2019. Jeffrey took his years of sports analytics to the world of stocks. Jeffrey's writing and analytical work has appeared prominently in hundreds of national publications. As a registered investment advisory, Baseline's goal is to assist its clients in making smart investment decisions. To accomplish this mission, Baseline Investments offers holistic, comprehensive advisory services to help clients prioritize and attain their life goals. Jeffrey has Board Experience at Inherent Wealth Fund as CEO, Inherent as Chairman, and Terralyte as Board Member. Jeffrey is also the host of the Stock Smart podcasts. Connect with Jon Dwoskin: Twitter: @jdwoskin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.dwoskin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejondwoskinexperience/ Website: https://jondwoskin.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondwoskin/ Email: jon@jondwoskin.com Get Jon's Book: The Think Big Movement: Grow your business big. Very Big!   Connect with Jeffrey Kamys: Website: https://www.inherentwealthfund.com/etf/ibet/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/InherentWealth Instagram: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inherent-wealthfund/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inherent-wealthfund/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Inherentwealthfund

Optimizing my health has never been easier. I'm so excited to begin this journey with Lifeforce, a new health optimization company that's taking a personalized approach to getting me back at the top of my game. Our bodies are continuously evolving, and Lifeforce monitors each shift, big and small, while providing support from functional medicine doctors and performance guides so I can feel and live at my best. It all starts with their at-home diagnostic test that measures 40+ biomarkers that drive your physical and mental health, followed by a telehealth consultation with a Lifeforce clinician who will create a custom plan for you based on your results, lifestyle habits, and goals. Let's just say I was shocked by a few of the results but am now on the right track. Sometimes all it takes is a simple nudge to serve as a reminder to keep our health in check. On this episode, you will be able to watch and listen in to my first Telehealth call with Dr. Ryan Greene of Lifeforce. I am very much looking forward to improving on everything discussed throughout this call. To get started with your own personalized diagnostic testing, check out: https://link.mylifeforce.com/joshuajholland2 and use discount code: coachjosh — Full Video Episode: https://youtu.be/tqa0Agh6uLM — #LifeforcePartner #lifeforcejourney #healthoptimization

What is a cognitive assessment? Why should everyone get one? Partner and Certified Elder Law Attorney Barbara McGinnis speaks with Ellen Abbott, a Life Care Manager at Visionary Care Consultants, about their partnership with Linus Health and how their cognitive assessments work.

Preserve your health as you age! We're providing paradigm shifts in the way we approach degeneration and movement. By age 85, approximately two-thirds of all reported injury-related deaths are due to falls, and foot health plays a large role in maintaining awareness of where the body is in space. Allowing the toes to spread, the arches to move, and the heels to shock absorb builds resiliency within the feet and allow the foot to experience more feedback from the ground. These aspects of foot health can be game-changing for balance and proprioception as we age. Secondly, DocJen & Dr. Dom dive into scans and their static representations of natural degeneration in the spine. We hone in on similar radiographical findings between individuals with and without symptoms and discuss how movement variety is the best posture! Then, they dive into reprogramming tissue health, explaining ways to build tissue tolerance and impact strength training consequently. Finally, they emphasize the importance of continually working on baseline flexibility and mobility, as well as stress management. We approach all 5 of these aspects of health in the Grateful For My Body Challenge starting November 1st! GRATEFUL FOR MY BODY 2022! We're focusing on RELIEVING pain, RELEASING stress, and RESETING the body for optimal RECOVERY for 30 days during the month of November. You will have access to mobility flows, pelvic floor relaxation classes, pelvic floor activation classes, breathwork classes, and soft-tissue mobilizations. Additionally, DocJen will be going live every Sunday with anatomy and physiology webinars and question-and-answer opportunities. Get ready to recover with the community and spend 5-15 minutes every day to downregulate the body and upregulate that rest, relax, digest physiological response! Click here and join us! What You Will Learn PT Pearl: 3:21 - Caring about your foot health 8:40 - Spine & degeneration 13:55 - Reprogramming tissue Health to help movement & training 17:55 - Baseline of mobility 20:59 - Managing stress Watch Episode 252 on Youtube For research and full show notes, visit the full website at: https://www.docjenfit.com/podcast/episode252/ Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Optimal Body Podcast. If you haven't done so already, please take a minute to subscribe and leave a quick rating and review of the show! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/tobpodcast/message

On this Sabol Brothers on the Baseline episode, John and Scott are joined by legendary Cleveland Cavaliers player and the Cavs TV analyst Austin Carr. The brothers talk with Carr aka "Mr. Cavalier," about his NBA career in the 1970s with the Cavs, his career-changing injury, the sport he nearly played instead of basketball, his reaction of the Cavs trading for Donovan Mitchell, his predictions on the 2022-23 Cleveland season (deep playoff run?) and more! Follow us on Twitter: Podcast: @SabolBrothers John: @John_Sabol Scott: @ScottSabolFox8   The Press Play Podcast Network Follow us on Twitter: @PressPlayPods For sponsorship plans and more information, please email admin@pressplaypodcasts.com Visit our website at www.pressplaypodcasts.com    

In this week's episode, Josh and I decided to talk about college football with a sprinkle of the NFL and MLB thrown in there. We are halfway through the season which means it is time to buy or sell your stock in these undefeated teams. We discuss which teams deserve for their stock to be bought and those that should be thrown to the curb.

HAPPINESS: Is there a max level of happiness/excitement that a person can hit or is there always a level higher to strive for?Celebrity Run Ins: We discuss Jim and Them listeners of the past and get into some of our own personal celebrity run ins.Palette Cleansers: We get into paying people to say the n-word, two cops trying to arrest each other and driving til the wheels fall off and fighting with doo doo.UNDEAD!, WEREWOLF!, AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON!, BAD MOON RISING!, LAGWAGON!, GUY HARD!, FIRE ISLAND!, YIPPIE YA I'M GAY!, MY NEW FACEBOOK BIT JIM!, GETTING HYPED!, CURSING!, NARRATIVE!, ABBOTT ELEMENTARY!, VELMA!, LESBIAN!, PLASTIC ON THE SOFA!, MELISSA'S HOUSE!, FROZEN 3!, MAX LEVEL OF EXCITEMENT!, HAPPINESS!, BASELINE!, JAKE!, MARVEL!, ANDOR!, DISNEY+!, STAR WARS!, ROGUE ONE!, MOMENT OF EXTREME HAPPINESS!, GALAXY'S EDGE!, BLISS!, SUPER BOWL!, PEAK!, ACADEMY AWARD!, GOALS!, BORAT!, STARCRUISER!, WRESTLING!, POP!, 48 HOUR FILM!, MOVIE THEATER!, LISTENERS!, SHANE!, DRUNK!, HITTING THOSE BUMPS!, LINES!, LABRAT!, O KRS KRS!, HALO AVENGERS!, RICK ALBERT!, KEVIN OWENS!, DISNEY SPRINGS!, CELEBRITIES!, STEPHEN MERCHANT!, WRESTLEMANIA!, JOEY FATONE!, N'SYNC!, PATRICE O'NEAL!, GORDON RAMSAY!, JACK BLACK!, THIS IS US!, MARIAH CAREY!, AIRPODS!, LASERTAG!, BURGR!, BLURRY!, THE ROCK IMPERSONATOR!, GEORGE BRETT!, SHIT HIS PANTS!, JASON LEE!, SCIENTOLOGY!, PALETTE CLEANSERS!, N-WORD!, 100 POUNDS!, FAILED!, TREMENDOUSLY!, SHERIFF!, TRAFFIC STOP!, ARREST EACH OTHER!, TALK SHIT!, DRIVING!, WHEELS OFF!, PILLS!, HIGH!, LOCKER ROOM!, FIGHT!, DOO DOO!, SHIT!, EMBARRASSING!, MARTYRDOM!You can find the videos from this episode at our Discord RIGHT HERE!

