Author: Munro Stewart

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Thinkist - Definition

Soul, Soul Notes

A person who uses their thinking and thoughts to transform their life and the world around them for the better.

thinkist

noun

  1. A person who uses their thinking and thoughts to transform their life and the world around them for the better. Their thoughts propel them to ultimately take action towards making their vision come true.
  2. A person who thinks that you can turn thoughts and ideas into reality.
  3. A person who understands that action, work, habits, and routines are also needed to make changes, complete tasks and projects, and achieve goals and dreams.
  4. A person who thinks that action and results begin with ideas, thinking, and believing.
  5. A person who values ideas, thoughts, belief, positive thinking, writing things down, and subconsciously influencing their mind as an important part of the process to complete tasks and projects, achieve goals and dreams, improve their attitude and character, get things done, and make changes in their life, the lives of others, and the world.
  6. A person who values and encourages optimism, positive thinking, praising one another, and positive reinforcement. They may also devalue or discourage pessimism, negative thinking, putting people down, and negative punishment.
  7. A person who may or may not appreciate the ideas of using positive thinking, affirmations, autosuggestion, imagination, writing down and reading goals, talking about their goals with others, journaling, gratitude, prayer, and focused meditation to help one improve their character, their attitude, their life, and the character, attitude, and lives of others.
  8. A person who may or may not appreciate the sayings "Thoughts are things, and powerful things at that." and "Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe it can achieve."

Updated Date - August 23rd, 2023
Original Date - May 15th, 2014

How To Get Things Done - Extended

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When it comes to completing tasks, finishing projects, reaching goals, achieving dreams, or doing anything else in this world, I think you need to know what steps to take.

There is so much information out there about how to set and achieve your goals and dreams. But I believe we need to focus on exactly what to do, and less on how or why to do something. So with that in mind, these are what I have found to be the 8 most important actual steps that you need to take when trying to accomplish any goal, reach any dream, or make any change in your life. We're talking the nuts and bolts of exactly what to do to get things done. Whether it is a dream as huge as climbing a mountain, a goal as big as writing a book, a weekend project like painting the deck, or a task as small as getting milk at the grocery store.

List

  • 1 Choose A Goal
  • 2 Write It Down
  • 3 Visualize It
  • 4 Talk About It
  • 5 Create A Habit
  • 6 Create A Log
  • 7 Imagine Plans
  • 8 Enjoy Your Habit

Introduction

Make separate lists of tasks and goals you want to get done.

Dream big dreams. Believe all things are possible. - Unknown

I have read some important books on reaching goals including Think and Grow Rich, The Alchemist, The Magic of Thinking Big, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Atlas Shrugged, and Getting Things Done. I have gathered a lot of information from all of the books and countless articles I have read on the subject. I've been pretty obsessed with this stuff and enjoy reading and learning about how to reach your goals, achieve your dreams, get things done, and improve your life.

I have tried many different methods, advice, tips, and tricks to reach your dreams and achieve your goals. I have used trial and error from many amazing writers to find out what really works. The result is that I have found these steps to be the most essential actions to take when trying to reach a goal, complete a task, or make any change in your life and in the lives of others. These are the 8 key steps which have allowed me to set and achieve goals and dreams. I believe and hope they will work for you as well.

1 Choose A Goal

Decide on one specific goal or task that is important to you.

If you chase two rabbits, you will lose them both. - Native American Saying

In order to reach a goal you need to decide on exactly what you really want. To do this, you can come up with some ideas of goals you would like to achieve by making a list. But after you brainstorm a number of goals, it is very important that you choose just one goal you really want to achieve. If you do not prioritize and focus on what is truly important to achieve in your life, you will be distracted by less important trivialities that life throws at you.

So I suggest you choose a single goal or dream that is most important to you now. Decide that you will focus on this one goal above all else because it is the most important thing in your life right now to you. With that said, you can continually evaluate and tweak this goal. You might not know exactly what you want when you start out. That is ok. The important thing is to choose something to start working on.

If you set your goal too high to begin with or you decide the original goal you set is not exactly what you want, do not be afraid to change your goal slightly. If you get going and realize this isn't really the goal you want to work on now, you can even completely change and work on a different one that you can truly commit to and put your heart into. But find and decide on the one goal that is important to you and commit to focus on it with all of your energy.

2 Write It Down

Write your goal or task down in a single sentence on paper.

'Begin with the end in mind' is based on the principle that all things are created twice. There's a mental or first creation, and a physical or second creation to all things. - Stephen R. Covey - The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

When setting a goal, you should first decide on exactly what you want to achieve. After you have decided on your goal, write it down on paper. Make your goal very specific. Sure, keep a list of goals that you want to achieve on your computer. But for your most important goal write it down. Write it down on a piece of paper that you keep in your pocket.

You can also write it down other places and post reminders about it everywhere. Your home, your office, a post-it note hanging off your computer monitor, on your bedroom alarm clock, taped on your bathroom mirror, written on a piece of paper used as a bookmark in the book you are reading, posted above the stove.

You can even rewrite it over and over each day in a notebook. And you can rewrite it once a week or whenever you need to. Change any words, details, or ideas you have added on your piece of paper. Tweak your goal as you continue to work towards it and decide what you want to achieve. Include words that inspire and motivate you.

But at least write it down somewhere. Write it in a single specific and descriptive sentence that you can memorize. But also write more details about it if possible about what your life will be like. Include details. How will your life be different? How will you feel? What exactly will you have?

I personally like to also make a list of about the 8 most important reasons why I want to achieve the goal. A list of how my life or the lives of others will be different and better when I achieve the goal. But at the very least, write down your specific goal in a single sentence on a piece of paper that you keep in your pocket.

  • Example - I will write a first draft of a short story and give it to 2 people by September 30th.

3 Visualize It

Read and visualize your written goal today and every day.

Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe it can achieve...Man may become the master of himself, and of his environment, because he has the power to influence his own subconscious mind - Napoleon Hill - Think and Grow Rich

In order to visualize a goal you should first write a specific goal down in a single sentence on a piece of paper. Then simply grab that paper and read that sentence. Now, every day read that goal over and over again at least twice a day. Once when you get up in the morning, and once before you go to bed at night.

You can also read any of the details you wrote down about your goal and the reasons why you want to achieve the goal. And you can also read it more often during the day, maybe after eating lunch and dinner too. But at least read the one sentence goal twice a day, and preferably out loud.

As you read your goal over and over again, think about it and visualize it coming true. No matter how big your goal is, believe with everything in your heart and soul that you will succeed and reach that goal.

Don't just think about it, but put your emotions into it. See what you will look like and feel like. Imagine as clearly as you can how your life will be better. Have faith that you will do this. Come up with ideas in your mind to reach your goal. Think about how your heroes would accomplish this goal. Think about what you will do today and tomorrow to reach this goal. Create a desire not just that you will do this, but that you must do this.

Humans can turn thoughts into action, and action into things. It's as simple as that. The point of reading and visualizing your goal as often as possible is to get you thinking about your goal constantly. To keep your goal in your mind and your thoughts. If you read and visualize your written goal every day you can achieve anything that you believe you can achieve.

