In the spirit of autumn and thanksgiving, it's time to write about what I'm thankful for in 2019. A lot has happened in my life up to this point, and it's a great feeling to have so many aspects of it to be thankful for. Thanksgiving is not only a time to get together with family and eat a big meal (although I really like that part), it is also a time to reflect on the past and the present to discover what it is you are truly thankful for.

Take a moment with me, if you would, to ponder about your own life and the things you are grateful for. Perhaps this post will cause a ripple effect ;) that spans across the entire Coil community, at least I hope it does. And, if for some reason you can't think of something you are thankful for, think of something that you COULD possibly be thankful for if you wanted to be.

Source

Family and Friends

Yes, the first classic and cheesy choice. But truly, in all honesty, loved ones are so essential in my life. Having strong, meaningful relationships with others is something that brings me true joy and happiness each and every day. I come from a family of 2 parents and 3 brothers whom I have total respect for. I am thankful that I get along with my entire family and that there is no dysfunction involved.

My immediate family is of course my beautiful wife and 3 sons whom I cherish deeply. It is an honor to be a father and a husband which is what I've always wanted since I was a teenager. It's beautiful knowing that they have my back and I have theirs, we always look out for one another and take care of each other.

The Coil Community

What can I say about the Coil community... EVERYTHING. Wow, where do I begin? Let's start with the CBC since that is where my Coil journey began. The CBC, or the Content Builders Club, was birthed back in mid-September and has been growing ever since. The members in there, (you know who you are), are extremely special to me in many ways.

Even Coil creators who are not in the CBC, I appreciate you as you definitely bring a lot of value to the table and help to make Coil what it is today. Would I like it if we got to know each other better inside the CBC Telegram group? Yes, but if not, I still support your work each chance I get.

Coil has been an absolute blessing in my life. Not only getting to know other creators, but also to be recognized by the Coil staff. Recognition is such an honor, and one that is not often seen within the traditional corporate workplace. I enjoy creating on this platform and sharing my insights with the world. Thank you fellow creators and Coil staff for being as awesome as you are.

Source

Faith that endures

I have a strong faith in Jesus who has played a major role in me becoming the person I am today. I started my faith journey when I was 12 and have been on it ever since. For me, it is more than just going to church on Sundays. In addition, it is the personal relationship with Him that keeps me going and gives me purpose each day. Everything comes back to relationships, and being able to talk with God anytime I want is a miracle all in and of itself.

Digital Assets

I got involved with digital assets back at the end of 2017 right before the massive bull run in December. My first investment was $10 in Bitcoin test if it worked or not. Sure enough, that led me to the Steem community which I was involved in for over a year and met many amazing people online and in-person. Then, this year, I was introduced to the XRP community which absolutely blew my mind.

I have learned so much within the past few months from reading articles and watching videos that I am completely and utterly astounded at the emerging technology we have our hands on. Now that I understand more about the space and about what is actually happening (not the FUD nonsense), I stand extremely bullish and want to see this space succeed in a major way.

Daily exercise

I'm thankful for the ability to move my physical body for exercise purposes. Yes, I am talking about gym workouts, but also just overall movement including walking and stretching. In fact, the new job I have involves a lot of walking and heavy lifting which is perfect for me because it gets me energized for the day.

If I'm not moving, then I'm most likely getting tired. It's hard for me to sit down for long periods of time without getting up and moving or stretching at the very least. I'm thankful for exercise because it gives me the strength and and energy to live at my maximum vitality level. I am so much more productive throughout each day when I exercise.

Source

Abounding opportunity

One of the biggest things that gets me excited out of bed is opportunity. I always am confident that something amazing is going to happen each day that is going to open the door to an incredible opportunity. Whether that be money related, relationship related, health related, you name it. I believe that there is an abundant amount of opportunity that exists on the planet and it is up to us to capitalize on it.

Special abilities

I'm thankful for the abilities, gifts, and talents I've been given, which I believe they are from God and not my own doing. The abilities that I'm talking about specifically are as follows:

✪ I'm able to write and express my thoughts and emotions through words

✪ I'm able to create new ideas and concepts that others may not have come up with yet.

✪ I'm able to demonstrate love and appreciation towards others through a combination of both writing and creating.

Basic Needs

I'll end with this because it's important. I am thankful for my basic needs being met in my life. Needs such as love, food, water, air, clothing, shelter, transportation, and hot tubs (ok, not that last one, but man those are so relaxing). Basic needs are something that not everyone in the world has access to, and I am especially thankful that I don't have to worry about them day-to-day.

The Backstory

This month I started a new position at a company I work for here in the Cleveland area. It's high-paced with practically zero downtime. Normally, at my previous workplaces, I would have access to the time on various wall-clocks throughout the building. The new position, on the other hand, only has a clock in the break room. Needless to say, I wanted to find a good watch so that I wouldn't have to pull my phone out of my pocket while I'm working.

I've been an active member of the XRP community since this past summer which has been an absolute pleasure and honor. One day last week, I was scrolling through Twitter (like I normally do), and saw a photo of an XRP collectible coin with David Schwartz's head on the front. I was surprised to see such a quality looking coin which led me to see who made them. It was at that moment when I discovered The CrypToe Man.

