#NFR12 Livin Rent Free In Ur Inbox

🤖Tech News:

🇨🇳 China says all cryptocurrency-related transactions are illegal and must be banned

“China’s central bank said on Friday that all cryptocurrency-related transactions are illegal in the country and they must be banned, citing concerns around national security and “safety of people’s assets.” The world’s most populated nation also said that foreign exchanges are banned from providing services to users in the country.”

🛍Livestream video shopping app NTWRK raises $50M from Goldman Sachs, Kering

“NTWRK, a video shopping app that has helped to popularize the idea of livestreamed commerce in the U.S., announced today it has closed on $50 million in new funding led by Goldman Sachs Asset Management and global luxury group Kering, owners of luxury brands Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta and others. The company has been working to capitalize on the growing interest in live commerce and creator content, and shifted into live virtual events and festivals”

🍎 Ex-Apple designer’s ultra-premium audio hardware startup Syng raises $48.75 million

“Founder and CEO Chris Stringer was Jony Ive’s first hire at Apple and worked at the company for 21 years. In an interview, Stringer referred to the first time he heard stereo audio was “the most impressive product demo ever,” and that his company is looking to build on that wonder by building “triphonic” audio hardware that can transform the home-listening experience with spatial audio.”

🚨 LG is acquiring automotive cybersecurity startup Cybellum in a $240M deal

“LG Electronics, the Korean tech giant that once was a leading player in mobile phones but is now winding down that business, is making an acquisition that points to its ambitions in another, emerging area: next-generation automotive hardware and services. Today the company announced that it will be snapping up Cybellum, an Israeli automotive cybersecurity specialist that detects and assesses vulnerabilities in connected vehicle services and hardware by way of a “digital twin” approach.”

🏁 Walmart teams up with Ford to test self-driving deliveries

“Further expanding its autonomous vehicle delivery testing, Walmart has partnered with Ford Motor Company and Argo AI to launch a self-driving vehicle delivery service in Miami, Washington, D.C. and Austin, Texas, the retailer announced on Wednesday. The collaboration will be the retailer's first autonomous delivery effort in multiple U.S. cities.”

💸 StreamElements nabs $100M as it passes 1.1M creators using its platform to build and monetize video content

“StreamElements, which provides production and analytics tools to people who livestream and make video-on-demand for platforms like Amazon’s Twitch, YouTube and Facebook, has raised $100 million in funding — money that it will be using to continue building out the tools on its platform, to do more in on-demand alongside a big business in livestreaming and for marketing, specifically to bring more creators to its platform, which is already being used by 1.1 million people.”

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📈 Trends Of The Week:

🍿Gourmet Popcorn is Poppin’ Off

“Google search interest in gourmet popcorn brands like PopCorners and SkinnyPop is near an all-time high.

These popped corn chips are completely sold out on PopCorners’ website, and are bringing in $1m+ (this flavor alone brings in ~$460k) in revenue every month on Amazon, according to Jungle Scout.

SkinnyPop, which was acquired for $1.6B by Hershey in 2017, is enjoying similar popularity.

Opportunities:

-Protein popcorn

-Produce Flavours Separately e.g. White Truffle Popcorn spray earning $25k/month Amazon (Source Jungle Scout)

-Poprcorn snacks for dogs

-Popcorn pop up store & food truck”

👩‍🚀 Cosplay Is Bursting at the Seams

“Nerds, unite: Cosplay is experiencing the sweet, sweet hockey-stick growth we love around here.

It’s the act of dressing up to resemble a fictional character (scenes from Comic-Con might come to mind) -- and interest is exploding.

“Subreddits r/Cosplayers and r/CosplayProps have experienced ~16x growth over the last year. Jungle Scout data shows US Amazon search volumes are soaring; some 90-day increase examples:

• “Amity blight cosplay” +914%

• “Cosplay costume” +340%

• “Cosplay wig” +109%

Don’t underestimate the power of the trend: This range of cosplay skirts alone brings in $275k/mo. on Amazon (BRB we’re just learning to sew pleats quick).”

🎶 Functional Music Is Going Mainstream

“Interest in functional music (music for concentration, sleep, relaxation, meditation, etc.) is on the rise.

Relaxing “lo-fi music” is enjoying all-time high search interest on Google, and the r/MusicForConcentration subreddit has exploded from 37k to 187k subscribers over the last year.

