Archive for May, 2010
Bank of England: U.S. Faces Same Problems as Greece
May 14th, 2010Via: Telegraph: Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England, fears that America shares many of the same fiscal problems currently haunting Europe. He also believes that European Union must become a federalised fiscal union (in other words with central power to tax and spend) if it is to survive. Just two of the nuggets […]
EUR/USD Intraday Downside Breaches of 1.2520
May 14th, 2010Warning: This is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any financial instrument. UPDATE: NEW LOW 1.2385 —End Update— UPDATE: Splat New low: 1.2422 —End Update— 1.2520 was the near term low that was set just before the ECB rolled out the confetti shredder. New low 1.2516. There’s a four hour not-really hammer and […]
EU Bids for Power Over National Budgets
May 13th, 2010Via: CBC: Senior administrators of the European Union proposed on Wednesday that they be given unprecedented power to scrutinize the spending plans of countries before national parliaments vote on those budgets. The EU’s executive commission’s bid was a move to crack down on widespread government overspending and to begin to deal with the debt crisis […]
U.S. Probes Morgan Stanley
May 13th, 2010Via: Wall Street Journal: U.S. prosecutors are investigating whether Morgan Stanley misled investors about mortgage-derivatives deals it helped design and sometimes bet against, people familiar with the matter said, in a step that intensifies Washington’s scrutiny of Wall Street in the wake of the financial crisis. Morgan Stanley arranged and marketed to investors pools of […]
Man Fitted with Robot Arm Controlled by the Mind
May 13th, 2010It’s unfortunate that killer robots are the inescapable flipside of this kind of stuff. Whether you love the machines, or dread them (or both), this is pretty remarkable. Via: BBC: Every morning Christian Kandlbauer wakes up, dresses himself, and gets in his car to drive to work. This may sound mundane, but for the 21-year-old […]
$3 Microscope Plugs into Cell Phones
May 13th, 2010Via: MIT Technology Review: Inexpensive, lightweight device provides basic medical diagnostics and images. A small digital microscope that costs just a few dollars can plug into a cell phone and perform basic medical diagnostics that would ordinarily require expensive lab equipment. The microscope, which uses no lenses, saves on cost and weight by using algorithms […]
Freddie Mac Has a Message for Strategic Defaulters?
May 13th, 2010This is posted mainly its comedic value. It might also serve as a study in apoplexy as applied to economic commentary. Via: ML Implode: This guy may just win my Dick-of-the-Year Award hands down. Did he just say: “simply continuing to pay the bills might be best?” I can’t be sure because there’s no way […]
Britain: Identity Cards Set to Be Scrapped
May 13th, 2010While this seems like good news, expect the other shoe to drop soon enough. Via: BBC: Identity cards will be scrapped under plans announced by the new Conservative and Lib Dem coalition government, new Home Secretary Theresa May has said. Their abolition is among measures the parties have agreed to reverse what they say was […]
Home Depot Must Actually Pay Inventor For Invention
May 13th, 2010Via: Consumerist: Home Depot had a problem: their employees kept sawing off their own extremities with the saws they used to cut lumber for customers. Michael Powell invented a gadget which fixed the problem, and offered to sell the device to the chain for $2,000 each. Then, the inventor’s lawsuit alleged, Home Depot simply stole […]
Outsourcing Unit To Be Set Up In Indian Jail
May 13th, 2010Via: BBC: Authorities in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh are planning to set up an outsourcing unit in a jail. The unit will employ 200 educated convicts who will handle back office operations like data entry, and process and transmit information. The project will begin at Charlapally Central Jail, near the state capital […]
