Life on Mars 🪐

Pack your bags, we're going to Mars

Good Morning. Enjoy learning 4 things you didn’t know yesterday.

On today’s menu 🍽:

  • XRP Vs SEC

  • Life on Mars

  • Top 5 books you need to read

  • Mark Wahlberg's Beverly Park Mansion

Crypto

XRP V SEC Case

What is it? The SEC vs. Ripple is a court case in the United States Southern District Court of New York that could determine if cryptocurrency is a security or a commodity. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) alleged that Ripple raised more than $1 billion in 2013 through the sale of XRP in an unregistered security offering to investors. Ripple argues that XRP should not be treated as a security. The outcome of the case will have far-reaching consequences for the cryptocurrency industry. If Ripple loses the case, it could open the floodgates for similar actions against other crypto projects, likely leading to tighter regulation of the industry. Victory in court would effectively make the SEC the main crypto regulator.

The case is expected to come to a conclusion within the first half of the year.

What’s your take? Go buy some crypto here

Space

Interplanetary life in 5 years

Elon Musk has boldly declared that his SpaceX company will land humans on Mars in the next five to ten years.

That's right, we could be packing our bags for the Red Planet sooner than we thought. According to Musk, the Starship rocket is the most complex and advanced rocket ever made, which is handy because apparently, we're going to need a lot of them. Musk plans to build 1,000 of these bad boys and launch three a day, flying one million people to Mars.

However, don't go buying your tickets just yet. Musk says no amount of money will get you a ticket, so I guess we'll have to wait for the intergalactic lottery win.

Currently, it costs roughly $1 billion to land 1 tonne of mass on the surface of Mars, nowhere near efficient enough to colonise an entire planet! This figure includes the build, deep-space communication systems, propulsion limits and heat shields. Musk stated that this figure must improve by a factor of 1000, bringing the cost down to $1 million per tonne (Averaging out to be $80,000 per person), meaning it could take some time before this becomes a reality.

Books

Must reads

Here’s 5 books you need to read to just become better:

  1. "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg - because forming good habits is key to becoming a better version of yourself.

    Buy here

  2. "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey - because it teaches you how to develop effective habits and how to manage your time and priorities.

    Buy here

  3. "Mindset" by Carol Dweck - because it shows you how having a growth mindset can help you achieve success and overcome challenges.

    Buy here

  4. "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie - because it teaches you how to improve your communication skills and build better relationships.

    Buy here

  5. "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl - because it provides a powerful perspective on finding purpose and meaning in life, even in the face of extreme adversity.

    Buy here

Real Estate

$30 million under asking price

Mark Wahlberg has finally said goodbye to his fancy Beverly Park mansion after almost a year on the market.

The house was initially listed for a hefty US$87.5 million, but after no takers, Mark slashed the price to a mere US$79.5 million. In the end, he settled for US$55 million, which is still a pretty sweet deal considering he bought it for a measly US$8.25 million in 2009. So what does $80 million get you in LA? Well, apparently, 20 bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, and a whole lot of bragging rights.

Standout features of Casa de Wahlberg include the following:

  • Two-storey entryway w/ double staircase

  • Grand living room w/ arched doorways

  • Wood-panelled library w/ second-level balcony

  • Home theatre

  • Wine & cigar cellar w/ smoking lounge

  • Principal living spaces opening to patios & lawns

  • Professional gym (the “Iron Church” where Marky Mark starts his days at 3 AM)

  • Custom five-hole golf course & driving range, courtesy of Back Nine Greens

  • Full-sized basketball court

  • Skate park

  • Resort-like grotto pool w/ cabanas + viewing pavilion

  • Lavish guest house

  • Marble fireplace

  • Manicured gardens

  • Motorcourt

See more pictures of the mansion here

Memes

Meme of the day

That’s all folks. Hope you enjoyed this newsletter written (nearly) entirely by AI🤖.