Investing

[Motown Bombers]

There are people who put $200k deposits on Tesla Raodsters back in like 2017 that still have not been delivered. I would think he should invest $44 billion in Tesla to deliver on his many failed promises than buy Twitter. 

[gehringer_2]

14 minutes ago, Tigeraholic1 said:

You are correct about Apple. I would never own an Android, they are for non tech boomers and bad credit phone contracts. 

Assuming Apple doesn't blow it. I've been with iPhone since 4, and they seem to be slowly losing their intuitiveness. I understand that it gets progressively harder to maintain simplicity as function continues to go up, but that is their sine qua non to maintain their place.

Edited May 13, 2022 by gehringer_2

[Tigeraholic1]

8 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

I've never heard someone say Android is for non tech people. The whole allure of Apple is suppose to be user friendly. Apparently you don't go to the forums where the young people are rooting and installing custom roms on their Androids. 

They are burner phones.

[gehringer_2]

16 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

I've never heard someone say Android is for non tech people. The whole allure of Apple is suppose to be user friendly. Apparently you don't go to the forums where the young people are rooting and installing custom roms on their Androids. 

I would say I also know more geeky people with Androids. It's a funny thing though, a lot of very tech savvy users also reach a point where they could bother but don't want to. I see the best example of this in our Computer Science dept. Macs are a relatively closed platform, and half of the programming tools they teach don't run on them, but the personal machines of a huge part of the faculty are Macs. They don't want to bother playing around with their lap top, they just want to get their clerical work done on it.

Edited May 13, 2022 by gehringer_2

[Motown Bombers]

2 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

I would say I also know more geeky people with Androids. It's a funny thing though, a lot of very tech savvy users also reach a point where they could bother but don't want to. I see the best example of this in our Computer Science dept. Macs are a relatively closed platform, and half of the programming tools they teach don't run on them, but the personal machines of a huge part of the faculty are Macs. The don't want to bother playing around with their lap top, they just want to get their clerical work done on it.

I'm in the same boat really. I have a Note that I spent a lot of time adjusting and customizing and then have a Macbook that I just wanted to be able to open and use. I still dislike tablets. I'm sticking with laptops until the bitter end. Once you go down an ecosystem with phones it's hard to get out. I'm so deep into the Google ecosystem that switching to an iPhone would be more hassle than worth. 

[gehringer_2]

Musk in another public pissing match with Twitter.

https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/elon-musk-says-twitter-legal-team-told-him-he-violated-an-nda-2022-05-15/

Here is something I don't understand. What is he going to do with a company whose management he doesn't like? Fire them all and get paralysis and chaos? Elon is a guy who actually knows how to do a start-up and even a net start up. If what he whats is a different Twitter, at what point would it just make more sense to start one? If there is  anywhere in the world where customer loyalty is tenuous, it's the web. And Twitter isn't even like Facebook where your history is more part of the package. Seems to me he could get to where he wants to go a lot faster putting his money into his own people and his own ideas rather than trying to buy a Ford to make his idea of a Ferrari.

[CMRivdogs]

And if he does take over he'll end up with a 1970 Fiat. As an aside I saw about a half dozen Teslas on the highway traveling between Roanoke, Va and Richmond. I notice at least one daily around here. What boring uninspired motor vehicles.

Edited May 15, 2022 by CMRivdogs

[Jim Cowan]

On 5/13/2022 at 11:06 AM, gehringer_2 said:

I would say I also know more geeky people with Androids. It's a funny thing though, a lot of very tech savvy users also reach a point where they could bother but don't want to. I see the best example of this in our Computer Science dept. Macs are a relatively closed platform, and half of the programming tools they teach don't run on them, but the personal machines of a huge part of the faculty are Macs. They don't want to bother playing around with their lap top, they just want to get their clerical work done on it.

I've never owned any Apple devices.  I had my first computer on my desk in 1988 and in my home at about the same time, and they had to be IBM compatible so Apple was only used by people in graphic design.  Even as recently as 10 years ago if a student put up his hand and said "the learning site won't open" my first question would be "are you using a Mac?  You are?  Well there is your problem".  I couldn't have survived in business or education using Apple products.

