Joseph Starobinets
1.3K posts
Was not going to share this, but free sauce:
I'm doing almost ZERO marketing right now but every day I wake up to $100-$800 in revenue from NEW customers.
No ads, no paid promos. New people are finding, downloading, and purchasing on their own.
How?
I rebuilt my onboarding to show value FIRST, then ask for a review. My successful friends told me to do this forever and I kept pushing it off.
5 star reviews are flooding in and the App Store is pushing my app harder and harder.
I wish I listened a year ago, the simple S%^T always works.
English
@JosephStarob @NiohBerg I follow the Messianic plan... wait for it.
English
@afshineemrani @NiohBerg Why are you so optimistic about iranian regime fall? In recent days us and Israeli officials are not so optimistic. After 1.5 weeks of war they are not so sure anymore that this will lead to the regime collapse
English
My predictions
1. The Iranian Regime Will Collapse
The theocratic system ruling Iran is crumbling, and a revolution driven by the Iranian people will ultimately dismantle it.
2. A Secular Leader Will Replace the Clerical System
The next leader of Iran will likely be secular (not a cleric)—possibly a technocratic or military figure representing a clean break from the Islamic Republic.
3. Reza Pahlavi Will Play a Unifying Role
The son of the former Shah may help unify the opposition and symbolize continuity, even if he does not become head of state.
4. Trump’s Strategy Is Short, Decisive Wars
U.S. strategy under Trump will focus on quick conflicts followed by withdrawal, avoiding long occupations.
5. Iran’s Fall Weakens Russia, China, and North Korea
By cutting Iran’s oil revenue and military supply network, three major adversaries lose a key partner, increasing pressure on them without direct war.
6. Persistent Instability in the Strait of Hormuz
Even after conflict subsides, asymmetric attacks and shipping disruptions will continue, requiring a limited long-term U.S. security presence.
7. Economic Volatility and Possible Cyber Attacks
Oil price swings and geopolitical shocks will cause market volatility, and a major cyberattack on global banking remains a real possibility.
8. Israel Expands Strategic Control
Israel will establish deeper buffer zones (especially in Lebanon) and eventually absorb disputed territories, ending the possibility of a separate Palestinian state.
9. A Kurdish State Will Eventually Form
A new Kurdish nation will emerge in the Middle East despite resistance from regional powers like Turkey.
10. A Difficult Decade Followed by Renewal After 2030
The world will face conflicts, economic shocks, and instability until around 2030, but not nuclear war—after which a more stable global era will begin.
open.substack.com/pub/afshine/p/…
English
This isn’t about workouts, it’s about nutrition. Completely cut out sweets and refined flour products. That’s what makes you gain fat. Also try to eat only twice a day so that there’s about a 16-hour window from dinner to breakfast.
Eat meat, fish, eggs, cheese, and vegetables. Don’t restrict fatty foods. Eating fatty meat and full-fat dairy is completely normal and healthy. People don’t gain weight from fat, they gain weight from carbohydrates.
If you feel uncomfortable eliminating carbs entirely, try to eat slower-digesting carbs like buckwheat. But avoid bread, pasta, and white rice.
Also check your blood sugar levels. Even better, check not only glucose but insulin as well. It’s important to look at insulin resistance. That’s the main indicator of whether someone has a tendency to gain weight.
English
I do the same:
8+ hours of sleep
no alcohol
daily sun exposure
lift 4x a week
10k steps/day
but my body fat still stays at 20%+, and it’s quite hard to get lean. Any tips? 💪
Rob Hallam@robj3d3
If you’re a founder you should be training like an athlete: > 8hrs sleep > no alcohol > daily sun > lift 4x a week > 10k steps/day The #1 reason founders fail is because they quit. If your body is fit, you won’t quit.
English
“GPT-5.4 is basically AGI.”
Meanwhile it’s been fighting a React Native chart for half a day.
English
Studying the Torah develops a very specific type of intellectual ability. In the modern world, those skills translate surprisingly well to solving complex problems like artificial intelligence or designing systems with many variables and conflicting signals.
I also have a hypothesis about why Israel has such an extraordinary number of startups. In human societies, the easiest path is to follow the consensus. For Jews throughout history, the easiest option would have been to assimilate into surrounding nations and adopt the dominant religion. Many did, and they disappeared as part of the Jewish people.
But those who remained Jewish for centuries repeatedly said no:
- Convert to Christianity
- No
- Convert to Islam
- No
Over many generations this created a kind of natural selection favoring people who are more comfortable going against consensus.
