...Sony’s 1974 launch of its Betamax videotape recording system was a continuation of its record of technological leadership in consumer electronics. In the mid 1970s, however, a second competing standard for videocassette recorders (VCR) was being developed. The strategic issue facing Sony was how to deal with this threat to its own standard. What factors do make two companies- Sony and JVC different? Seven months before the launch of Betamax, Sony chairman Akio Morita showed his machine to executives from Matsushita, JVC, and RCA, in an effort to get support for Sony’s design. Sony’s attitude seemed to be: “We completed this one, why don’t you simply follow us and become partners in producing VCRs that use our Betamax system?” Sony’s arrogant attitude did not go over well with potential partners. JVC replied that it preferred to develop its own technology. Konosuke Matsushita, in turn, was unhappy that he had not been consulted about the Betamax design. He, too, declined to participate in producing VCRs for the Betamax system. Two years later, JVC introduced the Video Home System (VHS), and in compatible alternative to Betamax. Sony had a head start: when JVC introduced VHS in September 1976, more than 100,000 Betamax machines had already been sold. Several other systems also appeared briefly, but none generated much interest from consumers. Initially, VHS had a longer recording time but lower picture quality. However, these technical differences were short-lived, and over...
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...Matthew Ramos Business Opportunities 1 III – Entrepreneurship Ms. MJ Ganaden 5 great products that failed in the market Sony Betamax The Betamax video recorder hit stores in 1975. A year later, Sony's rival released another video recorder -- the VHS. By early 1977, four other companies were selling VHS machines. Meanwhile, Sony chose not to license Betamax technology. Because the two formats were incompatible, consumers had to choose between the two. As Sony was the lone Betamax producer, you can guess which system they chose. McDonald's Arch Deluxe In an effort to class up the McDonald's brand, the company created the Arch Deluxe, a product marketed towards adults with more sophisticated palates. Just one problem -- people don't go to McDonald's for sophistication. McDonald's customers know what they want, and what they want is a classic and convenient burger. Needless to say, when the Arch Deluxe debuted in 1996, consumers weren't lovin' it. Bic Underwear Bic has built its brand on the convenience of disposable products. Disposable razors? Disposable lighters? Convenient and affordable. Disposable underwear? Just plain weird. Other than the disposability factor, consumers could not find a link between the underwear and Bic's other products. With out a unifying factor, people were just confused. In addition, the idea of buying intimate attire from a company that also produces pens apparently does not appeal to most women. Apple Newton Arguably...
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...Sony's Betamax, long thought dead, officially gets last nail in its coffin Sony finally acknowledges that the world didn't embrace its rival to the videocassette, years after that format faded from the market, too. The first US-market Betamax video recorder, the 1982 Sony SL-2000 portable. It's sitting on top of a TT-2000 timer unit. Rafe Needleman/CNET Sometimes the tape keeps going after you thought it had run out. But three decades? It turns out that Sony is still making videocassette tapes for its Betamax video recording systems, largely vanquished from the gadget scene in the 1980s. Not for much longer, though. Sony announced Wednesday that it will stop producing Betamax tapes in March of next year. "This will make the final shipment of all our memory media for Betamax," Sony said in a Japanese-language statement. Tech standards come and go, and for the most part, Betamax has been long gone. In its heyday, it was at the center of a cultural moment that may have been the first time consumers really had to worry about competing tech standards. Its battle with the rival VHS standard, the eventual winner, was a momentous one in an era when a television set was probably the most significant electronic device in many households. Sony introduced the Betamax format in 1975, a year before rival Japanese firm JVC unveiled the VHS tape. Both allowed recording and playback of TV shows and movies. Although many people considered Betamax to be a superior technology...
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...Living in a world where you feel like you are not seen or heard can be mind blowing and depressing. A young high school boy named Brandon in the short film, The Most Beautiful Thing by Cameron Covell, is a social outcast and has an isolated mindset. He feels as if he is never seen nor heard. Knowing that, he realizes that prom is just around the corner and he has to build up the courage to not only find a girl but also to ask her to go to prom with him. He has his eyes on one girl in particular and attempts to speak to her every time he sees her. The first time he speaks to her in the hallway she keeps walking. He later sees this girl outside sitting beside him and he speaks again. She did not respond. He persists and yells, “You can’t hear me?” She realizes he is trying to get her attention so she looks over at him. She writes him a note informing him that she is deaf and refuses to speak and that her name is Emily. They start writing notes, and then transition into hanging out, texting and even liking each other. Then he realizes he just might have a date for prom. First he has to figure out how he will ask her. But one day just might change everything for the worst. An unexpected obstacle occurs and he has to figure out a resolution. The acting of the main characters, the setting where the short film takes place, and the music that is playing in the background all has a positive impact on my thought of this film. The acting in this film was highly significant. Due...
