Matt Schiffers Blog

Stocks and Investing

blitz — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 11:05:18 +0000

So we all know the economy is more or less in disarray. And if you keep up with business news, you also know that the $700 billion “bailout” is going to only make things worse for the economy. So everyone is more or less looking out for themselves now.

So you’re asking yourself “well if this $700 billion bailout is going to hurt us, what’s the point of it?” It’s to give a quick stamina boost to insurance and investment firms in the stock market. What does this mean to you? Well, if you don’t already have money invested in the market, now is the time to do so. Stocks are at all time lows with some of the biggest firms on the cheap. I personally recommend investing in AIG tomorrow as this “bailout” injection is going to really rally the price of the stock.

If there are any “experts” or investment personnel out there that would like to give an opinion or advice on this, please feel free to do so!

Star Destroyer vs U.S.S. Enterprise

blitz — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:58:04 +0000

So I stumbled across this article on Gizmodo yesterday, and was wondering what everyone’s thought would be.

Please feel free to give your opinion and a brief (or expansive) explanation as to why you think that.

How to make custom ringtones for iPhone

blitz — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 13:36:46 +0000

Above is a video I created showing how you can (with Windows XP) create custom ringtones and put them on your iPhone/iPhone 3G. This is a much simpler and much cheaper way of doing it than paying Apple $1/song and $1/:30 second clip of that song. I’m also taking .50¢ donations for those who would be so kind. I figure one time donation of .50¢ for unlimited ringtones beats paying Apple $2/1 ringtone.

The search for scholarships

blitz — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:04:12 +0000

Alright, so if you’re like me, you’ve been accepted to a decent college. If you’re not too picky with your education, you may take pricing lightly and go for a public state college or university.If you’re like me, you may decide that a private institution is the way to go. I mean, who wouldn’t want bigger dorms, smaller classes and normally, a smaller student body? With the exception of the larger student body, I would assume most college students would tend to lean in favor of the first two. But with convenience comes price. It’s an aspect that goes with all factors of life. And in this case, a private college is going to cost you, and it’s going to cost you big. In my case, roughly $33,000 for High Point University.Unfortunately, I find myself in the place of a transfer student so the schools scholarships for incoming freshman don’t apply to me, nor is there transfer scholarships available.So I find myself going out online trying to sign up for countless websites offering scholarships or broadcasting scholarships sponsored by other, 3rd party companies. The best website I’ve found thus far is www.fastweb.com.This site works great as it lets you fill out however much information you’d like about yourself and it sends you available scholarships for you to apply for based on the criteria you entered.Unfortunately I haven’t had any results from the scholarships that I entered for but who really expects to win every scholarship? The deadline for some I entered have yet to hit so perhaps I’ll get lucky and win something in range of $1,000-$5,000. Hopefully this has been an entertaining read for some of you and a source of help for a website for others.If anyone else has an idea or knows of a website for scholarships, please feel free to leave that info in the form as a comment :) thanks for reading!

MacBook Air: A Student’s Review

blitz — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 06:05:03 +0000

So there’s been a lot of fighting about whether or not the MBA is a “useful” laptop or just a gimmick for the rich and famous (and for those who desire attention.) So let this be a review, not from www.cnet.com , not from some big magazine or a PC fanboy or by a Mac fanboy.

I’ll start by saying this is my first Mac. I’ve grown up on on PCs. My father currently has a Dell desktop and my step mom has a Mac Pro, Powerbook G4, and a MacBook (which dad mainly uses.) The first time I used a Macbook was in December over Christmas break at my dads. I loved how user friendly it was and when they released word of the MBA, I was very excited. Then there were the “problems” people found with it. Let’s go ahead and list those:

1) No Optical Drive

2) Slower Processor than MacBook

3) Small Hard drive

4) “Too thin” (people worried about durability)

5) 1 USB Port

6) No FireWire

7) No way to upgrade

8) Unable to replace battery

Alright I think that about covers them all and I’ll work these problems out in order. Before I do that, let me just start by saying this computer was NEVER meant to be a powerhouse computer. This computer was made for a particular demographic; more specifically College Students and Business “Road Warriors”. If it is power you seek, you can go the way of the MacBook Pro. This is why the MBA was meant as an ultra-portable class, not to compete against its own product line.

So no optical drive, I can see this being a legitimate argument. But how often do you use your optical drive? This is a question you really need ask yourself. The only use I have with my Optical Drive on my PC is for burning movies (that I’ve already bought of course) and playing PC games. Most applications that are available in stores like Best Buy are also available to download online and when you make an account, you can always go back and re-download it!

