This in from Morning News Beat:
“Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make complacent.”
Several stories have emerged this week that serve as reminders that there is no such thing as the unassailable advantage, that there is no such thing as always.
The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reported this week that when “Slumdog Millionaire” won its Best Picture Oscar last Sunday, it became the first film ever to win that Academy Award that was not shot on Kodak-made film.
“Slumdog Millionaire” was actually shot digitally – not on film at all – on equipment made by a Schenectady company.
Now, like every Best Picture winner since “Wings” won in 1928, the other four best picture nominees were shot on Kodak film.
(Thanks, by the way, to the MNB user who pointed this story out to me.)
It may not seem like a big deal, but shifts like these mean something…and reflect changes that will take place up and down the line.
For example, the Ithaca Journal reports today that Tops Friendly Markets will no longer accept film or one-time use film cameras for developing. It is getting out of the film processing business.
One of the reasons it is doing so is that its film processor is going out of business.
But it is also because there has been a shift…and these kinds of shifts mean something.
Heard of digital cameras?
Another example, from another industry…
It has been announced that when the Rocky Mountain News publishes today, it will be the final edition of the 150-year-old paper, which is being shut down by owner Scripps Howard. It is the largest circulation daily to close down in an environment where people are simply getting their information from other sources.
Earlier this week, Hearst Corp. said that the San Francisco Chronicle may face a similar fate. And other papers in places like Philadelphia and Minneapolis reportedly are in danger, and both the New York Times and Washington Post all are facing financial troubles.
A shift is taking place…and these kinds of shifts mean something.
“Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make complacent.”
No person, no business, no industry is immune from such shifts.
We ignore them at our own risk.
the early years 