One of the benefits (curses?) of working 3rd shift and field service is that you get a lot of time to think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trust me there is only so many hours of music you can listen to before it starts grating on the ol’ nerves. The audio book industry started with a customer demographic of the blind – then truck drivers became a profitable market niche and suddenly “audio books” were mass market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, podcasting and the iPod deserve a mention. Apple, Inc did NOT INVENT the technology, maybe “perfected” and certainly “popularized” –
Not to get lost in the weeds – BUT Steve Jobs didn’t come down from the mountain with the first generation iPod and say “now ordinary people may listen to music free from restraint!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I’m not bashing Apple, Inc or Steve Jobs. Mr Jobs was exceptional – BUT “how do we make this product better” is much different than CREATING something new. The history of “mobile audio” starts with “recorded sound” in general and then magnetic tape, and then … different subject<\/p>\n\n\n\n What has been will be again, My pick for the biggest “leap forward” in the speed of “information exchange” is STILL the movable type printing press. But even there we needed a lot of “prior art” for there to be a demand for those Gutenberg Bibles and Shakespeare First Folios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (… and if you happen to have a genuine “full and original” First Folio of Mr Shakespeare’s work – you probably get $10 million+ for it at auction … and we are moving on …).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The “revolutionary part” of movable type printing goes beyond just making printed books less expensive and more available. The “paper” industry as we think of it today came into existence because of the printing requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With tongue in cheek you can make a dotted line connection between “paper” becoming affordable and the Renaissance. Seriously – we wouldn’t have all of Leonardo Davinci’s “notebooks” if paper hadn’t become inexpensive. “Books” being available on various scholarly subjects allowed for “Renaissance men” to be “Renaissance men”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course Leonardo regretted his lack of formal education mostly because he couldn’t read Ancient Greek and Latin. Which brings us to the point that “communication” == “information exchange” and for “information” to be exchanged both sides need to speak the same language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’ll wave at the Tower of Babel as I acknowledge that “interpreters” have been part of the “communication process” for a long time … <\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course the folks that need an interpreter are at the mercy of the interpreter’s skill and good faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having a trusted 3rd party intermediate talks might be fine for “international diplomacy” – but not so much in intimate interpersonal “talks.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Being able to guarantee the “cyber security triad” of confidentiality, integrity, and availability can become an advanced topic – but the point is STILL that “communication == information exchange.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’m five hundred word in and haven’t referenced a movie yet Roxanne (1987)<\/a> is an updated re-telling of “Cyrano de Bergerac” – the classic 19th Century French play – and also easily one of Mr Martin’s most UNDERRATED movies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0what has been done will be done again;
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0there is nothing new under the sun.<\/p>Ecclesiastes 1:9<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\nInformation exchange<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Secret communication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n