MikeCooper's Comments RSS Syndication from SeekingAlpha.com http://seekingalpha.comuser/48358/comments http://seekingalpha.com/article/167387-why-i-m-bullish-on-small-caps-oilsands-and-energy-xxi?source=feed#comment-722200 722200
I agree the author seems to be trying to damn BQI with praise. But do your own DD. BQI is an exploration company with leases on some very promising (confirmed in testing) properties. They are working to perfect their method for extracting the bitumen (the geology of the region precludes traditional SAGD methods). Management has stated they are not even trying to enter into a joint venture until this is done to ensure maximum leverage. So the lack of profits at this point is as much a strategic decision as anything else. With oil prices rising, and BQI sitting on such valuable assets, the interest is there.
A risky stock to be sure, but a far more intriguing bet than the author suggests. And that line about "pumped by stock promoters"? I have no idea who he's talking about unless he means the usual blog rats and Yahoo message boarders. Throwing a accusation like that out without naming sources is unethical.

On Oct 20 06:23 AM davidbdc wrote:

> No revenues nor profits? And the primary "good" part of the story
> is that its being "pumped" by stock promoters?
>
> No thanks on BQI]]> Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:04:22 -0400
I agree the author seems to be trying to damn BQI with praise. But do your own DD. BQI is an exploration company with leases on some very promising (confirmed in testing) properties. They are working to perfect their method for extracting the bitumen (the geology of the region precludes traditional SAGD methods). Management has stated they are not even trying to enter into a joint venture until this is done to ensure maximum leverage. So the lack of profits at this point is as much a strategic decision as anything else. With oil prices rising, and BQI sitting on such valuable assets, the interest is there.
A risky stock to be sure, but a far more intriguing bet than the author suggests. And that line about "pumped by stock promoters"? I have no idea who he's talking about unless he means the usual blog rats and Yahoo message boarders. Throwing a accusation like that out without naming sources is unethical.

On Oct 20 06:23 AM davidbdc wrote:

> No revenues nor profits? And the primary "good" part of the story
> is that its being "pumped" by stock promoters?
>
> No thanks on BQI]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/157959-canadian-oil-sands-stocks-a-long-term-hedge-on-oil-prices?source=feed#comment-645174 645174 BQI) has leased vast amounts of Saskatchewan oil fields. It has some technical challenges to overcome, and will require a JV to fully exploit its resources. But if you're looking for a long term oil sand play BQI is much more attractively priced then COSWF.PK.]]> Tue, 25 Aug 2009 10:30:25 -0400 BQI) has leased vast amounts of Saskatchewan oil fields. It has some technical challenges to overcome, and will require a JV to fully exploit its resources. But if you're looking for a long term oil sand play BQI is much more attractively priced then COSWF.PK.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/152135-nintendo-ds-getting-killed-off-by-game-theft?source=feed#comment-608385 608385
The profits made off of genuine appreciation of a product, which you are highlighting, are real but they cannot compare with the more superficial and more lucrative sales built off of niche advertising, and mass-marketing.


On Jul 29 02:19 PM Gaucho420 wrote:

> I copy games all the time and I have a boatload of copied DS games.
> HOwever, Nintendo and the publisher aren't missing a dime, as I wouldn't
> have bought them at any price.
>
> I however, do not copy 360 or Wii games, although I easily could...but
> I like them, so I pay for them outright. The DS? Nope, I rarely play
> it and therefore, no money is lost on me getting it for free as I
> would've never spent a dime on most games.
>
> So there's a point to be made about this...if anything, copying DS
> games has had me recommend certain games to my father and little
> brother, who do have a DSi and went out and bougth the games I recommended
> as they don't have time to mess with those downloads or getting the
> chip required to play tem. So without me getting them for free (and
> again, I would never had laid out a dime to buy them, so no loss
> of sales on my account), my dad would never have bought certain DS
> games.
>
> And I loved GTA: Chinatown so much, I went out and bought the real
> thing.
>
> Same with music...I have copied MP3s of a billion tunes that I never
> would've bought normally, at any price. But after having free MP3s
> of certain artists that I really liked, I went out and bought actual
> albums and that's happened quite a bit on the music side.
>
> So its not truly lost sales on every account, as again, I wouldn't
> have bougth any of the DS games or those MP3s at any price...for
> free, I'll give them a shot and if I like them, I'll recommend them
> or buy them next time myself.
>
> I'm not sure how often this happens, but for sure...free things lead
> to money made at least for some customers.
>
> Just because we take something for free, doesn't mean we would've
> spent any money on it if we couldn't get it for free.]]> Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:24:26 -0400
The profits made off of genuine appreciation of a product, which you are highlighting, are real but they cannot compare with the more superficial and more lucrative sales built off of niche advertising, and mass-marketing.