 

[CMRivdogs]

I'm actually rooting for this. Would rather see a Jet Blue takeover than a Frontier/Spirit mess...

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/16/jetblue-launches-hostile-takeover-bid-for-spirit-airlines.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axioscloser&stream=top

[Tiger337]

23 hours ago, Jim Cowan said:

I've never owned any Apple devices.  I had my first computer on my desk in 1988 and in my home at about the same time, and they had to be IBM compatible so Apple was only used by people in graphic design.  Even as recently as 10 years ago if a student put up his hand and said "the learning site won't open" my first question would be "are you using a Mac?  You are?  Well there is your problem".  I couldn't have survived in business or education using Apple products.

 

I have also never had an Apple.  I have had to learn how to use their crappy interface in helping students program and I am glad I've never had one.  

[gehringer_2]

17 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

I have also never had an Apple.  I have had to learn how to use their crappy interface in helping students program and I am glad I've never had one.  

I've run both, PC laptops and MacBooks. The Macs are pretty nice as long as you can work inside their universe. Other than the misstep with the keyboards, they are awesomely well built and MacOS doesn't constantly ambush you like Windows. I do think they are slipping a little, maybe because of the strain of supporting M1 and Intel but Monterrey is the first upgrade that I ever had issues with. I actually backed it out and am staying with Big Sur for the time being. Still less headache than windows constantly is - which is why the primary OS on my PC stuff in Linux!

[Tiger337]

19 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

I've run both, PC laptops and MacBooks. The Macs are pretty nice as long as you can work inside their universe. Other than the misstep with the keyboards, they are awesomely well built and MacOS doesn't constantly ambush you like Windows. I do think they are slipping a little, maybe because of the strain of supporting M1 and Intel but Monterrey is the first upgrade that I ever had issues with. I actually backed it out and am staying with Big Sur for the time being. Still less headache than windows constantly is - which is why the primary OS on my PC stuff in Linux!

I have not done anything complicated with a Mac.  I mostly don't like them because finding files is not intuitive and they don't work well with Stata (which is what I teach).   

[Deleterious]

Twitter should have been the easiest short in the history of shorts.

Musk reportedly says Twitter deal at lower price ‘not out of the question’

[Screwball]

-10.6 as I type this.

On edit: they released earnings today.

Edited May 17, 2022 by Screwball

[Motown Bombers]

On 5/15/2022 at 1:02 PM, gehringer_2 said:

Musk in another public pissing match with Twitter.

https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/elon-musk-says-twitter-legal-team-told-him-he-violated-an-nda-2022-05-15/

Here is something I don't understand. What is he going to do with a company whose management he doesn't like? Fire them all and get paralysis and chaos? Elon is a guy who actually knows how to do a start-up and even a net start up. If what he whats is a different Twitter, at what point would it just make more sense to start one? If there is  anywhere in the world where customer loyalty is tenuous, it's the web. And Twitter isn't even like Facebook where your history is more part of the package. Seems to me he could get to where he wants to go a lot faster putting his money into his own people and his own ideas rather than trying to buy a Ford to make his idea of a Ferrari.

Elon Musk isn't the genius his followers and media make him out to be. He never founded Tesla and Tesla hasn't made anything innovative now in over 10 years. They're still using basically the same car from 2011. They did however add the ability to add fart noises to the infotainment. He's all hype and failed promises. He is not capable of developing a Twitter competitor. 

[chasfh]

I was repeatedly told during minimum wage debates that raising it would be disastrous only for consumers because retailers could simply pass on 100% of increased costs to consumers.

 

Edited May 18, 2022 by chasfh

[gehringer_2]

17 minutes ago, chasfh said:

I was repeatedly told during minimum wage debates that raising it would be disastrous only for consumers because retailers could simply pass on 100% of increased costs to consumers.

 

much ado about nothing anyway. Target's report still depicts a plenty healthy enterprise.

[Tigeraholic1]

Not ideal….

