Space Tourism: Out of this World

The requirements: good health, ludicrous loads of money and shots of bravery.

Photo from NASA

The adventure that history may think as fictional or delusional is now taking off with us. Space tourism is welcoming wealthy adventurers to go somewhere where not many has been and seen. Like what Virgin Galactic said, “space is a virgin territory”.

After a brief tease of the thrilling tour, people jumped aboard.  From 520 listed customers, £64M ($103M) is already in deposits. The first batch of flight will happen next year.  Among the early birds to space were known personalities – Hollywood’s Paris Hilton, Ashton Kutcher, Tom Hanks, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt; scientists James Lovelock and Stephen Hawking; and royal Princess Beatrice. See Virgin Galactic passenger list.

A spaceplane can accommodate eight people. Two are pilots and six are passengers. Perhaps, among the six passengers was a photographer to keep track of the adventure. Virgin Galactic is excited to bring in the first batch of space tourists photos. With this mission of resolute publicity and marketing, it won’t be for long until they earned back their £162M ($261M) investment for the fleet of spaceplanes. In fact, the space industry has the potential to reach $1.6B in the next decade.

This growing industry also has growing competition. Orbital Technologies, a Russian company, plans to construct a “Hotel in the Heavens”.  No gravity is the gimmick of the hotel. The price to get there was £500,000 ($806,000) and £100,000 ($161,000) to stay for five nights. Space Adventures in Virginia will bring you to the International Space Station for $50M. Other companies offering the adventure are emerging in California and Texas while a European conference was held in London in the talks of space tourism.

How will it go? Everything will seem like a flash. 90 seconds to ascend with a speed of 4,000km/h. After six to seven minutes of gliding to the space engineless and gravityless, they’ll start descending. Tourists will appreciate a view similar to this:

We don’t know where it’s going from here. I guess there will be more men – ridiculously wealthy men – to step on the moon in the near future.

Would you travel in space?

Sources:
Space tourism: to infinity and beyond?; The Guardian
Space Tourism Is Here! Wealthy Adventurers Wanted; The New York Times

Money Growth Investments

To cross the upper class border, investments are the best strategy to engage.

Photo from photoXpress

Sure, you have a job that pays constant money; but it doesn’t take a mathematician to know that it’ll take a lifetime of savings until your steady paycheck can add up to a fortune.

Investments are smart. You don’t have to work so hard, eight hours a day to reach financial freedom. Money comes to you passively – you can swim with penguins while your investments add bucks to your account. Here are the investment kinds you may want to know:

Bonds. You lend your money to a company or government.
How does money grow? They pay you back with interests.

Stocks. When you invest on stocks, you buy a part of a business. This means you own a percentage of the business.
How does money grow? You are entitled to receive profit of the business proportional to the amount of stocks you own. However, the return and risk is high.

Mutual Funds. A professional manager invests your money in a collection of bonds and stocks.
How does money grow? Same as bonds and stocks. It is diversified and it doesn’t demand your time.

Real Estate. You buy a land property.
How does money grow? Since value of house and land is increasing over time, you can sell it high.

Certificates of Deposits. You deposit money to the bank within the time frame, while during the time you cannot spend that money.
How does money grow? You earn with interests.

Forex Trading. You buy or sell a foreign currency.
How does money grow? You can earn or lose money through the movement of exchange rates. For example, you exchange US dollar for UK Pound. If UK Pound increases in value, you earn. If it decreases, you lose some money.

Business. You fund a starting business or you found your own business.
How does money grow? You earn through profit of the business, or you can sell your business for up to millions. However, starting a business is demanding and it may take most of your  time. Make sure you systemize it so the business can operate it without you.

All of these investments are simplified. I encourage everybody to sign up for at least one, but be sure to study it well. “Big risks, big rewards” is a good statement, but I prefer “controlled risks, big rewards”.

What kind of investment are you interested in?

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Source:
Different Types Of Investments; WXINVEST.com

 

Success is for Morning People

If you want to be successful, try to be a morning person.

Photo from photoXpress

Author Laura Vanderkam argues that successful people, referring to CEO’s and top of the industry successes, are mostly morning person. That’s a correlation, and she believes in transforming night owls to morning peeps for the sapid success everybody wanted.

There’s a part of me that’s agreeing with her. Productivity is at peak in the morning; mind is fresh, body is rested. Just compare it to the evening status of our selves, where our body and brain are both exhausted. You see the rationale behind it.

This is good news for me because I’m all around. I can peer like an owl at night but be able to wake up early to do something valuable, be it exercise or this article. But the night lovers could cringe, or perhaps disagree overtly because this claim is robbing them their chance for success.

Another part of me believed in productivity at any time of the day. I know mornings are the best time, but there are slits of opportunities throughout the day. I’m talking about a jog between break time or midnight study. This is the general finding; it’s good to know but our opinions about ourselves will still be the loudest. Just whatever works for us, worked for us so keep on doing it!

At what time of the day are you most productive?

More Moments for you:
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Source:
Why Morning People Rule the World; Inc.

One Man Island

One Man Island
Ridiculously Costly Series

One Man Island. Photo from iliketowastemytime.com

Wealth and riches are blissful to attract. I like having them, and I love spending them. It brings forth freedom – to do just whatever you want, to have whatever you want whenever you want. But I consider it as a privilege. Having it means having more to share.

And I believe that buying a one man island, or as they call it ‘private island’, is defeating the purpose of sharing; if anything, it’s selfish. These private island owners exclude themselves from the rest of the world, like all they needed is themselves and their riches. That is erroneous thinking. As social beings, we have the purpose to fulfill – interaction, not isolation.

Lets say, you buy islands because you can; and you don’t intend to actually live in it. It was meant for vacation, a resting pad. That means you get to use the island, for what, one or two times a year? And then the rest of it is just lone.

Many are people without shelter, or stable shelter, or enough shelter to fit a family. And to have an island for one man or for seldom vacation is ludicrous. I can’t live owning an island and knowing the reality beyond.

What I don’t even tolertate is why people buy islands when they don’t have enough bills. Case in point, Nicolas Cage. His financial trouble stretches, but that’s because he spent much on overly needless possessions – 22 cars, 12 expensive jewelries, 47 pieces of art and 3 homes, including  a private island. And that was in 2007 alone.

Should people have the right to buy islands?

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Source:
Nicolas Cage: Even More Broke Than Assumed!; The Hollywood Gossip