The past few days I've been fixing some problems with Windows on this computer, which runs Vista. My modus operandi is to buy a computer with what I need on it pre-installed, then not change it. That works rather well, BUT when Windows induces problems, it doesn't.
When I bought this computer from Dell about three years ago, Dell offered a pre-installed MacAfee antivirus program. So I figured, that should be safe, & I bought it.
F.
[That's a grade, not a curse]
The MacAfee antivirus did not work - caused crashes. I called MacAfee and was told to do a complex process to fix it. I told them to "bleep" themselves and got a refund.
Of course Windows is a defective product by nature, requiring an antivirus program. I turned to ZoneAlarm, which I have on my three other computers that run Windows XP. I bought the ZoneAlarm product that was "supposed" to run on Windows Vista. It worked a while, but then I started having strange "blue screen of death" crashes. Eventually I traced them to the ZoneAlarm product.
I uninstalled it and put Windows OneCare on the computer. That worked fine, BUT Microsoft stopped supporting it a couple weeks ago. Nice. Only a monopolist can act so imperiously to customers. I needed a new antivirus program.
I bought ZoneAlarm again, figuring that over the intervening years, they had fixed it. And even Microsoft said it worked.
F.
A few days after installing it, I got another "blue screen of death" crash.
Sooooooooooooo ... I uninstalled it again and put on "Microsoft Security Essentials", which is a free antivirus from Microsoft. It's really the antivirus program that was in Windows OneCare, but without the other features like backup, etc.
So far, so good.
You can tell that I'm sick of Microsoft and their absolutely abysmal operating system, Windows.
I'm NEVER going to buy another computer that runs Windows only. My plan now is to buy an Apple iPad in a few months, then learn how to use it. Once I do that, I'll replace this computer with a new Mac. And then, I'll start using Apple's "MobileMe" that unifies those two to my iPhone. I've subscribed to it for a few years, but never learned how to use it. All that has to change.
I expect to be All Mac, All the Time by the fall.
Actions
Doing nothing. Krypto has some cash left, but futures are up strongly this AM. That's OK. Trying to be perfect in stock investing is a fool's game. Good enough is fine.
Word of the Day
"Verisimilitude" - noun [$10]
Verisimilitude means 1. the appearance or semblance of being real or true; 2. a statement that appears true.
Sentence: Windows' verisimilitude of being a well-constructed operating system collapses with use. The program is a p. o. s. riddled with bugs and it induces many problems that the Microsoft should be liable for, but naturally they can hide behind their licensing agreement.
Showing posts with label Windows. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Windows. Show all posts
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Friday, December 12, 2008
Kill the Credit Default Swaps Market
As usual, the Financial Times leads the way in both news and good analysis. Here is the link to an article that I read this morning at around 3AM ET in Tuesday's paper edition:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8979777c-c591-11dd-b516-000077b07658.html
The title and author are "Put the credit default swaps market out of its misery" by John Dizard. Read it.
The ludicrous commentary on Babblevision and in some financial press about the price of insuring US government debt show how phony that credit default swap market is. Hundreds of billions of $$$ in real cash are being invested in US government bills, notes and bonds at all time record low rates, yet the pundits point to that phony credit defaults swap spread. How stupid !
Who is going to pay that CDS off if the US defaults ? One of the banks who trade it ? How is the counterparty risk distinguished from the credit risk on the named credit ? Those contracts are really betting parlor slips for Wall Street bucket shops. It's time to put those shops out of business.
Events
The US Senate killed the auto industry bridge loan. News reports says the reason was the UAW's refusal for accept immediate wage cuts to the level of its US Japanese competitors. Tough to argue with that demand as a starter. So the last hope to avoid major disruption is a large, $100 billion or more debtor-in-possession financing. Whether DC ruling classes can find the wisdom in doing that is debatable. The battle in DC seems mostly posturing now.
Concern about this is why I have deferred implementing the new "fund" for which I am researching stocks. I was burned in September by thinking the Congress would do the right thing, but it didn't ans the ensuing panic has been quite bad. So we might see a repeat of that mess in the real economy now.
The big problem with a GM bankruptcy is that it will not pay its suppliers, and likely thousands of those businesses in the supply chain will in turn have to file bankruptcy. After that, we'll have a food fight from one bankruptcy court to another. Ugh ....