So if you haven't actually tried it before, you really need to follow this advice and do it every day. Do it right now. Read and visualize your goal at least twice a day, every day, at the same time.

  • Example - I will read and visualize my goal every day when I wake up at 6:30am, and every evening before I go to bed at 10:30pm.

4 Talk About It

Talk about your goal with someone every day or once a week.

The 'Master Mind' may be defined as: 'Coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose. - Napoleon Hill - Think and Grow Rich

You need to create what is called a mastermind group, and tell at least one other person about your goal. Preferably this will be someone who might have an interest in the goal and be able to contribute ideas.

Get professional help if you need it, and talk with a coach at least once a week about your goal. Not only can you get help from other people, but maybe more importantly you can get ideas from them. So make sure to listen intently to what others say while you are talking about your goal with them. This is all about thinking about your goal constantly and getting ideas from anywhere you can.

Preferably, just like all of the other steps, you will talk about your goal every day. However, because this step depends on other people, this may not be possible, especially to start. So, if you don't think you can talk about your goal every day, decide to at least talk about it with one person at least once a week. And schedule that talk.

While talking about your goal is most important, you may also want to write about your goal, which is basically just recorded talking on paper. Writing about your goal is a very powerful tool, and can be used in place of talking if you can't find someone to talk to. So if you can't find someone to talk to even once a week, you should journal or write about your goal instead to start.

You can write publicly if you really want. But keeping a dated journal with your thoughts is probably even better because it allows you to write freely, more like talking. You could also write emails or letters about it once in a while by telling those friends or people in your mastermind group about your thoughts, feelings, ideas, and progress about your goal.

The more you talk about your goal and write about your goal, the more you are thinking about your goal. The more you think about your goal, the more ideas you will get to help you reach it. Your goal will literally come to shape in real life if you talk about it with other people, write about it, and think about it constantly. Realize just how important this step is.

If you can find the time to write freely about your goal, definitely do so. But even more importantly, try to talk with people about your goal as much as possible, especially people who might have an interest in that goal or give you ideas to help you reach that goal. And at the very least, make sure to at least schedule a weekly appointment with someone who you can talk to about your goal.

  • Example - I will phone Jim to talk with him about my goal every Sunday at 10:00am after exercising.

5 Create A Habit

Take action towards your goal today and every day.

A habit is any action you do every day at the same time and place. You will ultimately achieve your goals not just by thinking about them, but by taking daily action. - Munro Stewart

You need to find the time, any way you can, to make a daily habit to work towards your goal. I don't care what else is going on in your life. This can be as little as 10 minutes a day, but you need to do it every day. If you can work your way up to setting aside 1-2 hours every day to work towards your goal, all the better. One tip though. It is best to start extremely small with this habit, like 5 minutes a day. You will grow and develop the habit later through repetition.

Most importantly, if you work on something every day for even a small amount of time, you will make gradual progress one day at a time. In my opinion, creating a single daily habit to work towards your goal is likely the most important step of all in achieving any significant goal. This is the step that often gets left out in self-help books, and it hasn't been written about enough in books or articles.

Why taking daily action works to achieve your goals or anything else you want, and how to create and keep a habit could be a whole article in itself. But here are a couple important things to remember. First of all, make a habit that you can do at the same time and place every day. And second, the habit should be the most important repeatable action you can take towards your goal. If you are writing a book, then actually writing should be your habit, not organizing your desk.

Basically devote 30 minutes to 2 hours a day to your goal by creating a daily habit to take action every day. It is also worth noting that just as with your goal you will want to adapt and change your habit as you go along. Now, get out that piece of paper that you wrote your goal down on. Write down your daily habit along with that goal. You need to create a daily habit to take action towards your goal every day, and writing it down will help you follow through with this step.

  • Example - I will spend 30 minutes writing at my desk at 7:30am every day after breakfast.

6 Create A Log

Log your daily habit by placing positive check marks on a calendar.

It is important to keep track of what you have accomplished, and feel good about it. A check mark on a calendar is the simplest way to remember and log your habits and achievements. - Munro Stewart

The most important step in this list is creating a daily habit where you take action towards your goal. Now you need to log your daily habit by putting a single check mark on a paper calendar on the day you complete this habit. The calendar should probably be hanging on the wall by your bed, on the wall by your computer, or even in a pocket calendar or hand drawn paper calendar in your pocket if possible. Similarly to your written goal, your calendar needs to be somewhere that you look at it every day at multiple times during the day.

The objective with your daily habit is to create a habit which will become easy and enjoyable for you to do most days. And the goal with this calendar log of your daily habit is to feel good about what you have done and help you remember to build your habit.

It is better to make a super easy habit. Decide on just 5 minutes of sitting at your desk to write to start. It is better to be lenient on yourself. If you don't even write, but still sit at your desk thinking, still put a check mark. It is better to build on the habit and repeat it as often as you can. Place 3 check marks if you do it for 15 minutes one day. Or place 2 check marks if you not only do it at 7:30am in the morning but also do it again later in the day at 5:30pm. Heck, place 2 check marks on a day you made extra progress, or even a day in which you found it was really difficult to get in the 5 minutes but you still did it.

Make it a game to get as many check marks on that calendar as you can, and make sure you feel good about it every time you do it. Repetition will also help build your habit. Two short periods of time can be even better than one large period of time when building a habit. So, it can't get much easier than this. You don't need to keep a long journal or do a weekly review. Just create that habit by spending the time to take action towards your goal today. Then, right after you do your habit or take that action towards your goal, place a check mark on a paper calendar to log what you have done.

  • Example - I will place a check mark on my paper calendar right after completing my habit each day.

7 Imagine Plans

Think about plans, ideas, and tasks to reach your goal and write them down.

Here is a basic truth: To do anything, we must first believe it can be done. Believing something can be done sets the mind in motion to find a way to do it. - David J. Schwartz - Magic of Thinking Big

If you follow the advice above you will be deciding on a goal, writing it down possibly daily, visualizing and reading it aloud daily, creating a daily action habit to work on it every day, and talking or writing about your goal every day. While you are doing any of these steps you will be thinking about your goal every day and plans, ideas, or tasks to do to reach your goal will come to you. I find a huge number of my plans and ideas come while I am performing my daily habit for the goal.

Here's the next step. When plans or ideas for how to reach your goal come to you during any of the other steps here, write them down. And you may also want to commit to another 5 or 10 minute brainstorming session each day to think about and prioritize ideas or steps to take to reach your goal. You need to take time to ponder and think about your goal in solitude. You need to come up with ideas of what you should do next to help you achieve your goal.

I have found that a good place to write down these ideas or tasks is on the back side of the piece of paper you wrote down your goal and habit. You'll get chicken scratch on there which is fine. It will make you keep your idea list small enough to fit on a single piece of paper. You will rewrite them often to prioritize a task or a mini goal that you are currently working on.

It will force you to start on a new piece of paper once in a while, maybe even once a week. When you do that you can not only rewrite the ideas you want to keep on there, but rewrite your goal and habit too, which is great. If you prefer to keep a separate piece of paper for these ideas, or even keep them as a list on a computer, that would work too.

