Blogcritics Author: All American Investor

Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

Abiomed

All American Investor — Thu, 27 Jan 2005 13:26:06 EST

This is not an offer to buy or sell. This in not a solicitation of business. The following is for informational purposes only. I own the stock.COMPANY DESCRIPTIONBased in Danvers, Massachusetts, ABIOMED, Inc. (pronounced "AB'-EE-O-MED") is a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical products designed to assist or replace the pumping function of the failing heart. ABIOMED, which currently sells the BVS(R) 5000 Biventricular Support System and the AB5000(TM) Circulatory Support System, is the market leader in devices for the temporary support of patients with failing but potentially recoverable hearts. In September 2004, ABIOMED applied for initial FDA market approval for the AbioCor(R) Implantable Replacement Heart to treat a defined subset of irreversible end-stage heart failure patients under a Humanitarian Device Exemption. The company has two very interesting products.AB5000(TM) Circulatory Support SystemABIOMED, Inc. (Nasdaq: ABMD) a manufacturer of products for circulatory care and support, today provided a clinical update for the AB5000 Circulatory Support System. Formally launched in April 2004, outcomes have continued to improve as the system has gone into wider use. ABIOMED's ventricular assist devices, the AB5000 and the BVS(R) 5000, are the only devices approved for Bridge-to- Recovery treatment following AMI-cardiogenic shock (shock following a heart attack). The systems are also used to support the heart and allow for potential recovery following other acute events including post cardiotomy cardiogenic shock (shock following coronary bypass surgery), and viral myocarditis, a virus that attacks the heart. Key facts on AB5000 usage and outcomes, based on ABIOMED's voluntary data registry: * More than seventy percent of survivors have been able to go home with their own hearts. In addition, recovery of kidney function has allowed some heart patients to avoid planned kidney transplants.* One in four patients have been transitioned from the BVS 5000 to the AB5000. This transition took place without re-opening the chest, avoiding bleeding and other risks associated with additional surgery to change out to other devices.* Mean duration of support on the AB5000 is three times longer than on the BVS5000, with many patients requiring support beyond 30 or 60 days and some beyond 90 days. In bench testing, the AB5000 Ventricle has operated nearly a year and is continuing.* While patients are implanted with the AB5000 with the goal of recovering the heart, there have been some instances in which, after giving a patient's heart a full opportunity to recover, doctors have determined that recovery will not occur. Nearly thirty percent of survivors have received heart transplants after it was determined that native heart function would not return; their average duration of support on the AB5000 was nearly 40 days.* 20 percent of all AB5000 patients were supported following AMI- Cardiogenic shock.* 47 percent of all AB5000 patients required support on both sides of the heart.* Nineteen patients have ambulated while on AB5000 support, walking hospital grounds as well as using treadmills and stationary bicycles.The AbioCor The AbioCor is the world's first completely self-contained replacement heart. A product of three decades of research, development and testing, the AbioCor is central to ABIOMED's mission to make real the day when heart failure need not mean the end of life or the ability to enjoy life. Designed to fully sustain the body's circulatory system, the AbioCor is intended for end-stage heart failure patients whose other treatment options have been exhausted.In 2001, ABIOMED made history when Mr. Robert Tools, a 58-year-old telephone company employee and teacher suffering from end stage heart failure was successfully implanted with the first AbioCor. The initial clinical trial is continuing with the aim of gaining approval to market the AbioCor to support patients with irreversible end-stage heart failure. The company also recently submitted to the FDA for commercial approval for the AbioCor under a Humanitarian Device Exemption.ABIOMED is also working on the next generation implantable replacement heart, the AbioCor II. Incorporating technology both from ABIOMED and Penn State, the AbioCor II is smaller and is being designed with a goal of five year reliability.Send me Email All American Investor Weblog

My name is Robert T DeMarco and I am a caregiver by choice. For those of you unfamiliar with the term "caregiver" it means someone who is responsible for the care and well-being of another, in my case, my 90-year-old mother who has Alzheimer's. There are millions of caregivers spread across the world, and perhaps surprisingly, 41% of us are male. I have a series of blogs including The Alzheimer's Reading Room Weblog , The CareGiver Weblog , and The Robert T DeMarco Weblog .

