Sustainable Competitive Advantage: July 2011

Friday, July 29, 2011

Making Money Quickly

One of the biggest reasons we enjoy the weekend is more time with family and friends. We can make our weekends (and weeks) even better by spending more time being social:

This paper exploits the richness and large sample size of the Gallup/Healthways US daily poll to illustrate significant differences in the dynamics of two key measures of subjective well-being: emotions and life evaluations. We find that there is no day-of-week effect for life evaluations, represented here by the Cantril Ladder, but significantly more happiness, enjoyment, and laughter, and significantly less worry, sadness, and anger on weekends (including public holidays) than on weekdays. We then find strong evidence of the importance of the social context, both at work and at home, in explaining the size and likely determinants of the weekend effects for emotions. Weekend effects are twice as large for full-time paid workers as for the rest of the population, and are much smaller for those whose work supervisor is considered a partner rather than a boss and who report trustable and open work environments. A large portion of the weekend effects is explained by differences in the amount of time spent with friends or family between weekends and weekdays (7.1 vs. 5.4 hours). The extra daily social time of 1.7 hours in weekends raises average happiness by about 2%.

Source: "Weekends and Subjective Well-Being" from NBER Working Paper No. 17180

For more on happiness check out Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project or Harvard professor Daniel Gilbert's Stumbling on Happiness.

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When Ronald Reagan ran for President in 1980, it was said of him that he was not the “sharpest knife in the drawer.” The old joke went that in his role in the 1951 role in Bedtime for Bonzo, the chimp that played Bonzo was smarter than the presidential hopeful.

It’s true that President Reagan, for all his charm, may not have been a rocket scientist. However, what he did have – and what many politicians today lack – were defined morals, principles, and ethics. More importantly, he relied on those assets to guide him through many troubling times as President.

In 1981 when Reagan took office this country was in dire straits economically. Stagflation that resulted from Jimmy Carter’s pursuit of altruistic ideals had led to high unemployment, an energy crisis that culminated in gas lines, and awful prospects for future economic growth. Sound familiar?

Among Reagan’s actions as President that re-energized this country economically were tax cuts, deregulation, and interest rate hikes to kill inflation. All things considered, these policies worked phenomenally well, and the US entered a 20-year period of growth led by a manufacturing resurgence.

Many of those same policy shifts would go a long way to correct today’s economic climate, but do not seem to be the mantra of the Obama White House – which is beginning to look more and more like Jimmy_Carter2.0.

Today there are a number of additional policies that could be instituted to create some real economic growth in this country and get more Americans back to work. For instance, the Federal Reserve ought to stop paying interest on excess bank reserves held in the Federal Reserve System. As things stand now, banks can borrow money from the Fed, deposit that money back with the Fed, and actually make money on the spread.

Come to think of it, the Fed shouldn’t only stop paying interest on excess reserves, but charge a holding fee on those same excess reserves. If banks aren’t going to lend money to fuel growth, they obviously don’t need to borrow it in the first place.

Want to see a real political shift in this country? Let’s make it illegal for anything to be withheld from an employee’s paycheck – that means taxes, employee contributions to health benefits, even union dues. Imagine how quickly union membership would fall off, which would encourage manufacturing. Think further about the uproar that would result over taxes if Americans were forced to actively adhere to the onerous cost of financing America’s public sector. Government spending would be cut in half in a matter of weeks.

These are just a few examples of policies that would go a long way to right this country’s course. There are certainly more ideas floating around, some of which are undoubtedly valuable.

However, it’s important for Republican candidates – and voting Americans – to understand that it isn’t necessary for elected officials to know all of this. What IS important is that those officials have strong morals and values. Those who do will tend to surround themselves with the right people; people who have similar principles and DO understand economics, foreign policy, or other areas that fall within the President’s purview.

Conversely, those candidates whose principles are defined by pollsters tend to have infinitely less intestinal fortitude when it comes to decision making. Obama is a fine example of someone who has surrounded himself with all the wrong people.

Consider the debt ceiling debate currently facing Washington. This is a surprisingly simple issue. When the government takes on debt there are only two ways to resolve it: pay it off, or default. Though a startlingly simple problem, it has become convoluted by talking heads in Washington who speak in circles, making every possible effort to confuse Americans.

