Facebook says I should sell Lehman.

Well it has been about a year since Lehman declared bankruptcy, and now many “financial engineers” are admitting their predictive models were off considerably from the real world. In fact, many of them are currently trying to adapt human behavioral models to their financial models to better predict real world market scenarios. The move seems so obvious that it makes me question why this model wasn’t researched and put into place well before the crisis. It would seem that the monetary advantage of having a more realistic model would have been enormous and something even Lex Luthor would envy. Unfortunately, this article might have answered one question, but like a Lost episode it just generated a hundred new ones.

California Schools keeping up with the times

Governor Schwarzenegger just announced a plan to move all public schools from hardcopy textbooks to digital textbooks, which could result in substantial savings for California taxpayers but also keep schools on the cutting edge. This plan should solve problems such as outdated textbooks, etc. However, it could introduce new problems such has access to digital textbooks from home, especially for children that don’t have computers.

Revenge of Babe the Pig

There was Bird Flu, now prepare for attack of swine flu. What’s next, canine flu?

I swear the water isn’t mine!

San Diego has implemented a water rationing strategy which involves cracking down on those who waste water. While I applaud the effort, it is pretty funny that there will be “water cops”. And it’s a little appalling that for these 10 workers the program will cost $750,000 (hopefully that’s not just their salary). For those of you who take long showers… “bad boys,  bad boys,  whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do, when they come for you”. 

I’d like an albino baby with red eyes and a side order of purple teeth

Hmm…I like it every time the Vatican opens its big brass doors and says something about science. The latest is how we should oppose gene technology because it will lead to racism (Something about how parents will choose their baby’s eye color, etc). They also argue it could possibly lead to an evolutionary change and the end result might resemble something less human. Additionally, they claim (I’m reading between the lines here) that those who can’t afford this technology will be deemed inferior. One aspect that is completely ignored is how many children will be given the chance at a normal life and free from some horrible genetic disease. If parents really want to spend gobs of money to choose their children’s eye color who cares? And as to an inferior race, I think that’s hog wash. Think about how many parents can’t afford proper healthcare for their kids today? How about we look at helping them out, maybe this one time genetic modifications might prove beneficial and more affordable. And heck if your kid gets picked on because you didn’t do the hipster thing and get them with purple eyes…it’s all part of growing up.

Soldiers using iPhones in the field

Currently, soldiers are using iPhones and iPod Touches in the field both as translation devices and also to display classified information. While these iPhones are modified by software, hopefully there is modified hardware as well to transmit the information securely over a commercial network or have adapted hardware to use satellite communication (what else are you going to do when you are in the desert with no cell towers!). It’s surprising that the Government isn’t working directly with Apple to manufacture new devices for the military (considering almost every major technology company has a government division).

Oracle buys Sun, but who really wins?

 In the server game it has always been the big four in hardware: HP, IBM, Sun and Dell.  However, IBM has always sold their hardware & software as a combined package (at a premium of course!). For years Oracle has been trying to get into the hardware side, and the acquisition of Sun finally lets them do that.   The acquisition of Sun puts Oracle into direct competition with IBM; however, I think that it might have left the door open for a third party software vendor to provide software to HP & Dell. While Oracle will continue to support HP & Dell, both these companies aren’t going to sit by and let Oracle sell additional servers by touting high integration as more desirable. Instead, they can do one of two things either create their own integrated package (which is incredibly costly) or approach someone like Microsoft to provide software for their servers.  While this move might be a game changer for Oracle, I suspect Microsoft (or some other lucky software vendor) will benefit more from this deal.   

Smile!

So apparently shaking Chavez’s hand was an appropriate response, but smiling … that crossed the line.  Really? I mean seriously? Apparently we don’t want a President, we want someone we can control down to their facial expressions, a George W. Bush 2.0 perhaps? I understand there are human rights violations going on in Venezuela, but this is making a big deal out of nothing. It’s not like President Obama was smiling with a thumbs up saying I approve what you are doing in Venezuela.   Maybe next time President Obama meets with the leader of a nation he should surround himself with attorneys who will tell him how to respond to any sudden movements the other leader makes.

*Chavez sneezes*…attorneys discuss….”Mr. President you must frown”.