More Stupid Than the Others

• Love, The Bungie Community
  Awww.

A few days ago my front page greeting on the Mintel reports website was some analysis for M&S and ASOS sales - why is the latter doing so well while M&S seems to be stuck in a rut with their sales?

The report summarized it as a thing of demographics - the fact that ASOS is more popular than M&S because they aim their clothing towards a younger audience, not just due to the fact that they’re an online retailer and that’s currently the way forward these days. That and to add the fact that they have better-looking clothes that resemble the ones on Net-a-Porter or even Neiman Marcus and others for a lot less. The Mintel report observed that credit card borrowing is at an all-time high and people are using them to pay mortgages so they’ve ran out of funds for buying on the high-street, hence the “gloom” in the UK. But the ASOS audience is the last to be hit by the downturn because they don’t have any mortgages to repay or any obligations so they can happily spend, spend, spend.

This makes me wonder how many people (with financial obligations) borrow to support their lifestyle - because it’s never the case of giving up when you’ve reached a certain status. That is, if you feel the need to worry about things even more! Something tells me it must be quite bad.

• All My Faves

• India’s Economy Hits the Wall
  The country is reeling from 11.4% inflation, large government deficits, and rising interest rates. Foreign investment in India’s stock market is fleeing, the rupee is falling, and the stock market is down over 40% from the year’s highs.
  (tags: economics economy news india)

• Google must divulge YouTube log
  “The US court declined Viacom’s request that Google be forced to hand over the source code of YouTube, saying it was a “trade secret” that should not be disclosed.”
  (tags: bbc business google internet media law privacy youtube copyright video)
• ‘Mental risk’ of Facebook teens
  “People with active online identities might place less value on their real lives - this could raise the risk of impulsive acts or even suicide.”
  (tags: facebook health internet psychology web2.0 networking)
• Modern Still Life
  “A curated glimpse at everyday life.”
  (tags: apartmenttherapy life painting)
• Posh values of BBC present one-sided picture of UK
  “It is easy to believe that you have found the essence of a nation when there are large crowds around, a hint of rain in the air and hills in the distance.”

• Following the follower
  “Sounds crazy? You should try it.”

I’m in Romania on what’s supposed to be my ‘holiday’ after exams and instead I am working. Because I am a masochist and it’s a really good feeling. I love it.

• Cancer gene test ‘for all women’
  “It is becoming feasible to work out whether a woman is at “low”, “moderate” or “high” risk of cancer by looking at which combinations of these [BRCA1/2 genes] she has. “
  (tags: cancer science discovery genes humans)

• Wind charges phones at Glastonbury Festival
  Measuring more than 7 meters tall, the free-standing recharge pod is a self-sufficient unit that taps into a wind generator and solar panels to charge as many as 100 mobile phones per hour
  (tags: business innovation mobile orange)
• The Li Pengfei Scandal: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned
  “The moral of the story for all you gentlemen out there? Never piss off a lady with a digital camera. Or one that knows how to create websites.”
  (tags: stupid china people relationships)
• Are You Breaking The Law of Focus_
  “Look at me! I’m a serial entrepreneur.” Or maybe I was just full of myself.
  (tags: advertising business management focus)
• Cooking With Booze: The Blog
  via russell davies
  (tags: interesting2008 booze evolution history presentation)
• How Airports Profit From Your Wait - Forbes.com
  “Due to a maintenance problem, your flight has been delayed three hours, care to rent the Transformers movie?”
  (tags: money travel airports industry)

I’m a very happy person. And it’s bloody great because I haven’t been this happy in a long while. And oh, yes, it just gets better and better. I love it!