Weekend Open Discussion

Posted on October 2, 2021 by grim

No Pumpkins, not Halloween.

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106 Responses to Weekend Open Discussion

  1. Hold my beer says:
    October 2, 2021 at 7:48 am

    First

  3. Juice Box says:
    October 2, 2021 at 9:34 am

    We are having our annual Hood/Block Party today after skipping last year. Thankfully they have moved it down two blocks, so less mess for me to pick up tomorrow morning. I would say super spreader event for the kids.. The neighbor who’s kid has Covid this week won’t be there thankfully they are quarantined. I will be crashing it tonight half in the bag with some fireworks and a nice cigar… That reminds me I owe a neighbor a cigar so need to make a run to Shop Rite. The one buy us a Saker Shop Rite actually has a nice selection.

  4. Chicago says:
    October 2, 2021 at 9:48 am

    Am I off base here? The Sopranos movie was meh.

  5. Ex says:
    October 2, 2021 at 9:57 am

    Soprano’s movie was decent. Not outstanding not mind blowing, but entertaining.

  6. Ex says:
    October 2, 2021 at 11:18 am

    Completely different tone than the series in some ways.
    Tony seemed a little too sweet. Would’ve liked to have seen
    him do something really heinous and random at some point.
    The kid’s character was a bit flat.

  7. Ex says:
    October 2, 2021 at 11:19 am

    NYTimes:
    Giuseppina (Michela De Rossi), who’s brought from Italy by Dickie’s father (Ray Liotta) to be his wife; mostly, she’s around to flash booty and stir up Oedipal trouble.
    Movie spinoffs can be tough to pull off. Nothing felt at stake when I watched, oh, the first “Brady Bunch” movie, but its source material wasn’t a critical fetish, something that inspired excited discussions on masculinity, the latest golden age of television and the effect on the industry. “The Sopranos,” though, was too good, too memorable, and its hold on the popular imagination remains unshakable. It still casts a spell, and the movie knows it, which is why it sticks to the tired template of a boy’s own story rather than taking a radical turn, like revisiting Tony’s world from Giuseppina’s or Livia’s or Harold’s points of view. In the end, the best thing about “The Many Saints of Newark” is that it makes you think about “The Sopranos,” but that’s also the worst thing about it.

  8. BRT says:
    October 2, 2021 at 1:51 pm

    Sopranos as great as it was. ..was a show in decline over the years. Still better than anything else out there though. The pilot episode is still the best one.

  9. The Great Pumpkin says:
    October 2, 2021 at 5:01 pm

    I can see Chamath spitting up his porridge this morning when the tesla numbers hit.

  10. The Great Pumpkin says:
    October 2, 2021 at 5:38 pm

    “Any forecast of the future says more about the forecaster than it does about the future.” — Buffett

  11. BRT says:
    October 2, 2021 at 5:50 pm

    Chamath unloaded all his virgin galactic on Cathie. He doesn’t give a crap about earnings. He’s the world’s best pumper and dumper.

  12. The Great Pumpkin says:
    October 2, 2021 at 6:17 pm

    Cathie going off on this thread

    “Today, $TSLA announced that in the third quarter it sold 241,300 vehicles globally, up 73% year over year (YoY) and 20% quarter over quarter (QOQ). Meanwhile, $GM blamed the ~33% YoY decline in its US sales on chip shortages. What? #EVs require 3-5x more chips per car produced!”

    https://twitter.com/cathiedwood/status/1444424136013537290?s=10

  13. Yo! says:
    October 2, 2021 at 6:23 pm

    Breaking news out out of SHI Stadium in Piscataway this afternoon:

    Football team getting blown out in 3rd quarter 52-6. Superstar $32 million Rutgers head coach has 74-75 record at school.

    Rutgers paying Snoop Dogg $500,000 to perform free concert at the stadium.

    Taxpayer funds hard at work.

  14. Yo! says:
    October 2, 2021 at 6:25 pm

    Grim I’m in mod. Maybe something about state paying a rapper $500,000 to do a free concert.

  15. Hold my beer says:
    October 2, 2021 at 8:12 pm

    America is going nuts. And liberals can’t understand why people voted for trump. And the liberals want to cancel student debt so we get to pay for this nonsense in more ways than one.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10052811/Wokes-poisonous-twist-return-segregation.html#article-10052811

  17. Ex says:
    October 3, 2021 at 12:17 am

    Culling of the herd.

  18. The Great Pumpkin says:
    October 3, 2021 at 8:51 am

    You guys read that thread I posted from Cathie. Deflation is the true battle, not inflation.

    “Addressing the chip shortages in the last two weeks, the Biden Administration has threatened to invoke a traditional war-time measure, the Defense Production Act, which would force companies to disclose supply chain information, including chip inventories.

    We would not be surprised to see chip supplies loosen up considerably, perhaps turning the problem from a shortage into a glut given the weakness in gas-powered auto demand. @elonmusk, $AMD’s Su, and $GM’s Carlisle are on record saying chip supply constraints are easing.