If you want to take this a step further, you may also want to write down your most important task or tasks for today. The tasks or mini goal that you will work on today as part of your daily action habit. Doing this is not necessary, but it is an extra step you could do, depending on the type of goal you are working on. Maybe you decide while thinking about your goal that you will lift 50 pounds on one exercise machine today instead of 40 pounds. Or that you will finish your book's second chapter, of which you are 80 percent done so far.

So don't worry about coming up with the perfect plan of all 20 tasks and the correct order to do them to achieve your goal. Focus much more on what you are doing today, thinking about your goal every day, and actually taking action with your daily habit. Your plans will change hundreds or thousands of times, sometimes all within a single day while you are working towards your goal. You don't even have to write it all down because you will constantly be thinking about what to do next while doing your daily visualizing, daily action habit, and daily talking.

But do spend some time thinking about what to do next; what to do today and tomorrow for your action habit. Maybe even write down your most important task you will do today for your daily habit. And when good ideas or thoughts come to you about your goal, write them down somewhere to help you remember them. But most importantly, take time to think about your goal and imagine ideas that will help you reach your goal.

  • Example - I will think about ideas to help me reach my goal for 5 minutes every day at 12:30pm after lunch. I will write down any good ideas whenever they come to me.

8 Enjoy Your Habit

Make sure you enjoy the daily habit and the journey.

Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it. - Greg Anderson

I believe from all the reading and research I have done that people are not born geniuses. And they are certainly not born with a list of accomplishments already done.

People achieve great things, and even simple things, because they enjoy them and truly desire to achieve them. Michael Jordan most likely loved getting better at basketball and winning basketball games. Mick Jagger created and performed great music because he had fun doing it. Abraham Lincoln took pride in influencing people to make the world a better place. Bill Gates loved technology and used his intelligence to make a lot of money, but also to improve the lives of many people across the world.

I believe that people I look up to found a merger between goals and happiness. They are driven not just because they found a goal that they really wanted with all their heart and believed they could achieve. But even more importantly, they found habits that they enjoyed doing and which made them happy. They used that joy as their motivation to achieve great accomplishments in this world.

So enjoy the daily activities that you complete as you work towards your goal. Get excited. Have fun. Take pride in what you are doing. Make sure you choose a habit that you can actually feel good about while you are doing it, and after you have done it. You can also reward yourself once in a while in other ways when you complete a tough habit or want to pat yourself on the back. But there is nothing like the intrinsic motivation you get when you feel good while doing something.

If you think you just need better will power, or motivation, or determination, you might find that you only end up winning a few battles, but lose the war. If you do not get satisfaction out of what you are doing, you may find you ultimately give up when trying to reach your goals. You need to enjoy the journey. Be present. Take pride in what you have done, even the tiny steps like working on something for 5 minutes. If you hate what you are doing, why do it anyway? Pick something else. Pick a habit that you can enjoy, and a goal that you can feel good about and really want to see come true.

Conclusion

Decide on one specific goal or task that is important to you.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. - Lao Tzu

If you are thinking of following any of this advice realize that it will be very tough at times and may take quite a bit of hard work and time. Life is not easy and the goals we are talking about are not easy. You will temporarily fail many times, fall, be beaten up, feel like quitting, cry, and stumble through hurdles you did not expect in trying to reach your goals and dreams.

That is why it is important to find some daily satisfaction in what you are doing, or you won't have the determination and desire to continue on your journey. Just start with step one, take it one step at a time, and enjoy the journey. I’d also say practice and use this set of steps with smaller goals and tasks like getting groceries or planning a weekend in order to build your confidence and prove to yourself that this works. These aren't just steps to achieve big goals. I have found that these steps are proven to work to get anything done in this world.

Turning your thoughts into action works if you want to change anything about yourself or the world, big or small. If you really want something with all of your heart it’s what you think and believe that matter. You then take action every day to turn what you see in your mind’s thoughts into something in real life. The steps above allow you to do just that and achieve whatever you desire. You are in control of your life, your goals, your dreams, and your destiny. And you can do this.

Updated Date - August 20th, 2023
Original Date - September 15th, 2014
How To Get Things Done - Brief

Bullet Point Character On Keyboards

Tech, Tech Notes

I wonder if we should design keyboards to input the bullet point character (U+2022 •) instead of the backtick character (U+0060 `), which is currently the key above the tab key and to the left of the number 1.

Notes

  • Why 1 • The bullet point is a very common symbol used in lists and HTML
  • Why 2 • The bullet point character is an excellent information separator
  • I wonder if the bullet point should be used as a data/table separator
  • Column Data 1 • Column Data 2 • Column Data 3 • Column Data 4
  • I wonder if the bullet point should be used as a better colon replacement
  • Title of This Book • Cool Subtitle of This Book With a Really Long Name
  • I wonder if the bullet point could even be used as a filename/URL separator
  • Example • 2023-08-20•bullet-point-character-on-keyboards•munro-stewart

August 20th, 2023

Foresight And Hindsight Of Raptors

Play, Play Notes

Here is a summary of the general strengths and weaknesses of Raptors management over the last 10 years, using the benefit of hindsight to note possible major successes and mistakes.

Foresight And Future Of Raptors

  • Idea - Raptors management, scouts, and analysts have had outstanding foresight

Because the Raptors management, scouts, analysts, and coaches have done such an amazing job selecting and developing players, the Raptors should still have a good team this year and going forward, even after losing VanVleet in free agency. Overall, the Raptors have had an otherworldly level of decision making, player development, and culture creation in the last 10 years. The Raptors have nailed and appropriately developed more lower draft picks they have made than possibly every other team, not to mention undrafted players. That, along with many other reasons, is why they have the second most wins of any team in the NBA over the last 10 years, while enjoying an incredible run from 2013-2023. The Warriors are the team with the most wins, and it took the Raptors beating them in the Final to get the Raptors their championship.

As I see it, the Raptors and Ujiri have had amazing foresight and good decision making in some general areas from 2013-2023. These areas which have traditionally been great strengths include:

  • Reset Trades - Trading away a poor contract or player to improve - Anthony, Bargnani, Gay
  • Like Trades - Making trades for key players who they like - Ibaka, Leonard, Trent, Poeltl
  • Rebuilding - Rebuilding and growing a lower ranked team from scratch with no stars
  • Developing - Developing all players well beyond their expected ability and value
  • Drafting - Drafting good players who they like - Wright, Siakam, Anunoby, Barnes
  • Signing - Signing undrafted and free agent role players who they like - VanVleet, Boucher
  • Patience - Being patient while players and the team go through ups and downs
  • Chemistry - Creating a culture of team chemistry, working together, and having fun

Foresight Improved With Hindsight

  • Idea - Raptors management can be better by improving key weaknesses and mistakes

The fact that the Raptors have been such a good organization with exceptional player development and decision making overall does not mean that big mistakes have not been made, or that the team could not be situated much better for the present and future without those key mistakes. Firstly, I wonder if the Raptors have done a poor job seeing when they should trade away good players they like for future young players and picks. Their inability to make trades for the future is highlighted by what I see as two of the biggest asset management mistakes that the team has made from 2013-2023, with Lowry and VanVleet, which I write about in detail below. Secondly, I wonder if the Raptors have not capitalized on their excellent development of players and depth by trading away multiple players for a great player or future star player. They did accomplish this at least once, with solid results, with the trade of Valanciunas, Wright, and Miles for Gasol. However, they could have more often used their depth to take a gamble by trading 2, 3, or 4 players away to get 1 or 2 great or potentially great players for today or the future.