This and other issues have made it clear that while Obama may be one of the least intelligent people in whatever room he enters, he lacks the humility to admit his ignorance. Instead he favors his image as god-king; a transgression that has served only to worsen the plight of the American people, but a lesson that should be learned by every Republican hopeful in 2012.

Dock David Treece is a discretionary money manager with Treece Investment Advisory Corp (www.TreeceInvestments.com) and is licensed with FINRA through Treece Financial Services Corp. He has appeared on CNBC and numerous radio programs, and also serves as editor of financial news site Green Faucet (www.GreenFaucet.com). The above information is the express opinion of Dock David Treece and should not be construed as investment advice or used without outside verification.

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Friday, July 22, 2011

Instant Payday Loan- Get cash wired for your account

Have you tried applying to get a faxless payday loansat a bank and had no collateral, property or good credit? In the event you said sure you probably keep in mind the sting of rejection that arrived from not getting the kind of lending agreement that you required. Borrowing an amount of money, of any dimension, is tougher now than it was just two years ago and for individuals who need additional money to pay for unexpected bills, health-related expenses or personal needs obtaining a Payday Mortgage is the very best option.

How to Apply For Payday Loans

If you want to apply for a Uk Payday Loan or payday lending anywhere else in the world you'll be requested to current the following items. 1. Proof of earnings - A minimum of 6 months of consistent employment. two. Proof of age - You must be 18 years aged or older. 3. Evidence of financial institution account - This is required because you must create a check to be offered the loan.

The typical payday contract charges a substantial APR (Yearly Proportion Rate) that can assortment from .00 to .00 based on how much money you borrow. The APR that payday lending companies charge has gotten lots of flak lately and also the negative suggestions isn't always according to honesty. The substantial APR that payday lending companies cost is substantial because the term with the mortgage is short (generally 2-4 weeks). The APR is also higher than on other lending contracts due to the convenience with the short phrase loan.

How you can Save Money On Payday Loans

You can save money on faxless payday loansby choosing a local Payday Mortgage Lender over an on-line lender. But in the event you live inside a state exactly where borrowing against your paycheck is outlawed you have to select an online business. When you have your Payday Cash Mortgage authorized, set priority to spend the mortgage off within 30 days simply because the longer you drag out the contract, the more cash you will pay in finance charges towards the loan company.

New Hire Criminal Track record Check

Finding the proper individuals to perform for you has in no way been an simple job. Everybody is outstanding at some thing but you need to determine if they're most likely to be fantastic at doing what you'll need them to do. Not merely that, you need to also make certain that they're going to fit in along with your business and current employees. That is why getting great employment background procedures is important when you're hiring new employees.

I am sure your quest for public records totally free on-line has come to an finish while you read this publish. Sure, gone are these days when we have to research endlessly for track record totally free online information or other this kind of info like track record totally free on-line,criminal background track record ,national criminal track record checks and even potential employee background Even with out articles for instance this, using the Internet all you've got to complete is log on and use any with the search engines like google to find the background check totally free on-line info you need.

Use the forums-don't be frightened to join in on forum discussions with other website members. Ask concerns, reveal advice and construct your professional network com.Be an outstanding listener-demonstrate a genuine curiosity in what the interviewer needs to say. Attempt not to interrupt by interjecting a comment whilst an individual else is talking (even if you're frightened you might neglect the point you'd like to create).

The very best method to keep employees at your production plant.How you can retain workers at your production plant When it comes to employing employees you will find many tips and methods which you can follow to ideally utilize the most effective employees which you can locate.

Whenever you have the persistence to go by indicates with the remainder of this write-up associated to track record examine free on-line you'll undoubtedly understand one or two points that will show truly useful to you. Maintain correct on studying and be correctly knowledgeable about examine totally free online also as other related track record free online,criminal background background , nationwide criminal checks or potential worker background examine information.

In case you're searching to get a reputable business, you need to bear in mind that these solutions will arrive at a cost. Generally, nonetheless, the fee is nominal. You'll discover sites that claim to offer a totally free service, but usually these are extremely best prevented.

Dealing using the Colorado Springs criminal legislation just isn't an ordinary thing and is as a result best left to trained attorneys. The experienced Colorado criminal defen.If an worker has endured an damage at his workplace then he has the right to claim for compensation. The insurance companies nevertheless make an work to stall the identical.

It may interest you to comprehend that lots of people looking for criminal search totally free on-line also got info concerning other track record examine free on-line,criminal background background checks, nationwide criminal checks, as well as potential worker background examine right here easily.