Florida Voting Machine Broken

All American Investor — Tue, 2 Nov 2004 10:18:39 EST

It appears we are off to an interesting start at the polls here in Florida. I got into the voting line at 6:20 AM this morning. Not bad, I was fourteenth in line. When the polls opened at 7 AM there were five voting machines available for my precinct 4068. I was the second person to vote on machine number one (precinct 4066 was also open in the same room with five additional machines if you think that math looks fuzzy). As I attempted to vote the machine was already frozen.So I was directed to the next available machine. When I was leaving the polling place I asked the person running the poll how long it was going to take to fix that machine. He just shrugged his shoulders and said "I don't know." He did not seem very concerned. Here we go in Florida.Robert T DeMarco Contact me via EmailRobert T DeMarco All American Investor Weblog Watch Right Internet Crimes Against Children Weblog

IMLogic Offers Free Blocking For Instant Messaging

All American Investor — Tue, 14 Sep 2004 18:52:44 EDT

Source Internet WeekFor more information visit IM Logic IMLogic today takes things a step further by today announcing that IM Detector Pro, which detects and can block IM usage is now available for free IM blocking. The free product replaces products that cost anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000 to install and use. The Waltham, Mass.-based company says they're doing this now because blocking is just an interim step on the way to getting IM usage under control. IMLogic vice president of marketing Dave Fowler said, "Because we sell products that set up policy, we wanted to give them a sense of how big the problem was, and give them a chance to reduce it." Enterprise administrators freely admit that IM is a productivity tool, but they are quick to point out the potential for security breeches and compliance violations that IM offers. "There are lots of organizations that use IM or other P2P technologies productively for their business," said Fowler, "but they are also being used in ways that are inappropriate and companies don't have a good sense of how much and why this technology is being used." The company's strategy is of course backed by IMLogic's range of more sophisticated IM management products. IM Manager is sold to enterprise customers as both a client and a server product that can manage enterprise or public instant messaging domains. Traffic can be forced to comply with policies, laws, and regulations, on an individual or group basis, and fine-tuned for each service, including file sharing services which may be in use illegally by employees. The product is even available for individuals, enabling parents to control IM usage by children. "Any technology," concludes Fowler, "can be used for bad things. This helps people get rid of that." Other Blogs and Resources All American Investor Weblog Watch Right Internet Crimes Against Children Weblog Robert T DeMarco Penn State Football Fanatics Weblog Watch Right Monitoring Software Instant Message Frame Software

Fifty-three (53) million American adults are Instant Message users

All American Investor — Thu, 2 Sep 2004 12:33:27 EDT

A new survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that fifty-three (53) million American adults are Instant Message users. Some 42% of online Americans use instant messaging, and 24% of instant messengers say they use IM more frequently than email. Source Pew InternetA new survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that fifty-three (53) million American adults are Instant Message users. Some 42% of online Americans use instant messaging, and 24% of instant messengers say they use IM more frequently than email. Tracking figures by tracking firm comScore Media Metrix show that: AOL Instant Message (the proprietary service to AOL subscribers) was used by 37% of those who traded IMs during the month. On a typical day during the month more than 5.7 million IM-ers were using this application.Yahoo! Messenger was used by 33% of those who traded IMs during the month. This was the single most popular service used at work and the average user of the application spent 423 minutes using the application during the month - the highest total among the applications. AIM was used by 31% of those who traded IMs during the month. This application had the greatest reach among college students and on any given day there were nearly 6 million people using the application, making it the most popular application on a typical day. MSN Messenger Applications were used by 25% of those who traded IMs during the month.America Online's offerings -- both to subscribers and those who use its free service -- accounted for 68 percent of all users. Yahoo! Messenger was used by 33 percent of IMers, and MSN'S Messenger saw action from 25 percent of the study.Robert T DeMarco IP Group Inc. Send me EmailOther Sources IMFrame Instant Message News IMBlast Instant Message News All American Investor Weblog Robert T DeMarco Watch Right Internet Crimes Against Children WeblogWatch Right RSS Feed

