Bitcoin may be a bubble

"Bitcoin is a bubble."
"Maybe Bitcoin is a kind of a bubble."
"A dangerous, speculative bubble."
That might actually be true. This is Bitcoin's multiple price rising over the past three years.


Eight other famous asset bubbles, three years before they peaked and burst.


Bitcoin is riding right up to perhaps the most famous bubble of all, the Tulip Mania. And to be fair, it does have all the signs big signs of a bubble. The rapid pace of movements, a whole lot of speculation without sufficient understanding of the risks and people who would not otherwise invest are looking to get their skin in the Bitcoin game. The CBOE, CME Group, Nasdaq are even planning to launch Bitcoin Futures. The same move the Dutch pulled just before the crash in the 1630s. For every asset bubble it is the same story, otherwise level headed people will drive prices for certain assets to unexplainable heights whether that is the price of Beanie Babies, stocks, houses or perhaps cryptocurrencies. Since its inception the price of Bitcoin has gone up 50 fold, if it were to maintain that same rate of growth, its market capitalization would eclipse the US economy in the few years from now, that is why some experts are saying that Bitcoin's rapid and accelerating price appreciation is unsustainable. What it comes down to is the rate of returns, for stocks that is the dividends, in real estates we are looking at the rent, with bonds that is coupons, but for Bitcoin there is actually zero intrinsic value. It generates no income aside from an expectation of a more price appreciation. So it is valuable because people think it is valuable. Even if you do not even buy the whole bubble narrative, the veteran trader Art Cashin says 'the technicals do not lie, Bitcoin has gone parabolic so that usually does not end well'. It is pretty hard to ignore the math, the velocity of move does indicate the Bitcoin's price has gone parabolic and well, parabole moves just don't last.

Thank You Readers!

These are the countries that we have reached so far:

#	Country
1	India
2	United States
3	Brazil
5	Russia
6	Germany
7	Ukraine
8	Poland
9	Canada
10	Singapore
11	United Arab Emirates
12	Saudi Arabia
13	Pakistan
14	United Kingdom
15	Indonesia
16	Czechia
17	South Korea
18	Kazakhstan
19	Latvia
20	Ireland
21	France
22	Finland
23	Malaysia
24	Australia
25	Peru
26	New Zealand

 
Thanks You Readers!

Ashish Jain

ashishjainblogger@gmail.com

Global warming effects and predictions

Global warming effects and predictions (Dated: Oct-2017)

1. Poorest countries emit the least CO2, but affected by it the most

*Includes countries with populations larger than two million

**Gross domestic product per capita converted to international dollars using purchasing power parity rates in 2011

2. In poor countries, half of all health expenditures are paid out-of-pocket

Percentage total share of health care expenditure between different income levels in 2011

3. By 2030, effects of climate change on agriculture key to driving people into poverty.

4. Poor households spend more of their budget on food

Percentage of household budget spent on food

5. Impact of climate change on agricultural prices over time

Percentage change in agricultural prices over time

 

6. The consequences of climate change (Courtesy: NASA)

Global climate change has already had observable effects on the environment. Glaciers have shrunk, ice on rivers and lakes is breaking up earlier, plant and animal ranges have shifted and trees are flowering sooner.

Effects that scientists had predicted in the past would result from global climate change are now occurring: loss of sea ice, accelerated sea level rise and longer, more intense heat waves.

Scientists have high confidence that global temperatures will continue to rise for decades to come, largely due to greenhouse gases produced by human activities. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which includes more than 1,300 scientists from the United States and other countries, forecasts a temperature rise of 2.5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit over the next century.

Predictions:

6a. Temperatures will continue to rise

6b. Frost-free season (and growing season) will lengthen

In the US, the length of the frost-free season (and the corresponding growing season) has been increasing nationally since the 1980s, with the largest increases occurring in the western United States, affecting ecosystems and agriculture. Across the United States, the growing season is projected to continue to lengthen.

6c. Changes in precipitation patterns

Average U.S. precipitation has increased since 1900, but some areas have had increases greater than the national average, and some areas have had decreases. More winter and spring precipitation is projected for the northern United States, and less for the Southwest, over this century.

