Offtopic, but this highlights the main reason I believe Lucent will dominate over Cisco.
Lucent continually impresses me with their labs... breeding new technologies from within. Cisco, on the other hand, devotes very little to research. They do have an agreement with IBM for work on e-business applications but they are forced to buy the majority of their new technologies. While that is easy for them right now, with their $200 billion plus market cap, no debt and huge cash reserves, that can't last forever. Hell, the price thatthe paid for Cerent was simply outrageous! $7 billion for a company with revenues (and no profits) of approximately $20 million a year!? Not to forget them buying Montery Systems, Transmedia, StratumOne, MaxComm, Calista, KPMG Consulting... hell, there are over 20 in the past 6 months.
In the long run, it just seems so much more cost efficient to invest that money into your own research and development, like Lucent does. But, I could be wrong.
Yeah, let's lynch them for trying to make money doing something they love!
Would you rather that the site merely collapsed because they were out getting "real jobs" and no longer had the time to maintain it.
Then you would have something else to bitch about.
Give me a fucking break. Yes, they want increased banner ad revenues... Katz helps bring that in. Guess what!? It's on purpose! Guess what else!? Topics are delibarately set to spur geek mania (Hell, they even call it News for Nerds)!
You are either a horribly jealous hypocrite, or entertain extremely lofty ideals and better be living as a monk somewhere. Since you must have access to a computer, my guess is that you are a hypocrite.
I want to know what this guy thinks. I am not worried about him becoming the next pariah or something merely because slashdot links to him!
We have others comparing this to interviewing Satan, or giving credit to those who deny the Holocaust. Well, to be honest, I would be curious to hear from them as well. But I do not need you, or others to formulate my opinions, protect me, or worry about me endorsing someone you hate.
From everything I have read, heard and seen, I can not stand the guy either. If he were standing on a corner in my neighborhood yelling to a crowd, I would most likely walk right on by. But this is a chance to read someone's opinions vastly different than mine and the great majority of those on this forum... and the great thing, is that he will be responding to challenges made from people who openly can't stand him. That is a little different than listening to him rant and rave. I simply like to hear different views, no matter how twisted, insane, eveil and stupid they might be.
Ignore him if you would like... you probably know a lot more about him than I do. But I want to hear from him, and I bet there are others who would like to also. If he is encouraged by this attention, well... so be it.
I once read slashdot. AFter seeing their promotions, whatever it may have been, that little hyper text link to AO. I will no longer read the site.
This way of thinking always pisses me off. You have been reading slashdot for a whole week now? Ever heard the phrase "Know thy enemy"!? The whole idea here is to know as much as you can, with view points from all sides. Let him speak for himself... then formulate your judgement. Or, surround yourself in ignorance and go on getting pissed off.
The shareholder's power is in electing corporate officials and approving of mergers. It is assumed from that point, that the officials are running the company in a manner as to increase shareholder earnings.
The only times when shareholders might actually pressure a corporation to breakup is when the company (or certain areas) is doing poorly... not wonderfully, as Microsoft has done.
An example of this would be Philip Morris. Philip Morris is a widely diversified company owning such companies as Kraft, Post, Miller Brewing, Molson, Philadelphia, Jello, Koolaide, Tombstone, Foster's brewing, Oscar Meyer... and numerous others. But the company's stock has plummeted due to ciggarette litigation.
At some point, the shareholders may feel compelled to split the cigarrete company (which is actually their greatest cash flow... despite the government making more on a pack than they do) from the food and beverage companies (such as R.J. Reynolds recently did). But this rarely happens... again, it is assumed the elected officials will do the right thing. If they do not, they are removed, or voted out.
Microsoft's stock is down only about 4% right now.
Though anyone who competes with Microsoft is doing quite nicely today:
Redhat Be Inc. Oracle Sun Microsystems AOL
The thing is, this is not really bad news for Microsoft... kinda like Clinton being impeached, we have no idea what is really going to happen.
As for the fat, greedy shareholders of Microsft... they are going to be just fine. In fact, they would be wise to actually HOPE Microsoft is broken up. That would give them holdings in 4 or 5 extremely profitable companies, as opposed to only one.
