Time management has always been something that has plagued me, particularly when I was a student. Most time management advice I have read or heard has been mainly fluffy and vague. Recently, however, I came across David Allen and his Getting Things Done (GTD) approach. I’ve had a chance to read some of the stuff in his ‘free’ section (great that he gives away a fair amount of free advice instead of just teasers for his books and seminars) and in contrast to most of what I’ve read before, he has some great concrete advice such as exactly how he sets up and uses his PDA as well as specific categories he uses for organizing incoming work. Its some great stuff that I hope to learn better and try to incorporate into my day to day life. Certainly something that will come in useful should I go into business school and especially in a career in business afterwards.

This is the kind of innovative business where you're pulling for them to succeed. Pizza places seem like one of the most common small businesses to open. It seems easy--some dough, tomato sauce, cheese and cut up toppings and you get to charge 15+ bucks for it, right? The problem of course becomes that many see this and you get a litany of pizzarias opening up that all seem about the same regardless of whether they're chain or locally owned. Therefore its great when someone actually puts a little innovation into this somewhat-tired industry. The layout and functionality of the site looks great and so does the corporate culture. Hope they make it to the U.S. someday!

Well the Oscars have come and gone and I most definitely did not watch it this year you might think is strange considering I made a good effort to see most of the major movies leading up to it. Besides the fact that I wasn't greatly looking forward to Ellen Degeneres hosting (too bad Billy Crystal can't just do it forever), the movies this year have really been disappointing. With the exception of Little Miss Sunshine, I hardly cared much for anything in 2006 (Prestige is the only one I would add next to Sunshine). The Departed was a pretty unoriginal cop/mafia story that would look pretty sorry without its all-star cast. Babel seemed like it was just trying to fit the mold of a 'powerful-movie-with-a-message', but just seemed bland to me. The Queen was interesting at first since I didn't know what it was about and thought it was bold to do a movie on something so recent as that without the guide of memoirs or first-person narratives, but it somewhat bored me after a while since I knew where the story was going and nothing seemed to really grab my attention. I never quite felt in the mood for Iwo Jima, so I can't really comment on that, though it didn't seem like a movie I'd particularly love. The only war movies I've liked in the past have satirical black comedy thrown in.

It's certainly possible that I just missed the movies that I would have liked better. I still haven't seen the foreign films such as Pan's Labyrinth, the Lives of Others and The Science of Sleep.

Regardless, here's hoping 2007 picks it up!

Whole Foods has just announced that they've merged with Wild Oats. I always find this an interesting practice where companies are getting a little competition from another company so what do they do but simply buy them out. I better know "Wild Oats" as "Henry's", where I go to for the kind of items Whole Foods carries without the ridiculous markup. In the summer the differences in pricing between those two stores' produce is incredible--I remember them selling 7 lbs of oranges for $1 at one point. Hopefully Whole Foods will keep Henry's as it is and just leave it as filling a niche that their main store does not--the way that the Gap has Banana Republic, Abercrombie & Fitch and the Gap to bridge niches in the market.

No matter what though, at least I'll still have good ol' Trader Joe's!

Zillow's Report Card: Proceed with caution

Definitely one of the coolest Web 2.0 sites that can be used for business out there is Zillow. The basic premise is that it is a real estate service company which combines satellite data with value estimates of homes all across the country. Certainly not without criticism, but a recent article from the Wall Street Journal found that although it is surprisingly accurate most of the time, approximately 1 out of every 10 of these "Zestimates" can be woefully off by 25% or more. Still, as a ball park figure, it certainly can aid both buyers and sellers estimate the homes value. Furthermore, Zillow is always in development, having created a wiki recently with possibly more such tools in the future. As always though, a market comes down to how much a buyer is willing pay for the good and how eager a seller is to relinquish it. This is something a general algorithm will never be able to accomplish with complete precision.

