Morton Fox › Comments

"Apple has called for US corporate tax rates to be slashed after it admitted sheltering at least $30bn (£20bn) of international profits in Irish subsidiaries that pay no tax at all. In a dramatic display of how threats from multinational corporations are driving down taxes across the world, chief executive Tim Cook warned Congress that he would refuse to repatriate a total of $100bn stashed offshore unless it acted to slash the 35% US rate. Cook said the tax rate for repatriated money should be set "in single digits" to persuade companies to bring it back. Standard tax for US profits should be, he said, in the "mid 20s"." - Morton Fox from Bookmarklet

""We've made rich people richer," Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher told CNBC in a Monday interview. "This is great for the (Warren) Buffetts and for others who can take advantage of this multiple of great money and cheap money that's been available," he added. "The question is, what have we done for the working men and women of America?"" - Morton Fox from Bookmarklet

Nothing. - Todd Hoff

"Sure, the Oxford English Dictionary tries to stay on top of current trends by adding new words every year (GIF was its word of the year for 2012), but there's still a vast vocabulary of strange internet slang — that's where Urban Dictionary comes in. The site, which has been around since 1999, has long served as a place for internet denizens to submit all kinds of obscure, vulgar, and ridiculous terminology — and according to The New York Times, Urban Dictionary is frequently cited in court to help "discern meaning and intent in the modern lexicon." The site's been used in cases ranging from a sexual harrassment lawsuit in Tennesse to a financial restitution case in Wisconsin, and it's a trend that some legal minds don't see reversing any time soon." - Morton Fox from Bookmarklet

"One year after surviving a savage, bizarre attack in Miami that left him blind, beaten and facially disfigured, Ronald Poppo is continuing his recovery at a long-term care facility in Cutler Bay. Poppo’s caregivers said he is in good spirits and plays guitar every day in his room at Jackson Memorial Perdue Medical Center, and he has put on about 50 pounds since the Memorial Day weekend attack on the MacArthur Causeway." - Morton Fox from Bookmarklet

"$30,000: The average student-loan debt for a borrower who received a bachelor’s degree in 2013. The class of 2013 entered college just as the economic recovery was beginning in June 2009, but while their job prospects are better than other recent graduates, their debt burden is heavier." - Morton Fox from Bookmarklet

"In order to get in on hot housing markets, amateur investors are buying up homes and taking risky measures -- like tapping their retirement accounts -- to fund the deals. "We're seeing many people cash out 401(k)s or IRAs because they want to take advantage of the market," said Sean Galaris of financial services firm LM Funding, based in New York and Miami. "This new scenario involves people losing significant personal funds since they are financing real estate through retirement accounts, savings and life insurance."" - Morton Fox from Bookmarklet

"Nothing in the toolbox of economists makes us good stock pickers." - Morton Fox from Bookmarklet

"Many Americans view a college education as a way to build a better life. College is seen as an avenue for better prosperity and the ability to pull yourself up beyond your current circumstances. In fact, after World War II programs like the G.I. Bill allowed many Americans the opportunity to pursue a college degree. In many cases, the United States at this time developed the largest middle class the world had come to know. This is still the case today but the economic trends show a shrinking middle class that is largely having a tough time competing in this quickly globalizing economy. One fact that stands out is that back in 2004, student debt was the smallest portion of all non-housing related debt in the US. Only a short nine years later, student debt is the largest portion of debt in non-housing related debt. What happened in this short period of time and what information can we pull from the mountains of student debt information?" - Morton Fox from Bookmarklet

"The Internet giant’s promise not to “screw up” has a familiar ring" - Morton Fox from Bookmarklet

"The Internal Revenue Service scandal now devouring the Obama administration — the outrageous use of the federal taxing authority to target tea party and other conservatives — certainly makes for meaty partisan politics. But this scandal is about more than partisanship. It's bigger than whether the Republicans win or the Democrats lose. It's even bigger than President Barack Obama. Yes, bigger than Obama." - Morton Fox from Bookmarklet

"If Yahoo! succeeds in its attempt to acquire Tumblr, it will end up with one of the hottest Internet properties in today’s Web, with access to the coveted youth market and a foothold in mobile. It will also wind up with a whole lot of porn." - Morton Fox from Bookmarklet

"most importantly, don't poop in the pool" - chaz2b from Bookmarklet

Another very common source: Toddlers that haven't been toilet trained, yet, in the shallow end of the pool with mommy. - April Russo

"Life, they say, is about learning to appreciate the small things. For proof, look no further than the first-ever "Smallest Penis Contest" at King's County Bar in Brooklyn, New York, on July 20. According to a Craigslist ad seeking "less endowed men" to prove that "good things can come in small packages," the contest will be "pageant style" and involve "talent, evening wear, and swimsuit elements."" - Morton Fox from Bookmarklet

"Oops! You are not invisible because you're logged into Google Talk from another client, device, or location that doesn't support invisibility." Sure sounds like you can't be invisible in Hangouts. - c.a.j.

I guess on Google Island, everyone is fully visible at all times. It's the Google Way! - Morton Fox

We all do, my man. I wish I was smarter when it comes to Maths and Science, for example. But beyond a certain point I have to say 'well, over to the experts here, try not to create anything world destroying.' - Pete #TeamMonique

Oh...haha...proving my own point apparently. I was specifically referencing his comment about Victor's post. :) - c.a.j.

