News and Analysis

You’re Doing It Right: Captain America

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So, like many other people, I went and saw "Captain America: The First Avenger," though I waited a week after it's release since I am allergic to overcrowding and theater-based insanity.

So, as you may judge by the title here, I think the film is good.  In fact, I think it was great.  More than great – it's a lesson in doing a superhero film right.

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Late Breaking Geekery: Economess

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Well, S&P downgraded the US's credit rating to AA+ not AAA (the best).  As Ritholz notes yes, it's hard to trust the agencies, but they do have sway, and he has a roundup of articles.  As I understand it the Obama administration is arguing that S&P used faulty math, which of course is entirely understandable considering.  What this means is something best left to more professional economic minds, though as I understand it higher interest rates are in the cards.

Personally?  I suspect this is a way to nudge the U.S. government towards more predictability – and perhaps more stimulus.

Yves at Naked Capitalism is starting a Bank of America Death Watch.  I trust Yves, and think he's on to something – Bank of America either has to engage in some radical activities or risk just plain dying.  If it does collapse like others, then that's going to be another potential contributor to a double-dip, will affect confidence in the economy of the US further, and lead to more political gridlock as a bailout will be floated.

Again, with all of this I put the odds of a double-dip recession (mild or otherwise) pretty high.  I wouldn't be sending any resumes to Bank of America either.

Now as everyone who reads this knows I'm pro-stimulus, so maybe this will get a return to stimulus and some logical budget cuts (as opposed to illogical ones).  It's gonna get interesting politically.

– Steven Savage

 

Late Breaking Geekery 8/5/2011

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A little late breaking geekery on the net freedom front:

Some ISP's redirecting searches apparently for commercial reasons.  OK it's a nice way of saying "for money" based on marketing/ads.  A list of offenders that were found is provided, a workaround is noted, and in general lawsuits seem to be coming.

Progeek Takeaways:

  • Check your ISP just in case on that list – and I think it's worth being paranoid because who knows what else they've done.
  • I wonder if any businesses on those ISPs have other reasons to be paranoid – say about security.
  • This might be a good issue to bring up in support of net neutrality and high ISP standards for, well, obvious reasons.

– Steven Savage