December 2022 Blog Traffic And Income Report 20,598 Users / $411.86

3 January, 2023 | Blogging | 18 seen

Welcome to the #2 renewed blog traffic and income reports covering blog traffic and earnings for the month of December 2022.

These reports help me track my progress or failures and also can give some glimpse behind the scenes and hopefully can generate some ideas for you as well.

About Blog traffic in December 2022

The last December comes with a -4.86% traffic dip compared to November and resulted in 20,598 unique users visiting my blog.

I was hoping to reach at least 25,000 in December, but that just didn't happen.

If compared YoY to December 2021 that is a -10.53% traffic drop. It has been about 12 months already since my blog actually lost its stem and right now I put my effort to stop the loss and return to growth. 

• 20,598 users is a -4.86% drop if compared to the previous month
• decline by  -1,052 users
• 20,598 users in a month are about 664 daily users

For a blog that has had more than 120,000 monthly visitors in the past these numbers are very humble., I'm looking to grow the blog back to at least 50,000 monthly users. I believe it will take both good article writing while updating older ones.

Last December I fixed two core issues for the blog - returning Disqus comments and fixed AMP. In the month of December AMP served pages counted to about 28% from the total pageviews. 

About Income in December 2022

To monetize this website I use Amazon Associates and Google Adsense, total income from both:  $411.86

Thoughts on January 2023

I'm looking at the month of January with ambivalent feelings - I mean the holiday season is over and there might come some drop in revenues, while ont he other hand I'm hoping AMP will give a boost.  I will stick with a somehow high forecast for myself, but modest for more pro affiliate marketers - January should reach $500,00. Speaking of traffic - 25,000 users would be great to have at the end of January 2022.

How did it go for you in December? Any passive income money made? Drop a comment, readers and I would love to hear.

TerraM Crypto Hedge Fund Portfolio Updates December 2022

2 January, 2023 | Crypto | 10 seen

On December 12, 2022, I minted 10,000 TerraM coins on the Solana network with an aim to raise $10,000 capital for options trades on Ethereum via the Deribit trading platform.

We didn't raise the capital yet, but we did have a quite good month.

Besides minting and listing tokens for sale on the Raydium network, from the capital raised (I'm the single largest investor) we were able to book a $176.09 profit. That would give about an 11.38% yield.

We were able to grow TerraM by 11.38% despite Ethereum actually dropping by more than -5% last month

All profits were distributed back to the token holders

TerraM Assets

Here are the assets under TerraM control (as of December 31, 2022)

On the last day, od December TerraM crypto hedge funds' total value was $1,572.72, which makes the value for one TerraM coin = $0.1572, but as we are still in fundraising and more than 7,700 TerraM coins are available for investment, the base value for 1 TerraM coin is $1 or let's say this TerraM crypto hedge fund was invested at about 15.72% at the end of December 2022.

Price

While we have set the 1:1 ratio exchange ratio between TerraM and USD, on the Raydium network 1 TerraM was trading at $0.89165

Forecast  / Goals For January 2023

I've no idea where the price of Ethereum will head in January 2023, but I'm looking to grow TerraM crypto hedge fund value close to $2,000, that would ask either additional investment or rock solid investment.

When focusing on growing naturally. I will be happy if will manage to repeat the 11% yield in the month of January. On 15 hundred that would be about +$165

Swap USDC for TerraM

Christmas in Bakuriani

30 December, 2022 | Living in Georgia | 65 seen

Another awesome holiday weekend has been recorded, this time we had a road trip to Bakuriani, staying in a lovely log house with fine cuisine.

Winter fun, attractions, gifts, and a lot of fun with drones. Made my first real - flythrough. December 23-25, 2022

Enjoy the video and thumbs up!

How to obtain a tourist permit to fly a drone in Israel

28 December, 2022 | Travel guides | 44 seen

In this article, I will share details on how I obtained a tourist permit for flying a drone in Israel at the end of 2022.

We booked a short one-week trip to the State of Israel for the 2022/2023 New Year celebrations. I have my DJI Mavic Air 2 drone and I thought it would be cool to bring back some drone memory from Israel as I did from Sri Lanka.

I know different countries have different drone regulations, and I assumed Israel might have one as well. 

I started by simply googling several articles about flying a drone in Israel, at one point I got even more confused and was considering not taking a drone with me to Israel until I found the official website for obtaining a tourist permit for flying a drone in Israel - and it was much easier than I thought. 

There was a 350 ILS fee (about EUR 100), PayPal was available and it took about 10 minutes to complete the registration form (though it took another 24 hours to get the actual permit to my email)

In case you are wondering how to get a permit to fly a drone in Israel in 2025 or 2030, this article might get outdated, as drone rules change quite quickly

At the time of obtaining my permit for flying a drone in Israel, the website was just partly translated into English, but it was not hard to navigate through it.

I applied for a Tourist permit for a cost of 350 Israeli Shekels (about EUR 100), I pressed the big gray button (supposing it says - continue).

On the next page, I was asked to enter details about myself, my passport number, flight dates, place of stay in Israel (I entered my address with a host from Airbnb), and lastly Drone model and Drone serial number. 

I was presented with several payment options (bank card or PayPal), and I opted for PayPal.

A few more clicks and my registration form was submitted. In the next 24 hours, I received the actual permit to my e-mail address. 

Here are the drone regulations in Israel for hobby or recreation only (2022/2023)

• A maximum height altitude of 50 Meters or 164 feet above the ground.
•  Keep a distance of 250 meters or 820.21 feet from residential areas and
• large crowds.
• Drones are not permitted to fly within a radius of 2 kilometers or 1.2
• miles of an airport
• Drone operators must maintain a visual line of sight (VLOS) with the
• unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV).
• Drone operations are not allowed in No Fly Zones and restricted areas.
• Frequency operation 2.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz

Now, print out all the paperwork and be ready to show when arriving at the airport in Israel. Hope it helps!

Top 15 Best Selling Laptops January 2023

26 December, 2022 | Laptop Reviews | 99 seen

Unlike the previous months, January 2023 data for best-selling laptops might seem skewed,  Apple has given up #1 to the Lenovo Ideapad 3 laptop.  

The explanation is simple - Holiday season, with increased laptop purchasing, many good bargain deals

Lenovo, ASUS, Acer, HP, and Apple are the laptop brands among the best-selling on Amazon for January 2023. Laptops for everyday computer needs, as well as gaming laptops under $1,000, are among the top-selling laptop models. 

Keep reading to learn more.

A quick note: This article contains affiliate links to Amazon.com, by clicking on links on this page and by making a purchase on the Amazon site, I might earn an affiliate income from that. The prices for laptop computers listed on this page are retrieved using Amazon Product Advertising API and are updated daily. For actual prices please refer to the product page on Amazon.

