How Many Scorpions Do You Need To Make $100,000 Annually?
Starting a business in the specialized field of scorpion venom extraction can seem appealing because of the high prices that medical and research industries pay for this potent substance. However, making a lucrative income from milking scorpions is more complex than it might initially seem. I personally believe that understanding the numbers and logistics is essential before entering this unique venture.
Understanding Venom Value
Firstly, it’s important to acknowledge the market value of scorpion venom, which is among the most expensive liquids by volume. Depending on the species and the quality of the extraction, the venom can fetch anywhere from $8,000 to $12,000 per gram. The high cost is due to the venom’s use in medical research, including cancer treatment studies and antivenom production, making it highly sought after in specific scientific communities.
Practical Yields and Species Considerations
Not all scorpions are created equal when it comes to the value of their venom. Species like the Deathstalker (Leiurus quinquestriatus) are particularly coveted due to their potent venom, which is rich in compounds useful for medical research. However, even with a valuable species, the amount of venom each scorpion produces is minimal — typically around 0.5 to 2 milligrams per milking session, and you can safely milk them about twice a month.
The Math Behind the Venom
Let’s break down the numbers. To set a realistic income goal, suppose you aim to make $100,000 annually from venom sales. Assuming you can sell the venom at an average price of $10,000 per gram, you would need to produce 10 grams of venom each year. Since 1 gram equals 1,000 milligrams, you would need a total of 10,000 milligrams of venom annually.
Each scorpion might give you 1 milligram per milking, and if milked twice a month, that’s 24 milligrams per scorpion per year. To meet your income goal, you would therefore need about 417 scorpions. This figure highlights the scale of what might initially seem like a small operation.
Considerations and Challenges
Beyond just the numbers, there are significant challenges and considerations in setting up and running a scorpion venom extraction business:
Setup and Ongoing Costs: Initial costs can be quite high, as specialized equipment and facilities are needed to house and safely milk scorpions.
Legal and Ethical Issues: There are often stringent regulations governing the use of animals for commercial purposes, including licensing and welfare considerations.
Market Demand and Stability: The market for scorpion venom is niche and can be volatile. Establishing reliable connections within the industry is essential for success.
Personal Thoughts
I personally think that while the potential for high income is alluring, the scorpion venom extraction business requires a deep commitment and a robust understanding of both the science and the market. It’s not merely about having a large number of scorpions; it’s about creating a sustainable and ethical operation that can consistently produce high-quality venom in a market that is inherently limited and highly specialized.
Feel free to reach out if you’re interested in starting this business!
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Accelerating Team Human
As the solar eclipse moved across America today, there was a timer. Maybe nobody was watching it, but it was there. I created it. At the moment of eclipse totality a job search site called Blackflag was quietly released with the hope of improving the way teams are built. One small step in a larger mission to change the role technology plays in the evolution of our society. One small step in a larger mission to accelerate team human.
It's a vague and ambiguous mission for a reason. Much talk has been made recently over accelerationism philosophy. For example, Effective Accelerationism (e/acc) is a philosophy of maximizing energy consumption and compute by exponentially improving technology to improve society. In response there has been debate over the increasingly negative impact technology has on society and some have asserted humanism. I think it's an interesting commentary because, while there have always been those who imprint virtues to actions, if ethics is how to act, the introduction of technology and deemphasis of the human condition on ethics is an almost formulaic way to calculate the demise of team human. Modernism symbolizes either Leviathan or "god is dead."
What do you call the intersection of science, technology, and society? There is science, which we consider rigorous thought. Then there is technology, which is the application of science. Technology is in direct contrast with our relativistic field of social studies. The relationship between society and technology is unclear, but clearly present.
Of course, if I were not a technologist, I would not be building technology. Perhaps to more aptly summarize: the mission of Blackflag is to expand the the role society plays in technology, while minimizing the interference of technology on society. It is a non-political mission, though it may be seen as ideologically driven to a form of environmentalism and accelerationism.
