Jason Calacanis, A-List blogger and founder of Weblogs Inc. (the company behind the enormously popular Engadget) has written a post stating some general rules for link baiting him. Follow these rules, he says, and he’s very likely to link back to you.

Basically he expects people to stroke his ego a bit before bashing his usually controversial opinions. He recommends citing his past accomplishments, mentioning his bulldog, or displaying attractive pictures of him before he gained weight. Click here to continue »

Click here to continue »

An SNL video has been circulating the interwebs called Don’t Buy Stuff You Can’t Afford. The title basically says it all: an expert explains the most important rule of personal finance — spend less than you earn.

The funny part is that the people listening to the pitch don’t want to believe it. They’re dying for the finance guru to tell them how to buy everything they want right now.

The joke works because it reflects real behavior. A product can be an obvious scam, but people will rush to buy it because they enjoy believing pleasant lies. People pay for the pleasure of being deceived. For a brief period they can believe in an easy answer. The best part of the purchase is waiting for it to arrive, full of optimism and excitement. Click here to continue »

I’ve just gone live with a new design. If you’re reading through a feed reader come check it out.

The basic structure of the site is the same, but I’ve upgraded the presentation to reduce wasted space and make it easier on the eyes.

Please let me know if anything looks broken. I’ve tested it a bit, but not for all platforms. I’d also love to hear any other feedback on usability or presentation. I’ll continue to tweak it for the next few weeks until it’s the best it can be.