Owner: VAULT45 URL:http://www.vault45.com Join Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:42:25 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Vault45.com is personal blog of Pavol Sulek. It features news and commentary on current events, new media and technology, politics and all kinds of random and interesting stuff. Site statistics:Click here
Headline of the Day: Company used waterboarding to motivate workers 2008-02-29 23:01:26 Via The Salt Lake Tribune:
A supervisor at a motivational coaching business in Provo is accused of waterboarding an employee in front of his sales team to demonstrate that they should work as hard on sales as the employee had worked to breathe. In a lawsuit filed last month, former Prosper, Inc. salesman Chad Hudgens alleges his managers also allowed the supervisor to draw mustaches on employees' faces, take away their chairs and beat on their desks with a wooden paddle "because it resulted in increased revenues for the company."
WTF!?
Read more:Headline
Steve Berry - The Alexandria Link 2008-02-21 18:37:55 Ballantine Books (US), 2007 (paperback, 485 p., in English)
Fiction, Suspense, Adventure
The Alexandria
Link is SteveBerry
's fifth novel, published in 2007. On the heels of Berry's New York Times best seller The Templar Legacy, this the second fact-based novel to feature Cotton Malone, a former employee of the covert branch of the U.S. Justice Department. The plot is based on the mystery of the ancient Library of Alexandria, once the largest library in the world, which mysteriously vanished 1,500 years ago.
According to Wikipedia, the book received mixed responses from viewers; mostly positive responses about the plot and the style of writing, but critical responses about the way the 1948 Arab-Israeli War is portrayed.Plot summary:
Cotton Malone retired from the high-risk world of elit
The best investment advice you'll never get 2008-02-18 02:36:54 I stumbled upon this excellent article today discussing the current state of financial industry — the most overcompensated industry in U.S. I always thought that index funds are the best option for seasonal investors looking for consistent returns. This quote is just another proof that I was right:
Brokers and financial planners don't like indexed mutual funds for two basic reasons. For one thing, the funds are an affront to their ego because they discount their ability to assemble a winning portfolio, the very talent they're trained and paid to offer. Also, index funds don't make brokers and planners much money. If you have your money in an account that's following the natural movements of the market — also called passive investing — you don't need fancy managers to watch it for yo Read more:investment
Headline of the Day: Sex-starved woman faces jail 2008-02-15 02:37:27 Via The Sun:
A SEX-starvedwoman
could be jailed after making 700 calls to the emergency services, local army headquarters and the town council demanding a man for sex.
Hanna Wozniak, 42, from Koszalin in central Poland could be jailed for up to a year. After police traced the calls back to her home, she told them: "I was desperate for sex. It's been so long since I had someone in my bed."
Police who said she had been charged with wasting emergency services' time and making threatening phone calls said she had told phone operators that she would happily start a fire if it meant a hunky fireman would come round for sex afterwards.
LOL. But I think this story is fake.
Read more:faces
, Headline
Feelin' disconnected 2008-02-14 06:26:31
I had couple of folks from Slovakia staying at my house recently. Good times. But during their short stay I've realized something very important: The sad truth is that in last few years I've been almost completely ignoring my old pals from back home. I feel like an asshole. They were always there for me when I needed them so I have to start calling them again and keep in touch.
NYC stores and retailers accept Euro 2008-02-07 17:01:32 Via Reuters:
In the latest example that the U.S. dollar just ain't what it used to be, some shops in New York City have begun accepting euros and other foreign currency as payment for merchandise. The increasingly weak U.S. dollar, once considered the king among currencies, has brought waves of European tourists to New York with money to burn and looking to take advantage of hugely favorable exchange rates.
A bunch of NYC stores
and retailers
are making it clear that money is money, whatever the currency: "Euro Accepted" signs are popping up all over the city and European tourists couldn't be happier. I knew it was coming.
Headline of the Day: FBI wants palm prints, eye scans, tattoo mapping 2008-02-04 15:24:18 Via CNN:
The FBI
is gearing up to create a massive computer database of people's physical characteristics, all part of an effort the bureau says to better identify criminals and terrorists. [...] The bureau is expected to announce in coming days the awarding of a $1 billion, 10-year contract to help create the database that will compile an array of biometric information — from palm prints
to eye scans.
Forget about freedom and personal privacy — both are long gone.
Read more:Headline
, tattoo
, wants
I'm moving 2008-02-01 18:34:04 I decided to move out of my current apartment in Astoria, Queens at the end of this month. I haven't decided where I'm gonna move yet, but I'm thinking about staying in Astoria. The neighborhood here is nice, convenient and safe with lots of good restaurants, bars and pretty much everything else I need. It's also pretty close to the city and the subway has been running on time with no crazy delays at all.
I was thinking about getting an apartment somewhere in Brooklyn, however, that just doesn't seem like a good idea. Why? Well.. mostly for one reason: Have you ever ride the L train? Yup, that's exactly why.
Headline of the Day: Zimbabwe bank to issue $10m bill 2008-01-26 00:25:00 Yesterday I wrote about a stock broker who somehow managed to generate a $7.2 billion loss — the largest in banking history. Today I've got another "gem" for you.
Via BBC:
Zimbabwe
's central bank is to introduce new higher-denomination banknotes in an effort to ease the critical shortage of cash in the country. Zimbabwe has been in economic decline for the past eight years, with annual inflation widely thought to be in excess of 50,000%. The highest value note that will go into circulation on Friday is worth 10m Zimbabwean dollars.
But wait, here's the money line:
But that is worth less than US$3.90 (£2; 2.60 euros) on the black market.