Begin Review

I received this watch in the mail on November 18th and had ordered it on the 8th. The shipping speed was decent considering it came from overseas and we are spoiled these days using Amazon Prime 2-day shipping.

My initial reaction when viewing it on the website was that it would be a quality watch to wear everyday. When it arrived at my home, my assumption was proven to be correct. Take a look at some photos I took after opening up the brand new watch.

Here is the case that the Crypto Clock XRP Watch 2nd Edition arrived in. I hold onto it to place the watch in at night while I'm not wearing it.

Here is an aerial view of the watch to see the complete product from head to CrypToe (see what I did there).

I like this view because it enables you to see the words “send” and “receive” on the top and bottom of the XRP logo.

One of the aspects I truly appreciate about this watch is its attention to detail. As you can see, XRP is engraved into the metal clasp.

In this photo, you can see the words Crypto Clock and the XRP logo engraved into the stainless steel backing.

View of my hairy wrist wearing the Crypto Clock. Perfect fit.

The finished product. Now I always have this watch wherever I go to remind me that every minute of the day is XRP time ;)

Pro's:

✪ Quality look and feel

✪ Attention to detail

✪ Ease of setup

✪ Fairly priced (can pay with XRP)

Con's:

✪ No back-light

Final thoughts

I am extremely pleased with this watch from Cryptoeman.com. The only thing I hope the next edition has is an indigo light feature for times when rooms have dim lighting. Other than that, I wear this watch every chance I get and highly recommend it.

All images were original besides the header which was from the Cryptoeman website. Shots were taken with an iPhone 11 in portrait mode. I am not affiliated with the CryptoeMan. Any links provided in this article are strictly for convenience purposes.

Crypto Twitter has been ridden with the hashtag #SoldXRP over the past few days. Some XRP community members have no idea what the point of it is, while others say it's just a joke and is good for the overall health of the ecosystem. Without mentioning my opinion on the matter, it got me thinking about the true meaning of the acronym, HODL.

HODL is thrown around the crypto community at large and is a term that almost every crypto fan knows, even the newbies to the space have likely seen it used on different websites and forums. HODL was one of the very first acronyms I saw and learned early on in my crypto journey. It makes sense, right? After all, if you are investing in magical internet money, you might as well hold onto it until it moons and then you are rich! ... Well, kind of.

HODL means to “hold on to long term” or to “hold on for dear life” if you want to stay true to the acronym letters. It dates back to a misspelling on a bitcointalk forum headline in 2013 and it stuck with the community who decided to use it instead of the word “hold”.

Source

Inside crypto investor's minds, you and I, it makes sense on paper. Hold on to your assets because they are expected to raise in value over the coming months and years once “mass adoption” kicks into high gear. That's all fine and dandy and I agree with that notion. But, here's where the curve-ball comes in. What happens when price action stays the same or drops off for a long-period of time?

What happens when the s**t hits the fan and you are not seeing your favorite coin(s) shoot to the moon and back? Or, even worse, what happens when you are seeing red red red red day after day after day after day after week after week after month after month after month etc? What happens when you think of HODL now? Do you think of it differently? Does the term take on a whole new meaning because of the circumstances of your coin's price action?

In your mind's eye, the definition might change a bit, or a whole lot in fact. But, the truth remains, that HODL means HOLD ON. It means hold onto that thing UNTIL you see the price action that you want to see. Hold onto that asset UNTIL you see it shoot towards the moon. Hold onto that coin no matter what. Why? Because you believe in it's potential. Because you have faith that you will see a sizable return on your investment.

Source

Not only that, but you believe in the digital asset space in general. You believe that cryptocurrency will help make the world a better place and you want to be involved in the revolution as an early pioneer in the space (that rhymed). HODL means HOLD ON even when price action isn't going the way you want it to go. Trust me when I say that it won't be easy to hold on for dear life when all you see is a sea of red covering the screen.

Thoughts may begin to creep in such as, “Maybe my family was right, this crypto stuff really is a joke after all”. Or, “I should probably sell so that I don't lose everything as the entire market tanks down to 0”. Here's the truth, the only reason that you should be worried about prices is if you bit off more than you could chew. Meaning, if you invested more money than you were willing to comfortably lose, then fear and doubt now can have a strong foothold over your mind.

The crypto market is volatile. Only invest what you are willing to lose and do not bet the farm. Be smart and do you due diligence before throwing your life savings into this nascent market. Not financial advice, merely my opinion on the matter.

HODL means to hold on. If you type “hold on” in the search online, here is one of the definitions you will find:

[to] endure or keep going in difficult circumstances.

I love this definition because it is a perfect representation of what is happening right now in November 2019 during this extended bear market. Times can and do get difficult. Here's the kicker... will you endure? Will you keep believing even though circumstances don't look promising? Will you stay true to the true meaning of HODL and stick it out UNTIL your desired outcome arrives?

For subscribers, how to break fear, uncertainty, and doubt when it comes to your investments...