What can go incorrect will go wrong, at the worst second. They might be because of human mistakes or oversight, incomplete or out-dated details, mistaken identification or identification theft and so forth. What ever the case is, we wouldn't be oblivious to the hurt or victimization and could be well-prepared to encounter as much as problems if needed. And when we do flip up some factor unfavorable but correct in the self-check, we get a chance to fix it forward.

More About Car Insurance coverage Types

Did you know that exactly where you park your car at evening effects just how much you're paying for automobile insurance coverage each and every month? Most insurers won't let you know this when they are signing you up for his or her coverage and this is why you're having to pay much more cash for auto insurance coverage than the next individual which you know.

How You are able to Conserve Cash On Instant car insurance

If you would like to save money in your present automotive insurance coverage strategy or discover cheap car insurance coverage you should consider applying 1 or all of the suggestions within this article to your insurance coverage policy. 1. Maintain a good credit score rating. two. Always ask your insurer for reductions (example: good student discount or great driver discount). three. Safeguard your car with an alarm or perhaps a safety gadget. 4. Maintain your car in good situation. five. Pay a greater deductible each and every year. These actions can all save you hundreds of dollars for each year and simplify your life.

How Your Car Results That which you Spend Every Month

For many individuals if they have a quick, substantial profile car it's their child plus they would never investing it in for something more affordable and decrease profile but when you are on the spending budget and trying to save cash each and every month you need to give selling or investing inside your car some believed because choosing a different automobile may be the distinction among conserving or spending a couple of hundred or much more per year in car insurance.

1 with the things which you ought to by no means do is consider driving with out insuring your car simply because the consequences of driving with out it are far greater than paying for an insurance coverage policy on your vehicle each and every month. Besides the serious financial problems resulting from an accident such as personal bankruptcy in the extremely least you could face tickets, fines, impounding of one's car or much more if you generate with out it. This is why it's usually better to possess insurance coverage on your vehicle or start strolling much more till you can manage it.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Eliminate Credit rating Card Financial debt Fast

Acquiring your instant credit report will provide you with a very essential piece of credit info. These scores range from anywhere among 300 and 900. The greater it is the much better prices you can expect to obtain on loans. Your score will assist you to make feeling of your credit history, it provides a great image of how nicely you are handling your finances as well as offers you insight into precisely what creditors and lenders examine when determining whether you are qualified to get a charge card or mortgage.

This is exactly why we advise that everybody acquire their free credit score score a minimal of one time per year. Whenever you are about to apply for a charge card, it's an excellent plan to obtain a duplicate of your score and report, and examine it to make sure that all of the info is correct. It is feasible to acquire a duplicate of one's report completely free of charge every and each and every yr from each one with the credit score bureaus.

Whilst the over concept is really a completely acceptable indicates of monitoring your credit score standing you can also get a 3 in one report as an option.

This type of report offers the information that seems in your report as compiled by Equifax, Experian and TransUnion and offers you the large image of what your credit history in fact looks like. Usually, a three in 1 credit report gives you a short checklist of possibly difficult info, which you are able to quickly and easily evaluate. It's moreover recognized as being a 3 Bureau Credit history.

Collectors, loan companies, and banks will report to a credit score bureau any time a consumer gets a mortgage, opens up a fresh bank card account, misses a payment on the monthly invoice, or files for individual personal bankruptcy. Nevertheless, they are not needed to report it to all three credit score bureaus. The result is the fact that the no price credit report you receive from one credit score bureau could possibly be missing some important details. That missing information can frequently have a great influence in your credit score status. If you would really like a truly obvious see of how great or dreadful your credit history really is, you need to look at investing in a three in 1 credit report.

A detailed analysis of one's free credit score and report will provide you having a fantastic insight into your financial situation. Within the event you put inside your purchase for a comprehensive credit score score from 1 with the 3 credit bureaus, you can be qualified to obtain your credit score record from Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax within a joint file. They are going to help you in simple evaluation of exactly exactly where you stand and allow it to be feasible for you personally to notice the variations in your 3 credit reviews. It's going to assist you follow all loans and charge cards which are opened inside your title and you also are heading to become inside a position to understand which companies contact the credit score bureaus.

