I've been learning all about buying and selling gold and silver.   It's interesting - although I think that the part I am most interested in is the historical aspect.  Been finding some great sites - for example English Gold Coins has some really good write-ups on the history of the English coinage.

#3
Collecting or acquiring something that is cheap now, but which will be valuable in years to come.

There are many classic examples of this.    An vast number of items have a "life
cycle" that goes something like 1. Purchased item.  2. Junk - highly
commonplace, obsolete.   3. Discarded.   4. Antique.

When something becomes antique and scarce, it ceases to be junk, and becomes
valuable again - especially if it is in good condition and has some usability, like
antique furniture.

There are of course some items that are exceptions to this rule - junk that will
almost certainly never be valuable again - old computer software, plastic
packaging etc.  However, many items follow this "life cycle of stuff" and
eventually become valuable collectors items.   A good collector will have an eye
for what will one day be valuable - and will be gathering it up while everyone else
is throwing it out.

If you can obtain such items, and store them well and cheaply, they may start
making you much money while you sleep through their increased value.
Look out for items that were 1) once expensive 2) not prone to decay  3) still
interesting or usable, but are considered junk more through change of fashion
than through being absolutely unusable.

Some surprising turnarounds can be witnessed in the life cycle of things.   A
classic example was the electronic musical instrument the "Roland TB303".    In
the early 1980's these fell from fashion and could be obtained very cheaply;
perhaps as little as $20.   Within 15 or 20 years, they were selling for $1000
each.

Other items which can often be acquired cheaply which may be valuable in years
to come – Vinyl LPs, first edition books.

#2
Selling advertising space on your web site.

No surprises that this one was going to appear in the list.  It's one of the tried and tested methods of auto-pilot income that many people are striving after.    The fundamental equation is simple, at the end of the day - and I think a lot of people forget this: Quality rules.    The people doing best on the internet are the ones providing the highest quality web sites and services.  There are a few exceptions, but many of the 'quick and easy' temptations don't last very long.   I think it's better to build brand equity through creating something really solid.   Plus you get extra skills that way to, and these are invaluable later.

Anyway, if you have a web site that is getting good traffic, you may well be able to make good money while you sleep by hosting advertising.   
The first step in this system is to install Google Analytics.  This should give you a
good, clear picture how much traffic you are actually getting, and where it is
coming from.
If your site really is getting a lot of visitors, making money while you sleep
through selling advertising space is so easy!   The amount you can earn is
basically dictated by how much traffic you are getting.    Some relatively simple
systems to set up are Neverblue Ads, Kontera, Google Adsense, – also there are innumerable companies you can become an affiliate for.... if your site is about consumer goods of virtually any description, you can become an Amazon affiliate.   I'm not going to give away one of my top lil' niches, but lets just say that I am an amazon aff, and one of my sites is an info site about a certain consumer appliance that costs $500-$1000.  I wrote a ton of articles about topics connected with these things, focused on "buyer questions" and the like.   Now whenever anyone buys one of said products through my amazon links, I get 4-6% which is pretty cool, and definitely auto pilot once the initial setup has been done.

Which ad network is the best?  It really depends on the type of site you have.
 
Another option to consider is selling links directly to another webmaster.    For  example, one of my web sites brings me $400 per year just from one link sale.
The site earns me money while I sleep and I don't have to lift a finger now that the system is in place... that's pretty sweet.
Tip – concentrate on getting a high-traffic website first, and do this by being really useful.   This is the hard part – It takes time and effort, maybe over a year for a quality website to start to show form; but see it as an investment. 
If you have high traffic, advertising solutions are easier to  acquire all round.

Greetings all... well one thing many don't know about me is that I researched and wrote a book about methods of generating auto pilot income.   The twist of my book was that it had to be in ways that 'did no evil'... but the good news is that I found a ton of ways that make auto pilot income AND provide something useful or beneficial at the same time!

For people who didn't want to spend the money on the book (or who were new to my work), I wrote a text called "ten possible ways to make money while you sleep."  I wanted to a) show people it could be done, and that it wasn't that difficult; and of course b) warm them up to the idea of my book.

Anyway I'm going to put up the ten methods.   I want feedback.  Let me know what you think!   Lex.

ps. oh yeah.. here's the link to the money while you sleep book  if you are interested.

#1
Turn your garage (or even a spare room) into an
office space and rent it out.

