Would you wear these???

<3

Love in da club

Buh bye.

By now, most of you have probably heard that Bill Gates is finishing up his last days as an official Microsoft employee. I read a pretty interesting piece about him in Fortune mag (see here). But what I love even more is this fun and silly Coke ad, Mr. Gates starred in back in 1995.

Quick - Put your clothes back on!

So true, so true. Originally, the rumors were that Saatchi and Saatchi made this ad for JC Penny, but new press release from S&S is now claiming that a "third party vendor" created this as a spoof ad. Whatever it is - it's pretty funny how it speaks to the teenage years.

Dancing for electricity!!!

So this is pretty interesting. A club in Britain will be one of the first eco-clubs in the world. Especially interesting is the way in which they hope to power the club - they're planning on installing a dance floor that will generate electricity that will go into powering the lights and audio of the club. See below for how they plan to make it happen. Wouldn't you shake it for a good cause???

Source: here

How Google is Like a Hedge Fund

" Big stand-alone hedge funds generally did well in 2007; hedge funds owned by investment banks, by contrast, did much worse. I can't help but see an analogy here: Microsoft is bringing Yahoo in-house, to compete with the big stand-alone Google. But internet advertising is not what Microsoft is good at, just like hedge funds are not what Bear Stearns is good at."

- Portfolio.com: Felix Salmon

where the hell is matt?

This kinda stuff makes me smile. Watch the whole thing - there's some really funny ones later on :)

Matt uses Google Earth/Maps to show others where he's traveling to.

We've come a long way

The Evolution of the Cell Phone - Click here for more amazing videos

Dipping

Apparently there's a new trend called "dipping" happening in the UK via Facebook. By using Google maps, "dippers" are able to local neighborhood pools and invite their friends for "dipping parties" - unbeknownst to the homeowners, of course. Apparently they are encouraged to "wear fancy costumes and bring bikes in case cops show up.

This may be a UK phenom, but when is going to make its way to the Sttates??? Anyone wanna go for a swim?

Link: here

omfg - APPLE CAMP

This is pretty awesome - Apple is offering "summer camp" for kids 8-12 (sigh, if only i were younger or had a child). It's an opportunity for kids to learn about iphoto, imovie, garageband, etc. And it's FREE. Better sign up fast b/c spots are going quick.... link here

Gay

Did you know if you google "gay", you'll get a surprising rainbow bar on the right-hand side. Unfortunately, googling "straight" leaves you with nothing...

Big Buck Bunny

I don't know too much about open source, but I do know that if people using free software, working together can make something like this - then i'm all for it!!!

This video is a short, animated film, released April 10th in Amsterdam. It was made entirely from open source software by the Blender Institute.



Source: here

I'm voting republican

I'm not quite sure how I should interpret this viral marketing video - On one hand, the subtle humorous tone is pretty entertaining to watch and seems to raise awareness for the issues of this election, but on the other hand, I can see how something like this would rub people the wrong way - even for democrats.

For my finance friends...

I came across this show on Hulu and since most of my friends are in Finance, I thought I would check it out. The first episode starts off by following the careers of a handful guys (and girls) in the business. You have the stereotypical macho trader, who teaches his son to be just as greedy as he is. "Hey son, do you wanna make a million dollars?", and son replies, "No, TWO million!" You also have the super hot German blond, who is a self-proclaimed "deal-maker." But from what I can gather, her role is really to look hot and network. There's a young guy who's starting his own hedge fund and an older one who's apparently very established in the HF world. And finally, you have a 27 year old who is "retired" from the business, but what she really means is that she's starting her own hedge fund. Oh yea, she left home at the age of 17 and seems obsessed with working out (aka a symbolism for ambition and determination). I think this show could be entertaining for those budding financiers who've always dreamed of working in the field but don't really know what the heck its all about or for those, like my friends, who will inevitably laugh through these episodes. All of them online for your viewing pleasure :)

Brilliant concept for music

Harvard's Commencement Speech

While not a student there myself, I really enjoyed this commencement speech (perhaps a little more than my own school's)...

