The Double A Lounge

It has been some time since I have posted anything here. As I look through many of the past posts, it has given me time to reflect on this whole blogging thing. While it is fun to post things on the web, there have been some important lessons learned from doing this.

The first thing I learned is that truly great blogs have insightful and original content. They are not content to merely recycle the content of other blogs and web pages. Since this blog merely repackages what is already on the web, it does little to distinguish itself from all the other ones out there. I doubt very many people even give this blog a second look let alone wait with anticipation for new posts.

The second thing is that for this to work properly, there have to be a prolific amount of posts, preferably on a daily basis. The posts have to be well written, plenty of linked content, quotes, and the like. To me it should read more like good investigative journalism should (becoming a lost art in my opinion). Many of my old posts have broken content which just makes it look terrible. It’s like reading a book from the library where someone cut out pages or the pictures from it.

The third thing is that you either need to do your blog from a standpoint of being an authority on a certain subject or subjects, or you need to put yourself out there personally and write how you feel about things. While there are some subjects I can speak about with some authority, I find that there are many blogs that do a much better job on those subjects than I could. I tend to be a private person so putting myself out there will be difficult but could ultimately prove to make this blog much more interesting to read.

Once again I changed the theme on here since the last one was so dark and dour that it started to get depressing after a while. My feeling is that if Newsweek can change it’s format and content to change with the times, so can I. It was what aided my decision to renew my subscription to them. I don’t accept money here so hopefully a change here will prompt people to read this blog more often and come away feeling they read something worthwhile.

I don’t know if this change in format will work but I feel that it could be more than worth the effort to do so.

Gunaxin.com – Saint Patrick’s Day Drinks

Not up for green beer this St. Pat’s day?  This article has plenty of other things you could have.  The Absinthe B-55 caught my eye or even the Irish Trashcan Punch.  Some of these could really knock your rump to the floor if you’re not careful.  Thankfully, not all of them are green either.  We have plenty of gold stuff too.  Personally, I’ll be sticking to the basics of Irish stouts and ales.

One of the most interesting interviews I’ve seen in some time. He tells it like it was and is.

John Stewart once again hits the nail right on the head. Included below is Rick Santelli’s bit as well.

If you want some further entertainment, check out one of my earlier posts about Peter Schiff. One really has to wonder though – what were these people thinking? If I have a lot of money to invest, the last place I would get advice would be from people talking on TV. I would be doing my own research and let’s face it – gut instinct has to come into play as well.

CIO Insight – 9 Lamest Business Book Clichés and Conventions

Interesting slideshow about some of the lame themes used for business books these days.  Everyone has something to say, but not all of it worth reading about.  At the very least, it will help you avoid the hubris on your journey to better texts.

NYTimes.com – More Customers Give Up the Cellphone Contract

I’m not surprised at all that this is happening.  I’ve been using a pre-paid phone for many years now.  I’ve seen way too many people get eaten alive by cell contracts and it has worked out well for me.  The cost per minute is higher and it may not be the best option for high volume users.  It’s a lot easier to manage the time used on the phone and budget accordingly.

Although prepaid phones remain a fraction of the overall mobile phone market, sales of the category grew 13 percent in North America last year, nearly three times faster than traditional cellphone plans, according to Pali Research, an investment advisory firm. For the first time in its history, T-Mobile has been signing up more new prepaid customers than traditional ones. And Sprint Nextel  is betting that a new flat-rate prepaid plan will help it wring more value from its struggling Nextel unit.

I think the cell companies could have worked these plans much better when they first started years ago.  The demand for this was always out there, but the phone usually had so many restrictions that they quickly lost luster.  I used to sell the phones (prepaid and contract) and based on the number of airtime refills I’ve rung up over the years, the majority of the major carriers missed the boat on this market.  When Tracfone showed up, the rules changed a lot.  They decided to pre-buy airtime from all the major carriers in the U.S. and Canada and were able to sell a prepaid phone that worked just about any place where you could pick up cell service.  Initially their cards had to be bought every 60 days or so to keep it going, but then they started to offer a 1 year plan.  Refills tended to be difficult to put into the phone.  Now when you buy refills online for Tracfone, it auto refills it right on the phone when the purchase is done.  They have all sorts of airtime amounts and options.  I can still text message and use voicemail just like with other phones.

Before you consider another cell contract, there is one thing I’d like you to consider: mandatory arbitration.

NYTimes.com – When Consumers Cut Back: A Lesson From Japan

People in the U.S. tend to overlook the fact that the country of Japan went through what we are going through right now in our economy.  Their economic downturn lasted well over a decade.  They have managed to pull out from under it, but the effects of that extended downturn are still be being felt there today.

Today, years after the recovery, even well-off Japanese households use old bath water to do laundry, a popular way to save on utility bills. Sales of whiskey, the favorite drink among moneyed Tokyoites in the booming ’80s, have fallen to a fifth of their peak. And the nation is losing interest in cars; sales have fallen by half since 1990.

We are already seeing greater frugality in this country.  Makes me wonder how our country will handle things since it’s becoming very obvious that any kind of recovery is many years away.  Knowing how Americans tend to be, my prediction will be that once things have reversed that the American consumer will come back with a vengeance.  It would probably be better if they used the time to learn how to save with a vengeance instead.

Scientific American – How does salmonella get into peanut butter? And can you kill it once it’s there?

Found this article mentioned in a post on The Consumerist.  Has some interesting items concerning the presence of salmonella in peanut butter.  I was always of the understanding that PB was heated to a point where bacteria like that could not survive in it but the interview in the article shows that there could be ways for it to enter later in the process.

Consumer Reports also has a safety blog with lots of info about the recent PB issues.

I love PB but I also like being alive and healthy.

PBS.org – Frontline: Inside The Meltdown

Finally got to watch this today.  A very detailed and sobering view of the financial meltdown.  Some of the descriptions of the historic meetings of leaders of congress and the banking industry were haunting.  I couldn’t even imagine what it was like to have to tell congress that unless they gave the Fed and Treasury a blank check that the economy would collapse.  This sad story is far from over but I thought this documentary laid it out pretty plainly what happened.

Everyone expected that people would always pay on these bad mortgages and that home values would always rise.  When that ceased to be the case, everything collapsed and now we are in a sorry state.  Whatever the government can do is fine but I really wonder if it will be enough and how long it will take to finally be resolved.

CSPI – Maryland Senators Debate Food Dye Prohibitions

Is there anything in our food today that doesn’t cause some issue, especially with our kids?  I’ve always wondered when I would read over the ingredients on various food items and would see things like Yellow #5 and Red #40.

USFDA – Food Color Facts

And we thought sugar was the real enemy.