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June 18th, 2009Home Cars?!
June 18th, 2009
Ten Most Beautiful Cars Currently For Sale
June 18th, 2009
For prospective consumers looking to purchase a car as more than mere transportation, we decided it was time for the Jalopnik commentariat to put the ten most beautiful cars in the world currently for sale on a pedestal. We’ve done the ugliest cars at home and abroad, now it’s time to soothe your eyes with images of cars that’ll evoke your inner dragon. To be considered truly beautiful, we decided a vehicle must transcend gimmicks and needless ornamentation to achieve an economy of design, eschewing the aggressiveness of most modern sports cars. Instead, these cars capture the classic feminine qualities that have encouraged owners to refer to their cars as “she.” Given this standard, we think the ten below are almost indisputably the most beautiful — thought that certainly won’t stop you all from adding your own two cents in the comments below.
10. Audi R8
Years of female empowerment public service announcements and deodorant ads have convinced us it’s possible to be both athletic and beautiful. But even in a world without “Girl Power” the Audi R8 is extant proof that strong is sexy. Despite its Lamborghini heritage, there are no scissor doors or fighter jet inspired vents. The R8 is one of the few modern mid-engined cars that’s actually subtle and, therefore, the object of burglar’s desire.
9. Fiat 500
Like a beautiful handle on the entrance to a towering gothic church, the Fiat 500 is the epitome of a brilliant design sometimes overlooked. Coming from the land and company that produces Lamborghinis and Ferraris it was the 500 that captured the European Car Of The Year trophy in 2007. Though quasi-retro, the inexpensive 500 stands out like a Hungarian wax pepper in a world of milquetoast economy cars. We applaud Layabout for selecting it.
8. Citroen C6
Louis Armstrong famously said that “If you have to ask what Jazz is, you’ll never know.” We think we can apply this sentiment to the Citroen C6. Clearly the funkiest car on our list, the Citroen nevertheless manages to capture everything wonderful about French car design. The designers effectively grab one line at the nose and effortlessly stretch it back to the uniquely designed taillights. It’s as though the car was painted in one stroke. The integration of the Citroen logo into the grille is as attractive as it is clever. No wonder that both Chirac and Muhnkee_2 chose the C6 as their official state cars.
7. Jaguar XK Coupe
Though not always the most reliable cars on the market, Jaguar coupes have traditionally set the standard for elegance and beauty and the latest Jaguar XK coupe is no exception. An evolution of a design that goes back to the original E-type, the Jaguar is a design that gets better each time you look at it.
6. Audi RS6 Avant
Putting our bias towards wagons aside, the Audi RS6 Avant may be the most understated performance car on the planet. Powered by a twin-tubro V10, there are no huge wings, garish ground effects or blinding clusters of lights to hint at the car’s awesome ability. As Parkington understands, the satin-finish trim around the Avant’s lusty grille and subtle extra lines quietly nod to the car’s ability while still maintaining it’s obvious class.
5. Cadillac CTS
Few sedans can compete with the supercars and GTs in the aesthetic department, and the few that rise to their level have historically been European. It’s therefore a grand occasion that the Cadillac CTS, an American sedan, can compete with this esteemed company. It’s as if all of those years of talking about “Cadillac Style” finally erupted forth into reality with the new CTS. It’s a car both muscular and delicate, modern and timeless, yet luxurious and distinctly American. The fact that Yoshi can actually afford one has nothing to do with its beauty though clearly something to do with its allure. We can’t wait for the Coupe and Sport Wagon versions to go on sale to show the world what the “Art & Science” design is all about.
4. Masererati GranTurismo
The Maserati GranTurismo lives up to its name as one of the grandest of tourers. And even if it had the motor from an old Datsun and a transmission from a new Suzuki it would still be one of the quickest looking cars on the market. Whether in normal or GranTurismo S trim, the Maserati leaves broken hearts in its wake. Drop dead gorgeous from any angle, the integrated exhaust tips and triangular taillights combine for one of the best looking rears in the business. We think Sandwich Pants would take it over Beyonce any day.
