Today’s pre-Thanksgiving News Chum presents a number of articles that all reflect forms of evolution:
- Evolution of a… Brand. Back in the 1980s and early 1990s, Lotus was one of the top brands out there. After Visicalc (yeah, who remembers that), Lotus 1-2-3 was a top seller. We all know and loath (ummm, I mean love) Lotus Notes. Well word has come out of Mt. IBM that the Lotus name will be going away as of the next version. After all, all brands at the top eventually die. Look at Western Union and Hostess.
- Evolution of a… Technology. Cell phones. We all use them, and some of us love them. But boy have they changed from the first phone. This link is an interesting graphic of how the shape and design of the cell phone has evolved over the years. I remember some of the clunky ones. However, we seem to be seeing an evolution back to slightly larger phones from the smallest versions. (h/t to Andrew D. for the link)
- Evolution of a… Deli. First there was Brents. The best delicatessen in the San Fernando Valley (although I still prefer Weilers). They then opened up a branch in Westlake. Now come word that there may be an expansion to Encino. Can they keep up the quality? ’twill be interesting to see.
- Evolution of a… Tax Exemption. We all know churches get a tax exemption and are supposed to stay out of politics. We know that. Do the churches know that? Evidently… not. It appears a group of church leaders are attempting to thumb their nose at the IRS by explicitly endorsing candidates. The IRS, so far, hasn’t responded by yanking their exemptions. I feel that the IRS needs to set some examples.
- Evolution of a… Alabi. There are many of us who remember the OJ Simpson case and the infamous slow drive. Did he do it? Did someone else do it? The criminal case acquitted OJ, but the “real killer” was never found, although OJ vowed to bring him to justice. Now word comes that a serial killer on death row is claiming to be the one that did the deed. The problem is: most of the prosecutors don’t believe him. They still plan to investigate the claim.
I didn’t know Lotus Notes even still existed…
Yeah, it does. It is the official mail/calendaring application at the ranch, and at a number of other large companies.
Go figure. When I was in college, I used it to death. That was a long time ago!
Western Union is hardly gone. They are a very visible presence in much of the developing world and often one of the best places to find internet access in West Africa.
Good point. I receive WUs all the time. In fact just the other day I got a prepaid card to make that easier.
However, I don’t think Western Union, in the sense of being associated with the yellow telegraph sheet with pasted words, is around. Western Union is now money transfers and internet, not telegrams.
They stopped doing telegrams in 2006.