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The Walkman, Forty Years On
Turning The Walkman Into A Cultural Phenomenon
The 80s saw celebrities like Donna Summer, Paul Simon, Andy Warhol and many others flashing the Walkman, turning it into a status symbol.
Earphones, earlier associated with geekery or hearing problems, suddenly turned cool.
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Key Ideas
The invention of headphones
In 1910, Nathaniel Baldwin invented headphones. A prototype was sent to Lt. Comdr. A. J. Hepburn of the U.S. Navy. Hepburn tested the device and found it worked unexpectedly well to transmi...
The history of headphones
- Until the 1950s, people used headphones almost exclusively for radio communication.
- In 1958, John C. Koss introduced the Koss SP3 Steroephones along with a portable phonograph to patients in Milwaukee hospitals that proved revolutionary because their sound quality made them optimal for listening to music.
- 1979: The Sony "Walkman" created a need for a portable headphone and a lightweight set of MDR-3L2 headphones was included with the portable cassette player.
- In 1978, Dr. Amar Bose, while on a flight, tried an early set of electronic headphones used for passenger entertainment. But the cabin noise made it impossible to hear anything. He returned to Boston and investigated how ambient noise could be reduced with active noise cancellation.
- In 1989, the Noise Reduction Technology Group introduced the first noise-reduction headset, designed for the aviation industry.
Portable headphones
- Portable headphones became smaller and eventually lead to earbuds and in-earphones.
- In 2001 Apple introduced the iPod, and later iPhone and iPad, comes with a set of white earbuds.
- 2008. Hip hop artist and producer Dr. Dre and Interscope Chairman Jimmy Iovine launched Beats by Dr. Dre to help solidify headphones as a fashion statement.
- 2011. Sennheiser, a German headphone company, released 300 sets of the Orpheus headphones and an audio show in South Korea. A set was priced at 30,000 Euros, or roughly $41,000.
- 2012. The launch of the iPhone 5 started a new era of headphone design, the EarPod, designed to direct sound right into the ear.
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Key Ideas
Innovation at work
When you look at great geniuses like Newton, for example, it can be easy to imagine that their ideas and work came exclusively out of their minds. But that is seldom how it works.
Innovatio...
Everyone gets a lift up
We get to see further than our predecessors, not because we have a greater vision or greater height, but because we are lifted on their gigantic stature.
There are giants in every field. Don't let them intimidate you. Take from anywhere that resonates with you and inspires or fuels your imagination. Build upon it and improve it. Doing this will make your work authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent.
The "Not invented here" syndrome
The syndrome can also show up as a reluctance to delegate work.
Creating a new solution may be more exciting, but new solutions create new problems.
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Key Ideas
Focus on what matters
- Write down the end goal.
- Divide the goal into specific actions you need to take to get there. Think in terms of systems: focussed, routine actions that you can do daily.
- List a...
Steve Jobs
“Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do. It’s true for companies, and it’s true for products."
Seek Simplicity
- Find out if the problem really exists, and why. This will open a path to alternative ways of solving it.
- Some problems, which seem complex, often have simple solutions.
- What is the surest thing in that complex problem? That becomes your First Principle, your starting point.
- List out the possible solutions
- Focus on one good solution while removing the rest.