Jack+Ragen

Jack Ragen's article summary: [|Google]plans on purchasing On2 Technologies’ video software for a reported $106.5 million. Though that isn’t all that much money to a giant like Google, it’s still eye-catching. So why is Google so interested, and what do they plan on using the software for? On2’s video compression technology is what separates them from the pack. What it does is squeeze large files into small internet “pipes” and expands them on the other side. This is an increasingly valuable service and highly difficult to do, which is what has drawn Google towards On2. It is currently used by Adobe’s Flash software and [|Hulu], which is similar to [|YouTube], but focuses more on full-length television programs and advertisement. Experts believe Google will try to integrate On2’s technology into services like YouTube, which Google owns. This would increase profits greatly and improve quality of service. They may also launch it as another standard for video technology, but that would be more difficult and risky. Using On2 could cut YouTube’s bandwidth costs and save Google some big bucks. If they were to launch it as a video technology standard however, it could prove to be more profitable in the end. They control Google Chrome, their browser service, but that is only 3% of the market. To get the other 97% on board would be difficult, but it could mean huge profits. Regardless of where they go with On2’s software, this is looking to be a wise move by Google and a step forward in video streaming technology.

Oil Spill Article Summary:

BP refused to comply with the recommended regulations prescribed to them, and with this oil spill now taking center stage opn most news stations, they're taking a lot of heat. Though they do have a set of fairly strict safety regulations, they didn't follow what was recommended to them. They have reacted well to this oil spill and are working hard to stem it and clean it up, but the issue here is that it could have been prevented. They cited reasons such as administrative difficulties as to why they ignored the regulations. And with 11 crew members presumed dead after the spill, this seems to be a big blunder on their part. Regulation is generally not a good thing for businesses, but sometimes it's necessary, and this story is a prime example. Links: [|Google] [|Hulu] [|YouTube] [|Original Article]