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The just lost a bid to overturn a $21 million patent-infringement verdict. They might face a ban on all Wii console sales.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601127&sid=aZmETSiEwaKE&refer=law

This Bloomberg article also gives the numbers for PS3 and 360s in June. 405,500 and 219,800, respectively. Which is more interesting to me. The way people talk about the hard times the PS3 is having, I was surprised that it is outselling the Xbox.

This isn't new or interesting -- it's a classic pump and dump, most likely on the price of oil.

(1) Buy oil futures
(2) Pump spam/disinformation about a US military strike in Iran.
(2a) Do this when US/Israeli officials are making strong statements
(2b) because Iran has just tested some missiles
(3) Watch the price of oil go up 4-5% in a day http://www.bloomberg.com/energy/
(4) (Sell your oil futures at a) Profit!

Yawn . . .

But you skipped the ??? step.

When you want to know what is really going on, follow the money. Here is where Big Oil is spending it's wealth: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&sid=akIQ2arQB4Qs&refer=columnist_pauly

While Exxon Mobil will spend $21 billion this year on exploration and plant improvements, that's considerably less than it will spend on buying back its shares.

This is for 2007.

Using profits to buy back shares makes the remaining shares more valuable. This disproportionately enriches upper management and the board of directors, since much of their compensation is in stock or stock options.

They don't care about "the energy business", they just want to extract as much wealth as possible in as short a period as possible. Become rich enough, and you and your descendants can avoid the problems of global warming, food riots, climate driven population shifts, pandemics...

This isn't new or interesting -- it's a classic pump and dump, most likely on the price of oil.

(1) Buy oil futures
(2) Pump spam/disinformation about a US military strike in Iran.
(2a) Do this when US/Israeli officials are making strong statements
(2b) because Iran has just tested some missiles
(3) Watch the price of oil go up 4-5% in a day http://www.bloomberg.com/energy/
(4) (Sell your oil futures at a) Profit!

Yawn . . .

And it is the same T. Boone Pickens (quoted as only "Boone Pickens" who concurred with speculation that oil futures contracts, for 2016, would reach $200 / barrel.

T. Boone speculates on oil

And only the month before, he flipped on his previous position that oil prices would fall (to his financial loss):

Boone Pickens reverses the course.

So, in April, you tell you were wrong, and oil will rise. In May, you speculated again oil will rise, but still haven't made any proclamation that you have shed yourself of any investment which speculates oil will rise. Now, in July, you offer a reprieve from oil, which just so happens to be one of your major investments outside oil. Talk about coincidence.

The only difference between (1) vested interest and (2) conflict-of-interest is (1) the speculator who shares in the gain, and (2) the regulator who identifies the hypocrisy (but is hushed, as it interferes with the vested interest).

And it is the same T. Boone Pickens (quoted as only "Boone Pickens" who concurred with speculation that oil futures contracts, for 2016, would reach $200 / barrel.

T. Boone speculates on oil

And only the month before, he flipped on his previous position that oil prices would fall (to his financial loss):

Boone Pickens reverses the course.

So, in April, you tell you were wrong, and oil will rise. In May, you speculated again oil will rise, but still haven't made any proclamation that you have shed yourself of any investment which speculates oil will rise. Now, in July, you offer a reprieve from oil, which just so happens to be one of your major investments outside oil. Talk about coincidence.

The only difference between (1) vested interest and (2) conflict-of-interest is (1) the speculator who shares in the gain, and (2) the regulator who identifies the hypocrisy (but is hushed, as it interferes with the vested interest).

Now if we can just build a few more nuclear reactors...

Currently, the only manufacturer of the containment vessels at the core of every non-Russian nuclear reactor is Japan Steel Works, which has a capacity of four containment vessels per year: Bloomberg article. Fascinating read -- these things are machined out of a single 600-ton steel ingot.

