by Roberta Murphy

Tech Stock Speculation

We rarely write about stocks or the stock market, but this week ends with me wishing we had bought a boatload of shares in Sybase (SY) a week or so ago. With German software behometh SAP buying them out, the value of SY shares spiked about 60 percent.

Now, rumor mills in the tech world seem to be abuzz with likely takeover targets by the likes of IBM, Oracle, Microsoft and other huge, hungry and cash-rich companies–leaving us to wonder: Who’s next?

David Benoit with Dow Jones New Wire discussed this very issue in his well-written Speculation On Next Tech Buyout Kicks Into High Gear. In the article, he points out that big firms like IBM, Oracle (ORCL), Hewlett Packart (HPQ), Microsoft (MS), EMC and Cisco (CSCO) are all on the hunt for complementary takeovers. Potential targets and rising stars, Benoit says, might include Teradata (TDC), Netezza Corp (NZ) and Informatica Corp (INFA).

All have risen 2.6 to 5.1 percent in the last week.

My personal favorite target for a big company seeking to dominate the database market might be ANTS Software, with its ANTS Compatibility Server (ACS)–which allows businesses to consolidate and migrate varied and costly databases over to one vendor (say from SAP to Oracle) without having to reprogram costly applications.It’s disruptive and patented technology just might facilitate businesses merging and consolidating database information from the likes of Oracle to IBM–or SAP to Oracle–or MS to IBM.

You get the idea–and why ANTS might make such a strategic buy for IBM, MS, Oracle, Hewlett Packard, SAP or other big database vendor. And that speculation might also explain why shares in this little company have gone from .80 per share a month ago to $2.40 as of this writing.

And by way of disclosure, we DO own shares of ANTS and had once speculated the company would be a stand alone utility in the world of database management. More recently, though, we are beginning to wonder if ANTS might instead become a red-hot takeover target–and follow CEO Joe Kozak’s blog closely.

That is the luxury of speculation mixed with just a little knowledge.

by Roberta Murphy

I love luxury and enjoy reading luxury blogs. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to visit them all to ferret out the latest in luxury news. One solution is to create a luxury blog network that will syndicate content from the best luxury blogs–whether they are focused on bling, luxury travel, luxury real estate, luxury clues, luxury furnishings or just the rich and famous.

The Luxury Blog Network is under current construction with the Domus Consulting gurus, and we are actively seeking top luxury blogs and bloggers who might be interested in participating in this syndication.

Each article written within the participating luxury blog would be published in a truncated fashion, with a link leading back to the original blog article. The goal is to provide one place to check out the latest in luxury news and increase traffic to the participating sites.

If you feel your luxury blog might be a candidate for this venture, please email roberta (at) luxuryhomedigest.com or contact me through this site.

by Roberta Murphy

I attended the Inman Connect event in San Francisco last year and met lots of people I knew only from the real estate blogging world–and others who would become good friends.

Could I resist missing this event, where we can peer over the bloody edge of the envelope and see what’s in store not only for the real estate market, but in the technologies that serve and propel this economic sector?

Not a chance!

I am already calling real estate blogging buddies around the country to see if we can connect at the Connect this summer. The event will be held at the Palace Hotel–where we will be able to peer over the bloody edge of the real estate technology envelope, go to beer blogging events, and take lots of photos.
This may have little to do with Luxury Real Estate, but I hope you enjoy this rare hippie footage with Scott McKenzie singing that classic “If You Come to San Francisco.”

by Roberta Murphy

Unless an omelet chef is employed for the next luxury brunch gathering, one might go ditzy trying to create custom omelets for each guest. This also makes it impossible for all to sit down in front of a hot plate at the same time.

I love American ingenuity.

This clever trick was forwarded to me by that wonderful host, Hank Holman, from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Thanks to his timely tip, my next brunch for 16 will be a hit with just two big pots of boiling water, large platters of fruit and pastries, and a few bottles of champagne and fresh-squeezed orange juice.

The possibilities for this cooking technique could extend far beyond entertaining brunches.

Could anything be more simple?

1. Lay out attractive bowls, each filled with cheeses, ham, onion, bacon, green pepper, tomato, salsa, mushrooms, salsa, sausage pieces, seafood, hash browns–or whatever else captures your imagination.

2. Have guests write their name on a quart-size Ziploc freezer bag with permanent marker.

3. Crack two eggs (large or extra-large) into the bag (not more than two) and shake to combine them.

4. Each guest adds prepared ingredients of choice to their bag and shakes. Expel the air from the bag and zip it up.

5. Place the bags into rolling, boiling water for exactly 13 minutes. You can usually cook 6-8 omelets in a large pot. For
more, make another pot of boiling water.

6. Open the bags and the omelet will roll out easily.

Be prepared for amazed congratulations and lots of guest conversation.

(Consider the additional possibility of preparing these baggies the night before, refrigerating, and having individual omelet servings available on busy school or work mornings).