Yep, those were the good old day.

In those times, it seemed like Blockbuster was indestructible. Almost creating a mini monopoly. Who could compete? The only competition at the time consisted of a lowly Hollywood video.

Now the market is flooded with companies such as itunes (AAPL), Netflix (NFLX), and even cable services that offer onDemand. Members are able to choose through an enormous collection and view any movie they please without ever having to leave the house.

Blockbuster tried hard to keep hip and cool. They even branched out into the Online DVD rental business, to try and combat with the likes of Netflix. The yellow and blue company tried to persuade the masses that their service was better because you didn’t have to wait a few days. If you wanted a movie instantly you could use your same membership at any physical location.

Microsoft (MSFT) just announced that they will be partnering with a online video rental distributor, for the Xbox 360. Who is it you ask? Netflix, but don’t worry Blockbuster has been able to track down some pathetic merger with Circuit City (CC). Look out for the latest gadgets in your local Blockbuster store. Is anybody excited? No, because people prefer Best Buy (BBY) over Circuit city, so why would they like Blockbuster any more?

The notion of physically going to a store and renting videos and games seems rather outdated. A 5 year old relative of mine doesn’t even know what Blockbuster is, yet he is always asking when will the Netflix man come?

How sad. A new generation is forming where Blockbuster is completely sheltered from their lives. It is important that we teach our future lessons of the past.

For those that are looking to remember how living in these horrible times were or looking to enlighten the little children of the world, take a look at the Blockbuster Museum. [Video Enclosed]

By the way. If you hadn’t already noticed, STAY AWAY from Blockbuster stock.

It seemed like it was only a couple years ago when Starbucks (SBUX) was the high flyer. They were growing at a great rate, and people were really digging their product and “homely” environment; however, now Starbucks is looked at in a completely different way.

The coffee chain is expected to close down somewhere around 600 stores. There will probably be more to follow. This stock really has nowhere to go… except down.

Once again, another lesson as to why we should listen to the black list.

Everyday it seems like some new technological advancement is being made. It makes us wonder what we were doing in the past? With evolution comes the inability for some companies to stay ahead of the curve. Hello Sony (SNE).

For those that don’t know, I love playing video games and been playing it for most of my life. Just like any type of sector there is always some form of competition, with one company usually out-pacing the others. Nintendo (making a come back) and Sega ran the early days of gaming; however, eventually Sony captured the hearts of many.

Back when Sony launched the Playstation in 1999, it marked the evolution of a completely different type of gaming system. They were single handily knocking out all other competitors. The games were fast and revolutionary in what could be done with them.

These were definitely good times for Sony. Everybody wanted their CD players and whatever else Sony was pushing out. Then comes Microsoft.

Almost over night, it seemed like the market began to favor the Xbox over Playstation; however, Sony was able to lock in quality games which helped them stay strong. But just like all technology, in order to stay successful, you have got to be ahead of the curve. And that is exactly what Sony suddenly forgot how to do.

Microsoft, who had come out with the Xbox a little over a year after the Playstation 2, launched a next generation console a year before Sony.

It was obvious that the world of gaming was evolving. Gamers now had high definition televisions and all anybody cares about now is the online experience. People were willing to give Sony a chance to redeem themselves. With time to spare, everybody was sure that Sony would develop a system that blows the Xbox 360 out of the water.

Now two years after the release of the Playstation 3, Sony still can’t claim any sense of dominance over the market. They have even been passed by the revitalized Nintendo and their Wii (I still can’t seem to find one).

In a comparison between the 360 and PS3, game quality and graphics, online experience, and speed are all victories by Microsoft.

Sure Sony isn’t just comprised of its gaming platforms, but lets look at some of their other products:

No longer is the Vaio in high demand, with Apple, HP, and Dell dominating the market. Nobody uses CD or tape players anymore. Does Sony even have a mp3 player? Their television sets are still strong, yet they are not Samsung, and their cameras are great but nothing special.

The one good thing Sony has going for themselves, is the blue-ray DVD. They were able to put an end to Microsoft and their HD DVD , but, with the economy the way it is, how many people are willing to spend twice has much as a regular DVD? All movies aren’t released with a blue-ray copy, and remember how long it took to change from VHS to DVD?

Throwing all this together clarifies why Sony make the black list. They are not the same power player or trend setter as they were in the 90’s and early 2000’s, and there is no room for that in my portfolio.

image source - richterscale.com

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There is no better way to learn then from a stock that you traded miserably. So I decided to dive into my black list (stocks I will never touch again).

Starbucks - SBUX

I traded this stock nearly two years ago. About that time, SBUX was really starting to makes strides. Everybody was in love in the whole business plan, and it seemed like they were expanding faster than anything. I, along with many, was expecting big things from SBUX.

I first bought into the stock at $32 and, from there, it jumped 8 points to $40 in just under a month. Instead of selling out, I felt the stock had much more to go. Obviously I was wrong. The stock hasn’t even touched the same level since, and now nobody likes the business concept anymore. They feel that SBUX lost its “homely” feel.

I ended up selling for no gain about six months later. Back than I really wasn’t into chart examination. If was I was maybe I would of seen this coming.