Wednesday 30 May 2012

When I Didn’t Have a Penny in My Pocket



And I am not joking. This is the short version because this story is included in my latest book to be published. ”It’s Never Too Late”

I woke one day and I was broke. You see I suffer from what they used to call, back in the old days, manic depression, but today's buzz word is bipolar. And one of the characteristics of bipolar disorder is you have very little control sometimes about how you spend your hard earned money. It is hard earned, when you have not got any. You become a spending junkie and the only rehab available is going broke.

My condition made managing money extremely difficult, which is often a common characteristic of the disorder. I was worse than a banker on speed. The only difference from me and a banker, I was spending my money. At least, they get to spend other people’s money, which is a lot healthier.

Then one day I started to list the things in my mind which I had bought, takeaway meals here, video rentals there, the odd T-shirt and many other items I could have done without over the previous months. The money I had given away to friends and family over the years. It was crazy I had wasted so much money just here and there. Then I started to think deeper and then I remembered. Oh, shit, I remembered the beauty treatment fiasco.

Of course, there was this time when I spent the cost a holiday on beauty products I did not need. You can laugh, what did I need beauty products for? I am over fifty and lucky I have still got some hair on my head.

Are you listening,  what are you dreaming?

As Jesus said, “belief is everything.”

In my latest book “It’s Never Too Late” read how dreams do come true, but be careful what you wish for. Understand the secret of greed and you will attain one of the secrets of prosperity. The book will also take you on a journey and explores love, money, luck, and much more.

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Hey, Chuck. Did you bring any spending money? Viva la vida loca.

Conducting Survey into Precognitive Choices

Which would you prefer half-price digital or paperback?

 Read my latest book "It's Never Too Late" by Anthony Fox,  published by Chipmunka Publishing



The Alpha Edge

Post hoc ergo propter hoc
Translated from Latin “after this, therefore because of this"
The Gambler’s Fallacy

Have you heard about the “gambler’s fallacy” before reading this? If yes, then, maybe you will still find this an interesting angle, the ‘gambler’s fallacy’ is interesting because when you follow trends then you will understand the relationship and the point I’m trying to make. Because if you haven’t then maybe this information, may save you a few shekels in your pocket? It’s simple really. I love mathematics and science, and I suppose that’s why I chose to study artificial intelligence at university.

Anyhow, the gambler’s fallacy is similar to “Post hoc ergo propter hoc” or “Post hoc” the short version often heard throughout the courts of the land. I say similar in that the gambler’s fallacy is based on the belief that the odds don’t change after an event that preceded it.

Let me explain. You have heard about card counting associated with blackjack, well, if you are good then you have an edge and without an edge, you are relying just on luck, chance, or call it what you like. But, if you understand how odds change dramatically as you proceed through a game of chance, then you can take advantage of it, and pocket some extra cash legally. All you have to do is to understand mathematics and that’s why I am here to show you. Please understand this is not advice, just simply how you should look at things that come your way.

I don’t count cards, I can’t be bothered, but there’s not much point in playing the game of blackjack and its other varieties because if you don’t bet big {only with what you can afford to lose, because you shouldn’t bet your house on a flip of a card, and it’s as simple as that, don’t do it.} When the odds are in your favor then you are just gambling. You see there is a fine line between playing a game of chance and having an edge and just gambling. I don’t advocate gambling, no way. It’s just fun to be right sometimes. If you do want to gamble, then that’s your choice, you and everyone and their granny’s built Las Vegas.


If you analyze at how hedge funds work, they follow a similar principle, normally trends. Don’t forget they say, they are, the smartest guys and girls in town. Well move over, because I don’t know what table they have been feasting at, but I want some gravy as well. It’s easy to make money in a market that’s in a bubble. You follow the trend. And hopefully, you get out before someone bursts the bubble and you are left with egg on your chops and an empty pocket.

Trends can be very profitable it’s just like a stock market bubble, it’s hard to go against a trend, but equally, it’s important not to stick all your bankroll on one selection. And as long as you don’t stick all your money down and only a small percentage then following trends is the way to go.