Besides, let's not forget that 6 years ago, extreme-right-wing nationalist Le Pen ended landed in the second turn of the presidential elections whereas lots of people expected a Chirac vs Jospin (Socialist) second run. It seems that 5 years after, the nationalists were only too happy to give their votes to the neo-con Sarkozy. The guy did not even need to make a pact with the Front National (contrary to what Berlusconi did with Fini) but still his policy is getting tougher everyday on individual liberties, and police pressure is getting stronger on everyone -- except his son.

More and more people are getting pissed at him (and the reasons mentioned by polls analyst Jean-Daniel Lévy are all but ridiculous), but there are not enough checks and balances in the constitution of the French Republic to get rid of a fscked-up president, except the rare cases where he can be proved to be a traitor to the nation.

Here is an excellent blog about French politics for those who are interested.

Rents are unrelated to the cost to propel the ship. We're talking about the rent, not the operations cost.

You completely misunderstood the article you posted. One, it's from 2004. Early 2004, at that. Way outdated. Also, oil demand growth today (I.e., not 2004) is rather low due to the high prices. Here's a more recent article.

That doesn't mean they can't try and make a big fuss about it. It's not like they're doing anything useful with their time otherwise.

In fact, Christopher Dodd (D-CT) is busy trying to shift Countrywide's bad loans through the FHA to the taxpayers so that when BoA buys them for $7 a share they only get the good parts and we get all the subprime slime we can eat.

Oh, and we might also get to foot the bill for BoA's acquisition of the good parts!

Yea, color me an unimpressed democratic voter too.

One, it is particularly noted that the UK (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/crimeew0607.html)has switched its methods on crime reporting since the 2000 data, and that there is alot of conflict with that (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601102&sid=aBKQE71WDa4U&refer=uk). The new method of reporting DRASTICALLY increases the numbers, on top of excluding groups considered to be the highest rate of offenders. I use these numbers, the British Parliament has fought hard to keep this method of reporting in place, so I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Second, I can take umbrage in the FBI report (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/index.html) on the fact that the numbers that would show a problem with gun violence haven't had any suspicious shift. I do this because the Director of the FBI (the guy who gives the final sign-off on the report) is an avid Anti-Gun supporter. No suspicious shift means the guy has some dignity, so I trust the FBI report a little more than most other sources culled by mostly liberal organizations. You know, the kind of liberal organizations that say things like "Women are %100 more likely to get killed when there is a gun in the household," without any numbers to back that up. I have yet to see a single solitary case study or statistical survey by any of the anti-gun organizations that has stood up to peer review. For the most part, they don't even bother putting their studies up for peer review, they just publish them and cite them as fact.

I don't use case studies that haven't stood up to peer review (for that matter, I haven't found a single one that points to guns being a problem), and I use reports that are giving numbers and statistics without offering comparisons or opinions. In my mind, that's about as much as you can ask for, show me one popular Anti-Gun liberal that has had the respect for what he/she believes in to actually look at the NUMBERS in depth, and not just take the "studies" for granted. I won't hold my breath.

One more thing: I think it's especially interesting that this sentiment isn't just from supporters of Candidates like Paul (who is in fact starkly different from most candidates on several fronts). This portrayal of the general presidential election as one of small differences is actually apparently a mainstream media meme:

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-obamacain8-2008jun08,0,543931.story
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=aH8EMkkeMCtw&refer=politics

Not unanticipated, or without precedent:

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/04/how-will-the-campaign-be-covered/

I think the question is: Why? Why, when there are easily locatable differences are there people who seem to like level them? I can understand why Paul looks different compared to Obama and McCain, but that's not even who we're talking about -- we're talking about a media that played up the heat of the contest between Obama and Clinton, but now appears to be playing down the much greater gulf.

Maybe it's because McCain appears to be a moderate if you average his positions:

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/14577.html
http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/15649.html

Or maybe it's some inner working of mainstream "journalism" that's just too mysterious for me.

