The Cassette Tape Lives

 

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/08/tech/innovation/data-storage-cassette-tape-sony/index.html?c=&page=1

    Economically, cassette tapes died out in the late 90s.... They also died out socially with the introduction of CD's and MP3's. Nobody wanted to be the kid with the Walkman among people who all had iPod Shuffles. Although I grew up using them exclusively and have recently started listening to them again, I myself switched to CD's and MP3s and stopped using cassette tapes. BUT Sony has just changed the game once again.

      "Sony's record-breaking magnetic tape technology allows it to store 180 terabytes of data on a single cartridge. That's the same amount of storage as 1,184 iPod Classics, Apple's roomiest music player, which can hold about 40,000 songs. Using that number, Sony's new cassette could technically store about 47.3 million songs." 

Although Sony isn't looking to sell this to people for domestic use, it's still pretty awesome. 

Sony will be selling these cassette tapes to companies looking to back up their massive databases. 180 Terabytes. I'm not entirely sure how much it will cost to buy one of these cassette tapes, but I imagine they won't be $5 for 10 tapes like normal cassette tapes. "If you're more of a movie buff, think of it this way. The cartridge, which stores 148GB of data per inch of tape, has room for 3,700 Blu-ray discs full of your favorites. The number obliterates the standing record, set in 2010 when Fuji developed a tape that could hold 35 terabytes of data. Sony, which worked with IBM on the tape, presented the new technology over the weekend at InterMag Europe, a magnetics conference in Dresden, Germany. In very simple terms, the technology involves shrinking the microscopic magnetic particles on tape that store data. On average, the new particles are 7.7 nanometers wide. There are 10 million nanometers in one centimeter." If I'm correct, I read somewhere this tape stores more music on it than a person could listen to for EVERY second of their life from the instant they're born. This will be a huge deal for all big companies that store massive amounts of data. I'm assuming this old fashioned way of storing technology will provide a new twist of storage for companies. It will also make storage methods MUCH cheaper for everyone. 

 

Dr. Dre. The first rap billionaire

Dr. Dre The First Rap Billionaire

http://money.cnn.com/#!/articles/2014/05/09/technology/innovation/dr-dre-billionaire.json?category=Latest%20News

Being a hip-hop/rap fanatic, I was actually surprised to hear that Dr. Dre has just become the first rapper billionaire. I had actually thought it was achieved long ago. Dr. Dre has apparently become a billionaire simply because Apple is buying up all of his Beats By Dre products, but that's not where it started. If you go back to the beginning, my guess would be that the Beastie Boys would have become the first billionaires in the rap industry, being that their first album, License To Ill, was and still is the best selling rap album in history. Behind them, Run DMC. They were HUGE back in the day and were around for a long span of time. The same goes for Snoop Dogg. In a world of overpayed celebrities, it's a shock to me that, out of all the famous rappers around the world, Dr. Dre would be the first rap billionaire. He has somehow paved the way for many other rap artists too. Ice Cube went on to become a movie actor. Mac Miller has his own T.V. show. So does Riff Raff. Inspired by Beats By Dre, Snoop Dogg released a line of high end headphones, but without the amount of success. Chance The Rapper, while he just recently broke through the underground into the mainstream, is ALWAYS on tour. I don't know how much a rap artist gets payed monthly and I know it's dependent on how many shows they play and the amount of tickets they sell, etc., but I thought it wouldn't take that long to rack up a huge amount of money. Especially if you're Dr. Dre and started your career more than 20 years ago with NWA. "The first billionaire in hip hop, right here from the motherf----n West Coast," Dre says."

"But estimating Dre's net worth is difficult, given that Beats is privately held. Beats did not immediately respond to a request for comment." 

According to various reports, he holds a stake of between 20% and 25% following a $500 million investment last year from private equity firm The Carlyle Group, which was said to have valued the company at around $1 billion." 

"Forbes pegged Dr. Dre's net worth last month at $550 million. Let's assume he does own 25% of Beats. That stake would have been worth $250 million before the Apple deal chatter, leaving Dre with about $300 million from other investments and ventures, such as his music career.

If Apple does purchase Beats for $3.2 billion, then Dre's presumed 25% stake would be worth $800 million. Add that to his $300 million in non-Beats assets and the rapper would be worth $1.1 billion."

