I’ve finished reading "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari.
As the title suggests, the book narrates the history of humanity, touching on key moments according to the author. The entire journey from ape to ruler of the world.
- The Cognitive Revolution.
- What sets humans apart from other animals — language.
- Why did other human species like Neanderthals go extinct? What’s unique about Homo Sapiens?
- How did Homo Sapiens wipe out entire animal species?
- The extinction of giants: sloths and kangaroos 6 meters tall and weighing up to 3 tons, flying elephants, rodents the size of bears.
- The Agricultural Revolution—the greatest deception, after which people worked harder, became less active and less healthy, yet couldn’t turn back.
- How do the technological and scientific revolutions drive progress at an incredible pace?
- How did capitalism rise to power?
- How did we arrive at consumerism? Why did the poor once count every penny while kings spent recklessly? Why do the poor now spend carelessly while the elite keep track?
- The global empire and why we live in the most peaceful time in human history.
- How does the unique feature of the Sapiens brain allow us to "outsmart" evolution?
- Are people happier now than in the Middle Ages or during the hunter-gatherer era?
- How can we "bring back" extinct species? Will we soon see living mammoths and Neanderthals?
- Likely problems of the future and the pursuit of immortality. Genetic engineering and other bioengineering methods, the fusion of humans with technology, and "connecting" the brain to the internet.
If you use LLM, I recommend looking into DeepSeek. A completely free alternative to ChatGPT at the GPT-4o and GPT-o1 level. Moreover, they have a VERY cheaper API compared to all other existing models, and no rate limit.
Imagine developers rushing to use this.
But the coolest thing is that their new model is completely open source. Large models will require a lot of power to run locally, but mini models can be easily run locally even on a personal MacBook.
Try DeepThink mode. It's fun to read the "thoughts" of the model. It feels like AGI has already been created. Or maybe it is...
Reflection on 2024.
Over the past year, I've significantly changed my way of thinking. I've reevaluated many aspects of my life. If the past year had a name, it would definitely be related to mindfulness.
The past year was probably the most stressful year I've had: work issues, moving, war in my hometown, social fears, self-doubt, new relationships, and experiences I feared. I encountered instability and that feeling of "uncertainty about tomorrow."
As stressful as it was, it was an extremely beneficial experience for me, pushing me to reassess almost everything.
By the end of the year, everything settled down: job stability, moving ease, reduced fears, better relationships, enthusiasm for new experiences, and self-confidence emerged.
At the beginning of last year, I set goals to increase blog views, boost income, get a full health check-up, and launch a startup.
I didn't achieve any of the goals I set. Is that bad? Absolutely not.
The startup consumed too many resources without any output, leading me to lose interest, but I gained valuable experience. It was too big a project; we should have started with something smaller.
Reach and income stopped being goals in themselves; now, I focus on benefiting society, from which income follows naturally. I didn't get a full medical check-up, but I actively worked on my health, eliminating bad habits and forming beneficial ones.
Throughout the year, I reevaluated my values and lost interest in the goals I had set. However, I achieved much more in other aspects.
🏆 My achievements:
Clearing the mind.
The most harmful habit I got rid of: mindlessly scrolling social media and watching short videos. This was the first step in shifting my focus from informational noise to something more meaningful. I watch fewer series and movies, unsubscribed from everything unnecessary, use my phone only with a specific purpose, meditate daily, and spend more time in silence.
Year of Knowledge.
I filled my mind with higher quality information. I started delving deeper into history, economics, philosophy, languages, scientific theories and discoveries.
I've read many books. They have replaced TikTok for me.
I learned English up to a B1-B2 level. My friends helped me. Traveling also helped as I spoke a lot with foreigners. I also started learning Latin. This year, we'll go to Vietnam, and I'll start learning Vietnamese there.
Overall, I've become more eager to learn new things, and I enjoy it. Learning something new is no longer a problem, be it knowledge or acquiring a new skill.
Total Health Focus.
Regular physical workouts, cross-fit, morning runs, yoga, stretching. This might have been my most active year. My physical shape has improved, which is now visually noticeable.
Sleep has improved. I aim to sleep 9 PM–5 AM. Sleep is priority number one. Everything depends on sleep (including life success). I now pay special attention to sleep quality, for which I even bought @WHOOP.
I've cut out harmful foods from my diet. Less sugar, less fat, less processed food. More natural and fresh products. I've started intermittent fasting. I eat within a 6-hour window each day. Also, I don't eat at least 6 hours before sleep. Thanks @bryan_johnson for the tips.
Understanding the World.
Now, I can say I understand economics, markets and money. I now understand why there are poor and rich, why wars occur, how states work.
The form of money determines everything, especially the freedom and prosperity of each individual. I've concluded that #Bitcoin is not just some virtual currency. It's a necessity for global progress and reducing violence in the world. Thanks @saifedean for a book that changed my thinking.
🚀 My priorities for 2025:
- Accumulate as much $BTC as possible;
- Share knowledge and learn new things;
- Benefit society;
- Make the world better and reduce violence;
- Enhance my media presence;
- Secure a stable and job-independent income;
- Improve my health;
- Promote freedom.