the process for assembling the hardware of my humidity controller

code for small-scale automatic irrigation system - draft 1

//AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION SYSTEM //written for the NANO.

//maintains a specific hydration level for a soil sample by //turning on a pump when the moisture sensors fall below a //calibrate-able level of conductivity. //will also flash a warning light when tank is empty.

//includes optional ability to turn on a light //when environment is dark

//soil sensor is comprised of 500k resistor and graphite probes in soil. //empty tank sensing by float switch. //pump & lights operated by transistor-driven relays

//WIRING DIAGRAM:   //  +5V---[SOIL PROBES]---(A0)---[100K]---GND

//  +5V---/calbutton/---(2)---[4.7K]---GND

//  (5)---[220]---[RED LED]---GND

//  +5V---[4.7K]---(7)---/TANK SW/---GND   //  (this line may need to be reversed based on //   N.O. or N.C. tank switch.)

//  +12V---[RLY1 COIL]------[N]   //  (3)---[4.7K]------------[P] //                GND-------[N]

//  +5V---[photosensor]---(A1)---[10k]---GND

//  +5V---/lightcalbtn/---(4)---[4.7k]---GND

//  +12V---[RLY2 COIL]------[N]   //  (9)---[4.7K]------------[P] //                GND-------[N]

//  +12V---/RLY1 sw/---[MOTOR]---GND

//  120VAC---/RLY2 sw/---[LIGHT ARRAY]---NEUTRAL

// i/o pin assignments const int lightsnsr = A1;        //pin for light sensor const int light = 9;            //pin to turn on lights const int lightcalbtn = 4;     //pin for calibrating light level const int soil = A0;          //pin for soil sensor const int calbutton = 2;     //pin for calibration button const int pump = 3;         //pin for transistor/relay to run pump const int lowtankled = 5;  //pin for tank indicator light const int tankswitch = 7; //pin for tank float switch

// internal variables int saturation;    //current soil saturation level int setlevel;     //desired saturation level. int calibrate;    //toggles calibration mode on or off int lowtank;      //toggles empty tank mode int lightcal;      //toggles light calibration mode int lightset;     //desired light level to transition lights int lightlevel;   //current light level

void setup() {  //soil regulation pin settings  pinMode(soil, INPUT);  pinMode(calbutton, INPUT);  pinMode(tankswitch, INPUT);  pinMode(pump, OUTPUT);  pinMode(lowtankled, OUTPUT);

 //lighting control  pinMode(lightsnsr, INPUT);  pinMode(lightcalbtn, INPUT);  pinMode(light, OUTPUT);

 //before calibration, set level to zero  setlevel = 0;  lightset = 0; }

void loop() {  //INPUT READS  saturation = analogRead(soil);  calibrate = digitalRead(calbutton);  lowtank = digitalRead(tankswitch);  lightcal = digitalRead(lightcalbtn);  lightlevel = analogRead(lightsnsr);

 //CALIBRATION SEQUENCE  if(calibrate == HIGH) {   //if button was pressed    setlevel = saturation;  //make the setpoint equal to    delay(500);             //the current saturation level  }

 //CHECK TANK LEVEL, FLASH LIGHT IF LOW  if(lowtank == HIGH) {    digitalWrite(lowtankled, HIGH);    delay(200);    digitalWrite(lowtankled, LOW);    delay(800);  }

 //TURN ON PUMP MOMENTARILY  //only when tank is NOT low, NOT calibrating,  //and soil is below saturation setpoint  if(lowtank == LOW && calibrate == LOW && saturation < setlevel) {    digitalWrite(pump, HIGH);    delay(2000);    digitalWrite(pump, LOW);  }  //if probes continue to read low, the pump will continue to  //turn on for 2 second intervals in every main loop   //until probes register a reading above the saturation setpoint.

