6 ms·

Monetizing Stupid

sokoloff 5y ago
“A fool and his money are soon parted” is well-known. “A fool and his money are lucky enough to get together in the first place.” —Stanley Weiser
paulpauper 5y ago
"Monetizing stupid" that is literally Facebook and Google's business model too. "are these ads part of the search results? Only way to findout is to click!" "are these ads part of my Facebook/Instagram profile or posted by my friends? Better click to find out!"
reidjs 5y ago
My first thought before reading the article was "speculative cryptocurrencies." She takes it a step further by using astrology to predict crypto markets. Amazing.
exolymph 5y ago
The topic is interesting but this smarmy "I'm so smart" style drives me up a wall. You consider yourself superior to people who believe in astrology, we get it. Focus on the point
- JFKKFJ 5y ago
  My point is not that I don't believe in astrology. I don't believe in astros.
- noslenwerdna 5y ago
  I mean, astrology is widely known to be nonsense.
  - marvindanig 5y ago
    True, but you'll be surprised at how many people want astrology and stuff like crystals and scented stones and magical beans across the United States. It's huge and truly a contest between literacy and the belief system.
- Cerealkiller050 5y ago
  "consider yourself superior to people who believe in astrology" I mean...at some point a spade HAS to be a spade for this type of thing
- dcow 5y ago
  100 on the tone. I can't stand it either. Focusing on the point: let's all agree astrology is dumb and immature, sure. However, if your goal is to actually understand what moves a market (and presumably make money), I think it rather inexperienced and ruinous to ignore the effects of millions of people, who may be open to being influenced by astrological events, participating in the market.
3princip 5y ago
What a mean and immature article. The "influencer" is stupid (and a psychopath apparently), everyone is stupid, well everyone except the author of the text. It does read like someone very young wrote it, I guess the author is young enough to know everything.
- dcow 5y ago
  Totally agree. I came off the reading wondering how young the author is. The essay is quite immature.
  - lern_too_spel 5y ago
    The author is telling you how to make money. There is nothing immature about making money. There is an interesting tangential public policy issue about how to limit societal damage from people taking advantage of others, but that is not the point of the article.
    - dcow 5y ago
      We're talking about the tone. The author's point is not entirely whacko: "hey plz stop using astrology to make investment decisions, it's stupid". But the tone of "hey look at how stupid Maren and all her 1MM followers are how does this even happen I thought the humans were more sophisticated than this, wow such crypto much stupid" is really kind of unpleasant. But to your first point: how do you make money on crypto markets? I must have missed this nugget of wisdom in the author's rant.
      - grumple 5y ago
        Do we really have to be respectful of deliberate nonsense? It seems that only serves to validate that nonsense as worthy of serious debate... which it isn’t. This time policing serves only to help spread the ridiculous conspiracy theories, anti-science, and anti-reason. Taking the high road has repeatedly failed in public discourse.
dcow 5y ago
I find the author slightly annoying insofar as they think you can study markets scientifically and thus applying astrology to market behavior is idiotic. For all we know Elon times his tweets to key horoscope events and the market actually does invert every time mercury is in retrograde (which the data/history seem to support). If we were talking about trying build a bridge or something I’d be a lot more receptive to the idea that anything other than a rational approach is “stupid”.
- lern_too_spel 5y ago
  The author's point seems to be that applying astrology to any decisions (not markets in particular) is stupid, speculating on crypto is stupid, and combining the two will give you an audience of especially stupid people who are willing to part with their money.
  - dcow 5y ago
    Markets are human things. If a non-zero subset of humans turn to astrology (as Maren's 1MM+ followers might suggest), even if only partially, when making any decision, wouldn't it be reasonable and quite rational to think that the market might actually move in relation to astrology events if enough of these "stupid" people are participating? Wouldn't that be the "smart" conclusion?
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
- SahAssar 5y ago
  > For all we know Elon times his tweets to key horoscope events That does not make it any less or more wrong. If someone takes actions to make the stock market fit horoscopes that does not make the horoscopes better or worse at predicting those actions.
  - DoreenMichele 5y ago
    Actual serious students of astrology: "The stars incline; they do not compel" The rest of the world: "If you believe in astrology, you think you can know the future."
vincentmarle 5y ago
Oh you think astrology is an ignorant way to predict stock movement? Let me tell you about the field of Technical Analysis... it starts with Japanese candlesticks...
DoreenMichele 5y ago
I will note that if you tell people "The market of a thing essentially entirely controlled by human behavior will do X in response to highly predictable events, like new moons" is potentially self fulfilling prophecy. If large numbers of people believe that and act in response to that prediction, it can cause dips (or whatever). For that and other reasons, this really isn't HN worthy.
wombatmobile 5y ago
English physicist and mathematician Isaac Newton produced many works that would now be classified as occult studies. These works explored chronology, alchemy, and Biblical interpretation (especially of the Apocalypse). Newton's scientific work may have been of lesser personal importance to him, as he placed emphasis on rediscovering the occult wisdom of the ancients. In this sense, some historians, including economist John Maynard Keynes, believe that any reference to a "Newtonian Worldview" as being purely mechanical in nature is somewhat inaccurate. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton%27s_occult_studies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton%27s_occult_studie...
- stickfigure 5y ago
  Isaac Newton was, perhaps, one of the most brilliant human beings that ever lived. But even brilliant people get stupid sometimes. Spending the later half of his life on alchemy was an unfortunate waste of human capital.
pornel 5y ago
She charges in dollars, so she knows what's up.