I might be wrong, but I wonder if these two general weaknesses, along with a couple of the major mistakes resulting from them, have significantly weakened the current and future potential of the Raptors team from what it could have been. The Raptors organization has had many more strengths and good decisions as opposed to weaknesses, poor decisions, and indecisions in the era from 2013-2023. However, the Raptors could have capitalized much better on their strengths of growing, developing, and drafting players if they had traded their good players that they liked in Lowry and VanVleet at the proper time, for some good young players and draft picks. They also could have used their strengths of developing, drafting, and depth to trade away multiple good players they like for a great player or future star player. Having patience is to be lauded, but indecision or inaction at the wrong times can also lead to poor results as well. Sometimes only hindsight allows one to reveal and recognize true weaknesses and mistakes which one can improve on to get better in the future.

As I see it, the Raptors and Ujiri have had some major mistakes, poor decision making, and indecision or inaction in some general areas from 2013-2023. These areas, which may have been weaknesses and could possibly be improved in the future, include:

  • Future Trades - Trade players they like for great young players and picks - Lowry, VanVleet
  • Depth Trades - Trade multiple players from depth into a great player or future star player

Hindsight And Mistake #1 - Lowry

  • Idea - Raptors should have traded Lowry in 2020 offseason

The Raptors had a great 2019-2020 season. Masai decided that the team would "Run it back" before the season began. Lowry and VanVleet started together, which appeared to be a good decision by Nick Nurse, as VanVleet was a superior player to Powell and it allowed a great amount of ball handling and passing in the lineup, along with Siakam and Gasol. The team was exceptional again, even though they had lost Kawhi.

After this season, the Raptors should have started to move on a bit to the younger group and trade Lowry in the offseason. VanVleet was clearly ready to be the starting point guard, and Lowry and VanVleet were not the best pairing for another full season anyway. Lowry had a bounce back year points wise since Kawhi was gone, and was coming off being a 6-time straight All-Star at about age 33, so the Raptors could have gotten some good players and picks for him with a full year left on his contract. By trading Lowry's big contract for young players and picks, the Raptors could have signed and kept a center in either Ibaka or Gasol. In that way, they could have moved on from the older Lowry and Gasol, but still kept a center with experience and a good team together, but be younger and with some draft assets or young players built up by trading their star player in Lowry.

The lineup, not even including any great young player the Raptors might have gotten for Lowry, could have looked something like VanVleet, Anunoby, Siakam, Boucher, Ibaka. Or VanVleet, Powell, Anunoby, Siakam, Ibaka. Both Powell and Boucher had amazing seasons in 2019-2020 and were pushing to be starters. Boucher actually led the team in Win Shares according to Basketball Reference in the upcoming 2020-2021 season, an amazing feat, playing 24 minutes a game off the bench. I proposed an unlikely trade where the Raptors might have gotten the 2nd and 3rd picks in the draft for Lowry, and also suggested they take LaMelo Ball and Tyrese Haliburton with the picks, as an example.

What I have heard many people say and report is that the Raptors could not get much for Lowry at the 2020-2021 deadline, so they decided against trading him. I agree. I'm suggesting the mistake was not that Lowry was not traded at the deadline, but that the Raptors should have had the foresight to trade him in the previous offseason, a year before he was actually traded. Star players should be traded in the offseason, and older players should be traded before their value is diminished. Often this will be when the player has one year remaining on their contract, as was the case with Lowry.

Raptors 2020 and future strategy and lineup

Hindsight And Mistake #2 - VanVleet

  • Idea - Raptors should have traded VanVleet in 2022 offseason

The Raptors had a solid bounce-back 2021-2022 season, finishing strong to get into 5th spot in the East, after finishing 12th the previous year. Barnes won rookie of the year and VanVleet was an All-Star for the first time. Siakam, who missed the start of the season with shoulder surgery, made an All-NBA team.

Before the start of the 2021-2022 year, Doug Smith wrote what seemed to be a very credible and informed piece in the Toronto Star after the Kyle Lowry trade. It laid out what appeared to be a vision for the future of the team, saying "They'd like a team of young, athletic players who are interchangeable for the most part, in a game growing more positionless by the season, and it’s a process to put that in place. Not a quick process, either, despite the sense that free agency began and ended in the first 36 hours."

After this season, the Raptors should have continued with their vision and traded VanVleet in the offseason, especially after he did not sign an extension immediately. VanVleet was coming off being an All-Star for the first time, increasing his value a fair amount. So again, like Lowry two years before, if the Raptors had the foresight to trade VanVleet in that offseason, they could have picked out and gotten some good young players or picks that they were interested in for him.

I do want to mention that there was another option in this current 2023 offseason which was available and could have allowed the Raptors to get value for one of their star players without losing them for nothing. If the Raptors did want to end up paying and keeping VanVleet instead of Siakam, maybe because he was such a great shooter and leader, they probably still could have. Instead, they could have proactively chosen to trade Siakam this offseason, possibly before free agency, freeing up money to sign VanVleet. In trading Siakam they likely could have gotten a better trade and assets and traded away the weaker shooter, so there were also positives for choosing VanVleet over Siakam.

Instead though, they chose not to trade Siakam in order to keep VanVleet instead. Then they ended up letting VanVleet walk this year, instead of choosing to trade him a year ago in the offseason, when they could have capitalized on his All-Star year and had the foresight to see they might not be able to keep him after he did not sign an extension right away in the 2022 offseason.

The Kyle Lowry deal will set off a chain reaction

Building An Identity - Huliatt

Soul, Soul Notes

Hey Huliatt. Here are some practical ideas to help build an identity, which you might consider.

Habits

  • Affirmations - Write down and read positive thoughts and ideas of what you want to be.
  • Hobbies - Write down different hobbies you enjoy doing, separate from your work role.
  • Goals - Write down a list of goals, activities, and things you want to achieve or do.
  • Tasks - Write down 3 tasks you want to do today or tomorrow, in the morning or evening.
  • Journal - Write down your thoughts on things, as well as things you are grateful for.
  • Health - Exercise, eat healthy, don't smoke, meditate to improve your brain and body.

Quotes

  • "Sow a thought, and you reap an act; Sow an act, and you reap a habit; Sow a habit, and you reap a character; Sow a character, and you reap a destiny"
  • "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act, but a habit."
  • When reading the first quote, you might replace character with identity, a synonym.
  • You might replace excellence too, maybe with growth, wellness, happiness, character.

Isolation In Post-modernity - xkcdHatGuy

Soul, Soul Notes

Hey xkcdHatGuy. Here are some of my thoughts on your thoughts in "Isolation in post-modernity".

