Francis

Kindle 2: Still Expensive

Not to be a Kindle fan boy but

- it handles several formats, PDF included
- as for a black and white screen vs. an iPod touch; I can't read the web on a touch ( I have one, great mp3 / video player, but sucks for browsing.

If I had a high quality screen that is easy on the eyes, I'd happily give back 2+ hours of screen time on my laptop in trade for this device.

I have a LOT of PDFs and ebooks I get off the net; I can finally put them on a device I can read easily (I hope, I haven't seen the screen on a live kindle). That alone is worth the price to me.

And I can load up all my own documents for free.

it's not an ipod, which is a different usage model...

Is the Fed Confused? Or Interested in Confusing?

All the cheer leading for aggressive rate cuts by the Fed ignore the consequence of these cuts, the destruction of the USD.

Why is concern about inflation silly? Why not just reduce the rate to 0.0% and be done with it?

There are no good options at this stage in the game, but personally I'm more concerned about the destruction of the USD. I would have preferred to see the Feds act to prop up the $...

Warning Signs of a Modern Depression: See 1990 Japan

"MDR, AAPL, HOC all American companies with perfect balance sheets, growth, exquisite management -- the Ibanks, mortgage lenders are one part of the economy; there's alot that is right with the rest."

True enough, but how will APPL (and others) who sell consumer trinkets will do when

1) inflation / commodity prices take a huge bite out of discretionary spending
2) people can no longer pull money out of their homes like they have been since 2001 to fund their consumption.
3) with a slowing economy, hunkering down becomes standard, resulting in further trimming. Does anyone think we won't have serious layoffs in many sectors over the next few months?

As good as these companies are, I'm not sure what the right time to buy them is. But I'll bet APPL will be lower in a few quarters after a few revenue misses. Last thing people will be buying is a sexy iphone or a 3rd ipod...

Talk to anyone who lived through the Great D. The orgy of consumption we've grown up on could well evaporate. I think people are taking a hard look at their lifestyle, and looking at how they can trim back...

Warning Signs of a Modern Depression: See 1990 Japan

VennData says

"I'm not sure Europe and Japan will be forced to " support us."

I don't think they'll support us because they like us, but rather because if we fall, they will be severely impacted; I don't follow this sector, but the Japanese automakers will be crippled if we stop buying their cars (as would the German car companies).

Maybe someone else can chime in why it's in the rest of the worlds interest to help the US get through this (or not?)

Thanks. Great article and insightful comments.

Will There Be a (Successful) iPhone-Only Social Network?

I'm sorry, but social networks thrive on openesss. The notion a social network based on "ownership" of an iPhone makes no sense.

What's the common focal point for this exclusive network? Once you've talked about how cool you and you iPhone are, what else do you talk about?

Sorry, this is way off base; ain't going to happen.

Cool Hand Bernanke Protects a Bankrupt Fed

Since this article came out, I've been looking for news on Alan Greenspan, and, as luck would have it, he's been all over the papers and pundit sites...

I almost start to wonder if it was incompetence or something more sinister. But however you slice it, we're in a huge mess right now, and there is no easy let down.

One wonders what drove Greenspan as he helped create the mother of all housing bubbles, and what he was thinking... With apologies to the original

"Sometimes nothing can be a real cool hand"

Alan Greenspan. (from Cool Hand Luke)

He's certainly smiling today, and seems to be immune to any repercussions from this massive fallout...

Cool Hand Bernanke Protects a Bankrupt Fed

Knust,

uncomfortable analysis, but I agree in principle with most of what you say; we have gotten soft, and we don't work hard, and the rest of the world is passing us by the abilities of their people. I work in high-tech, and see fewer and fewer American kids in science, math, etc.

Democracy is still the least bad form of government, but when people get soft and lazy, (as we have), they try to suck off the teat of their fellow citizen and implement more and more socialist programs that slowly erode their vibrancy. You're right about Goldwater, and the electorate in general.

Sad times. Makes me want to get my fiddle while the fires burn...

Cool Hand Bernanke Protects a Bankrupt Fed

Hi Kunst,

The solution you paint seems more painful than the condition of stagflation we're facing.

A dollar worth 1/10 of it's value today means all American assets bought up by China/Oil money. And 10x price increases with a 5x wage increase is really a 50% reduction in standard of living...

How can you say we're not going to lower our standard of living and say that peoples purchasing power will be halved?.

I almost think a depression would be better. It might be 10 years of pain, but at the end, America would still be America, and not the property of the rest of the world...

Cool Hand Bernanke Protects a Bankrupt Fed

Can someone tell me why the Feds are so reluctant to accept the notion of a normal business cycle, and keep trying to prevent a recession? The longer delayed, the deeper the hit will be.

I look around, and everyone is overspent, overworked, over leveraged, and just plain tapped out. I throw away a mailbox full of 'free money' offers every day. I see cars for sale at 0% interest, with no payments for 12 months... Retailers are having sale after sale...

But everyone is broke. And my heating bills and fuel bills are just going through the roof, the price of food jumps every week, and we're supposed to believe inflation is low...

It's nuts. Why are we being lied to? Politics?