28 Days of Survival Food: Day 22
Aug 15, 2010, 10:14a
(Just some short thoughts right now, as I'm pretty busy installing hardwood floors in our house. I wanted to get something down though.)
Headache lots of mornings, which fades over the day (probably from teeth-clenching - lost nightguard in June).
Days 18 and 19 best so far - calm, detached, very low anxiety.
Don't care about food much any more, ... more »
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Estimating Lending Club's ROI (a survival food interlude)
Aug 11, 2010, 11:56p
Some of you may be surprised that my mind is working at all given my limited diet. Since so few have actually undertaken my survival food experiment, I think expecting your mind to give way may be an unrealistic expectation. I believe that most people would recover to some decent level of performance even though they'd only be eating ~1500 ... more »
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Sachin
- Aug 12, 2010, 7:29p
You spend a lot of time doing all this analysis. I'd just let a financial advisor take care of it. Or just stick it in a CD and save myself the headaches and stress.
Or if I want to help people who can't get loans, I'd just give money to Kiva (I do).
nikhil
- Aug 14, 2010, 6:58a
I've worked with several financial advisors, and none of the ones I've met do any of this. Maybe I haven't met the right person yet, but I've looked. Most haven't even heard of Lending Club.
CDs don't get anywhere near this level of return (assuming this pans out as hoped) - the highest rate on bankrate.com is 2.4% for a 3-yr CD (compare to 6% I'm hoping on Lending Club). Of course, this makes sense - Lending Club is riskier, takes more work than a 3-yr CD, and doesn't have the FDIC insurance).
Also, I want to help people AND get a good return, so Kiva isn't the right place for me.
Finally, I actually find doing this analysis fun :) I have a question that pops into my mind, and I answer it. Very satisfying (just like engineering can be). And it only took me 1 day, so not much time at all :) The previous SVM post did take me quite a bit longer, though, but I was learning the whole way through.
Connie
- Aug 14, 2010, 4:45p
Good to see you and B last week :) I came to your website to see how you're faring on Day 21, and here you are ranting about Lending Club again, haha. Anyway, the other site I was telling you about is microplace.com. My preference over Kiva. Microplace used to have more investments for 3%+ (and yes, I've been getting my funds back, no defaults yet after 3 years) so take a look and see if it works for you. Um, no insurance there either.
I would guess that financial advisors would prefer that you either invest in stocks or in mutual funds or other financial instruments as they get to make some money off the transaction. And the back analysis is usually done by someone else. Lending Club = no kickback + too small to be worth it for really rich people.
Two more things on the survival diet front. First, women's diets sometimes go all the way down to 1200 calories - just was reading about a few of the popular diets in a women's mag. Liquid diets are the rage. Also, there are lots of people fasting for Ramadan right now, which apparently may or may not work that well as there are giant parties every night where you (can) gorge yourself silly. Ah, the things we do for religion.
Write again and let us know how you're doing.
Barbara
- Aug 23, 2010, 5:04p
Although I am sure that your analysis has merit, it presumes that an investor invests equally in all loans. I believe that my strategy for investing in LC loans serves to increase return and lower risk for me personally, as opposed to all loans overall. There are many factors that I take into consideration when I evaluate which loans to back but I will give you a very easy example - I never invest in small business loans (even at a min. buy-in of $25, who invests in a small business w/o even seeing the business plan?) Also, I rarely invest in anyone who is applying for the max. amount - $25,000 just happens to be the amount that they need? More likely they are the type who are living in a hole and they are likely to dig it even deeper.
nikhil
- Aug 24, 2010, 3:22p
I agree with you Barbara. I also have various criteria that I layer on top of a borrower's credit grade before deciding to lend money. Expected return under those conditions are a bit harder to estimate, but in some cases also feasible.
28 Days of Survival Food: Day 16
Aug 9, 2010, 11:08a
Well this is going swimmingly. The past 4 days have been a time of feast. I bought a lamb shank from the local butcher (McKinnon's) on day 12, and have been eating from it for the past 4 days, ending last night with homemade lamb tamales. I ate way too much though (8 small tamales compared to the 2 and ... more »
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omar
- Aug 9, 2010, 8:52a
or maybe you can accept that you may never feel X again, but you move forward and you'll feel Y, which is part of you growing into the next you.
dude i'm at Z. get on the bus.
Charlene
- Aug 10, 2010, 3:34p
You are definitely a "seeker!"
Looking forward to hearing about the "results." I appreciate Omar's comment and ask, "What's after Z??"
My experience is that transformation occurrs when I'm least expecting it... and when 'trying' to recreate a similar, let alone exact, experience I'm way too much in my head to have even a glimmer of it.
I believe efforting can be self defeating in the "X" feeling department....
Be gentle with your body it is the only one ya got, this time around!
Love being part of your journey!!
Jessica
- Aug 13, 2010, 8:03a
I am in the BOSS trailer and we are all reading this together and discussing X.
Jeff the field director says he experiences "X" every time he comes back from the field. Jesse (head instructor) thinks you should take the Hunter Gatherer course. He and I both agree this is the most extreme experiencing of X upon return, but Jesse says he experiences X every time he returns from the field.
My head instructor Laurel, goddess of making students suffer is sitting next to me as I type.
"I want him on my course next year. Trust me. He'll experience X."
28 Days of Survival Food: Day 12
Aug 5, 2010, 11:40a
Yesterday (day 11) was the toughest day yet. Becca had her thesis proposal hearing, and to celebrate we had a bbq with her friends afterwards. I was surrounded by food, and not just any food - the impulsively-, non-consciously consumed food. You know, like the chips you get at a Mexican restaurant, that are perfectly crispy and lathered in salt, ... more »
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Jessica
- Aug 13, 2010, 8:06a
I wish I had read this earlier. Jeff just suggested we send you a free BOSS field cookbook.
nikhil
- Aug 14, 2010, 7:03a
That's cool. I didn't know one existed. I'll take it!
