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Thursday, June 12, 2008 |
I must have had 20 tabs open in Firefox with stuff I've read and wanted to blog. Don't really have time, but I need to get through some of this stuff. By the way, are you ready for Big Tuesday? That's the day you can download Firefox 3. They want to make it the biggest download day in Web history. Don't know if I'll be part of the history, since I'll have to catch a 6:30 am shuttle from Pointe Hilton to the Biltmore for the Honeywell User Group sessions.
Here is a post from Kevin Kelly. I read him a little in Wired, but I really appreciated his work in "Out of Control." That book argues for a change from physics to biology as the model for the future of thought, organization and computing. Here is a little of the post. Don't know that I agree with all, but this should stimulate some deep thought.
But if we really are headed into the century of neo-biology, as I believe we are, then what are the New Rules of the New Biology?
Here is a first pass, in no particular order:
1) All rules in biology have exceptions.
2) Anything that can be done with organisms (including our own), will be done.
3) Every biological action invokes a biological reaction.
4) All inovations follow a one-way migration from enhancements to normalcy.
5) One person's biological ideal is another's horror.
6) Understanding is not necessary for use.
7) The tolerence for uncertainty goes up as death becomes certain.
8) The difference between 99% reliable and 100% reliable is God (or a million years of evolution).
9) Health care is finite resources applied to an infinite appetite.
1:49:22 PM 
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The other day Jim Cahill at Emerson Process Experts engaged Charlie Fialkowski in a safety discussion. Very enlightening. Read both the posts. (Jim links to Charlie)
1:40:16 PM
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What's Motorola's problem that cost the jobs of the CEO and CTO? Oh, yes, lack of development of cool new products. What's the response of the new management? Cut R&D! I'd never make it as a CEO, I guess. Too much common sense. See this article in the Chicago Tribune.
1:38:44 PM
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This article in InfoWorld says there is a new ERP player in the manufacturing town. Someone wants to take on SAP with a cloud computing model. It'll be interesting to see how adoption goes.
1:36:20 PM
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I just received my copy of Andrew Bond's Industrial Automation Insider newsletter. It's always enjoyable reading--a fun mix of news and rumor. I actually made the front page as the lone thinker who is positive on Rockwell.
There is a quite different point of view between me and Andrew/Jim Pinto. I'm looking at the way it's building the company with technology and markets. I seldom look at the stock price. In my personal life, I don't invest in individual companies. My money is in a big variety of funds and I let the pros pick. How Wall Street values a company is sometimes very strange. I'd never want to manage a public company. Doing the things analysts want you to do usually will wind up destroying a company. They are all in it for quick hits and not long term value. (With that attitude, I guess that's why I'm still working for a living.)
I also am not longing for a blockbuster merger or acquisition as so many in the industry are. Unless there is an overwhelming reason for industry consolidation, blockbuster mergers take years to pay off--if indeed they ever do. Otherwise, a rash of large mergers is a symptom of an industry in decline. If the industry gets down to ABB, Siemens, Emerson and Yokogawa (or fewer), then I'd better start looking for my next gig. There won't be enough advertising to support industry magazines. Just look at the computer industry for a look at that future.
But you should read IAI. It always makes me think. And the European point of view broadens your perspective.
11:01:22 AM
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© Copyright 2008 Gary Mintchell.
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