This week on the IpX #TrueNorth Podcast we are joined by Martin Haket & Martijn Dullaart, Lead Configuration Management Architects at ASML, to kick off a multipart series on Redefining the Ecosystem of Tomorrow with the CM2 Core Business Processes at the focus. Together they discuss with IpX President Joseph Anderson why configuration management, the CM2 baseline and processes are vital to companies. Commonality is a keyword in this episode from finding a common language and understanding across all functions to how commonality in processes leads to commonality across business and product infrastructures -- shaping success, product innovation, and organizational evolution. Watch this episode on YouTube. Connect with IpX to hear more industry thought leaders. Learn how IpX can help your organization evolve with our functional blueprint for the ecosystem of tomorrow. Drive innovation, create a better customer experience, and enable your workforce as an organization built for change, speed, quality and resiliency. www.IpXhq.comStay in touch with us! Follow us on social: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Contact us for info on IpX or for interest in being a podcast guest: info@ipxhq.com All podcasts produced by Elevate Media Group.

Understanding your body's unique nutritional needs through elimination dieting can help you determine a solid nutritional baseline. Michael Keller discusses his nutritional philosophy in this episode with Ben Grynol, where he discusses the lifestyle choices he made and the food that he experimented with to optimize his health. Look for multiple new shows per week on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations about metabolic health and how the Levels startup team builds a wellness movement from the ground up in the health and wellness tech industry.

PAUL LEE - Baseline by Mayhem Digital Productions

We get set and comfortable each time we grow and evolve. This establishes a new baseline for us and that can be great for personal growth. But it can cause problems if we are unable to realize that not everyone grows with us at the same rate or if we work with student/patients, we might have to start over each time we have someone new. In this Insight we talk about how we have to be aware of our baselines, how it shifts, and how we need to keep working with others to meet them where they are. Check out how this can benefit you as a practitioner or patient/client. www.clinicallypressed.com #complicatedsimple #progressive #openminded #PBE #EBP #noagenda #performance #training #nutrition #health #wellness #athlete #athletictraining #science #chiropractic #rehab #prevention #clinicallypressed #phd --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/clinicallypressed/support

In this week's episode, Josh and I talk about the excitement of October. From the NFL to College Football to MLB. We discuss the ins and outs of all three. We start by discussing the fall of the Browns last week to who we think will win the Heisman in college football. With week 5 right around the corner, we preview games and give you are thoughts on them all. And lastly, we give our predictions for the MLB playoffs.

842: IBET – Capitalizing on the Sports Betting Industry , Jeffrey Kamys, Inherent Wealth Fund     IBET – Capitalizing on the Sports Betting Industry Jeffrey Kamys, Inherent Wealth Fund   – The Sharkpreneur podcast with Seth Greene Episode 842 Jeffrey Kamys Jeffrey Kamys has decades of experience working in the technology industry as well as the analytics field. Jeffrey is the Founder, Chief Investment Strategist & Portfolio Manager at Inherent Wealth Fund. Inherent Wealth Fund is the Investment Advisor to the IBET Sports Betting & Gaming ETF, the only actively managed sports betting & gaming ETF. The IBET ETF is a basket of stocks that represents the sports betting, casinos and gambling sector, including but not limited to: DraftKings, Penn National Gaming, Caesars, MGM and Wynn. Jeffrey is the Founder, Creator & Owner of Dr. Stats Fantasy Sports. After an injury sidelined his dream of playing baseball, Jeffrey wanted to remain a part of the sport. He could no longer take the field, but he *could* use his knowledge to create a new business. Dr. Stats Fantasy Sports was officially established in 1996 and was a big pioneer of the fantasy sports industry. Initially starting as a "snail-mail" business, Dr. Stats became an early adopter of the "World Wide Web" and took its business to "the Interwebs." Dr. Stats was the first website to offer fantasy sports players customized cheat-sheets. Finally, users could enter their own league's scoring system to produce information that would help them draft the strongest team for their individual league. Jeffrey created a suite of online tools for fantasy players to use to analyze player performance and value. Along with his business partner Whitney Johnson, Jeffrey Kamys established Baseline Investments in 2019.  Jeffrey took his years of sports analytics to the world of stocks. Jeffrey's writing and analytical work has appeared prominently in hundreds of national publications. As a registered investment advisory, Baseline's goal is to assist its clients in making smart investment decisions. To accomplish this mission, Baseline Investments offers holistic, comprehensive advisory services to help clients prioritize and attain their life goals.   Listen to this illuminating Sharkpreneur episode with Jeffrey Kamys about using IBET to capitalize on the sports betting industry. Here are some of the beneficial topics covered on this week's show: - How investing in Inherent Wealth Fund is an investment in the growth of the sports online betting industry as whole. - Why it's important to be involved with and in love with what you are doing. - How people will continue to do what you love even if the marketplace shifts. - Why you should invest in something you are excited about and love. - How the Cincinnati Bengals are the first team to file for a gaming license.   Connect with Jeffrey: Guest Contact Info Twitter @InherentWealth Facebook facebook.com/Inherentwealthfund LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/inherent-wealthfund Links Mentioned: inherantwealthfund.com   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Acts 24:1-16

A recent study has demonstrated that it is possible to determine cognitive decline in some people using music. Why is having one so important? One big reason is that most dementia diagnosis don't happen until a person is already in the middle stages. So being able to spot it sooner gives you more time to prepare and adjust. For more information on Relias Academy, visit reliasacademy.com. To learn more about Positive Approach to Care, please visit us at www.teepasnow.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/dementiacaregivertalkshow/message

In this week's episode, Josh and I talk about some amazing sports records to the craziness of the NFL and College Football. We discuss Albert Pujols hitting his 700th home run and we discuss the legacy he is leaving behind. We then discuss how the Browns survived again and how Ben is 2-1 when picking Browns games and Josh has fallen to 0-3. Josh and I finish up with discussing some of the biggest games this weekend. Oh and of course discuss if Kansas is now a football school!