Hoodia As a Weight reduction Supplement

Hoodia gordonii is just the item which is really a fat decreasing supplement that has all the effects that are needed to assist in sustainable weight reduction. This fat lowering supplement is made of the most effective organic urge for food suppressants accessible. These are obtainable in supplements and all you've got to complete is to eat them to obtain the results. These Hoodia gordonii capsules make you really feel complete and your appetite is suppressed top to decreased bodyweight.

The effect of the hoodia gordonii to the individual is optimum, and supplies effective weight loss because with the higher potency on the product. This bodyweight reducing supplement is pure and all-natural. You can find also many antioxidants which are obtainable in this natural product that prevents numerous other illnesses from happening. The lack of side effects and also the truth the fat decrease is sustainable are a few of the main benefits of using hoodia gordonii is a cactus plant indigenous to the South African desert. Although the Kalahari tribesmen have employed Hoodia Gordonni for centuries-as an urge for food suppressant throughout famine, or in excess of the program of lengthy journeys-the weight loss industry is only just beginning to harness Hoodia Gordonni like a diet supplement.

Most Efficient Natural Hemorrhoid Reduction

Although it is embarrassing to possess hemorrhoids, in reality you will find plenty of individuals who are afflicted by this sickness. You will find great deal of people who aren't really vocal about this sickness that's why they are not aware with the signs and symptoms and indications of it.

But in the event you will do some researches about it, you will certainly uncover a lot. Usually when you have hemorrhoid treatment you'll pain, inflammation, inflammation and itching in your anal area. And once you experience these symptoms, it's important that you have to do something about this. It's important that you have to do some hemorrhoid treatment whilst the signs and symptoms are nonetheless mild.

And simply because people who suffer from hemorrhoid aren't comfy of talking about this, they just do some self medicine in treating your hemorrhoid. Actually there are plenty of treatment that you can do n purchase to get rid of the pain, swelling and irritation.

One of the greatest natural hemorrhoid treatments which you can do would be to make a modification together with your lifestyle. It's important that you have to consume meals which are wealthy in fiber. If you're not used in eating fruits and vegetable, nicely now it is important which you need to include these foods together with your every day diet plan. In the event you usually drink little quantity of water, then you have to increase fluid consumption because this can assist you to soften your stool and this will assist you to get rid of your hemorrhoid. Having a little sacrifice on your part, you can make sure that you will eliminate your hemorrhoid. It will also assist you to prevent this illness.

But you will find many people who do not know any with the natural hemorrhoid treatment, that is why they don't have any choice but to consult the physician. It is truly essential to consult the physician in order to have the right therapy for your hemorrhoid. Usually the doctors will prescribe you some medicines which will assist you to eliminate your hemorrhoid. There are tons o f topical lotions that can be bought more than the counter. These creams can assist you to in treat6ing your hemorrhoid however it can only last for a few hrs. But as soon as your hemorrhoid will get severe and even worse then surgery is what most physicians recommends you.

Self medicine is truly a great concept but as soon as your hemorrhoid get serious it is better to consult the physician to be able to have the proper hemorrhoids therapy. This will assist you to stop the expensive price of surgery.

Genital Warts Treatment - Safe and Effective

Are you currently the 1 who is facing the issue of treatment for genital warts and are feeling shy to visit a physician? Would you be comfy obtaining your warts remedied by natural means? How would you feel if you know to cure these warts by your self? If you're positive to all these questions, then please go through this article to obtain rid of this infection your self that to with ease. Genital warts are truly a big dermatological problem as in comparison with other skin desease and are about irregular skin growth. Not only they irritate you but have a extremely unfavorable effect in your sex life, it can become a large issue and may lead to other bigger disease that cannot be underestimated.

Getting a little information of obtaining these warts cured with out leaving your house is really extremely easy and easy. Just go to web and appear for Wartrol; a renowned item for your therapy of warts by natural means and effectively. It's a homeopath treatment which is created up of all-natural components such as tea tree oil. Wartrol doesn't require any prescription and is also accessible over the counter at all leading drug stores within the Usa. The drug can also be accessible all over Europe, United kingdom, Australia, Canada, and in the nations of UAE. The wonder drug is also available online and is also straight delivered for your home.