    Chips are not alone. After the disproportionate spending on goods that caused shortages before vaccinations became available this spring, the shift to spending on services could transform other commodity shortages into gluts, pushing prices down and dissipating inflation fears.

    Since spring, prices of lumber have dropped 64%, iron ore -51%, DRAM chips -20%, and copper -15%. When companies build inventories in anticipation of demand that does not materialize and inventory losses threaten their financials, they sell, exacerbating the price declines.”

  19. The Great Pumpkin says:
    October 3, 2021 at 8:54 am

    And some of you act like this woman is clueless. She is smarter than 99% of people in the room.

    “Back to the #auto industry, the inventory glut is not on dealer lots: auto manufacturers have only 17 days of supply in the pipeline, much lower than the normal 60+ days. As is the case for many goods that we stocked during the last year, the inventory is in homes and garages.

    Because consumers bought new and used cars to avoid mass transit during the past year, the V-shaped recovery in autos was more dramatic than that after most of the more prolonged recessions during the past 50 years.

    As mass transit and ride-sharing continue to recover during the next year or so, many consumers could conclude that they have prepaid too much for transportation in the form of those extra cars.

    By the time autos recover strongly, if @skorusARK’s analysis is correct, the sticker prices of #ElectricVehicles will be at or below those of like-for-like gas powered vehicles, suggesting that traditional auto companies will have to transform from ~95% gas to majority electric.”

  20. The Great Pumpkin says:
    October 3, 2021 at 8:59 am

    Housing is the only product that won’t be hit by deflation. There simply is not enough supply to push prices downward.

  21. The Great Pumpkin says:
    October 3, 2021 at 9:01 am

    All those bottle necks are going to burst and lead to a glut of supply. Tell me how inflation is here to stay…tell me lies sweet little lies.

  22. Juice Box says:
    October 3, 2021 at 10:02 am

    Fun times at the neighborhood party last night. All the older folks told me they want to sell, there were a few men late 50s and early 60s who were laid off and packaged out of their jobs and now are doing other things. One guy took a job at the Count Basie theater.

    The younger ones cannot believe the run up in prices and aren’t planning on moving anytime soon. Very competitive cornhole games, lots of talk of fixing up homes putting in pools and all kinds of school and kids of stuff.

    Also found out a Russian owns the local Italian joint. I was wondering who was driving the Bugatti to work there, and why there were so many Russian speakers hanging outside smoking on the weekends.

  23. BRT says:
    October 3, 2021 at 11:30 am

    You should be about $40k into ARKK according to your plans right?

  24. 3b says:
    October 3, 2021 at 1:05 pm

    Housing is only thing that won’t de touched by deflation, because someone says so. It most certainly will, and lots more WFH coming as well, and as I have been saying. That will impact commercial real estate and from there residential real estate prices. NY will have to reinvent itself and become more competitive. That’s the future.

  25. Out of the Ashes goes the Phoenix says:
    October 3, 2021 at 2:30 pm

    NJ Airline travelers going on vacation. I wonder if they ever did a study to find out if more repubs or demorats grab their luggage on a burning aircraft?

    https://youtu.be/Is3xPah6bMg

  26. Fast Eddie says:
    October 3, 2021 at 2:30 pm

    Chants of ‘F— Joe Biden’ rain down from NASCAR stands during interview with Talladega winner.

    The chants are at college games, events and tournaments all over the country. Does President Placeholder’s handlers explain his irrelevance?

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/chants-apos-f-joe-biden-012359288.html

  27. BRT says:
    October 3, 2021 at 2:56 pm

    Lol…already starting with the unsafe Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas BS. Cut the crap already. I just bought tickets to see Tool at Prudential.

  28. The Great Pumpkin says:
    October 3, 2021 at 3:11 pm

    .@ARKInvest does not sell behind the scenes. We publish our trades at the end of every business day.

    https://twitter.com/cathiedwood/status/1444460087343468544?s=21

  29. Hold my beer says:
    October 3, 2021 at 3:31 pm

    Phoenix

    what do you expect from clowns who will pay 550k for a POS cape on a busy road or next to the train tracks?

    Always sit near an emergency exit. That way you will only have to shove 1 or 2 morons out of the way to hit the ramp

  30. 3b says:
    October 3, 2021 at 3:45 pm

    Hold: Everyday we get further and further away from MLK s dream.

  31. 3b says:
    October 3, 2021 at 3:50 pm

    Hold : A cape just closed recently in my town, 3 tiny bedrooms, tiny first floor living space, two people could not turn around in the kitchen, no dining room, so they put a new kitchen in the basement!! All for a sold price of 500k and 10k a year in taxes. No this is not a bubble!

  32. Hold my beer says:
    October 3, 2021 at 4:07 pm

    3b

    That’s is depressing. You should see the nice houses you can get in blue ribbon towns in DFW area for 500k. Even after the run up in prices. No basement but you can still get 2,500-3,400 sq ft. Even new construction from reputable builders for that price range

  33. 3b says:
    October 3, 2021 at 4:58 pm

    Hold: I feel for the people that bought this shoebox. I don’t know what they were thinking.

