tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82539220253092033782024-02-21T07:03:39.024-08:00Bad DinosaurGeneral mischievousness, saboteuring, slander, and libel of Good Dinosaur, and other chaotic randomness!Jeff Iaconohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10213582954979395726noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253922025309203378.post-7290007066831056852010-09-04T14:23:00.001-07:002010-09-04T14:50:48.717-07:00Why I Love PhotoshopPresented without comment.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyHa6hfBoL9iKqO6y4wsneHF7Trk34LP9IGFq7CCdZdGABAxWB6u7tTLU0yTFu2tChq6gHF0EDvvRkqm_PyG7vRGKE9rSRbdW54H0FOzoiXD0i0GCMdgPzS2AzITqA-IQAFYUMX052x98/s1600/zDJ7W.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyHa6hfBoL9iKqO6y4wsneHF7Trk34LP9IGFq7CCdZdGABAxWB6u7tTLU0yTFu2tChq6gHF0EDvvRkqm_PyG7vRGKE9rSRbdW54H0FOzoiXD0i0GCMdgPzS2AzITqA-IQAFYUMX052x98/s400/zDJ7W.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513172156389037138" /></a><br /><br />(via <a href="twitter.com/jaz303">@jaz303</a>)Jeff Iaconohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10213582954979395726noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253922025309203378.post-91165061486623579532010-09-01T10:00:00.001-07:002010-09-01T10:03:31.086-07:00Sharky Tea InfuserThis has to be one of the coolest design concepts I've seen in a long time. It is totally create and totally mischievous.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91w1jd8BGiOEEXmW3TZWqwzyIgqFokvhuwBKWqf7N5gRS87lhDNy67lyNtTGDmyS7fEVAqWhxFtWOimCElqDhQtSwOMw006L2HqBRFdq3eSlKH2S_faoKHoCEqjdT3sd1dSVN3SVjRnI/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-09-01+at+10.22.55+AM.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91w1jd8BGiOEEXmW3TZWqwzyIgqFokvhuwBKWqf7N5gRS87lhDNy67lyNtTGDmyS7fEVAqWhxFtWOimCElqDhQtSwOMw006L2HqBRFdq3eSlKH2S_faoKHoCEqjdT3sd1dSVN3SVjRnI/s400/Screen+shot+2010-09-01+at+10.22.55+AM.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511991354435521794" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHRYWGY4MltaioMOZrw9cIJstuZcheVJCwu8xNSU14h985SkwWCk8lqudIq684yDGpUIJ41K6Qi-PW7ZxVBnZMqa3eh1ZwEFZA5PByZp4l0cUL_mATCL-GoozaNmU_rgSBqaHd2UAMDo/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-09-01+at+10.23.09+AM.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 381px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHRYWGY4MltaioMOZrw9cIJstuZcheVJCwu8xNSU14h985SkwWCk8lqudIq684yDGpUIJ41K6Qi-PW7ZxVBnZMqa3eh1ZwEFZA5PByZp4l0cUL_mATCL-GoozaNmU_rgSBqaHd2UAMDo/s400/Screen+shot+2010-09-01+at+10.23.09+AM.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511991516927661122" /></a><br /><br /><br />Found via <a href="nhttp://www.tuvie.com/sharky-tea-infuser-won-3rd-prize-at-the-beyond-silver-competition/">Tuvie</a>.Jeff Iaconohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10213582954979395726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253922025309203378.post-49566316156526069012009-11-11T15:25:00.000-08:002010-09-01T22:28:40.768-07:00Worth Viewing: Pearl and the Beard - Will Smith MedleyHi ya'll (did you like my western accent right there? good), for your viewing pleasure (and to see a great example of individuals who are much more talented than <a href="http://www.gooddinosaur.com" target="_blank" class="goodDino">Good Dinosaur</a> will ever be), see below:<br /><br /><object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7243598&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7243598&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/7243598">Pearl and the Beard - Will Smith Medley</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/goddamncobras">Goddamn Cobras Collective</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Jeff Iaconohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10213582954979395726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253922025309203378.post-51735316283756260522009-11-06T10:17:00.000-08:002010-09-01T22:29:00.266-07:00Friday FunniesShort one for today:<br /><br /><strong>My thought-<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tag_cloud" title="wtf is a tag cloud?" target="_blank">tag cloud</a> while working from home / in an office</strong><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAh_JUDmLv7zjQo4v7TF11evE9NCUGACgseIKbS3sDxskibhnDZhESvM2FuXaqQoDPCLMBW4FeM7JPFcGHEXOYDHvAeCfzaV6Zi7rr0jud6tI1yfmb0avpKmixojznL1Rcm5FYLRUmv4g/s1600-h/tag-cloud.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAh_JUDmLv7zjQo4v7TF11evE9NCUGACgseIKbS3sDxskibhnDZhESvM2FuXaqQoDPCLMBW4FeM7JPFcGHEXOYDHvAeCfzaV6Zi7rr0jud6tI1yfmb0avpKmixojznL1Rcm5FYLRUmv4g/s400/tag-cloud.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401057089718065970" /></a><br /><br /><strong>My thought-<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tag_cloud" title="wtf is a tag cloud?" target="_blank">tag cloud</a> while working from a cafe</strong><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLT-pHj-6502LUd2v17CC761lPwgo6QI59HCdQNRgpTv6Zf-2s2P22VTgl4iZ30rOJrXTKX_yl0_eOciHOCOLZUWhepcyhPAMh79TemaHFxFSGk59l8osDN0uOBQb0sWCTc655zRpc16g/s1600-h/tag-cloud-cafe.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLT-pHj-6502LUd2v17CC761lPwgo6QI59HCdQNRgpTv6Zf-2s2P22VTgl4iZ30rOJrXTKX_yl0_eOciHOCOLZUWhepcyhPAMh79TemaHFxFSGk59l8osDN0uOBQb0sWCTc655zRpc16g/s400/tag-cloud-cafe.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401057207035290338" /></a>Jeff Iaconohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10213582954979395726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253922025309203378.post-24762998014965855602009-10-09T13:10:00.000-07:002010-09-01T22:29:09.345-07:00Friday FunniesYou know the drill people, it's Friday! Get ready to slap your hands together and lol<br /><br /><div style="text-align:center"><h1>There is no "I" in rampage</h1></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTq1CN8FcwjFzW1yAVclBRbVpCw31jfibquE2gRgaqH0Xcl4DPWFbaB7IJqkXOQXC03_sL-Ox1esx2Xn8tXSFtH0wi5sqJ9hGt1aAOLuV1hYrKcJyTdduUH_JQbg5Uv5B2qOO06yROeU/s1600-h/japan.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTq1CN8FcwjFzW1yAVclBRbVpCw31jfibquE2gRgaqH0Xcl4DPWFbaB7IJqkXOQXC03_sL-Ox1esx2Xn8tXSFtH0wi5sqJ9hGt1aAOLuV1hYrKcJyTdduUH_JQbg5Uv5B2qOO06yROeU/s400/japan.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390695690704582962" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align:center"><h1>I shall call you H1N1</h1></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoPr8va4tm-V9mhH-fx_nTenDK0t3d7hxUgQmUBgxt2APLwPojqQ8orwXF4_jtlV7E5hqArsitEmyz_EqT2_fuSaJOWSlspu97Q9o9mUzyNIrkdbYIcohsyeBgFM5EoyaaQTu3MxdLWzM/s1600-h/swineflu.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoPr8va4tm-V9mhH-fx_nTenDK0t3d7hxUgQmUBgxt2APLwPojqQ8orwXF4_jtlV7E5hqArsitEmyz_EqT2_fuSaJOWSlspu97Q9o9mUzyNIrkdbYIcohsyeBgFM5EoyaaQTu3MxdLWzM/s400/swineflu.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390696146475992226" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align:center"><h1>Unemployed</h1></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzdiBVJqjgZJN8nOT5hlVzM-G2Pl1cskhTzeLB2Qag29fzyo0KYIrIxFqFD7buY-SYKPauyyeAxQMORi3Jgdt3_nXMYK-qchQNoFjk0_1dz0Eh4WA4-0pC5t3zRNBvBelfmi1Rbt90I8/s1600-h/darth.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 391px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzdiBVJqjgZJN8nOT5hlVzM-G2Pl1cskhTzeLB2Qag29fzyo0KYIrIxFqFD7buY-SYKPauyyeAxQMORi3Jgdt3_nXMYK-qchQNoFjk0_1dz0Eh4WA4-0pC5t3zRNBvBelfmi1Rbt90I8/s400/darth.