To begin, Blackflag is providing a free publicly-available job search engine that is the start of a larger effort to improve the quality of our organizations and teams. While Blackflag will be a commercial organization, it's symbol and likeness are public domain.
* note blackflag.dev will be moved to blackflag.jobs, for which I am awaiting delayed ICANN verification.
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El Salvador: The most important country you barely hear about
El Salvador has a significant diaspora, so much that money coming from the US is a major source of income. **Not so long ago you would have been pressed to find a Salvadorian who wanted to go back to El Salvador. Now things seems to be changing.**
El Salavador, used to have one of the highest homicide rates in the Americas, now it looks relatively safe. El Salvador showed an interesting strategy. First boost the economy before handling the crime situation. Crime is indeed a part of GDP, albeit a hard one to quantify. Since it is an economic activity, it participates in exchanges and provides people with activities that supports them and their families. Drastically reducing crime has the effect of creating *'unemployed criminals'* people with a skillset that's hard to sell in a traditional economy.
El Salvador probably did take a hit to its GDP, but that was compensated by the increase in economic activity and investments.
Bitcoin was a big part of that.
Bitcoin got a lot of bad press as a technology only used by criminals, or a crazy investment for crazy speculators. These takes failed to understand the technology and it's potential. What Bitcoin offers is a decentralized, fast and secure payment system for free. El Salvador doesn't have to maintain it, regulate it, or even monitor it. All very costly activities that a small country can do without. Bitcoin is a mathematically secure way of payment.
In a country where road infrastructures are challenging, Bitcoin offers people in remote areas the possibility to pay their bills without travelling for hours. In a country that was unsafe, Bitcoin offered people the possibility to go out without the fear of being robbed.
It also attracted a kind of investors that would go nowhere else. And even if these investment can appear small, for a country like El Salvador it's a big change.
The Salvadorian experiment in a freer economy, crypto-friendly and smaller government, in a time of increasing inflation, has a lot of people watching. In a continent that leaned left for so long, this is a big change.
My opinion is that there would be no Javier Millier hadn't there been a Nayib Bukele before. Argentina has been a bastion of the left for decades. If the libertarian policies of Millier succeed in bettering the lives of Argentinians, we might be on the brink of a major cultural shift in the Americas and then the world.
Argentina is a far bigger country than El Salvador, with far more people watching.
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GenZ: The Fiscally Aware Generation
I am sitting at Paul's cafe at the airport en route to Nairobi via Cairo for Applied Machine Learning Days (AMLD) Africa (a wonderful conference, more on that later). **In front of me 4 young males, early 20s, they speak loudly in french as they eat the burgers and fries they bought at another restaurant.**
They talk about money.
"You have no idea how much money I lose to taxes", says one of them. "40 to 50%! It's a lot of money, I would make so much more without it". He sees taxes not as a net necessary good, as most have been trained to see it, but as any other cost.
Interesting, that's not the type of conversations you would expect from someone that young. It's not the first time I hear this type of conversation from GenZs. Why are GenZs becoming more fiscally aware than previous generations? I think it comes down to two factors:
- Inflation
- The entrepreneurial culture
Inflation has hit everybody, for obvious reasons. However one constant with inflation is that it hits the poorest hardest. Young people tend to have less money. But that's not enough to raise awareness about a subject that most consider beyond boring. This brings us to the next point: *The entrepreneurial culture*.
As a millennial I witnessed it's burgeoning and blossoming. It started timidly with a few books and blogs, then massive blogs, then best sellers, then YouTube videos and finally podcasts. Not so long ago being an entrepreneur was considered an unwise life choice. Successful people go to work for established companies. Such was common wisdom. However, as the 2008 recession hit and people started to look for more revenue streams, they also discovered the concept that having one's business can also mean more freedom and better financial security.
