Recommended Website and reading

Technology Review has thought provoking and innovative content. https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612268/we-can-now-customize-cancer-cures-tumor-by-tumor/

What If We All Followed Ayn Rand's Principles?

PBS has an interesting overview on this. FWIW I'm a big fan of The Fountainhead: 
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/column-this-is-what-happens-when-you-take-ayn-rand-seriously

Bielski Brothers Story Told by Rae Kushner

As I went in the summer of 2018 to visit the towns in which my family immigrated from in Belarus, Lithuania, and Latvia I got to see a small town where my great grand father Lazar Bielsky was born in a town called Molcadt Belarus (multiple ways to spell it based on which language you speak).  He became a rabbi by graduating from the yeshiva in Zhetl (now called Zdzieciol) also in Belarus.

As I came to the small town and did my research I came to find out that Rae Kushner grandmother of Jared Kushner was from a town not far from there. She was known for escaping the Zyde Ghetto for the forest where the Bielski brothers set up a camp to fight and hide until liberation came.

For my records I'll upload photos and stories of my trip but it's telling of our worlds past in Rae Kushners story told here:
https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn504520

The photos below are from the towns of Molchad, Belarus in present day 2018. The location is approximately 2.5 hours away from the city of Minsk. From Molchad I ventured to Zdzieciol Bialorus which is present day the town of Dzyatlava.

Circle of Concern vs Circle of Control

Worry about the things you can control and not the ones you can't. Also our worries and fears are often misplaced. We fear sharks, alligators, and terrorist attacks but yet we don't worry about often preventable diseases such as heart disease which kills exponentially more than all of the above.

richart ruddie dj sets on Night Owl radio

For reference the two appearances from being the up all night top donor in 2016 and 2017 I was a special guest dj on Night Owl Radio. Episodes 44 and 96 can be heard at the following links:

Episode 44 with Eric Prydz

https://www.insomniac.com/music/stream-night-owl-radio-044-ft-richart-ruddie-and-eric-prydz/

Episode 96 with Alison Wonderland B2B Diplo B2B Jauz
https://www.insomniac.com/music/stream-night-owl-radio-096-ft-richart-ruddie-and-alison-wonderland-b2b-diplo-b2b-jauz/

Interesting Crypto Piece

In depth write up from the Bank of International Settlements covering the Crypto market. While I do believe Crypto and de-centralization holds a large part of our future this points out a lot of great analysis.

Read the piece here: https://www.bis.org/publ/arpdf/ar2018e5.htm

10 Things you notice that about Japan when you're there

After my second trip to Japan some of the things that I thought were rather "different" on my first trip there started to seem more normal as I got used to it while others still seem like they deserve to be pointed out for future travelers to there coming from the USA.

Here is a small list I compiled while in an Uber on the way back home.

1. When you go into a restaurant to eat they have little lockers that are for not your belongings but rather for your shoes so you can change into a pair of designated slippers to wear in the restaurant. Also slippers are used for the bathrooms as well. 
2. Speaking of restaurants you will find that the inside design of Japanese restaurants resemble their counterparts in the USA. If you were to be blind folded and put in one of the restaurants it would be hard to determine if you were in Japan or America as they've done a very good job re-created their restaurants state side. Same goes with bars in Ireland. 
3. The toilets however are very high tech and come with seat warmers. Almost every toilet in Japan has a remote control with multiple options. 
4. Taxi experiences are quite unique. First they drive on the left and are right hand drive Toyota's that have nice white cloths to keep the interior clean. The drivers wear white gloves and open the doors for you via a lever and close it without having to get out of the car. Oh and Ubers are crazy expensive and so are taxis compared to taking the train which is the major mode of transport for Tokyo. 
5. Speaking of trains the train stations are large like New York Penn Station and have shopping malls, restaurants, and are mini cities in and of themselves. 
6. Change trays are a thing. Every time you purchase something the change is returned to you on a nice tray as opposed to just put into your hand or onto the counter. 
7. The city is massive. Off the top of my head I think its 13 times the size of NYC and is the most mega city in the world but yet feels like the safest and cleanest as they seem to not have a lot of trash cans but yet people just hold onto their trash instead of littering. 
8. The Japanese are perhaps the nicest group of people in the world. Stories I've heard and in my own experience of being lost and having somebody walk us 2 KM to our destination only to Thank Us and to walk back 2 KM to get back on track is a commonality. They truly practice the golden rule. 
9. Sushi isn't served on every corner and is actually harder to find than you may expect. Noodles and Japanese grills are actually much more popular dining choices. 
10. They love lines and rules. Whether it's lining up to take photos or do not enter signs on a walking path they are very diligent about following rules.