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390697127035077250" /></a>Jeff Iaconohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10213582954979395726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253922025309203378.post-5248347179662302292009-09-24T16:11:00.000-07:002010-09-01T22:29:21.114-07:00Friday FunniesIt's Friday, lets get into the right mind set, relax a bit, and put on our laughy hats. Here are a few items meant to bring a smirk to your face. Happy Friday everyone! (except you, <a href="http://gooddinosaur.com" target="_blank" class="goodDino">Good Dinosaur</a> - I hope you have to work extra this weekend on your stupid startup!)<br /><br /><div style="text-align:center"><strong>Usefulness of going down stairs vs Time</strong></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAu5hZOdHrWomZuhPuR3KDGeTc8f3LHw4szdvBqc7s1mHECNfHTYFtakjp6C6fYd0Wf7iDyXHLdHHWAeieZ_moBVfe2y3mvW8K89Q767cGANJ4SpT-ntLS0kB8oVqdeT-RDPxTuIdKnoI/s1600-h/usefulness-downstairs-time.PNG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 274px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAu5hZOdHrWomZuhPuR3KDGeTc8f3LHw4szdvBqc7s1mHECNfHTYFtakjp6C6fYd0Wf7iDyXHLdHHWAeieZ_moBVfe2y3mvW8K89Q767cGANJ4SpT-ntLS0kB8oVqdeT-RDPxTuIdKnoI/s400/usefulness-downstairs-time.PNG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385416265602533058" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align:center"><strong>Willingness to be Video Taped vs Intelligence</strong></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgByS0ZW32aYJNAy2TQdr2lCX1SsArj59vBiD6XquWGNULZv0q6lmhxTmK18YKxGlyJ8dantC2DMP-slo9hPVE-i8N4PicbYNTemcV-6iGvdLuxR19bItODWNHjcx8HuMrQzzEG9DHuXG8/s1600-h/intelligence-vs-willingness-video-taped.PNG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 249px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgByS0ZW32aYJNAy2TQdr2lCX1SsArj59vBiD6XquWGNULZv0q6lmhxTmK18YKxGlyJ8dantC2DMP-slo9hPVE-i8N4PicbYNTemcV-6iGvdLuxR19bItODWNHjcx8HuMrQzzEG9DHuXG8/s400/intelligence-vs-willingness-video-taped.PNG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385415824809603698" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align:center"><strong>Ability to Draw Mountains vs Time :: From <a href="http://www.demetrimartin.com/" target="_blank" title="Ray Romanos little brother?">Demetry Martin</a></strong></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5y75K4v4mFZazsZflbVDG3-TMq2ofWfnl0KOQcp08veNrV7p60NOway1U6KQm_2ha6Mp9TqlEh7iuycMPwSfIPwxZlVziRhQ1kcFLukO57K270Cc3vETGgJHv_QJCli5Yfj1SEobqaw/s1600-h/draw-mountains-vs-time.PNG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 271px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5y75K4v4mFZazsZflbVDG3-TMq2ofWfnl0KOQcp08veNrV7p60NOway1U6KQm_2ha6Mp9TqlEh7iuycMPwSfIPwxZlVziRhQ1kcFLukO57K270Cc3vETGgJHv_QJCli5Yfj1SEobqaw/s400/draw-mountains-vs-time.PNG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385417029845507458" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align:center"><strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_(set_theory)" target="_blank" title="Love that horn!">Unions and Intersections</a></strong></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64rxoMGtZOMWntkW89B5ozJbPKs7PlnjQFS6oZyv31G1mG7roznU-Wpz0uiA3YvGeTIPvZTVlere1uc8agoiwRdQ_uAe3yQJWsY59SzFVnWTV_kakQ6hcl7anHvXxQfI5LH9o4PEqRRQ/s1600-h/unions.PNG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 248px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64rxoMGtZOMWntkW89B5ozJbPKs7PlnjQFS6oZyv31G1mG7roznU-Wpz0uiA3YvGeTIPvZTVlere1uc8agoiwRdQ_uAe3yQJWsY59SzFVnWTV_kakQ6hcl7anHvXxQfI5LH9o4PEqRRQ/s400/unions.PNG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385176730835929714" /></a><br /><div style="text-align:center;color:#bbb;">via <a href="http://www.snorgtees.com/" target="_blank">SnorgTees</a></div>Jeff Iaconohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10213582954979395726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253922025309203378.post-71643134253059923502009-09-11T14:45:00.001-07:002010-09-01T22:29:29.315-07:00I've