C

I have found a new Manga serie. It is called C. Watch it for yourself.

Its full name is "C - The money and soul of possibility"

I find it is a very strange serie. But at the same time, if you read between the lines, it is all very accurate.

It is the story of an ordinary boy who wants to live a normal life and is truggling to make ends meet. Then he is introduced to the Financial District. A place where some kind of secret society makes deals and win... or loose money. Every member of Financial District has to make at least one deal a week. Those who go bankrupt are expelled from Financial District. And it is said that bankrupcy brings huge consequences in the real world. Because they say that your future is kept as collateral for the huge amount of money that the Financial District lend you when you get in...

Its a very intricate story. But I can't help to feel that there is something burried in that serie. Some kind of knoledge of how things really works (without the Pokemon type anime of course).

Its interesting...

Have a look. And drop me a line of what you think about it...?

Lets build an empire shall we?

Have you ever wondered what are your limits? How can you know them if you don’t push yourself to the impossible?
I always wondered what it would take to build a multi-billions dollars conglomerate empire? Delusion of grandeur? Maybe. Or maybe it is possible. If you don’t aim for the moon you will never end up in between. What if Alexander the Great was told by Aristotle that he had delusion of grandeur and he’d better concentrate on his teaching… and what if Alexander did comply?

The thing that I found magnificent about the ancient Greeks is that everything was magnificent, grandiose and heroic. We have a lot to learn about that culture. More if, like me, you come from a Christian background in which you learn that you must accept your faith, that everything that happens its because of God’s will (like I have no impact on my life) and that I should be thankful for anything I have. Even if I have nothing, I should thank good not having less…

So I will start a new section on this blog that I will call Conglomerate.
The idea is to start a company. Grow it. And see where it leads. Documenting here all the strategic tasks and movement to get it to the top.

This will be a true business venture. A live one. Its code name of the company will be The Noble House, in order to keep its identity secret. Maybe one day, if it becomes the empire I foresee, will I identify it here. But for now, for strategic purpose, lets stick with the code name.

Liar Game

What would you do with a 100 million?

Imagine you come home and there is a box waiting for you. This letter accompanying the box states that this money is your money. So you can keep it. But there’s a catch. As soon as you open the box, you are playing the game. There is no way around it.

There is someone else in the world that received a box like you. With the same amount. And you have 30 days to get all that person’s money… by any means. If you don’t try, it is this person that will get all you money. And at the end of the 30 days. What ever amount you lost… you owe!

How would you play the game? Follow the rules? Remain legal? Steal? Deceive? Convice? Trade? Who would you ally with? The best trade of the world? The Mafia?

The entire spectrum of the human psyche is there for the player to use. And this would be a very good experiment in human behaviour. Of course it wouldn’t be ethical. But never the less interesting.

If you want to know more about the human psyche, and how to play game with high stakes. Read this amazing Manga that I’ve found: Liar Game.

It is very interesting… on a strategist view point.

We were not taught how to fight

We, for most of us, live in a lawful society. A society in which our rights are preserved and garanteed by law. A society in which our physical integrity is protected by law. Therefore there is no need to fight. You bring your issue to the court. The judge rules and one must follow the judgement. Period. No need to fight. No need to learn how to defend yourself. This is outdated.

But is it?

Who has never encountered a situation in which the sauce could have turned sour from a tramp in the subway? Or from a bully on the street? Most of us have encountered such situations.

There is occasions in which you would need fighting knowledge to defend yourself. And I said to defend yourself. Not to provoque and attack. Because even if your are not looking for shit. Sooner or later, shit comes to you.

I've had my first class of Krav Maga last week. And I loved it! My teacher is a retired soldier who made career in the special ops, them moved on as bodyguard to top politicians. He now have his school of Krav Maga. You would cross him on the street, he looks like a pretty normal guy: good looking, heathly, smiling, cool. But try to fuck with him and he can destroy you in about 10 seconds. I really mean "destroy". I must be honest. I found him intimidating. When he shows us stuff, I can sense so much power within him, its freaking me.

So it made me think. When you are in a society in which most people does not know how to fight. And you do know. You then have a strategic advantage over them. Not to use force against people to get what you want. You'll end up in jail. But imagine going out at night knowing that there is no one on the street that can do any harm to you. You feel safe anywhere, any time. You feel like you are mostly in full control of your environment. Meaning that nothing that surrounds you feels like a menace. In fact, if someone's tries to get funny with you, you're the menace.

Strenght in knowing how to fight gives you a strategic advantage over the rest of society. Especially in a society that doesn't know how to defend itself.

But remember. With any strenght come a responsibility. One should use it wisely and for the good.

Steve Jobs has left us this week

We had a tremendeous loss this week. Steve Jobs has left us.

I sincerelly feel that we live in a little bit lesser world now that he is gone. There is so many people out there who are just alive. They don't really live. They're there, washing their teeths on the morning, hitting the subway, doing their day work, heading back home, cooking dinner, helping the kids with their home works. Hit the shower and go to sleep. That's their lives. And that is how they will live period. I have nothing against them. But they are not the people who will make a difference in the world. They are only the gardians of the status quo.

And then, you have people like Steve Jobs. People with ideas, dreams, wit and will. And wants to change the world to make it a better place. Their mind are on fire. And they cannot help it but change, fix, transform, adapt, shape our surroundings in maners never thought before. Thus making this planet a better world to live in.

Steve Jobs was one of them. Farewell Mr. Jobs. Good job while you were at it. I bow to you in respect.

And now... My little sinical side cannot help it but to ask:"Who will save Apple now?" Steve Jobs was... thanked and replaced by mediocre minds once. They had to beg for him to get back and save them. But now... now what?

What ever you lack to use, you loose

There is a fundamental principle in life that I found can be applied to anything. It goes like this:

"What ever you lack to use, you loose."

For example if you don't nurture your couple. There will come a point at which your significant other will leave. If you stop doing a craft or a sport. You will loose it. Let go of your house or your car. It will decay. Don`t speack a laguage, you will loose most of it.

Anything. This principle applies.

Make sure you take good care of things, people and knowledge that you like, love or that is of some use to you.

Link of the week and Case study: Jerry Garcia

Jerry Garcia was the guitarist of the Greatful Dead... Among other things.

He was a true polymath and marketing genius. He used a strategy for the Greatful Dead that was never seen back then. In an age where people were saying "please let us remind you no pictures and no pirate recording during the show..." Greatful Dead went the total opposite.

Sure bootleg us! Share you recording, sell it among each other. This helps the band getting known. And it helps on the sellings of a miriad of derivative products. So the recording was freely given to whom wanted to make a copy... But the money was made anyway... on the T-shirts, necklaces and other band's products.

This an example of thinking out of the box as a true strategist: do things the way others don't... and win.

Read more on Jerry Garcia by following this link.