RE: Scam Alert: Watch Out For "Ownership Society"

All American Investor — Mon, 30 Aug 2004 17:23:40 EDT

A little further down in this section you can read, Scam Alert: Watch Out For "Ownership Society" And "Investor Class". This is an interesting post and the comments are equally interesting.While I was reading the post and comments an interesting thought pop-ed into my head. Why are young Americans under the age of twenty-five such chumps? If you are under twenty-five you might already be thinking--a curse word. But the simple reality is you are going to be paying social security income taxes at dramatically higher rates for the next major fraction of your lives. And, inspite of this harsh reality you are not VOTING.When it comes to Social Security here is one scenario I could envision; a dramatic increase in the Social Security payroll taxes for individuals and corporations alike. Not only can I envision the percentage rate rising, but also the upper band or maximum wage amount being taxed. In other words, instead of the current 6.2 percent of income; an individual might expect to be paying 7.5 percent of income (in the not so distance future). And, it is not unreasonable to think that the band on the maximum amount of income taxed could explode up from the current $87,900 to say $150,000. You can say what you want or think what you want, but it is a simple reality that something like this is going to take place. The money to pay the bills has to come from somwhere. And these higher rates will occur because the people receiving these benefits do vote and they will continue to vote this issue for a long time. I guess most young people don't vote because they think it won't make much of a difference. But if they looked at an issue like this it might get them to start thinking about how not voting is in fact going to affect their financial future. Most young people I talk to do not care about Social Security because they do not believe they will ever receive a Social Security retirement check. What they are failing to consider is how much Social Security tax they could be paying to support the "baby boomer generation". They simply have not given it much thought.An interesting aspect of all of this is the simple reality they will be paying well beyond middle age.There are all kinds of great ideas on how to privatize social security. But, when it comes to the boomers they are not going to stand for any real change to what they expect. They already vote and on this one they are likely to vote as a block. Meanwhile, the twenty-five year olds of this country can sit back and pay as they go.About the AuthorRobert T DeMarco is CEO of IP Group in Delray Beach< Florida. IP Group offers software communication tools for use on the Internet. These include: PowerTools, Watch Right, Always on Time and IM Frame. Mr. DeMarco is the author/editor of several Weblogs and is also a member of the High Tech Crimes Industry Association (HTCIA). Mr. DeMarco has university level and corporate training and teaching experience, spent 20 years on Wall Street, acted as CEO of a small software company, and is currently discovering the world of blogging.Send me EmailOther StuffAll American Investor Weblog Watch Right Internet Crimes Against Children Weblog Robert T DeMarco Penn State Football Fanatics Weblog

Are Blogs the Once-ler of the Net?

All American Investor — Wed, 25 Aug 2004 12:15:29 EDT

Here is a short excerpt from the article.Now we've got these great new things called blogs. Ok, they really aren't all that new. It just seems that way with all the attention they've received over the past several months. Blogs started out as personal diaries, where people could share their opinions on a myriad of topics from social issues to politics, to that great band they saw Saturday night. The concept has increasingly been adopted by companies as a serious communications tool, and is now considered ripe for use as a marketing and advertising vehicle. There is definitely some level of concern in the blogsphere that this trend may ultimately ruin a pure and simple medium in much the same way the Once-ler ran roughshod through the land of the Lorax. For example, Fark.com has allegedly been selling links on its blog without clearly identifying them as ads. Rick Bruner, a marketing consultant, commented on his blog that "this kind of blatant editorial fraud is nothing but trouble for the blogosphere." So did Fark display an innovative use of this new medium, or signal the beginning of the end? I guess time will tell. Source and Link to the entire article.Information from Robert T DeMarco Send me EmailAlso....All American Investor Weblog Watch Right Internet Crimes Against Children Weblog Robert T DeMarco Penn State Football Fanatics Weblog

