Nine Shift

We use a LOT of gasoline

Sitting on a plane next to an oil stock analyst, he pulled out these numbers for me:

Each American uses 7.885 tons of oil per person per year.
That's 3,842 gallons a year.  Per person (count the kids too).

U.S.      7.885 tons of oil per person per year
UK        3.757
France   4.331
China    1.081
Canada  9.375
India      0.348

The young man predicted oil supplies would become increasingly tighter, but of course he didn't see a decline in cars. On other hand, when Rita hit Houston, he left his auto sitting in favor of a private jet to evacuate.......

Red Cross to become Red Crystal

Not so fast, Draves.  But eventually.
This month the Red Cross revealed a third symbol, the Red Crystal.

The Red Crystal, according to the story, will be for countries for whom either the cross or the crescent, the other two Red Cross symbols, do not reflect the religion of that country.

But where we are headed eventually is that the Red Cross (Christian) and Red Crescent (Muslim) become the Red Crystal (religiously neutral).  As nations move closer to one another, organizations are trying to adjust to multi-religious associations. This means one religion cannot impede, impinge, or supercede another without risking alienation.   But eventually it will mean no one religion will be seen as superior to another. Any thoughts on this (you get a Free report as a prize)?

Should Wireless be a Public Utility?

Well, here's an interesting 21st century debate:
Should Wireless Internet connections be private enterprise, or a Public Utility?

Creating all the fuss is the City of Philadelphia, which is making Wireless (Wi-Fi) available to all its 1.5 million citizens in a 135 square mile area of the city - - public.
And charging people half or less of what a private company would charge.

NineShift note: Photo is from the BBC article on this story. And where do you think the lady is sitting? Driving a car - no. In a train station!

What do you think? Should wireless be private, or public?

My museum of the 20th century

Decided I want to start a museum of the 20th century.

I've got scissors, scotch tape, stapler - - prize exhibit: whiteout - - carbon paper (origin of CC:).
Even got a ditto machine in the attic. Know what a ditto machine was?

Last Christmas my mother gave me a beautiful leather cased scissor-letter opener set.
It was a corporate gift for a local leather company called Reuping Leather, our city's second largest employer at one time.  They gave them out for their 50th anniversary, along with a note about how prosperous they would be in the next 50 years. Of course, the company never made it another 50 years. Ironically, their scissor-letter opener set isn't even making it another 50 years.

So I'm starting a museum of the 20th century.
Please suggest some other items for the museum: : :

You're not normal anymore

Relax. No one else is normal anymore either.

We each have strengths and weaknesses, and individual needs.
And organizations are starting to use the Web to customize and individualize services.

The BBC, always ahead, now is starting to offer subtitles to the Internet edition of its technology program, Click Online. 

The long term direction: : you get it (anything) the way that is best for you.
It's not coddling. It's not consumerism. It is making people more productive.

"Classwork is so individualized"

"Classwork is so individualized...."

That hit me like a...truck, no train....no, ah forget it, it was really impressive.
So in August Diana Laurillard introduces us to the need to individualize instruction, and now already there's an article in the New York Times about a classroom where it is happening.

"Classwork is so individualized, students can be reading books on a dozen levels all at once." 

There are some disabled students in the classroom, thus the prompter for individualization; but this will eventually happen for all students. 

Pretty exciting. Sorry the Times doesn't like to keep its links open, so the above link probably doesn't work. Know of other examples? You get a free 20 page NineShift report for a Comment.

How's your algorithm today

You may be only as good as your algorithm.

BBC Global Business reporter Peter Day has started a fascinating series of articles on his top business trends.  In his article on Google, Day says that Google could disappear in six months if someone created a better algorithm.

He writes, "Google is only as good as its algorithms (though its current land grab may be an attempt to disguise that fact)."

An algorithm is the mathematical/computer calculations used to produce your information product.
By extension, in this century, your organization is only as good as your algorithm.
Keen mind blowing insight from Mr. Day once again. 
I wonder how my algorithm is doing today. I better check.....

Weather update. On Thanksgiving there were huge waves on the lake up north. The next morning we awoke and the lake had frozen overnight. In one six hour period. Pretty cool. Also saw six trumpeter swans flying overhead. Beautiful, and rare sight.  ((Photo of Julie with Peter Day))

Are conservatives going gay?

Julie has long said the gay issue (marriage, adoption, health insurance, you name it) is generational, not political.
Here's some evidence of that.

The conservative student newspaper at the University of Wisconsin has an editorial  opposing a ban on gay marriage. 

Emily Friedman writes, Wisconsin"It’s bad enough that this issue is still even a topic of conversation. Now it’s the subject of a constitutional amendment that would lead to banning same-sex marriage in Wisconsin. This is a bad idea."

So I emailed her and asked if this was more of a generational issue (over 40 versus under 40) and she responded, "my generation has always known gays as being prevalent." 

Sounds like more evidence that the youthful right and the youthful left are both right on this issue.
And my co-author is correct once again.
Your thoughts on this issue welcome.
Make a comment and get a free 20 page NineShift for 2006 report!

Society After Katrina

Katrina is important a watershed event to the next five years as 9-11 was to the last five years.

* The World Towers attack ushered in the "Us versus Them" period of 2001-2005.
* Katrina more than symbolizes the "Us versus Us" period of 2005-2010.

Shortly after the flooding I asked a bunch of continuing educators about offering a course called "Society After Katrina."  Few liked the idea.  But Katrina unveiled the societal inequities, the disjuncture, the domestic needs of the nation.  Since Katrina we have heard more about health insurance, education, conservation and taking care of others.  None of it has led to much fundamental action or societal restructuring. But it should.
What are your thoughts on a post-Katrina world?

PS: There are still 6,644 Katrina victims missing. The need is still there.

Don't trust anyone over 30, again

One of the marketing discoveries we're making in the lifelong learning field is that someone fromthe target generation needs to write the publicity and promotion copy.   So, for program brochures for Gen Y kids, that means another Gen Y kid needs to create it.

Christine Corfe of the Township of Langley in British Columbia had two kids design a page in their brochure. She got so many complaints from adults she figured they had to be doing something right. So this fall she asked Matt, a teenager, to create a comic book promoting her recreation classes for youth.

Matt's comic, called "Trite," created a story with Gen Y humor and reflecting the values and attitudes of his generation. The comic was such a huge hit, they ran out of copies. It marks a totally new way of communicating for the new generation. Tell us your thoughts on Gen Y.