  34. Juice Box says:
    October 3, 2021 at 5:20 pm

    Sad sad day.. Closed my pool for the next 7 months and the Jets actually won a game due to a shanked kick in overtime.

    However hot tub is open and I am currently watching the Steelers vs Packers on the iPad. Let the good times roll..

  35. Fabius Maximus says:
    October 3, 2021 at 10:23 pm

    For those watching Squid.

    might be good to google “south korea youth bankruptcy” if you’re watching Squid Game
    https://twitter.com/_EricHu/status/1444717191312592906

  36. Lib says:
    October 3, 2021 at 10:24 pm

    I went to a party in Madison. Drank some wine and now can’t keep my eyes open. See you all tomorrow.

  37. Bystander says:
    October 4, 2021 at 8:15 am

    Morning all,

    I gotta say what a strange weekend. It started with concert on Friday where the venue mandated that you show vaccine card before entering. They just introduced policy week before and did not communicate it well. We almost did not make it in but wives able to text picture of our cards. Unreal. Hundreds were probably turned away. Place was half full. Ended up having a few drinks with band after which was cool. Interesting time for musicians with all varying venue rules. On pumpkin front, the only thing more idiotic than our resident pumpkin is my local pumpkin farm’s insane money grab. We tried to go yesterday and they introduced $10 per person charge to gain entry and raised hay ride prices (only reason to go). A family of 4 would have to pay $70 just to do 8m hayrid. You still get to gourd gouging and all other insanely overpriced items as well. Guess they are pricing for NYC folks coming into CT. Apple farm just as bad. They charged $20 for a 3lb plastic bag and said no bags or purses allowed bc “the owner is worried people will steal apples”. The world is off its rockers now. Pure moneygrab, shakedown, f-you going on. I’ve been going to these places for 7 years and that was last time.

  38. Libturd says:
    October 4, 2021 at 8:52 am

    By.

    We used to go to a farm out by Morristown. Even bought a membership for their fruit picking which actually made it price similarly to the supermarket, but much fresher with better variety. We used to take the kids on the annual hay ride, corn maze, pumpkin slingshot trip until about six years ago when it too started pricing at ludicrous levels ($25 per person). When I asked why it got so pricey, they said they had to pay for the cops who were directing traffic into and out of the parking lot. I looked up the rate most towns charge and it would amount to $160 an hour. Goldmine indeed. Wightman’s Farm.

  39. Bystander says:
    October 4, 2021 at 9:23 am

    Lib,

    That is crazy. The farm is in Shelton CT, not exactly bastion of wealth. As I mentioned, I have never seen so many 80k cars driving around Fairfield County. Must have been 6 Cayennes in lot at Apple Farm. I was behind one pulling in. Model S Teslas all around town. Alot of tubby, tat crowd walking around driving pickups though. I’ve noticed that it is now exanding to be hard Cider distillery and converting barn to food tasting area. The Fed has really f-ed things up bad. I don’t know how regular folks are going to keep going without stimulus. The wealthy are absolutely lapping them and clearly businesses would rather reach for smaller crowd that will pay $100/pop then lots of regular joe who can afford $20. Same for labor, the rich will pay someone $500 to close a pool. I had guy for 7 years who was $240. I called him in August to schedule pool close and he says $500 to close in Sept. He can do $350 starting mid-Oct. Basically gave me the f-you. I closed it myself last week. Not tough but safety cover was a bitch.

  40. BRT says:
    October 4, 2021 at 9:57 am

    Definitely a goldmine. When I sold jam and hot sauce at an apple orchard in Colt’s Neck, on Columbus weekend, you could clear $5k worth of the two products in 1 day alone. Maybe $13k for the weekend. And we would only get maybe 2 or 3% of the people there to even stop by. Everyone else had 10 pounds of apples and was buying cider all kinds of other things.

  41. BidenIsTheGOAT says:
    October 4, 2021 at 10:05 am

    If people are willing to spend $150 on an afternoon picking a pumpkin and eating some mediocre food truck food then it’s a beautiful thing.

    The payoffs are what they are. Those “farms” are supposed to be limited to a farm stand only. To turn it into a mini amusement park each weekend without permits you’re going to have to grease a few palms. One by us has a beer truck out there.

  42. 3b says:
    October 4, 2021 at 10:11 am

    Bystander: The Fed has definitely made a mess of things. They know they have to tighten , but it will cause a lot of pain. If they don’t tighten it will all completely collapse. Thanks Jerome.

  43. BRT says:
    October 4, 2021 at 10:24 am

    Also, most of the produce they bring I. Is from farms out of state. Especially the pumpkins. But they claim it’s their own and skip on the taxes.

  44. Bystander says:
    October 4, 2021 at 10:40 am

    I love when these “farms” sell Stonewall Kitchen stuff. People are morons. My dad knows people who supply cider donuts to farms. He noticed that they only heated and sugared the donuts at this farm. They taste great though. I don’t mind paying for good stuff. It bought 1/2 dozen donuts, gallon of fresh cider, a few apple scones for $15. Worth it. Waiting in line to pay $20 for 12 apples…NFW.

