Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Writing That Works

David Ogilvy, also known as the father of advertising, strongly recommended the book Writing That Works. In it, Kenneth Roman provides advice that seeks to cut out a lot of the fluff inherent in most writing today.

Monday, July 28, 2014

Outerwall

I was kicking myself last year for not buying Outerwall (OUTR) after Mr. Market began a panic-sale. My order missed by a few cents, and the stock subsequently soared to new heights. But now that the price has come back down to earth, I'm getting a second chance. I have begun to nibble on the company's shares, hoping for a repeat of last year's rise.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Creativity Inc

So you've proven yourself to be technically competent such that you've been promoted to manage other technical people. You know nothing about management; what do you do? Thus begins the management education of Ed Catmull, who would go on to become President of Pixar Animation Studios. He shares what he learned along this journey in his book, Creativity Inc.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

The Warren Buffett Portfolio

There are a ton of books about Warren Buffett, so how does one go about determining which ones are worth reading? The way I've decided to do it is through self-selection. Not my own self, but Buffett's! When Buffett and Munger recommend a book about Buffett, which they did for The Warren Buffett Portfolio, it's probably worth reading.

Friday, July 11, 2014

Think Like A Freak

I've always been a huge fan of the Freakonomics franchise. But what attracted me to the concept was the original research the authors conducted which had resulted in some remarkable findings. In this third installment of the series, Think Like A Freak, there is much less original research, and much more regurgitation of the work of other smart authors.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

The Comedy Bible

When something is funny, we laugh. But what is it exactly that makes something funny? I attempted to find out by reading The Comedy Bible. Judy Carter, a comedian herself, takes the reader through the steps required to write jokes.

Friday, July 4, 2014

Karsan Value Funds: 2014 Q2 Results

Karsan Value Funds (KVF) is a value-oriented fund, as described here. Due to securities regulations, the fund is not open to the public at this time. Should that change in the future, there will be an announcement on this site.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

It Was The Comments That LICT

Less than 5 months ago, LICT Corp (LICT) was discussed on this site as a potential value investment. It was extraordinarily cheap on a multiples basis, and was (and still is) run by a renowned capital allocator, Mario Gabelli.