Convergent and Divergent Product Technology
Every day we encounter different convergent and divergent products. Some people like the idea of a do everything Personal Digital Assistant, while others enjoy different products used for different things. Convergence can be defined as the occurrence of two or more things coming together. On the other hand, divergence is the tendency to move apart or evolve in different directions. In the instance of modern-technologies and their use in the information age, convergence and divergence play a large role in how new products are manufactured and marketed. There are many examples throughout history demonstrating the evolution of products in terms of convergence and divergence. Evolution of products leads to the current products on the market. These current products and historical trends of product evolution can give us an insight into what is in-store for the future of various forms of media. The dynamic innovations of convergent and divergent products continue to change throughout the information age.
We can gain an understanding of how current forms of convergent and divergent media have come to be through a tour of a brief historical retrospect. Early on, accessible public technology was limited to the radio, television, and telephone. Each form of media was known as a divergent product. People seemed rather content with this simple way of living and had no trouble doing one thing at a time. Perhaps the first known convergence was the TV dinner. Families could now multitask; they could watch television and eat their meal in front of the television. As humorous as this may seem as a form of technology, this way of thinking paved the way for modern convergent products. Not until technologies became available in the nineties did convergent products become the norm. With the development of the laptop, the cellular phone, and the walkman people started to understand the potential of transportable and compactable technologies. These early technological breakthroughs became more advanced and people demanded more features. In time, these features would transform divergent products into convergent products.
An evolution of convergent and divergent technologies has brought the market for divergent technologies into the information age. Soon, the radio could play cassettes and compact discs, the television could play VHS-tapes and DVDs, and the cellular phone can do just about anything. The laptop originated this convergent phenomenon with the competition of its size. Laptops became so small that they were deemed the name palm-pilot sometime in the mid-nineties due to the ability to fit in one’s palm.
Schlager, Neil, and Josh Lauer. "The History, Development, and Importance of Personal Computers." Science and Its Times 7 (2001): n. pag. Print.
Jeff Hawkins a graduate of Cornell Universityis best known as “the inventor who, in 1994, took blocks of mahogany and plywood into his garage and emerged with a prototype for the PalmPilot” (PC Magazine, 2000). Joining forces with friend Donna Dubinsky, Jeff “pulled off one of the most successful new-product launches in consumer electronics history, selling 400,000 units when they debuted in 1996. Now Palm Computing owns 80% of the handheld market” (PC Magazine, 2000).
The narrator is not the only black male in the story to have experience the racism with the white men. The narrator tries to get away from the racism but struggles to, he come across multiple African Americans that attempt to do the same thing. All of these provide an idea to the correct way to be black in America and it also demonstrates how blacks should act. It is said that anyone who doesn’t follow these correct ways are betraying the race. In the beginning of the story, the narrator’s grandfather says that the only way to make racism become extinct that African Americans should be overly nice to whites. The Exhorter named Ras had different beliefs of the blacks rising up to the whites and take power from the whites. Even though these thoughts come from the black community to take the freedom from the whites, the stories reveals that the are just as dangerous as the whites being racist. The narrator has such a hard time throughout the whole story exploring his identity. While doing so, it demonstrates how so many blacks are betraying their race because the have such a hard time dealing with it. In the end of the story once the battle was over the boys are brought to get their payment. That is when the narrator is able to present his speech to everyone. He was completely beat up and bruised and blood coming from his mouth and nose when he begins his speech. All the other men are laughing and yelling at him,
Marijuana is the cause of much commotion and debating, as the question of legalization becomes more of an issue. Drugs are a major influential force in countries all over the world today. Legalization is an option that has not had a chance, but really should be given one. Although many people feel that legalizing marijuana would increase the amount of drug use, legalization would benefit for the following reasons: 1)reduction of money spent on law enforcement 2)increase in the countries revenue 3)lessen crime 4)useful in treating certain medical conditions.
...ith money on the floor and tell the blacks to get the money. The blacks dive on the rug, only to find that it is electrified. The whites push the blacks onto the rug so that the whites can laugh at the black people’s pain and suffering. This demonstrates the stereotype of whites in charge of blacks and blacks being submissive to the whites. The white people are forcing the blacks to do something for the whites’ entertainment. The narrator wants to overcome these stereotypes and have his own individual identity.
