List of Archived Posts

2008 Newsgroup Postings (09/12 - 10/05)

Blinkylights

IBM celebrates forgotten supercomputer

Blinkylights

Blinkylights

Michigan industry

Michigan industry

Michigan industry

Michigan industry

Taxcuts

Taxcuts

Blinkylights

Blinkylights

Blinkylights

Michigan industry

Blinkylights

Blinkylights

VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

Michigan industry

VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

Blinkylights

Michigan industry

Michigan industry

VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

Michigan industry

Blinkylights

Blinkylights

Blinkylights

VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

Blinkylights

Blinkylights

Macs for security (now, with new improved NSA hardening tips!)

Blinkylights

VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

Blinkylights

Builders v. Breakers

Builders V. Breakers

Builders V. Breakers

Success has many fathers, but failure has the US taxpayer

In your experience which is a superior debit card scheme - PIN based debit or signature debit?

Wrapping up the FBEMBA

Success has many fathers, but failure has the US taxpayer

VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

Blinkylights

VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

In your experience which is a superior debit card scheme - PIN based debit or signature debit?

Mobile Payment/All-in-One Card

Virtualization Adopters Hit The Tipping Point

In your experience which is a superior debit card scheme - PIN based debit or signature debit?

VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

The Digital Dark Age or.....Will Google live for ever?

Baudot code direct to computers?

Technology and the current crisis

Your thoughts on the following comprehensive bailout plan please

In your experience which is a superior debit card scheme - PIN based debit or signature debit?

In your experience which is a superior debit card scheme - PIN based debit or signature debit?

VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

VMware renders multitasking OSes redundant

Traditional Approach Won't Take Businesses Far Places

In your experience which is a superior debit card scheme - PIN based debit or signature debit?

Costing for IT Services

VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

To what extent do IP networks meet the stringent requirements of High Availability (HA) where the target performance is 99.999%? What performance is obtained in practice

VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

Whether, in our financial crisis, the prize for being the biggest liar is

The 50 most significant moments of Internet history

VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

Another quiet week in finance

Could you please tell me about RADIUS authentication and how it works?

Clickjacking -- the new browser wipe-out

Why was Sarbanes-Oxley not good enough to sent alarms to the regulators about the situation arising today?

In your experience which is a superior debit card scheme - PIN based debit or signature debit?

Why can't we analyze the risks involved in mortgage-backed securities?

Should online transactions be allowed on credit cards without adequate safeguards?

VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

Power sources

Isn't it the Federal Reserve role to oversee the banking system??

Google Data Centers 'The Most Efficient In The World'

Why did Sox not prevent this financal crises?

Sea level

Fraud in financial institution

Sea level

Sea level

VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

Blinkylights

STUDY: Lights Out In 2009?

Blinkylights

Blinkylights

Credit Card Security

How did http get a port number as low as 80?

How did http get a port number as low as 80?

How did http get a port number as low as 80?

Blinkylights

Blinkylights

Wachovia Bank web site

Blinkylights

Houses

Blinkylights

Wachovia Bank web site

Blinkylights

Blinkylights

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Blinkylights
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:08:56 -0400

Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com> writes:

Part of this is past references to Buffett having been the largest
freddie shareholder in 2000/2001 and then got out GSEs because of their
accounting methods ... and GSEs also doing heavily leveraged investments
into CDOs ... outside of their nominal charter of directly dealing in
(specific quality) mortgages.

CBS has recent news item about GSE mess and powerful friends. The
accounting methods freddie cooked the books inflating profit by $10b to
boost executive bonus ... and in 2004 was fined $400m. The head
executive was replaced ... but allowed to keep $60m (of the $90m). The
current two top executives of freddie & fannie are out ... but keep
$30m. At one point freddie had more lobbyists working for them than
employees.

where was SOX in all this?

business news show this morning are wringing hands about
gov. negotiations for Lehman bailout ... claiming that Lehman had
6months after Bear bail-out to get house in order. Since they didn't
... this is starting to look more and more like moral hazard
.... no consequences and accountability for risky behavior resulting
in increasing risky behavior, another kind of play on the "Peter Pan"
reference at financial cryptography blog, never having to grow up and
face consequence, aka treating financial industry executives as if
they are minors and not adults
https://financialcryptography.com/mt/archives/001095.html

recent references mentioning GSE accounting methods:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#75 Fraud due to stupid failure to test for negative
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#76 When risks go south: FM&FM to be nationalized
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#78 When risks go south: FM&FM to be nationalized
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#80 Fraud due to stupid failure to test for negative
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#83 Fraud due to stupid failure to test for negative
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#86 WSJ finds someone to blame.... be skeptical, and tell the WSJ to grow up
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#87 Fraud due to stupid failure to test for negative
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#92 Blinkylights

recent references mentioning moral hazard
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008g.html#64 independent appraisers
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008j.html#71 lack of information accuracy
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008j.html#76 lack of information accuracy
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#16 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008l.html#51 Monetary affairs on free reign, but the horse has Boulton'd
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008l.html#67 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#83 Fraud due to stupid failure to test for negative
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#86 WSJ finds someone to blame.... be skeptical, and tell the WSJ to grow up

misc. past posts mentioning SOX
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008.html#4 folklore indeed
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008.html#71 As Expected, Ford Falls From 2nd Place in U.S. Sales
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008.html#78 As Expected, Ford Falls From 2nd Place in U.S. Sales
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008b.html#26 folklore indeed
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008c.html#87 Toyota Sales for 2007 May Surpass GM
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008f.html#86 Banks failing to manage IT risk - study
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008g.html#17 Hannaford breach illustrates dangerous compliance mentality
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008j.html#64 lack of information accuracy
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#20 IBM's 2Q2008 Earnings

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

IBM celebrates forgotten supercomputer

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: IBM celebrates forgotten supercomputer
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:01:45 -0400

IBM celebrates forgotten supercomputer
http://www.techworld.com/opsys/news/index.cfm?newsid=104356&pagtype=all

from above:

It was fifty years ago this week that IBM built the Stretch
supercomputer, and IBM marked the event on Thursday with a retrospective
at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, attended by
three of the system's pioneers: Fred Brooks, Fran Allen and Harwood
Kolsky.

... snip ...

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Blinkylights

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Blinkylights
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:38:20 -0400

Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com> writes:

CBS had recent news item about GSE mess and powerful friends. The
accounting methods freddie cooked the books inflating profit by $10b to
boost executive bonus ... and in 2004 was fined $400m. The head
executive was replaced ... but allowed to keep $60m (of the $90m). The
current two top executives of freddie & fannie are out ... but keep
$30m. At one point freddie had more lobbyiests working for them than
employees.

where was SOX in all this?

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#0 Blinklights

there have been references to increasing number of CEOs cooking books to
pump up financial statements to really boost bonuses and then filing
restatements later (and don't have to return the bonus).

past posts mentioning GAO creating database of increasing
numbers of filing restatements
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008f.html#96 Bush - place in history
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008f.html#97 Bush - place in history
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008g.html#1 The Workplace War for Age and Talent
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008g.html#2 Bush - place in history
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008g.html#4 CDOs subverting Boyd's OODA-loop
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#25 IBM's 2Q2008 Earnings

again, where was SOX?

recent other references to bonuses
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008f.html#76 Bush - place in history
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008g.html#52 IBM CEO's remuneration last year ?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008g.html#66 independent appraisers
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008h.html#42 The Return of Ada
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008i.html#4 A Merit based system of reward -Does anybody (or any executive) really want to be judged on merit?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#11 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#26 Fraud due to stupid failure to test for negative
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#83 Fraud due to stupid failure to test for negative

possibly helps account for the ratio of executive compensation to
worker compensation having ballooned to 400:1 ... after having been
20:1 (and 10:1 in most of the rest of the world)
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008i.html#73 Should The CEO Have the Lowest Pay In Senior Management?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008j.html#24 To: Graymouse -- Ireland and the EU, What in the H... is all this  about?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008j.html#76 lack of information accuracy
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#71 Cormpany sponsored insurance
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#25 Taxes
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#33 Taxes
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#53 Are family businesses unfair competition?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#93 What do you think are the top characteristics of a good/effective leader in an organization? Do you feel these characteristics are learned or innate to an individual?

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Blinkylights

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Blinkylights
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:02:46 -0400

Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com> writes:

that the current credit crisis (in large part fueled with funds from
triple-A rated, toxic CDOs ... and with the problems widely known and
understood) ... was allowed to happen ... would strongly imply backing
by powerful interests ... including the fueling the home-owner
market speculation (basically allowing the home-owners market to be
treated like the unregulated 1920s stock market).

