What I am buying:
If you use a new MacBook then you know how bad the keyboards are. If you also own an iPad then you also know that there aren’t very many good keyboard solutions out there either (I currently use a Brydge but its pretty heavy and bulky). The keyboard struggle is real and this new keyboard promises to solve both issues in one. I am looking forward to hopefully receiving mine once they get through the first production run.
Kickstarter - Nu Type Keyboard
For the past few months I have been looking for a solution to replace my kitchen oven with a smart oven that can be turned on with an app. While doing my research I couldn’t find anything that was both internet enabled and good quality. But I came across this kick starter project which can internet enable any offline appliance or switch simply by physically pressing the on button when you use the app. Still waiting on delivery of this genius product and I hope it can deliver as promised!
Kickstarter - Fingerbot
I suffer from chronic lower back pain yet I still workout everyday and usually use a foam roller to release the knotted fascia in my leg and back muscles. I saw an ad on Instagram for this massage ball that turned out to be surprisingly very effective and the best workout recovery I use now. After 15 minutes of using it I am much looser and feel way better than using the foam roller.
Hyperice - Hypersphere Massage Ball
What I am reading:
more….
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve likely seen some of my out-of-the-box fitness practices (Animal Flow) and over-the-top nutrition habits (green juicing & tons of carbs?!). I practice a way of life that incorporates and prioritizes healthy living into every aspect of my daily routine. But I wasn’t always like this. I didn’t always feel or look healthy; nor did I pay attention to what went into my body (tons of processed junk) and the havoc it was doing to my body.
Everyone I know commits to 30-minute workouts at least a few times a week. We live in a newly health-obsessed culture, and perhaps besides LA, nowhere is that more obvious than here in Miami. But I don’t know many people who take a daily 30 minutes to plan or prep their meals. In fact, NOT planning your meals after a solid workout is like getting a car wash on a day you know it’s going to rain. You simply aren’t reaping the full benefits of your actions. I’ve learned over and over again, that no matter how rigorous my exercise, without the right diet I wont see good health or fitness results. On any given day, presented with the choice to workout vs stick to my healthy food, hands down I skip the workout and choose to feed my body right. Obviously if you can do both the results and gains are optimal!
The experience of building JoonBug from the ground up during my days as a nightlife impresario and before the days of EventBrite and social media provided valuable tools and lessons that have come in handy in all areas of my life.
It’s not that some of the best ideas don’t happen over a few drinks at 2am. Sometimes they do. But what’s unique is the experiences that happen in the places and with the people that associate with the 2am timeframe that produce the best ideas. Nightlife (a place shrouded in mystery) often propels some of the more interesting characters in entrepreneurship into not only stardom but great wealth. Though it’s not necessarily nightlife where that stardom and wealth happens; Sometimes nightlife is just the stepping stone. For me many of my greatest life and business lessons spawned from my experiences in nightlife.
Let’s go back to just around September 11, 2001; a time when many New Yorkers and Americans were not only recovering from a national tragedy, but where businesses and workers were also struggling. The tech bubble had burst and I was out of work after a failed tech startup I had founded went bust.
What I am reading:
Nicholas Pelham, the Middle East Correspondent for the Economist gives a rare glimpse into the conditions in modern day Iran. His account is particularly fascinating to me because my parents immigrated from Iran in 1977 and I have never been able to go back to visit given safety concerns. Warning this is a long read.
1843 Magazine - Trapped in Iran
Howard Marks is one of the most successful investors around and in my opinion his brilliance exceeds even Warren Buffet's. I look forward to reading his famous Memos that typically come out every quarter. His latest one speaks about the parallels between real life situations and investing with game theory. After reading it I have been actively looking for a poker coach for myself and my daughter.
Oak Tree Capital - You Bet!
I love watching nature and animal shows and am particularly fascinated with exotic animals like Giraffes (although I dont have any pets). If you are too, then have this quick read about some fascinating facts about Giraffes I bet you never knew.
Quartz - A tall drink of water
As sunny South Florida continues to develop into a world-class locale, and a legal tax haven, many New Yorkers are reconsidering whether the city that never sleeps is the right place in which to live and park their assets. But few know how challenging the process can be for those within a certain tax bracket… Lucky for you, I have the scoop.
I’m a New Yorker through and through – born in Brooklyn, an NYU grad, and job-creator for hundreds of locals through three different companies I founded in the city. More than 35 years later, however, I realized that perhaps the concrete jungle wasn’t the best place in which to take the next step in my career, and continue to grow my net worth. The tax burden, and exorbitant costs that come with living in one of the world’s greatest cities are steep. This is common knowledge. A lesser-known fact, however, is that it’s a massive headache to relocate from New York to a new state once you reach a certain rung on the financial food chain. The state of New York doesn’t let its prized residents flee so easily, a fact that is especially salient today as prominent figures and institutions – Icahn Enterprises, U.S. President and Queens native Donald J. Trump – are stealing headlines for relocating to Florida, just as I did in 2014.
My move was prompted by the same factor that promoted Carl Icahn and Trump’s – the math simply was no longer working out. The family I had always wanted had materialized, and as my wife and I began researching elite schools for our daughter, which were practically the same cost as a state University, the siren song of sunny South Florida began calling me. We knew we wanted a bigger family, and the financials were not making sense. While I’ve never looked back on the decision to relocate, I urge anyone considering following in my footsteps to educate themselves on what the process will entail and be both mentally and financially prepared.
