Author Topic: Things Smackie Thinks You Need to Know...  (Read 1902691 times)

vansmack

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Re: Things Smackie Thinks You Need to Know...
« Reply #2505 on: March 21, 2012, 04:37:32 pm »
you seem to be an excellent source of information from people "in the know."  do people "in the know" think that apple is finally showing signs of being a doomed company?  i'm just a simple outsider who thinks that a lot of ipad three sales aren't going to solve problems, that is if there are any problems at all.

There aren't any problems at Apple as far as a company with a ton of cash and a fanbase willing to buy their products is concerned.

Their share buyback and dividend payout was simply a strategy to get shareholders off their back because they had a ton of cash in reserve (and I'm sure something an accountant could explain in further detail as to why it had to happen now).

They will continue to produce products that will sell in the millions around the world for years to come.  I would argue that Apple's as strong now as it's probably ever been.  Even my friends who work their say that the concern about Jobs death is gone and it's becoming a fun place to work again.

The iPad will be replaced by other tablets in a matter of a year or two, much like the Apple II was, and then the Mac, and then the iPhone, etc, as long as they're first to market with products others are struggling to keep up with, they'll continue to do fine until they don't have that hot new product.  I expect they'll do something bigger in the TV arena next - Apple TV is not what they wanted it to be, but the next TV-type device might be.
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i am gay and i like cats

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Re: Things Smackie Thinks You Need to Know...
« Reply #2506 on: March 21, 2012, 10:38:40 pm »
good lord . . . you are "in the know."   ;D   nice.  i like explanations i can understand.

vansmack

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Re: Things Smackie Thinks You Need to Know...
« Reply #2507 on: March 22, 2012, 02:41:02 pm »
good lord . . . you are "in the know."   ;D   nice.  i like explanations i can understand.

Don't take my word for it - from next week's Economist:

iRational
Apple is an iconic brand. Now it is a totemic investment, too


I hate the products and the business model, but I'm not an idiot - even I'm a shareholder...

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HoyaSaxa03

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Re: Things Smackie Thinks You Need to Know...
« Reply #2508 on: March 26, 2012, 03:05:36 pm »
I need to fill out a fantasy baseball league, and this thread seems as appropriate as any:

PM me with your name and email address if you're interested

ESPN, $50 entry (70/30/10 payout), weekly lineups, weekly head-to-head matchups on 10 scoring categories:

OBP / SLG / R / RBI / K (neg)
ERA / WHIP / QS / SV+HLD / K (pos)

there's much less time suck with this due to weekly lineups.
(o|o)

vansmack

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Re: Things Smackie Thinks You Need to Know...
« Reply #2509 on: March 26, 2012, 04:44:30 pm »
Smackie approved.

Existing league or new league?

New week starts Monday?
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HoyaSaxa03

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Re: Things Smackie Thinks You Need to Know...
« Reply #2510 on: March 26, 2012, 05:27:01 pm »
Smackie approved.

Existing league or new league?

New week starts Monday?

New league titled People's Front of Judea.  My team is the Judean People's Front and we also have Black Sabathia, among other witty bon mots.

Not clear when new week starts.  ESPN says "Weekly - Lock at First Game of Week".

Smackie, I'll send you an invite, others welcome.

(o|o)

vansmack

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Re: Things Smackie Thinks You Need to Know...
« Reply #2511 on: March 26, 2012, 05:46:10 pm »
Unfortunately, I can't make your draft.  I'll be scouting talent in Phoenix.  Oh, and watching some baseball too.
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vansmack

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Re: Things Smackie Thinks You Need to Know...
« Reply #2512 on: April 06, 2012, 12:41:16 pm »
I'm probably a little too picky for something like this, but Smackie LOVES the concept:


Students Offer Free Sex to Help Coeds Make the Grade
By Selina Marx

Three male business students at the University of Mannheim in southwestern Germany are offering a free callboy service to female students who want to improve their grades through an active sex life. The young entrepreneurs claim they are championing female sexuality, but others are doubtful.

