Module 5

I’ve always considered myself old school I generally don’t embrace change and/or new innovation very quickly…I’ve believed that the old innovation is so much simpler to use.  To this day I still break out my vinyl records or my old 8 track tapes I know most of you don’t what I mean but I still enjoy having some control of my music.  Nevertheless, now days I need to worry about updating my I-phone, my kid’s droid cell phones, the family computers and laptops, changing all my passwords to guard against hackers, viruses, worms and internet spammers now updating my car computer that has GPS satellite and internet access the lists goes on and on. I believe that Thomas Freidman’s understanding of the triple convergences has created more problems for some of us but I do understand the importance of it as well.  However, an old guy like myself is still trying to find my place in this new platform that we all live in now.  I’m still trying to rid of all of my old cell phones chargers from the pre TC (Triple Convergence). Yet, ironically I’m very grateful of the post TC to have one cell phone charger that works for my kids droid phones…finally.  But still in my opinion - sometimes I don’t want to meet these new players in this new playing field of the horizontal collaboration for the mere fact I really don’t know who is a friendly or a potential foe.  Lastly, as I check my in box daily I tell myself “I really don’t want to meet single living in my area or some Russia or Hungarian gal named Ulga that is anxious to meet me.” “ or do I?”  I got bigger problems in my life than to worry about that kind of stuff.  Now days I have hard enough time just remembering my new password at weber.edu.    

 Undoubtedly, there are always unintended consequences in this new horizontal platform when it comes to business competition on a global scale.  The bidding process was of course meant to be fair to all interested parties that wanted the business and the State of Indiana wanted the best firm to do a certain tasks - of course trying to get the biggest bang for their buck.  It is unfortunate to have State of Indiana that wanted to save money by awarding a firm that is best qualified to perform the contract but later to have politicians step in and dictate fairness after the fact.  Leave to the politicians to create more barriers and triple the costs and provide such a disservice to the State of Indiana.  I believe that both parties are guilty of being exploited and the exploiter in the same situation.

Intellectual property (IP), is one the last real property that can be protected in this digital world…one would think that would be the case.  However, today’s flat-world platform it seems that there are no real borders that separate individuals from using, stealing, copying etc., other innovators hard work.  In our digital world is getting harder to find out who the real owners are when it comes to purchasing, using, products via this flat world.