*Reader: Prior to writing this letter, I had written one back on September 20th of this year from a futuristic perspective. If you haven't already, please go back and read it first as they harmonize with one another.

-—

Dear Stefan,

You may or may not know who I am, but I am one of your biggest fans.

Today is November 15th, 2019. The skies are getting darker earlier in the day, I prefer it to be light non-stop until bedtime. Oh well, Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming soon which makes up for the increased amount of darkness we are experiencing.

The main reason I am writing this letter is to thank you, as you have completely changed my family and I's lives forever. A lot is happening right now, as you most likely are aware. People are using the Web Monetization standard and Interledger to monetize their content and websites. Sites such as xrptipbot and cryptoeman are using the Web Monetization API to earn as Coil subscribers view their pages. It's unlike anything I've ever witnessed before.

In the near future, my family and I hope to have a robot who cooks breakfast for us in the mornings. It would be ideal for him to collect streaming payments from our tip bot account while he is frying bacon and flipping pancakes. Even though it would be an adjustment having him around, we'd get used to him within a short time-span.

These days, I make investments in XRP, as well as earn it using your own creation, Coil.com. My wife doesn't really understand much about what XRP is but I have a strong gut feeling it will help set us up to live a life of freedom. I see the potential in Web Monetization and know that the technology is going to take over the internet, in a good way of course.

I'm not a financial adviser, but I do believe that XRP is going to sky-rocket in value, even though many people think it never will. In fact, many people spit in its face, because who would ever adopt a “banker's coin” after all? XRP has real utility and is solving real payments problems across the globe. It is the preferred way that I like to be paid as a content creator on Coil.

Jonah, my 5 year old son, has a very creative mind. I am beginning to show him what I know about how payments should look in this modern, tech-driven era. He is putting 2 and 2 together while hearing the vision of moving value just like information moves today. A seamless, friction-less experience that levels the playing field for payments of all kinds. Yes, he's young, but he's also sharp and enjoys spending all the time with me that he can.

When Jonah gets a bit older, I want him to grasp the vision of Web Monetization and start to learn about the content creation process. He is seeing how receiving payments in real-time as subscribers view his work just makes sense. One thing that I am going to do is set up an XRP Tip Bot account for him for when he gets older. I told him it would be the new version of the piggy bank. A digital version that improves upon the original.

I share this with you, Stefan, because you are changing lives with the work you do. You are giving people an opportunity to grow into the human beings they were designed to be. You are showing the world the endless possibilities that come with Web Monetization and ILP.

Ripple just announced at Swell 2019 in Singapore that they have now partnered with over 300 financial institutions across the globe. Next year's event is taking place in London which I desire to be in attendance. This truly is one of the most exciting times to be alive.

The fund that you created with Mozilla and CreativeCommons is going to allow myself and many others to live a dream life, impacting millions of people around the globe with words of hope and inspiration. I want to help share that vision with others who need to hear it in order to help them out of dark times and into times of abundance.

It is admirable to see you down in the trenches, day in and day out, putting in the hours so that the world can be a better place and everyone has access to payments, even the unbanked. You are playing a key role in making the Internet of Value a success as the technology continues to evolve over the coming months and years.

Leadership is a gift that you employ to better the people who cross your path. You are strong, you are courageous, and you deserve a spot among the elite world changers. I can't wait to shake your hand, take you out for dinner, and buy you a drink, all paid for by the XRP micropayments I received while participating in your vision for the modern web.

Stefan, you may or may not know who I am, but I am one of your biggest fans.

The time has come. Today, November 14th, marks the final day of the 14-Day Coil Blogging Blitz. It's been quite the adventure for the Content Builders Club as they have done an amazing job driving their creative minds to new heights. One blog a day for 14 days straight was the challenge each player on the red and blue teams sought to accomplish.

I'm really proud of the CBC members who stepped up to the plate and gave it their all. Of course, not all members were able to participate in the blitz based on their busy schedules or life circumstances in general. Participation in the blitz was not required as a CBC member but definitely was a fun initiative for each player.

What happens now?

Since today is the last day of the blitz, team captains will need to wait until the 15th to tally up their teams' scores. Each player, including captains, get 1 point for each blog published. *Note: If more than 1 blog was published on a particular day, that player only receives 1 point. In addition, any player that used their 1 off-day automatically gets 1 point as if they did indeed blog that day.

Captains also need to check with players to make sure each post met the 250 word minimum and that it was shared on at least 1 social media site.

Once the scores are tallied, they need sent to myself via private message on Telegram to review and reveal the winning team. What does the winning team receive as champions of the blitz?:

✪ *Bragging rights as the 14-day Coil blogging blitz champions
*

✪ $100 worth of XRP split among the winning team members

✪ Recognition on the pinned post of the CBC Telegram group

In the event of a tie, both teams will be put onto the wheelofnames for a wheel spin. The team that wins 2 out of 3 wheel spins will be deemed the blitz champions.

What / when is the next challenge going to be?

As of right now, it is still in the works and will be announced once the details are ironed out. As far as the remaining days of November, those will be used by the CBC to take a slight break from structured events. Blogging and interacting with other Coil community members will be more organic through the end of the month and possibly next month depending on when the next challenge begins.