As a business model, it's a win-win formula: Two potential partners set out to profit from a mutual transaction. That must be how the three business students from the University of Mannheim in southwestern Germany, who call themselves Oskar, Christopher and Julius, imagined things to be when they decided to offer their services by creating what could best be described as a free brothel. They offer stressed-out, female students uncomplicated and anonymous one-night stands.

As future marketing experts, the students know that business ideas with at least a pseudo-philosophical foundation are often the ones that are best received. They call their project Bib:Love -- a reference to the first letters of the German word Bibliothek, meaning library -- and the slogans which they have plastered on posters around the university's campus promise "Good Grades through Good Sex." The young men claim that their project is about emancipation in a broader sense and that their initiative should be recognized as more than a mere coital campaign.

"We are focusing on female students in particular, because they generally come out badly after one-night stands," says 21-year-old Christopher. "What's more, girls who just want to have some fun are often labeled as sluts." According to the three men, that's unfair. The idea for Bib:Love came to them during an alcohol-fuelled night last autumn.

'Good Grades and Good Sex'

When other students see the signs for Bib:Love, they often joke and roar with laughter. "Good grades and good sex: I could use both," says one student standing in the university entrance hall, triggering laughter among his friends.

This type of reaction is a frequent one, says Oskar, but ultimately students want to know more about Bib:Love. Lately, the men say, they've been getting numerous emails from students looking for more information. Oskar and his partners then reply: "Many students are too stressed out during exams to go out at night. This leads their sex lives to languish." But armed with the knowledge that regular physical exercise brings health benefits and helps with studying, the young men behind Bib:Love are more than happy to provide support. Female students who spend their evenings drained and fatigued in the library and are in the mood for a little closeness and intimacy are encouraged to send an email. Then one of the three men will meet with them. If the circumstances are right, the meeting ends in sex.

The guys behind Bib:Love present themselves as service providers with a sense of humor, but at the same time as young men who are fighting for female sexual emancipation. Given that sex is involved, they also get something from the project. Though they may fancy themselves in the role of sex-saints, it is also possible they are trying to mask their own insecurity. In any case, Christopher and Oskar appear incredibly casual as they address their fellow students about their huge plans in the L3 student café at the University of Mannheim. The two could be brothers. Both have short brown hair, green eyes and an athletic build and both scrunch up their eyes when they laugh. The two are attractive enough young men, that they probably wouldn't really need the Internet to find girls.

And yet the two hide behind their pseudonyms, preferring not to have their real names published. After all, there is no way of knowing how professors and fellow students would respond. This is where the façade of the supposed "emancipation project" crumbles to pieces. The young men don't want to reveal too much about themselves and want to stay in control. It appears these future economists are simply playing the role of Casanova.

82 Queries, Five One-Night Stands

The men claim they have so far received 82 messages at the Bib:Love Hotmail. Some are searching for intimacy, some crack jokes and others are simply curious. Of these messages, nine have resulted in bookings. The meeting point is always the L3 student café on the University of Mannheim campus. "The L3 is the perfect spot because there are always a lot of students here during the week," says Oskar. "Then you can meet and have a beer and check to see if the chemistry is right." The young men reserve the right to withdraw their service should a girl's appearance be unpromising.

The young men claim that five one-night-stands have taken place so far. Lisa, 23, became the first. She refuses to provide the journalist with her real name, although she says she has nothing negative to report. The evening was unusually enjoyable, she says. It was the classic scenario: They went for a beer, chatted and then continued to his place. But does it champion female emancipation, as the men claim it does? Not according to Lisa, who sees the whole thing as no more than a nice way to meet and have a good time together.

University officials and the student body association are primarily viewing the campaign with a sense of humor. "I think the project is funny," says Rosa Reichenberger, a member of the student body's board. Still, she's very skeptical of claims it might help lead to better grades.

"I never expected we would get such a big response," says Christopher. The trio have also received inquiries from students in other German college towns, including Tübingen and Ulm, with interest in opening up their own franchises of Bib:Love.