On Jul 29 02:19 PM Gaucho420 wrote:

> I copy games all the time and I have a boatload of copied DS games.
> HOwever, Nintendo and the publisher aren't missing a dime, as I wouldn't
> have bought them at any price.
>
> I however, do not copy 360 or Wii games, although I easily could...but
> I like them, so I pay for them outright. The DS? Nope, I rarely play
> it and therefore, no money is lost on me getting it for free as I
> would've never spent a dime on most games.
>
> So there's a point to be made about this...if anything, copying DS
> games has had me recommend certain games to my father and little
> brother, who do have a DSi and went out and bougth the games I recommended
> as they don't have time to mess with those downloads or getting the
> chip required to play tem. So without me getting them for free (and
> again, I would never had laid out a dime to buy them, so no loss
> of sales on my account), my dad would never have bought certain DS
> games.
>
> And I loved GTA: Chinatown so much, I went out and bought the real
> thing.
>
> Same with music...I have copied MP3s of a billion tunes that I never
> would've bought normally, at any price. But after having free MP3s
> of certain artists that I really liked, I went out and bought actual
> albums and that's happened quite a bit on the music side.
>
> So its not truly lost sales on every account, as again, I wouldn't
> have bougth any of the DS games or those MP3s at any price...for
> free, I'll give them a shot and if I like them, I'll recommend them
> or buy them next time myself.
>
> I'm not sure how often this happens, but for sure...free things lead
> to money made at least for some customers.
>
> Just because we take something for free, doesn't mean we would've
> spent any money on it if we couldn't get it for free.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/152436-google-must-be-terrified-right-now?source=feed#comment-608072 608072 Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:32:17 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/147681-why-oracle-bought-sun-it-s-not-about-hardware?source=feed#comment-580597 580597
Larry likes a conquest. Developing business strategies are specific products (remember "unbreakable linux" ??!!) is not his forte.]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:01:13 -0400
Larry likes a conquest. Developing business strategies are specific products (remember "unbreakable linux" ??!!) is not his forte.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/142271-good-news-from-japan-for-alvarion-orckit?source=feed#comment-540569 540569 Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:19:49 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/138710-palm-pre-assessing-the-risks?source=feed#comment-512834 512834
But I don't regret it. There is nothing but air and enthusiasm propping this stock up. Yet that appears to be enough. I won't be putting money back in it anytime soon. But I also won't believe any analyst who predicts dark clouds ahead for PALM. Financial analysis does not seem to apply to it. Gravity does not seem to apply to it! PALM is the ultimate "watch from a distance and marvel" stock right now. ]]> Thu, 21 May 2009 10:45:34 -0400
But I don't regret it. There is nothing but air and enthusiasm propping this stock up. Yet that appears to be enough. I won't be putting money back in it anytime soon. But I also won't believe any analyst who predicts dark clouds ahead for PALM. Financial analysis does not seem to apply to it. Gravity does not seem to apply to it! PALM is the ultimate "watch from a distance and marvel" stock right now. ]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/130000-segway-s-personal-electronic-vehicle-nothing-says-success-like-teaming-up-with-gm?source=feed#comment-456209 456209
It's hard to predict what transportation would look like if oil prices hovered up around $100 for a year or more. Perhaps this is it. But there is no money in solving tomorrow's problems today. GM should be partnering with any of the small plug-in hybrid firms to green-up their line of SUVs. That's where the market is now.]]> Wed, 08 Apr 2009 10:53:55 -0400
It's hard to predict what transportation would look like if oil prices hovered up around $100 for a year or more. Perhaps this is it. But there is no money in solving tomorrow's problems today. GM should be partnering with any of the small plug-in hybrid firms to green-up their line of SUVs. That's where the market is now.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/127465-six-cars-that-represent-the-future-of-driving?source=feed#comment-438107 438107
A large vehicle would have a lot more room under the hold to store those huge lithium batteries. And once we're all "fueling up" from the electrical grid, the added weight would not translate to much added cost. After spending so much time and money gearing its factories to produce and market big vehicles it astounds me that the big 3 (or the big 2 1/2 at this point) would be throwing that advantage away to copy Toyota and Honda's model.