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#99 Blinkylights
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#0 Blinkylights

so with "Peter Pan" a theme for "moral hazard" bailouts; they never
grew up, so they aren't adults and therefor can't be held responsible
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#0 Blinkylights

then "Winnie The Pooh" can be a theme for all those that dealt in
triple-A rated, toxic CDOs ... i.e. pooh bear's periodic refrain about
being a bear of "Very Little Brain" (or sometimes, "No Brain at All",
i.e. single-digit IQs, the corollary would be the periodic articles
over the past couple decades about the dumbing of america).
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#96 Blinkylights
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#99 Blinkylights
and

Subprime = Triple-A ratings? or 'How to Lie with Statistics'
http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/07/25/subprime-triple-a-ratings-or-how-to-lie-with-statistics/

a cross-over between "Peter Pan" and "Winnie the Pooh" is that those
with single-digit IQs also aren't held responsible.

past post mentioning the "dumbing of america":
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007l.html#50 Scholars needed to build a computer history bibliography

This outlines declining world role by 2025
http://odni.gov/speeches/20080904_speech.pdf

some other topic drift from above:

And even with the climate change, it is not a good time to live in the
Southwest because it runs out of water and looks like the Dust
Bowl. It is not a good time to be along the Atlantic seaboard,
particularly in the South because of the projected increase and
intensity and severity and frequency of severe weather -- more
hurricanes, more serious storms, and so forth. And kind of practical
problems -- I think the number is 63 military installations that are
in danger of being flooded by storm surges. The number of nuclear
power plants that are so similarly vulnerable is almost as high.

... snip ...

other posts mentioning (declining) educational ranking
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004b.html#38 The SOB that helped IT jobs move to India is dead!
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007j.html#58 IBM Unionization
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007u.html#78 Education ranking
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007u.html#80 Education ranking
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007u.html#82 Education ranking
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007v.html#10 About 1 in 5 IBM employees now in India - so what ?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007v.html#16 Education ranking
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007v.html#19 Education ranking
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007v.html#20 Education ranking
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007v.html#38 Education ranking
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007v.html#39 Education ranking
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007v.html#44 Education ranking
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007v.html#45 Education ranking
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007v.html#51 Education ranking
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007v.html#71 Education ranking
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008.html#52 Education ranking
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008.html#55 Education ranking
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008.html#60 Education ranking
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008.html#62 competitiveness
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008.html#81 Education ranking
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008.html#83 Education ranking
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008b.html#13 Education ranking
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008c.html#56 Toyota Beats GM in Global Production
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008i.html#65 How do you manage your value statement?

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Michigan industry

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Michigan industry
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2008 10:51:17 -0400

jmfbahciv <jmfbahciv@aol> writes:

It was union actions that prevented computerizing the manufacturing
piece of the industry.  Retooling and reacting to the market takes
at least a half decade.  By the time a reaction to a market change
is in production, the market has changed to something else.

i got to attend some of the C4 meetings ... supposedly to remake US
automobile industry to be more competitive ... as i've repeated before
it had a very Boyd OODA-loop theme ... statements that the US industry
was on 7-8yr product cycle while foreign competition had moved to 3yrs
and getting shorter. This was separate from various quality issues.  It
wasn't that the US auto industry wasn't aware of the issues ... it was
more like the existing infrastructure was so thoroughly fossilized at
all levels ... it was nearly impossible to adapt.

It was also in the period that the commerce department was sponsoring
meetings about HDTV ... that the level of technology and volumes in HDTV
... if captured by foreign competition ... would (also) allow them to
dominate the whole high-tech industry. The volumes of consumer
electronics was enabling much greater investment in R&D and advances ...
allowing to surpass traditional advanced technology operations.

It was also in the period where there was increasing public press
articles about dumbing of america.

Much of that focus was then temporarily overshadowed by the internet
bubble (which was largely enabled by non-native-born individuals).

misc. past posts mentioning Boyd &/or OODA-loops
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subboyd.html#boyd

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Michigan industry

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Michigan industry
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sat, 13 Sep 2008 11:39:43 -0400

Larry Elmore <lelmore@verizon.nospam.net> writes:

No, he's fine with that as long as it's the *right* politicians running
it.  That means, of course, that the /wrong/ politicians are kept from
ever touching it, which has some rather, erm, /interesting/ implications
for everyone that doesn't belong to the Party.

part of it has been about the degree, extent and how far down into
organizations that political consideration dominate job
qualifications. if most of the positions are still filled primarily
based on job qaulifications ... then there can still be an effective
organization.  there is qualitative difference when political
considerations begin to dominate job qualifications at all levels in
organizations ... then things get to be real problem.

university departments have been documented as having similar problems
analogous to political affiliation in gov. agencies.

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Michigan industry

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Michigan industry
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sun, 14 Sep 2008 10:00:49 -0400

jmfbahciv <jmfbahciv@aol> writes:

There was a model made in the US with no union interference; I can't
remember the name, Saturn?  Compare its success at that time with
all other US models.  People here seem to also forget that Hondas
are manufactured in the US.

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#4 Michigan industry
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#5 Michigan industry

a couple archived posts in a boyd blog (thread on Toyota and US automobile
industry)
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#52 Are family businesses unfair competition?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#53 Are family businesses unfair competition?

and a 3rd (unarchived) post in the same thread:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aotYtbPxfOe4&refer=home

from above:

GM dropped 20 percent and Ford was down 27 percent. Each further pared
production plans for the rest of the year. Deliveries at their main
Japanese rivals, Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co., fell less than
10 percent.

... snip ...

note that this is also coming off a year where both GM and Ford had
massive losses ... while Toyota and Honda showed profits.

Honda reports record profit
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,391046,00.html
Ford posts eye-popping loss
http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/daily-news/080724-Toyota-Outsells-GM-Ford-Posts-Eye-Popping-Loss/

... end

While Ford and GM showing massive losses last year ... both Toyota and
Honda showed profits ... Honda even reporting record profit

other posts mentioning Boyd &/or OODA-loops
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subboyd.html#boyd

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Michigan industry

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Michigan industry
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sun, 14 Sep 2008 13:16:22 -0400

jmfbahciv <jmfbahciv@aol> writes:

Things have become so bad in Mass. that people would be happy if
the unqualified people simply showed up for work.

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#5 Michigan industry

however, there are executives that know what they are doing and there
are executives that don't know what they are doing ... but the worst are
the executives that (at least) act like they know what they are doing
... and organization that might otherwise be effective would be better
off if such executives just never bothered to show up ... old reference:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002m.html#18 Do any architectures use instruction count instead of timer

these tend to be the ones that misstate profits in quarterly reports
to inflate their bonuses (which hasn't just been limited to GSEs)
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#0 Blinkylights
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#2 Blinkylights

there is also the line about heads rolling up hill (hoping to
promote people to a position where they can no longer directly
interfer with getting work done) ... post references
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2000.html#91 Ux's good points.
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001.html#29 Review of Steve McConnell's AFTER THE GOLD RUSH
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007.html#22 MS to world: Stop sending money, we have enough - was Re: Most ... can't run Vista
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007.html#26 MS to world: Stop sending money, we have enough - was Re: Most ... can't run Vista
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#41 IBM--disposition of clock business

and the corollary boyd's line about having to choose between doing and
taking credit for doing
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2000e.html#35 War, Chaos, & Business (web site), or Col John Boyd
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007.html#20 MS to world: Stop sending money, we have enough - was Re: Most ... can't run Vista
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007h.html#74 John W. Backus, 82, Fortran developer, dies
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007j.html#61 Lean and Mean: 150,000 U.S. layoffs for IBM?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007j.html#77 IBM Unionization
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007k.html#3 IBM Unionization
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007k.html#5 IBM Unionization
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007n.html#4 the Depression WWII
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007n.html#44 the Depression WWII
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008b.html#45 windows time service
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#30 Taxes

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Taxcuts

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Taxcuts
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2008 10:11:50 -0400

US in 'once-in-a-century' financial crisis : Greenspan
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5i6u55aefaUf_RXJC4-5kcva-gyWQ

from above:

In an interview with Bloomberg Television Friday, Greenspan said the
nation could not afford 3.3 trillion dollars of tax cuts proposed by
McCain without matching cuts in spending

Greenspan, a long-time friend of McCain and a Republican, said about the
Arizona senator's plans to extend massive tax cuts imposed by President
George W. Bush: "I'm not in favor of financing tax cuts with borrowed
money."

... snip ...

there have been a number of programs looking at tax-related campaign
statements from both parties ... and advise that they should be taken
as campaign statements. One of the things looked at was earmarks and
they could come up with only about $30billion that would realistic had
some chance of being cut ... but that it is only one percent of the
$3.3tril.

this is has been the kind of theme by the comptroller general
(appointed in the 90s by the former administration) over the past
couple years ... that nobody in congress for the past 50yrs has been
capable of simple middle school arithmatic ... things like drug
program being $40trillion unfunded mandate (60-mins had segment on the
machinations that was used to shepherd the legislation thru congress
... and by 18mths later all the major participants, congressmen and
staffers, were working for drug companies).

past comptroller general references (about budget):
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006f.html#41 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006f.html#44 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006g.html#9 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006g.html#14 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006g.html#27 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006h.html#2 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006h.html#3 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006h.html#4 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006h.html#17 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006h.html#19 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006h.html#33 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006o.html#61 Health Care
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006p.html#17 Health Care
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006r.html#0 Cray-1 Anniversary Event - September 21st
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006t.html#26 Universal constants
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007j.html#20 IBM Unionization
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007j.html#91 IBM Unionization
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007k.html#19 Another "migration" from the mainframe
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007o.html#74 Horrid thought about Politics, President Bush, and Democrats
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007p.html#22 U.S. Cedes Top Spot in Global IT Competitiveness
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007q.html#7 what does xp do when system is copying
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007s.html#1 Translation of IBM Basic Assembler to C?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007t.html#13 Newsweek article--baby boomers and computers
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007t.html#14 Newsweek article--baby boomers and computers
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007t.html#15 Newsweek article--baby boomers and computers
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007t.html#24 Translation of IBM Basic Assembler to C?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007t.html#25 Newsweek article--baby boomers and computers
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007t.html#33 Newsweek article--baby boomers and computers
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007t.html#35 Newsweek article--baby boomers and computers
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007v.html#26 2007 Year in Review on Mainframes - Interesting
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008.html#57 Computer Science Education: Where Are the Software Engineers of Tomorrow?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008d.html#40 Computer Science Education: Where Are the Software Engineers of Tomorrow?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008e.html#50 fraying infrastructure
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008f.html#86 Banks failing to manage IT risk - study
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008g.html#1 The Workplace War for Age and Talent
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008h.html#3 America's Prophet of Fiscal Doom
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008h.html#26 The Return of Ada
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008i.html#98 dollar coins

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Taxcuts

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Taxcuts
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:07:10 -0400

John Byrns <byrnsj@sbcglobal.net> writes:

Ignoring "taxcuts" for the rich for the moment, how can you cut taxes for the
poor when they don't pay taxes in the first place?