Done It!I've located and broken through to <a class="goodDino" href="http://www.gooddinosaur.com" title="hate you" target="_blank">Good Dinosaur's website</a>. Take a look at the top right of <a class="goodDino" href="http://www.gooddinosaur.com" title="hate you" target="_blank">the page</a>! The security was tight, but I've done it. I'm one step closer to bringing my enemy down!Jeff Iaconohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10213582954979395726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253922025309203378.post-76456448270017217092009-09-10T12:32:00.000-07:002010-09-01T22:29:37.376-07:00Life or Death InvestingI'd like to highlight an article that was published September 5th, 2009 in the New York Times titled <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/business/06insurance.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&th&emc=th&ref=baddinosaur.com" target="_blank">Wall Street Pursues Profit in Bundles of Life Insurance</a>. It is a wonderful tale on how the Wizards of Wall Street plan to create a new security for their hungry investors. Now, let it be known, I'm a bad, bad dinosaur. For example, one of my main goals in life is to bring down <a class="goodDino" href="http://www.gooddinosaur.com" target="_blank" title="hate you">Good Dinosaur</a> ... but the investing scheme they are pushing rubs even me the wrong way! Let me explain.<br /><br />So we all remember the sub-prime debacle that led to the credit crisis, right? It featured consumers taking on far too much debt, corporate greed, rating agency bribery, and all that other nefarious stuff? Ok, good. Well the new plan is to take life insurance policies from individuals and securitize, or group, certain policies into bond-ish instruments. The benefits, let it be known, are wonderful! For the individual, he will receive a far larger payout (20 to 200 percent more) when compared to the expected surrender value an insurer would pay currently. Investors now have a new, wonderful derivative investment vehicle to pour money into. And big banks have a new revenue engine. Each will likely put out new <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exchange-traded_fund" target="_blank">ETFs</a>, slapping some catchy name / ticker combination such as "GO LIVE (GLIV)" so the general public can take part in the capital markets casino. Here is a graphic of it all:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNj-U8HNz9KTwgQOW7-GW-F6qvv9WffFNUqh29o-iOscPy8cEmhnidTd6jwg_upxZISdJVi0r2DcEJ2T6zJNtsVG5eFeS15hGtdBXRXjP2w5kWE5sBTzjPGdzBTfNsonL20DgsJpfPF4A/s1600-h/securitization.PNG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 373px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNj-U8HNz9KTwgQOW7-GW-F6qvv9WffFNUqh29o-iOscPy8cEmhnidTd6jwg_upxZISdJVi0r2DcEJ2T6zJNtsVG5eFeS15hGtdBXRXjP2w5kWE5sBTzjPGdzBTfNsonL20DgsJpfPF4A/s400/securitization.PNG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379941536940987330" /></a><br />Now this looks eerily similar to the workflow that resulted in the sub-prime mess. While this resemblance could be a cause for concern, it really should not be. Securitization, when practiced intelligently, is a fabulous concept as it lessens risk. There will be the same vulnerabilities should we lose touch with reality again, but hopefully we will learn from our past mistakes and follies.<br /><br />So what is my problem then? My issue is the following: <span style="font-weight:bold;">In order for an investor in these proposed bond-funds to make money the underlying security (a person) that controls the value of the derivative product (the life insurance policy) must behave (die on time or earlier, preferably earlier)</span>. That is dark, my friends.