Meet the Writer: HackerNoon Contributor Modern Eremite Talks Cryptocurrency and Finance

So let’s start! Tell us a bit about yourself. For example, name, profession, and personal interests.

If you don't mind, I'd prefer to stay anonymous so let's stick to Modern Eremite.

My interests are vast, but time is limited. That's what hunts me from time to time.

For a couple of years now, I'm spending my days honing my knowledge in the field of finance and crypto. One cannot exist without the other. The rules of the financial world, investor mindset and psychology, all those shady things you find in Traditional Finance are also present in crypto. To be frank, those shady things exist everywhere. That's why we have so many derivatives on western markets - the idea is to speculate, but even speculation is based on knowledge, and the wealthier you are, the more access to inside knowledge you have.

The deeper you dig, the more you realize how big of a scam Traditional Finance is. There is a reason why people are not taught about finance since primary school.

I guess I drifted away from the main topic; sorry for that. On top of finance and crypto, I also very much enjoy learning about geopolitics and human psychology - both are quite useful in the world of finance, after all.

Okay, and biology too. Especially listening to Andrew Huberman podcasts and making notes on how to make my body and mind more efficient.

And... Okay, that's enough. :D

Interesting! What was your latest Hackernoon Top story about?

My latest Top Story was about the Ethereum Roadmap and where it can put Ethereum in the future. In short, there are five prime upgrades Ethereum will go through that will change the project significantly.

It will not only change Ethereum from the technical POV but also... hm... let's say Ethereum will come closer to what it's meant to be philosophically.

It will take a couple of years to accomplish - assuming nothing will break along the way - but it'll be an exciting time watching all those changes being implemented.

The more you understand crypto as an industry, the more you see how most of it resides and rely on Ethereum. <That's not financial advice - invest your money only in assets you have deep knowledge of. Otherwise, you'll end up losing your money even on the safest bets. Trust me.>

Do you usually write on similar topics? If not, what do you usually write about?

I mostly write on topics revolving around crypto, finance and investor mindset in general. However, I also wrote some philosophical pieces in the past - you can find them on my Medium if you want to know what Dokkōdō is.

In general, writing is a great exercise for the mind. To clear your thoughts, get rid of all irrelevant or haunting things. Also, it makes you more articulate and gets your thinking straight and on point.

The more you write, the better arguments you can create. If you think it is easy to write down your thought in a clear manner, go and try it.

Really. Grab a piece of paper and write down what haunts you or any doubts you have. You can even try to describe your day and see how accurate you'll be. Then read it, and see how much message you wanted to convey is lost.

I'm once again drifting astray...

Great! What is your usual writing routine like (if you have one?)

I don't think I have a writing routine per se. It's more like a "working" routine as my articles are based on quite thorough research I do prior to writing. Excluding articles on investor mindset and emotions, those are just my thoughts.

So the routine is as follows. I get up and have a 10-minute walk outside to get proper sunlight exposure. Then I do some stretching and exercise - about 20-30 minutes and I finish with a cold shower.

I tend to skip breakfast as my thinking is clearer while I'm fasted.

After that, I'm ready to work. I'm doing at least 6h of Pomodoro working time. If I do more, that's great. If not, I still got at least 6h of deep work.

Being a writer in tech can be a challenge. It’s not often our main role, but an addition to another one. What is the biggest challenge you have when it comes to writing?

I guess the biggest challenge is conveying my thoughts as accurately as possible. It might sound cliche, but it's a real struggle to not make any thought mistakes or to be sure your thinking shortcuts will not lead to some misunderstandings along the way.

It's like... I can write that X happened due to Y. But there are multiple things that happened along the way you have to be aware of. Otherwise, you'll see associations that are not there.

What sounds logical to one, might not sound logical to someone else because of those missing points along the way.

What is the next thing you hope to achieve in your career?

It's hard to say. My aim is to create value through writing. If I can do that, I'm satisfied with the result. Of course, the more people you can reach, the better - assuming your writing is valuable to others. So I guess being in a position where more people can hear me would be nice.

Patience is key. If there is value in what I do, people will come. If there is not... well... I'll try harder.

There is one quote I remember. "The reason people don't want your product for free is that it has so little value to even take it for free and waste time." It's hard to argue.

Wow, that’s admirable. Now, something more casual: What is your guilty pleasure of choice?

That'll be playing games and listening to podcasts not-related to my field, I think. When it comes to games, those are mostly strategic or RPG titles. Recently I'm into Cyberpunk 2077, and I have to say, despite all that initial hate it received, it's a great game. It's so fun to play, explore and just spend time in this world.

Do you have a non-tech-related hobby? If yes, what is it?

I'd say it's psychology. I know it can mean a lot of things, but to make it more specific, it's a psychology of personality and the Jungian take on the human psyche. Reading Jung, it's like travelling to another dimension of how well-educated people can be. He's giving you the answer to questions you wouldn't even comprehend. It's the highest-quality food for thought.

What can the Hacker Noon community expect to read from you next?

Oh... The beautiful people of HackerNoon can expect other deep dives into crypto, to elevate their understanding of the industry. I'll cover not only Ethereum but also other projects and trends that we might see in the future.

Also... I'm preparing something special for all of you, but it'll take time so stay tuned. I can only assure you it'll be top-quality content, full of insights... maybe not only mine... but let's cut it here. :)

Thanks for taking time to join our “Meet the writer” series. It was a pleasure. Do you have any closing words?

I'd like to thank all of you who have read my articles and left such kind words, not only here but also in DMs. I appreciate it A LOT! Also, don't hesitate to share your constructive criticism. :)

I'll leave you with one quote I personally value.

"If you want the future to be good, you must make it so. Take action!"

Stay curious! Stay active! Stay safe!

Till next time!

~M.E.