For instance, holder's of AT&T have done incredibly well since the breakup in 1984. It is a great thing to let these companies flourish autonomously... the best companies in the world today are extremely de-centralized. General Electric for example.
Please keep in mind that we are dealing with a rare market... IPO's are rarely this strong. Infact, the last time thre was this much demand for IPO's was the last 20's (not to sound too ominous).
Even in today's market, for every great IPO, there are 20 other duds.
The fund is also not quite what you think it is. The majority of it is not actively invested in IPO's per say... but companies like Amazon, E-Trade and Radio One.
In the past 3 months (a very good IPO market), the fund is actually down 6%.
Well, for the average investor it is very, very difficult to get shares at the offering.
They go to institutional buyers and top clients of the underwriter's brokers.
A lot of the online brokers will have a lottery system where you might luck out and be able to get 100 shares... but generally you will only get offered crap. If you do not purchase the crap, a lot of times you lose the chance to get anything that is good. Though I am of the opinion that online brokers are a mistake.
After these shares are issued at the offering price... the holders then have the oportunity to sell those to the general public (the stock market essentially). Usually not too many shares are issued... and if there is a lot of demand for the company, the price has to rise in order to meet that demand. So you see what is called a "Gap Opening". The price instantly goes from $22 to $139... there is no in-between.
That is all the stock market is: Supply and Demand.
Keep in mind that there has to be a seller for every buyer in the market. If there are more buyers, the price has to rise to a level to incite more people to be willing to sell their shares in order to meet the demand of those who want to buy the company.
In the short term, the market is driven on these emotions... and very hard to predict (over 90% of day traders lose money).
The only way to make real money... and continually do it is to buy, hold and accumulate quality companies (at reasonable levels of course).
Do not waste your time with IPO's... they are a losing game. Even when you can get them. In fact, of the Initial Public Offerings that have "made it" (companies are still in existance), they have a combined average annual return of around 4% over the past two decades. That is meager at best.
So why do companies continue to go public at ten to twenty dollars, and then watch as that stock zooms to fifty, a hundred, or even more? They are losing lots of capitalization, by letting all of the investors "flip" the stock, right? That money should go to the company, right?
Because they have to price it "realistically". Cobalt is a $100 million company... that is within reason. $700 million.... well...
A lot of it does go to the company however; because the top executives hold the majority of those shares, and there is nothing stopping them from selling their own poersonaly shares andretaining that capital for company use.
But it has been pointed out that this is very different from a typical internet IPO Hey! We have a cool web site that loses tons of money, but we are going to make it all back on banner ads!!!
For instance, the server market is expected to grow to a $15.8 billion dollar industry by the year 2003 (it is $2.2 billion right now). That is about a 700% increase (about doubling every year).
Consider the company: 101 employees revenues of $7.7 million for most recent 6 months net loss of $8.2 million for same period. and some big time competitors that does not impress me too much.
But that is enough to make it into a $700 million dollar company:)
They raised $110 million for themselves... that will certainly give them some clout and freedom, but will it last after the capital is drained?
If you buy into Cobalt right now... you are betting that they will be able to increase their revenue by 1,000% in the next few years (and that is assuming a 100% profit margin... which uhhh... is not quite possible, so consider it is much more than 1,000 times). That is considerably larger than the market is expected to grow... so they need to be buying *A LOT* of companies and stealing a shit load of market share in the future. Things need to go VERY well for them.
In other words, a pretty risky investment right now.
Cobalt plans to use the offering's proceeds for various purposes, including working capital, funding operating losses, capital expenditures and potential acquisitions of complementary businesses, products and technologies.
Aside from that, i'm not looking at the aspects this has for cybernetics, what about androids? If you can replicate you can create, we could have some very lifelike robots coming up here in the next few years if these experiments are successful, not to mention a better understanding of ourselves, this is actually exciting.
I have been waiting for the next generation before I take the plunge and purchase my first Real Doll! That would about do it:)
What would be the point of a healthy man having a cyber implant for motor movement?
Seriously... we do not live in a Shadowgate land of street samurais and mercenaries. Implants would sure to be outlawed in all sports (and pretty easily detected), so there is no point for inreased performance there.
I guess the military might be interested, and it would be helpful to the pysically handicapped... but I never see myself wanting "cyber arms", even when I am old and weak.