Last week was all about Swell 2019 put on by Ripple in Singapore. I was tuning in to the news updates from a few community members on Twitter. What I take away from all the posts and videos I've seen over the past weekend is that Ripple is making a lot of headway. The progress that is happening week after week is nothing short of inspiring to see.

One of the things I like best about Ripple is that they are working with regulators to make sure they are compliant with the laws. This is an admirable trait to see in a company and goes to show that they are focused on long-term success. Ripple is not some fly-by-night company that is here today gone tomorrow. Instead, they have been marching forward since 2012 and show no signs of slowing down.

So what is this article all about? Well, if you viewed the first Operation Swell 2020 post, it explains what my goal is for next year. In short, I want to be invited by Ripple to attend Swell 2020. I found out since the last post that the next event will take place in London. I've never been to Europe before so this is going to be a fun adventure.

*Operation Swell 2020* is going to take a lot of consistent effort in terms of contributing to the XRP community at the highest level possible. My most enjoyable gift, or ability if you will, is writing. Writing has been and will continue to be where I contribute the most.

2 creative platforms are going to consume the majority of my time through the end of 2019 and also going into 2020:

✪ Coil.com

✪ Book writing

Coil is where I house a lot of free content in order to inspire and educate others. I enjoy publishing tech-related articles that focus on Ripple and the XRP Ledger. My book, Exploring XRP, is a compilation of XRP-related information that is geared towards explaining different aspects of XRP and how it is helping upgrade the global payments infrastructure.

So far, over the past couple of months, the focus has been primarily set on Coil publishing. Starting this month, I have been putting more energy towards getting the book-writing into gear so that I can release it on Amazon by Q2 of 2020. Not only will there be an eBook and a paperback version, but I also want to release an audio version for those who like to consume books through listening.

I'm really excited about the prospect of attending Swell 2020 in London. I think it would be a neat place to visit and to meet the people in charge of pioneering the Internet of Value. Not to mention, I believe some CBC members want to meet up with me there as some of them live around that area of the country.

Glad you tuned in to update 1 from Operation Swell 2020. Checking in to let you all know I'm still going after this goal and am running full speed ahead on all cylinders. Stay tuned for more updates over the coming weeks as I will have more info to share with you all.

Header image source

The highlight editions just keep coming! Here we are on edition 8 of the Content Builders Club member highlights. Time sure does fly when you're having fun. The CBC is alive and well as they are nearing the close of the 14-Day Coil Blogging Blitz. After that, it will be time to start preparing for Thanksgiving for those who celebrate with their families.

In this edition of CBC Member Highlights, 2 members will be highlighted who have demonstrated regular participation in the club while also providing honest and genuine support to the rest of the group. The club's foundation is built upon members who truly care for others and have a heart to serve one another.

Not only have these highlighted members participated in the club, but they also produce blog content on a regular basis which is an important aspect of CBC involvement. We encourage publishing works to Coil.com to help grow the platform, and also to allow each blogger to unleash their creative genius.

Let's find out who is being recognized in today's edition. Drum roll please...

... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ...

Ramon Ramentol @moncho

Ramon came onto the scene with a bang. He is a caring person with a sincere heart and an attitude aimed at serving others at a high level. Ram is a tech blogger who sends his proceeds to the One More Home XRP fund which helps build homes for families in need.

One series that myself and many others are excited for is the XRPLORE series that Ramon recently announced. He will be highlighting projects online that have either already been or are currently building upon the XRP Ledger (the mechanism that is home to the digital asset, XRP)

Keep up the great work, Ramon. You are making a big difference not only in the XRP community and the CBC, but also for those families who are receiving help during dark times in their lives. Much success to your current and future endeavors.

Next up...

Orlando Buck @bigbuck

Orlando is someone whom I met on Twitter via private message. That simple conversation led to him not only joining the CBC, but also to him exploding his follower base in a very short amount of time due to his passion for helping others and also to who he is deep down as a person.

Orlando is continually sharing stories that are captivating and encouraging. Today is veteran's day, and Orlando served 5 ½ years in the Marines, so thank you Orlando for your service. We truly appreciate what you have done for our country and for what you are continuing to do with your online content.

You are someone who helps define what the CBC truly is and we couldn't be happier to have you on board. Keep sharing more of who you are and your thoughts on choosing kindness everywhere we go. Congrats on what you have accomplished thus far, the road ahead is looking quite bright.

-—

*Thank you* for joining us here in edition 8 of the CBC member highlights. If you would like to be considered for one of the next editions, please continue blogging regularly and participating in the CBC. Active members always benefit the most from the club as they give and receive proper support.

A good handful of book authors exist within the Coil community such as Steven Sands and Sandra Scala, both amazingly talented. I am also an author and have published a few books on Amazon over the years. My book-writing journey started with fitness since I worked as a certified personal trainer back in 2012. I now focus on writing about digital assets because that niche is what I've been studying for 2 years and will continue to do so into the near future.