Intro

  • I am likely wrong about all of this and it's written tersely and impolitely
    • So take my thoughts and suggestions with a grain of salt and read between lines
  • Well said, people being afraid to talk about politics and ideas makes sense
    • So only talk about political and societal ideas with friends who would like to do so
  • Here is one video talking about people's inflexibility on society and policy ideas

Notes

  1. People all find it difficult to make and keep close friends and partners
  2. People don't care about someone's work in general, in your case your ideas on society
  3. People want to be happy and have fun, not talk about ideas or policies for living
  4. People do form relationships to get something from someone else, as you said
  5. Being yourself is authentic, but might not make someone likeable, friendly, or popular
    • So decide when you want to be yourself, and if or when to try and fit in with people
    • Ego - Bibi Bourelly
  6. We feel happiness doing what we want, and being of service and useful for society

Quote

  • It's dangerous to try and really connect with someone. It's so special when you can find a person you can be yourself with. - Halt and Catch Fire

Isolation in post-modernity - xkcdHatGuy YouTube

Vision For Our Wearable Future

Tech, Tech Notes

I wonder if our personal and work technology future will consist solely of using wearable devices including headsets, glasses, watches, and other future devices. These wearable devices would completely replace all the "screens" we now use including PCs, TVs, phones, and tablets.

Wearables

  • I envision Headsets replacing all computers, laptops, and televisions
  • We will use these devices while at home or work for everything
  • I envision Glasses replacing all phones, tablets, and readers
  • We will wear these devices constantly, both inside and mobile outside
  • Headsets will be powerful and display any screens or environments
  • Glasses will be less powerful and display information differently

Devices

  • Headset, Glasses, and Watch wearables will be all most people need or use
  • In that sense, we almost merge with technology as it is always present
  • Desktop or Laptop will be reserved for power users and old computers
  • Even then, a wireless or wired Headset will usually be used as your monitor
  • We wouldn't need a Watch, but it makes sense to track our health metrics
  • Other wearable devices in the future will make us even more like a cyborg

YouTube Etcetera - Nemo

_Private

Hey Nemo. I'm back with another annoyingly long letter. I watched your stream a bit on a couple of the days that you were at the Botez place, especially the first night. You ended up talking a bit about life and YouTube. A few ideas came to mind when listening to you. Please keep in mind these really might not be good ideas for you in particular because you might not be interested in doing any of them at all or they might be too much work or change. But they are just different thoughts I had on what you were talking about, with you as an example let's say. Best wishes for a great summer Nemo.

1 On YouTube Videos And Views

TLDR - Someone might consider other topics for YouTube like food, wine, fashion, travel, or lifestyle videos

One thing you were talking about was not getting enough views and subscribers on YouTube. You might consider using YouTube to try posting videos of another one of your passions, other than just chess. You could do different things on YouTube than you do on Twitch and treat it more like Instagram than Twitter. Reviews and travels seem to be two things that people like watching on YouTube. Also, you seem to have a passion for some of these things, maybe even more than chess. You could maybe do reviews or just talk about things like food, drinks, wine, fashion, clothes, restaurants, or other things you enjoy. You could also throw in some travel sites, art galleries, or museums if you want and people might enjoy seeing them too as long as they are things you want to do or see.

2 On Revenue From Ads And Sponsors

TLDR - Someone might consider making videos to also get into places, do things for free, and maybe get free stuff

Besides focusing on something you might be more passionate about than chess and doing something you can learn more about since you enjoy learning, I see two other possible perks. One is that ad revenue is based on views, but also certain topics will do much better. Making videos on food, travel, and lifestyle topics and products could bring many more potential ads, partners, and sponsors for your videos and content than doing chess videos. The other potential perk is that you could focus on going to places for free and maybe even getting free stuff sometimes. Part of your goal might be to get into places or maybe get free stuff in return for making a YouTube video about them, or posting it to Instagram or other places. While you might end up making more money with more views and ads with these types of videos too, you could at least get to do some things you enjoy for free if nothing else.

3 On Male Versus Female Followers

TLDR - Someone might get more women followers and have a larger combined audience if you make lifestyle videos on YouTube

In terms of your brand and marketing, I would guess Twitch is probably mostly men and boys following and watching you. Twitter might also be quite a few guys who are interested in chess, even though it might be mixed and more girls probably follow you there than Twitch. Similarly, there are probably many girls following you on Instagram, especially compared to Twitch, and YouTube currently. But if you do lifestyle things on YouTube like food, restaurants, drink, wine, fashion, clothes, you will likely get many women followers which you do not currently get from your chess and video game videos and streams. So your overall audience on all platforms could go up. Twitch seems great for chess and chatting because you can do it easily and talk if you feel like it. YouTube could have more lifestyle videos but still some chess. Instagram is basically more lifestyle and photos already, so could go well with potential new YouTube content. Twitter could maybe be a bit more chess and some lifestyle, like Twitch.

4 On IRL Versus Videos In Public

TLDR - Someone might consider mostly making videos when in public and travelling, and leave IRL for updates from a laptop sometimes

One other reason I mentioned an idea for YouTube videos is because I sometimes wonder if it might be a better use of someone's time and energy when travelling or going out. It's really neat that you have tried IRL streaming and if you like that and keep doing it I think it's an interesting idea to get into for sure. But it seems like a lot of work and mental energy to do it all the time, which you could instead put into making YouTube videos or other content of things you are passionate about instead, and maybe enjoy the experience better that way too. Instead of live streaming when you travel you might consider focusing a bit more on creating YouTube videos instead. You could maybe do a short Twitch stream from your hotel room on your laptop to connect with people and update them instead of real IRL streaming all the time or for long periods of time. But doing reviews of food, drinks, restaurants, clothes, etc. will give you something to look forward to do and make videos for when you travel. If you throw in a video of things like museums or galleries of art since you seem to maybe enjoy that too, or any other tourist sites and places that you are passionate about and visit, people might love that too I'm sure.

5 On Following Your Passions

TLDR - My bigger point is really that maybe what can work well when making content is creating and doing things one is passionate about firstly, and also that is something that a lot of people are interested in seeing

With all of this said, if your passion really is in games and doing exactly what you are doing now and that's what you really want to be doing, definitely keep doing that. Whether it's chess or other games. Or continuing with doing more IRL while travelling. I think that just doing whatever you are passionate about doing that you can share with people might be the most important thing. Not only because that could bring someone success with more money, but also because you will enjoy doing it even if you don't make oodles of money. Ultimately, that is one of the things I admire about people like you and others who figure out a way to do something they enjoy. It's quite the life to be able to make some money from playing games and chatting with people if that is what someone enjoys doing 😉

I just wondered if also trying to make some videos about one of your other passions like drinks, wine, food, restaurants, fashion, clothes, travel, and lifestyle products seems like a possible idea if you continue to make content, and especially for YouTube. Mainly because you might have an even bigger passion for those things than chess since you seem to talk about them more, enjoy learning about them, and enjoy talking about them. And also because there is a chance that those subjects of videos and posts might resonate with a larger audience and translate into more views, followers, ads, sponsors, free stuff, and money in the long term.