That trait may partly explain the unusual level of innovation in Israel’s economy. A tiny country producing a disproportionate number of startups requires exactly that mindset: the willingness to challenge prevailing assumptions and invent solutions that did not exist before.
shira@shiraeis
ok so my theory that ashkenazi judaism was an unintentional eugenics program for a trait cluster that overlaps heavily with autism and adhd but isn't exactly either clinically: talmudic scholarship is different from normal scholarship. it's recursive pattern extraction across massive corpora, exception-finding, holding contradictory interpretations in working memory while searching for reconciliation, basically what we'd now call hypersystemizing. gematria (assigning numerical values to letters and finding "meaningful" correspondences) is literally recreational combinatorics with religious characteristics and for ~40 generations (~800-1600 CE), the marriage market explicitly rewarded this. the shidduch system matched talmudic prodigies with wealthy families' daughters. functionally, it's assortative mating for systematizing ability with direct reproductive consequences. meanwhile occupational restrictions pushed ashkenazi jews into finance, trade, medicine, which are all high cognitive load niches where the same traits would be advantageous the cognitive profile this produced is wild and lopsided. verbal IQ highest of any group, mathematical also highest of any group, but spatial ability decidedly not. that's a specific phenotype being selected hard the result: 0.2% of world population, 22% of all nobel laureates (110x base rate), ~30% of fields medals, 41% of economics nobels but here's where it gets interesting. i don't think this selected for "intelligence" as a clean construct. i think it selected for a trait cluster that overlaps heavily with what we now diagnose as autism and adhd, a cluster including intense pattern recognition, ability to hyperfocus on abstract domains, and reduced sensitivity to social consensus when it conflicts with logical consistency the genetics support this. the TBCB gene mutation linked to autism has a carrier frequency of 1:80 in ashkenazi jews vs 5:100,000 in the general population. in israeli studies, jewish children's ASD referral rates are 6x higher than bedouin-arab rates, and high-functioning autism specifically is dramatically more prevalent (29.6% vs 2.6%) baron-cohen's hyper-systemizing theory of autism finds that parents who score high on systematizing are more likely to produce autistic children, which is literally what the shidduch system was optimizing for across a millennium of closed gene flow it's probably not selecting for autism or adhd as clinical entities. it's more that the underlying trait distribution got shifted. the same alleles that in certain combinations produce clinical autism/adhd, in other combinations produce the kid who argues with the rabbi for six hours about a single line of talmud and then grows up to win a fields medal personally, i come from a lineage of rabbis dating back to 1400s lithuania so i'm basically a heritage breed at this point lmao
English
Overeating is a bad idea. Your body does most of its cleanup and repair when you fast, not when you constantly eat.
Longevity tends to be inversely correlated with overeating. Intermittent fasting (two meals a day) plus occasional 1–3 day fasts may produce the best results.
@levelsio@levelsio
Unbelievable the amount of food you need to eat to hit 2g per kg in bodyweight while being in caloric restriction or maintainance, I mean I hit it but it's not easy is it
English
⚡️Iran wants the UK involved because the UK is a brake pedal.
They are losing the military layer and they know it. So they are trying to move the fight into the only domain where they still have leverage: Western politics.
London does two things for Tehran. It legitimizes a negotiation track and it slows decision velocity. More committees, more procedures, more talk, more off ramps. That buys time. Time is survival.
They also want to widen the coalition so the coalition fractures. The U.S. and Israel can stay on the gas for weeks. Europe tends to splinter under oil spikes, terror risk, and duration fatigue. The UK is the bridge that can pull Washington toward a diplomatic ceiling if the economic pain gets loud enough.
Iran does not want the UK as a full combatant. Iran wants the UK in the room and in the chain. Mediator on paper, participant by entanglement.
This is also why Hormuz matters. Iran cannot beat jets with jets. They can beat jets with headlines and prices. Oil up, shipping paused, political pressure rising. In that environment, the UK becomes the voice that says stop before this spirals. That is exactly what Tehran wants.
Bottom line:
Iran is trying to survive by forcing an argument inside the West.
The UK is the lever.
Open Source Intel@Osint613
The Islamic regime is begging for the UK to get involved. I don’t understand the strategy
English
@JosephStarob @afshineemrani That's what happened yesterday, not some fanciful speculation.
English
The 2024 Hezbollah pager explosions, which turned everyday communication devices into synchronized kinetic weapons, served as a chilling "proof of concept" for modern shadow warfare. However, emerging reports regarding the depth of Mossad’s infiltration into the Iranian state suggest that the electronic sabotage was merely a prelude to a far more invasive "human hardware" hack. This is no longer just a matter of intercepted signals or satellite surveillance; it is an era of espionage where the shadow cast by Israeli intelligence has moved from the peripheral to the cellular, allegedly compromising the very biology and inner sanctums of the Islamic Republic’s elite.
At the heart of this collapse is a betrayal of staggering proportions. Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently provided a window into this internal rot, claiming that the very counter-intelligence unit established to hunt Mossad agents was, in fact, led by a Mossad operative. This double-agent network, which included at least 20 high-ranking officers, effectively functioned as a Trojan Horse within the Iranian "immune system." This compromise explains how Israel was able to orchestrate the daring 2018 theft of Iran’s nuclear archives and the pinpoint assassinations of top scientists. When the guards at the gate are on the enemy’s payroll, the concept of a "secure location" ceases to exist.