Slower processor and smaller hard drive. I’ll tell you what, I have a PC that’s 1gb Ram, 3.2ghz Pentium 4 with a 250gb hard drive. The MBA I have is a 1.6ghz Core 2 Duo with 80gb hard drive and it runs faster than my PC and as far as hard drive space remaining, I have 53gb worth. Speed isn’t a problem with this amazing machine.

Some people are saying it’s too thin and therefore isn’t durable. I’ve had people say “It’s a good thing I don’t have one because I’d probably break it by pushing the buttons too hard.” If anything, the MBA is MORE durable than the MB. It’s made of aluminum and is incredibly sturdy.

1 USB port and no firewire can be a problem for some people. This is the second real legitimate argument. I’ve never used firewire but I know about the speed and for those used to having it, you may have withdrawals going to a MBA (however if you’re in the field of NEEDING FireWire, you would know this isn’t a powerhouse and would go with a MBP.) As for the one USB port, I don’t mind too much. I usually use my USB port on my MBA for my digital camera and ipod. In that sense it does its job pretty well. I suppose if I get a Superdrive ($100 add-on) I would use that too but I’ve used remote disk once just to try it out and it works just as fast as installing a CD from an optical drive. What do people plug into all these USB ports on a laptop?

No way to upgrade this computer is a downer, I won’t lie. Everything is welded in and in order to replace the battery (which usually lasts a good 3-3 1/2 hours) I have to send the whole computer off to the factory.

Now as a college student who flies often to visit my Dad, I find this laptop perfect for my everyday use. I recently did a live blog which can be seen in the previous two posts. When I’m flying, the MBA fits perfectly between the barf bag and the latest edition of Sky Mall.

The computer runs all the basic programs I need at incredible speeds. iChat works great, iMovie 08′ starts up quickly, same for Garageband and it keeps up quite well with my iCal and contacts. I really love OS X 10.5.2 and based on my experience with this computer, I plan on eventually getting an iMac. I should also touch down on the fact that the backlit keyboard and LED display work incredibly well. This is by FAR the best display I’ve ever seen on a computer.

For anyone trying to decide on whether or not the MBA is right for them, I hope this posts helps! Below are a couple pics I took of the MBA:

Session 3: The Legal Profession in the Marketplace

blitz — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 14:28:51 +0000

It’s a good thing I didn’t promise getting to Session 2 this morning as I arrived a bit late. I was debating on posting a live blog from what I was watching but a broken blog just wouldn’t do. The previous session, titled “Theological reflections on work and the challenges of pluralism”, talked about faith in the workplace.

The next session, which this is titled after, will begin at roughly 10:45 a.m. Keep it here to view coverage live.

The panelists for this session are as follows:

Blake Morant- Dean, Wake Forest University School of Law
Anita Allen- Henry Silverman Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy, University of Pennsylvania
Robert Grey Jr.- Partner, Hunton & Williams
Barry Sullivan - Partner, Jenner & Block
Chris Whelan - Associate Director of International Law Programs, University of Oxford

10:49 a.m. - Blake Morant opens by introducing panel.

11:00 a.m. - Mr. Morant introduces Mr. Grey. Open panel discussion begins before Dean Morant asks questions.

11:05 a.m. - Mr. Grey opens by talking about his inspiration of his generation of lawyers to help establish a common ground with those “less fortunate”. Talks about his predecessor of the President of the B.A.R. association.

11:08 a.m. - Mr. Grey talks about continuing with a new breed of lawyers that may help to continue a sense of common ground and have lawyers do work for the “good” of the people and to help strengthen the judicial system.

11:09 a.m. - Mr Grey passes the dicussion onto Mr. Sullivan.

11:10 a.m. - Mr. Sullivan starts to talk about facing issues in the legal system with lawyers and the public service.

11:13 a.m. - Mr. Sullivan talks about law firms being partnerships and having a self-recognition in the past compared to todays new “breed” of lawyers who may start at these “elite” law firms with high salaries and how those law firms over-shadow todays small law firms who can only compete for small ground.

11:15 a.m. - Mr. Sullivan says these changes within law firms are due to many factors including globalization and a need to gain the best young and experienced lawyers.

11:16 a.m. - Mr. Sullivan talks about how it is hard for small firms to really grow as they have to compete against these larger, “elite” law firms who pay higher and, therefore, are more appealing to young lawyers.

11:18 a.m. - Mr. Sullivan mentions a “brighter side” to this. Small law firms usually end up with more “meaningful” cases in terms of public service than the law firms (think small Personal Law vs Corporate Law)

11:22 a.m. - Mr. Sullivan closes and Ms. Allen begins.

11:24 a.m. - Ms. Allen talks about numerous stories about lawyers, judges, and surprisingly, the fictional Michael Clayton and how there are psychological problems in the law industry.

11:25 a.m. - Ms. Allen starts to talk about Elliot Spitzer, as they were both classmates along with Spitzers wife.