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...unchanged. The title of this book is symbolic, with nectar representing goodness and kindness, and the sieve representing the world. When you put nectar (goodness) in a sieve (the world) it will only last a short time before disappearing without a trace. In other words, enjoy what you have while it lasts, do not try to save what is in the moment. 2) Why might the author have chosen to have Ruku tell her story in flashback form? Is Ruku a reliable narrator? - The author might have chosen to have Ruku tell her story in flashback form because this way, Ruku can foreshadow and add thoughts about the events. When a story is told in flashback form, it is easier to focus on the main events and conflicts of the story rather than the minute details. Thoughts and feelings Ruku had after the events in the story occurred can be added in, which helps the reader to understand the plot. The story makes more sense being told after the fact, and makes you think about how things have changed since then. I believe Ruku is a reliable narrator. She was involved in all of the events in the story firsthand. 3) How does Ruku’s experience as a daughter, wife, and mother inform her relationship with her daughter Ira? - Ruku gained a lot of life experience through all of her trials. Her parents were supportive of her and she had a smooth marriage. Ira was Ruku’s first child and only daughter, so this gives them a special relationship. Ruku was unfortunately unable to bear a son with her husband...
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...a True War Story How to Tell a True War Story is written by Tim O’Brien. It is set in Vietnam between the years of nineteen fifty-four and nineteen seventy-five. In this section, the story starts out by talking about a man named Rat Kiley. Kiley is writing a letter to a friend’s sister telling her how good of a man he really was. He also writes about different stories that happened and how he was the first to volunteer for things, just to emphasize the greatness of this man. The sister of the deceased man does not write back to Rat Kiley which greatly upsets him. The story goes on to identify the man as Curt Lemon. Eventually, it is clear how Lemon died. Kiley and Lemon were tossing a grenade back and forth to each other when suddenly Lemon ended up stepping into a booby trap. Another man in the military by the name of Mitchell Sanders tells O’brien a story to teach him lesson. The story is about two men who set out to the mountains on a mission. After a few days of living up there, the men hear strange noises. It gets worse and worse so they order that the land below them be attacked. They pack up their stuff and walk down the mountain. When they reach the bottom their commander asks them what they heard and the men reply with nothing. Sanders claims the moral of the story is that no one listens, you need to listen to the quiet. He goes on to say that the moral of a war story cannot be extracted without a deeper meaning surfacing. The meaning behind the story is if he really...
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...bat. I find it awkward and sometimes too far off, raising a problem when ignoring it was all you probably needed. The thing is I still think about it. You’re not a idiot; it’s pretty obvious. I think you’re amazing and that won’t change no matter what this manages to morph itself into. And in my opinion, it doesn’t need to. But I think about the song, I think about the poems, I think about the unfinished story rotting because I’ve lost what motivated me to complete it. A story is a what-could-have-been right? When we daydream about our futures, daydream about bravery and acceptance and victory, it’s just a fantasy story of our lives. Sometimes I just have to write it down to make sure I don’t lose it. Don’t forget it. Understand that once upon a time, I was such and such. People say in the future, they’ll look back and laugh. I won’t laugh; I’ll understand. Perhaps not why, why you, why this time, why so silent and why so demanding but I’ll understand the circumstances. I’ll understand what drove me and what tore it apart. My entire life’s story out there for everyone to see. Sometimes I feel so exposed. It’s weaving together assumptions that are sometimes so out there, right in the open. But that’s okay, because even things I write a month ago, I no longer understand. I don’t know whom I was so pissed off at and what made me write a passage on loneliness. I don’t need to. It’s all in the moment. & It’s not so much that we lost it, as much...
