mr.verymuch

The Intrinsic Value of Nothing, Part 1

great point, John. And i would add that only based on your description of value-in-use can object have value in exchange. The author dismisses his "bad theory" rather cavalierly. his "philosophical" premise is superficial


On Oct 27 10:58 AM John Lounsbury wrote:

> Paco - - -
>
> Good article, but I have a philosophical bone to pick.
>
> You wrote:
>
> "Nothing in this universe has intrinsic value; every single thing
> you possess, want to possess, use, can use, have used, can offer,
> have offered, or will offer is valuable only if someone else finds
> it valuable."
>
> You have defined value in terms of exchange. I would argue that is
> too narrow a definition. There are things with intrinsic value independent
> of any medium of exchange. Exchange is merely one way, but not the
> only way, to define value.
>
> I maintain that anything necessary for my existence has intrinsic
> value. Air to breathe, water to drink and food to eat have intrinsic
> value. The value has a binary measurement: either I have these things
> and exist or one is missing and I don't exist.
>
> Most economists make their definitions based on commerce. The basics
> of existence don't come into the equation, except for a few fringe
> operatives who play with things like "happiness indexes".
>
> Ultimately, all of the "commercial" definitions of value are secondary
> to the "existence" definition of value. We lose sight of that and
> many externalities result, which repetitively blow apart the best
> of economic theories. Throughout history societies and civilizations
> have failed because of resource exhaustion. They thrived on commerce
> and decayed on the basis of not sufficiently supporting existence.
>
>
> There absolutely are things with a real intrinsic value.
>
> I know this is outside the scope you intended to address, but I just
> had to have my rant.

E*Trade Shows Bullish Signals

ETFC has been trying to make a meaningful move up for a long, long time. Can't say i have a ton of faith at this point

Microsoft: Whistling in the Dark

On a different note, the mere mention of MSFT and Apple in blog post generates more - more interesting, more acerbic, more provocative - commentary than just about any other subject I know. sort of wish the healthcare debate had more of this kind of exchange

The Mac vs. PC Debate Was Never Clearer

completely silly. i use a high-end wireless logitech laser mouse with my imac every day. your caricature of a current mac as a glitzy toy is foolish


On Jul 25 01:44 AM Albert Ling wrote:

> Apple charges for:
> 1) brand
> 2) image
> 3) design
> 4) simplicity of use
> 5) aesthetics
> 6) trendyness
>
> Apple was never about hardcore gaming, compatibility, opensourceness,
> raw power, tweakability, price/performance, etc.
>
> So I'd recomend Apple for my rich grandmother who never used a computer
> before, or for my trendy clothing store to use at the cashier.. and
> a non-apple computers for everyone else
>
> My mouse has 11 buttons and I use all of them. My mother's iMac has
> a one-button mouse. If I wanna play any of my games at her PC i'd
> have to download a patch or stuff like that.
>
> Easy choice

The Mac vs. PC Debate Was Never Clearer

After many years using PCs I switched back to Macintosh, and have never looked back. The Mac OS doesn't crash, is more inviting and pleasing to use, the machine doesn't require bloated anti-virus software, and there's virtually nothing I want to do from either business or personal standpoints that I can't do just as well (better) on the Mac. Yes, I paid a price premium. I'm more than happy with the value for my dollar.

A Sad Day for Newspapers

the "media bias" charge has been marketed to death by the political Right. Puhleeeze. No one is pure. This is a stick conservatives beat liberals with, nothing more

A Sad Day for Newspapers

adaptation to a shifting paradigm is the problem. As far as I can see the NY Times has done it. I go to their website daily, and am delighted by the content. I hope they can make online biz model work, cuz I want them to stay around. It is definitely a game now of big brands. NYT can get the readers online; Rocky Mtn Times, no.

MacWorld to Follow Floppy Disk Into Extinction

we hope

Auto Industry Rescue Delays the Inevitable

GM, et al, the black sheep of american capitalism. simply unable to produce decent products, and just as incapable of real change. waste of time, waste of money

Chip Stocks Deteriorating Fast - FBR

Nvidia??

The Great Consumer Crash of 2009

please forward to Barack Obama, post haste

Things Aren't as Bad as They Seem - Barron's

who has any fr**kin money left to spend?? everyone's taken a major hosing

Will We Know When We've Made a Low?

"We really only know when we've made a low when we're able to assess subsequent buying interest after price and momentum lows have been made. That often means missing exact price lows, but it also avoids the discomfort of catching those proverbial falling knives..."

doesn't that simply mean "someone will find the low. Just not you."?

History Says That We'll Be Fine

you promise? how comforting

Relief Rally in Pictures

can someone pls advise on when i should buy back SDS, DXD, FXP or SMN?

lol