6d. More droughts and heat waves

Droughts in the Southwest US and heat waves (periods of abnormally hot weather lasting days to weeks) everywhere are projected to become more intense, and cold waves less intense everywhere.
Summer temperatures are projected to continue rising, and a reduction of soil moisture, which exacerbates heat waves, is projected for much of the western and central U.S. in summer. By the end of this century, what have been once-in-20-year extreme heat days (one-day events) are projected to occur every two or three years over most of the nation.

6e. Hurricanes will become stronger and more intense

The intensity, frequency and duration of North Atlantic hurricanes, as well as the frequency of the strongest (Category 4 and 5) hurricanes, have all increased since the early 1980s. The relative contributions of human and natural causes to these increases are still uncertain. Hurricane-associated storm intensity and rainfall rates are projected to increase as the climate continues to warm.

6f. Sea level will rise 1-4 feet by 2100

Global sea level has risen by about 8 inches since reliable record keeping began in 1880. It is projected to rise another 1 to 4 feet by 2100. This is the result of added water from melting land ice and the expansion of seawater as it warms.
In the next several decades, storm surges and high tides could combine with sea level rise and land subsidence to further increase flooding in many regions. Sea level rise will continue past 2100 because the oceans take a very long time to respond to warmer conditions at the Earth’s surface. Ocean waters will therefore continue to warm and sea level will continue to rise for many centuries at rates equal to or higher than those of the current century.

6g. Arctic likely to become ice-free. The Arctic Ocean is expected to become essentially ice free in summer before mid-century.

6h. U.S. regional effects

Below are some of the impacts that are currently visible throughout the U.S. and will continue to affect these regions, according to the Third National Climate Assessment Report2, released by the U.S. Global Change Research Program:

Northeast. Heat waves, heavy downpours and sea level rise pose growing challenges to many aspects of life in the Northeast. Infrastructure, agriculture, fisheries and ecosystems will be increasingly compromised. Many states and cities are beginning to incorporate climate change into their planning.

Northwest. Changes in the timing of streamflow reduce water supplies for competing demands. Sea level rise, erosion, inundation, risks to infrastructure and increasing ocean acidity pose major threats. Increasing wildfire, insect outbreaks and tree diseases are causing widespread tree die-off.

Southeast. Sea level rise poses widespread and continuing threats to the region’s economy and environment. Extreme heat will affect health, energy, agriculture and more. Decreased water availability will have economic and environmental impacts.

Midwest. Extreme heat, heavy downpours and flooding will affect infrastructure, health, agriculture, forestry, transportation, air and water quality, and more. Climate change will also exacerbate a range of risks to the Great Lakes.

Southwest. Increased heat, drought and insect outbreaks, all linked to climate change, have increased wildfires. Declining water supplies, reduced agricultural yields, health impacts in cities due to heat, and flooding and erosion in coastal areas are additional concerns.

(Courtesy: IPCC 2007, Summary for Policymakers, in Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, p. 17.)

7. Based on these observations, we can interpret the results in part as the susceptibility of an economy to climate change.

Figure 1 below summarizes the results on a world map. In line with much of the economic literature, many developing nations appear most vulnerable to climate change during the remainder of the current century.

Alternatively, Figure 2 below expresses this trend of higher vulnerability amongst poorer countries by plotting the overall vulnerability ranking against GDP per capita for each country.

8. Prediction: number of residential properties at significant likelihood of flooding (river and tidal) in England and Wales

Sources: NASA, Schroders.com, National Geographic

A World Without Borders

A World Without Borders

Following data / stats are present in this page:
1. The World's Most Friendly Countries
2. Asia's Newly Emerging Constitutions
3. Ten Recent Ongoing Conflicts Around The World
4. Heat Map Showing The Countries With Ongoing Conflicts
5. Map Showing The Countries Where English Is An Official Language
6. Percentage Of English Speakers By Country As Of 2014
7. Number of Internet users in 2011 (countries presented as bubbles)

1. The World's Most Friendly Countries:

#1 New Zealand
A large majority of expats living among Kiwis—75%—report that it was easy to fit into the new culture. And 55% say they will either stay or return to the country (compared with 23% of surveyed expats overall).

#2 Australia
A majority of folks living Down Under—77%—reported that they were able to integrate well with the local community, while 87% said
they felt welcome at work. Other sweet spots include an economy regarded as strong by 95% of respondents, and high rankings in the raising children abroad category.