This system might work especially well if you live in a quiet, safe neighborhood,
in a dry climate and have some space around your house (or on a street which
has ample parking space) - so that it doesn't matter too much if your car is
parked outside.   
First things first - you'll need to check regulations on building use in your area.
In some countries it may be that there are regulations concerning what a
building may be used for, and there may be taxes, insurance regulations or
permits required for "change of use" or business use of a building.   It pays to be
sure and to play by the rules.
Assuming you are good to go on the legal front - the first step is to clear the
space.    Most people have boxes and boxes of stuff in the garage – you'll need to
consolidate your junk or find a new home for it.   You may need to give a few
things away on freecycle.org , have a yard sale, get a good shelving system for
the basement, move some stuff to the attic.  You may even be able to sell some
stuff on eBay and make some extra bucks.  However, the goal is to clear that
space out!
The next step is to kit the garage out as an office.     Depending on what's there
already, you may need to install things like lighting, air conditioning, an electric
heater, good locks, windows, flooring.   There's a good chance that you'll be able
to pick up a free used office desk, chair(s) and a filing cabinet on freecycle.org,
or super-cheap from a thrift or used furniture store.    You could even get stylish
and get one of those office water-dispensers and a used computer system.  Add a
couple of houseplants for the final touch.
The next step is to make sure you have power sockets, phone points and internet
service available.   If you have broadband in the house and don't mind sharing
the bandwidth, you may be able to run an extra line out from the router or DSL
modem to the new "office".   You should be able to run CAT-5 (ethernet) cable
100 feet or more without problems - although you'll of course need to make sure
the cable isn't going to get damaged, or cause obstruction or hazard.  Most
people won't mind sharing internet service - and would probably be very pleased
to have DSL installed, included in the rent and ready-to-roll.   If you (or your
renter) are concerned about network security, you may need to consult with an
expert to make sure you are secure.
Another thing to consider - the person renting the space will need access to a
bathroom.   If you have a bathroom between the garage and the kitchen, as many
households do, you may for example need to fit a door in the kitchen hallway for
security purposes.
So there you go!  A little work and investment setting this system up - but if you
do it right, it could possibly make you some solid money for several years with
minimal further effort. 
If creating an office from garage space seems too complex, other options to
investigate might be to rent the space out as storage space, an art or music
studio, workshop space, rehearsal or meeting space, even as garage space for
another person's car... (in certain parts of SF, garage space is prime!) etc.

Well folks, I've been at it again (so it's time for a little shameless self-promotion).   Making new web pages and studying new things that is.  My latest set is a suite of new pages on the gemstoneslist web site.  Gone kinda crazy making new pages... anyway here's a couple of good ones: Chrome Diopside and Star Sapphire.

I just read that the fabulous Lapis Lazuli has been mined since before 4,000 BC.   Due to its intense blue color, speckled with white and gold it has been highly prized since antiquity and has an association with royalty.  It's also somewhat soft, enabling it to be carved and polished.  The most important sources are said to be Afghanistan and Chile.
The blue color comes from sodalite, the white from calcite and the gold from pyrite - although the best lapis is considered that which doesn't have much white calcite (common as muck) but has the best blue color.

Who are you
Who desire to walk as Gods?
Kings and queens -
Dominion of the finite relam
Was granted to you.
Yet underneath these costumes,
Under your skin
A million chemical storms
Rage uncontrollably
And you are rendered weaker by nightfall.
But within this shadow-play
A greater mystery:
For through time we grow stronger
And there will come those
Who can remove their masks
And walk the earth
As immortal gods and Goddesses.
Either that or our extinction.

©2010

Ain't nothing worse than that gnawing feeling in your chest that says "I gotta get out of this" but you can't make a move.... you don't have it worked out, money's too tight to set anything up anywhere else, whatever.

The thing with me is, wherever I've been, pretty soon that feelin' overtakes me.  I don't know what it is with me.   I've had stable situations.  Jobs, girlfriends - nice girlfriends, real sweet, and would never turn me down, and yet that feeling... it's still there.   I just can't settle down.  I've got to go.

They say it's better to be running towards something than to be running away from something - but me, I'm running away.   I need to change the scenery.  They tell me life isn't like the TV, you can't just keep flippin' channels all the time.   I don't even have a TV, but with my life I'm constantly reaching for the remote.   I'm trying to find the bigger picture - but wherever I look at the scene, something in me says "this isn't it."

I don't know if I'll ever settle down.   Some part of me is sad about that, and every so often I think I ought to get some common sense, and stop being a rebel.

But when it comes down to it, the wanderer rules the show.   It's time to move.

©2010