The New Internet TV

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,2021865,00.html

"With all the shows and movies I care to consume available over the Internet, I'll ask rhetorically, why should I cough up cash each month for several hundred channels of stuff I have no intention of watching?"

A new internet tv box to allow you to view on-demand video right off the net on your HDTV. They claim there are many other boxes that allow you to acheive this but those boxes are made of better hardware, lower prices and a broader content of shows. Roku, the small company offering these boxes, has three different boxes with upgrades of wi-fi, less video hiccups, and a remote with an instant replay button. The signature service is Netflix Watch Instantly which allows unlimited movies and TV episodes for a flat rate of $8.99 a month. Apple is a component with a costlier box known as Apple TV. Apple TV allows you to connect your Apple products to the new box. A new service like this will shut down other online services such as Hulu until they can find new ways like a pay service for the shows.

A new product like this will decrease the demand for TV's if this product is sufficient and reliable. The number of sellers for this box will increase because new producers are going to find ways to update this product in order to appeal to their customers. A change in income might force some consumers to rely on this method which will decrease their bills because they are getting rid of their cable in order to have only the internet for shows. This is not a bad deal as long as you have all the shows you enjoy.

Gorilla Glass

http://www.fastcompany.com/1706476/gorilla-glass-protects-iphones-droids-can-it-become-a-household-name

This new technology called Gorilla Glass, is actually something that is becoming more and more common. This is the glass that protects iPhones, Droids, Delll Streaks, and hundreds of other electronic devices. The glass technology was originally created in the 1960's, but thanks to all the recent inventions of smartphones, HD televesions, tablets, mp3 players and tablets, the glass finally has an application. With the increasing demand for damage resistant screens, this glass is becoming more and more popular. It is a perfect fit for our technology. This years sale for 2011 is expected to hit $1 billion.

With the higher demand for smartphones, tablets, lap tops and televisions, this glass will also be in a higher demand. The glass and the technology, compliment eachother. Before the technology was around, the Gorilla Glass didn't have a purpose, but now with our fast paced lives, our technology has to live up to it with us. I can see this glass becoming more and more popular with all the new technology. I'm sure as the new iPhone comes out, or even when it comes out with Verizon, the glass will be in a higher demand. The more technology grows, the more Gorilla Glass is needed.

Google to hire more than 6,200 workers this year

"At this stage, the number of opportunities just vastly exceed the number of people we have at the company," said Alan Eustace, Google's senior vice president of engineering and research. This change, brought on by President Obama's plan for more jobs, will be the biggest expansion in Google history. This growth will fuel a workforce that already grew by 23 percent last year. While this expansion is welcomed by Google CEO, Eric Schmidt, it will not enthuse investors on Wall Street. Most investors on Wall Street would like to see bigger returns but simply cannot because of the way that Google is going about their spending. The increase in the workforce will decrease the amount of spending that Google will be allotted by those investors. They will have to pay more workers more money. However, Google executives are not worried about their spending money becoming scarce. They have a plan to hire only the "smartest computer engineers and most persuasive sales representatives" in order to stay ahead of the competition and make back some of that money. Also, Google has future endeavors to expand their horizons into other services such as telecommunication, media and computing. Another beneficial factor about this expansion is the amount of jobs that will be opened up in other countries also, not only in the United States. Google will become more efficient with this growth also. Being able to provide great service in many countries in many different languages will increase its popularity Even at their peak of employment, Google will still be behind the competitors at Microsoft. The folks at Google are looking to see a 25 percent increase in overall employment at the company, which will take into account other factors as well. The amount of pay for existing employees will most likely decrease in order to offer the new engineers more money. This is caused by a change in the number of employees at the Company requiring a paycheck. Google will most likely never lose popularity and will continue to see progress from this expansion.

Legislature Applaud Rangers into the World Series

State Rep, Diane Patrick, R-Arlington, set up the event where the Texas Rangers will be honored by the House and Senate because of their great season and road to the World Series.

"We just decided to try and combine these two events because a large part of the Arlington community will be in town and it's a great time to honor the Rangers," Jenny Goerdel, Patrick's Chief of Staff.