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#8 Taxcuts

comptroller general reference mentionined in the above:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006f.html#43 The Pankian Metaphor

the above references personal income tax paid:
http://www.house.gov/jec/publications/109/Research%20Report_109-20.pdf
http://www.house.gov/jec/publications/109/rr1094tax.pdf

from those reports in similar thread from spring of '06

Percentials ranked     AGI Threshhold       Percentage of
by AGI                  on Percentiles      Fed. personal
                                            income tax paid
Top 1%                  $295,495              34.27%
Top 5%                  $130,080              54.36%
Top 10%                  $94,891              65.84%
Top 25%                  $57,343              83.88%
Top 50%                  $29,019              96.54%
Bottom 50%              <$29,019               3.46%

... snip ...

previous comment in the reference referred to "1984" redefining what
words mean ... like using the federal income infrastructure to
distribute funds (i.e. effectively a "negative" tax ... which isn't a
tax ... just a social program funds distribution).

I haven't checked to see if there is updated numbers since 2006 ... but
i wouldn't expect that they changed significantly.

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Blinkylights

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Blinkylights
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:04:57 -0400

Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com> writes:

CBS had recent news item about GSE mess and powerful friends. The
accounting methods freddie cooked the books inflating profit by $10b to
boost executive bonus ... and in 2004 was fined $400m. The head
executive was replaced ... but allowed to keep $60m (of the $90m). The
current two top executives of freddie & fannie are out ... but keep
$30m. At one point freddie had more lobbyists working for them than
employees.

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#0 Blinkylights

re:

Fannie, Freddie Regulator Blocks 'Golden Parachutes' for CEOs
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=auug.npwKdPE&refer=home

a couple questions ... 1) will they really be blocked and 2) is this
because of all the current publicity (differentiating it from past
treatment).

comments about inflated financial statements appears to have become well
used mechanism to boost executive bonuses:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#2 Blinkylights

and enormous lobbying effort ... at one point freddie supposedly had
more lobbyists than employees.

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Blinkylights

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Blinkylights
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:11:01 -0400

Walter Bushell <proto@panix.com> writes:

Way back in 1974 among the people at John Hopkins' Research industry the
standard gag was "What's a 100K house -- a 50K (developer name) house
that's built right."

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#3 Blinkylights

citing gov. source about increasing storm severity and increasing
damage.

there was an item a couple years ago about that majority of housing in
some of the Caribbean islands had been destroyed in some storm or
another ... and were suggesting a new kind of bldg ... that was
significantly better at surviving storms. they looked something like
large concrete igloos ... the curved walls survived extremely high wind
much better than traditional flat walls. much of it was prefab
manufacturing and large numbers could be deployed very quickly.
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005d.html#42 Thou shalt have no other gods before the ANSI C standard

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Blinkylights

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Blinkylights
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:34:52 -0400

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#0 Blinkylights

I've seen no reference that he still direct hand in any of this ... but
note that Lehman (at least so far) didn't survive the weekend
discussions.

for other citibank involvement

Citibank chairman tells Sibos: "The worst may be yet to come"
http://www.finextra.com/fullstory.asp?id=18985

from above:

On the day that the investment banking industry lurched closer to
disaster following announcements from Wall Street, Bill Rhodes, Citibank
chairman, told Sibos delegates that the worst could be yet to come,
adding that "we are currently in the eye of the storm".

... snip ...

past stories was that Citibank was at the center of creating the current
situation and so far has had the largest write-downs from (formally)
triple-A rated toxic CDOs ... and may have significant more in
some trillion plus held offbalanace

past references to citibank being at the center of creating the current
siutation (repeal of Glass-Steagall that had been passed in the
wake of crash of '29 to keep the safety&soundness of regulated
banking separate from the risky unregulated investment banking):
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008f.html#13 independent appraisers
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008f.html#46 independent appraisers
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008f.html#71 Bush - place in history
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008f.html#97 Bush - place in history
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008g.html#2 Bush - place in history
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008g.html#51 IBM CEO's remuneration last year ?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008g.html#66 independent appraisers
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008h.html#89 Credit Crisis Timeline
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#36 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#41 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008l.html#67 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008l.html#70 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#16 Fraud due to stupid failure to test for negative

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Michigan industry

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Michigan industry
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2008 09:26:58 -0400

Walter Bushell <proto@panix.com> writes:

Who agreed to the pensions and decided *not* to fund them?

pay-as-you-go (out of current operating revenue) ... instead of
fully-funded has been major pain ...  it was major issue in steel
companies declaring bankruptcy.

scenario is some percent of operating revenue is available for pension
benefits.  in pay-as-you-go ... in a growing economy (especially with
baby-boomers coming to age) ... the number of workers and size of
business is increasing ... increasing business activity is much larger
than the current number of retirees. pay-as-you-go in such situation
allows pension benefits per retiree to be pegged at a much larger
number. I would expect the retirees and older workers would much
prefer the larger benefits from pay-as-you-go (effectively taking
advantage of the young baby boomer population bubble entering the
labor & consumer market).

business drops off and the number of workers are reduced ... doesn't
reduce the amount of pension benefits in pay-as-you-go (number of
retirees hasn't changed). for steel industry ... some companies hit a
point where pension benefits got to be one of their largest expense
and several companies declared backruptcy to get out from under the
pension burden. recent posts about pension benefit guaranty corp
getting stuck with a lot of these retirement benefits:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007j.html#91 IBM Unionization
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008.html#65 As Expected, Ford Falls From 2nd Place in U.S. Sales
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008b.html#38 What do YOU call the # sign?

business downturn can because of wide variety of economic conditions
... and/or it can be systemic issue of baby boomer bubble moving from
the labor market into retirement.

consumer business flattens out and/or starts to decline ... baby
boomer bubble has matured and the number in the following generation
is smaller. the pension expense as percentage of operating revenue
starts to balloon ... number of baby boomer retirees is four times
previous generation ... along with flat or declining business .... can
mean that either benefits per retiree has to be cut by factor of 8-10
... or total pension benefits as percentage of operating revenue
increases by factor of 8-10.

effectively pay-as-you-go pensions (out of current operating revenue)
only worked in period with rapidly expanding business/economy ...  as
consequence of large population baby boomer bubble entering the
market.  The significantly increased benefits for retirees as baby
boomers moved into labor market ... is effectively inverted as baby
boomer bubble moves out of the labor market and into retirement
(fairly predictable systemic event ... independent of other kinds of
economic conditions).

some discussion of baby boomers increasing retiree population by
factor of four while following generation is only half as large
(change in ratio of workers to retirees by factor of eight):
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008f.html#99 The Workplace War for Age and Talent
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008g.html#1 The Workplace War for Age and Talent
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008g.html#5 The Workplace War for Age and Talent

other past posts mentioning problems of not having fully funded
pensions and/or the baby boomer bubble moving out of the labor market
into retirement.
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004b.html#9 A hundred subjects: 64-bit OS2/eCs, Innotek Products,
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004l.html#30 I am an ageing techy, expert on everything. Let me explain the
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004l.html#37 I am an ageing techy, expert on everything. Let me explain
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004l.html#39 I am an ageing techy, expert on everything. Let me explain
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006f.html#41 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006g.html#35 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006g.html#36 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006o.html#61 Health Care
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007j.html#93 IBM Unionization
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008.html#65 As Expected, Ford Falls From 2nd Place in U.S. Sales
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008.html#66 As Expected, Ford Falls From 2nd Place in U.S. Sales
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008c.html#69 Toyota Beats GM in Global Production
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008e.html#50 fraying infrastructure
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008f.html#46 independent appraisers
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008f.html#52 independent appraisers
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008h.html#3 America's Prophet of Fiscal Doom
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008h.html#26 The Return of Ada
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008h.html#57 our Barb: WWII
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008i.html#98 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#30 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#33 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008l.html#37 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#3 Medical care

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Blinkylights

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Blinkylights
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:25:12 -0400

greymaus <greymausg@mail.com> writes:

Unexplained in the present messes. Most of these institutions have boards
of management, some of which would be representatives of pension funds, or
other banks.

