Back Asswards Your Value System Is

This is cyberspace. Big, isn't it?

And getting bigger by the second. An infinitely expanding and growing "thing" within a set and somewhat confined area/space (all the computers on the planet).

And within this Cyber Space we call The Internet (which, whether it means something or not, has the initials IT backwards) people sell and attempt to sell their products - hard products and electronic products.

Business is tough, they cry. Help me sell my Green and Blue Bippy Dibby, they beg. Review my site, they ask, while really just wanting traffic.

And through it all, WE, the consumers, the purchasers and potential purchasers, the buyers, the ever elusive customers, make our buying decisions. Weighing up Everything. Should we buy the eBook or the software. Maybe the local book store has that hard copy book I've been waiting for. What about the audio tape set. Those videos. All of that stuff containing the Information I want. Then compare it to... McDonald's, Pizza Hut, the latest Video/DVD release at Blockbuster.

And often the non-info category wins.

Twenty bucks dropped at Mickey D's is done without batting an eyelid. But to spend that same twenty bucks on an eBook. My Lord, everyone has to get involved. Ask the wife. Ask the husband. Ask Granny. Ask fifteen different discussion boards. Then, only buy IF there is a gazillion years quadruple your money back under threat of vaporisation 100% money back guarantee.

All that for $20 bucks. Seem ludicrous to read it, doesn't it?

But that is precisely HOW it appears to be.

What makes this even more strange is

Those same people thought nothing of spending a Minimum of three years to get a degree just so they could get a job.

HOW MUCH did it COST to get that degree?

At least three years of TIME. But what of the money?

How's that student loan looking now?

Hurts to look at it or think about it. But you have to.

Because double standards could be taking place in your life.

You think nothing of spending three years and $75,000 for what? So you have the CHANCE to MAYBE land a job.

Twenty bucks on an eBook which could contain information which would make you financially independent if acted upon and you balk. You um. You ah. You ask a million people for THEIR opinion - as if they magically know YOU and what YOU are capable of.

Thousands. Tens of thousands. That's what I have spent on information products over the years. Some I bought for myself. Others I bought and gave to friends and relatives as gifts. Never - not once ever - have I asked if a book was any good before buying it. Never - not once ever - have I asked for a refund because I have ALWAYS learned something new from every product. Learned something I didn't know before reading/watching listening. That something new makes my purchase worth whatever amount of money I spent to buy the product.

There's a story. Carnegie is involved I think. About a guy with a "get more done" system. When told "we need more Doing" the guy GAVE his system away with the proviso to "pay me what you think it is worth after you have implemented it." He received a check for $25,000 dollars!

The time management system was revealed fully in that $10 book I bought. It is revealed fully and freely in many places on the 'net. And yet, it is not appreciated for its Value.

One man though it was worth $25,000 in yesterday's money. Today, people get it for free and dismiss it, or agree with it and then move along.

Twenty bucks or so dropped on a book to get you out of debt FASTER - without filing for bankruptcy, loan consolidation, or anything illegal. The knowledge could literally SAVE $100,000 paid in interest on your home loan. And that's just one loan. Other loan savings can only be guessed at.

How many people will spend that $20 or so?

Hardly any.

But spend that $20 or so at Blockbuster on movies, popcorn, chocolate and soda, and no thought required.

Information can save your life, make you money, improve your relationships, save you from blowing money, improve your skills and so on.

But sometimes, selling information of any kind can be like trying to get blood from a stone - no matter how well defined and targeted your market is.

TIMING plays a part. A big part. But also the value system of those within the market.

Do they go buy a Big Mac each for the whole family or your eBook?

One satisfies for an hour. The other could save the entire family from bankruptcy.

A lot of the time, the Big Mac wins out. And after three years and $75,000 spent to get an "education" so they could maybe get a job.

Do you bet on the horses? the guy asked me.

No.

Do you play the slots?

No. I work too hard for my money (mentally and physically) to leave its fate up to the roll of a dice.

Obviously we had nothing in common. Conversation ends.

Drop outs R Us. Me and a few of my uni friends. Looked down upon by those "friends" of ours who stayed on.

Years later and those who stayed have a job.