Why Economics Has Failed

Why Economics Has Failed:

http://seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2023517418_paulkrugmancolumneconomicsfail04xml.html?syndication=rss

Sunday, May 4th, 2014

Many consider that over the years, in some sort of way, economics has failed us in one way or another. We've all experienced the stock market plummeting, and the potential of a second Great Depression is always hanging over our heads. I thought this article was interesting in many ways, being that the author of the article states  "Basic textbook macroeconomics has performed very well. But policymakers and politicians have ignored both the textbooks and the lessons of history." And the result has been a vast economic and human catastrophe, with trillions of dollars of productive potential squandered and millions of families placed in dire straits for no good reason. "In what sense did economics work well? Economists who took their own textbooks seriously quickly diagnosed the nature of our economic malaise: We were suffering from inadequate demand. The financial crisis and the housing bust created an environment in which everyone was trying to spend less, but my spending is your income and your spending is my income, so when everyone tries to cut spending at the same time the result is an overall decline in incomes and a depressed economy. And we know (or should know) that depressed economies behave quite differently from economies that are at or near full employment. For example, many seemingly knowledgeable people — bankers, business leaders, public officials — warned that budget deficits would lead to soaring interest rates and inflation. But economists knew that such warnings, which might have made sense under normal conditions, were way off base under the conditions we actually faced. Sure enough, interest and inflation rates stayed low." That's what I think is so interesting. That these textbooks that are being passed out among students in high school, much like in our senior economics class, are describing scenarios in which we can reach and withhold a steady, powerful economy, yet... ALL of these huge money holders and important people that make these great big decisions, are failing to follow good plans. I suppose it's easier said than done in this case. "Whatever the reasons basic economics got tossed aside, the result has been tragic. Most of the waste and suffering that have afflicted Western economies these past five years was unnecessary. We have, all along, had the knowledge and the tools to restore full employment. But policymakers just keep finding reasons not to do the right thing."

Gay business owners still face challenges

By Joyce M. Rosenberg 

 04/27/2014 
 http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_25639902/gay-business-owners-still-face-challenges

In a world full of independent businesses, it can be hard, as we've learned in class before, sometimes it can be hard to find and keep a steady paying job in which you can live off of. Economics plays a huge factor, as we all know, in how money is made by people. As we know, there are many factors that come into play in economics of how a small business functions, but with this particular article, what caught my attention is there is an increase in discrimination, thus hurting businesses.  Joyce M. Rosenber, author of this fascinating article, says "It happens a few times a year: A customer refuses to work with Dave Greenbaum because he's gay.
Greenbaum, who owns a computer repair business in Lawrence, Kan., often needs to go into customers' homes. Some people realized he is gay after he was quoted in a newspaper story about gay rights. They told Greenbaum, "I don't appreciate your lifestyle and I don't want you in my house." Others canceled appointments saying, "I found out you're gay."I thought this was just... Really shocking. You call someone when you need help with something, in this case, getting your computer repaired. I've always known there was a great deal of discrimination around the nation and world pertaining to a person's sexual orientation, but I never really thought about how it can, and is, hurting businesses. "The need to raise public awareness about AIDS, which has affected many gays, and the fight for legalization of same-sex marriage have encouraged more gays to be open about their sexual orientation and has increased acceptance of them by others. Still, gay rights advocates note that 29 states don't prohibit workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Business owners are also vulnerable, they say." I feel at this point, gay business owners have to choose. Sacrifice their business, or their personal opinions. Like the article states, if you basically share your opinions about people's sexual orientations, you are risking the entire livelyhood of your business.

challenge for some gay owners is they're not part of what they call the good old boy network. Straight men in business often connect by talking about a football game or golf trip, topics that some gay men don't care about. "A lot of the way guys relate to each other is with sports, and frankly, that doesn't interest me," says Nayte Carrick, owner of ClikClok, an Orlando, Fla.-based software company.
His home life is different and that can also make it difficult to connect.
"I don't have a girlfriend and I don't have a wife. I'm 36 and don't have kids. That's bizarre to them," he says. "Even people I think of as open-minded have difficulty relating to my life."
Some believe that being gay costs them business. Cindy Weigel, owner of Roxy Insurance in Chicago, finds it hard to sell policies to suburban families, while her wife is more successful. Weigel says she believes it's because she looks gay -- her hair is short and spiky and she says she doesn't look as feminine as other women. Her wife, Weigel says, is "pretty" and "does not look gay."
Weigel has a solid business selling to gay clients and straight ones who are single. But families are the most lucrative customers for an insurance agent.
"I feel that being gay is hurting my business," Weigel says. "It's just the way it is."
Some owners develop strategies to avoid losing business or head off an unpleasant situation." I am glad that some businesses have found ways around these potential issues, but I personally think it's sad that these precautions have to be taken in the first place. 

