7 cures for a lean purse

Time and again we hear Bruno Mars on radio wallowing or stumble on him goofing off on TV. However, he brings out an important wish; to become wealthy. The rules for acquiring, retaining and building wealth are simple, universal and unchanging.

The fun part is there is no prerequisite and believe or not it’s not a secret. But then again we’ve read lots of tales in fat tomes about getting rich. The truth is always simple. Following are the seven remedies for your broke ass.

cure 1: start thy purse to fattening

A part of what you earn is yours to keep. It’s recommended to save AT LEAST a tenth of whatever you earn. Thy purse will start to fatten at once and its increasing weight will feel good in thy hand and bring satisfaction to thy soul.

cure 2: control thy expenditures

A budget is a good place to start. One may write down all their expenses then mark those that are necessary and additional ones that are possible on the remaining 9/10 of earnings and forget the rest. A strange truth is that expenses will always grow to equal your earning unless you make an effort to prevent that from happening, the so called hedonic treadmill.

cure 3: make thy gold multiply

Now that your purse is fattening and you have nipped your expenses in the bud you might continue saving forever with no end in sight. I mean, what do you earn you miserable peasant? Who are you? Okay let’s continue. Identify a profitable investment that will guarantee returns and then keep ploughing back profits. You will soon find out the power of compounding.

cure 4: guard thy treasures from loss

Once in a while there will be temptations to invest heavily in plausible projects. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. The first instinct should always be security for your capital. Is it redeemable from this so called perfect opportunity and if so will it rake in reasonable dividends? Here is where you seek EXPERT ADVICE. It is usually free. Don’t ask your barber about treasury bonds because they know zilch about it.

cure 5: make of thy dwelling a profitable investment

Chances are that you don’t own the house you live in while this is a perfect opportunity for enterprise. By the time you arrive at this step it may be quite easy to borrow a loan to construct/buy your own house since you can demonstrate a clean bill of financial health.

The logic for borrowing for construction is that now you can repay loans with rent money (which you would have paid anyway) and the debt reduces after each installment leaving you with valuable property at the end of it all. Hope you don’t live near an airport.

cure 6: insure a future income

You will undoubtedly grow old but still need comfort. Since old tongues love to wag, let’s hope you will have something to wag about. Many ways exist such as owning properties to pension schemes whatever works for you.

cure 7: increase thy ability to earn

Finally you must cultivate your power to acquire skills, knowledge and wisdom to remain relevant and get rewarded richly in whatever it is you do.

Its time I started writing this blog from a rustic villa atop white sands with an excellent view of the blue ocean. Having smelt the cheese, I’m sure you want a bite. Here’s the whole of it: The Richest Man in Babylon

Smart Points for Charity

Many people always try their best to help the orphans, destitute and needy through charity. However most of us do it once in a while as it is not always easy or even possible to be there most of the times. Take an example of the recent Kenyans for Kenyans initiative. Successful as is was, it will only help for this specific hunger period and a major contribution to its success is the fact that easy accessible channels were available and very many people threw in something however small. What if there was a more permanent way to give continuously without feeling any pressure on any of the parties involved? 

A big problem in helping is finding the right channel to give. Sometimes even if there exists a channel to give, one may not have enough to make an impact by themselves. Consider the scenario below.

Whenever one goes to a supermarket especially the big chains, they are usually asked whether they have a smart card if they make a reasonably big purchase so that they gain loyalty points for shopping. In many cases it is such that whatever you are buying is quite small and so it is not practical to swipe your card, assuming you have one. Many people do not also have these cards though free, or they may have forgotten yet this scenario is an excellent opportunity to give.

Picture this. If there was a card for a particular let’s say children’s home that was attached to a particular supermarket branch. Let’s christen the home “Watoto Children’s Home” and the supermarket “Bidhaa Moto Moto Supermarket” for illustration purposes. So there is an agreement between Bidhaa Moto Moto Supermarket and Watoto Children’s home such that any time a customer doesn’t have a smart card or they have forgotten theirs the Watoto card is swiped instead or a smart point account at Bidhaa for Watoto is credited since there is more than one cashier so you need more than one card in order to capture every possible point. At the end of each month or a reasonable period, Watoto may purchase stuff they need from Bidhaa Moto Moto Supermarket using the collected points just as you would when redeeming your points.

To the customers this will become their contribution to charity however small. Moreover, a customer who is aware of this arrangement may once in a while forfeit taking the points for themselves and contribute them to Watoto if they feel the need to give. To Watoto Children’s Home which is attached to a branch of Bidhaa Supermarket or supermarket chain, this would mean another source of much-needed income to secure basic needs. Why then would Bidhaa Supermarket agree to this idea you would now be asking? This is an excellent opportunity to practice CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) for Bidhaa Supermarket and also assist where limited or no methods for assistance existed before. It will also complement the coin collection tins at the cashiers into which you may or may not throw in those 3 shillings you got for change and instead took a sweet and 2 Mr. Berries.

