From: altamira (altamira@ecpi.com)
Date: Thu Aug 10 2000 - 21:31:25 MDT
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-extropians@extropy.org
> [mailto:owner-extropians@extropy.org]On Behalf Of Michael S. Lorrey
Even as
> > one game after another collapses, he continues to try to draw people in.
> > Presently he is promoting DigitalStocks, as StockGeneration has fallen
> > off his radar, conveniently forgotten. He has very little credibility
> > in my book.
>
> This is something that, as some people who know me personally
> know, bothers me
> greatly ... I've found
> this to be particularly true in big cities, as well as on the
> internet.
Con artists have fascinated me for many years, and as most of them are
physically attractive and socially charming I've enjoyed hanging out with
some of them from time to time. I think in general it's true that a con
artist is only dangerous to a person who's looking to get something for
nothing, or anyhow for less than full value. I was looking only for
entertainment from the con artists I hung out with, and none of them ever
ripped me off. In fact, the ones who took me into their confidence taught me
a few things about human nature, so I came away from the encounters with a
net gain.
The StockGeneration game was clearly a pyramid scheme. How could anyone
possibly look at the rules and not see that? It's not as though innocent
people had their fleeces shorn.
It's true that in big cities and big countries with lots of new cities to
start fresh in, and on the internet, con artists can bite the dust and
resurface with new identities and new scams. The key to doing business in
an impresonal setting is first to look at what you're getting into. If it's
clearly a get-rich-quick-and-easy scheme, be wary. If it looks like a
legitimate business deal, start out small. Don't quit your day job or
invest your life savings until the persons you're dealing with have
established a track record with you.
While
> some websites have established 'reputation brokers' within their
> own websites, I
> am not aware of any large public reputation brokerage sites that
> are available
> to all,
Hey, there's an opportunity for someone who wants to start an internet
business.
Bonnie
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