JOHN AND ZORAB: END OF A JOURNEY

We are arriving to the end of John and Zorab’s journey. There are so many things that could have gone differently and so many others that were right on the money from the get go, that we are hard pressed to zero in one specific thing.

However, the attempt will be made. The one thing that struck me from the beginning is the lack of definition. By this I mean the fact that, although the ideas were flowing and the need to create a source of income was there, there was a, dare I say, lackadaisical approach to the whole thing, at least in John’s part, that could have damned the enterprise to failure from the beginning. They knew their final destination, but only had a faint idea how to get there.

I loved Zorab’s pluck from the beginning and thought that she saddled herself with John out of love or out of a sense of friendship. But I also must say that John seems to be shaping as well as Zorab desired, with the end result that their enterprise is slowly emerging in the realm of reality.

WRITTEN ANALYSIS UNIT 10

ASSIGNMENT 1

TESLA’S IMPACT IN OUR DAILY LIVES

 

            An exhaustive list of Nikola Tesla’s inventions is much too long, so we will concentrate in those inventions that are part and parcel of our daily lives:

• Alternating Current. This is the staple of our daily energy lives. Without it, energy transmission would be next to impossible and our consumption of raw materials to produce and distribute electric energy would be prohibitively expensive and probably not something for people’s consumption.
• Light. Of course, we do not mean light itself, but the way to harness it and distribute it in the form of neon signs, now so ubiquitous in all nations of the globe.
• Electric motors. Need no explanation. The lifeblood of our industrial base without it, the US would not be what it is today.
• Wireless Communications and Limitless Free Energy. As to this two items, while still part of Tesla’s achievements, they are doled out in one case and totally suppressed in the other, because they are not politically and economically convenient to fully introduce to the world at large. The day will come that an  exhaustive investigation and experimentation will show the shortsightedness and greed of historical figures like Thomas Edison and J. P. Morgan.

 

Source:

West, N. (2014, July 10). The ten inventions of Nikola Tesla that changed the world. Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://www.activistpost.com/2012/01/10-inventions-of-nikola-tesla-that.html

ASSIGNMENT 9

UNIT 1

            After watching the outstanding presentation showing part of the history when developing the Palm Pilot as narrated by Jeff Hawkins, some interesting questions have been raised. But first, a little background about the product.

            The Palm Pilot started life as a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) that, at the time, fill the role vacated by the secretaries of yesteryear. At the time, there were no technological developments that would have made possible the smart phone as we know it today.

            So to answer the question about the viability of a product such as this in this day and age, we must, sadly, conclude that the Palm Pilot has been left behind in the dustbin of history. It simply cannot compete with the products out there. Which is not to say that the company itself cannot come back and field a product so awesome, that will leave the likes of the iPad and the tablets from the different manufacturers found wanting.

            But in order to compete nowadays, the company would have to come up with a product that addresses a need in the consumer of electronic devices world that it is not being filled right now. It will have to have the will and the resources to co-opt the social media as a means to advertise this hypothetical awesome product as well as the wherewithal to address the very heavy questioning that will be presented by “journalists” and bloggers with axes to grind. And what, would be this awesome product? Let us brainstorm… How about a product that has the size of a Samsung galaxy 4, that has all the bells and whistles (calendar, phone, appointment keeper, contact database, Navigational aid, Apps galore) but with a twist; in this case it could be a hologram face or figure that will interact with the buyer of this product, that will also provide companionship for the social graces-impaired and can be imbued with different “personalities”, It could be modeled after a person (alive or dead) or an animal or any kind of avatar that the owner desires.

            Now that is something to fill a niche!

           

UNIT 8 CIVIC NARRATIVE

 

            All communities have, with very few exceptions, the same social makeup: Homeowners, business owners, parents, teenagers and the social strata composed by grandparents and the like.

            In order to address and reach these different classes of people, a tailored approach to each is needed:

Homeowners concerns are clear-cut. They need the homestead to be solid and the home is the center of their universe and their place of refuge. Their concerns are centered in having the home in good condition and they are really affected by the inadequacies of the state or government when it comes to providing the services required to survive, they need the insurance company to pay-up so that they can go about their business of rebuilding their homes. They will be more receptive to messages that address the need for the insurance companies to disburse the necessary monies for the rebuilding as well as the provision of a safe environment for their children to grow and develop.