3. Alfa Brera
A consensus favorite among anyone with working optic nerves, the Alfa Romeo Brera redefines the term “hot hatch.” The low greenhouse and high beltline combine for a stance that’s uncharacteristic of a hatchback and the sloping shoulders are surprisingly exotic. But it’s the curved hood, which angles towards the nose in a way that’s almost F1-esque, that causes our hearts to skip beats like Ferris Bueller skips school.
2. Aston Martin DB9
A list of beautiful cars without an Aston Martin would be as incomplete as a list of beautiful women without Scarlett Johansson. But which Aston? The Vantage? The DBS? Though all Astons are powerful and gorgeous, the Aston Martin DB9 is the most classic example of what makes the classic British brand a flag-bearing standard of luxury and elegance. Stripped of the menacing enhancements of those other Astons, the DB9 is like one smooth and flowing movement. They say Michaelangelo had an eye for stone, It’s as if the designers crafted it from one piece of unadulterated marble for Dr. Danger to worship.
1. Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione
There’s a reason why we devoted a day to the Alfa Romeo Competizione and it is embodied in the photo above. Not so much the creation of man, we assume, like the psalmists, it was God’s will manifest through human hands. It outshines anything from Bugatti, Lamborghini or Ferrari while using a tenth of the lines of their simplest cars. With perfectly round taillights, Alfa’s typical crest-shaped grille and ovular headlights it’s hard to put into words what makes the car so special. We simply don’t have words that are good enough. It’s everything that’s great about Italian cars and nothing that’s bad about them. It’s a dream come true and you can actually buy one.
10. Audi R8
Years of female empowerment public service announcements and deodorant ads have convinced us it’s possible to be both athletic and beautiful. But even in a world without “Girl Power” the Audi R8 is extant proof that strong is sexy. Despite its Lamborghini heritage, there are no scissor doors or fighter jet inspired vents. The R8 is one of the few modern mid-engined cars that’s actually subtle and, therefore, the object of burglar’s desire.
9. Fiat 500
Like a beautiful handle on the entrance to a towering gothic church, the Fiat 500 is the epitome of a brilliant design sometimes overlooked. Coming from the land and company that produces Lamborghinis and Ferraris it was the 500 that captured the European Car Of The Year trophy in 2007. Though quasi-retro, the inexpensive 500 stands out like a Hungarian wax pepper in a world of milquetoast economy cars. We applaud Layabout for selecting it.
8. Citroen C6
Louis Armstrong famously said that “If you have to ask what Jazz is, you’ll never know.” We think we can apply this sentiment to the Citroen C6. Clearly the funkiest car on our list, the Citroen nevertheless manages to capture everything wonderful about French car design. The designers effectively grab one line at the nose and effortlessly stretch it back to the uniquely designed taillights. It’s as though the car was painted in one stroke. The integration of the Citroen logo into the grille is as attractive as it is clever. No wonder that both Chirac and Muhnkee_2 chose the C6 as their official state cars.
7. Jaguar XK Coupe
Though not always the most reliable cars on the market, Jaguar coupes have traditionally set the standard for elegance and beauty and the latest Jaguar XK coupe is no exception. An evolution of a design that goes back to the original E-type, the Jaguar is a design that gets better each time you look at it.
6. Audi RS6 Avant
Putting our bias towards wagons aside, the Audi RS6 Avant may be the most understated performance car on the planet. Powered by a twin-tubro V10, there are no huge wings, garish ground effects or blinding clusters of lights to hint at the car’s awesome ability. As Parkington understands, the satin-finish trim around the Avant’s lusty grille and subtle extra lines quietly nod to the car’s ability while still maintaining it’s obvious class.
