I received a copy of Sid Meir’s Civilization V as a gift recently and I had the opportunity to play it and it totally sucks.  First, some intrusive DRM crap called “Steam” is installed on your computer before you can even begin to play the damn thing.   I guess the people over at 2k Games…
Month: September 2010
Why Is The Market Up? It’s the Bonus Stupid!
Well it’s easy to say why the market is up, the third quarter is coming to a close and all those mutual fund money “managers” have to justify their existence and bonuses that will be doled out during Christmas so why not pump up the market, make the numbers look good and then let it…
Life After Mortgage: What To Do With Money After You’re Debt Free
So I have a serious growing dilemma, since I’ve returned to work, the cash has started piling up and I don’t know what to do with it anymore. Sure, I could go out and buy another new car which I don’t need or perhaps buy a bigger house that I really don’t need but at…
Where Are They Now: Peer To Peer Lenders?
I’m always in the look out for new investment opportunities and a few years ago, the peer to peer lending scene was starting to take shape and I was intrigued and wanted in on the fad but I suspected it might be a fad and stayed away.   Flash forward about three years later and I…
Economy Deteriorating
Perhaps this is just anecdotal evidence but in the past couple of weeks I’ve had to former co-workers e-mail me telling me that they’ve been laid off again. I keep in touch with quite a few people and several people that had been laid off had found work again but out of the blue, people…
Well That Didn’t Take Long
So I’m a few weeks into my return to MBA classes and the arguments with the professor have already begun.  It’s funny but the professor was warning about “groupthink” in business and the perils it holds and I couldn’t agree with the professor more but when it came to thinking there *might* be some groupthink…
The iPad Proposition
So I’m licking my chops and tenting my fingers contemplating and scheming about my future Apple iPad.  In all honestly, I’m really holding out for a price drop or improvements to the iPad such as the addition of a camera or Bluetooth functionality but if that doesn’t come by Christmas then I’ll just by a…
The Entertainment Proposition: Netflix vs. Satellite Radio
While this may not be an apples to apples comparison, it brings up an interesting situation as to what is the best value for your entertainment dollars.  When I purchased my new Tundra a couple of years ago, it came with six month service of satellite radio for free.   While I enjoyed the satellite radio,…
The 401k Will Soon Be Dead
If Uncle Sam thinks I’m going to “voluntarily” buy Treasury bonds with my 401k, he’s going to have a big surprise when I simply stop contributing and opt out, assuming that option is even available.   For decades third world countries have been nationalizing and seizing pension plans and now the U.S. seems to be headed…
It Finally Happened At Costco
Back in October of 2009, I wrote about my dismay that Costco would start accepting food stamps and what that possibly might mean and a couple of weeks ago it has finally started to happen.  As a refresher here’s what I thought would happen: 1. Dirty filthy isles. 2. Dirty filthy parking lots as people…