Connecticut's Minimum Wage Hike Signed Into Law by Carter Brown

Connecticut's Minimum Wage Hike Signed Into Law, Setting Nation's Highest Statewide Rate:

The full story can be found at this link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/27/connecticut-minimum-wage_n_5045720.html

On Thursday, Connecticut passed a new law hiking up the state minimum wage to  a whopping $10.10, starting in 2017, thus setting it as the nation's highest statewide rate. In another Huffington Post interview, a few businesses were talked to and they all said the new law wouldn't personally affect them, though a lot of Republicans are opposing it. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed legislation Thursday.  "Surrounded by state lawmakers and officials, Malloy appeared at a packed Café Beauregard, the same New Britain restaurant where he dined earlier this month with President Barack Obama and several other New England governors. The president was in town to advocate for a national $10.10 minimum wage. After signing the bill, Malloy said it was one of his "proudest days as governor" and added: "It's time to get people out of poverty." Earlier in the day, Malloy and legislative leaders received a congratulatory phone call from Vice President Joe Biden, who thanked Connecticut for being the first state to pass legislation enacting the $10.10 wage. Some cities, but no states, have higher minimum wages." As a working teenager, I wouldn't personally mind the huge increase in Connecticut. I understand that the president is now looking to raise the minimum wage nation wide. While this would be mostly beneficial to me, I can see that pushing the nation deeper and deeper in to debt, seeing as families that earn more, tend to spend more. The whole thing has its advantages and disadvantages. I guess time will just have to tell what happens and what Obama will say, depending on how Connecticut adjusts to this change. "Many small business owners were disappointed by the increase last year but partially relieved that the issue was behind them. Suddenly it's back and it's bigger," said Andrew Markowski, Connecticut director of the National Federation of Independent Business. "They must be wondering what's next, and who could blame them?" Some people are for this change and some are against it. I guess time will tell what happens...

The Economics of Limiting Russia’s Expansion

The Economics of Limiting Russia’s Expansion

The New York Times Mar 20, 2014 by Peter Boone

Link: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/economics-limiting-russia-expansion-040131152.html?soc_src=copy

If you have been keeping up with the news lately, it has been a rather... Large topic of discussion among the United States and Western Europe that Vladimir Putin is looking to expand Russia's territory. However it is quoted "On present course, the West’s strategy looks set for more failure; only a major shift in economic strategy by the Ukrainian government is likely to make a significant difference. Giving or lending lots of money to Ukraine is unlikely to help and may even be counterproductive." 

When the Soviet Union broke up in 1991, Ukraine’s product per capita was greater than Romania’s, slightly higher than Poland’s and about 30 percent less than Russia’s. To simplify things, Ukraine is broke. Ukraine has gone through multiple economic failures and doesn't want to oppose decisions being made in other regions of Russia. Nobody wants to oppose Putin. It would affect the U.S. and England's imports and would cause a great amount of distress across Europe. At this point it becomes more of an overall task of avoiding war than just playing the game of economics. "A stable Ukraine, with an economy that catches up to its neighbors, is the best defense against disintegration." Putin is the cause for this disintegration, but Ukraine, the only region at this point who has even suggested taking action against Putin, lacks the funds to do so. It certainly will be interesting to watch how things unfold over time. 

Economics: Making Your Advertising More Effective

2/05/2014 By: John Owrid

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnowrid/2014/02/05/behavioural-economics-gives-the-advertising-industry-a-nudge-in-the-right-direction/

Behavioral Economics Gives The Advertising Industry A Nudge In The Right Direction:

Believe it or not, economics and business/brand advertising tie closely together. John Owrid, author of this article, briefly explains tactics companies use to sell their products more effectively. I thought it was fascinating that.... In something that seems as simple as placing products on shelves, architecture also comes into play and is a big factor. Owrid explains this tactic called "Choice Architecture" and uses the example of soap. Say, for example, you place soap on a store shelf. Studies are now showing that if you place the soap 

at an average customers eye level, they are more likely to take notice of it, and purchase it. Mathew Willcox, Executive Director of advertising agency Draftfcb recently said, “one of the perpetual challenges to marketers is getting people to switch brands, and it seems that some way of creating a sense of closure with their old or existing choice could be a very interesting approach.”