Human Eye Compared To Squid Eye

Squids and humans have little in common.  Indeed, our last common ancestor was a small Precambrian “worm” that lived some 750 million years ago; way before the evolution of our camera-like eyes.  Even so, cephalopods use a lens to project an image onto a retina; just like us.  The amazing thing is that the eyes of the vertebrates and cephalopods evolved independently; in very different ways and at very different times.  Scientists have a lovely term for this: Convergent Evolution.  (Note: P.Z. Myers, of Pharyngula fame—and one of my all-time favorite bloggers—has a slightly different take on this which, for the scientifically inclined, makes an interesting read.)

So what does this have to do with trading? A lot, as it turns out. I’ll leave the details for another day but suffice it to say that the majority of trading systems, commercial or otherwise, are incomplete, unusable or simply crap.  One need only look at one of the market leaders, like NinjaTrader or TradeStation, to know this is unquestionably true.  After all, no one gets into trading to sit in front of a console and “trade;” they want to “make money.”  The platforms, however, are all about mechanics but nothing about methodology.  It’s like being asked on the operating table to pick your own anesthetic.  Even worse, the second they put you under you have to somehow manage to wield the knife too.  No sane human would allow such a thing to occur in an operatory, so why do they allow it with their equally vital finances?

So back to squid, there are plenty of trading choices out there, but inasmuch as each and every one is a demonstrable fail, it’s time for a little re-evolution. Hence the squid; who I declare henceforward to be my most favored mascot…

BTW, squids really don’t have eyelids, although the Myopsids (gotta love the name!) do have a sort of cornea which, according to Danna Staaf, “…satisfies all their eye-covering needs…”