Claws and antlers will be showing up in the state capitol on Wednesday. Both the House and Senate are passing resolutions lauding the team's success. This is a very exciting time for the Rangers and their populatrity keeps increasing. Due to this experience, the demand of the Rangers is going to increase. This means that the change in consumer taste and change of the number of consumers is all increasing because more people are going to watch to see what else they can do. The future expectations of the Rangers should be winning so stores will most likely increase their Ranger supply in order to keep the fans satisfied.

Patrick's Resolution that was talked about earlier in this blog can be found here:http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/82R/billtext/html/HR00145I.htm


http://blogs.star-telegram.com/politex/2011/01/legislature-to-applaud-rangers-world-series-berth-wednesday.html#ixzz1Bzj4fgld

Wire Instruments and Pet Stains

http://artnews.org/gallery.php?i=746&exi=25648&AL_TAYLOR_at_Santa_Monica_Museum_of_Art_21_Jan_16_Apr_2011

This article discusses an upcoming artist named Al Taylor. Al Taylor, doesn't just do ordinary 2-D and 3-D projects, he is taking his creativity and art work to the next level. His new collection does include some fragile ink, pencil and gouache drawings, and a few wire and wood sculptures, but also includes something interesting that caught my eye. Al Taylor is using ink, toner, and paint to make drop like puddles on paper. He is even turning, dogs' urine puddles on urban sidewalks into art. This new approach to art is humorous, yet so simple. I think many people will love it, because the bottom line is, Al Taylor is creatively genius. If this new simple art sells, what will happen to many of the art supply stores? If Taylor is using a lot of photographs, then there won't be such a demand for canvas, or all the varieties of pencils and paint brushes. If people start to only focus on the concept of making every day subjects into art, then the art supply industry might suffer considering what medium they chose to use. Al Taylor seems to be using recycled products, the article didn't exactly say, but I'm assuming that the toner, and wire weren't bought for these projects if his style is to put focus on dog urine. If recycled art also becomes a big deal and art joins the "green" band wagon then art supply stores will most definitely start to suffer then. Going green has become such a trend, that I can easily see it taking over part of the art world.

Radio Shack's Plan B For Kiosks Is A Smart Move

"Companies get knocked down all the time. It's how they bounce back that matters."

Radio Shack has been a powerhouse in their sale of electronics and electronic goods. They have been able to be so successful because of the aid they have received from companies such as Sam's Club who have allowed them to set up numerous kiosks throughout stores across America, and sell their merchandise. The convenience of having those kiosks located in the Sam's Club drove sells out of the water. However in recent news, Radio Shack reported that the contract with Sam's Club has been terminated. The profit that Radio Shack once saw from the sale of those products is predicted to decline any where from 10-15 million dollars this year.

How does Radio Shack plan to deal with this declination? They didn't waste time sulking about their losses. Instead, they have already jumped the gun and began the process of teaming up with another retail giant, the Target Corporation. As reported in August of last year, Radio Shack had 850 mobile kiosks up and running, already twice as much that existed in Sam's. The amount of customers and the demographics of Target appeal greatly to the reasoning behind the contract agreement. A Target customer is more likely to purchase Radio Shack electronics than a Sam's customer is. Radio Shack figures that if the majority of people shopping in a Target store are more likely to stop and spend some money at an electronic kiosk, the future revenue will have double the revenue that they lost in the contract termination.

T-Mobile, Sprint, and AT&T are the only wireless companies that Radio Shack carries. This could potentially be a problem because of the increased popularity in the iPhone and Verizon's new deal of selling them could destroy AT&T's selling of the iPhone. It would be smart of Radio Shack to conjure up a plan in order to get Verizon on their side. While it may seem as if they have everything figured out, they are still suffering a decline in sales of accessories, modern home and personal electronics. They plan to solve this dilemma by "selling the entire solution", says CFO of Radio Shack Jim Gooch. Their motive is to up sell so that when a consumer comes to their kiosk only wanting to buy a phone, they will also leave with a matching hands free bluetooth, phone case, and car charger to complete the package ultimately receiving more revenue means more money. Wireless sales account for 2/3 or revenue for Radio Shack and they have already seen a 15 percent increase in net income since the switch. Things are looking up for Radio Shack.

http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/01/18/2778240/radio-shacks-plan-b-for-kiosks.html

Starbucks Expanding Rollout of 31-Ounce Drink

Since today's economy is always increasing, people are finding ways to change their businesses to increase as well. Many have noticed that when gas prices go up, other sales go up too.