Or maybe it's true what my acquaintances who've worked in the Senate have said: McCain's great in front of the cameras, assiduously cultivates one media image, but in private, he's at best a tyrant and quite possibly mentally instable (note: before you try to pass that off on partisan rancor, note that these acquaintances (plural) that I've received these opinions from were *Republican* Senate staff).

But that's a rumor, one you can't verify unless you also have the acquaintance of Senate staff, and I don't expect you to believe a random poster on the internet about this. Just whatever you do, don't fall for the line that McCain and Obama are somehow twins, that voting for either won't make a difference.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080528/pl_nm/usa_politics_issues_dc

Who you cast your vote for absolutely matters this fall. If you absolutely HAVE to -- vote for Ron Paul or your favorite third party candidate to send a message, sure. Everybody has that right and it's a legitimate use of a vote. But make sure you really understand who the candidates are before you cast your vote. If you genuinely think Obama and McCain are the same, you quite simply haven't done that yet, and your vote will be cast irresponsibly.

Not to disagree with you, just wanted to point out that this law is not popular in Britain.

Guantanamo Bay

You do understand that McCain has called for closing Guantanamo Bay, don't you?

You must be thinking of Denver or Phoenix.

I really wish people would quit saying that we have an economy that needs fixing. Really, we've just been through a major mortgage crisis, and the most anyone can say the economy is going sideways. I'd say that bodes pretty damn good for our economy, just wait a few more months until the banks get their crap together and the economy will be humming along again. Also here's a few links just to prove a point:

U.S. manufacturing activity rose unexpectedly in May...
http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2008/06/02/afx5070060.html

Gross domestic product expanded at an annual pace of 0.9 percent from January through March, up from the 0.6 percent projected last month...
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aERpSgHrPI_Y&refer=home

What do you call a recession where the economy keeps going up and up, even if a bit sluggishly? Well, my friends, you call that an expansion.
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/capital-commerce/2008/5/29/the-strangest-recession-in-economic-history.html

Fewer Americans than forecast applied for unemployment benefits last week...
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aDeTc4KzXjhs&refer=home

Recession? Where? Looking back months from now, we may find that the economy grew 0.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007, 1.2 percent in the first quarter of this year, and 2.5 percent (according to a model from Macroeconomic Advisers) in the second quarter....
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/capital-commerce/2008/5/9/the-recession-that-wasnt.html#

The unemployment rate edged down in April and employers cut far fewer jobs than expected...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/02/AR2008050200489.html?nav=rss_email/components

I really wish people would quit saying that we have an economy that needs fixing. Really, we've just been through a major mortgage crisis, and the most anyone can say the economy is going sideways. I'd say that bodes pretty damn good for our economy, just wait a few more months until the banks get their crap together and the economy will be humming along again. Also here's a few links just to prove a point:

U.S. manufacturing activity rose unexpectedly in May...
http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2008/06/02/afx5070060.html

Gross domestic product expanded at an annual pace of 0.9 percent from January through March, up from the 0.6 percent projected last month...
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aERpSgHrPI_Y&refer=home

What do you call a recession where the economy keeps going up and up, even if a bit sluggishly? Well, my friends, you call that an expansion.
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/capital-commerce/2008/5/29/the-strangest-recession-in-economic-history.html

Fewer Americans than forecast applied for unemployment benefits last week...
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aDeTc4KzXjhs&refer=home

Recession? Where? Looking back months from now, we may find that the economy grew 0.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007, 1.2 percent in the first quarter of this year, and 2.5 percent (according to a model from Macroeconomic Advisers) in the second quarter....
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/capital-commerce/2008/5/9/the-recession-that-wasnt.html#

The unemployment rate edged down in April and employers cut far fewer jobs than expected...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/02/AR2008050200489.html?nav=rss_email/components

It's remarkable how he can paint a happy face on the steepest decline in the history of the company.