There is however a big difference between the Millennial Entrepreneur and the GenZ Entrepreneur. The Millennial was still uneasy with the idea of making money and as such would speak about *"making a positive impact in the world"*, the GenZ is not burden in this way. You can see the shift in YouTube ads, today it's all bout how much you will make if you buy this or that business course.
So whatever online business they start, being it drop shipping or whatever, they tend do it in a money aware way. Starting an online business is a hard, the competition is fierce. Naturally, they try to invest their hard earned money wisely. When the tax bill comes, they see it as it is: an unexpected cost that does not necessarily translate to a better life quality. Nothing is free in this incarnation. Some are not even shy about relocating to fiscally advantageous locations like Dubai and making videos about it.
This could be the end of the blissful fiscally unaware generations.
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XR Voice (Moroccan Dialectal)
XR Voice is an initiative aimed at bridging the gap between scientific research and professional expertise. Recognizing that the advancement of scientific inquiry begins with elevating awareness within the professional realm, XR Voice seeks to gather insights from experts across various fields. By listening to the voices of professionals and their perspectives, this platform aims to explore how scientific research can enhance and refine diverse domains of expertise. Through this collaboration, XR Voice endeavors to catalyze a symbiotic relationship where cutting-edge research not only informs but actively elevates the standards and practices within the professional world.
By attentively considering the perspectives of professionals, this platform endeavors to explore how scientific research can enrich and refine various domains of expertise. Through collaborative engagement, XR Voice seeks to cultivate a symbiotic relationship wherein cutting-edge research not only informs but actively elevates the standards and practices within professional contexts. This mission is underpinned by the fundamental belief that all development begins with a deepened awareness and appreciation of scientific inquiry. Furthermore, this concept encourages experts to utilize Moroccan dialectal Arabic whenever feasible, fostering inclusivity and cultural resonance within the discourse.
“No country has ever prospered without first building its capacity to anticipate, trigger and absorb economic and social change through scientific research.” Dr. El Mostafa Bourhim
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The Impact of Big Five Personality Traits on Augmented Reality Acceptance Behavior: An Investigation in the Tourism Field
Along with the rapid development of the Internet and mobile devices, the integration of augmented reality (AR) in the tourism sector has become very popular. Utilizing the Big five model (BFM) as the theoretical framework, the study examines the role of personality in influencing the behavioral intention (BI) to use mobile augmented reality in the tourism sector (MART). The study further investigates the role of personal innovativeness (PIV) in determining tourists’ behavioral intentions to use MART. Quantitative research was carried out to test the conceptual model. This paper strengthened the analysis by implementing PLS-SEM method using data collected from 374 participants. The study results demonstrated that openness to experience (OPN) is a strong predictor of MART use. In addition, agreeableness (AGR), conscientiousness (CONs), extraversion (EX), neuroticism (NR), and personal innovativeness (PIV) have all significant and positive impacts on behavioral intention (BI) to use MART.
The present research purpose was to investigate the BFM variables with regards to MART use. The research also examined the contribution of PIV in explaining the BI to use MART. By employing PLS-SEM to tackle the primary study question. The current work makes a significant advance in MART use research. Empirically, the findings achieved are consistent with the BFM. Based on the outcomes of this research, all relationships have been assessed as being statistically relevant. Moreover, PIV positively influences the use of MART. The BI to use MART was positively impacted by AGR (H1: β = 0.128), CON (H2: β = 0.108), EX (H3: β = 0.124), NR (H4: β = 0.322), and OPN (H5: β = 0.169). This implies that users are expected to exhibit a strong BI to use MART when they are agreeable, conscious, extroverted, neurotic, and open to experiences. Additionally, the outcomes of the present paper also significantly upheld the association between PIV and the BI to use MART. Path analysis was found to be significant and positive (H6: β = 0.156); the result states that innovative tourists will intend to use MART. The important limitations are a higher risk of overlooking ‘real’ correlations and sensitivity to the scaling of the descriptor variables.
