I just ‘hung up’ with my wife and daughter who are over in Europe at the moment. I have been video calling them at least once a day for the past couple of weeks using Skype. Skype (if you live in a cave and don’t know) is a software application that allows you to make calls over the internet. It is free to call another computer and they charge a small fee to call to cell or landlines. If you and that person you are calling both have webcams and mic/speakers, which almost all new laptops have built in these days, you can video chat.
I love this service as i get to visually interact with my girls when talking to them and it makes the distance much more bearbale (again for free). Seeing my wife’s ever-expanding belly is so much better than just hearing about it as she tends to exaggerate ocassionally.
By no means is Skype unique. There seems to be a new, free video chat service popping up daily. Some others that i know about are: gmail video chat, msn messenger, ooVoo and ichat. Grandparents & grandkids, parents and their college age children, old friends once separated by great distances are all re-connecting on the cheap in real time with these services. I recently read that facebook will be adding a video chat function in the near future.
Now these sites are all set up for person-to-person or small group calling; i’m not talking about sexual deviant sites like myballsonyourchin.com or some such ‘chatrooms’, where sexual deviants with a webcam go to show off their bait-n-tackle in group circle-jerks. Though as technology progresses, so too will those types of forums. Everyone needs a hobby, right?
As i’m sure you know, Skype is owned by Ebay and they have been talking about spinning it off as it’s own seperate entity and taking it public in 2010. It has also been in the news recently due to a software licensing dispute with it’s original developers (fargin Estonians ; ) which may complicate the IPO offering next year. I think j commented on that on Fly’s blog last week.
I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on this upcoming IPO and any other comments related to voice over internet services, pros & cons of said services or any other thoughts that come to mind. Any ideas on stock plays where i can bank some coin?
I agree with The Fly’s 4G/smartphone thesis and am guessing that video calling to the other side of the planet via one of these free internet services will be a lot more mainstream in the near future. You pay ‘x’ amount for the data package of your provider but no other costs would be associated. Long gone are the days of MaBell charging you an arm & a leg to make an overseas call.
Of course, There have been a few times during my 30-40 minute calls where one of our cams freeze up or there is a slight delay in the sound but we simply hang up and call again. I can’t really complain as i think i mentioned, it’s free.
Best
-DMG
lol, I was sure you were gonna reference Obama’s “we’re not gonna kill grandma” line from the other day with that 2nd picture.
My stock idea: make good with a broker and get in early on the Skype IPO. And short phone companies.
Yeah, i’m kind of feeling sorry for the O’man today. Must be the mugginess here in Virginia w/ 80% humidity, bringing out my ‘compassionate conservatism’ ; )
RE your stock idea: Ok…but how is Skype going to make a buck long term? Adverts?
I know they have a fee service to landlines – $12.95/month unlimited calls worldwide, $5.95/month unlimited calls to any one country outside US and $2.95/month unlimited calls inside US and Canada. (also to cell phones but not sure those #’s)
BUT how long will that rev be there as more and more folks get online?
I agree landlines will soon become obsolete but aren’t most phone companies now offering cell and/or internet service?
I’d imagine the long-term profits would come from the corporate world. There’s a lot of upside there, I believe, especially once their SIP service comes out of beta… I’m not sure what their rates may be for corporate customers, but I know many around my company are clamoring for its adoption instead of our current Orange Business Solutions…
If nothing else, that would provide somewhat of a hit to the ‘traditional’ phone companies.
DMG
I’m liking RS and RGR for reversals and a nice swing trade. You’re welcome. Love to play inflection points. OOh I’ve learned so much from Fly.
As a “recovering ” I note 3 bullish items: VIX is down. $BkX is up, and UUP is down: thus market going up.
2 random thoughts re: Fly
1. Because he is punching off moustaches of the readers and insufferable when winning,and muchkinder and gentler when losing,… he has the “contingencies of reinforcement”(rewards) set up poorly: i.e., we are likely to like him more when he loses. If I were his consultant I would recommend him being angry and castigating readers only when losing!! and more solicitious and amicable when winning.
