Why Apple beat the world

These days the financial media is all over themselves talking about Apple; the company and the stock valuation (over half a trillion dollars) But what made Apple ''off the charts'' successful?
One man with a vision is part of it but the biggest reason is that the one man had the power to implement his vision. Steve Jobs took a bankrupt company in 1997 and within  15 years  made it the most valuable public corporation in the history of the world. No committees, no second guessing on strategy or products; Steve's word was the law to Apple directors, shareholders and employees. He, like Winston Churchill and Paul of Tarsus had the big advantage of publicly failing early in life.
I have no doubt there are other young or middle aged executives that have  vision but the nature of medium and especially large rich companies  is to not take any risk. You only take risk when you have not much to lose. (i.e.a small independent company)
Henry Ford had the power and the vision and to an extent so did Thomas Edison. Mr Hewlett and Mr Packard had it  but after they left it was downhill for this company now run by suits who no doubt graduated with honours from Wharton or Harvard but you cannot teach imagination or learn vision. So for Apple the combination of time and events and place all came together for the ''perfect storm'' of business creativity with SJ to move it thorough these new uncharted waters.
You will note one constant in the successful examples. They were engaged in new mediums where there was no historical evidence to plant fear of failure.
Lots of successful companies eventually fail because they DO NOT take risk. That is perceived risk. Xerox, HP, DEC once the behemoths of wall street now skeleton organizations on life support . They were all in position to do what Apple did, what Microsoft did, but had leaders whose talent seemed to be getting to the top rung of the executive ladder for the sole purpose of prestige. Their journey ended with being crowned CEO but that should have been the beginning.

THE INFORMATION PARADOX

Cable TV is on its way out I am happy to report. Between Google and Apple we are going to see a major shift in how we get our information and entertainment. And with what I have just realized you may want to cancel cable TV right away. At the very least
it will put pressure on the predatory pigs that own cable to adjust their pricing umbrellas.

It used to be that youtube would show video clips no longer that ten minutes and in very grainy quality. NOT ANYMORE. Now there are full length movies and documentaries
in HD quality and FREE. And not just minor works but well established titles from PBS and BBC as well as some commercial recent films like ''The International'' with Clive Owen is an example. The four hour series ''The Ascent of Money'' hosted by author and historian Niall Ferguson is yours to watch ...gratis!! Just Google ''best movies on youtube'' or ''documentaries on youtube'' and you may be pleasantly shocked at how
much material there is available. No interruptions and no commercials... Thank you Google, owners of Youtube. Your product keeps improving and the internet is about to claim another victim: CABLE TV

Oh and the tittle ''The information paradox" is also known as ''The Hawking Paradox'' referring to a startling statement made by the famous Cambridge physisist over 30 years ago ... This fascinating documentary about matter and black holes is 47 minutes long and a few keystrokes away on your computer or Apple TV....search "THE HAWKING PARADOX''.... you will love it

Dream World

Do you ever get the feeling that the real universe is our nighttime dreams and
 our daily existence is really illusory?

• Nobel Peace prize recipients: Albert Schweitzer, Lester Pearson, Linus Pauling, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, Desmond Tutu. So far so good. And now for a really dynamite selection (pardon the pun) TA DA: The European Union.
• The Motion Picture ''The Madness of King George the third'' was changed to ''The madness of King George.''  The producers felt that the public would think it was a sequel.
• I hooked up with Virgin mobility  (Virginity for short) for my new unlocked iPhone cause I like CEO Richard Branson. I subsuqently find out Branson sold Canadian Virgin to BELL. Haven't been this disappointed since Rogers swallowed Fido. Oh well month to month but if some company devoid of moronic suits emerges I will lose my ........uh... carrier.
• The best time to turn on theTV is at Christmas cause we get the fireplace channel and of course the highlight is when the guy comes and pokes the logs. ''Hey you guys he is going to stir the fire'' I would almost feel my cable bill was reasonable if there was an ''Aquarium Channel'' Just put a camera on any aquarium. The ratings would go through the roof. 

We are all doomed

A friend claims these are genuine Q and A's given to high school students age 16.... I make no such claims for the veracity of the following . Q. Name the four seasons A. Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar Q. How is dew formed A. The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire Q. What causes the tides in the oceans A. The tides are a fight between the earth and the moon. All water tends to flow towards the moon, because there is no water on the moon, and nature abhors a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins the fight Q. What guarantees may a mortgage company insist on A. If you are buying a house they will insist that you are well endowed Q. In a democratic society, how important are elections A. Very important. Sex can only happen when a male gets an election Q. What are steroids  A. Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs              Q.. What happens to your body as you age A. When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental Q. What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty A. He says goodbye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery                Q. Name a major disease associated with cigarettes A. Premature death Q. What is artificial insemination A. When the farmer does it to the bull instead of the cow  Q. How can you delay milk turning sour A. Keep it in the cow                                                                                                                                   Q. What is the fibula? A. A small lie Q. What does 'varicose' mean? A. Nearby Q. What is the most common form of birth control  A. Most people prevent contraception by wearing a condominium           Q. Give the meaning of the term 'Caesarean section' A. The caesarean section is a district in Rome       Q. What is a terminal illness  A. When you are sick at the airport.           Q.. What does the word 'benign' mean? A. Benign is what you will be after you be eight

Things I don't get

Maybe its because I'm old or stupid or both but there are some things that
continue to baffle and irritate me like:

* Tattoos:  My sense of artistic excellence may be wanting but I have yet to see
  a tattoo on a human being that looks better than the skin it covers. This is a
  trend started by INCARCERATED CRIMINALS.
*  Body piercings. its like these people are in a contest to see who can look the ugliest.
* TV news shows where the participants talk over each other. Really
   annoying especially when the producer can simply cut off the mike of
   the interrupter.
* People who text when in company. Really rude and ignorant. Turn the
  damn thing off and pretend the people you are with are worthwhile.
* Voice mail where the instructions are longer than most conversations.
   how about ''I am not in" ..beeeep
* Commercials on CBC TV. Why? Cannot they run a TV network on $1.6
   billion? This network is the biggest showcase of government waste extant.
* People who write blogs about things they don't get.