AOL Instant Messaging Survey Lights The Way For New Marketing Opportunities

All American Investor — Wed, 25 Aug 2004 11:52:15 EDT

Highlight of the report...The second annual instant messaging survey, which covered all IM platforms, queried 4,500 respondents in the top 20 U.S. markets. It found that 59 percent of Internet users use IM, 43 percent of employed IM users use it at work, 29 percent of IM users say they send as many or more IMs than e-mails per day, and 20 percent of IM users send mobile IMs or SMS text messages through a personal mobile device. The survey also notes that IM now has deep penetration among all age groups. Ninety percent of online 13- to-21-year-olds are using IM, followed by 71 percent of online 22- to-34-year-olds, 55 percent of online 35- to-54-year-olds, and an astonishing 48 percent of online over-55s. Read the complete article.Robert T DeMarco IP Group Inc. Send me EmailMore Instant Message News and ReportIM Frame Weblog IMFrame Instant Message News IMBlast Instant Message News All American Investor Weblog Robert T DeMarco

AOL Instant Message Awards

All American Investor — Tue, 24 Aug 2004 14:08:40 EDT

America Online Inc.'s Second Annual Instant Messaging TrendsThis report is interesting. Indicates that Instant Messaging is growing fast across all age boundaries.The AOL Instant Message Awards include: The Water Cooler Award: IM users in Philadelphia are most likely to gossip or complain about both their co-workers and their boss via IM (both 27 percent). The Fastest Fingers Award: In New York and Dallas, IM users send the most instant messages per day (average 17 IMs per person). The Job Jumper Award: In Tampa, IM users are most likely to send instant messages from work to look for new jobs (24 percent). The 'An Affair to Forget' Award: IM users in Philadelphia are most likely to maintain multiple screen names to avoid an ex or a bad date (17 percent). The Clark Kent Award: In Washington, DC and Minneapolis, IM users are most likely to have multiple screen names in order to maintain an alter-ego (20 percent). The Chatty Charlie Award: IM users are the most "talkative" in Philadelphia and Miami, with an average of two instant messaging conversations going on at once. The 'Come Here Often?' Award: In Atlanta and Sacramento, IM users are the most likely to use instant messaging to get to know dates or potential dates better (15 percent). The Schoolhouse Rock Award: IM users in Atlanta are most likely to send mobile instant messages from a classroom or on campus (34 percent). The Romance@Work Award: In Washington, DC, IM users are most likely to flirt or ask for or accept a date by instant message from the workplace (39 percent). The Digital Don Juan Award: IM users in Cleveland are most likely to use their mobile phone or PDA for romance (56 percent). In fact, 31 percent have flirted and 38 percent have asked for or accepted a date via a mobile message. Other tidbits from the surveyIM Screen Name as Calling Card: When meeting someone new, those ages 13-21 are as likely to give out their IM screen names (52 percent) as their e-mail addresses (53 percent). Over the Cubicle: More than one in ten (11 percent) say they have used IM at work to avoid a potentially difficult in-person conversation. IM a Flirt: More than one in five (21 percent) say they have flirted via instant message from work.Pickup Line: Nearly one in three (31 percent) mobile messengers say they have used mobile IM or SMS text messaging for romance, including flirting (25 percent) and asking for or accepting a date (14 percent). Survey Methodology: Survey results are based on 4,510 respondents, 13 years and older, in the top 20 markets around the country. The survey was conducted June 7-17 and July 26-28, 2004 by Opinion Research Corporation.Read the entire SurveyRobert T DeMarco Send me EmailOther Blogs and Resources IMFrame Instant Message News All American Investor WeblogWatch Right Internet Crimes Against Children WeblogRobert T DeMarco

