Featuring Arcade Fire's "Wake Up".
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Spider-Man Saves Autistic Child
An autistic child from Thailand, frustrated by the first day of school, sat on a third-story ledge and refused to budge. Bangkok authorities were unable to persuade the boy to come down, until fireman Sonchai Yoosabai heard about the boy's love of superheroes. Yoosabai made a quick change into his Spider-Man costume - apparently he had one laying around at the fire station. Of course, the boy didn't hesitate to follow Spider-man's instructions to walk slowly back from the ledge. | smh.com.au via Ode Magazine
Friday, March 27, 2009
Animal Collective - "My Girls"
Is it much that I feel I need
A solid soul and the blood I bleed
With a little girl, and by my spouse
I only want a proper house
I don't care for fancy things
Or to take part in a precious race
And children cry for the one who has
A real big heart and a father's grace
I don't mean to seem like I care about material things like a social status
I just want four walls and adobe slabs for my girls
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Everything Taking Too Long
An overwhelming sense of restlessness and impatience engulfed the U.S. this week when citizens determined that everything—the morning commute, phone conversations, getting a table at Chili's, making coffee, commercial breaks, everything—was taking entirely too long."This is ridiculous," said Boston resident Joe Sosnoff, waiting for a subway train running behind schedule. "I don't have time for this. I seriously do not have time for this."
"Oh, for crying out loud," said Atlanta native Ashley Rose, standing in line at a local Rite Aid pharmacy. "Open up another register if you have to. What are these people doing? Hanging out?"
Between eye rolls, sighs, and repeated glances at wall clocks, a majority of Americans are reporting that the nation badly needs to pick up the pace. In some cases, including those where things are taking so long that it's not even funny, citizens urged all present to hurry the hell up.
Full story: The Onion
Using LEGO to animate RNA transcription
MIT's TechTV has a couple of videos that use LEGO to illustrate the mechanics of RNA transcription within DNA, animating the building blocks of life with life's best building blocks. | MIT TechTV via Boing Boing
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Quiz: Name That G.I. Joe
Three-and-3/4-inch G.I. Joes have been keeping kids busy for over 25 years now. How well do you remember the names of the characters that let you enact countless imaginary battles as a child, though? Hope you can recall their names because, as we’ll never forget, knowing is half the battle. | mental_floss
I did horrible enough to be too embarrassed to share my score. I got ripped off on a couple of them though because it counts spelling...
-Matt
I did horrible enough to be too embarrassed to share my score. I got ripped off on a couple of them though because it counts spelling...
-Matt
Monday, March 23, 2009
Taskbar Shuffle
Taskbar Shuffle is a simple, small, free utility that lets you drag and drop your Windows taskbar buttons to rearrange them. | Taskbar Shuffle via Lifehacker
Friday, March 20, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
More On The Real AIG Scandal
More on AIG in today's news below.
Can you tell yet how embroiled I am by this whole thing?...
-Matt
Dissecting the A.I.G. Bonus Contract | New York Times
The real concern over the insurance giant should be about the $170 billion in government bailout money it received and and A.I.G.’s subsequent payments of tens of billions to a myriad of banks. All of this appears to have been done without any attempt to bargain or otherwise obtain government recompense from these third-party banks. Congress should hold hearings to find out why this was done and if it was appropriate, instead of concentrating on the more minor compensation issue.
Seven Sad Truths About A.I.G. | New York Times
The failure of the government to plan ahead allowed this to happen. The government has now bailed out A.I.G. three separate times. In each of these prior bailouts they could have structured the assistance to forestall these payments.
The Big Takeover | Rolling Stone
The global economic crisis isn't about money - it's about power. How Wall Street insiders are using the bailout to stage a revolution
Spitzer Joins the Furor on Money for A.I.G. | New York Times
His central point was that the millions of dollars in bonuses ought to be overshadowed by what he sees as the more flagrant offense by A.I.G., shepherding billions in bailout money to its trading partners.
Some Will Pay Back AIG Bonuses | Wall Street Journal
The promise of forfeitures did little to quell the groundswell of public anger Wednesday. That collective ire was apparent during a daylong U.S. House committee meeting, where AIG's government-installed chief executive, Edward Liddy, testified into the early evening. U.S. representatives excoriated Mr. Liddy and the giant insurer for the bonus awards, and vowed to extract the payments.