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#10 Blinkylights

winnie the pooh reference? ...
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#3 Blinkylights

for other than pooh bears ... toxic CDOs had been used two decades ago
in the S&L crisis to obfuscate the underlying values (sell off stuff
that wouldn't otherwise sell)

long-winded, decade old post discussing several of the current
issues
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/aepay3.htm#riskm

related recent comment:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#26 Fraud due to stupid failure to test for negative

this mentions GSE documents from 2006, where GSE executives were bragging
about their brilliant/wonderful strategy moving into subprime toxic CDOs
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#12 Fraud due to stupid failure to test for negative

and this reference raises the question how could the whole industry
believe that toxic CDOs are worth more than the sum of the parts ... aka
how is it it possible that a large number of subprime mortgages,
collectively turn into triple-A rating:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#96 Blinkylights

or how did it happen for speculators to sneak into the home owner market
and treat it like the 1920s unregulated stock market
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#91 Blinkylights

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Blinkylights

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Blinkylights
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2008 13:39:06 -0400

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#96 Blinkylights

some additional drift to "how to lie with statistics"

is recent (unarchived) post to Boyd blog in the thread:
Did Boyd hate statistics?

lynn wrote:

My impression wasn't that Boyd hated statistics ... but he didn't like
some of the ways that they were used. One of the example "problems" that
he cited in briefings was early heads-up display in F16 ... that would
scroll numbers ... in fast tempo environment it was taking the pilot too
long to translate the scrolling numbers into meaning.

We saw something analogous with early Basel-II. Basel has had
quantitative (statistical) analysis for some time. A new "qualitative"
section was introduced in the original Basel-II draft ... effectively
requiring demonstration of understanding what the processes actually
were. However, during the review process ... the qualitative section was
almost totally eliminated (a caustic view could be that statistics were
substituted for understanding).

a scenario when statistics have been substituted for understanding, it
would be possible to use statistics that had very little relationship to
the topic of interest (say little or no correlation) ... and a lot of
people wouldn't even realize there was a problem.

somewhat related post:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#14 Blinkylights

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: VMware Chief Says the OS Is History
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2008 22:39:21 -0400

VMware Chief Says the OS Is History
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/151147/vmware_chief_says_the_os_is_history.html

from above:

VMware's CEO made his pitch on Tuesday for a new type of operating
system for the data center, and in the process assigned the "traditional
OS" to the dustbin of history.

... snip ...

pitch goes on to say that most of the new generation of software doesn't
exist yet ... but this has been a repeated theme over the past year or
so ... including reference to various kinds of things called virtual
appliances.

misc. references:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007m.html#67 Operating systems are old and busted
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007o.html#3 Hypervisors May Replace Operating Systems As King Of The Data Center
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007q.html#25 VMware: New King Of The Data Center?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007s.html#4 Why do we think virtualization is new?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007u.html#39 New, 40+ yr old, direction in operating systems
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007u.html#41 New, 40+ yr old, direction in operating systems
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008h.html#97 Is virtualization diminishing the importance of OS?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008l.html#14 recent mentions of 40+ yr old technology
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008l.html#21 recent mentions of 40+ yr old technology
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#67 Is Virtualisation a Fad?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#68 New technology trends?

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Michigan industry

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Michigan industry
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2008 09:23:56 -0400

CBFalconer <cbfalconer@yahoo.com> writes:

Maybe that word should be 'invested'.  Or do you think the funds
should buy gold coins and bury them for future use?

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#13 Michigan industry

the money has been spent ... its gone ... its like people removing money
from 401k early and spending it. bail-out plans for impending SS
(disaster) shortfall revenue ... are about 1) increasing annual revenue
to match annual benefits ("pay-as-you-go") and 2) decreasing annual
benefits to match annual revenue ("pay-as-you-go"). congress has also
obfuscated social security as a retirement plan in other ways ... for
instance lumping non-retirement benefits under social security.

recent article:

The only way to fix Social Security
http://money.cnn.com/2008/08/20/news/economy/social_security_election/

from above:

If lawmakers wait until 2017 to make changes to Social Security, their
options for making relatively painless ones will shrink, since a large
portion of the 78 million Boomers will have started receiving
benefits. "You're probably not going to change the benefit of someone
already retired," Gebhardtsbauer said.

Their options will be further constrained by other problems. Barring
changes, Uncle Sam will also be contending with a long-term deficit for
Medicare approaching $34 trillion, or nearly 5 times that of Social
Security

... snip ...

other ways of reducing benefits looked at ... since social security is
taxed at the point it is paid in (i.e. social security taxes aren't
tax-deductable) ... they are looking at making social security beneifts
fully taxeable ... which would eliminate any final facade that social
security is fully-funded and that money collected is in any way related
to benefits received.

by comparision, other retirement plans are "tax-deferred" ... no taxes
at the time money goes in ... but are taxable at the time money is taken
out ... or straight savings plan where money is not tax-deferred ... but
is not (directly) double taxed at the time it is spent.

this has been part of the (former) comptroller generals (walker) theme
that nobody in congress for the past 50 yrs has been capable of simple
middle-school arithmatic. recent reference
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#8 Taxcuts

recent comptroller generals references from the above:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008.html#57 Computer Science Education: Where Are the Software Engineers of Tomorrow?

which includes:

U.S. Financial Condition and Fiscal Future Briefing, 2008 Economic Forecast Forum
http://www.gao.gov/cghome/d08395cg.pdf

as mentioned in numerous other references to the above and similar
briefings by comptroller general

                       percent of federal budget

                           1966      1986      2006
defense                     43        28        20
social security             15        20        21
medicare/medicaid            1        10        19
interest                     7        14         9
all other                   34        29        32

projections have social security, medicare, and medicaid easily
dominating all other parts of federal budget by 2030 and exceeding
20percent of GDP by 2060.

for other drift ...

wiki reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comptroller_General_of_the_United_States

from above:

For every fiscal year since 1996, when consolidated financial statements
began, the Comptroller General has refused to endorse the accuracy of
the consolidated figures for the federal budget

... snip ...

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: VMware Chief Says the OS Is History
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2008 09:55:51 -0400

null@nada.net (Peter BP) writes:

I thought it quite fitting considering how the IT sector is progressing
(or is that degressing?) in the US.

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#16 VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

a little x-over from this recent post
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#17 Michigan industry

which references this:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008.html#57 Computer Science Education: Where Are the Software Engineers of Tomorrow?

a combination of the following generation (after baby-boomers retire)
being only half as large ... and the "dumbing of america" ... the
literacy/education level is much lower, where is the next generation of
IT workers coming from?

tv newsbytes yesterday that 1/3rd of entering college freshman require
extensive remedial education ... also NSF given out large new grants for
math & science education.

recent post referencing (declining) educational ranking (and sarcastic
reference to bears of very little brain and no brain at all):
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#3 Blinkylights

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Blinkylights

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Blinkylights
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:11:28 -0400

Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com> writes:

Citibank chairman tells Sibos: "The worst may be yet to come"
http://www.finextra.com/fullstory.asp?id=18985

from above:

On the day that the investment banking industry lurched closer to
disaster following announcements from Wall Street, Bill Rhodes, Citibank
chairman, told Sibos delegates that the worst could be yet to come,
adding that "we are currently in the eye of the storm".

... snip ...

past stories was that Citibank was at the center of creating the current
situation and so far has had the largest write-downs from (formally)
triple-A rated toxic CDOs ... and may have significant more in
some trillion plus held offbalanace

past references to citibank being in the middle of creating the current
siutation (repeal of Glass-Steagall that had been passed in the
wake of crash of '29 to keep the safety&soundness of regulated
banking separate from the risk unregulated investment banking):

...

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#12 Blinkylights

last night after the AIG loan announcement, one of the business tv news
shows mentioned that current toxic CDO write-downs are at $550bil and
that projections of total write-downs range from (low) of $950bil
(another $400bil still to come) to $2tril (another $1.5tril still to
come).

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Michigan industry

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Michigan industry
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:22:16 -0400

Dave Garland <dave.garland@wizinfo.com> writes:

The difference being, a government's future income is far more within
its own control than a company, as it has the ability to raise funds
through many more avenues than a company who depends on the whims of the
market.  A company is a very different organism than a national
government.  The only justification for a company funding pensions out
of income is the greed of its owners.

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#13 Michign industry

I would contend it is the greed of nearly all participants ...  the
approach to funding pay-as-you-go has permeated the whole society; the
earlier generation of older/retiring workers able to take advantage of
the large increase of young workers of the baby boomer population bubble
(huge ratio of workers to retirees) ... with no consideration to what is
going to happen when the baby boomers retire (inverting the raio of
workers to retirees) ... also
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#17 Michign industry

the owners are the stockholders ... both sides in the actual
negotiations tend to have very short time horizons (be long gone
before any long term consequences).

the scam works for a while because the number of young baby boomer
workers is much larger than the retiring generation (basically a form of
pyramid scam). the quid-pro-quo could be the corporate side gets half
the annual expense (compared to fully-funded for all the young baby
boomers) and the labor side gets 4-10 times the benefits per retiree (i
would contend that the labor side of the negotiations may evem have
significantly more vested interest in such a deal).

the scam falls apart (again like pyramid schemes) when the baby boomer
workers hit retirement and the ratio of workers to retirees inverts.

