The World Is Flat #3

Convergence, as Friedman describes it, is the coming together of certain elements, to together rapidly flatten the world. These elements work together to flatten the world and without them being converged, they could not work as they are and as they have and none of the other flattening processes would have had the same effect without it. Friedman also states that he believes that it is a Triple Convergence, and there are three specific things that make it up. These are:

First, the equipment and technology that has developed. Work flow hardware and software, things like one machine that can do multiple tasks. Also, the continuing improvement of mostly all technological hardware and software. And finally, that this technology is becoming more and more accessible to people and places all over the world, connecting and allowing people all over to collaborate and compete with one another.

Second, the adaption of people to the use of all the new and improved technology being offered them. This is extremely important because what good is specialized technology and new equipment if people can't take advantage of it and can not use it? With out innovative thinking, and with out people learning the skills needed, new technology would be fruitless. Also, the new ways people have developed to run their businesses. Such as the UPS taking advantage of the opportunities offered them, helping their business to thrive by using insourcing for companies large and small to help them, or Wal-Mart supply chaining their stores and keeping track of the items sold.

Third, people who before were not very involved in business with others from far distances because of their economies, all came onto the playing field because of new technology that enabled them to do so. Because of this billions of new collaborators and competitors arose from China, Eastern Europe, India, Russia, Central Asia, and Latin America. All these new people who joined the flattening world not only joined, but stretched it farther because more of the world was now opened up.

These three convergences all together have helped flattened the world more, and more quickly by coming together. The first convergance flattened the world by opening it up, allowing distance to no longer be a huge barier against the communication and colaboration of people. This became more useful and more flatening when the people started to adapt and use the technology to better their businesses, which was the second convergence. All this was expanded and made more of the rest of the world flat when the billions of people who had not collaborated before began to join in, which was the third convergence. All together they flatten the world greatly as the Triple Convergence.

The Once and Future King: The Sword and the Stone

The Sword and the Stone, the first book of T.H. White's The Once and Future King, tells of Arthur when he is a boy until the point when he is made king. Arthur lives with his foster father Sir Ector and his foster brother, Kay. While in the woods one day looking for Kay's hunting hawk, Arthur met the wizard Merlin, and brought him back to be his and Kay's tutor. Merlin, knowing that Arthur is destined to be king, teaches him lessons that will help him in the future. Many of these lessons consist of turning Arthur into animals for him to see their different ways of governance. Arthur also finds some little adventures when he meets King Pellinore, and when he and Kay meet Robin Wood (not Hood). In the end, Arthur while looking for a sword for Kay, finds a sword that had been stuck in an anvil. The person who could pull this sword from the stone was the rightful king of Brittan, not knowing this Arthur pulls the sword out to take it to Kay. When it is revealed what sword it is and how it was obtained, Arthur is made King.

I love this book. If I had a favorite book, this would likely be it. I really like the dialogue, and how, unlike Mallory, White delves deep into the characters personalities, reasoning, and feelings. The book is written very well and with a lot of feeling, as though White wants you to not be in the story, but in the people in the story. Mallory made events into a storyline, and did well with that, but T.H. White took events and looked at why people would do the things they did, what effects they would have, and what lessons they could teach. The story seems almost secondary.

My most favorite part in this first part of the book was when Merlin and Arthur first meet, and Merlin realizes that they have only known each other for an half hour. It breaks my heart when Merlin says "So little time to pas?" and the big tear rolls down his cheek. The whole idea of him living his life backwards is really tragic to me. When he meets people, it is his last time ever seeing them. When he met Arthur, he already knew things that would happen to him, and probably knew him better than anyone else. Arthur was his best friend, but the last time that he gets to see him, Arthur doesn't really know him at all. It is confusing, and just sad.

I love this book so much, I have already read it so I can very well make predictions, but I am so happy to read it again. It proposes so many things to think on, it is more than just a story.

The World Is Flat #2

Technology has been steadily progressing and slowly changing the way humans interact, until recently. Now, with all the computer and internet technology that has been being developed and improved technology has been reshaping human interactions at an incredibly rapid speed.

Huge numbers of people all over the world have computers at home and most all of them now have internet access. Just this one thing has changed so much on its own and helped lead to many more changes in interaction. With their internet access people can communicate so easily and fast. You can send a letter to your friend a couple towns away and it will get there in a couple days, or you send an email and it gets there in a second. Because of computers allowing you to digitalize information and the internet allowing you to send it around, people can connect with each other faster and easier.

Businesses have taken advantage of this to expand, or find cheaper or easier ways of doing things. Because of just how easy it is to be in touch with people at far distances, many businesses have taken advantage of the fact that you can hire people cheaper in other places than where your business is located. This is called outsourcing...you can hire some one in another state, or maybe some one from India to do the job for you cheaper, and maybe more efficiently too. Businesses no longer have to rely only on people in the towns close by or even the people in the country of the business. If you don't want to outsource, you could always offshore your business, move the whole thing to another country, maybe China, hire workers from there and still sell your products in America, and if you want to have a web site, you can sell to people all over the world. Businesses like Wal-Mart supply chain their stores. They place their stores all over the country and world, then set up distribution centers around that work 24/7 supplying all their stores. Technology enables them to track when their individual products run through the scanner as you buy them to know when, what, and how much to restock.

Computer and internet technology that enables people to upload has changed interaction dramatically. Any average person who has internet access can upload. And you can upload practically anything. As I sit here blogging I am uploading my thoughts about uploading. Thousands of people blog and upload onto the internet their thoughts, views, ideas and information. People upload news, information, photos, videos...and just like anyone who has internet access can upload, anyone with internet access can access the uploads. It is a fast, easy, and generally free way to share with most of the world, basically anything you want to, and anyone who wants to can see. Think of youtube...everything is uploaded. The internet is full of uploads...the internet is uploads.

With all the uploading, there is information about almost anything you could be looking for on the internet, and with more being added every day, someday maybe everything will be. So, when people are looking for information on a subject, where do they look? More often than not, the internet. It is very convenient, and with search engines, relatively easy. The internet is a number one resource. You can read newspaper articles on the internet, find a recipe, look for a job. You can research online, and if you see words you don't know, there are dictionaries on the internet. Why get up from your computer when it is all there?

Businesses can market to places and people across the globe now. Whether it is a huge business or a small one, with technology today, any of them can go across country or international. From the UPS synchronizing global supply chains for any size business, to having your business online, it is becoming very common and not too hard to expand and/or go global with your business. This means your business can market to people every where. It also means your business has competition from every where. If you sell internationally, you will have to compete that way too. But it doesn't just mean competition, it can also be help. Your co-worker might be from another country, or some parts that your business needs cheaper you might get from a business in another country or state.

Cell phones allow you to be mobile. People can talk to others from practically anywhere. And pretty soon (if there isn't already...I think there might be...) there will be international calling with your cell phone. You can take pictures with your phone, listen to music, and recently, be able to go all over the internet on your phone. You can pay bills on your phone, not by talking to someone, but by pressing some buttons. Pretty soon all your information will be on your cell phone, and you'll pay for everything with it too.

All this seems to me to be good in the obvious ways, convenience and such, but I am a little bit sceptical of if it will be mostly good. For one thing, if people all over the world can buy and sell and working like they aren't distant from each other, will they lose their unique cultures? And is that already happening?