naked capitalism

Anonymous says:

If you’re going to link to that Wired story, at least link to the Gruber take-down as well.

Count me as one of those who appreciate your use of Optima and American Typewriter, even if Windows users can’t (15% of US computers sales now).

Yves Smith says:

I did add the link, because even if it is predictable, in this case Gruber has a point. His offense at the implication that Apple is evil is overheated, which does reduce his credibility. However, while I probably labor under the delusion that my information is in any way shape or form protected (at least I use a comparatively obscure website/mail host), I am hugely leery of some of the ideas Google is promoting, like GoogleDocs. Bad enough that we have gotten accustomed to giving away a ton of personal information to make purchases over the Internet. It’s quite another to exploit that insensitivity (privacy vs convenience) to encourage people to put documents on servers not under their control. Yikes.

Lune says:

Mr. Lewis’s mistake wasn’t to invest in Bear. It was to invest his own money in Bear.

What he should have done is start an IB, get investors to pony up a billion dollars in return for shares, and bet it all on Bear. Then, if you win, you pay out all your gain as “bonuses” for management (you), giving nothing back as dividend to your investors. If you lose, you whimper to the Fed that the mean market is making you cry, and that if Uncle Ben doesn’t make you whole, you’re going to hold your breath until you die (and America wouldn’t want that, would it?), and wait for kind Uncle Ben and the American taxpayer to buy your investments at par.

Risking your own money and taking your loss like a man? How quaintly British! Those socialists have much to learn about making money from the rugged breed of capitalists red-in-tooth-and-claw we find in America!