Office For iPad Highlights Microsoft’s Biggest Problem
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on February 22, 2012
The internet got very excited yesterday with the leaked photo of Office running on an iPad. For those who have been productive in the past decade, you’re familiar with Microsoft’s industry-standard productivity tools, Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint, that have kept all of us up through resume building, crappy yard sale flyers, and dire corporate meetings. The company has come out and said that the leaked photo is fake, with the ‘truth to be unveiled in the next few weeks’, but it’s this slow, hesitant attitude to rival platforms that highlights Microsoft’s biggest problem: they’re not on top anymore.
You have to remember that in its earliest days, Microsoft made its money by being ubiquitous. Whether it was the Altair, the Apple II, or IBM’s first machines, Microsoft got its start by making their software available for whatever platform you were on: kit-built or box-ready. as Windows rose in the 90s, they began to develop most of their software exclusively for it, saving equal-or-lesser versions for other platforms. Office and Internet Explorer went to Mac, their earliest games only worked with DirectX, avoiding consoles (almost) altogether, and Microsoft was content with feeding Windows its own killer apps.
While Windows has dominated for nearly twenty years, it’s getting a wake-up call in the fact that people are using their desktops less and their tablets and smartphones more. that Windows 8 needs to be incredibly successful and place them firmly in the mobile space, or that Windows Phone needs to start selling more phones is a given. what Microsoft needs to adjust for again is becoming ubiquitous. they need to be less Zune and more Netflix and spread their software to every platform that will take it. They’ve taken some small steps with bringing Xbox Live apps to iOS, but they’re not charging deep enough. if Windows and Windows Phone can’t grab any attention, they’ll need to make sure people will remember Microsoft’s strengths when people stop using their platforms. A similar experience happened recently when SEGA stopped building Dreamcast consoles in 2001 and started sending their games to rival platforms, but the fact that they waited so long undid much of their potential success.
Office going to iPad isn’t exciting just because the iPad is one of the most popular platforms in use, with only two short years on the meter, but because Microsoft is realizing its fate.
Office For iPad Highlights Microsoft’s Biggest Problem
3 Ways to Make Money More Consistently in the Market
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on February 22, 2012
The New Year is underway. And the markets are kicking it off in grand fashion. The Dow jumped 1.5% on the first trading day of 2012.
Not a bad way to start the year!
Of course, with a new year upon us, it’s time to make New Year’s resolutions. Most people use this as an opportunity to go on a diet or give up bad habits. but I like to use resolutions as an opportunity to improve my investing.
So, in continuing with the spirit of resolutions, I’m going to tell you about three resolutions that I made many years ago. They’ve served me well over the years. And I hope you’ll find them helpful in your trading.
My first resolution is fairly simple… before you buy a stock, understand how the business makes money.
Believe it or not… many investors own stock in companies they don’t understand.
That’s a sure fire way to lose your money.
You see, understanding how a business makes money is vital when owning a company for the long term. since a company’s value most often hinges on the cash flows it produces, knowing how those cash flows are generated is pretty important.
For example… yesterday my colleague, Corey Williams, wrote about Chipotle (CMG). The company obviously makes money by selling more and more burritos. Apple (AAPL) grows its profits by selling iPads, iMacs and iPhones. Apple then makes more money when those buyers purchase apps from the App Store.
So, when I see long lines at Chipotle and the Apple store, it doesn’t take an MBA to figure out they’re making lots of money. Under-standing how a business makes money will allow you to quickly figure out if it’s in for good or bad times ahead.
From there, it’s easier to determine if a stock should be owned or not.
Second on the resolution list… allow market volatility to work to your advantage.
It’s a long known fact, most inexperienced investors mistake volatility for risk. They see a stock going up and down and automatically see it as a risky trade. but that’s not always the case.
You see, risk is the probability of suffering a permanent loss of capital. Volatility, on the other hand, is the movement in a stock’s price. just because a stock fluctuates up and down doesn’t mean your probability of permanent loss has increased. in fact, volatility can actually help you make money.
Viewed this way, investors can take advantage of market volatility to buy shares at better prices.
For example, I used volatility in 2011 to buy Goldman Sachs (GS) when shares traded below $90 (just a few months earlier the stock was trading around $175). since I believe the true value of GS is around $200 a share, I feel like the market volatility in GS gave me a golden opportunity for big profits. And when Mr. Market gave me a chance to buy GS shares on the cheap, I jumped at the opportunity.
With Europe still in trouble and the US economy far from healed, volatility will most likely continue in 2012.
In short… investors armed with patience and conviction in 2012 will be better able to take advantage of the market’s wild swings. unfortunately, those investors looking to get in and out of stocks are more likely to be hurt badly by market volatility.
Lastly and most important… focus on hitting singles and doubles, and stay away from trying for home runs.
Obviously, I relate this to baseball. usually a General Manager learns quickly the value of a baseball player’s on-base percentage. Meaning, a player’s value is derived from how often he gets on base. Hitting home runs isn’t the end all be all in baseball or in investing.
Simply put… investors who are constantly on the lookout for home run stocks are going to strike out more often. Investors looking for stocks with a greater certainty of smaller yet steady gains will rake in profits more consistently…
In my many years of experience, I’ve known many wealthy investors who are happy making 10% to 15% a year in the market. However, I have seen plenty of investors lose tons of money by constantly going for the home run.
No question… whether you’re an investment pro or a retail investor, it never hurts to pay attention to the basic principles of sound investing. Follow my three resolutions and you’ll be on your way to making money more consistently in the market.