"“Hello.” The soft, froggy voice startled me. I turned around to face an approaching figure. It was Larry Page, naked, save for a pair of eyeglasses. “Welcome to Google Island. I hope my nudity doesn’t bother you. We’re completely committed to openness here. Search history. Health data. Your genetic blueprint. One way to express this is by removing clothes to foster experimentation. It’s something I learned at Burning Man,” he said. “Here, drink this. You’re slightly dehydrated, and your blood sugar is low. This is a blend of water, electrolytes, and glucose.” I was taken aback. “How did you…” I began, but he was already answering me before I could finish my question." - Morton Fox from Bookmarklet

Wow we should try that. We're nowhere near our advertised bandwidth, at least through wireless. I need to do a speedtest direct from Ethernet for comparison. - Laura Norvig from iPhone

Yes, from now on, always nag Comcast until everything is perfect. - Morton Fox

I ignore 'em. - Stephen Mack #TeamMomo

Having lots of LinkedIn endorsements means they have lots of friends who'll click on anything. - Morton Fox

Agreed. - SAM

"What have we always said is the most important thing? Breakfast. In honor of the return of Arrested Development on the 26th and the one year anniversary of this blog we decided to make Skip's Scramble.  Do not make the Skip's Scramble." - Morton Fox from Bookmarklet

"After years of cost savings for fuel-efficient car buyers, the government wants the gasoline-tax revenue that was lost at the pump because the fuel-efficient cars don't have to fill up as much as other vehicles.  That's why the Obama administration is floating the idea of taxing you per miles driven, or as preliminary legislation puts it, "vehicles miles traveled" (VMT). Yes, you read that right: A new tax on every mile you drive." - Morton Fox from Bookmarklet

"So where's the recovery? The jobs that are being created are low-paying jobs. These are known facts in the States. But they brag about it. 'Dominos is doing great. They say they can hire 10,000 people right now.' What? Drivers to drive their old beat-up cars to deliver their franchise pizzas? They say this with a straight face. There is no real recovery and that's despite dumping in trillions of dollars worth of stimulus." - Morton Fox from Bookmarklet

"Anyone who uses Skype has consented to the company reading everything they write. The H's associates in Germany at heise Security have now discovered that the Microsoft subsidiary does in fact make use of this privilege in practice. Shortly after sending HTTPS URLs over the instant messaging service, those URLs receive an unannounced visit from Microsoft HQ in Redmond." - Morton Fox from Bookmarklet

"On August 31, 2012, Japanese mathematician Shinichi Mochizuki posted four papers on the Internet. The titles were inscrutable. The volume was daunting: 512 pages in total. The claim was audacious: he said he had proved the ABC Conjecture, a famed, beguilingly simple number theory problem that had stumped mathematicians for decades. Then Mochizuki walked away. He did not send his work to the Annals of Mathematics. Nor did he leave a message on any of the online forums frequented by mathematicians around the world. He just posted the papers, and waited." - Morton Fox from Bookmarklet

"There are few things sadder than the software that ships with your car's in dash computer. it's 2012 and we have hybrids that can regenerate power from inertia but the car manufacturers haven't figured out that we just want the in-dash car screen to be powered by our smartphone." - Morton Fox from Bookmarklet

"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening. The cause of the problem is social. There's almost none of the improvement for its own sake, for the sake of glory, that you see in the Linux world." - Morton Fox from Bookmarklet

Yep, yep. - Scoble, Alex Scoble

"I’ve seen the future of Facebook, and it is... Yahoo!" - Morton Fox from Bookmarklet

Are we past Facebooks "sell by" - WarLord

"Google Glass is now “unofficially officially” out in the wild, early reviews are in, and they’re not spectacular. I’ve been a Glass skeptic from the start, but now I’m just going to come right out and say it: If the developer version is at all an accurate representation of what Glass will look like as a finished product, it's going to fail." - Morton Fox from Bookmarklet

'Brian writes about all things related to Apple..." Of course it will crater, Brian! Unbiased tech journalism at it's finest. NEXT. - Adrian

Yeah, I've learned to stop trying to figure out what will or won't fail. I just wait until a product has reached a certain level of maturity and market penetration before buying...At least I do for products that require community support (AKA 3rd party development). - Scoble, Alex Scoble

"The stock market has been doing well, reaching new nominal highs in recent weeks. Economists have been arguing that such equity gains make people feel richer, which might encourage consumers to pick up their spending despite their stagnant wages and recent tax increases. One possible problem with this hopeful story: the share of Americans who actually have money invested in stocks has been falling in recent years." - Morton Fox from Bookmarklet

"Eating fish is good for your heart but taking fish oil capsules does not help people at high risk of heart problems who are already taking medicines to prevent them, a large study in Italy found. The work makes clearer who does and does not benefit from taking supplements of omega-3 fatty acids, the good oils found in fish such as salmon, tuna and sardines." - Morton Fox from Bookmarklet

"Maligned as a bunch of shiftless, tech-addled children raised to think they’d all get trophies, Millennials are trying to build careers out of the ruins of a job market. Amid a group that’s supposed to be a bunch of entitled kids, all I see around me are young people juggling multiple jobs and unpaid internships while trying to blot their (trigger warning!) student debt from their minds. Unpaid internships are a particular flaming hoop everyone has to jump through now to land even the most mundane gig. Somewhere along the line this practice went from offering a short, genuinely helpful experience to an experiment in the outer reaches of legal exploitation." - Morton Fox from Bookmarklet