Wednesday, April 14, 2004

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Sony Qualia NYT has an article about Sony's new Qualia line of ultra-high end (think Rolls-Royce) electronics. My immediate reaction was skepticism: one difference that leaps to mind is that Rolls-Royces don't become obsolete. Then I came to this quote from a key researcher: "The reason why people pay a premium to get on the Concorde is not to save a few hours...There was a particular experience associated with flying on the Concorde." That seems like an unfortuante, but maybe very apt, comparison. Observation one: the Concorde was a money-loser that was underwritten by the British and French govenrments. Observation two: while the Concorde may have been as much about status as convenience, there was still the conveience factor--for a lot more money, it did the same thing, but much faster, than conventional jets. I don't think there is any airline in the market that charges a super-premium (hell, they don't even seem to get modest premiums) for the experience it delivers! I predict rapid failure for Qualia. If it sees the light of day outside minute test markets. (It's not like Sony already isn't trying to command a premium price!) 9:58:52 PM    comment []

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Just had Lasik at LasikPlus in Edina. So far, so good. The post-operative discomfort was a bit greater than I'd anticipated, but only a bit. 6 hours later it was entirely gone. The office collects used glasses for donation. I just dropped off 8 pairs! (My prescription has been stable for years, and I got a free pair every year from insurance, so I had quite a collection.) I would think performing Lasik, after Lasik, after Lasik would become incredibly boring for the docs. 8:54:35 PM    comment []

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Goofy, Pronoun-Rich Corporate Sponsor Taglines Two of the corporate sponsor taglines on NPR seem really bad, and they share in common a profusion of pronouns: Smith Barney: "This is who we are. This is how we earn it". Microsoft: "Your passion inspires us to create the software that helps you reach it". Microsoft's is more or less clear (if dubious), but just so awkward. Smith Barney's, OTOH, is rather cryptic. What is the antecedent of "this"? IF that were the closing line from a TV commercial that showed, say, a bunch of Smith Barney employees clearly helping a client accomplish something, then the antecedents of "this" would make sense: Smith Barney employees in the first case, the accomplishment in the second. But as a corporate sponsor tagline, it just makes no sense whatsoever. 7:52:15 PM    comment []