Tag: building

This started with a different Tittle (housing)

Posted on by thechosendudeman in Uncategorized

TLDR: Gangs are driving the housing prices up.

Our nation finds it’s self in an extraordinary time of doubt and uncertainty. That my friends is by design. Housing prices are high because the cost of not just materials, but labor, and fuel as well. There are a lot of other factors that play into this hand, I would like to try and focus on the things that we as a nation can effect. Material costs started to rise when we (the people) decided that we would like to charge for “saving our forests.” I am not a scientist in this field by any means but, it would seem the less trees we cut down the bigger the forest fires get, thereby reducing the amount of usable lumber to build new homes. I also understand that businesses that go unchecked tend to not be self governing. So safety and deforestation become an issue. And we can go ahead and address the elephant in the room now. If we build more houses than Americans we will need immigrants to fill them. It is strange to have to say, but it would seem that America was built by and for immigrants. Until we get to the generations that forget that their families were immigrants at some point as well.

The most natural beauty of this great nation are all the communities that have sprung up and supported each other. The wealthy are not out to get you, they just don’t care about you. Here’s another way of looking at it from the other side. If you live somewhere like Detroit where there are so many problems that houses have been abandoned. Things that scared other people away are the only things keeping those houses in an affordable range for the community members (seems like a trap). For the banks that own those homes it doesn’t make sense to build homes in better communities until they get their return from the ghettos that they tried to buyout. If you were wondering what happened to the majority of housing crash money after the fact. I think it was stored in these homes to be claimed for a loss at a later date. That’s why there isn’t a push to “clean it up,” from either end. It’s only going to take a few people to change that game if they can get their cash into the system without being flagged. If I was a mineral investor looking for corrosive materials to mine I think I would target areas with plumbing and water issues. Adding to that, I think the banks see one or two more life cycle in Detroit (and some similar cities) then it gets dozed and turned into a strip mine (probably lithium, sulfur, or soluble potash). On an aside I think gang violence plays into the housing prices almost as much as all the costs combined because most people are not wanting to move into an area with daily shootings and the like. Yet as stated above, there are abandoned houses across the nation due in part to this pariah that plagues our nation. Reducing gang violence would reduce housing prices by freeing up homes in areas previously considered unlivable by most in a more meaningful way than baseline infrastructure ever could.

Market Report

Posted on by thechosendudeman in Market Report

July 7, 2022

I’m hearing lots of talk of the market headed towards “parity.” This is a classic term for could go up, could go down. It has done both in the past. So, what are we as investors to do? Since digital technology has led the rise and fall of the last cycle I believe it will be an older technology to lead the next. I think we are going to start seeing the rise of physical mining properties and royalties. However, because these companies are generally high operating cost there will be substantial loans issued in the short term. That shortage of cash in the banks will drop their valuations due to the lack of appearance of cash on hand. It will show as an upside down operation cost to invest in longer term companies. Making the share buy back, of the banks stock, the x1.5 play. Because, the standard expectation of market return is significantly lower than the going rate of inflation to date. It would seem the operation cost of tomorrow is slated to be lower. If that is true, and humans cost more to operate, that means there will be significant automation put in place. That automation has had it’s run in development dollars (aforementioned tech stocks). That tells me there are already companies in tow waiting to tie these companies together. The cost of building these automated machines will reduce the cash on the books for the automation companies, thereby making them the x1.25 play for the mining company. Then when the money hits the books for selling those machines the share price goes up for the x1.125 play so automation makes enough to show good numbers year to year. The short term investors that hop off here take the x1.0625, coupled with inflation, your return will look more like 8% rather than 6%. However, reinvesting in the same company or similar technology will most likely put you at the forefront for the x1.5. There are many cycles running in and out of tandem with each other and this is just one very small example. So in short I think the market may “parody,” it’s self. As a general rule of thumb for moving into this market filled with uncertainty my opinion is to trickle in and trickle out.

Disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor and this is not financial advice. I am an investor, in many markets. My opinions shared here are just that, opinions, based on years of market research. Any and all data used for baseline calculations are formed by myself and I have taken no money for sharing my opinions.

Risk Tolerance: Do not invest what you can not afford to lose.

Risk Intolerance: What are you spending your money/time on. Is it worth the value that you are extracting? Do you smoke? Is there a cheaper brand to cut cost for a bit (not a smoking or gambling endorsement, but often times Native Reservations often have much better prices, but it ain’t gonna be “your brand.”) Do you stop for coffee every morning and order the same thing everyday all the while wishing you weren’t “stuck in line,” your not stuck, you’re stalling. Even with a decent tip for your favorite barista, buying an affordable self timer coffee machine and setting up at home should start making a substantial difference in about a week. If it’s coffee for two or more! Forget about it, that’s only days, even with all your favorite accoutrements. My opinion for all that money saved is buy stock in a coffee company or if you are so inclined, commodities surrounding the coffee industry you want to use in the future.

THE MOST MEMORABLE SPORT OF ALL TIME.