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Michigan industry

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Michigan industry
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:33:18 -0400

sidd <sidd@situ.com> writes:

and this is the result

"There's no God-given gift of a AAA rating, and the U.S. has to earn
it like everyone else."

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#20 Michigan industry

modulo those that got all those triple-A ratings for toxic CDOs that
provided the funding for unregulated speculation in the home owners
market.

the home owners market had previously been indirectly regulated since
the main source of funding came from regulated institutions.

with funds channeled thru the triple-A rated toxic CDOs ... allowed
speculators enormous, unregulated activity in the home owner market
(basically akin to '20s unregulated stock market)
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#91 Blinkylights

with the bursting of the speculation bubble ... there is deflation on
the home owner side of the triple-A rated toxic CDOs ... as well as huge
write-downs for those that bought those triple-A rated toxic CDOs
.... current guesses, somewhere between half-way and one-quarter of the
way there
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#19 Blinkylights

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: VMware Chief Says the OS Is History
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:51:38 -0400

Natarajan Krishnaswami <nxk3@cwru.edu> writes:

Virtual appliance, ick.  I don't like that name.  Maybe since
service-oriented architectures are the hot new thing now, they should
be called service machines?

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#16 VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

as an aside ... we periodically claim that the original SOA was the
payment gateway we did as part of what is now commingly called
"electronic commerce"
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#gateway

however, the name that was coined in the early 70s was service
virtual machines .... some recent references:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008.html#59 old internal network references
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008c.html#55 Kernels
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008e.html#11 Kernels
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008e.html#15 Kernels
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008g.html#22 Was CMS multi-tasking?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008h.html#97 Is virtualization diminishing the importance of OS?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008l.html#14 recent mentions of 40+ yr old technology

one of the difficulties with service virtual machines ... was getting
them up and running automagically. enhancements had been done to the
cp67 kernel for it to do fast, automatic (re)boot. the problem was that
bringing up individual virtual machines (still) required manual
operations.

i had originally done the autolog command, including automatic
execution during boot process, as part of automatic benchmarking. this
was quickly adapted for production operation and I had included it in
early csc/vm (internal) distribution ... some old email:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006v.html#email731212
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006w.html#email750102
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006w.html#email750430

which was then picked up and included in standard product release.

i had done automated benchmarking as part of the performance and
algorithm work that I had been doing.
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#benchmark

One scenario where it was used ... was I ran a sequence of 2000
automated benchmarks that took three months elapsed time ... as
part of final calibration & verification for my resource
manager product release ... some references:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#fairshare
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#wsclock

and for other archeological drift ... 23jun69 unbundling announcement
(in large part results of fed. gov. litigation) started to charge for
software (services, maint, etc).
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/submain.html#unbundle

However, as part of that announcement, they managed to make the case
that kernel software should still remain bundled/free. Later about the
time, I was to release my resource manager, there was decision for
transition to charging for kernel software ... and my resource manager
was selected as guinea pig.  As a result, i had to spend a lot of time
with lawyers and business planning people about policy for kernel
software charging.

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Michigan industry

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Michigan industry
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:40:32 -0400

greymaus <greymausg@mail.com> writes:

The US is buying up [things] that nobody else will, and paying for [it]
by selling bonds, which [people,institutions] will buy when [they] are
confident that they will get their money back in [x] years. How is the US
going to pay that?.. Clicking their heels together and saying the magic
word?.

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#21 Blinkylights

this afternoon, tv business news show had somebody from one of the
rating agencies, to talk about new "ratings" of all the companies
having problems .... however the host kept trying to get the guy to
admit to being responsible for the whole thing with the incorrect
triple-A ratings on all the toxic CDOs.

the following segment got into asking why were all the illegal naked
short sales still going on and nothing being done ... which
appeared to be major factor behind the current stock market
volatility. a little later there was an item about some of the
companies filing formal complaints about the illegal naked short
sales in their stocks.

there have been complaints about little being done about illegal naked
short sales going back at least a year. some recent posts:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#1 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#9 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#25 IBM's 2Q2008 Earnings

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Blinkylights

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Blinkylights
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2008 01:00:37 -0400

CBFalconer <cbfalconer@yahoo.com> writes:

If we accept the fundamental that the cause of all this is the loss
of value of homes and the resultant worthlessness of mortgages, we
should also consider that those mortgages are secured by the actual
property.  I don't think anyone will insist that that property has
deflated by more than 25%.  Thus there is no fundamental reason for
the financial system to implode, other than panic.  If company XYZ
held 1000 dollars in mortgages a year ago, they still hold 750
dollars today.  If they played silly financial games to multiply
their gains, they actually multiplied their losses, and need no
sympathy.

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#19 Blinkylights

as mentioned ... there are two sides with the triple-A rated, toxic CDOs
in the middle ... the home owners market ... and the institution market
for credit instruments.
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#21 Blinklights

the shape of the homeowners value inflation bubble since 2001 ... and
recent subsequent de-flation .... overlays what appears to be
speculation akin to unregulated '20s stock market speculation .. over
the top of the home owner market ... and is now starting to look like
a like a large pimple. the possibility is that the deflation continues
back to the 2001 level.

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#91 Blinkylights

which references
http://mysite.verizon.net/vodkajim/housingbubble

as mentioned in the previous post, the "pimple" run up in speculation
values wasn't uniform across the country (some cases larger than 25
percent in the period ... in some cases the speculation fever had
25percent inflation in single yrs) ... and also as previously mentioned
some amount of collaterial damage is happening in the reset of the home
owners market ... akin to the crash of '29 (after the frenzy of
unrelated speculation).

that is on the home owners side of the triple-A toxic CDO transactions.

on the investment banker side of the CDO transactions were
institutions that were heavily leveraged into the triple-A rated toxic
CDO transactions. Heavy leverages is 50 to nearly 100 times ... some
numbers had GSEs leveraged around 80 times. This is akin to buying
something with only 1-2 percent down ... and the rest borrowed. The
whole things start to crash ... and they find themselves trying to
sell toxic CDOs for 22cents on the dollar. The projections are
that when the dust clears the institutions will have taken as much as
$2trillion in write-downs on the toxic CDOs. At approx. 80percent
write-down ... that implies that the institutions had originally paid
$2.5trillion for these triple-A rated toxic CDOs that were
actually now only worth $500billion (after $2 trillion write-down).

At 50times leverage ... i.e. purchase was made with only two percent
down (and the rest borrowed) ... $2.5trillion of toxic CDOs (worth only
$500billion) were bought by institutions with only $50billion down
and the rest borrowed.

There are stories about home owners that bought $250k homes with no
down and 20percent deflation, the home is worth only $200k.  If they
sell the house ... they still own $50k.

Similarly, institutions have bought possibly $2.5 trillion in triple-A
rated toxic CDOs with very close to zero down (GSEs bought with
1/80th ... slightly more than one percent) ... which have seen
80percent deflation. They sell the toxic CDOs for $500billion
... but the institions still owe possibley $2tillion which they have
to declare as a loss.  Part of the issue is only $550bil loss has been
declared so far.

Part of the issue is the institutions paid a significantly large
amount because of the original triple-A rating ... when things fell
apart and the toxic CDOs lost their triple-A rating ,,,
the toxic CDOs had 80percent deflation.

this is the part of laying the institution side of the problem
at the doors of the rating institutions
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#23 Michigan industry

The basic theory of the CDOs was that their value would be directly
tied to the value of the underlying components .... a 20percent drop
in underlying value would be reflected in 20percent drop in the value
of the CDOs. The problem was that the triple-A rating significantly
overvalued the underlying values ... and the toxic CDOs have
been reset to 22percent of their original triple-A rated value.

this is the part of the thread about CDOs having been used two decades
ago in the S&L crisis to obfuscate the underlying values and sell
the CDO at significant higher than the sum of the underlying values.

this is also part of the discussion in the long-winded, decade old post
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/aepay3.htm#riskm

Institutions have to clear possible $2trillion in total losses (only
$550billion so far) off their books (in these toxic CDOs)
... to possibly get down to the point where the toxic CDOs
financial instruments start to reflect the value of the underlying
components.

Cross the bridge between the home owners market and the institutions,
the use of the triple-A rated, toxic CDOs allowed enormous
(unregulated) amounts of speculation money to be funneled into the
home buyers market ... effectively fueling the speculation bubble (the
home owners market had been indirectly regulated in the past because
the major source of funds had come from regulated institutions).  The
use of toxic CDOs provided a very large unregulated source of
funds.

The toxic CDO loss of triple-A rating started happening before
bursting of the home owner market bubble. The deflation of the
toxic CDOs started the burst of the speculation bubble part of
the home owner market. Bursting the speculation pimple in the home
owners market then possible will reset the home owner market values to
2001.

There is uncertain/unknown fear component in the market ... after
seeing the toxic CDOs loose their triple-A rating ... how much
trust can be placed in the ratings?

