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Life Scholar • World Philosopher
Art Curator • Tech Strategist
Human Being • Sport Analyst

Do Whatever Makes Our Lives Better

🌎 World • 📁 World Ideas

Some of the people I find most fascinating have publicly straddled the line or gone back and forth between trying to improve work or productivity and life or wellbeing. I find it hard to categorize such people, and I have innately or instinctively admired this kind of person.

  • Leo Babauta - Created Zen Habits website and blog where he writes and teaches about productivity, improvement, and personal development, but also about being healthy, achieving happiness, and simplifying your life. (Zen Habits)
  • Gina Trapani - Created LifeHacker website and blog where she straddled the line between writing about useful tips and tools to make life and work better, and works as a software developer and designer creating tools to make work and life better. (Note To Self)
  • Derek Sivers - Created CD Baby business by following his technical interests after working as a musician following his artistic interests. Created Derek Sivers website blog and books to help people improve their life, work, music, and technology. (Derek Sivers)
  • Belle Cooper - Created Hello Code business and works as a software developer making apps that help with journaling, logging, and keeping track of life and work. Writes and journals about life and work at various websites and her blog. (Belle B. Cooper)
  • Tim Ferriss - Created The 4-Hour Workweek and Tools of Titans books focused on work and productivity, and The 4-Hour Body and 4-Hour Chef focused on life and health. Created and invests in businesses, and created educational podcast. (Tim Ferriss)
  • Penelope Trunk - Created Penelope Trunk website and blog to write candidly and openly about all aspects of careers, education, life, and struggles. Teaches, coaches, and provides courses to help people with careers, education, life, and writing. (Penelope Trunk)
  • Bill Gates - Created Microsoft business to improve work and productivity technology and software which made him a lot of money, and created a foundation to improve life and health resources and research which made him a lot of money. (Gates Notes)
  • Oprah Winfrey - Created The Oprah Winfrey Show and subsequent media network that entertained people, but made the choice to also educate people with positive information and stories to make your life better, which made her rich and famous. (Oprah)

June 7th, 2026

Raptors Offseason Strategy Path 2026

🏀 Sport • 📁 Sport Paths

Here is my overall strategy and roster construction ideas for the Toronto Raptors 2026 offseason and going forward, including possible lineup changes and potential trade ideas.

What

  • Improve 3PT/FT shooting of all players around Barnes/Murray into future
  • Improve height, rebounding, defense, and eventually 3PT shooting at center
  • Center - Get tall starting center(s) to rebound and defend, hope 3PT potential
  • Point - Get young backup or fringe PG that shoots 3PT, rebounds, passes
  • Continue trading for young players to get team of 2-Way shooters/defenders
  • Sign cheap centers if just rebounds/defense, play Murray/Barnes center rarely

Players

  • Barrett - Trade for young prospect player(s), draft picks, maybe center
  • Shead - Trade possibly and get a better shooting and rebounding PG
  • Poeltl - Keep and move to bench to trade salary at future date, or use in trade
  • Ingram - Keep for 3PT shooting, late clock scoring, and team consistency
  • Walter - Promote to starting lineup at SG, Murray starters insurance 6th man
  • Gradey - Keep as 11th guy, maybe don't extend, possibly trade at deadline

Lineup

  • PG - Quickley - [Trade 3/D] - Draft/FA
  • SG - Walter - Murray - Gradey
  • SF - Ingram - [Trade D/3] - Battle
  • PF - Barnes - Mamu - Draft/FA
  • C - [FA/Trade] - Poeltl - Draft/FA

Trade Blueprint 1

  • Don't love center being high paid player, but maybe worth it here
  • Raptors - Barrett, Shead, Gradey, Mogbo
  • Thunder - Holmgren, Wallace

Trade Blueprint 2

  • Poeltl contract tough, but maybe OKC prefers him to trade later
  • Raptors - Barrett, Poeltl, Shead, Battle, Mogbo
  • Thunder - Holmgren, Wallace, Topic

Trade Blueprint 3

  • Improve shooting potential and continue with youth movement
  • Raptors - Barrett, Shead, Mogbo
  • Rockets - Sheppard, Smith, 2027 1st, 2026 2nd, 2027 2nd

Trade Blueprint 4

  • Get center with shooting potential, offensive PG, continue with youth
  • Raptors - Barrett, Shead, Battle, Mogbo
  • Heat - Ware, Jakucionis, Wiggins, 2026 1st

Trade Blueprint 5?

  • Get picks, starting no 3PT center, two solid guys who've won championship?
  • Raptors - Barrett, Shead, Jackson
  • Thunder - Wallace, Hartenstein, 2026 1st, 2 2027 1st Round, 4 2nd Round

Trade Blueprint 6?

  • Not "huge" myself on Sengun, as defense/shooting/slow, but maybe fits?
  • Raptors - Barrett, Shead, Gradey, Jackson
  • Rockets - Sheppard, Sengun

Be Careful What You Swish For Act

🏀 Sport • 📁 Sport Acts

I wonder if more NBA rules created to discourage rebuilding and tanking results in "perverse incentives", and that reversing course to completely remove both the draft lottery and play-in tournament might be the simplest, best, or most natural order.