Starbucks is looking to increase their sales by adding another size to their menu. "The bigger-is-better concept seems to be striking a chord among some Starbucks customers," according to the Starbucks Corporation. The new cup, Trenta, meaning 30 in Italian, will be introduced in the following states: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, Nevada, and Arizona. This nationwide rollout will be completed by May 3. The Starbucks owners are making this switch in order to keep up with today's rapid sales. If people have the option to buy a larger Starbucks drink, they will. The Starbucks owners will have to have some type of opportunity cost though. This may consist of various things such as a loss of supplies or other drinks becoming scarce due to the desire for the new drink. This new drink will only be for iced beverages including coffee, teas, and lemonades which will allow the hot drinks of Starbucks to still be a demand. Coffee cravers will love this new switch if they're feeling like the old "grande" just isn't enough for them. Therefore, Starbucks will receive an increase in profit for this new 31-ounce drink.

http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/01/17/2774440/starbucks-expanding-rollout-of.html

Unemployment Improvement?

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/job-growth-prospects-better-summers-2011-01-16

The past couple of years, the unemployment rate in America has skyrocketed. Due to the economic recession, many employees and employers all over the country lost their jobs and struggled to find any kind of work. There was a scarcity of jobs and that affected companies from every where, large and small. An article published in the Wall Street Journal on January 16 stated that there is expected to be an increase in employment rate and a decrease in unemployment rate. What does this mean for the country? Well, it could mean many things. One significant answer could be that it is a great sign of economic improvement and could lead to the end of the recession.

Where could these jobs be coming from? And why did it have to happen a few years after we have been fighting this economic recession? One reason could be the demand increase. A lot of companies are starting to demand more out of their employees. More demand equals output. This in turn creates more jobs and they start to become less scarce than they previously were. This is all happening so late because of the advances in technology made over the last two years alone. It is thought out to be an improvement to any economy, and technology could make the turn around we have been searching for. I know it is a few years late, and maybe a few too many, but the advances could beat the recession and the unemployment rate.

$36 Million Dali Museum Opens In Florida

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/11/dali-museum-st-petersburg-florida_n_807585.html

Effects of New Museum Opening in St. Pete

The Dali Museum has been in St. Petersburg, Florida for a few decades actually, and just recently the city built a new museum to hold the artist's amazing work and to truly portray his style of surrealism. The old museum, which is only a few blocks down from the new museum was the complete opposite of the stunning new $36 million exhibit, which even includes a double-helix stair case. The museum is located in downtown St. Petersburg, which has a few tourist attractions, but nothing like this. The area itself, is actually very supportive of the arts, and is often overlooked as a tourist because it is the older part of the city and further from the beach. This modern, surrealistic building is now not only going to be a huge tourist sight now, but will also bring lots of attention from the art lovers. The downtown area has a two other museums, and a live theatre, and countless art stores so with the all the art lovers, the other exhibits will get plenty of attention as well as all the other businesses downtown. This new building, which was quite expensive, and took 14 years to produce, will greatly benefit the city and in the long run, give back with the money that it makes. The money was collected during recessions, and hard times, but the community still contributed to the new exhibit because they value the art, and having the art in their community. The amount of time and money spent, was a huge opportunity cost, but the city of St. Pete will actually gain a lot more out of it. The amount of original work from Salvador Dali is scarce, and this is actually the largest amount of it in one area which is even a scarcer find. The uniqueness, and creativity in the building is one of a kind, truly because there is nothing like it in the area.

Why The Tucson Massacre is Destined to Happen Again...