What’s more the population is at breaking point and these people have to purchase at supermarkets and new malls are coming up everywhere you look. What if the idea becomes successful at one supermarket? I am sure we would all enjoy the domino effect as all the others followed suit. So if you are affiliated with a children’s home or similar and believe in possibilities why not take up this idea as your own and approach an appropriate supermarket. 

Any views, criticism, more ideas, initiatives or comments are welcome to further refine this idea and help make it reality if turns out to be sound.

Solve any Sudoku puzzle

Sudoku has become quite popular and addictive for those with enough time to waste. However a good number of people give up whenever they reach a place where no more clues seem to be forthcoming or resort to trial and error methods such as using a pencil and guesswork so that it’s easy to backtrack if they make a mistake.

However, using a few simple observations, you will find a hard time coming across a Sudoku you can’t solve confidently without guessing. Before we embark let us review a few fundamentals or steps.

·         Always look out for the numbers with a large frequency and try to begin by filling those ones out.

·         After filling in a number always check how the new entrant affects the row, column or cube (a cluster of 9 cells) it appears in. This may be followed by trying to fill out the remaining numbers in the affected row/column/cube.

After you reach the point where it seems impossible to continue without guesswork you may try to apply the following tricks. They supply new numbers which may impossible to fill using normal rules.

1.       Look for cubes/rows/columns with 3 empty slots remaining given that each has nine slots. In fig. 1 the cube highlighted in yellow has three slots remaining.

 

The number remaining in that cube are 1, 7 and 8. The slot marked X can only be 8 since there is 1 and 7 in column 2 already.

Another example has been supplied to reinforce the idea. In fig.2 the yellow cube has 3 remaining slots. Try and find out which number goes to the slot marked with an x. answer: 9. Numbers 5, 6 and 9 are remaining. 5 and 6 appear in column 7 leaving 9 as the number to go into slot x.

Another unrelated case in fig. 2 shows this situation in a row setting rather than cube.  The 8^th row has 3 empty cells remaining (to be filled with 4, 6 or 9). Numbers 6 and 9 already appear on column 7 leaving the slot marked by z to be filled with 4.

1.       Another trick is to assume that some numbers can only go into certain cells without the need to know exactly which ones. In fig. 3 number 1 in the 9^th row/last row ensures that number 1 in the cube highlighted with blue can only appear in either slot marked by z.

With that in mind, the slot marked x in the yellow cube can be safely filled with a 1. You either see it or you don’t. In another example as shown in fig. 4 the 2 appearing in column 1 row 8 ensures that a 2 can only appear in the slots marked z in the cube highlighted by blue.

After applying either one of these observations it might pay off to revert to the normal rules until the next dead end. Enjoy.

Laptop Theft

Everyone now has a laptop. That's very good and commendable but how safe is it? Laptop theft is now with us, here, breathing slowly and waiting for us to sleep on the ball then rear is ugly head. Since we do not know who the thief is and when they will strike the best we can do is to try and clip their wings.

So how do we go about it. First let us review the two typical theft scenarios. One is opportunistic theft where some random person stumbles on an opportunity. Maybe you just decided to take a call round the corner and left your computer unmanned for a moment and when you get back voila! The second scenario is where the "thief" does know who you are and has plans for you so they are just lurking somewhere in wings waiting to strike.

There are many solutions lying around including insurance. But it is very likely you do not want to pay premiums just because you suspect. You might as well save up for a second machine! The most practical option in sight is a physical security cable akin to those seen in computer shops. This is a lightweight metal cable no more than a meter long and coated with a rubber tube. It has a metal lock that goes into the security slot in laptops, projectors or even gaming consoles. On the other end is a small loop that hangs onto an immoveable heavy object such as a fixed table.

So what if the thief comes along with some cable cutter or tears out the cable. First it is suspicious to walk around with cable cutters, second yanking out the cable may lead to serious damage which is not very wise assuming the motive is to sell the stolen equipment. But what if it is for malice? Like a competitor attempting to scuttle the launch of a new innovation or simply the Gestapo looking for God knows what. Having said that, let's turn to software.

Enough software exists that claims to track stolen equipment. The truth is it is hard to choose. The most appealing came in the name of "Prey". This is open source and free and relies on the assumption that the robber might decide not to format the stolen device or sanitize the hard disk and then go on to access the internet. The software enlists support for over 500 devices including phones, sings about the location details and even takes a photo (if webcam present) of the new owner happily Facebooking away. Heaven have mercy if the face is that of your old time very good Christian pal. Google will tell you more.