If his figures are correct, the PC market just experienced the largest contraction ever and nobody noticed. Especially odd in that Intel's operating income is up 23%. Top PC seller HP's net income is up 16% on strong notebook sales and huge growth in emerging markets. Lenovo is reporting a 17% increase in sales on strong global demand.

Is anybody besides Microsoft seeing this decline? Is somebody lying to Ballmer? "Gee, no, Steve. Business is off everywhere. It's a recession. People adore Vista. You can put the chair down now."

A Bloomberg article says: "Banks created at least $4 billion of CPDOs".

"Created" not rated. So noone knows for sure how many of these 4 billion have been rated by Moody's, but I guess a big chunk.

But this relativly small sum (compared to the amount of mess the credit crisis has produced) is not the heart of the problem. The big question now is "can we trust the rating agencies at all". Because this story has the smell of fraud. And that's (of course) much worse than overpaid MBAs that make some errors ... (which shouldn't happen, but can happen).

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601203&sid=aDGkiET1_Y7w&refer=insurance

adjusted [their] analytical models on the infrequent occasions that errors have been detected,'' the[ir] statement said. ``It would be inconsistent with Moody's analytical standards and company policies to change methodologies in an effort to mask errors.,.

Today Pickens predicted that Oil would hit $150/bbl this year. He's also invested "billions" in wind energy. Clearly, he thinks both will be more valuable in the future. I agree. There are two ways in which renewable energy can become mainstream: conventional energy can become more expensive, and/or renewable can become cheaper. Fortunately both are happening.

I don't think Microsoft is providing access to source code as a way to combat FOSS, but as a way to attempt to comply with an EU antitrust ruling.

Truly "Open Source" licenses may be part of the plan, but the real reason they are exposing source is so that developers of products that compete with MS products like Word or Excel aren't at a competitive disadvantage that could result in expensive lawsuits.

I don't think MS is trying to be confusing (this time). I think the confusion is a side effect of a large, complex corporate entity based on closed source proprietary software trying to expose the minimum required to pass legal muster. It's not FOSS and it's not pretending to be. Do you expect something simple and concise when they mix EU law with a giant US corporation?

U.S. Top Selling Computer Hardware for January 2007

Scroll down to the MP3 section. SanDisk only has 8.9%, but Zune is at 3.2% and the iPod is at 72.7%.

I know you meant it as a joke, but maybe you haven't been to an anti-war/pro-illegal alien/may day rally lately. A friend got stuck in one and they severely damaged his car when he refused to honk in support of them. I had a steel bar thrown at my car because I honked at the critical mass morons who block traffic with their bikes once a month. You think those guys are conservative republicans?

For an even better example look at global warming (sorry, climate change.) The "consensus" consists of making it a political issue and using it to bludgeon those who disagree. A famous Russian made a bet with a US scientist that global warming would stop and the earth would begin a decade of cooling soon. The Russian studies the sun. Guess what happened. Now we're being told that ocean currents may halt global warming, temporarily of course. How convenient. They don't even mention how the earth has already cooled in the past 10 years.

The DMCA is very much broken, but this takedown notice was not in keeping with company policy. An employee got a little ahead of himself.

The US future may be fixable, but between the food shortages, and the housing crisis, our economy (and our freedoms) aren't getting fixed anytime soon.

Of course, we're in good company - given the 681 TRILLION derivatives market, it's going to take the entire world economy with us.

Ow.

and yet, what I find intriguing is OSS has capitalised on this "failure" exactly 0% with regards to desktop coverage; or no noticeable difference anyhow.

If you have read your messages I know you've seen these figures:

Windows sinks 24%

The world's biggest software maker said sales of Windows for PCs sank 24 percent and revenue from its online advertising unit came in at the low end of its projections. Microsoft's report contrasted with positive comments from chipmaker Intel Corp. and computer company International Business Machines Corp.