Lenovo Ideapad 3 Laptop, 15.6" HD Touchscreen, 11th Gen Intel Core i3-1115G4 Processor, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD, HDMI, Webcam, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth, Windows 11 Home, Almond

• Memory is 8GB high-bandwidth RAM to smoothly run multiple applications and browser tabs all at once. Hard Drive is 256GB PCIe Solid State Drive which allows to fast bootup and data transfer
• 11th Gen Intel Core i3-1115G4 Dual-Core 3.0GHz Processor (6MB Intel Smart Cache, up to 4.10GHz) Intel UHD Graphics
• 15.6" HD Touchscreen (1366 x 768) Display
• 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1 x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1 x HDMI, 1 x Combination Audio Jack, 1 x Multi-format SD Media Card Reader, Wireless-AC Wi-Fi 5 + Bluetooth Combo
• Windows 11 Home

List price: [amazon B08B6F1NNR listpriceformattedprice] Buy this laptop on Amazon (Paid link)

Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-32DK Slim Laptop - 15.6" Full HD IPS Display - 11th Gen Intel i3-1115G4 Dual Core Processor - 4GB DDR4 - 128GB NVMe SSD - WiFi 6 - Amazon Alexa - Windows 11 Home in S mode

• Powerful Productivity: 11th Generation Intel Core i3-1115G4 Dual Core processor delivers unmatched speed and intelligence, enabling impressive creating, productivity, and gaming experiences. With Turbo Boost Technology, get up to 4.1GHz for your high-demand applications.Connectivity Technology: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI
• Visibly Stunning: Experience sharp details and crisp colors on the 15.6" Full HD IPS display with 82.58% screen-to-body, 16:9 aspect ratio and narrow bezels
• Ergonomic Typing: Ergonomically-designed hinge lifts the keyboard for comfortable typing, improved cooling, and a better sound experience
• Internal Specifications: 4GB DDR4 on-board memory (1 slot available); 128GB NVMe solid-state drive storage (1 hard drive bay available) to store your files and media
• Acer's Purified.Voice technology, features enhanced digital signal processing to cancel out background noise, improve speech accuracy and far-field pickup, which not only makes calls clearer, but makes talking to Alexa easier than before.
• Using Alexa on your PC is as easy as asking a question. Just ask and Alexa can check your calendar, create lists, play music, answer questions, read the news and more.
• Secure Operating System: Windows 11 Home in S mode comes with advanced security features built right in, like protections against phishing and malicious software so you don't have to think twice when navigating to a new webpage or downloading an app

List price: [amazon B09R5VYRVN listpriceformattedprice] Buy this laptop on Amazon (Paid link)

Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 - 2022 - Everyday Gaming Laptop - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Graphics - 15.6" FHD Display - 120 Hz - AMD Ryzen 5 6600H - 8GB DDR5 - 258GB SSD - Win 11 - Free 3-month Xbox GamePass

• Boost your gaming performance with the latest generation AMD Ryzen 6000 Series processors and a 15.6" FHD IPS screen with 120Hz refresh rate
• GeForce RTX 30 Series GPUs deliver the ultimate performance for gamers and creators, powered by Ampere - NVIDIA’s 2nd gen RTX architecture - with new RT Cores, Tensor Cores, and streaming multiprocessors for realistic ray-traced graphics and cutting-edge AI features
• The signature Lenovo gaming keyboard comes with all the best media control and number pad features stocked out of the box
• Excellent battery life lets you take this gaming laptop with you; use Rapid Charge to boost your battery by 40% in just 15 minutes
• Stay connected: this Windows gaming laptop offers built-in WiFi and Bluetooth, two USB-A ports, one USB-C (DisplayPort 1.4, Power Delivery 3.0), HDMI 2.0, RJ45, and an audio jack

List price: [amazon B09RND1LP2 listpriceformattedprice] Buy this laptop on Amazon (Paid link)

ASUS TUF Gaming F15 Gaming Laptop, 15.6" 144Hz FHD IPS-Type Display, Intel Core i5-10300H Processor, GeForce GTX 1650, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD, Wi-Fi 6, Windows 11 Home, FX506LH-AS51

• SUPERCHARGED GTX GRAPHICS - Gameplay graphics are silky smooth with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB GDDR6 so you can stay immersed in the game even in the most graphically intensive moments
• READY FOR ANYTHING - Use your gaming laptop to stream and multitask with ease thanks to an Intel Core i5-10300H with 8M Cache, up to 4.5 GHz, 4 cores and 8GB of blisteringly fast 2933MHz DDR4 RAM on Windows 11
• SWIFT VISUALS – Stay one step ahead of the competition thanks to its 144Hz 15.6” Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS Type Display
• AMPLE STORAGE FOR ALL YOUR GAMES - Store all your game library, and load them fast on your 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD to take advantage of the full RTX gaming experience
• MILITARY GRADE TOUGHNESS - Durable MIL-STD-810H military standard lives in the TUF line as the devices are tested against drops, vibration, humidity and extreme temperatures to ensure reliability
• SELF-CLEANING TECH - This ASUS Gaming Laptop is equipped with Self-cleaning dual fans with anti-dust technology to extend system longevity
• FUTUREPROOF YOUR DEVICE - Featuring an Easy Upgrade Design with a pop-open screw, you can easily add or replace memory and storage

List price: [amazon B09SVQ25XH listpriceformattedprice] Buy this laptop on Amazon (Paid link)

Apple 2020 MacBook Air Laptop M1 Chip, 13” Retina Display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage, Backlit Keyboard, FaceTime HD Camera, Touch ID. Works with iPhone/iPad; Space Gray

• All-Day Battery Life – Go longer than ever with up to 18 hours of battery life.
• Powerful Performance – Take on everything from professional-quality editing to action-packed gaming with ease. The Apple M1 chip with an 8-core CPU delivers up to 3.5x faster performance than the previous generation while using way less power.
• Superfast Memory – 8GB of unified memory makes your entire system speedy and responsive. That way it can support tasks like memory-hogging multitab browsing and opening a huge graphic file quickly and easily.
• Stunning Display – With a 13.3” Retina display, images come alive with new levels of realism. Text is sharp and clear, and colors are more vibrant.
• Why Mac – Easy to learn. Easy to set up. Astoundingly powerful. Intuitive. Packed with apps to use right out of the box. Mac is designed to let you work, play, and create like never before.
• Simply Compatible – All your existing apps work, including Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft 365, and Google Drive. Plus you can use your favorite iPhone and iPad apps directly on macOS. Altogether you’ll have access to the biggest collection of apps ever for Mac. All available on the App Store.
• Easy to Learn – If you already have an iPhone, MacBook Air feels familiar from the moment you turn it on. And it works perfectly with all your Apple devices. Use your iPad to extend the workspace of your Mac, answer texts and phone calls directly on your Mac, and more.

