{"id":29023,"date":"2012-03-23T16:11:12","date_gmt":"2012-03-23T16:11:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=29023"},"modified":"2012-03-25T17:03:03","modified_gmt":"2012-03-25T16:03:03","slug":"glimpses-of-today-tomorrow-from-the-past-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/glimpses-of-today-tomorrow-from-the-past-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Glimpses of Today, Tomorrow from the Past"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\/\/ <![CDATA[\n                                               google_ad_client = \"pub-7021221536180758\"; \/* 468x60, created 11\/11\/09 *\/ google_ad_slot = \"1949837292\"; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60;\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h6><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\">The following is by G. A . &#8220;Andy&#8221; Marken, President of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.markencom.com\/index.htm\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.markencom.com\/index.htm', 'Marken Communications']);\" ><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\">Marken Communications<\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\"> Inc. He has kindly given us permission to republish his thought-provoking article. As with everything that we publish at AlienBabelTech, the opinions expressed are solely those of the individual writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and the <strong>opinions of the rest of the ABT staff.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\"><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\"> \u2013Mark Poppin,<\/span> <span style=\"color: #00ccff;\">ABT Senior Editor<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>The Prophecy<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29031\" title=\"Untitled-1\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Untitled-115.jpg?resize=279%2C187\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><strong> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Did you ever wonder if we would make things better if we didn\u2019t have bad guys?<\/p>\n<p>How about keeping bad things from happening to good people?<\/p>\n<p>Or good people saying bad\/dumb things?<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, none of those things are going to happen!<\/p>\n<p>Way back in 1931, Aldous Huxley created a furor over the controlled world in his book <em>\u201c<strong>Brave New World.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>In 1949, George Orwell saw a similar world controlled by technology with<strong><em> <\/em>\u201c1984<\/strong>.\u201c<\/p>\n<p>The two authors sent scholars and technologist back to the drawing board to analyze the possibilities and explain:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Why it couldn\u2019t happen<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What to do to prevent it from happening<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What happens if it happens<\/p>\n<p>They continue to discuss the pros and cons of today\u2019s always plugged in, always on harm\/good of today\u2019s instant ability to \u201chit the button and take down anyone\u201d approach to leaving a company (Goldman Sachs, Google) with a bang.<\/p>\n<p>Unless you\u2019re like us and really like the insanely brilliant ads, you probably don\u2019t waste much of your precious time wondering if Steve Jobs and Chiat-Day\u2019s Lee Clow and Steve Hayden could really see the future or were just playing on our insecurities, our fears.<\/p>\n<p>Folks like to say that Jobs could see what people wanted even when they didn\u2019t know what they wanted, which made him a rock god in the Mac community.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Setting the Tone<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Apple\u2019s famous 1984 ad, which introduced the Mac, set the tone and maybe changed a bunch of companies.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29032\" title=\"Untitled-2\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Untitled-213.jpg?resize=324%2C244\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Untitled-213.jpg?resize=324%2C244 324w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Untitled-213-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 324px) 100vw, 324px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\">Apple 1984 Commercial<\/p>\n<p>Then there was Olympian discus thrower heaving the hammer to break the trance of how censorship was a good thing.<\/p>\n<p>She broke the spell and people could \u2026 <strong><em>Think Different.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The ad was also a subtle jab at IBM\u2019s motto at the time, <strong><em>Think.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Second Volley<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Their second bold production didn\u2019t fare as well.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29033\" title=\"Untitled-3\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Untitled-38.jpg?resize=327%2C236\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Untitled-38.jpg?resize=327%2C236 327w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Untitled-38-300x216.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 327px) 100vw, 327px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\">Apple 1985 Lemmings Commercial<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Lemmings\u2019 showed a troop of dopey middle managers paying the penalty for ignoring Apple\u2019s new Office software.<\/p>\n<p>It was obviously a frontal attack on the safe business buy at the time \u2026 IBM\/Microsoft.<\/p>\n<p>Even today, people say Lemmings was a bad ad because it lacked dynamism and insulted the target market \u2026 business buyers.<\/p>\n<p>The uproar the ad created actually (according to some) had Apple considering running a public apology for it.<\/p>\n<p>Clow didn\u2019t agree that an apology was necessary.<\/p>\n<p>Steve probably thought, <em>\u201cHey does the truth hurt?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Fast Forward<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>O.K., it\u2019s now nearly 30 years later and our evil controllers have changed:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 IBM morphed itself into one of the leading software, service, support organizations that not only does a lot of good but is a lynchpin in helping organizations tracking and analyzing everything people\/companies do to project what people will want in the future<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Microsoft became the company everyone wanted to paint with black paint because they had big, bad control over the enterprise and how individual work\/play<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Google took the bad guy leadership from MS by becoming the \u201cno cost\u201d addiction service.