Here’s an example: say you toss a penny 10 times and the odds are exactly ½ of getting a head or a tail each time you toss the coin.  So the true odds don’t change. Why? Because as I have mentioned in this article just because something happened before, bears no relation to what happens next{Post hoc}. This is similar to the game of roulette where you have a run of black or red numbers come up, but why do some people think  – the number, the wheel, the universe, and whoever has the memory of what happened before. God said, "I can't remember."

Do you remember the article on here about the many who broke the bank of Monte Carlo? Well, what some of them did was completely opposite to what most gamblers do. Most punters would at some point have been backing red in the hope the run of blacks would end. But history and a lot of things in this universe don’t work like that.

Anyhow, what happened on that famous occasion when the casinos literally cleaned up was everyone and their granny kept on backing red in the hope that the run of blacks would stop but, it didn’t, it went on for an incredible 30 odd times before a red turned up.

Just think 1 to the power of 30 - 1 that’s = 2000000000000000000000000000000 that’s big. I hope I got this right because my scientific calculator is on the brink of a mental collapse its battery life is dodgy. I have to give it a big knock just so the Led lights up. So what, yes it’s a big number and I have made my point. It’s a really big number and I have had lots of hot dinners.

Take a look at a sequence of numbers or in this example, Say you toss a coin 100 times in theory and the odds are the same for each toss of the coin. Right, yes, but take a look at any sequence of numbers or tosses of a coin and what do you find? Well, what do you see? Over a reasonable sequence, it should even out roughly 50/50, but in that sequence, the odds can sometimes appear to be in your favor then it is time to take advantage of this anomaly. You have it, a pattern. Take a look at this sequence of 10 tosses of a coin done at random.  I tossed a coin 10 times to see what would happen.

Example: I just tossed a 2 penny coin 10 times and recorded the results, purely random if there is such a thing. Heads = H and Tails = T

H,T,H,T,H,H,H,H,H,T  Can you see the pattern? 5 heads in a row.

The odds haven’t changed, but your edge has. You figure it out.

Also, if you had been backing purely heads then you were right 7/10 times and the true odds are not now 1/2 per toss. They are 1.25 and they have increased purely by the sequence. The real edge {s} is sometimes difficult to find, that's why spotting a pattern is a daily pattern for logarithmic computers in the city. Whoever spots the pattern emerging gains the edge, it’s called finding the alpha edge in financial circles and happens in milliseconds every second of the trading day.  "I made a million, Today. What did you do?"


Ask a city trader what the alpha edge is? And [they}] will probably say its the biggest bonus builder in history.

P.S. Sponsored by Madbrokes a comedian on antidepressants.


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In my book “It’s Never Too Late” read how dreams do come true, but be careful what you wish for. Understand the secret of greed and you will attain one of the secrets of prosperity. The book will also take you on a journey and explores love, money, luck, and much more.


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Hey, Chuck. Did you bring any spending money? Viva la vida loca.


Conducting a Survey into Precognitive Choices

Which would you prefer half-price digital or paperback?


 Read my book "It's Never Too Late" by Anthony Fox,  published by Chipmunka Publishing


L'appuntamento

Tutto Quanto


Do You Believe In Destiny?

The reason I ask this question, is because of how we can misinterpret this with fate and the same can be said about esoteric phenomena such as Déjà vu, magic circles, aliens, and other unconventional beliefs. It's a great song by Ornella Vanoni.


I just love music.


Ornella Vanoni - L'Appuntamento


P.S. Sponsored by Madbrokes a comedian on antidepressants.


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In my latest book “It’s Never Too Late” read how dreams do come true, but be careful what you wish for. Understand the secret of greed and you will attain one of the secrets of prosperity. The book will also take you on a journey and explores love, money, luck, and much more.

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Hey, Chuck. Did you bring any spending money? Viva la vida loca.

Conducting Survey into Precognitive Choices

Which would you prefer half-price digital or paperback?

 Read my latest book "It's Never Too Late" by Anthony Fox,  published by Chipmunka Publishing

Tuesday 29 May 2012

The Second Rule of Selling


Forget the Competition

Forget the competition. That’s right. Forget the competition it doesn't matter, selling is just a numbers game.

There’s always competition. According to Amazon, they have something like 5 million books available to choose from. So how do you get your book to sell? The simple answer is self-promotion. You can't visit every prospective lead, but you can publicize your spiel and close.

