[Dennis Hitchings] said that he doesn’t think Facebook is worth $100 billion — “They don’t have the revenue” — but he did say he would buy the stock at $38.

Um, yeah. If you’re able to but the stock at just $38 then you should buy as much as you can. That price will be a distant memory by the time the average Joe is able to invest.

We discussed [whether or not to feature the video] internally and ultimately told the speaker we did not plan to post. He did not react well. He had hired a PR firm to promote the talk to MoveOn and others, and the PR firm warned us that unless we posted he would go to the press and accuse us of censoring him. We again declined and this time I wrote him and tried gently to explain in detail why I thought his talk was flawed.

And now my original post:

From the infamous censored TED talk by Nick Hanauer (full text here):

Since 1980 the share of income for the richest Americans has more than tripled while effective tax rates have declined by close to 50%.

If it were true that lower tax rates and more wealth for the wealthy  would lead to more job creation, then today we would be drowning in jobs.  And yet unemployment and under-employment is at record highs.

This is an excellent point. Our entire economy is based on the principal that the rich create jobs, but it really is an extremely codependent system that relies heavily on the middle class. If the principal was simply “the rich are job creators” there should be a supporting graph showing the wealthy getting richer parallel to an increase in jobs. Reality is, in fact, the opposite.

Working out some simple math makes this even more apparent:

The annual earnings of people like me are hundreds, if not thousands, of times greater than those of the median American, but we don’t buy hundreds or thousands of times more stuff. My family owns three cars, not 3,000.

As a counterpoint, the rich do buy higher priced items. Their house (or houses) might possibly be worth thousands of times more than the median American home. Same with car(s) and/or the oh-so-chic private jet. Still, without crunching numbers, I sense that the income/expense ratio is still widely different between the median American and the ultra-wealthy.

Chris Anderson, curator of the TED talks, defended this censorship:

But even if the talk was rated a home run, we couldn’t release it, because it would be unquestionably regarded as out and out political. We’re in the middle of an election year in the US. Your argument comes down firmly on the side of one party.

Um, since when is supporting the middle class a partisan stance? How is this even political at all?

The speech simply discusses the symbiotic relationship between company builders and product consumers (the middle class). Hanauer argues that the ultra-rich can’t create jobs without people consuming goods. He explains the disconnect between the wealthy getting wealthier and jobs being created.

I can’t help but feel there is more behind this censorship than “political” content.

Thinking it was a fluke, I waited a few minutes and refreshed the feed again. Still not there. I navigated to my personal timeline, refreshed that feed, and the the link status update showed up correctly. This was proof that Facebook successfully received my latest post, but when I jumped back to the newsfeed there was still nothing.

I figured it was a fluke and didn’t worry about it too much.

The next day, May 11, I made two non-link status updates. They showed up on newsfeeds successfully garnering a few likes and comments.

On the 13th, I posted another link. This time the link pointed to Aereo rather than my blog. Once again, showed up in my timeline but not in my newsfeed. I had a few close friends (people who are either subscribed to all my posts or usually see all my posts in their newsfeeds) verify that this post was not on their newsfeeds either.

Between May 13th and today, May 17th, I have made four link posts (to three different domains) and three non-link status updates from both my mobile decice as well as my desktop computer. Every single link has been censored from mine and my friend’s newsfeeds.

I searched Google for people experiencing similar issues and found nothing. I sent Facebook a report of the issue on the 14th of May and received a generic reply a day later:

Thanks for taking the time to report this to us. We’re sorry to hear you’re experiencing an issue using Facebook. While we aren’t responding to every report, we may reach out to you for more information as we investigate this.

I have heard nothing since.

I’m not sure if my link posts have been somehow flagged as spam or if there is some other issue at play. Can status updates such as these even be flagged as spam? I’m a long time active Facebook user with a closed tight-knit community of friends. None of my posts or personal information is public, my privacy settings are tight, and all of my Facebook friends voluntary. There is no reason why any of my posts should be censored.

