Plato describes five types of government in the Republic:

1. Aristocracy- Plato considered this the best form of government; aristocracy embodies wisdom of the philosopher king.
2. Timocracy- military government embodies virtues of honor and courage.
3. Oligarchy- rule by a rich elite, their vice is greed, the rich get richer, the poor get poorer.
4. Democracy- mob rule, and chaos, it represents akrasia people are slaves of their desires and have little self-control.
5. Tyranny- this is the worst form of government. The vice is selfishness, one power crazed person in control. (source)

這就是 social media 的本質。

1) doesn’t rush to conclusions and doesn’t expect entrepreneurs to do so either

2) flows into a company based on the company’s needs, not the investor’s needs

3) starts small and grows with the company as it grows

4) has no set timetable for getting liquid: slow capital is patient capital

5) takes the time to understand the company and the people who make it up (source)

I therefore declare war against the world I used to rule,

against what being unfair, unfortunate, unrealistic,

against the past,

against those who don’t live up to what they deserve,

against those who live an easy life,

against those who want more by doing less,

against those who are skin deep but appear to be profound;

I therefore declare war again those whom I once loved,

in the name of my beloved moral statue.

- C. J. W.

Everybody sees what you appear to be, few feel what you are, and those who will not dare to oppose themselves to the many, who have the majesty of the state to defend them; and in the actions of men, and especially the princes, from which there is no appeal, the end justifies the means. Let a prince therefore aim at conquering and maintaining the state, and the means will always be judged honourable and praised by every one, for the vulgar is always taken by appearances and the issue if the event; and the world consists only of the vulgar, and the few who are not vulgar are isolated when the many have a rally point in the prince.

- The Prince, p. 74

Another thing that will never change is that art forms will always draw from the past, reflect on the present, and look to the future. That applies to everything from art and architecture to business.

and I still believe that making deals is an art form, just as business is an art form. As Andy Warhol said, “Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.”

I think it’s a good idea to review what constitutes an art. Creating art involves technique. The basics have to be learned and absorbed. Art is never created from a void. There is the past to consider, and how it can be made pertinent to the present, and then with an eye to the future, it can take us to new places. Just reviewing the progression of an artist such as Picasso makes this process very clear.

An indication of life is growth, and we cannot stagnate and expect to get anywhere. Studying the past is laying the foundation, but we cannot stay there. The foundation is merely the preparation for the great designs that will come. If you are a business student, remember that everything you do is laying the foundation for your future–so work carefully and thoughtfully. Artists are known for being meticulous and that applies to business as well. (source)

應用在投資，我想就是以下四個簡單流程。堅信簡單公式，能幫助你過濾外界噪音：

1. 研究追蹤特定標的
2. 進場
3. 管控風險 (加碼或減碼)
4. 出場

Bonus Quote: “know everything you can about what you’re doing.”

The central task in a gift economy is to keep the gifts moving. By social debt, barter, and pure charity, gifts circulate and generate happiness and wealth.

(source)

禮物經濟，或是 Chris Anderson 喜歡說的免費經濟，在我看來是烏托邦，不可能實現。它無法 scale ，沒有價值衡量標準，沒有人需要為勞務或服務的提供負責，最重要的是，它太順從於人性，從歷史的經驗看來，凡是放縱人性的經濟體都無法長期存在。

活在貨幣堆起來的資本主義很辛苦，因為它懲罰懶惰。但它也給了我們最好的禮物 — 時間。它讓時間站在我們這邊，縱使金湯匙金叉子金牙籤現在不在你手上，只要你不鬆懈，擁抱資本主義，時間會幫助你，把整套餐具從沒有資格獲得的人手中奪過來。

有時候，禮物會收得心不安理不得，唯有靠自己努力得到的才是真的。

另外從 cash flow statement 也看到一個有趣的小地方：過去三個月，MSFT 悄悄地在證券市場作多 。我個人推測 2010 上半年應該就能慢慢採收夏天種下的果實了。

One question to ask yourself is: what doesn’t exist that should? Do you see something that is lacking in your neighborhood, your city or in the world? Is there anything you can contribute? Is there a niche waiting to be discovered? There most likely is. If people spent less time complaining and more time in productive and creative thought, we’d all be the better for it. It’s sometimes as simple as going beyond the status quo and having the courage to do so. (source)