I have been meaning to write this for a little while now. Something that really grinds my gears...
Folks. The Digital Revolution is over!
There, I said it.
Wikipedia says the digital revolution is the change from analog to digital from 1980 to 2010+. What I say, is that the change has been made; the internet has been created, and I'm not just talking about the world wide web. The internet is the beginning of a connectedness that the world has yet to fully understand.
Imagine for a moment, that computers actually make our lives easier. *Laugh all you want, as that spyware gives you a popup for partypoker again*... but really think for a moment in which your life is enhanced by semi-smart machines. About a year ago I was reading about the LG Auto-house. A computer/house. Your cellphone knew when you were on your way home from work, and turned on your air-conditioning 22minutes before you got home so it would be perfect temperature when you arrived. The garage door opened on it's own! The trash put it's self out. Your TV turns on and flips to the news, and when you walk into the kitchen, the TV in there turns to the same channel.
THIS IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE! This is what we expect! We've expected it since the Jetsons on tv!
The internet is like discovering the wheel. Basic applications are thought of quickly; the buggy now rolls behind the horse. More complex idea's are thought of; what if we use a series of wheels to move larger objects. Eventually we hit gears, and the windmill or watermill can now ground grain. It's still just a wheel, but it's all about how you use it.
The internet is nothing more then a bi-directional transmission of information. Why are we limiting it to the world wide web? In Korea, there's 24/7 Video on Demand on every single cellphone. Anything you want to watch, where ever you are, whenever you want. Now take it a step further. Each cellphone has information on it's user. Each company has information (job title, general age, etc etc). If the video is on demand, are the ads?
Now jump to Ottawa/Ontario. If the internet is Bi-directional, and cable/internet/phone etc is all pretty much one thing by now, why in the hell am I, a 24 year old male seeing tampon ads on TV. What if the ads could be targeted directly to the individuals watching? What if you could press a button on the remote, and you were instantly e-mailed information on the product advertised?
We are overwhelmed with the amount of raw data flying at us, and it will take time to learn to control this information properly, and in ways that help anyone with any background to understand what they are seeing. But seriously, stop sitting on your asses big corps... don't make me start a company that brings the innovation we should be seeing to the general public.
Next post: Why isn't there a global world knowledge database yet?
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Infinite Possibilities
Fair Warning... This is not a pleasant read...
Fresh Meet 2009. The speeches that we heard, especially the one from Scott McBride, just fantastic. Scott highlighted the need for fresh, innovative idea's. "The chef is in-charge, but it's up to you to be his right arm" (Don't quote me on that, my memory is no where near good enough to remember his words exactly). But the idea remains the same. Fresh ideas, fresh faces who don't follow the status quo.
One thing about our generation that I think hasn't really been discussed often, is Gen Y never really has had a status quo. The world around us, especially the internet, has prevented anything from really sinking in and becoming a 'status quo'. For our generation the status quo is the flavor of the week. We've never experienced 'the way things are done around here', and in my mind that's the best possible new hire you can have.
An interesting idea was once mentioned to me that opens a few doors. We all know that a child when born is a Tabula Rasa (Latin: Blank Slate). Our experiences shape us, and define who we are. A student who goes to school vs a child on the streets. Both will have extremely different lives based on their experiences. But what if every child born is not only Tabula Rasa, but capable of anything? What if their experiences through out live don't help them to grow, but only confine them within a box of their own making?
-- Now apply this to a student vs experienced worker.
In an organization of people who have worked together for a while, they peak. There is a point in which they cease to grow. They work so well together, anticipating each others next move that there are no significant inputs of new ideas or energy into the team.
Students, with no experience have no choice but to reach out to their imagination. The schooling we have gives us set guidelines(or rules) as to how things are done. But outside of those guidelines we have no experience to draw upon. So we imagine! We say things like "Exactly how difficult would it be to dress up 350 people, drop them into a city, and cause a 'Thomas Crown'-esque scene with the bowler hats on that citys public transit. We imagine 'how cool would it be if...' and then we do it.
But our imagination draws upon what we already know. We know many things... Reading, writing, basic social skills. Maybe some of us have experience in pro-hockey, or studying a part of history, or a background in another part of the world. Whatever we have, it's the box that's been created around us, but it's not fully complete. We have the ability to say 'Hey, wait a sec... Why wouldn't we do it this way...?'
Sadly, without a good manager who's willing to hear new idea's, and a student who's willing to speak up, there is no chance that either the student, or the business will grow to it's full potential.
Fresh Meet 2009. The speeches that we heard, especially the one from Scott McBride, just fantastic. Scott highlighted the need for fresh, innovative idea's. "The chef is in-charge, but it's up to you to be his right arm" (Don't quote me on that, my memory is no where near good enough to remember his words exactly). But the idea remains the same. Fresh ideas, fresh faces who don't follow the status quo.
One thing about our generation that I think hasn't really been discussed often, is Gen Y never really has had a status quo. The world around us, especially the internet, has prevented anything from really sinking in and becoming a 'status quo'. For our generation the status quo is the flavor of the week. We've never experienced 'the way things are done around here', and in my mind that's the best possible new hire you can have.
An interesting idea was once mentioned to me that opens a few doors. We all know that a child when born is a Tabula Rasa (Latin: Blank Slate). Our experiences shape us, and define who we are. A student who goes to school vs a child on the streets. Both will have extremely different lives based on their experiences. But what if every child born is not only Tabula Rasa, but capable of anything? What if their experiences through out live don't help them to grow, but only confine them within a box of their own making?
-- Now apply this to a student vs experienced worker.
In an organization of people who have worked together for a while, they peak. There is a point in which they cease to grow. They work so well together, anticipating each others next move that there are no significant inputs of new ideas or energy into the team.
Students, with no experience have no choice but to reach out to their imagination. The schooling we have gives us set guidelines(or rules) as to how things are done. But outside of those guidelines we have no experience to draw upon. So we imagine! We say things like "Exactly how difficult would it be to dress up 350 people, drop them into a city, and cause a 'Thomas Crown'-esque scene with the bowler hats on that citys public transit. We imagine 'how cool would it be if...' and then we do it.
But our imagination draws upon what we already know. We know many things... Reading, writing, basic social skills. Maybe some of us have experience in pro-hockey, or studying a part of history, or a background in another part of the world. Whatever we have, it's the box that's been created around us, but it's not fully complete. We have the ability to say 'Hey, wait a sec... Why wouldn't we do it this way...?'
Sadly, without a good manager who's willing to hear new idea's, and a student who's willing to speak up, there is no chance that either the student, or the business will grow to it's full potential.
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