Books, Games, Movies, and Other Media

Entrepreneurapalooza!
 by: Kingpin

Recently, I've been gathering information on starting a business. Like many other recent graduates, I was unable to find a job because my degree was not in a specialized field. I decided that if I couldn't find a job, I'd create my own job and be my own boss. Every book I have read so far concerning entrepreneurship has been excellent and I learned a lot, and I would like to share them with you.

Trump University Wealth Building 101 is a great book for anyone who wants to be wealthy but has not yet decided on exactly how they are going to become wealthy. This book dabbles on many important categories concerning building and maintaining wealth, including real estate, stock trading, asset protection, and entrepreneurship. The information is useful and I highly recommend this book to all new graduates, as well as people who want an effective crash course on wealth building and asset protection.
5/5






Trump University Entrepreneurship 101 is one of the best books I've seen concerning business building. It is extremely user friendly, beginning with steps on how to distinguish an opportunity from just an idea. As the book progresses, you choose your opportunity and the author, experienced entrepreneur Michael Gordon, PhD., helps you with the planning stages for implementation, as well as form an executive summary of your business. He also discusses negotiation and launching your venture.
4.9/5






The Little Black Book of Online Business is an excellent resource. This book is not meant to be read in the same manner as the Trump University books. It is best used as a reference book. Paul Galloway provides useful information and links for every possible online business topic, including viral marketing, legal tools, outsourcing, promotional items and incentives, affiliate marketing, and much more! A must have.
5/5







I would not recommend e-preneur to anyone who needs things spelled out for them. Goossen does a good job of describing what the Web 2.0 phenomenon is, as well as interviews successful Web 2.0 entrepreneurs, but does not really set up the book in a step by step call to action like the Trump University books. e-preneur does have a lot of filler, but there are also many diamonds in the rough, which is why I still recommend the book.
3.8/5






I'd just like to conclude this by saying good luck to all of  you, my fellow entrepreneurs, and I hope that my recommendations help you succeed in your endeavors.



Book Analysis: Rich Like Them
Post by: Alphattude
I’ve recently finished Ryan D’Agostino’s book entitled “Rich Like Them,” based on door to door interviews of America’s richest neighborhoods in search of the secret to wealth accumulation. There is a common thesis; a mantra that all of these wildly successful people have in common. That mantra is being persistent and training yourself to always pay attention to new opportunities within your realm of expertise or interest. If you’re a realtor for instance, cheap waterfront properties should always be at the forefront of your brain at all hours of the day, even while on vacation. One should always place themself in an advantageous position to “connect the dots”. That perfect piece of real estate might be on a business trip in Arkansas, or in a little known area of Mexico. The three key words in business are: “you never know”. The people that spoke with the interviewer were those that believed in "you never know", part of the reason they agreed to speak to D’Agostino in the first place.

A curious mind is often a creative mind. Creativity in combination with risk taking often yields extraordinary results and rewards beyond imagination. If you are not always attuned to learning new things within the scope of your occupation, passion, or nature, then somebody else is gaining that edge on you. Not only are these people wealthy entrepreneurs, some are career businessmen and businesswomen that saw that edge and impeimented it into action. Some are just plain "lucky" (luck doesn't exist because people put place themselves in the position to be lucky), some are visionaries, and some are just renegades. 

These are regular people like you and me, with some slight variations. Studies show that key leaders are those of above average intelligence, but not by a margin too wide above the rest of the group. All of the wealthy interviewees “stuck to what they knew.” This advice should sound familiar. They worked in the industry, be it hospital administration, travel planning, real estate, etc. They saw the missing holes; the dots that had not been connected. They searched and worked incredibly long 15-20 hour days until prosperity. All of them were able to measure risk and reward, as well as implement hard work with a serious dose of persistence.

More importantly, coming up with a good idea is not even half the battle. So many people have good ideas everyday but the key is taking action and doing something about it. At some point, most of these successful interviewees find themselves at a crossroads. It’s easy to make risky decisions when you are young and without much responsibility. Take a chance and fail, so what? You go back and work for the man until you’re ready to try again or find a comfort zone.

(Deviating from the book) The most common millionaire in today’s America is usually a second generation American wearing an inexpensive suit, driving a modest car, and generally living below his or her means. Rolex, Rolls-Royce, Couture, these brands are not marketed to today’s trendy millionaire. They simply are not that target demographic. These are people that grew up having nothing and they... are hungry. They are hungrier than us Americans, with our sense of entitlement stemming from the booming economy of the 90’s. The guy now running the office I work at? He is a part time employee; an insanely driven and hardworking Indian guy in his mid 20's.

What do they have that we don’t have? They are today’s pioneers of innovation in computer technology, medical technology, doctors, engineers… what do they (first and second gen Americans) have? I refuse to believe it’s overall intelligence, although that could be proven with empirical data. Instead, I presume their main advantage is persistence. They want it more than we do, and if we don’t do something about it besides building invisible walls between our domestic world and the international world, we will lose.