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...Story 1 Paddle Kink 2.5 Amy is deeply submissive and will do what Sir wishes, and when he invites her out a week before Valentine’s Day she has no idea what dinner will bring. While this story had a great theme to it, it just fell flat for me. There was very little emotional connection between the two leads to the story. Mr. Wood tried to weave a story that had all of the wonderful kinky things that I love but “Sir” just seems to cold and unemotional towards Amy and it left me scratching my head as to why he would even go to the trouble of setting up the dinner the story revolved around. There is lots of kinky pieces to this story that just did not seem to flow together as well as I would of liked. It is short story that had spankings, some MFM and FF action, voyeurism, and the most difficult one for me to read was the massive amount humiliation Sir used towards Amy. There was very little after care and this just made me want to get angry with them both. While the story does only comprise of one encounter between Amy and Sir, there is just to much missing for this to be a believable, even in the context of fantasy, match. If you enjoy humiliation with a side of voyeurism then you may enjoy this book, but if you like any sort of emotional connection I would skip over this...
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...However, when he tries to find her, she is nowhere to be seen. He works as a security guard at Green Oaks, and basically his life consists of his work, as he has nothing else to live for. Lisa works at Your Music and considers her life miserable. She has lost her brother, who disappeared after he was accused of being involved in the disappearance of Kate Meaney. For 20 years there had been no lead in the case and Kate was never found. A string of strange events and lost memories tie together the lives of many people, all somehow connected to the case of Kate Meaney. A suicide, a memory from years ago, a lost brother and a hidden secret eventually lead to the closure of a case shrouded in mysteries for so long. Setting: Time The story begins in 1984, when the main character Kate is only 10 years old. You can tell by the page that says: “1984 – Falcon Investigations” (O'Flynn, 2007, p. 1) In the '80s everything was different than it is now. There was no internet as we know it now, people thought differently, there were other values, things we're just different than it is now in the world we live in. 20 years...
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...Book Critique for Likeonomics: The unexpected Truth Behind Earning Trust, And Inspiring Behavior Rohit Bhargava took the time to write Likeonomics: The unexpected Truth Behind Earning Trust, and Inspiring Behavior in 2012 and was published by John Wiley and Sons, Inc. In this book Mr. Bhargava gives many examples about how if people like you, they are more likely to choose you, or trust you as opposed to not liking you and not wanting to be around you. He utilizes real life scenarios which brings excitement and interest to the reading. The stories of motivation and inspiration from some of the most successful people in the world and how their success was made because they were simply likeable, makes this book an easy page turner. He breaks the book down into three parts: The Crisis and the Solution, The Five Principles of Likeonomics, and The Storybook. This book offers you the ability to see the world through a different set of eyes. Exploring such things as “the Likeability Gap” gives one insight on simple things in life. Mr. Bhargava points out that simply offering a good service is not good enough for a customer to come back or to brag on what you are offering. It’s what makes people go out of their way for a customer simply because they like them. I am guilty of this myself. I work in a service related field and I often encounter clients that are rude and nasty. But every now and then I may encounter someone that I simply “click” with because they are pleasant, or...
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...its a story aboot a young nigga who needs stuff and gets his shyt done always.Hustle loyalty respectits a story aboot a young nigga who needs stuff and gets his shyt done always.Hustle loyalty respectits a story aboot a young nigga who needs stuff and gets his shyt done always.Hustle loyalty respectits a story aboot a young nigga who needs stuff and gets his shyt done always.Hustle loyalty respectits a story aboot a young nigga who needs stuff and gets his shyt done always.Hustle loyalty respectits a story aboot a young nigga who needs stuff and gets his shyt done always.Hustle loyalty respectits a story aboot a young nigga who needs stuff and gets his shyt done always.Hustle loyalty respectits a story aboot a young nigga who needs stuff and gets his shyt done always.Hustle loyalty respectits a story aboot a young nigga who needs stuff and gets his shyt done always.Hustle loyalty respectits a story aboot a young nigga who needs stuff and gets his shyt done always.Hustle loyalty respectits a story aboot a young nigga who needs stuff and gets his shyt done always.Hustle loyalty respectits a story aboot a young nigga who needs stuff and gets his shyt done always.Hustle loyalty respectits a story aboot a young nigga who needs stuff and gets his shyt done always.Hustle loyalty respectits a story aboot a young nigga who needs stuff and gets his shyt done always.Hustle loyalty respectits a story aboot a young nigga who needs stuff and gets his shyt done always.Hustle loyalty respectits...
