Thursday, May 19, 2005

Get Rich Quick Idea #1

I often have good business ideas, but inevitably they're for someone else. They aren't usually the sorts of things I'm interested in doing, or that I'd be willing to do the start-up work for. I think I'll start posting them here for others to use--and I'll request only a nominal fee (on the honor system) for their use. I make no guarantees as to their profitability, nor do I guarantee that I am the first to think of them--although, if I get the idea from someone else, I will credit them--so if it's posted here, and not credited to anyone else, it's my own original thought, even if someone else may have actually come up with it before me (you follow?).

So, beginning my numbering with this one, here's the Great Thought of this morning:

Network news is quickly losing its market share, partially (perhaps mostly) due to the Internet an partially due to mere indifference of the public. This idea may buy some extra life for network news, or may be the basis for an internet news program.

Instead of hiring the same old prima donna talking heads with big hair to sit at the studio desk and read the news and make concerned faces and noises at the proper times while sucking down 6-7 figure salaries, hire some gifted readers with good voices to read the news. Yeah, I know, that's just radio. But here's the good idea--get some monkeys, dress them up as anchor-persons, and let them cavort on the studio for the video portion of the broadcast. Now don't get me wrong--don't train them to sit and pretend to read the news (if you do, they'll just start demanding 6-7 figure salaries). And you can't cheat and just run clips and old monkey footage. This has to be live action (or recorded but largely unedited) footage. Just get some monkeys, apes, whatever, put 'em in some suits, and set 'em loose on the news desk set. You could do this with a regular group of monkeys, or you could switch up from time to time--today it's chimps, next week orangutans, the following gibbons or mountain gorillas.

Now here's where we make the real money--every show, you have an interview or guest segment. A politician, bureaucrat, activist, whatever is invited to come on the show. They can make whatever statement they want to, talk the whole time about whatever they want to--and no one will ask them hard questions, interrupt, or confront them with inconvenient facts. But they have to sit on stage with the monkeys, no one will interfere with anything the monkeys do while they are there (i.e. no one will prevent the monkeys from doing things to the guest), the guest cannot harm the monkeys in any way, and the guest may not leave until the time on the segment has expired.

Additional market share could be garnered by providing the monkeys with alcohol, sex toys, weapons, and other potentially useful and amusing items. The producers of the program could also exercise a sort of editorial control by matching the species of monkeys to appropriate guests--small hyper monkeys for guests who are merely annoying, and large mountain gorillas to ass-rape major politicians. Granted, the latter may require some training, so make sure the politician is available for several rehearsals prior to air time.

I'm willing to talk reasonable payment terms: barter, small cash payment, a small percentage of the net, whatever.

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

REAL ID REBELS

Sunni Maravillosa has taken up the standard against the Real ID Act. Check out her blog established for this purpose.

I can't even begin to describe how bad this National Human Tracking Card is/will be. The fact is, it has little to do with safety and security, and everything to do with controlling the masses. I'm not a religious fanatic--I don't even particualrly consider myself a Christian anymore; but I do have to rethink my positions on the whole "Number of the Beast" thing in Revelations when I see crap like this.

I guess this will serve (for now) as my declaration of intent:

I refuse to be numbered, tagged, stamped, implanted, folded, spindled, mutilated, stapled, painted, tattooed, or otherwise marked as property of any government (be it the US Government or any other) or any other individual besides myself. I will resist any attempts to force me to be so numbered, tagged, tracked, etc. by any means I consider necessary. I do not care what the reason or justification may be, I refuse to comply. I will not accept any form of bribery or other reward for allowing myself to be so tagged, nor will I assist in tagging others. I will do everything in my power to prevent myself being tagged, and will do my utmost to assist others in fighting these government property tags. I am not a number, I am a free man! I am not a citizen, a subject, a "case file," or any other such dehumanizing term for what the government considers its property--I an a free human being, a self-owner, and well-prepared to resist any attempts to enslave me. Anyone who thinks to prove me wrong, you're quite welcome to try--but make sure your affairs are in order before you make the attempt--for you will not have time afterwards to do so.

That awkward phase is quickly coming to an end--if not now, then by May 2008.

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

I gotta get off my ass...

I gotta get off my ass and start marketing my services. I really need to quit my job (but I'd prefer to have my income from my business high enough first). I'm really beyond the edge at work at this point. And folks don't seem to realize it. I'm really quiet at work, not because I'm calm, but precisely because I'm pissed. I'm keeping my mouth shut because otherwise I'd start chewing people out left and right.

If I could find a few competent people to staff the office with before I leave, I wouldn't have to feel bad about leaving my boss in the lurch. But I don't know that I'm gonna be able to find anyone competent. Meanwhile, I just keep taking on more and more, which leaves me less and less time to get anything done on the clock. Also, as 95% of the stuff I do is actually part of my subordinates jobs... I'm sure people think I have a problem with delegation, but that's not the case. I'm great at delegation. But if there's no one competent to do the job, and no one is willing to learn, there's not much I can do.

On the financial front, there are some good gold mining stocks I'm investing in. Might be able to make a little money before the crash in 2010-2012. I'll actually probably pull them out a bit before that. But anyway, with the market relatively low, it's good time to buy in--as long as you get out in time, and as long as you pick the right stocks. I'm going for mining stocks (specifically gold and silver and such) as these are the industries that are gearing up for all the increasing investment in gold as a hedge against inflation.

I bought some more bullets for reloading today--it'd be nice to have them before Saturday--they may be here by then. I got .308 FMJ BTs (150 grain) for my K31. I need to find some .310-.312 for my Enfield. I have a lot of primed brass ready to go--I just need the bullets. My reloading bench is squared away--been set up nice for about two or three weeks now, and it works great. I should start loading for my .45 as well. I have all the stuff to load for my .40, but I think I'm gonna sell my .40 S&W pistol. I don't really care for it anymore--just doesn't compare to the 1911--.45 ACP just speaks with such authority! I may continue to load .40, if it's profitable to sell. Guess I'd better start looking for a buyer.