It is usually advisable to seek medical opinion especially if you're a female. The HPV virus , referred to as Human Papilloma Virus is the primary culprit creating genital warts relief, which may trigger cervical cancer, if ignored. It is the greatest threat particularly to females as in comparison with males. It is always much better to start therapy as soon as you discover this virus infection as it can result in larger issue if left untreated. It can be treated by Wartrol effectively if it is still within the initial stage.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

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Whenever you take into account advertising your small business on golf courses, you will find different issues to become deemed prior to buying signs. The initial cause is quality from the indicators. Make sure that the indicators that show your brand are created employing materials that could withstand the toughest of environments and don’t involve much upkeep.

Go to get a wide choice of supplies - aluminum, bronze, granite, redwood, sandstone Kingstone or Rinowood to search out the sign that suits to your company requirement. You can find some trustworthy firms that provide great turnaround time that would make certain your satisfaction from their service. A trusted firm that offers very good service is Bench Craft Company. You'll be able to get in touch with such an advertising firm straight and get a quote. You want your signs to search beautiful and elegant.

Golf cart is another helpful way of reaching golfers. You'll have your ads in direct sight with the golfers once they ride the cart. An normal round of golf lasts for 5 hrs, which means numerous time to receive enough impression. Billboards are the principal advertising goods on golf courses. It has double sides, which helps in displaying advertisements on each sides. It might be set up amid the support poles on the front or rear side of your cart. The ideal size for billboards is 4x36 inches and, it could differ in accordance with the course. And, you'll be able to stay assured that it may deliver you 300 to 400 impressions in a round.

A pin seeker banner is yet another effective way of branding on the golf course. In addition to the important information regarding the course, you can also show your brand or logo on pin seeker banners. This is set up amid the assistance poles around the front and rear side of the golf cart. They also have an ideal size of 4x36 inches, which can preserve varying in accordance with the course. Related for the billboards, they can also support your messages get as a lot of as 300 impressions inside a round.

The GPS on the golf cart can also be used as a wonderful advertising medium. The essential distance info is always checked by golfers, and also you can get your ads displayed beside the display. The GPS units are primarily installed on the dashboard or on the windshield. And, the advantage of marketing on digital technological innovation is the fact that you are able to update your advertisements whenever you want.
Marketing firms like Bench Craft Company give thorough sponsorship and advertising choices that enable your brand to achieve matchless exposure towards the high-end golf players and audience. Making use of the extensive advertising alternatives, you can get your brand messages displayed on golf courses for extended intervals of time.

The advantage of advertising on golf courses is that it provides you more than 90% attain to golfers and audience, and there is certainly no other medium that gives so much achievement rate. Due to the fact your brand gets an extended period of exposure, golfers could be capable to view your advertisements from 1 to six hrs around the basis from the placement. And, this implies that you simply receive constructive recognition for your brand as golfers will link it with enjoyment. And, whenever you are operating with professional marketing firms, you can remain assured that there may be no cluttering as every placement will carry separate brands.
An additional successful marketing medium is the golfer’s bag. Golfers drive around the course with their bags or they just leave it at the bag drop, nonetheless it can generally obtain a minimum of 30 impressions within a round.

An additional advertising medium to reach a wide spectrum of golfers is by means of driving ranges. The regular session can final from 30 to 45 minutes, and also you can get unique impressions for your brands and merchandise.

Driving variety displays assist you to attain golfers of different levels. You receive best logo positioning in certain hitting bay. Marketing firms styles driving ranges, customized to suit the present variety configuration of every course. This consists of pop-out banners, A-frames and materials for mesh banner.

Qualified advertising firms ensure extensive flexibility so as to generate certain that your business gets linked along with your audience in a manner it tends to make sense.

Most of the reputable golf course marketing firms allow you to choose inventory on the golf course or for golf events. And, because the campaigns could be customized, they're going to usually match into to your budget. The length of your advertising campaign can assortment over golf seasons or more than months.

And, all of the capabilities of your campaign are facilitated by the advertising firm. This includes layout, placement, reporting and maintenance. And, the approval from the golf course, for the creative material, can also be the responsibility with the marketing firm. If you're enthusiastic about exploring golf course advertising to market your company, then you definitely should certainly check out http://benchcraftcompany.net

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Making Money Software

If you are reading TechCrunch you probably already realize this fact: Flavor-of-the-month consumer Internet companies have a way of hogging the spotlight. If you didn’t, we conveniently published some evidence of it yesterday.

But that reality predates us by at least a decade. In 1999 when the world talked about Silicon Valley, they usually meant sexy dot coms. The fascinating new reality of being able to do anything from buying groceries to downloading music instantly online was phenomenal (if ephemeral), and everyday consumers tended to miss the far larger, equally disruptive and frequently more sustainable businesses being built in enterprise software and telecom.

