..”before we resume our regular programming: a word from our sponsors”..
AAAARGH!!! I swear I can hear an audible click as my brain defocusses and searches for an alt.activity to fill a few minutes. Oh I know there are those who remain placidly cow-eyed and obediently absorb, but increasingly our human immune response to, shall we say oldskool bacterial bombardment of ads thrown at us unbidden, is on high alert.
Though we are still very prone to viral campaigns it seems :-P
Like some frenzied biological warfare campaign from the labs of a nefarious evil genius - media companies and ad agencies from every corner of the globe are striving to sequence the freshest viral DNA code to unleash upon the masses, in a bid for world domination of the attention kind of course. It may last only a few days.. but those feverish few days can pay off handsomely.
[intrusive f#!!*ing ads = itchiness = cerebral immune response = innovation = TiVo or DVR's = delighted and stampeding customers = $$ & :-D all round]
Innovation is always preceded by an itch (sometimes a flaming rash).
In development of an innovation - rash words and inflamation are part of the territory. It’s something that anyone who has been part of a development team knows only too well. It gets hot in there while the T-cells are doing their job. It is a true battleground, but like our bodies, most of the action is inside where we don’t see it. (geek central)
The phenomenally smart people who create the potent tools that help us defeat Dr Evil’s schemes seem to pop them out cleanly & efficiently from their labs.
The only sound: a whispersmooth whirring of supercooled rational minds and clicking keyboards. Until suave Mr Bond swaggers in and starts blowing the technological masterpieces to smithereens … Q giving the raised eyebrow. (I’d beat the bugger, particularly if he smirked.. imagine your brand new iPhone getting toasted by some smarmy philistine!)
It’s little wonder that companies are losing the plot in dealing with innovation. There is a gaping void in the hero’s story. Our corporate storytellers need to remember that the gorgeous GUI-kitted hero (your eloquent marketer, star salesperson, charismatic consultant or CEO) is not the only hero in the house.
None of our popular stories show that innovation is a flaming wrestling pit, a combative warzone of bruised ego’s and the disproportionate amount of failure en route. Edison probably did the best PR for innovation labs yet.. 1000+ attempts at a filament as a simple reminder. It’s never going to be on target 100% of the time if you’re developing anything worthwhile. If you are in charge of innovation you NEED to be tolerant accepting forgiving ENTHUSIASTIC about failures, and bloody well love those brave enough to put their ideas out there for inspection, prodding and possible rejection.
At best the geekcrews who forge the cool tools (for those on the frontline to use) get a bit part: think 007’s Q, Lara Croft’s boys, whatshisname from Knight Rider, those divine Lone Gunmen from the X-Files (who? says you)
Geeks have EVERYTHING to do with who wins in the end. Once again I firmly assert: the geek shall inherit the earth (but we’ll probably let the pretty boys & girls take the glory as long as we get the best toys)
If you want to win, work smart, not hard: love your geeks, give them space to play in, freedom to bump heads and enough capital to build & crash ideas, quality coffee and decent bandwidth. Their passion may not be evident to the naked eye, but they are fiercely independent and strong-minded heroes who are among the most courageous and characterful beings you’re likely to encounter.
Putting the two hero classes together over a glass or three of wine, some yummy food & most importantly: NO AGENDA :could result in some epic adventures.
Never tell people ‘how‘ to do things. Tell them ‘what‘ to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. - General George S. Patton
Such is the nature of the South African geekdinners. Soon enough we’re all connecting the dots, great projects are born & before you know it: itchiness gone, innovation incoming = $$ & :-D all round.
[If you're living in or visiting South Africa and you are a techie, a geek, an online marketer, deep coder, hardware hacker, a social-media maven, a tech futurist, an angel investor with insight or journalist covering tech issues; then you are most welcome to come along to one of our geek gatherings.
- You now have 2 choices (logistically): 27 or classic geekdinners. (We're both allies against the dark forces so either way you win)!
Expect a fair amount of tech talk & a fair bit of passion spoken in languages you may never encountered in a linguistics department. But it is ALWAYS fun, relevant, intellectually stimulating and networked second to none.]
M
PS. for our local geekcrews who saw a bit of the lab blowing up: please don’t be concerned: we may have been a bit shaken, y’all a bit stirred, but we’re going to have an excellent year of innovation and BONDing in the SA geek community.. and Dave, Mike & I will continue to organise geekgatherings (any assistance ALWAYS welcomed!! it IS opensource after all)
Damn…respect if you made it through this long post! you must be a geek 8-) !
Yes, ma’am
We are indeed susceptible to that which is viral because we are like sheep and are herded, nay stampeded along to that which we think is innovative. The innovation is what we see not the renovation that gets us there. It wasn’t the innovation that lit the bulb rather that constant renovation.
The Lone Gunmen are indeed bit players but they held the line with their conspiracy theories and didn’t let Mulder forget this by reminding him constantly via their newsletter. You my dear are doing the same by reminding the heroes to play nice with the renovators and thereby reveal the innovation in all its glory.