Badri's blog

Who is to be blamed for American automobile industry mess?

2009-01-19T21:59:00.000-08:00

American auto manufactures are criticized for building gas guzzlers. They built the vehicles with the assumption that the gas prices will hover around $.2.50. Which is the price now and the right price.

But the hedge fund managers fudged the market and raised the prices to unbearable levels, artificially pushing the American manufactures to brink of collapse. Which is followed by the worst economy in decades.

Who's to blame for the Automobile industries mess?

A) Hedge fund managers
B) Economy
C) Themselves

I think the answer is 'A' and 'C' (Americal auto industry is not nimble).

Supposedly home owners

2009-01-19T21:46:00.000-08:00

First of all I don't own the home anymore, wait...

For legal purposes, yes I own the home. From equity perspective, house prices have gone down significantly wiping out my down payment. So practically I am not even the part owner and the bank owns it from a common sense perspective.

Sometimes it makes me wonder that the rent is too high for my house :-) and I should find a better place for the rent (I mean mortgage) I pay.

I am at overall loss. Bank makes profit on me and govt pays them to do their job. Sounds weird.

Huge surplus money

2008-04-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

There is huge surplus money in this world that’s driving the market, wish I could trace it to make money.

This money was invested in Tech stocks during 2000, then real estate the following years, then gold and finally Oil. Beauty of this is: the money leaves in droves just before the bubble is going to bust. These guys back off right around that time the markets peak leaving individual investors in the valley. There will be folks who will be burnt investing in oil and we will figure out soon.

I always wish that my money follows the cycle, so trying to see where the money is going next and invest early on…

If I follow CNN or CNBC, I’ll be in catch up mode, so need to be smarter than them.

Oil and Food – is the world headed for chaos?

2008-04-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

Here is the reason:

Oil producing countries are keeping the prices high. Some of these countries don’t have much of cultivation land, so they are depended on other countries for food.

Food producing countries are producing more corn that can be converted to oil and leaving less for exports. If these countries produce less food, oil producing nations will have difficulties in importing food. Also, some of these food producers have put food export ban. This is pretty soon going to cause a deadlock.

As the price of food goes up, oil producing countries have to lot more of import (assuming there are no export bans), eating into their short lived joy and long term pain.

This is a vicious cycle and should be quenched at source by producing more oil. There is going to be chaos if its not fixed immediately. Oil is not going to be there for ever, so in the long term world should consume less oil.

I think we are headed in the wrong direction and should fix it now before it’s too late.

Dividend paying companies

2008-04-20T20:18:00.000-07:00

I assume that Wall Street rates the company equal whether or not they pay dividend. But I think dividend paying companies need to be rated differently as the cash doesn’t come back to the companies coffers unlike the companies that don’t. However, the companies that pay the dividends need to be rated better because they have to work hard to fund the R&D and dividends.

Does anyone of you know how the companies are rated based on the dividend payout or not? Leave me note.

Do successful Companies innovate?

2008-03-26T23:31:00.000-07:00

Yes. Successful companies constantly pursue innovation. But nothing ground breaking, or disruptive -- because they just can’t get out of their success of the core products.

Microsoft is finding it hard to get into Search, but is milking the core OS/Office products

Google is finding it hard to get beyond the search. Look at Facebook, which is attracting talent from Google. If Google could invent, those folks would have been in Google and not moved to Facebook

I could go on with list of companies in all segments.

Is there a key to unlock their potential? I don’t think there is easy and clean way. Have you seen clauses from company that says "anything you innovate belongs to the company "? Which is fact of life, I agree. But, why doesn't it have any clause for rewards. This is definitely killing innovation from inside the companies.

May the companies have to reward the innovative employs one way or the other?

I’ll leave it to you to ponder further.

Difference between socialist and capitalist countries

2008-03-22T16:04:00.000-07:00

Socialist bailout poor people, where as capitalist bailout corporations.

Why is that the government always rescues big and inefficient companies?

Badri

What if US was a big corporation?

2008-03-22T15:59:00.000-07:00

Would the CEO of the corportation called US survived? I don't think so...

Badri

Ever wonder why Google is doing well in the Ads compared to Yahoo?

2008-03-22T14:21:00.001-07:00

What it the difference between Yahoo and Google Ads?

I have been using Yahoo mail for a long time, but would have hardly noticed the AD banner on the side. My brain is tuned enough not to look at them and its become part of my sub-consciousness.

Recently after Microsoft announced intentions about Yahoo, I started looking for alternative email services as I am not interested in using anything Microsoft does as it is always behind the curve in using the latest technology or tools or charge me heftily for bells and whistles. So started using Google’s mail more than ever and it has replaced Yahoo mail. It has become my primary email outside of my work and I have tried hard not to have any affinity with any email services.

When I started using Gmail account extensively, I didn’t see graphical Ads. There is no graphical Ads on the side, but neatly laid out text ad which nicely blends with the email layout. So my brain gets tricked to looking at them so not to miss any contents of the email. By the time I have read 4 to 5 emails, I have looked at the Ads once or twice. This act of me looking into Ads is extreme compared to my views of ads Yahoo where the hit ratio was near nil.

Should I have a web site or web related business, I definitely know hot to place the ads and what format. Big thanks to Google.

Don’t resign to the fact that Google is going to dominate this space or keep the revenues growing… Want to know why Google is mortal, read further.

I recently moved to a Windows based mobile phone which has nice IMAP/POP email client, which is very helpful in monitoring emails at different websites without having to visit the website. Having started using the, I hardly go the Gmail website unless I have to open documents, or have to type a new lengthy email, or respond to email, which can be several sentences long. This facility of checking emails is still clutter free of Ads, so I don’t have a chance to view any Ads.

With the advent of mobile devices, click ratio is going to fall for ads unless they find a good way to place ads in the mobile space. With any banner or ad in mobile space shrinks the space available for viewing on the screen, which will be a real challenge to be non-intrusive.

Badri

200 Billion bailout

2008-03-11T23:13:00.000-07:00

Fed has raised the confirming loan limits, and injected 200 billion. However the loan rates are going up against the conventional wisdom. Banks were enjoying great profits without any of these and with all these their returns should be sexy.

Not sure how consumers will ever benefit out these changes. Banks will return to black and will start paying big bucks to you know who...

Now you know who benefits out of everything :-(

Of course this is my personal thoughts.

Badri

Cricket and money

2008-02-02T23:53:00.000-08:00

Is Indian team getting too powerful to dominate the sports by muscle than sportsman ship? I no longer feel connected to the game as there too much money and less of passion.

Players like Sachin and Ganguly are sticking too long in the game and its time to bring in young players. I also don't think Indian team is setting the stage for next world cup by keeping the players who might not be effective then.

I don't commend Australia either for their lousy attitude towards other teams. But they at least prove their consistency.

Badri

Hummer

2007-12-29T13:37:00.000-08:00

While returning on 29th December from Las Vegas to San Jose I noticed a 18 wheel truck overtaking a Hummer at 80 mph in 70 zone. In past while traveling with my wife I mentioned that Hummer's are always on the right most lane and she asked me why. I had to tell her that the speed limit for Hummer was ~80 and may be thats the reason they are on right most lane.

I'm wondering which of the following is valid reasons:
1. GM has lost touch with the speed limits and reality.
2. Folks driving Hummer are more image cautious then practical.
3. May be its my perception...
4. Funny, but are the Hummer drivers conserving gas at lower speed?

What do you say?

Badri