Posted on by thechosendudeman in Uncategorized

Most people who’ve played even a decent game of paintball will remember a great story maybe even just a single shot they’ll never forget, friend or enemy. The rush is surreal adrenaline, fear, and loathing all play a hand in the sport of Paintball. Whether it’s your first time out or your a long time player we all have one thing in common, we decided to get out and shoot our friends for fun. It’s not cheap, it’s not for the feint of heart, but it isn’t too serious either. There is a line that you get to draw as far as how far you want to take this game. If your comfortable spending less than a hundred dollars and getting a friend to come over for a one day duel you can buy a couple starter kits that usually come with enough CO2 to have a match or two (100 -200 shots) and call it quits. If you think that you’ll play more than even that one day, do not spend your money on a kit like that! If you have access to Ebay it’s a great place to find all sorts of great deals. Buying used is an excellent way to save money especially if you do your research prior to buying so you know what problems have come up since that particular marker’s release. My recommendation is ultimately to buy a decent condition used Tippmann or Planet Eclipse. Depending on your budget you can get these going way back just avoid the collectible area unless you don’t mind the premium pricing. Some classics like the SL94 are classics for a reason and are worth their weight in gold just being as light and solid as they are. Not to mention the “hot-hod,” mentality of the era just about ending with somewhere around 30 BPS mark being hit out of the box in some cases. But with great bps comes great welting and that got old pretty quickly compared to how fast things seem to run by in the paintball industry. The age old but heavily emphasized goal of accuracy and air efficiency now continue to be worked on by the great engineers of the industry. Who knows what they’ll come up with next but I think the community is about due for some innovation or an overall reduction of cost per player, for new players.

For the new guys

If there is a field near you and you want to give it a shot I highly recommend getting a mask first and foremost. Watch some reviews of people that seems to be similar to your build. Mike from Techpb or whatever he’s calling his channel now…(shout out Mike!) He’s taken a lot of heat for stating his opinion on some paintball politics and he tried to start a paintball oriented business that didn’t go too smoothly but, he made right by everyone that placed an order and did it with dignity. That’s a tangent, point is, he’s very knowledgeable and if you know little about paintball markers and their operation he’s a great resource. Also those of you who aren’t necessarily new but want a good brush up on various paintball topics and techniques check him out Mike Phillips. Mike’s Autococker timing guide is a must for any autococker owner. A much more modern and style oriented personality is Brad from Paintball Ruined My Life (PBRML). He does a lot of gear reviews and live shows to talk about the sport as it comes. He was a store owner for a while now you can find him at the SAC Paintball Store in Sacramento, Ca and on his youtube channel. As for you with aspirations of realism I recommend NightmarePB. He has a lot of magfed videos and some pretty hilarious paintball fails. Plus his channel is a bit more personal feeling than a lot of other paintball channels which is different but nice. And last for now anyone with aspirations of being a paintball ‘sniper,’ please, please, please check out Thehiddenhedgehog. His videos are amazing to say the least, and some of the shots he pulls are absolutely unbelievable. The way he tells the story of the battlefield is unparalleled to my knowledge. It’s as close to cinema as our sport has and I’m excited to see where this guy ends up not just on the field but with skills like his I don’t think a full length paintball feature would be too off the charts of an expectation.

Beyond the videos I recommend setting a budget and sticking to it, build your fantasy gear bag on paper. See where you can trim the fat, getting the right mask is key. Anti-fog and dual pane are not things you should cut out. Specific color ways, hot off the press gear, and extras is what your looking to cut mostly if you’re on a budget. I’m not saying wait a whole season just to save twenty bucks but sales are also a really great way to save some money. There are a lot of sites that offer a %10 coupon or better for joining their mailing lists, use those. I think one money saving tip that is often over stepped is buying an accurate marker. Paintballs are not cheap, so the faster you can get balls on target and avoid a snap battle or firefight the more money you are going to save. Although I remember switching from a 98 custom to 04 autococker and kind of missing the excitement of not knowing where the next ball would go exactly, it is a switch that was well worth the price of a used autococker at the time, cost $140. If you are going to maintain your gun frequently that leaves a lot more doors open for you, if not there are several good options and a couple great options depending on your budget. I know it’s going to sound a little high but to get started in this sport ideally you want about $500-700 for a good starter kit with HPA tank, mask, marker, hopper, and a couple cases of paintballs. If you are going to be playing more than just the average renter this is about the amount you want to have. If you are only going to rent again I suggest only getting your own mask and maybe paintball oriented pants, they will get messy. Here’s a list of what to get in order of importance in my opinion.

  • Mask
  • Marker
  • HPA tank *not CO2*
  • Hopper
  • Good Batteries
  • Tool kit
  • Cleats with some ankle support
  • Pants (paintball pants would be best)
  • Top (paintball jersey is great for getting bounces but not necessary)
  • Gear bag
  • Pod harness
  • Pods

This list could be expanded to include a tournament gear bag which would include more specific and “extra items.”

  • Barrel swabs
  • Barrel kits
  • Rebuild kit
  • Additional marker(s)
  • Headbands
  • Gopro (to study team dynamics)
  • Different size HPA tanks
  • Padding for neck, arms, shins, chest, and groin (male and female)
  • Ball hauler – makes refilling pods much easier and faster

My current recommendation on best value for used markers is Planet Eclipse. They make a great product out of the gate and when you buy used your avoiding a lot of possible depreciation. I picked up a nice GEO 3.5 for $650 with some extra barrel backs, but they can be had at less than $600 at times. Do your research as to where you are going to be able to play and get a maker that fits your scene and your budget.