[PRCo] Re: Kodak

Sat Nov 3 20:24:19 EDT 2007

It's not just photos, but also document history.

The US Army has small history units in the reserve structure that are mobilized to produce a  historical record.  Couple years ago there was a write-up on one of these units that was in process of documenting Desert Storm at unit level, and mentioned that that might be last conflict for which written records would still exist.  The Desert Storm operational orders still exist.  That's usually not the case in Iraq.  So much is done today with computers.  And that shift away from paper is occurring elsewhere.

You can find documents in the state archives from 1970s pertaining to public transit funding.  But we are now scanning documents, rather then sending to archives.  And electronic contracts are around the corner.  And how is this going to apply to transit agency documents on their day-to-day operations?  

During Derrick's lifetime, I suspect he will be able to research public transit during 70s/80s/90s on paper records, but records from 21st century will be mostly electronic.  PTM may end up becoming an important repository of the written record of the transit industry.

John

> From: hwandrews at wowway.com> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Kodak> Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2007 16:25:16 -0400> > Yes, the world is changing. A very good friend of mine had been running a> photo lab. He finally gave up and closed the business - in the past two> years he saw his gross sales drop to 20% of what they were. People simply> are not getting prints made from digital images.> > Today we have the great images from earlier rail fans - especially the B&W> negatives. The thing is B&W images have an almost indefinite life. Color> film (especially that from the 1970) is fading as I write this... and in 25> years or so will be gone. > > Digital images don't fade - or do they. CD's only have a 5-10 year life.> After that all bets are off. Harddrives wearout or crash. Point being,> digital images can disappear just like color. > > So, where does this leave us.... our kids/grandkids will most likely be> missing a big chunk of our visual history as color and digital images> disintegrate. > > Oh yea, ink jet prints have a limited life also - last I remember reading> they last about 25 years. > > If you want to leave a visual record get good old fashion B&W film, if you> can find it! > > -----Original Message-----> From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org> [mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org] On Behalf Of Fred> Schneider> Sent: Saturday, November 03, 2007 11:03 AM> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Kodak> > The local dealer only stocks film for me and then only because I come > in and tell them when I'm going away.> > The other option is B&H Photo via the internet if you want slide film.> > On Nov 3, 2007, at 10:00 AM, Bob Rathke wrote:> > > I 've taken more than 80,000 slide photos over the past 50 years, > > but last> > Fall I bit the bullet and started using a digital camera. I realize > > that> > even the highest megapixel digital cameras don't approach the > > resolution of> > slide film (I have a report that says that ASA100 slide film has > > resolution> > equivalent to 30 megapixels), but I've really gotten used to using > > a digital> > camera in the past year, and now I'm taking 2-3X more photos per > > month than> > I did with the chemical cameras.> >> > Last week I realized that I haven't taken a film photo in nearly a > > year, so> > I checked my 35mm SLR and found that it contained a roll of slide > > film with> > 12 exposures made at the end of 2006. So I snapped off the > > remaining 24> > exposures around the neighborhood (the leaves on the trees are just > > starting> > to turn here), and took the film to the photo store for processing > > before it> > expires. While there I asked if they still sell much slide film, > > and the> > store manager pointed to the film rack on the wall - not a single > > roll of> > slide film was in it, and only about 15 rolls of print film.> >> > He also asked if I take railroad photos. I was surprised by his > > question> > and answered yes. He said that most of the slide film they've sold > > in recent> > years has been to railroad photographers.> >> > Bob 11/3/07> > -----------------------------> > ----- Original Message -----> > From: "Jim Holland" <PRCoPCC at P-R-Co.com>> > To: "- 1714 PRCo__WP__JTC -" <pittsburgh-railways at lists.dementia.org>> > Sent: Saturday, November 03, 2007 4:50 AM> > Subject: [PRCo] Kodak> >> >> >> This has been mentioned here before -- Digital vs. Film:::::::> >>> >>> >>> >> """Digital PROFITS--[emphasis added] surged to $82 million from $28> >> million..."""> >>> >>> >> Eastman Kodak Posts 3Q Profit, Sales Dip> >>> >> By BEN DOBBIN, AP Business Writer> >>> >> Thursday, November 1, 2007> >>> >> (11-01) 14:42 PDT Rochester, N.Y. (AP) --> >>> >> Eastman *Kodak* Co., rounding the final bend in a four-year digital> >> overhaul, swung to a $37 million profit in the third quarter > >> Thursday as> >> digital revenue almost tripled and wider profit margins > >> overshadowed a> >> slight drop in overall sales.