Draft

  • Flagg 1 (12th Last)
  • Risacher 1 (10th Last)
  • Wemby 1, Harper 2, Castle 4
  • Cade 1, Ausar 5, Ivey 5
  • Tatum 3, Brown 3, Smart 6
  • Wade 5, *James 1, *Bosh 4
  • Jordan 3, Pippen 5, Grant 10
  • Magic 1, Worthy 1, *Kareem 1

While the current NBA rule changes with the draft lottery and play-in tournament, as well as any further flattening of the draft lottery odds or other rule changes, are an attempt to combat a team rebuilding with homegrown talent and tanking or losing some games some years, it's possible the effects of these changes are worse and with other unexpected and negative consequences and natural reactions by teams that we have seen. It may be that great teams of the present and past had often naturally rebuilt to get one or two high draft picks or the possibility of a star player, and then they would go on to win or try to win for many years, including many of the top ranked, successful, and championship level teams of the past.

When you reward higher ranking and mid-level teams with an opportunity to both make the playoffs with the play-in tournament going to 10 teams and only 6 teams making it for sure, or get the number 1 pick in the draft with the randomized lottery draft odds, you may have incentivized even those mid-level teams to want to lose games, sit top players, trade franchise players like Doncic, miss the playoffs or play-in tournament on purpose, or make other decisions if they could get a #1 or top pick, or improve their odds for themselves by finishing 14th, or 12th, or 10th, or 8th last in the standings. If you take this even further and create more rules, other unforeseen perverse incentives may result, such as the current rich teams getting even richer or teams not having an opportunity to rebuild naturally, or other unforeseen future consequences from any new rules creating potentially perverse incentives.

Instead, before you had the possibly unfair lottery draft and the possibly unfair play-in tournament, the very bottom teams might try to lose some games to improve their draft position and likelihood of getting a great player and that has always naturally been the case, and that doesn't appear to have changed. Also, it was clear that the teams with the best records over 82 games made the playoffs and teams knew if they made the top 8 they were a playoff team, instead of a much worse team who could have even more than 10 more losses than another team. On top of this, the mid-level teams who just missed the playoffs or who were trying to get better weren't as obsessed at losing some games because the odds of getting a franchise player with the 8th pick isn't much better than the 10th pick, like is the case if you could possibly get the 1st, 3rd, or 5th pick.

Furthermore, I have to add that I suspect it's quite possible that the NBA and its executives and owners might be particularly more upset today in 2026 at teams who might try to lose some games when they are at the bottom of the league or aren't a playoff team, which has likely been going on forever and with successful results since the 1950s, because of their recent decision to make money from gambling and betting, and the consequences lower and mid-level teams trying to lose some games or sit out players has for that. While a separate topic, I will briefly say that I at least hope and meditate for the current and future health and wellbeing of all of the referees, players, and coaches who may be very negatively affected by betting in the game as well as the countless people being negatively affected or becoming addicted to gambling which may ruin many people's lives and their children's lives, instead of enjoying the sport for the love of the game, because of the NBA's decision to allow rampant and pervasive betting to make even more excessive amounts of money, and the government's resistance to stop widespread legalized gambling by businesses such as the NBA up to this point.

Perverse Incentive - Wikipedia

Famous Buddha Paradox

🌎 World • 📁 World Ideas

If Buddha was content doing nothing, then "Why is Buddha so famous?"

  • If Buddha thought that living a life in which you don't need to do anything, make any improvements, or strive for any purpose was most rewarding or the best way to live, then why is he so famous and how did he produce many teachings which are so well-known?
  • Could it be because he followed his passions, sometimes strived to make things better with his ideas, found ways to potentially be of service for others, spent time doing and working on things he enjoyed, and even gained recognition from others for his work?
  • If Buddha was truly happy and content with just existing, meditating, and sitting in nature all of the time, then I wonder if we would not know him at all, let alone recognize him as such a famous and great writer, teacher, and philosopher.
  • I wonder if he may have really enjoyed his purpose or role as a teacher and philosopher, and spent a good deal of time learning and teaching how to live a better life, which resulted in him creating and writing many teachings on enlightenment and other ideas.
  • I admit my ignorance that I am not a master scholar of Buddha's teachings. Of course I understand he taught many different ideas including the Middle Way of finding a balance, and I know that he didn't actually teach everyone to just "sit in nature all day".
  • This was simply inspired by my ignorant image of him sitting in nature all day being content, and wondering if he might not be so famous if he did not follow his own passions and get some enjoyment from or even attachment to the purposes, roles, practices, or habits he did in his life.

February 18th, 2026

Raptors Need PG Upgrade?

🏀 Sport • 📁 Sport Takes

Hey Raptors Report.

Thanks a lot for replying to me and others, and sharing your thoughts and evaluation on Quickley and everything else, it's so enjoyable to listen to such an intelligent and well researched person like you talk about Raptors and basketball! Again, I admit I didn't even watch this particular video so I'm not debating specific things you said in it, and for instance upgrading to prime Curry straight up from Quickley might be worth it.

