Vertigo World, is a place where we discover the balance or unbalanced world. You for sure need kaleidoscope eyes to see the cellophane flowers of yellow and green. And the more you read into Vertigo World, you feel like rocking horse people eating marshmallow pies!
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Friday, June 5, 2015
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Top 10 Ways People Have Suffered for Beauty
10. Arsenic Consumption
While arsenic has frequently been used to commit murder throughout history, one group of people took it by choice, and many followed. The arsenic eaters of Styria dosed themselves with arsenic in the mid-1800s. These peasants were dubbed ‘toxicophagi.’ They began with a minute amount and increased the dose as they built their tolerance. Arsenic freshened the complexion and made breathing easier in the mountains.
Some of the toxicophagi could swallow enough arsenic to kill the average person, and still appear to be good health. Withdrawal could cause vomiting, constipation, spasmodic pain, and other problems. People around the world adopted the beauty practice anyway. Its mention in James Johnston’s The Chemistry of Common Life likely contributed to its popularity as a cosmetic implement. The arsenic eaters either weaned themselves off gradually or died unexpectedly due to arsenic-related complications.
9. X-rays for Hair Removal
Atropa belladonna, also known as ‘deadly nightshade,’ is extremely toxic. In Greek mythology, Atropos was one of the three fates—the one who cut the thread of life. Belladonna been taken as a hallucinogen, as medicine, and as poison. It was also added to eye-drops for its dilating effects. Belladonna contains a natural muscle relaxant that Venetians greatly appreciated. The name ‘belladonna’ is an homage to the Italian Renaissance women who famously used it.
Large pupils were considered attractive, but that beauty came at a cost. Belladonna elevated heart rate and blurred vision. Women who used it too much went blind. Many other beauty products throughout have had the same effect. In 1933, Lash Lure Eyelash and Brow Dye caused 15 recorded cases of permanent blindness. The product contained 30 times the recommended amount of paraphenylenediamine.
4. Foot Binding
Corsets were bodywear that could be tightened to reshape the torso. Corset-created 13-inch waists were never the norm, but women did use corsets to squeeze their bodies many inches inward, causing negative effects on health. The pressure led to constipation and organ damage. Shallow breath caused dizziness and fainting. Women’s back muscles were also weakened by regular use.
Corset wearing has continued into the modern day. Waist training, also known as tight-lacing, is advertised as a way to shape the body; to flatten the stomach while maintaining desirable curves elsewhere. Some pros recommend women pair waist training with diet and exercise for the best results. Others recommend avoiding corsets altogether. Spanx are a type of modern-day corset, and they compress the body enough to cause nerve problems, stomach pain, and other bodily issues affected women who wore whalebone corsets not so long ago.
2. “Toebesity” surgery
The first silicone breasts were implanted Houston, Texas in 1962. Now breast augmentation is the second-most popular elective cosmetic surgery performed worldwide. Countries that perform the procedure most include the United States, Brazil, Italy, and China. On top of the normal risks of surgery, breast augmentation poses other dangers. Implants may last for decades. On the other hand, they can rupture in a matter of weeks, in which case another full-cost surgery is required.
Women who have breast implant surgery may develop breast tissue atrophy, unpleasant changes in breast sensitivity, or scar tissue that causes pain. Asymmetry, unexpected deformities, and generally disappointing results are not uncommon. Breast implants have also been linked to cancer in rare cases. Those aren’t even close to all of the painful possibilities, but potential problems are often ignored in favor of a little extra bulk in the bra. Is it really that unusual? Clearly, people have been compromising their health for beauty for thousands of years.
