Thursday, October 26, 2006

Innovation isn't all it's cracked up to be

Someone reminded me I hadn't written to the blog for a while, being so caught up in the seemingly never-ending job search. Until I think of something better to say, this will have to do...

I was browsing through Your World News and came across an article that I found somewhat interesting. You might remember the blog I wrote on HD-DVD vs Blu-Ray. Well, two engineers at Warner have developed a means by which a single disc can support HD-DVD, Blu-Ray, and standard DVD, all at the same time.

If Warner makes licensing the technology affordable, the new disc could make the entire issue of which format is better moot. It would also dramatically reduce inventory costs for wholesalers, retailers, and especially rental companies.

Warner was the first studio to release a film, Lake House, in both HD formats. This new solution is a win-win for everyone involved, and I look forward to learning what happens with it, if anything.

After all, good ideas often don't survive competition. One of my favorite innovations was a cassette tape that had re-usable record protection. Where conventional cassette tapes have punch-out holes that prevent the record mechanisms from engaging (leaving us to apply adhesive tape over the holes to record over a protected tape), the cassette I speak of had a cover that could be easily rotated away from the hole with a screwdriver or fingernail. The cassette was sold by Loran and is no longer in production.

With this in mind, I look at Warner's development with interest, but am resigned to take what I can get.

Which is a little like my job search, I'm afraid...

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Florida: The Right to Not Work?

They call Florida a "Right to Work" state. I never knew what that was supposed to mean to the worker, but to the employer it means he has the right to fire an employee without having to go to extremes to justify it. The law gives the employer the ability to terminate an employee for practically any reason.

For example, let's say a company hires someone who happens to have some writing ability, and that someone is asked to write anonymously for the company's blog. If the blog later appears elsewhere as written by the CEO of the company, it might not behoove the employee to ask any questions. In Florida, an employer can terminate an employee for questioning the actions of an employer. The employer may still be held liable for the actions, themselves, but simply questioning those actions would be legitimate grounds for dismissal.

Go figure.

By the way, while I'm out there looking for work, you could be at Your World News checking out what else is happening... and maybe even sharing your own point of view. Do drop by, won't you?