List price: [amazon B08N5LNQCX listpriceformattedprice] Buy this laptop on Amazon (Paid link)

Acer Nitro 5 AN515-57-79TD Gaming Laptop | Intel Core i7-11800H | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU | 15.6" FHD 144Hz IPS Display | 8GB DDR4 | 512GB NVMe SSD | Killer Wi-Fi 6 | Backlit Keyboard

• Dominate the Game: With the 11th Gen Intel Core i7-11800H processor, your Nitro 5 is packed with incredible power for all your games
• RTX, It's On: The latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti (4GB dedicated GDDR6 VRAM) is powered by award-winning architecture with new Ray Tracing Cores, Tensor Cores, and streaming multiprocessors support DirectX 12 Ultimate for the ultimate gaming performance
• Visual Intensity: Explore game worlds in Full HD detail on the 15.6" widescreen LED-backlit IPS display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, 144Hz refresh rate and 80% screen-to-body, 16:9 aspect ratio
• Internal Specifications: 8GB DDR4 3200MHz Memory (2 DDR4 Slots Total, Maximum 32GB); 512GB NVMe SSD (2 x PCIe M.2 Slots, 1 x 2.5" Hard Drive Bay Available)
• Prioritize Your Gameplay: Killer DoubleShot Pro with Ethernet E2600 and Killer Wi-Fi 6 1650 lets you use Wi-Fi and Ethernet at the same time, and have total control over priority traffic to maximize speed, throughput, and control
• Stay Cool Under Pressure: When heavy use requires an added boost, Acer CoolBoost technology increases fan speed by 10% and CPU/GPU cooling by 9% compared to auto mode, overall increasing thermal performance by 25% for better gaming comfort
• Take Control of Your Gaming Laptop: The NitroSense UI can be called up with the dedicated keyboard button so you can instantly visualize your PC's component temperature, fan speed, loading performance, power plan, and more

List price: [amazon B09R65RN43 listpriceformattedprice] Buy this laptop on Amazon (Paid link)

MSI Pulse GL66 15.6" FHD 144Hz Gaming Laptop: Intel Core i7-12700H RTX 3070 16GB 512GB NVMe SSD, Type-C USB 3.2 Gen 1, RGB Gaming Keyboard, Cooler Boost 5, Win11 Home: Black 12UGKV-464

• Powered Up: The 12th Gen. Intel Core i7 processor to deliver maximum efficiency in gameplay, Multi-task work and producTivity.
• It All Starts Now: Enjoy the latest generation Windows 11 Home for your everyday needs. MSI recommends Windows 11 Pro for business use.
• Ray-Tracing: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU powered by the NVIDIA 2nd gen RTX architecture for the most realistic ray-traced graphics and cutting-edge AI features.
• FHD Display: The 15.6” 144Hz FHD display delivers smooth refresh rate for seamless and vibrant gameplay.
• High-Speed Data: SSD Gen 4x4 and DDR4-3200 memory for the fastest data transfer, system speed and responsiveness.

List price: [amazon B09RB9B7SD listpriceformattedprice] Buy this laptop on Amazon (Paid link)

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 12.4" Touchscreen Laptop PC, Intel Quad-Core i5-1035G1, 4GB RAM, 64GB eMMC, Webcam, Win 10 Pro, Bluetooth, Online Class Ready - Platinum

• Intel Core i5 10th Gen 1035G1 (1.00GHz) 4 GB LPDDR4X Memory 64 GB eMMC
• Windows 10 Pro to bring you the powerful Windows features you use most at exceptional value.
• Make the most of every day with the sleek style, performance, and all-day battery life you need in our lightest Surface Laptop, all at an exceptional value.
• 12.45" PixelSense (1536 x 1024) Touchscreen Display
• Ultra-light and portable, the apps you use every day, premium materials and a choice of must-have colours will make this your go-to laptop.

List price: [amazon B0BG6J92DC listpriceformattedprice] Buy this laptop on Amazon (Paid link)

Apple 2022 MacBook Pro Laptop with M2 chip: 13-inch Retina Display, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD Storage, Touch Bar, Backlit Keyboard, FaceTime HD Camera. Works with iPhone and iPad; Space Gray

• SUPERCHARGED BY M2 — The 13-inch MacBook Pro laptop is a portable powerhouse. Get more done faster with a next-generation 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU and up to 24GB of unified memory.
• UP TO 20 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — Go all day and into the night, thanks to the power-efficient performance of the Apple M2 chip.
• SUSTAINED PERFORMANCE — Thanks to its active cooling system, the 13-inch MacBook Pro can sustain pro levels of performance, so you can run CPU- and GPU-intensive tasks for hours on end.
• BRILLIANT DISPLAY — The 13.3-inch Retina display features 500 nits of brightness and P3 wide colour for vibrant images and incredible detail.
• HD CAMERA AND STUDIO-QUALITY MICS — Look sharp and sound great with a FaceTime HD camera and three-mic array.
• VERSATILE CONNECTIVITY — Two Thunderbolt ports let you connect and power high-speed accessories.
• EASY TO USE — Your Mac feels familiar from the moment you turn it on, and it works seamlessly with all your Apple devices.

List price: [amazon B0B3C76P69 listpriceformattedprice] Buy this laptop on Amazon (Paid link)

Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-347N Slim Laptop - 15.6" Full HD IPS Display - 11th Gen Intel i3-1115G4 Dual Core Processor - 8GB DDR4 - 128GB NVMe SSD - WiFi 6 - Amazon Alexa - Windows 11 Home in S Mode

• Powerful Productivity: 11th Generation Intel Core i3-1115G4 Dual Core processor delivers unmatched speed and intelligence, enabling impressive creating, productivity, and gaming experiences. With Turbo Boost Technology, get up to 4.1GHz for your high-demand applications. Connectivity Technology: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI
• Visibly Stunning: Experience sharp details and crisp colors on the 15.6" Full HD IPS display with 82.58% screen-to-body, 16:9 aspect ratio and narrow bezels.
• Ergonomic Typing: Ergonomically designed hinge lifts the keyboard for comfortable typing, improved cooling, and a better sound experience.
• Internal Specifications: 8GB DDR4 on-board memory (1 slot available); 128GB NVMe solid-state drive storage (1 hard drive bay available) to store your files and media
• Acer's Purified.Voice technology, features enhanced digital signal processing to cancel out background noise, improve speech accuracy and far-field pickup, which not only makes calls clearer, but makes talking to Alexa easier than before.
• Using Alexa on your PC is as easy as asking a question. Just ask and Alexa can check your calendar, create lists, play music, answer questions, read the news and more.
• Secure Operating System: Windows 11 Home in S mode comes with advanced security features built right in, like protections against phishing and malicious software so you don't have to think twice when navigating to a new webpage or downloading an app.