  45. 3b says:
    October 4, 2021 at 10:48 am

    I would say some people probably end up throwing a lot of the apples away.

  46. Juice Box says:
    October 4, 2021 at 10:55 am

    We went one year to the farm in Vernon Valley with the rides and pumpkin picking etc.

    https://heavenhillfarm.com/

    It’s $49.99 now for a season’s pass, ages 2 and up…Hahahahahahahah

  47. Fast Eddie says:
    October 4, 2021 at 11:02 am

    In further news, Russia successfully launches a Zircon hypersonic cruise missile from a nuclear sub. They’re all slowly circling the wagons, detecting blood in the water due to the weakest administration the US has ever seen. The world witnessed how the Taliban slapped us around like one of their wives and now, China and Russia is licking their chops. And who knows the amount of drugs and armaments that are flowing across the southern border. What we need is a $3.5 trillion dollar bill to fund the arts, enhance our schools with gender study curriculum and provide free b1rth control p1lls.

  48. BRT says:
    October 4, 2021 at 11:04 am

    Delicious Orchards in Colt’s Neck was the last holdout. The only mill I knew selling unpasteurized apple cider. It was the best. They started pasteurizing it last year. I talked to the guy about it. He said the younger people only want pasteurized. I bought 5 half gallons of the last batch and still have them frozen to this day. I might just have to start making my own.

  49. Juice Box says:
    October 4, 2021 at 11:06 am

    Last time I went apple picking was three years ago Eastmont Orchards in Colts Neck. I think the price was something like $1.89 a lb. Not sure what it is now but it’s still more expensive than the supermarket.

  50. Hold my beer says:
    October 4, 2021 at 11:11 am

    Speaking of apples, I found Pumps deflation. I traded in my iphone XR over the weekend for a 13 with 256 gbs. Only $5 a month after trade in.

  51. Libturd says:
    October 4, 2021 at 11:18 am

    HMB,

    The Verizon deal is so strong right now, the four phones in my family have all been upgraded (after two or three years) to the 13s. We are still paying the same amount we paid for Visible wireless on a 30 month plan. Visible worked well when you worked out all of the technical issues, but I would definitely stick with Verizon over Visble if its the same price. Plus it comes with lots of streaming goodies.

  52. Hold my beer says:
    October 4, 2021 at 11:27 am

    Lib

    We’re on verizon. My son’s phone was 4 years old and not acting right. It was still only $20 a month for him to get a 13 with 256 gbs after trading in his 8. The apple employees looked up my plan for me. When I saw it was only $5 a month for a 24 month plan I jumped on that deal. My XR wasn’t charging properly and its battery health was down to 81%.

    Bonus. We went to Lolos fried chicken and waffles afterwards. Incredible food. There’s one in Vegas too.

  53. Libturd says:
    October 4, 2021 at 11:37 am

    On 9/14 and 9/28, I scaled out of a combined 30% of my long positions in both of my retirement accounts (IRA and 401K) and posted that I was doing so here. During the same time period, Pumps told you all to double down on ARKK. Rest assured, Pumps advice will always leave you with cheap shares.

    Told you the FED couldn’t stop purchasing assets. Just a mere mention of it and kablooey. Just wait until they actually do it.

    I just got my closing docs on my 1.9% 10 year. I am looking forward to the return of the interest rate deduction in the blue states.

  54. Libturd says:
    October 4, 2021 at 11:38 am

    If I ate Fried Chicken & Waffles, my heart would explode along with my waistline.

  55. Hold my beer says:
    October 4, 2021 at 11:44 am

    Lib

    You’d be fine. Lolos serves koolaid in jelly jars to wash down the chicken and waffles.

  56. leftwing says:
    October 4, 2021 at 11:54 am

    “You should be about $40k into ARKK according to your plans right?”

    $40k in total or $40k losses so far for him, lol.

    “Those “farms” are supposed to be limited to a farm stand only…One by us has a beer truck out there.”

    I frequented two this summer on occasion…around Long Valley/Hackettstown. Good times. Multiple food sources (dozen steamers with drawn butter and fresh corn on the cob, $12, mmmm) and local craft brewers with a band. Great times. Which means of course our idiot governor will find some way to shut them down or tax and regulate them out of existence.

  57. leftwing says:
    October 4, 2021 at 12:00 pm

    “The Fed has definitely made a mess of things. They know they have to tighten , but it will cause a lot of pain. If they don’t tighten it will all completely collapse. Thanks Jerome.”

    They missed their window….GDP growth moderating, they ‘hit’ they’ll take only gets worse the longer they take. Time to start was during the ebullience of 2Q.

  58. BRT says:
    October 4, 2021 at 12:04 pm

    Lib, great call. Lib, what instruments were you using again? I don’t remember what you posted.

  59. leftwing says:
    October 4, 2021 at 12:05 pm

    Lib, sold some of my LUV, just advanced too much. Still holding half and all my JBLU. Will need to hedge or figure out what to do this week on both with earnings coming up…

    Made a quick double over the weekend on TSLA, great trade, very low risk and high asymmetry.

    Lost 50% on a MRNA weekend play to offset.