Congress' confrontation with AIG's CEO was a failure | Slate Magazine
Roasting Liddy for AIG's manifold and expensive failures would be like putting Gerald Ford on trial for the crimes of Watergate. Edward Liddy isn't G. Gordon Liddy. Yes, he could have handled this issue much better. But he's not the villain. He's a genuine dollar-a-year man who isn't looking to make a quick buck on the bailout.
House Passes Bill to Punish A.I.G. Bonus Recipients | New York Times
Spurred on by a tidal wave of public anger over bonuses paid to executives of the foundering American International Group, the House voted 328 to 93 on Thursday to get back most of the money by levying a 90 percent tax on it.
All articles by Eliot Spitzer in Slate Magazine | Slate Magazine
Related posts:
The Real AIG Scandal | mattmaison
Despite the uproar over AIG paying bonuses with bailout money, there is a larger issue at hand here with the AIG situation I wanted to make sure was highlighted.
AIG Ruined My Day Again Today | mattmaison
Where do I apply for my bailout money? I worked my ass off last year while somehow managing not to completely fuck up the world economy, but instead of getting a bonus or raise, my tax money is going towards paying bonuses and raises to those who did.
Can you tell yet how embroiled I am by this whole thing?...
-Matt
Dissecting the A.I.G. Bonus Contract | New York Times
The real concern over the insurance giant should be about the $170 billion in government bailout money it received and and A.I.G.’s subsequent payments of tens of billions to a myriad of banks. All of this appears to have been done without any attempt to bargain or otherwise obtain government recompense from these third-party banks. Congress should hold hearings to find out why this was done and if it was appropriate, instead of concentrating on the more minor compensation issue.
Seven Sad Truths About A.I.G. | New York Times
The failure of the government to plan ahead allowed this to happen. The government has now bailed out A.I.G. three separate times. In each of these prior bailouts they could have structured the assistance to forestall these payments.
The Big Takeover | Rolling Stone
The global economic crisis isn't about money - it's about power. How Wall Street insiders are using the bailout to stage a revolution
Spitzer Joins the Furor on Money for A.I.G. | New York Times
His central point was that the millions of dollars in bonuses ought to be overshadowed by what he sees as the more flagrant offense by A.I.G., shepherding billions in bailout money to its trading partners.
Some Will Pay Back AIG Bonuses | Wall Street Journal
The promise of forfeitures did little to quell the groundswell of public anger Wednesday. That collective ire was apparent during a daylong U.S. House committee meeting, where AIG's government-installed chief executive, Edward Liddy, testified into the early evening. U.S. representatives excoriated Mr. Liddy and the giant insurer for the bonus awards, and vowed to extract the payments.
Congress' confrontation with AIG's CEO was a failure | Slate Magazine
Roasting Liddy for AIG's manifold and expensive failures would be like putting Gerald Ford on trial for the crimes of Watergate. Edward Liddy isn't G. Gordon Liddy. Yes, he could have handled this issue much better. But he's not the villain. He's a genuine dollar-a-year man who isn't looking to make a quick buck on the bailout.
House Passes Bill to Punish A.I.G. Bonus Recipients | New York Times
Spurred on by a tidal wave of public anger over bonuses paid to executives of the foundering American International Group, the House voted 328 to 93 on Thursday to get back most of the money by levying a 90 percent tax on it.
All articles by Eliot Spitzer in Slate Magazine | Slate Magazine
Related posts:
The Real AIG Scandal | mattmaison
Despite the uproar over AIG paying bonuses with bailout money, there is a larger issue at hand here with the AIG situation I wanted to make sure was highlighted.
AIG Ruined My Day Again Today | mattmaison
Where do I apply for my bailout money? I worked my ass off last year while somehow managing not to completely fuck up the world economy, but instead of getting a bonus or raise, my tax money is going towards paying bonuses and raises to those who did.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The Real AIG Scandal
Despite the uproar over AIG paying bonuses with bailout money, there is a larger issue at hand here with the AIG situation I wanted to make sure was highlighted.