This article is designed to give you glimpse into the process I use when writing a book and is also the way I am currently composing one called Exploring XRP. I've been writing this book on and off since September and still moving forward towards a release date goal of Q2 2020.

The following process is simply MY blueprint and if you're an existing author, you most likely have your own process already in place. But, if you are considering becoming an author, or you want a fresh perspective, feel free to use this information to your advantage.

Initial Inspiration

Initial inspiration is the very first step of the book writing process. In fact, this part does not even involve writing of any kind. The inspiration for a book usually comes as a result of a need seen in the marketplace, or as one is going about their day and all of a sudden are hit with a “good idea' that just won't go away.

For me, it is usually a combination of both seeing a need and also having an idea one day as I am working out at the gym or taking a walk down a nature trail. Of course, there will be times when multiple ideas will flood into the mind, which is when you want to sift through them by moving on to the brainstorming stage.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is when you actually pull out your handy dandy notebook or your Evernote app and go to town with your inspired ideas. The brainstorming process can take days to work through, but it is a crucial step in the beginning stages of the book writing process.

Write down or type out as many ideas revolving around your topic that you can. Usually this will involve multiple sessions of writing and then walking away to go do something else like eating or exercising (or even chores). When you brainstorm, it allows you to get as many thoughts as you can out of your head and onto the paper or screen where you can then refer back to them without relying on your memory.

Outlining

Outlining is one of my favorite parts of writing a book because it resembles list creation, and I am a list person. As a free-spirit, lists help me stay organized and focused. They add structure and stability, almost serving as the backbone used to hold the rest of the book in place.

For outlining, I will refer to my brainstorming sessions and build a list of chapters and sub-chapters, pulling from those written ideas. First I will start with the chapters. Then, after all chapters are written out, I will start on the sub-chapters.

Note 1: Books are fluid in nature, meaning that they evolve over time as you write them. In other words, chapters and sub-chapters will change or be added throughout the process. Understand that they are not set in stone.

Note 2: I use either Notepad or Evernote on my laptop to compose my outlines. Notepad is the simplest one and usually comes loaded on all Windows machines. Evernote requires a download and installation.

Evernote

Formatting

Formatting is crucially important when writing a book of any length or genre. The last thing you want to do is compose an incredible piece only for it to be ruined because of bad formatting. Since I publish on Amazon, the tool that I like to use is called Kindle Create Add-In for Microsoft Word.

I use the Kindle plugin to format not only my text, but also the physical dimensions of my book. It can complete useful tasks for you such as loading pre-built chapter pages and helping build your table of contents without being a Word wizard. Use this tool to build the structure and layout of your book right from the beginning so that you don't have to worry about it later on in the process.

Source

Title / Sub-title Choice

The title you choose is important because it will be the difference between someone picking up your book or moving quickly on to the next one. Your title, and sub-title, need to be concise yet attention grabbing, letting the potential reader know what they're in for.

If you are into blogging or copy-writing, then you have experience with writing headlines. A book title is kind of like an article headline in that it needs to entice the reader's curiosity, causing them to pick up it or to add it to their cart. Experiment with different titles and try to keep it short yet to the point.

Front and Back Matter

The front matter of a book consists of sections such as the title page, table of contents, copyright details, and publisher's logo. Back matter includes pages such as a glossary, an about the author section, or an about the book area.

It's important to nail down these areas as they will cover everything from legal matters up to getting to know you, the author, from an interesting perspective. Again, the Kindle Create Add-In will help you make these pages and fit them nicely into your book.

Actual Writing

Writing the contents of the book is the most time-consuming, but also the most rewarding as this is where you are continually adding value to your audience by sharing what you know. If your book is fictional, then this part will allow you to truly craft your best characters and creative story lines.

Even though I prefer typing, you can also use dictation services like Google sheets to simply speak into the microphone on your laptop as it gets turned into words on the screen. It's similar to when you're in the car and you use the voice to text instead of actually typing. I usually like to write in the order of my chapters but sometimes I bounce around when I have an idea that needs documented right away.

Make sure to take your time with the writing writing portion of the process as it has the tendency to take hours upon hours of focus and dedication. If you feel yourself getting too tired, then save it for another time of day or even for the next day so that you can rest and then write when your mind is fresh.

Cover Design

Cover design is right up there with title choice. Potential readers will look at the cover first, the title second. If the cover intrigues them, then they will read the title. If the title intrigues them, then they are extremely likely to want to read the book.

For cover design, there are times when I have an image in mind that I draw myself. I then have a designer on Fiverr or Upwork turn it into a real cover for Amazon Kindle. If you are having a physical book made in addition to an eBook, then you need to prepare a summary of your book as well as a photo of you and a brief bio.

If you don't have an image in mind of what you want the cover to look like, then browse around Amazon at the different books in your genre and send a few to your designer to help give them a frame of reference for what you like.

Source

Proof Reading

Let's say the book is completed besides the cover that your designer is still working on. It is now coming real close to the moment you officially publish your book. Now is the time when you want to send a PDF copy to either friends or family, or, if you don't trust them, choose a proof reader on sites such as Fiverr or Upwork just like you did for your cover.

