Monthly Archives: October 2013

On October 8th there was an Excel workshop held on campus. The workshop taught the basics as well as in depth skills needed to properly use excel and apply it in the business world. In an ever growing society, computer skills are essential in any work field. Starting from the basics, understanding Microsoft Office is a must, so it is beneficial that Baruch teaches students these skills to prepare them when entering the workforce. Computers in general are essential now in the business world. With the rapid increase in technological advances and the decrease in global boundaries, the ability to navigate this technological world is the only way to succeed.

New York Times Link

Twitter has decided to end its #Music app, which never took off as well as Vine, Twitter’s video sharing app. Twitter will try new methods for incorporating music into the newsfeed. The company has hired a few well known developers to help them with this integration. One of Twitter’s main goals will be incorporating music into the feed in ways other than user’s tweets. Because music is such a popular topic of discussion on Twitter, it is very smart for them to try to capitalize.

New York Times Link

Although Netflix has had some recent success, the company’s big names seem slightly pessimistic. They are concerned with a dip, similar to the one the company suffered in 2003. They are interested in maintaining their current users, while gathering more customers. Netflix is now spending almost all of its profit on acquiring new content, hoping on gaining more customers in the long run. They are also launching more and more original series productions, which brings in more profit than streaming other series.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/21/technology/tablet-makers-gear-up-for-latest-skirmish.html?ref=technology&_r=0

Tablets have become increasingly popular over the past few years, replacing notebooks, portable DVD players, and even books and magazines. The accessibility and efficiency of these portable devices makes them extremely popular in the market, however, not all companies that attempt to produce tablets are successful. For now, Apple is the leading manufacturer of tablets with their multiple versions of the iPad and new versions on the way. The  popularity of useful, entertaining apps makes the iPad  more desirable than other tablets. However, Apple may not hold this lead for long as other companies begin to join the race to create better tablets. Samsung is currently the number two tablet manufacturer, with Microsoft, Nokia, and Amazon following. Overall, the demand for tablets has significantly risen and continues to rise with predictions that “tablets will outship PCs on an annual basis in two years.”

Sensationalists believe we’re witnessing the fall of a digital empire in Twitter’s decline, but are they right? As new platforms for online social media, such as Instagram and Pinterest, boast comparable visit numbers to those of the networking giant, its status appears threatened. (Penn State) Media Effects Research director Shyam Sundar suggests that Twitter’s decline, in spite of its status as the undisputed leader in text-based social network traffic, can be attributed to other sites effective implementation of networking with greater focus on auditory and visual media. Though it may be early to write the networking giant off, its projected downfall inspires melodrama worthy of primetime.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/07/technology/awaiting-ipo-twitter-must-deal-with-horde-of-younger-rivals.html?ref=technology&_r=1

Frank Gibeau, the head of mobile development for Electronic Arts, is a forceful spokesman for gaming.

After thirty years of consistent and often tactless competition in the videogame industry, console gaming companies prepare to combat a greater evil: the mobile gaming market. Interviewee Frank Gibeau, an executive at EA Games, remains optimistic for the fate of the console, but others speculate that mobile platforms, beefed up with today’s ever-improving microprocessors, will make “consoles go the way of the dinosaur.” In spite of this trend, Gibeau cites the undying appeal of interactive entertainment on the big screen: “Yes. I kept hearing that console gaming is a dinosaur, headed to the tar pits. Then the new consoles were announced, and people started saying, ‘Can you get me one?’”  Regardless of the outcome, the market has grown exponentially since Nintendo and Sega’s bit-wars of yesterday, and it shows no signs of stagnating.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/21/one-on-one-gaming-the-future-with-frank-gibeau/?ref=technology&_r=0