Recently Wal-mart executives (ironically joined by union leaders from other parts of the country) made a public call for Universal Health Care to be offered by the state. Naturally, given the general public perception of Wal-mart's altruism, many are skeptical of the multi-national corporation's true intentions. Certainly it can't be ignored that getting taxpayers to fund their employees' health care benefits would save the company billions of dollars--perhaps even increase employee productivity among those who are not covered by the health plan (over half). Perhaps this is being a bit too skeptical though. I do think Wal-mart gets a disproportionate amount of negative attention simply to due to being the biggest of the retail superstores since it makes them the most cost-effective for advocacy groups to target. I must agree with them however, the current plan of depending upon employers to give health benefits is certainly not working fantastically, with 45+ million Americans uninsured, with Wal-mart being a prime example of this.

When searching for a used car to buy last month following getting rear-ended, I decided to subscribe to Consumer Reports Used Car Buying Kit, which although seemed quite expensive ($24) was probably worth it in the end given how much money was being spent on the car itself. I must say the website is very useful. From the Buying Kit, I went from being very sure I would get a used Nissan, to finding a Toyota Avalon that I am very happy with yet I knew next to nothing about the Avalon model before seeing it as a recommended car on the website. Not only was the Kit extremely helpful, but the website itself is very useful for other random consumer reviews such as: hefty being superior to glad, Trader Joe's dishwasher detergent being very good, Wal-mart's laundry detergent being easily the best buy and Sears' vacuum beating out the much fancier and expensive Dysons. I doubt I'll keep up the subscription, but I think I might print out some of these reviews while I can...

In what is probably unsurprising news to those of us at the pump, Exxon Mobil recently reported the largest annual profit in U.S. history, $377 billion (beating the previous record that was held by none other than Exxon Mobil with $370 billion the previous year). Alongside them Royal Dutch Shell set a personal best as well this year with $25 billion.

Now I am someone who respects a company with a sound business policy that satisfies customers and makes huge profits, but this is just an antitrust robbery! How else can a company make these sorts of achievements while really doing nothing to improve the way they do business? There has been no significant raise in demand for their product, yet they thrive. Obviously I'm not the only one to be a bit shocked by all this, and yet nothing continues to be done. Given the current state of affairs, it seems like an alternative product or perhaps a cut in demand for oil seems the only way Exxon Mobil et al. will cease to continue setting records at the expense of frustrated consumers.

I continue to ponder what to do with my career. I do know that I need to move my career forward somehow seeing as I want to eventually support a family, but right now I’m unsure as to ‘how’? Paying rent, bills and all other expenses at the same time as attending business school seems like so much to take on right now. I’ve had many people further in their careers warn me about the perils of taking on a huge student loan. The only solution I can really see is attending an online business school while working full-time, which seems like a lot, but could definitely be the best available option. Simultaneously I’ve been looking at learning day-trading which just from the outset, is a tidal wave of necessary knowledge and potential risk from my current perspective. Then again, I suppose going into the business world always presents significant risk as is the case in any open market. Right now I will continue to look at both options for the future, studying for the GMAT and reading up on technical analysis and hopefully come to some sort of decision.

Or who knows, maybe some day I can do both 

Easily one of the biggest stories in the world of business today is Microsoft's impending release of Vista . Those of you who read my previous tirade against Apple's business practices might assume I am happily anticipating this release. However this could not be further from the truth.

Reports are that Microsoft worked extremely hard at this upgrade, pouring in billions of dollars, but what really came out of it? Rounder corners? (Isn't that what XP did?) Translucent window edges? (Who cares?). Certainly one thing it is reported to do well: eat up an enormous chunk of your computer's available RAM.

Right now as I use XP, I don't really see anything I 'need' from an operating system. What I love about windows is its compatibility where millions of people around the globe develop great freeware that I can use with XP. I need something to find files instantly? Download Google Desktop Search. I like Mac's visually appealing program launcher on the bottom of the screen? Download RKLauncher. Don't like Internet Explorer? Get Firefox and the tons of compatible extensions. There's even a Windows XP Vista theme that has fooled some people into thinking its the $200+ new operating system.