#3 South Africa
In addition to being welcoming—79% of respondents here said they were able to integrate well with the local community—this country offers expats financial perks, with 47% saying that relocating here has brought more access to luxuries, and 69% reporting an increased disposable income.

#4 Canada
A majority of respondent here report better working conditions and improved work-life balance as a result of their relocation; 39% say they are interested in staying on to become long-term expats.

#5 United States
Expats here are impressed with their earnings, and say that, since relocating, their cars and housing situations have improved. But many are concerned with difficult-to-navigate school and healthcare systems.

#6 Turkey
Prepare to be delighted. Turkish people are the most friendly people I ever met,” noted one respondent living here. But Turkey, a new addition to the survey this year, also prompted worries about natural disasters.

#7 United Kingdom
Expats in the UK find community integration to be relatively easy, although many are concerned with the high cost of living and say that an uncertain economy is prompting them to consider moving.

#8 Philippines
This country is friendly on wallets, too: 47% report an increase in access to luxuries, including domestic staff, swimming pools, and owning properties.

#9 Spain
Expats fit in well here, with many reporting they have integrated well into their community, enjoyed the local culture, made local friends, learned and used the local language, and have experienced a better work-life balance than in their home countries (which included the UK, US, France, and Netherlands).

#10 Malaysia
Many expats here say they have learned the local language and befriended locals. Said one respondent, “Malaysia is a peaceful country. Government transactions like tax, EPF [Employees Provident Fund], are very efficient. Food is relatively cheap. Also the country is clean and green and they respect the environment.”

#11 Brazil
A new addition to the survey this year, Brazil warmly welcomes expats but is off-putting to many (81%) because of complex finances as a result of different currencies, money moving between countries, and complicated taxes. Still, expats here have a positive economic outlook (as do those in other BRIC countries) and expect the country’s economy to improve in the coming year.

#12 Italy
Another new addition to the survey this year, Italy has many expats (88%) who said the economy is weak and deteriorating; still, only 22% were considering relocating.

#13 Mexico
A majority of expats here (62%) say they were drawn to Mexico for better career and money prospects. Worries, though, include the possibility of natural disasters and their children’s safety.

#14 Singapore
Singapore provides the best of both worlds, say expats, offering both quality of life and career progression. Still, overall integration can be a challenge: Respondents say they are more likely to hang out with other expats than locals, and are also more likely to send their children to international schools.

#15 France
Claiming the No. 1 spot in the raising children abroad category, France impressed with its relatively low childcare costs and healthier children’s lifestyles. Plus, a vast majority has tried to learn or use French (93%), enjoyed the local food (71%) and felt welcome at work (89%).

Source: Fobes (Oct 2017)

2. Asia's Newly Emerging Constitutions

#1 Iraq
Date: October 15, 2005
Development: Constitution of Iraq following the Iraq War

#2 Bhutan
Date: March 24, 2008
Development: First elections to the National Assembly

#3 Nepal
Date: May 28, 2008
Development: Formation of Republic

#4 Turkmenistan
Date: September 28, 2008
Development: Constitution of Turkmenistan

#5 Kyrgyzstan
Date: June 10, 2010
Development: Constitution of Kyrgyzstan introduces parliamentary system.

#6 Myanmar
Date: March 30, 2011
Development: The military junta is replaced by an elected government

#7 Jordan
Date: June 12, 2011
Development: The Cabinet of Jordan is made an elected body

#8 Syria
Date: February 27, 2012
Development: Constitution of Syria formed.

#9 Vietnam
Date: January 1, 2014
Development: Current Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam

#10 Thailand
Date: April 6, 2017
Development: Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand 2017

3. Ten Recent Ongoing Conflicts Around The World
Important thing to note here is that nine out of ten are in Africa.

#	Start of conflict	Conflict	Continent	Location	Fatalities
1	2012	Central African Republic conflict	Africa	Central African Republic	6,643+
2	2011	Libyan Crisis  Libyan Civil War (2014–present)	Africa	Libya	14,382
3	2011	Yemeni Crisis  Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)	Asia	Yemen  Saudi Arabia	9,400+ – 15,500
4	2011	Sinai insurgency	Africa	Egypt	4,544+
5	2011	South Kordofan conflict	Africa	Sudan	7,000+
6	2011	Ethnic violence in South Sudan  South Sudanese Civil War	Africa	South Sudan  Ethiopia	50,000+
7	2009	Boko Haram insurgency	Africa	Nigeria  Cameroon  Niger  Chad	51,567+
8	2003	War in Darfur	Africa	Sudan	178,363+
9	1998	Communal conflicts in Nigeria	Africa	Nigeria	17,156
10	1991	Somali Civil War  War in Somalia	Africa	Somalia  Kenya	500,000

