Archive

Posts Tagged ‘books’

My Experience with Fulfillment by Amazon

September 2nd, 2010

Recently I have been selling old books on Amazon. I discovered that it is actually a great way to get rid of them. The Amazon Marketplace is a very efficient and fairly easy to use system for sellers. And the prices are surprisingly high.

I tend to read books only once. I have about 10 favorite books that I can read over and over, but besides those I generally never read a book twice. If it makes a good reference book about trading or programming, then I might look at it many times. I take care of them and after I have read them they are still in new condition. That means they fetch a high price on Amazon.

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Business Strategy, Internet, Money, Success , , , , , , , ,

The Changing Library

August 18th, 2010

After I noticed that I only read books once, I decided to start using the library (what a concept!). I was quite surprised to find the library very different from the last time I visited one, which was back in high school. Who goes to the library, anyway?

Your Local Public Library

What I noticed today is that most of the people in the library weren’t using books at all! They were using their laptop and the free internet service, or one of the computers in the library. In fact, the library offers a bunch of free services that make it a good office or place to study. It has big tables, uncomfortable chairs (to keep you awake), it’s nice and cool in summer, and a bathroom.

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Great Books, Internet, US Economy , , , ,

Today’s Interesting Reading: Bursts

August 14th, 2010

Now I am reading a new book that is pretty interesting, Bursts by Albert-Laszlo Barabasi. It’s about the hidden patterns in life, and how they express themselves in everything that we do. I think that many people feel like we understand ourselves, but I’ll bet that this book sheds light about what happens inside our mind.

I just started reading it, but I already found some pretty and useful information. He talks about the mystery of why pollen moves around randomly when placed in a dish of water. Around 1900 this was a big mystery, because the idea of the atom was just a theory, and people didn’t know what force could move a tiny object suspended in water.

What does this have to do with our lives?

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Great Books, Money, Success , , , , , , , , , ,

Accelerating Technology and the New Kindle

July 29th, 2010

Many people are quite aware of the miracle of accelerating technology. It states that there is a certain period of time where the price/performance ratio of a product doubles. And, that doubling time is getting shorter. For computers, it is down to about 1.25 years.

Computers have a relatively long history, and it is interesting to see the effect on other more recent products. Today, I checked the Amazon home page to discover that they have released Kindle 3.0.

The first version was released November 19, 2007, followed by version 2 in November 2009. So, the first version was replaced after 2 years and the second after just 8 months. That makes an average of 1.3 years per generation.

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Accelerating Technology, Business Strategy, Great Books, Success, US Economy , , , , , , , ,

Learn Free: Learn Out Loud’s Free Audio Business Books

July 19th, 2010


Technology is leveling the playing field for a lot of businesses and industries.

It once took millions of dollars of capital to start a business. Now all you need is a computer and an internet connection.

Education is the next domino to fall. Learn Out Loud is pioneering that path.

The company, which sells audiobooks, also offers free books,  including several business and self-improvement classics.

Here are a few examples:

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Great Books, Internet, Investing, Money, Online Investing AI, Success , , , , ,

Bursts! Is Human Behavior Predictable?

May 20th, 2010


There’s one theory that says the stock market is unpredictable because the stock market is made up of people. Since human behavior is unpredictable, the market must be unpredictable, as well.

The theory has a lot of adherents.

And, a quick review of the, oh, let’s say past three weeks, shows an amazingly volatile market.

But, according to a book by Albert-Lazlo Barabasi, human behavior might not be as unpredictable as you would imagine.

His book, Bursts, the hidden pattern behind everything we do, is a soaring look at the theory that you can predict human behavior, if you can just understand bursts.

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Accelerating Technology, Great Books, Investing, Online Investing AI, US Economy , , , , , , , , ,

How High can Gold and Silver go?

February 27th, 2010

After reading Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing In Gold and Silver last week, I did some research and thought about the whole concept of gold and sliver. It got me thinking about the value of  precious metals, and some of the ideas that we just accept about money.

Consider this. When was the last time you paid for anything with a silver coin whose value was determined by the amount of silver in the coin? The answer is probably never. Because we don’t use silver or gold coins for exchange anymore. And, the reason is quite subtle. The government has replaced these coins with fiat currency such as dollars.

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Investing, Money , , , , , , ,

Finding Your Personal Financial Bright Spot

February 11th, 2010

switchheathDo you have a problem with your personal financial picture?

Most people engage in problem-solving in a series of steps. They isolate the problem. Brainstorm several solutions. And then they try each solution until they arrive at one that seems to work.

But, often, the problems are so big and the solutions so varies, that they quit and go back to the status quo.

Chip and Dan Heath, authors of “Made to Stick,” say there’s a better way in their new book, “Switch” According to the authors, who talk about the process in Fast Company, it’s a matter of finding a bright spot.

Bright spots are areas of success.  You want to copy success, not solve problems, they say.

“A problem may look hopelessly complex. But there’s a game plan that can yield movement on even the toughest issues. And it starts with locating a bright spot — a ray of hope.”

Here’s how you can apply it to your finances.

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Accelerating Technology, Great Books, Investing, Money, Online Investing AI, Success , , , , ,

Conspiracy of the Rich

January 30th, 2010

I recently read Robert Kiyosaki’s latest book, Conspiracy of the Rich. I highly recommend it to everyone because it explains so much of what is happening around us. It also helps us question so many of the things that we tended to  just accept.

conspiracy-of-the-rich

One of the things he points out is that the government is diluting our money through inflation. And I think it’s true. After doing some research, I discovered that the CPI is not only inaccurate, but is designed to understate inflation. The government pays money to people and other governments based on the CPI. It pays money to people through programs such as social security. It pays other governments to repay the money that it has borrowed.

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Great Books, Investing, Money, US Economy , , , , , , , ,

Inventors’ Resources That Aren’t Scams

January 15th, 2010
J @ Flickr

J @ Flickr

One of the themes of the Wealth Singularity is that wealth will no longer be earned. It will be created.

In other words, manufacturing and maintenance jobs won’t be the easiest ways to financial security (if they ever were). Real wealth will be generated by artists, inventors, and investors. This isn’t a new concept. Daniel Pink talks about it in his book A Whole New Mind. Ray Kurzweil alludes to the same thing in his book, The Singularity Is Near.

If you’re creative and are interested in inventing–an endeavor that we consider one of the paths to the Wealth Singularity–you have a lot of options. Unfortunately, the web has let in a lot of scam artists, who take would-be-inventors’ money and provide worthless patents and products.

Here are some of the most trustworthy resources on the web if you’re ready to stop being an idea person and start being an inventor.

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Accelerating Technology, Dreams Come True, Internet, Online Investing AI, Success , , , , , , , ,