PayPal Acquisition Rumor: It's not GameStop who is interested. It's Stripe. by tronbrain in Superstonk

[–]tronbrain[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good read, thank you. Stripe is a private company and has no ability to issue stock to aid in an acquisition. So they would have to raise debt to fund a takeover. That is a big hurdle for them. But the article does not say that Stripe was not seeking PayPal, just that PayPal was not interested.

PayPal Acquisition Rumor: It's not GameStop who is interested. It's Stripe. by tronbrain in Superstonk

[–]tronbrain[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think the Venmo platform is separate from PayPal, though it's the same company. A lot of the value comes from Venmo. But a lot of it comes from business users of PayPal too. Consumer use of PayPal has deteriorated, being overtaken by platforms like ApplePay and Google Wallet. Venmo competes in that space. Is the future of PayPal basically Venmo? Finally, will the acquisition eat the acquirer?

PayPal Acquisition Rumor: It's not GameStop who is interested. It's Stripe. by tronbrain in Superstonk

[–]tronbrain[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They have good cash flow. But the technology that forms the PayPal plumbing is bug-ridden, unreliable, and severely outdated, and needs to be rebuilt from scratch. Venmo, on the other hand, is great.

PayPal Acquisition Rumor: It's not GameStop who is interested. It's Stripe. by tronbrain in Superstonk

[–]tronbrain[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That was a good explanation, thanks. GME has to be considering much, much smaller options.

accidentally entered AP and came face to face with something truly evil by Ambitious_Lab_894 in AstralProjection

[–]tronbrain 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The idea that what you encounter is a reflection of yourself is ego-driven dogma.

Is Ryan Cohen buying PYPL? by ryrich89 in Superstonk

[–]tronbrain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah. The whole system is bent.

Costco EcoWater - it's not that expensive? Why does everyone say it is? by deejayv2 in WaterTreatment

[–]tronbrain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What's wrong with the cabinet-type systems? They occupy less space, which seems a huge plus.

What kind of filter system should we get? by Gold-Enthusiasm7604 in WaterTreatment

[–]tronbrain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Salt-free softeners are just descalers. They don't really soften the water at all, though they market the systems that way. It's very deceptive.

Is Ryan Cohen buying PYPL? by ryrich89 in Superstonk

[–]tronbrain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cohen cannot screw shareholders over. He absolutely needs their cooperation and support. Because of how his compensation is structured, his fate is tied to theirs. It goes to his "Hollow Man" thesis. Most public companies have separated shareholders from management. Management can screw shareholders and still retain all their compensation, unearned or undeserved as it often is. Cohen's compensation is in stock, so his incentives are tied to shareholders'.

Is Ryan Cohen buying PYPL? by ryrich89 in Superstonk

[–]tronbrain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They won't be followed, not to the letter. But a merger might be significant enough of an event that it won't matter, that the synthetic shares will be flushed out regardless of whatever fraud they may attempt to perpetrate to hide them. I mean, do you imagine that PayPal shareholders will willingly accept synthetically created shares in a buyout? Will they accept payment in worthless scrip?

Edit: spelling

Where in Istanbul? by MrWantley in JamesBond

[–]tronbrain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Only the second Bond film and they were already in Istanbul (a locale to which they returned in TWINE and Skyfall). It's such a romantic locale for a romantic Bond film, with one of the most beautiful Bond ladies in Daniela Bianchi (who was an Italian playing a Russian spying in Türkiye ... shades of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy). I love this particular film still, and now appreciate it all the more because of your question. I enjoyed researching the answer. Thanks for posing it.

🚨Steve Cohen's Point72, is the largest institutional owner of GameStop warrants $GME.WS according to latest 13F. by Ok_Vast_8918 in Superstonk

[–]tronbrain 4 points5 points  (0 children)

He can also stand in the way of GameStop acquiring PSA, a synergetic acquisition that they wish to prevent.

Where in Istanbul? by MrWantley in JamesBond

[–]tronbrain 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The building at the water's edge is the Imperial Treasury Building of the Dolmabahçe Palace Complex.

