Here's interesting article on the growing power of cable monopolies over high speed internet access - and why our internet costs much more than other places in the world. I didn't realize that our costs were so much higher.
Here's the story.
It sounds like a building monopolies local in high speed internet is leading to a breakup scenario similar to the AT&T long distance monopoly breakup from back in 1982.
I was reading an article in the NYTimes that folks are beginning to move into the world's newest tallest building in Dubai - the Burg Kahlifa. If you're interested in the history of tall structures (going way back in time) and building techniques the article is an interesting read.
Here's a link with details of the building and a very cool photo. It really is a sleek and cool looking building. I don't know why, but these man-made marvels capture my imagination:
Here's a pretty cool video showing the opening cermony:
an AP story:
And an impressive video from the observation deck
Back in grade school or middle school I remember reading about the hypothesis of an additional large undiscovered but massive object in our solar system with an orbit far out beyond Pluto.
This idea comes back to life in this story that argues that the orbit of one of the recently discovered large "dwarf planets" (Sedna) can't readily be explained given known solar system objects.
In particular note this graphic that is linked in the story showing the relative distance and difference in orbit from the other solar system objects.
Sedna's location doesn't make sense.
"Sedna shouldn't be there," said Brown. "There's no way to put Sedna where it is. It never comes close enough to be affected by the Sun, but it never goes far enough away from the Sun to be affected by other stars."
Perhaps a massive unseen object is responsible for Sedna's mystifying orbit, its gravitational influence keeping Sedna fixed in that far-distant portion of space.
Thought this was interesting regarding the Toyota recall.
Walking a mile or driving while using a cell phone are riskier.
From the article:
The accelerator problem is adding about six deaths every year.... Bottom line, it is important to keep risks in perspective," Fischbeck said. "The stuck accelerator problem does make driving riskier and needs to be fixed. But at the same time, the increased risk is very small.
I don't play the lotto - but I love this song ("More than a feeling" by Boston) and was cracking up at the commercial.
Now I gotta go jump in a big pit of balls.
Those that know me are often shocked by my Ninja-like reflexes, but sometimes even those are not enough. Have you ever noticed that despite your quickest reflexes, when you drop Nachos on your shirt it only takes a split second for them to soak in and leave a stain?
I was also spotted walking around Hobby Lobby today with a spot on my belly.
I sold the rest of my Garmin GRMN position this morning. This is one of those stocks that looks so cheap to me on the metrics and their financial position is excellent, but I'm starting to buy into the idea that their business is trapped by new on-coming smartphone technology and they might not have a way out. I'm hesitant to write GRMN off because to me stand-alone navigation systems just seem so easy and make alot of sense, but the more I talk to fans of i-phones and google-phones I'm less sure of the future. I don't get really "get" what's going on here - but alot of people really seem to love their way expensive cell phone plans and - at least to me - "complicated" phones/multipurpose devices.
This is probably dangerous to me as one of my larger holdings at the moment is RIMM - makers of the Blackberry - and it looks very cheap to me also and growth is still there - but I'm keeping my eye open on it also.
I don't really have any other good ideas for where to put the proceeds right now, so I'll have to start some research for new companies.
I'd never heard of this, but I was watching a show on the Discovery Channel talking about pre-historic North American animals. Apparently about 35 million years ago a massive impact crater was formed in the Chesapeake Bay area. The crater has subsequently been buried, but investigation is showing the crater to be at least 50-60 miles wide and a mile deep.
Here's a couple of LINKS
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
WIKIPEDIA
A few Steven Wright jokes from here:
I was once walking through the forest alone. A tree fell right in front of me--and I didn't hear it.
Right now I'm having amnesia and deja vu at the same time. I think I've forgotten this before.
I went to the museum where they had all the heads and arms from the statues that are in all the other museums.
Ever notice how irons have a setting for *permanent* press? I don't get it...
There was a power outage at a department store yesterday. Twenty people were trapped on the escalators.
Every so often, I like to stick my head out the window, look up, and smile for a satellite picture.
I'm moving to Mars next week, so if you have any boxes...
A powerful piece by an Iraqi war vet on killing:
an excerpt:
Killing enemy combatants comes with its own emotional costs. On the surface, we feel as soldiers that killing the enemy should not affect us — it is our job, after all. But it is still killing, and on a subconscious level, it changes you. You’ve killed. You’ve taken life. What I found, though, is that you feel the shock and weight of it only when you kill an enemy for the first time, when you move from zero to one. Once you’ve crossed that line, there is little difference in killing 10 or 20 or 30 more after that.
95% of the time that I go to get ice from the freezer to put in my orange cup, I drop 1 or more pieces of ice in the floor. I have come to believe there is no better slippery design for ice "cubes" than those produced by the automatic ice maker in my fridge. I'll go to grab some ice from the bucket, and even when I think I have a good hold one will slide out, hit the floor, slide across the kitchen floor, and hide somewhere that I can't find it... It's a fun game I play every day.
I saw a link to this over at the Marginal Revolution Blog. It's an interesting discussion of the government "job created" statistics by Felix Salmon - and how the stats can be highly misleading - talking about some highly creative accounting:
Yes, for the purposes of this report, the government has calculated the number of jobs created by taking the number of hours worked and dividing by 173. If you pay a man to wield a shovel for one year, working 40 hours a week, then hey, you’ve created 12 jobs! If you pay him overtime, and he works 60 hours a week, then you’ve created 18 jobs! If he keeps on working at that pace for three years, then you’re up to 54 jobs! All from one man earning one paycheck.
Here's an interesting story about George Washington's leadership and character in his effort to maintain the support of angry and mutinous troops from the NYTimes
excerpt:
In early 1783, with Revolutionary War victory in sight but peace uncertain, Washington and the Continental Army bivouacked at Newburgh, N.Y. Troops were enraged by Congress’s failure to provide promised back pay and pensions. Rumors of mutiny abounded.
In an effort to adhere to some self-imposed stop loss rules I've put in a sell order on Gamestop GME which is now down over 20% from where I purchased. I can see both a long and short case for being in this company, but the short side is winning out right now. Cutting losses and stepping aside to re-evaluate.
Also looking at cutting Garmin loose, but decided to hold on for a while longer to see what developes. There's so much downside priced into GRMN right now that I'll wait and see what happens. They pay a 2.3% dividend and the balance sheet is loaded with cash so I'll wait. The smartphones might be the end of them, but I'm not convinced of that yet.