11:27 a.m. - Ms. Allen begins talking about “work” (first time in the past hour and a half I’ve heard someone talk about the event we’re in)

11:28 a.m. - Ms. Allen talks about working as a reason, of course, to make money and also touches on the past session about faith in the work place and the ethics that follow.

11:30 a.m. - Ms. Allen I think just said it best, “It takes money to make lawyers and lawyers expect to make money”

11:31 a.m. - Ms. Allen talks about the stress of a lawyer and decisions in personal life to take (balancing things going on the family with a big case they may be working on that requires constant attention)

11:36 a.m. - Ms. Allen touches on an issue about how 1 in 5 Americans each year experience some type of mental issue. She says we should ask ourselves “Should we reveal to our colleagues that we have a mental illness? Should we tell our clients or reveal to our Universities that we have a mental illness?”

11:39 a.m. - Chris Whelan is introduced

11:40 a.m. - Mr. Whelan notes how law has always been a tough, hard, and stressful job

11:42 a.m. - Mr. Whelan talks about the numerous challenges lawyers undertake during cases such as threats, hostilities, and family problems.

11:45 a.m. - Mr. Whelan explains that some lawyers try and gain business in ethical ways while others may tend to go in non-ethical ways (i.e. bribing)

11:47 a.m. - Talks about a law firm in Australia that is in the stock market showing that Law firms are becoming less of a client specific base and more of a consumer base.

11:50 a.m. - Talks about how law firms are becoming “hired guns” to “help” people get through a divorce (and mentions that law firms tend to encourage it….if you use their services)

11:54 a.m. - Talks about Mentoring and Monitoring. All early lawyers spend two years being mentored. The mentors are monitored by other lawyers

That wraps up this session. There is a small Q&A session going around and this session will be done. Thanks for tuning in!

Session 1 of Wake Forest ‘Why Work’ Conference

blitz — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 19:57:43 +0000

Going to attempt a live bog here at Wake Forest during day one of the two-day conference at wake. The speakers and panelist for today are as follows:Nathan O. Hatch - President of Wake ForestDavid Brooks - New York Times ColumnistSteven Reinemund - Former Chairman of the Board and CEO; PepsiCoAlex Sink - CFO, State of Florida 4:09 P.M. = Nathan Hatch takes the stage for introductory speech.4:17 P.M. = Mr. Hatch introduces David Brooks4:18 P.M. = David Brooks starts off with a few jokes including that Hilary Clinton seems to follow him around (her being a senator from NY, him working in NY and him being at Wake while she just happens to be giving a rally speech at Forsyth Tech Community College)4:24 P.M. -Describes about paths in “life” Poor teacher vs Rich “sell out” Investment bank (I’m in wrong place apparently)4:28 P.M.-Discusses lack of emotion/loss of emotion over the course of life through important experiences falling through (i.e. losing a lot on an investment)-Discusses life as a journalist; Jokes about people not standing up in the crowd cheering/getting excited are journalist (once again, I may be in wrong place)4:30 P.M. -Talks about his internship/apprenticeshp as a young journalist.-Mentions how WSJ only hires from the “Big Ten”-Claims U.S. are hardest working. Gives study by American institutes. Unless these studies are excluding the BRIC network, I think they may be false….I’ll have to ask for an opinion if I get the opportunity after the presentation4:32 P.M. - Mr. Brooks talks about the difference with politicians…some discuss something half true to the public, and what may really be true in private (uses Mccain as example) and some say the same in private that they do to the public (doesn’t mention names but there’s only two selections. Comment your guesses haha)4:34 P.M. - Talks about a trip to California where he visits someone rich who mentions “He has achieved success but not significance”.4:36 P.M. - Talks about early Americans and values they held for America and how it has turned into anxiety for the workers of America. How people think by helping one ’side’ is letting another ’side’ down.4:38 P.M. - Mentions a study saying those who work the most gain more social connections.4:39 P.M. - Mr. Brooks talks about those who are happy with their jobs seem to transcend themselves. They do it by doing a job that servers a larger cause. Mentions that we’ve seen a large growth in community service with schools across the country.4:40 P.M. - Mr. Brooks mentions that some people who work major white collar jobs get tired of their job and may go and work more “meaningful” jobs.4:42 P.M. - Mr. Brooks picks up on another topic of self-transcendence where people will do find satisfaction by not only being happy with the job they have but by promoting that happiness to those they work with.4:47 P.M. - Mr. Brooks says the core of a job is the repetition. The repetition can lead to a negative impact in the work place and also the increase of happiness in the work place. (makes the example of greed on wall street vs. striving happiness in perhaps a blue collar job)4:49 P.M. - Mr. Brooks closes4:50 P.M. - Mr. Hatch takes the stage and introduces the panelists. Ms. Sink commends Mr. Brooks on his previous speech, jokes about political comments4:51 P.M. - Ms. Sink asks Mr. Brooks “How do you, as a public official stay ‘true to yourself’ from your many experiences without getting into ‘loud fights’ “4:52 P.M. - Mr. Roberts says there are some ‘Social freaks that attempt to dominate through ‘loud fights’; lists politicians as example. Says people who talk in public may lie to gain popularity among the public, say a different thing in private (Anyone surprised?)4:54 P.M. - Mr. Brooks says he talked to a Presidential Candidate who lost who had told him “When you run for president, you have to ask yourself, ‘Are you willing to destroy your children’s generation to gain president?’ (Apparently Bush senior shouted ‘yes’)5:00 P.M. - Mr. Brooks commends how well the three remaining presidential candidates have done. Talks about how he judges politicians and presidential hopefuls as how well they can relate to his son Joshua; calls it his “joshua rule” 5:01 P.M. - Ms. Sink talks about the idea a couple years ago with the growth and explosion of the computer industry that people thought there may not be office space. 5:03 P.M. - Mr. Brooks talks about the idea he thought would happen of “Paperless offices”. Instead the opposite has happened. 5:04 P.M. - Mr. Brooks talks about how the computer has created explosion of social networks (i.e. EHarmoney, Facebook, Myspace). Claims the real social networks (facebook) succeeds and is good for social health than the dating sites.5:06 P.M. - Mr. Brooks mentions that personal social interaction (face interaction, looks, tone of voice) is much richer than virtual interaction (facebook).5:10 P.M. - Ms. Sink talks about how more students are getting involved in Teacher of America and the Peace Corps. Asks Mr. Roberts about the faith in universities today5:11 P.M. - Mr. Brooks talks about the renaissance in college and universities. Mentions a professor he knows at Princeton claims that there has been an increase in openness about faith due to increase in bible study groups.5:13 P.M. - Mr. Brooks mentions how universities micro-manage student lives by not teaching good “character”. Believes faith is what people go to for morales of “good character”5:18 P.M. - Ms. Sink talks about the heavy reliance on computer electronics through airports and around the work place and even in their private life and how there is a problem with people not having enough of a personal life. 5:20 P.M. - Mr. Roberts also thinks there is a problem trying to focus on having a personal life with so many electronics connected to business (blackjacks, blackberrys, all cell phones in general). 5:21 P.M. - Panelist discussion closes. 5:22 P.M. - Mr. Hatch closes the program with an invitation to everyone for day two Well that wraps up the blog for today. Tune in tomorrow for more coverage of some of the events going on. I may not be able to cover morning seminars and there are two seminars going on at once so I can’t be in two places at once.