See link here.

Smart move Nordstrom

I enjoy online shopping as much as the next girl, but one thing that I have always hated is the painful shipping costs and long wait it takes for my package to arrive. I always wished that I could do my browsing and buying online, but could immediately pick up what I ordered in the stores. Now, Nordstrom has granted me my wish!

To find out more information, go to http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/6016460/0~2377475~6016460

I think this will definitely be great for business and we may even see more retailers following suit.

Facebook for elders

And this is why I love McSweeney's

Credit should be given to my friend, David M., who shared this piece with me. Direct link here.

WORD PROBLEMS
FOR FUTURE HEDGE-
FUND MANAGERS.

BY BOB WOODIWISS

- - - -

Elementary
(AGES 5–10)

1. Dick has $1 million. Jane has $1 million. If Dick and Jane both give their $1 million to T. Boone, how many millions will he claim he can turn it into?

2. On his way home from school, Kyle stops to buy a candy bar. It costs 69 cents. How much change should Kyle get back if he pays for the candy with a $1,000,000,000 bill?

3. Among those earning 10-figure incomes, Mr. Soros's total annual compensation is greater than Mr. Falcone's. Mr. Falcone's is greater than Mr. Griffin's. Mr. Griffin's is smaller than Mr. Soros's, and Mr. Paulson's is greater than Mr. Soros's.

In descending order, list the men by the respective hotness of their trophy wives.

4. A hedge-fund manager gets up at 5 a.m. It takes him 12 minutes to shower, 8 minutes to get dressed, and 20 minutes to eat breakfast. How big is his domestic staff?

Intermediate
(AGES 11–15)

1. Your middle-class parents have a combined household income of $115,000. You receive an allowance of $20 per week. If you save all your allowance for two years, how much debt will you have to finance to hostilely take over your family? How will you structure the debt?

2. The number of hours left in the New York Stock Exchange's trading day is one-third of the number of hours already passed. How many hours are there until you can start trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange?

3. At 10 a.m., a private Gulfstream G650 takes off from New York, headed south to the Caribbean island of St. Bart's, traveling at a speed of Mach .9. At 11 a.m., a private Gulfstream G550 takes off from St. Bart's, headed north to New York, traveling at Mach .885. Both jets fly at 50,000 feet on parallel flight paths. When the aircraft pass each other somewhere over the Atlantic, how long after seeing the G650 will the owner of the G550 kick himself for not going top-of-the-line? (Answer should be expressed in nautical miles.)

4. In a given year, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rises 8.3 percent, the NASDAQ rises 7.6 percent, and the S&P 500 rises 7.9 percent. If, in that same period, you manage a $29 billion hedge fund that loses 11.6 percent, how large a year-end bonus are you entitled to? (Round to the nearest $10 million.)

Advanced
(AGES 16–18)

1. Mr. Smith is being investigated by the SEC for insider trading. Calculate the probability of Mr. Smith's relocation to Dubai.

2. If an American hedge-fund manager makes $900 million and is taxed at a rate of 15 percent, how many American factory workers making $32,500 and being taxed at a rate of 25 percent does that make a sucker of? (Show your work.)

3. Your mother gives you x dollars to put gas in the family car. Your father gives you y dollars to get a haircut. You lose x + y dollars betting against your high school's undefeated football team. Explain to your familial investors how "that's life."

4. Days before the housing bubble bursts, you short the ABX subprime index and, when the ensuing mortgage crisis causes millions of families to lose their homes to foreclosure, you realize a $550 million profit.

Since, for you, this is the opposite of a problem, find the opposite of an answer.

Back again

Okay, so I have been MIA again, but this time it was to go on a fantastical adventure to Greece (see pictures below). I should be around this summer and will be updating much more, I promise!