5. Cadillac CTS
Few sedans can compete with the supercars and GTs in the aesthetic department, and the few that rise to their level have historically been European. It’s therefore a grand occasion that the Cadillac CTS, an American sedan, can compete with this esteemed company. It’s as if all of those years of talking about “Cadillac Style” finally erupted forth into reality with the new CTS. It’s a car both muscular and delicate, modern and timeless, yet luxurious and distinctly American. The fact that Yoshi can actually afford one has nothing to do with its beauty though clearly something to do with its allure. We can’t wait for the Coupe and Sport Wagon versions to go on sale to show the world what the “Art & Science” design is all about.
4. Masererati GranTurismo
The Maserati GranTurismo lives up to its name as one of the grandest of tourers. And even if it had the motor from an old Datsun and a transmission from a new Suzuki it would still be one of the quickest looking cars on the market. Whether in normal or GranTurismo S trim, the Maserati leaves broken hearts in its wake. Drop dead gorgeous from any angle, the integrated exhaust tips and triangular taillights combine for one of the best looking rears in the business. We think Sandwich Pants would take it over Beyonce any day.
3. Alfa Brera
A consensus favorite among anyone with working optic nerves, the Alfa Romeo Brera redefines the term “hot hatch.” The low greenhouse and high beltline combine for a stance that’s uncharacteristic of a hatchback and the sloping shoulders are surprisingly exotic. But it’s the curved hood, which angles towards the nose in a way that’s almost F1-esque, that causes our hearts to skip beats like Ferris Bueller skips school.
2. Aston Martin DB9
A list of beautiful cars without an Aston Martin would be as incomplete as a list of beautiful women without Scarlett Johansson. But which Aston? The Vantage? The DBS? Though all Astons are powerful and gorgeous, the Aston Martin DB9 is the most classic example of what makes the classic British brand a flag-bearing standard of luxury and elegance. Stripped of the menacing enhancements of those other Astons, the DB9 is like one smooth and flowing movement. They say Michaelangelo had an eye for stone, It’s as if the designers crafted it from one piece of unadulterated marble for Dr. Danger to worship.
1. Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione
There’s a reason why we devoted a day to the Alfa Romeo Competizione and it is embodied in the photo above. Not so much the creation of man, we assume, like the psalmists, it was God’s will manifest through human hands. It outshines anything from Bugatti, Lamborghini or Ferrari while using a tenth of the lines of their simplest cars. With perfectly round taillights, Alfa’s typical crest-shaped grille and ovular headlights it’s hard to put into words what makes the car so special. We simply don’t have words that are good enough. It’s everything that’s great about Italian cars and nothing that’s bad about them. It’s a dream come true and you can actually buy one.
Introducing the BYD E6 Electric Car
June 17th, 2009
car
Update: Click here for BYD Electric Cars Slideshow
BYD, China’s biggest battery maker, isn’t wasting any time carving its niche in the new world of electric cars and plug-in hybrids. It all started with the F6DM plug-in hybrid sedan, followed by the smaller and less expensive F3DM plug-in hybrid compact car.
Now BYD has introduced its E6 electric car at the Beijing International Auto Show. It takes the shape of a crossover, or MPV, and will be built on on the F6’s platform (same as the F6DM, which could be sold in Europe by 2010).
BYD E6 Electric Vehicle Specifications
So far, all we know is that the E6 will be a 5 seater with an acceleration of 0 to 100 kph of around 10 seconds. Top speed should be top speed of 160 kph (100 mph), and the battery pack, which is located under the rear passenger seats, will be based on BYD’s own lithium-ion iron phosphate technology. Range per charge is expected to be 300 km (186 miles).
But most impressive of all:
“BYD projected the battery had a life of 2,000 cycles, for a lifetime range of about 600,000 km (373,000 miles)”
Wow! Even if thats just half true, it’s still pretty good.
Charging of the battery will take the night with 220V, but the E6 electric car can also take a fast charge that can bring the battery to 80% SOC in about 15 minutes.
BYD says that it could start producing the E6 within two years. Another one to follow.