4. Heat Map Showing The Countries With Ongoing Conflicts:

Source: Wikipedia

5. Map Showing The Countries Where English Is An Official Language

Shown here are the territories where English is an official language, that is, a language used in citizen interactions with government officials. In 2015, there were 54 sovereign states and 27 non-sovereign entities where English was an official language. Many country subdivisions have declared English an official language at the local or regional level.

The majority of countries where English is an official language are former territories of the British Empire. Notable exceptions include Rwanda, which was formerly a Belgian territory, and Eritrea, which was an Italian colony where the British Empire maintained control only in World War II and shortly after (1941–1955). English is the sole official language of the Commonwealth of Nations. English is one of the official languages of the United Nations, the European Union and the International Olympic Committee. Although English is not an official language at the national level in the United States, many states and territories within the United States have English as an official language.

The United Kingdom, United States, Australia and New Zealand, where the overwhelming majority of native English speakers reside, do not have English as an official language de jure, but English is considered to be their de facto official language due to its historical and widespread use in these nations.

6. Percentage Of English Speakers By Country As Of 2014

Because English is so widely spoken, it has often been referred to as a "world language", the lingua franca of the modern era, and while it is not an official language in most countries, it is currently the language most often taught as a foreign language. It is, by international treaty, the official language for aeronautical and maritime communications. English is one of the official languages of the United Nations and many other international organizations, including the International Olympic Committee.

English is studied most often in the European Union, and the perception of the usefulness of foreign languages among Europeans is 67 percent in favor of English ahead of 17 percent for German and 16 percent for French (as of 2012). Among some of the non-English-speaking EU countries, the following percentages of the adult population claimed to be able to converse in English in 2012: 90 percent in the Netherlands, 89 percent in Malta, 86 percent in Sweden and Denmark, 73 percent in Cyprus and Austria, 70 percent in Finland, and over 50 percent in Greece, Belgium, Luxembourg, Slovenia, and Germany. In 2012, excluding native speakers, 38 percent of Europeans consider that they can speak English.

Books, magazines, and newspapers written in English are available in many countries around the world, and English is the most commonly used language in the sciences with Science Citation Index reporting as early as 1997 that 95% of its articles were written in English, even though only half of them came from authors in English-speaking countries.

In publishing, English literature predominates considerably with 28 percent of all books published in the world [leclerc 2011] and 30 percent of web content in 2011 (from 50 percent in 2000).

This increasing use of the English language globally has had a large impact on many other languages, leading to language shift and even language death, and to claims of linguistic imperialism. English itself has become more open to language shift as multiple regional varieties feed back into the language as a whole.

7. Number of Internet users in 2011 (countries presented as bubbles)
This map illustrates the total number of Internet users in a country as well as the percentage of the population that had Internet access in 2011.

Share your ideas for any interesting world view, stats, etc.

Thanks and Regards
Ashishjainblogger@gmail.com

Live your life the Virgin way!

Live your life the Virgin way!

Here are the top ten points by Richard Branson that will inspire you to live your life the Virgin way:

1. FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS AND JUST DO IT
You will live a much better life if you ‘just do it’ and pursue your passions. People who have the courage to spend their time working on things they love are usually the ones enjoying life the most. They are also the ones who dared to take a risk and chase their dreams.

2. MAKE A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE AND DO SOME GOOD
If you aren’t making a positive difference to other people’s lives, then you shouldn’t be in business. Companies have a responsibility to make a difference in the world, for their staff, their customers – everyone. The amazing part is that doing good is also good for business, so what are you waiting for?

3. BELIEVE IN YOUR IDEAS AND BE THE BEST
A passionate belief in your business and personal objectives can make all the difference between success and failure. If you aren’t proud of what you’re doing, why should anybody else be? Don’t get suckered into blindly pursuing profits and growth. Stay focused on being the best at everything you do and, if you want it to, the rest will follow.

