Passages

At Open IT Strategies, we introduce a new section: “Passages.”

NTSC. (1953-June 11, 2009). Sometimes referred to as “Never Twice the Same Color,” this analog encoding system for broadcast television was the standard for the United States and key export markets for more than a century. Cause of death: DTV transition; complicit in its death: Congress, FCC, National Association of Broadcasters and many others. Survived by ATSC.

Record Store Chain. (1960-2009). The chain has been on life support since 2006, with the death of Tower Records. The last surviving record store chain, Virgin Megastore, is expected to breath its last breath on June 14 with the closure of its remaining NYC and LA stores. Cause of death: starved to death with the death of the CD at the hands of Napster, iTunes Store and Amazon.