Halo: Reach Beta: The Verdict



Top 10 Kills
Excellent Survival Tips

Halo: Reach, a prequel to the original Halo, is finally out for multiplayer beta testing. All you need is a designated copy of Halo 3: ODST. As someone who has played multiplayer on the original Halo Trilogy, I just have to say...it's awesome. Let me give you a quick overview--you can find more detailed gameplay information on http://www.bungie.net/.  

Halo Reach has brought back the feel of the original Halo, but has added many new features that take gameplay to new heights. The levels do not seem as otherworldly as in Halo, since the game takes place on the Earth-like Reach, but the gameplay, including health bars, shields, and the lack of dual wielding, is very reminiscent of the original.

Armor: There are four armor types in the beta version, each with its own special abilities:

• Scout:  Your Spartan temporarily tuck away your weapon for a burst of speed

• Guard: Your Spartan stops and punches the ground, increasing the power of his shields. While in this pose, he is invulnerable, and if he holds the pose long enough, he will unleash an EMP when he leaves the pose or when he is meleed.

• Stalker: This is temporary semi-invisibility, or, as Halo players know it, active camo. Whenever you turn invisible, your motion tracker, as well as that of those around you, becomes filled with false enemy contacts.

• Airborne: This armor has a jetpack that can help boost your jumps for short periods of time.

*Note: In Elites vs. Spartans Slayer, Elites have a duck and roll maneuver.

Weapons: In Halo: Reach, there is no dual wielding, so many weapons have been cut out in the  beta version.

• M6G Magnum: It seems like Bungie has finally gotten the magnum right. It has its scope again, and its stopping power is equal to that of the DMR. To dispatch an opponent with full shields, it takes four shots plus a headshot. It has an 8 round clip and an above average rate of fire.

• DMR (Designated Marksman Rifle): The DMR replaces the human Battle Rifle from Halo 2 and 3. Instead of 3 shot bursts, the DMR is a single shot semi-automatic rifle with 12 round clips. It has the same stopping power as the pistol, but is far more accurate. It has a rate of fire similar to the Battle Rifles from Halos 2 and 3.

• MA-5 Assault Rifle: The MA-5 Assault Rifle is similar to the MA-5B Assault Rifle from Halo in accuracy, power, and rate of fire. It has fully automatic fire, and the longer you hold the trigger down, the less accurate the gun is. It has a 32 round clip.

• Shotgun: I love what they've done with the shotgun in Halo: Reach. In Halo, it had a slightly longer range with moderate to high power. In Halo 2 and 3, Bungie decreased the range significantly and increased the stopping power. Now, the shotgun has a perfect balance of power and range. It holds 6 shells at a time.

• SRS99 Sniper Rifle: The sniper rifle has the same power, kick, and rate of fire as in Halo 3. One head shot kills, two body shots kill. There are 4 rounds per clip.

• Rocket Launcher: The rocket launcher is pretty much the same it was in Halo and Halo 3...no guided projectiles, high explosive, 2 rounds to a magazine. The rockets do move slightly slower than they did in the previous games.

• Plasma Pistol: The plasma pistol can kill now. It is back to the way it was in the original Halo. It has both semi-automatic and charged shot firing capabilities. The charged shot takes down a shield and, well, you know what to do then.

• Needle Rifle: The Needle Rifle is replacing the Carbine from Halo 2 and 3. It fires the same type of rounds as the needler. If you put enough rounds into an unshielded opponent, they will explode as if you had unloaded a needler into them. However, the Needle Rifle has similar stopping power to the humans' DMR (i.e., a head shot on an unshielded opponent kills instantly. It's not like in Halo 3 when people would be walking around with a needle through their head perfectly fine.)

• Needler: The Needler is just as dangerous and effective in Reach as it was in Halo 3. Do not underestimate its power going against it, do not overestimate its effectiveness while engaging multiple targets.

• Plasma Repeater Rifle: The plasma rifle has a higher rate of fire than it did in previous games, and has moderate stopping power. It is good at taking down shields, then finishing with a melee.

• Energy Sword: The Energy Sword hasn't changed much from Halo 3. It has limited ammunition, a lunge attack, and a melee attack.

• Gravity Hammer: The Gravity Hammer has not changed from Halo 3, either. For those who don't know, when you swing the hammer a direct hit is an instant kill, and anyone close enough to the kinetic pulse takes damage.

• Focus (Beam) Rifle: The Focus Rifle has undergone some huge changes. No longer is it the Covenant answer to the human sniper rifle. It is now a cross between Halo 2 and 3's beam rifle and the sentinal beam. It can fire a continuous beam, but has the same zoom capabilities as the sniper rifle. It takes about 3 seconds of continuous fire to take down a fully shielded opponent.

• Plasma Launcher: Launches multiple guided, high explosive plasma projectiles. Very deadly, but you have to get your hands on it first, and it always seems like somebody has it...

• Metee: Unleash your inner brute and bash them with your weapon. It takes one melee to take down a shield. Also, once the shield is down, it only takes one melee to kill, even in SWAT game types.

I'd like to say one last thing--kudos to Bungie for introducing the beta version of Reach and allowing players to give feedback. The purpose of the beta release is, of course, to get consumer input on the game play so by the time the real game is released it has been perfected.