PC Shipments up 12%

Overall, PC shipments in the first quarter increased 12.3% compared with the first quarter of 2007, according to Gartner, despite fears that souring economic conditions might pinch PC sales.

This gap is about 1/3 of the market. Apple's computer sales are up 50%, but as you note their numbers are well counted and can't account for a gap this large. Those computers shipped with some OS on them. What was it?

eWeek, which I've always regarded as a loyal Microsoft fan, has declared Ubuntu ready to take on Windows. I think you'll find that's where the missing numbers are, though Redhat is doing well too as is Asus with their eee and myriad others.

Now you can't deny you've seen the figures.

Windows sinks 24%

The world's biggest software maker said sales of Windows for PCs sank 24 percent and revenue from its online advertising unit came in at the low end of its projections. Microsoft's report contrasted with positive comments from chipmaker Intel Corp. and computer company International Business Machines Corp.

PC Shipments up 12%

Overall, PC shipments in the first quarter increased 12.3% compared with the first quarter of 2007, according to Gartner, despite fears that souring economic conditions might pinch PC sales.

Interesting, eh? Maybe that's why eWeek, which I've always regarded as a loyal Microsoft fan, has declared Ubuntu ready to take on Windows.

Donating money is normally just a waste of your own money; little of it gets to other countries, and even less of it does any good. Giving money is a largely irrational response to poverty, and makes little difference.

I agree, I'd rather teach a person to fish than give them one.

The correct answer is to make it easier for them to sell their products to us, or make it easier for them to immigrate over to the West.

While making it easier to sale products will help it'd help more if the US, EU, Japan, and other developed nations didn't give farmers and big agribusinesses hugh farm subsidies. In 2004 the US gave $47 billion in subsidies. But the EU and Japan gave even more, $133 and $49 billion respectively. In the US Cargill and Archer Daniels Midland, ADM, are poster children for corporate welfare. ADM is a great example of a corporate welfare queen. These subsidies allow these businesses to export food to sell in the Third World cheaper than Third World farmers can grow food.

There aren't a lot of resources in many places in the Third World, and it seems pretty pointless to try and continue the settlements.

Actually there's plenty of resources in the Third World. Some, not all but some, of the problems the Third World has is from the Washington Consensus and Neoliberal policies. Other problems stem from natural resources. The abundance of a natural resource can and frequently does lead to conflicts and fighting. Coltan, used in cellphones, for instance. Rebel groups there fight to control the mining of coltan along with copper, diamonds, gold, and other natural resources. In the Niger Delta of Nigeria rebels are fighting over a share of money from oil. The Bushmen of Africa is another good example. In Botswana they are being forced off their ancestral lands so mining companies can mine for diamonds.

Heck some US based multinational corporations are being sued, under the Alien Tort Claim Act of 1789, in US courts for supporting those who violate human rights. Coca Cola is being sued for supporting paramilitary units in Colombia while Unocal was being sued for supporting "human rights abuses committed by Burmese soldiers" in Burma.

Furthermore, the value of "a dollar a day" depends entirely on how inflated their economy is compared to ours and thus their cost-of-living. This "dollar a day" statistic is just a comparison of costs of living and inflation. It's no measure of poverty.

Heck poverty, as used to the west, needs to be redefined. A farmer in Africa can grow enough food to barter or trade with others to feed their family and keep a roof over their heads yet they can still be said to be living in poverty. Sure, they may not have enough money to take a vacation for 4 weeks a year but they make enough to live on. And by opening up international trade and cutting subsidies they could make enough to afford to go to Disney.

Falcon

> What is needed to make your case is a statistical analysis that says C.S. majors earn less and are unable to find work.

Actually no, becuase that was not my case. A BSCS may be employable, but he or she would have been better off to have chosen a different major.

BSCSs may earn more than IT workers who have no degrees, in some cases. But, often there is little, in any, difference. Employers want experience, not degrees, look at the job ads.

