Alex Pooley's Blog

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.. the process which allows us to accomplish the most extraordinary and unique human activities are the same processes which block our further growth if we commit the error of mistaking the model for the reality.

The Structure of Magic, Richard Bandler & John Grinder.

We all have models of reality that we construct over time from our experiences. We use our model as the basis for every single decision we make for our entire life! Yet, our experiences are inherently biased! Therefore we look at life from a skewed perspective. What does this mean? I’m not “qualified” in this area, but I have spent most of my life thinking about this sort of stuff. Here’s some things you may like to keep in mind, and why I think it’s worth doing so.

1. We see reality through a filter. Therefore always remain weary of what you see.
2. You can’t remove the filter, but you can reduce the effects of the filter by experiencing more.
3. Our model forms part of an organic feedback loop. Accept that your model is inherently flawed to improve the feedback process.
4. A biased model is an incorrect model, and an incorrect model means you will make mistakes. Mistakes are a natural means of correcting your model, so don’t get down over it.

There’s plenty more that could be said about this but I’ll leave it as thought fodder for the next time you brush your teeth :)

On my way home from walking Oscar I noticed a lot of cars passing full of party goers. As we look ahead to 2007 I can’t help but reflect on the year that has been 2006.

2006 was a pretty darn big year for me. Within a span of two weeks in March I left my job, married Allison, spent a week trekking around New Zealand’s south island, and then got stuck in to starting my own business. The rest of the year is in all honesty, quite a blur. Most of my time was spent scrawling notes on bits of paper, my white board, or withdrawing in to intense thinking sessions attempting to solve technical problems. I look back over the year with a sense of accomplishment and contentment.

Taking the plunge and going it alone was a decision I don’t regret. I am certainly worse off financially, but the life and business experience, and knowledge that I’ve accumulated is priceless. I have learned some critically important things so far, and that never would have happened so soon if I continued down the road I was on.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for reading my blog. I only get to see most of you as numbers in my statistic packages but I always keep in mind that each of you are individuals with families, and life experiences.

So what are my plans for 2007? Well, there has been some interest in integrating my Msgpad chat platform with other systems which I will continue to pursue. I also want to write more. I am finding writing an enjoyable and liberating experience. Specifically, I have plans for sharing the Entrepreneurial stuff I have learned in an e-book. Unlike most of those crappy business books that are just inspiration books in disguise, I hope to publish some juicy content that will no doubt save many people the pain that I’ve had to endure many times over. Lastly, I signed a partnership agreement with a company a couple of months ago that I’ve not had the time to make progress on. Hopefully early 2007 I will get something out the door with those guys, most likely directed at the Forex market and with a twist of live chat.

Thank you again for reading my blog. 2007 is looking like an exciting year and I hope to share every interesting moment, as raw as possible, right here on my blog.

This post is about the terrifying chaos occurring in Iraq right now despite Saddam’s execution, and the fantastic work of a guy called Michael Ware who is an Australian on the ground in Iraq reporting for CNN. I don’t want to turn this blog political, but I had to get this out of my system. It’s easy to forget the crap that other human beings have to go through while we cut roasted food, drink beer, and open presents.

Iraq is fighting a civil war:

Baghdad death squads:

Watered down news:

A disconnected White House:

Sites of note:

Iraq civilian deaths
Iraq coalition casualties

Ware reminds me of another Australian reporter called John Martinkus who is best known for being kidnapped by insurgents for almost a day before being set free. People like Ware and Martinkus are heroes. Unfortunately their voices, and others like them, are continuously drowned out by the sensationalized, regurgitated, and hollow press that is made to fill time slots.