Microsoft unveiled Windows 7 this week. It didn't take long for the first reports of problems to begin trickling in. How is it possible that the biggest software company in the world, with something like 96% market share, cannot roll out a new product without taking two steps backward for every one forward? It's not like expectations are very high.  Vista was such an unmitigated disaster that Windows 7 would have to cripple the user's computer immediately upon installation for it to be viewed as a downgrade.  Despite millions of dollars in advertising, the Official Random Stock Survey of...

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Recently, sources have revealed investors are dumping large amounts of money into Twitter.  There has been much speculation and rumors that Twitter.com could be prepping for an IPO.  Why else would companies dump $100 million into a company with zero revenue? According to Bloomberg.com, the company is believed to be valued at $1 billion.  The only rationale for valuing the company this high is if they are ready to unleash a massive revenue plan or if they are going public.  Either strategy would require some type of plan to make some money for this social media company.  The traffic is there...

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Apple Computers made an unusual move this week. Unusual, at least, for a company that has had great success doing things just the opposite of everyone else for the last twenty-five years.  Apple lowered their prices on some of their hottest selling items. In true Apple style, they did lower their prices in a different way than most companies.  They did it quietly, almost apologetically.  This isn't the first time Apple cut prices.  When they first released the iPhone a few years back, they gouged the 'gotta have it first' crowd for 600 bucks a pop before slashing the price...

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It’s bonus time again at AIG. America’s favorite charity, to which we gleefully contributed $180 billion, is set to hand out bonuses to 40 of their best go-getters. Unlike the gargantuan payouts of a few months ago, this is a paltry $2.4 million in bonus money. It doesn’t seem like all that much, unless you consider that $2.4 million divided by just 40 employees means that these guys will be taking home a cool sixty grand a piece, on top of their regular salary. $60,000 is more than a lot of people make in a year. Let me take it one...

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Pete Peterson may not be the most well-known businessman or economist in America. His name doesn’t float among the luminaries of the billionaire philanthropist set like Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and George Soros. But Peterson is both a billionaire and a philanthropist. The story of how he came to be among the wealthiest individuals in the world is interesting and encouraging. Peterson was born into a family of Greek immigrants who made their living running a diner in Nebraska, of all places. From those relatively humble beginnings, he went on to a string of successful leadership roles in businesses including Market...

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