9. X-rays for Hair Removal
Wilhelm Roentgen discovered x-rays in 1895. Dr. Leopold Freund of Austria observed that x-rays made people’s hair fall out and recommended it as a treatment for hypertrichosis. Dr. Albert Geyser embraced the treatment enthusiastically. He lost the fingers on his left hand to radiation damage. Geyser created the Cornell tube, which use “ultrasoft” x-rays. He and his son later founded Tricho Sales Corporation. In a 1915 article, Dr. Geyser claimed that the Cornell tube required “no protection of any kind, either for patient or operator.” He leased x-ray machines to beauty shops and trained operators to handle The Tricho System. Sessions were called ‘light treatment’ or ‘short-wave treatment.’ The long-term effects of Cornell tube treatments eventually became clear. Patients’ skin wrinkled and thickened from radiation exposure. They developed skin lesions, ulcers, and cancer. The x-ray hair removal clinics functioned into the mid-century. The government didn’t take action as would be expected nowadays. Instead, personal horror stories published in newspapers spread awareness and cut off demand for the service.8. Rat-Infested Wigs
Voluminous wigs became insanely popular in the 1800s. The more elaborate a wig, the more impressive the wearer’s beauty. Royalty flaunted their status with flamboyant clothes and snazzy hair. There came a point at which lard was required to secure the wigs; they were simply too large to stand on their own. These hairpieces were attached to genuine hair and worn for weeks at a time. The lard wasn’t washed out, so it attracted lice and dangerous rodents. Some women slept with cages around their wig to keep the creepy creatures out. However, not everyone owned a hair cage. Rats occasionally penetrated and nested in these wigs. In France, at the beginning of the 19th century, men’s wigs were more intricate than women’s. By the late 1800s, women were sporting hairpieces that towered a foot or higher above their heads. The weight sometimes caused inflammation around the temples.7. Tapeworms in the Tummy
During the Victorian era, in the early 1900s, advertisers marketed pills that contained beef tapeworm cysts. Tapeworms would devour what the host ate, and the host would lose plenty of weight. Tapeworms may reach up to 30 feet long, though, and cause problems from headaches to dementia. Diarrhea and vomiting are also to be expected. An anti-parasitic pill was used to force the tapeworm out—often a more complicated process than might be imagined. As it turns out, the tapeworm diet of the early 20th century may be a rumor. Its legitimacy is still debated today. The advertisements certainly existed, but we can’t scientifically verify the content of the pills. More recently, however, a woman in Iowa swallowed a tapeworm to lose weight. She reportedly bought it over the internet. Websites are promoting the tapeworm diet in the modern day. One tapeworm won’t make much of a difference, but that single worm can reproduce in the body, leading to both weight loss and serious health issues.6. Lead Foundation
The history of lead foundation dates back to the Greek and Roman empires. Lead was also used in items from pipes to drinking vessels. Lead poisoning was likely widespread and contributed to the low birth rate. Let’s fast forward to the 1500s. Women of the Elizabethan era combined lead with vinegar to create ‘Venetian ceruse’ or ‘Spirits of Saturn’. A white complexion was highly sought-after, as it was considered the height of beauty. They applied egg whites to add shine. Even as recently as the 1900s, Japanese and Chinese infants regularly died from ingesting cosmetic lead worn by their mothers. Lead is absorbed through the skin. Poisoning may cause hair loss, weight loss, pain, brain damage, organ damage, paralysis, and a variety of other symptoms. When used in foundation, lead causes skin to wrinkle and scar. Historically, this problem was remedied by applying more poisonous foundation to cover the damage.5. Belladonna Drops
4. Foot Binding
Chinese foot binding is estimated to have begun in the 10th century, during the Song Dynasty. Women’s feet were broken with their toes were bent inward. At first, foot binding was a sign of high social status, reserved for women who didn’t have to work. Bound feet also showed that a potential wife would be submissive. This painful, severely disfiguring custom spread to the lower classes over time. It was finally banned in 1911, but still continued in rural areas. The binding process began when a child was 5 or 6 years old. Smaller feet indicated higher refinement, which improved a woman’s marriagability. A three-inch foot, or “golden lotus,” was ideal. Anyone who wound up with feet that were five inches or longer (i.e., iron lotuses) would have significantly fewer marriage prospects. The ‘lotus feet’ tradition lasted through a millennium.3. Corsets
2. “Toebesity” surgery
Something of a new phenomenon, toe-besity surgery beautifies “fat feet.” It allows people have more confidence as they wear sandals and show off their piggly wigglies. It also allows some to fit into high heels or other shoes that don’t conform to their natural foot shape. Surgery to shave toe fat and bone would have been considered ludicrous at the turn of the century, but this cosmetic procedure has been gaining traction over the last decade. According to the American Podiatric Medical Association, foot surgery is usually performed out of necessity. People who elect to have any medically unwarranted procedure put themselves at risk. The dangers of surgery include infection, a negative reaction to anesthesia, unsatisfactory results, pain, and the unexpected need for more surgery in the future.1. Breast Augmentation
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Top 10 Whimsical Songs with a Dark Story
10. Oh My Darling, Clementine
Often known simply as “Clementine”, this song is about a coal miner who is grieving after losing the woman he loves in a tragic accident. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, the song starts out like this:
“In a cavern, in a canyon,
Excavating for a mine
Dwelt a miner forty niner,
And his darling Clementine.