Brain.fm, a place to access music for improved focus, meditation, and sleep, gets 1m+ monthly site visits, according to Similarweb. Their app has 150k+ users and costs $6.99/mo. (generating ~$12.5m in annual revenue).”

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🧠 Quotes that make you think:

• “The Joy that isn’t shared dies young” Anne Sexton

• “The problem isn’t that Johnny can’t read. The problem isn’t even that Johnny can’t think. The problem is that Johnny doesn’t know what thinking is; he confuses it with feeling.” Thomas Sowell

• “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten” Tony Robbins

• “The most common way people give up their power is thinking they don’t have any.” Alice Walker

• “Bee’s don’t waste their time explaining to flies that honey is better than shit”

• “The book to read is not the one which thinks for you, but the one which makes you think.” Harper Lee

• “I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear.” Joan Didion

• “If you think you’re too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room.”Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop

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⛓ Mental Model Of The Week:

Occam’s Razor: The explanation with the least assumptions is often the right one

“When an event occurs, it's natural to wonder how it happened. Occam's razor indicates that the simplest explanation — that is, the solution that requires the fewest assumptions — is preferable” (Summary)

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Hanlon’s Razor "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity"

“Hanlon’s Razor teaches us not to assume the worst intention in the actions of others. Understanding Hanlon’s Razor helps us see the world in a more positive light, stop negative assumptions, and improve relationships.” (Summary)

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🎤 Podcasts I listened to:

Klarna Founder: From $0 to $46 Billion: Sebastian Siemiatkowski | E98 | Steven Bartlett

“Sebastian Siemiatkowski is one of the most successful businessmen in Europe. He is the founder of Klarna, a company that is now worth an incredible $46 billion. Sebastian himself is now worth over $3.6 billion, and what’s more, he’s only just getting started.”

Change Your BRAIN By Using These Hacks to Increase Your DOPAMINE | Dr. Andrew Huberman |Tom Bilyeu

“Dopamine is not a new topic. People have been obsessing and hearing about dopamine and its role in human behavior for years. You may think of it as the feel-good happy hormone, or you may associate it with addiction, love, lust and sex. As our lives convert over to a totally digital experience that is with us everywhere we are in the form of a cell phone, dopamine detox has even started gaining in popularity. Dr. Andrew Huberman from the Huberman Lab is back again to unpack some of the more surprising discoveries and uses of dopamine.”

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📚 Book I'm Reading:

The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide To Wealth & Happiness

“Getting rich is not just about luck; happiness is not just a trait we are born with. These aspirations may seem out of reach, but building wealth and being happy are skills we can learn.

So what are these skills, and how do we learn them? What are the principles that should guide our efforts? What does progress really look like?

Naval Ravikant is an entrepreneur, philosopher, and investor who has captivated the world with his principles for building wealth and creating long-term happiness. The Almanack of Naval Ravikant is a collection of Naval’s wisdom and experience from the last 10 years, shared as a curation of his most insightful interviews and poignant reflections. This isn’t a how-to book, or a step-by-step gimmick. Instead, through Naval’s own words, you will learn how to walk your own unique path toward a happier, wealthier life.”

Key Ideas:

• Defining and Building Wealth 💰

• The Importance of Specific Knowledge 🧠

• How to Find and Use Leverage ⚖️

• How to Prioritize and Focus 🎯

• How to Get Lucky 🍀

• How to Think Clearly 🤓

• How to be Happy 🤗

Up Next week: The Art Of Closing The Sale

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⏰ Timeless Insight:

“Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone” Alan Watts

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🤔 A Powerful Experiment That Can Help You Turn Off Your Inner Critic

Jay Shetty is a famous english author, former Hindu monk and coach.

He conducted an experiment which can help highlight how damaging your inner critic can be.

He asked a group of 8 young women to get a piece of paper and write down every negative thing they’ve thought or said about themselves that they can remember.

Once they finished, he told them to read the list out loud.

After this conversation, he left the room and brought back a guest to join them.

Out came their younger sisters

He said now take that list and read it aloud to your younger sister as if it was about them.

This caused an immediate emotional reaction with everyone instantly saying no, i would never do that.

“It’s crazy right we would never say those things to anyone but especially to the people we love. But we say these things to ourselves all the time”

(Click to watch the experiment)

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🏁 Happy existing