    Now up 86% on my ARKK short and 67% on my HOOD short. Shares hold where they are or decline I’m looking at 3-5 baggers.

  60. leftwing says:
    October 4, 2021 at 12:34 pm

    Did a nice writeup on home and mobile given people here helped me with cord cutting….eaten by netherworld filter, can’t figure out why and don’t have any more time to keep trying…

    Bottom line, for those looking at mobile check out TMobile and do so through the store (not online). I shopped new mobile hard and they had the best deals, lines especially.

    Running a one line free, if you go in they will find additional discounts. I’m at $105 all in for three lines in their top plan. verizon couldn’t touch it, and I was an eight year customer there. Grabbed a new S20 for me for nearly free, no trade-in.

  61. 3b says:
    October 4, 2021 at 12:35 pm

    Left: Take away the punch bowl, as Mr. Greenspan said back in the day.

  62. Out of the Ashes goes the Phoenix says:
    October 4, 2021 at 1:12 pm

    Only symptoms left now are a slight cough that comes and goes.

    Guess I have the “bodies-anti” now.

    LW, I had T-Mobile in my area, it seemed like it kept getting worse. I checked my phone and it didn’t have the newer band 66 that T-Mobile was pushing, so I picked up a used phone that had it to trial how much it made a difference using an app called Network Cell Info Lite. Then compared it to Verizon. The band 66 didn’t help much. Coverage here is just plain better on Verizon’s network.

    Learned things. Towers are not owned by cell phone companies. They just lease space, and utilities from tower companies. So I guess it’s how much they want to spend in an area to increase coverage or eliminate dead spots.

    Problem with being stuck at home, you shop. Bought my first Iphone. Figure I will have time to learn how to use it. My Androids were old and dying. Hoping to be able to integrate some of the “Google” system into it so not everything needs to start over. If its too much I’ll just dump it back and chalk it up as a learning experience.

    Lib I would like to join you club. Let me know what I need to do.

    As far as the apple picking stories- the worst one was what happened at Alstede Farms. Place is like an amusement park-turned horror show. You can Google it.

  63. BRT says:
    October 4, 2021 at 1:16 pm

    Phoenix, is that the one where the kid was run over by the bus?

  64. Juice Box says:
    October 4, 2021 at 1:18 pm

    Neigborhood Karen’s both kids have Covid now. She says has a cold, not Covid..The unvaccinated dingbat will probably give it to her gym and other places she frequents.

  65. Libturd says:
    October 4, 2021 at 1:31 pm

    Ok Phoenix. Will send you an invite to the next meeting on Tuesday the 12th at 7:30pm. It’s a zoom meeting. Glad you are healing.

    BRT, my instrument is having been watching the markets for too long. Want another crazy prediction? I don’t think this is the correction. I think we bounce back to record highs when they claim they can’t turn off the spigot and opt to only raise interest rates by an 1/8th per quarter. My best guess is that we will be deeply mired in misery around April of next year. That’s when we’ll start paying for all of the recent exuberance. My guess is that less than 3% of the population will have the money necessary to pay back the child credit advance. In the past, we’ve used stimulus to move buying demand forward. But you never ever paid back the stimulus. At best, our sugar daddy would simply put it on pause. This is the first time I ever remember needing to pay it back. And in a huge way!

  66. Out of the Ashes goes the Phoenix says:
    October 4, 2021 at 1:39 pm

    Thanks Lib. Appreciate.

    BRT,
    Yeah. Very familiar with this place. Been there many times for kid functions. Never fond of it.
    Many locals go to Hacklebarney. Low key, much smaller, meat and potatoes without all of the bells and whistles. No wine for the mommies, however-at least the last time I was there.

  67. chicagofinance says:
    October 4, 2021 at 1:46 pm

    Just go to The Source/MuckleyEye next door….. hang outside and watch the duffers on Trump….. get blasted… you can walk to my place or The Boss’s

    BRT says:
    October 4, 2021 at 11:04 am
    Delicious Orchards in Colt’s Neck was the last holdout. The only mill I knew selling unpasteurized apple cider. It was the best. They started pasteurizing it last year. I talked to the guy about it. He said the younger people only want pasteurized. I bought 5 half gallons of the last batch and still have them frozen to this day. I might just have to start making my own.

    Juice Box says:
    October 4, 2021 at 11:06 am
    Last time I went apple picking was three years ago Eastmont Orchards in Colts Neck. I think the price was something like $1.89 a lb. Not sure what it is now but it’s still more expensive than the supermarket.

  68. chicagofinance says:
    October 4, 2021 at 1:47 pm

    alternatively……. go to Holmdel Park and watch my son kick the sh!t out of everyone in X-C…..

  69. Juice Box says:
    October 4, 2021 at 1:56 pm

    Neighborhood Karen got her PCR test back whole family now sick. Husband is very sick. Both Parents and one kid over 12 not vaccinated.