I use Facebook as a way to share my life and my blog with my friends, many of whom don’t use RSS readers, don’t keep up with blogs, and don’t follow me on Twitter. If anyone doesn’t want to see my links, they’re welcome to show “only important” updates from me.

It is NOT Facebook’s place to censor me.

While I, myself, am not an Instagram user¹, I am a sucker for concept designs and an even bigger sucker for pretty industrial design.

This is by Antonio Pedrosa at ADR studio, a concept piece called the Instagram Socialmatic Camera. I want to touch and hold and play with this. Oh man, do I want to touch and hold and play with this.

The project is apparently raising money on indiegogo, but I’m not sure it could even get the support to see the light of day even if the funds were raised. Oh well.

It was only when he got back home [from the hospital] and started to recover, and “started thinking like a person again” that Joseph realized that Rob Martino, the salesman from Raygoza’s operation, the one who claimed his brother was also a paraplegic, had ripped him off…Joseph would wheel himself out of earshot of his family and work the phone. Many hours were spent in vain, trying to hold the voices on the other end of the line accountable. Ultimately, that’s all they were — voices. Apparitions, almost.

These are not poorly written emails from “Nigerian princes” who want you to help them transfer money. This is a different caliber of scam, preying on people who believe that they really are the 1,000,000 visitor to a website or who purchasing an eBook that guarantees a successful online business. The “boiler room” call centers operate right here in America.

When we hear about scammers and scamees, it’s easy to write off the consequences, but it’s jarring when journalists turn anonymous “scam victims” into real people. This article is no different.

Last night’s event featured one company that blew me (and everyone else) away. I’ve written before about my thoughts on a post-Hollywood world, but there’s a company that is already acting out my fantasy. Their name is Aereo.

Twelve dollars a month allows anyone in New York City¹ watch live TV on any device they want, from computer to tablet to smartphone to TV². Aereo’s large Brooklyn based data center provides each users with their own personal digital cable antenna and DVR box, allowing them to receive and record television signals which are them processed and delivered back to the user’s device of choice.

While this may upset numerous cable providers, Aereo has built their system in strict observance of the law. By signing up for and using Aereo, no laws are being broken and no piracy is being committed.  Technically, it’s the same as purchasing a DTV converter box, you’re just storing it in a remote location.

The Broadcasters v. Aereo lawsuit is proof that the cable providers are scared and attempting to cling to their dying business model. Unlike Amazon’s systematic dismantling of the book industry, I don’t feel bad for the cable networks at all. There is no need for users to pay for a plethora of channels they’ll never use. In addition, the internet has revolutionized content delivery systems and there is no need for further innovation to be halted by dinosaurs who refuse to adapt.

I’m definitely on the invite list for Aereo, and I can’t wait to give them my money.

Instead, I wanted to write about a few books that have shaped by life. Whether these books are “good” or “bad” is irrelevant. Instead, each book on this list provided me with a lesson, or lessons, that stick with me to this day. Most of the details of these books have left me throughout the years, but each of them left me with a lasting lesson that I incorporate into my life today, and I would be a different person without.

Favorite books, or recommended books, are different from paradigm shift books. This is a list of my personal paradigm shift books.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kawasaki

This book often gets negative reviews. I also agree with some (if not all) of the criticisms of this book. However, it is impossible to exclude Rich Dad, Poor Dad from my list of influential books due to the huge impact it has had on my life.

I first read up Rich Dad, Poor Dad as a freshman in college. I purchased the book less as a strategic read in a quest to grow rich, but rather in an attempt to understand the genre of “get rich” books; a genre made absolutely no sense to me at the time. I was constantly intrigued by books that promised vast riches to the reader, mainly because many of these books were best-sellers yet a very small percentage of the readers would go on to be millionaires.

“Maybe,” I thought, “they’re just not following through for some reason. I’ll be one of the few readers to follow through, and I’ll become a millionaire¹!”