List price: [amazon B0BL86VM7F listpriceformattedprice] Buy this laptop on Amazon (Paid link)

2022 Apple MacBook Air Laptop with M2 chip: 13.6-inch Liquid Retina Display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage, Backlit Keyboard, 1080p FaceTime HD Camera. Works with iPhone and iPad; Midnight

• STRIKINGLY THIN DESIGN — The redesigned MacBook Air is more portable than ever and weighs just 2.7 pounds. It’s the incredibly capable laptop that lets you work, play or create just about anything — anywhere.
• SUPERCHARGED BY M2 — Get more done faster with a next-generation 8-core CPU, up to 10-core GPU and up to 24GB of unified memory.
• UP TO 18 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — Go all day and into the night, thanks to the power-efficient performance of the Apple M2 chip.
• BIG, BEAUTIFUL DISPLAY — The 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display features over 500 nits of brightness, P3 wide color and support for 1 billion colors for vibrant images and incredible detail.
• ADVANCED CAMERA AND AUDIO — Look sharp and sound great with a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, three-mic array and four-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio.
• VERSATILE CONNECTIVITY — MacBook Air features a MagSafe charging port, two Thunderbolt ports and a headphone jack.
• EASY TO USE — Your Mac feels familiar from the moment you turn it on, and works seamlessly with all your Apple devices.

List price: [amazon B0B3BVWJ6Y listpriceformattedprice] Buy this laptop on Amazon (Paid link)

Acer Nitro 5 AN517-54-79L1 Gaming Laptop | Intel Core i7-11800H | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050Ti Laptop GPU | 17.3" FHD 144Hz IPS Display | 16GB DDR4 | 1TB NVMe SSD | Killer Wi-Fi 6 | Backlit KB | Win 11

• Aspect Ratio:16:9.Connectivity Technology: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
• Dominate the Game: Great performance meets long battery life with the Intel Core i7-11800H Processor - up to 4.6GHz, 8 cores, 16 threads, 24MB Intel Smart Cache
• RTX, It's On: The latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti (4GB dedicated GDDR6 VRAM) is powered by award-winning architecture with new Ray Tracing Cores, Tensor Cores, and streaming multiprocessors support DirectX 12 Ultimate for the ultimate gaming performance
• Visual Intensity: Explore game worlds in Full HD detail on the 17.3" widescreen LED-backlit IPS display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, 144Hz refresh rate and 80% screen-to-body/16:9 aspect ratio
• Internal Specifications: 16GB DDR4 3200MHz memory (2 DDR4 Slots Total, Maximum 32GB); 1TB NVMe SSD (2 x PCIe M.2 Slots/1 x 2.5" Hard Drive Bay Available)
• Prioritize Your Gameplay: Killer DoubleShot Pro with Ethernet E2600 and Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 lets you use Wi-Fi and Ethernet at the same time, and have total control over priority traffic to maximize speed, throughput, and control
• Stay Cool Under Pressure: When heavy use requires an added boost, Acer CoolBoost technology increases fan speed by 10% and CPU/GPU cooling by 9% compared to auto mode, overall increasing thermal performance by 25% for better gaming comfort

List price: [amazon B09HJKGK5V listpriceformattedprice] Buy this laptop on Amazon (Paid link)

ASUS VivoBook 14 Laptop Computer, 14" IPS FHD Display, Intel Core i3-1115G4 Processor, 4GB DDR4, 128GB PCIe SSD, Fingerprint Reader, Windows 11 Home in S Mode, Slate Grey, F415EA-AS31

• Fast and Efficient: With an 11th Generation Intel Core i3 processor and Intel UHD graphics, this ASUS laptop helps you get things done swiftly and efficiently
• Stylish and Portable: Weighing only 3.3lbs, the extremely portable ASUS Vivobook 14 F415 is a lightweight laptop that will keep up with your fast-paced lifestyle
• Immersive Viewing Experience: This 14 inch laptop features a NanoEdge display, giving it a vast screen area for work and play. Its IPS-level wide-view FHD panel features an anti-glare coating to reduce unwanted distractions from irritating glare and reflections, so you can truly focus on what’s in front of you
• Ergonomic, Comfortable Typing: This notebook laptop comes with a full-size backlit keyboard, so it is perfect for dim environments. Ergonomically designed, its sturdy, one-piece construction and 1.4 mm key travel provide a comfortable typing experience
• Easy Login: with a built-in fingerprint sensor, there’s no need to type in your password every time – all you need is a single touch to get access your ASUS laptop
• 4GB DDR4 RAM and 128GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD; Windows 11 Home in S mode
• Lightning-fast dual band Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) keeps you connected through any congestion or interference

List price: [amazon B09SVQG3ZZ listpriceformattedprice] Buy this laptop on Amazon (Paid link)

Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop, 15.6 inches Full HD IPS Display, AMD Ryzen 3 3200U, Vega 3 Graphics, 4GB DDR4, 128GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Windows 10 in S Mode, A515-43-R19L, Silver

• Aspect Ratio:16:9
• AMD Ryzen 3 3200U Dual Core Processor (Up to 3.5GHz); 4GB DDR4 Memory; 128GB PCIe NVMe SSD
• 15.6 inches full HD (1920 x 1080) widescreen LED backlit IPS display; AMD Radeon Vega 3 Mobile Graphics
• 1 USB 3.1 Gen 1 port, 2 USB 2.0 ports & 1 HDMI port with HDCP support
• 802.11ac Wi-Fi; Backlit Keyboard; Up to 7.5 hours battery life
• Windows 10 in S mode. Maximum power supply wattage: 65 Watts

List price: [amazon B07RF1XD36 listpriceformattedprice] Buy this laptop on Amazon (Paid link)

Acer Nitro 5 AN515-55-53E5 Gaming Laptop | Intel Core i5-10300H | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU | 15.6" FHD 144Hz IPS Display | 8GB DDR4 | 256GB NVMe SSD | Intel Wi-Fi 6 | Backlit Keyboard

• Aspect Ratio:16:9.Connectivity Technology: HDMI,USB,Ethernet,WiFi,Bluetooth
• Dominate the Game: With the 10th Gen Intel Core i5-10300H processor, your Nitro 5 is packed with incredible power for all your games
• RTX, It's On: The latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 (4GB dedicated GDDR6 VRAM) is powered by award-winning architecture with new Ray Tracing Cores, Tensor Cores, and streaming multiprocessors support DirectX 12 Ultimate for the ultimate gaming performance
• Visual Intensity: Explore game worlds in Full HD detail on the 15.6" widescreen LED-backlit IPS display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, 144Hz refresh rate and 80% screen-to-body, 16:9 aspect ratio
• Internal Specifications: 8GB DDR4 2933MHz Memory (2 DDR4 Slots Total, Maximum 32GB); 256GB NVMe SSD (2 x PCIe M.2 Slots, 1 x 2.5" Hard Drive Bay Available)
• Prioritize Your Gameplay: Killer Ethernet E2600 and Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 gives you an edge online by taking control of your network and prioritizing your gameplay
• Stay Cool Under Pressure: When heavy use requires an added boost, Acer CoolBoost technology increases fan speed by 10% and CPU, GPU cooling by 9% compared to auto mode, overall increasing thermal performance by 25% for better gaming comfort

List price: [amazon B092YHJGMN listpriceformattedprice] Buy this laptop on Amazon (Paid link)

Could TerraM coin price reach $2 in 2023?

