I thought it was really funny how the book discussed the docomo phones of Japan, and the internet accessibility in Tokyo.
I lived in the Tokyo area for three years, and even before that, I lived in another part of Japan. I actually owned one of those docomo phones, and they are pretty sweet. If you are ever in Japan, you'll notice those bar codes everywhere! Billboards in the subway stations, ads in magazines, brown bags from MacDonald's, the paper sheet that covers the tray when you eat at fast food restaurants, packaging for candy, chips, etc.
Cel phone service is incredible in Tokyo. 5stories underground in a subway, I still could call my friends to see where they were. The camera device is way better than it is out here, too. the resolution is so good people actually take their sim cards with pictures they took on their phones to print out as actual pictures.
During the winter, you can text message your heater at home from your cel phone so it will start heating up your room before you actually get home. that way you don't have to wait for the warm air to fill up the room while you're in there, you come home to a warm room!
I know J-phone was making TV phones with TiVo a couple years ago in Japan. I'm excited to go back and see what new things they've invented!
Monday, May 7, 2007
o f f s h o r i n g
I took a fashion merchandising class in Long Beach, and the off shoring flattener was right on with what I learned in that class.
Garments, from the time they are designed, to the time they reach the retail stores, take 8months! That's why fashion shows and collections are showed a season or two ahead. This is because off shoring takes time (especially shipping). Fabrics need to be designed, then shipped over to the country it will be cut in, then shipped over to another country that will be sewn together in, then shipped to the country where the trims will be put on, then back to the designer. If there is anything wrong with the garment, it has to be shipped back out to be fixed! Then the final product is finally shipped back to the country it will be sold in, and distributed to retailers.
In my merchandising class, we had to actually go out to department stores, look at the tags on the garment, see where it was made, and take notes (what brands make what where, etc.)
I'm pretty sure you've all seen the 'made in China' tag in your T-shirts and stuff. It's really funny when you pay attention to these things. The really good stuff might be made in Italy, or in Japan. When I was going around looking at tags for the class, I always did a double take on the ones that weren't made in China, because it was so rare. Sometimes, the tags would even say things like 'made in China, assembled in Indonesia'
When I started reading the book, I didn't think off shoring would be a flattener. But it makes sense! Countries take each other's resources to advantage. I think it's cool. It helps the U.S. get the work done. It helps China and other countries that mass produce too, because the people have jobs and the money flows better.
Garments, from the time they are designed, to the time they reach the retail stores, take 8months! That's why fashion shows and collections are showed a season or two ahead. This is because off shoring takes time (especially shipping). Fabrics need to be designed, then shipped over to the country it will be cut in, then shipped over to another country that will be sewn together in, then shipped to the country where the trims will be put on, then back to the designer. If there is anything wrong with the garment, it has to be shipped back out to be fixed! Then the final product is finally shipped back to the country it will be sold in, and distributed to retailers.
In my merchandising class, we had to actually go out to department stores, look at the tags on the garment, see where it was made, and take notes (what brands make what where, etc.)
I'm pretty sure you've all seen the 'made in China' tag in your T-shirts and stuff. It's really funny when you pay attention to these things. The really good stuff might be made in Italy, or in Japan. When I was going around looking at tags for the class, I always did a double take on the ones that weren't made in China, because it was so rare. Sometimes, the tags would even say things like 'made in China, assembled in Indonesia'
When I started reading the book, I didn't think off shoring would be a flattener. But it makes sense! Countries take each other's resources to advantage. I think it's cool. It helps the U.S. get the work done. It helps China and other countries that mass produce too, because the people have jobs and the money flows better.
My Favorite Flattner
Flattener numbero 8
Like Friedman i had no clue of what is going on out there! Each time i go to either pick up or send a package directly with UPS i wonder what goes on beyond the rubber flaps. I see people passing by and moving all kinds of things but little do i know what really goes on back there. But its not such a bad thing. I think that the idea of training UPS employees to fix computers and other electronics is a good idea. It saves money and time. I think they shouldn't keep it such a big secret because people will find out sooner or later. Plus they are getting the job done and keeping the customer, me :), happy!