 //LIGHTING CONTROL  if(lightcalbtn == HIGH){    lightset = lightlevel;    delay(500);  }  if(lightset > lightlevel){    digitalWrite(light, HIGH);  }  else{    digitalWrite(light, LOW);  } }

Shaeroden’s machine - a written Vlog part 3: too busy with the tools

the night all the parts came, i decided to skip the writing and go ahead and build it.  the machine is all finished now, and i’m even writing this post from it.  it actually turned out to be a lot less laborious than i expected it to be.  and a lot more messy... so here is a comprehensive list of everything i bought, used, and installed.  and why.   all prices are as of 02/04/2018 1. the cooler master H500P - $150. i was in love with this case from the moment i saw it on a linus build.  200mm front case fans.  RGB case fans.  the RGB illumination can be pulse width modulated for some astonishing visual effects.  there’s also enough airflow capability in this thing to flush the entire case volume in a matter of milliseconds.  nothing you put in here will starve for airflow. https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119327&cm_re=cooler_master_h500p-_-11-119-327-_-Product

i don’t think i could have asked for a better case.  not only does it look beautiful, it is littered with features that make it completely customizable.  the bottom shrouding comes in two pieces that let you cover both the drive cage and PSU.  in my build, i only covered the PSU.  there are vertically mounted PCI slots so you can have your graphics card displayed.  cable management shrouds.  140mm rear case fan.   when it arrived, the first thing i did was strip all the plastic off and paint the frame white along with some other modular pieces.  i had hatched a color scheme. cooler master’s drive cage design was truly remarkable.  the cage has what are basically drawers that the drives bolt in to.  the only problem with the design is that the SATA  power cables tend to be really stiff so it’s not as simple as just pulling out a drive... 2. AMD RYZEN 5 1600 - $200 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113435

i know linus says to not choose a processor based on fanboy-ism, but i totally did.  my previous laptop used to be the king of the campus when everyone else was running around with 2.4Ghz processors and i had the only 3Ghz, factory overclocked.  i knew what AMD was capable of, i was familiar with it, and i didn’t want to deal with Intel's child-proof processor clocks. i honestly think i went a little overkill based on what i plan on using the machine for.  i don’t plan on streaming games, so i probably could have got away with a ryzen 3.  but i had the money, and i also wanted to pair it with a decent graphics card, so i splurged. 3.  ASUS ROG STRIX B350-F GAMING AM4 AMD B350 - $120 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132988

i didn’t have very many stipulations on a motherboard.  the only things i was really looking for were  1. CPU compatibility 2. overclocking capability 3. M.2 drive slot. 4. not a ridiculous color the fractal heatsink on the bottom-right of the board has an LED bar that cycles through colors.  i know there is a way to change what it does, but i haven’t bothered to play with it yet.  i think i may try to make it temperature-related.  and also make them turn off when the machine isn’t powered on. 4.  CORSAIR ValueSelect 8GB 288-Pin DDR4 (x2 pcs) - $175 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233771

if there’s one thing corsair is known for, it’s reliability.  i chose this brand of RAM because it was on the approved compatibility list for the motherboard, and because corsair is no knock-off Chinese brand.   as for the speed, from everything i’ve read, speed differences yield marginal performance boosts.  this ram stick runs at 2133MHz, and having RAM that runs faster didn’t make sense from a performance-per-dollar perspective.  it’s not going to be a bottle neck that stops me from reaching +100 frame rates. i mean, there’s one thing to be said when your framerate differential is between 30 and 60, but between 60 and 120...  hell.  i wasn’t even going to buy a monitor that could crank more than 60 anyways. maybe i’ll upgrade when i cash out of a major investment again.  but for now, i’m satisfied.  it doesn’t look super cool without specially painted heatsinks, but it does the job. 5.  SAMSUNG 850 EVO M.2 2280 250GB SATA III  - $110 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147398