23 December, 2022 | Crypto | 13 seen

At the end of December 2022, I minted 10,000 TerraM coins with an aim to raise $10,000 for covered call writing on Ethereum.

TerraM coin has been on the blockchain for just some mere 2 weeks and has already raised about 13% of our total goal, for truth's sake, the largest investor still am I.

Nevertheless, the funds have been deployed to the Deribit trading platform for covered call writing and already we have distributed the first week's profit of $24 back to the token holders, and are on the track to distribute about $67 for the second week.

See TerraM on the Solana Scanner

These are quite impressive numbers and give about 7% return in about 10 days.

At the moment there are two options available on how to invest with TerraM coin - either purchase directly from me at the rate of 1 USD: 1 TerraM (7,798 TerraM available) or swap them on the Raydium liquidity pool at the dynamic rate, as of writing this: 1 USDC ≈ 1.096008 TerraM (80.54 TerraM available)

With time (weeks and months) the total liquidity will increase on the Raydium poll, while the total amount of coins will decrease for direct purchases, as every Friday we add 20% from our weekly profit back to the liquidity pool. For every earned $100, the liquidity pool will increase by $20)

Answering the question - Could TerraM coin reach $2 per coin in 2023?

Yes, we truly believe TerraM coin will reach at least $2 per coin in 2023. Again there are two options I see TerraM could reach a $2 price per coin. One and the easiest way, but also speculative is on the Raydium Network. Say there are 80 TerraM coins available on the Raydium network, and their value right now is about USD 0.88 per coin.

Some could buy out, say 32 TerraM coins paying 50 USDC (slippage at Raydium is dynamic), leaving the pool USDC 122 and 48 TerraM coins, meaning the price would increase from 0.88 USDC per coin to 2.54 USDC. Now in theory the price for TerraM coin would increase, but in reality, it would represent only 0.48% of the total supply out of 10,000 coins.

The longest, but much more reliable path to get to the $2 per coin, would ask total assets under the control of TerraM coin should increase to at least $20,000, or by about 15 times from the current levels. In the dollar term values, it would ask to add at least $1,560 every month and of course, make sure there are no drawbacks.

For a crypto Fund I wouldn't say $1,500/mo is a lot and a couple of years ago I would most probably add them myself every month.

As we are still raising $8,000 in capital and we are already showing quite promising results - I truly believe TerraM coin will reach $20,000 in assets in 2023.

From the coins listed on CoinmarketCap, a $20,000 market cap sounds like a joke, but this is the joke we are currently pushing forward.

There are still 7,798 TerraM Coins available for direct investment, and also 80 TerraM coins are available for swapping against USDC on Raydium. Feel free to contact me, leave a comment or learn more about TerraM tokens.

What are your thoughts about TerraM coin reaching $2 per coin in 2023? Leave me a comment, readers and I would love to hear!

How To Buy TerraM Token Using USDC coin and Phantom wallet

22 December, 2022 | Crypto | 104 seen

At the start of December 2022, I minted 10,000 TerraM tokens on the Solana blockchain, tokens are available for sale on the Raydium decentralized market. 

Update: A Step-by-Step Guide to Buying TerraM Tokens via Raydium AMM

In this article, I will provide a brief tutorial on how some, perhaps you, could buy TerraM tokens online. 

Things you will need: USDC coin, Phantom wallet, few SOLs as a network fee

First things first - TerraM coin runs on the Solana network and it is available to buy with USDC token at the moment. If you already have USDC coin, skip this part, if you don't have yet any USDC, keep reading.

For my cryptobuys I prefer Coinbase over other exchanges, but you should be able to buy USDC coins from any reputable centralized exchange. If you are a first-time buyer, I would recommend starting small, by purchasing some 10 USDC at the begging. 

Once you have bought some amount of USDC on Coinbase or your exchange of choice you are ready to transfer them to Phantom wallet and then buy TerraM coin on Raydium

Again you could use some other wallet that supports Solana tokens, Phantom is quite popular. I would recommend installing the Phantom Chrome browser extension

You will be asked to create a password and store a secret key, just in case you ever lose access to your wallet.

Once your wallet is up, you are ready to deposit the USDC coin, you just bought at Coinbase or at the exchange of your choice

From the exchange, you bought USDC send them to your Phantom wallet address

Once USDC have arrived at your phantom wallet you are almost there. 

Next stop, visit TerraM / USDC swap page on Raydium

After you have installed Phantom wallet Google Chrome extension, click on the Connect Wallet button from the top right of the page, the rest should be automatically.

Now fill in how many USDC you are willing to spend for buying TerraM token (my recommendation would be test with small amount some 10 USDC before scalling up),

N.B. make sure you have a some SOL in your wallet to cover the network fee.

After the purchase, you should see TerraM tokens in your wallet. You can keep in your wallet and watch it grow over time ot you could help with providing TerraM coin liquidty and stake some TerraM. You also can sell the coin back to USDC whenever you want.

If you have any question, please drop a comment or contact me. 

• Swap USDC to TerraM
• TerraM coin project hoepage

How To update SPL Token Metadata

21 December, 2022 | Servers | 540 seen

It has been recently since I minted the first 10,000 tokens for TerraM coin on the Solana network.

The launch has been very successful and the token is growing, so far we have been able to list it already on the Raydium pool, also tried to list it on CoinGeckom but due to the lack of trading activity got rejected so far. No regrets here, as the token is growing and eventually we will get there.

How To Create Custom Token on Solana Blockchain without Coding - Part 1

Besides that, TerraM token asks for some upkeeping work, for example, when minting the TerraM coin I didn't pay much attention to the ico style image, I uploaded for the ico, I just used some randomly generated ico from online ico generators.

Now, once the coin started growing I was not quite happy with the visual presentation and decided it would be good to update the custom image and also change the coin name.