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Blinkylights

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Blinkylights
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2008 09:47:24 -0400

CBFalconer <cbfalconer@yahoo.com> writes:

Reading owe for own above.  They don't sell the house, they abandon
the thing.  Mortgages don't impose debt on the mortgager.  The
house is the security.  That leaves the mortgagee with the 50k
loss.  But they still own a 200k house.

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#24 Blinkylights

walking away from the home are additional ongoing insideous effects
from the unregulated speculation and resulting crash.

a large inventory of empty homes will increase downward pressure on
home prices ... possibly beyond resetting to 2001 with the start of
the unregulated speculation frenzy. It can contribute to negative
feedback cycle in the home owner market ... resulting in increased
decline in prices which then increases defaults and empty homes, which
contributes to further decline in prices leading to more defaults and
more empty homes. Disastrous downward home price spiral effects can
continue beyond the price point where the unregulated speculation
began.

One of the things that the FED is attempting to do is prevent any
rapid acceleration in such a downward spiral in home owner market
... as a result of the unregulated speculation frenzy.

On the other side of the triple-A rated toxic CDOs, there are
equivalent dangers involving institutional dealings. There are also
downside interaction between adjustment effects at the institutions,
contributing to negative feedback adjustment in the home owner market
... and downward price spiral in home owner market, contributing to
negative feedback adjustments at the institutions.

This is among the systemic risk issues sporadically referenced
that the fed. government is trying to juggle in attempting to deal
with the adjustments from the unregulated speculation frenzy in the
home owners market (in large part enabled by the huge monetary
infusion from triple-A rated, toxic CDOs).

quote/question from tv business news show two minutes ago is how could
ratings agencies give triple-A rating to what is now appearing to be
almost worthless. confidence in ratings becomes another systemic
contribution to negative feedback and downward spiral.

apparently nothing being done about illegal naked short selling
... which leverages negative/bad news to turn a profit ... is further
contributing to negative feedback (on the institution side).

other recent posts mentioning toxic CDOs
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008g.html#4 CDOs subverting Boyd's OODA-loop
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008g.html#32 independent appraisers
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008g.html#44 Fixing finance
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008g.html#51 IBM CEO's remuneration last year ?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008g.html#52 IBM CEO's remuneration last year ?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008g.html#59 Credit crisis could cost nearly $1 trillion, IMF predicts
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008g.html#62 Credit crisis could cost nearly $1 trillion, IMF predicts
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008g.html#64 independent appraisers
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008h.html#1 subprime write-down sweepstakes
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008h.html#28 subprime write-down sweepstakes
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008h.html#32 subprime write-down sweepstakes
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008h.html#48 subprime write-down sweepstakes
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008h.html#89 Credit Crisis Timeline
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008h.html#90 subprime write-down sweepstakes
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008i.html#4 A Merit based system of reward -Does anybody (or any executive) really want to be judged on merit?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008i.html#30 subprime write-down sweepstakes
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008i.html#64 Is the credit crunch a short term aberation
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008i.html#77 Do you think the change in bankrupcy laws has exacerbated the problems in the housing market leading more people into forclosure?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008i.html#104 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008j.html#3 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008j.html#9 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008j.html#12 To: Graymouse -- Ireland and the EU, What in the H... is all this  about?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008j.html#18 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008j.html#22 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008j.html#23 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008j.html#38 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008j.html#40 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008j.html#46 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008j.html#48 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008j.html#64 lack of information accuracy
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008j.html#68 lack of information accuracy
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008j.html#69 lack of information accuracy
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008j.html#71 lack of information accuracy
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#6 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#10 Why do Banks lend poorly in the sub-prime market? Because they are not in Banking!
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#11 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#12 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#13 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#14 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#16 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#19 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#20 IBM's 2Q2008 Earnings
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#23 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#27 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#33 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008l.html#42 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008l.html#44 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008l.html#67 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008l.html#70 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#12 Fraud due to stupid failure to test for negative
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#15 Fraud due to stupid failure to test for negative
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#16 Fraud due to stupid failure to test for negative
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#26 Fraud due to stupid failure to test for negative
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#76 When risks go south: FM&FM to be nationalized
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#80 Fraud due to stupid failure to test for negative
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#91 Blinkylights
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#92 Blinkylights
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#95 Blinkylights
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#96 Blinkylights
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#99 Blinkylights
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#3 Blinkylights
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#12 Blinkylights
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#14 Blinkylights
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#19 Blinkylights
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#21 Michigan industry
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#23 Michigan industry

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Blinkylights

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Blinkylights
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:36:15 -0400

Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com> writes:

apparently nothing being done about illegal naked short selling
... which is trying to leverage negative/bad news to turn a profit
... is further contributing to negative feedback (on the institution
side).

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#25 Blinkylights
and
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#23 Michigan industry

a tv business news show this morning had some followup on complaints
sent to SEC regarding nothing (long term tolerating) being done about
illegal naked short selling ... news show claimed that there was very
strong words laying blame on SEC (the "blood" is on their hands).

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: VMware Chief Says the OS Is History
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2008 21:28:56 -0400

Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> writes:

We already know that. India and China. What I don't know is how,
without an unsurpassable technological advantage, or huge barriers to
immigration and imports as we sit on vast natural resources, countries
like the United States will avoid becoming poor like India and China,
when they have to compete with them on a level playing field.

we were in hong kong some amount in the early 90s ... and i remember
an article about the state of the chinese high-tech out-sourcing
business (across the border on the mainland) and comparing it with the
high-tech out-sourcing business in India.

one of the things the article mentioned was that the chinese were at a
disadvantage because India has legacy of british civil servant tradition
which were providing a much higher level of infrastructure (needed by
modern business, i.e. transportion, communication, water, electricity).

early 90s also saw increasing number of articles about foreign students
(from asia and india) starting to dominate US high tech advance degree
programs. there was also some articles speculating about tipping point
...  which would start attracting them to return home ... rather than
stay in the US after graduation.

i've remarked in the past that outsourcing seemed to significantly
accelerate with y2k remediation ... requiring big increase in legacy
dataprocessing ... concurrently when all available resources were being
diverted by the Internet bubble (during the internet bubble, there were
very few articles at the time complaining about the legacy
dataprocessing work going overseas).

posts in this thread:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#16 VMware Chief Says the OS Is History
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#18 VMware Chief Says the OS Is History
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#22 VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

misc past posts mentioning y2k remediation:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/99.html#214 Ask about Certification-less Public Key
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004b.html#2 The SOB that helped IT jobs move to India is dead!
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004f.html#39 Who said "The Mainframe is dead"?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004o.html#66 Integer types for 128-bit addressing
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005.html#20 I told you ... everybody is going to Dalian,China
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005s.html#16 Is a Hurricane about to hit IBM ?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006g.html#21 Taxes
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006s.html#40 Ranking of non-IBM mainframe builders?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007g.html#7 U.S. Cedes Top Spot in Global IT Competitiveness
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007p.html#39 India is outsourcing jobs as well
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007r.html#26 The new urgency to fix online privacy
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007r.html#36 Students mostly not ready for math, science college courses
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007t.html#19 Translation of IBM Basic Assembler to C?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008f.html#81 Is IT becoming extinct?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008i.html#65 How do you manage your value statement?

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Blinkylights

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Blinkylights
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2008 07:33:43 -0400

Andrew Swallow <am.swallow@btinternet.com> writes:

Complaining about short selling is shooting the messenger, and does
not solve the real problem.

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#26 Blinkylights

the complaint was about lack of prosecution for illegal naked
short sales

(illegal) naked short selling has actually been illegal ... but just
not being prosecuted. it is somewhat analogous to pump&dump stock scams
involving penny stocks that are periodically shutdown. typical illegal
naked short selling includes starting false speculation/rumors ... also
similar to the pump&dump scams. there were articles over a year ago that
such illegal activity involving illegal naked short selling was
quite common & tolerated (lots of traders had vested interest in not
seeing the illegal activity prosecuted).

another similar scam is the increasing practice of companies' filing
inflated statements providing executives with increased bonuses and then
later (after the executives have the bonus and don't have to give it
back) filing restatements. GAO has started a database of such refiling
activity for listed stock companies. Freddie was fined $400m for such
activity ... and the ceo removed (although he still got to keep the
bonuses).

misc. other posts mentioning it:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#1 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#25 IBM's 2Q2008 Earnings
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#23 Michigan industry
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#25 Blinkylights

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Blinkylights

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Blinkylights
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2008 08:50:33 -0400

Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com> writes:

walking away from the home are additional ongoing insideous effects from
the unregulated speculation and resulting crash.

a large inventory of empty homes will increase downward pressure on
home prices ... possibly beyond resetting to 2001 with the start of
the unregulated speculation frenzy. It can contribute to negative
feedback cycle in the home owner market ... resulting in increased
decline in prices which then increases defaults and empty homes,
which contributes to further decline in prices leading to more
defaults and more empty homes. Disastrous downward home price spiral
effects can continue beyond the price point where the unregulated
speculation began.

One of the things that the FED is attempting to do is prevent
any rapid acceleration in such a downward spiral in home owner
market ... as a result of the unregulated speculation frenzy.

