One of the most thought-provoking business books in the last several years was Clay Christensen's The Innovator's Dilemma. It got carried into lots of meetings as entrepreneurs and consultants tried to justify their latest fantasy as the next disruptive innovation. I'm reasonably sure that most of them never bothered to read it.
Those who did read it will recall that one characteristic of disruptive technology innovations was that they weren't particularly exotic technically. In other words, Christensen's research made a strong case that disruptive innovations were those that combined existing, well-established, technologies into new designs that served markets that were underserved or ignored by the established industry leaders.
While I understand why Dave gets irritated by all the attention going to the BigCos about web services while Userland gets generally ignored, to me it's one more datapoint supporting the disruptive innovation hypothesis. [McGee's Musings]
I agree with Jim. I DID read "The Innovator's Dilemma" (okay, well I listened to it as an MP3 download from Audible), and I can't recommend that book strongly enough. I definitely see Radio as a disruptive innovation (classic signs: totally under the radar screen, built not as a result of "customer demand," and not generating high profit margins). It's growing at a steady rate right now, but just wait til it hits The Tipping Point. My guess is when Newsweek does a several page spread on blogging (which will happen within 6 months) is what will come to be identified as the tipping point.
CHICAGO—The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation went on a wild endowment binge last weekend, recklessly giving away more than $170 million in grants and fellowships in a 48-hour span. [The Onion]
9:42:57 PM
Another Law related Blogger
Christopher Smith is with a large law firm in New York (nobody's saying which one; it's not hard to figure out but since he doesn't say, and neither does Rick I guess I won't either). From the discussion I've read on his blog Chris is a major league techie. Today he found Jim McGee's site and is reveling in that discovery. I'm not surprised given his interest in KM (he should check out John Robb's site). Hey, Chris, also check out Jenny's site, and also see if you can create and XML/RSS feed like Denise just did. Oh, and I hope that you don't mind being called "Chris." If so let me know and I'll change the blogroll description. Welcome to the blogosphere.
"The three-day shutdown of domestic air travel in the United States following the terrorist attacks allowed meteorologists to study what they've long suspected: Airplane condensation trails may affect the weather." [Wired] Via [The Shifted Librarian]
7:58:14 PM
New Orleans Gets Basketball Team Over Lone Dissenting Vote. Guess who?
From our Atlanta News Source:
League bosses won't discuss the silly vote that sent the Hornets dribbling from Charlotte to New Orleans.
Here's the inside word: With a majority of the 29 owners needed to approve the deal, there was just one dissenter. Who? Well, it likely was the Dallas Mavericks' Mark Cuban. That's because he told the truth last week by saying he doubted New Orleans' ability to support another pro franchise in Louisiana's brutal economy.
In the long run, bringing the Hornets to New Orleans will be as successful as placing a curfew on Bourbon Street. [Atlanta Journal Constitution] Via [Buzz]
5:02:39 PM
Did you know we have federal judges in the Mariana Islands? And guess what else they have there? That's right. Class actions.
A federal judge in the Northern Mariana Islands has certified a 30,000-member class in a sweatshop case against some of the United States' largest clothing retailers. Plaintiffs' attorneys and human rights advocates hailed the decision as a significant victory for foreign sweatshop workers. The suit alleges that 55 retailers and factories are active and knowing participants in a scheme to exploit thousands of workers. [Law.com]
Setting the stage for a U.S. Supreme Court showdown over affirmative action, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the University of Michigan Law School's race-conscious admissions policy. In a 5-4 decision, the court said that achieving diversity was a valid goal for a university, making Michigan's policy acceptable even though it treated applicants differently because of race. [Law.com]
This is something that I would like to see Howard write about. I'm sure that he knows the legal issues (Bakke and its progeny) very well. I was listening to the NPR analysis yesterday and the point was made that this is the "perfect case" for the Supreme Court to take because it squarely presents the question of whether "diversity," without more, (i.e. a history of past discrimination at the institution) can be a primary admissions criteria. I apologize if I don't have that exactly right; it's been awhile since I read the cases in this area.
Anyway, it occurred to me later that maybe the fact that it is "the perfect case" is a good reason for the US Supreme Court not to take it. I'm in favor of a completely neutral admissions policy, and so I'm not really comfortable with the Michigan policy. On the other hand, it might be best to let the issue slide. If the US Supreme Court takes it I have a hard time believing that we will get a useful opinion. I'm thinking it would be one of those pastiche plurality opinions that is harder to decipher than 128 bit encryption....
3:02:10 PM
State Budget Battles & Technology - What's happening in Maine?
Maine has awarded a $37 million contract to Apple Computer Inc. to provide iBooks for every seventh and eighth grade pupil by the beginning of the 2003-04 school year. Some schools are already getting their laptops. Such technology spending is always questioned in budget battles. [Story link]
We have the same problems here in Louisiana where money is tight and most revenues have been dedicated to specific purposes, but cuts in the so-called General Fund usually zero in on large programs like public health and higher education. And technology spending is always on the endangered species list....
Dan Rosenbaum: "Jim McGee, an entrepreuneur and professor at the Kellogg School of Management, has some interesting comments about this item, which ran here on the 12th. The crux:
Certainly in learning settings it's nice if someone knows something to get the ball rolling, but it isn't necessary. I'd argue (naturally) that the scientific method is essentially a set of rules for how to argue about things you don't understand in order to understand them better.
Hard to disagree. Perhaps where we're getting hung up is in the interesting difference between "understanding" and "knowing something about." I'd suggest (argue? heavens, no!) that "understanding" proceeds from "knowledge," and it's damned near impossible to reach the former without first acquiring some of the latter. [Over the Edge]
Yeah, this is a debate worth sorting out. Frankly it's a disagreement without real conflict. Jim McGee is right that sharp debate can frame an issue, but Dan is right that a sharp debate can't proceed from mindless effusion of opinion. The legal system is built on the premise that out of the clash of opposites will emerge some truth. But sometimes there is just a clash. (Hey, high-speed particle accelerators produce new particles using the "clash" method, but the new particles only exist for a few nano-seconds). Maybe it's that how it happens with the conflict method of seeking truth too...
10:02:37 AM
High Performance Wireless
"The High Performance Wireless Research and Education Network (HPWREN) team is creating, demonstrating, and evaluating a non-commercial, prototype, high-performance, wide-area, wireless network in San Diego county. The NSF-funded network includes backbone nodes on the UC San Diego campus and a number of "hard to reach" areas in San Diego county. [Link]
Thanks to my father-in-law, Steve, for this link. It's interesting to compare this educational endeavor with the Glenn Fleishman's recent discussion about the politics of 2.4 ghz.
From Dan Rosenbaum: "My colleague Mitch Wagner has a good take on the collapse of RealNames -- a not-so-great idea that finally cratered.
Of particular interest is the CEO's weblog painting Microsoft as the villain. It's a role that Microsoft is particularly well suited for, and the weblog has been a huge instant hit over the last couple of days. But read Mitch's piece, which observes that not even Microsoft can save a bad idea. Via [Over the Edge]