Oh my darling, oh my darling,
Oh my darling, Clementine!
Thou art lost and gone forever
Dreadful sorry, Clementine.”
The song is a downer, but it seems innocent enough. Unfortunately, if you didn’t pay attention to the lyrics you might not notice that it quickly takes a much darker turn. The song continues to meander on in a folksy fashion about how Clementine fell in the water when she was going to see the ducks and drowns because the miner can’t swim. However, it gets much worse, because the song ends with:
“How I missed her! How I missed her,
How I missed my Clementine,
But I kissed her little sister,
I forgot my Clementine.”
So our innocent, if depressing, folk song is about a man whose darling drowns because neither of them can swim, so he decides to get with her sister instead and all is well. That’s good old fashioned family values for you right there.
9. My Old Kentucky Home
Banks of the Ohio was first recorded back in the 1920’s, but likely stemmed from folk variations from much earlier, like many folk songs. It starts out as a pleasant romantic tale about a man and a woman walking along the banks of the Ohio and talking about their plans for marriage. However, unfortunately there were complications involved. Essentially, her mother didn’t approve and this was a time when that meant a lot more than it does now. Unfortunately, the man could not bear the thought of not having the woman he loved, so he killed her, ensuring no one else would have her:
“They say that you’ll be mine,
In no other arms entwine,
…
I held a knife unto her breast,
As in my arms she trembling pressed.”
So we have a jealous lover who decides to murder the woman he loves because he can’t have her hand in marriage. She even has a chance to beg him for her life, which she does, and he still decides to go through with it and kill her anyway.
2. Oh Shenandoah
The song “Oh Shenandoah” was considered for the state song of Virginia, but didn’t end up successfully taking the spot because it didn’t seem to connect enough to the state. See, the problem is there are many different variations and interpretations of the song. Some believe the original had to do with the river itself; however, many of the earliest versions were actually referring to a Native American whose name was Shenandoah. In fact, in one of the earliest versions the river mentioned is the Missouri and the song is about a man who is trying to cross the river, because he is smitten with the daughter of a local chief. In fact, the song starts off with a racial epithet for Native Americans in the very first verse”
“Miss-ou-ri, she’s a mighty riv-er.
A – way you rolling riv-er.
The red-skins’ camp, lies on its bor-ders.
Ah-ha, I’m bound a-way, ‘Cross the wide, Miss-ou-ri.”
The song goes on to explain that the man tries to offer the chief money for his daughter and the chief refuses, as his daughter is not a commodity, but a person. However, two of the last verses give the story a much darker turn:
“At last there came a Yankee skipper.
A – way you rolling riv-er.
He winked his eye, and he tipped his flipper.
Ah-ha, I’m bound a-way, ‘Cross the wide, Miss-ou-ri.”
And then:
“He sold the chief that fire-water,
A – way you rolling riv-er.
And ‘cross the river he stole his daughter.
Ah-ha, I’m bound a-way, ‘Cross the wide, Miss-ou-ri.”
So the young Native girl avoids being sold to one guy, only to have some other jerk get her father drunk on firewater so he can’t stop him and then literally take her away across the river. We aren’t sure this song could really get any more depressing.