AIG is getting bailout money because they owe money to banks whose high-risk loans they insured (and didn't have the money to back up, which is where the whole mess started). The banks AIG is distributing the money to include several that are also getting bailout money from the government. These companies are essentially getting double bailout money! And some of these companies aren't even US based! Of the 22 institutions that have received either collateral from the government or cash payments to close out credit insurance deals, 16 are foreign.
A few of the top recipients of money from the government related to the credit insurance AIG had written are Société Générale ($11 billion), Goldman Sachs ($8.1 billion), Deustche Bank ($5.4 billion), and Bank of America ($5 billion). Why are AIG's counterparties getting paid back in full, to the tune of tens of billions of taxpayer dollars? AIG was nothing more than a facilitator for huge capital flows to the same old suspects, with no reason or explanation.
The government is making such a big deal out of fixing the bonus payouts right now so that our attention is focused on the greedy AIG executives instead of the government officials that basically flushed almost a trillion dollars in taxpayer money down the toilet. The government knew AIG was issuing insurance on mortgage backed loans, without having the money to back it up in case of a housing market downturn, and they didn't see any problem with it.
"The system was undermined by asking the American people, under the veil of secrecy, to bail out one company when in fact they wanted to bail out someone else. The prospectus for the bailout was not delivered to the people. And it was not delivered because if it had been, the deal would not have gone through." - Sylvain R. Raynes, R & R Consulting.
The AIG bonuses are supposedly being paid as part of the executives' contracts so that they will remain with the company. Well obviously they suck, so don't pay them money and let them walk. Last time I checked, there are a lot of people in the unemployment line waiting for financial service industry jobs. Someone needs to start prosecuting people instead of throwing them more money.
-Matt
Outrage over AIG exec bonuses is just tip of the iceberg | Clark Howard
Do you understand that...Bank of America got its own bailout, plus money from AIG?! So while we're all angry about the AIG bonuses, the real question is should we taxpayers absorb these banks' losses at 100 cents on the dollar?!
The Real AIG Scandal by Eliot Spitzer | Slate Magazine
Everybody is rushing to condemn AIG's bonuses, but this simple scandal is obscuring the real disgrace at the insurance giant: Why are AIG's counterparties getting paid back in full, to the tune of tens of billions of taxpayer dollars?
AIG Ruined My Day Again Today | mattmaison
Where do I apply for my bailout money? I worked my ass off last year while somehow managing not to completely fuck up the world economy, but instead of getting a bonus or raise, my tax money is going towards paying bonuses and raises to those who did.
Desperately Protecting A.I.G.’s House of Cards | New York Times via Rolling Stone
When a company insures against, say, floods or earthquakes, it has to put money in reserve in case a flood happens. That’s why, as a rule, insurance companies are usually overcapitalized, with low debt ratios. But because credit-default swaps were not regulated, and were not even categorized as a traditional insurance product, A.I.G. didn’t have to put anything aside for losses. And it didn’t. Its leverage was more akin to an investment bank than an insurance company. So when housing prices started falling, and losses started piling up, it had no way to pay them off. Not understanding the real risk, the company grievously mispriced it.
$465,421 Per Minute | mattmaison
What does one Trillion dollars look like? | mattmaison
AIG is getting bailout money because they owe money to banks whose high-risk loans they insured (and didn't have the money to back up, which is where the whole mess started). The banks AIG is distributing the money to include several that are also getting bailout money from the government. These companies are essentially getting double bailout money! And some of these companies aren't even US based! Of the 22 institutions that have received either collateral from the government or cash payments to close out credit insurance deals, 16 are foreign.
A few of the top recipients of money from the government related to the credit insurance AIG had written are Société Générale ($11 billion), Goldman Sachs ($8.1 billion), Deustche Bank ($5.4 billion), and Bank of America ($5 billion). Why are AIG's counterparties getting paid back in full, to the tune of tens of billions of taxpayer dollars? AIG was nothing more than a facilitator for huge capital flows to the same old suspects, with no reason or explanation.