This week we go behind the scenes and I share the sweet little tool I leaned on all week when my husband was out of town, kid #1 had COVID, kid #2 needed a lot of driving around town, and we were headed out of the country. This tool was soooooo helpful for keeping life together when life got really cray-cray! This tool applies to buying a house, applying for a grant, writing a paper, leaving Medicine, starting a coaching business, and doing all sorts of hard things. Here's the thing: brains love to get confused and overwhelmed by life, which makes it harder to get through the day. In this show, you'll learn how to get going when your brain wants to hide under a rock. The secret to getting started is to decide on the minimum baseline-- the absolute necessary items needed to get the result you want. There are tricks and traps with this tool...make sure to check out the 15-min show for the full scoop. Click below to know how to execute this sweet little tool.   xoxo, Christina PS. Want support adapting this tool to your life? We discuss these tools every week And.So.Much.More in the *LIFETIME* YPIF coaching program. The LIFETIME group helps you feel better for life, it officially SOLD OUT, but if you are a loved one want to join, stay tuned-- we'll open for a few days in Nov 2022 (lifetime coaching $2,000)!

What a fun and thoughtful conversation today with Dylan Tomine. In addition to working at Patagonia as a Fly Fishing Ambassador, and recently releasing a book under Patagonia's publishing house called “Headwaters,” Dylan Tomine has traveled the world fly fishing and writing about it. His writing is engrossing and almost lyrical, each short chapter feeling almost like a dream you've had about some distant adventure on the water. He really captures the feelings of being there, somehow communicating, though subtly, the “why” behind adventures like these. But adventures aside, our conversation today takes us into other territory. In particular, that pesky little concept known as “shifting baseline syndrome” wherein anglers tend to think of their childhood fishing experiences as the time when “things were good” and then become dismayed as they watch fisheries decline as they grow older. But the concept really comes to life when you think of it generationally. Our parents saw their childhoods as “the good old days,” not realizing that it was considerably better for their parents, and so on and so on. In other words, without context, we tend to notice degradation in our own time but fail to see where we are in the big picture of history. If we could see the truly good old days we'd realize the real extent of the habitat loss, drawdown on species density, and the loss of biodiversity. Our relatively short lifespans give us a very limited window through which to view our place in the planet's ecological history. Bottom line, while thankfully, here in the US at least, our waters are still fishable, we can scarcely claim the incredible fish populations that we could a few centuries back. Daniel and Dylan also discuss the very controversial, though currently still active fish stocking programs that are meant to offset declining fish populations. Declining, in most cases, not because of recreational fishing, but because of dams, pollution, general habitat loss, industrialization, and other insults to our waters and the fish that live in them. As Dylan points out here in the episode, and in a great chapter of Headwaters called “The Myth Of Hatcheries,” the hatchery programs today seem to be leading us down a path of extinction for the very sub-populations of the species they are meant to save. All this to say, it's complicated. Those of us who fish, love to fish. And we also love the fish we fish for. We're not sure there are simple solutions, but these difficult conversations have to happen. We're honored to get to have that conversation with one of the great fly fishing authors of our time… Dylan Tomine. View full show notes, including links to resources from this episode here: https://www.wild-fed.com/podcast/152

In this episode, we talk about running, preparing, and also writing Premade Modules for D&D and TTRPG. We help with lots of advice and insight into how it is to run a premade campaign and what things to keep in mind while doing so. After this episode, you will have a better understanding of how premade modules want to run and played so you can pick one up from a store or website and be ready to run a game of TTRPG in no time. For more Information, see these Timestamps: 13:00: What is a Premade Adventure? 17:00: Premade Adventures don't need Prep 23:00: How to adapt Premade Modules to your Game 31:00: Premades help you develop skills 33:00: What Premades do really well for you 38:00: Even Veteran GMs benefit from Premade Modules 41:00: Not all Modules are the same 47:00: Modules are a Baseline, not a Full Story 50:00: They help with structure This episode was Sponsored by: MasterScreen.App Go to https://masterscreen.app/ or to Twitter to check out this new Set of Tools to Manage your TTRPG Campaigns. You can find the Show on Social Media and the Web to stay up to date with the latest content, schedules, and more: Website, Twitter, Instagram, Ko-Fi --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/doubledm/message

