Hi everyone,

It's taken me nearly a month to log on and -- let's be honest -- I've only skimmed the GenB book so far, but let's also be honest and admit that this is a pretty incredible time for the world.

Given the 'hype' around our generation, and given that we really are doing some incredible things, we have the opportunity of a stage for our insights, opinions, and desires for the future.

Living and working in New York, it's obvious that American politics is becoming more pragmatic and honest and, whether you agree with him, with Obama as a symbol of that political change.  Positive influence on the institutions that effect us most -- from schools and hospitals to the arts and global consciousness -- is finally beginning to usurp the moral, religious, and superficial differences that we've focused on for the past 50 years.  Those differences matter but they matter to the extent that we respect each other's viewpoints without reaching consensus.

 
We are one large connected humanity and the faster we embrace our similarities, the faster that all of us can bring real and deep improvements to the quality of our lives.

So, to start us off, please introduce yourself and update us on your current projects, hopes, and desires.  Perhaps we can find a way that we can elevate each other and, ultimately, our shrinking global society.

Cool, intros...

I'm James.  I live and work in New Jersey (Jersey Shore, unfortunately).  I too have not read the book, but I did look through the PowerPoint presentation!

For work, I am a Technical Writer for the US Army (and just because I work for the Army, doesn't mean I support the war in Iraq...  don't get me started on the war in Iraq!).  I develop educational materials for a video teleconferencing system.  So not only am I aware of a Generation Gap, but also the Economic Gap - both I'm sure contribute to the greater Digital Divide.

 If my education in world history and culture serves me well (education I received from Wikipedia, not collage), globalization forces technology to evolve, for better or worse.  When humanity stretched across the global and realized space was limited, a sudden growth in technology began.  I think it was the Bronze Age?  Or maybe the Iron Age?  Anyway, cultures shared technology spreading social advancement (sometimes) across the planet.  While technology developed for creative and functional purposes (carving tools, pots, vases, etc), it also developed for destructive purposes (weapons, John McCain).  So while technology has served humanity to better our lives, let's not forget it's destructive side.

I mention the destructive influences on technology only because our generation is becoming aggravated with the state of technology.  In our life times we are seeing great strides in communication.  From hard line phones with Call Waiting, to mobile phones that access the internet from nearly anywhere.  We've actually begun to shrink our world, if only because of the speed of communication.

Now that we can see past our neighborhood, past our metropolitan areas, and past our countries' borders, we've found places where technology stops.  War-ravaged countries where disease and famine threatens to eliminate entire societies.  Within seconds we can watch news reports on the suffering of humans nearly half a world away, but we are nearly helpless to stop it.

We've become aggravated and frustrated that we can see global (and even local) problems in seconds, but our technological advancements are doing nothing to stop the suffering.  Our leaders and innovators bumble around like drunken fools to provide solutions, yet they can build bigger automobiles that burn more gas and create more pollution.  In this decade, the US has build more luxury homes than any other decade - faster and cheaper.  Yet even today there are victims of hurricane Katrina that are still homeless.  How many billions of US dollars are spent on finding new sources of oil as compared to investing in renewable, clean energy?

I might sound like a hippie or a liberal, but I am in fact a businessman considering long-term investments.  I suppose I have the same question as many of you - where has technology and innovation taken us?  And where will it take us in the future?  Can we be the generation that takes the initiative to end human suffering, or at least extreme human suffering?

While Microsoft might be interested in how to maintain it's global grip on software (Office 2007 is atrocious btw), we are delivering a cryptic message, maybe even warning, to the mega global corporations.  You gave us these tools, but we may need to use them against you.  Someday, someway, a thick line may be drawn on a spreadsheet somewhere.  What technology is moving us forward to our goals?  And what technology is holding us back?

Sorry for the long-winded introduction (I'm an American, does it surprise you?).  But that basically sums up my opinion of what's going on here.  I don't feel that our generation, or those just after us, will unite to bring about world peace.  But with what we got, or what we can get, we just might get enough of us to get something done.  And once we get something going, we just might win over enough of the apathetic to make a real difference.

I may be a pessimist, but I do know that if I never try, then I will never succeed (it's amazing how pessimism can actually be motivating when it contradicts itself).
 

So how's everyone else doing?  =) 

Hi there,

It is indeed an interesting time for our generation, however, my concern, being an African (a Zimbabwean), is the inability for Africa to connect with the rest of the world and for the world to connect with Africa.  Even with the rise of China and India and their increased demand for resources (especially from Africa), there still remains an unconscious state towards the well being of the continent and its people.  It is thus unfortunate that in literature pertaining to the future of the generation and its place in industry that Africa is an area either avoided entirely or mentioned merely in passing.  I hope that those in positions of privilege and influence will soon realise the importance of Africa in the "global" sphere and the importance of creating a platform for its future leaders.  Ours is a new generation, where you find even in the most modest of nations, young people with a renewed desire to make a globally significant contribution.

Technology certainly will help close that gap; this is what we're seeing with regard to globalization.  Tapping the best resources across borders.

I've never known anybody from Zimbabwe so I'm very interested in knowing what young (and old) people there think about the technology that they do have (which is what, I don't know).  What possibilities do young people there NOT see?  Exposure to what it means to "be successful" is the first step toward realizing that success.

TIA for any indulgence.

 

Hi Mike

Thank you for your reply.  If made affordable technology will indeed close the gap, particularly if made available in areas such as agriculture and cattle ranching (which I believe will be the leading industries in the next 10-15 years) I know this might sound like an over zealous prediction but with the current pressure on oil and the soaring food prices owing to the need to establish alternative fuels, this may become our reality.

To answer your question on technology in Zimbabwe, most of the technology available in developing countries is found in Zimbabwe, rather the issues of accessibility as well as product range are perhaps the most significant talking points.  The technology distribution is not so much defined by age as it is by social class, where the rich have access and the poor have limited communal access or no access at all, whether its cell phones or computers.  Unfortunately accessiblity to technology is further hampared by the lack of efficient service providers and the shortages of forex needed to pay for services provided by foreign companies. 

Literacy in Zimbabwe is fairly high, although I must admit the standards of education at government schools are not as high as they were in the 80s and 90s, but the standards in private schools are still very good. Owing to high literacy levels the technology that is accessible is easily embraced by both young and old although the younger generation is more eager to explore new technology.

It is not the ability to dream which young Zimbabweans have lost but rather, the resources to make their dreams a reality.