PostsArchive - Unclassified
« Next Entry Previous Entry »Apollo 11 Moon Walk, a giant leap for Mankind
Monday, 20 July, 2009This is not a regular column and thus doesn’t follow the one published yesterday. Its purpose is to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Mankind’s first footstep on the Moon and inspire all generations to follow in kind. I will always remember where I stood at 10H56 PM EDT on July 20 1969. Only 18 at […]
Read the rest of this postOrigins of the computer, the analog calculator
Sunday, 19 July, 2009Absorbed by my next book, Consommation et technologie (Consumption and Technology), due out this fall (in French only for now), by my daily microblog on Twitter and by other publishing activities, amongst which an article titled « Le luxe de 1950 à 2020 : une nouvelle géoéconomie des acteurs » (Luxury from 1950 to 2020: a new geo-economics […]
Read the rest of this postWar technologies: the Royal Air Force
Sunday, 28 June, 20091940: The Blitzkrieg allows Hitler to conquer France in 6 weeks. In May, France capitulates and in June the British Expeditionary Force withdraws hastily at Dunkirk, abandoning most of its military equipment. England is alone, but luckily for her, has an ace up her sleeve: the Royal Air Force (RAF). In the 1930s, England worries […]
Read the rest of this postWar technologies: the Blitzkrieg
Sunday, 14 June, 2009If at the end of the First World War, France has a powerful air force, such is not the case in September 1939; inconsistencies in government policies, misunderstanding of aviation’s strategic and tactical importance by the high command and insufficient production capacity of national aircraft manufacturers prevents France from rebuilding an air force capable of […]
Read the rest of this postWar technologies: introduction
Saturday, 6 June, 2009Today, we celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Normandy landings (D-Day) which mark the beginning of the reconquest of Europe by the Allies. I believe it is only fitting, indeed essential, to have a thought for the thousands of women and men who have given their lives to repel the invader and to reconquer occupied […]
Read the rest of this postBuyer beware!
Saturday, 30 May, 2009What we have all noticed in supermarkets has been confirmed by Statistics Canada; for the period of 12 months ending in April, the price of food bought in stores has increased significantly. The average increase is 8.3%, but this statistic hides another reality; the price of some foods has increased much more. Such is the […]
Read the rest of this postWhy abandon the Pontiac brand?
Friday, 1 May, 2009April 27 2009, GM announced that it will phase out the Pontiac brand as part of a restructuring effort to reduce costs. Is this decision wise? Consider this. Pontiac is a grand and old brand to which millions of people were and are still loyal. Introduced in 1906 by Pontiac Spring & Wagon Works, it […]
Read the rest of this postThe economic crisis and the consumer
Tuesday, 2 December, 2008Around the planet, a vast majority of people have reduced their discretionary spending, both with regards to consumer goods, such as clothing, and for major purchases such as home appliances, a vehicle or a house. As reported in a Washington Post article, Economist Peter Morici from University of Maryland states that «What consumers are not […]
Read the rest of this postBursting of the consumption bubble
Tuesday, 25 November, 2008This column is subsequent to two radio interviews broadcasted today, Tuesday November 25 2008: the first with host Christiane Charette on Radio-Canada (95.1 FM), the second with host Michel Gailloux on Radio Ville-Marie (91.3 FM). The rise of luxury leads to excess both from the consumer and the producer. This is the central theme of […]
Read the rest of this postNational Do Not Call List
Monday, 13 October, 2008If, like a good many people, you are exasperated by unwanted telemarketing calls, a solution is now available. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has established a National Do Not Call List (DNCL) (). Since September 30, you may register your residential, wireless, fax or VoIP telephone number directly on the DNCL Web site. […]
Read the rest of this post « Next Entry Previous Entry »