Solar Wing front Japanese electric powered car
June 17th, 2009
- car
Solar powered car racing events continue to gain in popularity the world over judging from the number of world class teams listed below. They say racing improves the breed and this is no exception. Most of the development of solar racers is undertaken by university teams. It seems this is a young engineers sport and that the cars of the future are for the most part being developed by educational institutions with sponsorship from local business and government environmental initiatives.
NASA to Sell, Donate Old Space Shuttles
December 20th, 2008NASA plans to donate and sell old Shuttles after they’re retired in two years.
NASA plans to donate one space shuttle to the Smithsonian, with the other shuttles up for grabs to any “educational institution, science museum, or other appropriate organization” with millions to spend.
It will also be possible to purchase the engine for between $400,000 and $800,000.
“These are national assets, national treasures and something that NASA feels the public would want to see displayed publicly for years to come,” said NASA spokesperson Michael Curie.
Shuttle Discovery will be the shuttle given to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C., with the others up for grabs.? The honor to show off a U.S. shuttle will be $42 million — $28.2 million to remove hazardous materials from the shuttle, $5.8 million for transportation costs, and $8 million to help get the shuttle ready for public display.
NASA is looking to see if an organization has the money to purchase the shuttle, proper ability to display it, have proper money to make sure it’s kept in good condition, among other requirements.? It must also be kept in a “climate-controlled indoor display space,” not outdoors.
After it’s drained of all chemicals, a single shuttle weighs around 170,000 pounds — a carrier aircraft will be required to transport the shuttle to a location that is landlocked.
The U.S. space agency plans to accept applications from all interested parties until March 17, 2009.
The current generation of space shuttles is expected to retire in 2010, with the U.S. space agency forced to rely on Russian Soyuz craft to get astronauts and supplies to the ISS.? The next-generation shuttle is expected to be available in 2015 or 2016.
President-elect Barack Obama can prohibit the donation and sale of U.S. shuttles, if he doesn’t want them to go to the highest bidder.
BLADE SERVER TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW
December 3rd, 2008Blade servers were developed in response to a critical and growing need in the datacenter: the requirement to increase server performance and availability without dramatically increasing the size, cost and management complexity of an ever growing data center. To keep up with user demand and because of the space and power demands of traditional tower and rackmount servers, data centers are being forced to expand their physical plant at an alarming rate.
Enter blade servers. They consolidate power and system level functions into a single, integrated chassis and enable the addition of servers and other components such as communications and peripheral connections via easy to install blades. Blade server technology greatly increases server density, lowers power and cooling costs, eases server expansion and simplifies datacenter management.
Blade servers are not just a new way to package traditional computing components. Rather, they are integrated systems designed to deliver server performance in efficient, high density, easy to expand, and easy to manage units.
Blade Server Benefits
- Reduced Space Requirements – Greater density provides up to 35 to 45 percent improvement compared to tower or rackmounted servers.
- Reduced Power Consumption and Improved Power Management – consolidating power supplies into the blade chassis reduces the number of separate power supplies needed and reduces the power requirements per server.
- Lower Management Cost – server consolidation and resource centralization simplifies server deployment, management and administration and improves management and control.
- Simplified Cabling – rack mount servers, while helping consolidate servers into a centralized location, create wiring proliferation. Blade servers simplify cabling requirements and reduce wiring by up to 70 percent. Power cabling, operator wiring (keyboard, mouse, etc.) and communications cabling (Ethernet, SAN connections, cluster connection) are greatly reduced.
- Future Proofing Through Modularity – as new processor, communications, storage and interconnect technology becomes available, it can be implemented in blades that install into existing equipment, upgrading server operation at a minimum cost and with no disruption of basic server functionality.
- Easier Physical Deployment – once a blade server chassis has been installed, adding additional servers is merely a matter of sliding in additional blades into the chassis. Software management tools simplify the management and reporting functions for blade servers. Redundant power modules and consolidated communication bays simplify integration into datacenters and increase reliability.
