

Ask HN: I'm priveledged, what should I do for a year? - thyselius

My goal has always been to have loads of free time so I can do something really awesome, like becoming an artist or help solve environmental problems.<p>I’ve told myself that as a first step, I should use my free time to create some great mobile apps, in order to free up even more free time. Then I can start pursuing my ultimate goal.<p>I have now created five apps and regardless of how well they will do in the future, I’ve come to realise that this “extra step” seems a little too much like an excuse. I should get started. I have money for one year.<p>I guess my approach is “if you can think it it can be done”, so I’m not afraid of seemingly impossible projects.<p>I’m looking for the right idea. What would you do if you could do anything you wanted for a year? What should I do?<p>What I’ve done so far
- technical creative director and developer for 15 years
- won 100+ awards including Webby AD&amp;D etc
- written and recorded music and had a radio hit
- drew and built a house
- designed and built furniture
- professional photographer
- created and launched five mobile apps
- have one kid and one on the way (I&#x27;m 33 and Swedish)<p>What interests me the most
- making sure animals don’t get extinct
- preserving rain forrest
- reduce meat eating
- fighting racism and populist political ideas
- digital art projects, for instance “I want you to want me”, Jonathan Harris
- spatial interactive art<p>Requirements on the project
- I need it to be an idea that gets a lot of attention, so I don’t have to work on marketing once the project is done. This is so tiresome. You can make great music, but no one will listen to it if you don’t work on marketing, even more than you work on making music. That’s the reason I don’t do music (which I love the most I think) full time.
- I need to be able to make it more or less by myself in one year or less.
- I’ve had employees before, and it’s not something I enjoy, or am good at, that’s why I haven’t tried start ups.
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Mz
_What would you do if you could do anything you wanted for a year?_

Something I have been trying to arrange for several years and failing: I would
write a simulation in order to adequately explain a mental model I have for
how to get healthier in the face of chronic illness. Getting healthier is
something I have actually done. It takes most of my time and has left no time
for learning to write code. I have a design doc and one developer friend who
takes me seriously and I still have a lot of personal barriers to making this
a reality. I know one woman who is following some of my advice and getting
healthier. I know this works and it is mostly too hard to explain with just
words. I need to write a simulation in order be able to effectively convey the
mental model. If a picture is worth a thousand words, I need something far
more information dense than that. It takes too long to convey any other way.

I don't know if there is anything you could do to help me make this happen. I
first need to get off the street. Then I can focus more on work like this. But
that is what I would do and something I think would make a big difference in
the world.

I have been trying to come up with thoughts on what _you_ could do, which is
really what you want to know, and coming up blank, in part because I don't
know you well enough to know where your niche appropriately is.

Best of luck.

~~~
thyselius
Hi Mz, a thought — perhaps your theories can be presented in a video or
lecture, live or filmed. This would possibly be good, fast, cheap alternative
in order to get your movement started.

I wish you the best of luck.

------
HandleTheJandal
Please take a look at
[https://www.geneticrescue.science](https://www.geneticrescue.science). We're
looking for collaborators to help advance the science of genetic rescue and
de-extinction.

~~~
thyselius
Hi there. Thanks, this looks intriguing. How could I help?

~~~
HandleTheJandal
You could organize a project to run under the Genetic Rescue Foundation's
umbrella. We're currently sequencing the genome of the extinct moa.
[http://blog.scienceexchange.com/2015/06/sequencing-the-
genom...](http://blog.scienceexchange.com/2015/06/sequencing-the-genome-of-
the-extinct-moa/) .

We're also proposing to sequence the genomes of all 125 remaining kakapo.
[https://www.geneticrescue.science/projects/genome-
sequencing...](https://www.geneticrescue.science/projects/genome-
sequencing/kakapo) . If you have a conservation project in mind we can help
you to publicize and crowdfund it if necessary.

So you can help out by organizing your own conservation project or by getting
involved with our existing projects. Email info at geneticrescue.science to
continue the conversation. Thank you for your interest!

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thyselius
Author here, something happened with the bullet lists line breaks, and the
text can't be updated. Sorry about that.

