Thursday, November 17, 2005

The Terminal has life!

OK, now we're talking ... literally. Not to each other yet, but in the ballpark. See The Free Market at the Terminal to know what I'm talking about. H3K has posted some debate starters and my dear secretary Maggie Murdock has thrown her compact into the ring, even. No replies to the original posts yet, but -- having low, low expectatations for the opening day of TermOps because of my neurotic failure wish (not as serious or everlasting as the classic 'death wish') -- I'll be damned if I won't take it!

Let these first salvos be the start of a veritable volley of capital judgment, I say! OK. But it's late and I'm going to bed now. But, like I said, that doesn't give anybody in the Terminal the right to shirk their duties. You hear me, Beddo?

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Progress Report

This is my weekly update letter for the site. I thought about being vociferous in my exhortations as how the Terminali need to get on the stick, but decided to reserve judgment for another week. God help me.


Dear Investors,

This day of our Lord, Nov. 15, 2005, marks the one month anniversary of TQR's incorporation. It also marks our capital's transition from Floor to Terminal. Allow me to reflect on the progress to date.

So far, out of the submissions, there are 22 rejected, 9 Terminaled, 12 still pending and 1 withdrawn from consideration. If my math is correct, that adds up to 44. The projected submissions total of 70 odd submissions was a tad high, but, rest assured, we will find 3 outstanding capital gains for the Winter Issue out of the pile we have received. My thanks to all the venture capitalists who chose to submit with TQR. We know you have a choice where you venture, so thank you, and do not hesitate to try again when our next quarter rolls around.

The Floor is still tasked with meeting to decide which two pieces they will send directly to my office for insurance purposes. Once the pieces still pending are dealt with, the Floor is relieved of duty until January. Thank you for all your good work.

Now, it is the Terminal's turn to pass the ideal of total quality reading on to TQR's investors. H3K has got off the first shot with his concise sizing up of Variations. Here's to the other Terminali getting in on it and all the other works sent to them for their perusal.

Sincerely, TQR

Monday, November 14, 2005

Goodbye Floor, Hello Terminal

Per the TQR guidelines's, uhm, er, guidelines, the last day for open submissions to be thrown onto the Floor like so many sets of dice looking for that elusive box cars or snake eyes or 8 the hard way, even, is Tuesday, November 15th. Thus, in the grand scheme of things, the Terminal should then spin into motion.

As you might have noticed, up until now, not a lot has been going on there. I am optimistic that this will change. It must change. The VCs and the investors really need to see some return on their respective investments: their capital and their time.

This whole Total Quality Reading concept depends on the capital managers' ability to elucidate their capital's virtues and vices in such a way as to satisfy the audiences' interests and expectations, varied as they may be. Stay tuned to this crap shoot as it careens down the slippery slope of e-zine innovation. Yeah?