Thank YOU so much everyone that listened and voted. Judging by the high quality of the other contestants, it is a real honor to be voted the winner. I spoke with Adam shortly. He congratulated me, said they all loved the show, and told me about some very exciting things they are going to be doing in 2014. It is going to be the YEAR OF BITCOIN!
I will be releasing a new episode on Wednesday with more details. You will be able to get it through the Let’s Talk Bitcoin podcast feed. And possibly here as well. Stay tuned!
Thanks, Paul
Sun, January 12 2014 » Announcements, Blog » Comments Off on It is Official. MMM Won!
It is certainly an early morning here in the Bitcoin Bunker and the blockchain hath no secrets. The Let’s Talk Bitcoin Podcast Contest just ended at 12:00 midnight PST, which is 3AM here on the east coast. It looks like Mad Money Machine will come out the winner. Even though two other shows are indicating a larger total mBTC, their “votes” that pushed them over the top came in after the contest deadline, according to blockchain.info, which is 12:00:00 midnight PST or 2014-01-12 08:00:00 GMT – the time blockchain.info uses.
A breakdown:
Pilot 11 - Epicenter Bitcoin
17KAPWj1paC1gTfYodJa4k6gqHQdoh2QZu : 281.8 mBTC
Pilot 05 - Cryptography, Liberty, and Society
12bbVNBAJSqvLAMy7pqigifwmQBqJxCqBu : 249.0 mBTC
Pilot 03 - Mad Money Machine
1A8MS67TCo3FYwHVNJ9uNnhJguEhJHXHaz : 232.1 mBTC
But looking more closely, we see the following transactions at blockchain.info:
These “votes” came in after 2014-01-12 08:00:00, which is the deadline for the contest. The first one is 100mBTC for Pilot 11 and the next two are a total of 116.6 mBTC for Pilot 5. Therefore, subtracting these amounts from the totals, we now have:
Pilot 11 - Epicenter Bitcoin
17KAPWj1paC1gTfYodJa4k6gqHQdoh2QZu : 181.8 mBTC
Pilot 05 - Cryptography, Liberty, and Society
12bbVNBAJSqvLAMy7pqigifwmQBqJxCqBu : 132.4 mBTC
Pilot 03 - Mad Money Machine
1A8MS67TCo3FYwHVNJ9uNnhJguEhJHXHaz : 232.1 mBTC
So it appears that Mad Money Machine is the winner of the Let’s Talk Bitcoin Podcast Contest! We, of course, await the final tally and official word from voting central. But thank you everyone for voting! I will work especially hard to make sure you don’t regret your decision. And thank you Let’s Talk Bitcoin and Adam B. Levine for putting on the contest!
Oh, and I did keep to my pledge: I did not vote any of my funds toward the contest!
Sun, January 12 2014 » Announcements, Bitcoin, Blog » Comments Off on WOW! I Think MMM Just Won!
Less than 40 hours to go: The Let’s Talk Bitcoin Podcast Competition ends 3AM EST this Sunday. I’m proud to say that, at the moment, Mad Money Machine leads both in total amount (113.6 mBTC) and total number of transactions (46). But the margin of lead over the next-highest show is only 2 mBTC. That’s too close!
The winning podcast will be determined by the total amount of mBTC received for that show, not the total number of people voting. Please help push MMM far in the lead with a generous donation now. Don’t wait. MMM needs to win this thing to continue.
Adam B. Levine of Let’s Talk Bitcoin wanted to structure the contest to discourage contestants from voting themselves the prize. I PLEDGE TO NOT VOTE MYSELF THE PRIZE.* Thus, I need your support!!!
I urge other contestants to take the same pledge. Let’s leave this up to the listeners to decide!
I will not send any of my own funds to the contest in order to support Adam’s ideals and to keep my pledge. I previously received a 24.54048 mBTC donation to my account to forward to the contest, which I will do right now.
If you have not heard my pilot episode entry into the contest, click the link above. I have produced another episode since then to help give you more of a flavor of what is to come. I am in the middle of producing another episode that I think you will REALLY like!