1. Buffalo Gals
You’ve probably heard the song “Buffalo Gals” before, and are at least familiar with the tune, which is quite catchy. The refrain is pretty innocuous and goes like this:
“Buffalo gals, can’t you come out tonight
Can’t you come out tonight, can’t you come out tonight
Buffalo gals, can’t you come out tonight
And dance by the light of the moon”
On the surface there really isn’t anything wrong with the lyrics. In fact, dancing by the light of the moon sounds like a perfectly reasonable activity. However, some of the other verses hint at something else going on. He mentions in the song that he meets a beautiful woman on the street and asks her if she’d like to “have some fun”. Unfortunately for those who think this song is just about dancing, it turns out that the women mentioned in the song are actually prostitutes that the men are trying to find. See, after the Erie Canal was constructed in Buffalo, there were a good many men looking for a woman on the street corner, hence the song. Sometimes the song would change the city name, but the rest of the lyrics usually still ran along a similar vein. Essentially, this song is calling for the prostitutes in the city to come out and play.
9. My Old Kentucky Home
Many people are familiar with the state song of Kentucky, known as “My Old Kentucky Home.” It’s a sad melody about poor folk living in the country. The current version of the song starts out with: “The sun shines bright on my old Kentucky home Tis summer, the people are gay” It seems about as innocent as a song can get, however, the original version went a little more like this: “The sun shines bright on my old Kentucky home Tis summer, the darkies are gay.” In one of the later verses we get this little gem: “The head must bow and the back will have to bend, Wherever the darkey may go: A few more days, and the trouble all will end In the field where sugar-canes may grow.” The original version of the song was about a slave who lived in a plantation in Kentucky, but was being sold to another owner and was leaving his family and friends behind for his new “work”. Before it became the state song it went through a ridiculous whitewashing process to remove any references to “darkies” or anything that might have to do directly with slavery.8. Oh! Susanna
In a similar vein to “My Old Kentucky Home”, this one is also a minstrel song written by Stephen Foster. The song is about as folksy as any song can possibly get, the guy is coming to see his sweetheart, and he even has a banjo on his knee! However, when we said minstrel song we mean it was originally written with the intent to have white performers wear black face while singing and use a fake “negro” accent to make fun of black slaves. It gets much, much worse though. It turns out that in Foster’s time this sort of entertainment was quite popular and he was able to get away with a verse that most people today would object very strongly to: “I jumped aboard de telegraph and trabbled down de river, De lecktrick fluid magnified, and killed five hundred nigger, De bulgine bust and de hoss ran off, I really thought I’d die; I shut my eyes to hold my breath – Susanna don’t you cry.” If you had trouble understanding the above verse it’s because it is deliberately written in what the music writers of the time thought was a good “mock black accent.” So the whimsical, popular folk song about a man who’s coming to see his darling has a verse with a racial epithet about killing black slaves. If you think racism is a problem now, consider this, Fredrick Douglass once said that Stephen Foster’s racist minstrel songs may actually help awaken sympathy for black slaves. That’s right, the days of legalized slavery were so messed up that a leading abolitionist and freed slave thought that the minstrel shows might actually be helpful.7. Blue Tail Fly
The song, alternately known as “Jimmy Crack Corn” and “Blue Tail Fly”, is often popular among children because it has an extremely catchy soon. Most people just consider it nonsense as no one really knows who Jimmy is or why he is cracking corn in the first place. And of course like many songs by the time kids generations later see it; many of the old implications have been smoothed over by lyric changes. Regardless, the story essentially tells the story of a slave who had the thankless job of following his master, who was riding a horse, on foot and brush away any flies that might upset the steed. One of the flies sends the horse into a panic and the master dies – the slave isn’t in trouble because the fly is blamed for the incident. “De pony run, he jump and pitch An’ tumble Massa in de ditch; He died, an’ de jury wondr’d why De verdict was de blue tail fly.” This gives a new perspective on the line “Ole Massa gone away.” He hasn’t gone on vacation, he’s dead. And his slaves are celebrating the fact with a jaunty tune. The worst part is, considering this is the old south it likely doesn’t mean they’ve gained anything resembling freedom, it’s only a temporary respite from a terrible situation.6. Black Betty
