# posted by Alex : 9:21 AM
Bye Bye Spam is a response to the horribly contructed Singapore Antispam Resource Centre. You can read my initial reactions to that here.

Bye Bye Spam is what I thought the SARC should be - an easy to read and understand guide for the layman who wants to know how to eliminate spam in the inbox.
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# posted by Alex : 2:19 AM
I just noticed a new site called the Singapore AntiSpam Resource Centre.

One has to assume that the audience of that site are non-technical people who do not know how to protect themselves from spammers. And one can conclude after 2 minutes at that site that it was created by a very technical person who thinks that everyone is like him!

Really, if I had a dollar everytime a local website screws up this badly...


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# posted by Alex : 11:55 AM
How many of you use spam software for email?

I ask because I have been thinking of the usefulness of these filters. I believe that filtering spam at the point of the ISP is not as effective as on the desktop. This is because the ISP uses a blanket definition of spam.

And here's the problem. What is spam to one person may not be to another. I have been learning about Bayesian filters and find them to be effective. The time it takes to train the filter is the only bummer, but I guess it's ok to 'suffer' for a while for future benefit.

Can anyone else share their experiences?
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# posted by Alex : 11:45 AM
Phew! My dear friend who was mentioned in the last post took it quite well. Talk about being gracious! He's close to getting a job soon, so I wish him well. But I hope he doesn't end up like another friend who received a First Class Honors degree, got a job a Xerox, and ended writing printer and copier drivers for a living.

Have you ever met anyone with a ton of ideas and who never got around to implementing it? I know of such people. They'll say, "I'm thinking of doing (blah blah blah).." and that's all they ever did. (Note: I am not one of them)

I think getting something done is really the first step to achieving some measure of success.

I admire this one friend whom I have known for about 3 years already. He's what you would call an entrepreneur - always gung-ho. Unfortunately, he called me boring when i spoke to him about efficient capital allocation and the concept of Return on Invested Capital.

I have this theory that entrepreneurs are a different breed from the rest of us. They'll go ahead and do something for the *gasp* love of it even if the profit margins are low. Of course, that's still better than others who don't do anything even when they know profit margins are high.

I wish he would hear me out a little. I have no doubt he will find the satisfaction he wants by being his own boss, but I hope that he will find riches too.

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# posted by Alex : 12:33 PM
I recently ended a business partnership with a friend. Although I have not known him for a long time, I found him to be an honest, likable and smart person.

However, it was clear after some time that we had different attitudes towards business.

This is the 3rd time that something like this has happened to me. While all 3 people had different personalities, they all lacked the same trait that doomed our partnerships - lack of courage to act on a conviction.

Initially, they would be really hot for success. But in a matter of weeks, it would turn lukewarm, and then cold. The reasons were always the same - they preferred the security of a stable job, they weren't sure if we could do it, they don't know if it would be profitable,... you get the idea.

But this is ridiculous! They must realize it's not because of those excuses they gave me. It's because they let fear control them. They are clearly smart enough to realize that the future is what we want it to be. Whether we succeed and generate decent levels of income depends ENTIRELY on what we do in the future (and some luck).

And then it occured to me that what separates those who paint their own destinies and those who allow others to paint it for them is this - the former uses fear to drive them forward, the latter uses fear as brakes.

It frustrates me to hell that I could make the same mistake three times.. damn it! I think I need to have my IQ checked. ;)
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# posted by Alex : 12:14 AM
Mike Liebhold sent me an email inquiring about Glocal News, an application at my site Google Apps.

Glocal News does not use any API. There are no Google News API that I know of. Glocal News queries the Google News server using a http string.

Anyway, Mike's own site, Starfill is very interesting. If you like microlocal and geospatial news and views, go there right away!
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# posted by Alex : 1:37 AM
All investors should learn from Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger.

I was reading some notes published on Berkshire Hathaway's 2004 Annual Meeting and I thought readers may be interested to know the books that Buffett and Munger recommended.

Buffett enjoyed reading A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.

Munger liked Les Schwab Pride in Performance: Keep It Going and Deep Simplicity: Chaos, Complexity and the Emergence of Life by John Gribbin.
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