Omega-3 and Omega-6 supplement improves reading for children University of Gothenburg, Sweden - September 14, 2022   Supplement of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may improve reading skills of mainstream schoolchildren, according to a new study from Sahlgrenska Academy, at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Children with attention problems, in particular, may be helped in their reading with the addition of these fatty acids.   The study included 154 schoolchildren from western Sweden in grade 3, between nine and ten years old. The children took a computer-based test (known as the Logos test) that measured their reading skills in a variety of ways, including reading speed, ability to read nonsense words and vocabulary.   The children were randomly assigned to receive either capsules with omega-3 and omega-6, or identical capsules that contained a placebo (palm oil) for 3 months. The children, parents and researchers did not learn until the study was completed which children had received fatty acids and which had received the placebo. After three months, all children received real omega-3/6 capsules for the final three months of the study.   "Even after three months, we could see that the children's reading skills improved with the addition of fatty acids, compared with those who received the placebo. This was particularly evident in the ability to read a nonsense word aloud and pronounce it correctly (phonologic decoding), and the ability to read a series of letters quickly (visual analysis time)," says Mats Johnson, who is chief physician and researcher at the Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg.   No children diagnosed with ADHD were included in the study, but with the help of the children's parents, the researchers could identify children who had milder attention problems. These children attained even greater improvements in several tests, including faster reading already after three months of receiving fatty acid supplements.     Mango could help maintain gut bacteria at risk from high-fat diets Oklahoma State University, SEPTEMBER 21, 2022 Mango consumption could help prevent the loss of beneficial gut bacteria caused by a high fat diet, according to research on mice. The findings, published in the Journal of Nutrition , appears to reveal for the first time the positive impact of mango on gut microbiota. In the study, 60 male mice were assigned to one of four dietary treatment groups for 12 weeks - control (with 10% of calories from fat), high fat (with 60% calories from fat), or high fat with 1% or 10% mango. All high-fat diets had similar macronutrient, calcium, phosphorus, and fiber content. “We investigated the effects of freeze-dried mango pulp combined with an high-fat diet on the cecal microbial population and its relation to body composition, lipids, glucose parameters, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, and gut inflammatory markers in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity,” the study reports. The high-fat dietary treatment with 10% mango (equivalent to 1½ cups of fresh mango pieces) was found to be the most effective in preventing the loss of beneficial bacteria from a high-fat diet without decreasing body weight or fat accumulation. Specifically, mango supplementation regulated gut bacteria in favor of Bifidobacteria and Akkermansia and enhanced short-chain fatty acid (SFCA) production. SCFAs have been shown to possess a wide range of beneficial effects, such as anti-inflammatory properties. Yoga improves arthritis symptoms and mood, study finds  Johns Hopkins School of Medicine,  September 15, 2022 A randomized trial of people with two common forms of arthritis has found that yoga can be safe and effective for people with arthritis. Johns Hopkins researchers report that 8 weeks of yoga classes improved the physical and mental wellbeing of people with two common forms of arthritis, knee osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The study is believed to be the largest randomized trial so far to examine the effect of yoga on physical and psychological health and quality of life among people with arthritis. The study recruited 75 people with either knee osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. Participants were randomly assigned to either a wait list or eight weeks of twice-weekly yoga classes, plus a weekly practice session at home. Participants' physical and mental wellbeing was assessed before and after the yoga session by researchers who did not know which group the participants had been assigned to. Compared with the control group, those doing yoga reported a 20% improvement in pain, energy levels, mood and physical function, including their ability to complete physical tasks at work and home. Walking speed also improved to a smaller extent, though there was little difference between the groups in tests of balance and upper body strength. Improvements in those who completed yoga was still apparent nine months later.   Stevia Kills Lyme Disease Pathogen Better Than Antibiotics (Preclinical Study) University of New Haven, September 21, 2022 A promising new preclinical study has revealed that whole stevia leaf extract possesses exceptional antibiotic activity against the exceedingly difficult to treat pathogen Borrelia Burgdorferi known to cause Lyme disease. The study found, "Stevia whole leaf extract, as an individual agent, was effective against all known morphological forms of B. burgdorferi." At present, the CDC acknowledges that at least 300,000 are infected with Lyme disease, annually, with the conventional standard of care relying on antibiotics that are not only toxic but increasingly coming under scrutiny for addressing only surface aspects of the infection, often leaving antibiotic-resistance Lyme disease deep within the system to continue to cause harm.  The new study was published in the European Journal of Microbiology & Immunology and conducted by researchers from the Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of New Haven, West Haven, CT. The researchers directly compared an alcohol extract of a whole stevia leaf product commonly found on the U.S. retail market to conventional antibiotics, and assessed their respective abilities to kill the various forms of Borrelia burgdorferi, including so called "persister" forms. The researchers explored Stevia's potential effectiveness against B. burgdorferi cultures, comparing it to three common antibiotics sometimes used to treat Lyme's disease: doxycycline, cefoperazone, daptomycin, as well as their combination. The study results were summarized as follows:     Our results demonstrated that Stevia had significant effect in eliminating B. burgdorferi spirochetes and persisters. Sub-culture experiments with Stevia and antibiotics treated cells were established for 7 and 14 days yielding, no and 10% viable cells, respectively compared to the above-mentioned antibiotics and antibiotic combination. When Stevia and the three antibiotics were tested against attached biofilms, Stevia significantly reduced B. burgdorferi forms. Results from this study suggest that a natural product such as Stevia leaf extract could be considered as an effective agent against B. burgdorferi." Notably, the study found that the most antibiotic resistant form of B. burgdorferi, the biofilm form, actually increased in mass when individual antibiotics were administered. Stevia, on the other hand, reduced the biofilm mass on both tested surfaces (plastic and collagen) by about 40%.     Green soy extract could prevent cognitive dysfunction: Mouse data University of Shizuoka (Japan), September 19, 2022   Intake of green soybean extract could help reverse cognitive dysfunction and its associated accumulation of beta-amyloid proteins in the brain, say researchers.   The accumulation of beta-amyloid proteins has long been linked to the development of brain stunting conditions including Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.    Writing in the Journal of Functional Foods, the team revealed that brain functions were ‘significantly better-preserved' in aged mice fed green soybean than age-matched control mice with or without yellow soybean feeding.   An increased expression of lipocalin-type prostaglandin D2 synthase (Ptgds) and a significant reduction in the amyloid precursor protein Aplp1 was reported by the team, led by Keiko Unno from the University of Shizuoka in Japan.   “Furthermore, the amount of beta-amyloid 40 and 42 was reduced in the insoluble fraction of cerebral cortex,” the team noted.   In the current study, the isoflavones found to be present in soybean extracts were mostly the glycosides genstin and daidzin. Furthermore, the contents of saponin and carotene in green soybean were found to be slightly higher in the green than in yellow, however the contents of other components were not different between green and yellow soybeans.       JAMA study links low vitamin D levels to ‘profound' and ‘rapid' cognitive decline Rutgers University & University of California Davis, September 15, 2022 Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency may have “substantial” accelerating effects on cognitive decline in the elderly, says a new study from UC Davis and Rutgers University. Low levels of the sunshine vitamin were associated with a three times faster rate of cognitive decline than those with adequate vitamin D levels, according to findings published in JAMA Neurology . The low vitamin D levels were associated with impaired performance, particularly in domains such as memory loss that are associated with Alzheimer's disease and dementia, added the researchers. The researchers said their findings amplify the importance of identifying vitamin D insufficiency among the elderly, particularly high-risk groups such as African-Americans and Hispanics, who are less able to absorb the nutrient from its most plentiful source: sunshine. Among those groups and other darker-skinned individuals, low vitamin D should be considered a risk factor for dementia, they added. Dr Miller and his co-workers analyzed data from 382 racially and ethnically diverse men and women (mean age of 76) in Northern California participating in longitudinal research at the Alzheimer's Disease Center in Sacramento. Of the participants, 41% were white, 30% were African American, 25% were Hispanics, and 4% were from other racial/ethnic groups. The participants were either cognitively normal, or had mild cognitive impairment or dementia. Baseline data showed that 26% of the participants were vitamin D deficient, while 35% were insufficient. Among Caucasians, 54% had low vitamin D, compared with 70% of African-Americans and Hispanics. The rate of cognitive decline was found to be two-to-three times faster in the vitamin D deficient people over five years of study, compared to people with adequate serum vitamin D levels. In other words, it took only two years for the deficient individuals to decline as much as those with adequate vitamin D declined during the five-year follow-up period.

Another week of NFL games, another Baseline To Baseline podcast! Please excuse my and Timmy's voices, we were both dealing with allergies. Can Anyone Beat The Bills? Herbert Goes Off Against Jacksonville? Can The Giants Start 3-0? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/dravin-murti5/message

It's too easy to get disconnected from the core processes of a company as it grows, but it's imperative that you stay in contact with that baseline and the people carrying out the processes. Today's guest is a master performance marketer and entrepreneur who had built and sold multiple companies by the age of 33. The post How to scale performance by using your baseline with Josh Harris appeared first on WebMechanix.

When it comes to communicating, there are a surprising number of elements that go into effectively speaking to others, whether that be in a professional setting or a personal one. And it all starts with knowing your baseline. In this episode, I explain what a baseline is and how the knowledge of your own baseline can impact the effectiveness of your communication. As you are thinking about your baseline, you have to consider things like the sound of your voice and body language. It is broken down into three parts: voice, verbal cues, and non-verbal cues. Listen on to find out more about each and the magical thing that happens when all three align. Show Notes: [1:08] - Baseline communication is something we don't often consider. What is the baseline? [2:33] - The baseline is broken down into voice, verbal cues, and non-verbal cues. [3:23] - Pitch is how you modulate your voice. [4:01] - Upspeak is a lilt up at the end of a sentence and doesn't help you come across as a thought leader. [5:18] - The baseline and your voice has a lot to do with breathing. [6:06] - Verbal fluency is the ability to think and grab the words you need. [7:38] - Does your body language match what you are saying? [8:42] - Your body helps tell the story. [10:40] - Reach out to Deirdre to learn more about a baseline assessment. CONTACT ME: Website LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email: deirdre@pureperformancecomm.com

Back for week 3, as Dravin and Ryan break down everything you need to know Notre Dame is a bunch of clowns Can PSU win in Auburn? Does Nebraska have a prayer vs Oklahoma? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/dravin-murti5/message

Timmy And Dravin Review Week One And Discuss Week 2 Justin Jefferson for MVP? Carson Wentz Looks Good? Could the Giants Be Solid? Listen and let us know your thoughts! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/dravin-murti5/message