When most people think of Black Betty, they don’t really think folk song in the first place. It’s a really catchy, upbeat tune and couldn’t possibly be about anything dark, right? Well, it turns out this song actually has a lot of history. It was first recorded by Huddie “Leadbelly” Ledbetter, back in the early 1900’s, but likely is even older. See, Ledbetter was just recording his own version of a song commonly sung among black inmates in southern prison. Those catchy upbeat lyrics: “Oh, Lawd, Black Betty, Bam-ba-lamb, Oh, Lawd, Black Betty, Bambalamb, Black Betty had a baby, Bambalamb, Black Betty had a baby, Bambalamb.” Apart from the racist wording with phrases like “Oh, lawd”, the truth is that Black Betty actually refers to a whip that was often used to beat prisoners in old southern prisons. In other words, the “bam ba lam” part of the song is the whip striking someone on the back, which puts the song in a whole new light.5. Cotton-Eyed Joe
Almost everyone has heard this song, although most people probably only know the refrain. This is quite understandable, as it has a catchy tune, but the lyrics have certainly gone through changes over the years. However, the original version was not really a lighthearted song if you listen to the lyrics. Now, the song actually starts out pretty depressing: “Don’t remember, don’t you know, Don’t you remember Cotton-Eyed Joe? Cotton-Eyed Joe, Cotton-Eyed Joe, What did make you treat me so? I’d ‘a’ been married forty year ago Ef it hadn’t a-been for Cotton-Eyed Joe” Cotton-Eyed Joe sounds like a real jerk, doesn’t he? Apparently this “Joe” prevented him from being married and he is so bitter he’s still singing about it forty years later. See, according to the lyrics, the man had a very beautiful young woman who he absolutely loved and she promised to stay with him forever. In one verse he mentions that “An’ swore fum me she’d never move”, but he claims that the other man hoodwinked her and “Tuck my gal away fum me, carried her off to Tennessee”. This upbeat song is the sad lament of a guy who was engaged to be married with the woman of his dreams, and then another man came and stole her away. Also, considering that this was originally a plantation song, it may not have necessarily been meant to be taken entirely literally. Slave families were broken up in the old south all the time, and this could have been a lament at such occurrences. The song mentions the woman ending up in Tennessee, which may indicate that the love of his life was sold to someone in another state. The song also suggests that the singer feels he was mistreated by Cotton-Eyed Joe, which would make sense, especially if the slave master sold off his lover out of spite.4. Git Along, Little Dogies
Git along, Little Dogies is a quintessential cowboy folk song and gained even greater fame when sung by Roy Rogers back in the 1940’s. The songs refrain goes: “Whoop yi ti yo, get a long little dogies! It’s your misfortune and none of my own. Whoop yi ti yo, get a long little dogies! For you know that Wyoming will be your new home.” It seems like a silly cowboy song at first and probably doesn’t make much sense upon closer examination, as one of the later verses says: “Early in the springtime we round up the dogies, Slap on their brands and bob off their tails; Round up our horses, load up the chuck wagon, Then throw those dogies up on the trail.” You might wonder upon reading that why I have constantly misspelled the word “doggie” and also why they are branding poor little dogs and then making them trudge along a trail. Well, it turns out the truth of the song isn’t much better. See, in the cowboy slang of the time a “dogie” was a name for a young calf that had lost its mother. In other words, the cowboys are rounding up all the orphaned cattle for some sort of processing in Wyoming and don’t seem to be at all sympathetic.3. Banks Of The Ohio
2. Oh Shenandoah
1. Buffalo Gals
Monday, June 1, 2015
Top 10 Times People Passed On An Offer They Shouldn’t Have Refused
10. The Entire Existence of Lamborghini Sports Cars
Ross Perot made his vast fortune creating several computing systems, one of which he sold to GE and another to Dell for billions of dollars. However he is probably most famous for his failed attempts to become a “third-party” President in the 90s. While he got all his money from IT he almost became the most powerful man in computers. In 1979, Perot was running the Dallas-based Electronic Data Systems (He eventually sold EDS to GM). He was interested in buying up some small IT firms and came across a company called Microsoft. Looking back in 1992, Perot remembers that Gates “did give me an opportunity to buy a ringside seat. He has never kidded me about that, but I think if the shoe were on the other foot, I’d probably needle him.” If Perot had offered more money or more opportunity for Gates’ Microsoft, Perot would be even richer than he was in 1992. Bill Gates now is the richest man in the world but has zero political ambition. Perot could have had the wealth of Gates and channeled even more money into his political campaign.