With a little vision those SUVs, trucks and even Hummers could prove to be GM's greatest strength rather than its greatest liability.]]> Tue, 24 Mar 2009 10:43:31 -0400
A large vehicle would have a lot more room under the hold to store those huge lithium batteries. And once we're all "fueling up" from the electrical grid, the added weight would not translate to much added cost. After spending so much time and money gearing its factories to produce and market big vehicles it astounds me that the big 3 (or the big 2 1/2 at this point) would be throwing that advantage away to copy Toyota and Honda's model.

With a little vision those SUVs, trucks and even Hummers could prove to be GM's greatest strength rather than its greatest liability.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/123371-is-geothermal-the-next-hot-energy-source?source=feed#comment-407873 407873 Sun, 01 Mar 2009 11:17:13 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/121920-tar-sands-how-much-is-out-there-and-can-nuclear-help?source=feed#comment-398700 398700 Sun, 22 Feb 2009 12:24:07 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/111671-four-dying-silicon-valley-companies?source=feed#comment-335369 335369
This is an absolute virgin market. Mobile broadband and web 2.0 will usher in the post-laptop world with a vengeance. PALM has made all sorts of ridiculous mistakes in the past but their managment has since changed and their development team is highly credible. They are about to deploy a new OS, they are a primary vendor of Windows Mobile (not great, but alright and not going anywhere) in the enterprise market, and their Centro line dominates the low end. Add to that the ridiculously loyal following they have for their legacy PDAs (including me), and it is clear they have a shot.

Its a risky stock certainly. But they have a good plan and they are executing on it. That is the bottom line that separates them other companies you mentioned like Sun or Yahoo, who are still searching for a business strategy. ]]> Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:15:49 -0500
This is an absolute virgin market. Mobile broadband and web 2.0 will usher in the post-laptop world with a vengeance. PALM has made all sorts of ridiculous mistakes in the past but their managment has since changed and their development team is highly credible. They are about to deploy a new OS, they are a primary vendor of Windows Mobile (not great, but alright and not going anywhere) in the enterprise market, and their Centro line dominates the low end. Add to that the ridiculously loyal following they have for their legacy PDAs (including me), and it is clear they have a shot.

Its a risky stock certainly. But they have a good plan and they are executing on it. That is the bottom line that separates them other companies you mentioned like Sun or Yahoo, who are still searching for a business strategy. ]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/110031-why-does-loral-continue-to-shoot-up?source=feed#comment-325502 325502
Recently however, the founder of SpaceDev, Jim Benson died and his family is selling the company to a private company. Absent this investment avenue Loral probably represents the more affordable publicly traded space company out there. I've seen Loral mentioned on several SPDV message boards.

]]> Wed, 10 Dec 2008 10:37:25 -0500
Recently however, the founder of SpaceDev, Jim Benson died and his family is selling the company to a private company. Absent this investment avenue Loral probably represents the more affordable publicly traded space company out there. I've seen Loral mentioned on several SPDV message boards.

]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/108780-palm-s-time-may-have-passed?source=feed#comment-320011 320011
1. Despite the disasters you name Palm still owns 10-13% of the market. It continues to have strong brand and a following so loyal they will wait almost a decade for a product that promises to barely match what's out there now. Never count a company like that out.

2. Palm is absolutely winning the price battle. The centro is the ONLY smart phone out there affordable purely on its merits. What I mean by that is that it sets a reasonable price for a phone that delivers voice, email and internet services. With RIM or Apple you are paying $200-$300.00 extra for a bit more elegance and big heap of vanity (oooh you have an IPhone, you're a player aren't you?).

This point is important because the smart phone market continues to be a virgin one. Right now it is largely a vanity market. But as internet access becomes more a necessity, and WiMax or LTE becomes ubiquitous, you're going to see a second wave of consumers looking for these services for their own sake. For these consumers, Palm is well-positioned.