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Even in the digital age, travel agencies remain an ideal partner for hotels
In the digital age, although many travelers book their stays online directly, incoming travel agencies remain partners of choice for hotels.
Operating a hotel requires an in-depth study of the target clientele, competitors and partners with whom we can collaborate to optimize revenue management.
A receptive travel agency or a DMC (Destination Management Company) offers its clients (individuals and corporates) support from A to Z, from the design of tourist activities, transport management, reservation of accommodation and seminar rooms , the inclusion of catering services, and even the provision of more special services (rental of translation equipment, audiovisual equipment, etc.) during their stays, tours or events.
This is a stable source of customers for the hospitality industry, as travel agencies tend to refer their customers to the same trusted providers.
Travel agencies make it possible in particular to increase occupancy rates, to generally improve the guest experience of customers thanks to the advice and support offered to customers and the local experiences that they will offer, they make it possible to streamline and to optimize hotel operations, particularly check-in, and to alleviate pressure on sales and marketing teams.
Indeed, they often manage the logistical and administrative aspects of reservations, allowing hotels to focus on improving the guest experience and other operational aspects.
Depending on the type (leisure or business), its capital structure (belonging to an international chain, a hotel investment group or family-owned), its size and its range, the advantages for a hotel in making travel agencies Travel of top allies may vary.
Here are some reasons why hotels may benefit from collaborating with travel agencies despite the evolving digital landscape:
Travel agencies often benefit from a global reach through their sales representatives, partner issuing agencies and their presence at international trade shows. They thus attract a large audience. Collaborating with these agencies allows hotels to reach potential guests who might not have discovered their property through other means.
Conversely, partnerships with well-established Moroccan travel agencies can help hotels reach a local audience. Agencies can promote special packages, seasonal offers and special events, helping to attract national clients.
Agencies invest heavily in online marketing, which can be costly and complex for an individual hotel. By working with agencies, hotels can leverage their marketing campaigns, social media presence and partnerships to attract more guests.
They offer multi-channel distribution, allowing hotels to reach different market segments through various online channels. This can include websites, mobile applications and especially partnerships with other travel platforms such as Travel Exchange, American Express, Perfect Stay, Voyage Privé, Ctrip, etc. which deploy cutting-edge digital strategies to enable new categories of Internet users to travel more, notably taking advantage of last minute flash sales.
Travel agencies can also help hotels optimize revenue by dynamically managing rates and availability. This is particularly important to maximize profits and fill available rooms, especially in low season.
It is also important to note that hotels must find the right balance in their distribution strategy, avoiding excessive dependence on certain online platforms.
They can sometimes specialize in source markets not usual for the destination (for example in Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia or Latin America), thus offering hotels the possibility of reaching a diversified clientele, limiting the risks of business continuity linked to conflicts, disasters, etc.
Finally, DMCs (Destination Management Companies), through their global vision of the destination and their collaborations with numerous hotels, can be good propagators of best practices. They are also an excellent source of opinions, feedback and recommendations to be used to improve customer satisfaction.
Studies carried out in the tourism sector in the aftermath of covid often lead to the same conclusions among which we can find the importance of addressing firstly to a local clientele, the need to develop inclusive tourism anchored in its environment, the urgency of the ecological transition but also the need to strengthen cooperation between the different players in the industry in order to make it more stable, more sustainable and therefore more attractive both for investors and for talents.
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Part 1/5: Why You Should Apply for a PhD Regardless of Your Background
Less than 2% of the world's population holds a doctorate degree. Do you aspire to be part of the average, or will you strive to join the ranks of these distinguished individuals?
- Expanding Knowledge: Deepen expertise in your chosen field, enhancing critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Gain unparalleled understanding and push the boundaries of what's known.
- Personal Growth: Develop resilience, independence, and management skills through challenging research projects. Cultivate self-discipline and adaptability, crucial for success in any endeavor.
