Andrew Reid

The lack of travelling is a problem for me. I had the choice of shooting Sheep in the UK, or closed shops under a grey steel sky in Berlin and that has just been the last 6 months 🙂 Nothing is going on whatsoever!

New blog post here! https://www.eoshd.com/news/eoshd-podcast-episode-2-an-interview-with-michael-moores-producer-jeff-gibbs-and-their-new-film-michael-moores-planet-of-the-humans/ And new podcast can be streamed here: https://anchor.fm/eoshd/episodes/The-EOSHD-Podcast---Episode-2---Jeff-Gibbs--Director---Michael-Moores-Planet-Of-The-Humans-epsucf

In the 1990's, a good capable and forward thinking management at Canon would have been in talks with Adobe, and would have bought a controlling stake in the company. Out from that, the company would have sprung all kinds of software and technological services, before going into online photo sharing in a big way, 5 years before Facebook. In the early 2010s, a good and correct thinking Nikon management would have been deep in talks with mobile networks around the world and Apple, looking to create a standard e-sim for all customers so that their network contracts worked with the multiple devices they own. Rather than a sim card, onboard chip could hold digital subscriber info and connect to 4G networks. When the 4G era really got going, therefore, camera companies would all have the connectivity ready to go in their DSLRs and mirrorless cameras and a one-button press to share shots online. Also, larger back screen, touch screen UI, in-camera editing and filters, plus proper OS to run it all. None of this ever happened of course which is why the chart looks like it does above, rather than being the fault of consumers switching to smartphones. It is more that the Japanese camera corporations did nothing to mitigate it.

Nice reward for making it through the apocalypse!

Has the digital camera market finally bottomed out? Or will retailers like Amazon start to turn their back on cameras altogether? In terms of the number of units shipped each year to stores, digital cameras are now shipping in lower volumes than in the year 2000. The chart above shows the decline until 2019 before the pandemic, reflecting the failure of management at Canon, Nikon, Sony and others. However the latest 2020 figures show a further decrease from 14.86 million shipments to just 8.8 million which brings us under the tally for the year 2000, 20 years ago. Much higher prices now compensate for the loss in volume (as I look into here), as we the customers and our wallets know only too well. Companies have placed their hopes in products like the Sony Alpha 1, Canon EOS R5 and the Fuji GFX series, but professional users and enthusiasts have all without many exceptions been hammered by the coronavirus pandemic. I also have somewhat of a gut feeling there is a global economic catastrophe soon and during that, sales of expensive $6000 cameras will flop. Although the decrease in unit shipments is not the same as a decrease in profits or total sales volume, it does show the extent to which the market has had to adjust… New blog post

Something has gone badly wrong with the camera market. New blog post: https://www.eoshd.com/news/collapse-in-unit-shipments-means-6000-cameras-could-be-the-norm

Yes the morale is down. Some went in far too deep at too high price. Many did not know what they were doing and gambled just far too much money. However the real problem is the brokers preventing buys to protect their big clients and pals at the hedge funds. Sadly it wasn't just Robinhood. Almost the entire marketplace shut down the stock and blocked retail investors. That needs a massive legal enquiry. People wanting to go in with their $100 should be allowed to.

Yes, the dark side of the Biden administration right there. They need more principals. More like Bernie Sanders, who to be honest cuts an isolated figure in the top echelons of the party. I think the whole thing now probably needs a independent public enquiry. It is more likely however to just get a Netflix!