As a Canadian I am thankful for....

*  Living in Canada and belonging to this wonderful tolerant society that we share

* The rule of law which we have although it is slipping in other democracies

* A really interesting climate. Goldilocks. Not too hot, not too cold..just right!

* Our immigration policy. The new arrivals make us stronger and reinforce our ''glue''

* Our Government. We actually have distinct choices. Modelled after the
   British system and seems less corrupt than other western democracies.

* Government reigning in the banking system from  entering into areas such
   as raising leverage ratios for speculative investing  (like the European and U.S.mess)

* The sheer vastness of this beautiful country we inhabit with so few others. Canadians
   do not feel crowded.

*  The way we distinguish ourselves as a generous nation without an agenda
    and without expecting accolades

* being alive and happy in spite of some incredible foulups. Someone or everyone is very
   forgiving.

You probably have your reasons and the ability to openly express them is another
reason it is great to be Canadian. The more you travel the globe the more you
appreciate what we have . To live at this time in this place is incredibly fortunate
and for that I am grateful.

He inspired

Steve Jobs

Died Oct 5, 2011

Here's to the crazy ones.
The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They're not fond of rules.
And they have no respect for the status quo.

 

You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them,
disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you can't do is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They invent. They imagine.
They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire.
They push the human race forward.
Maybe they have to be crazy.

 

How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art?
Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written?
Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?
While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.

 

Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world,
are the ones who do.

Missing Steve Jobs

Why is every device that is supposed to make life easier so damn complicated?
I bought a Mercedes 550 in 2007. It came with two instructional  DVD's and a
700 page manual!!! 700 pages to drive a bloody car. I am now at page 14. I am
told that new BMW purchasers have to go to classes for a week to drive their
latest cars. TV sets need a crew from the retail outlet to set up. Is
everybody happy with this? Anyone see any research on customer satisfaction?
I sure was not surveyed.
Apple and SJ had the right idea in 3 words  PLUG AND PLAY.  Jeez
why cannot these manufacturers take a few lessons from the most successful
corporation in history? How much are these engineers and designers paid?
When i bought my apartment it included a MIELE dishwasher. After it completes
the cycle of washing it beeps AND IT KEEPS BEEPING until someone turns it
off.... This means that if the owner of this fine overpriced European device
turns on the dishwasher and goes to bed then he/she has to get up an hour later
to TURN IT OFF or the beeping continues until the coroner arrives. With
geniuses like this employed by large corporations I cannot understand why
so many people cannot find work.

Online daters reach hyperbolic heights

Some of the best fiction on the WWW can be found
at dating sites. It seems the first rule of this road to
finding your soulmate or just someone to sleep with
is to hone your political skills  i.e. lack of truth telling

Fortunately for you I am here to interpret some of the
colourful verbiage before you get sucked in.. So let
us enter this Labyrinth of Lascivious Liars

Men looking for Women

''Some extra padding''
has not seen his toes since 1997

''A youngish 50''
will never live to be as old as he looks

''Animal Lover''
has sheepskin lining in favourite hunting jacket

''Exercises Regularly''
watches TV without Remote Control

''Salt and Pepper hair''
 dandruff

''Loves outdoors and camping''
homeless
--------------------------------------------
Women looking for Men

''Full Figured''
the figure is 8

''Independent''
after 3 divorces

''Friendly and outgoing''
stopped coming out from under the porch
and biting the postman

''Sports Fan''
Sleeps with professional athletes depending
on which team is in town
-30-

''Borrow long, Lend short''

There is an old bankers maxim ''borrow long and lend short''.  Meaning
to borrow money for as long a term as possible and lend your money
for as short a time as possible. This is easily seen in most mortgage rates
in that the longer the mortgage the higher the interest rate... It is also
 seen in the bond yield curve which is currently distorted but
 I will not get into here. Historically this theory has proven wise
... and now more than ever in my opinion.

BREAKING RULES

I was asked by a friend to devise a portfolio to make
a lot of money with risk.... here is what I came up
with :

Up until now I believed in being debt free. Now I
break two fundamental rules.
1) borrow money (3% fixed for 5 years)
2) Do not be diversified Physical precious metals***

The borrowed money goes into physical gold and silver
as I believe it will appreciate dramatically over the
next few years and certainly more than 3 percent.

My thinking is that every major government (including
China) is printing massive amounts of currency in a race
to the bottom. this is to keep their currency rates low
especially against the USD so that exports are competitive

buy physical gold (Canadian maple leaf coins) and
physical silver and store in Canadian chartered bank
safety deposit boxes
I also suggest these publicly traded vehicles
 Silver Wheaton (SLW) a silver streaming company
Central Fund of Canada (CEF) half the $ in physical Gold half in Silver
Sprott Physical Silver (PSLV) Physical silver stored in the Canadian mint

 Government can print all fiat currency they
want but they cannot print gold and silver which, btw, has been considered
money for over 5000 years... who am I to argue with history?

*** I would suggest buying farmland but who is going to look after it?