4. HAVE FUN AND LOOK AFTER YOUR TEAM
Fun is one of the most important – and underrated – ingredients in any successful venture. If you’re not having fun, then it’s probably time to call it quits and try something else. If your team members are engaged, having fun and genuinely care about other people, they will enjoy their work more and do a better job – it’s really that simple. Find people who look for the best in others, lavish more praise than criticism, and love what they do.

5. DON’T GIVE UP
On every adventure I have undertaken – whether setting up a business, flying around the world in a balloon or racing across oceans in a boat – there have been moments when the easy thing to do would have been to throw in the towel and walk away. By simply sticking with it, brushing yourself down and trying again, you’ll be amazed what you can achieve.

6. LISTEN, TAKE LOTS OF NOTES AND KEEP SETTING NEW CHALLENGES
Listen more and talk less. Take notes – lots of notes. If you don’t write down your own (and others’) spontaneous ideas, they can be gone in the blink of an eye. Make lists to keep track of your goals. You’ll be amazed at the challenges a listening culture can overcome.

7. DELEGATE AND SPEND MORE TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY
The art of delegation is one of the key skills any entrepreneur must master. ‘Hire your weaknesses’ – if you find people who can take on tasks you aren’t good at, it frees you up to plan for the future. It also gives you time to spend with your family, which is really the most important thing of all. Oh yes, and don’t forget to garner your family’s input on the occasional big idea – like Virgin condoms, for instance!

8. TURN OFF THAT LAPTOP AND IPHONE AND GET YOUR DERRIÈRE OUT THERE
Rather than sitting in front of a screen all your life, try switching it all off on a regular basis and going out into the world. Start with your own backyard and then expand your field of vision. ‘Life isn’t a dress rehearsal’. With so many fascinating people to meet, exciting adventures to embark upon and rewarding challenges to undertake, there’s no time to lose.

9. COMMUNICATE, COLLABORATE AND COMMUNICATE SOME MORE
Keep it simple, stupid, and above all else keep it coming. Mushrooms might grow when they are kept in the dark and fed a diet of dung but it doesn’t work with people. Remember Steve Jobs and the Pixar piazza: build open work environments that invite your people to intermingle and share their visions.

10. DO WHAT YOU LOVE AND HAVE A COUCH IN THE KITCHEN
As long as you are surrounded by the people you love and doing what you love, it really doesn’t matter where you are. When we are on Necker we tend to spend most of our time in the kitchen. Add in a bedroom and a partner that you love, and you really don’t need too much more.

Is it possible to eliminate jails - Believe it can be done!

Is it possible to eliminate jails - Believe it can be done!

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. To illustrate this point of creative thinking in training sessions, I often use this example: I ask the group, "How many of you feel it is possible to eliminate jails within the next thirty years?"

Invariably the group looks bewildered, not quite sure they heard right and thinking they are listening to a real fuzzy-wuzzy. So after a pause I repeat, "How many of you feel it is possible to eliminate jails within the next thirty years?"

Once they're sure I'm not joking, someone always blasts me with something like "You mean to say you want to turn all those murderers, thieves, and rapists loose? Don't you realize what this would mean? Why, none of us would be safe. We have to have jails." Then the others cut loose:

"All order would break down if we didn't have jails."

"Some people are born criminals."

"If anything, we need more jails."

"Did you read in this morning's paper about that murder?" And the group goes on, telling me all sorts of good reasons why we must have jails. One fellow even suggested we've got to have jails so the police and prison guards can have jobs. After about ten minutes of letting the group "prove" why we can't eliminate the need for jails, I say to them, "Now let me mention here that this question of eliminating jails is used to make a point. Each of you has come up with reasons why we can't eliminate the need for jails. Will you do me a favor? Will you try extra hard for a few minutes to believe we can eliminate jails?"

Joining in the spirit of the experiment, the group says, in effect, "Oh, well, but just for kicks." Then I ask, "Now, assuming we can eliminate jails, how could we begin?" Suggestions come slowly at first. Someone hesitantly says something like, "Well, you might cut down crime if you established more youth centers."

Before long, the group, which ten minutes ago was solidly against the idea, now begins to work up real enthusiasm.

"Work to eliminate poverty. Most crime stems from the low income levels."

"Conduct research to spot potential criminals before they commit a crime."

"Develop surgical procedures to cure some kinds of criminals."