 

[chasfh]

4 hours ago, gehringer_2 said:

much ado about nothing anyway. Target's report still depicts a plenty healthy enterprise.

No doubt. Buy low on them. Point is that with all the increased costs they cite, they couldn’t just pass it all on to the consumer in the form of higher prices as though it’s no big deal and we have no choice but to pay the increase. Target has to absorb some of those cost increases because people will go elsewhere for substitution goods. 

[gehringer_2]

18 minutes ago, chasfh said:

No doubt. Buy low on them. Point is that with all the increased costs they cite, they couldn’t just pass it all on to the consumer in the form of higher prices as though it’s no big deal and we have no choice but to pay the increase. Target has to absorb some of those cost increases because people will go elsewhere for substitution goods. 

I would also guess that an enterprise like Target is very sensitive to comparison price shopping, so when things like supply chain issues increase costs, and they expect that to be transient, they are more willing to absorb some of that expense themselves short term, rather than have shoppers see their prices go up more than the guy down the street and maybe lose that customer longer term. But longer term, I would think that if they are confident their operating costs are competitive they will raise prices and recoup their margins as costs they believe are permanent go up.

[chasfh]

56 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

I would also guess that an enterprise like Target is very sensitive to comparison price shopping, so when things like supply chain issues increase costs, and they expect that to be transient, they are more willing to absorb some of that expense themselves short term, rather than have shoppers see their prices go up more than the guy down the street and maybe lose that customer longer term. But longer term, I would think that if they are confident their operating costs are competitive they will raise prices and recoup their margins as costs they believe are permanent go up.

There’s something to that. I also believe retailers also have to absorb the increase cost of labor too. I don’t think they can compartmentalize increased costs from transient issues that they cannot pass on, versus increased costs from labor which they feel they can totally pass 100% onto us. At least not at first. 

[gehringer_2]

5 minutes ago, chasfh said:

There’s something to that. I also believe retailers also have to absorb the increase cost of labor too. I don’t think they can compartmentalize increased costs from transient issues that they cannot pass on, versus increased costs from labor which they feel they can totally pass 100% onto us. At least not at first. 

I think business can successfully pass on a cost like labor as long as they are not put at a competitive disadvantage in their market segment to the guy down the street. But higher labor cost can create contraction of the whole market segment - for instance if the entry level labor cost burden is a higher % of cost of sales for in person retail than for on-line (just picking a hypothetical  - I have no idea) then that is where the rub would come. 

But a business like retail is not even at as much risk for that as businesses that cater to discretionary markets. Increases in costs at Starbucks may motivate more people to make their own coffee, and at that point Starbucks is just out of luck along with Caribou and everyone else. In that case I think you have to look at employment levels across the economy to optimize policy. I don't think it's that terrible to put pressure on the creation of low paying jobs *if* higher paying jobs are going begging. Its like anything else really, you can't make good policy in a vacuum, the immediate circumstances always matter. And I absolutely don't believe every business segment has some innate right to low enough labor costs to exist if the economy has some other use for those workers that can pay them more.

[Jim Cowan]

42 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

And I absolutely don't believe every business segment has some innate right to low enough labor costs to exist if the economy has some other use for those workers that can pay them more.

Correct.  It is a privilege to operate a business in a relatively free society, and with that comes a set of responsibilities to stakeholders including employees.  If your business can't survive if you pay more than the minimum, you have a shitty business that never made long term sense to begin with.  Yes, I do not belong to the Chamber of Commerce.

[Screwball]

It is not a privilege to operate a business in a society.  It is a matter of profit and loss.  If you don't make enough money, you go out of business.

That's the market.  The market is us.  No matter the shit show we have been bullshitted into believing in.

What a spectacular day we had, speaking of the market.

I'm guessing Jerome Powell isn't getting much sleep.  Nor the other FOMC financial idiots.

[pfife]

7 hours ago, Tigeraholic1 said:

Not ideal….

 

unless you're a buyer?

fwiw my android screen is way way swanker than that, that dashboard appears like it's from 2010.

Edited May 19, 2022 by pfife