Still though, people will upgrade to upgrade, businesses will tack it on to their ample IT budget just like they did with flat-screen monitors in what seemed like increased DRM ability that Micro$oft has its eye on, Vista being a bit of a Trojan Horse.

Really though, this is still mostly speculation, though one thing I feel comfortable speculating is on Microsoft's current business model allowing Vista to make them a whole lot of money.

Update on the car crash-

Well over a month later and this car crash business is still affecting us. I've been driving around in a rental car for a few weeks now- finding a new car has not been easy. After paying for a consumer reports package on how to look for a new car I have been searching through the different models looking at reviews, recommendations, and blue book values.
My priorities were: good gas mileage, low road noise, enough room to cart things about (not a 2 door car), relatively safe and not too expensive to maintain. Then of course my budget- $3500- $7500 (I received $3200 for my totaled car)

So firstly I was looking at Camry's and Corollas, both highly recommended as reliable on consumer reports, easy to maintain being so popular- easy to get parts for etc. I had actually got as far as deciding on a specific 2000 Corolla a few days ago (I was loving the gas mileage in these times of Global Warming.) When I drove it however, it really did just feel a little too small- it just didn't feel safe- particularly as I now know what it is like when an SUV hits a much smaller car. After weeks of research and looking at cars I felt back to square one. Still with the rental car at $35 a day I knew this was no time to give up for a while and today I can report good news!

I DID finally buy a car! It is a 1998 Toyota Avalon with 100k miles. Its a few more miles than I was hoping for, but apparently they run as long as Camrys (~250-300k) since they have the same engines. It also has more room in the back/trunk and they say it gets great gas mileage--30+ on the highway. Also I managed to pay a little over $1,000 less than for the 2000 Corolla (with 83k on it).

So yay- our Chiropractor appointments still continue but we do have the car part out of the way!

A recent big piece of news from the business world was the iPhone. On January 9th of this year, Steve Jobs unveiled what had been strongly rumored by salivating Apple fans. I must admit, I come from a bit of a bias having quite a distaste for Apples. Although I grew up on them, and can see some of their benefits, overall I hate their business plan.

Now that's a strong word, but I'm surprised its not a stronger sentiment among consumers (Apple seems to be growing quite well since Jobs' resurgence and the emergence of the iPod). I'm surprised that more consumers aren't taken aback by Apple's attitude of forcing their customers to use their hardware only as Apple sees fit. At first it was restricting software for the Macintosh computer, then it was the dreaded iTunes music service on the iPod (I particularly dislike how it is impossible to have a subscription service) and now, in a similar attitude they are not allowing the future customers of the iPhone to install software on the Mac OSX that the device is running as well as forcing customers to use a specific phone service, Cingular instead of the current preferred carrier (where I live currently, for example, Verizon has much better service).

However, even with my problems with how Apple does business, I must admit, it does look pretty amazing.



I just hope there's some truth behind the the rumored "Googlephone" or else I might find myself betraying my business principles!

The first step of starting your own business is an idea. Something about your business must be original in some way, correct? It might be something as plain as a location for a franchise store where there is a market niche, or it might be a revolutionary technology. I have yet to come up with anything ground-breaking for sure, but I thought I'd put out an idea I had to my readers. Feedback is of course welcome.

From what I've seen, there are people out there who might have no problem drinking a $2 Charles Shaw alone, but would feel awkward putting it out for guests. Yet these same people might not want to shell out the $10-15 a bottle or more when sering at their house to their 20-something year old guests who can hardly tell the difference beyond seeing an interesting label from a respectable locale such as Napa, Chianti or Bordeaux. This is where my product would step in. For a relatively low price, we would ship stickers of fictional yet exotic-sounding wines that can be easily applied onto any bottle. Sounds shameless, but in this age of anonymous online ordering, I believe there's a market!