Funding for your business ideas

Starting a business is often a challenge for most people. At a recent conference where several startups were presenting their ideas to a remarkable panel in order to obtain funding, the following concepts came out clearly. First you have to come up with a feasible idea which must seem to be profitable. Next is the mountain that drives everybody crazy; capital. Finally you have to implement your idea since it will not materialize by itself. Just like starting a fire you might have lots of fuel and be full of air but you still need a flame to have a blast.

But before setting foot into the murky waters you must find out who your customers or target audience is. Collect all the statistics you can on your market since it’s always good to have the numbers on your fingers especially when making a presentation or a pitch to potential investors. Again there is always the issue of how your target customers will know of your product or service. Several marketing methods came out such as using social media e.g. Facebook or Twitter, face-to-face contact, posters, newspapers or even spamming (Sending information or URL links for your site to all the email addresses you can lay your hands on). The last method may irk some people but they will get the message anyway.

Another issue is how you will launch your product/service. Some products may be free during the pilot period followed by subscription if the initial customers liked what you had to offer. For example a dating site may let potentials send each other gifts and flirts before hitting them with a subscription fee once the “love ” starts running deep. On the same breath you must know how your business is going to rake in money. Some of the revenue streams out there include premium SMS messages, recruitment/joining fees and transaction fees especially for online businesses.

A business may also decide to advertise on their site with advertisers paying for their listings either per month or CPC (cost per click) i.e. they pay for every click on their advertisement. One fact that came out strongly was that a good business adds value i.e. customers should enjoy a new service that wasn’t there and is worth their money or the service was already there but it has added or unique features that drive customers to choose yours over others.

If your business relies on software you must check whether the software already exists and justify why building your own is better than buying say COTS (Commercial off the shelf software). Customization of other software especially Open Source software (Software that has a free License and can be altered and redistributed without copyright constraints) is also another option here. Assuming you are pitching your business you must give sufficient reasons that demonstrate your need for funding i.e. expansion to new markets, marketing, creating new products/services etc.

Finally, you must have exit strategies handy. An exit strategy is simply what you intend to do with your company once it becomes too large and powerful for a few individuals or when you encounter unfavorable conditions. Strategies include acquisition by new players, listing on the stock exchange or you can refuse with it until you die. In reality many startups don’t make it that far and it’s always good to “see” the progress of your business a number of years into the future especially if your main business activity ceases to be profitable. This ensures sustainability. Also getting your idea out there is always a good thing since you may get new perspectives and improve the idea or even catch the attention of an angel investor. Some people might argue that their idea may be stolen and choose to develop in stealth mode but the truth is for every idea you conceive there are hundreds of other people toying around with something similar.

Resetting your windows XP password

My goodness! You are still using Windows XP. My Oh my, and you have lost your password! Good grief! You must be making this stuff up. Sit back, relax, for there is no need for alarm since you don’t have to lose your data or get locked out. You don’t even need to have funny sounding tools to get back inside. All you need is your Windows XP installation CD and you are good to go. This method, however, works only for standalone computers and not those on a domain.

The first step is to put the CD in the tray and shut down your locked pc (Make sure you write the key on the CD elsewhere before putting it in). Reboot and wait for the prompt "press any key to boot from CD" Do exactly that then wait for the setup to copy files. Meanwhile just stare shamelessly at the blue screen. After some time the setup screen will appear. Choose to install Windows now.

Select F8 to accept the terms and conditions. Next is a screen with all the copies of windows you have installed. Move the Up and Down arrow keys to select your XP installation. If you only have one it is already selected. Press R to repair which will take another several minutes. You will be prompted to reboot or the system will reboot automatically after 15 seconds. Ignore the "press any key to boot from CD" prompt this time and let installation resume. The Installing windows screen will appear. This is our much awaited security hole. Keep your eyes on the lower left hand side of the screen and when you see the "Installing Devices" progress bar press SHIFT+F10.

A command prompt window materializes from nowhere with its characteristic black background and a blinking cursor. At this point you can start grinning as you type NUSRMGR.CPL and press Enter. Voila!! The user accounts dialog appears and you can remove your old password or create a new one for all the accounts on that computer. If you choose to create a new one you can also (optional) type "control userpasswords2" at the command prompt without the quotes to logon without entering your new password.

When you are satisfied with the changes you have made you can now close the windows and continue with the Repair. Have your key in hand. After the Repair you are now back in. All settings and programs should remain intact. However one side effect may decide to manifest i.e. the appearance may not be optimal in which case you just change the screen resolution or reinstall display drivers tasks equivalent to throwing stones at a monkey.