This blog post satisfies the requirement of “Two embedded links to different Comm 101 classmates’ blogs, commenting on their posts. Note: the link must be embedded.” Posted on the instruction page on Connect. This post is the 2^nd out of 2

I have to say that I disagree with Dillon Young’s take on Google Glass. He believes that Google Glass will be the “next big thing”. However I’ve mentioned before that I am quite a tech enthusiast in my previous blog post, I believe all the hype will die down and it wont be a successful product. Google glasses rely heavily on the voice command by the users, as it is how the device is operated.

Looking at the current development state of technology, voice command will easily be beaten by sensors. We are currently living in the world of sensors, where everything is being done for us without us having to do much effort. Simply hover your phone over a bar-code; you’ve scanned it and job done without having to do any command. I personally don’t think that Google glass would be a fashion statement, as the product doesn’t look fashionable as of now; unless they will improve the look of the device in the future.

Source:

https://blogs.ubc.ca/dillonyoung/2013/11/14/34/

This blog post satisfies the requirement of “Two embedded links to different Comm 101 classmates’ blogs, commenting on their posts. Note: the link must be embedded.” Posted on the instruction page on Connect. This post is the 1^st out of 2

The issue that was raised here is that a Wal-Mart employee insulted Muslims customers due to their outfit by posting a picture on Facebook captioned with foul language. In this case, I complete agree with Intan Purnamasari Salim’s take on the issue. It is absolutely immoral and intolerable. First of all, being an Indonesian, I grew up surrounded by a lot of Muslims. Although I personally am not Muslim, I have a lot of Muslims friend and I’m sure that every single one of them will get deeply offended if such thing happened to them. The employee was being rude and flat out ignorant. I also commend Wal-Mart for firing the employee straight away, because it gives a clear message to the customers what Wal-Mart stands for. By doing so, Wal-Mart has proven to the public that they are a socially responsible corporation that has no tolerance with suck actions conducted by one of their ex-employee.

Source:

https://blogs.ubc.ca/intansalim/2013/09/11/wal-mart-has-made-a-right-decision/

This blog post satisfies the requirement of “At least one embedded link from an external blog, offering your comments on why you think this blog/post is useful, interesting, etc.” posted on instruction sheet in Connect.

This blog detailed a new app that allows a person to knock on your iPhone to unlock MacBook. Hence a person does not have to physically type their password on their MacBook, he or she can just approach their Mac and simply knock on their iPhone. Some people might thing that this app solves a problem that doesn’t really exist, well except laziness, Id like to think differently. Entering password into laptop could be a hassle, especially when a person is an a hurry. This app also highlights “coolness” and has a futuristic concept to it. Imagine how cool would it look if you can just walk up to your laptop, knock on your phone and your laptop will automatically be unlocked? As a person who has a lot of interests in technology, I find this app very encouraging in technology development. I believe that someday a technology like this would be a standard that most people will have because it looks cool and it’s actually efficient.

Article:

http://www.labnol.org/software/mac-login-with-iphone/28312/

The idea of traveling is always interesting because it is an action that is constantly done by everyone. Several aspects that are very important in traveling are both efficiency and comfort. Several airplanes issues have been raised during lectures, therefore I think it is appropriate to have an airplane related article to be part of my blog.

BlackJet proposed a new idea of traveling without the inconvenience of waiting in long lines to check in for your flights. They have a different value proposition than other airlines, where they focus heavily on the comfort of the passengers. Of course when there is a high level of comfort, the price will also be very high. BlackJet charged “$3500 for a trip from Los Angeles to New York City”. It is a lot of money to spend for a short distance flight. Nevertheless, I believe that BlackJet has a niche market where they will succeed and blossom. The high level of comfort that customers will get should be worth the price that they are paying for. Although, the customer segment might not be large, they still can reap a lot of profit due to the premium price.

Article:

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/breakout/blackjet-making-private-planes-available-more-travelers-145644357.html

3D printer is still categorized as a machine that is quite rare to find. Not a lot of people have seen first hand how a 3D printer works; I personally have not. However, 3D printers have fallen in price, in results, more and more people are able to use it. They are usually purchased to carry out industrial work, such as making prototype. This is something that an automobile company, Ford has been utilizing 3D printers for. As price went down, some artists are known to be using 3D printers as part of their creation. One particular artist is, Ioan Florea who used a 3D printer to customize his classic 1971 Ford Torino for a recent exhibition.