The government is making such a big deal out of fixing the bonus payouts right now so that our attention is focused on the greedy AIG executives instead of the government officials that basically flushed almost a trillion dollars in taxpayer money down the toilet. The government knew AIG was issuing insurance on mortgage backed loans, without having the money to back it up in case of a housing market downturn, and they didn't see any problem with it.
"The system was undermined by asking the American people, under the veil of secrecy, to bail out one company when in fact they wanted to bail out someone else. The prospectus for the bailout was not delivered to the people. And it was not delivered because if it had been, the deal would not have gone through." - Sylvain R. Raynes, R & R Consulting.
The AIG bonuses are supposedly being paid as part of the executives' contracts so that they will remain with the company. Well obviously they suck, so don't pay them money and let them walk. Last time I checked, there are a lot of people in the unemployment line waiting for financial service industry jobs. Someone needs to start prosecuting people instead of throwing them more money.
-Matt
Outrage over AIG exec bonuses is just tip of the iceberg | Clark Howard
Do you understand that...Bank of America got its own bailout, plus money from AIG?! So while we're all angry about the AIG bonuses, the real question is should we taxpayers absorb these banks' losses at 100 cents on the dollar?!
The Real AIG Scandal by Eliot Spitzer | Slate Magazine
Everybody is rushing to condemn AIG's bonuses, but this simple scandal is obscuring the real disgrace at the insurance giant: Why are AIG's counterparties getting paid back in full, to the tune of tens of billions of taxpayer dollars?
AIG Ruined My Day Again Today | mattmaison
Where do I apply for my bailout money? I worked my ass off last year while somehow managing not to completely fuck up the world economy, but instead of getting a bonus or raise, my tax money is going towards paying bonuses and raises to those who did.
Desperately Protecting A.I.G.’s House of Cards | New York Times via Rolling Stone
When a company insures against, say, floods or earthquakes, it has to put money in reserve in case a flood happens. That’s why, as a rule, insurance companies are usually overcapitalized, with low debt ratios. But because credit-default swaps were not regulated, and were not even categorized as a traditional insurance product, A.I.G. didn’t have to put anything aside for losses. And it didn’t. Its leverage was more akin to an investment bank than an insurance company. So when housing prices started falling, and losses started piling up, it had no way to pay them off. Not understanding the real risk, the company grievously mispriced it.
$465,421 Per Minute | mattmaison
What does one Trillion dollars look like? | mattmaison
Monday, March 16, 2009
AIG Ruined My Day Again Today
Where do I apply for my bailout money? I worked my ass off last year while somehow managing not to completely fuck up the world economy, but instead of getting a bonus or raise, my tax money is going towards paying bonuses and raises to those who did. Good thing I still have some buy one get one free Qdoba coupons left...
"We, the taxpayers, already own 80% of the company and yet, its board of directors still plan to fork over a ton of money! It’s beyond belief. Why don’t we just fire the whole group of executives (after all, we are the boss) and replace them with a fresh batch of graduate students just out of business school? I can’t see them doing any worse (and they just might do better) than those cynical old men who caused the crisis in the first place." - Jacques Sprenger from Digerati.
Bonuses for Ruining the Economy | Slate Magazine
The Washington Post broke the story, but it's the only paper not to lead with "bailout king" AIG's plans to pay out about $165 million in bonuses to 400 employees in its financial products division. Yes, the New York Times reminds us, that is "the same business unit that brought the company to the brink of collapse last year." Or, as the Los Angeles Times puts it, the division that "created trillions of dollars in murky financial obligations," leading to government fears that "the entire financial system might collapse." A commenter on the NYT's Web site sums it up well: "This is so outrageous it is almost humorous."
Employee Retention Bonus Program Paid With Your Taxes! Thanks AIG. | The Digerati Life
Just the other day, we published a post on investment bankers with Wall Street jobs who were defending their salaries and big bonuses. Well here we go again: AIG has already received a total of $180 billion of taxpayer cash to avoid a collapse. Yet they insist that they need to honor contractual obligations to employees who were promised huge bonuses. The insurer had plans to pay about $165 million in bonuses by today, though some payments were reduced after Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner intervened.