People, you are looking way to deep into this movie....You are going way beneath the plot and dredging out your own crap!
Maybe so... but there certainly are a lot of consistancies, you have to admit that.
"THE ONE" had come again... remember the prophesies in the movie?
He came back from the dead.
He is saving the righteous.
Hell, I am not even Christian and I can see numerous allusions... I do not think they were merely a coincidence. Someone pointed out above that you can take the movie at face value, or choose to see more.
I think Hucklebury Finn was more than a great story:)
I really do not think this is a big deal to the industry at all.
So a handfull of geeks are going to be pirating DVD's and not paying for them. This is nothing new.
We can do that with CDs now. We have been able to do it with VHS for years and years, and we could do it with audio tapes since the beginning. Despite this, they still sell! Most people ar not going to take the time and energy to get it for free. The industry is going to be just fine.
My mother is a teacher, and she tells me that she is afraid to giver her kids hugs anymore (she teaches 3rd grade), for fear that it might come back to haunt her.
Our sue-happy society pisses me off to no end.
I will be enraged if the parents of this kid attempt to sue the school. And I am sure they are getting plenty of offers from lawyers this minute. Yes, it was stupid of the school and they over-reacted... but to sue them, and waste education funds because of it!?
Slashdot Mirror
Offtopic, but this highlights the main reason I believe Lucent will dominate over Cisco.
Lucent continually impresses me with their labs... breeding new technologies from within. Cisco, on the other hand, devotes very little to research. They do have an agreement with IBM for work on e-business applications but they are forced to buy the majority of their new technologies. While that is easy for them right now, with their $200 billion plus market cap, no debt and huge cash reserves, that can't last forever. Hell, the price thatthe paid for Cerent was simply outrageous! $7 billion for a company with revenues (and no profits) of approximately $20 million a year!?
Not to forget them buying Montery Systems, Transmedia, StratumOne, MaxComm, Calista, KPMG Consulting... hell, there are over 20 in the past 6 months.
In the long run, it just seems so much more cost efficient to invest that money into your own research and development, like Lucent does. But, I could be wrong.
... And you heard regular cell phone usage caused cancer in lab mice!? Try hookin' one of these babies up!
Yeah, let's lynch them for trying to make money doing something they love!
Would you rather that the site merely collapsed because they were out getting "real jobs" and no longer had the time to maintain it.
Then you would have something else to bitch about.
Give me a fucking break. Yes, they want increased banner ad revenues... Katz helps bring that in. Guess what!? It's on purpose! Guess what else!? Topics are delibarately set to spur geek mania (Hell, they even call it News for Nerds)!
You are either a horribly jealous hypocrite, or entertain extremely lofty ideals and better be living as a monk somewhere. Since you must have access to a computer, my guess is that you are a hypocrite.
... and I always have been.
I want to know what this guy thinks. I am not worried about him becoming the next pariah or something merely because slashdot links to him!
We have others comparing this to interviewing Satan, or giving credit to those who deny the Holocaust. Well, to be honest, I would be curious to hear from them as well. But I do not need you, or others to formulate my opinions, protect me, or worry about me endorsing someone you hate.
From everything I have read, heard and seen, I can not stand the guy either. If he were standing on a corner in my neighborhood yelling to a crowd, I would most likely walk right on by. But this is a chance to read someone's opinions vastly different than mine and the great majority of those on this forum... and the great thing, is that he will be responding to challenges made from people who openly can't stand him. That is a little different than listening to him rant and rave. I simply like to hear different views, no matter how twisted, insane, eveil and stupid they might be.
Ignore him if you would like... you probably know a lot more about him than I do. But I want to hear from him, and I bet there are others who would like to also. If he is encouraged by this attention, well... so be it.
The majority of the comments I read (especially from Anonymous Cowards) were extremely uninformed and most likey came from a 15 year old.
The articles make a slashdot sound more like a chat room, which it is not.
If I formed an opinion on those articles of Slashdot, I would come here expectnig to see such ingenious one-liners as:
"Linux Ruuulz!!!"
"Microsoft Blows!!!"
Oh well, what the hell do I care... I enjoy the news.
