Paco Ahlgren
Encyclopedia
Paco Ahlgren is an American
novelist. His debut novel
, Discipline, was published in July 2007 by Greenleaf Book Group and it went on to receive the 2008 Eric Hoffer
Book Award in commercial fiction..
In his late teens, Ahlgren began a career as a professional musician
with the band The Bentley Tock. The Bentley Tock began performing around the campus of The University of Alabama
in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Ahlgren was the lead vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter. In 1992, The Bentley Tock began recording their songs, releasing the CD titled "Able."
Ahlgren continued his musical career with his long-time colleague and friend, Joseph Santori. Together, the two went on to form the acoustic duo known as The Ultraviolet Catastrophe -- a name taken from Ahlgren's deep interest in subatomic physics. During his time with the Ultraviolet Catastrophe, Ahlgren became an accomplished cellist, and mastered music theory
.
In his early twenties, Ahlgren set his musical interests aside -- choosing instead to pursue other passions, including philosophy
, psychology, and modern scientific and social theories. He traveled extensively -- spending long periods of time in Mexico (Ahlgren is fluent in Spanish).
Eventually, he earned a degree in finance
and worked as an economist, analyst, programmer, and cryptologist for nearly two decades. For several years, Ahlgren closely studied subjects ranging from eastern epistemology and metaphysics
, to subatomic science
.
(and then Linux
), as well as relational databases. He used various programming languages and database platforms to create more efficient trading systems, and eventually took his knowledge online, using HTML
, CSS
-- and later PHP
, SQL
, and other scripting and programming languages to create complex interfaces between clients and their trading accounts. Eventually, Ahlgren became something of a pioneer in the world of online security, using encryption
and hashing algorithms to create secure environments for clients and their accounts.
In 1996, Ahlgren's life changed dramatically, and after years of alcohol abuse, he stopped drinking and joined the program of Alcoholics Anonymous
. He considers himself to be an active member of the group. That same year, he decided to take the knowledge he had accumulated and started his own investment company, The Popperian Group -- named after Sir Karl Popper, whose influence over Ahlgren had been so immense. Although Ahlgren continued to use his technical skills to more efficiently analyze markets and interface with clients through systems integration and administration, he largely abandoned the speculative world of commodities trading -- choosing instead a more conservative, and lucrative methodology he had been increasingly exposed to: the long-term philosophy of Warren Buffett
, Ben Graham
, David Dodd
, Charlie Munger
, and Philip Fisher
-- known as value investing
.
In late 1998, Ahlgren started a side development company called Design Originate, which he used as a vehicle for much of his systems administration and web design, development, and programming work. While Design Originate never consumed anything approaching Ahlgren's entire focus, it has provided a medium through which he has developed his own technological projects -- including his book's web presence, and the functionality surrounding the security and interfaces of his financial clients through the years. Ahlgren has also used Design Originate as a tool for serving a relatively small list of exclusive outsourced relationships he has developed with clients requiring specialized networking, systems, or development needs.
, Thomas Hobbes
, John Stuart Mill
, Sir Karl Popper, David Deutsch
, Thomas Kuhn
, F.A. Hayek, Warren Buffett, Philip Fisher, and Ludwig von Mises
. Ahlgren's experiences, interests, and research into fields as seemingly far apart as cryptography
, computer science
, programming, economics
, finance
, value investing, humanistic epistemology, quantum physics, and eastern mysticism -- most notably Taoism
and Buddhism
-- provided the foundations for his book Discipline, which is a confluence of his many passions. Certainly the book displays (if only subtly) his deep enthusiasm for knowledge -- especially science and mathematics, as they relate to philosophy and religion.
Ahlgren is a self-professed libertarian, and closely aligns himself with the philosophies of such contemporaries as Ron Paul
, Rand Paul
, Peter Schiff
, and Jimmy Rogers
. Ahlgren is also a student of the philosophy of Ayn Rand
-- known as Objectivism
. While he still admits to be an admirer of Rand's, he has largely dismissed the foundations of her philosophy as flawed at the most basic level.
, noted psychiatrist and author of The Quantum Brain, and Dr. Nicholas Herbert, the author of Quantum Reality, Faster Than Light, and Elemental Mind.
Discipline also received favorable reviews from The Midwest Book Review, The Houston Press and Durango Herald.
