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hshouse · 3 years

Note

Hi and thank you for your explanation of blockchain and tokens and NFTs. It helped me get a bit of understanding. I have a question about how Louis could be looking at NFTs. From my limited understanding, selling copies of an album to a large number of people is possible, and not much different from buying an mp3 dowload of an album, that is, there's nothing tangible other than a set of music e-files received by the consumer. There's little upfront cost for the label or artist with mp3 download sales, and the same would be true of an NFT download (would they still be mp3 files? I'm unclear). If Louis is looking at releasing an album independent of any label, and I'm not saying he is, only that it's an option I see right now (that is, with no information about a label from him), could he do it with one set of original music files and one set of original artwork, offering copies (limited or unlimited in number) for a set price? Can the seller indicate a not-to-exceed price, and reorder at a lower number of tokens if the price gets too high? I'm spitballing here, but is something like this possible? Thanks!

Hi bby,

So let’s break down what is expensive for a label and what isn’t (for someone as rich and successful as Louis)

- Recording: for smaller artists expensive so label needs to cover it but Louis probably even has his own studio.

- Producers/Mixers/Engineers: all need to be paid usually by the label. Louis can pay them easily.

- Actual procedural things of getting a song into spotify/itunes: almost non-existent. Louis does not need a label to do this.

- Artwork/Promo design: again Louis can pay someone to do this easily.

- Commercial Strategy: I’d argue that the label has the best people to do this and doing it without it will be tough. Of course if he has connections he can hire like a former label person.

- Promotion and Physical copies: here is where the label’s usefulness for Louis really comes. Label has this all streamlined: getting the song to the right people to make it explode. Also very hard for Louis to decide to physically produce his own album and distribute it around the world (expensive logistical thing)

All of this to say: in a scenario where Louis is dropped/contract ends he absolutely is capable of doing a no label album and selling it online. He does not need a complicated NFT thing to do that. Will he do this? Hiiiiiiiiighly doubt it. To begin with why would he want to pay all this shit that the label pays usually? No way he can’t find a single label willing to do exactly his plans.

Back to NFTs I don’t think NFTs for music make sense cause 1) you are not gonna ever actually own the song cause Louis ain’t selling you the rights to his song 2) if you don’t own the original then that’s just itunes lol. What he can do is sell any kind of image (like photos from a photoshoot) where people would buy and say I actually own this picture of Louis. I think it is shady as hell cause I’m fine not owning a picture just having a copy on my phone??? The limits of NFTs are not fully explored yet and who knows, he can sell autographs? video msgs? Anything? But then again he already can do that (just add it to the merch store) but doesn’t cause it is goddamn weird.

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scullyeffect · 5 years

Conversation

my conversation (through voice message) trying to get my friend out of an MLM

me: I'm really worried this is an MLM even though you say it's not. Are you sure?

friend: Hi, so it's actually called 'affiliate marketing'! If you watch the webclass it explains more in detail but our sales just go over and down the line. Not all the way up to a top human who gets all the money and we do all the work. It's okay to be skeptical. We've all been brought up to believe 'if it looks too good to be true it is', but I've got lots of videos from others in the business and my own personal testimony to prove that we are who we say we are. If you're interested just go watch the webclass.

me: So, it's kind of like the affiliate links?

friend: Yeah, it's exactly like that! And if all you do is purchase that's where it ends but there's an option in it where you can be on my team to distribute.

friend: And so where it's different from MLM/Pyramid Scheme bullshit is that we have a compensation plan that's patented, so no other company can use this. And basically our sales go over and down, like, you...and you create a line, basically. There's no pyramid, no stacking. So what that entails is also we have ranks, and ranks are really important. So, if I sell to my friend Danielle, and Danielle sells a bunch more than I do, or promotes the business really well, or is better at building a team than me, she could rank up higher than me, and then she could make more money than me even though she's below me.

me: *that is literally just a whack pyramid scheme*

friend: So, it's an 8-point payout system, so basically think of a pie chart with eight pieces. If you're a certain level, so if you're a 1A, you just get the A commission, just one piece. But there are obviously ranks that are hella higher than that, like if you're a 4A, you get four pieces. Say you're a 6A, and your 4A sells a machine, and they get their four points of commission, Enagic (the company) only pays out eight points, so even though you're a 6A, you're going to receive four. That's why we're not multilevel.

me: *oh my god that's still multilevel*

friend: I don't know if that was clarifying enough! If not definitely watch this little webclass she's so informative. *sends link*

me: *is doing extensive research about all this shit and doesn't click link*

friend: Also, it's not scary, the only thing that this link does is link you to me, for if you were to join or affiliate. And it only links you to me for three months. So if for any reason within the three months you want to pursue someone else within this business, that's allowed. So there's nothing permanent or scary about this, it doesn't take your card info or anything. Completely free.

me: *doesn't click link*

me: Do you get a steady income with this company, or is it a side hustle?

friend: So for right now it's a side hustle, but I did quit my second job because of it.

