Firstly, I would like to thank everyone that helped to spread the word about Bob. The analytics definitely showed a change. Keep doing it if you would. I am very humbled that you care enough to listen to my ranting and are willing to admit it to others. Thanks again.
You know, many years ago (man I’m getting old); I listened to the keynote address at a national conference. I think it was by the Vice President of Development of Microsoft, but like I said, it was many years ago. Anyway, in this address he gave this analogy:
- 50,000 years ago – man was a hunter/gatherer, living in family units and having very little communication outside of his realm.
- 5,000 year ago – man became agricultural, putting down roots leading to civil culture.
- 500 years ago – was the invention of the printing press, leading to the mass production of information that could be disseminated.
- 50 years ago – was the invention of the first computers.
- 5 years ago – was the invention of the internet. (I told you I am old, this was probably the mid 90s)
This analogy, which you may have heard before, demonstrates the trajectory of information dissemination that has taken place in the world. But I would like to update it a bit.
- 10 years ago (2000) – it was told that the average home computer was more powerful that the entire computer system that put a man on the moon.
- And just the other day I was told that scientific computing experts are saying that the average laptop is more powerful than the average super-computer of just 5 years ago. And that this has always been the case, every five years.
Now, with this said, I noticed a job “want ad” that said that the applicant needed 10 years of experience. 10 years. That was two super computers ago. What information was this person educated too? Is it still relevant today?
I am not disparaging this company for wanting a person with vast experience in their field. But on the other hand, how relevant is his or her education?
This is powerful stuff. With the exponential growth of information available and the speed at which you can get it, you just have to wonder what information needs to be taught in schools. Are schools being tailored to take this into account? I am sure they would say that they are, but are they really? And if they are being tailored to today’s world, what about tomorrow’s?
The power of computing, the power and relevancy of search engines, the ability to discern information from crap. Networks, the accessibility to receive and to give information, open source coding, cloud computing; where is it going? Digg, StumbleUpon, Disqus, Viadeo, Xing, Facebook, Ning, YouTube, bebo, buzznet, wiki, gala, Dopplr, Whirl…
And then the most important question is; what are “you” going to do to stay on top of and stay relevant in your profession in tomorrow’s world? I really would like to hear your comments on this.
Photo by My Melting Brain
