January 2012
1 post
December 2011
1 post
Shrimp Asopao Recipe →
Family recipe. Makes a great winter dinner.
November 2011
1 post
October 2011
1 post
September 2011
1 post
July 2011
1 post
June 2011
2 posts
Groupon's flimsy "revenue" →
Revenue is waaay overstated. Why? No reason but for the IPO. Calling 1999!
Price vs Value →
Dr. Damodaran nails a subtle but major issue - price and value are NOT the same!
May 2011
2 posts
Technology smarts
I was in my apartment gym the other day, doing my usual elliptical cardio. 40 minutes, sport intervals, low intensity for 2 minutes followed by super high intensity for 2 more. Good stuff - the rapid back-and-forth works up a good burn.
Anyhow, much like other gyms there’s lots of technology around - motion-activated lights, TVs mounted on each cardio machine, etc. And just like other...
The Food Truck Bubble →
This article makes me recall a conversation I had a few years ago over dinner, where I predicted McDonald’s would be in the food truck business by 2012. I’m not far off!
March 2011
1 post
February 2011
5 posts
Ingenious Craigslist Scam
I was recently on the hunt for a used MacBook on Craigslist. Having searched around for a while, you start to get a sense of the price points. MacBooks, for example, fall in the $500-700 range. MacBook Pros usually start around $800.
The other day, I came across an almost-too-good-to-be-true deal:
Apple Macbook Pro Core Duo 3.06ghz 4gb - $500
The seller went on to say that it was BRAND NEW, and...
Duff & Phelps: Careers →
I wrote a testimonial over at the Duff & Phelps’ career page on LinkedIn. No BS, love it here.
January 2011
2 posts
AT&T U-verse and Mobility
Random thought when enjoying
my U-verse TV service, thinking about bundling and integration options with mobile service. Guess what, there are none. U-verse and Mobility don’t talk to each other - except for maybe the occasional iPhone app. For being the same company you’d expect some convergence. Take for example the AT&T Microcell, a femtocell which lets you use your broadband to...
Investing in Facebook? Buyer beware. →
December 2010
4 posts
The next battleground on web privacy: apps. →
“You ever been in church, preacher’s preaching, choir’s singing, and...”
– Ted Alexandro
College Football
I’ve got a single fix for several issues plaguing college football. No one likes the BCS but it offers the highest payoff. Or does it? First the issues:
Lack of inventory - the conferences conclude their championships in the first week of December. Until the interesting bowl games arrive in late December the sport disappears for an entire month.
No playoff system - the Boise State’s...
November 2010
3 posts
Cost of Capital in Litigation →
I was credited with a chapter byline in the latest Cost of Capital in Litigation: Applications and Examples book from Shannon Pratt and Roger Grabowski. Roger is a Managing Director at Duff & Phelps and he reached out to the Property Tax group for assistance on Chap 11 of his book, Cost of Capital in Ad Valorem Taxation.
Ruben's Easy Arroz con Pollo Recipe →
I get a lot of folks asking me for a simple Puerto Rican recipe they can try out at home. After some tweaking I came up with this one - an easy version of the Puerto Rican staple, arroz con pollo. You basically throw the ingredients into a baking dish, toss into the oven, and serve. Can’t get any simpler than that.
Mark Hurd →
It’s insane how obsessed the Wall Street Journal is in this Mark Hurd story. Simple lesson here: if you’re a scumbag, pay for your own indiscretions.
October 2010
5 posts
Bernie points to the traditional Formula 1 tracks... →
I think I’m gonna start talking out of both sides of my mouth and see where that takes me in life.
WatchThis guy even has an iPhone app based on his quotes.
September 2010
2 posts
Craigslist Scam
This email landed in my inbox when I tried to sell some tickets last week. Apparently, he wants to pay more than what I listed them for. Wow isn’t he generous? I didn’t figure out until I realized he didn’t reference what it was he was buying.
from: shannonn mandela<shannonmandela@gmail.com>
to: Ruben Miranda
date: Wed, Sep 29, 2010 at 11:57 AM
subject: Re: Date:...
July 2010
1 post
Visions of Puerto Rico →
A one-hour documentary on Puerto Rico narrated by Rita Moreno. Fairly complete profile of the island.
May 2010
1 post
The FCC National Broadband Plan →
I was prominently featured in the the first technical paper of the FCC’s National Broadband Plan. The plan is a massive effort by the administration to determine how much it would cost to extend broadband service to the remainder of the country.
April 2010
1 post
How to get rid of those horrible Windows XP... →
March 2010
1 post
February 2010
2 posts
January 2010
1 post
Sandy Leeds
My former professor at UT, Sandy Leeds, is blogging at Leeds on Finance. He focuses on broad economic issues that impact investment decisions, as well as issues within the federal government’s fiscal policy. Occasionally sobering but dealt with the dry humor that I remember during class.
December 2009
1 post
November 2009
1 post
Football Helmets
The WSJ asks the question of whether football helmets make the game more dangerous, instead of safer. I think removing the helmet altogether is extreme, but they should definitely look at making them smaller. Fear of pain coming from your own hit could be a valuable deterrent.
January 2009
1 post
December 2008
1 post
History of the AIG Bailout
WaPo with a good recap of how AIG came to be the largest bailout in US history.
Part One: The Beautiful Machine Part Two: A Crack in the System Part Three: Downgrades and Downfall
October 2008
1 post
August 2008
1 post
June 2008
1 post
In the Texas Lottery, 18- to 24-year-old players... →
February 2008
2 posts
The Next Slum
The Atlantic paints a depressing forecast on the future of suburbs.
October 2007
1 post
Michael Vick's House for Sale →
Michael Vick’s home for sale in Duluth, GA - shortly after his conviction of running a dogfighting ring.
July 2007
2 posts
Red Hat Challenge
I and three other MBA students recently completed a contest which involved producing a document outlining a new way for Red Hat Inc. to make money - known as the Red Hat Challenge. The contest featured:
144 Schools
344 Teams
978 Contestants from 15 Countries
Results came in today. We finished in 7th Place. Not bad!
Our idea was based on the One Laptop Per Child initiative, a public/private...