Stephen Sizemore

Finally tricked at&t’s website into giving me a status update. My phone hasn’t...

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:18:18 -0400

Finally tricked at&t’s website into giving me a status update. My phone hasn’t shipped yet. Trying to stay positive.

AT&T Direct Fulfillment

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:38:26 -0400

Anyone who ordered on or before 7/15 can expect to receive it in 7-10 days and anyone who orders after is being told 10-21 days possible longer as they are on backorder.I asked is this everywhere or just FL…all employees said everywhere “nationwide”

If my phone is not here in 7-10 business days i guess ill cancel and get in line with everybody ELSE

in security+ training this week.

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:14:51 -0400

in security+ training this week.

Michele's Blog

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 21:01:25 -0400

Michele's Blog

HotSpot @Home by T-Mobile | Unlimited WiFi Cell Phone Service Plan

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 21:01:24 -0400

HotSpot @Home by T-Mobile | Unlimited WiFi Cell Phone Service Plan

Power’s out. Listening to UPS beep. Cranking the volume on “Surfer Rosa.”

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 20:02:18 -0400

Power’s out. Listening to UPS beep. Cranking the volume on “Surfer Rosa.”

AT&T Pulls free WiFi Again

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:32:14 -0400

You know, I’m trying to like being an AT&T customer, I really am. But AT&T’s execution of free wifi at Starbucks is laughable at best. I’ve lost count how many times the free service has been enabled only to be turned off again. I guess I don’t really care, I rarely go inside a Starbucks, and when I do EDGE speeds are plenty fast. I guess I just like the idea of getting something for free. And don’t get me started on the iPhone 3g “Direct Fulfillment” Debacle.

If AT&T keeps this up I’m tempted to wait up the remaining year of my contract, unlock my iPhone and switch to t-mobile.

Being a tourist in St. Augustine. Having some ice cream on St George Street.

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:32:06 -0400

Being a tourist in St. Augustine. Having some ice cream on St George Street.

this was the best birthday ever … by far.

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:01:15 -0400

this was the best birthday ever … by far.

Just picked up some new floor mats at Toyota. Not a bad haul this year.

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:58:19 -0400

Just picked up some new floor mats at Toyota. Not a bad haul this year.

Found out the Apple Store has iPhones. I have the option of driving to the apple store, waiting for...

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:05:36 -0400

Found out the Apple Store has iPhones. I have the option of driving to the apple store, waiting for an hour & maybe getting a phone. Pass.

Facebook for iPhone was just updated this morning. The photos functionality is amazing.

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:36:10 -0400

Facebook for iPhone was just updated this morning. The photos functionality is amazing.

Interpol (band) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:21:44 -0400

Interpol (band) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Post-punk revival - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:21:44 -0400

Post-punk revival - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

prius, iPhone, iced coffee. Good times.

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:32:21 -0400

prius, iPhone, iced coffee. Good times.

iPhone sync tricks

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:39:05 -0400

iPhone sync tricks

My friend Clark stopped by with presents. I haven’t seen him in a few months.

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:08:55 -0400

My friend Clark stopped by with presents. I haven’t seen him in a few months.

Don’t be too proud of this technological terror...

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:04:49 -0400

Don’t be too proud of this technological terror you’ve constructed.

Spotlight: Fannie and Freddie

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:52:53 -0400

dihard:

Who (or rather what) They Are:
No, they’re not real people. They are nicknames for companies:
Fannie Mae = Federal National Mortgage Association
Freddie Mac = Federal Home Loan and Mortgage Corporation
They have some friends:
Ginnie Mae = Government National Mortgage Association
Farmer Mac = Federal Agriculture Mortgage Corporation
Sallie Mae = Student Loan Marketing Association (with whom I am great friends).

Fannie and Freddie are government sponsored enterprises (GSE’s). That means they were chartered by Congress, backed by the US government, and are authorized to make loans to home-owners. But they’re owned by shareholders, not the government.

Their Origins & What They Do:
Fannie, founded in 1938 as a government agency but taken private in 1968, was part of Roosevelt’s New Deal to promote home ownership in the US. It purchases the debt from mortgages that banks make to home-owners. This gives the banks more money to make more loans to more people who want to buy more homes.

(Don’t understand mortgages? A mortgage is basically a loan that lender gives to you to buy a house or piece of real estate. Your collateral, in return, is your house. The bank has a claim on your house if you cannot make payments on the loan. That’s when foreclosure happens – if you can’t repay your loan, you property is seized & you’re kicked out.)

Freddie was founded in 1970 to expand the secondary market for mortgages. The “secondary market” is where Freddie buys up loans made by banks, bundles those loans into megaloans (Mortgage-Backed-Securities), and sells those to investors all over the world. The money that the banks receive, again, gives them more money to make more loans to more people who want to buy more homes.

Though Fannie and Freddie are not funded by the US government, they are able to borrow more cheaply than other public mortgage lenders. Together, F&F provide the bulk of funding for US home mortgages, about $5 trillion of home mortgages outstanding.

Fannie & Freddie Facing Trouble:
They’ve had much face-time in the press lately, with rumors of default and the need of a bailout. That’s because so many home-owners have defaulted (all part of that sub-prime mess). See, when F&F buy the mortgages from the banks & sell them to the investors, they take on the responsibility of making sure the homeowners repay their loans. If they don’t, F&F has to foot the bill; thus F&F have losses of about $11 billion combined.

Though the Fed & US Treasury appear to be coming to the rescue, announcing today that they will firmly back Fannie & Freddie. If they didn’t and F&F went under, “it would be as close to a disaster as I can think of” says Bill Seidman, former chairman of the FDIC.

Here’s a good explanation about the current situation if you’re interested.

My parents called me at work to tell me they’re buying me a 3G iPhone.

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 07:24:21 -0400

My parents called me at work to tell me they’re buying me a 3G iPhone.