  70. JCer says:
    October 4, 2021 at 2:05 pm

    T-Mobile is cheap, very fast in urbanized areas and downright awful in rural places, VZW has much better coverage overall. T-Mobile is the better provider if you travel overseas, it just works where VZW has worse coverage and frequently needs to be registered on the network. The truth is they all are offering much better deals to new customers especially t-mobile. Competition has brought rates down overall in wireless and the sprint-tmobile merger actually was positive for bringing down rates as t-mobile now has the scale to compete with ATT and VZW.

  71. 3b says:
    October 4, 2021 at 2:08 pm

    Phoenix: Glad you are feeling better.

  72. leftwing says:
    October 4, 2021 at 2:20 pm

    Re: Verizon, phones, and cords….

    Not a lot of time to post but you guys helped me out when I was exploring cutting…

    I was over $600 monthly on Fios and Verizon wireless for the family.

    Shaved the home bundle down to $181, 1GB downloads. Basically, lowest cable package since Fios alone plus Hulu or such for local were equivalent costs. Offset by HBO direct monthly subscription.

    Phones…..grrrrr…..got really sideways with Verizon. I got deprioritized near a large event. Had to use some else’s TMobile for a wifi hotspot. Visited the verizon store, come to find out my previous ‘highest tier’ plan has been supplanted by three more plans above it….Basically, I stood still (receiving all these great emails on how their rates weren’t going up) and they moved the goalposts around me. I was now lowest unlimited and getting bumped during network congestion.

    That plan was $150/month, three lines, before taxes, fees, surcharges, and any extras. Went to TMobile store – not online – and got top level unlimited for $105 all-in plus a new 12Pro plus a new S20 for $138 month, no trade-ins…..Tmobile right now at least as of last week seems to have the best deal around on premium lines and phones.

    Combined media bill, home and mobile, is now $320 monthly for the family from about $600.

    Would have cut the cord totally using Locast but they lost their court case a few weeks ago and pulled the plug…..g00gle that, very interesting story and would have been game changing for cord cutting had they been able to survive.

  73. grim says:
    October 4, 2021 at 2:28 pm

    Rescued it.

    I’m all tmo now.

  74. Grim says:
    October 4, 2021 at 2:33 pm

    Tmo is in kill mode right now, huge focus on subs acquisition and retention.

    They have the most attractive plans and rates right now, but it won’t last. One they are the undisputed top spot, they’ll start shifting to harvest mode.

  75. Grim says:
    October 4, 2021 at 2:35 pm

    All my nerdy neighbors have installed big antennas in their attic as part of their cord cutting. OTA is back. There is a surprising amount of OTA content in NNJ.

  76. Ex says:
    October 4, 2021 at 2:42 pm

    $300 per month for our cable bundle.
    We aren’t even big TV watchers. Cord cutting is
    in our future.

  77. Hold my beer says:
    October 4, 2021 at 2:53 pm

    AT & T Fiber is coming to my area in the next few months. The crews are out along the main roads working on it. We will be switching to that once it is in our development.

    I will be able to post drivel online faster than ever.

    We cut the cord a few years ago and subscribe to a few streaming services. Don’t miss live tv at all. Only use our digital antenna to get local live weather coverage when we are having severe storms.

  78. Out of the Ashes goes the Phoenix says:
    October 4, 2021 at 2:53 pm

    Locast?

    hell I was on Aereo many moons ago. had stacked vhf/uhf antennas on a rotor, channelmaster 7777 fringe amp, silicon dust HDHR plus, and a slingbox. I cut cords so long ago.
    Too bad I didn’t cut off the messed up marriage sooner.

    Locast had a good run though.

  79. Out of the Ashes goes the Phoenix says:
    October 4, 2021 at 2:57 pm

    From my old location I could pick up NYC, PHI, and DEL.

    Idiot ex talked me into selling that place. I wanted my kid to have it. I take her past it every so often and remind her of that.

    What could have been hers.

  80. JCer says:
    October 4, 2021 at 3:11 pm

    Cord cutting? I’m on FIOS but am grandfathered into some plan from the year of the flood. I pay ~$160 per month all in for phone, TV with all premium channels(HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Starz, etc), and 100 meg internet which realistically is enough, the only thing that stresses it is 4k video streaming because it eats like half the available bandwidth but it works fine on one tv. I don’t dare change it, I tried to get rid of the landline and the price went up significantly. I’ve run the numbers cutting the cord and buying a bunch of streaming services and internet service ultimately would cost more money.

  81. Libturd says:
    October 4, 2021 at 3:47 pm

    JCER,

    I was on that plan too. It was the original triple play. The problem with it is the incredibly low internet speed. When five of us were all working/schooling from home, everything wifi started dying (and even frying, in the case of my old ASUS modem). They would not let us upgrade the internet speed without giving up that plan. I think it was called Fios Extreme and had 25/25 internet. Went to 300/300 for $30 and cut the cord. Pay $70 for Fubo and love it. Now that we are back with Verizon for wireless, we get $10 off a month for autopay and if we combine the wifi and wireless bills. At the end of the day, if we brought our iPhones to Verizon, our entire phone/cable and wifi bill for four people would be $190 all in. We used to pay $170 for cell service alone (3 of 4 required unlimited).