“A fool and his money are soon parted” is well-known. “A fool and his money are lucky enough to get together in the first place.” —Stanley Weiser

paulpauper 5y ago

"Monetizing stupid" that is literally Facebook and Google's business model too. "are these ads part of the search results? Only way to findout is to click!" "are these ads part of my Facebook/Instagram profile or posted by my friends? Better click to find out!"

reidjs 5y ago

My first thought before reading the article was "speculative cryptocurrencies." She takes it a step further by using astrology to predict crypto markets. Amazing.

exolymph 5y ago

The topic is interesting but this smarmy "I'm so smart" style drives me up a wall. You consider yourself superior to people who believe in astrology, we get it. Focus on the point

JFKKFJ 5y ago
My point is not that I don't believe in astrology. I don't believe in astros.
noslenwerdna 5y ago
I mean, astrology is widely known to be nonsense.
- marvindanig 5y ago
  True, but you'll be surprised at how many people want astrology and stuff like crystals and scented stones and magical beans across the United States. It's huge and truly a contest between literacy and the belief system.
Cerealkiller050 5y ago
"consider yourself superior to people who believe in astrology" I mean...at some point a spade HAS to be a spade for this type of thing
dcow 5y ago
100 on the tone. I can't stand it either. Focusing on the point: let's all agree astrology is dumb and immature, sure. However, if your goal is to actually understand what moves a market (and presumably make money), I think it rather inexperienced and ruinous to ignore the effects of millions of people, who may be open to being influenced by astrological events, participating in the market.

3princip 5y ago

What a mean and immature article. The "influencer" is stupid (and a psychopath apparently), everyone is stupid, well everyone except the author of the text. It does read like someone very young wrote it, I guess the author is young enough to know everything.

dcow 5y ago
Totally agree. I came off the reading wondering how young the author is. The essay is quite immature.
- lern_too_spel 5y ago
  The author is telling you how to make money. There is nothing immature about making money. There is an interesting tangential public policy issue about how to limit societal damage from people taking advantage of others, but that is not the point of the article.
  - dcow 5y ago
    We're talking about the tone. The author's point is not entirely whacko: "hey plz stop using astrology to make investment decisions, it's stupid". But the tone of "hey look at how stupid Maren and all her 1MM followers are how does this even happen I thought the humans were more sophisticated than this, wow such crypto much stupid" is really kind of unpleasant. But to your first point: how do you make money on crypto markets? I must have missed this nugget of wisdom in the author's rant.
    - grumple 5y ago
      Do we really have to be respectful of deliberate nonsense? It seems that only serves to validate that nonsense as worthy of serious debate... which it isn’t. This time policing serves only to help spread the ridiculous conspiracy theories, anti-science, and anti-reason. Taking the high road has repeatedly failed in public discourse.

dcow 5y ago

I find the author slightly annoying insofar as they think you can study markets scientifically and thus applying astrology to market behavior is idiotic. For all we know Elon times his tweets to key horoscope events and the market actually does invert every time mercury is in retrograde (which the data/history seem to support). If we were talking about trying build a bridge or something I’d be a lot more receptive to the idea that anything other than a rational approach is “stupid”.

lern_too_spel 5y ago
The author's point seems to be that applying astrology to any decisions (not markets in particular) is stupid, speculating on crypto is stupid, and combining the two will give you an audience of especially stupid people who are willing to part with their money.
- dcow 5y ago
  Markets are human things. If a non-zero subset of humans turn to astrology (as Maren's 1MM+ followers might suggest), even if only partially, when making any decision, wouldn't it be reasonable and quite rational to think that the market might actually move in relation to astrology events if enough of these "stupid" people are participating? Wouldn't that be the "smart" conclusion?
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
SahAssar 5y ago
> For all we know Elon times his tweets to key horoscope events That does not make it any less or more wrong. If someone takes actions to make the stock market fit horoscopes that does not make the horoscopes better or worse at predicting those actions.
- DoreenMichele 5y ago
  Actual serious students of astrology: "The stars incline; they do not compel" The rest of the world: "If you believe in astrology, you think you can know the future."

vincentmarle 5y ago

Oh you think astrology is an ignorant way to predict stock movement? Let me tell you about the field of Technical Analysis... it starts with Japanese candlesticks...

DoreenMichele 5y ago

I will note that if you tell people "The market of a thing essentially entirely controlled by human behavior will do X in response to highly predictable events, like new moons" is potentially self fulfilling prophecy. If large numbers of people believe that and act in response to that prediction, it can cause dips (or whatever). For that and other reasons, this really isn't HN worthy.

wombatmobile 5y ago

English physicist and mathematician Isaac Newton produced many works that would now be classified as occult studies. These works explored chronology, alchemy, and Biblical interpretation (especially of the Apocalypse). Newton's scientific work may have been of lesser personal importance to him, as he placed emphasis on rediscovering the occult wisdom of the ancients. In this sense, some historians, including economist John Maynard Keynes, believe that any reference to a "Newtonian Worldview" as being purely mechanical in nature is somewhat inaccurate. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton%27s_occult_studies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton%27s_occult_studie...

stickfigure 5y ago
Isaac Newton was, perhaps, one of the most brilliant human beings that ever lived. But even brilliant people get stupid sometimes. Spending the later half of his life on alchemy was an unfortunate waste of human capital.

pornel 5y ago

She charges in dollars, so she knows what's up.