I once read slashdot. AFter seeing their promotions, whatever it may have been, that little hyper text link to AO. I will no longer read the site.
This way of thinking always pisses me off.
You have been reading slashdot for a whole week now?
Ever heard the phrase "Know thy enemy"!? The whole idea here is to know as much as you can, with view points from all sides. Let him speak for himself... then formulate your judgement.
Or, surround yourself in ignorance and go on getting pissed off.
How do you define your current role?
-and-
How do you see your role in the future?
The best thing they could do as regulation would be to simply break up the company.
Instead of creating all these ambiguous restrictions that Sun proposes. Lawyers always find ways around such things.
Breaking up the company is the best solution for all involved. The increased competition has worked wonders every time a monopoly has been broken up.
This is true only to a point.
The shareholder's power is in electing corporate officials and approving of mergers. It is assumed from that point, that the officials are running the company in a manner as to increase shareholder earnings.
The only times when shareholders might actually pressure a corporation to breakup is when the company (or certain areas) is doing poorly... not wonderfully, as Microsoft has done.
An example of this would be Philip Morris. Philip Morris is a widely diversified company owning such companies as Kraft, Post, Miller Brewing, Molson, Philadelphia, Jello, Koolaide, Tombstone, Foster's brewing, Oscar Meyer... and numerous others. But the company's stock has plummeted due to ciggarette litigation.
At some point, the shareholders may feel compelled to split the cigarrete company (which is actually their greatest cash flow... despite the government making more on a pack than they do) from the food and beverage companies (such as R.J. Reynolds recently did). But this rarely happens... again, it is assumed the elected officials will do the right thing. If they do not, they are removed, or voted out.
Microsoft's stock is down only about 4% right now.
Though anyone who competes with Microsoft is doing quite nicely today:
Redhat
Be Inc.
Oracle
Sun Microsystems
AOL
The thing is, this is not really bad news for Microsoft... kinda like Clinton being impeached, we have no idea what is really going to happen.
As for the fat, greedy shareholders of Microsft... they are going to be just fine. In fact, they would be wise to actually HOPE Microsoft is broken up. That would give them holdings in 4 or 5 extremely profitable companies, as opposed to only one.
For instance, holder's of AT&T have done incredibly well since the breakup in 1984.
It is a great thing to let these companies flourish autonomously... the best companies in the world today are extremely de-centralized. General Electric for example.
Thousands of people ooing and aahing over a huge pile of shit on an elevated tower.
Every time I try and picture this I crack up.
Hah!
How 'bout a bar slut?
:)
Free to use and open to all
Please keep in mind that we are dealing with a rare market... IPO's are rarely this strong. Infact, the last time thre was this much demand for IPO's was the last 20's (not to sound too ominous).
Even in today's market, for every great IPO, there are 20 other duds.
The fund is also not quite what you think it is.
The majority of it is not actively invested in IPO's per say... but companies like Amazon, E-Trade and Radio One.
In the past 3 months (a very good IPO market), the fund is actually down 6%.
Well, for the average investor it is very, very difficult to get shares at the offering.
They go to institutional buyers and top clients of the underwriter's brokers.
A lot of the online brokers will have a lottery system where you might luck out and be able to get 100 shares... but generally you will only get offered crap. If you do not purchase the crap, a lot of times you lose the chance to get anything that is good. Though I am of the opinion that online brokers are a mistake.
After these shares are issued at the offering price... the holders then have the oportunity to sell those to the general public (the stock market essentially). Usually not too many shares are issued... and if there is a lot of demand for the company, the price has to rise in order to meet that demand. So you see what is called a "Gap Opening". The price instantly goes from $22 to $139... there is no in-between.
That is all the stock market is: Supply and Demand.
Keep in mind that there has to be a seller for every buyer in the market. If there are more buyers, the price has to rise to a level to incite more people to be willing to sell their shares in order to meet the demand of those who want to buy the company.
In the short term, the market is driven on these emotions... and very hard to predict (over 90% of day traders lose money).
The only way to make real money... and continually do it is to buy, hold and accumulate quality companies (at reasonable levels of course).
Do not waste your time with IPO's... they are a losing game. Even when you can get them. In fact, of the Initial Public Offerings that have "made it" (companies are still in existance), they have a combined average annual return of around 4% over the past two decades. That is meager at best.