So far I have found two working solutions (services) to update the SPL token:

• https://sol-tools.tonyboyle.io/token-tools/edit-token
• https://app.strataprotocol.com/edit-metadata

Updating from the Google Chrome browser is quite easy, make sure your SOL wallet is connected (I use Phantom), copy the mint address and you are good. These solutions will help to update SPL token image and Token name.

After updates, Solscan.io and the rest of the services picked up the updated info almost instantly. I'm still facing issue to show actual coin price inside Phantom wallet, but it seems to solve this issue, the coin have to be listed on CoinGecko.

Interested to learn more about the token? Visit the official TerraM token page

How To Fix Drupal AMP Error with Google Analytics

20 December, 2022 | Drupal Development | 34 seen

AMP for Drupal is a really powerful module, that can give your Drupal-powered website an impressive website traffic boost. But it will only work if there are no AMP-related issues - like Custom Javascript error from the Google Analytics module. 

I have been using Drupal AMP since 2016 or 2017 but stopped using it after upgrading my Drupal version from 7 to 9, as there were some bugs with the Drupal AMP module - it just didn't work.  

At the end of 2022, I decided to fix it and get AMP back for Drupal - it took me several days and nights, a lot of clean state servers, MySQL dumps.. but in the end, turned out just a line of code in amp module. Victory, I thought, when noticed ?amp pages working out. Just a few days later I noticed that despite ?amp being up and running it is far from perfect - there was zillions of errors and AMP was just not valid.

turned out I didn't have enabled (or built) an AMP theme. Which I did. Then fixed some minor things with the Advanced Aggregation Module, till was left with the last error standing - custom Javascript from Google.

After several hours of research, I found a working solution (Drupal 9.4 and AMP 8.3.50) 

it involved enabling the Bartik AMP theme and adding the following code to the bartik_amp.theme file

Warning: this is not part of bartik_amp, hence the "my_theme" prefix in the code sample; it must be adapted to your particular theme machine name. Also, if using the snippet for adjusting AMP Toolbar classes (see below), make sure to put it all under a single "my_theme_preprocess_html" function.

here is a full working bartik_amp.theme file

<?php

use Drupal\Core\Template\Attribute;

/**

* Implements hook_library_info_alter().

*/

function bartik_amp_library_info_alter(&$libraries, $extension) {

  // This library persists even if listed in libraries-override.

  // This code will pull it out for good.

  if ($extension == 'core' && isset($libraries['html5shiv'])) {

    unset($libraries['html5shiv']);

  }

}

/**

* Implements hook_preprocess_html().

*

* Reset toolbar classes and add sidebar toggle button to the header.

*/

function bartik_amp_preprocess_html(&$variables) {

foreach ($variables['page']['#attached']['html_head'] as $key => $value) {

    // Remove any other scripts that are being attached to the page.

    if ($value[0]['#tag'] == 'script' && (!isset($value[0]['#attributes']['type']) || $value[0]['#attributes']['type'] != 'application/ld+json')) {

      unset($variables['page']['#attached']['html_head'][$key]);

    }

  }

// AMP Toolbar wrapped the toolbar in amp-sidebar, which is always

  // vertical. Change the page classes to reflect that.

  // @see toolbar.html.twig.

  if (!empty($variables['page_top']['toolbar'])) {

    if (!empty($variables['attributes']) && $variables['attributes'] instanceof Attribute) {

      $variables['attributes']->removeClass('toolbar-horizontal');

      $variables['attributes']->addClass('toolbar-vertical');

    }

    else {

      $variables['attributes'] = new Attribute($variables['attributes']);

      $variables['attributes']->addClass(['toolbar-tray-open', 'toolbar-vertical', 'toolbar-fixed', 'toolbar-loading']);

    }

}

}

Hope it helps!

How to Withdraw Crypto To GEL bank account in Georgia

19 December, 2022 | Living in Georgia | 107 seen

For most of my crypto ventures, I have been dealing with Coinbase and my bank account in the EU, which supports SEPA payments. Most of the time, I've been happy with the existing setup.

When dealing with crypto in Georgia in GEL currency I have been skeptical or simply not in a real need for it - I know there exist a few crypto ATMs across the city, but the slippage seems too high (5-12%)  for me, also - crypto and GEL didn't sound very appealing to me.

A few months ago, for my partner's company, I helped to set up a route for receiving payments in stablecoins from a Chinese partner. As I had already established a very reliable Coinbase - SEPA route. I suggested following this route, but there was another issue - this money is not a pure profit, but has to be used to pay expenses, salaries, etc., and actually needed to be paid in GEL.

Additionally, I have started to work with my poor man's hedge fund, where I have minted 10,000 TerraM tokens, selling them for USDC,  which then are used for Ethereum Covered call writing.

Also, together with another partner, we are buying real estate in Tbilisi, and I have the plan to put this deal on the blockchain. 

it was time to pay my monthly bills in GEL for real estate investment in Tbilisi, but I didn't have enough lari, I was looking for ways how could I take out some TerraM coin, convert, send it to Georgia and get to my Georgian bank account (Bank of Georgia)

And then I found Coinmania.ge- service which seems to answer all my needs - I was able to set up an account with a Facebook login, verify my account with my passport, add a Georgian bank account, deposit some lari for test purposes, and lastly sending USDC (erc-20) to sell them against GEL, and withdraw GEL. The slippage could be better, but as long as he route is working - I'm quite OKay.

I was able to exchange USDC to GEL at the rate of 1 USDC ERC20 = 2.587378 GEL (when the actual bank rate was about 2.65), in theory, I was losing about 7 tetri per USDC. That is about 2.7% slippage. Not ideal, but much better than dealing with crytopATM's and hard cash. 

All trasnfers from Coinmania.ge transfers are sent to a bank account in Georgia almost instantly (at least with Bank of Georgia)

Additionally, I started a chat with Coinmania.ge support team - to learn is it possible to register on the platform as a business entity - and turns out - it is.

Currently Coinmania.ge supports BTC, ETC, LTC, MANA, TRX, MATIC, BNB, BUSD, BCH, USDT, nGEL, DOGE, SHIP, DASH, GEL, USDC. ERC 20 and BEP 20 protocols are supported, unfortunately Solana network is not yet supported - I had to send USDC over the Ethereum network and pay a bit higher fee. 

Here you go - working crypto to GEL route. Check out at Coinmania.ge

Life and Business in Georgia

16 December, 2022 | Living in Georgia | 14 seen

Life and Business in Georgia - or another awesome weekend has been recorded - Together with a business partner from Canada exploring construction sites in Tbilisi, building relationships while hiking around Turtle lake, and sipping hot wine with Guliani.

Fun with Santa and his socks. Thumbs up and enjoy!

