Friday, December 11, 2009

Douglas Coupland doesn’t like phone books....

I went to listen to the author of the 1991 iconic Generation X, Tales of an Accelerated Culture, and now Generation A. Coupland is a techno-enthusiast, and he commented on the vast amount of change in everyone’s life in just five years (examples: Google, ipods/iphones/Blackberries, social networking) and the maelstrom that is the vast amount of information around us. It was a diverse discussion during which the topic of yellow pages came up. Coupland is bothered that yellow and white pages are still printed, wasting so much paper, because this information is easily available on line. It is one example of how the vast amount of change in just five years has, or could have, obsolesced the need for something.
As another example, Joshua Errett, writing in the September 24-30, 2009 NOW magazine(nowmagazine.com), feels that Zagat Surverys, which are now 30 years old, should have ceased publication five years ago, having been replaced by comment-driven restaurant review sites (such as chowhound.com). He sites several other random examples of things that should (or more likely, will) be killed off by technology.
Think of some things that you do now that you did not do ten, even five, years ago. Blog, listen to podcasts, read books on a machine, install a tankless water heater, Google an interview candidate’s name, Google a company you are interested in, play spelunky, take pictures on your cell phone, or shoot a movie with your Nano, use caller i.d. to avoid people. The list will be long.
There is a vast amount of change continuously going on. In the face of this change, it is often necessary to be flexible…and beneficial to be receptive, responsive and even proactive.
A solid, tell me a bit about yourself story is part of this pro-action.
Please go to www.tellmeabit.com to learn more...

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