Rewired AF starts in October! Get on the list: https://kristenfinch.com/rewiredaf If you want to create a life that feels better, that feels lighter, that feels less heavy, you've GOT to increase your baseline energy. For all the chatter about manifesting this and that, what truly matters is the energy we bring to the work of creating and living – the energy that we choose as our baseline. Higher vibes lift us up, lower ones take us down.  Now, we don't boost our baseline energy by struggling or trying so hard or doing the most or doing it best. We do it by allowing. It's that simple. For me, it is easy to raise my vibration when I put myself in high-vibe situations: celebrations, concerts, nature. BUT. I can't spend all my time attending celebrations, going to concerts, or communing with nature. So, the other way I'm able to boost my baseline is to live grounded in what my soul knows matters: love, natural joy, connection. And I can do that almost anywhere, almost anytime.   Like anything achievable, it takes a little practice. The more time you spend feeling connected to those energies of love and joy, the more familiar they will be, and your baseline will shift.  Opposite AF, our online course for neurodiverse relationships, starts...this month! Join us! https://kristenfinch.com/oppositeaf Subscribe to Calm AF on YouTube to get even more good stuff: https://www.youtube.com/calmafpodcast

After you learn a sound fundamental strategy you can exploit your opponents for more money when you know when to make adjustments. This separates new players from more advanced poker players.

Baseline To Baseline continues to expand! This is our 4th and final series for the time being, as we dive into baseball. The new co-host for the MLB will be Landon as introduced here. Who wins AL MVP? Can the Yankees recover? Do Marlins Fans Exist? We cover all of that in today's episode of the Baseline To Baseline podcast! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/dravin-murti5/message