This article is behind a paywall of course. https://www.ft.com/content/8a483767-6b55-40a2-b8a6-1439a2f56084 "The simplest and most common form of stock fraud is the “pump and dump.” "It has three parts. Someone gets hold of some cheap shares; tells lies about why they are going to rise; and when they do, sells them, before the lies are discovered and the shares fall. This is against the law." "But what if we take out the middle step — the lying? Instead of spinning falsehoods about the shares, our perpetrator shouts to anyone who will listen: “If we all buy these cheap shares, then the price will go up, and we’ll make money.” The reason to write about this now, of course, is Robinhood, Reddit and GameStop. The third step still has to happen, of course. When everyone sells to take profits, the shares will fall, and some people will lose a bundle. So far from denying this fact, however, our perp points it out. “This is a dangerous game,” he says, “your timing better be good.” ---- It is shocking how much bad journalism there is out there this week all of a sudden. The Reddit action was basically a buy-for-a-bet and of course to screw hedge fund short sellers, and then hold. Buy because you like the stock and hold. It was not a pump and dump get rich quick scheme. The share price got hammered today because of massive short laddering going on and virtually all brokers blocking buys.

Looks like it's not just Robinhood but others as well blocking buyers. If they are going to do this, they should suspend the share altogether from trading, no buys, no selling. The short-ladders seem to be working to push the price down in time for Tuesday, coincidentally the very day Melvin Capital and a lot of short sellers had a deadline to return the same number of stocks that they bought to the original holders.

Amazing isn't it. Hedge funds don't fail, they simply get bailed out.

I am even thinking of dropping my X-T4 and going for X-S10. Find the ergonomics are overcooked on the X-T4 and fiddly. X-S10 is more in the X-H1 mould. How's the build quality Marcio?

Personally I don't care if it's worth $200 instead of $300 if it helps end the practice of short selling. Legal only for vestigial reasons, as Elon Musk says. I don't even mind if eventually the stock goes back to the more realistic level of $10. It was not an investment for me, for personal gain. From now on, short selling at the scale of Melvin Capital and Citidel just got much riskier And perhaps the stock market can go back to some semblance of ethics, as exemplified by Buffett... Rather than the Vegas casino certain people have turned it into. As it is, it's a risk to the global economy. SEC needs to look into the brokers BTW

Yes, it's all a big corrupt fix up. Robinhood have received massive injections of capital to deal with placing huge orders from retail investors with the brokers, and yet they're STILL limiting GME and others to 1 stock per buy, or maximum 5 for some stocks AFAIK This is illegal market manipulation.

Who is dumping? Last time I looked GME is still above $250 and that's in spite of Wall Street trying to get it down.

Logical, and thoughtful, but still missing the point about the internet DOGECOIN experiment which is taking place. It is not a profit for personal gain scheme or an investment. It is a fight back against centralised financial systems and centralised currencies. It's also another collective action whereby if people stick together in great numbers, buy and hold long-term, just that in itself creates a valuable commodity, which can gain traction and be noticed as a serious rival to other currencies. I don't see DOGECOIN so much as a currency, but as a ideological thing and a commodity. Do we want to be at the mercy of VISA and PayPal in 10 years time? I know I don't. PayPal take a big chunk of my revenue at EOSHD, and then apply a further 2.5% commission to currency conversion, on top of their absolutely shit rate. Recently they added another 3% on top of all that, bringing the total fees on each transaction close to 10%. That is extortion and monopolistic abuse. They are even shutting out competitors and other FinTech companies and banks, like Transferwise by making it impossible to withdraw USD to USD with no currency conversion - that's where the 3% fee kicks in if you trade in any other country with PayPal outside the US in dollars. I used to be able to transfer PayPal USD to my Transferwise bank account and use them to do the conversion to British Pound or Euro. Now, PayPal slap the 3% on it, to force me into their uncompetitive FX rate and further to that, the 2.5% FX commission on top of any transaction fees. VISA and Mastercard - a duopoly, don't even charge that much. Less than 1%. With Stripe adding their 2%-ish. Much better but still a duopoly. PayPal needs to die. Short selling needs to die. And currencies need to be decentralised, and needs to be fit for the new generation and modern world. Fuck all the banks quite frankly. Time is up.