I picked up Rich Dad, Poor Dad specifically because of name recognition. I’m not sure how it happened, but Rich Dad, Poor Dad somehow permeated my consciousness as the book to read on the topic of getting rich, despite doing absolutely zero research into any other books. I grabbed a copy at my local Barnes & Noble and read it in a week.

Prior to reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad, I was very confused about how to get “rich.” I would constantly wonder, “What job do you need to have to be rich?” It’s not really a topic that can be Googled². It’s not really a topic that an average person, let alone a rich person, can even answer properly.

If Rich Dad, Poor Dad taught me anything, it was that I was asking the wrong question. I realized that trying to find a job that would make me “rich” was the wrong approach. A high paying job would  provide a decent, if not comfortable living. However, getting “rich,” and having the freedom to enjoy those riches, involved making your own job and creating jobs for others. After reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad, life was no longer about finding a great job with great benefits, working hard to avoid getting fired, and retiring with (hopefully) enough money to keep you afloat. It was about working for yourself, investing in assets, and hiring competent people to help along the way.

Despite all the book’s flaws, that one lesson stuck with me. After reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad, I was no longer able to work without asking myself, “who is my work making rich?”

48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

48 Laws of Poweris another controversial book, one that many may not even admit as an influence. Much like Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince, 48 Laws of Power deals with strategic “maneuvering” to influence people and get your way. The format of the book is absolutely enthralling. Greene lists a “law,” following by a description of the law coupled with a anecdote from history that supports this law.

I read this book³ at the same time as a friend of mine and loved being able to discuss each topic as we made our way through the book. Rather than serving as a ruthless guidebook to seizing power, 48 Laws of Power was more helpful in observing and recognizing the behaviors of others. I constantly found myself thinking, “This is exactly what (Friend 1) does!” or “That’s why (Old Acquiescence) was so popular in high school!” or “That’s definitely how celebrities keep in the spotlight!”

48 Laws of Power put people’s (usually subconscious) actions into a tangible form and explored the cause and effect. While the title and content of the book may be off putting to many, it gave my analytical mind much food for thought, and allowed me to better recognize and deal with different personality types in the real world.

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne/Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

The Secret probably isn’t a book that you often see on lists such as these. In fact, I probably wouldn’t even recommend it. Many people might even be shocked that I’m pairing The Secret with the well known Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. In reality, I’d lump 90% of “get rich” books in this exact same category. They all have the exact same message: think positively.

This sounds trivial or ‘new age’-y, but there is a reason why there are so many books on the topic of positive thinking. It’s because so few people actually think positively. And thinking positively really is the first step to getting what you want out of life. I list The Secret and Think and Grow Rich here because those were two books I chose to read (mostly to understand the hype). There are a plethora of other, possibly better, books that serve the same purpose.

Positive thinking, when it comes to these books, goes beyond “glass half full/glass half empty” mantras. Rather, it’s about behaving in a way that invites opportunities. The message of these books is the same concept behind the phrases ‘dress for the job you want rather than the job you have’ and ‘fake it until you make it.’ I obviously can’t do the topic justice (otherwise I’d publish a book myself) but these books really impacted the way I think and behave for the better.

If you want to be a blogger, start a blog. If you want to start a business, start selling something. The only difference between a CEO and a barista is how they spend their waking hours. It’s one thing to know this, it’s another to really understand this. Books like The Secret and Think and Grow Rich get the reader closer to this epiphany.

4 Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss

All the previous books on this list have been about theory. They’ve worked on adjusting the way the reader thinks in order to make them motivated to take a chance, make a leap, and follow their dreams. 4 Hour Workweek was the first book I read that provided step-by-step instructions for making money. It was through 4 Hour Workweek that I became knowledgeable about passive income and separating “work” from “actions that make money.” While building a passive income project isn’t really my end-goal⁴ this book taught me how to break down each project into small steps and how to hire help for stuff you don’t feel like doing.

A new report shows that in the past month, Draw Something has lost nearly 5M Daily Active Users (DAUs), bringing the total down to 10M from 15M when Zynga first made the purchase.

Not a bubble, just a really bad purchase.