i had never used an M.2 drive until now.  and to be frank, i wouldn’t recommend it just yet.  this tech is still fairly new, so it’s got some unpolished bugs.  and besides, once it’s set up,  it will be just as fast as a standard SSD. if you’re building your computer to have a microscopic form factor, then i can say this would be a good idea, but when you have the space of a regular tower, just go with a 2.5″ SATA ssd. don’t get me wrong, this was a very good product.  my OS runs superbly, and it’s super fast and all, it was just a hassle and a half to get a windows OS to boot from this device.  if you have an existing hard drive and clone it to this thing, it won’t boot.  if, however, you install a fresh windows from a USB ISO, it should be just fine.  that’s preferable to cloning a hard drive anyways. 6.  WD Blue 1TB Mobile Hard Disk Drive - $53 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071F9MLJJ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

the purpose of this was for basic overflow storage.  this is where i would be putting photos and games that i rarely ever play  i haven’t had to actually use it yet, but it is connected to the motherboard for when the moment comes.  i also have my 500GB from my old laptop, and a 70GB from my brother’s old build. 7. Corsair CX750M - $80 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139216&cm_re=corsair_cx750m-_-17-139-216-_-Product

this power supply is what gave me half the inspiration for my color scheme.  i didn’t actually buy this myself either.  this came out of an old build my brother had made.  he bought this PSU when he upgraded his graphics card, and his graphics card didn’t end up being compatible with the old machine.  so it sat in the garage for about a year before he said i could just take it.   it also helped me decide my price point, since it would probably be overkill in a $500 range build. i like that all the cables are black.  and it is semi-modular.  the motherboard trunk and CPU headers are permanently attached, but peripherals and PCI power adapters are completely removable.  having removable cables takes a huge load off of cable management. i just remembered i had talked about this earlier, but since this is a comprehensive list, i decided to mention it again for those planning on using my build as a guide. 8.  GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 1060 (3G DDR5) - $380 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125906

this was the most difficult piece to choose, but i think i got the biggest bang-for-buck i could get to match my system.  graphics cards are overpriced already due to the great data rush, and of course i wanted performance-per-dollar.  these come in 3 and 6 GB models, and as far as i had read, 6GB really only makes a difference if you are running 2 monitors.  i only have one. when this arrived, i painted the top casing of this in white to match the chassis paint and compliment the color scheme. i haven’t measured the frame rates yet, but so far, no man’s sky runs buttery smooth.  compared to the kinds of graphics i got on my old laptop, this is above and beyond several horizons of benchmarks of course. 9.  LG 25UM58-P 25-Inch 21:9 UltraWide IPS Monitor - $175 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BV1XB2K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

it says $175.  i bought it used from a secondhand seller for $135.  i am stupendously pleased with this product.  it could be bigger, of course, but the screen ratio outweighs all of my hesitations.  it is an entry-level monitor so it only does 60Hz, but i could care less.   and as a person who repairs TV’s for a living, i knew full well that my future self would hate my past self if i got a curved monitor. don’t buy a curved screen.  it’s not worth it.  it’s all hype.  there’s no benefits to it.  OLEDs as well.   10. misc things and periphrials: a riser cable for vertical mounting the GPU: https://www.wish.com/c/56617f5a52c36947d6d7fa1b a case fan kit for the top brackets: https://www.wish.com/profile?uid=581eaebaeb025da9210d0811#cid=59f2f7bc87e82f6cec60b971 a mouse.  with RGB lights.  that’s rechargable just like a phone.  that also matches the tower color scheme: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0716WR71M/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 build story will be next post.   i did not end up using the EL wire.  at 5V, the shrill shrieking and whining of the AC inverter was too much to bear.  instead, i pasted these to the top and ran them off the 12V molex line through a switch:  https://www.wish.com/c/54f022d6372d401ae689e66b

Shaeroden’s machine: a written vlog - chapter 2: dressing the cake before it’s baked.