3. Buyout possibilities. Palm has always been the subject of buyout speculation. However there large market capitalization and declining market share has traditionally made Palm an expensive and risky proposition. The present financial crisis as largely solved that problem. Palm today would be a reasonable if still large takeover target for a company still looking to jumpstart itself as a player in the post-laptop, broadband world that is upon us. Recall how much Microsoft was prepared to pay for Yahoo. Yahoo's share of the search market and Palm present share of the smart phone business is roughly equivalent.]]> Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:04:05 -0500
1. Despite the disasters you name Palm still owns 10-13% of the market. It continues to have strong brand and a following so loyal they will wait almost a decade for a product that promises to barely match what's out there now. Never count a company like that out.

2. Palm is absolutely winning the price battle. The centro is the ONLY smart phone out there affordable purely on its merits. What I mean by that is that it sets a reasonable price for a phone that delivers voice, email and internet services. With RIM or Apple you are paying $200-$300.00 extra for a bit more elegance and big heap of vanity (oooh you have an IPhone, you're a player aren't you?).

This point is important because the smart phone market continues to be a virgin one. Right now it is largely a vanity market. But as internet access becomes more a necessity, and WiMax or LTE becomes ubiquitous, you're going to see a second wave of consumers looking for these services for their own sake. For these consumers, Palm is well-positioned.

3. Buyout possibilities. Palm has always been the subject of buyout speculation. However there large market capitalization and declining market share has traditionally made Palm an expensive and risky proposition. The present financial crisis as largely solved that problem. Palm today would be a reasonable if still large takeover target for a company still looking to jumpstart itself as a player in the post-laptop, broadband world that is upon us. Recall how much Microsoft was prepared to pay for Yahoo. Yahoo's share of the search market and Palm present share of the smart phone business is roughly equivalent.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/108879-reconsidering-penny-stocks?source=feed#comment-319976 319976
Is there no way you can separate the penny stock wheat from chaff? Perhaps solicit reviewers the way you presently solicit writers? There have to be ways. This is more than just a convenience issue for amateur investors like me. Properly managed the OTC and PK could be a viable means for small, SMALL new businesses to become and stay liquid during their developement phase. The rampant presense of thieves and con men has largely prevented that from happening so far. We should not leave this potentially lucrative and productive investment avenue to them.]]> Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:37:55 -0500
Is there no way you can separate the penny stock wheat from chaff? Perhaps solicit reviewers the way you presently solicit writers? There have to be ways. This is more than just a convenience issue for amateur investors like me. Properly managed the OTC and PK could be a viable means for small, SMALL new businesses to become and stay liquid during their developement phase. The rampant presense of thieves and con men has largely prevented that from happening so far. We should not leave this potentially lucrative and productive investment avenue to them.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/106560-alcohol-can-be-a-gas-debunking-myths-about-ethanol?source=feed#comment-309112 309112
The subsidies, the WELFARE CHECKS required to make corn ethanol profitable are wasting money and raising the costs of foodstuffs. They are also delaying the growth of the kinds of ethanol, cellulosiac and sugarcane-based, that as you pointed out, could make a real difference. They are also casting a ethical cloud over the entire concept in the process.

But all this is beside the point. This is financial blog and we all want to make money. So my question to you is this; Since you are bullish on the prospects of these cleaner forms of ethanol are there any stocks or companies out there that would give us a chance to invest in them? The only ethanol plays I know of are large and corn-based. In lobbying hard for government subsidies, these companies are essentially trying to sell our own tax dollars back to us at a discount! Makes me a bit sick.]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:55:06 -0500
The subsidies, the WELFARE CHECKS required to make corn ethanol profitable are wasting money and raising the costs of foodstuffs. They are also delaying the growth of the kinds of ethanol, cellulosiac and sugarcane-based, that as you pointed out, could make a real difference. They are also casting a ethical cloud over the entire concept in the process.

But all this is beside the point. This is financial blog and we all want to make money. So my question to you is this; Since you are bullish on the prospects of these cleaner forms of ethanol are there any stocks or companies out there that would give us a chance to invest in them? The only ethanol plays I know of are large and corn-based. In lobbying hard for government subsidies, these companies are essentially trying to sell our own tax dollars back to us at a discount! Makes me a bit sick.]]>