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AMERICAN IDIOTS

Quinn writes some good stuff but throwing tantrums isn't becoming.

Daily AVAFX Traders' Global Markets Review / Preview August 12, 2009

Love your work, good stuff.

Cha-Ching: Microsoft Pays Users to Search with Bing

This will definitely pump up MSFT's market share. I'm on their site in another window right now, thanks to this article.

I just picked up several rechargeable AA batteries for a little over 50 cents a battery after the Bing discount. Amazing. And I was impressed with the Bing interface and will now use it again (though I haven't given up Google completely yet and don't expect to). I never would have used it had I not seen this article and I bet a lot of others will have similar experiences. BUT Google might come up with something even better in which case I'll drop Bing without a second thought. But for now... I'm thinking its time to buy MSFT.

Zero Hedge vs. CNBC - Durden Wins Round 1

Go Durden!

Microsoft's Big News for Gamers: Natal to Be Backwards Compatible

Do they mean that the games can be ported over the way the Wii does? Or that the existing games will simply work. That's pretty impressive! They'd make more money porting over but this way would definitely appeal to gamers more.

Game Over for Nintendo

There are quite a few SA employees on the leaderboards. And why not? Readers want to read who's good and the leaderboards are a good indication of that.


On Jun 10 08:45 PM Tony Roberts wrote:

> why is a seeking alpha employee running up the fastest climbers .
> these list should be outside contributors and not insiders.

Newspapers vs. Bloggers: The New News Process

A good read albeit a bit long.

Congrats to SA author Lee Munson who just appeared on CNBC!

Well done, Mr. Munson has a good on-camera personality and appears to be very informative.

Congrats to SA author Shaun Rein who recently appeared on CNBC

Interesting stuff, thanks. Mr. Rein appears to be very informed on the topic.

Game Over for Nintendo

cirej2000, you couldn't be more wrong about your comment: "Secondly, what developer outside of Microsoft is going to develop games that require the tech? Maybe Microsoft, but if this tech only appeases the techies, then how is that going to expand the userbase at an additional $200?"

If you recall, those that dissed Wii in the beginning as a gimmick said the same thing. It was too risky and what game manufacturers would want to make games for such a system. Well, that's the funny thing about manufacturers, they like to make money. And whatever the demand is they'll fill. When the Wii became a hit, they fell all overthemselves trying to manufacture games for the system.

You also forget something else. The Wii was a Gamecube with motion control. So manufacturers didn't need to design new games. Almost all the early Wii games were actually Gamecube games that were ported over. The manufacturers just took the same games and built in motion control (i.e. instead of the A button making the player jump, the sensing of a certain motion would make the player jump). This was much faster, cheaper and easier than designing a brand new game from scratch. It will be the same thing for the Natal. All the existing games will be ported over in a short period of time creating a large selection of games that no new system, say a PS4, could possibly hope to beat!

Game Over. Winner: Microsoft.

Game Over for Nintendo

The author has it exactly right and I couldn't disagree more with cirej2000. If Natal does everything it claims to, I would easily drop $200 on it. People dropped $150 on the wii fit which does only a fraction of what the Natal does (yes, I know the retail price was $90 but since Nintendo likes to keep stock levels artificially low as. mentioned in the article, you couldn't buy it for less than $150).

Also, you are looking at this all wrong cirej2000. You have to think about it like this: every few years, the big 3 console makers come out with a new, better system. Gamers trade in their old ones for the new one with better graphics. I traded in my PS1 for a PS2 and then my PS2 for a PS3. When I was a kid I traded in my old 8-bit NES for the Super Nintendo and so on. But Nintendo GAMECUBE gamers didn't quite do that, did they? They traded in the Gamecube for a Wii, which is nothing more than a Gamecube with motion sensor joysticks. No graphics upgrade at all.

What will happen here is Microsoft is doing the same thing. Instead of investing in an all new system with better graphics like Sony does, they are taking a page out of Nintendo's book and are adding better motion sensors to its existing system. Had they not, Xbox gamers would be trading in their units for the next Microsoft console and probably be paying a lot more than $200. Instead they'll shell out some extra cash to transform their current system into something better. The question is will Sony and Nintendo fans be willing to buy an Xbox 360 AND the Natal. That gets pricey.

But it is all pretty irrelevant.The $200 price tag is a rumor and isn't set in stone. I'm sure they will have professionals doing a lot of research to set the proper entry price. Rest assured what ever price they choose, chances are people will buy it even if you personally don't think it is a good idea. For instance, I thought Apple was crazy for setting an original price tag of $500 for the iPhone. Who the hell needs to pay that much for a souped up phone locked to AT&T? Yet people were lined up to buy them weren't they? Fans do strange things. Even pay $200 for a peripheral.

Circuit City: Back from the Dead?

I for one would be happy to see Circuit City back. I wonder if they'll be better or worse now that they are under new management. Thanks for letting me know, I bet they have a "grand re-opening" sale!

Microsoft and eBay Team Up: Desperate or Brilliant?

Excellent article and thanks for the holiday saving tip! I agree completely. Ebay was an awesome site until they decided to try to be more like amazon and less like Ebay. And yes, they totally screwed us sellers in order to kow tow to the buy.coms of the world. We worked and slaved to make Ebay what it is today and they tossed us to the wolves. They raise our fees while lower buy.com's. What is up with that????