it kinda dawned on me just how surreal of a milestone this is.  i remember how i used to balk at people who said they built their own computers.  and now here i am, one of people i used to see as a god.  the anticipation has put quite the spring in my step. since i’m still waiting for parts to ship, i decided to twink around with the periphrials and decorations.

here’s the guts of the soundbar.  i soldered a generic DC power jack on it.  it’s on the very left of the top board next to the yellow and red wires.  hopefully the adapter that arrives fits. it’s almost funny.  this soundbar is actually capable of a lot of functions, and it’s just going to be my computer speakers.

here’s my secondary storage device.  i would have got an SSD but i really wanted to dump my money in to the processing power.  i may get one in the future though.  yes, it’s a laptop hard drive.  i figured it might be handy to be able to put this in a laptop should i ever have to.  it cost me $50 on amazon. THIS IS NOT THE MAIN HARD DRIVE!  this is just the hard drive that will store all my games.  the main hard drive will be an NVME m.2 hard drive that will mount directly to the motherboard.  that is yet to arrive. come to think of it, i’m not entirely sure if i’ll be getting cables with this setup.  i sure hope i do.  i just bought a pack of 3 sata cables as i’m typing this just to be safe.  i need to figure out if...  so after reading the Q&A about my power supply, it doesn’t come with any cables.  however, i did find a cable for my graphics card in the pile of junk that was leftover from my brother’s PC.  it was all black so it will match my cable color scheme.  i also found some spare MOLEX and other cables so i think i’ll be okay on cables for now.

the bottom side of this EL wire driver is very poorly engineered.  i realized there was a problem when it dawned on me that the light doesn’t turn on when you put the battery in the case.  you have to press a button to turn the EL wire on.  and that’s not going to be very convenient if the driver board is inside the PC and you have to open it to press the button that turns the wire on.   fortunately i figured out that if you put your main voltage directly across the indicator LED, it bypasses the button.  so i now know how to modify this to turn on when the machine does or when i tell it to.  so that’s not an issue anymore.

i just now remember i had this.  it’s a 10-port powered USB hub.  it’s one of the parts left over from when i was trying to set up my bitcoin ASIC farm.  i was thinking i could mount this internally in the tower, so i don’t have to take up external ports with devices that are always connected.  this hub is where i would put the receivers for my wireless keyboard and mouse and bluetooth reciever.  the only thing i don’t like about this thing is the blue LED lights on it are ALWAYS on.  i’ll rip them out with pliers once i’m done typing this.

Shaeroden’s Machine: a Written Vlog - chapter 1: the staging phase

so my face hurts from doing this all weekend.  this is the face i make when i’m looking at benchmarks and availability.   the convergence of a number of events in my life are going to make for an exciting few weeks to come.  last week i cashed out of bitcoin, and amassed a small fortune.  at the same time, the laptop i have had since highschool graduation is...  getting along in years... back in its hayday, my 3ghz factory-overclocked dual-core Athlon was the king of the college campus.  i would smirk at all the peasants still running at 2.4G and 2G of ram.

now, 3 years after completing my AAS in Electronics Technology, it’s time for my faithful machine to retire.  3Ghz is nothing to shake a stick at nowadays.  the poor bastard can’t even run minecraft anymore.  there’s missing chunks everywhere in the game.  robocraft and team fortress run, but they’re UNBEARABLY choppy.  hell, all it’s really good for now is making memes and checking social media.  it’s not even good for movies anymore because the FRC (frame-rate controller) is starting to give out, because whenever there is motion on the screen, you can see actual HORIZONTAL SHEARING in the image.  it makes me sick to look at.  i work at a TV repair shop and horizontal shearing is a free ticket to the recycle bin. i bought no-man’s sky off of steam a while ago and it wouldn’t even load.  all i got was an error message telling me i didn’t have enough ram, hardware threads, or graphic processing power to run the game.   so i decided to use the small fortune i smuggled from my bitcoin investments to build a shiny new desktop pc.  and not just an entry-level puppy either.  so far, i’ve spent about $1500 in total.  $1200 went in to the tower alone.  so it’s more like a... uh...  coyote i guess?  at the time i’m writing this, i’ve already ordered the parts.  this chapter is going to be a run-down of the things i’ve got in preparation for the arrival of all my parts.

