Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs

Some key points are:

1. Steve Jobs is a real asshole (e.g. he would unnecessarily insult and put down his employees)… it doesn’t seem to have hurt his success too much.
2. Jobs is obsessed with great design and making amazing products that are the intersection of great design and technology.
3. He worked hard to attract A players and to weed out the “bozos”.
4. Jobs would push people to do the unimaginable.  Sometimes they would do things that they wouldn’t think were possible.  Of course, this doesn’t work all the time.
5. He is obsessed with perfection… even for details that consumers wouldn’t see.  The robots making Apple/Next computers had to be beautiful… along with the interior of the case and how the circuit boards are laid out.

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Portfolio Update Nov. 30 2012

Queenston Mining (QMI.TO) – closed at a profit

Sold Queenston Mining at $5.27ish for a nice profit.  Osisko announced a takeover of Queenston (0.611 Osisko shares for every Queenston share).  I sold because it seemed to me that Queenston was close to fair value.  At this point in time, a competing bid seems unlikely to me.  One reason is that Osisko’s bid has a non-solicitation clause that Queenston management agreed to.  Agnico Eagle Mines, which has a strategic investment in Queenston, will not be bidding on Queenston as it struck a deal with Osisko.