The Fruit of Knowledge
Posts tagged crystal ball
We’re live at SXSW’s Al Gore on The Future panel
Mar 9th
Al Gore: former Vice President, environmental activist, author, voice-over artist, gadget freak — and psychic? The politician and supporter of all things green will be looking into his crystal ball today, with a little help from The Wall Street Journal’s Walt Mossberg here at SXSW. Join us after the break for all the robots, lasers and flying cars.
Filed under: Science
Two Sectors and a Stock Pick for 2013
Dec 31st
There’s no rest for the whipsawed. With 2012 coming to a close it’s time for investors to start looking for opportunities in the New Year. To help do so, Jeff Kilburg, founder CEO of KKM Financial, took a look into his crystal ball to tell us what he sees.
In the attached clip Kilburg offers two sectors and a wildcard stock pick to consider adding to your portfolios.
Energy (XLE):
Kilburg has two ways he thinks energy wins. First, the “race to debase” going on around the world will mean higher prices for all commodities, including crude oil. Slightly more questionable, Kilburg thinks the stimulus happening around the world will eventually result in organic demand, also driving up prices.
Throw in a little underlying global tension and Kilburg has his thesis. In the video he ticks through some of the usual gang of individual names but says individual investors don’t need to over think it. Rather than buy all the stocks, he suggests the Energy Select SPDR (XLE) which he says could see a “nice boom” next year.
Regional Banking (KRE):
While the big banks get all the attention, they also come with unknown European exposure and a regulatory environment in which nothing ever happens but it always seems threatening.
The regional banks more clearly benefit from a steep yield curve as it allows them to lend money with a larger margin of error in terms of their profit model. By going regional Kilburg takes Europe out of the equation. Additionally “we’re seeing the long end of the curve uptick” which should, at least in theory, make these smaller banks more profitable. Kilburg says the trade is getting long SPDR KBW Regional Banking ETF (KRE).
The Wild Card Pick: LeapFrog (LF)
Here’s your wildcard stock and it’s a doozy. As most parents know LeapFrog makes educational toys and devices for kids. The company has been a constant through all the changes in handheld devices since 1995 when it was founded. Its LeapPad tablet device actually teaches kids something, putting the stock in prime position to rise, according to Kilburg.
This makes them one of the few device makers with largely undeveloped competition in the kid arena.
Article source: Article Source
Japanese hardware sales, January 23 – 29: Crystal ball edition
Feb 5th
By now, Super Bowl XLVI has finished and the victor has emerged victorious, their glimmering rings reflecting a light of shame into the hearts and souls of the defeated. This article was written much earlier in the day, however, so I’m going to use this as an opportunity to flex my fortune telling muscle and predict the outcome. You have my absolute word that this post will not be altered or edited in any way prior to it being posted.
If I’m right, you owe me 50 bucks. If I’m wrong, and frankly when has that ever happened, I’ll record an acoustic cover version of any song the commenters decide on, and post it as next week’s hardware sales post. Ready?
Based on the fact that Venus is in Pisces until February 8 and Mercury won’t be in retrograde for another 35 days, I’m going to call the NY Giants as tonight’s winners.
Continue reading Japanese hardware sales, January 23 – 29: Crystal ball edition
Japanese hardware sales, January 23 – 29: Crystal ball edition originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Where does the Volt go from here?
Nov 3rd
Filed under: At Witz End
I wrote last time that I had done two recent stories for popularmechanics.com having to do with the Chevrolet Volt. The first was on Volt (and Nissan Leaf) sales – both still limited by supply, not demand, as production and distribution ramps up. For the second, I was asked to clean my crystal ball and predict the future for Volt, and extended range EVs in general.
There are good reasons why the Volt was 2011 North American Car of the Year and has earned numerous other awards. An arguably attractive 5-door, 4-seat hatchback with appeal to environmental and technology enthusiasts alike, it runs on exhaust-free grid power for 30-40 miles, then seamlessly switches to gasoline when more miles are needed.
But to do that, it needs to tote around both a gas engine and an electric propulsion system, including a 435-lb lithium-ion battery pack, plus a multi-clutch planetary gearset and 10 million lines of sophisticated software to efficiently and transparently marry the two. That makes it both heavy and pricey for its size, with a $39,995 base sticker price for 2012.
Continue reading Where does the Volt go from here?
Where does the Volt go from here? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Emmy Predictions 2011: Who Will Win?
Sep 14th
The 2001 Emmy Awards are only a couple of days away. Which means its time for Celebuzz to peer into its crystal ball and guess which shows and stars will walk away winners on Sunday evening. Will it be another Mad Men sweep? Will The Office star Steve Carell finally win? Or will it be a…Read more»
Respawn Entertainment is home to 55 employees, for now (and later?)
Sep 1st
Coincidentally, on the eve of Activision’s Call of Duty XP live event, IGN spoke with ex-Infinity Ward leads Vince Zampella and Jason West about their new studio, Respawn Entertainment, and the next best thing to major game reveals: Employee numbers. “55 full-time employees,” Zampella revealed, “and then we have some contractors [...] 4 or 5 people right now that are contracting.”