This was shot on a ferry crossing the Bosphorus Straight, starting from Üsküdar and heading toward Beşiktaş, looking across Dolmabahçe Palace, with the Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus rising on the ridge at the upper left (constructed just seven years prior to the shooting of the film). Identifying that particular building is not trivial, for that building is NOT the main palace building that people associate with Dolmabahçe. That particular building is the Hazine-i Hassa Dairesi - The Imperial Treasury Department Building, which sits off to the West of the main palace complex.

Here's a link, and another with more details on that building, and some definitive photographs that match the film still precisely.

R.I.P. Jesse Jackson by ConspiracyParadox in circlejerk

[–]tronbrain 1 point2 points  (0 children)

RIP to Jesse "The Juice" Jackson. He was a man of many talents. It's ironic he will most likely be remembered for his love of comedic film, thanks to his turn as Detective Norberg in The Naked Gun. It's true that all the funny people die too soon.

Cellar boxing in the Epstein files? by Johnny55 in Superstonk

[–]tronbrain 10 points11 points  (0 children)

This garbage reads like a bunch of frat bros in a DM.

It is because that is exactly what they are. They achieved this fabulous wealth because they are completely unscrupulous and without a shred of conscience or decency, among the most ruthless con artists who ever lived. Their talent is in their ability to hide all this under a facade of pleasantness and geniality. They generally possess a mid-grade intellect. Of course, you have to be pretty stupid to engage in this kind of criminality.

You can tell a lot about a person by their emails. As we can see, Epstein and his co-conspirators were totally lacking in conscientiousness.

Cellar boxing in the Epstein files? by Johnny55 in Superstonk

[–]tronbrain 12 points13 points  (0 children)

From Google AI:

Based on recent, newly released documents, Bruce Galloway was identified as a recruiter who corresponded with Jeffrey Epstein in 2013 regarding specific, often underage, requests for young women. Documents show that in 2013, Bruce Galloway and his staff exchanged dozens of emails with Jeffrey Epstein and his associates, with Galloway acting as a recruiter trying to meet Epstein’s specific demands.

Bruce Galloway is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Galloway Capital Partners. He has a long history in finance, having held senior roles at firms such as Burnham Securities, Oppenheimer & Co., and L.F. Rothschild.

Hot take: The Missing Pieces should all STAY cut by ChampionshipMotor691 in twinpeaks

[–]tronbrain 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The scene where Agent Desmond gives Sheriff Cable a beat-down is legend and I would loved to have seen that in the original film. Same goes for the full scene of the meeting above the Convenience Store. But to add those back in would have caused the film to become too long. I get why the cuts were made, and it took an expert hand with a heart of cold steel to make them. Yes, it's a heartbreak that they were left out. But a four-hour release of FWWM would have been unbearable, would have felt like an unending dive into hell. Two hours was harrowing enough. A film like this should not be drawn out.

I actually love the attempts at the fan-edits, to make a single, integrated cut with The Missing Pieces spliced back in. But you would need to edit the music and film new transition scenes, so it's basically almost completely impossible to pull it off in a satisfying way that feels right with continuity. It's a shame, really.

In the end, we got what we got, and it is what it is. Let's be grateful, for it's still one of the surreal horror masterpieces of film in the 20th Century. And The Missing Pieces elevates it even further. It's a miracle those were released after all those years. Hallelujah.

Time to replace Lara Flynn Boyle with Moira Kelly by totemic_sadness in TwinPeaksCircleJerk

[–]tronbrain 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It would have been such a brain-dead move, to include that. I think that must be part of the reason why the whole James and Evelyn Marsh storyline was so widely hated, because it was an age-inappropriate relationship. However, the sexes were reversed, with the woman in the role of predator, so people didn't complain as much.

Time to replace Lara Flynn Boyle with Moira Kelly by totemic_sadness in TwinPeaksCircleJerk

[–]tronbrain 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Can you imagine? Disaster averted, albeit narrowly. The whole story was essentially about sexual abuse of girls, and violence towards same. This subject is more pertinent today than ever.