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Despite my adopted team, the Green Collar Jets, winning an improbable playoff victory over the hard-to-like Tom Brady Patriots this weekend, I am in full choler right now, due to the exigencies of hardware failure. I’m downstairs posting from the kids’ computer tonight because my trusty Sony Vaio has gone “Vaio (sic) con Dios!” on me, and seems to have left the station for that great electronic synapse farm in the Sky. I guess that last trip out to California was just too much for it.
Suggestions are welcome, as long as you do not recommend I purchase a Craapl. I have no interest in seeking out a new career in fashion and design, thanks very much.
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I expect many of you — my more loyal readers — are already in the bunker due to my ample warnings over these last two weeks. Many of you, however, resemble the man at the top of the page, and love The Funnel so much that you’ve fashioned special Funnel Hats to celebrate itscoming, and your imminent dive down it’s narrowing throat structure.
Well, the original man with no heart —Steve Jobs — just declared he was going on another Health Holiday, most likely so he can rendevous with the Mother Ship and pick up the next space alien technological doo-dad for Craapl, and therefore kick Bill Gates’ & Steve Ballmar’s asses with greater alacrity. That also means the market is now free to sell off with great vim and vinegar.
Got your QID yet? I’ve only put half of mine on, as planned. I think tomorrow might be the day for the rest, however.
Meanwhile, back at the old gold mill, I have sold down to a comfortable level, and I continue to believe we will see a pull back in the 10-15% range off the recent highs. That could easily bring us to $1,300 or less on the POG, and we all know silver likes to make gold’s price moves look kittenish in comparison. As a result, I have even purchased some ZSL to warm the bed I’ve made for myself. You should consider trimming your EXK and SLW and PAAS, for sure, and please get out completely from the AGQ, before you hurt yourselves.
What’s that rumbling you hear from my garage? Why yes, it does happen to be my 12-cylinder dual cammy (I have no idea what the means) slung back black coupe FAZ-mobile idling in the drive. I haven’t taken it out for a spin yet, but I will be eyeing the BKX with great interest, JPM “grande” earnings aside. Heck I may even break out a bowl of Skiffles for my morning repast tomorrow.
It’s been a while hasn’t it? And yet, somehow… it just feels right.
Remember the plan, now Funnelites. The plan is to have cash to invest in this PM bull for the long run into dollar implosion. That emphatically does not mean you play “long-only” for the duration. You should have a core in store, but right now is not the time to be a hero. Take a break, take a vacation, or better yet, move to North Carolina. No need to make life any more stressful than it already is.
Best to you all.
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Thank you Mr. Gint and I’m sorry to hear of your computer duress..
Thought I was comfortable in my assessment of a proper core to hold, however I’m finding it so hard to quantify what a reasonable percentage is.. It seems this is an opportune time for me to practice and learn!
As always thank you for your thoughts here, I look forward to them.
Hope the computer troubles are brief and wish you luck!
I usually hold about 50%, but my friend Gary Savage, whom I respect very much, has cut down to 35%.
I would rather hold more because this has been an unpredictable bull. Note this morning the dollar is diving again?
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Thank you sir.
Burp
Excuuuuuuuuse you!
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I find your bearishness very appealing. It just feels right. How can it be wrong if it feels so right?
cr-48 chrome notebook from google .
Google’s making hardware now?
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Asus makes the best notebooks.
Man am I out of the loop. I’ve never even heard of that brand.
So no more Sony Vaio con Dioses?
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Interesting. I have a fondness for Asus motherboards, never owned (or even seen) one of their notebooks.
I usually buy IBM T-series notebooks. Never had a problem with them. The one I own now has lasted 6 years of heavy use.
Asus and acer used to (might still be) contract manufacturers for computers. They now are selling under own brand. Good products. Lenovo has some quality ones, but the Chinese treasury might be piggy backing your trades then
Lenovo is just the old IBM hardware division, right? Not sure I’d go that route anyway. Whatabout HPQ, I’ve been hearing good things?
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My wife and I are 0 for 2 on HP. I have heard good things about Toshiba.
