Logocentric (adj).Regarding words and language as a fundamental expression of an external reality (especially applied as a negative term to traditional Western thought by postmodernist critics).
Sometimes I just write whatever I feel like. Other times I respond to prompts, many taken from the following places:
I have always enjoyed the longer distance running and skiing. The Marathon in Summer Olympics and the 50km Mass Start in the Winter. My wife can't understand how I can watch the same race for several hours. But they are fascinating to me. I like the Downhill Slalom, Bobsled and Luge sports. Attending a Winter Olympics remains on my bucket list.
My favorite sporting events in the Winter Olympics are the Luge, Bobsled, Figure Skating and curling. Initially, I thought I would be bored with curling but I'm not. It's fascinating how they determine each glide's angle and potential score.
When my children were younger we built them a luge course, they loved it. We were lucky that winter to have lots of snow to build up the walls and with some help with pallets that we covered with snow, it kept them and the neighborhood kids busy until it warmed up and melted. I was a lot more at ease with the luge course than I was when they decided to try arial jumps off our house roof. Never a dull moment when you live in Maine.
I am reading ESV through the Bible this time. Like you, I've explored a bunch of translations. My church uses NIV but my women's Bible study group (part of the same church) varies based on what Bible study we're doing.
Hope you enjoy the Olympics! I agree that the every four year thing makes them feel more special.
I read the New American Bible, which is a Catholic Bible. (NABRE) They include Tobit, Judith, 1 & 2 Maccabees, which generally aren't included in other versions of the Bible. I would be curious to read an orthodox bible or the Ethiopian Bible as I hear they have differences as well.
As for the Olympics, I love the Winter Olympics. I'm just crossing my fingers I have time to watch!
In terms of the original texts the NASB has the best reputation among conservative scholars. It looks at more translations, has a sensible hierarchy of text selection and the best principles for approaching the translation task. It favors original texts when possible. The ESV and NKJV are on a similar level. The Net Bible gives the best overview of the discussions in its commentary. The NIV renders the original text to make it more readable. It is a more functional text which is why many churches use it but it is also less precise. Greek or Russian orthodox are more Septuagint orientated and there is a considerable amount of ethical or emotional rendering to the text.The disadvantage of the NASB is that it loses much of the Hebrew poetical style in its effort to be precise as this does not translate into the English
I'm very fortunate to have met some practicing and humble Christians. Truly humble people seek to serve, not attain power and influence. The actions of many Christians make me run the opposite way... as fast as I can.
In his book, Sit, Walk, Stand, Watchman Nee states: "Nothing has done greater damage to our Christian testimony than our trying to be right and demanding right of others. We become preoccupied with what is and what is not right. We ask ourselves,' Have we been justly or unjustly treated?' and we think thus to vindicate our actions. But that is not our standard. The whole question for us is one of crossbearing".
Jeff, this is an excellent book. Perhaps one for your reading list?
This article blew my mind. When I think of venture capitalism, I still (apparently naively) imagine the deals like we see on Shark Tank every week. An enterprising entrepreneur has a good idea and some investor comes along and offers them $100,000 for 20% of the company. Or, once the venture has a proven track record of success, maybe it even goes as high as a few million dollars for a smaller percentage of the company. I truly had no idea that these "mega-rounds" of financing (those that raise over $100 million) existed with any degree of regularity, let alone were so prevalent. It's truly crazy to think that through July of this year, there have been a whopping 268 mega-rounds of financing secured. That's well over $26.8 billion (with a B) worth of investment in startup companies so far this year! The article notes that these mega-rounds are occurring with such frequency now that the industry is considering redefining the term to only include investment rounds that top $200 million.
That's a pretty far cry from my modest little fantasy of coming up with a cool product and having some investor be like, "Yeah, I'll give you a million bucks to get this venture off the ground!" Apparently I should be aiming much, much higher!
What this article really got me thinking about, though, is what that kind of money means for a startup. As noted philosopher rapper Notorious B.I.G. once said, "Mo money, mo problems" and I think that characterization is apt here. Sure, having $100 million in seed money will ensure your company at least has a reasonable opportunity for success. Depending on the type of business you're operating, that could keep you in the black for years and years while you find your footing in the market. But at what cost? I'd be willing to bet that someone investing nine figures in your new company probably isn't going to be satisfied with, say, 10% ownership. I'd be willing to bet those bids come with significant strings, like controlling interest... if not in equity then at least in seats on the board of directors. Similarly, I'd also be willing to bet that an investor pouring that much money into a venture is probably going to be much more hands-on in terms of checking on their investment: more reporting, more meetings, more input on how the company moves forward.
On the other hand, having access to that kind of capital comes with a lot of advantages. As the article notes, startups with that kind of cash can afford to hire better, more desirable candidates with competitive salaries. The company itself can explore different marketing strategies, including operating at a calculated loss early on in order to build brand awareness and loyalty. And your employees don't have to spend so much time worrying about the health of the organization or its ability to endure if you know you're fully funded for the next 12-24+ months.
The other interesting aspect to this is that investors seem to have all but given up on worrying about another bubble. When the tech bubble (along with the real estate bubble) burst in the 2000s, investors became wary of putting a lot of money into companies after watching several of them skyrocket up to market valuations of over $1 billion and then crater in a matter of weeks. That sense of wariness seems to have completely abandoned a lot of investors. For example, Tencent Holdings (China's approximate equivalent to Google), has already participated in more than 30 mega-rounds in 2018. For those of you keeping score at home, that means Tencent has, in the first half of this year alone, spent more than $3 billion investing in unproven startups.
It'll be interesting to see how this current flurry of investing activity plays out. Maybe it'll create a whole new era of corporate growth and affluence, anchored by remarkable advancements in technology. Then again, maybe the bubble will burst again and these investors will be out the massive amounts of money they invested. I guess only time will tell. Until then... I have a great idea for a company. Does anyone know who I need to call to get the ball rolling on them sending me $100+ million dollars?
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