the first piece is this desk.  $30 craigslist special.  it’s not exactly my first choice, but i decided it would do.  the middle had some shelves, but i took them out to make more legroom.  obviously my tower will be too big to put on the surface of this desk, but i like the configuration for the elevated monitor.  i have another desk in the garage i use as a workbench with a keyboard tray.  in the future i may try to take that keyboard tray off of that desk and try putting it on this one if i can.  maybe. but yeah, i didn’t want to put my $1200 machine on a $20 card table.  there’s just something that seemed sinfully tacky about that...

next is this little bedside case i picked up from a thrift store for $12.  i’m really digging the tinted glass doors.  this is what the tower will actually sit on top of, since there’s no room on the desk.  it also has wheels on the bottom for easy maneuvering.  plus storage for dru-...  uh... more parts...

here’s the first piece that will actually be going in the tower.  this corsair came from my brother’s old PC that he hasn’t used in over 2 years.  his machine was a relic from the days of DDR3, gathering dust in the garage. so most of the components were useless, but it did have this gem.  i was originally going to use it to power a bitcoin mining apparatus, but i could never figure out the software. i haven’t run any calculations on how much power i will need, but i’m confident that this will be adequate.  in the event that it’s not,   what i can do is use the 12V line on this power supply to trigger a relay that turns on a secondary power supply that i could use to power just the graphics card alone or something to that effect.  i doubt it will actually come to that but i know what i’m doing in case it does. the best thing of course, is this was $60 that i didn’t have to spend.

this keyboard may not look like anything special, but it’s the one i wanted.  it doesn’t have any macro keys or backlights, but i like the way it looks.   i have tried “gaming” keyboards before...  and i have to ask, why are the dang keys so tall?  and also so contoured?  maybe it’s because i’ve spent the last 7 years clacking away on a laptop keyboard but every time i use a gaming keyboard it feels horrendously awkward and clunky.  like i’m using my fingers to press on foot pedals that belong in an automobile instead of keys on a board.

i hadn’t originally planned on this piece but this is a samsung sound bar that was collecting dust at work.  the chief said i could take it home, and i think it will make a fine addition to my setup.  the only problem is that it needs a power supply, and the socket has a...  “unique” configuration.  so i’m going to attempt to solder on a DC power jack that’s a little less “special” so i can use a generic power supply.  should have that done by tomorrow.

this is something called EL wire.  it uses an oscillator and a step-up transformer to pump 4KV at 15KHz in to a copper wire coated in phosphorous.  the high voltage and high frequency create voltage potentials across the phosphorous atoms.  and then they glow.  i didn’t originally get this for the PC itself.  i actually just got it to experiment with it myself.  but i think it will make a great addition to the machine.  i’m thinking i could weave it in to the main motherboard cable.  or use it as under-glow on the motherboard.  not entirely sure yet. i expect to be getting my first shipments by the end of this week.   more surprises to come.

i’m tired of being slow i’m tired of being dumb i’m tired of being weak i can’t wait to be numb. they tell me that i’m smart they tell me that i’m great. they never have to depend on me then they know i’m last-rate i hate that i’m the one always dragging down the team i can’t keep keeping up the weakest link, the tearing seam. i’m tired of being angry tired of being sad. sweatshirts still remind me of all the hugs i never had i hate that i’m alone but alone is where i stay it’s just proof that i’m all messed up. come quickly, death, i pray.

i’m tired of being slow.

i’m tired of being dumb.

i’m tired of being weak.

i look forward to being numb.

