COMMUNICATIOON: UTILITY OR COMMODITY?

utility:(noun)  1. fitness for some purpose or worth to some end 2. : something useful or designed for use 
commodity: (noun):   1    an economic good: 2.  a : something useful or valued
communication:  (noun)  1.: an act or instance of transmitting  2 a : information transmitted or conveyed b : a verbal or written message  3 a : a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior communication>; also exchange of information

The first thing that strikes me in these two definitions is the static quality to a commodity.  In fact, communication is a process.  Without sharing it, it does not become a communication.  Generally, it is information or data of some sort and becomes communication when shared.  While there are many ways to communicate, verbally and not verbally; orally or written; directly or by inference, example,  analogy, even satire, there is no end to the way communication happens.  Even not sharing is a form of communication.

My favorite line from someone once was, "You can't tell me what you meant; I KNOW what I heard!"  Another great one was when I told someone that  she misquotted me " She said, I know  those weren't your words, but I knew what you meant to say."


If one reads 19th C. romance novels, you realize the restrictions set up by society that forbid certain communications between people which forms a basis for many of the basic plots of the novels.  Too often people think they understand the meaning from others and too often they are wrong.  Understanding what is being communicated is the more difficult part of communication because it often gets misinterpreted or assumptions are made about what was meant.  As devastating as it may be in personal relationships, one must understand the problems that are faced when it happens in business!

 

WHAT INCOME IS NEEDED TO STAY CURRENT WITH PERSONAL TECHNOLOGY?

First there was the 'horseless carriage'.  It pretty much put saddle makers and blacksmiths out of business, but it gave rise to service stations and gas stations.

Things in the 20th C started out pretty slowly.  For a timeline of inventions, click here.  In1915, cooks got the benefit of Pyrex.  Lots of things were invented but not too many for the average person to buy and use.  In 1916, radio tuners were invented as was stainless steel, though that wasn't immediately introduced to replace aluminum in the home.

In 1919 the pop-up toaster was invented.  By the 30s, there was more frequency of inventions for the home and personal use, generally one a year.  By the 40s things speeded up and more reasonably priced products were being seen on  retail shelves.  In the 50s, we saw super glue and radial tires,  Shortwave radios and Polaroid cameras.had hit the markets.

By the 60's, many homes had switched between radios and television. In '62 the audio cassette was invented.  However, in 2001, the real explosion began when iPods came on the market.  We went from appliances that could last for years and even be repaired, to the disposables era.  Today, a new model of everything is out by the time you can carry your purchase of a product home.  They are marketed as productivity drivers yet cell phone use by drivers has caused accidents, deaths and new laws to prohibit.  People no longer have to be glues to a desk many miles from home to do their work if it can be done on a computer.  Hand-helds can be used as computers, Internet connections, phones, GPS, and so many other functions it is frightening.

If retirees feel obsolete in society, the technology explosion is sending them to obsolescence even faster!

WALKER EXPOSED HIMSELF

Governor Walker of Wisconsin has been lying to his constituents and today, in his own words on a punked Skype call, thinking he was talking to David Koch, the truth came out. 

You can listen to some of the highlights of that 20 minute phone conversation..Most people who officially need to talk to the governor cannot get him to return calls or get put through to him.  However, Ian Murphy, from BuffaloBeast, pretended that his phone was not working well and he had to go on Skype.  Walker's staff fell for it and, Walker, trusting his staff, then talked for 20 minutes thinking he was talking to Koch. The conversation sounds like the Governor is reporting to his boss.  Decide for yourself.  Click here to see the highlights played on the Ed Schultz Show on MSNBC,

In the poll done on the show this evening, the question was asked whether the people of Wisconsin believed that Walker didn't care about the voters, owed himself to the people who bought him the office.Do the Walker tapes prove that he is beholden to big money like the Koch brothers rather than the voters.  92% of the responders said yes, and 8% said no.

It proves, you can fool some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time.
Once again, the fan is hit and Walker put himself before the fan....getting just what he seems to have deserved.

