The Google Zeitgeist ::: Wondering what was hot, was not, and everything in between in 2001? Google has put together the “gaining” queries (the ones becoming the most popular), the “ declining” queries (falling out of favor), and just about everything else. The 2001 Timeline is neat, too – giving a great overview of the…

Survival Is Not Enough ::: Great article about the importance of change in uncertain times. Seth Godin points out that the state of the economy dictates the type of organization that is required: in a stable economy, the corporation is a machine. Companies are “finely tuned and easy to copy, scale, and own.” The goal…

Gartner Hype Cycle ::: Gartner’s take on the bell curve of acceptance of technology. An interesting attempt at explaining the seeming see-saw of expectations when it comes to new technology. It’s represented here:Is CRM past its “trough”, heading for a “slope of enlightenment”? I think so. Gone are the predictions of wild results, but I…

Beyond the Information Revolution – 99.10 ::: In October, 1999 Peter Drucker wrote an article for The Atlantic that put the “information revolution” into historical context. His last paragraph is a prediction for where he expects the modern corporation to be within 10 years: …[P]robably within ten years or so, running a business with (short-term)…

Using E-Mail to Count Connections ::: Is “ six degrees of separation” a myth or reality? A group of researchers at Columbia University are trying to establish how connected we really are. They plan on assembling a self-selected group of participants, and will then e-mail targeted individuals with the goal of reaching a group of…

That Sneaky Exponential ::: What if Metcalfe’s Law is wrong? That is, what if the value of a network isn’t proportional to the number of users, but actually exponential? The idea behind Reed’s Law is that within a network of N users, users will naturally form groups from N-(N-1) to N-1 in size. That’s a…

The Next Computer Interface ::: An interesting article detailing the possible future of computer interfaces. The major question is: is an interface created 30 years ago still appropriate in today’s multi-gigabyte world? However, the article focuses too much on the individual desktop, and doesn’t really address a larger problem: how do you navigate information beyond…

(Extra)ordinary September 11, 20017:00amI boarded the plane at O’Hare. The plane was empty – no more than 1/3 full. I was on a flight to Dallas, with a connection to San Francisco. The direct flight to San Francisco was another $2,000, so I had opted for the less convenient (but less expensive) flight with a…