Only over-the-age-limit pikers would hold such blasphemous thoughts towards the One True Computer Company. For shame.
One of these days you’ll see the light.
Until then, watch how they crush numbers tonight like the Coen’s crush movies. And then when iPad part deux comes out… ooooh, mama.
Mrs. Jake likes her MacBook Pro, and the kids like all their eye-whatevers, but I don’t like the interface compared to good old MisterSoft.
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I second the Toshiba recommendation. I like both Asus and Acer as well.
Indeud.
Trust not the trojan Lenovo…
Get a damn MacBook Pro and stop being an oldster
Nothing more pathetic than an old man attempting to be “hip.”
Even when I was young I was never hip. And I just bought some 501’s… indigo blue, no be-ess washing, old school like the miners used to wear.
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Actually, those are hip jeans. Old skool.
The point I’m trying to make is my Mac works great. No issues ever. Runs MS office, hells you can even run windows. Runs all my trading software no probs, great battery life.
That said, I’ve always had a Sony Vaio too. Sony seems to put a little shine on their PCs, making them less Government-issue looking. Nice touches here and there.
Fashion aside, the Macs work. And then you add in the ecosystem products like Apple TV and it becomes fun. Magical. Like you are holding the Internet in the palm of your hand. 🙂
I’ve always had good experience with Dell. In fact the one I’m typing on at the moment is 5 years old and still works perfectly. Had to replace the battery, but that is to be expected. Oh, and I didn’t have to fork over twice as much.
Apple shmappel
I s6hetched t0 msy d3ll. 4s you can s33 the k3b0ard works gretae and the speall chkr is exkselent
I have made over 2 dozen computers and Asus has been one of the two top motherboards manufacturers I’ve used (Gigabyte the other) IMO. This past Christmas I purchased 3 Asus netbooks and am very satisfied at this point (one month not long experience) . Haven’t owned their laptops but before Thinkpad was purchased by China, they were the best by far although pricey. Couldn’t comment on them now. HP is VG but too much bloatware. I prefer to build’em. Desktops that is.
I’ve got the HP envy on my list.
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/series_can.do?storeName=computer_store&landing=notebooks&a1=Category&v1=ENVY&jumpid=in_R329_prodexp/hhoslp/psg/notebooks/leftnav_category_envy
Speaking as a sys admin who tends to a flock of desktops and laptops, I like Dell. Nothing flashy, just boring low cost standard Intel (or AMD) reference spec implementations. With a coupon code the Dell deals are actually quite good. I’m not anti Apple. We’re an Apple authorized service center as well. That said, the capricious fashionable case designs are actually very highly customized internally to fit in various form factors and squeeze into those sexy cases and there have been a large number of debacles over the years that have not, by in large, happened to the clone makers. That said, the new unibody macbooks have been quite reliable in our shop. Nothing like the another-day-another-cracked-top-case-replacement of the old Macbooks. If you want a little more power get a new Intel Sandy Bridge chipped machine. If you want to save money, get a closeout i5/i7 deal.
Silver stocks are up quite a bit today!
Lightening up on EXK could be a little premature!
Adding a position in ZSL could be a mistake!
Just saying Jake!
But I sold EXK nearly a dollar north of here. So you tell me.
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My son tells me that Windows 7 will run on any PC and give you an Apple experience with your Mr Softy business oriented addiction ….
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/pc-scout/default.aspx
Slow day today, so I followed the link, answered the questions, and on the final screen – just when the recommendations were to be presented – nothing happened. I sat there for 3 mins. Nothing. Dead air.
This summarizes my lifetime of Microsoft experiences.
hahaha … and what are you using, a MAC? And so the battle rages on ….
you playing BOOM these days?
No, waiting for a buy-able pullback. Watching.
Been playing PNFP lately, amongst other names.
Ever look at GHM? Thinner but another to watch for a pull-back …
On a side note, that tin man picture is creepy.
Yeah, and that’s the real McCoy– Jack Haley, post-oiling episode.
