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Considering how much money Cheney has been making from Haliburton the past 6 years, the guy who was shot, should not settle for less than a small fortune.
>>> but I'm looking at ways to get some upside exposure for the next 3-9 months in... <<<
You are a sick puppy. Seek counseling as quickly as possible...
from Paul Kedrosky
Gmail for Domains: Uh-Oh Outlook
It had been predicted by an intrepid Javascript code spelunker, but it's now official:
Bring Gmail to your domain. This special beta
test lets you give Gmail, Google's webmail
service, to every user at your domain. Gmail
for your domain is hosted by Google, so there's
no hardware or software for you to install or
maintain.
1. Many private companies are increasingly keeping
perpetual email archives, and public companies
are SarbOx-ed into the same position. If you're
going to be subpeona-ed you're going to be
subpoena-ed, whether email is stored locally or
at Google. Granted, Google is a single point of
legal failure, but see 2) and 3) following.
2. I know of two prominent organizations looking
to take this hosted data privacy subpoena issue
through the U.S. courts. One way or the other,
I expect the hosted jurisdictional/recourse
/consent discussion to become clearer sooner
rather than later.
3. Finally, the economics of hosted mail
management are so compelling compared to
Outlook that all but the most Fed-averse
companies will at least consider the idea,
privacy/legal issues be damned.
Well this is truly a WTF?! story...
The US Vice-President, Dick Cheney, has accidentally shot and injured a man during a quail hunting trip in Texas.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4707354.stm
I know this is going to sound crazy, but I'm looking at ways to get some upside exposure for the next 3-9 months in...
...gulp...
...GM.
Definition of an undecided market...
http://stockcharts.com/def/servlet/SC.web?c=$INDU,uu[m,a]waclyyay[d20051101,20061101][pa10960!a10665...
You can practically smell the frustration.
Thanks for posting that, Chris. Songbird is the second app I've started using that's based on the Mozilla framework thing. Maybe its time I took a closer look at it.
A green NDX close ends the short-term long signal. Looks like no entry on Monday....
Songbird makes Mozilla sing. Will it make the RIAA sing the blues?
I have a confession to make: the first MP3 that I ever downloaded from the Internet was "When Smokey Sings" by ABC. With that embarrassing bit of personal history out of the way, I can now reveal the more unremarkable fact that the first MP3 player that I ever used was Winamp. (Does anyone remember the default Winamp sample? Was the llama thing a Quake reference?) I suspect that there are quite a few others out there in the Ars audience who, like me, were introduced to MP3s and online music with a combination of Winamp and Napster.
Now, almost a decade into the MP3 revolution, the brains behind the original Winamp are making waves again with the release of version 0.1 of a brand new, open source media player called Songbird that can interface with a wide variety of music stores. The big question is, just how significant will those waves be, given the past few years' exponential growth in the size of the online music pool? But before we talk about that, here's the basic scoop on Songbird.
Dinosaur-to-bird evolution
At first glance, Songbird looks like a straight-ahead rip-off of Apple's iTunes music player. If you replaced Songbird's glossy black with brushed metal, you'd be hard pressed to tell the two applications apart at a distance. However, the similarities end at the UI. The two applications are quite different under the hood, and they each embody a very distinct vision of how the online music market should operate.
Songbird is built from the ground up on the Mozilla project. The media player's UI is programmed in the same XML User Interface Language (XUL) that Firefox uses for its UI. Originally invented specifically for the Mozilla project, XUL enables programmers to build an application UI using a markup language, stylesheets, and other Webified techniques. Songbird is also a showcase for XULRunner, a small runtime environment that enables XUL-based programs to run on a machine that doesn't have Firefox already installed.
Much like Firefox, Songbird has (or will soon have) support for user-created extensions. The player's creators haven't yet said what kinds of extensions are in the works, and truth be told I'm not sure they really know at this point. I hope that by the time the Mac version is released (the current beta is Windows-only), there will be an iPod syncing extension available. I also look forward to a satellite radio extensionI haven't seen anyone mention this yet, but as an XM Radio junkie I think it would rock.
Songbird's Mozilla roots are a core part of its appeal, because the program's primary selling point is the fact that, unlike iTunes, Songbird can interface with almost any online music service. A screenshot on the Songbird site shows bookmarks in the "Music Stores" folder for Amazon, CDbaby, Audible, eMusic, Connect, and others. Songbird can use web pages as playlists, and can be configured to automatically grab music in a variety of formats (AAC, FLAC, OGG, WMA, MP3, etc.) from a web page or site and play them. This high level of Web integration is ultimately intended to make it very easy for Indie artists and labels to create their own online music stores for Songbird-using customers. The idea is that anyone should theoretically be able to create an iTMS competitor that the Songbird user base can patronize. Who knows, perhaps there will eventually be Songbird support for a certain Russian music site.