Markets
Futures are down substantially early morning. Alpha Fund has a lot of cash.
I HATE WINDOWS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
VISTA ABSOLUTELY SUCKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I JUST LOST 10 MINUTES OF WRITING WHEN THIS PIECE OF SH*T OPERATING SYSTEM "RESTARTED" AUTOMATICALLY TO "UPDATE"
YES, I TOLD IT TO "POSTPONE" BUT IT DID NOT.
I WILL NEVER, EVER BUY ANOTHER COMPUTER USING WINDOWS !!!!!!!
My list of stocks to consider that "could" return 5 or 10x over two years numbers about 70. I'll trim it some today. Many good names appear - it seems one can get some quality in this risky venture.
PS: I never heard of Madoff, but this is just another bit of evidence that one should not trust a hedge fund. Ever. They are just bombs awaiting detonation in one manner or another.
PPS: The Madoff fraud suports my suggestion that all hedge funds over $100 million be subject to the Investment Company Act.
Word of the Day
"Rallentando" - adverb, adjective & noun [$10] musical
Rallentando means (adv. & adj.) with a gradual decrease in speed; (noun) a passage to be performed in this way.
Sentence: The US Senate, misnamed as the "World's Greatest Deliberative Body", has through its inaction sentenced the US economy to endure long rallentando movement in economic activity.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8979777c-c591-11dd-b516-000077b07658.html
The title and author are "Put the credit default swaps market out of its misery" by John Dizard. Read it.
The ludicrous commentary on Babblevision and in some financial press about the price of insuring US government debt show how phony that credit default swap market is. Hundreds of billions of $$$ in real cash are being invested in US government bills, notes and bonds at all time record low rates, yet the pundits point to that phony credit defaults swap spread. How stupid !
Who is going to pay that CDS off if the US defaults ? One of the banks who trade it ? How is the counterparty risk distinguished from the credit risk on the named credit ? Those contracts are really betting parlor slips for Wall Street bucket shops. It's time to put those shops out of business.
Events
The US Senate killed the auto industry bridge loan. News reports says the reason was the UAW's refusal for accept immediate wage cuts to the level of its US Japanese competitors. Tough to argue with that demand as a starter. So the last hope to avoid major disruption is a large, $100 billion or more debtor-in-possession financing. Whether DC ruling classes can find the wisdom in doing that is debatable. The battle in DC seems mostly posturing now.
Concern about this is why I have deferred implementing the new "fund" for which I am researching stocks. I was burned in September by thinking the Congress would do the right thing, but it didn't ans the ensuing panic has been quite bad. So we might see a repeat of that mess in the real economy now.
The big problem with a GM bankruptcy is that it will not pay its suppliers, and likely thousands of those businesses in the supply chain will in turn have to file bankruptcy. After that, we'll have a food fight from one bankruptcy court to another. Ugh ....
Markets
Futures are down substantially early morning. Alpha Fund has a lot of cash.
I HATE WINDOWS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
VISTA ABSOLUTELY SUCKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I JUST LOST 10 MINUTES OF WRITING WHEN THIS PIECE OF SH*T OPERATING SYSTEM "RESTARTED" AUTOMATICALLY TO "UPDATE"
YES, I TOLD IT TO "POSTPONE" BUT IT DID NOT.
I WILL NEVER, EVER BUY ANOTHER COMPUTER USING WINDOWS !!!!!!!
My list of stocks to consider that "could" return 5 or 10x over two years numbers about 70. I'll trim it some today. Many good names appear - it seems one can get some quality in this risky venture.
PS: I never heard of Madoff, but this is just another bit of evidence that one should not trust a hedge fund. Ever. They are just bombs awaiting detonation in one manner or another.
PPS: The Madoff fraud suports my suggestion that all hedge funds over $100 million be subject to the Investment Company Act.
Word of the Day
"Rallentando" - adverb, adjective & noun [$10] musical
Rallentando means (adv. & adj.) with a gradual decrease in speed; (noun) a passage to be performed in this way.
Sentence: The US Senate, misnamed as the "World's Greatest Deliberative Body", has through its inaction sentenced the US economy to endure long rallentando movement in economic activity.
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