"They’re sitting at home, brooding, reading extremist websites and polishing their guns." "This will happen again. And again." http://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-tucson-massacre-will-happen-again-2011-01-10 Reasons why the Tucson Massacre will occur again



While unemployment hits many of us hard, it certainly takes a toll on men who are used to providing for their families and being the "bread winner". Coincidentally, the same day that the shooting in Tucson took place, the U.S. Labor Department published its monthly reports on unemployment. While unemployment and violence have no relation with one another, one could in turn be the effect of the other. The scarcity of jobs for people these days is at its peak compared to times before the recession hit. Because there is never scarcity amongst people, we will continue to see these issues arise. These stresses amongst others can drive people to do some pretty hainous things. As a result of the increasing amount of men without jobs, there becomes a great amount of people with way too much time on their hands. In addition to unemployment rates amongst men being high, gun purchases are sky rocketing like crazy. While these purchases do benefit those who distribute guns and their parts, it is hurting our society. Studies suggest that men are more likely to buy a gun than women are. The amount of people who obtained a check last year was 14.4 million or one for every 14 adults. With about 30% of men being unemployed the amount of checks made this year suffered a decrease. That then leaves a big gap in our nation's income rate making it to be 10 million checks for about 100 million men that are being spent on buying guns. Those same men without jobs are the same ones who are out there spending money that they don't have on guns. The dilemma then exists that we have way too many guns out there amongst men who don't have a care in the world. Because of the factors of scarcity amongst jobs, scarcity with the amount of checks coming in, and a scarce amount of men who are working, these same massacres will just repeat themselves, sadly.

The Result of Climate Change, Water and Risk

In July of 2010, the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) wrote about the water shortages and cotton shortages that are to occur in the lower 48 states of the US. Researchers at Tetra Tech, a consulting firm used by the federal government and many major corporations, are trying to find what would happen to water supplies in 16 different climates. The result of this search was that the supplies will decrease and the need for the water will increase. This is an example of scarcity. Scarcity, as we have learned, is the result of not having enough goods and services to fill desires. In this case, water is the scarce resource because it is non-renewable and need on a global basis. With such a small amount of water, it is needed for a great amount of things. The primary uses of fresh water is agriculture, power plant cooling and domestic use. An opportunity cost, which is what is given up in order to have the next best option, would be giving up the water in order to save what is used. The water scarcity will cause many troubles such as the cotton production.

"Clearly much needs to be done to ensure we're using water wisely. Conservation methods need to improve, legislation to slow down, and reverser climate change is required, and we may have to decide if we want to grow cotton for t-shirts, or food for our tables."

It is obvious today that we are not careful with how we "waste" our resources. We must think of proper ways to conserve our non-renewable natural resources to keep them sustainable for future generations.

http://blog.airdye.com/goodforwater/2010/07/28/water-scarcity-and-cotton/

World Series Impact

According to a newsletter published by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce http://arlingtontx.com/newsletter/shownewsletter/1015, Arlington gained a huge economical impact from the World Series alone.


"Well, Arlington hit the jackpot this year!"


Through studies and calculations, it was determined that 23 million dollars would be the direct economic impact throughout the World Series. Not including each game played and the previous games in the playoffs. All of this income to the city of Arlington could be linked to scarcity and opportunity cost. Each year, there is only one World Series; and baseball fans out there would know that the team you root for going to the World Series is kind of a big deal. Therefore, one could come to the conclusion that there are a scarcity of World Series, or a limited amount. In the beginning studies of economics, we learn that everything in this world revolves around scarcity and that factor causes people to pay more money for the limited resources. In this case, the World Series is a very limited resource. Opportunity cost is another in which, economically, plays a huge role in the course of things. People who choose to come to the World Series could be missing out on something important since there are only a maximum of seven games each year. For example, jobs, school, homework, family time, or even dinner. These are all examples of what people could lose in the case of wanting to go to one of those seven very important games in the year. In conclusion, all of these factors contributed to the millions of dollars in which Arlington could make during the World Series; and how it could turn our economy aroundfor the better. Now just think of what the Super Bowl could do.