6 On Gratitude And Being Lucky

TLDR - When life seems tough or not as great as you had hoped, try to remember that because of your intelligence, upbringing, health, and other factors that you likely have an easier and better life than at least 95% of people in the world now, and likely over 99% of people in the history of the world

Conclusion - On My Stupid Ideas In This Letter

The previous letter that I wrote to you may have had some actual helpful life advice. I think this letter might not be nearly as good in that way. Except maybe the sixth point, which I resisted even writing about to keep things simpler and on your work. I just enjoy thinking of ideas really, and these are a few of the thoughts I had on your YouTube videos, the content you make for people, and some thoughts on your work and current career I guess, after hearing you talk about it a bit. This time those ideas might not be too helpful at all or might even throw you off track. Even I might recommend to mostly ignore them in this case and just go on about making and doing what you enjoy and feel passionate about doing, or doing whatever else you feel you need to do to make your life easier, better, happier, or more enjoyable for you. See ya Nemo.

Explorers Are Bad Leaders - Derek Sivers

Soul, Soul Notes

Hey Derek.

Explorer versus Leader? Both.
Perceiving versus Judging? Both.
Flexible versus Structure? Both.
Dreaming versus Planning? Both.

Nature Verus Nurture

You are likely right, but I will add that the concepts of complementarity, dualism, yin and yang, and balance are convincing and worth remembering as well. I wonder if it's not exploring that makes a bad leader, but being an excessive explorer and dreamer without having the balance of also being a leader and planner. As an example, imagine if I theorized and wrote "Drinkers are bad leaders". Yes, an excessive alcoholic who is drinking too much all of the time would probably be a bad leader. But I wonder if a person could be both a drinker and a good leader if they balance their drinking with moderation. One could even postulate that being a moderate drinker, or moderate explorer, could make someone a better leader.

Explorers are bad leaders - Derek Sivers

March 16th, 2023

Letter - Nemo

Soul, Soul Notes

Hi Nemo. I couldn't stop myself from writing down some thoughts I had for you after listening to you in a few of your streams. I know you likely won't get a chance to read it since it's long, but it was just enjoyable for me to write anyway. You might want to check out the TLDR sentences someday for a few book and media picks if anything. Best wishes for a great 2023 Nemo.

Intro - On My First Time Checking Out Twitch

TLDR - I have to admit, learning about Twitch has been fascinating

I gave in and started watching Twitch for the first time around a couple weeks ago if you can believe it, partly to learn and understand what it's all about, including watching some of the chess side of it. I saw quite a bit of Anna Cramling's live tournament, as well as quite a bit of of your recent streams, starting with playing Jennifer, up until the one the day after your birthday. Even though I will likely find the resolve to stop watching Twitch, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to you and learning about you and your crazy mind, and here are some thoughts I had at different times.

1. On Classic Books And Learning

TLDR - You might like "Roots" or "A Tale Of Two Cities"

From what you were saying about the types of books you like, a couple had come to mind. If I remember correctly, you were talking about enjoying books that tell stories about people living at different times in history, and that you like learning something. "Roots" was a great book which stuck with me more than most, and which I learned more about history and perspective in one book than I ever learned in school. When I started reading, I also chose to read some classic novels. The way I thought of it was, why read some new book when I could read some of the best ever. I don't remember "A Tale Of Two Cities" quite as well, and it might be a little boring for you. But it was another one I read that I thought you might possibly learn something from. Also the last movie that I thought was a really good one was "The Banshees Of Inisherin". It was clearly about how some people handled living in a simpler time and a simpler place.

2. On Birthday Songs And Music

TLDR - You might check out "Happy Birthday, Johnny" by St. Vincent

On your birthday, you were asking about good birthday songs. I was checking out some different lists of birthday songs in general while you were streaming, or ones with 23 in them. The only song I liked enough and thought was worth recommending was "Happy Birthday, Johnny" by St. Vincent. I didn't know it before relistening to it while you were streaming, but it has the following lyric. "Happy New Year Johnny. Is it 23? Happy New Year Johnny. Are there lights on the trees?" I like the song though, and even though it's not a party song it could be worth checking out. As I was listening to it I thought it even had some parallels to your career, with St. Vincent being in the public eye.

3. On Your Unique Thoughts And Interests

TLDR - It was enjoyable listening to your wacky ideas

One of the reasons I think I started or bothered writing all of this was because of some unexpected thoughts and interests you brought up which I don't hear people talk like often. After you were talking about motorcycle riding, I had asked if you would go on a motorcycle if someone you had a crush on asked you, to test your resolve. But really, the funny thing to me was just that what you had been saying about not wanting to ride on motorcycles sounded like exactly what I might say. We're very different for sure, but I suppose I just wanted to let you know it was neat hearing someone randomly bringing up things like classic books and other random stuff. Your thoughts on not always appreciating an expensive meal was another one. And also thinking about making changes to your life, which I reply to a bit in another section. One that really made me happy for you and laugh was when you pulled out the wine reference book that you were happy to get. I have really enjoyed some of those types of books, like reference books basically. I no longer have it but I had gotten Bartending For Dummies for the same reasons. I mean I certainly didn't need to write a novel of a letter just because you said a few interesting things, but what is done is done 😉

4. On Your Myers-Briggs Type And Personality

TLDR - You might be interested in learning about Myers-Briggs personality types

One thing I like to do with people I've met sometimes is try to guess their Myers-Briggs type. In real life, it actually can take a little while. I was thinking that watching you or other people on Twitch for not that long is probably easier than real life I think. At least with someone as talkative as you 😉 My first guess for you would be ENTP and my second guess would be ENTJ. If you haven't done the test before it might be something to check out if you are interested. It's probably worth doing a couple different tests, and on different days or weeks apart before thinking you might be in one of the types. Anyway, other than guessing your type I just wondered if it would be something you were interested in reading about, as I was interested in it and reading about the different types could help us understand other people. I also heard you talking about yourself one day and your aptitude for pattern recognition over really being good at strategy. Know thyself, I thought to myself. You sure seem to know yourself and try to understand yourself better than most people do, which will serve you well Nemo.

5. On Leveling Up In Life And Long Comments

TLDR - Your leveling up idea is great and my comments are too long

OK here is where I knew I was in too deep, and that Twitch chatting with popular people might not be for me. I had prepared these things below to say at one point, and was like, OK settle down buddy. Nonetheless, your thoughts on leveling up in different areas of life were interesting. Anyway, I'll leave these crazy long comments as I had written them down, as I had again decided not to bother sending any of them. Take from these what you will or even ask yourself and ponder on the second question if you wish to think about what you really want to level up the most.

- Anyone have any thoughts about Nemo's cool idea of leveling up different life skills, or do you just think that's weird?
- Does anyone ever think of one thing you could improve most in yourselves to learn from your past mistakes and become a better person?

6. On Your Birthday And Playing Alex

TLDR - Felt for you not feeling like playing chess on your birthday

I went to watch your birthday stream and watched quite a bit of it, but couldn't find a good time or bring myself to say anything, and decided to just watch that day. At one point after watching you get into the game with Alex I was going to say "Merry Nemomas! I was going to apologize for Alex making you play rated chess on your birthday, but it looked like she's not as mean as she thinks she is." Because you beat her basically. Since you didn't seem that into the day or potentially losing rating to Alex before playing her, it was really nice to see Alex gift you subscribers, and maybe at least some rating with a game or two. I honestly could not tell after a few games if Alex might have given you any games on purpose for your birthday after the first game, but if she did you have to admit she's a pretty great person and friend, especially considering how competitive she is. But it was just good to see you get into it and enjoy playing and having fun after she seemingly talked you into playing rated chess on your birthday when you maybe didn't feel like it. But man, I feel for you trying to make a show for everyone all the time and sometimes even doing things you might rather not even feel like doing, especially on your birthday. But pretty nice of Alex and "BotezLive" for the subscribers if nothing else, though I still don't understand that fully.