Proof reading is an absolute must to maintain your credibility as an author. You can have an excellent story or a top-notch educational piece, but if your grammar is off or words are misspelled, then it will not be an enjoyable experience for your readers and you may get some unpleasant reviews as a result.

Ready to Publish

Usually, when I am confident that everything is completed the way I want it, I will give the book a final glance over. The cover has come back from the designer and your proof-reading friend did their job, now you give it a final look-over before uploading it to Kindle or whatever platform you want to use.

Of course, when you self-publish on a platform like Amazon, its easy to edit your book and then re-upload the new version. Normally it will go live on the site within 24-48 hours both on the eBook version and on the paperback version.

*Now to get some honest reviews on your book...*

My entire life, up until I was 32 years of age, I only knew of one type of money. One monetary system that everyone used because that's “just what you are supposed to do”. I knew of one currency that the country I reside in considers the standard, and that is known as the US dollar. Of course, it comes in many valid forms such as cash, money orders, checks, and credit cards. I never really questioned our monetary system... until I stumbled upon one that truly caught my attention. An alternative payment method that operated a bit differently than the existing fiat system.

In 2017, I was introduced to this new form of money. Digital money. Money that was birthed from the depths of the binary-coded ocean that hardly anyone had heard of before. Evidently, this new form of money was created back in 2008 and released back in 2009 as the first of it's kind which was able to solve the double-spend problem. Solving this problem allowed it to become widely adopted among a small group of so-called nerds and then eventually expanded into other pockets of the inter-webs. Of course, I am talking about Bitcoin.

Bitcoin was the initial cryptocurrency created by Satoshi Nakamoto who released the white paper and also who has yet to be identified. By the time I was introduced to bitcoins back in 2017, the technology had already been live for 8 years allowing it to gain attention from big players such as Microsoft, IBM and many others. I actually had heard of it before but was blind to it's capabilities because it was such a foreign concept at the time.

Fast forward to now, the year 2019, my eyes have been opened to multiple different crypto assets that each serve their own respective purposes. The one that I have my eye on now is XRP which is a digital asset that was created specifically for payments as it boasts fast 5 second transaction speeds costing mere fractions of a penny. I've been excited about this asset because of the fundamental cross-border settlement problems it is solving on a global scale.

I'm not going to dive into what those problems are right now, instead, I want to give you a chance to peer into my mind to witness the dichotomy that is taking place inside. What do I mean by that? I'll tell you. You see, I've realized how efficient it is use digital assets as a means of value transfer and have literally tasted the goodness that results from using them to transact. When I use cash, check, or money order to pay for things, those ways of paying seem old to me. Those payment methods seem really dated right now in this 21st century digital age we find ourselves living in.

So, as a result, I find my mind caught between two worlds. It's almost as if it's tangled up in knots and needs untangled ;) One one side of my brain I have the fiat system that I knew for 32 years, and on the other side I have digital assets. A part of me wants to move completely over to XRP for example and cut out fiat all-together. Unfortunately, the world as we know it today isn't quite ready for that type of Goliath move.

Cash is something that I hardly EVER carry with me anymore. It's so much easier and convienient to use a card, even when buying something as small as a pack of gum or a cup of coffee. Another thing I think about is how much debt our country is in (trillions of dollars), and if the value of the dollar will eventually collapse because we are printing endless amounts of it without question. But, who am I? I am not a financial adviser that's for sure. I'm just a guy sitting here writing a Coil blog for fun hoping that people haven't gotten bored by now.

Anyways, my mind is caught between the two worlds and I suspect that it will be at least for the next decade as digital assets continue to progress into mainstream society with the help of Ripple and companies like Coil making headway in the micropayments arena. Perhaps someday digital assets will take over completely, but, until then, my mind will remain split in two and I will learn to deal with it. The bright side is that I have full confidence in the future of payments and I believe that XRP is the one. Again, not financial advice and simply my opinion. Do your own research and look at the fundamentals of what's happening with cross-border settlements.

What is Ripple Pulse?

Ripple Pulse is a weekly digest in written form composed by myself, Ken Melendez, published to Coil.com, a Web-Monetized content platform. Ripple Pulse is in no way affiliated or endorsed by the company and is simply to be viewed as a source of entertainment for relevant news and legitimate information regarding the Ripple ecosystem. Any views or speculation contained in this series is strictly my opinion and is not to be taken as financial advice.

Who is Ripple?

Ripple is an enterprise-grade payment solutions company partnering with corporate entities around the globe, specializing in cross-border settlement. Their mission is based around driving the Internet of Value, where money moves as efficiently as information does today. The company has been in existence since 2012 and has re-branded over the years from OpenCoin, to Ripple Labs, and now to simply Ripple.

Why does this matter?

Discovering detailed information about the Ripple ecosystem matters because the company is solving one of the biggest problems in all of global finance which is cross-border settlement. As the current settlement system stands, foreign accounts need to be pre-funded with large amounts of capital serving no other purpose than sitting there waiting for a transaction to go through which can take anywhere from 3-5 days. Ripple is working WITH central banks and regulators from multiple countries to solve the pain points of tied up capital, stone-age transaction times, and unnecessarily high transaction costs.