Oh and no stealing! ;-)

Well apologies all for the lack of posts recently. I have been involved in a car crash and have been spending a lot of time dealing with the many repercussions that come along with such things. It does seem horribly unfair that even when you have done absolutely nothing wrong you still have so much to take care of. Insurance can only do so much.

The accident happened as follows: I was at a stop light which then turned green and I set off down the street, meanwhile a guy coming in the other direction decided to suddenly turn across our line making a left turn. Crazy behavior causing me to throw on my breaks all of a sudden. The big SUV behind us then ran into the back of our car.

Following the accident things didn't seem so bad, our body work in the back of the car was messed up, but the car seemed almost drivable. My wife and I both seemed fine, apparently no injuries. One of the craziest things was that the guy who turned across our lane causing the accident just drove away not stopping. Luckily we got his license and handed it over to the police. It appeared the lady behind us was to be full responsible however, she was very apologetic and exchanged details with us no problem. We sent the car into the shop and spent the remainder of the day in a good amount of shock, but otherwise fine.

Next day we awake and my wife's neck is killing her, she hadn't been able to sleep all night, my neck is similarly sore. We are advised to seek medical attention and have spent some good time now with a Chiropractor. The next brick to drop is that our car has been totaled. Weeks after spending $1500 on the clutch we are now going to be given just $3200 for our car- it's gone :-(
what seemed like a small accident has turned into a nightmare, with medical bills, neck braces, rental cars and many many decisions to be made. Life is suddenly a whole lot more complicated.

've been doing some more reading into technical analysis with the intention of eventually day-trading some of my investments. So far most of my reading has been establishing the base of reading price action—looking for trends through support/resistance levels, patterns such as triangles and wedges, and reversal signals such as heads-and-shoulders and triple-bottoms/tops. My understanding is that these are really meant to be side-additions when interpreting signals from tools such as moving averages and oscillators which I'm just beginning to get into now. There's a fair amount of me that's still a bit skeptical of the field of technical analysis, but I know that there are people out there who are successful at it, so why not me?

Wow, my recent Thanksgiving trip to Seattle has certainly made me question the idea of moving away from California for school. It was so so cold up there, and that is nothing to what it would be like in DC or New York. After a while I guess I have just started to take the San Diego weather for granted. It had been a long time since I had seen endless rain like that, so depressing. I swear it affects my mood. It certainly makes it more difficult for me to get up in the mornings, my 6.30 am mornings in SD are tough at first, but as soon as I pull open the curtains and see the bright blue sky I always feel ready to get up and go. Hmmmm I wonder if I will always feel like that? Anyway it makes the idea of an online or local education far more tempting when I head out of this city.

My new favorite site: kayak.com
I just love this site- the layout is wonderful, so easy to use. The flights are always the best deals around- such a refreshing change from Expedia et al. I love the way it just sends you to the correct airline's site. Mainly I love this site because I feel no need to shop around, I just use kayak and know that this is most likely the best deal there is and can stop looking. So many hours of time saved.

I recently spent the day kayaking with a lady who went to Harvard Business School for her MBA. She was showing me how many doors it has opened for her- she really has been able to have three very separate careers since that time, all doing very different things and all thanks to her time at HBS. This has lead me to a little more research on MBAs myself.

This article on 'What's an MBA really worth?' is certainly a little gloomy and suggests that skills learned in business school are not necessary to make one a business leader. The social networking they do concede to be important however, and point to Harvard in particular as offering a big leg up through the close knit ties you make as a business student.

An article in business week suggests however that an MBA is usually worth the costly investment (getting to over $100,000 in some cases). Or at least that most graduating with an MBA will have no trouble paying off their loans when they enter into thier 6 figure starting salary jobs (the article is not so clear as to whether the MBA is needed for such a career path).

This site offers some wise advise as to when to enroll in an MBA program- namely when ti is most necessary for your career. This is unlikely to be right after undergrad, but maybe important somewhere down the road in your business career. The site also mentions that an MBA really is important for getting into the top echelons of a business.