He prints “parts in plastic” as well as “coats them with other materials or uses the printed parts as moulds” I think what Florea is doing right now is exposing creativity something that a businessperson should always have. We always talk about in class on how first, we have to think outside the box (being creative) and second is how you shouldn’t be scared to take risks (when you’ve assessed the consequences thoroughly). I think this example captures both of those messages.

Article:

http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21589385-pimp-my-ride

The first thing that comes into most people’s mind when Disney is being talked about is of course Mickey Mouse. However, this article proposed that Disney are slowly but surely getting away from that image. Yes, Mickey Mouse is the franchise face of Disney, but it might be too childish now for the young generations. Disney made a statement in 2009 by purchasing Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion, they believe that kids and teenagers nowadays will be more attracted to superheroes that Marvel Entertainment have.

Bob Iger’s (CEO of Disney) latest acquisition was Lucasfilm, allowing Disney to bring Star Wars into their franchise. This move solidifies their intention to move on and make super heroes the “new cool thing”. I think this is a good strategy as Disney are adjusting to the current demand. I do think however Disney should still promote Mickey Mouse as it is their roots and customers have associated Disney with Mickey Mouse for a long time. There is no doubt however that acquisition of both Lucasfilm and Marvel Entertaiment will bring a new fresh air into Disney and in turn will generate a lot of profit

Article:

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/breakout/bye-bye-mickey-disney-ready-next-generation-122425894.html

As kids we always like to tinker around with whatever we are holding, no matter what that object actually was. Never in my wildest dreams that I had envision something called a “3D Printer” actually exists. MakerBot Industries is doing just that. They are a “3D Printing company” that has a vision of letting kids play around and experience the products of a 3D Printer.WOW, I could not imagine how I would feel as a little kid growing up to know that such machine and technology existed. MakerBot plan is to emulate Apple, in terms of getting their machines into schools. While this is costly, they suggested that teachers could raise money from PTA and other sources in order to make this s reality. I think that this is a very corporate socially responsible action that MakerBot is taking. They are making profit with a good clear vision to educate children. Furthermore, 3D printer industry is estimated to be creating a $3 billion job industry. This adds on to the social responsible activities that MakerBot is doing, hence we should all support them.

Article:

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-12/makerbot-wants-you-to-buy-a-teacher-a-3d-printer#r=nav-fs

Click and send, that’s the simplicity of snapchat. Snapchat was brought up a few times during lectures, so I figured I would do a blog post about snapchat. The takeaway that I got from this article relates closely with the entrepreneur class that we had when Cole (Sauder alumnus) came in as a guest speaker. He told us how he believed in his company even though he struggled early on; now he turned the corner and made it successful.
This story relates to his statement in a sense that Evan Spiegel, the 23 year old co-founder of snapchat believes that his company could be worth more that $3 billion. Snapchat is currently valued at $860 million, so Zuckerberg obviously sees something in this company as he values this company more than three times its net worth. Google in the other hand came up with a much better offer for snapchat, valuing the company at $4 billion dollars. This valuation is more than 4 times of the company’s current net worth. Nevertheless, being a true entrepreneur that he is, Spiegel declined the offer and claimed that his company could still grow and that’s what I admire the most about him; a true entrepreneurship spirit.

Article:

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/breakout/meet-the-23-year-old-kid-who-turned-down–3-billion-for-snapchat-010309114.html

The story of Twitter’s IPO has been discussed a lot in class. However, I stumbled upon this article and I find it very interesting how it has never been brought up in class. Twitter’s co-founder believes that his next project “could even be bigger”.

Just looking at the title, assumptions can be made here on whether or not this is just another big idea that won’t come to live. Since twitter has announced their IPO, they need a lot of publicity in order to maximize their profit. As I have learned through Comm 101 class, mass media is an easy route to gain public’s attention. Through this announcement, Jack Dorsey has accomplished more than promoting his new project. I personally think that his new idea of square makes a lot of sense, as according to him, “It’s an app that allows you to “check in” at a business. When you’re ready to pay, just tell the cashier your name and you’re done.” It is a very convenient app that can be used. Nevertheless, I believe that there is a bigger motive behind his announcement. He is seeking more for public’s response for the success of Twitter.

Article:

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/breakout/twitter-co-founder-jack-dorsey-set-changing-commerce-144131411.html