<br /><br />Here are a few choice quotes from those analyzing this proposal:<br /><br /><blockquote>"There is another potential risk for investors: that some people could live far longer than expected."</blockquote><br /><blockquote>[To lessen risk, ] a bond made up of life settlements would ideally have policies from people with a range of diseases — leukemia, lung cancer, heart disease, breast cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's. That is because if too many people with leukemia are in the securitization portfolio, and a cure is developed, the value of the bond would plummet.<br /></blockquote><br />I'm all for making a buck, but you have to draw the line somewhere. When you are making money based on a cure to awful afflictions not being discovered or rooting for people to die prematurely, you have crossed that line. You are giving investors that hold these "death-to-you" bonds perverse incentives to withhold investment into companies that are looking to find cures and extend people's life expectancies! We should be investing to build, not tear down.<br /><br />I do not want to see a prospectus for a bond ETF such as the following showing up in my mailbox any time soon:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFgvFMesa5p9zF3ODQ9oqgaEgU5KHlm8dQfYDzdgO7q6VkLtbXg6G1LwGhvGmRf2zTe7d1x0TgqTCugVCmt3vx294s2TWYDP3iXIN4mT3EQQeWlxunSfMYd0fLA9s_YMusUBxc-XbXFw/s1600-h/die.etfs.2.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 80px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFgvFMesa5p9zF3ODQ9oqgaEgU5KHlm8dQfYDzdgO7q6VkLtbXg6G1LwGhvGmRf2zTe7d1x0TgqTCugVCmt3vx294s2TWYDP3iXIN4mT3EQQeWlxunSfMYd0fLA9s_YMusUBxc-XbXFw/s400/die.etfs.2.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380293172052664818" /></a>Jeff Iaconohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10213582954979395726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253922025309203378.post-22426313208680557812009-08-28T14:29:00.001-07:002010-09-01T22:29:51.422-07:00Amadeus ... or Adam Cohen?So I just viewed the 1984 movie <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086879/" target="_blank">Amadeus</a>, starring F. Murray Abraham as the vengeful Antonio Salieri and Tom Hulce as Wolfgang "Wolfie" Amadeus Mozart. Cynthia Nixon, from "Sex and the City" fame, also makes an appearance as the poor, financially manipulated maid / spy. How do I know about the girls from Sex and the City? That is such a Samantha thing to ask.<br /><br />Being a dinosaur, I give Amadues 4.5 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangaea" target="_blank">pangeas</a> (out of a possible 5).<br /><br /><a style="border:none;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgggDf0mo7m1LjXMMw2gGHAvdOnYkqzpmqw4YXCJBRPmxkO3pyTEpAOrpAJmu5AJz6sdarrAtuRcHlQLZ-3fXJDxkh5_0A7nuZCDiC8uzKL2nIx9p8kACRi8jJu8lr_ddA9Z8zBdYYmkhM/s1600-h/amadeus.rating.PNG"><img style="border:none; display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 312px; height: 369px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgggDf0mo7m1LjXMMw2gGHAvdOnYkqzpmqw4YXCJBRPmxkO3pyTEpAOrpAJmu5AJz6sdarrAtuRcHlQLZ-3fXJDxkh5_0A7nuZCDiC8uzKL2nIx9p8kACRi8jJu8lr_ddA9Z8zBdYYmkhM/s400/amadeus.rating.PNG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375493257432366690" /></a><br />It is a fantastic movie and I highly recommend it. It is fraught with diametrically opposing conflicts; genius vs. aspiration, pride vs. acceptance, jealousy vs. friendship, piety vs. debauchery, and at it’s base, good vs. evil. <br /><br />In the left corner, wearing the pastel paisley printed trunks, is Mozart. He is a drunk, a womanizer, a laughable laugher, a child ... and a pure musical genius. In the right corner, wearing a scowl, is Salieri. He has devoted his entire life to music and composition, denouncing all else so God will bless him the talent he so desperately desires. The two rumble in Vienna. <br /><br />Salieri is a great musician in his own right, but realizes he will hopelessly be second fiddle to the superior Mozart. The thought of being topped by this, as Salieri says, "creature" drives him to malicious vengeance and partial insanity.