Unlike doctors, lawyers, engineers, CPAs, nurses, or many other professions; a BSCS is not a hard requirement for most IT jobs. The degree has very little value relative to it's cost and difficulty. Add that to the aggressive offshoring of IT professionals, and it seems to me that a students time, effort, and money, would be better spent elsewhere.

And here is some data to back that up:

> "According to the AeA Cyberstates yearly reports, "High Tech" employment experienced job losses of 945,000 in the 2001 recession. Since this drop in employment, the "High Tech" sector has recovered about *300,000* jobs, but during the period in question, a probable *669,681* H-1B and L-1 computer-related workers were added to the workforce."

http://tinyurl.com/3pj2c3

> "Job security for IT professionals plummeted more than 10% from January to February of this year, far surpassing the average job security declines seen nationwide in a rigorous analysis of U.S. employment patterns."

http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/edu/2008/033108ed1.html

> "Gates claims that Microsoft needs more H-1b to hire new foreign graduates. But there are many U.S. graduates with several years of experience trying to find work at Microsoft and other employers - but Gates does not open these "entry level" positions to these Americans. Why? Experienced Americans are only considered for the positions that require an arbitrary 3 to 7 years of experience in several specific skills - then the Americans are summarily rejected for not meeting all of those arbitrary qualifications."

http://tinyurl.com/358alw

> "Dell Job Cuts to Top 8,800 as U.S. Spending Slows"
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aEO1GX_CC.8U&refer=us

> "Motorola to lay off 2,600 workers"
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-fri-motorola-8k-jobcuts-motapr04,0,4870738.story

> "Chrysler Slashing Tech Jobs - The latest cutbacks affect 400 technology workers"
http://www.thecarconnection.com/blog/?p=1095

> "AMD axes 10% of its staff"
http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/36823/167/

> "Yahoo Profits Slip; To Cut 1,000 Jobs"
http://blog.wired.com/business/2008/01/yahoo-profits-s.html

> "Google lays off about 300 at DoubleClick"
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/03/BUA2VUNAO.DTL&tsp=1

> "EBay Cuts 125 Jobs in Europe, North America"
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080320/ebay_jobs.html?.v=4

> "CNET to Lay Off 120"
http://www.redherring.com/Home/24032

> "At least 160 employees at CBS Corp. . . were let go"
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-stations9apr09,1,7495348.story

> Applied

What about the sisters who swindled the government out of $20.5M dollars? http://bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=a_pIZ20xQxeU&refer=home

just like a Porsche is faster than a Toyota, but who makes more money

Great. Let me know when fission reactors reach car-engine size.
(Cue up plutonium-powered DeLorean jokes ...)
No, really I get it, and I expect we'll see nuclear power expand, although we are limited in how fast we can bring new plants online. But what the hell are we going to do with all the damn waste? Yucca Mountain is stupid idea. Are we going to start reprocessing our nuclear waste like France? Move to a more progressive reactor design like MSRs, for which reprocessing is an integral part?
Personally, I like the MSR model for a number of reasons. It can burn old, nasty, long-half-life waste into less-nasty stuff, little/no chance of an out-of-control reaction, and relatively efficient burnup of the fuel it is fed.

----
Imitation is the sincerest form of mockery

I was simply stating that:

Now, do I buy this?

"Dell Job Cuts to Top 8,800 as U.S. Spending Slows" (Dude! You're getting a pink slip!)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aEO1GX_CC.8U&refer=u...

"Google DoubleClick cuts 300 jobs"
http://www.newsoxy.com/google_doubleclick_cuts_300_jobs/article10671.htm

"Motorola to lay off 2,600 workers"
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-fri-motorola-8k-jobcuts-motap...

"Chrysler Slashing Tech Jobs - The latest cutbacks affect 400 technology workers"
http://www.thecarconnection.com/blog/?p=1095

In other news, according to the NYT:

> The economy shed 80,000 jobs in March, the third consecutive month of rising unemployment, presenting a stark sign that the country may already be in a recession.