"Educate law enforcement personnel in positive methods of reform."

These are just samples of the seventy-eight specific ideas I've tabulated that could help accomplish the goal of eliminating jails.

WHEN YOU BELIEVE, YOUR MIND FINDS WAYS TO DO.

This experiment has just one point: When you believe something is impossible, your mind goes to work for you to prove why. But when you believe, really believe, something can be done; your mind goes to work for you and helps you find the ways to do it.

- David J Schwartz

Check this list of books, see if you want one!

Dear friends
Here is a list of book titles that I have in downloadable format (PDF), if you want any of these books, either follow the download link or if download link is not there, leave the book name in the comments or write to me at "ashishjainblogger@gmail.com".

1. Download fiction books (March 2018)
2. Download self-help books (May 2018)

Dated: October 2017

1. Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell.pdf
2. Using Emotional Intelligence Handout (Hembree).pdf
3. Virgin way (Richard Branson).pdf
4. 365 Days of the year (Books)
5. 4 Hour Workweek (Timothy Ferriss, book, 2009)
6. 48 Laws of power (Robert Greene)
7. 7 Spiritual Laws of Success (Deepak Chopra, Notes)
8. 8th Habit (Book)
9. A new Earth - Awakening to your life's purpose (Eckhart Tolle)
10. Abdul Kalam
11. Adolf Hitler - Motivational Clips
12. Ascent of money - the financial history of the world (Niall Ferguson)
13. Blink (Malcolm Gladwell)
14. Business and Mgmt Help Books (Notes)
15. Codependent No More (Books, Hazelden, Melody Beattie)
16. Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits (PDF)
17. How to stop worrying and start living - Dale Carnegie
18. How to win friends and influence people (Dale Carnegie)
19. How Would You Move Mount Fuji (William Poundstone)
20. Justice (Whats the right thing to do, M Sandel)
21. Lie Spotting - Pamela Meyer
22. LTCM - Long Term Capiltal Management (Hedge Fund)
23. Magic of thinking big (David J Schwartz)
24. Power of Now (Eckhart Tolle)
25. Power of positive thinking (Dr Norman Vincent Peale)
26. Power of subconscious mind - Joseph Murphy
27. Project Time Management (Books)
28. Road less traveled (M. Scott Peck)
29. Robin Sharma (Author)
30. Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra (Notes)
31. Speed Reading (Books)
32. Tim Harford Books
33. What It Takes to Be No 1 (Vince Lombardi on Leadership)
34. Who Moved My Cheese (Dr Spencer Johnson) (Notes)
35. You can heal your life (Louise L Hay)
36. You can win - Shiv Khera
37. Zero to One - Peter Thiel
38. 101 Great Answers to the Toughest Interview Questions.pdf
39. 201 best questions to ask on your interview
40. 365 Daily Quotes.pdf
41. 365 Sample Table Topics Questions (TM).pdf
42. 365 Success Quotes.pdf
43. 48 laws of power - Robert Greene.pdf
44. 99 Essentials Book.pdf
45. A First Course in String Theory.pdf
46. Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
47. Art of influencing and selling
48. Art of the deal (Donald J Trump).pdf
49. As a man thinketh (MC Librivox, 64kb, mp3).zip
50. Benjamin Graham - David-Dodd - Security Analysis 6e (2).pdf
51. Bonded Labor (Siddharth Kara).pdf
52. Bonded Labor (Tackling the System of Slavery in South Asia).pdf
53. Building a winning culture (BB).pdf
54. Capital in the 21st century - Thomas-Piketty.pdf
55. Common sense of investing - John Bogle.pdf
56. Common sense on mutual funds (10e).pdf
57. Complete idiots guide to string theory (Musser G).pdf
58. Daily Inspiration (Robin Sharma).pdf
59. Daily Walk With Great Minds (2E).pdf
60. Emotional Intelligence 2.0 (Book Caps Study Guide).pdf
61. Emotional Intelligence 2.0 Step By Step.pdf
62. Emotional Intelligence 2.pdf
63. Finding the Right Stock.pdf
64. Freakonomics - Steven D. Levitt.pdf
65. Goal (EM Goldratt, 3e).pdf
66. Goal setting guide (Jim Rohn).pdf
67. Greatness Guide (Robin Sharma).pdf
68. Greatness-Guide-2 (Robin Sharma).pdf
69. Honest Truth (Achieve financial success and live a happier life).pdf
70. How Not To Be Wrong - Power of Mathematical Thinking.pdf
71. How to win at the sport of business (Mark Cuban).pdf
72. Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks.pdf
73. Intelligent investor (Ben Graham).pdf
74. Jonathan Livingston Seagul - Excerpt.pdf
75. Learned Optimism (Martin Seligman).pdf
76. Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill.pdf
77. Swaraj by Arvind Kejriwal.pdf
78. Management Concepts and Organizational Behaviour - Karam Pal - MC101 (Jul 2015).pdf
79. Mastery - Robert Greene.pdf
80. MegaLiving 30 Days to a Perfect Life (Robin Sharma).pdf
81. Millionaire mentor.pdf
82. One minute manager.pdf
83. Organizational Behavior (TN Chhabra) (PPT, Jul 2015).pdf
84. Port Folios Of The Poor.pdf
85. Price of inequality (stiglitz).pdf
86. Problems Of The Youth - Chetan Bhagat - Ashwani Rana.pdf
87. Psychology Of Selling - The Art Of Closing Sales - Brian Tracy.pdf
88. Psychology of Selling Life Insurance.pdf
89. Psychology of selling.pdf
90. Reading can boost your brain health, emotional intelligence (ET, 9-Aug-2017).png
91. Science of Getting Rich.pdf
92. Secret (Rhonda Byrne).pdf
93. Secret - A treasure hunt.pdf
94. Security Analysis (Benjamin Graham, David Dodd, 6e).pdf
95. Stay hungry stay foolish (Rashmi Bansal).pdf
96. Successful Time Management For Dummies.pdf
97. Handmaid's tale - Margaret Atwood (Download EPUB)
98. Last Lecture (Randy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow, 2008)