– Marcus HaberSource: Dynamic Wealth Report
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Killer won’t reveal more locations until he gets money
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on February 22, 2012
by Katie Marzullo
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KGO) — The surviving “Speed Freak” killer is making a new threat, even as test results confirm the identities of additional victims. Wesley Shermantine says he won’t reveal any more locations where bodies are buried unless he’s shown the money.
Shermantine wants the $33,000 promised to him by bounty hunter Leonard Padilla before he says another word. Padilla says he believes Shermantine has told him the truth so far. so now Shermantine is saying there are two more locations where his partner, Loren Herzog, dumped bodies.
that would make five sites. The first one, in Calavaras County, is where authorities found the suspected remains of Cyndi Vanderheiden and Chevelle Wheeler. their remains have now been positively identified. Then, there are the two wells Shermantine drew on the original map for Padilla. But apparently, there will be no map of the two new sites — until after he gets the balance of the $33,000. Padilla says more than half of the money will go to victims’ families.
Related Content Padilla says on Sunday he and Shermantine agreed to a $2,000 down payment – that check’s in the mail. We don’t know if Padilla will rush the rest of the money in exchange for the new information.
(Copyright ©2012 KGO-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Businesses earn reprieve from city fee until March 2013
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on February 22, 2012
City leaders offered entrepreneurs a reprieve from a fee for another year, as officials attempt to entice businesses to relocate to or remain in Issaquah.
In a unanimous decision, City Council members agreed to exempt businesses from paying the transportation impact fee until March 2013. the exemption applies to the initial 10,000 square feet of floor area per project.
The council action continues a project initiated in 2009 to roll back the transportation impact fee and encourage entrepreneurs to consider Issaquah. in 2009, officials earmarked $1.58 million — money left over from the canceled Southeast Bypass — to offset the fee. City planners said $976,589 remains available for businesses.
The cost to the city so far amounted to $603,411 and, in return, developers received fee exemptions on the initial 10,000 square feet for Overlake Center, Issaquah High School reconstruction and the HighMark Medical Center. Developers, meanwhile, shouldered $547,200 in transportation impact fee costs.
Overall, planners said the 3-year-old program aided 39 projects. though the program benefited large-scale projects, most projects — 29 citywide — amounted to less than 5,000 square feet, including the recent remodel from 2,000 square feet of retail space at the Issaquah Commons into the popular Five Guys Burgers and Fries restaurant.
Only a half-dozen projects involved in the program encompassed more than 10,000 square feet. the average per-project cost to the city is $15,086.
The measure attracted support from Issaquah Chamber of Commerce leaders, in addition to city officials, before the Jan. 3 decision to continue the exemption until 2013.
“This innovative concept has proven helpful for a number of businesses over the past few years, and we believe it represents a meaningful incentive to help attract and retain economic investment and economic vitality for the Issaquah community,” chamber CEO Matthew Bott wrote in a letter to council members.
The council also agreed to extend the transportation impact fee exemption in February 2010 and again last year.
The state Growth Management Act authorizes cities to charge impact fees in order for developers to shoulder the cost of adding infrastructure, such as roads. Developers pay the fees to build projects. the money offsets the additional cost the city pays to provide services to the development. If a tenant changes the use of a building, he or she also pays impact fees.
Issaquah officials adopted transportation impact fees in 1997; officials last updated the fees in 2006.
Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.
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Newark city website attacked by hacker group
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on February 22, 2012
NEWARK — they targeted the CIA. Then they hacked the FBI.
Now members of a group of international cyber-anarchists have set their sites on Newark City Hall.
For the second time this month, the group CabinCr3w — an affiliate of the pro-free speech hackers Anonymous — is taking credit for infiltrating the city of Newark’s website and protesting corruption and police brutality, according to several city officials and statements by the group itself.
“We see your attempts to waste more of the people’s money, to harass your citizens with preemptive crime fighting by shining red lights at them,” the group posted on the city site. “We are now shining our red lights on you, the city of Newark has suffered enough at the hands of corrupt politicians, police and other government officials. Expect us.”
The missive is followed by a P.S. — a derogatory declaration against the MTV reality series, “Jersey Shore.”
The hackers also managed to hijack an e-mail list the city uses to send information to about 5,000 subscribers and send its own message.
The subject line of the e-mail reads: “LIVE FROM NEWARK…..IT’S ANONYMOUS….kicking ass and taking names….hacking the atrocious government of Newark.”
Officials were not authorized to speak publicly about the hacking as it is currently under investigation.
Typically, the FBI investigates cyber attacks, but the agency’s Newark office would not say whether it is looking into the incident. The city’s website was shut down following the apparent cyber siege.
Anne Torres, a spokeswoman for Mayor Cory Booker, today confirmed the site was being repaired.
“Early Monday morning, the city website was compromised,” Torres said by e-mail. “The site has been taken down temporarily and will be back up as soon as possible.”
The website is a repository of city information including budgets, city council agendas, trash collection notices, street closings and other announcements.
As of last night, the website was still down.
North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos said any kind of security breach is troubling.
“It is a concern because over the years I think the city has made a considerable investment into building its website and technology infrastructure,” Ramos said.
Local government websites across the country have been subject to similar attacks in recent weeks.
In West Virginia, CabinCr3ew claimed responsibility for hacking into the West Virginia Chiefs of Police Association website and posting the cell phone numbers and home addresses of more than 150 police officers, according to a report published by the Charleston Gazette.
Anonymous is a collective of tech-savvy individuals and groups like CabinCr3w whose stated mission is to expose government and corporate corruption and promote technological freedom.
By David Giambusso and James Queally / The Star-Ledger
The associated Press contributed to this report.
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