The company has been hard at work for the past 7 years and is showing no signs of slowing down. Ripple is putting a dent in the universe, specifically in the payments realm, unlike any other company that exists today. Institutional and retail investors alike need to pay close attention to any and all developments occurring within the ecosystem to stay on the cutting-edge of this unprecedented phase in history.

***Pulse Highlights:

***

⦿ MoneyGram CEO Appearance at Swell 2019

**⦿ XRP Community Choice Awards
**

⦿ Xpring Takes Major Steps Forward

Dear reader,

Ripple is spearheading the movement of value like information moves today. What does that mean for everyday people like you and I? It means things are about to change. Drastically. The rise in global payments is upon us as more transaction volume is being recorded on a daily basis. But, as many are slowly realizing, today's payments system is old, fragile, and frankly quite broken. When we look comparatively at the existing financial system to facilitate cross-border settlement versus using RippleNet, the proof is in the pudding.

When Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple, is asked by his mother what the company does, his response to her is always “We sell software to banks”. This response is quite simple to understand. But, also take note that there is much more happening beneath the surface of that statement, such as solving the world's liquidity crisis for starters. The recent graphic that Ripple placed onto their Twitter page reveals the overview of their partnership with MoneyGram, a leading cross-border remittance provider.

Source

As you can see, selling software to banks is just scratching the surface, and clearly the company reaches more than just banks alone. The diagram above displays an overview of how Ripple's ODL (on-demand liquidity) technology integrates with MoneyGram's existing systems to make transactions between countries MUCH faster and more cost efficient. Ripple is removing the friction and cutting transaction time down to around 1 minute settlement compared to 3-4 days using the traditional system.

The internet has leveled the playing field, decentralizing the storage and the transfer of data around the world. Knowledge is easily and readily available at the drop of a hat. Now it is time for blockchain technology and digital assets (XPR) to do the same thing to the payments industry. Lets dive into some of the things Ripple has been up to lately, then later jump into details regarding XRP community happenings and Xpring initiatives.

On the Ripple Front

These days, there is never a dull moment with Ripple. It's incredible to see the partnerships and other developments happening on a weekly basis. It wasn't always like this as it took time for Ripple to establish a presence around the world beginning in 2012 as an early-stage start-up company.

W. Alexander Holmes, CEO of MoneyGram, Speaking at Swell 2019

Source

This news was announced mid-last month but is important to highlight with the imminent opening of Swell this week in Singapore. One thing about Holmes is that he is a forward-thinker. He understands the value that technology plays in the payments space and wants to utilize that value to the company's advantage (hence the reason they are partnered with Ripple).

MoneyGram partnered with Ripple to streamline their global liquidity management and increase operational efficiency.

Source

Holmes will be discussing details at the Swell event in regards to what he has seen transpire in the industry during his tenure and also touch upon the future and what he thinks is to come down the line regarding the payments industry as a whole. Keep your eyes and ears attentive to what Holmes has to say because the words are coming directly from the source. 7 years on-board with MoneyGram is bound to give a person some wise insight.

The XRP Volatility Math Has Been Completed

One of the common misconceptions when it comes to on-demand liquidity using XRP as the bridge-asset is the volatility factor. People often claim that since the digital asset market is volatile, that the sharp increases and fall-offs would negatively affect a cross-border settlement transaction done on RippleNet. The team at Ripple put this misconception to the test and released the results to the public as they do with their quarterly update reports.

Source

The above chart displays 2 different tests, one in fiat and one in XRP, that were run considering 3 different market conditions, or periods. the main pieces of data worth taking away from this are the 3rd and 4th columns. Column 3 shows how long an XRP transaction would need held before it reaches the same volatility as the fiat transaction over 3 days. Column 4 shows how quickly a fiat transaction would need to go through in order to equal the same volatility as a 1-minute XRP transaction.

The result of these tests, shown in the last column, highlight the fact that XRP transactions experience roughly 1/10th the volatility as a fiat transaction to the same corridor, in this case moving from USD to MXN. Because of this, the risk factor using XRP is much lower, debunking the myth surrounding the negative volatility theory. See the full article here if you want to explore the tests in more detail.

Cross-Border Payments: What Factors Influence Method Choice?

Ripple highlighted a graphic that was generated in a report by the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP). In this report, the AFP discovered what factors influence people when they are choosing a method to move money cross-border. The answers lined up perfectly with what Ripple is accomplishing with RippleNet and their over 200 customers across the globe.

Source

As you can see from the chart above, speed of payment, transaction cost, and certainty of payment were the top three factors that determine whether someone will choose a specific method of sending money cross-border. Those 3 factors are the exact pain-points that Ripple is solving with RippleNet and on-demand liquidity.

Ripple is not creating new problems then trying to solve them by shooting in the dark. Instead, they did the research ahead of time to see what the biggest hurdles are with cross-border settlement and created innovative solutions to those hurdles. To find out more about the Association for Financial Professionals, visit their website here or visit their page on Twitter.