They tell me that I'm smart

They tell me that I'm great

Until they have to depend on me

Then they know I'm second-rate

i hate that i’m the one

always dragging down the team

this is my personal nightmare.

i can’t wake up from this dream.

i’m tried of being angry

and i’m tired of being sad.

this sweatshirt reminds me

of all the hugs i never had.

i hate that i’m alone,

and alone is where i stay.

it’s what makes me dishonorable.

for a coward’s quick death i pray.

Does this make me black enough to say nigger without being racist? Not that I actually care about not being racist...

i’m tired of being slow. i’m tired of being dumb. i’m tired of being weak. i look forward to being numb. i hate that i’m the one always dragging down the team this is my personal nightmare. i can’t wake up from this dream. i’m tried of being angry and i’m tired of being sad. this sweatshirt reminds me of all the hugs i never had. i hate that i’m alone, and alone is where i stay. it’s what makes me dishonorable. for a coward’s death i pray. They tell me that I'm smart They tell me that I'm great Those that had to depend on me Know I'm second-rate

#CNNBlackmail

can we just skip to the part where you tell me you’re “not ready” for a relationship, try to be friends, fall out after 2 months, and then some other asshole is wearing you as a dick ornament?

MLM Taxonomy.

My brother and I have been around quite a few of these things.  I've watched my brother lose a lot of time and money to these organizations too, i was never in a position to join most of them anyways but i had promised i would when i got the money for the introductory packages.  they’re like churches.  every church will tell you they’re the best church, and every MLM will tell you everyone else is an MLM except for theirs.  so here are some objective standards by which you can objectively classify an organization as an MLM, instead of letting the meeting leader run away with the definitions. i did not write this to persuade people to not join MLM’s.  my intent is not to lobby any government to shut down MLM’s.  my intent is to give people a tool to identify them and make a more fully informed decision before joining one. bear in mind that if an organization has any one of the following characteristics, that does not necessarily make the organization an MLM, but the combination of any number of these characteristics would make it so. 1.  If the purpose of any meeting is to explain to the members how the organization is not an MLM or pyramid scheme, it might be an MLM, or a pyramid scheme. every church will tell you that other churches have the wrong ideas about god and spirituality.  of course they do, otherwise you would attend and give money to competing churches.  and since there’s no plausible deniability,  no way to logically or empirically prove if the church does have correct ideas,  you are at the mercy of their own semantics.  in an MLM, the members have made a definition of an MLM that excludes their own organization, even though it functions in a very similar way.  as for the “pyramid” angle of things, the FTC rules determine that the only difference between a pyramid scheme and an MLM is that the organization has a tangible product or service to retail, whereas a pyramid scheme is merely an intangible investment. 2. If an organization requires you to pay a regular membership fee or buy an introductory package to join, it might be an MLM.   in a typical business, an employer makes an initial investment in a new hire by paying for training, background checks, drug tests, vehicle insurance and other costs associated with bringing a new person on board.  in an MLM, it’s the other way around.  you pay to be a part of the organization by default.  which means if you go in to a coma, the organization in most cases will still make money, but you won’t be making any.  the initial expenses of a new hire are also evidence that a standard business is betting on the fact that you will generate revenue for them.  an MLM, by making entry dependent on a purchase or membership fee, shows that it’s betting you will not generate any retail revenue, so they’re going to start you off with a loss to ensure they get the maximum return on the time the recruiter spent on you. 3. if the payout is commission only, and there’s no base pay or benefits that aren’t mandated by law, it might be an MLM. one of the key factors of running and participating in an MLM is to keep the risk as low as possible, because the turn-over rate in any MLM is extremely high.  granting benefits would only serve to increase both risk and paperwork, which are only multiplied by the turn-over rate. 4. if members of the organization use the terms “up-line” and “down-line,”  it might be an MLM. a real business has titles, and those titles are fixed positions.  those titles are associated with positions.  vertical delineation in an MLM is only relative to the very top, and there’s no horizontal delineation.  “sponsor” is just another way of saying up-line. 5. if a person gets paid explicitly for recruiting you, or gets paid when you purchase an introductory package, it might be an MLM. as i said before, an MLM is betting that new recruits won’t generate any retail revenue for them, because an average of 99.9% of new recruits in 99.9% of MLM’s do not actually generate any retail revenue for the business.  the revenue is generated primarily from new recruits buying starter packages, new recruits buying retail stock, or membership fees from the entire organization. 6. if the business model assumes there are an unlimited number of people who can join an organization, without taking in to account market saturation, or even total population, it definitely is an MLM. an MLM will always try to portray itself as completely unlimited in its capability to grow.  however, if we take the most basic example of an MLM in which each member makes two recruits per member, the world’s current 2017 population would be exceeded at the 22nd recursion.  and since i really love these kinds of math problems, i’ll do some more math for you:   > the formula for recruitment looks like this: > 1 + r + r^2 + r^3 + r^4 + r^5 + r^6 .... = total org members > where r is the rate of recruits per member > each power is the number of recursions that have taken place > at a rate of 3 recruits per member, 2017 world population is exceeded by the 13th recursion.   > 4 recruits per member will breach population at the 12th recursion > 5 recruits per member will breach population at the 10th recursion (primerica’s model) > 6 per member exceeds world pop. at 9th recursion. (worldwide group’s model) > 7 per member exceeds world pop. at 9th as well > 10 per member exceeds world pop. at 7th (Cydcor’s model) and keep in mind, in reality your entire country is not recruitable, let alone the entire world.  because the majority of people are going to say no,  so an MLM needs a fresh, new population every 4th or 5th recursion. 7. if a company does not disclose the ratio of in-org consumption to retail-out consumption, it might be an MLM. this is a basic comparison between the quantity of goods consumed by members of the organization for personal use or free sampling and the quantity of goods retailed out to customers outside of the organization.  Most MLM organizations do not keep track of this data.  if they do not, assume that at least 99% of the consumption is done by members of the org, and not customers outside of the org.  if there is an MLM with data showing this comparison, and they show a retail-out rate of greater than 50%, please send me the proof to my tumblr inbox.  i’d love to look at it. 8. if someone in the organization prompts you to talk about your goals on a regular basis, it might be an MLM. this is the cult technique.  it’s purpose is to distract you from thinking about questions, hesitations, objections, and instead associate the fantasy future life with the recruiter and the organization, the same way we associate a sweet taste with donuts.  normal businesses are not interested in your goals and aspirations.  they are interested in what you can produce for them.  your aspirations are a weakness that both skilled recruiters and cult members hook in to so they know what to say if you think about leaving the organization. 9. if promotions and achievement levels are based on specific recruiting and sales standards, it might be an MLM. in a standard job, a promotion can happen for any number of reasons.  nepotism, favoritism, built-up credibility, performance, reputation, necessity, and justice.  in an MLM, the promotions, or sometimes called levels, are based solely on specific recruiting or production standards.  while this method of setting promotion standards has its advantages, it is a telltale sign of an MLM.  an MLM does not demand that certain positions be filled.  a traditional business demands that positions be filled.  and employees will either be promoted in order to fill it, or someone will be hired from somewhere else.  MLM’s only promote from the inside, and only promote when specific standards are met. 10. if the payouts are entirely commission-based and you didn’t have to have a master’s degree or realtor’s license to join the organization, it might be an MLM. this should be a no-brainer.  the company wants to generate retail revenue.  why are they going to highschool grads with no marketing experience to do so?  and as i said before, all businesses want to minimize risk, so an MLM isn’t typically going to offer base pay or benefits, especially to high-risk new recruits. BONUS: If the leaders of the organization avoid using the word “sale” the same way a theater group avoids the word “Macbeth,” it is most definitely, without a doubt, undeniably, irredeemably...   a god-damn MLM.

Oh, was that day without immigrants thing yesterday? I must have missed it. How was it?