\u00a0 They tracked and monetized everything people &amp; businesses\u00a0 did on the Internet<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Facebook earned the evil mantle by being the \u201cfree\u201d place where billions of people voluntarily posted anything, everything about themselves so that the world could see how messed up or in need they really were.\u00a0 Along the way, they used the information as trading currency with companies that just had to reach, sell to these folks<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Google took the evil dude leadership back by saying they could manage what was private under their terms<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Now that Steve is no longer here, some folks figure it\u2019s time to take Apple on and say it\u2019s their responsibility to tell people in other parts of the world how they should work, live.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bad Boss, Bad Boss<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It used to be that people went to work for a company and bought into the philosophy\/approach.\u00a0 If they didn\u2019t like the way things were going, they tried to change them \u2026 or they left.<\/p>\n<p>Today, they don\u2019t simply resign.<\/p>\n<p>Nope; they go online and tell the world \u2013 in no uncertain terms \u2013 what is wrong with the company, what it should do, how it should do it.<\/p>\n<p>A Goldman Sachs middle manager doesn\u2019t simply resign, he writes an op-ed piece for the \u201c<em>New York Times\u201d<\/em> where he tells all about his discovery that the company is a huge money-grubber that\u2019s only out for itself.<\/p>\n<p>The piece goes viral.<\/p>\n<p>Folks say what a righteous person he is.<\/p>\n<p>Well \u2026 <strong><em>duuhhh!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A manager at Google said the company had changed to become an organization 100 percent focused on monetizing everything they do by selling information about you to people who want to advertise\/sell to you.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s right up there with Watergate and Antennagate!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Feeling Better<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>About 30 years after Apple promoted the idea that one person could break the chains of servitude for all of us, folks are doing it.<\/p>\n<p>And what changed?<\/p>\n<p>Well, the Google executive landed at Microsoft, which is now one of the good companies.<\/p>\n<p>Our Goldman sleuth got everyone giving advice to the out-for-ourselves company on how to cleanse itself.<\/p>\n<p>In our networked world, people expect instant gratification, quick choices, easy answers.<\/p>\n<p>The popularity of Twitter is an excellent example of the fact that we are beginning to embrace ADHD as a tool to share any information immediately with anyone who is interested\/willing to follow, selectively and rapidly.<\/p>\n<p>All of this makes it tougher for publicists because one of the things they like to\/want to do is control the message.<\/p>\n<p>The immediate, bite-size nature of online exchanges will make it harder for multitaskers or minute-slicers to think deeply about any topic.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, if too many people take the instant gratification, instant answer approach it is going to mean folks will be far more susceptible to manipulation. Especially when we all have other important issues \u2013 work stress, getting older, constantly changing interests\/priorities, you name it.<\/p>\n<p>The time might be right for Cook and Clow to serve up a new set of ads \u2026 a new set of answers.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"># # #<\/p>\n<p><strong>by: G.A. &#8220;Andy&#8221; Marken<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> President<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> Marken Communications Inc.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <a href=\"mailto:Andy@markencom.com\">Andy@markencom.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Please join us in our <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/abt\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\">Forums<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Become a Fan on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/AlienBabelTech\/123268467142\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/AlienBabelTech\/123268467142', 'Facebook']);\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Follow us on <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/alienbabeltech\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/twitter.com\/alienbabeltech', 'Twitter']);\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n<p>For the latest updates from ABT, please <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?feed=rss2\" target=\"_blank\">join our RSS News Feed<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Join our Distributed Computing teams<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Folding@Home &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech &#8211; 164304<\/li>\n<li>SETI@Home &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech &#8211; 138705<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldcommunitygrid.org\/reg\/viewRegister.do?teamID=3P39R3SRV1\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.worldcommunitygrid.org\/reg\/viewRegister.do?teamID=3P39R3SRV1', 'World Community Grid &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech']);\" target=\"_blank\">World Community Grid &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The following is by G. A . &#8220;Andy&#8221; Marken, President of Marken Communications Inc. He has kindly given us permission to republish his thought-provoking article. As with everything that we publish at AlienBabelTech, the&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":396,"featured_media":29033,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2533],"tags":[3197,332,5134,5133,1689],"class_list":["post-29023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abt-news","tag-advertising","tag-apple","tag-future-predictions","tag-media-control","tag-twitter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29023","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/396"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29023"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29023\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}