Those who left have their own business. Life is good.

Even at uni I couldn't comprehend the time/money spent just for a job...

Three year Bachelor of Science degree just to be a park Ranger? Give me break.

Three years of Uni to be a pilot?

How does that make me a better pilot?

The silence is deafening.

The choices were simple...

1. Stay for three more years (I was doing a four year course) and maybe get a job at the end of it.

2. Leave. Start my own business.

By the time I would leave uni with a degree I would have had three years worth of money under my belt. Say $75,000 earned.

If I kept earning $25k a year and IF the degree got me a $30k a year job, it would take me FIFTEEN YEARS of working that job to catch up on the $75k I missed earning while I was "studying."

And this doesn't take into account all the money I would have had to SPEND to get the degree - university fees, etc. (Taking that money into account might reveal I would never catch up!!!)

Made more sense to save three years of time and who knows how much money and defer my uni. I just did not see the VALUE in uni. MORE VALUE was to be had elsewhere Outside of Academia Land.

That was MY take on it. You may disagree. And that is quite all right. And you may point out exceptions. And that is fine too. To each their own.

But for the most part... the jobs which supposedly require pieces of paper, can be easily done by someone without that precious piece of paper. And often done to a better standard too because the paper-less person is more of a self-starter (whatever that means) than the paper-carrier.

Sure, certain pieces of paper are needed when hiring. Such as a chef or mechanic. To know they have actually got the skills. But most other "jobs" can be done by paper-less people.

Look at yourself. What can you do better than a qualified person? I bet there are lots of things you can do. Cook? Paint? Fix stuff? Build stuff? Draw?

It's a well known fact that many uni students are smarter than their supervising lecturers. And especially when Ph.D.s are being sought. After all, being granted a Ph.D. is because you have contributed NEW KNOWLEDGE... previously unknown information. So there is no way your supervising lecturer could know more than you about that subject. But doesn't that make it strange then. For a less knowledgeable person being the judge on whether or not you "graduate"?

You wouldn't have anyone but an A Grade mechanic giving a pass or fail to a learning mechanic. Yet, in university, this seems to be the case and is accepted.

How's your boss? Bit of a doofus? Manager the same?

Makes sense. Why promote the skilled and knowledgeable person from their position to a position where those skills will not be used. Better to promote a dumkopf instead. Otherwise productivity might go down.

Best person to do the job is how it should be.

Alas. It is not like that. Mostly.

The Value system is Back Asswards.

How is YOUR value system?

Do you hesitate to spend a few bucks on an information product, but think nothing of blowing the money on DVD rental?

Do you buy all the brands because "what would your friends think" while living a life of quiet desperation.

Do you um and ah about buying information... or subscribing to information... while making sure to "be seen" at the coffee shop?

Do you want business to be instantaneous and without cost, while willingly spending big and taking years to get a degree so you can maybe get a job?

Do you want everything for free online while expecting other people to pay for your stuff?

How many times have you seen people asking for Free hosting, web-building, templates, autoresponders and merchant accounts so they can sell their "How To Make More Money Than Bill Gates By Using The Internet" ebook?

Or they spend 12 hours a day for three days going over every domain registration service around to save $2. They SPEND 36 hours to SAVE $2. That means they value their time at 5¢ an hour.

Do you make a dozen phone calls, leaving messages, being there to receive quotes, only to save a few bucks? How much time are you spending on phone calls and talking to tradesman, as well as phone charges, just to save a few bucks? And how much does that work out to be on an hourly rate? Because THAT is what you are valuing your time at.

Do you willingly waste other people's time and money just to satisfy a mere curiosity (Just wondering how much to... When do I want it done? Oh I haven't decided, I am just getting prices), yet hate it when someone does that to you?

Nothing wrong saving money where you can. But don't spend a lot (of time or money) to save a few bucks. It's Back Asswards.

This post isn't to make you mad. Or to start a disagreement of Jobs vs Business. This post is to make you THINK. So you can consciously see what you may be doing subconsciously without thinking. To reveal the possible disparity of your actions. And to get you to see, that while spending a few bucks on an information product might not satisfy the desired need immediately (because you first have to read/watch/listen) the long-term benefits are FAR MORE VALUABLE than the money you invest -and INVESTING it is... investing in yourself.