7. Volkswagen was offered around after WW2, no one wanted it
In 2000, a new start up company called Netflix was struggling. With only a few hundred thousand subscribers, they relied on the cost intensive process of mailing DVDs through the US postal service. They had started a streaming site but needed capital. In the spring of that year, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings flew out to rental giant Blockbuster’s Dallas headquarters. Blockbuster was approaching 8000 stores and thought nothing would threaten its market share. Hastings offered to sell Blockbuster a huge part of Netflix and basically take the Blockbuster name and run its streaming service. The suits of video giant “nearly laughed us out of the office.” They saw no threat in Netflix’s service, and ignoring the potential of streaming allowed NetFlix to develop into the media giant it is today. Meanwhile, Blockbuster struggled on for a few more years and in 2013 it closed the last of its stores, although a few dozen franchise-owned stores still carry the Blockbuster banner.
1. Google wanted Excite to buy into them
The number one IT rags-to-riches story used to be Microsoft, but now it is the advertising giant, Google. Worth billions of dollars, Google is able to spend massive amounts of money to either buy out existing companies or develop new technologies that will eventually change the world. In the beginning, it was just a small company run out a garage of a friend of the Google founders, Susan Wojcicki, in Menlo Park, California. In 1999, money-man Vinod Khosla talked the two founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, to sell their small company to the search giant Excite.com. Excite CEO George Bell thought their offer was overpriced for such a small company and killed the deal. Even when Khosla talked the Google boys into lowering their price to $750,000, Bell still wouldn’t bite. In 2013 Google is worth $110.92 billion and making its founders billionaires. George Bell? Not so much.
The Lamborghini car brand was created entirely out of spite. Ferruccio Lamborghini was a peasant-turned-mechanic who like to tinker with racing cars. He made his millions building tractors and got into the race car world. He had all types of cars from Jags, Mercedes and also three of four Ferraris. He loved the look, feel and power of the Ferraris but always complained about their notorious clutch problems. Once, he was back in the shop to again fix his Ferrari’s clutch, when he ran into company founder Enzo Ferrari. Ferruccio Lamborghini complained about the clutch problem and Enzo Ferrari snapped, “Lamborghini, you may be able to drive a tractor but you will never be able to handle a Ferrari properly.” In response to this insult, Lamborghini decided to create his own, and as we know now, hugely successful luxury car brand. If Ferrari had just kept his mouth shut or offered to collaborate with Lamborghini, Ferrari would have a much larger market share.9. Marvel almost bought out DC comics
In the 1980s, DC comics (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern) was struggling as a business. Sales were down and its market share in the comic book world was around 18%. People in Marvel, the comic giant, which had a 70% market share, were looking into buying the DC universe rights. Jim Shooter, a comic book artist, publisher, and in 1984, the editor at Marvel, thought the company could turn the failing DC titles around with better story direction and most importantly make a huge amount of money for Marvel. The Marvel and DC “suits” entered into negotiations and everything looked right for a buyout. However, around this time a small publisher First Comics sued, alleging that Marvel had a monopoly and was flooding the market. According to Shooter, the lawsuit was entirely without merit but it spooked the lawyers at Marvel and killed the DC deal. Marvel still makes billions with their superhero movies, but if they had the the characters of the DC Universe they would be infinitely more powerful and wealthy.8. Ross Perot was offered Microsoft for $60 million
7. Volkswagen was offered around after WW2, no one wanted it
Now Volkswagen is one of the biggest car makers in the world. In the aftermath of WWII, the victorious British occupied the area where the Volkswagen factory was. The initial plan was to dismantle the factory and send it to the United Kingdom. However, when the occupation forces offered the factory machinery to British car companies, no one wanted it. The British commander of the factory, Ivan Hirst, decided that instead of dismantling the factory he would operate it and use the cars it built to feed the local starving German population that was now the responsibility of the British. If the British car manufacturers had taken the Volkswagen factory machinery, they would have crushed German auto manufacturing and maybe created their own version of the legendary Bug.6. MySpace Rejected an Offer to Buy Facebook