One listen and you will agree: The Mad Money Machine is unlike any other Bitcoin podcast out there. Your support is needed. Don’t wait.
[*Disclaimer: I have previously sent in a total of 0.3 mBTC as a vote for myself. I hope you will agree that this is not “voting myself the prize.” ]
Fri, January 10 2014 » Announcements, Bitcoin, Blog » Comments Off on I Pledge to Not Vote Myself the Prize
Happy 5th Birthday Bitcoin! (oh yeah, you too Federal Reserve system)
Contest News : DONATE to xxx to help me win the Let’s Talk Bitcoin podcast contest. I need about $100 or so (roughly 100 mBTC). If I receive enough to win, I will submit it to the contest. If not, I will keep it as a donation to help support the show. All funds go directly to the contest. Thank you!
Reading the news chain is like processing the blockchain. Top 10 Bitcoin Things I’m Really Tired Of
It has taken me a while, but I have finally found something exciting to talk about again: Bitcoin!
I really enjoyed hosting the Mad Money Machine podcast from 2005 through 2011 or so. But I got burnt out taking about investments, especially once I discovered that active trading was a losing proposition. Going on and on talking about investing in index funds was getting boring and not fun. So I lost interest (no pun intended) and wrote a book about the Constitution. Then I got a summer job at a golf course where I was basically paid in free golf. Now that it is cold, I need some indoor fun. Then it hit me: I can use the Mad Money Machine as a vehicle to talk about Bitcoin.
As a subscriber to the MMM Bitcoin show, you can expect the same in-depth analysis of this exciting new secure, distributed transaction protocol. Each show will include those great segments you’ve come to love: Guru Roulette and Tools in the Crib, but now with a Bitcoin focus.
You may recall on previous MMM episodes I did talk some about Bitcoin and asked you to send me some. The New MMM will be sponsor-free and will rely on listener support… in Bitcoin! I ask you to throw some virtual currency my way as a show of your support, and to encourage me to bring you the info you really need to succeed in this exciting blockchain-enabled future.
Without further ado, here is my Bitcoin support address to get you started:
1GoZzZBqG59VyDVeNRAjjscPwRL4guovWG
I will be working on a new show early this week and am excited to get started on the New Mad Money Machine!
Sun, December 1 2013 » Bitcoin, Blog » Comments Off on New for 2014: Mad Money Machine is all about BITCOIN!
I announce the publication date of my upcoming book: The Original Counter-Argument: The Founders’ Case Against the Constitution, Adapted for the 21st Century.
I read the Preface
I read the Background chapter.
For more information about The Original Counter-Argument, go to PlanetBoyer.com
I ENCOURAGE you to Download this show thru iTunes!But, if you just cannot deal with that then go ahead and Play the new show right now
I’ve been writing a book since last September, and it will be available for purchase on September 17, 2012.
It is called “The Original Counter-Argument.” And for the subtitle you’ll need to inhale some air:
“The Founders’ Case Against the Constitution and Warnings of Despotism, Adapted for the 21st Century.”
Quick synopsis: I’ve taken the key letters, essays, and speeches from those Founders who were against the ratification of the U.S. Constitution back in 1787-88 and translated them into modern English.
Why?
Because their words were prophetic! They warned about consolidating all of the various state governments into a single national government, that it would lead to waste, abuse, and even tyranny. And that was at a time when the population of the United States was 78 times smaller than it is today!
I’ve learned so much from translating these works. I cannot wait to share it with you. I am releasing it on September 17, 2012, which will be the 225th anniversary of the Signing of the Constitution in Philadelphia. But that day was just the beginning…
I’ll have more to say as the date gets closer. Here’s a link to the pre-order page at Amazon:
This is the home of the Mad Money Machine Lazy Portfolio Analysis.
The following table shows the returns of the Lazy Portfolios from the “Investment Professionals.” They are sorted by 5-year returns ending 2011. To see the contents of each portfolio, search for the portfolio name on this page.
And now a different look at the same portfolios, showing Annualized returns for 5 years plotted against the annualized risk (Standard Deviation).