Beware Of The Deadly Mattresses

The "Department Of Silliness" strikes again. It seems that now the government wants to legislate mattresses.

Apparently, some idiotarians take candles to bed. I don't know what they do with the candles but the candles cause the mattress to catch fire.

Other drongos smoke in bed and fall asleep while smoking. Resulting in a fire as well.

And other morons sleep on faulty ancient electric blankets with exposed wiring with the heat setting cranked up high. Fire results too.

Now to save these dickheads from their own stupidity and to prevent them removing themselves from, and thus improving, our gene pool, the government wants to legislate and enforce all mattress makers to treat their mattresses with fire retardant.

At an additional cost of $40 per mattress, the cost will be passed on to the consumer. And it won't do a god damn thing to save the precious life of the stupid-heads. There are so many old mattresses out there it's not funny.

Two seconds thought should tell these brainless politicians that applying fire-retardant to mattresses NOW, won't solve the problem of the millions of untreated mattresses in circulation. Nor will it help those who are too dumb to understand the safety hazard of smoking in bed while holding candles and sleeping on 30 year old electric blankets. Those people tend to have old mattresses anyway.

But, of course, none of this matters to the powers that be. They just get some hair-brain idea into their head which will make it look like they are doing something to prevent deaths (and win votes), and they run with it.

And with all the extra fire-retardant being applied, the fire-retardant industry will see a bit of a surge. Most probably needing to employ more people as a result. Then the government can tell everyone how they "created" jobs.

Of course, they won't tell everyone how the increased mattress price will also mean they will collect more Goods and Services Tax. That will be their little secret. And at $4 per mattress sold, that should be a multi-million dollar secret. And nor will they tell people about the need for a new government department to oversee and double check the mattress fire-retardant application. They will need a new licensing system in place too - with the appropriate licensing fees. And once again, government has sucked more money out of the people and made itself bigger.

Danger! Danger! Full Control For Safety Sake

Go grab your DVD of "Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones", pop it in and watch it. Then come back here and read the rest of this entry...

Back already? Did you watch it like I said? If you didn't, don't say I didn't warn you.

Onward.

Notice how Palpatine got full control? A big bad terrible threat. In a moment of weakness with a threat at hand, the senate willingly gave him full control.

As students of the Star Wars movie series, we know he went on to become the nasty evil Emperor (oohs and aahs from the crowd). And was ultimately defeated by the Rebel Alliance (freedom fighters who didn't want to live under the yoke of The Emperor).

Anything in this day and age strike you as similar?

Ok. So it is pretty obvious to anyone who watched any war movie ever made in Hollywood, that the evil Empire in Star Wars drew a lot of inspiration from the Nasty Nazi party of Germany WWII days.

Before going on, please read this article - How Hitler Became a Dictator - and then come back here.

As you read that you will have noticed many similarities between Germany of the 1930's under Hitler and the U.S.A. of 2001+ under Dubbya Bush. And how similar the Star Wars story is to the Hitler story.

This has me concerned. I'm already concerned over The Patriot Act and its freedom infringing aspects. I'm concerned because of the "hint" I heard on the news the other day - and - the events of the Spain Train Bomb.

When the attacks took place in Spain, the conservatives were in the lead in the polls and it looked like another win for them. BUT thanks in part (totally?) to the attacks, the Spanish people voted in a Socialist government.

So Spain is the example which has been set. Which is to say, a terrorist attack close to an election can sway an election.

Next, we have the hint - testing the waters as I see it - that maybe possibly the U.S. general election might need to be "postponed" IF there is a terrorist attack near the time of the election. Reason: after all, we cannot have terrorists effecting electoral outcomes - as they did in Spain - so we must preserve the electoral process.

Combined with: Previous hint that there WILL be another attack on U.S. soil. Which was so far out from left field when it was announced a little while back, it took everyone by surprise.

My Conclusion: The public is being softened up to accept that no election will take place in November. So when a terrorist attack does take place (and one will happen as far as I am concerned, as stated already to the U.S. people), the election will be postponed UNTIL it is deemed safe enough to have one (and WHO determines what level of safety it has to be before the election can be had?). This will all be justified with the results of the Spanish attacks and their election results.

