Oct. 24: My Deal With the Devil

The GTI this week extended its winning streak
to six. It's still in the red for the year, but we're
getting closer and closer to breakeven.

Now, back to the leftovers, but first . . .

I hadn't planned to write about sports here
again for a while, having devoted an unseemly
amount of space to the topic in recent weeks.
This is, after all, a site dedicated to technology.

But I have to note that the Harvard football
team finished with a perfect record of 10-0
this year. It is their second perfect season
in the last four.

It's not like the good old days, of course,
when Harvard dominated nationally. The
1890 team (some of whose fans were still
at it when I was a student there in 1954)
had an 11-0 record, and they outscored
their opponents by 555-12. This year's
team outscored its opponents 309-134,
which is pretty impressive, but two of
their wins came by a single point.

I must state again the disclaimer I made a
few weeks ago. Though I root for their
football team, I have no truck with Harvard
as an educational institution. My career
there lasted but a few months. I majored in
contracts -- you know, like three no trump,
six spades, and so on.

Whether Harvard's unbeaten record is
significant in the college sports world,
I can't say. Yes, the Ivy is a minor league.
But remember, athletic scholarships are
forbidden, though the lure of a Harvard
diploma probably helps in recruitment.
And once they arrive, athletes probably get
better cuts of meat than the techies do.

Aha! I got us back to technology.

Returns for Week Ended November 19

Gilder Technology Index (GTI): + 1.5%
Nasdaq Composite Index (NSD): + 1.5%
S&P 500 Index (S&P): + 2.1%