But Wall Street didn’t: Larry Ellison of Oracle eclipsed Bill Gates for a short time as the richest man in the world, Sun Microsystems and Cisco Systems were two of techs biggest out-performers of the era and the billions invested in telecommunications made the dot com cash look like chump change. Venture capitalists didn’t miss it either: Substantially more money was put into telecom companies in the run up to the dot com bust, lulled by a sense of false assurance that at least these overvalued companies had “real assets” that could be liquidated if need be.

In 2005 when people were writing headlines about “the return of Silicon Valley,” a lot of people working in technology were justifiably irritated. After all, tech behemoths like eBay, Yahoo, Oracle, Intel, Hewlett-Packard never exactly left. Silicon Valley and the tech industry in aggregate was several orders of magnitude bigger than it was pre-Internet bust, even with all the lost jobs and delisted companies. Veterans griped about sites like TechCrunch and ValleyWag making sweeping statements about the Valley, but really only reporting on a comparatively small-money resurgence in the then tiny consumer Internet space.

That focus on the sexy, social, consumer Web over everything else has only gotten more pronounced as those many of those one-time flavors of the month like Facebook, Zynga, Twitter and Groupon have become bonafide giants. The difference is that now the divergence in attention actually makes sense.

But it’s not necessarily between consumer and enterprise; it’s between old and new tech. It just looks like it’s all about consumer, because we just haven’t seen that many big new enterprise companies yet. (Plenty are building steam, and just keeping it quiet. Others just take time to get traction because traction is represented by paying customers, not just eyeballs.)

I’ve been thinking about this a lot the last few months. Once was during a conversation with Jon Swartz, the veteran tech reporter at USA Today. We were swapping war stories about having to report on big personalities like Scott McNealy and Larry Ellison and Tom Siebel back in the day. And he asked, “What ever happened to those huge personalities?”

Sure Ellison is still around, but he rarely does press and, sadly, his antics are even rarer. And the prickly-but-genius Steve Jobs has morphed into a comparatively boring do-no-wrong deity in popular Valley consciousness. There are few others left to even inspire. The biggest tech companies in the world used to be lead by outrageous visionaries. Now they’re mostly lead by boring businessmen so media trained they couldn’t say anything interesting if their life (or stock prices) depended on it.

It hit me again a few months later when I was talking to Peter Thiel about the state of publicly traded tech companies. We talked about embattled companies like Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Yahoo and Cisco that can’t seem to do anything right except hang onto core cash cow businesses. These companies have all either had recent CEO changes or investors are calling for them. In the case of Yahoo, both are happening.

I asked Thiel if anyone could really change these companies’ fortunes or if they were just destined to be value stocks, their best days behind them. He said, “The problem is these big tech companies are just like banks now; all they do is print money. And that’s boring. What would you do as CEO? You could just massively fire people who pretend to be innovating and maximize that cash. Think about it– 90% of Google’s projects don’t make any sense. But [these companies] have [all] identified themselves as technology companies. It’s a big part of their self image.” He continued, “(Running these companies) is just not fun. People are too unfair on Carol Bartz. Yahoo is arguably in a tougher position than old media”

And it hit home again a few weeks ago during the All Things D conference during Marc Andreessen’s talk where he outlined many reasons why there isn’t a bubble in tech. More substantial than his rationale of the fact that everyone is freaking out about a bubble means we’re not en masse buying into one was his point about price-to-earnings ratios of the large tech companies. At the time, he noted that Google’s was 13.7, Apple’s was 12, Microsoft’s was 7 and Cisco’s was 7. Some of those are up since his talk, but they still hover between 9 and 15. “That’s what steel mills trade at when they are going out of business,” he said. “Essentially Android is being valued at zero. The public market hates tech.”

I agree that the P/Es of Apple and Google are somewhat puzzling. Let’s set them aside. For the rest of big tech, the market reaction isn’t necessarily without reason. Big tech–the publicly-traded companies that still control so much of our digital lives and the returns of venture capitalists via endless acquisitions–haven’t been giving the markets much to get excited about for years and it’s getting worse, not better. Worse: They’re not giving employees and customers anything to get excited about either.