In 2009, Discipline was set to become a motion picture by David Permut
and Steve Jones. Ahlgren was reluctant to allow the book to become a film, suggesting that too much of the story's substance would be lost if it were condensed into a movie. As of 2011, nothing further has materialized on this front, and there is some skepticism as to whether the film will be made.
, Benzinga, Investor Concepts, and the Gold Speculator.
Ahlgren hosted his own television show called "The Free Market," as well as a radio show and podcast of the same name. The broadcasts were based on the works of such philosophers and economists as Ludwig von Mises
, F.A. Hayek, Sir Karl Popper, and Milton Friedman
-- among others.
. Some people have even suggested that Ahlgren is Bitcoin's mysterious and pseudonymous founder, Satoshi Nakamoto. The speculation arises primarily from Ahlgren's experience in computer programming and cryptology, coupled with the fact that he proposed an alternative private currency in his book Discipline -- written many years before the advent of Bitcoin. Ahlgren also seems to have predicted in his book the economic malaise that led in no small part to Bitcoin's rise as a medium of exchange. Ahlgren denies any connection to the inception of Bitcoin.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novelist. His debut novel
Debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...
, Discipline, was published in July 2007 by Greenleaf Book Group and it went on to receive the 2008 Eric Hoffer
Eric Hoffer
Eric Hoffer was an American social writer. He was the author of ten books and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in February 1983...
Book Award in commercial fiction..
Early life
Born Frank Richard Ahlgren, III, his parents soon nicknamed him "Paco" (the Spanish nickname for Francisco) and he would be known by that name from then on.In his late teens, Ahlgren began a career as a professional musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
with the band The Bentley Tock. The Bentley Tock began performing around the campus of The University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Ahlgren was the lead vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter. In 1992, The Bentley Tock began recording their songs, releasing the CD titled "Able."
Ahlgren continued his musical career with his long-time colleague and friend, Joseph Santori. Together, the two went on to form the acoustic duo known as The Ultraviolet Catastrophe -- a name taken from Ahlgren's deep interest in subatomic physics. During his time with the Ultraviolet Catastrophe, Ahlgren became an accomplished cellist, and mastered music theory
Music theory
Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
.
In his early twenties, Ahlgren set his musical interests aside -- choosing instead to pursue other passions, including philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, psychology, and modern scientific and social theories. He traveled extensively -- spending long periods of time in Mexico (Ahlgren is fluent in Spanish).
Eventually, he earned a degree in finance
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
and worked as an economist, analyst, programmer, and cryptologist for nearly two decades. For several years, Ahlgren closely studied subjects ranging from eastern epistemology and metaphysics
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
, to subatomic science
Subatomic particle
In physics or chemistry, subatomic particles are the smaller particles composing nucleons and atoms. There are two types of subatomic particles: elementary particles, which are not made of other particles, and composite particles...
.
Finance, Economics, and Technology
In the early 1990s, Ahlgren began his career as a financial analyst and economist. His first taste came in the form of futures contracts, and Ahlgren enjoyed the fast-paced world of commodities, but his employers recognized another talent emerging from his day-to-day analysis of markets: he seemed to have an insatiable passion for computers and technology. In 1993, Ahlgren was given the task of automating a trading system one of his colleagues had invented -- a job which quickly evolved into networking first the office in which he and his co-workers resided, and then eventually the entire company. It was also during this time that Ahlgren got his first taste of UnixUnix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
(and then Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
), as well as relational databases. He used various programming languages and database platforms to create more efficient trading systems, and eventually took his knowledge online, using HTML
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
, CSS
CSS
-Computing:*Cascading Style Sheets, a language used to describe the style of document presentations in web development*Central Structure Store in the PHIGS 3D API*Closed source software, software that is not distributed with source code...
-- and later PHP
PHP
PHP is a general-purpose server-side scripting language originally designed for web development to produce dynamic web pages. For this purpose, PHP code is embedded into the HTML source document and interpreted by a web server with a PHP processor module, which generates the web page document...
, SQL
SQL
SQL is a programming language designed for managing data in relational database management systems ....
, and other scripting and programming languages to create complex interfaces between clients and their trading accounts. Eventually, Ahlgren became something of a pioneer in the world of online security, using encryption
Encryption
In cryptography, encryption is the process of transforming information using an algorithm to make it unreadable to anyone except those possessing special knowledge, usually referred to as a key. The result of the process is encrypted information...
and hashing algorithms to create secure environments for clients and their accounts.