me: *SCREAMS*

friend: You do get steady income once you build your team up to the point where they're doing well, but it's a lot of energy exchange and putting time into these people and into your business. And obviously way down the line, like my friend Amelia started Breakaway Movement and she's been doing it for two years, and she's just achieved the rank of 6A2-3, and this is where your steady income starts. SO she got a $30,000 bonus, and she gets $5,000 a month for life, which is super cool because she can pass that residual income on to her kids. And this is on top from the commissions she's already receiving. So that can happen, but you have to work your butt off.

friend: For example, my first sale, I'll make anywhere from $700 to over $1,000, and that's only for one person. I have friends who started last month and have already made $8,000, granted they've had entrepreneurial experience, but it is something that can happen if you allow yourself to receive it.

me: *pulling my hair out and wanting to scream JESUS CHRIST THIS IS A PYRAMID SCHEME YOU DUMMY*

me instead: So like just to be clear I’m 100% just saying this because I care about you, like I know for everyone who’s skeptical about something there are five people who are gonna contradict me and that’s fine I’m just offering my opinion. But I have two red flags about this stuff and I really am just doing it to look out for you.

me: *gently launches into a long bio/chem/physiology diatribe about how alkaline water really just violates BASIC laws of chem/phys and reasons people get results from this stuff is because they think it's so good for them so they drink MORE of it, and water is great for you so your body is like YUM and of COURSE your skin gets better, you lose weight, you feel healthier, YOU'RE DRINKING WATER. Your body is DESIGNED to hustle itself to keep internal pH between 7.3-7.4 and alkaline water won't hurt you but it doesn't really do much. But in developed nations buying a $4,000 water filter system is just...not...worth it.*

me: And I also found something about Breakaway online that I think you should see, but I'm doing this as a friend and feel free to disregard everything I'm saying.

me: *sends screenshot of a subreddit of people exposing the girl who started Breakaway because she USED to be in an MLM with the same company but basically just...in a shady way recreated the same scheme with herself at the top? (link if you want)*

friend: I know you're not trying to like, fight me on any of this and you're doing it as a friend, but we actually have doctors and scientists talking about this since it is actually a Medical Grade Machine. I don't have all of that info, because it kind of flies over my head, but I know people who know about that stuff.

me: *WHY WOULD YOU SELL SOMETHING THAT CLAIMS TO AFFECT PEOPLE'S HEALTH WITHOUT KNOWING EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE SELLING I*

friend: If you want some more scientific information, I could maybe find someone who could help explain it to you. I just read a story recently on our message boards about a girl with a bunch of chronic illnesses who was healed from it, and her husband is a science teacher.

me: *rolling eyes, maybe it'll clear up my bad case of epilepsy*

friend: And as for the MLM comments, as a human on the inside who sees everything this company has to offer, this just isn't an MLM...by definition. But we're about network marketing and affiliate lines, totally not MLM.

friend: *goes off about how there's a HUGE difference between alkaline water and alkalized water*

me: *god i don't care about the water i only said all that to not directly say THIS IS A SCAM YOU'RE IN AN MLM DON'T QUIT YOUR JOB FOR THIS*

me instead: Okay well I'm sure you know more than me because you're more involved! I just skeptical of any type of networking where you have to like go down any sort of line or there's anyone at the top and it's about climbing.

friend: Our platform is super centered on genuine personal connection, like I don't go door to door, I just post my content (she's a YouTuber) and try to make a team and just...I can't think of the words...

friend: To just have this team and platform that's pure. I don't want their money. I want to help them change their life and be their mentor, if that makes sense.

friend: I totally understand your skepticism, but it's not about climbing on top of people or anything, it's just climbing in rank.

me: *christ am i actually trying to teach someone the definition of a word here*

friend: But if you have that mindset, maybe just...sales aren't your calling in life, which is 100% perfect for your journey and your life. But I hold the view that money is energy, and if you want to watch my friend Amelia, when she got her bonus she gave away $15,000 just because she could. These aren't evil people.

me: *she SAID she gave it away in a YOUTUBE VIDEO. give me receipts. also at the moment sales are my life i'm whoring myself out to 5 different colleges*

me instead: Wow, that's amazing!

friend: *sends me a link explaining alkalized water, source is the site from her company*

me: *leaves the chat*

#i'm sorry but #also i'm slightly salty bc the last time i saw her she came to my house after a night of unprotected sex #and asked me to go get her the morning after pill #she has since become a lesbian

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evengirlierballs · 5 years

Text

All right, Rant time

So I'm sure some of you at the very least have seen those ads for that REALLY comfy looking sweater that's like, super long and has a pillowy hood, well capitalism finally got me to buy something and I guess this result is just karma.

I thought having a nice sweater like it would relieve my gender dysphoria, but despite paying an extra 20 dollars for 3 day shipping I never even got a confirmation email. No "package sent" email. No tracking number. Nothing.

It's been about 12 days since I ordered so I decided to send an email to their PayPal email account since I'm pretty concerned about where my 50 bucks went.

