Mike Merrill – Money Blog

Targeted Social Engagements

Mike Merrill — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:26:01 +0000

Money follows trust and trust is built over time. The point of RTSN is to multiply the number of connections you are a part of. The practical applications manifest in actions like connecting two people on a project. While the immediate effect is not a monetary gain for you it does increase your value in the network of both people you connected, thus raising the value of your network.
While RTSN is something to adopt in all parts of your life, another key concept is Targeted Social Engagements (TSE). TSE activity falls under two general categories.
The worst TSE is a Networking TSE where the point is to put a lot of people in a room and try to force business to happen. Because this is awkward and forced, it rarely results in much more than people enjoying some free food. Business is an exchange of goods or services for money, but money follows trust, and no one who just met at a table of cold cuts is going to have any reason to trust the other person. Business is difficult when forced.
A more effective TSE is the Personal TSE. Birthday parties, weddings, July 4th BBQs, and other gatherings based on a central actor (usually the host) and that have no overtones of business. People are relaxed and around people they already know or want to know. There is drinking, plenty of trust, and opportunities for a lot more business. (Of course a person who abuses a Personal TSE by handing our cards and trying to drum up business will soon be ostracized and ridiculed.)
Money Blog is testing out a new category of TSE. The Private TSE is a small group gathered to perform a specific task with the side-effect being closer personal relationships between participants. By co-ordinating the Private TSE we hope to gain the same benefits of RTSN but in a larger scale over time. Throughout history there is a pattern of great work coming out of Private TSE, and our theory is that we can create a template for a Private TSE than can be used by anyone.

500 Euro Note Abandoned

Mike Merrill — Sat, 15 May 2010 12:56:38 +0000

“British bank wholesalers have withdrawn 500 euro notes from sale because they are fuelling organised crime.The decision to end trading was made after police found 9 out of every 10 of the notes in circulation are linked to crime, tax evasion and terrorism. It closed an annual 500 million euro (£424 million) trade in the distinctive largest denomination euro note among businesses across the country.” – Telegraph

(via Beats and Buds)

The New $100

Mike Merrill — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 16:28:49 +0000

Great video highlighting the new changes in store for the $100 bill.

And this great techno jam about trust and relationships:

MIKE PULLS A BONER

Mike Merrill — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 16:23:13 +0000

If there were headlines about the sports betting between Steve and I, today would be all about Mike’s boner.

boner
noun
1. blunder: an embarrassing mistake

Let’s take a look at the results…
Dec 14 thru Dec 20
Mike goes from being $25 up to being down $60 (ouch!)
Dec 21 thru Dec 27
Steve gains $15, pushing Mike down to -$75
Dec 28 thru Jan 3
The new year is not kind, as Mike slips to -$115

STEVE SCHROEDER PULLS A BONER (042-048)

Mike Merrill — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:55:05 +0000

If there were headlines about the sports betting between Steve and I, it would be all about Steve’s boner.

boner
noun
1. blunder: an embarrassing mistake

Let’s take a look at last week’s results…
Mon. Dec. 7
Steve wins 1, loses 3. Down $10 for the day.
Tues. Dec. 8
Steve wins 2, loses 6. Down $20 for the day.
Weds. Dec. 9
Steve wins 5, loses 4. Up $5 for the day.
Thurs. Dec. 10
Steve wins 1, loses 2. Down $5 for the day.
Fri. Dec. 11
Steve wins 2, loses 7, 2 pushes. Down $25 for the day.
Sat. Dec. 12
Steve wins 2, loses 6. Down $20 for the day.
Sun. Dec. 13
Steve wins 1, loses 4. Down $15 for the day.
For the week Steve is down $90.
Overall to this point Mike now is ahead $25

A RECAP OF STEVE’S WEEK (030 – 034)

Mike Merrill — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:20:47 +0000

Nov 25
I gained $10 on these 12 games. I’m down a total of $35.
Nov 26
Only two games on Thanksgiving and Steve picked a pair of losers (Atlanta and the Bulls). I’m still down $25.
Nov 27
Another full day of basketball. 11 games and Steve won five of them, allowing me to limit my losses to just $20.
Nov 28
Of the five games played, Steve won three, gaining another $5 on me, making it $25 I owe him.
Nov 29
Steve’s last day of picks and we maintain the debt of $25 I owe him.
Now we start Mike’s Week and a return to THE SYSTEM.

