I just found an iPhone application for editing for Movable Type. This technology is evolving rapidly…

This is just in its infancy, but I wanted a visual picture of the economic crisis and the affected banks. Using the Google Maps API and the FDIC’s failed bank list, I created this: Failed Banks and the TARP Right now, it is very basic - it just shows the points where the failed banks exist. As I learn how to manipulate this, the markers will each show the name of the failed bank and the date which they failed.

I’m going to throw in a plug for Google Reader. For the past several years I have been using rss2email, which is a wonderful tool but not perfect. I love the fact that I can get feeds in my email - to a point. I now am watching over 20 financial feeds (what can I say, I’m hooked) - which is cool, but overwhelming my email box. I can easily see 50+ emails a day - and I don’t have time to process them all.

I have now mastered the art of buying high and selling low! I have also noted several observations: The leveraged funds lose value over time due to high expense ratios and the simple math that 10% and 10% up doesn't mean you're in the same position. These need to be day-traded, not held - and you need a stomach for big market moves. Futures tend to overreact; while they may predict the outcome for the day, buying pre-market or post-market exacerbates the sentiment.

This is a sick perversion of the holiday spirit. A man died because people were so desperate to save a few percentage points on the latest imported junk. No one even bothered to help him. I’m disgusted.

Isilon and Jerry… I’ve been on several trips recently - to Atlanta, Austin, and soon Los Angeles. Jerry keeps me really busy, from the moment I get home until the moment I leave the next door. We’ve been having a ball. He made two verbal slips that were pretty funny recently - we were talking about fruits and donuts and he accidentally said “banut” (banana donut). As soon as the word came out, we both started laughing.