LOL
Read more:Headline
, issue
Headline of the Day: Societe Generale Reports EU4.9 Billion Trading Loss 2008-01-25 02:16:29 Via Bloomberg:
Societe Generale SA said bets on stock index futures by a rogue trader caused a 4.9 billion-euro ($7.2 billion) trading loss, the largest in banking history. Jerome Kerviel, 31, was the trader responsible, the Paris- based bank said today. Societe Generale plans to raise 5.5 billion euros from shareholders after the loss and subprime-related writedowns depleted capital. The Bank of France, the country's banking regulator, is investigating the alleged fraud.
Talk about stock market crash and investors losing money. What an idiot. Never heard of risk management, asset allocation, or portfolio rebalancing?
Read more:Headline
, Trading
Clitoral Economics 2008-01-23 23:07:11 Here's the opening paragraph from Barbara Ehrenreich's latest column, simply titled "Clitoral Economics
":
With all the talk about how to stimulate it, you'd think that the economy is a giant clitoris. Ben Bernanke may not employ this imagery, but the immediate challenge-and the issue bound to replace Iraq and immigration in the presidential race-is how best to get the economy engorged and throbbing again.
Gotta love Huffington Post!
Clitoral Economics [The Huffington Post]
Update 2008-03-28 13:02:46 So I'm almost done with moving and stuff. It's taking longer than I expected, however, everything should be finished in next few days. My new job is kinda hectic too - I'm friggin glad I've got at least some time to sleep. P.
Read more:Update
Read this: 2008-07-22 03:30:42 The Debt Trap: A series about the surge in consumer debt and the lenders who made it possible. [NYTimes]
Globalization: Some Numbers [A VC]
The magic tree 2008-07-16 00:34:53
This is gotta be probably the most beautiful wallpaper I've ever seen. Put it on your desktop, cellphone, iPhone, etc. It is a stunning piece of art! You can download it here.
I finally got my 'berry 2008-07-15 23:59:57 I finally got my first-ever BlackBerry today: a fancy Curve in titanium. It was a pretty hard decision which one to choose - either the old-fashioned Berry or the fancy 3G iPhone. Berry won mainly because I just can't get used to a touch screen keyboard for some reason. So, my email accounts are now fully synchronized and up and running so I can finally start responding to all emails promtly. Well
Linkage: August 7, 2008 2008-08-07 02:41:36 After Steve Jobs, What Kind of Leader Will Apple Need? - The blogosphere is abuzz with speculation about the health of Steve Jobs and what that means for leadership succession at Apple. [Harvard Business Publishing]
25 Well-Paying Jobs that Most People Overlook (and Why) [Business Pundit]
7 Essential Guidelines For Functional Design [Smashing Magazine]
Read more:August
Headline of the Day: Drugs Offer Promise of Fitness Without Effort 2008-08-02 03:25:00 Via The New York Times:
Researchers at the Salk Institute report they have found two drugs that do wonders for the athletic endurance of couch potato mice. One drug, known as Aicar, increased the mice's endurance on a treadmill by 44 percent after just four weeks of treatment. [...] The results, Dr. Evans said, seem reasonably likely to apply to people, who control muscle tone with the same under Read more:Drugs
, Effort
, Headline
, Offer
Headline of the Day: Starbucks posts loss 2008-07-31 20:30:18 Via Reuters:
Starbucks
reported a fiscal third-quarter net loss of $6.7 million, or 1 cent per share, compared with a year-earlier net profit of $158.3 million, or 21 cents per share. Results from the most recent quarter included 17 cents in charges primarily related to store closures and restructuring.
There you go. Maybe my $12 that I spent at my local Starbucks today will help them.
Starbuc Read more:Headline
, posts
Headline of the Day: Decline Seen in Numbers of People Here [United States] Illegally 2008-07-31 20:04:32 Via The New York Times:
The number of illegal immigrants in the [UnitedStates
] has dropped by as much as 1.3 million in the past year, an 11 percent decline since a historic peak last August, an immigration research group in Washington said in a report released Wednesday. The report, by Steven A. Camarota and Karen Jensenius of the Center for Immigration Studies, found "strong indications" that Read more:Decline
, Headline
, Numbers
, United States
How to not be a douchebag in NYC 2008-07-30 00:58:28 I stumbled upon this short but totally on-point guide on how to not be a douchebag
while visiting New York City. Honestly, if you are planning a trip to NYC, I couldn't recommend this guide enough. It covers topics such as transportation, tipping, dealing with homeless people, etc. The 'rules' mentioned in the guide are nothing special - you might as well call it common sense.
How To Not Be A Dou
Linkage: July 28, 2008 2008-07-28 01:42:55 - 101 Dumbest Moments in Business: Top tech flops : Exploding toilets and a startup that actually called itself VaporTech. When 400 surfers are dumb enough to click on an ad offering to infect their PCs, what's left for us to do? [CNNMoney.com]
- How Obama Became Acting President [NYTimes]
- 'Dark Knight' grosses $300M, shattering record : The epic Batman saga grossed $75.6 million in its second
New York Loft Hostel opens in Brooklyn 2008-07-24 20:56:16 Gothamist is reporting that New York
Loft Hostel
is now open for business and accepting reservations. Located at 249 Varet St. in Brooklyn
(Subway: L to the Morgan Avenue stop), the hostel offers up a pool, jacuzzi, 2000-sq-ft garden, bunk beds and wifi. The price: around $20-something per night. If you're in New York for a few days or weeks, that's a steal!
Loft Hostel Opens in Brooklyn [Gothami
Recommend Site To A Friend