Larry Summers: Stop the AIG Bonuses. Yes You Can. | Huffington Post
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner should direct the Commissioner of Internal Revenue to challenge the AIG bonuses as unreasonable compensation under the Internal Revenue Code. Finding the AIG bonuses to be unreasonable compensation would render them nondeductible for federal tax purposes, and would strengthen potential shareholder derivative suits to recapture The Great AIG Giveaway.
Hey AIG... "Fuck You!" | Rolling Stone
While we're at it, Jim Cramer should also probably be in jail.
Jim Cramer Shorting Stocks, Manipulating Markets, Saying The SEC Doesn't Understand | Huffington Post, via Digg
The host of Mad Money says he regularly manipulated the market when he ran his hedge fund. He calls it "a fun game, and it's a lucrative game." He suggests all hedge fund managers do the same. "No one else in the world would ever admit that, but I could care. I am not going to say it on TV," he quips in the video.
Cramer On How to Manipulate the Markets Using CNBC | Rolling Stone
Jim Cramer’s 2006 interview on TheStreet.com is now the stuff of legend thanks to John Stewart. But the most amazing aspect of the interview is something that didn’t come up in the course of Stewart ripping Cramer a new one: "Cramer advocated using the scrutiny-free airtime CNBC provided to manipulate the market."
-Matt
See also: $465,421 Per Minute | mattmaison
UPDATE: The Real AIG Scandal. It's not the bonuses. It's that AIG's counterparties are getting paid back in full. | Slate Magazine
The appearance that this was all an inside job is overwhelming. AIG was nothing more than a conduit for huge capital flows to the same old suspects, with no reason or explanation.
"We, the taxpayers, already own 80% of the company and yet, its board of directors still plan to fork over a ton of money! It’s beyond belief. Why don’t we just fire the whole group of executives (after all, we are the boss) and replace them with a fresh batch of graduate students just out of business school? I can’t see them doing any worse (and they just might do better) than those cynical old men who caused the crisis in the first place." - Jacques Sprenger from Digerati.
Bonuses for Ruining the Economy | Slate Magazine
The Washington Post broke the story, but it's the only paper not to lead with "bailout king" AIG's plans to pay out about $165 million in bonuses to 400 employees in its financial products division. Yes, the New York Times reminds us, that is "the same business unit that brought the company to the brink of collapse last year." Or, as the Los Angeles Times puts it, the division that "created trillions of dollars in murky financial obligations," leading to government fears that "the entire financial system might collapse." A commenter on the NYT's Web site sums it up well: "This is so outrageous it is almost humorous."
Employee Retention Bonus Program Paid With Your Taxes! Thanks AIG. | The Digerati Life
Just the other day, we published a post on investment bankers with Wall Street jobs who were defending their salaries and big bonuses. Well here we go again: AIG has already received a total of $180 billion of taxpayer cash to avoid a collapse. Yet they insist that they need to honor contractual obligations to employees who were promised huge bonuses. The insurer had plans to pay about $165 million in bonuses by today, though some payments were reduced after Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner intervened.
Larry Summers: Stop the AIG Bonuses. Yes You Can. | Huffington Post
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner should direct the Commissioner of Internal Revenue to challenge the AIG bonuses as unreasonable compensation under the Internal Revenue Code. Finding the AIG bonuses to be unreasonable compensation would render them nondeductible for federal tax purposes, and would strengthen potential shareholder derivative suits to recapture The Great AIG Giveaway.
Hey AIG... "Fuck You!" | Rolling Stone
While we're at it, Jim Cramer should also probably be in jail.
Jim Cramer Shorting Stocks, Manipulating Markets, Saying The SEC Doesn't Understand | Huffington Post, via Digg
The host of Mad Money says he regularly manipulated the market when he ran his hedge fund. He calls it "a fun game, and it's a lucrative game." He suggests all hedge fund managers do the same. "No one else in the world would ever admit that, but I could care. I am not going to say it on TV," he quips in the video.
Cramer On How to Manipulate the Markets Using CNBC | Rolling Stone
Jim Cramer’s 2006 interview on TheStreet.com is now the stuff of legend thanks to John Stewart. But the most amazing aspect of the interview is something that didn’t come up in the course of Stewart ripping Cramer a new one: "Cramer advocated using the scrutiny-free airtime CNBC provided to manipulate the market."