A Market View from Channel Trend

All American Investor — Mon, 23 Aug 2004 20:40:00 EDT

The following commment was supplied to me by Bill Keller at Channel Trend. I asked for a quick overview via email. You will notice this is not an indepth research report, it is not an offer to buy or sell stocks, and it is strictly informational. If you have questions you can contact Channel Trend directly. The following is a synopsis of the email I received from Bill.While we have increased our stock allocation it looks like, if stocks go up, they are going to run into difficulty around the mid to upper 1100's on the S&P. But today, given Cash, Bonds, and Stocks as primary asset classes we favor stocks. Most economic sectors have some attractively ranked stocks. Since the market is currently rewarding low risk as opposed to high risk (except for last week) we would rather buy low risk stocks. Here are a couple of low risk (company and stock risk not necessarily price risk) stocks in some different sectors. Symbol/PriceBasic Industry AVY 60.40 BLL 37.29 Capital Goods DE 61.54 LLL 59.45Consumer Non Durables KO 44.21 CAG 26.18Energy COP 74.16Financial AIG 70.50Healthcare CAH 44.53Technology FSS 17.41 Of the stocks you asked about SUNW is a Strong Buy candidate, INTC, JNPR, CSCO are all Hold (market perform) candidates. Let me know if you need more. William Keller Channel Trend Send Bill Email 1-214-818-0920.About Channel TrendChannel Trend is an independent, privately owned investment research and investment management firm. We provide investors and investment managers with specific recommendations on over 3500 U.S. stocks and over 7000 foreign stocks. We also provide analysis of financial markets and recommendations for managing fixed income and balanced funds and portfolios. Channel Trend is a leading practitioner in the application of behavioral finance concepts and models to the field of investment management and research.Channel Trend uses a disciplined, systematic approach to assess the attractiveness of individual stocks and major segments of financial markets. Our proprietary models and methods of analysis are the foundation of our investment approach.Our stock recommendations have generated superior investment performance with a proven track record of over 15 yearsChannel Trend was founded in 1982 and our 4 principals average 30 years of experience in the investment research and management field. We provide our services to investors and investment managers on a fee basis. Channel Trend does not engage in investment brokerage or investment banking activities. As an independent investment research and management firm, our sole interest and objective is to help our clients realize superior investment returns and performance.The above information was supplied by Robert T DeMarco. All American Investor Weblog