Beyond the corridors of power, the infiltration has allegedly moved into the medical clinics and private lives of the leadership. Intelligence circles are buzzing with claims of "medical espionage," where Mossad operatives posing as specialized doctors or dentists utilized routine procedures to plant miniature tracking devices. Whether through nano-trackers slipped into dental work or beacons implanted during endoscopies, the elite of the Iranian military may have been transformed into unwitting human beacons. This level of "deep tissue" infiltration provides a logical explanation for the terrifying accuracy of recent strikes that have reportedly neutralized over 400 high-ranking officials. It suggests a move beyond wiretapping phones toward "wiretapping" the human body itself.
This total information dominance is psychological as much as it is physical. Viral reports suggest that Mossad’s reach is so absolute that agents have successfully recorded footage from within the Supreme Leader’s most secure compounds, turning the regime’s most trusted advisors and security details into conduits for Tel Aviv. The regime now operates in a state of terminal paranoia; every encrypted message, every medical check-up, and every "loyal" lieutenant is a potential liability. If the pager operation was a mic drop, the systematic dismantling of the Iranian state from the inside out is the encore. Mossad has demonstrated that they do not need to breach the walls of a fortress if they already own the people inside it. The Iranian regime is no longer just being watched; it is being surgically deconstructed from within its own marrow.
@afshineemrani
English
Analyzing the top-performing TikToks in AI avatar and synthetic UGC spaces reveals consistent hooks rooted in transformation magic and zero-cost hacks. In zombifed8's day 3 series, a casual AI chat prompt instantly morphs a real-life corset image into a pixel-perfect Roblox shirt template, captivating 937K viewers with fast-forwarded grid-filling visuals. Similarly, zaaaaaa2752's marketplace hack draws 542K views by contrasting pricey paid avatars against a free 'sweet girl' gem, guiding users through taps to a customized edgy look. Both leverage raw screen recordings: rapid slideshows in the first, deliberate slow-mo navigation in the second: to trigger curiosity around 'easy wins' in Roblox customization, fueling shares among US teen creators hungry for pro-level assets without Robux spend.
Read the full article → virengine.com/ai-avatar-and-…
English
Unlock the blueprint behind million-view TikToks where AI-powered Roblox UGC explodes by blending effortless creation with gamer FOMO.
English
High-engagement content isn't random; it's engineered around core human triggers. Across 60k+ videos analyzed, top performers exploit curiosity loops, where rapid reveals force active participation, like pausing to guess before text fills the screen. Exaggerated facial animations sync with questions to mirror viewer surprise, spiking dopamine through quick wins and 'gotcha' moments. Nostalgia reimagined: school ABCs twisted into adult trivia: taps pride and FOMO, turning passive scrolls into self-tests. Engagement hit 5.25% because these formats demand interaction: 'Say it aloud' commands create cognitive investment, while progressive A-Z builds compound anticipation, holding viewers to the end for that final score-check satisfaction.
Read the full article → virengine.com/decoding-tikto…
English
Consumer apps just unlocked 1.2 billion organic views in 30 days by mastering emotional pulls like nostalgia-fueled quizzes, cathartic faith arcs, and cringe-to-triumph beauty reveals: revealing a shift to repeatable, psychology-backed systems.
English
TikTok thrives on instant emotional spikes, and Couple360's ambassadors nailed this with over-the-top facial reactions that mirror viewers' inner chaos when discovering ways to quantify love. In one breakout hit, a creator's wide-eyed, mouth-covering freakout perfectly captures the stuttered disbelief of 'How can I display my days with my girlfriend right on my phone?!' This viral shock moment loops glitchy text overlays mimicking a speech stumble, building humor through relatable imperfection before seamlessly revealing the app's ticking days-together widget amid fairy-lit couple photos. The real-time counter climbing to 860+ days doesn't just show time: it broadcasts achievement and intimacy, sparking FOMO in anyone scrolling solo. This format's genius lies in its psychological judo: surprise flips to aspiration, driving shares as viewers tag partners with 'We need this!'
Read the full article → virengine.com/unlocking-coup…
English
In under 30 days, Couple360 skyrocketed to 200K downloads and #1 in Spain by mastering TikTok's emotional hooks that turn everyday relationship longing into addictive lock screen magic.
English
Across 8 top-viewed US TikToks (100k+ views each), AI avatars dominate Roblox UGC creation, blending synthetic faces, clothing gens, and effects for quick monetization. Strong hits like AI shirt templates from real photos rack up 900k views via casual chat demos, while free marketplace hacks trigger FOMO with 0-Robux cute girls. Yet failures abound: distorted Avatar flags amuse via absurdity but erode pro trust, Character.AI crashes vent frustration (2.5k comments), and lazy AI OCs get mocked for skipping skills. Pattern: Virals hook with progression (real-to-game transforms), but weak ones stall on glitches, killing 50-70% retention per TikTok psych.
Read the full article → virengine.com/ai-avatar-and-…
English
Synthetic AI avatars can 10x your UGC output overnight, but uncanny glitches and policy fails tank retention: audit these 8 viral hits to scale trust and conversions fast.
English