June 2011 archive

CFOs are dissatisfied with Big 4 Accounting firms

If you have $32,400 to spend on a survey of the Big Four accounting firms, then BTI Consulting will sell you their recent survey of chief financial officers of major U.S. public companies.  But, our headline is free.  Only 6 in 10 clients would recommend their Big 4 auditor to others, and 18.5% of companies are …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2011/06/cfos-are-dissatisfied-with-big-4-accounting-firms/

Amazon's Junk Ebook Problem and a Computer Forensics Approach to Solve It

Recently Reuters ran a story regarding (i) Amazon’s ebooks business that is part of its highly popular Kindle readers and (ii) reader applications for phone and table devices.   One consequence of these offerings is they provide a way for writers to self-publish their own work for free. Unfortunately whenever the words Internet and free are combined, …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2011/06/amazons-junk-ebook-problem-and-a-computer-forensics-approach-to-solve-it-2/

Amazon’s Junk Ebook Problem and a Computer Forensics Approach to Solve It

Recently Reuters ran a story regarding (i) Amazon’s ebooks business that is part of its highly popular Kindle readers and (ii) reader applications for phone and table devices.   One consequence of these offerings is they provide a way for writers to self-publish their own work for free. Unfortunately whenever the words Internet and free are combined, …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2011/06/amazons-junk-ebook-problem-and-a-computer-forensics-approach-to-solve-it/

Eddifice Rex

It isn’t  often that a story comes along that combines my original profession, architecture, with my current, computers.  This was one. Steve Jobs arrived the day after Apple’s WWDC11 conference, with very short notice, at the Cupertino City Council meeting.  No surprise, they added him to the agenda.  His purpose?  To display to the city council …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2011/06/eddifice-rex/

Beware Of Poll Results

The Associated Press (AP) does its readers a disservice by suggesting that its most recent May 2011 survey results are indicative of future election outcomes.   AP makes significantly incorrect claims about likely election results because its poll (i) starts with a more Democrat-friendly profile, and (ii) is not based on likely voters. The AP poll starts with …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2011/06/beware-of-poll-results/

HP TouchPad vs the iPad 2: And Fight!

HP recently announced that their Touchpad tablet computer will be available for order on June 19, with prices identical to a similarly configured iPad 2. Sales of the TouchPad will be looked at closely as the answer to a very big question: Did HP make a mistake paying 1.2 billion dollars for Palm?  Palm’s share …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2011/06/hp-touchpad-vs-the-ipad-2-and-fight/

The Worst Example of Executive Data Security Ever?

Fabrice Tourre of Goldman Sachs has the distinction of being the only person sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission for fraud in selling mortgage backed securities. While that may remain his primary claim to fame (thanks to a  front-page article in the New York Times), there may be a secondary distinction added: the worst handling of …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2011/06/the-worst-example-of-executive-data-security-ever/

What statistics can tell us about the ditching of L.A.’s "Gold Card Desk"

Most never even knew what the “Gold Card Desk” was before it was abolished last week, not even in Los Angeles where it inhabited for the last 20 years.    The “Gold Card Desk” is an esoteric service that allows Los Angles city government officials to fast track parking citation reviews that they receive.  A plastic parking bureau Gold Card was distributed to …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2011/06/what-statistics-can-tell-us-about-the-ditching-of-l-a-s-gold-card-desk-2/

What statistics can tell us about the ditching of L.A.’s “Gold Card Desk”

Most never even knew what the “Gold Card Desk” was before it was abolished last week, not even in Los Angeles where it inhabited for the last 20 years.    The “Gold Card Desk” is an esoteric service that allows Los Angles city government officials to fast track parking citation reviews that they receive.  A plastic parking bureau Gold Card was distributed to …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2011/06/what-statistics-can-tell-us-about-the-ditching-of-l-a-s-gold-card-desk/