Bill Donahue on GenAI's big week - 'Meanwhile, it’s being reported today that weeks ago Claude spontaneously bypassed a paywall to access Georgia voter data, without human authorization.'
on iFixit damns Apple's iPhone Duo with faint praise - 'My first car was a 10 year old Mercury Comet. I did most of the work on that car myself and there was so much room under the hood, you could almost take a nap there with the hood closed. I presently have a 15 year old Ford Fusion and there is no extra room under the hood. I also haven’t touched anything myself besides replacing fluids. I have a leak in the windshield washer fluid tank but can’t see where it is coming from because things are so tight under the hood so I just have to live with it until I replace the car. The same thing will go for electronics and specifically phones. If you want phones small and thin, they are going to be hard to repair.'
on GenAI's big week - 'A necklace with a lot of expensive baubles and a very weak clasp. I was also thinking that “Gen AI” could also be anyone born after 2025. Seems fitting.'
on Peter Thiel puts Steve Jobs and Elon Musk in the same sentence - 'Watch Micheal Che’s Netflix special – very funny. He uses the word retard or retarted – but that is NOT the same as special needs. He says “how did the retards get to rule the world?” (MAGA, Trump et all)'
on Peter Thiel puts Steve Jobs and Elon Musk in the same sentence - 'Thiel is the perfect embodiment of this Jobs Quote, and not in a good way: “It’s not the tools that you have faith in – tools are just tools. They work, or they don’t work. It’s people you have faith in or not.” I also like this one: “Our whole company is founded on the principle that there is something very different that happens with one person, one computer … What we’re trying to do is remove the barrier of having to learn to use a computer. ” And “Technology is nothing. What’s important is that you have a faith in people, that they’re basically good and smart, and if you give them tools, they’ll do wonderful things with them.” And he denigrates Cook wh gave us this quote: “Our purpose is to serve humanity.”(No and not in the Twilight Zone meaning;-) Apple has really never about innovation per se. Others had computers first, music players, smart phones, smart watches, etc. What Apple did was make technology work for the user not just for the owners. It has given us the tools to do wonderful things., by removing the barriers. WTF has Thiel ever given us.'
on Peter Thiel puts Steve Jobs and Elon Musk in the same sentence - 'I read a book a long time ago. Can’t remember the name. It was about leadership types and when company should employ the two main types. The author used military hierarchy to describe management types. The first is the assault leader (Jobs). He devises then executes a beachhead, think Normandy. After securing the beachhead he is replaced by the consolidator. The leader/s that manages the gains and presses on, think Patton and Bradley. For Apple that was Cook. But now Apple is entering a new technological age that requires a beachhead leader. The transition from assault to consolidation doesn’t happen overnight. Ternus has been the heir apparent for several years, preparing Apple’s strategy and assault troops (products) for Apple’s assault on the competition. Cook has wisely stepped down to allow the assault troops to function. In contrast look at the transition at MSFT. Ballmer stayed too long at the top.'
on Peter Thiel puts Steve Jobs and Elon Musk in the same sentence - 'Given that Musk is despicable, anything Thiel has to say that puts Musk in the same sentence with Cook is de facto despicable. I can try to figure out why our country got to where it is, but it makes me sick to my stomach to do so, so I will (have done) simply go to the voting booth and share my opinion.'
on Peter Thiel puts Steve Jobs and Elon Musk in the same sentence - 'I am not sure that ‘despicable’ is a strong enough adjective.'
on Peter Thiel puts Steve Jobs and Elon Musk in the same sentence - 'Cook had plenty of vision. He cemented Apple as a values based company – one that was/is also insanely profitable and continued with innovation at its core. M series is a case in point. I don’t even really know what Theil does. He is so off my radar. All I know is he is as whack as Musk.'
on Peter Thiel puts Steve Jobs and Elon Musk in the same sentence - 'Bill Fouche said: If anybody gets around to writing a book on Silicon Valley billionaires called “When Good Things Happen to Bad People,” Thiel deserves to have his own chapter. “I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible,” he wrote. **The photo of Peter Thiel with Trump, along with his comment about freedom and democracy being incompatible should be all anyone needs to make up their minds about how to vote on November 3rd. https: // www.techradar.com/pro/quote-of-the-day-by-paypal-co-founder-peter-thiel-i-no-longer-believe-that-freedom-and-democracy-are-compatible-a-foundational-thesis-of-the-new-tech-elite “I remain committed to … authentic human freedom as a precondition for the highest good… But I must confess that over the last two decades, I have changed radically on the question of how to achieve these goals. Most importantly, I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible.” — Peter Thiel, April 2009 Bill, I wish I could have upvoted your comment more than once.'
on Peter Thiel puts Steve Jobs and Elon Musk in the same sentence - 'If anybody gets around to writing a book on Silicon Valley billionaires called “When Good Things Happen to Bad People,” Thiel deserves to have his own chapter. “I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible,” he wrote. He’s not wrong about that if he thinks “freedom” includes the right to amass GDP-levels of personal wealth and deploy it without strings or accountability to move the levers of government power to his own ends. This seems to be what some of the billionaires with South African connections seem to be up to. And it’s as sure a path to ending democratic self-government as any I can think of.'
on One more iPhone Duo launch video, this one from Beijing - 'I went to check out the Duo again, and I thought I liked it more than the first time. Then the novelty wore off. Only negative, aside from the remote crack threat, is the grip on the surface when you try to open it… without a case it will probably slip out of your hands. Not sure I like the form factor for basic tasks like messaging, but if you like using an iPad then that’s where the advantage lies. Regardless, it still has the ability to charm, especially when retrieving from a pocket or purse. The hip factor is what Apple does better than anyone else.'
on Apple's busiest fall ever - 'The earnings call will be interesting. First one for Ternus. Let’s see what guidance we get.'
on Peter Thiel puts Steve Jobs and Elon Musk in the same sentence - 'I completely agree that Thiel is despicable.'
on Apple's busiest fall ever - 'Knowledge Navigator video: https://youtu.be/umJsITGzXd0?si=S1SyE4-MjGhooEe7'
on One more iPhone Duo launch video, this one from Beijing - 'Thumbs up, Jonny! People recognize value when they sense it. Apple takes its own sweet time developing its valuable products, but even so they can always be improved. Carping on the reality that at some point you just have to ship, warts and all, ignores the larger accomplishment but will never make the fact of that accomplishment go away. Apple and Apple long term investors are laughing all the way to the bank at these antics.'
on This week's Apple trading strategies (10/26-10/30/26) - 'Richard: I recall an old saying, “Bull markets climb a wall of worry.” I do, however, understand your concerns. I’m striving to look out a few years from now and expect a much different trajectory for share prices. Currently, share price advances are being fueled by historically strong rates of earnings growth while, in general, earnings multiples are contracting. In my view the current pace of earnings growth in much of the market won’t be sustained on a long-term basis and this raises the prospect of a few years of price consolidation in the market. I’m not concerned so much with the balance of 2026 and into 2027. I’m a bit cautious of the pace of share price appreciation or even price consolidation into the end of the decade.'