S/V HI-JACK SAD UPDATE

Scott and Jean Adam murdered by pirates

Two days ago I wrote about a couple who were hijacked, along with their two guests on their yacht, by Somali pirates.  Sadly, they were all killed by the pirates.  Hillary Clinton made a statement which you can view (provided you can be patient through the ad).

"Friends have described the Adams as adventure-seekers who were also driven by their Christian faith, at times distributing bibles at ports of call. " (BBC article)

Religion does not protect people from fanatics and crazed, hungry men who feel they have little to lose as their life is not worth much.  It is not faith that assures safety, it is paying attention to the risks which had been clearly defined to this couple, sadly.  They took that gamble, along with two friends, and lost

Most of us know many areas we would om which we would not set foot, on land or sea.  Even staying away from those places does not preclude evil from invading our homes and personal space.. There is no longer any assured safety, the best one can do is the best educated guess and calculation of risks in order to survive.

ANONYMOUS HACKERS: NON-VIOLENT STRIKING BACK THOUGH NON-HUMAN CASUALTIES ARE SEVERE

Keeping a relatively low profile to the world at large, though not to governments observers and whistle blowers, a group of hackers of all ages, walks of life, and nationalities, decided to become a leaderless group with a purpose to do what they consider the right thing to make the world a better place.   This is not a new group but has been forming for nearly eight years, I believe.

You can read what Wikipedia says by clicking here. The group has also used the name 4chan.  It makes clear that people realize that the government can not right all the ills of the world but that people can certainly have great impact towards that end.  It does not take tanks and guns and death.  Anonymous gave a press release to help define the group.  Click here for the video.

Today the BBC had an article on a supposed attack by Anonymous on the Westboro Baptist Church whose leaders have been forbidden to enter the UK.  It has been declared a hoax.  A second article on BBC about an attack on HBGary can be read in full here.  The group is on a mission to destroy the Church of Scientology and you can watch the video regarding that here.
 
This group grasps my interest atg this time when  the world is seeing so manyh people becoming activists and marching in protests.  Governments who shoot unarmed citizens spell out the clear reason that the march is taking place in the first place, the total disregard for human life by their aujtocratic leaders.

This group bears following closely.  There will be every effort to shut them down because we are deluded to think we have a right to free speech but it isn't working that way in America any more at all.  Nor is their privacy.  The right to not be searched without cause was also lost with out last Administration if not before.

CIVILIANS, ESPECIALLY RICH ONES, ARE NOT SAFE ANYWHERE

Four Americans sailing on a yacht off the coast of Oman have been taken hostage by Somali pirates, an international maritime watchdog says. (BBC News)  It used to be that cargo ships were targeted.  Now many private yachts are also being pirated.  Jean and Scott Adam, the yacht's owners, have been sailing it around the world since 2002, according to their website.

A sailing group of Americans had split off on their own in the Indian Ocean. CNN writes: " Owners Jean and Scott Adam and two other people on board, Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle, had been traveling with yachts participating in the Blue Water Rally since their departure from Phuket, Thailand, the rally group said Sunday in a statement on its website. But they broke off on February 15 after leaving Mumbai, India, to take a different route, the group said"

Just think, we voted in a group of legislators who think our most pressing problem is how to remove the right to have a legal abortion!  However, their greatest priority is to keep the rich in enough money by giving them tax breaks.  They don't have any problems with middle class not having food on their tables.  I guess it all boils down to the law of averages and randomization of bad luck, does it? 

ISN'T IT TIME FOR GOLDMAN SACHS TO BE LESS POWERFUL WITH ITS SINS?

Blogs are informative when written by people who have truly researched their subjects, especially when they are trained journalists.  William D. Cohan has written an article:  How Goldman Killed A.I.G.  (The article is long and the comments after it, most relevant.  If the subject interests you, spend a bit of time to enlighten yourself.  Our society has long jumped at the opportunity to demonize targets that are written about as having done wrong or being greedy. unless they are well protected as Goldman Sachs has been to date.

So many of our economic advisers have cut the professional teeth at Goldman Sachs.   That has always seemed to me that Obama let the fox into the hen house by believing he had the best economic team possible.  It is easy to second guess people's motives and think we know what we really know little about, from lack of exposure, lack of facts, or just plain assumptions and ignorance.