Brian Friel sits down with Star Atlas founder and CEO Michael Wagner to learn about what it's like building web3's first giant strategy MMO on Solana. Show Notes:0:58   - What is Star Atlas?              03:44 - Background / Founders of SA      07:01 - Going for a AAA game             09:32 - Phantom integration in Star Atlas10:20 - Recent events, achievements and releases15:08 - The DAO                          19:27 - Interacting with the SA ecosystem23:44 - Star Atlas, AAA gaming and Web 3.028:09 - Builders he admires     Full Transcript:     Brian (00:05):Hey everyone. Welcome back to The Zeitgeist, the show where we highlight the founders, developers, and designers who are pushing the web 3.0 space forward. I'm Brian Friel, Developer Relations at Phantom, and I'm super excited to introduce my guest, Michael Wagner. Michael is the founder and CEO of Star Atlas, one of the most ambitious games being built on Solana and in web 3.0 in general. Michael, welcome to the show.Michael (00:29):Hey, Brian. Fantastic to be here and really looking forward to our conversation.Brian (00:33):I'm really excited as well. You guys are building something that a lot of people on Solana are really excited about. Anatoly, our first guest, actually quoted you guys as saying that he thinks you guys are "the most ambitious project being built on Solana maybe just outside of Serum." But for maybe listeners who are unfamiliar with Star Atlas, could you give us a quick breakdown on, what is, in your own world, what is Star Atlas, and how does it maybe differ from other crypto-based games that are out there?Michael (00:57):Yeah. Just on that interpretation of being the most ambitious project, I think that again, that is very subject to interpretation. It is a large vision. It's a very grand vision with a long roadmap ahead of us. Some people, I think, might be concerned about the grandiosity of the underlying vision itself. But we have a lot of confidence in what we're doing and the progress we've made and features and products we've launched and the success we've had to date. So, with that being said, let me just start with the flagship component of what we're building here at Automata, the studio behind Star Atlas, which is a grand strategy, space exploration, massively multiplayer online game.Michael (01:32):And we're building that in Unreal Engine 5. We've been building in UE 5 since early access and of course, building on the Solana blockchain. And one of the really pioneering gaming groups and projects to adopt Solana as our layer one protocol, going all the way back to 2020.Michael (01:47):Now, within this giant strategy MMO, you'll be navigating the stars, you'll be flying your ships. Which, by the way, all of the assets in the game are non-fungible tokens or NFTs. So, flying your ships and operating your land and outfitting your ships with crew members and components and modules, leveling up, progressing, getting new attributes and enhancements, and moving your way through skill trees. So, anybody who's a fan out there of MMOs will be familiar with these gameplay mechanics. But I do want to clarify that, although the Unreal Engine product is our flagship, it is our North Star, it's where we're focusing the majority of our energy, we actually develop across really five different segments within our business. And so, Unreal Engine or the fully immersive triple A game is one of those. We're also building out gameplay modals in browser as well.Michael (02:32):We're using Play Canvas as the game development engine there, and it's fully 3D-enabled, WebGL-based assets. And we actually have a release that's planned for this year; up and coming, anyway. And I'm sure we can get more into what that will look like, later in the conversation. But we also build infrastructure tools, architecture, primitives, that are essential to developing and refining the ecosystem and really encouraging innovation and development around all that we're building at Star Atlas.Michael (02:59):We have a marketplace that we've custom-created from scratch, built from the ground up. And then we also have a mobile gaming division as well. So, obviously a lot there; encompasses a lot. As I said, very big vision. But we're also very surgical in how we approach this and tactical in how we tackle these challenges that are in front of us.Brian (03:15):Yeah. No, I'm super excited about that. And you mentioned a call to arms for MMO-based players out there. I used to be a big wild player back in the day. I totally think this is a really awesome vision. Letting these end users level up in a way that they owning the NFTs that they have and having this be very user-centric, I think,Brian (03:31):Is a really revolutionary model. Before we dive into all of that, could you give us a little background on maybe who you are and who the rest of the founders were, and how did you all decide, "Now is the time that we want to build this game on Solana?"Michael (03:44):Sure. I'll be brief here. I will say my background is in traditional finance. Previously worked in portfolio management. I hold this chartered financial analyst designation, so really expertise in all things investment management and investment analysis decision-making. But the more exciting part of my life started back in 2013, when I got introduced to Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies and really SCRYPT coin mining with GPUs.Michael (04:07):Now, I grew up as a big computer nerd and part of a computer gaming group. Built all my PCs as I was growing up. And we would spend our weekends playing video games and drinking Mountain Dew. And those were our parties. So, one of my buddies from back in that era introduced this idea of building out SCRYPT coin rigs in milk crates. And so, it didn't take me long to essentially sink every penny I had into buying GPUs and just putting these rigs together and getting involved in the blockchain ecosystem. Terrible timing for me. It was immediately preceding the collapse of Mt. Gox in 2013, the largest Fiat on-ramp and exchange at the time.Michael (04:43):And we went through, one of many that I've experienced now, crypto winters and bear cycles. But my interest was certainly captivated. And I just spent the next couple of years learning as much as I could and by 2015 had made the decision to go full-time crypto. 2016 I launched my first company in the space, which was at the center of the legal cannabis industry in crypto, providing financial solutions there. And it was really through that company, and through a series of acquisitions, that I onboarded two individuals who went on to co-found Star Atlas with me. That's Danny Floyd, who's our chief product officer and Jacob Floyd, who's our chief technology officer. And also, along that path, I got connected with Pablo Queiroga, coincidentally, serendipitously, you might say, in Las Vegas, actually in a coffee shop. Just overheard him having a conversation about one of his ventures that he was working on.Michael (05:29):And that was in 2018. But really just fast forward a couple of years: 2020, we're in the middle of the pandemic. The company that I had previously founded, called Tokes, things were moving a bit slow. And just given where our passions, interests, and expertise lie, particularly with Jacob, Danny, and myself, who were all working on Tokes at the time, and understanding, seeing the trends that were moving forward across the crypto space, which was predominantly DeFi, NFTs were up-and-coming in a very nascent stage of blockchain gaming. We just felt that we could actually build something bigger and better. And that was the idea of, "Let's bring a AAA MMO to the blockchain." And by the end of that year, Pablo was fully recruited onto the co-founding team as well. And we had our formal debut in January of 2021. And the team is now about 240 people strong.Brian (06:18):Wow. That is seriously impressive. Like you said, January, 2021, I think you guys were one of the earliest, serious projects that planted your flag on Solana. I'm curious, shifting over to the product now, in addition to being earliest Solana, I think you guys, like you said, you're also early to bringing a AAA game into the blockchain context. In particular, I think you're one of the first major games that is building in Unity Engine 5 and trying to combine that with a crypto world that is normally very web-based. Like you said, you guys are doing some stuff in Canvas and WebGL as well. Can you talk a little bit about that decision to go AAA, to go to the top, Unity Engine 5, and how that implications are for your project?Michael (07:00):Well, I think one of the valid criticisms that exist in, really from the traditional gaming community, but even within this crypto ecosphere, if you will, is that the gameplay mechanics that were present back at that time and even persist through to this day is that they're relatively simple mechanics: a lot of turn-based games, a lot of card-style games. But more importantly, they emphasized the financial components of the gameplay. The idea of play-to-earn, the emergence of play-to-earn. Emphasizing the ability to earn, instead of emphasizing what we feel is most important, which is creating and entertaining an engaging gameplay environment. And so, making a fun game.Michael (07:39):And for us, we're extremely passionate about what we're doing. But a large part of that is we're building the game that we want to play as well. This is essentially living the dream, being able to create the product that we will one day be participating in as well. And we're just extremely excited about it.Michael (07:56):So, the choice at the time was really between Unity and Unreal Engine. Videos were coming out around UE 5, which was not yet released when we started conceptualizing all of this. But there's a couple of pieces of fundamental technology that are coming with UE 5, like Nanite, which is the way that assets are rendered. Polygons are rendered in the game environment. And what is going to be possible in terms of visual fidelity? And so, that was really important, as well as Lumen; is another technology that's new to U E 5, which is the way that light essentially reflects and reacts within the game environment as well.Michael (08:27):And there's a couple of additional pieces there. But what we saw was the potential to create an immersive digital reality, cinematic quality reality. UE 5 is the next generation of gaming, with or without blockchain. Now, what we are doing, adding the fundamentals of blockchain for true asset ownership for a digital asset native economy and for on-chain mechanics that can initiate ecosystem-wide contributions and development to the gaming product itself; we think that is absolutely incredible and will lead to an explosion of growth over time, beyond just the game product itself. But we just saw UE as the best game engine to build within, especially with the opportunities that were present at the time and into the immediate future.Brian (09:08):Yeah. Well, I love that philosophy of building a game that you would want to play and then choosing the right tool for the job there. From the Phantom side, we've definitely seen that interest as well. Just from the metrics that we see of who's using Phantom, what they're connecting to, throughout the last year, Star Atlas is always one of the top projects that people are connecting to. And they're wanting to view their ships, they're super excited about this, and I think you guys have a ton of great momentum into building with Unreal here.Michael (09:31):Big shout out to you guys, if I may just take a moment. Because