This was also pronounced during the entire All Things D conference. I don’t in any way mean what I’m about to say as a knock on a competitor. All Things D is a phenomenal event and the only conference I cover these days other than our own. And while I think no one beats TechCrunch at giving startups a place to debut and assembling the biggest names in the venture-backed ecosystem, All Things D’s annual event rules when it comes to bringing together the big names in big tech. This is a conference, after all, that gets Jobs to appear on stage with Bill Gates. And, yet, most of the big tech names trotted out this year — while worthy of the slot by resume– were just utterly boring to listen to.

Nearly everyone I talked to in the hallways remarked on the vast difference in energy and content between the new guys on stage represented by Twitter’s Dick Costolo, Groupon’s Andrew Mason, Square’s Jack Dorsey and Andreessen and, well, nearly everyone else who spoke. Each of the old-tech guard sat on stage, made semi-amusing jokes, and justifications for why they are still relevant and why they’ll get better.

Eric Schmidt’s dour opening keynote that explored all the areas the still comparatively mighty Google has stumbled turned out to be the perfect table setter. Few of the others were as candid, but the same sorry-we-sucked-for-a-while-but-we-swear-we’re-getting-better justifications were there. Steven Sinofsky of Microsoft talked about how the new version of Office is more Apple-y…if only all the silos in the company can agree to get behind it. Leo Apotheker of HP explained why HP would still win in tablets and why consumerization of the enterprise would benefit HP, not say, a company great at building consumer experiences. Shantanu Nayaren of Adobe said the whole war over Flash with Apple was overstated, but fortunately other vendors would eventually beat Apple anyway so it didn’t matter. Stephen Elop of Nokia talked about how Microsoft’s operating system would suddenly make Nokia a smart phone powerhouse. And finally, the conference fittingly closed with AT&T CEO Ralph De La Vega answering every angry volley from Walt and Kara about its loathsome network with justifications for why if we only give them the T-Mobile acquisition, all will be fixed. Is anyone buying any of this?

It wasn’t the problem of the conference’s appeal. As a competitor, I’d love if that were the case. But realistically who in big tech would have been more riveting? You can’t have Steve Jobs every year. Meanwhile, there were plenty of people in the audience I would have rather heard from, including senior executives of surging companies like Facebook, One King’s Lane, and Yelp.

Is it any wonder there was such a frenzy around LinkedIn’s IPO? At least it’s a new script. It’s like when you used to be bored in class and a bird flew in the window and everyone went nuts. A bird probably wouldn’t be that exciting if you were outside playing frisbee.

It didn’t used to be that way. Big technology companies used to do interesting things and if not, many had cowboy personalities to make boring businesses interesting. But who wants to be head of a Nokia or a Microsoft or a Cisco or a Yahoo now? All of these companies have powerful entrenched user bases that aren’t going anywhere, and they’ll all make that justification anytime an analyst complains about their growth. Great. But their businesses are irrevocably declining if not in actual users, in terms of market influence and ability to recruit anyone talented. They can’t do wildly innovative things because stabs at innovation have failed so many times. They are in a total duck-and-cover mode. Who wants to be in duck-and-cover when a world of lucrative startups are exploding into the public markets?

In the last boom era, the publicly traded technology companies were also surging. Cisco’s John Chambers was nicknamed the Pied Piper of Wall Street. Today he is fighting for his job, along with Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer. In fact, their biggest selling point may be that so few great leaders want their jobs, and there’s no natural successors in the wings. Those people have all left for other opportunities. (There goes another one with always-the-bridesmaid-never-the-bride Ann Livermore’s departure from HP.) Then there’s Yahoo: The company so siloed and dysfunctional it’s made Terry Semel, Jerry Yang, and Carol Bartz– three respected leaders with totally different skill sets– each look incompetent. These companies have all essentially become Novell.

Out of the entire tech universe, three legacy companies have stayed as relevant as any startup: Apple, Amazon and Netflix. All three are testaments to visionary founders with a strong will who aren’t afraid to utterly disrupt their companies and cannibalize their own businesses.

The only other legacy tech public company I’d put near that camp is Oracle. And the reason that Larry Ellison outmaneuvered his entire industry? By predicting what is happening now: That the IT revolution was over. That tech was no longer a differentiator for his customers. It was merely table stakes to being in business, like having desks, power and phone lines. He argued the answer for growth was a sheer land-grab of already installed customers who would pay ongoing maintenance and upgrade fees until seemingly the end of time.

