Liberty

I like it! Thanks!

[amazonsearch]Fortune's Formula - William Poundstone[/amazonsearch] More background here: http://www.cornerofberkshireandfairfax.ca/forum/index.php?topic=4953.0

I've just finished the book and enjoyed it a lot. I recommend it to others here!

They're that desperate for anything positive to be said about them, apparently... ;)

One more batch of Touchepads coming: http://h20435.www2.hp.com/t5/The-Next-Bench-Blog/More-TouchPads-on-the-Way/ba-p/68749

Oh, I should just for the entertainment value. I subscribe to r/SecurityAnalysis/, but there isn't too much activity...

I'm not too sure. I saw that on reddit and though it would fit in this thread..

It's been fast lately, and I'm starting to get used to the new theme. Kudos!

http://i.imgur.com/FhKaE.jpg ;)

Value investing, to me, means getting more value than you are giving. That's very simple. How to do that well, though, is rather more complex. There are many ways to do it, and there are many challenges in executing strategies well.

HP's definitely cheap, but I don't have enough confidence in the integrity, strategic vision, and capital allocation skills of current management to even consider investing, even if it was half the current price. But that's just my own checklist... Doesn't mean it won't make a lot of money to people buying at these levels.

I'm now about 3/4th through, and I'm curious to know if the book had the same impact on others who have ready it: Did it make you want to punch Paul Samuelson in the face? He comes across as so arrogant and borders on intellectual dishonesty...

The short answer is: The same thing that makes any piece of software more or less secure. Was it designed with security in mind, or is it old legacy spaghetti code that has been patched over time? How fast vulnerability are patched (and automatic patches are more secured than counting on all your users to do it themselves).. Are third-part plug-ins sequestered? Is each tab sandboxed? Is the code open-source or closed (often having more eyes on the code can help find problems)? Does the software maker pay external consultants (former black hat hackers, etc) and sponsor prizes/reward bug submissions to test its defenses? Etc. That kind of stuff. Don't ask me for the long answer, please..

They've existed for a long time, and made a bit more headlines recently so people are getting more excited, but if you use common sense (don't run software if you don't know where it's from, backup your data in at least 2 places, etc), have a secure browser (like Chrome), and install patches, you're chances of getting a Mac virus are so low that the assured inconveniences that come from an anti-virus are MASSIVELY bigger than any inconvenience you could get from a virus. Not worth it (maybe some day it will, but the UNIX foundations of OS X make it pretty secure by default).

What's that supposed to mean?

I'm running a Mac, so that takes care of that :)

I'm now halfway through the book and it's much explicitly about the stock market. Buffett even makes a cameo! I'm enjoying it a lot so far, so thanks again!

Is that theme adjustable? If possible, I'd bump up the font size a little bit for the list of threads, it's quite small now.

Add to that a pristine reputation built over decades that is well known and respected by everybody.

Funny because I was thinking if it's possible to stop people using handle such as Buffet or Munger ot Graham if they are poles apart in thinking. Handle might create an association bias and people might take time to respond which they would have ignored in general. But I guess it's an online forum and people can chose any handle they want. Are you 12? This is standard cognitive science. Names mean something, and our brains can't help but make associations. Or maybe I should just change my handle to 'Warren Buffett'..

I think you are missing my point. Buffett brings something else than money to the table, and BAC thought that it was worth paying for. Should Buffett have paid more just to satisfy you, and if he had, would you be applauding this deal or finding other reasons why it doesn't mean much? Why do businesses sell to BRK for prices lower than what they could get in an auction? Because BRK brings something else of value to the table (different from what it brought to BAC, but there's a parallel there -- sometimes there are intangibles that change the value equation, and if you don't see them, your model to value businesses will have blind spots).

How is this a bad thing? The reason why Buffett can get better conditions is because he's worked all these years to develop a reputation as a good judge of businesses and a man of the utmost integrity. That has value, and people are ready to pay for that value (otherwise they'd be getting value for nothing), so what's wrong with it? I don't get why you seem to upset. Buffett probably said "these are my conditions" and BAC agreed because they thought it was a good deal. No arms were twisted.

The fact is, Buffett's reputation is worth a lot, especially to financial companies where trust matters. Buffett's reputation wouldn't be worth what it is worth if he invested in bad companies, so they both win. It's not because BAC is paying for something intangible that they're not getting something for their money. In fact, I would be surprised if the premium they are paying won't end up being worth it to them...

Berkshire's in it for the long-term. They haven't done well with the common of those yet. It'll take a bit longer than this to determine how good that deal was for BRK.

Bill Berkley seems to also think that, and I tend to defer to his expertise on that kind of stuff.