The A's went down to defeat at the hands of the Chicago White Sox again today, falling 3-2, and found themselves swept in the series. Watching the team bat now, especially during this five-game losing streak, is frustrating to say the least. They don't really have legitimate power, and the two guys who were carrying the team in April have inevitably slowed down, so much so that the homerless Jason Kendall has now risen to the top of the list as an offensive power, a point ludicrous only months ago.

As a diehard fan, I start every game knowing that the A's have the advantage, and that they will emerge victorious against the undeserving opposition. But as the definition of insanity goes, how many times do we watch them perform so badly in the same fashion and expect a different result? When does a five-game losing streak look less like an aberration and more like an accurate portrayal of the team's skills? It certainly gets frustrating.

As I told a friend last week, getting depressed over social issues or personal despair isn't entirely logical to many men, but to live and die based on the local sports team's ability to win games makes perfect sense. I know my days are better when the A's win, and I know I start the next day in a funk if they didn't come out on top. It's time to find the "offensive" pill the A's are looking for to eradicate depression from my life.

Listening to ''Dirty Epic'', by Underworld (Play Count: 6)

Or at least, that's always the idea... why would you want to have to work every single day of your life and either not get rich, or have it take so long that you don't get to enjoy the benefits? Everybody wishes it were that easy, even if we don't admit it. That's one idea behind trying to time first-day IPO stocks, and why many try to get in on the ground floor of startups, with the hope that 2 to 4 years of 80 hour workweeks and the elimination of a social life will translate into riches beyond belief.

If you're of that type, and you're not exactly satisfied with how your first day results are on Vonage (as the stock dipped 15% or so in the first day, much to my chagrin), then Business 2.0 has the how-to list on creating a bulletproof successful startup. Of course, it always looks easy when you have lego-like cartoon images that demonstrate product development, launch and the inevitable requirement of talking to VCs. Heck, if they are so bright, how come they are just reporters at a industry trade rag that got absorbed by Fast Company a few years back? What? They thought we forgot? And remember when they were as big as phone books? How did that work out?

Listening to ''Adrenalin'', by Purple Haze (Play Count: 7)

You know you're in a period resembling a bubble when companies that have a long history of consistent losses, without end in sight, who pride themselves on cost per acquired customer, are thinking of going public and raising ungodly amounts of money. You also can tell that the bubble period is upon you if you're actively considering putting money into the IPO on the first day "just in case".

Such is the case with the latest IPO du jour, Vonage, who raised more than $500 million after pricing its initial shares at $17 apiece. The VoIP specialist is looking to go public tomorrow, and hopes that its stock echoes the meteoric rise of Google and Baidu, rather than the sinking lead balloon of so many others.

Critics far and wide have criticized Vonage's model, saying the company doesn't offer unique differentiation over services such as Skype, yet somewhere out there are enough investors to give Vonage what it needs even more than customer growth - $500 million smackers. The only question is - will I too try to cash in on what might be a first day pop, for a stock I have no interest in holding long term? Will I have regrets if I do? Will I have regrets if I don't?

I famously had the opportunity to buy 100 shares of Google at 90 and walked away from the chance. I also flipped Baidu on its first day for some quick money, but was on an airplane when the stock first hit the ticker tape, and missed out on tens of thousands more. But I've also put money into stocks like Salesforce.com and Rackable on their first week only to see the trend go down or flat. One never knows, and if we did, the SEC would want to know about it. Keep you posted....

Listening to ''LSG'', by Sasha (Play Count: 4)

More in an irregularly occurring series...

In what has to continue one of the most-serious challenges to the field of journalism and the idea of free speech that we've ever seen, it now looks like the attorney general's office is going to prosecute reporters for publishing stories covering national security - even though the stories themselves have proven to be true. Additionally, as part of the government's increased activity around data collection, an AP story reports that the reporters' call records will be investigated, in an attempt to root out sources. This action is far more severe than any other previous administration has undertaken, even the notoriously paranoid Nixon, and threatens the media's ability to accurately report on the White House, while also further clouding the administration's activities from those people who elected them in the first place.

Guy Kawasaki continues to astound in his series of lists around business. In his latest salvo, "After the Honeymoon", he steps out of the venture capital phase and discusses some major issues that can impact companies taking the next step toward launching and shipping products in volume. The issues themselves are well known to Silicon Valley history buffs, but are well chronicled here.

Listening to ''iio - Rapture'', by Paul Van Dyk (Play Count: 9)