I would like to think that people who cheat never win but it’s usually only when they get caught that we find out what they have been up to.  Cheating is indeed a what of life for some people.  When you are honest it pays fairly at least for a while… until you are exposed to corruption.  Would you take a bribe?  I would love to think that people who cut corners, take money, rip off people and stab people in the back would pay for it.  But ultimately it’s unfair to say that cheaters never prosper… they often do and wind up owning large corporations.  Those of us who have a sense of fair play don’t always wind up where we should.  Sometimes we wind up dead or in jail!  Life is pretty far from fair.   A sense of fairness and justice it’s a good thing but it’s a misconception to say that cheaters NEVER prosper.  They often do… with devastating results.

I have had my fair share of back stabbings in my short life… more than I would want to count.  Given that I am typing… I can’t count and I too overweight to see my toes.  It has been my experience that the road to hell is not paved with good intentions… it’s paved with people trying to steal my stuff.  People trying to take my job… (get off it’s mine!) and people undermining me at every turn.  People murdering other people and so on and so on. Where is the good intention in that I tell you!  Sure, this saying has merit.  Many a good deed does actually backfire and create hell for the intended.  But most of the time my dear friends you find people are, as the great Nick Cave postulates, just no good.  The good intentions people may have had usually end up in something that has small consequences even though sometimes it does not.

We live in a world where ambition rules over love, good taste is blinded by mass appeal and people like Ghandi are shot in the street.  This world leaves a taste so foul in your mouth at times that you want to surgically remove your tongue so at least it can be clean.  Sure, I am ranting and sure it’s late.  But you know what I find myself shortchanged more often by people who mean me harm as opposed to people who’s heart is in the right place. I could labour this but you know what I think I made my point.

I love the movie field of dreams.  You know what… I have built plenty of things and the people never come.  I have made websites, books, software and the like and people never came.  I think I have reached the stage where I can say, “If you build it - you better have a plan to get people there otherwise they are likely not to come”.  There is no magic here.  Only work, promotion, SEO, people (thanks to all my readers) and the like.  It’s like people who become good at something they say, ‘I just suddenly knew that I knew that I knew’  What the steaming hell does that even mean?  I call it the breakthrough moment… but I digress.

Can I encourage that if you build something… you need to create clever strategies BEFORE YOU BUILD IT to ensure that people will come.  It has to be something people want to talk about for goodness sake.   If then won’t or can’t then as sure as the sun doesn’t set in the east they won’t come.

Luke out.

I was reading google analytics for the front page of this blog and I wanted to know where people are coming from when they read my blog turns out it’s California. No, not yet California but Los Angeles! The second group of people from my Google Analytics page was Brisbane, Australia. What up Brisbanites! If you love me… digg or stumble me ;).

So who comes in third? Londoners. That’s right London! I was as suprised as you are (if you are not from London that is) when I read that. Over 1/3 of my visitors (generally speaking) are from London. The biggest surprise personally was Brisbane. Our population is like 20 million compared to 300 million in the US and 70 million in the UK. Wow. If you are a blogger I recommend you get into the google analytics just to see where your audience is from.

This is not a sponsored post… just a thought experiment.

I was looking for free video for a web-based novel I am about to launch when I stumbled on this:

American Housing crisis affects renters.

This story sounds so familiar to me.  We are seeing this more and more in Australia.  In the city people are living in tents for goodness sake.

No magic bullet for this one.  I wonder what’s going to happen next?  Anyone care to speculate?

I recently took my wife to the movies and didn’t pay a cent.  I won a competition that’s why. I filled up my car the other day and paid four cents less per litre than everyone else… why?  Because I used a voucher.  Sure, it may make some people feel cheap… it doesn’t for me.  I believe that I should never pay full price for anything.  No, not even petrol.   Some people however are always ashamed to use vouchers.  Not me.

I have been to Seaworld on a voucher someone else gave me, bought many free donuts, not to mention coffee and heaps and heaps of things.  I even have been known to pick up vouchers off the floor from others and use their vouchers as well.  Now I am not necessarily saying that these things are right or that you should follow people around hunting for their vouchers.  I am saying vouchers are good and should be used.  Don’t let your pride stand in the way of a bargain… use vouchers!

*Authors note: this post contains a sponsored link

I am watching the Australian version of so you think you can dance and a thought occurred to me.  A lot of people settle for dreams that people feed them.  I think you should not settle for what other people want from you.  Look inside your own heart and follow that.  Don’t settle for somebody else’s missed opportunity.  So many people live a life where they think they are doing things to please other people.  This is not a healthy way to live. Build your own dreams… don’t settle for those which come from others.