Like Friedman i had no clue of what is going on out there! Each time i go to either pick up or send a package directly with UPS i wonder what goes on beyond the rubber flaps. I see people passing by and moving all kinds of things but little do i know what really goes on back there. But its not such a bad thing. I think that the idea of training UPS employees to fix computers and other electronics is a good idea. It saves money and time. I think they shouldn't keep it such a big secret because people will find out sooner or later. Plus they are getting the job done and keeping the customer, me :), happy!
I just wanted to take the time and say....
This has been a really great class. I've learned a lot and had some good laughs in this English class. The essays really got me to think and write creatively yet effectively. The blogs allowed me to express myself and to voice my comment and opinions about the class. Peer evaluations allowed me to find corrections and mistakes on my own as well as my classmates essay in order to better us understand the concepts of grammar. Most especially that influenced and intrigued me from this class was the storytelling festival. I enjoyed very much. The people painting their graffiti was great and it was just really good to see people paint like that. Marsha, you did a great job teaching this class and I really enjoyed this class. Tim, you're a really good TA. You took the time to read through my whole paper so I can refine it to make it top notch; thanks for everything, even that day you taught the class, it was awesome. To my fellow students, it was great learning with you in this class. And to Section A, it was great have you guys this year. It was a really great year with you guys, we all laughed and had good times, but we also got through some beef that we had with each other. You are all really good people and I wish the best for all of you. See you around school next year and the year after that and after . Most importantly, wherever you guys go in life, I wish you the best and good luck. Thanks for being the best section in the world, so far. Take care. Peace and love.
Blogs
I just wanted to take the time and say I think that the idea of writing these blogs is great. It allows the students to participate together out of class time. It also allows students to voice their opinions and comments about the class and about issues learned in our readings. The blogs allows for a broader range of learning. It does not confine the subject to just a classroom, but rather, goes further beyond the classroom and into the internet for a continued learning experience. Writing these blogs is something I've never done before in any class. However, I enjoy it very much because it allows me to say my opinions that I normally wouldn't say in the classroom because I am quiet and shy. The blogs gave me a voice.
Grammar
I'm glad that we had to read the book Eats, Shoots, and Leaves. This book really helped me with my grammar. It touched upon many topics about grammar that are not taught in a typical English class. Moreover it teaches the grammar in a fun and humorous way so that the reader does not get bored with such a generally boring subject. However, most importantly, The book really helped. Figuring out how and where to use punctuation marks is something where a lot of people tend to mess up at. However, the book along with the course reader really helped define my skills so as not to make simple punctuation mistakes. As a result, my essays were better than they usually are because they are more understandable without my awkward sentences because of my previous inferior knowledge with punctuation.
Friday, May 4, 2007
THE STEROIDS, Flattener #10
technology is great, it has made life so much easier, it has made it possible for us to really do thing more freelly. Now we can just travel arround the world knowing if someone needs us they are going to be able to find us easily. We can live in a different country and still have contact 24/7 with relatives and friends. We can be available for everyone all day, anywhere. We can carry music and information in the smallest gadgets. But it has also made us slaves of it. Now it is a big deal if we forget our cell phone home, we feel unsafe. Sometimes we don't want people to reach us everywhere. We can't live without those things even though life did work before when those things weren't arround. All those improvement have made us lazy to do a lot of things and now the would has driven us to the point where we are not going to be able to go back to that point wheree these things didn't contrl our lives.
IN-FORMING, Flattener # 9
This flattener is probably the most contradictory flattener there is for me. It is great to have so much ways f finding information about someone so easily, it has made things work so much faster. There are more places to llok, there is more information so people can really search deeply into things, there are different points of view available and there is access for a lot of people who didn't have access for some kind of information before. But at the same time, there is juto TOO MUCH to see. Sometimes it turns out to be more confusing and worthless. There is also room for fake information and people end up not knowing what to really believe.
INSOURCING, Flattener #8
This, as its name shows is the opposite of outsourcing. It is using the resources there are inside a company or place, to complete a task. Is using someone that is already in touch with what is happening inside of a company to fullfill the needs of a certaing work. Sometimes the outsourcing isn't as good of an idea as it seems. For specifict subjects that need a really high knowledge of certain things, the outsourcing is very expensive for a company, and sometimes the person who has always been in the company, being in touch with the changes in it and the way to make things, has the perfect anwers for certain problems. So there is no point on hiring someone else who will charge more, versus someone who already has a certain payment and can make better job.