How To Buy (or not) Real Estate in Tbilisi - Samgori EcoCity December 2022 Update

15 December, 2022 | Real Estate | 57 seen

At the start of December 2022, Uday, a business partner from Canada arrived in Tbilisi, and we went together to the Meti office in Saburtalo to meet with the developers and sign the documents on-site (we already had them electronically). After the meeting with the developers, we went to the actual construction site in Samgori.

I have been eyeing real estate in Georgia since I originally come up with my idea - buying black frame projects in Batumi, I wanted to raise the capital using a token (and I'm still open) until at the start of September Uday contacted me and showed his keen interest investing in more classical FIAT way.

After some longer e-mail correspondence, one Zoom call, and several meetings with contractors both in Batumi and Tbilisi, we narrowed down to one apartment at the Samgori EcoCity project by Meti.

Timeline

• Scouting Potential Apartment Investment in Tbilisi (Samgori Ecocity)
• Securing first under-construction real estate investment in Tbilisi - Planning to SELL as NFT

Uday checked at the Mariott Courtyard hotel next to Liberty square and followed my suggestion for opening a bank account at the Bank of Georgia, it turned out his international phone number is not working for receiving sms from the Bank of Georgia, and I kindly provided one of mine numbers. That's what business partners are for, right?

It was Friday morning and after a cup of cappuccino at the hotel's lobby, we took a taxi (or a cab, as Uday likes to call it) and headed to Meti Office in Saburtalo. 

We arrived a little bit early and spent some time talking about projects in Tbilisi, Batumi, Antalya (Turkey), and more.

At some moment I realized that we are actually not buying an apartment in an already built house, but we might be buying a new, built from the ground. The wording "shall be built" in a contract confused me

We decided to check this first with the developer. 

Turned out to be true. I was falsely believing that we are buying in an almost finished 12-storey apartment building. Or I was left to believe during the previous times when meeting with Meti. Instead, we are buying a 47m2 apartment in a planned 15-storey building that is still going to be built from the ground. 

I truly understood this is my fault, for not checking out everything properly. I said to Uday - look, you have come here to Tbilisi from the other part of the globe just because you believed my word and I have let you down. 

The business partner felt disappointed for about 5 minutes, but then we started to work out our options, decided to visit the actual construction site, talk to contractors and then decide.

So we took a cab again and traveled from Saburtalo to Samgori.

Here we met with a contractor from Meti who let us into the actual planned construction site and we had a chance to see, the foundation laid about 1 year ago.

Also, we learned, the developer is having some issues with the construction permit (general redesign plan?), and they are waiting for the issue to be cleared in about a month (January 2023) - it didn't sound encouraging, but also didn't sound false and didn't give us a reason to mistrust this project, just to be more cautious.

We negotiated our 20% downpayment down to 0% (that increased our price from $580 to $600 per sqm), but at least we spread the risk by not going all in today to find out that we are in trouble just a month later. Smaller monthly payments now will give us more confidence in the future, if some delays happen  (the chance that there will be delays still is high)

When talking with Uday, we concluded that this deal is still very good, despite seems will take us at least 36 months to exit with a profit (the developer insists on 20).

Anyhow, more confidence will be gained on the day the developer will get a construction permit or when we will see the construction works started. 

In case, the construction project starts soon, we except it to actually be finished by the end of 2025, but we also are concidering early exit strategies, as we believe that the buying price will increase from $600 to $700 per sqm on the day when the actuall construction works will start. As we have secured agreement with a payment of $600 (and developer also agreed to lower it to $580 on the day when we will make increased 20% downpayment.)

i'm confident in the project, the developers seems reputable, but I also acknoweledge, delays might happen and 36 month term might turn out quite optimistic.

Interested to learn more or invest with us? See: Ecocity Samgori, Tbilisi

Pullman Tbilisi Axis Tower Gym and Pool

14 December, 2022 | Health & Wellness | 419 seen

Pullman Tbilisi Axis Towers Wellness Center is located in Vake (37M Ilia Chavchavadze Avenue) on the 6th floor at Axis Tower. It has a 25 meters heated indoor pool with a retractable roof, sauna, steam room, gym (more like a fitness), spa treatment rooms, and a lounge.

We booked an unlimited membership here for one month in November 2022 (paying GEL 600 each, kids go free) with unlimited access to the gym pool and sauna facilities.

Kids (pre-schoolers) going free was the selling moment for us - as I believe this is a great family deal, spend about GEL 1,200/mo but gain access to a gym, and swimming pool - a good and healthy way to spend the winter months in Tbilisi.

My favorite gym for years has been and still is the Champions Academy on Aghmanashebeli avenue. In fact, during the month of November, I visited both gyms, sometimes both on the same day. lol

Kind of brand new and equipped with the latest soft, built by Techn0Gym but still I'm not very enthusiastic about the Technogym brand. Don't get me wrong. They do the job, just are not very sturdy. If comparing gym equipment at Champions Academy - it feels much better over there. It seems I just prefer the Freemotion brand over Technogym. Though the software-equipped treadmills are fun and the soft can actually help with setting up your training cycle. 

During the past few months, I have dropped about 17kg -  intermittent fasting, plus daily gym going and medium workouts with dumbells and more.

The gym is decent - it has most of the important equipment to work out both with the upper and lower body.

Most of the machines seem are again from Technogym. As this is not my favorite brand, I'm not 100% happy with them, but again, they do their work - and the rest is up to you. Some can train in a meadow by just throwing rocks. So to be on the objective side - the gym is very decent. 

I believe the selling element for this wellness center is the swimming pool, two hot pools, saunas, and great cappuccino from the restaurant.

We also got happy by hiring a 7-time Georgian champion in butterfly swimming to teach our 4-year-old daughter swimming here (12 lessons GEL 550 as in 2022)

I guess this place is rocking also in Summer, with outdoor sun decks that could be an awesome place to chill in Tbilisi. 

How To Create Custom Token on Solana Blockchain without Coding - Part 1

13 December, 2022 | Servers | 111 seen

It has been already several years since I have been originally thinking of launching a custom crypto token.

For most of the time, I was thinking about issuing smart contracts on the Ethereum network. Probably a high price for minting on the ETH network and the additional learning curve kept me back most of the time and I never actually proceeded with my idea.

Back in spring 2022 again I returned to the idea of issuing custom tokens, for Batumi Real estate crypto investment, I even launched a pre-sale token, but at the end attracted anchor investor who was more interested to make this deal in a more classical, FIAT way, now we are coinvesting in Tbilisi with cash, see: Ecocity Samgori, Tbilisi

Im still looking to put this real estate on blochchanin, but besides real estate I also trade options with crypto on deribit platform and I thought that I could issue a "crypto fund" token, for attracting investment for covered call trades.