“That’s boring,” you protest. “What about the guns?” you demand. We know, we want to know all about the guns in Respawn’s game as well, but for now we’ve got to divine as much as we can from the crystal ball of employee headcount. “We’ll get bigger, but we’re slowing growing,” Zampella rhymed. “The trick there is it’s always just time versus size of the team. So you can take longer and have fewer people or you can get bigger and do some things faster,” West added.
If you’ll allow us to read between the lines here, it should be clear: Respawn is following the Nice & Smooth school of hiring, meaning its new IP won’t be coming out anytime soon if they hire slow … or it will, if they hire quick. “So if things have to take a little longer they could take a little longer,” West suggested, “and if we’re fortunate enough to find more awesome talent then we’ll do that.” So Q4 2012 then? 2013 maybe? We give up.
Respawn Entertainment is home to 55 employees, for now (and later?) originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 19:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Bomb-sniffing crystals may save us from nuclear Armageddon, tea leaves agree
Jul 18th
Worried that a nuclear attack might wipe out all of American civilization? You needn’t be, because the scientific community’s crystal ball says crystal balls may save humanity. Last week, the Department of Energy awarded a $900,000 grant to Fisk University and Wake Forest, where researchers have been busy exploring the counter-terrorist capabilities of strontium iodide crystals. Once laced with europium, these crystals can do a remarkably good job of picking up on and analyzing radiation, as the team from Fisk and other national laboratories recently discovered. Cost remains the most imposing barrier to deploying the materials at airports or national borders, though soothsaying scientists claim it’s only a matter of time before they develop a way to produce greater crystalline quantities at an affordable price. The only thing Miss Cleo sees is a glistening press release, in your very near, post-break future.
Continue reading Bomb-sniffing crystals may save us from nuclear Armageddon, tea leaves agree
Bomb-sniffing crystals may save us from nuclear Armageddon, tea leaves agree originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jul 2011 08:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Airbus’ plane of the future will harvest energy from passengers, earn Agent Smith’s approval (video)
Jun 14th
Airbus has been consulting its crystal ball recently and its findings have now been shared with the world in the shape of a new concept plane. Looking entirely detached from the economic and physical realities we know today, this futuristic people carrier includes auto-morphing seats that adjust to your size and shape and also harvest excess heat you produce. How is this achieved? Smart materials is all we’re told, leaving us to use our imagination to fill in the gaping blanks. Eschewing the usual class system, this Airbus concept instead offers three functionally distinct areas: a Smart Tech Zone at the back is the closest to what we’re used to today, an Interaction Zone in the middle uses holograms to help you relax or conduct some mission-critical meetings in flight, and a Vitalising Zone up front is where more “bio-morphing” seats will provide you with massage or acupuncture treatments. The ceiling in that front part of the plane can also be turned transparent, letting you soak up the panorama (and get a good tan while you’re at it). You can see and hear more about it in the videos after the break.
Airbus’ plane of the future will harvest energy from passengers, earn Agent Smith’s approval (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 03:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Mass Effect 3 delayed until Q1 2012
May 4th
Mass Effect 3 will arrive later than expected, BioWare has announced. A nebulous new release date is to be found somewhere in “the first three months of 2012.”
Addressing fans on the official forums, executive producer Casey Hudson said, “The development team is laser focused on making sure Mass Effect 3 is the biggest, boldest and best game in the series, ensuring that it exceeds everyone’s expectations.” A pair of conciliatory
Don’t worry, there’s some relief to be found in this news. When we last consulted the office’s crystal ball and requested a peek at our prestigious Game of the Year 2011 award ceremonies, we were greeted by a mortifying battlefield littered with game critics, internet commenters, N7 hoodies and … cake. Perhaps this is for the best.
Gallery: Mass Effect 3 (5/4/11)
Mass Effect 3 delayed until Q1 2012 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 04 May 2011 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Ford to outsell GM in March?
Mar 28th
Filed under: Car Buying, Ford, GM, Earnings/Financials
March sales don’t end until Thursday evening, but an Edmunds sales forecast suggests that Ford could beat General Motors in sales for the first time since February, 2010. The Blue Oval is projected to sell 210,000 vehicles for the month, up 34 percent from February figures. Edmunds sees GM having a solid month as well, but the crystal ball sees 208,000 sales for The General, up less than one percent from February sales.
One reason for GM’s sales slump is a reduction in incentives from February levels, as the Detroit, MI-based automaker slashed incentives by an average of $700 per vehicle. That sounds like a massive drop in rebates, but keep in mind that GM was the industry leader in incentive spending for the first two months of the year. Meanwhile, Ford bumped up spending by a reported $84 per vehicle, mostly due to an effort to clear last-generation Focus sales as the 2012 models begin heading into dealerships.
Edmunds also sees a big March for the rest of the industry, with Toyota expected to move 181,000 units, followed by 135,000 vehicles for Honda, 117,000 for Nissan and 112,000 for Chrysler. Don’t forget that these are merely projections for March numbers, and anything can happen between now and Friday.
Edmunds also mentions that sales dropped off as March wore on, as the Japan disaster, international conflicts and high gas prices began to wear on sales. Stay tuned to Autoblog for our official By The Numbers post as the figures roll in.
[Source: Edmunds Auto Observer | Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty]
Ford to outsell GM in March? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 09:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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