OFFSHORING, Flattener # 6
There are differet facts that impulse the offshoring, which is the resource of hiring people to work for a companie in a different place from the one where the company is. It can be from a different city to a different country or even continent.
The main fact is the money savings thank to the cheaper labour force. There are other factors lake the competitive presure that has been rising between companies, that make them have to concentrate in the quality of the process which makes it harder to look for qualified workers to make it possible, that is where outsourcing and offshoring come together, they can use someone in an other place to make it with the quality they need.
The main fact is the money savings thank to the cheaper labour force. There are other factors lake the competitive presure that has been rising between companies, that make them have to concentrate in the quality of the process which makes it harder to look for qualified workers to make it possible, that is where outsourcing and offshoring come together, they can use someone in an other place to make it with the quality they need.
OUTSOURCING, Flattener # 5
Outsourcing has made things easier for a lot of companies, has made some people be able to really do what they like and has also brought more quality to processes in those companies that use it.
- Sometimes companies have certain tasks they need to solve but they're not big enough to hire a person, full time to make them. Some times they just need someone very specialized in solving those kinds of tasks who will also take less time doing them because they really know what they're doing, and they have less time to sper. This saves the company a lot of processes of finding the person, hiring them, teaching them the way the companie works, paying their insurance, etc. With outsourcing they just do what they need to do, in the time they need it with no other difficulties.
- For those who are really good in some kind of job, that really want to specialize in that and not having to go through other thing to get where they want, this is the perfect oportunity. They have the time to really develop their knoledge in a specific subject and get a good payment on what they do.
- It also brings quality to the performance of the companie becuase the job is made by someone wh really knows what to do, and is really good at the job.
This characteristicas can always change and not be as positive as I sayd but in the best case scenario that is how thy would work.
- Sometimes companies have certain tasks they need to solve but they're not big enough to hire a person, full time to make them. Some times they just need someone very specialized in solving those kinds of tasks who will also take less time doing them because they really know what they're doing, and they have less time to sper. This saves the company a lot of processes of finding the person, hiring them, teaching them the way the companie works, paying their insurance, etc. With outsourcing they just do what they need to do, in the time they need it with no other difficulties.
- For those who are really good in some kind of job, that really want to specialize in that and not having to go through other thing to get where they want, this is the perfect oportunity. They have the time to really develop their knoledge in a specific subject and get a good payment on what they do.
- It also brings quality to the performance of the companie becuase the job is made by someone wh really knows what to do, and is really good at the job.
This characteristicas can always change and not be as positive as I sayd but in the best case scenario that is how thy would work.
UPLOADING, Flattener #4
There are several advantages that come with the flattener number four, uploading. This made a great improvement, not only in making things faster but also easier, is amazing the way that it is so easy to upload things to the web that years ago used to take so long. Some of these advantages are:
- The fact that we can do a lot of things, not only search through the Internet, and buy things but also share with other people. Things like this blog are simple examples of hw easy it is to upload things, you only need to log onto some webpage and just press two or three buttons and is done, some other people can see what you are doing.
- It is very helpful for students for example, because you can send things to people in your class, like research or pictures, and that way you don't need to meet too many times to make a group work.
- For someone like me, who live away from its country, is very good because I can really keep in contact with my friend, I can share with them wath's happening here without having to send them something through the mail, having the danger for it to get lost. I can also read Colombian news every day and they can upgrade the news anytime they want and even uploading videos and audio.
Those are just some examples of the big improvement that uploading has brought to us.
- The fact that we can do a lot of things, not only search through the Internet, and buy things but also share with other people. Things like this blog are simple examples of hw easy it is to upload things, you only need to log onto some webpage and just press two or three buttons and is done, some other people can see what you are doing.
- It is very helpful for students for example, because you can send things to people in your class, like research or pictures, and that way you don't need to meet too many times to make a group work.
- For someone like me, who live away from its country, is very good because I can really keep in contact with my friend, I can share with them wath's happening here without having to send them something through the mail, having the danger for it to get lost. I can also read Colombian news every day and they can upgrade the news anytime they want and even uploading videos and audio.
Those are just some examples of the big improvement that uploading has brought to us.
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