Eleven days after Apple was formed, Wayne removed himself from the company charter. He eventually was given $800 for his stake in Apple, and he let go of that valuable Apple stock, which has exploded in value since.

That… sucks.

The gambling man who co-founded Apple and left for $800 [CNN]

Remember Ron Wayne, Co-Founder of Apple? is a post from: wangarific

When I was younger (and to be honest, I am to this day), I was a huge fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation. I loved it because it showed a future where we traveled through the stars to far away places and met interesting cultures and creatures.

It wasn’t until later that I learned Patrick Stewart was a very accomplished stage actor and his mythology only grew. I feel bad for the kids who only know him as Professor X in the X-Men movies.

I salute you Sir Patrick Stewart!

Sir Patrick Stewart is a post from: wangarific

Unless you’re a fan of science, you probably didn’t guess what actually happened.

I think the play-by-play is really fun… then again I’m a huge nerd.

Alka Seltzer + Ball of Water on the International Space Station is a post from: wangarific

Just today I learned, via Kotaku, that Madden 11 will offer the ability to scout your online opponents. Are you kidding me? I don’t play much Madden anymore, not since Madden 2009 where you’d just have Randy Moss run a fly route every play, but the idea of online scouting reports is really cool.

Until you realize it’ll cost you “coins.” You can earn coins for playing and completing online games or you can buy them. While it’s not known how much each report is (there are 50) or how much they cost, you can be sure die-hard players will be willing to pay for these coins.

Say what you will about EA and their DLCs (people were pissed at how expensive the first Modern Warfare 2 DLC was… then 11.1 million people paid for it), but they have figured it out and are making bank.

Oh and the best part about the scouting? You know when your opponent has scouted you.

‘Madden 11′ introduces online scouting [ESPN]

EA is King of Monetizing DLC Content is a post from: wangarific

I’m always surprised to learn how organized and streamlined criminal operations are. I think having been exposed, in various forms including sensationalized movies, to organized crime like the mafia makes this less surprising, but it’s still an interesting story to read. There are class-A shareholders, financiers, local elders, supplies, and class-B shareholders – a nice hierarchy of who gets paid when.

Somali Pirates Business Model is a post from: wangarific

I’m inclined to believe that the entrepreneurial spirit is very much tied to risk aversion. Risk aversion is part nature and part nurture. I’d like to believe that entrepreneur DNA is in my DNA but I think it’s more about taking on and managing risk.

My dad bought a one way ticket from Taiwan to New York to go to college on an education visa. Traveling thousands of miles to go to college in a language that you didn’t know very well. To buy a one way ticket, because it was cheaper, to a place where you had no network, no friends… nothing, because it potentially meant a better life for you and your family. That’s pretty risky.

I was raised to get good grades in high school, get into a good college, graduate and get a good job. By nurture, I was not taught to take on risks. I was taught this because it wasn’t necessary, we were completing the grand plan my dad set out on when he stepped onto a plane in Taipei.

But I think DNA took over… five years later, I’m a personal finance blogger working for myself, taking on risks, and trying to get to the next level.

Is it nature or nurture?

Entrepreneurial Spirit: Nature or Nurture? is a post from: wangarific

As we were trying to come up with some reasons, my nascent economics brain came up with this theory. It’s your classic Prisoner’s Dilemma. (I had already enjoyed a pint of Guinness and was working on my second when I put together this theory, so my brain was working all cylinders)

Prisoner’s Dilemma

Prisoner’s Dilemma works as follows: Two suspects are arrested by police and interrogated separately. The police don’t have enough to convict either and they need one to turn on the other. If neither turns, they both get six months sentences for a lesser charge. If one confesses, they get no time while the other gets put in the slammer for ten years. If they both confess, they both get five years in jail.

The idea is that the best scenario is for them to keep quiet, both take the six months, though on an individual basis there’s almost no incentive to ever keep quiet. If they understand the idea of the Prisoner’s Dilemma and believe the other person does as well, then they are more likely to keep quiet.

How It Applies

The chances of any star athlete or movie star having just one affair is pretty slim, so chances are the star has multiple partners in several cities. If you read stories of NBA players, you’ll hear tall tales of having a mistress in every NBA city. So you take that idea and the fact that if each one of them keeps quiet, they enjoy a steady paycheck of dinners and gifts (like cars and apartments). This is the equivalent of a prisoner keeping quiet.

If you talk to the press, you kill the golden goose for a quick media fueled payday. That’s why no one ever talks until they see the end of the road. $100,000 and your name smeared in the press for a few years as a home wrecker is hardly appealing. However, when news of potential philandering leaks, everyone’s brain goes to the same place – they see the other side confessing. They see the ten years in jail (end of gifts and attention) and want that payday… so they confess.

Then the rush is on.

Tiger Woods, Infidelity & the Prisoner’s Dilemma is a post from: wangarific

If you haven’t done this before (and I have) then you’re probably going to in about three seconds, google someone you know. Heck, google yourself and see what happens. If you have a common name like me, then it doesn’t matter because there are a million Jim Wang’s. Even if you were like my friend Chih-Wei Yi, there are a lot more Chih-Wei Yi’s then you’d imagine. (The first site titled Chih-Wei Yi is not him).

But… if you dig a little harder, you will find almost anyone you can think of. With more searching, you’ll probably find that person’s blog and all the information they thought was only being shared with close friends.

So… be careful about the image you project (especially if you like to rant on your blog, like me!) and what your blog says about you.

Be Mindful Of Your Blog and What It Says About You is a post from: wangarific

Now check this Minority Report-esq find by Markus of Plentyoffish… check out the search queries of User 17556639 and postulate what this user is trying to find out more about. Looks like AOL opened up the can of worms that was bound to be opened and we’ll have to see how this all shakes out.

Clic here for mirrors to the data and some more info about this… this information is all over the web.

AOL Does What Google Smartly Avoided, Releases Search Data is a post from: wangarific

Someone please explain why this is so wonderful.

What’s The Big Deal About Emurse.com? is a post from: wangarific