I think you might be misremembering how much you made, or perhaps you weren't working in a run of the mill diner, because making 60K per year as a waiter 20 years ago puts you far on the right of that bell curve even without adjusting for inflation.
Thank you for this. As an amateur I knew the difference existed, but I was never sure how to tell them apart. And if I had ever actually thought about it I would have googled, but it's one of those things that never occurred to me until I was knee deep into a repair.
To summarize what I understood from the (too long IMO) article...
There might be something useful in the blockchain, specifically in how it seems to make a certain class of transaction easier/more reliable and there might be a good use case for NFTs in that space.
I really hate that the term crypto has come to mean 'crypto-currency' instead of cryptography in general.
Rather than regret minimization, I prefer to focus on try maximization. IE try as many new things as you can.
Obviously there are some things that you should never try. Things that you find morally objectionable. Things that have too high a risk of death or permanent disability. Things that will keep you from fulfilling your responsibilities (wife and kids will slow you down). You have to do your own maths on those, but beyond that you should try as many new things as you can manage.
You will fail. You will fail a lot. That's part of the fun.
As a 50 year old man, with four grown kids, in the middle of a divorce after 25 years of marriage, sitting at home with a leg I broke skateboarding last month I can honestly say that I have very few regrets so far. I travelled through a lot of Europe and most of the US before marriage, I've had interesting work, and I've learned how to do a lot of things just by being willing to try.
Remember, failure is always an option and is the expected outcome at least 50% of the time. If you're not failing, then you're probably not trying anything new.
I am an independent software developer and like most business owners I contribute because it's required by law and failure to do so carries harsh penalties.
Are you telling me that you do not pay federal and or state income taxes? That you do not contribute to FICA? Are you under the impression that because you are not a federal employee that you are not required to pay federal income taxes?
I would be totally okay with treating it like a driving accident. You're free not to get the shot, but in the case that you contract Covid you then open yourself up to civil liability to everyone you came in contact with.
Actually having had to wear a gas mask in the military for hours... I would LOVE to see this. If you think an N-95 grade mask is hard to breathe though, try wearing an NBC mask for 8 hours a day. :-)
According to this US News and World Reports site ( https://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/waiter-and-waitre... ) the best paid 25% of waiters made $30,000.
I think you might be misremembering how much you made, or perhaps you weren't working in a run of the mill diner, because making 60K per year as a waiter 20 years ago puts you far on the right of that bell curve even without adjusting for inflation.