Web-Tones

Caveat Emptor!!

Link: Futurelawyer: The Unkindest Cut of All - Apple cuts prices on IPhone. I rarely disagree with the The Future Lawyer, primarily because most of the time he is right (and quick to tell you so) BUT this time I beg to differ. If you were crazy enough to spend $600 for a "fashion item" then you should just STOP WHINING about it.

How long have we known about "Moore's Law?" Everyone knew that this toy would be coming down in price and still the geek masses rushed to buy! Jobs may, or may not, be throwing consumers a bone with the rebate (i.e. since it is a store credit) but he need not apologize for capitalizing on fashion. It is simply the way that the fashion business works.

Shilling for Money: "People Ready"

Link: People Ready. Start here and follow the links. Is this controversy about "running a business" or "journalistic integrity?" We live in a complex world and the answer is probably a little bit of both. It is naive to think that money doesn't change the equation and probably equally naive to think that it absolutely corrupts. However, the issue is important and should not be easily dismissed as "much to do about nothing."

The Radical Center

Link: Ted Halstead and Michael Lind's The Radical Center. Any movement to the center, in my humble opinion, is good for America. If the politics of "free love" and "big government" were bad ideas, what are we to make of the politics of "race and hate"? The problem with extremists is that they want/must have control of the dialog. I certainly do not agree with all the ideas espoused by the authors (published in 2002) but at least the "Radical Center" is a "place" where we can have an effective dialog concerning health care, education, globalization, the environment and the myriad of other problems that confront humanity in the 21st century.

Of course, in American politics we like "bright lines and clear distinctions" and that seems to preclude (my prediction) a movement to the center by BOTH parties. But if one party owns the center, and the other chooses a reactionary path, then the latter may be relegated to a status of "permanent minority"--which might be OK for some political types but not for the nation. Here's hoping that both parties fight for the center, but in the near term that is not only unlikely but highly improbable.

Heavyweights on CSPAN

Finally we are starting to get real dialog in this country again, among what Kissinger calls "serious people". CSPAN has been broadcasting an event at the Kennedy Center On Government (believe the name is close anyway), and last night Brian Williams hosted a panel discussion with Sorenson, Valenti, Kissinger and Hague. You might not always agree with their views but the dialog was "serious" and lots of potent insights from players that were insiders during Vietnam and have plenty to say about why our current foreign adventures are misguided, or so seriously foobar'ed that our only hope is for a "graceful way out." Kind of sad that after > 2000 U.S. soldiers dead and perhaps an order of magnitude more Iraqis, that this is the best we can hope for; but there you have it.

Hague says we should have never given up the draft, and I agree. We have mostly the poor fighting and dying, and everyone else is taking a "free ride." Hague points out that things would be significantly different if it was the sons and daughters of the politicians and the powerful and influential that were paying the ultimate price! Hague has advocated this for a long time, for over forty years now, and when he says it, it has weight. Kissinger, Valenti and Sorenson also weighed in with powerful NO BS insights that were "refreshing" to say the least.

Thank goodness for CSPAN because the MSM is totally irrelevant, despite the fact that Brian Williams added value and did credible work, the MSM has been MIA for over 10 years, and to say that they have been co-opted is a gross understatement.

Learning Modalities

The conventional wisdom is that as learners we fall into one of three categories: 1) Visual; 2) Auditory and; 3) Kinestetic. So you often hear someone say I am a "visual person", and in fact you hear this probably to the exclusion of I am an "auditory person" or I am a "kinestetic person". Why? Because processing complex visual patterns is something that human beings do quite well. Consider the number of images you are processing when driving 70 mph through Atlanta, LA, Chicago etc. But the truth of the matter is we learn through all our faculties, we are learning machines--and to the extent that the same topic can be covered using multiple modalities our learning is improved.

The Net is evolving into a medium where publishing in multiple modalities is becoming easier and easier. As we awake to the use of voice and video, and the power contained therein, we should not forget that it is the combination of the modalities that really make an impact. Context sensitive rich communications streams, and the companies (think Apple and Macromedia) and individuals (think Dyson and Searls) that leverage them, dramatically improve their communications effectiveness and the ability to convey messages, to touch their audience, and to sell their "products."

But because of the democratization of computing, no one has a pure monopoly on this capability, and I can assure you that the communications revolution is so nascent that we have yet to catch but a glimpse of where we are headed.

Tags: Searls, Dyson, Learning, Apple, Macromedia

Go East

Read about the gold rush here and ask yourself (as the author does) how I can I possibly capitalize on this opportunity? Well most of us are not the CEO's of companies with millions to invest, but most of the executives looking to invest (in technology, insurance, etc.) don't know Chinese (the language) and don't know much about the Chinese (the people) and are therefore going to be looking for people that do. That's right, enterprising Americans that want to separate themselves from the pack could help themselves in a big way by jumping on the Chinese literacy bandwagon.

Americans, as a group, are not usually all that interested in mastering foreign languages and becoming immersed in foreign culture, but that is all about to change as Globalization opens opportunities for skilled employees that also have a good 'ole fashion liberal arts education, in addition to a "hard core" education in something else! I am starting to see red...

Tags: China, Boom

Pixar Rules

Wow! I gotta believe that with Jobs/Pixar now part of Disney it will once again be a powerhouse to be reckoned with for some time to come. With Disney's distribution muscle and Pixar's creative talent, we may see an entirely different Disney emerge, way beyond just what they might be doing in the animation space!

The market apparently likes the deal, and what is there not to like about it? This deal just "feels" right because Pixar (apparently) "owns" Disney animation lock, stock, and Nemo.

Tags: Disney, Pixar, Jobs

Pride in the Name of Love

I still get all choked up when I hear the "I Have a Dream Speech" and am always moved when singing along with U2's "Pride in the Name of Love." Americans will continue to honor Dr. King centuries from now as his importance to the nation is amplified with time.

I believe that we need to "move on" from the politics of race, because that is what Dr. King would have wanted, and in any case it is the right thing to do. However, I also think that it is important to reflect and remember, because there is far too much hate left in the world (racial and otherwise) to believe that Dr. King's mission has been accomplished.

Go here for a little inspiration, not the most poetic but one I happened to run across, or here for the I Have a Dream podcast.

Related Tags: MLK