Wednesday, August 27, 2008
This should make your blood boil...
I for one get a bit tired of the press at times. Still, this is a free country right? Yeah, right. Read this link. Here we have an ABC reporter on a *public* sidewalk, being arrested. Make sure you check out the video, it will make your blood boil. What the heck is wrong with the Denver police? Someone needs to loose their job over this.
Monday, August 18, 2008
UKOUG...
I was reading Dan Norris's blog Here and got a twang of sadness realizing I've not been to the UKOUG in at least 3 years now. I think the UKOUG is perhaps my favorite user conference (excepting, perhaps, when Collaborate is at Disney). The folks at the UKOUG know how to put on a conference and everyone is quite nice. The UKOUG draws the cream of the crop, with the likes of Tom Kyte, Jonathan Lewis and many others. Why they ever selected little old me I'll never know!
The only down side to the UKOUG is that it's typically in or around December and it can be COLD there. I remember one year I was there and I'd never felt such cold. Wow!!
The Hyatt there is a very nice hotel. None of this small Europe hotel room here. This is a hotel with space!! The food is fantastic and there is enough to do to keep you busy in the evenings. During December they usually will have a little winter type of carnival there too.
Plus I love the UK. It's just a wonderful place. London is just a great place to be, and if I could live there I just might do so (though I love America!!). My wife loves Paris, so being close to Paris would be heaven to her too!!
Ahhhh.... UKOUG, missing you today!
The only down side to the UKOUG is that it's typically in or around December and it can be COLD there. I remember one year I was there and I'd never felt such cold. Wow!!
The Hyatt there is a very nice hotel. None of this small Europe hotel room here. This is a hotel with space!! The food is fantastic and there is enough to do to keep you busy in the evenings. During December they usually will have a little winter type of carnival there too.
Plus I love the UK. It's just a wonderful place. London is just a great place to be, and if I could live there I just might do so (though I love America!!). My wife loves Paris, so being close to Paris would be heaven to her too!!
Ahhhh.... UKOUG, missing you today!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Is this freedom? The fairness doctrine...
Is this freedom?
http://www.businessandmedia.org/articles/2008/20080812160747.aspx
The "Fairness" doctrine is nothing but an attempt to silence us. Note in the article above how the slippery slope is already being warned about. Perhaps those of you who don't like Rush Limbaugh or the other right wing talk show hosts think that the fairness doctrine is a great weapon, but I'm telling you that this weapon is the destruction of one of our principle freedoms, the ability to say what we think, when we wish and in a manner that we wish.
Personally, I have seen little that I think places this country and our principles of freedom more at risk than the "Fairness" doctrine. It is in our best interests to contact our congressmen and make sure they understand that the fareness doctrine is nothing of the sort.
http://www.businessandmedia.org/articles/2008/20080812160747.aspx
The "Fairness" doctrine is nothing but an attempt to silence us. Note in the article above how the slippery slope is already being warned about. Perhaps those of you who don't like Rush Limbaugh or the other right wing talk show hosts think that the fairness doctrine is a great weapon, but I'm telling you that this weapon is the destruction of one of our principle freedoms, the ability to say what we think, when we wish and in a manner that we wish.
Personally, I have seen little that I think places this country and our principles of freedom more at risk than the "Fairness" doctrine. It is in our best interests to contact our congressmen and make sure they understand that the fareness doctrine is nothing of the sort.
I must confess... it makes me oddly happy
So, looking at Drudge Report today, I find that Nancy Pelosi's book, out for two weeks now, has only sold 5,333 copies. Ya know, technical books don't sell a lot of copies, but it's nice to know that *I* have more than one title that's sold more copies than Nancy has. I'd even suggest that my books are more worth while reading. Just my thinking.
Monday, July 14, 2008
People, really, you need to understand ecconomics...
So, a bank failed this weekend, IndyMac. I found some of the press interesting. Here we have someone that learned a hard lesson from the failure, you are responsible for your money, nobody else:
"We have money we are afraid we are going to lose, I wish we were a little more savvy."
Right on! That is the attitude!
This is what happens when we turn to the government to protect us from everything. We become complacent, and we forget that in the end we are ones responsible for our success or failure.
You might say, hey, how were they supposed to know the bank would fail? Thats a good question. Some economics might have given you a clue. Generally the return on an investment is indicative of it's risk. One school teacher indicated he used IndyMac bank because of the "High interest rates it offered on deposits". One might wonder WHY the bank pays higher interest rates than other banks. This might well be a clear indication that you are taking more risk. It's not full-proof, but it's a good start.
In the end, I'd never put more than 100k in any bank (250k for retirement accounts). It's just bad business.
No doubt we will hear calls for more regulation and controls instead of calls for people educating themselves and understanding some simple economic facts. I'm all for regulation in the form of disclosure, by the way. We need to see all the facts, and then we need to be allowed the opportunity to make our own choices. This is true with banking, mortgages and anything else in this country. I don't need the government to protect me, just to make sure I have the information I need to make informed choices.
"We have money we are afraid we are going to lose, I wish we were a little more savvy."
Right on! That is the attitude!
This is what happens when we turn to the government to protect us from everything. We become complacent, and we forget that in the end we are ones responsible for our success or failure.
You might say, hey, how were they supposed to know the bank would fail? Thats a good question. Some economics might have given you a clue. Generally the return on an investment is indicative of it's risk. One school teacher indicated he used IndyMac bank because of the "High interest rates it offered on deposits". One might wonder WHY the bank pays higher interest rates than other banks. This might well be a clear indication that you are taking more risk. It's not full-proof, but it's a good start.
In the end, I'd never put more than 100k in any bank (250k for retirement accounts). It's just bad business.
No doubt we will hear calls for more regulation and controls instead of calls for people educating themselves and understanding some simple economic facts. I'm all for regulation in the form of disclosure, by the way. We need to see all the facts, and then we need to be allowed the opportunity to make our own choices. This is true with banking, mortgages and anything else in this country. I don't need the government to protect me, just to make sure I have the information I need to make informed choices.
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