NevBlog

It’s about time I change my old school email address. Nev@mail.utexas.edu just doesn’t look all that professional….although sometimes it’s good to email someone with a school email address…(Like on Craigslist).

Currently I am starting to use NevMed@gmail.com

However, an email such as nev@enwon.com would create more exposure because people will often type in www.enwon.com when they see the email.

I was also thinking of nev@neville1.com…Ideally I’d like nev@nev.com or something along those lines, but Nev.com and Neville.com have been taken and not-selling for years!

Now I have to change all my email addresses from all sorts of places before it expires!

I’ll also eventually have to change this business card. I don’t really care for cool business cards, I prefer the free ones from VistaPrint!

These days I’m pretty selective of what I read on a daily basis. I used to read a lot of personal finance blogs, but quickly lost interest after the same stuff gets repeated hundreds of times.

However I have always enjoyed blogs that document personal adventures in money making. The point of these blogs is not necessarily to educate the world about personal finance, but to track progress of money making and experiment with new and creative ways of doing it. I also enjoy lots of technology related sites.

ONLINE READING:
I like to keep track of the technology field, and a great way to do that is by keeping track of new trends, technology and tech news. Me as with most people stumble across the most interesting things via the most random web surfings.

– www.engadget.com – Gadgets and junk
– www.gizmag.com – Probably my favorite technology site.
– www.gizmodo.com – Gadgets and junk
– www.hackaday.com – I come across a lot of underground technology through this site.
– www.luxist.com – Luxury things, new trends.
– www.techcrunch.com – Technology related news, mostly about how “Web 2.0” no-revenue websites keep getting funding. However they always manage to report the LATEST tech news.

On a more sporadic schedule, I checkout:
www.business-opportunities.biz – Business blog aggregation site. Stumble across some nice articles time to time.

www.entrepreneurs-journey.com – Yaro from Down Under talks about his business experiences….although lately he has changed his format to “Blogging about Blogging” which I’m not a fan of. He has managed to financial support himself with his own ventures, so I admire that.

www.okdork.com – Noah Kagan documents his own biz journey. I’ve actually met up with Noah when he came to Austin a while ago where we met at a coffee shop near the UT Campus. The second after we shook hands and said hello, he proceeded to find a magazine to read in the bathroom….then disappeared for a very, very long time while I waited. His website is different, kind of immature and I’ve got a feeling Noah will jump into all sorts of wacky internet ventures and at some point hit it big.

www.howtobepoor.com – Max documents some of his side projects in a personal finance style blog. One of the few blogs I still read time to time because 1.) It’s different and 2.) He can actually think of a money-making idea and implement it himself because he’s also a great programmer. I wish I could program.

www.blogmaverick.com – I think it’s INCREDIBLY REFRESHING to read a blogger who has actually “Been there, done that.” Generally advice and opinions on the internet are dispensed by people who have never had any direct experience with what they’re talking about…..like those people who become millionaires only by writing a book ABOUT becoming a millionaire. Their advice will rarely help anyone. Mark Cuban however is a a busy-billionaire and still bangs out a great blog!

WEIRD BOOKS:
Sometimes I’ll randomly stumble upon a book which is not really a business book, but a business book in disguise. For example, when I met with John Moore, he was flabbergasted that I had already read a book called DEALING CRACK. It was a very short book about a student who actually went undercover in rough neighboorhoods to find out about the underground world of hard drug dealing. When they guy who headed up the Starbucks and Whole Foods marketing groups strongly recommends this book, there is something to it.

The reason I read the book was because of the way it described these micro-economies fueled by illegal drugs. It’s hard to exlpain, but the book captured the essence of supply and demand, customer care and business deals in such a raw and unique way that it was one of the top business books I’ve ever read.

BUSINESS BOOKS:
I’ve read quite a few popular business books, and quite frankly I hate most of them. They talk about the same stuff and dish out the same advice……what I enjoy are STORIES about successful people….especially if it’s autobiographical.

I believe the key to finding a book that may actually help is finding out who the author is. Is it someone who has never made any money except from hocking books ABOUT making money? Has this person actually accomplished anything in the field they’re talking about?

If I want to learn about making big money, I’d read an autobiography by Richard Branson or Donald Trump, or perhaps a biography about Larry Ellison or Bill Gates. The key is to read A LOT of these books, because everyone has different advice that worked for THEM.

Another way to find quality reading material is finding out what someone you admire used to read. Obviously if this impressive person has accomplished so much, they can tell you what material has inspired them. Often some of the most famous figures of our time have read timeless pieces of work like John Locke and Gandhi.

I’m always on the lookout for non-conventional reading material the masses overlook, so if you’ve got a great site or book suggestion, drop me a line!