The Sherlock Holmes series, has, like most enduring literary works, both challenged and conformed to the ideals of its age. Today, more than a hundred years after his first adventure, Sherlock Holmes remains one of the most beloved fictional characters of the Victorian era.
Born in the eighties, I entered a world of big hair and bad style. In the technological realm there were tape players, VCR’s, and fresh on the market: personal computers. Apple was domination the computer scene with their introduction of the Lisa computer. But not for long, soon computer technology would jump to unimaginable heights. As I grew up the technology around me would continue to grow and advance – quite rapidly I might add.
"Technology is like fish. The longer it stays on the shelf, the less desirable it becomes." (1) Since the dawn of computers, there has always been a want for a faster, better technology. These needs can be provided for quickly, but become obsolete even quicker. In 1981, the first "true portable computer", the Osborne 1 was introduced by the Osborne Computer Corporation. (2) This computer revolutionized the way that computers were used and introduced a brand new working opportunity.
The narrator is constantly attempting to escape the racial profiling by everyone around him. The failure of this attempt is apparent by the inability to get rid of the broken pieces of the bank, which represents the inability to escape from the stereotypes he is affiliated with. The narrator repeatedly alludes to the fact that he is generalized because of his black heritage and therefore, invisible to society. This is especially clear when he finds the cast-iron bank. The bank is in the shape of a black slave with stereotyped features. The fact that it was a slave with a generous grin, eating coins, was demeaning. It frustrated the narrator that this was a comedic object, plainly made for the entertainment of white society at the expense of the black people. The fact that the bank is “a very black, red-lipped and wide mouthed negro” (Ralph Ellison, 319), ...
The world exists where people no longer wear just clothes, but a person wears a watch or a shirt that is always functioning and require a minimum of the wearer’s attention. Laptops are no longer need because with wearable computer on him why needs of a lab top. MIThril’s vision of this project is to provide our gifted society with a better way to computing. Laptops are the thing of the past; wearable computer is the step to the future.
IDEO was riding on the success of the Palm Pilot, which at the time had become the fastest selling computer product ever. This was a marketplace with which they were familiar, having worked on the Newton handheld earlier fro Apple. The Newton was an example of a disruptive technology, but the need for a truly portable handheld computer could not outweigh the shortcomings of the technology or the value proposition in the marketplace. Working on these types of projects reinforced IDEO’s stature in the industry for not only producing award winning products but also leading consumers in to new ways of interfacing with technology.
The laptop computer has had a tremendous impact in the areas of business, education, government, and personal use. The emergence of portable computing and the laptop computer can be traced to the introduction of the personal computer itself. In 1975, the MITS Altair 8800 was introduced. The Altair is recognized as being the first commercially successful personal computer and the launching point for the personal computer revolution (Sysop, n.d.). Almost simultaneously, the idea of portability (in particular for the business-person) became a major focus in the industry.
With celebrities all over the media, it is expected that some are idolized by their fans, especially the youths. There nothing wrong with people making celebrities their role models. Celebrity role models can be a positive influence by changing people’s lives and way of thinking for the better. On the other hand, when impressionable kids and teens see their celebrity role models do something that is not morally sound, they will come to think that it is acceptable making it more likely for them to do it. This raises the question: should celebrities be role models? For the most part no. Role models are people that are admired by others for their accomplishments and not their status; however, many celebrities
Long ago, people were simple and didn’t have many technologies. They used to take so much time in planning their projects, researching, and saving and recording their studying. Look around, this world changed a lot. There are cars, airplanes, computers, and many other technologies. Technology can be found everywhere, and we use depend on it a lot. One of the most important technologies is computers and laptops. Many people use them today in their daily lives and it eases many things for them.
The computer evolution has been an amazing one. There have been astonishing achievements in the computer industry, which dates back almost 2000 years. The earliest existence of the computer dates back to the first century, but the electronic computer has only been around for over a half-century. Throughout the last 40 years computers have changed drastically. They have greatly impacted the American lifestyle. A computer can be found in nearly every business and one out of every two households (Hall, 156). Our Society relies critically on computers for almost all of their daily operations and processes. Only once in a lifetime will a new invention like the computer come about.