Eokram

Rotten Apple? Google Voice App Blocked from App Store

It doesn't really seem like a competition issue to me. How much money is really lost by AT&T? If people don't bog down their network infrastructure and they get monthly payments for their phones anyway, seems like they are getting money for nothing when people use the google or skype app on a wireless network.

Is AT&T going to stop people from using an analog phone modem on their lines because it competes with their digital services? Hello, AT&T? - you make money either way.

Am I missing something? Seems like AT&T is making a bad business decision.

NAR's Lawrence Yun warns faulty appraisals are stalling home sales: "In the past month, stories of appraisal problems have been snowballing from across the country with many contracts falling through at the last moment. There is danger of a delayed housing market recovery and a further rise in foreclosures if the appraisal problems are not quickly corrected."

Well, you are right Mr. Cynical - I shouldn't be so dramatic or make generalizations. However, I'm afraid I still think something is systemically wrong with buying and selling houses. The problem is so many people have a % stake in each transaction that Realtors (or brokers) are trained to encourage the parties to close the deal. I know this because I'm taking the RE classes just for my own foolish edification. In the principles class here in California - they teach how to pressure a seller to take an offer (explain to them how buyer's remorse works - scare them into saying yes), without teaching how to fundamentally determine if it is the right thing to do. There is also a lot of emphasis on how to make people think they need to use a broker instead of represent themselves. This bias is based on the fact that realtors and brokers don't get paid unless a transaction occurs.

If this approach was taken in the used car market you have shady agents telling people that there is only so much aluminum left in the world and they don't want to get priced out of a V8 forever. And prices would go up and up, not because people are being "protected" by their agents but because they are being manipulated by them.

The system is broke - in my humble opinion.

NAR's Lawrence Yun warns faulty appraisals are stalling home sales: "In the past month, stories of appraisal problems have been snowballing from across the country with many contracts falling through at the last moment. There is danger of a delayed housing market recovery and a further rise in foreclosures if the appraisal problems are not quickly corrected."

Hey 'NAR' -

Thanks for ruining America.

Anyway, how about an anti-trust lawsuit against NAR to break up their asymmetric control of real estate info? Maybe instead of going after Google?

Justice Department Is Confused About Tech Hiring Practices

Amen brother!

Why Is Consumer Staples Underperforming?

Both PG and KFT have some debt. 41 billion for PG and 20 billion for KFT. I think the standard heuristic of buy companies that make "soups and soaps" needs an additional qualification about debt.

The Benefits of This Recession

I completely agree. When George H. W. Bush told everyone to "stay the course," and that the economic downturn was a natural part of the ups and downs of the economy, he was not re-elected for a second term. Politicians (both Dem and Repub) learned this lesson - that if there is even a little recession, the American people shout "It's the economy stupid" and fire you.

Santelli's Rant: A Watershed Moment?

The trick is not to toss money down a bottomless pit, but use it in a way that will keep jobs. If someone gets relief on their mortgage, but loses their job in the process - it does no good. If we took this ONE TRILLION DOLLARS of tarp and used it to.... colonize the moon, Build 5 supercolliders, make a fusion reactor or something big with a lasting impact then the economy could recover because jobs would be created.

There are three ways to stop the downward spiral - give people money that they will spend into the economy, reduce costs for businesses (lower corp. taxes) or generate jobs. Paying people's mortgages is just doing the first option in a really unfair way.


On Feb 20 10:23 AM Consider_this wrote:

> I agree with rewarding the hardworking and not the irresponsible.
>
>
> However, I plead everyone to look at the bigger problem, understand
> the scale of the problem.
>
> I hope by now, everyone realize this has now become a triple circular
> negative spiral.
>
> Spiral A:
> 1. Jobs are lost
> 2. Product Sales go down
> 3. Companies retrentch
> 4. Jobs are lost.
>
> Spiral B:
> 1. Jobs are lost
> 1. Home sales & prices go down
> 2. Bank balance sheet goes down
> 3. Credit dries up further
> 4. Home sales & prices go down
> 5. (Home related) Jobs are lost
>
> Spiral C:
> 1. Credit dries up further
> 2. Companies retrench
> 3. Jobs are lost
> 4. Sales plunge
> 5. Companies balance sheet weakens
> 6. Credit dries up further
>
> This is no longer a simple case of a price correction anymore. It
> has legs. it can reinforce on its own. This is what's feared as the
> deflationary spiral.
>
> I understand that Obama's attempt seems unfair, moral hazard, too
> small, (insert your complaint).
>
> But you *have to* realize, this spiral *IS REINFORCING* and can run
> to ruinous results for everyone! Mark my words, nobody is immune,
> even renters and job holders on supposedly "immune" industry, goldbugs
> and even if you're off the grid and have your own food and bomb shelter,
> you are not immune!
>
> So judge and complain if you will, but until you get what I said,
> you're not understanding the magnitude of this crisis.
>
> One thing Obama said is true. Doing nothing is not an option.
>
> This can absolutely spiral down for a long ways. What is the absolute
> floor you ask me? The absolute floor is when everyone have nothing
> to lose. Think back to WW 2 era; or how everyone owns nothing in
> GD. That's the "floor" where the spiral stops naturally.
>
> Think about this next time you wish for the spiral to resolve on
> it's own. Be careful what you wish for, for you may get it anyway.
> Any actions may prove futile anyhow.
>
> A lot of people still think this is a regular recession and there
> will be cyclical bounce and rebound. An almost cult like subscription
> to "there is a rebound" idea. Which is why the best action is to
> sit back and let it resolve on its own... I'm sad that this train
> of thought reveals that these people do not realize the depth of
> this rabbit hole.
>
> I know the anger at the irresponsible people who caused the problem.
> I am angry! But that time is past. These "first line" irresponsible
> action has now ignited the big fire of devastation. Undoing that
> irresponsibility won't bring things back. Trying to punish, for morality,
> justice or any other reason won't stop the spiral. Looking at how
> to stop the spiral is what we all must do.
>
> I don't know if the anything *CAN* be done to prevent this down crash,
> if everything we do will be futile, but "doing nothing is not an
> option" is indeed the correct philosophy to deal with such devastation.

Apple: Plenty of Questions on the Street Ahead of Earnings

"What we will hear about is how more than a half-million iPhone (and iPod Touch) applications have been downloaded from the iTunes store."

Actually that is 500 million applications downloaded.

www.macrumors.com/2009.../

It's No Big Deal That Apple Is Pulling Out of Macworld

Bailing from Mac World for political reasons is 100% Steve Jobs. If anything it is a sign that Steve and his ideas and his way of doing things is here to stay.