NBA BETS 029

Mike Merrill — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:31:31 +0000

The National Basketball Association is the greatest sports franchise in the world.
Yesterday Steve made these picks:
Philly 107 @ Wash Wiz. 108 -2.5
WASH: Steve loses ($30)
Indiana 112 @ Toronto 123 -5
Toronto: Steve wins ($35)
Golden State 111 @ Dallas 103 -13
Golden State: Steve wins ($40)
New Jersey 87 @ Denver 101 -13
Denver: Steve wins ($45)
OK City 104 @ Utah Jazz 94 -8
OK City: Steve wins ($50)
NY Knicks 90 @ Lakers 100 -13
Lakers: Steve loses ($45)
And I’m down $45.

CATCHING UP WITH NBA ACTION (017-028)

Mike Merrill — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:16:00 +0000

When we left off, on the evening of November 12th, Steve was beating me by four games, which in the parlance of our commitment to wagering, is also known as twenty dollars, AKA, THE JACKSON. Steve’s innate understanding of the game of basketball, a subject he has studied for well over twenty years, has given him an insight into the game that he is unable to articulate. It’s the mind’s equivilent of muscle memory. Truely the man is a genius when we talk of the National Basketball Association. So how did this mightly mind fare for the rest of the week? Let’s take a look…
The 12th (Steve Picks)
Cleveland 111 @ Miami 104 (+1)
MIAMI: Steve loses $5
Phoenix 102 @ LA Lakers 121 (-7.5)
LA LAKERS: Steve wins $5
Steve maintains his $20 lead, AKA THE JACKSON.
The 13th (Steve Picks)
New Jersey 72 @ Orlando 88 (-15.5)
MAGIC: Steve wins $5 (25)
Utah 112 @ Philadelphia 90 (-1.5)
JAZZ: Steve wins $5 (30)
Golden State 121 @ NY Knicks 107 (-2)
KNICKS: Steve loses $5 (25)
Atlanta 97 @ Boston 86 (-9)
ATLANTA: Steve wins $5 (30)
Portland 86 @ New Orleans 78 (+2)
PORTLAND: Steve wins $5 (35)
Dallas 89 @ Minnesota 77 (+11)
DALLAS: Steve wins $5 (40)
Houston 100 @ Sacramento 109 (+4)
KINGS: Steve wins $5 (45)
LA Lakers 79 @ Denver 105 (-4)
LAKERS: Steve loses $5 (40)
Toronto 104 @ LA Clippers 89 (+2)
CLIPPERS: Steve loses $5 (35)
Steve gains $15 tonight for a total of a $35 lead. A big win.
The 14th (Steve Picks)
New Orleans 98 @ Atlanta 121 (-12.5)
ATLANTA: Steve wins $5 (40)
Boston 104 @ Indiana 113 (+7.5)
BOSTON: Steve loses $5 (35)
Detroit 106 @ Washington 103 (-3.5)
DETROIT: Steve wins $5 (40)
Portland 80 @ Charlotte 74 (+3)
PORTLAND: Steve wins $5 (45)
Utah 103 @ Cleveland 107 (-13)
UTAH: Steve wins $5 (50)
New Jersey 80 @ Miami 81 (-13)
MIAMI: Steve loses $5 (45)
Philly 88 @ Bulls 94 (-7)
PHILLY: Steve wins $5 (50)
Minnesota 87 @ Memphis 97 (-9)
MINNY: Steve loses $5 (45)
Golden State 125 @ Milwaukee 129 (-7.5)
GOLDEN STATE: Steve wins $5 (50)
OK City 101 @ San Antonio 98 (-8.5)
OK CITY: Steve wins $5 (55)
Steve’s mind proves it understands the nuances of basketball as he builds up a lead of $55.
The 15th (Steve Picks)
Dallas 95 @ Detroit 90 (+4.5)
DETROIT: Steve loses $5 (50)
LA Clippers 101 @ OK City 93 (-5.5)
OK CITY: Steve loses $5 (45)
Toronto 100 @ Phoenix 101 (-7.5)
PHOENIX: Steve loses $5 (40)
Houston 101 @ LA Lakers 91 (-9)
LAKERS: Steve loses $5 (35)
A rough day for Steve as he’s back to a $35 lead.