> The unemployment rate ticked up to 5.1 percent from 4.8 percent, its highest level since the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in September 2005.

> The downturn has even come to San Francisco, where highly trained workers with elite degrees flock to work for some of the world's biggest technology companies. CNet Networks, the online media giant, laid off 10 percent of its staff -- about 120 workers -- this year in an effort to increase profitability and its share price. Yahoo, the search engine company, said it would cut its work force by 1,000.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/04/business/04cnd-econ.html?em&ex=1207540800&en=c1de4fb13c4ec4bd&ei=5087%0A

Exaggerate much? As I said, yes, the ipod is popular. But nowhere near monopoly-level popular. For instance Bloomerg measured the ipod as having 72% of the market in 2007:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aM6PvSxM.wq8&refer=us

In addition, the market is very active with competition. Competitors include Creative, Sandisk, Microsoft, iRiver, Samsung, Samsung, and every cell phone out there these days (which aren't counted against that 72% statistic).

A monopoly is based more on competition than on marketshare. Google 'define:monopoly': "a market in which there are many buyers but only one seller".

Calling the iPod a monopoly is simply absurd.

Compare this to Microsoft in the OS, office document, or PC gaming markets. They've intentionally pushed proprietary formats to prevent anyone from even *attempting* to compete in those markets. Even though Apple may have had a near-monopoly in the portable music market in the year or two after it first came out, they've pushed open formats like AAC and pushed for DRM-free formats so that even their Apple Store songs would be cross-platform and cross-device.

If Apple had gone the route of Microsoft and pushed a tightly controlled proprietary format like WMV, Apple could have extinguished the entire music market and kept it to themselves. Instead they're competing based on merit alone, and still doing quite well.

Which is just one reason that it's surprising to see Apple taking this sleazy "auto-install Safari" route.

AP/Washington Post

BBC

LA Times

Bloomberg

National Post

That monopoly existed because there was no other product on the market to fill that need

While I agree with the latter part of your statement, I don't agree with the former quoted above. There was a need. It was being filled. Commodore/Amiga, TI, Atari, Apple, Timex, Magnavox, VisaCalc, Lotus 1-2-3, WordPro, WordStar, dBaseIII, Novell DOS 7, Caldera DOS, OS/2 Warp, CP/M, Stacker (Stac Electronics), Netscape. Microsoft systematically destroyed software and hardware companies through litigation and court bullying, or cast fear, uncertainty, and doubt into many struggling companies and stockholder boards. Before the government got wind of it, the damage was already done. And the playing field was leveled, not by competition, but by one company with an army of lawyers seeking and destroying. And then there was no other marketable source of an OS except for Microsoft by 1995. The Department of Justice took on the task of taking down Microsoft. And Microsoft went to task of lobbying the government, and funding the George Bush campaign. The Clinton administration was ready to dismantle Microsoft. In stepped George Bush with a fist full of Microsoft cash, just got campaign-paid, and told the DOJ to back off. The effect of the law was compromised. Heck, just recently, George Bush came to Microsoft's rescue again - Bloomberg.com: U.S. - Bush defeats Anti-trust against Microsoft

I don't think any company can do what Microsoft did for at least another 20 years. Many weaknesses of people, society, and government have been exposed. But this time around, we have the internet and Slashdot, and Groklaw. Many more truths have been exposed. Internet news containment is out of control. Companies really do not control information flow on the net, like they can in traditional media where they can make people of a country fit into a box of their creation. It may take somewhat longer than that to repeat history, which mankind is doomed to do over again.

Using Google isn't resourceful?

If MS were to big [sic] higher they'd be bidding against Yahoo!'s board.

however this one dated 14 February says "Yahoo Inc's second-biggest investor urged Microsoft Corp to raise its $42 billion bid for the Web pioneer and warned Yahoo it has few options left, raising the pressure on them to seal a deal." Week in review: Microsoft the magnanimous? dated 22 Feb'08 also says nothing about a counter offer.