Drupal

blitz — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 19:50:14 +0000

So I was watching Chris Pirillos website last night and he was talking about this incredible website for freeware web tools called Drupal. Naturally I decided to go look at the website and found that it has incredible potential and would seem like the ideal thing for me to use at this point with my website.

Unfortunately, I don’t know much about web design (hence me using Office BASIC) and when I tried downloading the tools on my PC desktop, I had to archive it and since do not know what to do with it. I have a feeling I’ll be doing LOTS of reading about this when I get off work tonight. Hopefully it’ll all work out in the end. On a positive note, my website views has randomly shot up 4 fold.

Adsense: Don’t miss out!

blitz — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:28:21 +0000

So as I mentioned in my last post, I have a website: www.gameadvisorypanel.com and I’ve recently learned through a friend that Google has a thing called AdSense. I’m sure all the veteran bloggers and website owners are saying “You just heard about that?!” and to them I say “yes!”. Better late then never, right? Anyway, for the 5 or 6 of you out there that do not know about this, it’s a way to put Googles Ads on your website and you get paid by the traffic that comes in to the site and you can get paid MORE money if they use Googles search engine! Free money, for not doing anything!

So, if you have the rights to a domain and have an establish website, I would HIGHLY recommend heading over to Google Adsense and making an account. It takes roughly 1-2 business days to activate it and after that, voila! Just copy the HTML code they give you and paste it smack dab on your website, sit back with a cup of coffee, and enjoy the money (If your website is new or not very popular, I wouldn’t recommend this as a replacement for your day job).

Website Design

blitz — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 06:11:54 +0000

So I seem to be jumping from one extreme to another. I re-established myself with my website, www.gameadvisorypanel.com and am debating on whether or not to take the project on. I will be getting Google as a sponsor within the next couple days so I will be getting a small (very small) portion of money whenever I receive visits to the webpage.

Funny timing for this whole thing to come up considering my subscription runs out for the rights of my 5 websites at the end of May and here we are about to go into April. Decisions decisions…