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#25 Blinkylights

all sorts of speculation now going on about how the FED might stop the
home owners market continuing negative feedback ... downward spiral.

the ugly home owner price pimple/boil
http://mysite.verizon.net/vodkajim/housingbubble/

with runup in prices (because of unregulated speculation activity in
the home owners market akin to '20s stockmarket speculation frenzy)
looks to be about half-way back down to the 2001 level (when it
started). Part of the problem facing the FED is not having the home
owner market continue its downward spiral past resetting to the
2000-2001 level prices (when this whole mad speculation frenzy
started).

on visits to s. florida (before things fell apart), the high rise rabbit
warrens were starting to march their way up the coast, north of palm
beach. it was part of building boom (and speculation frenzy), apparently
anticipating the mass retirement of baby boomers, selling their
mc-mansions in the cold north and all descending on s. florida with huge
sums of money burning holes in their pockets (modulo small issue that
there are more baby boomers than there are younger generation to buy all
their properties).

a few mornings, we were sitting in new development starbucks in west
palm beach (these developments have been cropping up in cal, florida,
and other places, outdoor shopping malls with stores on ground level and
2-3 stories of condos on upper floors) and could watch (sale/promotion)
groups with 15-20 people touring the properties.

later there were articles about all sorts of people (teachers, police,
garbage collectors, clerks) getting caught up in the speculation frenzy,
buying 2-3 condos, getting "no documentation", "no down payment", ARMs
... with very low 2-3 yr introductory interest rate and were
anticipating flipping the properties for huge profit before the ARMs
rate reset.

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Macs for security (now, with new improved NSA hardening tips!)

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Macs for security (now, with new improved NSA hardening tips!)
Date: September 19, 2008 09:21 AM
Blog: Financial Cryptography

re:
https://financialcryptography.com/mt/archives/001098.html

similar, but different ... nearly 40yrs ago
http://www.nsa.gov/selinux/list-archive/0409/8362.cfm

I wasn't aware of it at the time, didn't find out until much
later. However, as undergraduate in the 60s, I was doing lots of
kernel enhancements (many would be picked up and shipped in product)
... and would even periodically get requests from the vendor about
doing specific enhancements.

In later years, I conjectured that some requests may have even
originated from some of these other customers. More recently i've
periodically commented that some of these (security oriented) things I
was asked to do ... wasn't just things not being addressed in many
current platforms ... they were things that current platforms don't
even seem to realize are security issues.

--
40+ yrs virtualization experience, online at home since Mar70

Blinkylights

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Blinkylights
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:46:28 -0400

Andrew Swallow <am.swallow@btinternet.com> writes:

Complaining about short selling is shooting the messenger, and does
not solve the real problem.

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#26 Blinkylights
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#28 Blinkylights

several comments this morning about the new rule (regarding "no short
sales") wouldn't have been necessary if SEC had been enforcing existing
regulations ... including prosecuting illegal naked short sales.

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: VMware Chief Says the OS Is History
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sat, 20 Sep 2008 09:43:32 -0400

Andrew Swallow <am.swallow@btinternet.com> writes:

You are betting your family on a single firm succeeding.  Safer to
have a family member in every firm in town.  Also you can be fired
if your cousin has an argument with the boss.

Song Sisters (and their brothers):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soong_sisters

past references (when my wife's dad was posted to Nanjing, her mother
attended dinners with one of the sisters)
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004e.html#19 Message To America's Students: The War, The Draft, Your Future
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008f.html#58 China overtakes U.S. as top Web market
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008f.html#62 China overtakes U.S. as top Web market

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Blinkylights

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Blinkylights
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sat, 20 Sep 2008 10:09:18 -0400

jmfbahciv <jmfbahciv@aol> writes:

Good grief.  There really were tulip bulbs.  I always thought ARMs
were bad.

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#29 Blinkylights

the triple-A rating of the toxic CDOs were in the middle that made
it all possible ... provided the monetry fuel for the mortgage
originators (and being able to unload as triple-A rated toxic CDOs
eliminated any worry about holding such mortgages) ... and then the
triple-A toxic CDO instruments for institutions to heavily leverage
(GSEs apparently leveraged in triple-A rated toxic CDOs at 80-to-1).

all winnie-the-pooh and bear of no brain at all
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#3 Blinkylights
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#14 Blinkylights

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Builders v. Breakers

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Builders v. Breakers
Date: September 20, 2008 12:24 PM
Blog: Financial Cryptography

re:
https://financialcryptography.com/mt/archives/001100.html

we had been brought in to consult with this small client/server
startup that wanted to do payment transactions on their server ... and
they had this technology they had invented called SSL which they
wanted to use. in previous life, we had worked with the two people
responsible for their "commerce" server (on scaleup for high
integrity, high availability, high thruput DBMS).
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subtopic.html#hacmp

we had sign-off on various aspects of the server to payment gateway
operation ... so could mandate various things about industrial
strength networking (before things like internet SLA contracts, so had
to invent/design compensating processes). lots of past posts
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#gateway

however we weren't allowed to make corresponding mandates about the
interface between client and the server. we did some tutorials about
industrial strength networking. For instance, one of the things we
mandated for the server/gateway interface was multiple-A record
support (with the payment gateway having multiple connections to
different parts of internet backbone)... for availability.

We had spec'ed multiple interfaces for some number of deployed
commercial "commerce" servers (for their availability) and "suggested"
that client needed multiple-A record support. Initial response (from
client developers) was that multiple-A record support was "too
advanced" ... even after we provided client multiple-A record support
from 1988 4.3 tahoe tape. It took another yr before there was
multiple-A record support in their client.

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Builders V. Breakers

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Builders V. Breakers
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sat, 20 Sep 2008 14:30:12 -0400

followup x-over
https://financialcryptography.com/mt/archives/001100.html
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#34 Builders v. Breakders

work on earlier high-integrity, high-availability networking (and
scalable cluster DBMS) ... we had done a detailed vulnerability analysis
of network specifications and code implementations. Most common security
issues were viewed as just part of deploying industrial strength
operation.

For the server/gateway interface we had developed a failure matrix for
different states ... and required that all possible cases were
covered. We've frequently commented in the past that taking a well
tested/designed application and creating industry strength service
... requires 4-10 times the original effort.

In the time frame of the payment gateway work ... there was a situation
where the largest online service provider was experiencing failures on
their internet interface. After two months of having numerous experts
come in and look at the problem, one of the people flew out to the west
coast and bought me a hamburger after work. While I ate the hamburger,
they explained the symptoms. I then said that was one of the top ten
problems we had earlier identified in detailed vulnerability analysis
and gave them a Q&D fix which they installed later that night.

misc. past refs:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001f.html#75 Test and Set (TS) vs Compare and Swap (CS)
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001n.html#91 Buffer overflow
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2001n.html#93 Buffer overflow
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002b.html#59 Computer Naming Conventions
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002n.html#11 Wanted: the SOUNDS of classic computing
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003g.html#62 IBM says AMD dead in 5yrs ... -- Microsoft Monopoly vs. IBM
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003j.html#15 A Dark Day
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003p.html#37 The BASIC Variations
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004b.html#8 Mars Rover Not Responding
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004b.html#48 Automating secure transactions
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004k.html#20 Vintage computers are better than modern crap !
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004l.html#49 "Perfect" or "Provable" security both crypto and non-crypto?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004m.html#51 stop worrying about it offshoring - it's doing fine
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004p.html#23 Systems software versus applications software definitions
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004p.html#63 Systems software versus applications software definitions
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004p.html#64 Systems software versus applications software definitions
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005b.html#40 [Lit.] Buffer overruns
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005i.html#42 Development as Configuration
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005n.html#26 Data communications over telegraph circuits
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006n.html#20 The System/360 Model 20 Wasn't As Bad As All That
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007f.html#37 Is computer history taught now?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007g.html#51 IBM to the PCM market(the sky is falling!!!the sky is falling!!)
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007h.html#78 John W. Backus, 82, Fortran developer, dies
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007n.html#10 The top 10 dead (or dying) computer skills
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007n.html#76 PSI MIPS
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007n.html#77 PSI MIPS
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007o.html#23 Outsourcing loosing steam?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007p.html#54 Industry Standard Time To Analyze A Line Of Code
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007v.html#53 folklore indeed
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008e.html#41 IBM announced z10 ..why so fast...any problem on z 9
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008e.html#50 fraying infrastructure
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008e.html#53 Why Is Less Than 99.9% Uptime Acceptable?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008i.html#33 Mainframe Project management

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Builders V. Breakers

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Builders V. Breakers
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2008 10:11:00 -0400

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#34 Builders v. Breackers
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#35 Builders v. Breackers

along the lines of industrial strength dataprocessing, there are
periodic articles about the general poor quality of many software
products and the large number of defects (not limited to security
defects).

separate from the perceived peer "points" from breaks, there are also
the claims that products are generally being shipped and letting
users/customers "debug" the product (development skimping on time,
skills, money).

a couple past posts about holding a mini-conference at our house a
decade ago for cal. computer security graduate program and discussing
the difficulty of getting students interested in building rather than
breaking:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2005c.html#26 [Lit.] Buffer overruns
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007u.html#62 folklore indeed

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Success has many fathers, but failure has the US taxpayer

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Success has many fathers, but failure has the US taxpayer
Date: September 21, 2008 11:09 AM
Blog: Financial Cryptography

re:
https://financialcryptography.com/mt/archives/001099.html

note that CDOs were used two decades ago during the S&L crisis to
unload toxic properties (obfuscating actual value from the buyers).

long-winded, decade old post discussing many of the current problems
(including obfuscating CDO-like instruments):
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/aepay3.htm#riskm

In the past, mortgage originators had a vested interest in maintaining
loan quality. getting triple-A rating on toxic CDOs allowed
unregulated mortgage originators to immediately unload all the loans
they could write (regardless of quality), effectively eliminating any
motivation for mortgage originators to pay any attention to loan
quality.