With past several month beeing involved in Solana trading, I learnt more and more about this coin and network, and decided to try Solana network over Etherum (lower price and seems easier to implement). So I come up with idea to create a crypto fund for selling covered calls and decided to launch this crypto fund on Solana network. See: Raising $10,000 capital for issuing Covered Call Crypto Fund (Solana blockchain)

In the remaining article I'll share some notes how I launched (minted) custom token on DexLab (Solana Blockchain) in less than 5 minutes without any coding:

withour further ado:

Things you will need: Phantom wallet, some SOL deposited on it, custom icon for your token

Head to https://www.dexlab.space/mintinglab/spl-token, where all magic is done

Choose: Token Minting

Basically thats it's  - from this single page you can make your next multibillion token

Name: Give your token a name. TerraMatris

Symbol: Chose something catchy. TerraM

Description: 

Upload to Symol image URL or IPFS: 

Press: Upload Metadata (IPFS)

make sure your wallet is connected and you have enough SOL to cover the network fees

Once done, move on to the Create Token

here you can fine tune some settings, like how many coins there will be in supply, how many decimals e.t.c.

Complete. You will be asked to pay some additonal network fee, but you are done. Congrats you just issued a custom token on Solana network. 

Now, next steps are to list this coin on decentrelized exchange and start trading. But that's already another topic, with whom I will come soon.

Hope it helps!

Raising $10,000 capital for issuing Covered Call Crypto Fund (Solana blockchain)

12 December, 2022 | Crypto | 51 seen

I'm raising $10,000 for the covered call crypto fund.

For the past several years I've been trading and investing in crypto with mixed success. I've made my gains and taken my losses.  Covered Calls with crypto have been one of the hardest to learn -and I'm still learning.

Over the years I've realized - making money in a growing market isn't hard - preserving and growing in a bear market is much harder. But possible.

Hedging with futures makes it possible. At some point, it can get tricky, but with the right mindset and some expertise, it can be achieved.

Despite, the time has proved that dollar cost averaging investing is one of the best investment approaches when investing with crypto (and most of the other kinds of assets), I have decided to proceed with an idea that has been in my head for the past few years - launching a crypto fund, where myself will be the biggest investor for some time at least. 

Here is the plan

Issue a token, with 10,000 coins, each coin worth $1. From the dollar acquired buy Ethereum and sell covered calls on each position. Additionally hedging each position by short-selling Ethereum perpetual futures on the Deribit platform.

At the moment I plan to invest $1,500 in hard cash myself in the newly released token to start trading and growing the crypto fund. 8,500 coins will be available for investment

Strategy

The crypto fund invests in a portfolio of equity securities and writes (sells) call options on those securities. Under normal circumstances, the fund writes (sells) call options on at least 70% of the fund's total assets. The fund normally writes (sells) covered call options listed on the Deribit trading platform to seek to lower the overall volatility of the fund's portfolio, protect the fund from market declines, and generate income.

Risk

The fund can invest in securities that may have a leveraging effect (such as derivatives and forward-settling securities) that may increase market exposure, magnify investment risks, and cause losses to be realized more quickly. Crypto markets are volatile and can decline significantly in response to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, economic or other developments. These risks may be magnified in foreign markets. Not suitable for all investors. 

Technicals

• There will be issued 10,000 tokens
• Each tokens base value is $1
• From the funds raised sell Covered calls on Ethereum coin
• The portfolio is rebalanced once per month (on the last day of trading)
• Max investment per investor $1,000
• Buyback with 5% premium from June 2023
• While in the acquisition phase, profit is distributed in form of new tokens
• Once fully invested, profit is distributed in the growth of the coin

Example trade with covered calls on Ethereum

On December 12, 2022, we would buy 1 Ethereum coin on Coinbase paying $1,246 per coin, simultaneously, on the deribit platform we would sell 1 call option with a December 30, 2022 expiry and strike price of $1,300 for this trade receiving 0.0425 ETH / $52.92 premium.

Here are a few possible scenarios of what could happen next:

On the expiry date, December 30, 2022, ETH is trading under $1,300 per coin -  options expire worthlessly and we keep the premium and start over. In this case, our crypto fund grew by $52.92 and this money  would be split among investors in form of the tokens (until 10,000 are reached)

if ETH trades above $1,300 on the expiry date, we are obliged to pay the difference in crypto. Say ETH trades $1,400 on expiry, we need to pay the difference between the spot price and strike price, which is $100, or 0.0769 ETH if converted back to crypto

We would be left with 1+0.0520-0.0769 = 0.9751 ETH  

But as the ETH price actually increased from $1,271 to $1,400, our ETH holding value would equal $1,365.14 (0.9751*1400) or we still would make +$94.14

In case ETH trades $2,000 on expiry and our strike price is $1,300 we need to pay the difference between the spot price and strike price, which is $700, or 0.5384 ETH if converted back to crypto

We would be left with 1+0.0520-0.5384 = 0.5136 ETH  

Ouch, doesn't look good at all. 

Now as the ETH price actually increased from $1,271 to $2,000, our ETH holding value would equal $1,076.8 (2000*0.5384), despite the rally in price, we would actually lose -$192.4  Ouch, that hurts now! Though highly unlikely, I still have seen this happens several times in the past. 

But what to do?

Hedging with futures might mitigate the risk.

For example, we could enter a long trade with ETH futures if the price of $1,300 is touched. In such a case if the strike price reaches $1,400. we will actually make 0.0769 ETH in the long future. The long future will compensate for the loss from the short call.

We would be left with 1+0.0520-0.0769+0.0769 = 1.0520 ETH  or $1,472.8

Now, let's look at what happens if the price reaches $2,000 and we hedge with a long future at $1,300.

In such a case if the spot price reaches $2,000 we will actually make 0.5384 ETH in the long future. The long future will compensate for the loss from the short call.

You would be left with 1+0.0520-0.5384+0.5384 = 1.052 ETH  or $2,104

Entering with long futures even when set automatically to execute at the market price is not guaranteed

In theory - this is a zero-risk trade, in practice - it will ask very reliable execution plan if the $1,300 gets challenged.

Depending on the success or failures, I might proceed with a larger, say $100,000 or $1M fund in the future.

To sum it up

I'm launching a small crypto fund to grow and preserve capital with covered calls and futures. Total investment available $8,500 (max $1000 per investor)

In the coming days/weeks - I will issue a custom token, most probably on the Solana network, it's planned that it will be available for trading in USDC or USDT pair - at the moment I'm offering also direct ETH or Wire transfers in EU or Georgia for acquiring this token. To give everybody a chance - a $1,000 maximum investment per investor is considered at the moment.

Updates about the crypto fund performance will come via the Terramatris website, my blog and Twitter.

Contact me if you are interested via the blog's contact form, Linkedin or Twitter