I get this, but like, okay it had to go through PayPal so it's probably gonna get blocked, that's fine.

So I go to their site and I click on the "contacts" option. It tells me I can either live-chat or email sales. I decide to go with email.

But then I got this:

Even SALES has me blocked. So now I'm REALLY concerned and decide to use their live-chat feature.

This is the conversation I had.

Seems pretty normal, breaking the ice, being clear.

Okay bad grammar, a little vague, but... Fine, at least I know it EXISTS.

I explain that I never received confirmation, and when I reached out to them I got blocked. I get another vague response about being able to contact them online, but still, okay.

So I say thank you and ask about my package which I paid extra to receive early. She seems to only percieve the part where I say thanks? So I have to repeat myself, and I just get a blank ass answer. I feel like I'm talking to a bot at this point.

Then just the fuckin, all caps... WELCOME. like what the fuck am I doing?

Honestly there's no excuse for this, I hate companies and capitalism already but this is so shady and scammy.

Don't order their sweaters, it's likely I'll never see mine or my money ever again. (Will rb if relevant updates arise)

#ugh #rant #upset #capitalism #fuck capitalism #this is why i advocate for socialism

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botanyshitposts · 7 years

Note

Okay, so I'm hoping to go to my local used bookstore tomorrow, and I wanted to ask how you decide which books are good to buy? How do I tell if it's worth having, or if it's good/accurate?

my rules for botany books (and science books in general):

-if its a textbook type book and was published in 2005 or sooner, it’s probably accurate as long as its dealing with beginning level stuff. some people would say for most accurate, do 2015 and later, which is true out of concept, but what 2015 book shows up in a used bookstore for cheap??? they dont and im poor. examples of textbooks would be something on the principles of botany or something with ap bio level to upper undergrad level stuff in it. as far as money goes, im willing to go up to, like, $4-$5 on this one because I already know a lot of the beginning level content. if it’s clear that a textbook has stuff you don’t know in it, the potential amount i would shell out for it would go up, but never above $15. the usefulness of a textbook depends on its publication date and how much you know as a person.

-with narrative books, it varies on how interested you are in the topic. for instance, something i recently did was shell out $15 to order a brand new book by one of my favorite botanists because i really value the topic (about his work saving plant species brought to his institution as a last resort in the face of extinction). there’s another one out there that’s about researchers climbing redwoods and how much work it takes to study a plant that size, and another about drama and shady shit going down in the orchid collection business, for example. there are a lot of cool other ones, too; it’s just a matter of stumbling on them.

-if its something crazy specific, it super depends. for example, i have a book entitled “Genomics and Breeding for Climate Resilient Crops Volume 2: Target Traits”. It’s a research textbook that’s basically a compilation of important writings in that specific topic at a graduate level, and I got it because of my interest in environmental and botanical sustainability. I found it at a used bookstore for $10. had i bought it new, i would have paid literally a little over $200. (for reference to point #1, it was published in 2013).

-floras. ive never come across one of these in a used bookstore, but they’re really important and valuable botany books and you just never know, so i’m gonna talk about them here. a flora is a book that details all the plants in a certain area, and sometimes of a specific type in a certain area. all of them. this isn’t a general field guide, this is like, a research-level field/identification guide or a collection/hobbiest guide. if you’re interested and you see one, i would probably pay up to about $25 for one depending on the area and my interest. some of these are published on CDs now instead of in physical books! more specific example, broader example

-compilations of species. again, ive never come across one of these in a used bookstore, but they’re super cool. this is like, books listing all the known species of a certain type of plant. a good example thats on my wishlist for my birthday this month is Stewart McPherson’s set of pitcher plant compilations; this currently is a set of three, two volumes called “Pitcher Plants of the Old World v1/2″ and another volume he put out a few years ago after a ton of unexpected new discoveries were made, called “The New Nepenthes, Volume 1″ (volume 2 doesn’t exist yet, but will once we find more!). there are these kinds of compilations for a ton of random types of plants and succulents, ranging from the super specific to the broad. (its important to differentiate here between the “best of” books and the compilations. compilations would be, for example, all orchids, while a “best of” book of orchids might only show some that the author deems “exotic”. also, an orchid compilation would be crazy and i would love to see it. there are around 30,000 species, if i remember correctly, making the orchid genus the largest known to man). man...i dont know what i would do if i found one of these in the wild. i guess if it was over an interesting plant type, i would pay up to $25 or so in a used bookstore, but if it was a carnivorous compilation or something similarly interesting, i might go higher.

-if you are unsure if you should get something, check half.com. this is a subsite of ebay that just sells used books, and is a little more niche and rare than amazon (which i would also check if the book you’re looking at is more common). another really useful site to check before making large purchases is Summerfield books, the only site i’ve found so far that specializes in botany and natural history books. i usually check prices from my phone to see if its worth it if im thinking of getting something. if its cheaper online, i just add it to my massive amazon list of books i want and move on with my life for the moment.

#i like botany books a lot #except i need to read them more #books #not plonts #asks #Anonymous

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