Think about it, unless you tell as many people as possible about your book how the hell can they buy it? And I don’t mean spam. You have to understand your market and who are the likely leads. When you know that you focus on that.

Give me an Olympic gold for effort because the world is full of great ideas, but without action, they are just ideas.

Ask any successful salesperson and they will tell you it’s just a numbers game. In fact, it’s all about how often you can keep your mouth shut and for how long. The first person to speak loses.

I was always good at that. Keeping my mouth shut. Sometimes the silence after a close was like being in a crowded elevator when you know someone’s [crap] themselves. You can’t stand it and you do not want to breathe.

Hey, don’t bin this, recycle it. Selling is just a numbers game.

PS. I have to get back to work, I can smell the coffee.

Are you listening,  what are you dreaming?

In my book “It’s Never Too Late” read how dreams do come true, but be careful what you wish for. Understand the secret of greed and you will attain one of the secrets of prosperity. The book will also take you on a journey and explores love, money, luck, and much more.

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Hey, Chuck. Did you bring any spending money? Viva la vida loca.


Conducting a Survey into Precognitive Choices

Which would you prefer half-price digital or paperback?

 Read my book "It's Never Too Late" by Anthony Fox,  published by Chipmunka Publishing

Put Those Selling Skills into Action


Whatever you are selling you need to put nearly all your energies into understanding who are your customers? Where do they normally buy what you are selling? What sector of the market you hope to sell to. And don’t forget to understand the demographics of the market you propose to target. You will need to have either a well-thought-out marketing plan or a very real idea in your head to follow. Me, I just use my head, because I haven’t got the time to write it down.

You can sell anything if you have learned the rules and follow them to the letter. Otherwise, you will have fewer sales over time. It's simple logic. With the right attitude, you will do more sales.

Besides, I am lazy too sometimes. My education in marketing started at university where as it happens, I did a module on marketing for engineers. But most of my knowledge comes from the real deal. I started as a boy working weekends and after school working on a street market stall for a busy electrical retailer. You name it he had it on his stall. From batteries to screwdrivers, light bulbs, and every other hardware item you could think you’ll need, well he had it. I don’t profess to know all the answers or indeed the questions, my experience is from the school of hard knocks, and I can tell you selling is like any other business, it takes hard work, commitment, enthusiasm, and the knowledge and skills of selling, and always with the right attitude.
Ask any successful person, from rock stars to celebrity chefs, and they will all say the same, it's been a long time coming, or should I pinch myself because maybe I am dreaming. Being a realist, not every woman is going to find me attractive and I will not find every woman attractive either, it’s just simple logic. Neither would I like the life of King Solomon with around 700 wives and countless others. How did he know, which one to choose, I have enough on my plate pleasing one, let alone 700. I don’t know about you but I am quite easy to please, three or four options would be enough for me, and I expect you also. You see we think the same deep down. Well most of us. Not only would I be a raving Looney, but an extremely horny one.

Besides, I’m slowing down these days. I’m not a spring chicken anymore, more like an old rooster.

There’s a very good book where you learn a very important moral. The book is called “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. Sometimes the truth needs to be hidden for you to really appreciate it and remember it. Because it’s surprising how often this moral repeats itself in most of our lives. I will give you a clue, but I think it’s up to you to find out and enjoy the experience. No fun otherwise. Believe me, you will appreciate the lecture, and I don’t like to lecture I am more of a comedian than a professor. I am the scientist, in “Back to the Future” constantly experimenting and thinking about problems. Why do the mathematical constants show an engineer at work, somewhere out there, possibly?

My experience was gained over many years selling a whole range of products for both national and local companies, as well as for myself as a business owner.

No person is chained to one career or job. Life has a way of shutting one door but opening up many more. It takes a different way of looking at things so that you don’t miss these opportunities, because believe me. My grandfather would test me after reading books to see what I had learned. Read the story of the richest man in Babylon on my other blog. I wrote a book review here on my other blog. Even if I told you the answers, it would still be easy to overlook the important moral in this story. Unfortunate as it is, sometimes, it’s only our mistakes that show us the way forward, but it’s still only you who can steer your ship.

Whatever you do always remember to do the right thing with the right attitude because if you do that you will never fail.

