Make Money on the Future

Why gamble on fantasy football when you can take bets on sports the same way you invest in the stock market?

Tradesports.com is like a stock exchange for sports.

The data is much more accurate than opinion polls because the traders will lose money if they have the wrong opinions.

The company is based off of Intrade.com where people take bets on global events.

Intrade predicted that George Bush would win 2004.

It also predicted 33 out or 34 Senate races (it failed in Alaska because barely anyone traded).

You can bet on who will win an Emmy, where a hurricane will hit, and even on the outcome of O.J. Simpsons Las Vegas Robbery Trial.

Loneliness

Transient Loneliness – Temporary.

Example: listening to a song that reminds you of a loved one.

Situational Loneliness – Example: A sudden loss or move to a new city.

Chronic Loneliness

Chronically lonely people do not achieve a desired level of intimacy with their friends. They are obsessed by the possibilities of negative outcomes of social interactions.

People who have higher levels of social skills, including friendliness, communication skills, appropriate nonverbal behavior, and appropriate responses to others, have more adequate social support systems and lower levels of loneliness.

MTV's Jackass Culture

Quotes from various sources

"Growing up in a period of amazing prosperity, with no major wars and no rival superpowers, Generations X, Y and Z have had to scrounge around for initiation rites. And so why not hurl yourself off a bridge with an elastic cord strapped around your waist? The craziness of the idea is part of its charm.

This -- along with military skirmishes -- is what a lonely superpower does to entertain itself."

"a culture which champions celebrity bickering in the media, shameless public representation and the financing of seemingly endless states of war is actually more repulsive than eating manure "

Get on Reality TV

Casting Director, Peter Huntley:

"I like to see opinionated applicants. For example, if I ask someone what their favorite color is, and they tell me the color red and then proceed to tell me they hate the color blue and specific reasons why they hate blue...I love them. I like applicants that can tell stories and back up any statement with specifics and examples. If you can’t tell me a good story, you won’t land a spot on the show. It’s all about personality."

Can a CEO perform better than the President?

Chris Collins of Erie County in NY ran as a CEO instead of a politician. He is now the the County Executive.

He uses a business approach called Six Sigma measures how well you perform. This way, you can see if there has actually been improvement in the county.

He measures his success by increasing the population of the county.

He says that usually, there is no accountability and if government officials don't do their part, they just tax the citizens more.

What is interesting is America's recent interest in doing the same with Health Care.

Would you rather be Feared or Loved?

In The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli concludes: "it is best to be both feared and loved; however, if one cannot be both it is better to be feared than loved."

Michael Scott from The Office comes to a similar conclusion:

"Would I rather be feared or loved? Umm.... easy, both...

I want people to be afraid of how much they love me."

Wise Words.

Wilde N Out

"Appearance blinds, whereas words reveal."

"Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative."

"What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing."

"The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about."

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

"But what is the difference between literature and journalism?
...Journalism is unreadable and literature is not read. That is all."

-Oscar Wilde

Nemesis Needed

"I've been trying to think of ways to spice up my life. I'm 35 years old, happily married with two kids... But somethings missing.

...I need to inject some excitement into my daily routine through my arm before its too late. I need a challenge, something to get the adrenaline pumping again. An addiction would be nice, but, in short, I need a nemesis.

I'm willing to pay $350 up front for you services as an arch enemy over the next six months. Nothing crazy. Steal my parking space, knock my coffee over, trip me when Im running to catch the BART and occasionaly whisper in my ear, "Ahha, we meet again". That kind of thing. Just keep me on my toes..."

"Evil laugh preferred. Send me a photo and a brief explanation why you would be a good nemesis.

British accent preferred."

http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/sfo/672031640.html

Taken from the "Best of Craigslist." Check it out for more posts.

http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/all/

Thanks to my friend priscilla for the info.

2008 Olympics - Not in China?

Beijing may not have hosted the 2008 Olympics.

In 2001, Congress proposed a bill against the Beijing Olympics due to issues with China’s human rights.

So how did China keep the bid going? One word: Guanxi.

Guanxi – personal networking built around an exchange of favors.

Sheldon Adelsen 3^rd Richest American in the World.
Opposes peace negotiations in the Middle East.
Finances the Bush Administration.

Adelsen wanted to build Casinos in Macau (a region of China) to make it the “Las Vegas” of Asia.

The Chinese government helped him secure rights.

Liu Qi (Mayor of Beijing): Can you help us with the Olympics?
Adelson (Rich Guy): I’ll make a few calls.

Tom DeLay had his Fourth of July Barbecue interrupted with a phone call.

Tom DeLay (Congressman): You tell your mayor, it can be assured that this bill will never see the light of day.

Guanxi.

Social Capital

Like Guanxi (see earlier post). Connections in Networks.

Gemeinschaft (German) – Individuals value the community instead of promoting their own interests.

Wasta (Middle East) – a connection that will break or bend the rules for you, bypassing bureaucracy. In Kuwait, they call it “Taking Vitamin ‘W’."

In America, we call it corruption.

Books:

“How to Win Friends and Influence People” – Dale Carnegie
The Bible of Networking.

“Never Eat Alone” – Keith Ferrazzi
A more modern approach.

Chinese Social Concepts

Guanxi – A connection between people where favors are exchanged.

Ganqing – The depth of feeling between two people. How well you click.
Renqing – The moral obligation to maintain the relationship

Saving Face

Lian – Confidence of society in a person’s moral character. (Trust)
Mianzi – Social Perceptions of a person’s prestige. (Authority)

How I Met Your Mother

A sitcom about a man telling his kids how he fell in love.

It's not as complex as other sitcoms. It's pretty funny for how simple it is.

Future Ted: It was like something from an old movie, where the sailor sees the girl across the crowded dance floor, turns to his buddy and says, "See that girl? I'm gonna marry her someday."

Ted: Hey Barney, see that girl?

Barney: Oh yeeeahh, you just KNOW she likes it dirty.

I stumbled upon a pretty dope site while looking for that: Wikiquote.

Ever wish you could recall quotes from your favorite sitcoms? Well here you go. Quotes from all your favorite episodes.

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/How_I_Met_Your_Mother
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Office_%28US%29
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Arrested_Development

Thanks to my friend Nini for introducing me to the show.

Defining the Problem

I can't forgive you. Even if I could,
You wouldn't pardon me for seeing through you.
And yet I cannot cure myself of love
For what I thought you were before I knew you.

-Wendy Cope

"that's why they call them crushes...

...if they were easy, they'd call them something else. "

Two 80's Movies For You To Watch

All I knew about this movie was that it had titties.

Remember in Harold and Kumar when their two friends were sitting on the couch, watching a movie waiting to see some boobies? Well that movie was Sixteen Candles and no, it's not dirty.

It's actually a pretty amusing movie about a teen who just turned 16. The only thing is, her family forgot her birthday. Oh, and her dream crush knows that she would sleep with him. And, the leader of the geeks (a freshman) is trying to get his holler on and manages to get her panties. How? Watch it.

Also watch The Breakfast Club. It also stars Molly Ringwald. It's a movie about 5 high school students with totally different stereotypes who are stuck in detention. No boobies in this one though.