Archive for November 7th, 2011

C’mon man: “Jay-Z 101” is just the tip of the iceberg …

November 7, 2011

A loyal HomaFiles reader linked me to a site that has an expansive list of dumb & dumber college courses.

Here are my dozen favorites …  I saved the best for last.

  1. Campus Culture and Drinking: As many students may have been sad to learn, this course doesn’t encourage students to go get trashed, instead asking them to more carefully consider the social and cultural aspects of drinking on campus. [Duke]
  2. American Degenerates: Learn more about the relationship between writers and early Americans and their sense of personal identity in this course. [Brown]
  3. Age of Piracy: Johnny Depp’s kooky but sexy Jack Sparrow has gotten many students interested in learning more about the pirating arts, and this course offers them the chance to take a look at the much less appealing, real-life lives of pirates. [Arizona State]
  4. Alien Sex: Explore the weird, wild and depraved aspects of sex between humans and monsters alike. [University of Rochester]
  5. Mail Order Brides? Understanding the Philippines in Southeast Asian Context: As off-putting as it sounds to most people, mail order brides are a real thing, and students at this prestigious university can learn why the phenomenon exists and is so prevalent in the Philippines through this course. [Johns Hopkins]
  6. The Simpsons and Philosophy: While the Simpsons may appear to be just good entertainment, this course shows the deeper philosophical issues under all those “d’ohs.” [UC Berkeley]
  7. Arguing with Judge Judy: Popular ‘Logic’ on TV Judge Shows: Ever felt like the plaintiffs on TV judge shows have some pretty questionable logic? This class addresses that subject directly, allowing students to pull apart courtroom excuses just like Judge Judy. [UC Berkeley]
  8. How to Watch Television: Though most of us are pretty adept at turning on the TV and vegging out, this course aims to teach students how to watch TV actively. [Montclair]
  9. Tightwaddery, or The Good Life on a Dollar a Day: While the title might elicit some laughs, this course offers some sage advice on breaking the bonds of consumerism and fighting back against the status quo. And if that isn’t part of a well-rounded college education then what is? [Alfred]
  10. Getting Dressed: While many students wouldn’t have made it to college without some idea of how to get dressed in the morning, this class takes it one step further and takes a look at what it really means to wear those Uggs or backwards baseball cap. [Princeton]
  11. Stupidity: What better topic to rail against at college than stupidity? This course examines it at depth from literary, social and philosophical perspectives. [Occidental]
  12. American Pro Wrestling: While the words “MIT” and “pro wrestling” may not be two you’d bring together, this course asks students at the tech-savvy school to think about the cultural implications of the often-theatrical wrestling world. [MIT]

Is college worth it? You bet it is.

Thanks to AY for feeding the lead.

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Big banks face flight of unprofitable customers … good news for credit unions ???

November 7, 2011

Last Saturday was “Bank Transfer Day”.

First the details, then the analysis …

According to the AP:

A grassroots movement that sprang to life last month is urging bank customers to close their accounts in favor of credit unions.

The spirit behind “Bank Transfer Day” caught fire and had more than 79,000 supporters on its Facebook page.

“Consumers are waking up and seeing that they have options.”

Even with its public support, however, it’s not likely that any account closings that take place will make a big dent with industry titans such as Chase, which is the largest bank in the country with some 26.5 million checking accounts.

Credit unions and small community banks have been basking in the spotlight and issuing press releases highlighting what they say are superior interest rates and more intimate service.

Big banks have also learned that customer grumblings don’t always translate into action. That’s particularly true for those who have multiple accounts, direct deposit and automatic bill pay; many decide that switching just isn’t worth the hassle.

Here’s what I find bemusing …

Banks only make money on about 40% of their customers.  Think multiple accounts, big balances..

image

My bet: the bulk of the  Bank Transferers are in the bottom 60% … especially since the debit card fee structures (from merchants) were cut by legislation and B of A’s evil $5 monthly fee was rescinded.

The WSJ says that people who gravitate to credit unions will likely  tend to be ones who were unprofitable for giant banks because of the small balances they keep on deposit, low number of products they buy and the relatively high account-maintenance expenses at big financial firms. —  it costs the giant banks about $350 to $450 per year to maintain a checking account

So, the credit unions and small banks are probably getting a bunch of accounts that will hurt their profitability.

Anybody remember the 1980 Mariel Boatlift?

Bank Transfer Day may be the big banks’ equivalent …

image

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Wagging the “Long Tail” by self-publishing …

November 7, 2011

TakeAway: Established writers and new writers take advantage of self publishing with the evolution of digital books.

Good example of the Long Tail Strategy. 

* * * * *
Excerpt from WSJ: “Secret of Self-Publishing: Success”

Self-publishing has been available for decades.

But thanks to digital technology and particularly the emergence of e-books, the number of self-published titles exploded 160% in 2010 from 2006. 

Amazon.com fueled the growth by offering self-published writers as much as 70% of revenue on digital books.

By comparison, traditional publishers typically pay their authors 25% of net digital sales and even less on print books.

A veteran romance author self-published her first e-book in April 2010. She has since cumulatively sold 265,000 units of 10 self-published titles.

Her total take from those 10 titles since last April: in excess of $500,000 after expenses. Previously, the most she ever made from a book was $33,000.

“One of the big differences between e-books and print is the sales cycle … It’s almost inverted.”

A chain store buyer makes a decision as much as six months before a book is published, and then it has no more than six months on the shelf. At that point, the sales cycle is essentially over.

But with e-books, it’s completely the opposite.

“It’s often six to nine months before your book takes off, and you never take it down.”

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