<br /><br />The tragic matter of fact is that if Salieri could have just put his pride behind him and accepted that, on a pure, God-given, talent level, he was destined to be bested by this man, they probably could have gotten along! Salieri would not have been the main attraction, but he would have been supporting the entire operation and bettering himself in the process. At the end of the film, he is scribing Mozart’s dictation, trying to keep up as the master runs through the composition from his bed. In this scene, Salieri is being taught by his superior peer! He is learning! He is incrementally increasing his talent! Too bad it was all a ploy to exhaust the already severely ill Mozart and drive him to his death.<br /><br />Salieri could have been the father figure that Mozart was always looking for. And just as father teaches son, son would have taught father. Both would have been better off. Salieri would have grown beyond his wildest dreams as a musician and Mozart would probably have halted hitting the bottle so hard and lived a longer, better life. <br /><br />Instead, Salieri declares to ruin Mozart. The result: Mozart dies of exhaustion and illness and Salieri is committed to an insane asylum where he must live with his tortured thoughts and a world that recognizes his adversary’s music rather than his own.<br /><br />However, I guess a movie where these two characters just get along all fine and dandy would not have be very entertaining ... fine, the above was more of a general observation. When you are faced with the realization that you are not the best, and never will be, it is far better to partner with, rather than fight, your opposition. Working with those that are superior promises to elevate you beyond your expectations. And just as they will teach you, you can benefit them. Fighting seems to result in death, destruction, and insane asylums.<br /><br />As a final note, I could not get over this nagging feeling that I’ve seen this movie before; a strange sense of deja-vu. Then it hit me. Adam Cohen. I had already witnessed the very images that were now playing on my television screen. I present the following in corroboration of my claim. You be the judge.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqvwlRhtyPmpdgw4qcxYeXOC5yq2wqyWVsmELs0UXUHlLHblYpwKDImu7KK0av7F0kJnrXCvvitB0raKI_LbF1FZUib93XgpW6pp86bheNLNr-TwQryTCWNoRnx9pn8g_KKV7fUHkQoY0/s1600-h/amadeus.cohen.4.PNG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 164px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqvwlRhtyPmpdgw4qcxYeXOC5yq2wqyWVsmELs0UXUHlLHblYpwKDImu7KK0av7F0kJnrXCvvitB0raKI_LbF1FZUib93XgpW6pp86bheNLNr-TwQryTCWNoRnx9pn8g_KKV7fUHkQoY0/s400/amadeus.cohen.4.PNG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375132892391256546" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEF6P4INKi74IJulBD8HYyv4oZLSD09XWTJm3e6BCi9QrBBydI913NPnRFBrWf37JwRDsgQ4DVlNWMGIJMBRo2Ia9dNSUOMl-9mxNKlqZ45yIZOJGYOO5jbN87Re2B7uViNznPwNAI6KI/s1600-h/amadeus.cohen.1.PNG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 