Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/09/29

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Subject: Re[2]: [Leica] Kodak Focus now management hubris
From: Sonny Carter <sonc@sonc.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2003 17:44:38 -0700
References: <1d4.119d14a3.2caa0792@aol.com>

Hello Afterswift,

Now that, in my opinion, is a wonderful posting.

Sonny



Monday, September 29, 2003, 3:09:22 PM, you wrote:


Aac> In a message dated 9/29/03 12:07:22 PM, mark@rabinergroup.com writes:

Aac> << I don't think Kodak is smart enough to think like that. Not evil enough.
Aac> Rochester remember is where they are. Not Redmond. Not an evil place.
 >>>

Aac> For over half a century Kodak had it all their way. I was a frequent visitor
Aac> to Rochester during the 80s and 90s.
Aac> I visited the Kodak plant, attended their inhouse photo club meetings, often
Aac> attended Eastman House exhibits, and enjoyed driving up there from NYC. I
Aac> recall seeing women, who must have begun working for Kodak in their teens, whose
Aac> job it was to check and measure out the leaders of 35mm cassette film. Visitors
Aac> had to walk through a shallow tray of water before entering the plant. They
Aac> had their own world. Kodak's narrow gauge RR snaked among those 19th century
Aac> buildings. It seemed as though George Eastman would be watching. Those old
Aac> concrete floors were kept scrupulously clean. 

Aac> Rochester was a workingman's town. Gleason Machine tools is still there.
Aac> Downtown is dead last time I did some street shooting. I think Linx Trainer's
Aac> plant is still there. 

Aac> Wegman's built an elaborate food emporium that I've seen nowhere else. Like a
Aac> Hollywood set. Each section had its own decor and mood. It was located in a
Aac> suburb close to Rochester. The Erie Canal threads through Rochester, into the
Aac> heart of downtown. Rochester has a remarkable crafts school, RIT, including an
Aac> excellent photo department. And the UO is there, including their medical
Aac> school. Great place to visit. My spies tell me the city has since been taken over
Aac> by techies. I could never find a decent restaurant there, although they had a
Aac> great delicatessen I've not seen the like of in the Northwest. The landscape is
Aac> rather bleak unless you drive south to the Finger Lakes region and the town
Aac> of Skaneateles or northwest toward the Falls.

Aac> But Rochester was -- and probably is now -- a well-off town. At a meeting to
Aac> save the local classical music station, a lady addressed the chair: "If they
Aac> try to change the format, let's buy it." And those matrons meant business. They
Aac> could easily swing a couple of million. 

Aac> Methinks Kodak probably had a lot to do with making Rochester solid. Eastman
Aac> didn't make will-o'-the-wisp products. 

Aac> br 
Aac> --
Aac> To unsubscribe, see
Aac> http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html



- -- 
Best regards,
 Sonny                            mailto:sonc@sonc.com

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To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html

In reply to: Message from Afterswift@aol.com (Re: [Leica] Kodak Focus now management hubris)