  82. Libturd says:
    October 4, 2021 at 3:49 pm

    I should add. The casin0s throw AppleTVs with the free Apple+ at me like there is no tomorrow. So that’s our box.

  83. leftwing says:
    October 4, 2021 at 3:51 pm

    Grim, Thx.

    JCer, hear you on the ‘grandfathering’. Verizon has a dozen expired plans they keep you on, if you venture out yeah they whack you to new rates.

    Issue with my mobile was twofold…as someone mentions above great deals for new customers and with Verizon little for existing…that mentality always pushes over the edge especially when I’m a good customer…I’ve likely paid them a college tuition over the years and some new schmuck gets a deal and I don’t? And then, leapfrogging me with new plans….they never downgraded me from what was once their top plan they just kept my grandfathered plan with the old prices but then layered on three more plans above me all more expensive that pushed me down the priority totem pole….

    The Verizon field people – cell in the stores, any Fios tech, or even the call center – are top shelf. Really question corporate though…

  84. Libturd says:
    October 4, 2021 at 4:09 pm

    Sadly, that is exactly how Verizon works. It’s why I temporarily tried out Visible. Glad I did. Without it, I would have never received my current deal. T-Mobile sucks in Montclair, btw.

  85. Fast Eddie says:
    October 4, 2021 at 4:10 pm

    I just cut $100 off my mobile family plan this week. You guys are gonna need as much $$$ as possible for the soon-to-be $600/week food bill. That 12 item express line is averaging $100 now. Oh, and how’s filling up the gas tank looking?

  86. Walking says:
    October 4, 2021 at 4:12 pm

    I was talking to a friend today, he plans on going somewhat off the grid for retirement in West Virginia. Im talking you park the car at the bottom of the mountain and take an ATV up, until he repairs the road. He tells me he cant get the phone company to repair the line to his home (they show up in a van with a 6 foot ladder, so not worth there time to try and figure out the break) . He is telling me he is going with Starlink for his internet phone and has already ordered the terminal. did not think they were this far along

  87. chicagofinance says:
    October 4, 2021 at 4:34 pm

    Trading on concerns about supply chain due to COVID in Asia Ex-China and power shortage in China. Market is trading on what it will hear starting end of next week out of companies. If the companies spit the bit not on 3Q21 results, but EOY 21 and 2022 forecast, then selloff is warranted. If not, we will bounce back.

    Democratic Congressional implosion is not help to things.

    Mostly, the market is selling because it feels like selling. Stu is probably correct about his call.

    Libturd says:
    October 4, 2021 at 1:31 pm
    BRT, my instrument is having been watching the markets for too long. Want another crazy prediction? I don’t think this is the correction. I think we bounce back to record highs when they claim they can’t turn off the spigot and opt to only raise interest rates by an 1/8th per quarter. My best guess is that we will be deeply mired in misery around April of next year. That’s when we’ll start paying for all of the recent exuberance. My guess is that less than 3% of the population will have the money necessary to pay back the child credit advance. In the past, we’ve used stimulus to move buying demand forward. But you never ever paid back the stimulus. At best, our sugar daddy would simply put it on pause. This is the first time I ever remember needing to pay it back. And in a huge way!

  88. 3b says:
    October 4, 2021 at 4:36 pm

    Fast: More and more the financial press is coming to the belief that inflation is permanent, and not transitory; this is before the massive spending bill is taken into account.

  89. 3b says:
    October 4, 2021 at 4:44 pm

    David Yang quit the Democratic Party, feels he be more effective as an independent. He does not really matter in the scheme of things, but it is interesting. If more politicians left the two extremist parties and both parties have been hijacked by their extremist
    wings, maybe a real movement could start for a viable 3rd party instead of the madness we have now. Wishful thinking on my part, but that’s are only hope going forward.

  90. BRT says:
    October 4, 2021 at 4:51 pm

    Inflation has curbed my food choices. I’m now mostly economy cuts of chicken and pork. Steak…I quit. It’s like I’m back in grad school again.

  91. Juice Box says:
    October 4, 2021 at 4:52 pm

    6 month wait for a pool pump…That is crazy..Also was at Auto Parts store. Lots of empty shelves no idea when the merch will be back.

  92. BRt says:
    October 4, 2021 at 5:00 pm

    Juice, I had a lot of trouble just getting an air filter for my civic a few months back. Had to pay elevated prices.

  93. Hold my beer says:
    October 4, 2021 at 5:13 pm

    Seems like food has gone way up. My canned coconut milk has gone from $1.69 to $1.99 this summer. Scallions were 3 for $2, they are usually 3 or 4 for $1. Beef has gotten so expensive. Might have to start watching those YouTube videos on surviving the Great Depression .

  94. Fabius Maximus says:
    October 4, 2021 at 5:22 pm

    My FIOS channel guide went blank a few months back. Called support and went through all the troubleshooting. Rebooted everything in the house, they pushed an update out, but no success. I was getting TV and Internet, just no guide.

    When we went to schedule a tech to come out, they hit me with this. They wanted I think $120 for the service call. I was like WTF its your equipment. Apparently if you sign up for the $5 a month service plan, they will waive the call charges. I declined. I pointed out that I would need one service call a year to break even on that plan.

