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    On the Offensive


    2008 - 11.11

    Posted in creativity, economy, innovation, recession | No Comments »

    Why am I not sitting down to write this blog post on a typewriter? Because people like John W. Mauchly envisioned a future of electronic word processing. At a gathering of the American Institute of Industrial Engineers in 1962, Mauchly stated, “There is no reason to suppose the average boy or girl cannot be master of a personal computer.” It wasn’t until six years later that Hewlett Packard first took the risk of using this term to describe their 9100A.

    We are wired to innovate. Culture is wired to progress. There is an innate drive in man to produce, to improve, to outdo himself.
    Seth Godin, one of my favorite bloggers, says if we give in to paralysis in the midst of this economic slump, we will only prolong it. If we stop investing in the future, we will find then, and only then, that those who say we’re in for a long economic winter were right. If we allow the media to dictate our attitudes — at this or any time — we will find ourselves constantly on the defensive.
    Don’t let the doomsayers dampen your creativity. If there was ever a time for innovation, it is now. Be offensive.

    A World in Flux


    2008 - 07.16

    Posted in China, Iraq war, economy, workplace, world politics | No Comments »



    First, thanks to all who participated in the poll, with the question of whether it’s appropriate for governments to boycott the Beijing Olympics to make a political point. 88% of those who took the poll said it is inappropriate.

    Speaking of China, she finds herself again in todays’ topic: our changing world climate. Addressing an elite gathering in Switzerland of CEO’s from some of the foremost international companies, Herbert E. Meyer laid out an insightful manifesto entitled “What in the World Is Going On? A Global Intelligence Briefing for CEO’s.” Meyer is widely credited with being the first senior U.S.Government official to forecast the Soviet Union’s collapse, for which he was later awarded the U.S. National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, the intelligence community’s highest honor.

    According to Meyer, there are four great transformations that are currently shaping global political, economic and social life:

    1. The war in Iraq – the conflict is not just between Islamic terrorists and the U.S.-led coalition; Meyer says it is much, much bigger — and actually represents the 3rd major attack of radical Islam on Western Civilization.
    2. The emergence of China – in a few short years, 500 million Chinese will have moved from the country to the city. This internal upheaval and historic transformation cannot help but have a cataclysmic effect on the world stage.
    3. Shifting demographics of Western Civilization – Europe is currently importing so many Muslims and other foreigners that by 2020, for example, more than half of all births in the Netherlands will be non-European.
    4. The restructuring of American business – with the rise of outsourcing and independent contracting as a common business model, it is increasingly difficult to get an accurate read of the economy.

    Fascinating and illuminating, Meyer’s entire speech is worth the read…