| My Pictures |
Feb 16, 2006
As you'll see below, I called in and asked Cramer about CNX & BTU... he recommended BTU over CNX.
I bought both b/c I thought I knew something... I bought them both on Wednesday 2/15/06. I got into BTU at $84.50. Today, I'm out at $90.27... a one-day 9.3% return!!
CNX is up 4% today - not bad, but onto 9.3%.
Cramer is THE MAN!
Those who know me, know that I don't often endorse products unless I'm really impressed by them on a whole variety of levels.
Today, Sony really impressed me.
In June '05 I bought a Sony DSC-W5 digital camera. It is easily one of the most amazing sub-$350 cameras out there. Check out my Flickr page & you'll see virtually every shot there was taken with this camera. Below I write about the quality of the camera... which isn't the focus of this entry.
I've traveled with the camera quite a bit, and it's taken a beating. While I was in Australia I slept on several beaches with it & got sand in it, etc... When I got back to the States, the lens stopped working. It wouldn't come out & the camera wouldn't work. I went to Sony's web site & found the repair section. It was very simple to fill out the basic information, and get a document to include with my camera, along with an address to mail the camera to. In less than two weeks, the camera was back in my possession, with a new lens & was completely checked out. They even updated the firmware! Best of all: they didn't charge me a penny. Not even for return shipping.
THAT is customer service.
As for the camera itself... it's a remarkable device. Below is my take on it:
While I like to think I'm a good photographer, most of the photos I've taken with it wouldn't be possible with other point & shoot digital cameras in the 3-5mp range. Why? Two features:
1. Remarkably easy to use manual controls. I can manually focus at really short focal lengths, and my ability to control the shutter and aperture is strikingly similar to my experience using my Canon EOS Elan (one of my favorite 35mm cameras ever - I bought it when I was 15 with my hard earned cash). The ability to control the shutter/aperture easily allows me to adjust the camera on the fly in changing situations to capture the moment instead of tinkering with the camera. Most point & shoot digicams have several menus you need to go through to adjust shutter & aperture & ends up wasting lots of your time.
2. I'll copy what was written in the Crutchfeld review, as he said it most concisely:
"Real Imaging Processor produces remarkably fast response, minimizing shutter lag and maximizing battery life." What this means is I can keep pressing the button to take the picture and I don't have to wait to take the next one, the camera is ready instantly.
Feb 14, 2006
Today I was lucky enough to be able to call in and talk to Jim Cramer, the man, the myth, the legend. Here's the video clip:
As a side note, the ease with which I was able to record the show, convert the video to a digital file, and publish it here is simply remarkable. I've been wanting to do this since I was 12 years old. I feel like I've finally arrived. What impressed me the most is how seamlessly the hardware and software worked together - and all of it is relatively cheap, if it costs anything at all. My cost do do this was under $600 (for the hardware & software).
How I posted this here:
Using my Sony TRV-22 miniDV camera, I took the RCA output from my cable box and plugged it into the A/V port.
I recorded the show onto a miniDV tape, then inside the camera, laid off the video onto my 128mb Sony Memorystick.
I put the Sony Memorystick into my SanDisk 12-card reader.
I went to blogger.com and simply clicked the "Upload File" icon.
The freeze-frame was done by simply clicking "ALT+PrintScreen".
Feb 8, 2006
The Onion's headlines are usually a bit believable - depending on your level of cynicism... This headline, unfortunately is not only true, but several years old.
Is this article a joke? MSFT wants to sell you a faulty product, and then charge you $49.95/year to fix their problems? Are they trying to usher in my prediction even more quickly that GOOG, Linux, Lenovo, OpenOffice & Mozilla will work together to provide an open-source computer with a great GUI, on a super-cheap computer (~$100) and leave only the corp. world ot MSFT and the Upper-Class BMW buying crowd to AAPL. Don't buy MSFT's product - stick to SYMC's - they're the best (and not only b/c I own a bunch of their stock).
By AP Online
Last Update: 2/7/2006 10:25:00 PM
Data provided by MarketWatch
SEATTLE, Feb 07, 2006 (AP Online via COMTEX)
A new security service from Microsoft Corp. will charge users $49.95 per year to better protect its Windows operating system from spyware, viruses and other Internet attacks.
Microsoft plans to release the product in early June.
Called Windows OneCare Live, the subscription service will compete with security products made by traditional Microsoft partners, including Symantec Corp. and McAfee Inc. - although the software giant insists that its aim is not to run those companies out of business.
"In science, 'fact' can only mean 'confirmed to such a degree that it would be perverse to withhold provisional assent.' I suppose that apples might start to rise tomorrow, but the possibility does not merit equal time in physics classrooms."
- Stephen Jay Gould
Open letter to Jim Cramer @ Mad Money on CNBC
Feb 2, 2006
Jim,
Booo Yah! From the big NYC
Listen, I love your show, and I'm reading your book now - love them both. I have a suggestion - if you're really interested in helping people make money, I think you should take a pro-active approach, and move your show's time-slot 30 minutes up - and start at 6:30pm - right as the after-hours market closes.
By doing that you'll force people to take the time to research the stocks you recommend.
I'm sure you've noticed that people jump in and buy the stock you recommend before you're done saying the last letter of the symbol. It's nuts what's going on.
One quick example:
Last night you recommended BKHM - when you taped the show it was at 6.95... it went to 8 and change (up 30%) in after hours trading after you recommended it.
Today the stock closed at 7.80... and in after hours - after they released earnings - it fell down to 6.80. I'll disclose that I bought it at 6.80 in after hours today... clearly it should never have gone up 30% in after hours the day before...
I know CNBC won't like it if you go to 6:30pm as they might loose viewers and hence ad dollars... but it's the right thing to do. Your effect on the market is too strong - and for that reason, they can air you at any time, people will watch whenever you air.
Thanks and keep up the great work.
-
Steve
Stumble
Leave your response