Older and Wiser

I like to think that as I get older my accumulation of knowledge allows me to make better decisions. So, what if I could live longer, like 200 or 500 years? What kinds of decisions could I or others make if humans could live that long? Would we be wise enough to end war and hunger? Last night I watched a show on the Documentary Channel about life extension that made me think more about this subject. It seemed like it was part of a series called Explorations. The most promising method for stopping the aging process was a procedure where bacteria is injected into the body that stops cells from aging so rapidly. So far it has worked on flies, worms, and mice. The researcher said that when things work on all three of those species it is a strong indicator that it will work in humans too. The procedure typically expanded life expectancy six-fold. I think living longer would be a good thing for humanity. But, I think living forever would be bad. There are some, like the Transhumanists, who welcome the notion and think that it is possible. Just think, there would never be any rest, just an eternal rat race. I look forward to resting someday a long time from now. But I hope that after I have lived a long life that I can look back on my accomplishments with pleasure and be remembered fondly by those who loved me and respected by those who knew of me.

The Singularity, Spiral Dynamics, and The Borg

NPR Radio is now giving airtime to The Singularity, something that futurists have been discussing for some time now. I found this out through a posting at Slashdot. The piece mentions that The Singularity will form out of a cooperative social system and compares this to Star Trek's Borg. What I find interesting is that this social model follows along with the progression outlined by Spiral Dynamics. The difference between the Borg and Spiral Dynamics' GREEN level is that we are or will be willing participants. I'm very amused by the fact that the Borg's spacecraft was cube shaped and each Borg inside had a small compartment where they accessed the ship's resources. I think it's not reaching too far to say that this is a metaphorical representation of the modern office environment. The ship is cube shaped and we sit in cubicles (very funny!). Then there is the fact that the Borg are in constant communication with the other Borg and central command system. Just look around at all the people on their cell phones and the store clerks or fast food workers wearing headsets (Check our Marshall Brain's e-novelette, Manna, for more about that). So, while Ken Wilber's Mean Green Meme (Boomeritis) may characterize Extreme-GREEN as neo-hippie Baby Boomers it may infact manifest itself as The Singularity.

War – Information Age Style

The United States, as well as many other nations, possess nuclear weapons. One nuclear bomb can destroy an entire city. But, will any respectable nation ever use one? "Conventional Warfare" still seems to be the method of choice for armies of established nation states. Air superiority has been key ever since WWII (airplanes were used in WWI, but were not very effective. The technology was too new to be fully understood and utilized). But, recent conflicts are showing that a new approach is needed. Superior air power has yet to produce a victorious outcome in Iraq and according to this article it is also failing in the Israeli-Hizbullah conflict. It is simply impossible to avoid killing civilians and only hit fighters. Guerilla armies cannot be beaten into submission by bombing peoples' homes. This only makes the civilians angry and makes them want to join the guerillas. This is where the information age comes in. The guerillas are winning the media war. They have even written manuals on how to do it. Information superiority is what will ultimately win the wars of the modern day.

Today's guerilla armies are networked. They use cell phones to communicate and detonate bombs. They use the Internet to spread their message and, sadly, show movies of their executions. They also know how to give the news media the kinds of stories that will get them on television. Do we see the common civilian in the Middle East turning against and dismantling the radical guerilla armies? No, just the opposite. The rules of engagement have changed. Traditional nation states are acting like large corporations. Both are operating in slow motion using rules that applied to the Industrial Age. Small armies, like small companies, and are organized using flatter, more nimble organizational structures and exploit information and communication technology.

Knowledge is Money

I found a slightly dated (but still relevant) article on cio.com titled Knowledge Profiteering. The Information Age may have begun earlier than we think. The article describes how famous people in the past have used information for profit. I think the article makes some good suggestions about how to create a viable knowledge based business in America as we see more traditional businesses struggle with downward price pressures due to commoditization and manufacturing move to lower cost parts of the world. Here four methods the article gives for applying knowledge for financial gain:

1. Apply knowledge as intelligence.
Use market knowledge, or intelligence, to take advantage of business opportunities. Like this morning's stock quotes, these competitive insights have a short shelf life. Act quickly on market knowledge to beat the competition.

2. Use knowledge to persuade.
Publicize powerful pieces of information to create demand.

3. Control the knowledge platform.
Create the knowledge real estate everybody must use. For example, operating systems do not create information; they store and share information. But by owning the operating system you can become a very powerful and wealthy landlord. Just ask Bill Gates.

4. Sell knowledge as a product.
Although knowledge products have existed for centuries in the form of encyclopedias and other reference sources, 20th century KPs can create technology products that standardize whole bodies of knowledge. KPs who offer their products on the Web can instantly hook large populations of customers.

Enhanced Reality

In the game world reality is already blending with the sim world (i.e. Warcraft). Believe it or not the latest technology often finds its proving ground in toys. Soon simulation will be used as a way of augmenting our everyday lives. Something that really got my attention while browsing at amazon.com was the book titled Simulations and the Future of Learning: An Innovative (and Perhaps Revolutionary) Approach to e-Learning by Clark Aldrich. It is very reminiscent of writings by Buckminster Fuller and Roger Schank. Essentially, we have the technology to automate education using computer simulation. If we begin working on these things now we could continue to build, improve, and refine these lessons. Perhaps this is the public education of the future – open source educational simulation programs.

Initially I was shopping for books on simulation for financial markets, but when I came across this book it opened up a whole new dimension of thinking for me. Basically, our whole lives are going to become simulations. There won’t be many decisions that we make in the future that we will not have first run through a simulator.

The Early Adopter Wins

On June 30 NPR Radio's Morning Edition did a piece on Jerry Falwell. If you listen to the audio you hear Mr. Falwell's answer to, "What is the secret of your success?" His answer is that he used the latest technology. From the very beginnings of his ministry, starting in the 1950's, he immediately utilized radio and television to get his message out. I thought that this was very profound. A preacher (whom you probably either love or hate) used the latest technology to become successful.

Is this a lesson for us all to learn? Should I be an early adopter of technology if I want to thrive and succeed in this world? Should I stop debating on whether I can afford it or not? I have to admit this was a real eye-opener for me. Personally, while always having an eye on what's new, I've always been conservative when it came to using it for myself. Thinking back, I've worked for several companies where the CEO was a gadgeteer. So, is it the chicken or the egg? Does the CEO have all the toys because he can afford them or is he in his position because he's always had the attitude of the early adopter? I'm starting to believe that it's the early adopter that gets ahead in life.