http://emptormaven.com Oiling the Gears of Capitalism with Information Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:36:25 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Since I think the residential real estate market is bottoming out, and my family will soon need more space anyway, I recently began shopping for houses. Based on my reference post on this subject it won't surprise people to learn that I have a low opinion of the real ... http://emptormaven.com/2010/01/realtor-leeches/ Consumer High Speed Video Cameras It has been more than a year since Casio began shipping the EX-F1, and it is still the fastest consumer video camera on the market. However, at its top speed of 1200 frames per second it only captures a very coarse 336 x 96 resolution. Memory ... http://emptormaven.com/2010/01/products-im-looking-for-in-2010/ After I bought a PS3, primarily to serve as a Bluray player, I decided it was time to put rear speakers on my home theater system. I last tried this at least five years ago with several pairs of speakers priced around $100 each. None of them could ... http://emptormaven.com/2010/01/recommended-speakers-aperion-audio/ Nominal investment performance numbers give us a false sense of how hard our money is working for us. Real returns, which are adjusted for inflation, look much worse over the long term. One analyst also factors in the effects of taxes and fees to produce "real-real returns," which are even ... http://emptormaven.com/2010/01/top-investment-priority-beating-inflation/ Last year I recommended TIPS funds as particularly attractive for tax-exempt investment accounts. TIPS have gained substantially since then, but from a historical perspective the current 10-year TIPS break-even rate of 2.1% is still low. ("Break-even" is the realized inflation rate above which an inflation-protected security will pay more than ... http://emptormaven.com/2009/12/investing-for-inflation-protection/ I suppose you can't fault Wall Street for catering to demand, but as I explained a few years ago hedge fund clones are ridiculous investments. Nevertheless, the WSJ reports investors are still lining up for these offerings and banks are still rolling out new ones. While most clones have so ... http://emptormaven.com/2009/12/avoid-hedge-fund-clones/ I recently reviewed the new U.S. version of the Steyr AUG/A3.  At the time I noted that Microtech Small Arms Research (MSAR), which has spent several years rolling out its "STG-556" AUG clone, would probably retain a pricing and innovation edge over Steyr.  During the recession MSAR cut its wholesale ... http://emptormaven.com/2009/12/msar-stg-556-vs-aug/ Precision shooters know that keeping bullet speeds out of the transonic region preserves accuracy. The pressure dynamics around the sound barrier can upset a ballistically efficient bullet on its way to the target. It turns out that the round nose and stubby heel of a typical .22LR bullet make it ... http://emptormaven.com/2009/11/the-missing-subsonic-22lr-market/ You may have a big collection of AR-15 magazines.  Or maybe you don't want to spend upwards of $40 apiece to build a collection of Steyr magazines that will only work with your AUG. In either case the Steyr NATO stock is a welcome option.  I bought a conversion ... http://emptormaven.com/2009/10/steyr-aug-nato-conversion/ This is my Steyr AUG/A3 SA USA, with a NATO conversion kit (covered in this separate review), and sporting an EOTech 512 sight.  The AUG/A3 is the latest version of an Austrian 5.56mm tactical bullpup carbine, first produced more than 30 years ago, that is used by police and military ... http://emptormaven.com/2009/10/steyr-auga3-usa/