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JG, With all due respect…why would you seem to hate AAPL and let that affect your investment? Whether or not YOU like the product, it’s is a remarkably run outfit that will probably blowout #’s tonight. And for bad news yesterday, it is holding up very well. I am shocked, REALLY shocked…and no sly reference to Casablanca intended either, please explain.
I have no beefs w. CRAAPL’s business model, I was merely laying out a pretext for the market to drop.
Because the market will drop, and they will need to blame it on SOMETHING.
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If only every American company was as crap as AAPL.
Their reflection upon one’s manhood aside, their machines have a build quality and fit and finish no other company even attempts to match. Flip one over and look at the tolerances they’re building their cases to. No cost-shaving there. The machines are overbuilt.
The closest Windows equivalent would be the Dell Adamo, I suppose, but who knows what’s going on beneath the hood. You get what you pay for.
I”ve heard some complaints about CRAAPL jamming their junk into that tin box… form over function raps?
Again, I’ve no beef with them.
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Jim Cramer Blog
Change You Can Believe In
By Jim Cramer
RealMoney Columnist
1/18/2011 5:16 PM EST
URL: http://www.thestreet.com/p/rmoney/jimcramerblog/10977547.html
We elected the candidate Obama who wrote today’s excellent op-ed piece excoriating bad, needless regulation. We elected the candidate who wanted to spur small business investing. With these initiatives on his mind, we believed it was possible to elect a president that would push for faster approval of technological advances, things like medical devices that save lives.
We also — not covered in the op-ed — wanted a president who made sense of the corporate taxes and gave corporations a chance to re-invest here (and do it in an intelligent way).
We seem to be getting that president. He seems to have recognized that, without confidence at the board room, we are not going to create jobs.
It is high time we recognize that this is the Obama that does not have to deal with Nancy Pelosi to get things done. I also think that the ideological advising team has left the building and the pro-growth wing, as represented by Bill Daley, is in charge.
All of these changes allow for us to pay more for earnings, especially at a time when the emerging markets are bound to cool because of big rate hikes. The money from there to here, coupled with the bond money that’s been sidelined, could come in now that the “now is not the time for profits” president isn’t running the show anymore.
I believe that when we elected Obama we thought we had elected Clinton, who was, without a doubt, the single most pro-growth president we had last century, INCLUDING Ronald Reagan.
This “new” president recognizes that we cannot lose our competitive edge and that he has to support business whether he likes it or not.
I keep thinking about which business people really have the president’s ear, and I believe the most important one is Dave Cote, the unbelievably good CEO of Honeywell (HON) . Cote understands that growth can help get us out of the hole even as he also knows we have to curb entitlements. Cote’s for non-environment-destroying growth. That’s what we want.
This new president is a president that will not stand in the way of progress or profitability for all, as Ford (F) CEO Alan Mulally puts it.
Need I remind you that gridlock with a pro-growth president is probably the single greatest political environment we can have for profits.
Need I remind you that this president did compromise on taxes once Pelosi, who would never have done that, lost her power. He also pushed through a payroll tax cut that is going to make retail much better.
I am saying believe in this guy. He’s going to be Clinton. He’s not going to be Pelosi. I wonder if he ever really was.
The ideologues have lost power and filling up the vacuum are people who can create, hire, grow.
It’s a virtuous circle from here on in. There will be occasional bumps — an EPA that rules against Arch Coal (ACI) — but no more true blindsiding of executives who need confidence to build plants “here” not “there.”
LOL, he really has broken hard right, hasn’t he? I guess Michelle slapped him upside his head and said “Hey Dummy! I LIKE living in the White House!”
Give him a couple of more months and he’ll be signing the repeal of Obamacare with a big smile on his face, saying “This was MY idea all along!”
Frakking politicians….
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http://halttheassault.com/2011/01/19/our-regulation-nation/
Fun read
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/chinese-bank-scams-vindicate-local-claims/story-e6frg8zx-1225989865717
Forged commercial paper with Chinese banks. Hope our treasury didn’t take any in with swaps to banks