And then, after all this, it’s my turn to take the reigns. Normally this is where I would predict wild fortune for THE SYSTEM, but unfortunately THE SYSTEM was not used this week. This is a week of Mike’s Innate Understanding of Gambling on Basketball (MIUGOB). I will say, before tallying the results, I am not confident in the use of MIUGOB. Let’s take a look…
The 16th (Mike’s Picks)
Charlotte 91 @ Orlando 97 (-12)
ORLANDO: Mike loses $5 (-35)
Portland 95 @ Atlanta 99 (-4)
PORTLAND: TIE (-35)
Dallas 115 @ Milwaukee 113 (+1.5)
DALLAS: Mike wins $5 (-30)
The 17th (Mike’s Picks)
Golden State 108 @ Cleveland 114
CLEVELAND +15: Mike wins $5 (-25)
Indiana 91 @ New Jersey 83
NEW JERSEY +3.5: Mike loses $5 (-30)
Oklahoma City 100 @ Miami 87
OK CITY +5.5: Mike wins $5 (-25)
LA Clippers 102 @ New Orleans 110
LA CLIPPERS +2: Mike loses $5 (-30)
Phoenix 111 @ Houston 105
PHOENIX +2: Mike wins $5 (-25)
Toronto 112 @ Denver 130
TORONTO +8: Mike loses $5 (-30)
Chicago 101 @ Sacremento 87
CHICAGO +1: Mike wins $5 (-25)
Detroit 93 @ LA Lakers 106
DETROIT +10.5: Mike loses $5 (-30)
A real see-saw here. No progress.
The 18th (Mike’s Picks)
NY 110 @ Indiana 103 -6.5
NY: Mike wins (-25)
OK City 94 @ Orlando 108 -12
OK City: Mike loses (-30)
Charlotte 84 @ Philadelphia 86 -3.5
PHIL: Mike loses (-35)
Miami 90 @ Atlanta 105 -7.5
MIAMI: Mike loses (-40)
Cleveland 91 -5 @ Washington 108
WASHINGTON: Mike wins (-35)
Golden State 95 @ Boston 109 -16.5
GOLDEN STATE: Mike wins (-30)
Clippers 91 @ Memphis 106 -5
CLIPPERS: Mike loses (-35)
NJ 85 @ Milwaukee 99 -10.5
NJ: Mike loses (-40)
Houston 97 -6 @ Minn 84
MINN: Mike loses (-45)
Toronto 91 @ Utah 104 -8.5
TORONTO: Mike loses (-50)
San Antonio 94 @ Dallas 99 -1
SAN ANTONIO: Mike loses (-55)
Detroit 81 @ Portland 87 -10
DETROIT: Mike wins (-50)
A rough day. Down $50 to Steve.
The 19th (Mike’s Picks)
Phoenix 103 -8.5 @ New Orleans 110
NEW ORLEANS: Mike wins (-45)
Utah 90 @ San Antonio 83 -4.5
SPURS: Mike loses (-50)
Chicago 93 @ LA Lakers 108 -10
CHICAGO: Mike loses (-55)
Ugh. Getting killed out here. Down $55.
The 20th (Mike’s Picks)
Cavs -4: Mike wins (-50)
Grixxlies +5: Mike wins (-45)
Heat +2.5: Mike loses (-50)
Rockets +7: Mike wins (-45)
Magic +6: Mike wins (-40)
Wizards +4: Mike loses (-45)
Kings +11: Mike wins (-40)
Bobcats +3.5: Mike loses (-45)
Warriors +8: Mike wins (-40)
Clippers +9: Mike wins (-35)
A wonderful day. Only losing $35 now!
The 21st (Mike’s Picks)
Philly 91 @ Cleveland 97 -10.5
PHILLY: Mike wins (-30)
Atlanta 88 @ NO 96 +5
NO: Mike wins (-25)
Mil 103 @ Memphis 98 -3.5
MIL: Mike wins (-20)
Sac 106 @ Houston 113 -11
SAC: Mike wins (-15)
Wash 84 @ San Ant. 106 -7.5
WASH: Mike loses (-20)
Bulls 93 @ Denv 112 -8
BULLS: Mike loses (-25)
Det. 97 @ Utah 100 -8.5
DETROIT: Mike wins (-20)
Min 78 @ PDX 106 -13
MIN: Mike loses (-25)
The 22nd (Mike’s Picks)
Orlando 104 @ Toronto 96 +4
Toronto: Mike loses (-30)
Boston 107 @ NY Knicks 105 +10
Knicks: Mike wins (-25)
Indiana 88 @ Charlotte 104 -1.5
Indiana: Mike loses (-30)
New Orleans 101 @ Miami 102 -10
NO: Mike wins (-25)
Detroit 91 @ Phoenix 117 -10
Detroit: Mike loses (-30)
OK City 85 @ Lakers 101 -10.5
OK C: Mike loses (-35)
Not great, but considering I’m playing with the MIUGOB and not THE SYSTEM, I’m pretty happy to end my week just $35 down.