Who says anybody needs to 'destroy their own wealth'! What is $10 to a guy on Reddit? I put $150 in. This was my small gesture to see a few of the greedy elite in our society suffer some losses. Everyone should do it to send the message that short selling on the industrial scale of the big hedge funds is borderline illegal and deeply immoral. It is the occupy wall street movement - but this time it actually made a difference, rather than blocking a few roads and annoying the average joe trying to get to work. Robert, if you think the 99% are going to shed a tear because Citidel go out of business, you're in for a big uphill argument. And nor should they shed a tear. Collective action to save thousands of peoples jobs at Gamespot and wipe billions off the profits sheets of these malignant machines of capitalism. I am all for it. You should be too. Unless you are on the side of the greedy short sellers. Warren Buffet I have a lot more respect for. Knows businesses inside and out and rewards the good ones with his investments. In turn, he gets stinking rich. Would be nice if he did as much charity as his friend Bill Gates though.

Actually look into the technical differences. Bitcoin is capped, has a maximum number of coins that can ever exist without the protocols being rewritten. Dogecoin is uncapped, but has a 5 billion coin mining limit per year to prevent inflation. Demand for cryptocurrencies only has to increase 5% a year for Dogecoin's value to maintain or increase. Supply and demand. Bitcoin is slow. Transaction rate is very limited. It works best as a commodity, not a VISA replacement for use in supermarkets (unless you're willing to wait hours for your payment to go through). And yet, existing banks cannot create a rival cryptocurrency. Here is a pretty good take on why. https://hackernoon.com/about-bitcoin-what-altcoins-and-shitcoins-dont-seem-to-get-rs53323w

The reddit group is essentially a decentralised democratic hedge fund mostly of normal people, not the rich and mostly not professional traders. Big difference. If AMC's stock rises like Gamespot a lot of people keep their jobs in the cinema business, and a lot of people on Reddit land a huge blow on wall street. I think most people's $100 is worth it to make the moral point and damage the wall street short seller business permanent basis. I would gladly pay $100 to fuck Melvin Capital. It is not an investment. It's a moral issue, and a punt. A gamble, to see if it works. A lot of people coming at it from wrong angle. The fact it doesn't make any kind of responsible financial sense is a moot point. People should definitely not see it as an investment or a short term way to make money for personal gain. That way you get a massive bubble and a lot of people lose their money. The $150 I put into DOGEcoin is a long term gamble. I'll forget about it and see if DOGEcoin hits the news headlines in 5 years or even 10. Or even longer. If not, what have I lost? Not much really. I do agree that if you want an investment (i.e. less risky and stupid) Bitcoin is the better option but it's still very volatile with an uncertain future compared to a sensible portfolio of stocks and shares selected for you by pros. PS - For those in the UK who want to buy Gamespot shares I recommend the online challenger bank app Revolut. Easy and simple.

It is a revolution, 100%. Internet users are controlling the market. Bitcoin is worth $27,000 today. Are you saying that buying at the start of the global recognition of the currency is pointless? Tell that to the millionaires it created. Cryptocurrency is absolutely a revolution and a disruptive technology. 100% agree I thought speculating on worthless stocks was the job of short sellers and hedge funds...

Happy to see these guys lose. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melvin_Capital And there is no excuse for illegal behaviour by the financial establishment and funds - Also this is a great explainer of the week, for people only just reading up on it (like me)... https://imgur.com/a/DCCpuZA

I get the feeling this is different. Coordinated, targeted action. I foresee... trouble.

Is the internet about to crash the markets? https://www.eoshd.com/news/amc-cinema-chain-saved-by-reddit-meme-stock-trading-is-the-internet-about-to-crash-the-markets/ Or do the people stand to win big? Answers on a postcard.. PS - I have bought some DOGEcoin. WOOF!

Micro HDMI input will make it a nice lightweight, if flimsy monitor. Battery life should be decent too. But the price is ludicrous.

It's basically the Xperia 1 II anyway. Not too shabby as a phone, if Android is your thing, but the unique features it has - 12MP camera 1.7" sensor and 3.5mm headphone jack with Hi-Res DAC are bettered on some £500 phones. The Pro Cine app is not great, pretty mushy codec!