This last point brings me to a newly published interview with one of Songbird's co-creators, Rob Lord.
BB: Should the RIAA be worried about you?
RL: As we say in our FAQ, "We don't steal music
and you shouldn't either. We support
DigitalConsumer.org's Bill of Rights as the
best means to a burgeoning, diverse and lawful
digital media market."
Why wouldn't you buy your bluegrass in one
place and your trance music in another? Why
shouldn't there be music communities like
lastfm and others that focus on specific
niches? Even if you could buy all your music in
one place, like Wal-Mart, would you want to?
At this point, I would *love* to see a cascading flush into the close. I doubt it will happen...but its nice to dream.
Getting a ST go-long now on NDX. The plan is to take it Monday morning with Feb options. No point eating a lot of premie right before expiry.
30-years were auctioned off today. Seems like only yesterday declining deficits had extincted the long bond...
Just to complete the pattern: this is the exit point on the 4R ST long.
OT: clueless, but par for the course
"The statement marks the first time that leading evangelicals have taken up the green issue."
More like, "the statement marks the first time this clueless reporter has learned of them taking up the green issue".
Large coalitions of evangelical leaders and Christian churches were a key constituency behind the creation and adoption of the 1973 Endangered Species Act and have been a consistent ally of environmental advocates literally for decades. I worked with them on the Hill as did every colleague who did heavy lifting for professional environmental organizations in the legislative arena. They were a major force in helping us block drilling in the Arctic Refuge when Reagan, Watt and Lujan tried to run their environmental rape and pillage campaign to Alaska. They stood and protested with us at the gates of the White House. They were there during the scary days following the Gingrich revolution when initial attempts were made to gut the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air. Etc. etc.
It doesn't get covered much in the press because it's either the right-wing pandering FOX trying to twist things to make the minority fundamentalist nut-jobs seem like they speak for more than they do, or the flip side of the equation with CNN pandering to the minority fundamentalist liberals who hate anything associated with Christianity with the exact same venom the Jerry Falwells and Pat Robertsons hate them ... but there is a very large, very interesting mainstream out there.
Wouldn't it be nice if the media actually covered things like this joint statement issued by the leaders of 5 major Protestant denominations and sent to the White House in protest of the President's FY 2006 proposed Budget? To me this was a much bigger deal than some impertinent, intolerant, idiotic, but otherwise irrelevant remark from Falwell or Robertson ...
"Tuesday, March 08, 2005
The Episcopal Church, USA
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Presbyterian Church USA
United Church Of Christ
United Methodist Church
Joint Statement
We are preachers, and so, in explaining our opposition to the 2006 Federal Budget that President Bush has sent to Congress, it seems only fitting that we should begin with Scripture.
There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames."
The passage comes from 16th chapter of the Gospel according to Luke, and it contains a warning that should deeply trouble those of us who live in a wealthy nation. As the story continues, the rich man implores Abraham to raise Lazarus from the dead and send him to the house of his brothers so that they may be spared his torment.
"They have Moses and the prophets," Abraham replies. "They should listen to them." The rich man says, "No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent." And Abraham answers, "If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead."
In telling this story, Jesus makes clear that perpetrating economic injustice is among the gravest of sins. Yet self-interest is so deeply ingrained in each one of us, he says, that we will not renounce it, even should someone rise from the dead. Jesus was right about that. It was he who rose from the dead to save us from greed and myriad other sins. Yet those who have much continue feasting, even as those who have little remain at their gates.
Like many Americans, we read our daily newspaper through the lens of faith, and when we see injustice, it is our duty to say so. The 2006 Federal Budget that President Bush has sent to Capitol Hill is unjust. It has much for the rich man and little for Lazarus.
According to the White House's own numbers, this budget would move 300,000 people off food stamps in the next five years. It would cut the funds that allow 300,000 children to receive day care. It would reduce funding for Medicaid by $45 billion over the next ten years, and this at a time when 45 million Americans-the highest level on record-are already without health insurance.
These cuts would be alarming in any circumstances, but in the context of the 2006 budget, they are especially troubling. For even as it reduces aid to those in poverty, this budget showers presents on the rich.
-- If passed in its current form, it would make permanent tax cuts that have bestowed nearly three-quarters of the "relief" on one-fifth of the county.
-- If passed in its current form, it would include whopping new cuts that would benefit, almost exclusively, those with household incomes of more than $200,000 per year.
-- If passed in its current form, it would take Jesus' teaching on economic justice and stands it on its head.