Key Blade Server Technologies
Hardware:
- Servers Blades – high density computing engines with 1 to 4 processors and memory
- Blade Chassis – enclosures with integrated power and racks for housing server blades, communication blades and connections to external peripherals and inter-chassis links
- Communication Blades – integrated blades with Ethernet, InfiniBand and proprietary communication adapters and switches
- Power and Cooling Systems – centralized power distribution components that power the blade chassis and components
- Storage Subsystems – hard disk and tape storage subsystems can be inside the blade chassis or external to the chassis. Blade servers can be disk-less since they can boot from external storage in a Storage Area Network or SAN. This configuration can increase reliability and reduce space requirements by partitioning storage resources in one centralized location and computing resources in another. This also eliminates storage redundancies and simplifies storage management.
Software:
- Software Management Tools – management software that enables server administrators to deploy, control and monitor server resources.
- Virtualization Software – software that enables maximum usages of server resources by creating virtual server resources that tap physical resources as needed by the application usage
Summary
Blade servers are efficient solutions for data centers requiring flexible, high-density deployment and management of high performance servers. Blade servers can pack more server performance into less space while reducing cost and complexity, simplifying deployment and management, and improving overall data center performance.
Spy Phone
November 28th, 2008Perhaps the most important rule in espionage is secrecy – never let your Object know he is being followed. If your Object received a Spy Phone, he would never have suspected that this chic 3rd generation mobile phone, is actually a cutting-edge surveillance equipment, which enables you to hear his phone calls, read his instant text messages (SMS), know where he is located (GPS tracking), bug his room and control each of his moves, without leaving any trace!
Phone tapping, cell phone monitoring and other intelligence gathering techniques were a part of many famous incidents throughout the history. Here are some famous cases of which surveillance techniques took place:
During the American Civil War, government officials under President Abraham Lincoln eavesdropped on telegraph conversations. Phone tapping first began in the late years of the 19th century, following the invention of the telephone recorder. Phone tapping has also been carried out under most presidents, usually with a lawful warrant since the Supreme Court ruled it constitutional in 1928. Domestic eavesdropping under the Clinton administration led to the capture of the former Soviet spy Aldrich Ames in 1994. Robert F. Kennedy used surveillance techniques to monitor the activity of Martin Luther King Jr. by phone tapping his calls in 1966.
Colin Thatcher, a Canadian politician, was secretly recorded making statements which would later be used to convict him of his wife’s murder. The call recording device was concealed on a person whom Thatcher had previously approached for help in the crime.
?
The year 2004 faced one of the biggest political scandals ever when more than 100 cell phone numbers belonging mostly to ministers of the Greek government, including the Prime Minister of Greece, have been illegally tapped for a period of at least one year. The Greek government concluded this had been done by a foreign intelligence agency, for security reasons related to the 2004 summer Olympic Games which were held in Athens. This massive cell phone monitoring was enabled by unlawfully activation of the lawful interception subsystem of the Vodafone mobile network in Greece.
The most recent case of phone tapping in the United States was the National Security Agency warrant less surveillance controversy which discovered in December 2005. It aroused much controversy, after several people accused President George W. Bush of violating a specific federal regulation and also the United States Constitution. President Bush argued that his authorization was consistent with other federal regulations and other provisions of the constitution, was necessary to keep the United States safe from terrorism, and could lead to the capture of notorious terrorists responsible for 9/11.
Embassies and other diplomatic consuls are often the targets of bugging, phone tapping and cell phone monitoring operations. The Russian embassy in Ottawa, Canada, was phone tapped by the Canadian government and the British agency MI5 during the embassy’s construction.
A copy of the Great Seal of the United States, presented by the former Soviet Union to the United States ambassador in Moscow, contained a bug. The bug was unusual because it had no power source or transmitter, making it much harder to detect. It was a new type of surveillance equipment, called a cavity bug.
In 1990, it was reported that the Chinese embassy in Canberra, Australia, had been phone tapped by the Australian Secret Intelligence Service.
Electronic spy supplies found in March 2003 at offices used by German and French delegations at the European Union headquarters in Brussels. Spy supplies were also discovered at offices used by other delegations. The discovery of the phone tapping systems was first reported by the popular newspaper “Le Figaro”, which blamed the United States with this telephone tap.