    I planned to cut the cord again and go back to Direct for Internet and OTA for programs, but the guide came back on its own 4 days later.

  95. leftwing says:
    October 4, 2021 at 6:10 pm

    “Scallions were 3 for $2, they are usually 3 or 4 for $1.”

    LOL. I eat a lot of them. I’ll get 9-12 bunches every few days. Forever at my green grocer they were 3 for 0.99. Now they are 3 for 1.29. In between they went to 0.99 a bunch for about two weeks. Got jammed up there, never look at the sign, so I hit the register where my total due is clockwork about $15 and I paid that in nearly scallions alone.

  97. leftwing says:
    October 4, 2021 at 6:28 pm

    LOL, Syniverse is a SPAC merger…..guess we know why now……bury the disclosure deep in a proxy rather than have established investors grill you for two weeks of road show and decide the tail risk is not worth it…..

  98. Out of the Ashes goes the Phoenix says:
    October 4, 2021 at 6:41 pm

    “Seems like a state-sponsored wet dream,” Adrian Sanabria, a cybersecurity expert and founder of Security Weekly Labs, told Motherboard in an online chat. “Can’t imagine [Syniverse] being a target for anyone else at that scale.”

    The hack is already raising the alarm in Washington.

    “The information flowing through Syniverse’s systems is espionage gold,” Sen. Ron Wyden told Motherboard in an emailed statement. “That this breach went undiscovered for five years raises serious questions about Syniverse’s cybersecurity practices. The FCC needs to get to the bottom of what happened, determine whether Syniverse’s cybersecurity practices were negligent, identify whether Syniverse’s competitors have experienced similar breaches, and then set mandatory cybersecurity standards for this

  99. BRT says:
    October 4, 2021 at 7:29 pm

    If you bury the tips of scallions, they continually regenerate. I’ve got three 15 gallon planters with various onions from cuttings this year. Also have a bucket of chives.
    Unlimited supply of scallions.

  100. Juice Box says:
    October 4, 2021 at 7:37 pm

    So there is now a theory that one of those cargo ships waiting off the Cali coast to unload in Long Beach dropped anchor on the pipeline and ruptured it.

  101. JCer says:
    October 4, 2021 at 8:34 pm

    Lib, I pulled a real fast one on FIOS because I had switched to Comcast on some sort of ridiculous deal where I was paying $120 for highest speed internet(~100 meg at the time) and all channels. Verizon matched it for 2 years if I switched, then it would go up $25, that was probably 7 years ago, it was a non published rate. I have no equipment, I own the router and have a Tivo with a cablecard. My service was $145 until hbo changed their rates and VZW raised me $15. 100 meg internet should support 4-5 people pretty easily, it’s 12 mb per sec, I can see how 35 would be a problem you can’t even stream a single 4k stream with that also if you had the old router the wifi is literally terrible, the old actiontec unit probably couldn’t saturate 35 over wifi.

    On inflation, it is bad many items are up 50% year over year and beef is easily double. When “Prime” strip steak in shop rite is $25 or $30 a lb it is a bad sign. Chicken is still cheap but beef is unsustainable. I cannot figure out the cause, futures are way up is it speculation?

  102. BRT says:
    October 4, 2021 at 8:39 pm

    The secret with comcast has always been, get some guy’s personal card. A lot of times, they hang out in the rental apartments like Avalon. They can make deals more than anyone on the phone can.

  103. leftwing says:
    October 4, 2021 at 8:48 pm

    So on the financial blog I hang out here’s the latest….apparently the FB outage has buried most of the news of the 60 Minutes whistleblower….as one guy whose trades I sometimes follow said, “Zuck’s got some serious 4D chess going on there”.

    Not a tinfoil hat type but…fcuking lol.

  104. Juice Box says:
    October 4, 2021 at 9:30 pm

    Facebook whistleblower, Frances Haugen will appear before the Senate Commerce Committee tomorrow. I don’t think people understand her message, she is calling for more censoring not less.

  105. BRT says:
    October 4, 2021 at 10:17 pm

    So the parent that isolated their child from my kids exclusively when we came back from Florida just had to get their kid covid tested for close contact. But they still have him playing outside with the other kids, including mine. Gotta love it.

  106. Chicago says:
    October 4, 2021 at 11:19 pm

    Too bad you weren’t getting TV and guide, just no Internet.

    Fabius Maximus says:
    October 4, 2021 at 5:22 pm
    My FIOS channel guide went blank a few months back. Called support and went through all the troubleshooting. Rebooted everything in the house, they pushed an update out, but no success. I was getting TV and Internet, just no guide.

    When we went to schedule a tech to come out, they hit me with this. They wanted I think $120 for the service call. I was like WTF its your equipment. Apparently if you sign up for the $5 a month service plan, they will waive the call charges. I declined. I pointed out that I would need one service call a year to break even on that plan.

    I planned to cut the cord again and go back to Direct for Internet and OTA for programs, but the guide came back on its own 4 days later.

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