Some contend that these cuts will stimulate the economy and improve life for all Americans, but we believe that stocking the rich man's larder is a peculiar strategy for getting Lazarus more food. Not only does this policy rest on dubious economic assumptions, but it asks the poor to pay the cost for a prosperity in which they may never share.
Some contend that works of mercy are not the business of the government but of private citizens. But in what other area of our national life do we formulate policies uninformed by our deepest values?
Some contend that with the proper support faith-based charities will step forward to fill the gap created by the government's retreat. But this flies in the face of the lessons that we, as religious leaders, have learned first hand. Our churches operate thousands of charities from the parochial to the international.
Believe us when we tell you that neither we, nor our Evangelical brothers and sisters, nor our friends of other faiths have anywhere near the resources to turn back the rising tide of poverty in this country.
We know that programs, whether governmental or non-profit, can change people's lives for the better. New situations challenge us to respond to new conditions and to support those who are in transition out of poverty. Sadly, the 2006 budget will send more people searching for food in cupboards that, quite frequently, are bare.
Our churches will continue their ameliorative ministries. But it is not enough for us as a Church or a society to be merciful. We must remember the admonition of the prophet Micah. "And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?" Micah's choice of verbs is instructive. We are not to love justice or preach justice, we are to do justice-to act, and, when necessary, to struggle.
We urge the members of our churches, of other churches and other faiths, and all whose conscience compels them to do justice to join us in opposing this budget. Write to your representatives. Write to your local newspaper. Join the organizations working to obtain justice for the 36 million Americans living below the poverty line, the 45 million without health insurance and the unknown millions struggling to keep their families from slipping into these ever increasing ranks.
Together, let us pledge ourselves to creating a nation in which economic policies are infused with the spirit of the man who began his public ministry almost 2,000 years ago by proclaiming that God had anointed him "to bring good news to the poor."
Signed by:
The Most Reverend Frank T. Griswold
Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church, USA
The Right Reverend Mark Hanson
Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Reverend Dr. Clifton Kirkpatrick
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, Presbyterian Church, USA
The Reverend John H. Thomas
General Minister and President, United Church of Christ
Mr. James Winkler
General Secretary, General Board of Church and Society, United Methodist Church
This is interesting...
A group of more than 80 powerful evangelical leaders have defied the Bush White House and called for federal legislation to curb global warming.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4695320.stm
The leaders pledge to pray and work together to stop global warming and call on congress to enact legislation similar to parts of the Kyoto accords which President Bush rejected. They advocate a market-based approach to curb carbon dioxide emissions through a cap-and-trade bill.
Could this be a return to traditional Republican party values?
OSTK is a little frustrating, but if I were long, I'd be very concerned the "squeeze" moved the stock up such a small amount. The Mar 20P position remains on the table.
A little distracted here...yesterday was a clear 4R ST long signal on NDX, which would have played out nicely already, if it had been taken.
Ugh.
Not much to add here, really. Market appears to be consolidating nicely in a range near the highs. Volty remains low. Everything is in place for a strong upside breakout, but the signal has not yet been given.
Patience...
Wiggle wiggle wiggle...somewhere out there is...
...a...
...trend...
from the ever-quotable Patrick Byrne ...
From this a.m.'s CC:
"While we have staunched the bleeding, I anticipate it will take six to nine months to rehabilitate the patient and get him running again. In 2005, however, we handled Q4 only with the maddest of scrambles, lost money, and came off the plane due to my own mistakes. We need two to three quarters to recover."
More psycho-babble sure to appear in the next Jeff Matthews blog entry.
Overstock + Super Bowl + Jeff Matthews = ...
http://jeffmatthewsisnotmakingthisup.blogspot.com/2006/02/binomial-marketing-experiment-and.html
Just in case orders on OSTK (underlying, not options) for buys at 15.89 and 12.89. Wishful thinking, I'm sure, but when a company run by a certifiable lunatic posts bad earnings, you just never know...
OSTK reports tomorrow. Setting exit target on the long-standing Mar 20P at $2.10 and $2.75. If there is a nasty reaction to earnings, it'll probably happen in AH, in which case these will get pulled and I'll simply lock deltas until regular trading resumes.
Here's hoping!
Since Iran sits between Iraq and Afghanistan, I suppose, technically, an invasion could be viewed as not so much starting a Third Front as consolidating everything into One Big Front...
What a miserable winter it's been. Cannot wait for this to be over. :(
OT: You must be getting soaked weather animation west coast & Canada or is that snow?
I have cabin fever, wind rain for over a month now with very short 1/2 a day to a day of sun... It's getting very old.
Big wind predictions here on the coast of southern Or.
This, I suppose, was inevitable...