28 Days of Survival Food: Day 9
Aug 2, 2010, 12:19p
Quite a few days have passed since I last wrote. Overall I'm doing OK, though I've been pretty spacey and slow with the thought processing recently. My energy level is pretty good though, and my limbs haven't ached since day 4.
Day 4 was the last day of the complete fast. I broke the fast with a ripe banana around ... more »
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Kanika
- Aug 2, 2010, 5:18p
Last time I spoke to you - you were semi normal -- this time around you sound like a freak!! What up with u?? Why are u fasting when u have the priviledge of beautiful, juicy, tasty food that god gave us!!! Why!!!????
Although if I could build a wall in my mind for all the sugar I have I'd look like carmen--- bur no can do!!! So seriously why the weird experiment?? And the yucky food?
nikhil
- Aug 3, 2010, 7:03a
Hi Kanika,
I explain my reasons in this post: http://nikhil.superfacts.org/archives/2010/07/x.html
28 Days of Survival Food: Day 4
Jul 28, 2010, 11:40a
OK, I've made it this far. It's been roughly 72 hours since I last ate. My body feels very weak, especially my lower arms (elbow down) and lower legs (knee down), which have been aching in a way that reminds me of growing pains. Becca and I went to see Salt last night, and I couldn't even prop my feet ... more »
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Nicky
- Jul 28, 2010, 9:39a
I am very impressed Nikhil, but I must say the Jewish mother in me would like to feed you and I am going to resist that when I see you next. The emotional experience is interesting to me. On a side note, Salt must have been an interesting choice of movies to watch when you are so weak, with all of the crazy action and all. I hope your weakness resides. I look forward to your posts~
With admiration~n
X
Jul 26, 2010, 12:26p
Post survival school, I had an experience that for lack of a better word I'll call "X". Words like "inner peace", "happiness", and "bliss" come to mind, but none of them actually captures the feeling that I had. I've tried and failed to explain it to people who have never had a similar feeling, so maybe it's like explaining ... more »
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Jessica
- Jul 31, 2010, 4:14p
I don't believe your four parts adequately delineate the factors contributing to X.
Survival school pushes one way past one's own personal psychological and physical limitations. I find that those who experience "X" are people who are coming from a place a far greater dependency on society. Those students that did a lot of wilderness training do not, in my opinion, experience X to the same degree. I think it is partially a matter of the brain being trained to realize that the "threats" we face in society are not real threats in the same way that they are in the field.
Carl Jung wrote about this in one of his early essays, I believe it is on the Stages of Life. He writes that when man's survival is at stake, his problems remain in the field of his existence. Once his survival is guaranteed, his problems move into the sphere of his psychology. People who are struggling to make ends meet do not suffer the same type of psychological ailments of those of the privileged classes. Also, I have never seen a non-privileged person sign up for survival school. I believe that the main contributing factor to "X" is the vacation it provides the psyche by moving one's sphere of problems outside the mind. It takes a period of time after the experience for the problems to move back into the sphere of the mind. During that period you are able to fully appreciate everything you do have and life seems a joy and completely easy. But man thrives on challenge, and you will slowly and by your own volition give up this vacation as you take on new problems.
I don't believe you will be able to achieve "X" with purely a dietary change or by limiting pleasure or by sociality isolating yourself, or by being miserable for a period of time.
I think the key contributing factor to "X" is being confronted with the basic problems of existence and not taking life for granted. It's hard to induce this on your own without a sense of falseness.
P2P Lending + SVM = $$$?
Jul 7, 2010, 1:20p
Since 2004, I've been intrigued by microfinance. It all started when I read Mohammed Yunus' book "Banker for the Poor". In it, Yunus describes how he was able to improve the lives of poor women in Bangladesh by providing them with small loans (as little as $50 or less). Not only did the lenders get a reliable return, the borrowers ... more »
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sundar
- Jul 8, 2010, 11:51p
yes i did get this far - great to see you continue to do interesting stuff, this atleast is much better than those frikking worms you write about:)
Tuomas Talola
- Jul 9, 2010, 5:35a
Have to say, I've never heard of Support Vector Machines. What you've done, I know as regression analysis. Nothing wrong with regression analysis itself, but using it to predict future returns or defaults is little dubious. This has been the case in financial markets over and over again.
However, the work you have done seems quite thorough, I appreciate it. I'd be interested in more detailed results.
Video of real bacterial chemotaxis
Jul 4, 2010, 7:02p
(This is the 4th in a 3-part series on the biology of bacterial chemotaxis. Consider it a video bonus. Parts 1, 2, and 3 are also available.)
I finally found a video of bacteria chemotaxing, and I wanted to share it with you (so I could finally shut up about bacteria by reaching some sort of closure on ... more »
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Here's hoping the bacteria don't crawl off the screen
Apr 12, 2010, 5:13p
(This is the third in a 3-part series on the biology of bacterial chemotaxis. The first post described some basic ideas about biological analysis, and the second post introduced bacteria and their chemotactic behavior. And don't forget the bonus video post.)
Alright, now that the context has been set, I can finally dive into my bacterial chemotaxis simulator, which ... more »
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becca
- Apr 12, 2010, 7:06p
Yay! Es un simulador muy bueno.
Rolf
- Aug 25, 2010, 5:04a
Nice app! I've programmed a very simple optimization algorhitm in Matlab and SciLab based on bacteria behavior.
My bacteria takes a step of constant length in its direction. Then, it compares 'sugar concentration'. If lower, it tumbles, otherwise its orientation stays the same.
Interestingly, this procedure finds the minimum of the Rosenbrock function and other test functions.
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