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Thursday 24 May 2012

Hot hot hot

So, having continued to need the heating or the fire on as recently as this weekend, it is a bit of a shock for it to be so hot and sunny for the last two days.  It is so hot, in fact, that the greatest risk on the roads is the white legs or other bare flesh dazzling oncoming drivers.  That is to say, the nation has got its summer wardrobe out of the loft.

A chap cannot help but feel pride in a nation for whom it is either cold or wet for three hundred and fifty days of any given year (since the infamous 'seventy six) and yet, and yet, for those 15 days when the weather is either sunny or warm, out come the crop tops and Union Jack shorts, the spaghetti strap tops and dresses, the flip flops* and bare feet, and of course the convertible cars.  Also, most importantly, out come the sunglasses.  Now, a chap is always happy to give credit where it is due, and that means that some folks can carry off some pretty outlandish shades, however, the majority tend to look like the five year old wearing her dad's bifocal glasses, or a toddler with a monocle; fine for a "funny" birthday card, but not something you would be sharing with the world on Facebook.

Talking of Facebook, it is interesting how things shake out.  on 18th May they floated on the US stock-market.  There has been a phenomenal interest in this, and the price point for the shares were unbelievable.  They started life at $38, hit a low of $31 and currently sit at $32.  As if that is not bad enough for the company, there has just been a writ raised in the US by disgruntled shareholders who are alleging that revised growth figures were not disclosed to all investors.  It is very early days, but regardless of whether this writ turns out good or bad for Facebook, it is going to be bad news from this point onwards for the company and for its public image, and even a dismissal of the writ may well not improve that image.

I have always struggled a bit on quite where the value is in Facebook.  I know there is the footfall of a half a billion users, and the advertising on the site must drive some revenue, but even with all that I am not sure I see something in which I want to invest my money**.  Maybe my incredible nose for a deal has done it again***.

Enjoy the sun, and be careful of those lilly-white legs.


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* I have noticed that the young and trendy male is often seem in flip flops for some of the rest of the year also.
** Of course, the fact that I do not invest and, at this time, I have no money to invest is also contributing to this situation.
*** Have we not had words about being economical with the truth? Ed.

1 comment:

a bad man said...

On the subject of sunglasses I offer these wise words; Ray Ban Wayfarers or Oakly "a-wires".

End of.

On the subject of Facebook, I think you will find that it is designed for students. If you are an adult and have enough money to invest I think you really ought to be thinking "does this product have any substance or longevity?"

At some point in the future I may have wished I drank less beer before I typed this.