Abundance... (Computers: The Life Story of a Technology -Post 2)

In the second half of Computers: The Life Story of a Technology, one of the most prominent themes to emerge is that of abundance. The unlimited potential of the human mind is on full display with the development of the personal computer and it’s widespread acceptance and the incorporation of the internet into the daily life of many average people. When the Altair 8800 was featured on the cover of Popular Electronics in January 1975 and four thousand orders were placed for designer Edward Robert’s machine a new market for home computers had emerged. (87) In the thirty-five short years since then, the home computer and the market for it has undergone immense changes. Forward thinking entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs, a cofounder of Apple Computer, saw the commercial potential of the computer. Launched in 1976, Apple sales had risen to $300 million and employed 1,500 people by 1981. (93) Time magazine actually chose the personal computer as their Man of the Year for 1982 naming a machine instead of an international leader for the only time in the publication’s history. (96) As Jobs stated of his Apple I computer, “We didn’t do three years of research and come up with this concept. What we did was follow our own instincts and construct a computer that was what we wanted.” As the development of the PC has shown, when people unlock their potential and follow their instincts, the advancements are staggering.

The dizzying growth of the industry resulted in much economic upheaval. Computer software, which was initially free with the purchase of a personal computer, became a rapidly budding industry. In 1970, software sales in the US were less than half a billion dollars. By 1985 this new industry had grown to $25 billion. (103) IBM was thrown into disarray by the PC and it’s associated markets and lost a shocking 8.1 billion dollars despite bringing in $62.7 billion in revenue in 1993. (107) Microsoft founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen employed 50,000 people and brought in revenue of $35 billion of which $26 billion was profit. (109)

The internet development was also fueled by human instinct and abundant thinking. A desire to share information between universities and save money on the purchase of machinery led to the beginning of the internet. (114) Through the early years of modifications and tweaks which made the internet user friendly, the contaminant to the process became Wall Street. When private business saw the potential to reach unlimited numbers of people, investors sought to cash in. The “dot-com” boom which promised riches to those at the forefront, crashed when Time-Warner media company purchased America Online in 2001 based solely on AOL’s stock valuation. (128) This proved to be a financial disaster when the stock crashed. An abundant, emerging industry such as the internet can be tarnished by greed. And, Wall Street is usually the source of greed. Making money is not a bad thing, as the economics of the PC and internet worlds have shown readers of Computers: The Life Story of a Technology, but once the purity of the process is tainted by greed, a scarcity mindset overcomes the abundance mentality and the process stalls. It seems, to this reader however, that the “dot-com” frenzy is being replaced by proper business practices in 2010 and the economic impact of the internet has only just begun.

As the last couple chapters of the book allude to, greed is not the only problem that comes with the advancement of technology via the internet. Concerns for national safety stemming from potential military and security problems have also arisen. (140) The dark side of humanity seems to coincide with any advancement we make. What is evident, is that technology is not slowing down. Bringing the subject matter into the year 2010, it seems that US citizens should look back at the development of the computer and internet and see hope. Using the same instincts, ingenuity and abundant thinking as the forward thinking folks referenced in the book, it seems anyone can harness these technologies and create their own place in this still burgeoning new world.

Dreams…

In Computers: The Life Story of a Technology authors Eric Swedin and David Ferro detail how the computer has revolutionized our lives in the last half of the twentieth century. The first four chapters of the book take the reader through some of the history of the computers development. The account is filled with vision, passion, controversy and genius. In other words, the story of the computer is one of dreams. However, the advancement of technology is one that is not always embraced by all members of society. Dating back to 1085 when merchants resisted the development of the Arabic number system and in the mid 1700’s when Frenchmen Joseph Marie Jacquard had his life threatened by professional hand-weavers who saw his looping machine for weaving tapestries as a threat to their livelihood common folk have tried to block growth. Jacquard’s dream won. He was praised by Napoleon and his business flourished. (p.17) The printing press and it’s role in the expansion of trade led to the widespread adoption of the Arabic system. The point is… A powerful dream is an unstoppable force.