Phantom came onto the scene. It wasn't the first wallet, but it was, and I think continues to be, the best UI web wallet for the Solana ecosystem. It was already in demand from our users. It was a pretty simple decision for us to integrate. And you guys see the data on your side. We see the data on our analytics. And I think something like 95% of the user base of a couple hundred thousand people across the Star Atlas ecosystem are using Phantom as a wallet. So, big credit to you guys for what you've been able to accomplish there.Brian (10:01):Oh, thanks. Let's keep it going. Let's get gaming on Solana for... I think there's a lot of folks who are really excited about this. I guess, following on that thread, it's been a really busy summer for you guys, across a lot of different aspects. Can you tell us a little bit about some of this events that you guys have had back in June? Specifically, I've seen a lot of noise around 426; maybe what that is, for some folks who are unfamiliar with that?Michael (10:20):Sure. Yeah. I guess just to preface it all, I will mention that we've built a lot, as I've said. We have a lot to continue to build. And we have a community that has been cultivated that is very passionate and enthusiastic, but that also we need to cater to. And so, it's very important for us to interact regularly with our community, engage with our community, keep them informed of the process. And this is truly one of the first times in history, I believe, where a large user base and community is getting the backstage access into the actual process of building a game as complex as Star Atlas.Michael (10:53):And so, a part of that as well is that we're really fostering this ecosystem for collective gameplay. So, guilds: encouraging the gamers to join forces to play across this universe that we're building right now.Michael (11:07):And so, the first event that we hosted this year was called COPA, the Council of Peace Assembly. And this really was a showcase, a place for guilds to highlight the innovation that they're bringing, their recruiting strategies, their intended methods of engaging with a game, of which there are many. We have 28 different career paths in the game that you can take and many different options for player vs. environment, single-player missions that are all scoped out, from deep space PVP with permanent death and destruction of your assets. And so, how you choose to engage is it's really entirely up to the user; there's plentiful options. But doing so with a community and group of other players is probably going to be to the benefit of everyone involved.Michael (11:48):And so, we're really looking to cultivate these relationships between members and help guilds recruit and bring more people in and create strong bonds with their members. And Council of Peace Assembly was an event that was dedicated exclusively to the guilds.Michael (12:01):We sent out a request to all the guilds across our ecosystem. We had 39 submissions from groups that wanted to present their vision for participation in Star Atlas. We had to narrow that down, so we selected 15, based on a set of criteria of presentation materials. And then we hosted an all-day event. We brought in some friends and family and existing partners and some new partners. Relationship with iBUYPOWER, which is one of the largest PC manufacturers in the world, for some custom-branded Star Atlas gear. We actually gave away a top of the line, 3090 Ti-equipped PC to one community member. It was an absolute beast of a machine. I'm kind of jealous, envious that I couldn't win it myself. But-Brian (12:40):Yeah. Yeah, right.Michael (12:42):... great PC. But in any event, the whole point is it was a eight-hour event. 15 different guilds presented, and we had some activities in between and sidetracks that people could participate in. But it was these guilds just presenting, again, their intended approach to Star Atlas, whether that's playing the game, creating a business, creating technology, and how they want to recruit and actually play.Michael (13:02):Moving forward, just towards the end of July, we hosted our first product launch event. And that was called 426 Live. And this is something that is a bit memetic. I won't go too deep into the background of it but in working with the community so closely and trying to provide as much information as possible to them about anticipated timelines for product rollouts, we often refer to the next release coming in four to six weeks. Didn't always or frequently hit those timelines. And so therefore, four to six just became the community meme whenever a projected target date was released.Michael (13:39):And so, we just embraced that. And we've launched the 426 Live. And we think it's really appropriate, just given we had real products coming out. So, on this last one, we rolled out a brand new marketplace program as I described earlier. And one of the biggest releases of the year so far is the official rollout of the Start Atlas Dow. Baseline functionality of the platform with locking in emissions, using the Tribeca framework as part of that overall suite. We launched a Web 3.0 affiliate program; referral program for people that are bringing new members in. We call that Star Path. And then we also, again, solidified the relationship with IBP, iBUYPOWER. And we do have options available now for people to go out and buy Star Atlas-branded PCs, mouse pads, headphones, peripherals. And just really cool to see this Star Atlas-branded gear. And that whole relationship, by the way, just came about because King, the representative there, happened to be a member of our community. And he's just really excited about what's going on across Star Atlas and wanted to get us involved.Brian (14:34):I can't think of another project, I don't think, that has this level of a rabid fan base that wants to be engaged in this key decision-making at this kind of a level. You mentioned a lot here, between all the guilds and the conferences you had around that and the 39 guilds wanting to all present their vision here and the referral programs you guys have; now also, Star Atlas Dow. Let's focus a little bit on the Dow in particular. What is this Dow? What impacts in decision-making do they have on the game as a whole? And who can participate in this? Can I just come in one day and show up? What are the mechanics to this Dow?Michael (15:08):Yeah, I think the concept of Dow's decentralized autonomous organizations, in general, are pretty radical in ideology and what they propose. I would say, even more so in the case of Star Atlas. Here we are, spending enormous time and resources in creating out and building out intellectual property in the form of a gaming product, with the sole intention of taking this ecosystem. And it really does emerge into, as I said earlier, immersive digital environments; the idea of the metaverse. The idea of a place where people can go outside of reality. They can get themselves involved in social aspects and work in education, in commerce; do your shopping there. All things that you can do online today, I think, in some way, are going to live in the metaverse.Michael (15:50):I think it will displace a lot of industry. And I think gaming is one of the core applications there. But we're taking this idea of building the centerpiece of all of that, the gaming product and the ecosystem, and ultimately transitioning control over to the Dow. Which again, in my opinion, very radical proposal to essentially just transfer all of the value that's been created.Michael (16:08):In terms of who can participate, this is, I think, a pretty commonplace model. We have a governance token. It's called POLIS. It's actually a dual token ecosystem. Atlas is our in-game transactional currency, and POLIS is the governance token. But anybody, of course, can acquire POLIS and participate in the Dow. And what I would extend that beyond is, what we've released now is really the universal Dow, the pinnaculum Dow. This is the top level of a hierarchical structure.Michael (16:35):There are elements within the game, within the lore, where political strategy becomes important. And that's at the faction level, it's at the regional level, and it's at the local level. And you can think of this as a county, city, state, federal government, if we were to think of it in modern context of the way that politics is structured. And so, there are gameplay elements that will be influenced. And then there's really the universal Dow, which is just released. And that is to govern the future of Star Atlas itself.Michael (17:03):Now, while I think that this is a paradigm shift and almost antithetical to the way that most companies are built, I also fundamentally embrace fully the idea that significantly more value can be created through these decentralized ecosystems, by opening the pathways to be bidirectional, as opposed to trying to capture all value, retain all value, and create protective walled gardens around it. This is why layer one protocols are succeeding. This is why Solana is succeeding. The idea that you can create primitives in a base layer protocol, that other people can build on top of, is mutually beneficial. It's symbiotic. And we want to do the same thing with the metaverse.Michael (17:43):And so, that's really the idea. That's the vision. We take the idea of the gaming product that attracts people in, it builds this digital society. And then many different functions, features applications, programs, and economies can be built on top of, around it, and tangential to it.Michael (17:58):And so, that's where we're going with this. Now, this is not a short path. America wasn't founded in a day either. So, we have an ethos and a philosophy behind the path to decentralization and how we get from a point where a lot of the content is directed and governed by us, as a more centralized entity at Automata, to one in which Automata is really just a contractor to the Dow. We actually work for the community. We work for the Dow itself. And the Dow is making decisions. Final point I'll make here is that it's specifically because of this philosophy that I think a product like Star Atlas has an indefinite and perpetual life cycle. Because now you're not reliant on the studio to build the 2.0 version and the 3.0 version. It can actually be something that is constantly evolving over time by every contributor around the world that wants to participate in this.Brian (18:49):Yeah. I love that analogy to a layer one blockchain. That opened up my eyes originally, with seeing that anyone from community could just open a GitHub issue and, if they were technical enough, share their vision on how this could improve. And Solana's very open to that. And seeing you guys also position yourself in that way, I think, is really cool, especially as it relates to a AAA game. It's turning the whole industry on its head there.Brian (19:09):So we deep dove a little bit into Dow. You also mentioned a couple other components that you guys have live today, being Star Path. Also your new marketplace. How can end users today interact with the Star Atlas ecosystem, as far as those two respects? And is there anything else that they should be aware of as far as interacting with the Star Atlas ecosystem today?Michael (19:26):Well, first and foremost, I encourage everybody to be informed and educated on what we're doing, what the vision is, what the road ahead looks like. Because I emphasize this all the time. It is a very long journey ahead. We have many years of development. However, our philosophy to development releases is also not conforming to that of a traditional