?In 2004, a surveillance equipment was found in a meeting room at the Nations’ offices in Geneva, Switzerland.
In some web site, we found?this introduction:
——————————————————————————-
How It Works
Object – is the “target”, “holder” (or simply the person you give the spyphone to).
- SpyPhone – is the cell phone spy gear, which you can buy on this site, give to the Object as a gift, and from there on, use in order to know what the Object is up to.
- Master Phone – any phone which can send instant text messages (SMS), can serve as a Master Phone. This phone is the “remote control” which can turn the special digital surveillance features in the spyphone on and off. The Master Phone is also the phone where all the information from the spyphone is sent to. For instance, if the spyphone’s user is making a call, your Master Phone will ring, and you can decide to listen, talk, or just ignore it. Every SMS sent or received by the Spy-phone, will be automatically copied to your Master Phone.
?
How is it done?
The spy-phone has a Special Access Number (SAN). This number enables you to enter the spy-phone menu remotely, and control all of its functions. These functions include all of the digital surveillance features and all of the cellular functions of the phone (this fact means that you can also gain access to the phones logs and settings, giving you yet another advantage over your “objects”).
How do you remotely enter the Spy-Phone menu?
Unlike other spy tools, which require physical placing and setting changes, the spy-phone belongs to a new generation of digital surveillance equipment – it allows you to reconfigure it, AFTER you have given it to the person you wish to follow (You don’t even need to be anywhere near it in order to do so). All you have to do is send one SMS message, containing the Special Access Number and a 4 digit code. Each code “turns on” a special phone monitoring or spying feature. Turning all the phone’s special features off, is done by SMS too. (A full manual, which includes technical explanations and detailed activation codes will be provided upon purchase).
Note: Any phone which is capable of sending an instant text message (SMS) can serve as a Master Phone.
Note: The SpyPhone will remain functional regardless to any SIM, phone-number or location changes. (even if the SIM is replaced, all spy-functions will continue to operate as-usual!).
Is it dangerous?
Digital Sales Surpass CDs at Atlantic
November 28th, 2008
Since MP3s first became popular a decade ago, music industry executives have obsessed over this question: when would digital music revenue finally surpass compact disc sales?
For Atlantic Records, the label that in years past has delivered artists like Ray Charles, John Coltrane and Led Zeppelin, that time, apparently, is now.
Atlantic, a unit of Warner Music Group, says it has reached a milestone that no other major record label has hit: more than half of its music sales in the United States are now from digital products, like downloads on iTunes and ring tones for cellphones.
“We’re like a college basketball team on an 18-2 run,” said Craig Kallman, Atlantic’s chairman and chief executive.
At the Warner Music Group, Atlantic’s parent company, digital represented 27 percent of its American recorded-music revenue during the fourth quarter. (Warner does not break out financial data for its labels, but Atlantic said that digital sales accounted for about 51 percent of its revenue.)
With the milestone comes a sobering reality already familiar to newspapers and television producers. While digital delivery is becoming a bigger slice of the pie, the overall pie is shrinking fast. Analysts at Forrester Research estimate that music sales in the United States will decline to $9.2 billion in 2013, from $10.1 billion this year. That compares with $14.6 billion in 1999, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
As a result, the hope that digital revenue will eventually compensate for declining sales of CDs — and usher in overall growth — have largely been dashed.
“It’s not at all clear that digital economics can make up for the drop in physical,” said John Rose, a former executive at EMI, the British music company, who is now a senior partner at the Boston Consulting Group.
Instead, the music industry is now hoping to find growth from a variety of other revenue streams it has not always had access to, like concert ticket sales and merchandise from artist tours. “The real question,” Mr. Rose said, “is how does the record industry change its rights structure so it captures a fairer percent of the value it creates in funding, marketing and managing the launch of artists?”