So why do companies continue to go public at ten to twenty dollars, and then watch as that stock zooms to fifty, a hundred, or even more? They are losing lots of capitalization, by letting all of the investors "flip" the stock, right? That money should go to the company, right?
Because they have to price it "realistically".
Cobalt is a $100 million company... that is within reason. $700 million.... well...
A lot of it does go to the company however; because the top executives hold the majority of those shares, and there is nothing stopping them from selling their own poersonaly shares andretaining that capital for company use.
It is (and has been) unbelievable.
:)
But it has been pointed out that this is very different from a typical internet IPO Hey! We have a cool web site that loses tons of money, but we are going to make it all back on banner ads!!!
For instance, the server market is expected to grow to a $15.8 billion dollar industry by the year 2003 (it is $2.2 billion right now). That is about a 700% increase (about doubling every year).
Consider the company:
101 employees
revenues of $7.7 million for most recent 6 months
net loss of $8.2 million for same period.
and some big time competitors
that does not impress me too much.
But that is enough to make it into a $700 million dollar company
They raised $110 million for themselves... that will certainly give them some clout and freedom, but will it last after the capital is drained?
If you buy into Cobalt right now... you are betting that they will be able to increase their revenue by 1,000% in the next few years (and that is assuming a 100% profit margin... which uhhh... is not quite possible, so consider it is much more than 1,000 times). That is considerably larger than the market is expected to grow... so they need to be buying *A LOT* of companies and stealing a shit load of market share in the future. Things need to go VERY well for them.
In other words, a pretty risky investment right now.
Cobalt plans to use the offering's proceeds for various purposes, including working capital, funding operating losses, capital expenditures and potential acquisitions of complementary businesses, products and technologies.
I wonder what/who they might be interested in?
Aside from that, i'm not looking at the aspects this has for cybernetics, what about androids? If you can replicate you can create, we could have some very lifelike robots coming up here in the next few years if these experiments are successful, not to mention a better understanding of ourselves, this is actually exciting.
:)
I have been waiting for the next generation before I take the plunge and purchase my first Real Doll!
That would about do it
What would be the point of a healthy man having a cyber implant for motor movement?
Seriously... we do not live in a Shadowgate land of street samurais and mercenaries.
Implants would sure to be outlawed in all sports (and pretty easily detected), so there is no point for inreased performance there.
I guess the military might be interested, and it would be helpful to the pysically handicapped... but I never see myself wanting "cyber arms", even when I am old and weak.
People, you are looking way to deep into this movie....You are going way beneath the plot and dredging out your own crap!
:)
Maybe so... but there certainly are a lot of consistancies, you have to admit that.
"THE ONE" had come again... remember the prophesies in the movie?
He came back from the dead.
He is saving the righteous.
Hell, I am not even Christian and I can see numerous allusions... I do not think they were merely a coincidence. Someone pointed out above that you can take the movie at face value, or choose to see more.
I think Hucklebury Finn was more than a great story
I really do not think this is a big deal to the industry at all.
So a handfull of geeks are going to be pirating DVD's and not paying for them. This is nothing new.
We can do that with CDs now. We have been able to do it with VHS for years and years, and we could do it with audio tapes since the beginning. Despite this, they still sell! Most people ar not going to take the time and energy to get it for free. The industry is going to be just fine.
I am not suprised at all.
My mother is a teacher, and she tells me that she is afraid to giver her kids hugs anymore (she teaches 3rd grade), for fear that it might come back to haunt her.
Our sue-happy society pisses me off to no end.
I will be enraged if the parents of this kid attempt to sue the school. And I am sure they are getting plenty of offers from lawyers this minute. Yes, it was stupid of the school and they over-reacted... but to sue them, and waste education funds because of it!?
I have no respect for those people.
Did not notice the link the first time I read it.
... and it is pretty poor.
I wish the red marks were included:
threw vs through
Where is this essay?
Serves them right... :)
Now I just hope wearing a beeper is linked to testicular cancer
Who ever thought it would be unhealthy holding batteries to your head for hours at a time!?
I would estimate 95% are not as important as they think they are (Doctors being a notable exception).