7. On Big Life Choices And Growing Up

TLDR - You might like the "Up" documentary film series

There is an excellent series called Up or 7 Up that you might be interested in watching if you haven't seen it. This guy interviews children at every age starting from when they were 7, and they are up to 63 now. At age 21 one of the women is sitting there smoking, being defensive, irritable, and clearly did not want to talk or be involved. She's like I hate children, they suck. Then skip to her interview at 28 and she has children and could not be more happy and welcoming. It was like night and day, and one of the best of many examples in the series of how life can change drastically with time. Believe me, I do hate bringing up a particular example like having kids, or any big life choices, as it's obviously none of my business or anyone else's. Sorry, but it just reminded me of that as it was one of the things in the series that stood out so much to me. But really it's just a good excuse to recommend the series to you, and my point is more to think about life and changes in our lives in general at different ages.

8. On The Ups And Downs Of Life And Change

TLDR - Dramatic changes to our life and perspective happen over time

You seemed to be talking a fair amount at different times about trying to make changes or improvements to yourself or your life to be happier and healthier. One thing I have noticed myself is 2 year spans where life is radically different and I couldn't have possibly ever imagined it 1 or 2 years earlier. Sometimes we might feel like things will never change or get better, and so we don't bother trying. It is truly remarkable how life evolves though, especially for someone as intelligent as yourself who thinks about such things or who can learn to proactively make changes you want to make. I do think changes take some time though, it's not quite like leveling up in a game of course 😉 Sometimes we just need to weather the storms and take a step back to learn from our mistakes, and focus on exactly what we want to or need to change the most. But you never know when your whole life, or even just your whole mindset or way of looking at something, will be completely different than they were just a year or two ago, especially if you learn to focus on something you want to learn or change over time.

Conclusion

If you made it this far and have actually read a good amount of this, what the heck are you doing? 😉 You could be making or posting some stuff for people so you can make some more moola, streaming and chatting, watching YouTube, drinking wine, reading, or even meditating to level up. See ya Nemo.

Take Hourly Breaks To Refocus

_Private

Take a quick break every hour to evaluate what you have done and refocus on what task to do next.

STEP 2 (1 minute every hour) Refocus. Set your watch, phone, or computer to ring every hour. When it rings, take a deep breath, look at your list and ask yourself if you spent your last hour productively. Then look at your calendar and deliberately recommit to how you are going to use the next hour. Manage your day hour by hour. Don’t let the hours manage you.

An 18 minute plan for managing your day - Harvard Business Review

Headsets Are Like Laptops For TVs

Tech, Tech Notes

I wonder if XR headsets will be to the TV set what a laptop is to the desktop. Some people will still use televisions in the future, but most people will transition to use a portable, smaller, and battery powered XR headset instead of a TV.

Notes

  • Headsets make the TV portable and smaller, just like a laptop
  • Headsets are battery powered unlike a TV, just like a laptop
  • They use nearly as powerful of a processor as a console, just like a laptop
  • They are fully self-contained and functional on their own, just like a laptop
  • Unlike a laptop, the screen will actually appear bigger than a TV
  • Unlike a laptop, a Micro OLED screen would appear better than a TV

5.7 Inch iPhone SE Or Just iPhone?

Tech, Tech Notes

I wonder if the rumored 5.7 inch iPhone SE could actually be a potential new size and design for the regular iPhone, possibly for fall 2023. The next iPhone SE could be based off that new design with USB-C, possibly for spring 2025 or 2026.

Notes

If there is an earlier iPhone SE in the spring of 2024, I wonder if it would be based off of the 5.4 inch iPhone 13 mini, or the 6 inch iPhone 13. However, they would need to at least slightly redesign the exterior of the device, to add USB-C, and possibly also Touch ID in the power button for cost reasons. Previously, the iPhone SE was not updated for 4 years from 2016 to 2020. Waiting three or four years after 2022 until the next iteration could make sense, to allow it to be based off of a newer design with USB-C, instead of ever having an iPhone SE based on an iPhone from the Face ID and notch era of devices.

Predictions For NBA Standings 2022-23

Play, Play Notes

Here are my predictions for the 2022-2023 NBA standings, ranked by western and eastern conferences.

Western Conference

  • 1 - Denver Nuggets
  • 2 - Minnesota Timberwolves
  • 3 - Los Angeles Clippers
  • 4 - Golden State Warriors
  • 5 - New Orleans Pelicans
  • 6 - Phoenix Suns
  • ----
  • 7 - Los Angeles Lakers
  • 8 - Memphis Grizzlies
  • 9 - Dallas Mavericks
  • 10 - Sacramento Kings
  • ----
  • 11 - Portland Trail Blazers
  • 12 - Houston Rockets
  • 13 - Utah Jazz
  • 14 - Oklahoma City Thunder
  • 15 - San Antonio Spurs

Eastern Conference

  • 1 - Brooklyn Nets
  • 2 - Philadelphia 76ers
  • 3 - Toronto Raptors
  • 4 - Boston Celtics
  • 5 - Atlanta Hawks
  • 6 - Milwaukee Bucks
  • ----
  • 7 - Cleveland Cavaliers
  • 8 - Miami Heat
  • 9 - Chicago Bulls
  • 10 - Indiana Pacers
  • ----
  • 11 - Charlotte Hornets
  • 12 - Detroit Pistons
  • 13 - Orlando Magic
  • 14 - Washington Wizards
  • 15 - New York Knicks

Raptors Strategy And Lineup 2022

Play, Play Notes

Here are my ideas and strategy for the potential lineup, depth chart, and final roster spots for the Toronto Raptors going into the 2022 season, now that they are heading into training camp.

This takes some points from the main ideas I previously noted in "Raptors 2022 offseason lineup changes", which I wrote shortly after the end of the season. They did follow a few of my ideas from that article already, including resigning Boucher, drafting a versatile and athletic center, and signing Champagnie to an NBA deal for now at least. And there have been some rumblings about Achiuwa having an increased role or even possibly starting as I had also crazily suggested.

