Media and Technology

The Doomsday Clock is ticking down

As reported by Associated Press, G&M, June 19, 2013, A17, “Chinese supercomputer outstrips global competition”, China is the world leader in computer technology!

On Monday, the internationally recognized TOP500 listed the Tianhe-2 supercomputer – developed by the National University of Defense Technology at Changsha city -- as by far the fasted computer ever built.

It is twice as fast as the quickest U.S. computer, the Titan, and faster than Japans’ K computer that was the world leader just months ago.

Since 2010, the competition for fastest – i.e. smartest and best – computer has been a two way race between China and Japan; with the U.S. and Europe nowhere in sight.

·         As the article notes, the Tisnhe-2 is a totally Chinese product except for an Intel component.

·         It highlights China’s technological progress and future world leadership.

·         And it is also noteworthy that the creative team is at a Chinese MILITARY college!!!

 

So, should the United States and Europe be nervous?   Should they rev up their computer wizes to match and outdo China and japan’s best, or has the leadership in technology the West has relished for centuries come to a tipping point and decline?

Steve Jobs is dead; Bill Gates has retired, as have the wunderkind that created RIM and the Blackberry.

China’s Lenovo bought out IBM’s computer hardware business decades ago.

 

The Doomsday Clock for Western ascendancy is ticking down.

I would guess we are now at 15 minutes to midnight.

YOUR MONEY

When Good News is Baaaaddddd!!!

Yesterday Chairman Ben Bernanke announced that the U.S. economic recovery is progressing and he sees a better future for the economy near at hand – maybe by mid-2014.  Unemployment is dropping, home construction and related fields are improving and the overall health of the U.S. is slowly getting healthy again. And oil and natural gas are gushing thanks to fracking all over the U.S.

So, he announced that the Fed will reduce its purchase of bonds from the current level of US$85,000,000,000 a month – yes $85 BILLION  a month of cheap money shenanigans – in the upcoming months and even more so in early 2014.

Put  simply, Bernanke sees the financial crisis of 2008 finally coming to an end 6 years on – in 2014.

This GOOD NEWS is causing so-called investors – read speculators and derivative fund speculators – to sell off their stocks in a 209 point drop of the Dow Jones late yesterday afternoon – after Bernanke’s announcement -- and comparable bleeding on other stock exchanges. 

The bleeding continues today as well.  Gold and silver speculators are selling off while the U.S. dollar is rising on the international exchange market silliness.  (Again, who in his right mind would allow international speculation in the value of one’s currency?)

 

So, good news on the U..S. ecomony is bad news for stock markets!!!!

Why, because the M1 quantitative easing – which has not trickled down to the M4 retail level to help ordinary small business, entrepreneurs and home buyers – but is gobbled up by preferred bank major clients, corporations and speculators/derivative funds, etc. – means the game will soon be up for cheap money stock flippers!

Interest rates will rise and speculation plays will become so risky that the markets will again return to more normal objectives: long term corporate growth and banks lending to small business and individuals.

Warren Buffett will be smiling, insurance companies and pension plans will finally stop loosing hand or fist of payout plan and pension funds.

The financial world will finally right itself – at least for the U.S.and its side-kick, Canada – and wild greed and instant computer program money flipping may yet be caged again.