Archive for January 2009

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“You were created from the laws which governed life, conditions regarding your birth, down to every atom, and then heaven left your life to you.”

-Quetzalcoatl

Why is water traditionally used to represent time? From a physical perspective, the movement of water is represented in fluid dynamics, which is the study of water, by a formula of volume over time. When a three-dimensional solid or liquid is given a fourth dimension, movement is created in our perception. Thus, water in the form of a river, or an ocean, is the perfect medium to describe time and was chosen by the sages to be immortalized in countless writings and literature over the ages.

If the notion of steadily flowing water, like a stream of thoughts, is enticing, then a vertical waterfall, which is an accelerating volume of fluid, increasingly majestic, and a natural geyser, equally as spectacular. Both of which, have a fifth dimension, which the speed of the water changes, powered by the sheer size of the Earth in gravity. At the bottom of the waterfall, there are jagged rocks and frothing waters, that create ripples and wave motion, that bounce and interfere with each other creating a mesh-like pattern. And if flow of liquid is continuous, we can monitor the change in speed of water as the shape of its container changes, from rainwater into a funnel, or an ocean into a stream. Indeed, water is meaningless without the bounds of the container we define it with, and objects meaningless without the empty space that fills the void.

This is just the beginning of a ceaseless stream of meaning. We can add pressure, density and height of water to further add realism to the mixture. The water could be cool and relaxing, or turbulently hot, which again changes the speed and density of the water. Finally, we must remember individual things that float on the surface of the moving stream, which displace and make the water level of the river banks rise higher, just slightly. And the sun rises, illuminating these small boats and ships, as well as imbuing the water the color of the blue sky. Perhaps these objects and ships are our memories, cherished moments or difficult situations, all floating and mixing, on individual streams on different levels that cross but never meet, to no end.

CES 2009

I have had the opportunity to attend the Consumer Electronics Show for 2009, and will be sharing some knowledge.

I will not be going over standard industry information, as much of the industry’s key insight can be obtained from the keynote presentations on the web site or on various CEA publications. Since there was so much to see, much of the information here will be incomplete.

http://www.cesweb.org/

Rather, I would like to clarify some additional strategies for marketing innovations and new technologies, as well as taking the general spirit of the trade association, to keep an open mind for new trends, and reach across the global industry

Like the nature of the 21st century playing-field, we are looking for revolutions that not only sets the standard for the future industry, but vastly expands profit margins. Instead of thinking of conducting business in the traditional sense, there are new markets and new ways of tapping into profit previously unrecognized. This change is possible and only possible with the new technologies: in hardware, unrivaled processing speed and countless modes of input and communication. New types of mice, keyboards, webcams, routers, all integrated through network layers such as Bluetooth as well as upcoming methods (3G, WMN) of making a “seamless” 21st century home exist. In software, the development of e-commerce, namely the new channels and new ways of distributing products to consumers.

Asymmetric marketing, borrowed from the term asymmetric warfare, how small companies can gain large shares and footholds on the industry by using the newly developed Internet as well as sales and management methods that are new and unrecognized. Monopolies will be difficult to maintain, since it not only requires conducting excellent business in the traditional sense, but also makes the copying of existing technologies a challenge to prevent. With the new Internet, consumers may choose to buy from local sources for the best economy, or from a out-of-range source, say, all the way from London, for a product that could not be obtained locally. Quality, then, and the interest of consumers in mind, may be one the best ways of out-maneuvering potential competitors. This will be a key strategy, and applies to all sizes of businesses. Of course, the evolution of QC, or quality control, is also developing.

Accessories for consumer electronics may be one hot selling-point, but it may not be the final source of income. Although some accessories, in their own right, revolutionize what not what was possible prior to invention, and create their own market. Take. I met a Taiwanese comapny at a show booth that was selling light fixtures for faucets, that turned the water green, blue, red - all seemingly without the presence of integrated electronics, and was, self-evidently, waterproof. The device in return, by the company, was patented and protected by law. Eventually, we decided to add the item to our product line, but nevertheless, the point of building upon millenia-old plumbing is made. Such devices, in the future, will be found in hotels, night clubs, and homes, just to name a few places.

Equally as interesting in CES was the presence of new music that claim to improve mental clarity and productivity in the office. Hard work and research of how music impacts the human brain by Ph.Ds may be an exciting field, but its use and practicality is unparalleled. Top companies will find new ways to encourage and motivate employees to keep them focused on task. New language tools were also found, for learning foreign languages and scripts such as Traditional Chinese, new handheld devices that acted as flashcards and also simultaneously worked as a dictionary.

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