“Technology is dominated by two types of people: those who understand what they do not manage, and those who manage what they do not understand.” Putt’s Law
Our life is dominated by technological change: it seems not a day goes past without some radical new innovation that makes our life easier, simpler or more comfortable in some way. My personal interest is less in the technlogy itself and more on the impact it is having on us as human beings. The cynics would point to the negative effects: the increase in obesity caused by (amongst other things) lack of exercise; the spread of theft and piracy (through applications like file sharing) and the steady downfall in social behaviour (implicity as a result of too much time spent in front of screens and not enough in front of real people).
Me? I’m an optimist. There are plenty of good things to choose from. Watching two children grow up with such a deep level of understanding and confidence in technology (alongside a much younger one who shares his father’s ability to insiduously trash any known device) forces me to rethink how I live my life on an almost daily basis. One of the things I’ve had to come to terms with is rethinking how we learn. It is something that has broader implications for us and our clients as career longevity shorterns and we are forced into a cycle of continuous development.
This week’s mail is focused on this specific aspect: the first site appeals to me simply because it challenges those who say that the web creates a generation of couch potatoes; the second because the idea of a physical entity driving around a geographically challenging environment to demonstrate the power of a virtual environment made me laugh. The final one because it is a site (and a name) I hear on a daily basis in my house which carries a scary amount of levity as playground currency.
Enjoy!
A
Online coaching for cricket players (http://www.mycricketcoach.com/)
There are a number of sites that exist to help train individuals in a particular subject, sport or topic through the use of video. MyCricketCoach goes one further – users can upload a video of them practising cricket and within 48 hours (and for the bargain price of AUS$55) will receive personalised commentary on what areas need to be improved. For the truly adventurous, there is even the option of live coaching.
The great Indian bus ride (http://www.google.co.in/intl/en/landing/internetbus/)
Google has a stated objective to “organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible”. To do this, Google has created a customised internet-enabled bus, which is currently touring India, to demonstrate to the masses the power of the Internet to educate, inform, communicate and entertain. I wonder whether the carbon count has been offset?
Building castles made of plastic (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta1J_sf-xpo)
Lego is currently the playground equivalent of platinum. If you’re seven years old. And Billy is (apparently) the equivalent of a highly respected Harvard Professor. When it comes to building lego. A nation of juvenile dreams stimulated by a single individual. There is something quite prophetic about it. If you can get over the fact that Billy sounds about 50 years old, the impact of this site is incredible, encouranging countless children to push the boundaries of their lego innovation and creativity to new limits (whilst at the same time forcing numerous parents to deal with the question “how do I broadcast myself?”)