While I'm nitpicking words a bit, one thing I have learned to try and do is to not assume what others are thinking or that everyone sees things the same as I do or the current consensus does. As an example, there may be people that might not even recognize Quickley as struggling much this year, and might evaluate the situation differently. Because of adding Ingram he is the 4th option on the team and is playing unselfish, he's shooting a career high 52% 2PT, a respectable 36% 3PT the same as LaMelo Ball, an excellent and career high 3.7/1 AST/TO, a career high 1.3 STL, he plays much harder on defense and makes less money than many PG who one might consider upgrades, and he has a solid 17 PPG, which is lower because of him being the 4th option and not taking way more shots or steal the ball away from RJ more like VanVleet would have done.

Beyond that, as you know, some people put less value into smaller or recent sample sizes and would evaluate players much more over the 3 previous seasons than the first 20 or 40 games of a current season, and his trajectory at the same age has been so much better than Lowry, even though it probably won't continue with him becoming the #2 option next year like Lowry did in his age 27 season. Thanks again for doing an amazing job, it's always great to hear your thoughts on everything!

Lowry vs. Quickley Ages 24-26
- AGE - PT/36 - 3P% - 2P%
- 24 - 14.2 - 38% - 46% - Lowry
- 25 - 16.0 - 37% - 43% - Lowry
- 26 - 14.1 - 36% - 43% - Lowry
- 24 - 21.0 - 40% - 47% - Quickley
- 25 - 22.1 - 38% - 47% - Quickley
- 26 - 18.2 - 36% - 51% - Quickley

"He had an excellent game, no doubt. I’m sure even a fan of his would recognize his struggles this season, however. I will sing his praises from the rooftops if he continues to play well! I’d like to see more than a game before I turn around completely."

"Hold my beer." - Immanuel Quickley

Don't worry, I'm just an ignorant commenter who just read the title and I haven't even watched the video yet, and might not and instead just wait for the devil's advocate video about Quickley's ridiculously amazing game and how he's a pretty good player for a 4th or 5th option, like Lowry was in 2012/13 when he averaged only 11.6 PTS before Bargnani and Gay were both traded the next year opening up a unique opportunity for him, which may not ever happen for Quickley but that's OK too.

Toronto Raptors Need An Upgrade At PG - Raptors Report

Say Bye Buy Bee To Be

🌎 World • 📁 World Says

What does it cost and what must be lost?

To buy gifts just for show?
To buy flowers from a store?
To buy clothes they just stow?
To buy jewels for ever more?

What does it cost and what must be lost?

To be walking in a park?
To be talking on a bench?
To be swimming in a lake?
To be kissing on a couch?

January 7th, 2026

Hard Truths Movie Takeaway

🌎 World • 📁 World Ideas

Have A Positive Attitude

The lives of two sisters and mothers with very different attitudes shows the incredible power of humans and the mind to drastically influence and affect their life and the lives of those around them, negatively for the worse or positively for the better.

A Negative Attitude

  • One sister lives in an idyllic and spacious two story home with fences and a nice backyard
  • She has one healthy son and a kind hard-working husband who provides everything for her
  • She has no job and does not have to work because her husband makes all of the money
  • She is very negative, pessimistic, depressed, hateful, fearful, hurtful, frowny, and angry
  • She is afraid of almost everything including all living beings, and even nature and plants
  • This sister thinks negatively despite an easy life, appreciates nothing, and hates life

The Negative Result

  • One sister constantly criticizes and complains to salespeople, doctors, and anyone she sees
  • She constantly yells at her husband and doesn't appreciate him or give him any affection
  • She constantly berates her overweight son, doesn't love him or accept him or his passions
  • She is resentful towards her deceased mother and feels her childhood was very difficult
  • She doesn't thank her son at all or want to touch the flowers he got her for Mother's Day
  • This sister thinks negatively, acts poorly towards others, so she feels depressed and upset

A Positive Attitude

  • One sister lives in a small, run-down, upper floor apartment which she adorns with plants
  • She has two healthy daughters and she no longer has a husband or anyone who helps her
  • She works hard as a hairdresser and makes all the money to support her and her daughters
  • She is very positive, optimistic, content, grateful, hopeful, helpful, smiley, and happy
  • She is peaceful with everything and everyone, including upset customers, and loves nature
  • This sister thinks positively despite a hard life, appreciates what she has, and enjoys life

The Positive Result

  • One sister listens to her friends, her customers, and enjoys providing a service to everyone
  • She loves her daughters, who enjoy being around her and are talkative and playful with her
  • She supports her daughters, who exercise and help her any way they can around the house
  • She is respectful towards her deceased mother and feels that her childhood was enjoyable
  • She appreciates the small things like a glass of wine with her plants after a tough work day
  • This sister thinks positively, acts kindly towards others, so she feels content and happy

Hard Truths - Rotten Tomatoes

December 4th, 2025