-Matt
See also: $465,421 Per Minute | mattmaison
UPDATE: The Real AIG Scandal. It's not the bonuses. It's that AIG's counterparties are getting paid back in full. | Slate Magazine
The appearance that this was all an inside job is overwhelming. AIG was nothing more than a conduit for huge capital flows to the same old suspects, with no reason or explanation.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
shut your eyes
And when the worrying starts to hurt
and the world feels like graves of dirt
Just close your eyes until
you can imagine this place, yeah, our secret space at will
Friday, March 13, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
What does one Trillion dollars look like?
All this talk about "stimulus packages" and "bailouts"...what does $1 trillion dollars look like? | PageTutor.com, via Boing Boing
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Unlikely Dutch Knock Dominicans Out of WBC
A fielding error by first baseman Willy Aybar allowed the Netherlands to come from behind and stun the Dominican Republic for the second time in four days, 2-1, in the bottom of the 11th inning in the World Baseball Classic on Tuesday night, eliminating the Dominican powerhouse from the tournament.It looked like it was over when shortstop Jose Reyes came around to score on a triple by outfielder Jose Bautista to give the Dominicans a 1-0 lead in the top of the 11th. Right fielder Eugene Kingsale dove for the Bautista batted line drive, but missed it allowing Reyes to score.
When closer Carlos Marmol came to the mound for the Dominicans in the bottom of the 11th, things looked bleak for the Dutch until catcher Sidney de Jong got rally started with a one out double. Then the former Padre speedster Kingsale redeemed himself by knocking in de Jong for the tying run. Kingsale (recently knighted in his home country of Aruba) then moved over to third on a wild pick-off attempt by Marmol at first. After Marmol got the second out, then intentionally walked sausage abuser Randall Simon, third baseman Yurendell de Caster (who had been 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts in the game) worked the count full with two outs and lined a hard bouncer off first baseman Aybar's glove to score Kingsale with the game winner.
Dominican starter Ubaldo Jimenez established a new World Baseball Classic strikeout record in the game, striking out 10 of the 13 batters he faced in his four innings; and even without injured Alex Rodriguez, the Dominicans featured major league stars Jose Reyes, Ubaldo Jimenez, David Ortiz, Hanley Ramirez, Miguel Tejada, Robinson Cano, and Pedro Martinez, just to name a few. However, in two games they couldn’t solve an unheralded Netherlands pitching staff coached by former big leaguer Bert Blyleven.
This was a great game and one of the greatest upsets in baseball history. Unfortunately, since it took place in the World Baseball Classic and not the MLB playoffs, history won't remember it as one. If you're not watching the World Baseball Classic, you should. Most games are broadcast on the MLB Network, if your cable company broadcasts it, and ESPN has shown a few. They're great games and seeing players who are not only having fun playing the greatest game on Earth, but also excited playing for their home countries, is well worth watching. Every game has the feel of a playoff game.
-Matt
Dutch pull off second upset to advance. | WorldBaseballClassic.com
Netherlands beats Dominican Republic for the second time. The all mighty DR has been eliminated from the WBC. | Digg
Netherlands topples Dominican Republic at WBC. | Yahoo! Sports
Dominican Republic vs. Netherlands - Recap - March 10, 2009 | ESPN
Box Score: Dominican Rep. vs. Netherlands - March 10, 2009 | WorldBaseballClassic.com
Dominican pride weighs more than the world. | Yahoo! Sports
World Baseball Classic Rosters | WorldBaseballClassic.com
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Vintage Kids' Books My Kid Loves
Vintage Kids' Books My Kid Loves is a blog about vintage kids' books in which the author writes about seeking vintage children's books from thrift shops, library sales, book stores, online and elsewhere to share with her son. She writes a vintage kids' book review every day and gives a vintage book away on Mondays.Read a good 'about this blog' post here, which includes a list of her favorites. Also, check out the "Favorites" links in the right hand column for a list of featured authors. I only remember two, but most of them are before my time.