Interwoven into this remarkable scientific journey is economics. The desire to do things faster, more efficiently, effectively and conveniently is inevitably driven by economics. Mathematicians desire to speed up the calculation of numbers led to an adding machine which would sit on the corner of a desk. The Brunsviga company in the US sold 20,000 of these machines in the late 1800 and early 1900’s. (p. 13) Charles Babbage authored Economy of Manufactures in 1832 which sought to illuminate the ties between social forces and the Industrial Revolution. Babbage was both a trained economist and an inventor. It’s impossible to separate economics from the technology. When the United States took the census in 1900 it adopted a new technology to aid in the calculations. Some in the newspaper industry were skeptical it would work. (p. 22) The new technology saved $5 billion dollars. As is often the case today, the media usually doesn’t have  entrepreneurial vision. Are we in the year 2010 currently in the middle of an economic crisis or the greatest entrepreneurial opportunity? Turn on the television and hear the gloom and doom about the economy, or read The Next Millionaires and discover where the opportunities exist.

The authors of Computers: The Life Story of a Technology tell us that in 1960 there were less than 7,000 computers built worldwide and by 1970 there were 130,000. (p. 83) In 2010 many people carry hand-held technology which has the capability to run an international business. The computer is allowing anybody the same opportunity to achieve complete financial independence from the comfort of their home. The nature of work is changing because of the computer. Since late 2007, nearly 8 million people have lost jobs. And, amazingly, as reported by the Wall Street journal, 700,000 job losses are from only 25 companies. There is no such thing as a "good job" anymore, but as Computers: The Life Story of a Technology reveals, it is always a good time to dream… and it's impossible to stop the wave of technology... Entrepreneurs always thrive in down economies…Stop trying to fight a tidal wave and start dreaming again!

PS. Dreamers are always ridiculed... until their dreams come true

My first blog post...

My roommate and I are currently in the middle of a failing experiment. We cancelled our Verizon television, phone and internet service about two months ago. We were attempting to go an unspecified time without TV watching, and that is working well. I no longer sit in front of the tube staring blankly at ESPN with little regard for the content of the broadcast. Amateur ping-pong would sometimes take the place of a real sporting event. The point being, TV is a cesspool and watching it turns a mind to mush. The TV part of the experiment is working wonderfully. The mental obsession to grab the remote upon entering the house has been removed!

However, my addiction to the internet has me spending hours in my local coffee shop, Espresso Joe’s in Keyport, the township where I live, guzzling Diet Dr Peppers all day. . It would definitely be cheaper to get internet service at the house since I drink about 5 Diet DP’s - but people watching would suffer tremendously. Since I am in career transition… not working that is… my primary reason for countless hours scouring the web is the home-based business industry. The daily routine really does not vary. I leave the coffee shop to go to classes at Rutgers --where I am a full-time student for the first time in about two decades-- and come back when they are done. I’m pretty boring these days.

I have never had a blog, but had been considering one, so this one will be loosely dedicated to the exploding home-based business industry. The formulation of the blog was simple enough… I merely followed the "blogger" directions. Following directions is a skill I have only recently acquired. I have linked a couple of books which I found helpful in my research and will add some videos in the next couple of days (if I can figure out how).

In Economist Paul Zane Pilzer’s book The Next Millionaires he predicts 10 million new millionaires will be created in the coming decade. The economy is changing and those who resist change will get left behind.

If you read The Next Millionaires which came out in 2007, everything he has predicted about the economy has come to fruition.

In the book, Professor Pilzer explains in detail why the 21st century will be known as the age of the entrepreneur, and how you can become one of the next 10 million millionaires--especially if you are in direct selling, technology, home-based business, product distribution, or a soon to be trillion-dollar industry like wellness. Pilzer explains how intellectual distribution, defined as teaching people about products or services that they didn't even know exist, will replace old models of moving goods or services such as retail outlets. (Drive by a strip mall and observe the empty storefronts if you doubt this.) And, drawing on his 33 years of experience as an entrepreneur and employer, it explains how to use your past to find your place in the new economy.

So that’s really it, the blog will reflect my interest in this industry.