The XRP Community

The XRP Community is one that I hold especially dear as they serve as a support system for a fellow XRP retail investor. The main hub online where you will find this community extremely active is on Twitter. If you take a few moments searching hashtags such as #XRPcommunity or just #XRP, you will find a plethora of accounts and tweets to view and engage with. Let's dive into a couple items that have taken place recently.

Twitter Accounts Getting Slapped Hard

Over the past couple of weeks, popular Twitter accounts have been getting banned or suspended by Twitter. The reasoning that I have seen behind this phenomenon is that there were “bot accounts” impersonating these pages with larger followings and Twitter decided to shut the pages down without reprieve. Luckily, some members of the community have been able to start new accounts and gain their followers back such as @boy_xrp and @xrp_stuart.

Source

Source

What was interesting and pleasing to see was members of the community stepping up and asking Twitter to reactivate the banned accounts, therefore proving their validity. Even though Twitter did not listen, it was a valiant effort put forth by many leaders who wanted to see their friends active again. More accounts were banned than listed above. Hopefully most if not all members were able to come back online with new accounts.

XRP Community Choice Awards by Sincerely George

Something to keep your eye out for is the Community Choice Awards headed up and hosted by Sincerely George @sincerelygeorge coming up the middle of this month. Specifically, it will be held November 16th at 7pm EST. Ballots have been created and shared on Twitter for community members to vote on people they feel have done a great job representing the community in their respective niches.

Source

The event is shaping up to be quite engaging as there will be performances, prizes, and special appearances. For further details or questions regarding the Community Choice Awards, visit @here4xrp on Twitter, or contact Sincerely George or Patricia C. To purchase a ticket to the event, send 5 XRP to @here4xrp via the XRP Tip Bot which serves as a donation to the XRP community fund.

Coil

Source

Coil is a web-monetized content platform designed to offer creators an alternative to displaying advertisements in order to get paid. Coil utilizes a new Web Monetization standard that streams micropayments as subscribers view a creator's content. If you haven't yet created an account, simply visit Coil.com and click on the Get Started button.

New Coilers in the Spotlight

A few familiar XRP community members have entered the Coil scene recently so make sure to take the time and check out their content.

XRP NEO @XRP_Anderson

Neo's glorious profile pic lol. at least he looks happy.

Michael B @MichaelB

Orlando Buck @BigBuck

All 3 of these gentleman are legit and genuinely want to help others with their words and actions. Orlando recently became a member of the CBC and is doing great fitting in with and giving helpful feedback to the existing members.

Michael B was encouraged by his wife, Patty B, to start blogging on Coil. He finally listened to her and is glad he did! XRP NEO was birthed from the depths of the XRP Ledger and is confident that XRP is “the one”.

The Content Builders Club

The Content Builders Club is an invite-only Telegram group that meets daily to encourage and support each other in their blogging journeys. Members of this club focus primarily on blogging on Coil.com to build an audience and also to help support the movement of Web Monetization globally.

The CBC is administered by myself, Ken Melendez, with the intention of providing a safe-space for creators to share and collaborate with one another. Right now the club is in the middle of whats called the 14-day Coil Blogging Blitz where members are split into 2 teams in a head-to-head match-up.

For more information on the Content Builders Club, or with help getting started on Coil, feel free to reach out to myself on Twitter via private message.

Xpring Initiatives

Xpring is Ripple's investment and development arm focused on increasing the use-cases for XRP by providing easy on-ramps to building upon the XRP Ledger, and also by investing in companies that align with the vision of building the Internet of Value. Xpring has been taking A LOT of action lately, serving as a positive to help push the momentum for the industry forward in the right direction. Let's take a look at what's been happening.

A Keyless Investment ;)

On October 30th, Xpring announced an exciting move forward with an investment in Keyless. Keyless, in a nutshell, focuses on identity authentication made less complex than traditional systems. The company uses biometric technology, such as fingerprint and eye recognition, to kick passwords and recovery phrases to the curb so to speak.

Keyless’ mission is to prioritize security and privacy for users by providing authentication as a service.

Source

Source

Keyless supports Interledger and has began testing integrations for Keyless Authenticator. Feel free to check out their website for more information.

Xpring Acquires Strata Labs

Strata Labs takes a strong stance on building infrastructure between financial technologies and digital assets. Xpring made an investment into Strata Labs and Strata is now working alongside Xpring in San Francisco. Strata is laser-focused on making ILP (Interledger) a reality by developing services and node infrastructure.

Strata is keenly focused on open-source projects and scalability

Source

Source

The acquisition of Strata Labs serves as another stepping stone towards the overall vision of creating the Internet of Value. Keep an eye out for what Austin and Dino are up to as they continue innovating alongside the Xpring team in California.

Closing Remarks

This concludes Ripple Pulse – The Rise of Global Payments, which contained a mere snapshot of the many happenings going on throughout the Ripple and XRP ecosystems. Whether you are an institutional or a retail investor, keep a close eye on what is happening in this space and come to your own conclusions.

Stay tuned to the series for more news and updates.

See you in the next one.