Push Pause

Posted by admin - Jun 11th, 2008 at 19:06

Sometimes, even really fun projects have to be put back on the shelf. So it is with thevicenarian.com. We had some fun with it, we made some good content, and we certainly enjoyed your participation, dear reader.

Until further notice, we’re putting this website on pause.

Bear Stearns

Posted by T.W. Hanson - Mar 15th, 2008 at 11:03


bank run

This is exactly what is happening.

thevicenarian.com outage

Posted by admin - Mar 9th, 2008 at 14:03

Hi friends. We had a server outage recently that interrupted all web services. Apologies to everyone who was greeted by unfriendly outage notices.

As a little backstory, we use a hosting service called Nearly Free Speech. Their billing system is great–you only pay for what you use–but evidently their disaster recovery plan is a little slow to execute.

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If you’re running a blog or another website I’d encourage you to take a look at NearlyFreeSpeech.net and their services. Other than this last outage, I’ve been very happy.

Advocating Panic

Posted by T.W. Hanson - Feb 29th, 2008 at 23:02

Panic

I am going to differ from my colleague on an important point: the benefits of panic related to the stock market. I believe emotional reactions to the stock market spur reflection and analysis, positives for the market. One of the worst things for the market is ignorant, apathetic stoicism. Evaluate what you own and why you own it.

Trying to time the market on a daily, hourly or tick by tick basis is clearly not advised.

Twice every month, money is taken out of my paycheck through a 401k program. My management of this consists of periodically evaluating the portfolio allocation between sectors, geographies and other characteristics. However, this gets to my point, I am reviewing and understanding where my assets are and what they are doing.

In my personal account, I take a more active role. On an almost daily basis, I look at what I own. If I cannot justify its place in my portfolio, I get rid of it. Past data show that equities outperform almost all other classes of securities in the long run. However, past performance is no guarantee of future success. Tell former employees of Enron who had invested in their company that stocks go up in the long run and see what reaction you get.

A healthy dose of panic and the rational reflection that follow can be a very good thing.

Coping with $100.01 Oil

Posted by T.W. Hanson - Feb 19th, 2008 at 21:02

oil

Today, crude oil prices closed above $100 a barrel for the first time ever. Increasing global demand, a debauched U.S. currency, hostilities between ExxonMobil and Venezuela and a refinery explosion are some of the macro and micro factors driving the current price appreciation. The short term catalysts will likely dissipate, but factors like Chinese and Indian demand will not. To help cope with higher fuel prices most effectively, manage your life in the most fuel efficient manner possible.

  • Fill up your gas tanks soon. $100.01 dollar crude oil will translate into higher gasoline prices in the weeks ahead. As you know, gasoline is a refined product of crude so increases in gasoline prices will lag until existing inventories are replaced.
  • Keep your car parked as much as possible. Be efficient with your grocery shopping. Don’t make 12 driving trips to Trader Joe’s every week.
  • If you’re in the market for a car, choose a more fuel efficient vehicle. It may be tempting to trade up to the 6 cylinder engine, but 4 is likely more than enough to get through life.
  • Take public transportation or car pool. Save money, save fuel, save the environment and listen to people serving up their life stories to complete strangers.
  • If you are in the market for a new apartment or home, choose to live close to convenient public transportation. It takes me the same amount of time to drive to work as it does to take the bus that stops right across the street. An added benefit is that I can make it through a few sections of the paper on the way into town, a dangerous task when driving.
  • Inflate your tires to their proper level. Little things like maintaining your automobile and its parts can reduce fuel consumption and save you money.

If you don’t believe me, consult a higher authority.

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