Millan's Musings

Welcome to my blog.

I write about an eclectic mix of topics.

"Crazy Aces": My Spin on a Classic Card Game

Published Wed Feb 26 2025
A woman holds up a hand of cards for the Crazy Aces game, with two Aces on the right side.

I designed an enhanced version of the classic card game called "Crazy Eights", introducing new rules to spice up the gameplay and improve the endgame while retaining the soul and accessibility of the original game. This is the story of how that game came together, as well as a small introduction to my 2025 Card Game Design Challenge.

Regarding a "Strategic Bitcoin Reserve"

Published Mon Sep 09 2024
A collage of a physical "Bitcoin", some financial charts, and a $100 bill

Naked political vote-buying meets the crypto market, full of poor judgement and constituent manipulation (who would've guessed). A "strategic Bitcoin reserve" may sound good on first glance but quickly falls apart when you start to think about it.

Why I Became a Founding Engineer at a Seed-Stage Startup

Published Tue May 30 2023
CareerStartups
Photo of a main holding up a virtual collection of iconography surrounding the word "Startup".

After I left my job at a multinational hotel company, I did a personal inventory and ultimately decided I needed a radically different job. So I ended up focusing on very early-stage tech startups.

I Lost 75 Pounds by Focusing on My Emotional Health

Published Tue Aug 16 2022
Health
Three photographs of the author at different weights showing the change in his body: 313 lbs, 267lbs, and 243lbs.

I’ve finally found the key to living a healthy life with a body that matches. And the things I’ve learned along the way have totally changed my view of health and wellness. The kicker: it was actually really easy, once a couple things fell into the right place.

3 Reasons Wealth Inequality is Actually Good

Published Tue Jul 12 2022
FinanceSocial Commentary
Photo of little golfing figurines on top of a tall stack of quarters, next to a group of construction figurines on top of a much smaller stack of quarters.

Deep wealth and income inequality is a destructive force on many of the people of the world’s economy. But, for all the issues that inequality brings, there are some benefits too that are rarely discussed (or at least rarely framed well).

Dive deeper into A Hero's Journey.

If you enjoy my writing, you'll love my free weekly newsletter where I share my journey to become a Professional Tinkerer, new issues every Thursday morning.

In addition to updates on my own journey, I also share reflections on news and things I stumble across in my interest areas: crypto, investing, technology, and health and wellness.

This Is Why Terra Luna Crashed

Published Thu May 12 2022
CryptoFinance
A trading candlestick graph showing a clear downward trend in price.

Back in December, I wrote a story about a blockchain called Terra and why I thought it was the most promising blockchain around. In that story, I included a section on how Terra could fall apart in a theoretical black swan market event, and it seems my worst fears have come true.

The Dark Horse Asset Class Powering Crypto

Published Mon Nov 22 2021
CryptoFinance
Illustration of a bitcoin paired with a dollar, surrounded by 4 different stablecoins: USDC, Dai, Terra, and Tether.

As we’ve seen Bitcoin’s price go from a fraction of a cent to over $65,000, people have lost sight of the fact that Bitcoin was originally designed to be a digital currency.

The Crypto Consumer Economy

Published Mon Nov 08 2021
CryptoFinanceSocial Commentary
Illustration of a network with alaptop and a couple of phones connected to a bitcoin terminal, person, stack of coins, and bank, with several external connections.

The technology behind crypto is fascinating and incredibly strong, and it will definitely end up overhauling many industries, but right now there’s few real consumer outlets for the crypto economy — in essence, you can put money in and invest it, but you can’t spend it on much.

De-Mystifying DeFi

Published Sat Nov 06 2021
CryptoInvesting
Illustration showing a laptop and smartphone connected to cash which is connected to a server, bank deposit, and stack of coins.

Use crypto to take full ownership of your finances with no banks or other middlemen needed.

A Comprehensive List of Major Blockchains (2021)

Published Fri Nov 05 2021
Crypto
Illustration of several crypto coins: Polygon MATIC, Luna, Solana, Cardano, Ethereum, and Binance Coin.

Crypto in 2021 has a vibrant selection of blockchain ecosystems and coins. Each brings its own flavor, focuses, and use-cases. Here are my investment recommendations for the six biggest ones.

Six Things I Look for in a Blockchain Investment

Published Thu Nov 04 2021
Crypto
Illustration of a laptop connected to a lock which is then connected to two servers who are both connected to a stack of coins.

At the very foundation of all crypto projects — and therefor all crypto investing — is the blockchain. There are many different blockchains out there, and this story is all about figuring out which ones will make good investments and which ones are worth avoiding.

Are You Crypto-Curious?

Published Tue Nov 02 2021
Crypto
Abstract illustration with several icons: a web page, a question mark, and a dollar/Bitcoin.

Tell me if this sounds familiar: you know that you need to get in on this crypto phenomenon, but you don’t know what you should do.

Why you need to invest in crypto

Published Fri Jun 04 2021
CryptoInvesting
Two physical representations of Bitcoin and Ethereum as gold coins laying against a laptop screen with financial data on it.

Crypto is far more than just Bitcoin. Blockchain technology has opened a door for retail investors like you and me to be the owners of the internet infrastructure of the future.

Nathan Fillion IS Nathan Drake

Published Sun Aug 19 2018
Media
Left: Nathan Drake from Uncharted 4. Right: Nathan Fillion's headshot.

Though not the conventional choice, Fillion would make for a particularly entertaining interpretation of one of gaming’s most iconic heroes.

Sourcefed is Closing, What the Hell Happened?

Published Sat Mar 25 2017
MediaBusiness
The four final hosts of SourceFed against a white background in their farewell video.

Despite having a 7 figure subscriber count and getting hundreds of thousands of views every day, Group Nine Media cancelled Sourcefed, SourcefedNerd, and People Be Like.

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