Ashish
ashishjainblogger@gmail.com

Imagining all of cosmic time on a single calendar year

The universe is 13.8 thousand million years old. We are going to imagine all of the cosmic time, and in order to do that, let's compress it into a single calendar year. The cosmic calendar begins on January 1st with the birth of our universe. It contains everything that's happened since then, up to now, which on this calendar is midnight December 31st. On this scale, every month represents about a billion years. Every day represents nearly 40 million years. Let's go back as far as we can, to the very first moment of the universe. January 1st, the Big Bang. (explosion) It's as far back as we can see in time... for now. Our entire universe emerged from a point smaller than a single atom. Space itself exploded in a cosmic fire, launching the expansion of the universe and giving birth to all the energy and all the matter we know today. I know that sounds crazy, but there's strong observational evidence to support the Big Bang theory. And it includes the amount of helium in the cosmos and the glow of radio waves left over from the explosion. As it expanded, the universe cooled, and there was darkness for about 200 million years. Gravity was pulling together clumps of gas and heating them until the first stars burst into light on January 10th. On January 13th, these stars coalesced into the first small galaxies. These galaxies merged to form still larger ones, including our own Milky Way, which formed about 11 billion years ago, on March 15th of the cosmic year. Hundreds of billions of suns. Which one is ours? It's not yet born. It will rise from the ashes of other stars. See those lights flashing like paparazzi? Each one is a supernova, the blazing death of a giant star. Stars die and are born in places like this one -- a stellar nursery. They condense like raindrops from giant clouds of gas and dust. They get so hot that the nuclei of the atoms fuse together deep within them to make the oxygen we breathe, the carbon in our muscles, the calcium in our bones, the iron in our blood, all of it was cooked in the fiery hearts of long-vanished stars. You, me, everyone -- we are made of star stuff. This star stuff is recycled and enriched, again and again, through succeeding generations of stars. How much longer until the birth of our Sun? A long time. It won't begin to shine for another six billion years. Our Sun's birthday is August 31st on the Cosmic Calendar... ...four and a half billion years ago. As with the other worlds of our solar system, Earth was formed from a disk of gas and dust orbiting the newborn Sun. Repeated collisions produced a growing ball of debris. See that asteroid? No, not that one. The one over there. We exist because the gravity of that one next to it just nudged it an inch to the left. What difference could an inch make on the scale the solar system? Just wait, you'll see. The Earth took one hell of a beating in its first billion years. Fragments of orbiting debris collided and coalesced, until they snowballed to form our Moon. The Moon is a souvenir of that violent epoch. If you stood on the surface of that long ago Earth, the Moon would have looked a hundred times brighter. It was ten times closer back then, locked in a much more intimate gravitational embrace. As the Earth cooled, seas began to form. The tides were a thousand times higher then. Over the eons, tidal friction within Earth pushed the Moon away. Life began somewhere around here, September 21st, three and a half billion years ago on our little world. We still don't know how life got started. For all we know, it may have come from another part of the Milky Way. The origin of life is one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of science. That's life cooking, evolving all the biochemical recipes for its incredibly complex activities. By November 9th, life was breathing, moving, eating, responding to its environment. We owe a lot to those pioneering microbes. Oh, yeah-- one other thing. They also invented sex. December 17th was quite a day. Life in the sea really took off, it was exploding with a diversity of larger plants and animals. Tiktaalik was one of the first animals to