AN OPEN LETTER TO MICHAEL JORDAN (NBA BETS #011 AND #012)

Mike Merrill — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:54:40 +0000

Dear Mr. Jordan,
Can I call you Mike? I know you’re the greatest basketball player that ever lived and I will never have 1/1000th of the skills on the court you possess. But in terms of your reputation as a fearsome gambler, I wonder if perhaps we could one day be peers. I suspect that your incredible wealth means you will always be able to bet with more than me, but if one looks at it as a percentage of how much they are worth, I suspect I bet “more” than you.
Currently I am developing THE SYSTEM, which will allow me to pick the winners of more than 50% of NBA games including the point spread. I wonder if perhaps you, as a both a great basketball player and great gambler, could give me a few ideas on what matters in these match ups. This could really accelerate the development of THE SYSTEM.
Many Thanks,
A Fellow Gambler,
-Mike M.
Results from Friday, Saturday, and Sunday:
Friday: Mike 6, Steve 7 (Steve +$5)
(Total: Mike +5)
Washington @ Indiana (-1) – STEVE
New Jersey @ Philadelphia (-13) – MIKE
Detroit @ Orlando (-14) – MIKE
Atlanta (-2.5) @ Charlotte – MIKE
Denver (-1) @ Miami – STEVE
Phoenix @ Boston (-10.5) – MIKE
Cleveland (-8) @ New York – STEVE
Milwaukee @ Minnesota (-2.5) – STEVE
Toronto @ New Orleans (-5) – MIKE
Oklahoma City @ Houston (-5) – STEVE
Memphis @ LA Lakers (-10) – STEVE
San Antonio @ Portland (-4) – STEVE
LA Clippers @ Golden State (-5.5) – MIKE
Saturday: Mike 3, Steve 4 (Steve +$5)
(Total: Even Steven)
Sunday: Mike 4, Steve 2 (Mike +$10)
(Total: Mike +10)
So, after 96 games I am up $10.00 on Steve.
We’re now back to Steve picking for Week Three. I hope he does terribly.

NBA BETS #009 and #010

Mike Merrill — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:05:35 +0000

Basketball. You win some, you lose some, right Mike?

We left off on November 4th after I had some terrific wins, but the next day the tides turned on THE SYSTEM.
Phoenix @ Orlando (-8) – STEVE
Miami @ Washington (-2) – MIKE
Detroit @ Toronto (-8) – STEVE
Indiana @ New York (-4.5) – MIKE
Denver (-9) @ New Jersey – STEVE
Boston (-12) @ Minnesota – MIKE
LA Lakers (-2) @ Houston – STEVE
Dallas @ New Orleans (-4.5) – STEVE
Atlanta (-5.5) @ Sacramento – STEVE
Memphis @ Golden State (-6) – STEVE
I only won 3 out of 9. Ouch. I’m down to $10 won on 68 games.
November 5th there were only two games, and I won one. $10 on 70 games.
Chicago @ Cleveland (-12) – MIKE
San Antonio (-1) @ Utah – STEVE
And now for tonight’s picks:
Washington @ Indiana (-1)
New Jersey @ Philadelphia (-13)
Detroit @ Orlando (-14)
Atlanta (-2.5) @ Charlotte
Denver (-1) @ Miami
Phoenix @ Boston (-10.5)
Cleveland (-8) @ New York
Milwaukee @ Minnesota (-2.5)
Toronto @ New Orleans (-5)
Oklahoma City @ Houston (-5)
Memphis @ LA Lakers (-10)
San Antonio @ Portland (-4)
LA Clippers @ Golden State (-5.5)