Notes

  • Make Achiuwa a starter and move Trent to the bench
  • Give Hernangomez the 14th spot as I always thought he would make team
  • Give Jackson the 15th spot over Champagnie as he is athletic and versatile
  • Move Champagnie down to a 2W spot and Dowtin to Raptors 905 contract
  • Make Flynn the backup PG because of good shooting and assists/turnover
  • Play Koloko a lot as a main bench player in the first half of the season

Extras

  • I wonder if Achiuwa's role should eventually be a 3-and-D small forward
  • I wonder if Banton's role should eventually be a playmaking shooting guard
  • Play the bench players much more this year and develop the young guys
  • They likely can't, but try to keep Trent on bench always so he can get 6th man
  • If Trent starts, the bench in my second lineup is a HUGE switchable lineup
  • Thaddeus Young could be a possible small ball center over Koloko sometimes

Roster

  • Tier 1 - Siakam, Barnes, Anunoby, VanVleet
  • Tier 2 - Trent, Achiuwa, Koloko, Porter, Boucher
  • Tier 3 - Flynn, Banton, Young, Jackson, Hernangomez
  • Tier 4 - Champagnie, Birch, Harper

Lineup 1

  • PG - VanVleet - Flynn - Banton
  • SG - Anunoby - Trent - Jackson
  • SF - Barnes - Porter - Young
  • PF - Siakam - Boucher - Hernangomez
  • C - Achiuwa - Koloko - Birch
  • 2W - Champagnie - Harper

Lineup 2

  • PG - VanVleet - Banton - Flynn
  • SG - Trent - Porter - Jackson
  • SF - Anunoby - Achiuwa - Young
  • PF - Barnes - Boucher - Hernangomez
  • C - Siakam - Koloko - Birch
  • 2W - Champagnie - Harper

We'll now see if Nurse and company makes any of the other suggestions this year in either this article or my previous one, including moving Trent to the bench, playing Koloko a lot, and playing Flynn more this year than last year. Of course Flynn will be in a battle with Banton and it could go either way. I could also see a trade happening like Birch, Flynn, and a second round pick for Cam Reddish. A smaller trade like that would open up a roster spot to keep both Jackson and Champagnie on the roster, and Dowtin as a 3rd point guard behind Banton.

I also like the signings of Porter, Hernangomez, and Jackson, and that they didn't commit to two years like they have previously with players of their ilk. Porter is worth the two years of course. I find it particularly interesting that they have added a ton of versatile and athletic height since trading Lowry at the start of the previous season. Achiuwa, Barnes, Banton, and Young came the previous season. And now they kept Young and Boucher this offseason and potentially add Koloko, Porter, Hernangomez, and Jackson to make 6 tall and versatile signings to their main roster this offseason. That would leave VanVleet, Flynn, and Trent as the only remaining guys under 6'7" and they now have much more height overall than just a couple of seasons ago.

Social Norms - xkcdHatGuy

Soul, Soul Notes

This is a reply to an insightful and heartfelt video essay by xkcdHatGuy titled "Acting as the collective's psychologist for 25 minutes"

Thanks for another thoughtful video essay xkcdHatGuy. As far as your thoughts and feelings, I'm with you in many ways, and I would like to let your keen thoughts stand on their own. I feel for you and other people who feel the same way at times. So I won't go on about the parts I agree with and how astute and relatable your perceptions are here. I just really appreciate you taking the time to put together your ideas in general, and this was a fun one.

Regarding some of your thoughts, which I felt was partly about social norms, you might want to separately ponder on and ask yourself the following couple of questions. I was thinking about them and came up with them myself while listening to you. I'd be interested to hear any thoughts or answers you or others have to these questions or my thoughts on them, which I admit are likely complete nonsense and incorrect answers to the questions I bring up below.

1. Why? Why does the average person confine themselves to social norms?

Theory - Sex and the desire for physical affection is the most basic reason for following social norms and the basis for the grip that capitalism, materialism, and the economy holds upon individuals today.

I agree with you that a large majority of people seem to mainly just be trying to learn what is accepted by society and follow those rules, as opposed to living naturally or deciding for themselves how to live. As you said in regards to walking around at night, I do also get a sense that this feeling and tendency may even be amplified since the pandemic started. I wonder if this may also be partly due to some of the social issues that have continually been more prevalent in western society recently, including the treatment of minorities and women. We may be in a period where some people, and young people in particular, are staying secluded and learning inside and online a bit more than the previous few generations, instead of going out and partying to find their own boundaries and what they and others feel is acceptable within their group and society.

You will come up with your own thoughts on the answer to the question of why most people so often simply follow social norms. But one theory I might have is that the main reason for the average person to follow social norms might be singularly, or at least largely due to a desire for sex and physical affection, having a mate or multiple sexual partners, and being desired and admired by people who they are interested in sexually. You could, of course, widen this to being accepted socially in general with the goal of not becoming an outcast, but I wonder if it could even be more basic than that in reality. It might also be worth noting that for many, at least at certain times in their lives, this sexual desire may also be linked with or superseded by their separate desire to have children.

In a similar way, which might be of interest to you, I wonder if it may be that the root of capitalism and materialism could also be based on the desire for sex and procreation. The desire for sex and affection could be so fundamentally important to most animals, including humans, that capitalism exists and endures because of, and feeds on that desire to get people to follow all of society's current social norms and be slaves in order to have sex or get a mate.

Of course this theory may be completely reductive and incorrect, and the reason for people following social norms might not be as simple as our desire for sex alone, but also include other factors such as a person's need for love, platonic affection, belonging, or many other reasons, including ones that have nothing to do with social connection. But according to Occam's Razor, sometimes the theory with the fewest parameters, or the simplest explanation, may be as likely to be correct or explain the situation as well as a more complicated one.

If sex was the main reason for following most social norms or even the basis of the socioeconomic system of capitalism itself, this may explain why monks, nuns, or people who have devoted themselves to religion quite often seem to naturally be a group that abstains from sex, more so than the idea that their celibacy is because they are purposely devoting themselves to a God or because of a rule directly from God for instance. Because they are not following the social norms of regular people, including living a materialistic life and having a job as part of the proletariat and working class, they may inherently need to resign themselves to potentially not having sex, which almost all people are unwilling to do.

2. Good? Can social norms be good for society instead of restricting or detrimental?

Theory - Social norms are good if we can continually create and altruistically help lead people towards norms which promote and enhance the wellbeing of individuals and the betterment of society and the world as a whole.

While people like you and I might enjoy thinking outside the box, and therefore are always questioning social norms, you might ask yourself if norms in general are inherently bad for most people and society as a whole. For instance, is it possible that some core values and principles that you yourself hold to be your most important are themselves really just social norms in disguise as well?

Is being kind, thoughtful, and considerate of others a universal truth and inherently right, or is it actually just a social norm? Is eating healthy and educating oneself to make yourself better ingrained in all animals or are they social norms which can be cultivated within people, and have further benefitted individual humans and progressed society for groups who have felt impelled for some reason to follow the norms of a healthy lifestyle and learning useful knowledge?

Instead of thinking that all social norms are bad because most people are followers who only have the intelligence or propensity to figure out what is currently socially acceptable, I wonder if we could instead be asking what role can social norms play in making life and society better. As you eloquently described, it does seem that the majority of people and animals follow social norms currently and possibly almost always have, which may explain the power of religion and religious leaders throughout history and still today for example.

However, knowing that most people may always tend to follow social norms, what should we do with that knowledge? It seems to me that some of your most insightful thoughts and ideas tend towards figuring out not what is "right" or "true" in the universe, but what is "better" or "best" for individuals, society, and our world.

Knowing that not everyone may have the capacity to be as freethinking or enlightened as someone with your intelligence and openness, I wonder if our goal should be to continue to fight against social norms that are egregious and harmful, in order to altruistically replace them with positive norms which make life and society better, and not worry quite as much about small things that people follow which don't seriously affect their wellness or the wellbeing of others.

August 21st, 2022