Back then everyone said Ellison was wrong. Top business schools wrote new case studies on why tech still mattered, software-as-a-service startups argued they could still unseat Oracle in big deals, and truckloads of experts said that hostile takeovers in the software world would never work because the integrations would be too messy and those companies’ real assets– programmers– would all leave. But Ellison was right. (Although I’d argue at some point a new generation of software will unseat Oracle and its acquired parts. It’ll just take a lot more than the first wave of software as a service companies had to offer.)

In previous decades of Silicon Valley companies were building a new industry, so almost all tech companies had growth potential. Now there’s a stark line between mature technology and technology that is still growing in aggregate. They are simply different industries. Arguing this is still one industry; that all of the companies who make technology are investing in change is like saying any company with a Web site is an Internet company.

As this discrepancy widens between 1990s era tech and today, I was reminded of an interview Thiel did several years ago with CNBC where he was asked what large cap tech names he was bullish on. He answered that other than Google there were no large cap tech names, because companies like Intel and Microsoft are inherently anti-technology companies. Their success, he said, is rooted in the status quo. The best of all possible worlds for them would be the global technology user base never adopting anything new. CNBC’s anchors looked confused at this concept. Microsoft isn’t a tech company? Not too long ago, Microsoft was *the* tech company.

But Thiel was right. Too many of the companies that built out the IT revolution and Silicon Valley are “technology” companies in name only now. They aren’t disrupting anything, they are doing the opposite. They are desperately clinging to the status quo. They still have massive amounts of cash, massive installed user bases that won’t be switching loyalties anytime soon and those are really the only two reasons they still matter. To fuse Thiel and Ellison’s arguments: They are banks whose job is to print money paid by people who are slow to change their digital habits. Even our parent company AOL is funding its radical turn-around largely off of people who don’t know they no longer have to pay us every month for a subscription to the World Wide Web. (I’ll at least give Tim Armstrong credit for being interesting on stage.)

But it’s even more true now that huge, lucrative opportunities have sucked anyone remotely talented out of those companies. At least people were wary of working at a startup back then. Now it seems risky not to be at a startup. LinkedIn and Facebook alone have proved social media wasn’t a fad. These companies, along with Twitter, Zynga, Groupon and others, are legitimately the most interesting stories in the American business world today, as they play central roles in global political uprisings and represent some of the most anticipated stock market debuts of the last decade.

We can point out Groupon’s shortcomings and risks every day: The stock will still be in high-demand when it debuts. Because the reality is there are only a handful of companies actually inventing new technology and businesses among the biggest public traded tech names today.

The sooner we realize this is no longer one industry, the sooner we can stop the silly bubble comparisons to 1999 and get a handle on why these issues will keep popping. We all want something that’s actually growing and disrupting and inspiring. Silicon Valley and the start up world has gotten to enjoy a lot of it over the last ten years, and Wall Street is sick of just watching.

One of the big changes coming next month with the release of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion is that apps that operate under Rosetta, the code libraries that allow PowerPC-based apps to run on Intel-based Mac hardware, may no longer work under the new operating system.

Current developer previews of Lion do not include Rosetta, a gentle reminder from Apple to developers that they need to free their apps from any PPC-era code. For Intuit, the makers of Quicken for Mac 2007, rewriting their app from scratch was cost-prohibitive. Now it appears that Apple might license portions of the Rosetta code to developers who don't have the time or money to rewrite their apps.

In an interview published today by The Mac Observer, Intuit vice president and general manager of the Personal Finance Group Aaron Patzer noted that his team has been working closely with Apple for several months to embed certain Rosetta libraries into Quicken for Mac 2007 just for the purpose of getting the app to run under Lion. According to Patzer, that project won't see fruition until the end of the summer, which means that folks who are enamored with Quicken 2007 might have to wait to upgrade to Lion.

There are, of course, other personal finance solutions available for the Mac platform. Patzer is the man behind Mint.com, an highly-touted online personal finance site that was purchased by Intuit. Intuit's own Lion-friendly Quicken Essentials (screenshot above) is a possibility, although many Quicken 2007 users refuse to switch since Essentials lacks the bill paying and investment tracking functions that were in the earlier version of the software. TUAW readers often cite iBank as a much more capable Mac finance app.

Patzer's comments should be welcome news to developers who are behind the proverbial eight-ball in terms of making their apps Lion-ready.

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