2. I agree with DMG yesterday: why is the “cult of Fly” so thin skinned? They are quick to pile on the bears, but allow zero dissent or ideas from the same. To now trot out a FHI (Fly Haters Index) is the height of asshattery. I have my coffee and Fly first thing in the morning. Love him, But it doesn’t mean I agree with every word he blogs. Pls lighten the fuck up on a little healthy dissent about the direction of the market. You really do NOT want a love fest “for bulls only” here.
Just because we don’t say FIG and aren’t treckly sweet like Anton doesn’t mean we aren’t lovin the IBC.
Cebu – a little off topic, no? (not that there’s anything wrong with that). You like RS & RGR for reversals as in you think they will be down today? next week?
“You’re welcome”?? Am i supposed to thank you for dropping those two precious gifts in my lap? Thanks for sharing, i guess.
As far as random thoughts re: Fly; why post them here on this blog? Why not ‘say’ them to him directly on his blog? I think the fucker is hilarious and that’s why i started reading his blog – not for investment advice – though i have followed him on a trade or two.
“I agree with DMG yesterday” – what exactly are you referring to? I think you may have me confused with someone else.
Sorry, these comments just seem a little schizo…Perhaps the Cebu Sun is causing some complications?
I’m an iChat fan. But I guess that’s also because I’m also an Apple fan. But you know that already. skype is nice but iChat comes installed with apple. but they’re pretty much the same. Irregardless (sic) as a business traveler it’s as good as gold when talking to the wife while away (keep it in the pants perverts). I’d invest in a heartbeat if it made sense.
Nice job covering for JG. Now you should just convince him to put aapl in the jacksonians. After the pullback, of course.
Yossarian! Well, you’re all grows up, huh ?
Can you ichat on your iphone or just through your ghey little macbook? i.e. at a wifi hotspot (because i imagine the att&t network would be horrendous for video chat, no?), can you log on to ichat and video chat long distance for free (not incl. your data pck with att&t?) or do they ‘nickel & dime’ you?
I made a couple of decent trades with aapl as you know back in March…wish i held onto it. Did you buy more during that time or were you just white knuckling it fall – winter?
Down the cellah!
Just wanted to say, I am back to shorting gold. between here and prices to ~95. Best of luck again.
Da-bears, come clean. You are really the ‘infamous’ Josh, no?
Either way, i hope lady luck treats you well because from what i’ve seen lately, she’s been fuggin you up the A and not even bothering with the reach around.
Shorting gold!? Also I thought Joshu1stg12a was July 30th ha
One in the same, me thinks.
I think July 30th and josh/bear are 2 different people. Grammar and syntax patterns seem quite different. If they are the same person they have a gift for writing in different dialects.
July 30th is a little more coherent in his writing? Agreud.
I will Agreu
DMG – my picks for banking coin on this: T and VZ. Why? The name of the game is providing bandwidth to both mobile and landline subscribers. I think too many people have overlooked these two because of the decay in the land line cash cow business. I know the idea is similar to Cramer’s — UH Fly’s mobile thesis (I’m not on the PPT yet so I don’t know Fly’s picks). I guess it’s really the second stage part of the thesis, since the carriers (um the subscribers) will be paying for the 4g network build outs.
I think this is the longer term conservative play especially for those looking to tweak a bit of income from their holdings. I currently don’t own either T or VZ, but will be adding some to the income producing portion of the portfolio during the next correction.
Yeah i like VZ for the divvies…
And though i think they will be gaining more market share w/ their FIOS service, they have fowled (sic) a lot of people with their shitty customer service.
Don’t even get me started on talking to customer service reps based in india…
I still have them as my cell provider but have wished a painful, slow death upon them many a time.
Can’t believe you missed Eyetalian night both in & out “da City.”
_
Yeah, i should have made the trip up – but was supposed to go out on a boat this am.
Plus, i had a couple of closings yesterday , so couldn’t get away.
check your email