Currently, Facebook stands to become a IT company the size and power of Microsoft or Google, yet it wasn’t always that way. In 2003, MySpace was launched to compete against the then social media giant, Friendster. Soon MySpace’s membership exploded and industry experts predicted a future where everyone would have a MySpace page. As it started to expand in membership numbers, other social media sites looked to threaten MySpace. One of these sites was the new upstart, Facebook. In the spring of 2005, MySpace CEO Chris DeWolfe, met with the Facebook team in order to buy Facebook, but when Zuckerberg asked $75 million DeWolfe passed. Facebook would eventually crush most social media, and at the end of 2013, had total assets of $17.89 billion compared to MySpace which was sold for $35 million to Specific Media Group and Justin Timberlake. If MySpace had bought out Facebook it would now be one of the most powerful social media sites in the world.5. Kodak missed everything
Kodak used to be synonymous with photography. As late as 1976, the Kodak photography company had as high as a 90% market share in American photographic film sales. Always a leader of innovation in photography, Kodak actually invented digital technology. In 1975 Kodak engineer Steve Sasson invented the first digital camera and Kodak, afraid this digital world would harm its film sales, suppressed it. As we know now digital cameras were championed by other companies and soon made film cameras museum pieces. As their film products plummeted, Kodak looked to be relevant in this new digital camera world. They released one camera that could take a picture, and then through a wifi connection, email the picture to your friends. This was a huge innovation at the time but Kodak didn’t push it and let the wifi camera die. Now photo sharing is a huge industry and Kodak could have been the innovator of the time, but again it dropped the ball. In 2014, Kodak is a shadow of its former self and only avoided bankruptcy after selling off most of its patents for $525 million in 2013.4. IBM and Microsoft
In the early days of personal computing, manufacturers like IBM didn’t have the technical know how to see the future of computers. All the suits wanted to do was what they’ve always done, sell hardware. To be fair, even Bill Gates and the team at Microsoft didn’t see the potential for PC operating systems (OS). They tried their hardest to off load designing an OS to the Digital Research company but they and IBM couldn’t come to an agreement. IBM went back to Gates and eventually they were able to hammer out a deal to create what would be known as MS-DOS. If IBM had a Gates or Jobs like programmer on their staff, they could have created an OS, or if Digital Research had been more proactive, they could have got the contract. Instead, almost by default, Gates and his Microsoft team created the precursor to the OS system, the same system that is now on most computers in the world.3. Orban and Constantinople
The Roman Empire died in the late 5th century, yet the Eastern Roman Empire, what we call the Byzantine Empire, lived on for almost another 1000 years. Centered on Constantinople, the Byzantines survived dozens of attempts to destroy their Empire, yet over hundreds of years it was reduced to a fraction of its former size but it still held on. In 1453, the Ottoman Empire was set to be the world’s newest superpower and it tried to breach the Byzantine capital, Constantinople. The year before, a weapons manufacturer by the name of Orban tried to sell the idea of a large cannon to Byzantine Emperor, Constantine XI. The Emperor was interested in developing the idea but couldn’t fully fund the project. Eventually, destitute Orban left the city and sold the idea to the highest bidder, the Ottoman Empire. They had the funds and developed Orban’s giant cannons. The result was a 27 feet long monster, with barrel walls 8 inches thick and of solid bronze. The cannon mouth had a diameter of 30 inches. Day after day, the walls of Constantinople were battered from the giant cannon and other cannons Orban had designed. After almost 50 days, the walls were degraded enough for Ottoman forces to try and storm the city. On May 29, 1453, the Ottomans rushed the walls and were able to enter and sack the city, putting an end to the Byzantine Empire. If Emperor Constantine had enough money, the Ottomans would never had Orban design their giant guns and the Byzantines might have been able to withstand the siege, like they had dozens of times before.2. Netflix tried to get Blockbuster to buy them
1. Google wanted Excite to buy into them
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)