ExxonMobil was fined $5 Billion for Exxon Valdez, later halved, but so far not paid.

Intel stock is down, too.

See also this January 16, 2008 Bloomberg story: U.S. Stocks Fall on Intel Forecast, Extending Global Tumble.

Quote: "Intel, the world's largest computer-chip maker, tumbled the most in five years in Nasdaq Stock Market trading after saying first-quarter sales will be as much as 6.9 percent below analysts' estimates."

The headline: "Put Down" It's like they shot Barbaro. Netscape was not retired out of sympathy (empathy for those of you in Rio Linda) for the browser; The Old Blue N died of natural causes. May she rest in Bittorrent.

"Cringley" missed a key element of the story. Bank Julius Baer was preparing to take their US operation public via an IPO for about a billion dollars. They filed the prospectus with the SEC a few weeks ago. "We are an asset management company that provides investment management services to institutional and mutual fund clients. We are best known for our International Equity strategies, which represented 92% of our assets under management as of September 30, 2007." They were going to call the business "Artio" (ticker symbol ART, to be listed on the NYSE). Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch were to underwrite the IPO.

So the last thing they needed was to be the subject of a New York Times story and all over the world press, associated with money laundering. Now the deal goes under a microscope. Their underwriters have to take a second look and the SEC may have questions. Julius Baer will probably have to file a "material event" 8-K report with the SEC. Newspaper and magazine reporters will be looking at Baer. The question will be raised that the rather high returns Baer reports may be achieved via money laundering.

All this is happening in a down market, in which it's hard to do an IPO and in which investors are very sensitive to unexpected risk. The whole deal may evaporate, or be repriced downward.

This was a very, very expensive mistake for Baer.

here is a link I found.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=ac6jnk1bz4nM&refer=us

not much info in it, but hey... its a link.

I am involved with tech and financial services and Ron Paul is more in tune with what is happening in the financial world than most recognize. I am voting for who represents my values. If this were a football pool, then I'd vote for who I "thought" was going to win. Here is a Bloomberg interview with a European investment banker who refers to a "Dollar Lunge" and gold, a 'currency' and not an 'industrial commodity' going for $2,000 per ounce within 24 months. http://www.bloomberg.com/avp/avp.htm?clipSRC=mms://media2.bloomberg.com/cache/vGNTM73VTBuo.asf Fast forward beyond the mini advertisement to the real interview. I watch bond markets and other financial indicators every day and this guy is talking from Europe what Ron Paul is talking about in the U.S. and getting silenced over. Other Bloomberg.com reports quote U.S. investment houses as saying the government should stay out of manipulating the Fed Funds rate and Fed Discount rate as it will only lead to more bubbles and instability. You may think Ron Paul is a bit goofy, but he knows what is about to happen.

Per this Bloomberg update http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=anDGP.twSjqw&refer=home Microsoft will have to borrow money to pay for this.

Also from the article:
The software maker could do more than borrow to expedite the takeover. Microsoft may seek to oust Yahoo's directors should they reject the bid and offer its own slate of nominees, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified.

Talk about hostile takeover.
Enjoy,

Many investors aren't happy.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=email_en&sid=am1odVZXMwjk

Pocket change.

Water under the bridge.

Revenue in the unit that includes Xbox rose 3.1 percent to $3.06 billion, exceeding Microsoft's forecast that it would decline as much as 8 percent. The division posted earnings of $357 million, the first time it has reported profits in back-to- back quarters. Liddell cited the high number of games sold per Xbox machine for the unit's revenue and profit increases. Consumers on average buy seven titles with each machine, which bolsters earnings because the games are profitable while the consoles usually lose money or break even. Morning Call [Jaunary 24]

Develop for the XBox 360 and get the Windows market as a bonus. The XBox helps anchor Microsoft's position in the hone.