I came into the world without a goatee and mustache. Surprise, surprise. But sometime after I got married, I decided to give the goatee and mustache a try. It must have been around 1992, I believe. As it turned out, my wife really liked it. So I decided to keep it, rarely shaving it off over the years only to grow it back again. But times have changed... Continue Reading

I remember seeing Ben Stein for the first time in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Who could forget the monotone deadpan teacher repeating "anyone... anyone... Bueller... Bueller". And then there was "Win Ben Stein's Money", a campy television quiz show that demonstrated Ben's ability to stand toe-to-toe with the best of them. I sure would have liked to have seen him go up against Ken Jennings. As a columnist for the Wall Street Journal and a... Continue Reading

There's a fun game people like to play that goes like this. Take any sentence or phrase and add the words "in bed" as a suffix to make it funnier. For example, "John ate a steak... in bed" or "Jill picked out the latest hat to wear... in bed" It's especially fun with fortune cookies, where the game has become part of our pop culture. For example, "You have very good skills and exceptional talents... Continue Reading

I've been wanting to meet Jason Calacanis face-to-face for some time. For those that don't know, Jason is the co-creator of Weblogs, Inc., which was sold to AOL for $25 million. I'm at Affiliate Summit in Las Vegas where Jason Calacanis delivered the keynote address this morning. I really didn't know anything about Jason as a person, so I was looking forward to an insightful talk with fresh ideas. Wow, was I in for a... Continue Reading

Last week, I sat down in my office with several members of my team and we began doing a brain dump of all the great ideas for sites, services and products that we had. We filled my fairly-large whiteboard in no time at all. The fact of the matter is that we have more ideas than we have time or manpower to accomplish! But ideas are not exactly in short supply, are they? There are... Continue Reading

Are you an entrepreneur? From Dictionary.com, an entrepreneur is "a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, esp. a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk." Considerable initiative and risk. Because of this, entrepreneurs expect to win some and lose some. But one thing an entrepreneur will never do is stop trying. Continue Reading

Writer's block. Like the cement barricade at the end of an unfinished highway, the writer's block stands before me... mocking me... challenging me... It happens to everyone, but I sure didn't expect it to hit today. Because content creation is such a critical part of making money with your blog, writer's block can be the site owner's worst nightmare. What do I write about today?!?! Here's how I handle writer's block. Continue Reading

Financial Success - Purpose = Meaninglessness It's a formula you can't deny. If your goal is just to succeed monetarily, but you don't have a real reason for wanting that success, what's the point? I don't really discuss how I choose to spend the money I earn. That's between me and my God. But you should know that I have goals that go beyond earning a few bucks. It's not the money that is the... Continue Reading

The Million Dollar Template. Is there such a thing? You know I am a big fan of templates. Each month, hundreds of subscribers receive AdSense templates from me so they can shortcut the creation of their web sites and get down to the business of building original content. Apart from the ones I have created, I have not seen any templates that are really worthy of emulating... Until now! Continue Reading

Clutter. Our lives are full of it. And to be honest, I've never experienced more clutter in my life than right now. As I type this, movers are hauling my "stuff" into my new home in Colorado... ... and I can't believe how much stuff there is. I feel like I am being overtaken by boxes and furniture. And just when you think they've brought it all in, there is more. Clutter. Continue Reading

I’m always going on about the importance of great content. I don’t apologize for that. You can have ad units that are perfectly optimized, blended completely into your site and packed with high-paying ads. But if your content’s garbage, no one’s going to click on them because no one’s going to come to your site. I meet so many people who dream of getting rich with AdSense but never give a thought for building a... Continue Reading

When I first started playing around with AdSense, I knew nothing. Now, I like to think that I know a few things about AdSense, but I am still learning. Want to design direct-mail flyers? Don’t ask me. I haven’t a clue. Need to know how to fill a restaurant to the rafters every night? Never owned a restaurant. Not my thing. Want to build a deck? Follow my advice and you’ll just end up with... Continue Reading

My friend Dr.Mani is a heart surgeon who innovatively uses online marketing to help kids born with heart defects. On Saturday Sep.9th, in a very special event called the Heart Kids Blogathon, he is blogging non-stop for 24 hours to raise funds for the 'heart kids'. The fundraiser is off with a bang, with over $3,700 donated already. Every $2,500 raised means an additional operation can be funded - so please try and help, in... Continue Reading

About six years ago, I met a guy named Todd Vinson. Todd is one of the most incredible people I have met in my life because he has dedicated his life to serving others. In particular, he has a heart for helping teenage boys who are displaced or whose families are in crisis by providing a long-term home solution where they will be properly cared for. This happens at Willow Springs Boys Ranch in Chandler... Continue Reading

I've felt my blog pulling me.. drawing me... Continue Reading

If a conservative would have said what Howard Dean said on Hardball with Chris Matthews, the mainstream media would deem it worthy of front page mockery. But since it was far-left wacko Dean, he gets a pass. That's ok. The entertainment value is to good to pass up. So what did Howie say? On the October 5th edition of "Hardball with Chris Matthews", the chairman of the Democratic National Committee was asked this question in... Continue Reading

One of my best friends in the whole world is Mark Jones. I met Mark and his wife Rebecca when attending Trtinity Bible Church in Richardson, Texas. Mark was the worship pastor and we just gravitated towards each other. He and his family are the definition of kind and trustworthy. I love him like a brother and would do absolutely anything for him. *Though he did NOT ask me to do this...) Continue Reading

When I first heard that Tim Burton was doing a version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I thought "Oh no. He's going to butcher it." Don't get me wrong. For the most part, I like Tim Burton's work. Yes, he is bizarre, and probably somewhat twisted. But I like his creative flair. I enjoy his unusual characters and camera angles. But I also have read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and thoroughly enjoyed Willy... Continue Reading

I've been slaving away attempting to make sense of this thing we call the Internet. In order to put things in proper perspective, I have composed this paper which I hope will prove useful. Continue Reading

After a long drawn-out fight, Michael Schiavo has succeeded in his goal to starve his wife to death. Terri Schiavo is dead and has entered eternity. Michael Schiavo must live on with the consequences of his murderous choices. It is a dark day in American history. We have been tested ethically and morally, and have failed as a nation. We are moving towards the European model of euthenasia, where other people decide whether or not... Continue Reading

Galoshes. Mukluks. Gazeebo. Macadamia. Blubber. Baluga. When you read those words, you either know what I am talking about and are busting out laughing, or you think I am totally insane and should be committed (well, you may be right on both counts). Continue Reading

I've been reviewing the log files from this site and found out some interesting stuff. Following is a list of the most popular blog entries, along with reasons why the entry received lots of reads and/or comments. Tsunami Video - I originally linked to a video which was then taken offline. But people searching the web for the keywords "Tsunami Video" found my site and visited by the thousands. The Passion: Mel Gibson's Labor of... Continue Reading

After the somewhat scathing replies I got regarding my review of the Christian film, Gone, I am somewhat reluctant to step up to the plate again. Regardless (or irregardless if you want to annoy people), I will now attempt to convey my thoughts on a film I viewed today. Six: The Mark Unleashed is a futuristic end-times thriller focusing on the coming one-world government and the ubiquitous "mark of the beast" which must be taken... Continue Reading

I saw The Passion of the Christ last night. I have to agree with something Glenn Beck said after viewing the film. It's unreviewable. Yet, there is so much to say. I hope you will endure my babbling to find something worthwhile in the words to come. By now, you have heard about this movie. I have been writing about it for nearly 9 months now as the opening day has drawn closer. One entry... Continue Reading