So I recently went to New Orleans. A very over the top type place. I got a bit drunk a few of the nights and a friend teased me about being able to pick up clients when drunk, saying that I should write an ebook about it.

So all the government should not mess with my life right wing nutters should be screaming and yelling at this one:

Local officials, not federal judges, know best in deciding whether a development project will benefit the community, justices said.

No doubt a cool idea, right up until your home is traded in for tax revenue. WTF is that.

So recently I was over in Nottingham, UK, visiting my mentor. We cut through a grocery store on our way through to eat at a small pastry shop.

He said that grocery store used to be his own little hidden gem, up until Wal Mart bought it. He no longer shops there.

He believes that at the end of the day eventually Wal Mart, and all the efficiencies it brings, will end up killing the US, one community at a time. Value is created in large part based on where people place it.

The one thing that might screw Wal Mart is the rising costs of oil and heating looming trade wars between China and the US.

Recently the Chinese Bid for Unocal.

From that article:

Economic growth has continued at a healthy pace, while consumer price inflation has been tame for items other than food and energy.

But the economy is not a stable as some believe. I mean, after all, there has to be some reason the president is campaigning nationwide to fuck millions of people out of their retirements. At the same time the consolidation of wealth does not balance the country any further because companies like Wal Mart are all about slashing costs and paying the minimum possible.

As our government gives more power to corporations we may soon find that capitalism crosses borders, and is soon crushed by communism 2.0. The bid to control oil companies signifies much more than owning a company, it is about controlling the most limited and needed resource.

On a flight yesterday I sat next to an oil purity tester who stated he believed that the oil supply was not necissarily the problem, but that it would cost increasing amounts to get at, and that we would be in a world of hurt if we did not start making more refineries soon.

With China being behind the curve on the refineries front it makes sense that they want to own oil contracts and companies with good refinery technologies.

[13:44] void_lisa: zi... anyone there?
[13:44] awall19: no
[13:44] void_lisa: oh your there :) hi...
[13:45] void_lisa: a/s/l (age sex loocation)?
[13:45] void_lisa: im 27/f/USA. was lookin at your profile. thought you might like to chat.
[13:46] void_lisa: so what hafe you been up to awall19?
[13:46] awall19: where is your website
[13:46] void_lisa: cool. i was just hangin out watching tv. i was ggetting kinda horny :) (*blushes)
[13:47] awall19: rock on
[13:47] awall19: pay site or what
[13:47] void_lisa: feel like a little cyber funn with me ? please please...
[13:47] awall19: absolutely
[13:47] void_lisa: i think ill just takke that as a yes... being as that im starting to get real horny here.. lol ok?
[13:47] awall19: no doubt
[13:47] awall19: i like skat porn
[13:47] void_lisa: oh well your loss. why dont you open up my profile and see what you missed out on. theres a link there to my homepage where i have some real nice pics to leave withh.

They could have made that algorithm / response sequence much smarter.

So checking the old inbox today I got this feedback from one person:

i don't know why, but somehow i believe in you..

With the exception of my presence on the forum at searchguild, you are the only person I am in touch with whose judgement I have faith in, with regard SEO in particular and the web in general.

I have bought your book and its great - really getting a lot from it even though I'm only still on page 80. Its very reffreshing to hear an honest voice for once I must say.

I would be honored to have you on board

I have felt exceptionally well for the past few days, and this sort of feedback shows that my work on the web is really starting to pay off :)

Attention and trust are the two most valuable things in marketing.

So how would you like to throw your product on Amazon after reading something like this:

It doesn't even merit a star
I can't for the life of me understand why people listen to this band. No talent whatsoever. Avoid this.

There are lots of reasons or excuses for out of hand irrational snap judgements. Many times our snap judgements are wrong. It sorta sucks when your snap judgements are wrong. I read a book on the topic of snap judgements and still fuck them up all the time. Makes one wonder what the point is.

Oppssss ... gotta go. QUICK

hehehe

A key to life is controlling your emotions. That is one of the things that really screws most people.

In areas of conflict, he who can separate his actions from his emotions best usually wins, or at the very least finds the best course of action out of all possible courses.

So I contacted one of my idols with this:

I don't know how you keep up with everything, have a family, and keep the long view while still noticing most of the short happenings as well.