In 1996, Ahlgren's life changed dramatically, and after years of alcohol abuse, he stopped drinking and joined the program of Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
. He considers himself to be an active member of the group. That same year, he decided to take the knowledge he had accumulated and started his own investment company, The Popperian Group -- named after Sir Karl Popper, whose influence over Ahlgren had been so immense. Although Ahlgren continued to use his technical skills to more efficiently analyze markets and interface with clients through systems integration and administration, he largely abandoned the speculative world of commodities trading -- choosing instead a more conservative, and lucrative methodology he had been increasingly exposed to: the long-term philosophy of Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett
Warren Edward Buffett is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is widely regarded as one of the most successful investors in the world. Often introduced as "legendary investor, Warren Buffett", he is the primary shareholder, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He is...
, Ben Graham
Ben Graham
Ben Graham may refer to:* Ben Graham , former Australian rules football player and an American football punter who currently plays for the Detroit Lions in the NFL* Benjamin Graham , the "father of value investing"...
, David Dodd
David Dodd
David LeFevre Dodd was an American educator, financial analyst, author, economist, professional investor, and in his student years, a of, and as a postgraduate, close colleague of Benjamin Graham at Columbia Business School.The Wall Street Crash of 1929 almost wiped out Graham, who had started...
, Charlie Munger
Charlie Munger
Charles Thomas Munger is an American business magnate, lawyer, investor, and philanthropist. He is Vice-Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Corporation, the diversified investment corporation chaired by Warren Buffett; in that capacity, Buffett describes Munger as "my partner." Munger is also the...
, and Philip Fisher
Philip Fisher
Philip Fisher may refer to:* Philip Fisher , a.k.a. Thomas Copley, English religious leader* Philip Arthur Fisher , entrepreneur & author* Philip "Fish" Fisher , American musician, member of band Fishbone...
-- known as value investing
Value investing
Value investing is an investment paradigm that derives from the ideas on investment and speculation that Ben Graham and David Dodd began teaching at Columbia Business School in 1928 and subsequently developed in their 1934 text Security Analysis...
.
In late 1998, Ahlgren started a side development company called Design Originate, which he used as a vehicle for much of his systems administration and web design, development, and programming work. While Design Originate never consumed anything approaching Ahlgren's entire focus, it has provided a medium through which he has developed his own technological projects -- including his book's web presence, and the functionality surrounding the security and interfaces of his financial clients through the years. Ahlgren has also used Design Originate as a tool for serving a relatively small list of exclusive outsourced relationships he has developed with clients requiring specialized networking, systems, or development needs.
Theories
For many years, Ahlgren delved deep into the connections between disparate philosophies and methods of thought. He lists as some of his biggest influences people like Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury , in some older texts Thomas Hobbs of Malmsbury, was an English philosopher, best known today for his work on political philosophy...
, John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill was a British philosopher, economist and civil servant. An influential contributor to social theory, political theory, and political economy, his conception of liberty justified the freedom of the individual in opposition to unlimited state control. He was a proponent of...
, Sir Karl Popper, David Deutsch
David Deutsch
David Elieser Deutsch, FRS is an Israeli-British physicist at the University of Oxford. He is a non-stipendiary Visiting Professor in the Department of Atomic and Laser Physics at the Centre for Quantum Computation in the Clarendon Laboratory of the University of Oxford...
, Thomas Kuhn
Thomas Kuhn
Thomas Samuel Kuhn was an American historian and philosopher of science whose controversial 1962 book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions was deeply influential in both academic and popular circles, introducing the term "paradigm shift," which has since become an English-language staple.Kuhn...
, F.A. Hayek, Warren Buffett, Philip Fisher, and Ludwig von Mises
Ludwig von Mises
Ludwig Heinrich Edler von Mises was an Austrian economist, philosopher, and classical liberal who had a significant influence on the modern Libertarian movement and the "Austrian School" of economic thought.-Biography:-Early life:...
. Ahlgren's experiences, interests, and research into fields as seemingly far apart as cryptography
Cryptography
Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of third parties...
, computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
, programming, economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, finance
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
, value investing, humanistic epistemology, quantum physics, and eastern mysticism -- most notably Taoism
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
and Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
-- provided the foundations for his book Discipline, which is a confluence of his many passions. Certainly the book displays (if only subtly) his deep enthusiasm for knowledge -- especially science and mathematics, as they relate to philosophy and religion.