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Volkswagen AG's American unit on Friday said it is working on a prototype vehicle which features Google Inc.'s satellite mapping software to give drivers a bird's eye view of the road ahead.
Added TLT Mar 88P. Hunting for more TLT/IEF downside exposure...EOM.
Also added QQQQ Apr 45C and hunting Mar 44C. EOM.
Now have a trend-short signal on NDX, and very nearly the same on SPX. Added QQQQ Feb 40P/41P.
We'll see how well Bernanke cleans up the mess Greenspan help create.
Market handled GOOG "disappointment" quite well - looking good!
It's officially the end of an era - Bernanke sworn in has Fed chairman this morning. It's kinda funny to think about - while I have vague recollections of Volker, for all intents and purposes Greenspan is the only Fed Head I've known.
Well, since they are planning on attacking Iran, now is good time to get over that oil addiction thing.
Hmmmm...
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush will describe the United States as "addicted to oil" in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday night and will urge the use of technology to reduce the dependence. "The best way to break this addiction is through technology," Bush said, according to excerpts of his speech.
Nasty negative sentiments out there this PM. Tomorrow should be an interesting day!
Two words, "chart reading"
>>> He used the word "apophenia". <<<
OK, I profess ignorance, but I like to think of myself as at least 'trainable'.
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=39714
Definition of Apophenia
Apophenia: In psychology, the perception of connections and meaningfulness in unrelated things. Apophenia can be a normal phenomenon or an abnormal one, as in paranoid schizophrenia when the patient sees ominous patterns where there are none.
Wow, that *is* a good word, I can't wait to use it in conversation
I'm not sure which part I like better, 'the perception of connections and meaningfulness in unrelated things' or 'Apophenia can be a normal phenomenon or an abnormal one'.
There are so many directions to take that, I think I'll just leave it to the individual...
-KCMW
>>> He used the word "apophenia". <<<
Yes he did.
I just learned that word reading his post on it.
I admire people who can maintain a regular blog. Apparently I'm just not that disciplined. :)
Wow.
He used the word "apophenia".
Pretty good trading blog...
http://www.stenslandsystems.com/
A little eye candy.
San Francisco.
http://www.lizhickok.com/assets/portfolio/pages/01city.html
Hong Kong.
http://www.pbase.com/micros/image/31905014
This could be it - the launchpad for QQQQ 46, and then 50.
AAPL out of sync with markets. If this continues, it will lose a lot of buying support from the fund crowd. A typical approach for funds whose performance is judged by relative benchmarks (ie, compared to SPX) is to put XX% of the fund money into an index, and the remainder into momos du jour. The approach to picking the momos varies - some do nothing more than use old-fashioned Beta, others construct elaborate correlation matrices - but in all cases what they're looking for is something that is assymeterically synced to the broader market.
from Paul Kedrosky
All You Need to Know About Pixar-Disney
Here are the only two factoids that caught my attention in all the nattering about Disney buying Pixar:
$10m: The price Steve Jobs paid George Lucas
for Pixar in 1986
$3.52b: The price Disney is paying Steve Jobs
for his 50.6% of Pixar in 2006
Time to pop some corn and watch the vote returns come in...
Interesting. Basically, it's an alternate way of describing the January Effect.
December Low Indicator: This technical signal has a good track record (which can be seen here) of warning weakness. Anytime when the December closing lows have been breached in the first quarter (on a closing basis), it has been an excellent warning sign that markets are in for a correction later that year.
Why bring this up today? The lowest actual closing price for the DJIA in December was 10,717.50 (12/30). Fridays expiration mess closed 50 points below that, at 10,667.39.
The Stock Traders Almanac notes every prior December Low Indicator since 1952 (except one 1996) has seen markets down at some point later that year. The average drop is about 10.7%; it has been as small as 0.3% (1993), and as large as 25% (1962, 2002).
This is another potentially confirming technical indicator that the equity markets remain a volatile and dangerous place in 2006.
http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/
What a fine morning! I think I'll...
...go vote.
:)
Will be looking for some long exposure in ATYT next week. EOM.
From Ars Technica:
I was passed a rumor that says that the POWER6 core is based on the Cell PPE, and that POWER7 is internally called "Cell 2." Take that for what it's worth. At any rate, I mention this because it may well be the case that the POWER5/970 lineage really is dead, and that IBM will unify everything around Cell.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060118-6002.html
Covered the remaining short leg of the AAPL spread @ 0.15. Gotta catch a plane!
I'll be heading out of town for a couple of days - hello, Boston! - in the interim I'll leave limit orders on the Jan QQQQ calls and a cover order on the AAPL bear vertical. Well...may just let the AAPL position expire, undecided on that for the moment.
Also limit sell on Jan DIA calls.
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