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Strategies & Market Trends : VOLTAIRE'S PORCH-MODERATED -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: lurqer who wrote (30366)	2/2/2001 1:32:40 PM
From: J. C. Dithers	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 65232

Thanks, lurqer, interesting explanation. Yes, Treasure of Sierra Madre is a superb film. For some reason, my all-time favorite Bogart film is Sahara. It's a great and unusual war picture, but maybe the reason I like it so much is that Bogart plays a true citizen-soldier hero, willing to sacrifice his life for the noblest and most unselfish reasons. A lot of people today would see it as corny and just propaganda ... but that only tells us how cynical and self-absorbed we've all become. Come to think of it, Tom Hanks in Private Ryan is pretty much the same sort of guy. Actually, there really were a lot of serviceman in WW11 who believed in those ideals and values to the point of laying down their lives for them. We owe them our freedom. (Not too long ago, people on SI would be saying, "Clear the airwaves, we're trying to make money here." Kind of interesting that nobody cares now. Or maybe that's because nobody's here now). My best to you. J.C.

To: lurqer who wrote (30366)	2/2/2001 3:16:12 PM
From: TimeToMakeTheInvs	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 65232

Well, I've already cloned my cat, and I have a spare of my son working in the tank upstairs....<G> Bad attempt at humor. But seriously, re change, Wired Magazine's latest issue discusses human cloning saying it is imminent. Lets see... gap at 2638 on Naz? 2673 - 2638 = ONLY 35 more points to go! tim

To: lurqer who wrote (30366)	2/2/2001 3:44:41 PM
From: Sully-	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 65232

>>"BTW I'm trying to get my daughters to watch "Treasure of the Sierra Madre"."<< IMO, one of his best..... perhaps one of the best movies ever..... BWDIK? <<EDIT>> the link to the wav file is changed when I originally posted it..... it takes you to the site that contains the wav file, but you would have to find it on your own.... I edited the link to have it post..... I added two spaces immediately after the (http://)..... Just copy the link & remove the two spaces to play the wav file. OOF :-\| http:// soundamerica.com/sounds/movies/T-Z/Treasure_of_the_Sierra_Madre/badges.wav Ö¿Ö

To: lurqer who wrote (30366)	2/3/2001 10:19:50 AM
From: lurqer	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 65232

Getting started in the market. Change is a mixed bag - something lost, something gained. Surely like most I enjoy TV and the net, but I mourn the loss of magazines. If loss is too strong, reduced advertising has many on life support. From my teenage years, one of my favorites was the Scientific American. I have watched that magazine evolve over the years. During the '70s they had a formula for their articles. The first third of an article was heavily edited with simplistic explanations of every term. This was to make sure that everyone could understand this first part. The second third was less heavily edited and allowed the author to begin to "get into the meat" of the topic. In the final third, th author was given free reign. I still recall an article from that period about evolution. The first 2/3s of the article was fairly standard fare and for me is now "lost in the mists of time". At the 2/3s point, there was a sharp break. Apparently the author contracted to do a specified article so he could talk about what he wanted to in the last third. Evolution is about selection, and what the author wanted to discuss was what was being selected for (dangle those prepositions). Using the frog as an example, the author built a compelling case that the object of selection was the ability to predict the future. Whether it was the trajectory of a flying insect (food) or the visual image of a predator, the ability to take observable data and predict what would occur was paramount in the frogs survival. Perhaps because it's not my field, I've never seen this topic discussed elsewhere. Agree or not with the author's thesis, few would deny the significance of accurate prognostication in the market. Using different timescales (trading vs investing) and different techniques (FA vs TA), the goal remains constant - what will be the price at a later time? Whether the motivation is greed or just the intellectual challenge, many minds have spent "untold hours" on this problem. As a pragmatist, I've sought "what works for me". Attempting to "stand on the shoulders of giants", I've tried to learn from others. The market is large and diverse with many different games occurring simultaneously. Most of the investing vs trading or FA vs TA flame wars stem from a myopic perspective. There's not a way "to beat the market", there are many. What's required is an intelligent application of a carefully honed skill. "There's no free lunch". If you are unwilling to put in the requisite effort, expect no success. Where do you start? The first step is to "know thyself". I believe that "in the long run", the price of a companies stock depends upon the performance of the company and the general economic conditions. I also believe that ST, fear/greed emotions will cause wide swings to either side of the "fair value" of the company. While there is nothing original about these statements, their implications are frequently ignored. No one is (or IMO should want to be) emotionless. But without a calm temperament, attempting to trade risks financial suicide. Similarly those without patience will never succeed at LTB&H. Yet SI is replete with disasters that result from a mismatch of personality and investing/trading technique. Next don't start by "reinventing the wheel"; learn from others. By reading and carful observation much can be "picked up" about both the underlying theory and its skillful application of any market technique. Some can learn trading by "paper trading". Other than simple testing, that never worked well for me. Without "money on the line", the emotional component is so reduced as to render the experience worthless to me. Yet others have found this approach to be invaluable. The point is to find a learning method that works for you and then apply it. Compare your results with others who are more skillful. And while you're learning, minimized the capital you risk. Just some weekend thoughts and all presented on a FWIW basis. lurqer