Kind words well appreciated. It is exactly that, a struggle with watching the little and seeing how it adds up to the big. And honestly, I doubt most people even recognize the challenge of trying to keep that balance, so I've got a lot of respect for you noticing like that

A series of addictions
from which to jump or swim
longing for the next

when you can help many
but yourself
it feels fake wearing a smile

oh but the moneys great
and I can do whatever I want
except that I usually just don't care

as you grow older
the mind slows
and I am scared of the though

of the day
I am
no longer addicted

I used to be ethical, right up until I realized it was a marketing scam.

Most people claiming to be ethical marketers are lying scum trying to steal money from the naive. Or at least it seems that way in the SEO marketplace.

Ever notice that many times on Amazon.com the hard cover version of a used book is cheaper than the softcover.

So this site has a horrifically bad name. It's my name and I use this site to whinge on about random things. If I had to do that over again I may have wished to use a different name.

While you would probably never guess it from this site, some of my other sites are somewhat decent sites focused on topics other than me.

While not actively trying to, this site ranks #1 for my name, which could be bad sometimes because on occassion some of my opinions or whinges might be offensive to many.

I have tried to passively build a few links for my other sites, but this one still ranks #1 in Google. Sorta a pet peeve for me, but it does demonstrate how much easier it is to build linkage data into a random blog than it is to build links into commercial or business type sites.

Of course my other sites could be far more compelling than they are, but I have only been on the web about 2.5 years and am still working on that front.

We are taught to value money. Do this to save a dollar. Do that to...save a dollar.

A friend gave me a $1,000 gift certificate for Amazon. That is more money than I give my sister for her birthday and Christmas.

I bought about 60 items and could not even spend the full $1,000. Will I get to all the items? Hopefully. I may not though. And that becomes apparent as I get more good deals and am given more gifts, that price eventually stops mattering. With a limited lifespan and a decent business model the value of attention becomes a far greater expense than cost in dollars.

I think the concept of price not mattering is something many good marketers and product designers try to tap into. You can't make something for everyone without it being shit.

You want to target people with adequate desire to do spend extra and do your marketing for you.

In the past I felt guilty about buying expensive things - a trait learned from my mother. I have since changed my philosophy though. What price is the right price for happiness? Can you place a dollar amount on that?

You can't buy happiness, but you can make certain portions of your life more convenient or easier or interesting. In doing that - in lacking some petty stresses of life or the boredom repetion brings - in actually doing whatever makes you happy you are far more inclined to be productive. To be able to produce effective results.

Productivity is an arbitrary measure which deprives us of life because it always states that you could do better. In the navy, for example average meant that you were a piece of shit. Even outstanding was only average because it was expected. Even though when you got that rating there were still many less than subtle hints that you were viewed as a scumbag. But I digress.

What I am trying to say is lets say I feed a couple poor African kids and pay to build a few houses in third world countries. The money I spent buying random crap from Amazon could have went to do more good like that, but at the end of the day if I am happier my mind will be more receptive to learning, and my profits will likely increase. On that front I no longer feel guilty about spending money even if I feel I get more than I deserve.

Learn about Video Professor Videos & Reviews.

Well I hit a nerve with some people with my other blog.

Everyone who is pissed says so anonymously.

What is funny is how far people will go to state what a horrific person you are if you mention something that is not a big deal. For instance, when I die, to most people it will not be a big deal. I can accept that.

Recently another person died and I casually mentioned it. Others anonymously typed that I was a piece of shit for not having more respect for the dead, as if it was my JOB to post memorials about people I do not know well and had exceptionally poor customer experiences with.

The story which many people buy is that person X made themselves a millionaire overnight. And then they think they can duplicate that. The facts of the matter are that it took that person about a decade to do really well, and that is not in the sales story.

Comparitively speaking I had a much worse upbringing and am doing better than person X was at the same point in my internet career. Does that mean that I flaunt how much money I make and use it as a marketing angle? No, because I think it is sleezy.

Hype marketing, automation, affiliate comissions, and outdated techniques combine to make an amazing brand and person. To some. Sometimes.

To say otherwise makes you a bad person. I actually do not buy that at all.

Do I automate some stuff? Absolutely. Do I tell people ways to market aggressively? Sure. Do I market aggressively? Sure. But I also change the contents of what I teach people nearly every month. If I do not know something I accept feedback and ask questions.

Some people get so stuck selling the story of their own success that it becomes their product. Then their ideas / products / services degrade because they are not as important as trying to get others to think something.

Is it deceptive marketing to sell outdated / incorrect information or information about topics you know little about without adequatly refering to the market leaders in those spaces?

Maybe.

Does it make it harder for people to succeed and make it harder for honest marketing to work?

You bet.

So many internet marketing products are based entirely on a sales letter and testimonials that it gets to be a bit unsavory.