- Career Opportunities: Opens doors to advanced roles in academia (research, teaching) and industry (R&D, consultancy, management). Elevates your professional profile and broadens career prospects.
- Networking: Connect with professionals and academics for future collaborations and career advancement. Build a valuable network of contacts that can support your career for years to come.
- Contribution to Field: Make significant contributions to your field, influencing both academic research and industry practices. Your work could lead to new discoveries, innovations, or methodologies.
- Inclusivity and Diversity: Encourages a mix of perspectives, challenging stereotypes and promoting inclusivity in academia and industry. Contributes to a more diverse and equitable professional landscape.
- Professional and Personal Transformation: A PhD is a journey of both professional expertise and personal development, beneficial for all backgrounds. It's an opportunity to grow intellectually, professionally, and personally.
- Leadership Skills: Develop leadership abilities by guiding research projects, mentoring students, and collaborating with various stakeholders.
- Global Perspective: Gain exposure to international research communities, broadening your understanding of global challenges and solutions.
- Recognition and Prestige: Achieve a level of recognition and prestige in your field, establishing yourself as an authority and thought leader.
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Part 5/5: 8 Inspiring Quotes on Leadership from Visionary Minds
Quotes can inspire visionary thinking, apply them wisely, and you'll witness the changes they bring about.
"A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way." - John C. Maxwell
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill
"Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front." - Nelson Mandela
"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." - John Quincy Adams
"Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things." - Peter Drucker
"Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge." - Simon Sinek
"A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be." - Rosalynn Carter
"Be the change that you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi
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Part 4/5: Understanding Personalities for Leadership in Academia and Industry
Know yourself, understand others, and watch life's opportunities unfold.
- Recognize Individual Differences: Acknowledge and appreciate the diverse personality types within your team, understanding how these differences can contribute to a rich, dynamic work environment in both academia and industry.
- Adapt Communication Styles: Tailor your communication to suit various personality types. This includes being aware of how different people prefer to receive information and feedback.
- Foster Inclusive Environments: Create a workplace culture that respects and values different personalities, encouraging open dialogue and collaboration in both academic and industrial settings.
- Leverage Strengths: Identify and use the unique strengths of different personality types. In academia, this could mean assigning research roles based on individual strengths, while in industry, it might involve delegating tasks that align with team members' innate skills.
- Manage Conflict Sensitively: Understand how different personalities might clash and develop strategies to manage conflicts effectively, keeping in mind the distinct environments of academia and industry.
- Encourage Diverse Perspectives: Promote an environment where varied viewpoints are welcomed and considered. This is essential for fostering innovation and critical thinking in both fields.
- Personalized Mentorship: Offer guidance and mentorship that resonates with the individual personalities of your team members, helping them grow and develop in their respective roles.
- Embrace Learning Styles: Recognize that different personalities may prefer different learning styles. Adapt your teaching and training methods accordingly in both academic and industrial contexts.
- Promote Self-Awareness: Encourage team members to understand their own personalities and how these impact their work and interactions. This self-awareness can lead to more effective collaboration and leadership.
- Balance Team Dynamics: Strive for a balance of personalities in teams to ensure a harmonious and productive work environment. This involves understanding how different personalities can complement each other in both academia and industry.
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Part 3/5: Observational Learning for Effective Leadership in Academia and Industry
Paying close attention to the details teaches you a lot!
- Observe Leadership Styles: Focus on the behaviors and decision-making styles of leaders you admire in both academia and industry. Understand how they approach challenges and interact with their teams.
- Learn from Mistakes: Pay attention to the errors made by others. Reflect on these mistakes and contemplate alternative solutions or approaches you would adopt in similar situations.
- Seek Feedback: Consider feedback as a crucial learning tool. Use it to refine your strategies, communication, and leadership techniques.
- Study Communication Methods: Analyze how leaders effectively communicate complex ideas in academic settings and practical solutions in industry. Notice the clarity, tone, and engagement tactics they use.
