Specterx, Thanks for the support. I do appreciate it. And thanks for giving me this opportunity to address some of the popular misconceptions about SCT⦠Too much haste and not enough time. Compared to a blank chart with some S/R lines drawn on, the deluge of criss-crossing lines can look like a chaotic morass to the untrained eye. It may appear as though a tremendous effort is needed to find the eye of the geometric storm. This couldnât be further from the truth. The lines give order and precision to the apparent chaos. Of every 300 seconds, perhaps 10 are spent drawing the lines, and another 10 logging the information. That leaves 280 seconds in every five minute bar with not a lot to do. The prevailing sensation is not breathless hurry. Itâs boredom. Anticipation. Weâre driving down the highway. A swell of grey clouds hangs low in the sky. The engine hums and rain drizzles on the windscreen. The passenger canât see any road signs. They only realize theyâve missed the exit when they cross the state boundary. Now the driver has travelled this route many times before. The signs are camouflaged, but they are there. In fact, theyâre everywhere. Some are important, others less so. Theyâre written in a language all their own, and the meaning of each sign varies, based on its position in the route. The driver doesnât see the exit sign after the offramp. He sees it a couple of miles before. Innovation. Take a random guy off the street. Little aptitude and a few bad habits. Give him a couple of months of coaching, some betablockers and a spot at Carnegie Hall. Imperial Bosendorfer and a Chopin ballade. Sit in the stalls. Listen. Would you judge the quality of the piano based on his performance? Would you critique Chopin? He could do as others have done - strip the piano keys, get some sticks and play the lid like a drum. He may even make music. But as everyone knows, you canât play Chopin without the keys.
Yesterday, my post which attempted to probe more deeply into some of SpectreX's assertions concerning 'significant' resistance, was deleted by the mod on the grounds that it had wandered from the core theme of this thread. I pointed out that it was 'The Spectre' who had begun the movement. Today he (she) continues to do so and has been joined by mbset and ftip. What they are saying reflects a profound ignorance of what the Hershey method is about and I feel compelled to say so. Neo has clearly stated that this thread is NOT his soapbox and has welcomed the comments of others. If the comments of the above troika are on topic, then my comments which directly address their assertions should, IMO, also be considered as being on topic. What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander and so a uniform application of what the mod considers to be the appropriate rules of conduct for the current workings of this thread is called for. I will hold further comment until he (the mod) addresses my point. lj
Lj, I think Tums is doing an impeccable job in upholding the tone and purpose of the journal. I understand your motives, and am thankful for your continued support, but don't see a need for defensiveness, debate or closing of ranks. Nor do I care for people responding to, reacting to, or even acknowledging the now infamous detractors, or their many alter-egos. When I said this wasn't my soap-box, I wasn't just paying lip service. After all, a blog would be a much more suitable vessel if that were the case. What I had hoped to encourage was an interactive dialogue, with pictures, in real time, amongst practitioners, observers and genuinely interested students of the method. Not quibbles. Not debate. Not a stoic, impenetrable front.
Filtertip, Thanks for your earlier comments, and apologies for not responding sooner. By happenstance, you had somehow made it to my ignore list. Honestly can't remember why, and I mean no offense by this. Before the boot camp began, when I made my first tentative exploration of this material, my culling criteria were strict to the point of selfishness, and went something along the lines of ignoring anyone who didn't 'advance my understanding'. Naturally, this included most students of the method. In systematically de-culling, your name was (I'm sure inadvertently) left in the opaque box. I agree with your sentiments, and it's readily apparent that Sloth and Pride, though recognized, had not been dealt with as I was repeating mistakes. Debriefing had become a half-hearted formality. All it took was half an hour of serial chart perusal today to answer some important questions and highlight some moronic mistakes. Jack had never intended for me to become a mindless torpid automaton. That was all my own doing! Tomorrow, we'll find out if these fresh realizations bear fruit.
Hi Neoxx I would have had no idea if I was or remained on ignore, so my thanks and respect to you for your comments. We aren't robots, as you say, and there is our true nature to both discover and embrace. Which is the stronger, to live in spite of, or in harmony with oneself ? (it's rhetorical Q) We are all here for the same reason in so far as wanting to learn a difinitative approach to reading the market and IMO we have been drawn to a truth, here in Mr Hershey and Spyders writtings, that reflects the truth in our own sincere desire to want to learn and know. Whether that be via what looks like some form of astro physics or chasing around "red barns" looking for "cyotes" and "goats" doesn't (imo) really matter. What it takes to get out of our own way is each to their own to answer, but that is ,IMO, the crux of most issues. As a pianist myself I can't recommend enough to "practice, practice, practice". With respect and thx
This is my last post on this thread and let me start with an apology to Filtertip whom I mistakenly included with the B-team. Clearly, in the very largest measure, he isn't. IMO, hypo has offered some excellent advice with respect to real trading vs simming and as well the critical importance of the premier trade du jour. He just needs to learn how to reverse when necessary (as do I). Neo's effort has been and continues to be a noble one and I wish him the best of luck. Know this however, he is not, IMO, particularly or in fact anywhere close to being a meta-expert, which is the goal, or should be, of all Hershey traders. Ciao, lj
6.25 am. Couldn't sleep so logged on to find some unexpected activity here, and a couple of, let's just say 'interesting' PMs. Couldn't sleep isn't entirely accurate. Woke up at 3 am from an SCT dream (that's right, first-person, 20-something bars slowly forming, annotate, log, MADA... cruel and ironic, I know). Haven't been able to get back to sleep. The dream reminded me that most of last night's 'realizations' weren't fresh insights, but things I'd previously discovered and inconveniently forgotten, at least in practice, somewhere between faster fractals and minutiae. I also realized that my motives weren't completely altruistic. Somewhere along the line, I had the tacit expectation of a sound-proofed, avant garde apartment, with breathtaking views, in the heart of Manhattan. Never identified with the thrill of ownership, so probably rental. The space, access and acoustics for a Steinway concert grand. Lessons from a Julliard professor in return for scholarships; and a really good life coach. All of the above may strike you - the reader - as self-indulgent irrelevance. Maybe even closet narcissism. It's true that this thread began as the SCT Boot Camp. It's also true that Jack had a specific idea about the future direction of this thread, which I intend to remain faithful to. However, as a chronicle of my journey over the past four months, it's also been the closest thing to a personal journal I've kept, hence the seemingly off-topic thoughts, comments and observations. With the above in mind, perhaps it's best if this is moved to Journals. Or maybe - as has been suggested - I should start a new thread. Either way, I'm easy.
Enter long. 831.25 @ 10:40:57 <img src=http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=2282772>