Mar 6, 2008

You’ve probably noticed how weak the US dollar is lately. Try this on for size. At an Apple store in the USA, the top-spec Macbook Air costs USD 3,098. In Australia, it costs AUD 4,338 (USD 4,056). A roundtrip to Honolulu on Jetstar (if you can handle Jetstar economy class) will set you back about AUD 920. In Britain it costs GBP 2,028 (USD 4,045), and a round-trip to JFK costs as little as GBP 215.

Feb 12, 2008

Act I: In Which I Can Suddenly Speak Mandarin SFX: Phone ringing AUTOMATIC VOICE: We are now transferring your call to a consultant. Please hold the line. LADY ON PHONE: HellosirwelcometoStandardCharteredhowmayIassistyou. ME: Hi; I’d like to cancel my credit card please. Pregnant pause ME: I’d like to cancel my credit card, please? LADY ON PHONE: Hello? ME: Can you hear me? LADY ON PHONE: Hello, sir? ME: Can you hear me?

Sep 11, 2007

Presented without comment, via Boing Boing and Reuters: _A protest action by a group of Singaporeans with Japanese anime figurines such as the 5-inch tall Ultraman, robots and monsters with placards met some real-life police in the city-state._ A handful of fans of Japanese anime had turned up at a Singapore public park on August 25th with armfuls of the toys to protest against a clampdown on Internet downloading of anime material by Singapore animation distributor Odex.

Aug 31, 2007

A few weeks ago, someone noticed an enormous open interest position in the 700-strike calls on the S&P; 500, for September expiry. These are pretty much useless - the equivalent of just being long the index - unless the S&P; were to drop about 50% in the next month. So, of course, that’s what everyone on the intertubes assumed was going to happen. OMG OSAMA BIN LADEN IS INSIDER-TRADING, etc. etc.

Jun 21, 2007

Roy Morgan Research has just completed a comprehensive survey of AFL supporters, and found a few little gems. Compared to other AFL supporters: Carlton fans are 30% more likely to agree that “I sometimes use force to get things done”; Collingwood fans are 12% more likely to agree that “None of this stuff about the information super-highway makes sense to me”; Essendon fans are nearly twice as likely to have consumed Red Bull in the last seven days;