> >>> >> The photography products maker earned the equivalent of 13 cents a > >> share> >> in the July-September quarter, mirroring a loss of $37 million, or 13> >> cents a share, a year earlier when it also took hefty charges.> >>> >> Sales eased to $2.58 billion from $2.60 billion in last year's third> >> quarter.> >>> >> Excluding one-time restructuring costs of $96 million, or 33 cents a> >> share, operating profits came to $128 million, or 46 cents a > >> share. On> >> average, analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial forecast a profit > >> of 27> >> cents a share on sales of $2.49 billion. The earnings estimates> >> typically exclude one-time items.> >>> >> *Kodak* shares fell 90 cents, or 3.1 percent, to close at $27.76 > >> Thursday.> >>> >> Digital profits surged to $82 million from $28 million as sales > >> rose 1> >> percent to $1.123 billion. In contrast, earnings from film, paper and> >> other traditional, chemical-based products slumped from $110 > >> million to> >> $91 million as sales plunged 16 percent to $986 million.> >>> >> *Kodak* said gross profit margin rose to 26.4 percent for the > >> quarter,> >> compared with 25.1 percent a year earlier. It also reported a > >> lower debt> >> level of $1.63 billion at the end of the quarter versus $2.78 > >> billion at> >> the end of 2006.> >>> >> "In my view, all the pieces are coming together," *Kodak*'s chief> >> executive, Antonio Perez, said in a conference call with analysts. > >> "We> >> have created with all this work a much more cost-effective business> >> model .... from which I believe we can launch and sustain profitable> >> growth."> >>> >> Ulysses Yannas, a broker with Buckman, Buckman & Reid in New York,> >> thinks *Kodak*'s transformation is "coming to a successful end" with> >> increasingly profitable digital businesses "now taking over from > >> film.> >> They've survived the restructuring not as a second-rate company > >> but as a> >> first-rate company. That's the important part."> >>> >> But analyst Shannon Cross of Cross Research in Short Hills, N.J.,> >> cautioned that operating profits in the quarter were driven by> >> "leveraging cost-cutting in the film business" and one-time royalty> >> payments from digital-camera technology.> >>> >> "It's still difficult to determine what the long-term, core operating> >> profit of this company will be because ... we're not going to really> >> know for a couple of years the scope of the investments they're > >> making> >> right now in things like inkjet printers and CMOS (image sensors in> >> digital cameras)."> >>> >> The company reiterated its guidance for 2007 operating earnings of > >> $300> >> million to $400 million.> >>> >> In 2003, *Kodak* acknowledged its analog businesses were sliding> >> irreversibly and outlined a strategy to become a digital front > >> runner in> >> photography and commercial printing by 2008. It embarked on a > >> nearly $3> >> billion shopping spree but also began closing film, paper and other> >> raw-materials plants around the world.> >>> >> Shifting from a shrinking film business into the highly competitive> >> digital arena has proved costly. *Kodak* has piled up nearly $3.3> >> billion in restructuring charges and accumulated $2.1 billion in net> >> losses over the last 12 quarters - nine of which ended in deficits.> >>> >> In February, the photography pioneer said it was eliminating 3,000 > >> more> >> jobs, raising its planned tally of layoffs to 28,000 to 30,000 since> >> 2004. But the company said Thursday that the layoff count will > >> actually> >> end up between 27,000 and 28,000.> >>> >> By year-end, its work force could slip to around 34,000, less than > >> half> >> what it was at the end of 2002.> >>> >> Revenues from consumer digital imaging products rose 1 percent in the> >> quarter to $1.23 billion, helped by a 16 percent jump in sales of> >> cameras, retail kiosks and other digital products but offset by its> >> costly foray into a high-margin inkjet-printer market dominated by> >> Hewlett Packard Co. *Kodak* is aiming to sell a half-million inkjet> >> printers this year and reach $1 billion in sales by 2010.> >>> >> Graphic communications revenues rose 5 percent to $928 million, > >> driven> >> by improved sales of digital plates and software.> >>> >> In the first nine months of the year, *Kodak* earned $461 million, or> >> $1.60 a share, compared with a loss of $617 million, or $2.15 a > >> share,> >> in the first three quarters of 2006. But sales fell to $7.2 > >> billion from> >> $7.57 billion - reflecting the $2.35 billion sale in April of its> >> 110-year-old health-imaging business.> >>> >> ___> >>> >> On the Net:> >>> >> http://tinyurl.com/24uskl> >> *> >> *> >>> >> http://www.*kodak*.com <http://www.kodak.com>> >>> >>> >>> >> ^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^> >> .> >> .> >> Jim Holland> >> .> >> Studying Pittsburgh Railways Company (PRCo)> >> .> >> ..............................From 1930 -- 1950> >> .> >> Pennsylvania Trolley Museum (PTM)> >> .> >> http://www.pa-trolley.org/> >> .> >> N.M.R.A.> >> .> >> http://www.nmra.org/> >>> >>> >> >> > > > 
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