             Business owners require another approach. Their concern is based almost entirely in having a viable community where their goods and/or services are in demand. As such, they require the state to provide for the rebuilding of the community because the community is the backbone and source of income of their business. They need to be presented with concrete plans for the rebuilding of the community not with flights of fancy and proposals that are not achievable.

Parents, as a group, tend to identify themselves with the homeowners since their needs are very closely related. They need, plans that are feasible and that enhance the safety of their children. The children are the principal concern and as such, the approach with them is to make sure that the community is thriving and safe for their offspring. This means that, in order to reach them, concrete ideas that addresses their primary goal to ensure the well-being of the children are required. These plans need to be ready to implement in the short term. And they have the greatest motivation of all the groups mentioned.

ZORAB’S SOLUTION

 

            Zorab’s solution for a niche market is brilliant. It perfectly addresses their goals and gives them a defined clientele that will be eager to use their services. It is also understood that their original market target is still a viable one; the difference with this is that a more defined approach is possible with the gym’s clientele.

            In my opinion, no further changes in their approach are needed since they can use this business base clientele to expand their business via word of mouth, plus the accessibility to other gyms in the area is now a real and unexplored possibility.

OFFSHORE OIL LEASES: WHY?

 

            In this paper we are going to show the necessity for granting offshore leases in order to foster the location and retrieval of Oil.

            The main objection to this will be, of course, the possibility of an accident that would cause a spill. To this we say that the lessons learned from the BP spill in their Macondo prospect in the Gulf of Mexico have been taken to heart and have resulted in enhanced shut-off valves and their control mechanisms that make another oil spill nearly impossible.

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www.theguardian.com.uk

            It is also important to note that our knowledge about spill recovery and cleanup has increased tenfold and now we can also say that in the unlikely event of a spill, we have the means and supplies to first minimize and then completely clean up the spill area and any affected wild life in it.

            As members of Congress, you gentlemen have the power to greatly affect the cost of the typical American household. As you know, when oil is not readily available, the cost of living increases proportionally because it costs more to produce the necessary petroleum derivatives such as gasoline, to move goods and services from one place to another. If we can reduce these costs, we can also reduce the price that the average American pays not only at the pump, but in the supermarket as well.

            Therefore, we will like to assure you that, in the initial phase, only exploration for the localization of prospective drilling sites is going to be allowed. We are confident that, when the next fracas in the Middle East happens, or the OPEC decides to bleed us a little more, then the American people will require that alternative sources of oil are developed. Then we will be in the position of actually drilling to extract the oil previously located and we will be thanked for it.

           

     This is the new type of valves that will be used to shut off the flow of oil in the event of a spill. A company named ASCO Valves manufactures them specifically for this industry. We also have in place training that specifically uses the lessons learned in the BP oil spill and puts them in place when the new oil platforms are operational.  

 

SPACE SHUTTLE: END OF AN ERA

 

            With the retirement of the Shuttle Program in 2011 after 30 years of operations, we say goodbye to an era of excitement and wonder that made space exploration part of the household lexicon in the US.

            With it, a whole bevy of ideas and innovations saw the light of day and were put to work for the benefit of us landlubbers. Ideas like low cost lightning detectors, the “special effects” that you see in your neighborhood Cineplex,(created by NASA for the Space Shuttle), Knee braces that use principles derived from the Shuttle propulsion systems as well as processes to make landmine detonation safe and effective by using scrap propellants from the solid rocket fuel used in them.

            That it was a very expensive program, there is no doubt. But perhaps, the powers that be should have been more concerned with the exploration and the prestige derived by that exploration as tangible benefits from this program. The sad part is that now we found ourselves reduced to hitching rides from the Russians to the International Space Station, thus relinquishing our hegemony on space exploration with its subsequent reduction in our prestige at home and abroad.

            There is no program in the pipeline to replace the Shuttle in the foreseeable future. I shudder to think what that means for the US as a space faring nation. Are we to abandon space exploration? Are we to let go of the wonders of space? Are we to forfeit the vast riches awaiting the brave and the bold in the Asteroid belt?

            We need leaders with vision, with boldness and the desire to commit the nation to space again, not because it is easy, but because it is hard, and the rewards expecting us “out there” are commensurate with the effort devoted to reach them.