- Understand Ethical Decision-Making: Observe how leaders handle ethical dilemmas, ensuring integrity and moral responsibility in both academic research and industry practices.
- Adaptability to Contexts: Learn how leaders modify their approach when dealing with academic theories versus practical industry applications. Understand the nuances and requirements of each sector.
- Collaboration and Team Dynamics: Watch how successful leaders foster teamwork and collaboration in both academia, where research projects often require interdisciplinary cooperation, and in industry, where cross-functional teamwork is key.
- Innovative Problem-Solving: Notice how leaders in both fields use creativity and innovation to solve complex problems. See how academic theories can be applied in practical industry scenarios.
- Mentorship and Development: Observe how leaders nurture talent and encourage growth in their teams, both in academic environments and in the workplace.
- Continuous Learning and Adaptation: Recognize the importance of ongoing education and staying abreast of current trends and research in both academia and industry to inform effective leadership.
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Part 2/5: The Power of Listening: A Key to Enhancing Your Leadership Skills
Listen more than you speak, and watch your world transform.
- Building Trust and Respect: Leaders who actively listen to their team members cultivate an atmosphere of trust and respect. This approach demonstrates that the leader values their team's opinions and insights, fostering a more open and collaborative work environment.
- Enhancing Decision-Making: Listening provides leaders with a broader perspective and more information, which is essential for informed decision-making. By understanding the viewpoints and concerns of their team, leaders can make decisions that are better aligned with the needs and goals of the organization.
- Conflict Resolution: Effective listening is key in resolving conflicts. By listening to all sides of a disagreement, a leader can understand the underlying issues and work towards a solution that addresses the concerns of all parties involved.
- Encouraging Innovation and Creativity: Leaders who listen are more likely to hear and encourage new ideas. This openness can foster an innovative culture where team members feel valued and motivated to contribute creatively.
- Improving Team Dynamics: Listening helps leaders identify and address issues within the team, whether they are related to workflow, interpersonal relationships, or resource allocation. Addressing these issues promptly can lead to a more efficient and harmonious work environment.
- Personal Growth and Learning: Leaders who are good listeners continuously learn from the people around them. This not only enhances their leadership skills but also keeps them connected to the latest trends, concerns, and opportunities within their organization.
- Employee Motivation and Engagement: Employees feel more engaged and motivated when they know their voices are heard. This can lead to increased job satisfaction, lower turnover rates, and a more committed workforce.
- Modeling Positive Behavior: When leaders demonstrate effective listening skills, they set a positive example for the entire organization. This can lead to a culture where everyone listens to each other, improving overall communication and collaboration.
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Africa, the share of sport in the economy
It is difficult to assess the true share of sport in GDP across the African continent, as it is clear that this share varies greatly from one country to another. In Morocco, for example, this share is estimated at 1%.
The study of market shares in the sports business also shows that Africa only picks up crumbs. Africa is barely present in global statistics. The continent is undergoing globalization but benefits very little from it. Africa only plays the role of talent reserve; a kind of nursery.
The weakness of Africa's weight in the world economy is glaring here. The continent benefits little from the financial windfall from sport, just as it benefits little from the fair value of the wealth it “generously” offers to the world economy.
The very nature of sporting activity generates this anachronistic situation. Sport in America or Europe and increasingly in Asia as well, lives in part thanks to the talents that only Africa can provide on a genetic and phenotypic level. Many sports, particularly the most popular and economically promising, require particular qualities and human potential that fit perfectly with the type of young people Africa abounds with. It is almost the only continent to offer this particularity.
There is also the informal economy which has established itself as a saving palliative for young people since it allows them to benefit from cheap sports equipment. Even counterfeit or second-hand, this particularly individual equipment still allows a certain practice at a certain level. This informal activity, if encouraged and guided, can constitute the basis of a local sports economy and move into the formal sector.
Aziz Daouda
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