209px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEF6P4INKi74IJulBD8HYyv4oZLSD09XWTJm3e6BCi9QrBBydI913NPnRFBrWf37JwRDsgQ4DVlNWMGIJMBRo2Ia9dNSUOMl-9mxNKlqZ45yIZOJGYOO5jbN87Re2B7uViNznPwNAI6KI/s400/amadeus.cohen.1.PNG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375133126121622098" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZaUrm88Q2xeybjdQa_P5CALCCDufH-sjbALouCqnSAJTTF7mlD0bPFdXBcC7l-bQZ8nZQnBz9DbdO90k0RJlwl4uGrbuOP2TBaJhydcwoTVhGa0-TBT_X3b3oxWcc25CIGA0Glbtbig/s1600-h/amadeus.cohen.3.PNG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZaUrm88Q2xeybjdQa_P5CALCCDufH-sjbALouCqnSAJTTF7mlD0bPFdXBcC7l-bQZ8nZQnBz9DbdO90k0RJlwl4uGrbuOP2TBaJhydcwoTVhGa0-TBT_X3b3oxWcc25CIGA0Glbtbig/s400/amadeus.cohen.3.PNG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375133305964328082" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipt71J_aTYoJ94KBcm0_rWunaXOQzoAVhPD9i0O7bycN6j44wLR2Saokgc3Dg-rSMiNMIt4x_NlPilqt9DXosR9jNlw55fsRCk3SpimUojU6bI3S2hZ5QkK8YlS7y62XsrHboylfFkfKY/s1600-h/amadeus.cohen.2.PNG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipt71J_aTYoJ94KBcm0_rWunaXOQzoAVhPD9i0O7bycN6j44wLR2Saokgc3Dg-rSMiNMIt4x_NlPilqt9DXosR9jNlw55fsRCk3SpimUojU6bI3S2hZ5QkK8YlS7y62XsrHboylfFkfKY/s400/amadeus.cohen.2.PNG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375133429073358386" /></a><br />Additionally, if you rearrange the letters in "Amadeus", you get "use Adam" - likely a hint from the movie's director that Mr. Cohen, somehow, traveled back in time to start in this very film!Jeff Iaconohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10213582954979395726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253922025309203378.post-51272307362352422872009-08-09T18:36:00.001-07:002010-09-01T22:29:59.136-07:00Photo Essay: Death of a Sales CactusDay 1 - 4:00pm<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdvbHKa3MpwKPKp03mZK-kVIn2DNS8k1ejysihPIu1hfNs1egARAef_4F8wWwcSLNmKl4gPPZnLV2tdmKvItNknoIMPSUSWoTlwxwcMycMpPjpvaD2_cVBmdTHDGkaOVW9sg6cdcCBoGw/s1600-h/Lowes.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 169px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdvbHKa3MpwKPKp03mZK-kVIn2DNS8k1ejysihPIu1hfNs1egARAef_4F8wWwcSLNmKl4gPPZnLV2tdmKvItNknoIMPSUSWoTlwxwcMycMpPjpvaD2_cVBmdTHDGkaOVW9sg6cdcCBoGw/s320/Lowes.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368143409807667890" /></a><br /><br />Day 1 - 5:00pm<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-684iFmbtLt3coHTIcPV4yz0xDMbxhvhBEVqAMJmg1bFRwYGKwuRVaLToRIP_EJ7Qi2mpTAIHO9VXbOar3YszfNiSLR__n-bHT9EDm-v84RbekgFfxFyRN8YF-sTNGJ1lXH83f9LLJs/s1600-h/IMG_0301.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-684iFmbtLt3coHTIcPV4yz0xDMbxhvhBEVqAMJmg1bFRwYGKwuRVaLToRIP_EJ7Qi2mpTAIHO9VXbOar3YszfNiSLR__n-bHT9EDm-v84RbekgFfxFyRN8YF-sTNGJ1lXH83f9LLJs/s320/IMG_0301.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368143203329704690" /></a><br /><br />Day 1 - 8:00pm to Day 2 - 7:00am<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh25HggUzdmgnepEfahjJ0V66zFXkQEU5M2Ysh9e2lkzTloOaicsQ-pq6f5bGC34hKZiT5ofxEPTJm_Sr5Yy30HGF-5hPQTMGPOlIQYkZUNbxQhvGw_1LY3eEKkj-UvzT6whFpI9AMUmsg/s1600-h/GYY_night_2005-CRW_4846-moonrise_over_GYY.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh25HggUzdmgnepEfahjJ0V66zFXkQEU5M2Ysh9e2lkzTloOaicsQ-pq6f5bGC34hKZiT5ofxEPTJm_Sr5Yy30HGF-5hPQTMGPOlIQYkZUNbxQhvGw_1LY3eEKkj-UvzT6whFpI9AMUmsg/s320/GYY_night_2005-CRW_4846-moonrise_over_GYY.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368144024348649602" /></a><br /><br />Day 2 - 8:00am<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeEuVXuZQIONSpdUxViU4Hzn0qd-8xiu_wh8rVFOVZZPDnKZilbNswk_CjP4c1JkXT78hIxk7KMWELSA6zbVPXqlhi2916ZhMnm9cmjBmPD6nYyqT9VkcP68vK6-_veeL9_cI6N7UhKg/s1600-h/sad+cactus.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeEuVXuZQIONSpdUxViU4Hzn0qd-8xiu_wh8rVFOVZZPDnKZilbNswk_CjP4c1JkXT78hIxk7KMWELSA6zbVPXqlhi2916ZhMnm9cmjBmPD6nYyqT9VkcP68vK6-_veeL9_cI6N7UhKg/s320/sad+cactus.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368144293214841330" /></a><br /><br />Day 2 - 3:00pm<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSnTlOSLNzHaLrNOvX4RU5yN0V9KKYLHUzglyeGNvQRe1jJGqS-Y-mlv8xulDoTaI1WWkY7dKh3CfS0STxp3aZFrHDmYxWv9cL-mTiSuHC-fML1NBWs6lSWUJBB8DHJICgNeFWHTf-t4/s1600-h/IMG_0297.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSnTlOSLNzHaLrNOvX4RU5yN0V9KKYLHUzglyeGNvQRe1jJGqS-Y-mlv8xulDoTaI1WWkY7dKh3CfS0STxp3aZFrHDmYxWv9cL-mTiSuHC-fML1NBWs6lSWUJBB8DHJICgNeFWHTf-t4/s320/IMG_0297.