Tech Pro's Sound Off on Google IPO

All American Investor — Sun, 22 Aug 2004 12:57:39 EDT

Source SF GateTim Bajarin President, Creative Strategies Inc. In Silicon Valley's grand scheme, Google keeps the valley's legend alive. It mirrors the garage shop rags-to-riches of Hewlett and Packard, Intel's Noyce, Moore and Grove, Apple's Jobs and Wozniak and Yahoo's Jerry Yang and David Filo. It keeps alive the hopes and dreams of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and engineers by suggesting that they, too, could someday emerge as billionaires if they could only invent the next great technology that captures the hearts and minds of the ever-expanding digital universe of users around the world. Its role in the world of technology cannot be underestimated. Its search engine places this technology at the heart of the way we find things in context in a truly unruly World Wide Web. By inventing a much less obtrusive way to tie advertising to search results, that makes advertising practical and in many ways a welcome part of the search process.. Craig Newmark Founder, Craigslist Hey, the Google guys are doing great, both from a technology perspective and how they're trying to do the right thing for their community. As companies get more successful and bigger, they often forget that their customers are people and should be treated as such. I can see the Google guys trying hard to remember that and to make their moral compass an everyday part of their operations, a la "Do no evil." They were being really smart and fair with their IPO, trying to democratize it, to give everyone a chance. I really like that, since I figure the Internet should be for everyone, and this helps change things. Sometimes it's hard to do the right thing, but I figure Google's a pretty decent role model.. Chris Anderson Editor, Wired magazine Although I applaud Google's attempt to use its clout to try an interesting experiment with alternatives to the financial status quo, it was so badly handled that the results are ambiguous at best. More likely, they're counterproductive, possibly even setting back the cause of auctions. By trying to change too many variables at the same time -- challenging the convention of an investment-bank-led IPO, hugely increasing the usual number of underwriting banks and trying to come up with some novel auction rules on the fly -- Google was bound to run into hitches. And when it did, the Wall Street establishment, which had been basically asked to dig its own grave as a condition of participation, bit back with glee. The end result is that auctions, long a campaign of real financial rebels such as Bill Hambrecht, now look messy, dangerous and inefficient, which is a shame.. Esther Dyson Editor at large, Cnet Networks Of course those analysts want to paint the whole IPO as a dismal failure because it more or less bypassed Wall Street and its gatekeepers. (But) the market worked. My read of it is that the initial hoopla was driven mostly by the press. Perhaps foolishly, the company responded by pricing the deal at a premium to what rational analysts said it was worth. That made sense for a while. Indeed, some people suggested the stock was still underpriced. Then the backlash began, as potential investors talked down the price and the (technology) stock market overall started retreating. Google made and revealed a number of blunders, including an atypical bout of excessive openness -- an interview with Playboy. I'd rather criticize Google for excessive secrecy. But in the end, the company is open about what it says, if a bit smug, and open about what it will not tell.. Bill Burnham Managing partner, Softbank Capital Partners No matter how hot an IPO is perceived to be, the company still has to listen to Wall Street. Companies have to remember that investment managers have more than 10,000 potential stocks to choose from. That means a company has go the extra mile to convince these money managers that its stock is going to make them money Google is a U.S. company, and it helps cement the pre-eminent position of the U.S. in the global Internet industry. The tens of thousands of domestic, skilled jobs that Internet companies such as Google have created not only help offset some of the job losses from some forms of outsourcing, but also help the U.S. industrial base migrate from old, slow-growth industries toward new, high-growth industries. Google, with its freewheeling, inventive culture and strong technology, is a great example of how U.S. industry can grow and prosper even in the face of increasing competition from overseas.. Robert Shaw Chief executive officer, ArcSight I'm very excited about the company. It just shows that great ideas and innovation, experienced management and profitability still drive great valuations. The auction process, jealousy, poor press and a number of minor administrative missteps probably handicapped the opening, but I see tremendous upside once the dust settles. Their careful use of cash and a relatively cheap infrastructure give them a huge advantage. Now it's time to let the innovative genes drive them to the next level.. Christopher Lochhead Chief marketing officer, Mercury Interactive Corp. This is not a return to 1999. Silicon Valley is in a very different place, and there are very few billion-dollar startups. The bubble has burst. There has been a nuclear winter in technology spending, and we've moved from the new economy to the show-me economy. The Google story yet to be told is that when the company started six years ago, the general industry opinion was that the search market was mature and the players had been chosen. By building this company during the worst economic downturn in modern technology history, they proved that with an innovative technology and business model, you can build one of the fastest growing startups of all time in any economy. After four years of a technology IPO wasteland, this is Revenge of the Nerds, with the geeks running away with the money and the bunnies. Other Resources All American Investor WeblogWatch Right Internet Crimes Against Children WeblogRobert T DeMarco About the AuthorRobert T DeMarco is CEO of IP Group in Herndon VA. IP Group offers software communication tools for use on the Internet. These include: PowerTools, Watch Right, Always on Time and IM Frame. Mr. DeMarco is the author/editor of several Weblogs and is also a member of the High Tech Crimes Industry Association (HTCIA). Mr. DeMarco has university level and corporate training and teaching experience, spent 20 years on Wall Street, acted as CEO of a small software company, and is currently discovering the world of blogging. Send me Email