Curious Random Thoughts

I had an interesting experience while shopping at Amazon which got me thinking if we all are doing enough in designing our products and solutions keeping in, what I call, the double negative scenarios in mind.  I had ordered a desk for our home using an Amazon gift card instead of my credit card. After the desk arrived, I started assembling the desk. When I was almost done I noticed that one of the parts was defective. So I decided to ask for a return and replacement from their website which as you all know is so easy to do at Amazon.  Later in the day I realized that the desk I ordered was not the right one I was looking for.  So I cancelled the replacement order (yes there was a button for it!) and ordered a totally new desk (via a new order) which I liked better. I also dropped off the original desk at UPS with the return shipping label that Amazon provided.  This is when things got interesting. I noticed that I did not get a return/refund notice either on the web...

 I have often wondered over the years how to rationalize individuals that talk about a certain reality that does not jive with what I think is the current reality. I have also wondered about my sense of reality and if it corresponds to others sense of reality.  Often times I come across conversations where really intelligent people make "I created the internet" type of remark when in reality it is either a gross exaggeration or there were multitudes of people contributing towards the effort.  I am constantly trying to go behind the motivation of perfectly normal successful individuals in trying to distort the reality. While actions really speak louder than words, I don't know why individuals resort to bombastic statements that are sure to diminish their reputation as well as whatever real important contributions they have made. I often wonder if it is in our cultural psyche that the person who speaks the loudest and brashest is considered the winner or if an individual is...

Die with zero by Bill Perkins is the epitome of a contrarian view on how to live life. There have been countless books written on long term financial planning but this book provides a compelling alternative. While common wisdom says to start saving early and accumulate wealth over time, Bill Perkins argues why instead it is better to start enjoying experiences that you love early and worry about saving later. Along the way he presents a hundred reasons for doing so. The book also touches the topic of inheritance gifting as well as giving to charity post death (instead of during one's lifetime) and outlines why it is bad for both parties involved doing so. The book argues why it is more efficient to accumulate just the right amount of wealth and use it all up before you die. If you are looking for that one transformational book for the holidays this is it!