Monday, January 21, 2013

Oddly Relevant Jan-21-2013


Google’s experiment on password replacements: for instance, a cryptographic card that logs a user into Google like a car key; or a smartphone-linked authentication app, or a smartcard-embedded finger ring. [Note: the key is the establish a standard that combines safety, convenience, cost-effectiveness]…Source: http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2013/01/google-password/all/

BlackRock’s 2013 Macro House-View: (1) market will remain volatile due to additional political negotiations; (2) US economy will enjoy slow but positive growth; (3) 10yr UST yield will rise through 2.25% and inflation will remain 2% range; (4) Europe key reforms likely 1 year or more away; (5) China And EM will regain growth; (6) A stock-picker’s market with faster EM growth; (7) Diversification in fixed income recommended. [Note: fairly uncontroversial views here, no?]…Source: http://www2.blackrock.com/us/individual-investors/insight-education/special-reports/whats-next-in-2013?sf8762556=1

Will the Ultra HD bring the manufacturers any solace? Probably not. While the Ultra HD boasts 2x the resolution both vertically and horizontally, the reception so far had been muted: (1) viewers can’t tell the difference and (2) the lack of native content. [Note: excessive features with no demand, they are marching in the wrong direction]…Source: http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2013/01/high-definition-tv

23 Things Debt Collectors are not allowed to do: and the slightly amusing ones are that they cannot (1) contact you before 8 am or after 9 pm unless asked; (2) claim you can be arrested if you don’t pay your debt; (3) use obscene or profane language; (4) publish a list of names who refuse to pay their debts. [Note: very civil it seems.]…Source: http://consumerist.com/2013/01/21/23-things-debt-collectors-are-not-allowed-to-do/

Tullett Prebon 2013 Research: Perfect storm: energy, finance, and the end of growth: The research believes that (1) the key driver of economy is the relationship between energy extracted and energy consumed in extraction; this ratio is near a cliff edge—enough to render growth an impossibility. (2) On top of such deterioration, combine our situation with (a) 3-decade-long borrowing binge, (b) globalization-induced gulf between consumption and production, and (c) self-delusion, the end of more than two centuries of economic expansion is upon us. [Note: energy is the key here, and we are working on improvements already. The piece is definitely worth a read, but pessimism does not solve the problem]…Source: http://www.tullettprebon.com/Documents/strategyinsights/TPSI_009_Perfect_Storm_009.pdf

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