Ahlgren is a self-professed libertarian, and closely aligns himself with the philosophies of such contemporaries as Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul is an American physician, author and United States Congressman who is seeking to be the Republican Party candidate in the 2012 presidential election. Paul represents Texas's 14th congressional district, which covers an area south and southwest of Houston that includes...
, Rand Paul
Rand Paul
Randal Howard "Rand" Paul is the junior United States Senator for Kentucky. He is a member of the Republican Party. A member of the Tea Party movement, he describes himself as a "constitutional conservative" and a libertarian...
, Peter Schiff
Peter Schiff
Peter David Schiff is an American investment broker, author and financial commentator. Schiff is CEO and chief global strategist of Euro Pacific Capital Inc., a broker-dealer based in Westport, Connecticut and CEO of Euro Pacific Precious Metals, LLC, a gold and silver dealer based in New York...
, and Jimmy Rogers
Jimmy Rogers
Jimmy Rogers was an American Chicago blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player, best known for his work as a member of Muddy Waters' band of the 1950s.-Career:...
. Ahlgren is also a student of the philosophy of Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screenwriter. She is known for her two best-selling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged and for developing a philosophical system she called Objectivism....
-- known as Objectivism
Objectivism
Objectivism or Objectivist may refer to:* Any standpoint that stresses objectivity, including;* Philosophical objectivity, realism, the conviction that reality is mind-independent* Moral objectivism, the view that some ethics are absolute...
. While he still admits to be an admirer of Rand's, he has largely dismissed the foundations of her philosophy as flawed at the most basic level.
Discipline
Discipline has received favorable reviews from Jeffrey SatinoverJeffrey Satinover
Jeffrey Burke Satinover is an American psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and physicist. He is well-known for books on a number of controversial topics in physics and neuroscience, and on religion, but especially for his writing and public-policy efforts relating to homosexuality, same-sex marriage and...
, noted psychiatrist and author of The Quantum Brain, and Dr. Nicholas Herbert, the author of Quantum Reality, Faster Than Light, and Elemental Mind.
Discipline also received favorable reviews from The Midwest Book Review, The Houston Press and Durango Herald.
In 2009, Discipline was set to become a motion picture by David Permut
David Permut
David A. Permut is an American television and movie producer. He was the producer of Richard Pryor: Live in Concert , the first theatrical live comedy concert, and Dragnet , an early example of remaking a television series into a motion picture. He is owner and president of Permut Presentations,...
and Steve Jones. Ahlgren was reluctant to allow the book to become a film, suggesting that too much of the story's substance would be lost if it were condensed into a movie. As of 2011, nothing further has materialized on this front, and there is some skepticism as to whether the film will be made.
Other Media
For many years, Ahlgren contributed his financial, economic, and political perspective through his column, The Bottom Violation, which has been widely syndicated and carried by websites including Seeking AlphaSeeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha is a stock market blog that provides free stock market analysis primarily from money managers, investment newsletter writers, and the general public. Alpha is a financial term referring to a stock's performance, relative to the market indexes used by fund managers. So, fund managers...
, Benzinga, Investor Concepts, and the Gold Speculator.
Ahlgren hosted his own television show called "The Free Market," as well as a radio show and podcast of the same name. The broadcasts were based on the works of such philosophers and economists as Ludwig von Mises
Ludwig von Mises
Ludwig Heinrich Edler von Mises was an Austrian economist, philosopher, and classical liberal who had a significant influence on the modern Libertarian movement and the "Austrian School" of economic thought.-Biography:-Early life:...
, F.A. Hayek, Sir Karl Popper, and Milton Friedman
Milton Friedman
Milton Friedman was an American economist, statistician, academic, and author who taught at the University of Chicago for more than three decades...
-- among others.
Bitcoin
In 2011, theories began to emerge on the Internet, linking Ahlgren to the crypto currency known as BitcoinBitcoin
Bitcoin is a decentralized, peer-to-peer network over which users make transactions that are tracked and verified through this network. The word Bitcoin also refers to the digital currency implemented as the currency medium for user transactions over this network...
. Some people have even suggested that Ahlgren is Bitcoin's mysterious and pseudonymous founder, Satoshi Nakamoto. The speculation arises primarily from Ahlgren's experience in computer programming and cryptology, coupled with the fact that he proposed an alternative private currency in his book Discipline -- written many years before the advent of Bitcoin. Ahlgren also seems to have predicted in his book the economic malaise that led in no small part to Bitcoin's rise as a medium of exchange. Ahlgren denies any connection to the inception of Bitcoin.