Death is a part of life we must learn to cope with. I can probably write really strong sales letters and focus exclusively on trying to get people to convert. At the end of the day I would rather make a bit less cash into my pocket and try to make an honest product that focused on more than just selling selling.

For a few years I lived off credit cards. Finally paid off that shitty debt less than a year ago. Now I get like 3 credit card offers a week. How ironic that one of the largest credit card companies / banks bought my ebook at was asking a bunch of search marketing / direct marketing questions to me.

The guy said he was a fan and learned a lot from my ebook, which feels good, knowing that what work I have done thusfar may likely help small and large businesses alike.

still nowhere near as good as my friend Mike, but I whiped up this logo in about 15 - 20 minutes when dog tired.

Things which are physical:

General Motors (GM) Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner, speaking at GM's annual shareholder meeting in Delaware on Tuesday, said the struggling automaker will cut at least 25,000 jobs by 2008 and close additional assembly and component plants in an effort to reach annual savings of about $2.5 billion. source

Sure, many manufacturing jobs are getting hit by outsourcing and many new created jobs are service based, but conceptual and idea based jobs are the place to be.

What do you want to do? Unsure? How about you search Google. Their $80 billion dollar market capitalization is greater than Ford + GM + Ford + GM.

Those who understand social networks and psychology who can create ideas worthy of citation will be in for a windfall of profits. The average American is in for a windfall of hurt.

This is not some elitist bullshit statement that I am smarter or better possitioned than others, but more of a statement of recognition of just how fucked I am if I do not keep learning quickly and working hard at creating ideas.

Those who lead networks get extra coverage, which cuts both ways. Many market positions are still available, but if you do a good job with it and get an early lead it is hard for others to catch up unless you get lazy, slopy, or are inauthentic from the start.

Ever notice how many scientific studies or vaccienes were funded by the military? Or how the military tests certain drugs to see how long people can stay awake for (see the latest issue of New Scientist for an example)? Or how the military also creates most of the nastiest chemical weapons? Or the fact that I was actually called to see if I wanted to be hired on a job in control of the disposal or destruction of chemical weapons?

It seems to me, that knowingly the military tries to test the boundaries of humanity. The test them as best they can. When those tests do not work on some REAL PEOPLE living under situations not accounted for in the tests many of those REAL PEOPLE die. Emotionally. Physically. Psychologically. or Spiritually.

If not physical death the people are shuned as the system tries to destroy them more to ruin their life to create an example to show the others what happens when they go outside the lines.

Pretty scummy setup IMHO.

Watch the Euro sink...

A leading Blairite cabinet minister made the admission last night as the European Union descended into deeper turmoil, with doubts surfacing over the future of the single currency.

Mr Blair, who will seek to shift the focus of his administration on to poverty in the Third World this week during talks with President Bush, has told his closest allies: "Africa is worth fighting for. Europe, in its present form, is not."

For the last few years the Euro has had a strong run on the Dollar, but that combined with a variety of economies all trying to fall under the Euro umbrella has caused slowed economic growth and rising unemployment in the most established countries using the Euro (such as France and Germany).

another quote from the article

Last night, John Redwood, the leading eurosceptic Tory MP, said: "You can't have a single currency without a single government. They are in a mess because they have only done half of it and they are now discovering in a painful way what that means."

With the US fed raising interest rates to stop escalating real estate prices oil has sagged and the Dollar has surged. The bleak future of the Euro has caused the Dollar to gain about 10% on it in the last 3 months.

I do not pay as much attention to economics as many do, but for an extended period of time there were talks that the Euro would replace the Dollar as the stable currency which commodities such as oil would trade in, but I can't see that happening anytime soon.

It is almost as if we pushed our own economic hardships outward by letting our currency free fall because we knew that it would share the hurt and likely undermine the stability of competing political systems. Had our Dollar not fallen so far the unemployment rates in some of the more developed European countries may not have got as high as they are.

So I called my mom using a random weird voice. I usually do that just to play around. My mom was angry. As it turns out my brother is really sick and his voice was not good. My mother had just spoke to him and told me he was doing bad. Its like stuff was going too good and so some bad shit had to happen :(

He could hardly breathe, and the hospital would not help him because the greedy scumbag American health care system dictates that being able to breathe is not important unless you have money in your bank account.

Meanwhile scumbag corporations push the government to create stuff like the Clear Skies act to poison the atmosphere for profits.

We all die. As short as life is, is it worth being a fucking scumbag for a few extra dollars.