Brothel comparisons aside, the Bib:World project is not as wild as one might think. Unusual sexual practices are not catered for, admits Christopher. Bib:Love is confined to that which students like to do on a typical Friday night: meet someone in a bar, spend a night with the student from next door -- foreplay and breakfast the next morning included if desired. Bib:Love is essentially the typical one-night stand, albeit a much better-marketed one.


URL:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,825714,00.html
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sweetcell

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Re: Things Smackie Thinks You Need to Know...
« Reply #2513 on: April 06, 2012, 01:06:47 pm »
Bib:Love is essentially the typical one-night stand, albeit a much better-marketed one.

dammit.  so THAT was my problem, back in the day: marketing.  wish i would have learned this after I got my biz degree but while i was still single.

who knew that approaching a woman with a good slogan, a slick brochure and correct pricing was the path to coital success.  take note, kids.
<sig>

vansmack

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Re: Things Smackie Thinks You Need to Know...
« Reply #2514 on: April 06, 2012, 02:52:24 pm »
who knew that approaching a woman with a good slogan, a slick brochure and correct pricing was the path to coital success.  take note, kids.

It's really as easy as complimenting the shoes, and walking away.  She'll come find you.
27>34

vansmack

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Re: Things Smackie Thinks You Need to Know...
« Reply #2515 on: April 09, 2012, 06:26:12 pm »
Some really good banter about regarding FB's acquisition of Instagram, but my favorite so far:

Instragram = $1 Billion, Kodak = Bankrupt.
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HoyaSaxa03

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Re: Things Smackie Thinks You Need to Know...
« Reply #2516 on: April 10, 2012, 02:23:36 pm »
I'm cutting the cable (TV) cord, any recommendations on websites aggregating news/reviews for devices and streaming services?

any must have devices?  I have an XBOX, planning on getting an apple tv.  I'd like to buy a DVR to record OTA TV, but don't want to pay a monthly subscription (like TiVo).
(o|o)

vansmack

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Re: Things Smackie Thinks You Need to Know...
« Reply #2517 on: April 10, 2012, 02:35:53 pm »
I'm cutting the cable (TV) cord, any recommendations on websites aggregating news/reviews for devices and streaming services?

any must have devices?  I have an XBOX, planning on getting an apple tv.  I'd like to buy a DVR to record OTA TV, but don't want to pay a monthly subscription (like TiVo).

Great topic.  I'm off to a lunch but will revisit this shortly as I've made a few turns lately in this realm.

As an aside though, I'm interested in knowing what you'd like to record OTA?  I've been having this debate with a friend...
27>34

HoyaSaxa03

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Re: Things Smackie Thinks You Need to Know...
« Reply #2518 on: April 10, 2012, 02:59:16 pm »
I'm cutting the cable (TV) cord, any recommendations on websites aggregating news/reviews for devices and streaming services?

any must have devices?  I have an XBOX, planning on getting an apple tv.  I'd like to buy a DVR to record OTA TV, but don't want to pay a monthly subscription (like TiVo).

Great topic.  I'm off to a lunch but will revisit this shortly as I've made a few turns lately in this realm.

As an aside though, I'm interested in knowing what you'd like to record OTA?  I've been having this debate with a friend...

I'm assuming there are OTA programs that I can't stream easily.  I watch the NewsHour every evening, it looks like PBS has some good options for streaming, but not sure how close to real-time.

The main things that I'll miss are HBO and MASN for Nationals games.  I'm working on getting my luddite parents to give me their HBO GO login, but I don't see a way to stream Nationals games in DC without doing going to some illegal mirroring sites.  I have MLB At Bat and love it.
(o|o)

chaz

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Re: Things Smackie Thinks You Need to Know...
« Reply #2519 on: April 10, 2012, 03:09:47 pm »

but I don't see a way to stream Nationals games in DC without doing going to some illegal mirroring sites. 

Local sports are the ONLY reason i have not cut the chord yet.  The streams are there to be watched, but the quality varies. 

I'm considering a move out of the DC area next year, and if I do, I'll be killing cable once and for all, since DC teams won't be blacked out anymore on the baseball/hockey league pass channels.