The art market is exploding. First, it was the biggies, like the $142.4 million sale of the Francis Bacon Triptych. But suddenly the middle market — $100,000 to $300,000 — has also exploded. Everyone is plowing their stockmarket gains into art. There’s only one way to play this:
Sothebys and Christie’s run a cozy duopoly in the art auction business. Their commissions give outrageous a whole new meaning. Bad for art buyers. But great for stock buyers.
It’s all about buzz. Anyone who’s driven a Tesla raves. “It’s the best. It will change how we think about cars.” Join the bandwagon. Buy yourself a handful of Tesla.
They’re slicing the Defense Department. Clearly no one believes that this will hurt key defense contractors:
I love this company:
For the fourth quarter of 2013, their sales were up 62%. Today’s news release is here.
Ladder Capital’s quiet period will end on March 2. Analysts will then be free to issue ebullient recommendations. The stock closed last night at $16.82, down slightly from its IPO price of $17.
Upgrade your iPhone’s operating system. If you don’t, someone could steal your identity, your money and your virility, and perhaps even your virginity. Skip the last one. Seriously, upgrade your iPhone’s operating system today.
All about light bulbs. All light bulbs suck. The cheap ones blow, some faster than others. The expensive ones look like crap. And you can’t dim most of them. I tried CFLs. They often look awful. I tried LEDs. CFLs and LEDs are often too big for the fixture. Turning light bulbs on and off seriously cuts their life. Our building uses CFLs in hall fixtures that stay on all the time. They work.
Some useful information: From the latest Popular Mechanics: The higher the bulb’s color temperature, the cooler its light. A candle glows at 1500 K. That CFL you tried but hated because its light was too harsh was probably glowing at 4,500 K. LED bulbs being marketed as incandescent replacements usually have a color temperature of 2,700 K, which is sort of equivalent to typical warm white incandescents.
That’s only part of the story. The quality of a bulb’s light also depends on its color accuracy, also known as the color rending index (CRI). The higher the bulb’s CRI the more realistically it reveals colors. Incandescent lightbulbs have a CRI of 100, but most CFLs and LEDs have CRIs in the 80s. According to the magazine, only a handful of LEDs have CRIs in the 90s.
I’m beginning to think it’s too early for wholesale replacement. But it is time for some experimentation. So far, my experiments have produced nothing I’d recommend.
Damning on Windows 8. Don’t use it. From today’s newsletter, Windows Secrets (which I pay for), by Woody Leonhard:
Reflecting on the Windows 8 disaster
As you probably know, I am not one of Windows 8’s biggest fans. And that opinion comes from long experience with the OS. I wrote a thousand-page book about Windows 8 and another thousand-page tome about Windows 8.1. I’ve used Win8 all day, every day, for almost two years.
Based on that experience, I can’t recommend Windows 8 to experienced Windows users – unless they’re springing for a new touch-capable tablet or they really want to try something quite different from classic Windows. In truth, the vast majority of mouse-and-keyboard Windows users I know are still better served with Windows 7.
I don’t think relatively inexperienced Windows users are well served by Win8, either. (Yes, of the approximately 1.4 billion Windows users on the planet, there are a few novice Windows users left.) Those who know a little bit about Windows often get hog-tied trying to figure out Metro; those who don’t know anything about Windows but are comfortable with their smartphones are usually better off with an iPad or an Android tablet – in my not-so-humble opinion.
You might not agree with my assessment of Windows, but again: I speak from long experience and many discussions with fellow Windows users. It’s clear to me that Microsoft’s board of directors is staring up at a sword of Damocles 8.0 – and unwilling to let it fall without a fight.
Microsoft’s dilemma over the direction of Windows 8 isn’t confined strictly to Windows. There are numerous emerging threats to the Windows hegemony, such as the many excellent alternatives that use a heavy helping of cloud. But the Jekyll-and-Hyde design of Windows 8 certainly didn’t help. I think Apple’s Tim Cook got it right: “You can converge a toaster and a refrigerator,” but it won’t please users.
Those factors – the tepid (to be generous) interest in Windows 8 and the myriad extraneous forces – virtually guaranteed a major shakeup in Microsoft. Nearly everybody in the Windows management chain, all the way up to the top of the company, is now gone. And though we might think of the shakeup as a deserved and needed repudiation of Windows 8 (I liken it to a rejected transplant), it also presents some exciting new possibilities. I’m actually optimistic that the next Windows will be considerably better than Win8. Why? The new Windows handlers know their stuff.
Old Europe versus Young U.S. My friend, the company chairman, is scouting Europe for business opportunities. His overwhelming observation: How old the place was. “You just don’t see children,” he told me.
It’s different here. I live in Manhattan. The sidewalks are dangerous. They team with baby strollers. I’ve started documenting them. Here’s my favorite threesome.
I think the kid on the right might be a bit big for the stroller (judging by the angle of his neck). The lady pushing the stroller told me, with pride, the kids were all hers and were all healthy. This was the first three-kid stroller I’d seen. Since then I’ve actually seen a four-kid stroller. That one was like a limo for kids from different mothers. Surely, someone can make a six-kid stroller?
Indian Wells Tennis kicks off this weekend. This Saturday, the new Stadium 2 (pictured) will have its debut with the sold-out McEnroe Challenge for Charity — though you’ll still be able to see it on big screens on the gorgeous grounds.
Indian Wells is the tennis facility which Larry Ellison bought and is lavishing money on — click here.
The main Indian Wells Tennis runs from March 3 — 16. Shown here is the main stadium:
For tickets and info, click here. I’ll be there. Susan and I leave for the desert this Saturday. Best tennis tournament of the year. This year there’ll be over 200 players.
Favorite computer.
Will I live to 90?
I recently picked a new primary care doctor. After two visits and exhaustive Lab tests, he said I was doing ‘fairly well’ for my age. (I just turned 65).
‘Do you think I’ll live to be 90?’
‘Do you smoke tobacco, or drink beer, wine or hard liquor?’
‘Oh no,’ I replied. ‘I’m not doing drugs, either!’
Then he asked, ‘Do you eat rib-eye steaks and barbecued ribs?’ ‘
I said, ‘Not much… my former doctor said that all red meat is very unhealthy!’
‘Do you spend a lot of time in the sun, like playing golf, boating, sailing, hiking, or bicycling?’
‘No, I don’t,’ I said.
He asked, ‘Do you gamble, drive fast cars, or have a lots of sex?’
‘No,’ I said…
He looked at me and said, ‘Then, why do you even care?
Harry Newton who wonders if he should take up driving fast cars?
Skydiving beats fast cars and doesn’t get you tickets. I’ve done both, all too often the “fast car” bit – it’s expensive!
Harry, RE: Lightbulbs
Try the Cree soft white LED ( I use the 60 w, uses 9.5 w). It answers all your objections. At Home Depot recently had an approx. 50% price drop to $8.00. Instant on, fit in fixtures, dimmable, good color, etc.