Possibilities: Dubbya Bush may ask for additional powers - as he did with Iraq - to see the U.S. through the attack and to help bring stability to the country. Which would be a replay of Hitler's rise to dictatorship.

When Sanctions were imposed upon Iraq, I figured it was another Germany in the making. You cannot impose sanctions on a Nation and hurt its populace without that populace hating you. For the leaders never suffer. Why didn't the U.N. learn from the mistakes of the League of Nations.

When Clinton went into Kosovo, I questioned the entire situation. For a study of the available evidence was pointing at a manipulation of the truth by those who wanted to justify an unsanctioned war. And CNN's constant footage of poor fleeing Albanians (as opposed to suffering Serbs) was obvious propaganda for all to see. (A careful look at that famous "people malnourished in a prison camp" photo reveals that the photo was taken from INSIDE the camp looking at!, and those people were the villages who lived in the homes you can see in the background, NOT people in the camp.)

With the recent Iraq conflict, the media has likewise shown only one side. But in this case it is not poor Iraqis hurt by Saddam, but poor Iraqis supposedly hurt by the U.S. - even when there is no proof of it.

But while this goes on, they fail to raise the attention of The Patriot Act or jump up and down enough about the subtle hints of Election Postponement. Two BIG issues in my eyes. So I also question the media. They may jump up and down now and then, but for the most part, they support the government - after all, if they didn't they wouldn't be given access to major stories and would lose readership and profits to those media outlets who did play the game.

Will Dubbya pull a Palpatine and ask for full control to help get through the crisis?

I honestly cannot answer that question. But dropping hints isn't done for no reason. And the reaction to that hint has been fairly tame. So I can easily see it coming in the next few months. No election in November due to terrorism. Dubbya stays in power. Increases Patriot Act powers. (Maybe it's the "I don't trust the government when they want to restrict privacies and freedoms" coming out in me.)

But as Lord Acton said (which I agree with): Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

A message likewise repeated throughout The Lord of The Rings trilogy.

Why Do You [Blank]?

I'm going to ASK you a question. A question you most likely have NEVER been asked. And I want you to TRY to answer it, if you can. Are you ready? Ok. Here goes...

Why is murder wrong?

Ok. Feel free to answer the question now, if you can. And answers such as "because it is" or "taking another life is wrong" is not acceptable. I want a solid answer supported with reasoning. Not wishy-washy emotion packed reasons. Give me something solid. Here, let me help you get started...

Murder is wrong because...

Now you finish it off.

Let me ask you another question.

Why did you buy a house?

And if you are not buying a house, why do you rent?

Go on. Answer those questions now, if you can.

I got another one for you. For some of you anyway...

Why did you get a car loan instead of buying a cheaper car for cash or for a greatly reduced loan amount?

Feel free to answer this too, if you can.

I got another question. Yes. I'm full of them.

Why did you buy the computer you are using to read this?

Which I will quickly follow up with...

Are you using it for the reason you said you bought it?

And...

Why did you buy a new computer instead of a slightly used second hand one which would have been much much cheaper and nearly as fast?

Answer these too, if you can.

You see. I keep adding "if you can" after my questions because most people (and this includes you) do NOT have any idea WHY you do the things you do or think the things you think.

Yes murder is wrong. But why is it wrong? Why? What is the fundamental argument that murder is wrong. And leave silly religion out of this. "Because it says so in the Bible" is not a reason.

See. Something as widespread as "murder is wrong" and most people can't answer on the WHY of it.

Why do people buy a house? They say "security" or some such, but is that it? They go into years (lifetime) of debt and call it security? They don't generally know anyone who has stayed in the same house all their life, yet they say "security". And when they move in a few years, it will be an upgrade (bigger home with a bigger mortgage). More debt. Harder to pay off. And they say "security".

New car? "I'm not buying someone else's rubbish" they say. So they go into hock for years to buy a car that's worth half as much as soon as they buy it. They could have save loads, bought second hand, and even after a few fixes still be in front.

Take the time to answer today's questions, if you can. I think you will be surprised.