As a result, there were large number of no documentation, no down
payment, 1%-2% intro rate ARMs, possibly interest only payments. These
were gobbled up by speculators ... anticipating flipping the property
before the rate reset.

On the other side of the triple-A rating, institutions were heavily
leveraged buying up all these triple-A rated toxic CDOs (some claim
that GSEs were leveraged 80:1 with toxic CDOs, i.e. only had a little
over one percent capital actually invested).

There was business school article from last spring claiming that
possibly 1000 executives are responsible for 80% of the current mess
and it would go a long way to fixing the problem if the gov. could
figure out a way for them to loose their jobs.

There seems to be a separate problem with financial reporting
... despite SOX. GAO is now doing a database of increasing number of
companies "restating" financial numbers ... basically the top
executives get bonuses based on the original numbers ... but don't
have to forfeit the bonus after the restatement. Freddie did get fined
$400m in 2004 for $10bil inflated statements and the CEO replaced
.... but the CEO got to keep tens (hundred?) of millions in bonuses.

Slightly changing the "Peter Pan" theme to never having to grow up and
therefor never having to be held responsible, ... I've also made
sarcastic references to Winnie-The-Pooh and pooh-bear's comment about
being a bear with "no brains at all".

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

In your experience which is a superior debit card scheme - PIN based debit or signature debit?

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: In your experience which is a superior debit card scheme - PIN based debit or signature debit?
Date: September 21, 2008
Blog: Credit Card

past studies have indicated that signature debit is 15 times the fraud
of pin debit .... basically pin-debit is nominally considered
two-factor authentication while signature debit is only single factor.

there have been some unanticipated consequences regarding the
introduction of signature debit. pin-debit transactions for accounts
enabled for signature debit ... means that just the magstripe can be
skimmed (from pin-debit transaction) and then used later in
signature-debit transaction (i.e. even if account is only used in
pin-debit, two-factor authentication mode ... there is still a single
factor authentication vulnerability).

signature debit transactions are basically a form of credit
transactions. credit magstripes have gone thru some evolution over the
past several decades (being only single factor authentication). One of
the vulnerabilities was generation of counterfeit magstripes based on
account number guessing. Special magstripe encoding was introduced for
credit cards as countermeasure to account number guessing. This wasn't
a problem with two-factor pin-debit ... so didn't see the equivalent
evolution. When signature debit was introduced for previously
pin-debit cards ... many were all of a sudden made vulnerable to the
account number guessing counterfeiting.

there have been a number of articles that significantly higher
transaction fees are charged merchants for signature debit (comparable
to credit fees, higher fraud because no two-factor authentication)
... so there has been some preference for signature debit because of
the larger revenue stream.

for an indication of financial incentive ... tally the number of check
card tv spots ... vis-a-vis the number of pin-debit tv spots.

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Wrapping up the FBEMBA

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Wrapping up the FBEMBA
Date: September 21, 2008
Blog: Boyd

OODA-loop scenario (with respect to finger-feel), Boyd would use
example of war games after-action reviews he was involved in ...  the
story was that during all the practice sessions ... the staff
participated while the admirals/generals were characterized as
spending their time out playing golf. For the actual war games, the
admirals/generals came in and it was disaster since they had no
"finger-feel" for the tempo of the operations center (lots of
mistakes happening in slow-motion) ... which was typically followed by
comments about the golf playing culture.

Fluency, practice, and understanding can be considered facets of
orientation (correcting "false" orientation).

A software analogy is fluency in computer programming language ...
equivalent to fluency in natural language ... i.e. the fluent person
actually "thinks" & "dreams" in the programming language; as
opposed to thinking in some natural language and having to translate
into programming statements.

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Success has many fathers, but failure has the US taxpayer

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Success has many fathers, but failure has the US taxpayer
Date: September 22, 2008 11:20 AM
Blog: Financial Cryptography

re:
https://financialcryptography.com/mt/archives/001099.html
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#36 Builders V. Breakers

on the mortgage origination side of the triple-A rated toxic CDOs
... this shows the large ugly speculation pimple/boil in home owner
prices (enabled by the use of toxic CDOs and eliminating any
motivation to pay attention to mortgage quality)
http://mysite.verizon.net/vodkajim/housingbubble

the large ugly speculation pimple/boil is about half-way deflated back
to where it started.

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: VMware Chief Says the OS Is History
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:50:49 -0400

Steve O'Hara-Smith <steveo@eircom.net> writes:

Alternatively if the highways were as unsubsidized as the railways
then there would probably be less traveling and freighting done.

consumer/pleasure driving has provided majority of highway subsidy for
heavy trucking ... which shifts the competitive landscape for trucks
versus trains. possible conjecture that if the subsidy were removed
... road-use taxes for heavy trucks could easily go to $5-$10/gal (or
more).

nearly all highway design, building and maintenance is based on heavy
truck mile/axle-loads i.e. if taxes were directly apportioned based on
expenses, then road-use taxes drop nearly to zero for other than heavy
trucks ... and road-use taxes to cover total highway expenses are
apportioned solely against heavy trucks.

past ref:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002j.html#41 Transportation
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003i.html#21 Spam Bomb
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003i.html#57 TGV in the USA?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004c.html#20 Parallel programming again (Re: Intel announces "CT" aka
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2004e.html#7 OT Global warming
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006f.html#44 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006g.html#2 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006g.html#5 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006g.html#6 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006g.html#7 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006g.html#10 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006g.html#12 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006g.html#15 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006g.html#19 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006g.html#24 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006g.html#26 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006g.html#32 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006g.html#35 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006g.html#46 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006g.html#48 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006g.html#49 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006g.html#50 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006g.html#51 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006g.html#52 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006g.html#53 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006g.html#54 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006h.html#1 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006h.html#2 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006h.html#3 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006h.html#5 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006h.html#6 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006h.html#11 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006h.html#23 The Pankian Metaphor
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007n.html#97 Loads Weighing Heavily on Roads
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007q.html#21 Horrid thought about Politics, President Bush, and Democrats
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008b.html#55 Toyota Sales for 2007 May Surpass GM
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008b.html#56 Toyota Sales for 2007 May Surpass GM
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008e.html#48 fraying infrastructure
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008k.html#68 Historian predicts the end of 'science superpowers'
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008l.html#25 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008l.html#36 dollar coins
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008l.html#37 dollar coins

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

Blinkylights

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: Blinkylights
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:59:03 -0400

Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com> writes:

the ugly home owner price pimple/boil
http://mysite.verizon.net/vodkajim/housingbubble/

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#91 Blinkylights
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#24 Blinkylights
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#29 Blinkylights

Science unveils hidden drivers of stock bubbles and crashes
http://www.physorg.com/news141015420.html

from above:

At this point -- when the bubble is most inflated -- the investor
becomes indifferent to warning signs, such as share values or
price-earnings ratios that are stratospherically high.

What happens when the market starts to tank? The initial response is
dismissal, for the investor still believes that his stocks will come
back up and there is no point in selling.

... snip ...

the triple-A rated toxic CDOs enabled mortgage orginators to ignore
mortgage quality ... focusing on writing as many mortgages as fast as
possible ... which provided the fuel for speculators to treat the home
owner market like the unregulated 1920s stock market.

--
40+yrs virtualization experience (since Jan68), online at home since Mar70

VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com>
Subject: Re: VMware Chief Says the OS Is History
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:26:29 -0400

Walter Bushell <proto@panix.com> writes:

And tolls on turnpikes would radically decline.

But the price of *everything* would go up, and decline somewhat later
when railroads got the business of transcontenental transport.

re:
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008n.html#41 VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

the total infrastructure costs are just being obfuscated and spread
around to a lot of different areas. that contributes to little action
with regard to creating more efficient operations ... because true
infrastructure costs are so thoroughly obfuscated.

changes would result in "fully loaded" transportation costs to be more
accurately reflected in the price of goods. adaptive feedback systems
work efficiently when the components of the infrastructure are
accurately reflected.  currently, true infrastructure transporation
costs are significantly obfuscated and don't show up in the resulting
price of many goods. the traditional result has always been less
efficient operation and non-optimal choices.

this was also raised in the way that 60,000+ pages of tax code (mostly
special exemptions) affects the infrastructure to bias decisions and
influence adaptive feedback. the myriad of special exemptions has
created significant obfuscation regarding efficient business operation
... and has also created a significant diversion of resources devoted to
just dealing with special provisions (and the diversion of the resources
to dealing with special exemptions is calculated at representing a
significant drain on GDP)
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#49 Taxes
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2008m.html#87 Fraud due to stupid failure to test for negative

one of the big advances that I found when doing reso