Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Strategies & Market Trends : Roger's 1998 Short Picks -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Roger A. Babb who wrote (5246)	3/19/1998 8:43:00 AM
From: Mengistu ejigu	Respond to of 18691

Roger yes, you are right. anybody can do the online business.it's a kind of business which can be copied very easily.the internet is rapidly growing, but the stock price valuation is very scary. i sold all my long positions yesterday and short AMZN,YHOO,AOL,MSPG,ONSL.All these stocks will tumble soon. it's just a matter of time. we shall see. Ej

To: Roger A. Babb who wrote (5246)	3/19/1998 9:03:00 AM
From: Mengistu ejigu	Respond to of 18691

Wow!! What a surprise... Free Internet service???? Could this be bad News for AOL and MSPG??? Internet Costs To Undergo Drastic Change (03/18/98; 3:07 p.m. EST) By Margie Semilof, Computer Reseller News BALTIMORE -- The modern Internet is a lot different from the ancient Internet of, say, maybe two years ago. And like it or not, the cost structure of the old Internet is about to change forever. Internet executives here in Baltimore at ISPcon, could not reach a consensus onwhether or not ISPs should offer free connections -- or peering -- to each other's networks. But more large ISPs, notably GTE Internetworking, said they are discussing experiments in some form of settlement as a way to recover the cost of building and maintaining their network backbone. "There are no easy issues here, but don't be surprised if [settlements] show up in peering agreements," said John Curran, chief technical officer at GTE Internetworking, in Cambridge, Mass. At issue is the desire by large carriers to recover the cost of building out their Internet backbones. It's likely those costs will trickle down to all Internet users in some fashion. "Companies have spent tens of millions of dollars on infrastructure. They are definitely concerned about recovering those costs," said Farooq Hussain, a Washington, D.C., specialist on the subject of peering. Even PSINet, in Herndon, Va., which is steadfast in its commitment to free peering for any ISP regardless of size, this week announced a $2,500 charge for small ISPs wanting to traverse PSINet's own backbone to reach a backbone owned by another large carrier. This discussion about who connects to whom has exploded in the wake of the U.S. Department of Justice's investigation into the merger of WorldCom and MCI. The concern is whether or not the sheer size of a combined MCI WorldCom would control too much of the Internet backbone. WorldCom executives said they will charge small ISPs for connections to its backbone, and many executives are concerned that MCI WorldCom could potentially degrade some smaller ISP connections, thereby giving customers incentive to switch off the smaller carrier onto MCI WorldCom. Without private peering arrangements between carriers, ISPs are forced to send traffic through public network access points, which can become congested. The Justice department is trying to determine MCI WorldCom's market share by measuring how traffic flows over the Internet, particularly how much traffic goes to MCI and WorldCom, said Ivan Kotcher, an analyst at Dimension Enterprises, a Herndon, Va., consultancy. As the department scrutinizes the deal, it is considering a range of options including having WorldCom divest itself of Uunet Technologies, the Fairfax, Va., ISP division, or forcing all ISPs to allow free peering, said sources familiar with Justice department discussions. But talk of government intervention makes even the staunchest advocates of free peering bristle. "I don't support any government regulation, none whatsoever," said William Schrader, CEO of PSINet. "Even if that were the only way to get free peering I wouldn't support it. The goal is right, but the process is wrong." Jackson, Miss-based WorldCom reportedly is already charging ISPs to peer, but it is unclear how much it is charging because its contracts are under a nondisclosure policy, Kotcher said

To: Roger A. Babb who wrote (5246)	3/19/1998 9:19:00 AM
From: Oeconomicus	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 18691

Roger, re WalMart Online, note that they sell books too. That should be worth $2 billion alone, right?

To: Roger A. Babb who wrote (5246)	3/19/1998 10:16:00 AM
From: McNabb Brothers	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 18691

Roger, A short story to let you know how easy it is to shop WalMart Online. Three days before Christmas my wife wanted to buy our 1 1/2 year old son a rocking horse that she could not find at Toy's "R" Us or WalMart, so she decided to try WalMart Online. She placed the order online and they told her it would go out that day and we would receive it before Christmas. They even gave a 1-800 No. to call to give a credit card No. instead of giving it over the internet. To our surprise we received the rocking horse the very next day and it was sent straight from the factory. We paid the same price as it was marked at a local WalMart (that was out of them) and the amazing thing is that WalMart did not have to transport it or keep it in inventory. Next Christmas this Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus will shop all our gifts by the internet! That is one reason I like WalMart as an investment for they are using the most up to date technology and they are making a profit unlike most internet companies are today! Hank