Friend: i believe i read that on Aaronwall.com
thats actually a good read
i enjoy it *pleasure wise* more than SEO book even

me: http://www.google.com/search?q=prison+stocks <-- rank #3. aaronwall.com is a good read? surprised to hear u like it.

friend: it reminds me of the tone / style of Frank McCourt

me: who is that

friend: sometimes rambling, but honest and direct enough that its quite easy to read, and puts the reader squarely in the writer's point of view
he wrote Angela's Ashes <-- highly recommended

me: wow

friend: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0684874350/002-3267582-6940854?v=glance

me: thats a strong compliment I think

friend: well, i think if you spent time proofreading, you could actually get a book published by a publisher
4 1/2 stars based on 1692 reviews
(if you wanted to, and i doubt you do)

me: really
interesting
hehehe
actually I eventually will
my end goal of the web
goals
#1 no fucking boss <-- check
#2 not need to worry about money <-- check

friend: i wouldnt want to read a book about SEO, hehe
but a book about shit in navy, or about your sister, would probably be quite good

me: #3 be able to go anywhere and do anything I wanted to <-- about a check - almost there
#4 express my opinions on the navy, fda, and legal system <-- this will eventually be a book
#5 be successful enough that nobody can discredit me
like in the navy I was other than honorable , in rehab, and a psych ward
within a few years of getting out I can make over $100,000 a year without a boss or anyone telling me what to do
what the fuck does that tell you?

friend: I DONT think it means anyone can do it
I think that means, youre the TYPE of person that can do it

me: i did not say anyone can do it
my point is
who was the fuck up
me
or the system that almost killed me and refused to listen to me when I begged for help
which later had to destroy some of its own records of me to justify its actions

friend: yep.
hey man you don't have to convince me the american system is shit

---------
hopefully my friend does not mind me quoting him. I changed his name to friend in case he would have. though, from what I know of him I doubt he would have.

Social Life:
Signed up for an affiliate program tonight. The person quickly answered back even though they did not need to. Sad that we are both on the computer at about midnight on a weekend night.

Financial Stability:
Would you risk your primary revenue stream helping a friend who usually only spoke to you when they wanted you to help them? I wouldn't. As noted by my recent actions.

Responsibility:
A well known internet marketer died yesterday. He was recently married. Prettymuch his company is his name and now he is not there. He died in a racing car wreck.

It leads me the question of unwritten social contracts. If many people rely upon you how much risk should you take in your life? How much stability should you have planned into your financial, social, physical, & mental health.

Certainly random bad things happen and you shouldn't just set your dreams aside because of business, but I am not sure I know where the best balance is.

Manipulating People:
In the past, when it was needed, I was really good at manipulating people. Getting pulled over while completely bombed going over 90 miles an hour without a ticket. etc etc etc

The more I look at marketing the more I realize most of it is manipulation. I could make bucket loads of cash, but settle for making far less than I could because I have some arbitrary morals or whatever that tell me marketing too hard is a bad thing.

And yet if you do not market hard enough someone else will steal your product or idea and market it better to marginalize your existance because they are greedier and more of a scumbag than you are.

Most people do not have anything original and compelling to add to the world, and with that most information and most ideas are in some way or another recycled.

Public Speaking & Social Weirdness:
I have not done any public speaking really. Even when I know everyone in a group I still act a bit quite - unless drunk, in which case I tend not to give a crap. Always bad to use alchohol or any other strong psychotropic drug as ANY cornerstone of your social interactions.

Not sure if I am disinterested in others or myself, or if I do not want to lose my solidarity. Am sorta afraid of doing bad, but am much much more afraid at quickly learning and then being able to manipulate people to get whatever I want out of them.

I am not a person of strong balance and find it hard to know where it is. With that thought in mind I don't want to be telling other people how to live or how to be successful or etc etc etc. In writing a book I sell I have sorta done that, but for some reason it doesn't feel the same way to me as being a talking head marketing guru type person would.

As I write my book over and over again it becomes a refined collection of thoughts and not just an off the cuff speech. I do realize that refinement makes some things worse. Poetry can lose its spontinaity. So can other types of writing.

I do tend to think most of the stuff I rewrite is better than the original, but then again, you don't see what you are missing and you can't read multiple hundred plus page books side by side similtaniously.

Yes, I know, I probably misspelled a few words in this post. I am tired, don't usually spell check, and am going for spontinaity here. Work with me...

Peter Thiel likes opti, western oil, & sans nexun (or something like those) as long term small cap Canadian oil stocks