Ever since 1999, when the popular file-swapping service Napster was created, the music industry’s fate has been closely watched by other media companies — television, film and print publications like newspapers — whose traditional businesses are also under siege.
In virtually all these corners of the media world, executives are fighting to hold onto as much of their old business as possible while transitioning to digital — a difficult process that NBC Universal’s chief executive, Jeff Zucker, has described as “trading analog dollars for digital pennies.”
In each of these sectors, digital remains a small piece of the business. NBC has said it expects $1 billion in digital revenue by 2009; over all, the company’s revenue last year was more than $15 billion. Time Inc., the largest magazine publisher, with publications like Sports Illustrated, People and Fortune, said that about 9 percent of its $2.2 billion revenue in the first half of this year was derived from digital. In October, The New York Times Company said that online revenue accounted for 12.4 percent of its overall revenue.
On Tuesday, the Warner Music Group reported that digital revenue for the full fiscal year rose 39 percent, to $639 million, or 18 percent of the company’s total revenue. Over all, the company topped the expectations of Wall Street analysts — who on average were forecasting a small loss, according to Reuters — by reporting a net profit of $6 million in the fourth quarter. Revenue fell 1 percent, to $854 million.
Atlantic, whose artists include the Southern rapper T. I., the rock band Death Cab for Cutie and Kid Rock, appears to be the first of the major labels to claim that most of its revenue is coming from digital sales — and it says it has done so without seeing as steep a decline in compact disc sales as the rest of the industry.
This performance is sharply at odds with the trends in the music industry over all, where data show that sales of compact discs still account for more than two-thirds of music sales. Forrester Research does not expect digital music to reach 50 percent of the overall pie until 2011.
Analysts said they were surprised that Atlantic — with the highest overall market share in the industry this year — had such a high percentage of digital revenue.
“That’s a lot,” said David Card, a digital music analyst at Forrester Research. “That’s very high. No one is near that.”
The question, then, is whether Atlantic’s performance is an outlier or a signal that the music industry is reaching a pivot point as it moves toward a new business model.
“I think we’ve figured it out,” said Julie Greenwald, president of Atlantic Records. “It used to be that you could connect five dots and sell a million records. Now there are 20 dots you can connect to sell a million records.”
In making that transition to a digital business, the music business has become immeasurably more complicated. Replacing compact disc sales are small bits of revenue from many sources: Atlantic Records’ digital sales include ring tones, ringbacks, satellite radio, iTunes sales and subscription services. At the same time, record labels — Atlantic included — are spending less money to market artists. In the pre-Internet days, said Ms. Greenwald, “we were so flush, we did everything in the name of promotion.” Among the cutbacks are less spending to produce videos and to support publicity tours when a new album is released.
“Today you have to be like Leonard Bernstein,” said Mr. Kallman, “making sure everyone is hitting the right notes at just the right millisecond. The tipping point, if you will, is when everything converges and your timing with everything is impeccable.”
Time to sign up for Medicare drug plans
November 28th, 2008From now until Dec. 31, seniors who are eligible for Medicare can sign up for prescription drug coverage or change their existing plan.
“Qualified seniors should not delay,” said Peter Pitts, president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest. “With hundreds of private plans competing to provide the best deals, Medicare Part D has more options and better coverage than ever before.”
Most public health programs are funded and managed by the government. Part D is different because it’s administered by private insurance companies. Taxpayer dollars operate as a subsidy, but then seniors are allowed to select the drug benefit that best suits their needs.
“According to a recent Harris Interactive Poll, an overwhelming 87 percent of Part D enrollees are happy with the program,” said Pitts. “By leveraging market forces, Part D has both lowered costs and increased choices for seniors.”
The program has reduced outofpocket healthcare expenses for the average enrollee by 17 percent, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The projected cost of Part D to taxpayers over the next decade has dropped $117 billion since last summer, from $915 billion to $798 billion.
Some Medicare plans, especially the more popular ones, will be more expensive in 2009, so even seniors who are pleased with their existing drug coverage should examine the options.