So conclusion- Getting into Harvard Business School or Wharton would be nice :-)
Otherwise it seems best to leave the MBA for a little while, get more experience, and make use of it when I really know what I need it for.

Currently I'm reading into day trading. At first glance, my 'too-good-to-be-true-so-it-probably-is' alarm went off. That was until I discovered the sheer volume of literature on the subject and the enormous population who participates. Right now I'm looking through what many consider to be the standard literaturen for the practice: Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets by John Murphy. Not exactly an all-night page-turner, but it is a very comprehensive introduction to Technical Analysis and day-trading. I plan to follow Murphy's book with a couple of other books on the mindset and psychology that is necessary for day trading. I've read from several different sources that this is a vastly underestimated necessity for anyone who looks to succeed in day-trading. Hesitation, second-guessing as well as over-confidence can be disastrous. Hopefully with a few books under my belt, I'll be able to gauge my confidence level and decide whether to invest the capital needed to begin trading.

Headed up to LA this weekend.
Saturday evening we stayed on Beverly Blvd. and went out to a Comedy Club to see Doug Stanhope, it was a lot of fun. First we had dinner at the club and were pleased to find out that all those who came for dinner had thier seats reserved for them, which meant we got a really top notch spot, right at the front.
The first act was a woman who was about the most unfunny person I could ever imagine. Her jokes revolved around premises such as- using Star maps instead of real maps and Canadians having free health care meaning they just go and have CAT scans for fun, if this wasn't enough she never expanded further than the premise of the joke. She just simply stated it in one sentence and moved on to the next one. Every time a slight courtesy laugh.
The following two acts were much better, although a little cheap in their use of almost purely offensive subject matter. This gets a laugh without any sort of cleverness and is, I think, a little lazy. Still Doug Stanhope himself was great, just long streams of consciousness, moving effortless from one topic to the next, often having five different jokes running concurrently and never seeming to be at all concerned that he was on stage and needed to entertain people. His humor was often smart and inciteful. It was a very fun evening.
Next day we headed of to Buena Park for a trip to Knotts Berry farm. After a very successful trip to Disney's California Adventure earlier in the spring we were eager for more theme park fun. Unfortunately we were a little disappointed. Knotts certainly had more roller coasters than CA Adventure. The Excelorator and the Silver Bullet being among the most fun, as well as a few others, but there was something just wrong about the park. After a morning of wandering around a little disparities we finally realized what this was- there was no theme. CA adventure is a wonderful celebration of everything great in this beautiful state, from the boardwalks of Santa Cruz, to the mountains of Yosemite, to the vineyards of Sonoma the diversity and beauty of the State is all included. From the minute you step in through the mini golden gate bridge to your trip down the fake Hollywood Blvd. You really feel that you are in California, even our beautiful State Poppy is celebrated.
Contrast with this a theme park whose theme is some mix between Peanuts, Pioneers, God Bless America and every tacky children's toy that can be sold at different stands. No thought has gone into the layout of the park, each ride seems to have just been plonked down wherever it might fit. The result is that the only time you really enjoy are the 50 or so seconds you spend on each ride. This isn't good enough.
Additionally the management of the park was poor, no single rider line, no fast track system and no comprehensive map explaining about different rides. The entertainment was hilarious and by far the highlight of the day. 20 kids all dressed up in the colors of the flag singing songs about our wonderful nation and how everyone else in the world wants to live here- really great for the international tourists that was. Worst of all there were maybe 2 drinking fountains in the whole park- not fun in Southern California.

All this got me thinking that the tempers business is really quite fascinating, the difference between an excellent and a really poor job being manifested in so many ways. I've spent the whole day reading Amusement today and the IAAPA ( International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions) . I've even found that you can study themeparks. Maybe I will have to think about doing my MBA with a focus on themepark management, I think it would be fascinating to work one up from mediocrity like Knotts to something really great,