studio. So, we're not building the whole game for 10 years, in isolation, and then rolling that out. We're rolling out components. And I'll speak to one of those in just a moment. But first things first, I would encourage people to read through our white paper, read through our economics paper, read through our quarterly State of the Economy report that was published last month. And also, go check out some of our cinematics, some of our studio trailers, some of our in-engine trailers. It'll really give you a sense of the quality that we're developing too, and what the lore and story behind this is.Michael (20:15):So, that's the first thing. Once people are comfortable with that, options do exist to purchase ships on our marketplace. That's the predominant asset that's out right now, even though land and crew members and components and buildings and structures and all of these things will be available in the future. But for now, the ships are the core asset that people can purchase. They can do that through our marketplace. And it was important for us to get the first, even if simplistic, admittedly simplistic, gaming feature out, which we did on December 17th of last year.Michael (20:42):And we call that SCORE, or Faction Fleet. Score is Ship Commissions on Remote Expeditions. But Faction Fleet. And this is a utility driver for those assets that people have already purchased. It's a way to support your faction through sending or loaning your ships out to the faction, is the story behind it.Michael (20:59):And the player is responsible for managing a set of four different resources. And to the extent that they are keeping those restocked, then the play-to-earn economy is actually activated. So, those players are earning Atlas today. That's one thing you can do.Michael (21:12):I would also encourage everybody to get in Discord because a lot of conversation and strategy and guild formation and guild recruiting, these things are all taking place right now. A lot of speculation around what gameplay mechanics are going to look like, but the Automata team are there as well. And we're interacting frequently and giving guidance and feedback and giving just our current thinking on state of affairs. But going forward, the timing of this podcast is fortuitous. Going forward, very soon, we'll make some announcements around the next 426 Live event for this year.Michael (21:43):And I don't want to reveal exactly what's going to be announced there, but people do know that we have a couple of things in the pipeline, which includes the first Unreal Engine client. And that's called the Showroom. And this is the first time you'll have access to a downloadable client. You can run it on your PC, enter into the Unreal Engine-immersive world, summon your ships, inspect your ships, walk around them, see them at scale. And for anyone that's seen our videos and trailers related to Showroom, I'm sure they can attest to this. But seeing something like a Pure Sex 4, which is a two meter-long air bike, essentially. It's like a hovering motorcycle. Next to some of our largest ships, the Commander class ships that are 300, 400, 700 meters long, you get a real sense of the value of the asset that you've purchased and what it's going to be capable of in-game.Michael (22:30):So, that's up and coming. A new locking mechanism for Atlas, which provides benefits to the marketplace. And last thing I'll add here is, we've also been spending quite a bit of time developing the underlying story behind Star Atlas. And we do have a couple of releases this year, including a graphic novel, which is a comic book format, comic book style, written media that tells the story of Star Atlas before the current era, at least in-game current era, as well as an upcoming podcast sometime this year, which is a storytelling podcast. Not interview style, but it's a storytelling-style podcast that speaks to another aspect, another region in the Star Atlas universe. So, a lot of exciting things up and coming. But I think join the community and read through some of the materials and just have a good time with us in Discord.Brian (23:19):That sounds great. I won't press you for any more spoilers there. We'll wait for the next 426 event. The showroom in particular sounds really exciting. I'm stoked about that. Zooming out now, a little bit longer-term view, you've spoken a little bit about this in your guys' role in merging the AAA gaming and the Web 3.0 worlds, but how do you see these two worlds, that are pretty separate today, converging? And how do you see Star Atlas' place in both of those?Michael (23:44):Well, as a long-time gamer, I see immense value in Web 3.0 gaming, not only for the true asset ownership, not only for the play-to-earn, but again, this idea that you can mutually benefit through co-creation of some idea. I think it's enormous. That, in and of itself, is a paradigm shift that traditional studios would need to get comfortable with. The idea that, "Hey, maybe it makes sense actually for you not to create and retain all of the value, but share in that value and enable a community to co-create that value with you." I think that that is going to be a challenge for almost every traditional business, not just studios, for that matter. Moving into the era of decentralized governance and Dows, and again, Web 3.0, just broadly speaking.Michael (24:28):But again, referring to being a longtime gamer and spending probably tens of thousands of hours in games over my life, it's great to be able to recapture some of that valued, even just through the asset ownership itself or through the account progression, as opposed to being inherently restricted and prohibited from being able to turn around and sell gold that you've farmed or sell a character that you've leveled up. We actually encourage that. We want to facilitate that. You created the value; you get to keep it.Michael (24:57):So, I think Web 3.0 Gaming is absolutely the future. I think that incorporating elements like NFTs and cryptocurrency-based assets into the gameplay add an enormous amount of value. I think for blockchain in general, gaming is going to be a massive contributor to mass adoption of blockchain and cryptocurrency. I think one of the big issues with crypto today is that it's great at attracting the speculator. Anytime you have a high volatility environment, people that have the risk tolerance will enter into the ecosystem to try to capture some portion of that.Michael (25:30):DeFi was a good step, by the way, in more utility-driven functionality, although still a large speculative component. Gaming is different. Gaming is the entertainment value. You cannot overlook the utility. In economic terms, you cannot overlook the utility that is derived by a sense of escapism when joining a game environment. Now, whether or not blockchain was a part of that and whether or not play-to-earn was a part of that, if you create a great product, if you create a great game, people will come to play it. And so now, what we're doing is focusing on that great gameplay and that escapism that people desire out of engaging in video games, but then also enhancing that and saying, "Look, if you want to take it a step further, you can actually derive true financial benefit from this as well. And that's a component that you can layer into your gameplay strategy or not. Play as simple as you want or as complex as you want."Michael (26:20):But I do want to emphasize this idea of, really, development methodology that we use across Star Atlas, which is actually abstracting logic from a game engine and building that logic on the blockchain, using smart contracts. And this exposes the world to the whole idea of permissionless systems and censorship resistance and self-sovereign ownership of assets. The true inception of this philosophy was with the creation of Bitcoin, 12 years ago now, I guess, or 13 years ago. And so, because we're taking game logic, like in the case of Faction Fleet, all of your resource management is done on chain. There are already guilds out there that are creating their own programs, in their own UI, that interfaces with ours and interacts with that and adds more utility to our players. Now, our players can go use a third-party service. And there was no contractual relationship between us and that provider.Michael (27:14):So, the idea that you can initiate this type of innovation, because we're using blockchain as, really, the backend server technology, to me just creates enormous potential for growth. So, I think it's definitely the future. I think the way that we're doing things at Automata, and for Star Atlas, really attempt to capture all of the potential value. Humbly, I feel that we've been leaders in the space, that we have presented a big vision. But I also feel that we've executed well to date. And we will continue to do so. And we will continue to be leaders, not only on Solana, but across blockchain and Web 3.0 in its whole.Brian (27:50):That's awesome. I think that's a great way to wrap things up here. I agree. I think the Solana space is lucky to have you guys as pioneers in pushing forward AAA gaming on Solana. One question we always love to ask anyone, at the end of our discussion here, is: who is a builder that you admire in the Solana ecosystem?Michael (28:09):I almost don't want to answer the question just because picking out one is so difficult. I think, realistically, what we've seen on Solana is, in and of itself, an explosive growth, a Cambrian explosion of innovation. Especially thinking about the early days in the late 2020 and the early '21, where we had to build a lot of the tools that we needed ourselves. And how so many tools are coming online. And you and I were chatting, just before this, about the Solana summer camps and the hackathons and 18,000 submissions to the latest summer camp for project proposals.Brian (28:42):Pretty unreal.Michael (28:43):It is absolutely unreal. So, it's very difficult to isolate one. I think what Metaplex is doing is phenomenal because they're developing some of those same primitives that I'm referring to, that we're actually developing as well, in a different capacity. Magic Eden has done a fantastic job with the marketplace and with the NFT and the PFP drops and cultivating an environment for NFT purchases for industries like gaming as well. So, I think they're doing great. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Phantom. You guys are awesome. So, maybe I'll just close with that and say I absolutely am thrilled about the Solana ecosystem. Any challenges that we are facing, I am sure, are short-term. And I think Solana's done amazing job, just cultivating a great environment for warm, welcome developers and great innovation.Brian (29:26):I couldn't agree more. Michael Wagner, thanks so much for coming on the show. It's a really great discussion. You mentioned a lot throughout here about how folks could get engaged with Star Atlas. Make sure you join the Discord, join the website. Any closing thoughts here?Michael (29:38):No, that's it. But please do stay tuned. Our 426 Live event is coming up soon. I didn't even mention it, but we have this web client that's coming out this year as well. And we'll probably speak to that at the 426 Live event. We're pretty much @staratlas on any of the socials or staratlas.com. And you can find all the links there. But yeah, I look forward to meeting some new people in our community soon.Brian (29:58):Yeah, we'll have to have you back on to talk about that web-based environ and more exciting announcements for 426. Thanks so much, Michael.Michael (30:05):Thank you, Brian.