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...cities, businesses, and universities it partners with) to participate with its business? One scale of 1 to 5 (5 is high), how motivated do you think each group is to do business with Zipcar and help it succeed? * At the beginning of this chapter, the statement is made that “at its simplest level, a business model is a story of how a company operates.” Do you think Zipcar has a good story to tell? When it goes to a city, a business, or a university to pitch its idea, do you think its easy or hard for Zipcar’s employees to clearly explain what it does and what the benefits of its service are? * At the beginning of this chapter, the statement is made that “at its simplest level, a business model is a story of how a company operates.” Do you think Zipcar has a good story to tell? When it goes to a city, a business, or a university to pitch its idea, do you think its easy or hard for Zipcar’s employees to clearly explain what it does and what the benefits of its service are? * At the beginning of this chapter, the statement is made that “at its simplest level, a business model is a story of how a company operates.” Do you think Zipcar has a good story to tell? When it goes to a city, a business, or a university to pitch its idea, do you think its easy or hard for Zipcar’s employees to clearly explain what it does and what the benefits of its service...
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...The Forager’s Dilemma Christopher K. Johnson DeVry University The Forager’s Dilemma In the book, “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”, which was written by Michael Pollan, I read a story about a man’s journey to find a meal he could call his own. Part III, “The Forager” is about reconnecting with the earth and its nature. From pages 277-286, the text will give the reader a taste of what it is like to forage. Pollan is a self-proclaimed “Great in-doors man” and only has a few fond memories of dealing with nature. He has never owned or shot a gun nor has he ever hunted mushrooms due to his fungi phobia. Even with all his lack of natural experience, he is set on showing the reader how different it was to hunt, gather, and grow our own foods rather than depend on the present day agriculturalist. After struggling with everything that has happened throughout the story, he never gives up, even though his doubt gets the best of him in the end. In the first three chapters of Part III were well written and a good read for anyone interested. The purpose of this review is to give you my point of view in hopes to provide a good evaluation for my fellow readers to compare their notes with. There were quite many facts in this reading that caught my attention. One fact in particular was how agriculture brought about infectious disease and malnutrition. Anthropologists venture to say that the typical hunter-gatherers work week was about 17 hours long. These work ethics...
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...Treefrog7 This was a story unlike any of the ones that I have read before. There was no main central theme of heroism, sensuality, or even a twisting plotline as usual. This was just the story of an average couple on an adventure. Following Treefrog7 as she is pregnant, along with her husband Morituri36, was an adventure that I (as the reader) could follow and really experience the story in a “live-action” fashion through the lens of the diary. One part of the story that I enjoyed was the different field entries of the different bugs Treefrog7 came across in her journey. Instead of just embedding the details of the encounter in line with the text, the author takes a break from the text in order to create the feeling of an actual diary/log. The story also is filled with hyperlinks to these entries, which makes it feel more like a journal. The story follows with the very “mortal” Treefrog7 as she is constantly bothered by terrible sleeping conditions, pesky bugs, and eventually has a messy birth scene for her daughter. The entries following her labor are very detailed and descriptive, and allows the reader to relate because it is something we experience in life. Contrary to previous reads, filled with magic, brute strength, and texts to vicariously experience life through, this text is simple and relatable. It is a different experience to read a fictional story about barbarians, magic kingdoms, and spaceships, compared to reading a fictional story about a husband and wife,...
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...Professor Wruz 20 March 2014 EVERYDAY USE Alice walker Alice walker’s “Everyday Use” is a story about the differences of a family split between tradition/heritage and the allure of dreaming big. Told in 1st person point of view, the narrator is the matriarch of the family dubbed “mama” throughout the story. The narrator’s name is never revealed because her role as speaker, through lengthy inner monologues, diminishes the “true focus” of the story which is on Maggie and Dee, “Mama’s” two daughters. So, to counteract this problem the author doesn’t give Mama a name thereby shifting focus to the interactions between the daughters. Race plays a major part of this story as the author capitalizes on the idea of heritage; however, she does not let it overwhelm the plot, slowly dropping subtle hints about their appearances/ race using situations of happenstance. She writes when explaining a thought, “Who can even imagine me looking a white man straight in the face” (590) and “Don’t ask me why: in 1927 colored ask fewer questions than they do now.” when explaining her reasons for never having a proper education. We find out over a span of a couple paragraphs that the characters are black. Two worlds clash as the narrator guides us through the lives of her two daughters who are completely different, one living a life of “golden opportunity” the other a life of simplicity. The story opens as Mama is awaiting the arrival of her eldest daughter Dee, who is portrayed as materialistic...
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