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So there I was, checking the web at 6am, as is my wont, when I spotted the news that the two co-founders of Neteller had been arrested in the US (on opposite sides of the country). Neither is involved in the day-to-day running of the company (Neteller executives have, unsurprisingly, been making travel arrangements this year that do not involve US airports) although at least one of them remains a significant shareholder, but the markets don't give a shit about things like that, and I could well see blood on the streets as soon as the matter became common knowledge.

So I got into work, opened up my Finspreads account page, and got ready to short the shit out of the stock the second that the Finspreads market opened at 8am.

Except that, unfortunately, the Neteller guys got up early as well, and they obviously know about people like me, and learnt from the Empire Online debacle when Party shafted them. So they requested that the shares be suspended.

Bastards.

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I don't think that I will ever understand Japan. Here we have a country that embraces technological advance, but remains steadfastly primitive when it comes to distribution. Nearly half of life insurance sales in japan last year took place via home visits from sales staff. This figure was unchanged from three years ago (sales online are increasing, but not at the expense of home sales).

Do insurance people in the UK still visit people at home? Not as far as I am aware. That kind of thing in London has generally gone the way of the milkman.

And why DID the milkman thing die out? I mean, what a great system.

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