I suffer from Bipolar and the last thing I want sometimes is that feeling of rejection. But, the more you ignore it and get used to it, the less it will affect you. Well, that’s one of my strategies for dealing with Bipolar. My next book is about my struggle with bipolar and what I did to cope. I have written it as a mix of comedy and truth, hoping that the reader will see the funny side sometimes. I show the reader how I learned to cope. It wasn’t easy. But, what is, if you really think about it. I remember thinking right at the beginning of my years at university; would I be able to cope? But, that’s our negative half which some of us are more aware of. Sometimes you have to live with what comes ashore. If you don’t, it will end up destroying you. We don’t what that to happen. Oh, no, not on your Nelly. Hold on, I am rambling here. See how easy it is to go off the beaten track.

This process is the same if you are a lone salesperson or part of a larger organization. Believe me in a previous life I have had some good and some bad induction sales training regimes.

You can sell anything if you have learned the rules and follow them to the letter. Otherwise, you will have fewer sales over time.

The right attitude always guides our path; we just need action, because without that your dreams are just those dreams. That’s where you have an advantage over me because at some point my black cloud will arrive again, and I will seek comfort myself and end up not doing anything for months. And I am not joking about that. Someone asked a question the other day, on a Bipolar support forum, which asked, if there was a pill available that you could take, that would cure Bipolar in an instant would you take it? I just said, “Yes.” I would be a fool not to. It’s simple logic.

When I was a boy I was always taking on challenges like taking engines out of cars and fixing gearboxes, but then I had the time and patience to learn. If I couldn’t find the information in a car manual then I would walk to the nearest garage, and ask them what they thought.


In other words, what works for you is good. But if nothing appears to be working, then you need to sit back and spend some time, and I mean hours, and analyze your performance. And always try to look forward and not inward.

Are you listening,  what are you dreaming?

In my book “It’s Never Too Late” read how dreams do come true, but be careful what you wish for. Understand the secret of greed and you will attain one of the secrets of prosperity. The book will also take you on a journey and explores love, money, luck, and much more.

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Hey, Chuck. Did you bring any spending money? Viva la vida loca.


Conducting a Survey into Precognitive Choices

Which would you prefer half-price digital or paperback?

 Read my book "It's Never Too Late" by Anthony Fox,  published by Chipmunka Publishing

Monday 28 May 2012

Ok This Week I Don’t Feel Lucky.

But does it matter.

Euro millions test, my brain against the computer’s random number generator. Simple enough really, but I don’t feel lucky, so my philosophy is to think of a number, and then add - +1 or minus 1. Example: think of a number say 8, and then add 1 or takeaway 1. So the number could be 7, 8, 9 for example as one of your 5 selections for tonight’s Euro millions.

I will be doing the numbers separately at the National Lottery and using a bookmaker because I like to have separate bets with combinations. So hopefully at some point a have a return bigger than the smaller prizes offered by the National Lottery. You figure it, you buy and you hope you win the jackpot, but how often does that happen. I have already explained the odds against it happening. But we all like to play it, that’s great. But, it also makes sense to cover your bets. And this is how. Well, it makes sense for me, because I have to cover the cost of making these bets. What’s your choice, match 3 numbers gives say a tenner one place and the other place if successful place 3 numbers together you can expect a return of over ten times that. What would you do?

Test 1 showed a total zero. But, then again last week I felt lucky. So we will see what happens when I don't feel lucky. Not that I believe in luck. This is just an experiment as mentioned in the other articles on this subject.

That’s have a go, my 5 numbers are: 33, 5, 17, 30, and 16 in the original sequence and after - + 1 as mentioned before.

The date is 29/05/2012


Below is a record of my combinations with the bookmaker.



Anyhow, it’s just an experiment.


P.S. Sponsored by Madbrokes a comedian on antidepressants.


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In my latest book “It’s Never Too Late” read how dreams do come true, but be careful what you wish for. Understand the secret of greed and you will attain one of the secrets of prosperity. The book will also take you on a journey and explores love, money, luck, and much more.

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Hey, Chuck. Did you bring any spending money? Viva la vida loca.

Conducting Survey into Precognitive Choices

Which would you prefer half-price digital or paperback?

 Read my latest book "It's Never Too Late" by Anthony Fox,  published by Chipmunka Publishing