The Disney-Marvel Acquisition

As has been the talk of the nerd crowd lately, The Walt Disney Company has announced their intention to acquire Marvel Entertainment, pending regulatory approval. Most comic book enthusiasts gasped at the concept, worried about the watering down of their favorite masked heroes. However, there is much good that can come out of this acquisition. The following is a list of ways that both companies can benefit the purchase.

Marvel can now leverage off of the power of the Disney owned Pixar to successfully reboot some of their superhero franchises on the big screen. While the fantasy worlds of such heroes such as Daredevil and Ghost Rider are compelling in print, something often gets lost in translation during the filming of the movies. Pixar has proven that they are not afraid to create animations toward an older audience. Hell, let’s ditch The Incredibles and give the Fantastic Four another shot.

Next spring, sci fi enthusiasts are going to have a void to fill as LOST ends its final season. What a better way to continue the mythology of the series than in an ongoing monthly comic series? If the acquisition goes through, Disney would own both Marvel and ABC, thus allowing the two to collaborate. This would also be a great way to explain the origins of the island, as well. Dharma Initiative graphic novels, anyone?

So far, we have covered movies and TV shows. How about video games? While Marvel has been no slouch when it comes to game adaptations, Disney has also earned it's respect for their partnering with Squaresoft on the Kingdom Hearts franchise. Kingdom Hearts allows you to play as Disney characters in a role playing game setting. Currently on the fourth entry, it has often been pondered where Disney was planning to take the series next. With the purchase of Marvel, the answer suddenly becomes very clear.

So how about some real life excitement? Six Flags has superheroes from the DC universe all over their theme parks. So, it would only be natural for Disney to fill its parks with some Marvel themed rides. Swing around New York with Spiderman, or navigate through the futuristic settings of the Baxter Building. Introducing a Marvel themed portion of the theme park will entice those that are too old for the kiddy rides, but too young to have kids of their own.

Edit: Shout out to John Struan for highlighting my mashups (http://superpunch.blogspot.com)

Death of an IT Guy

The university and sorority life was never for me. So immediately after I graduated High School, I felt the best decision for me was to pick a trade. I always had a vested interest in all things electronic, so I decided on a two-year degree at ITT Technical Institute. The degree was in Electronics Engineering Technology, though I soon found out that it was an endangered profession. Two years of learning how to create and troubleshoot circuit boards and components did not prepare me for the culture shock I received when I began my working career.

I soon discovered that as technology became more advanced and sophisticated, we no longer needed humans to fill those technical positions. Components were placed on surface mount boards using pick and place machines. Circuit boards were so cheap to create, they were considered disposable. Thus when one needed repair, it was no longer practical to pay someone to troubleshoot and fix it. Just toss it in the bin and replace it with one of those new boards over there. Not to mention that the only employment I could find were contract positions that always ended with entire departments being let go, often due to outsourcing to other countries. Some job security I had.

So after a failed stint in the Electronics field, it seemed clear to me that the only sure fire career was in Information Technology. The growth rate of the personal computer is unlike anything history has ever seen before. Society has become so dependant on computers that it would be blasphemy to even think that a company can be successful without a complicated network configuration. To the consumer, computers are like a status symbol, the more you have, the more successful you are in life. I surely don’t need to tell you that.

Within a short amount of time, I redirected my focus. I took some classes at New Horizons Computer Learning Centers, obtained some Microsoft and CompTIA certifications, and found permanent employment rather quickly. I started off as help desk support, and within a couple of years was promoted to network engineer. And while the field of Information Technology currently seems glorious and ever-growing, I cannot help but notice a sense of deja vous.

In comparison to how advances in science and technology lead to the diminished need for human interaction in the process of building and troubleshooting circuit boards, managing a network of computers no longer requires as many skilled technicians as the silver age of computing. In efforts to cut costs and limit overhead, computing solutions such as virtualization, application streaming, desktop publishing, etc., have not only reduced hardware requirements, but also the need for people to administrate them. With cloud-storage eliminating the demand for storage area networks (SANs), it also takes with it a couple employees that may have overseen the data management and backup reporting aspects. Essentially, a different form of outsourcing.

So what does the future hold for positions in IT? As it seems the current trend is heading, instead of entire business departments dedicated to Information Technology, at the most only a handful of bodies are required to manage the network. I predict that the typical IT department will consist of a minimally skilled help desk team, as well as a couple of specialized network engineers to manage the network. There will be no middle ground. Thus in order to secure a position in tomorrow’s IT department, an individual needs to find his/her niche. Find an particular aspect of network engineering, such as virtualization, and focus your studies specifically on it. Certifications are always a plus, if not a requisite. Then, excel like no other in that area of expertise, and hope the next technology trend does not make your niche obsolete.