venture onto land. It must have felt like visiting another planet. Forests, dinosaurs, birds, insects, they all evolved in the final week of December. The first flower... bloomed on December 28th. As these ancient forests grew and died and sank beneath the surface, their remains transformed into coal. 300 million years later, we humans are burning most of that coal to power and imperil our civilization. (whooshing) Remember that asteroid back in the formation of the solar system-- the one that got nudged a little to the left? Well, here it comes. It's 6:24 AM on December 30th on the Cosmic Calendar. (impact thundering) For more than a hundred million years, the dinosaurs were lords of the Earth, while our ancestors, small mammals, scurried fearfully underfoot. The asteroid changed all that. Suppose it hadn't been nudged at all. It would have missed the Earth entirely, and for all we know, the dinosaurs might still be here but we wouldn't. This is a good example of the extreme contingency, the chance nature, of existence. The universe is already more than 13 and a half billion years old. Still no sign of us. In the vast ocean of time that this calendar represents, we humans only evolved within the last hour of the last day of the cosmic year. 11:59 and 46 seconds. All of recorded history occupies only the last 14 seconds, and every person you've ever heard of lived somewhere in there. All those kings and battles, migrations and inventions, wars and loves, everything in the history books happened here, in the last seconds of the Cosmic Calendar. But if we want to explore such a brief moment of cosmic time... ...we'll have to change scale. We are newcomers to the cosmos. Our own story only begins on the last night of the cosmic year. It's 9:45 on New Year's Eve. Three and a half million years ago, our ancestors, yours and mine, left these traces. We stood up, and parted ways from them. Once we were standing on two feet, our eyes were no longer fixated on the ground. Now we were free to look up in wonder. For the longest part of human existence, say the last 40,000 generations, we were wanderers, living in small bands of hunters and gatherers, making tools, controlling fire, naming things, all within the last hour of the Cosmic Calendar. To find out what happens next, we'll have to change scale to see the last minute of the last night of the cosmic year. We're so very young on the time scale of the universe that we didn't start painting our first pictures until the last 60 seconds of the cosmic year, a mere 30,000 years ago. This is when we invented astronomy. In fact, we're all descended from astronomers. Our survival depended on knowing how to read the stars in order to predict the coming of the winter and the migration of the wild herds. And then, around 10,000 years ago, there began a revolution in the way we lived. Our ancestors learned how to shape their environment, taming wild plants and animals, cultivating land and settling down. This changed everything. For the first time in our history, we had more stuff than we could carry. We needed a way to keep track of it. At 14 seconds to midnight, or about 6,000 years ago, we invented writing. And it wasn't long before we started recording more than bushels of grain. Writing allowed us to save our thoughts and send them much further in space and time. Tiny markings on a clay tablet became a means for us to vanquish mortality. It shook the world. Moses was born seven seconds ago. Buddha, six seconds ago. Jesus, five seconds ago. Mohammed, three seconds ago. It was not even two seconds ago that, for better or worse, the two halves of the Earth discovered each other. And it was only in the very last second of the Cosmic Calendar that we began to use science to reveal nature's secrets and her laws. The scientific method is so powerful that in a mere four centuries, it has taken us from Galileo's first look through a telescope at another world to leaving our footprints on the Moon. It allowed us to look out across space and time to discover where and when we are in the cosmos. CARL SAGAN: We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.

References: Cosmos A Space Time Odyssey, Standing Up in the Milky Way