2011 Off topic thread(basketball,movies,etc whatever)

[sbjj]

Well that's what we're talking about here, the exceptions to the rule . . . the 1%ers.

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[poopoo333]

Are the past 3-4 pages worth reading?

[SPX]

You have brought up Zuckerberg a few times now. Have you ever thought maybe he is just smarter than you and I. Maybe he is just a harder worker, or just has more drive than us.

I'm using Zuckerberg because he's someone we all know and in the stratosphere when it comes to wealth. Plus, because of the relatively accurate movie, we know something about the process by which he achieved his wealth. Also, I just got finished reading The Accidental Billionaires (which the movie was based on) the other day.

As for your second statement, I have no doubt whatsoever that he's smarter than me. But I also think that he is where he is largely because of a fortuitious sequence of events that were beyond his immediate control.

The same is true for Gates. Both he and Jobs jacked the GUI idea after a meeting with Xerox, who basically created the first GUI. If Xerox had been a little smarter about protecting their invention, would either Apple or Microsoft be where they are today? Hmm. . .

[sbjj]

Fuck it. We are all lucky not to be born in Ethiopia. And all those protesters are unlucky to be lazy slobs. And the 20 year old serving in the army about to get a free education is lucky the military accepted him. Because the military will not accept any of those protesters. Because I am sure all those protesters would love to have a job. But to bad the military is no longer accepting people. Aint that some bad luck for all those jobless protesters.

[SPX]

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The point is that, under the basic spiel of conservatism, that great success is achievable just by working hard. But you can work plenty hard on a documentary and you will almost never reach the level of success of An Inconvenient Truth, for a number of reasons, none of which have to do with hard work or the quality of the final product.

[sbjj]

I'm using Zuckerberg because he's someone we all know and in the stratosphere when it comes to wealth. Plus, because of the relatively accurate movie, we know something about the process by which he achieved his wealth. Also, I just got finished reading The Accidental Billionaires (which the movie was based on) the other day.

As for your second statement, I have no doubt whatsoever that he's smarter than me. But I also think that he is where he is largely because of a fortuitious sequence of events that were beyond his immediate control.

The same is true for Gates. Both he and Jobs jacked the GUI idea after a meeting with Xerox, who basically created the first GUI. If Xerox had been a little smarter about protecting their invention, would either Apple or Microsoft be where they are today? Hmm. . .

With that reasoning everything is luck. You can go through just about ANY sequence of events and pick out things that you consider luck.

[sbjj]

The point is that, under the basic spiel of conservatism, that great success is achievable just by working hard. But you can work plenty hard on a documentary and you will almost never reach the level of success of An Inconvenient Truth, for a number of reasons, none of which have to do with hard work or the quality of the final product.

And you are the judge of it all? You are the judge of its quality? I can work my ass off 18 hours a day collecting cans out of trash cans but will never get rich. You still have to do something that is in demand.

[sbjj]

Basically SPX, if you really want to be a billionaire. You better create something that people really want. And if you really think the only way you can reach that goal is by blind luck. You will never reach it.

I know I will never be a billionaire becauuse I just know I do not think like one. And I just do not have that kind of drive. It would be way to easy to blame all my shortcomings on just being unlucky.

[Luke]

Are the past 3-4 pages worth reading?

Nope

[sbjj]

Are the past 3-4 pages worth reading?

Probably not. It started out with potential. But then SPX and I just became a couple of tards. Svino will never talk to me again. And Scientist was smart enough to exit when SPX and I jumped the shark.

[Svino]

Probably not. It started out with potential. But then SPX and I just became a couple of tards. Svino will never talk to me again.

Heh, nah I don't really get offended by much. It's all good.

Man, how did I get pulled into a political discussion anyway? Oh yeah, that's right, it was all child porn's fault. Fucking child porn. It sucks.

[Svino]

In other news, I really cannot believe this is happening:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/09/sports/ncaafootball/penn-state-said-to-be-planning-paternos-exit.html?_r=1

Having grown up in central PA, I can tell you that Joe Paterno is regarded as GOD in that part of the country.

[SPX]

With that reasoning everything is luck. You can go through just about ANY sequence of events and pick out things that you consider luck.

Well in fact I do think that we all owe a lot in our lives to luck and chance encounters.

In fact, consider my ongoing publishing career with Beckett Media.

The first article I ever had published was in 2007 in Black Belt magazine and, after that, I had nothing published for about 2 years, even though I had sent out occasional queries and stories to various publications.

A little over 2 years ago, something sparked my interest in betting on MMA. I can't even remember what it was. It may have been a post on Sherdog or it may have been when I ran across Performify's betting guide. In any case, that sparked a chain of events that lead me to post a write-up on Sherdog that caught Zak's attention. He in turn PMd me and asked me if I wanted to come join this site, which drove me ever deeper into betting on MMA.

All of this in turn caused me to come up with an idea to write a wagering guide of my own, which lead me to Ultimate MMA, which lead to the publication of my betting guide. Since then, for over a year now, I have continued to write for UMMA on a monthly basis and have also even branched out and written about a lot of random other shit for Beckett's other unpublications, such as crossbows, guns, and paintball.

Now did I work hard to achieve that position? I did. I also had the industry smarts to know how to go about making the right connections. But if I had never gotten into sportsbetting in the first place--and possibly if Zak had never contacted me--then none of it would've happened, so I have no problem saying that in a big way I got lucky.

Probably not. It started out with potential. But then SPX and I just became a couple of tards. Svino will never talk to me again. And Scientist was smart enough to exit when SPX and I jumped the shark.

BOL. That's probably true.

Good convo. Did enjoy. Would have again.

[MMA_scientist]

It was only by random luck (it being quitting time at the office) that I exited the conversation at precisely the right time. And only by random luck that I now come back (being that it is time to sit in my daughter's room until she falls asleep).

[SPX]

Shut the fuck up, Scientist.