Interesting announcements out of the IBC trade show in Amsterdam, today. The biggest may be the bombshell that Adobe is buying Iridias, who's two product lines are SpeedGrade and FrameCycler.  From the announcement, SpeedGrade will be integrated into Adobe's Production Premium and Master Collection software suites.  How, or if, it will effect pricing is not said. http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/201109/090811AdobeAcquiresIRIDASl.html The acquisition of SpeedGrade, and its integration into the Adobe Creative Suite bundles, is much like Apple's purchase of Silicon Color and their Final Touch product back around 2006, which became Apple Color.  Apple put some, perhaps not enough, effort into developing and…

    "It's not personal, it's business." Sony Corleone, from The Godfather "It's the plumber, not the wrench" Arnie Schlissel From about 1956 to 1982, the Checker car company manufactured the Marathon and sold it to taxi companies around the country.  The Marathon became the icon of the NYC taxi and the taxi of every other large city in the US.  I can remember the moment in the mid 1980s when, because of gas prices, the bulk of NYC taxis went from Checker Marathons to Peugeot diesels.  Less than a year later, all of those Peugeots were gone, they had simply…

"Well I lay my head on the railroad tracks waiting for the double E but the railroad don't run no more poor, poor pitiful me!" Warren Zevon First, let me say that I'm not going to apologize for Apple's release of FCP-X.  Apple can do that themselves, if they're interested.  I think they're not. Second, let me say that I'm not going to condemn Apple for the release of FCP-X.  There's plenty of people doing that, already. The truth is, I think it's irrelevant.  Would an apology from Apple really make a difference in your work?  I know that it…

  Once upon a time, in a faraway land called The Soviet Union, the people in charge used to stage a big parade every year on May 1st.  The great leaders of The Soviet Union would stand on top of Lennin's tomb in Red Square and watch the parade. Afterwards, they'd release an official photograph of themselves standing on top of Lennin's tomb watching the parade. And then, Very Smart People in places like Washington DC would spend days and weeks staring very long and hard at this photo (possibly with a magnifying glass), comparing it to last years, attempting…