Archive | December 19, 2015
December 19, 2015  

Amazon Rather Than Leasing More Cargo Planes Should Buy UPS, Possibly FedEx.

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by Anura Guruge

Related posts:
>> AMZN stock split?
>> Amazon Hoverboards ….
>> Prime TV subscription prices.
>> Amazon Prime is worth it.
>> “Downton Abbey”.
>> “Mr. Selfridge”.

++++ Search on ‘Amazon’ for other related posts >>>>

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Click to access “MarketWatch.com” original.

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Though I have always, as for as long as I can recall, been a huge fan of Amazon, and as of 2011 used them for ALL of my book publishing, it is only this year, as a fully-paid up Amazon Prime member and an AMZN stockholder that I truly started to see that Amazon is invincible — at least over the next few years. These days I am just in total awe of Amazon. Like Google they really are at the top of their game.

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Click to ENLARGE. Guess what line is UPS and what is AMZN.

Given the amount of online shopping that I do with Amazon, 88 orders in the last 6 months (i.e., 14 orders a month), I know their shipping habits pretty well and, moreover, I keep them honest. IF they miss the 2-day shipping on a Prime item I call them up. So far I have had 2 months of FREE Prime and $10 of gift credit. While they do quite well with UPS outside of the Christmas window, Christmas is always a challenge — as is the number of items now getting shipped directly from China, outside of Prime. I know that AMZN dearly wants to fix that. 

That they are thinking of doing some of their own shipping has been an open secret for months. Makes a lot of sense.

But to me what would make sense is for them to buy (or merge with) UPS or FedEx. I am sure UPS shareholders would LOVE IT. Their shares have been going nowhere while AMZN keeps on defying gravity. Also in terms of Market Cap AMZN is 4 times that of UPS and 8 times that of FedEx.

There will be synergies PLUS Amazon can get a piece of the eBay action! Sweet. Talking of which I am surprised that AMZN hasn’t started offering auctions. They could kill eBay (and I own eBay shares too).

So just a thought.

December 19, 2015  

Hammacher Schlemmer Top 10 Most Viewed Unexpected Items Of 2015.

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by Anura Guruge

Related posts:

++++ Search ‘hamm’ for other Hammacher Schlemmer posts, such as the Flying Hovercraft >>>>

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Click image to access the ‘Hammacher Schlemmer’ Website/catalog.

As I have mentioned previously I am, for reasons that baffle me, on the Hammacher Schlemmer mailing and catalog list. I am way, way, way TOO POOR to afford anything that they have to sell. Long time ago I bought a supposedly folding, crank to generate electricity, slot-car racing kit from them — for the kits. It was fun and it worked but it did NOT fold as well as was portrayed and that was the main reason for getting it. Being able to fold it, near ‘flat’, and put it away when it was not being used. Deanna insisted on returning it. This was maybe 6 years ago. Have not ordered anything from them since. I would LOVE that ‘Barbecue Dining Boat‘. $50,000! Yep, pigs would fly.

Plus to be honest the SAME ITEMS are available on Amazon for the same price, if not less. Yes, I plan to get some ‘Sidewinding Circular Skates‘ for the kids. Given my Prime membership (not to mention shareholding of Amazon) it would just be easier for me to get them from Amazon. 

December 19, 2015  

Olympus Cameras Provides Good Tips On Photographing Your Christmas Tree.

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by Anura Guruge

Related posts:
>> Fuji X-Pro 2 does not compute.
>> ‘Lunar Mirrorless’ is NOT an Hasselblad. 
>> My analysis of ‘Camera Labs’ point-and-shoot.
>> Death knell for Lytro Illum.
>> Panasonic’s new REFOCUS.

>> Bought Sony RX100 II.
>> Bought Panasonic Lumix FZ1000.

++++ Search ‘camera’ for other posts >>>>

++++ Check Category ‘Six Images’ >>>>

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Click to access original from Olympus.

Since I do like Olympus cameras, and since Deanna does have an Olympus point-and-shoot (the SZ-16) which she loves dearly, I do subscribe to e-mail posts from Olympus.

I received the above this morning about trying to get good pictures of decorated and lit Christmas trees. Though it is for Olympus camera owners the tips in general, the aperture setting, ISO, ‘hand-held mode‘ etc., should be applicable to most other cameras. So I thought I would share them with you. Taking decent pictures of Christmas trees can be a challenge. One KEY item that Jamie MacDonald, the author of the Olympus post, does not discuss is White Balance (WB). I have found that getting the right WB (of course) can make a huge difference.

We have, as has been the case for the last 8 years, two decorated Christmas trees. I haven’t really spent any time trying to take any serious shots of them. Maybe, inspired by this post, I will do that tonight.

A few random shots of the 2 Christmas trees I have snapped, with my trusty Panasonic Lumix FZ1000, over the last few days. I really didn’t spend anytime messing with the settings. Picture where you can see a paper butterfly … that is a REFLECTION of the tree in a window, the butterfly stuck to the window.

December 19, 2015  

Britain’s Once Mighty Coal Industry — King Coal — Is Sputtering To An End.

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by Anura Guruge

Related posts:
>> British Pride.
>> British English quiz.
>> English grammar from Britain
>> Britain on ‘Poppy Watch’
>> Trevor Noah pokes fun at the British

++++ Search ‘British’ for MORE posts >>>>

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Click image to access British Sky News original.

I get British Sky News on our Roku and I try to watch as much of their news as possible since unlike the extremely parochial U.S. cable news the British news agencies make a point of covering the world.

Friday evening, with their being no new cricket of worth to watch, I spent even more timing browsing through the Sky News clips. Then I saw the above.

I was shocked. Wow.

Coal mining, for so long, has been such an integral part of our heritage. Funnily enough, just last week, the Cambridge Revels in their outstanding “Welsh Celebration“, highlighted the importance of coal mining in Welsh culture. One of the major stage props was a huge slag pile — the slag the byproduct of mining.

I still distinctly remember the coal miner strikes in the early 1970s and Margaret Thatcher’s mighty attempts to tame the unions. Those transformatives events for me.

There was the saying among cricket circles how clubs in the Midlands and Yorkshire could just go to the nearest coal mine and whistle down the shaft to recruit a fast bowler. All of that is going.

Cheap coal and natural gas from the U.S.! And they are now talking about Fracking in Britain!

Shame. Yes, mining was a hard, cruel profession and so many, for so long suffered from all the diseases associated with the coal dust. But it was a proud and well-paid profession. It is all coming to an end.

End of an Era.

Though I have no connection with miners I feel the loss. This is so much a part of our heritage.

I wish all the current miners and the ex-miners, and their families, a Merry Christmas and a hopeful 2016.

December 19, 2015  

‘6 images for the day’ — December 19, 2015.

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by Anura Guruge

Z-FZ1000-FRONTRIGHT-LRelated posts:
++++ Search ‘images’ for other posts >>>>

++++ Check Category ‘Six Images’ >>>>

Taken with my Panasonic Lumix FZ1000. Straight out of the camera.

Refer to this post for image resolution details.
NO post-processing whatsoever.
Straight JPEGs out of the camera.

Click pictures to ENLARGE.

Attribution WILL be enforced.






Enjoy. Thank YOU.

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