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368144830036462242" /></a><br /><br />Day 2 - 4:00pm<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnjBozcwD0BnYNT1n4PaSe6WIqmqfUUPqEAG818TyBGuC1SCs2bZS8owuC1FHJFMnrFsR1Bw6TOvXmQZciYbEzxzXtrv2AAsF80T7eismex9S9X0vdMmjplqQKQPEQxnzr7DMXVlPG8WY/s1600-h/scolded.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 175px; height: 198px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnjBozcwD0BnYNT1n4PaSe6WIqmqfUUPqEAG818TyBGuC1SCs2bZS8owuC1FHJFMnrFsR1Bw6TOvXmQZciYbEzxzXtrv2AAsF80T7eismex9S9X0vdMmjplqQKQPEQxnzr7DMXVlPG8WY/s320/scolded.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368144974825652034" /></a><br /><br />I have one, and only one, suspect at this time ...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.gooddinosaur.com" title="Good Dinosaur!"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 90px; height: 90px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfsUQQ8Z_HcHlgCCfzb6vxupVX2nV7iOCQdLO-zL6Mf-vdIHbd3mUachaQImPI_ndgCSYkKYkWZwvuj5IteFsajeY19qxiqoXRyBiKojCUxfY-sBkO7MldLOAePdKwRiuihOMYv5aQRU/s400/little.dino.PNG" border="0" alt="Good Dinosaur" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368424555699946258" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladiator_(2000_film)" title="Are you not entertained?!">I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next!</a>Jeff Iaconohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10213582954979395726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253922025309203378.post-46385234189042849202009-06-25T16:17:00.000-07:002010-09-01T22:30:07.526-07:00Beware Of Barking CompetitionI've just made my frienemy* <a target="_new" href="http://www.gooddinosaur.com">Good Dinosaur</a> aware that he has not yet considered the potential competition his new start-up faces. <br /><br />I must confess, he has made some substantial progress over the past week. He has a nice product, he figured out that he needs to do more business-side planning (<a target="_new" href="http://www.gooddinosaur.com/2009/06/oh-my.html">see his realization here</a>), he even put together a big chunk of his business plan AND performed some mathematical wizardry to create some impressive statistical analysis on the industry he's attempting to enter! <br /><br />Needless to say I felt there was no better time to drop this confidence-bomb upon him than now. I'm sure he will be crushed (see potential emotional reaction below)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.dailyhaha.com/_pics/your_adopted_cake_cat.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 555px; height: 522px;" src="http://www.dailyhaha.com/_pics/your_adopted_cake_cat.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Remember, there is a lot that goes into a start-up. You not only need to have a product and know what you want to do with it, but you also need to know what is out there and what sort of dog fight you are about to enter. In the emerging company world, research is king!<br /><br /><br />----------------------------------------------<br />* Frienemy = Friend + Enemy ... now you know.Jeff Iaconohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10213582954979395726noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253922025309203378.post-26439476922383250422009-06-19T09:25:00.001-07:002010-09-01T22:30:16.378-07:00Roar!My mission is to bring down Good Dinosaur (<a href="http://www.gooddinosaur.com/" target="_new">visit here</a>) and make sure his entrepreneurial venture fails! Why, you ask? Because I'm a Bad, Bad Dinosaur, that's why! Muhahaha! More to come!Jeff Iaconohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10213582954979395726noreply@blogger.com0