That's what I said about Bitcoin at $1 (groan).... I'm heavy into Urbit now, learning their programming language, Hoon (more mindbending than Brainfuck).
I just checked on opensea.io; you can get a planet for 0.04 ETH--around $50.
Urbit is the Next Big Thing--I haven't seen anything like it in 40 years; it's a "computing platform" blank slate! I don't think it'll ever go away because there are enough tech people to keep it going. I can also see academia using it.
Setting up your own planet is a real hassle. Soon, you will be able to "rent" your own planet for a monthly fee (like paying for an ISP), and the provider will take care of all hardware and software. On the other hand, you can put your planet on a server for $10-$20/month.
zettelkasten.de has lots of good reading (thanks, Sascha and Christian!), but look to the other sources I've listed to get a more thorough idea of what a zettelkasten is (I call mine a thinking-box) and how to use one.
@lutusp, I'm sorry for whatever experiences have led you to such a negative opinion of therapy; I'm sure you have very valid reasons to feel that way.
You're right, therapy is not a science, but it is doing its best to learn as much as possible about the human condition and to apply what it has learned to improve human lives.
In its defense, it's barely over 100 years old. Where was physics 100 years after its origins? Chemistry? Medicine? When therapy started, all Freud and Jung had to work with was observation of a person's visible and verbal behavior...and dreams. They did what they could with the tools that were available. Since then, we have roughly a century of observation, as well as research that has attempted to be as scientifically rigorous as it could be. And in the past 20 years or so, we've finally gained the first handful of technologies that have given us some basic data about what the brain is actually doing. We're still just beginning.
Here's what we're up against. The human brain is the most complex system in the universe, a crazy quilt of impulses that has accumulated from the blind forces of million years of evolution. Can you imagine how difficult it is to design an experiment that controls for unwanted factors? Now, add in the restrictions dictated by ethical concerns and the unimaginable range of human behavior. Is it any wonder that progress is so slow?
So, given how little we know, by what right do we presume to practice? You could ask the same of a physician from 200, or even 2,000, years ago. The answer would be the same: "Because people are suffering, and we have things we can do that have a good track record of reducing that suffering."
As a therapist, I am doing more than providing "benefit from ordinary conversation." See my reply to @nostrademons for details. It is well established, through numerous studies across the last 70 years, that measurable benefits are to be had from talking to a therapist who is non-judgemental, who communicates back to you an emotional understanding of your experience, and who is there to provide--as much as is humanly possible--unconditional support for you in your situation.
Changing human behavior is very, very difficult. But it can be done, and therapists of all sorts--psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and other licensed counselors--have valuable skills to offer.
@nostrademons, thank you for your perceptive and reasoned response. In my opinion, you don't have to bring the unconscious into your formulation. In fact, most of the therapists practicing today never utter the word "unconscious." To invoke the difficulty of understanding human behavior, one needs to go no "deeper" (for example) than the influence of events in early childhood (attachment theory), the imperfect thought processes of a human brain that has evolved over time (cognitive distortions), the fact that behaviors that are practiced over time become easier (neuroplasticity), or what we know about how traumatic experiences affect one's later life.
I would complete your "You go to a therapist..." sentence with "...because you're smart enough to understand that you don't know everything about your own complicated life, and you want to get the assistance of someone who is professionally trained in understanding human experience and helping people make and implement healthier choices in their lives." It's not voodoo--it's someone who knows the territory helping you get to your chosen destination faster.
And what does it mean to be professionally trained? Well, read my article for details. But I'll summarize: at minimum, a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology (3-4 years) and 3,000 hours of "supervised practice." In my case, that was 1,700 hours actually working as a therapist (seeing clients), maybe 1,500 hours of professional supervision while doing that work, over 100 hours of my own therapy, plus attending trainings, workshops, etc.
Who am I? I have an ancient Masters degree in computer science, I wrote for BYTE magazine (the first major computer magazine), I worked for Apple and a pre-IPO startup in Silicon Valley, and I program (badly) in Clojure. Because of my own therapy, I went from being a maladjusted, terminally shy young adult to being a therapist. I know that therapy can work wonders--if you're willing to do the work.
I'd favor video lectures. What you're proposing is pretty ambitious for teen learners, so (posted) videos will allow them to rewatch them, pause to take notes, etc. Good luck!
I tend to favor video as well. My kid is almost through with MIT 6.00.1x Intro to Computer Science with Python and he's done pretty well. I've helped him along the way but was happy to see him need less help as he progressed through the course.
Part of me thinks that starting at a much lower level might actually be easier in some ways. Not sure at this point.
I just checked on opensea.io; you can get a planet for 0.04 ETH--around $50.
Urbit is the Next Big Thing--I haven't seen anything like it in 40 years; it's a "computing platform" blank slate! I don't think it'll ever go away because there are enough tech people to keep it going. I can also see academia using it.
Setting up your own planet is a real hassle. Soon, you will be able to "rent" your own planet for a monthly fee (like paying for an ISP), and the provider will take care of all hardware and software. On the other hand, you can put your planet on a server for $10-$20/month.
Look into it; it's going to be a wild ride!