Make sure you read the post about how new laws are taking these books off the shelves, here.
-Matt
Link: Vintage Kids' Books My Kid Loves, via Boing Boing
ISS To Become Second Brightest-Object In the Sky
Once Canadarm2 helps install the fourth and final set of solar array wings to the International Space Station later this month, the Station will surpass Venus as the brightest object in the night sky, second only to the Moon. The Space Shuttle Discovery is set to deliver the power-generating solar panels and Starboard 6 (S6) truss segment to the ISS on the 125th mission in the Shuttle program, known as STS-119/15A (slated for launch on March 11). | The Space Fellowship, via Slashdot
Jack In The Box: Free Small Fry and Fountain Drink
Jack in The Box is offering a free Small Fry and Fountain drink today only with printable coupon. | Hang In There Jack via Slickdeals.net
Monday, March 9, 2009
'Star Trek' Feature Trailer
I saw this trailer this weekend before Watchmen, it was much more impressive on the big screen. I've never been a huge Star Trek fan, but this movie's high on the potentially awesome scale. Watch it in HD if your computer's up to it.
Via BamKapow
Via BamKapow
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
Lykke Li - "I'm Good, I'm Gone"
This additional Lykke Li post is for the haters that won't listen to me when I tell them how amazing she is...
I think I'm a little bit...
See Also: I think I'm a little bit... | mattmaison
I think I'm a little bit...
See Also: I think I'm a little bit... | mattmaison
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Star Wars Gangsta Rap
Some language may be inappropriate for younger viewers.
See Also:
Darth Vader Being a Smartass | mattmaison
Death Star over San Francisco | mattmaison
See Also:
Darth Vader Being a Smartass | mattmaison
Death Star over San Francisco | mattmaison
Pink Five
The Rebel Alliance's destruction of the Death Star made Luke Skywalker a hero throughout the galaxy. But many other untrained pilots also risked their lives in that fateful battle...
Via Universal Day of the Jedi
Via Universal Day of the Jedi
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
U2's "No Line on the Horizon" Hits Stores Today
U2's twelfth album, "No Line on the Horizon" hit stores today. You can purchase the mp3 version of the album (DRM-free) at Amazon.com for $3.99, and Best Buy has it on sale for $9.99 with free shipping and in-store pickup.
They'll also be appearing all week on "The Late Show with David Letterman". Here's a clip from last night, performing "Breathe".
Link: Pitchfork
See Also:
Review - No Line on the Horizon | Rolling Stone
Review - No Line on the Horizon | Pitchfork
They'll also be appearing all week on "The Late Show with David Letterman". Here's a clip from last night, performing "Breathe".
Link: Pitchfork
See Also:
Review - No Line on the Horizon | Rolling Stone
Review - No Line on the Horizon | Pitchfork
Monday, March 2, 2009
$465,421 Per Minute
In the fourth quarter, A.I.G. said it lost $61.7 billion. That amounts to $465,421 per minute.| New York Times
See Also:
Desperately Protecting A.I.G.’s House of Cards | New York Times via Rolling Stone
When a company insures against, say, floods or earthquakes, it has to put money in reserve in case a flood happens. That’s why, as a rule, insurance companies are usually overcapitalized, with low debt ratios. But because credit-default swaps were not regulated, and were not even categorized as a traditional insurance product, A.I.G. didn’t have to put anything aside for losses. And it didn’t. Its leverage was more akin to an investment bank than an insurance company. So when housing prices started falling, and losses started piling up, it had no way to pay them off. Not understanding the real risk, the company grievously mispriced it.
See Also:
Desperately Protecting A.I.G.’s House of Cards | New York Times via Rolling Stone
When a company insures against, say, floods or earthquakes, it has to put money in reserve in case a flood happens. That’s why, as a rule, insurance companies are usually overcapitalized, with low debt ratios. But because credit-default swaps were not regulated, and were not even categorized as a traditional insurance product, A.I.G. didn’t have to put anything aside for losses. And it didn’t. Its leverage was more akin to an investment bank than an insurance company. So when housing prices started falling, and losses started piling up, it had no way to pay them off. Not understanding the real risk, the company grievously mispriced it.
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