TWIF+Chapter+2

Scott Wisniewski ~ Analysis

As I read through the Ten forces that Flattened the world. It was as if I was reading a biography of the past 20-25 years. It really put into perspective to me where our society has progressed to in a relatively short period of time. Ten years ago, cell phones were in just beginning to become accessible to everyone to now where cell phones that are just phones are basically outdated. You need a cellphone that has email, internet capability, pictures, video, document and excel like programs. It really was interesting to read where the origins of many of these innovations are derived from and how much they are actually effecting the way that businesses are run locally and globally. The idea of flattening the world is creating a more level playing field for companies to find the most highly efficient means of getting their products to consumers at the lowest possible price. The society has changed in the sense where many companies can produce the same however which companies are going to do it at the lowest price and to really learn and understand what the consumers want.

I can see how the Pink book is related to what Friedman says because it is no longer about just mass production of a product is more about being able to market your product to be aethestically pleasing to consumers, offer it at the lowest possible price. While also providing efficient means of transporting and fixing the materials if need be. Pink's perspective, to me, is a piece of what Friedman is talking about. The whole scope of how we do business is changing and it is vital that companies recognize and adapt to the every changing landscape of the global economy.

Educationally I feel as if there is a strong connection. The way we teach our students, what we teach our students must also have the flexibility to change and adapt to our ever evolving culture. I am reminded about the "Sabertooth" story we read and reading through Friedman, has broadened my thinking of what our curricula should contain. The Science's and Math's are vital for our country to compete in the global market. Our schools must produce students that are ready to attend college so that they can continue to produce algorithms for greater efficiency in all aspects. Technology and the way that our world is connected are all concepts that should be fostered and taught in our classes. Our students need to be utilizing blogging, podcasting, and video conferencing. These are all aspects that are present in our society and vital for our businesses. These concepts need to be staples in our curricula to give the students practice using these means of technology so that when they are a necessity in their careers they are better prepared.

Joe Ascolese – Chapter 2 Summary

In this chapter, Thomas Friedman discusses ten forces that he believes came together to “flatten the world”. 1. The New Age of Creativity The first point that is discussed in this chapter is the effect the fall on The Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989 had on the world. This event symbolized more than just the end of The Cold War. It also symbolized the advocacy of capitalism over communism and paved the way for democracy in more parts of the world. This event helped us gain a worldwide view and perspective and allowed places like India, Brazil, China, and Russia to participate in free-market capitalism. The Indian economist Amartya Sen, remarked to Friedman: “the Berlin Wall was not only a symbol of keeping people inside East Germany-it was a way of preventing a kind of global view of our future. We could not think globally about the world when the Berlin Wall was there. We could not think about the world as a whole.” (p. 54)

The invention of the Windows-powered PC meant that individuals could now share information over great distances. Eventually, many forms of media, from words through video, could be viewed and shared. The combination of the fall of The Berlin Wall and the invention of the PC and all of its capabilities began the flattening process of the world.

Next came the creation of the myriad of applications that enabled businesses to increase their productivity. With the creation of Windows and the fact that it was translated into thirty-eight languages at the time, meant that people all over the world were able to utilize this new technology. The platform for the “global information revolution” was basically in place by the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. However, although there existed the capability of computer connections via dial-up modems, there did not yet exist a developed infrastructure. For instance, while AOL users and CompuServe users could communicate and exchange files and e-mails, the system was not prolific or reliable.

2. The New Age of Connectivity The next flattening force was the combination of events that occurred within the span of several years during the 1990’s.
 * The Internet being used as an inexpensive tool for world connectivity
 * Access to digital content via the World Wide Web
 * The Commercial Web browser which enabled users to access documents and Web pages

The World Wide Web was developed by a British computer scientist (Tim Berners-Lee) and was created in order to allow scientists to better share research information. The “internet” and the “World Wide Web” are two separate things. Berners-Lee explains the difference: “ The Internet (‘Net) is a network of networks. Basically it is made from computers and cables. What Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn [the inventors of the internet] did was to figure out how this could be used to send around little ‘packets’ of information…That’s what the internet does. It delivers packets-anywhere in the world, normally in well under a second. Lots…of programs use the Internet: electronic mail, for example, was around long before the global hypertext system I invented and called the World Wide Web.” (p. 61)

Berners-Lee explains the World Wide Web as follows: “The Web is an abstract (imaginary) space of information. On the Net, you find computers-on the Web, you find documents, sounds, videos…information. On the Net, the connections are cables between computers; on the Web, connections are hypertext links. The Web exits because of programs which communicate between computers on the Net. The Web could not be without the Net. The Web made the Net useful because people are really interested in information (not to mention knowledge and wisdom!) and don’t really want to have to know about computers and cables. (p. 61)

The World Wide Web was introduced to the world in 1991 and saw 600,00 Internet users grow to 40 million. It continued to grow at an incredible rate.

The first popular Commercial Web browser was Netscape and it was introduced to the world on August 9, 1995. Friedman refers to this type of simplified browser as “one of the most important inventions in modern history.” (p. 64) This browser coupled with the introduction of Windows 95, which included built-in Internet support, enabled users to interact with the Internet. This in turn drove the need for a market digitize all sorts of media including data, books, music, etc. to be viewed, shared and sold on the Internet. The demand for this material then drove the need for better connectivity and as an unintended result, wired (fiber-0ptic cable) the world together.

The next development was the Mosaic Web browser, which was a user-friendly program code and enabled anyone to use the Internet. It was introduced in 1993. Once it caught on with the public, it developed and grew very quickly. Netscape introduced its first commercial browser in December 1994. It was compatible with both Linux (IBM PC) and Unix (Apple Macintosh) operating systems and was downloadable for free.

3. Work Flow Software Essentially, Work Flow Software enables many people anywhere in the world to simultaneously work on any project in a timely and collaborative manner. Friedman considers this technology to be the third force that has helped to flatten the world. This software was developed as a result of people wanting to do more with the Internet than view and exchange data. There grew a need and a desire to create, design, buy and sell things, and this new software innovation enabled people to do just that. Standard protocols were developed that enabled e-mails and software applications to be connected to computers around the world and further enabled collaborative work to take place on an enormous scale.

4. Uploading Apache is a shareware program for the Web. Community-Developed Software is basically what computer literate and knowledgable people (“computer geeks”) have collaboratively created and developed to be used in conjunction with Apache and enables people to input information. Blogging is news, commentary, opinions, and information that is uploaded and shared with others. Wikipedia is the digital uploading of the traditional information that is found in encyclopedias and inputted and edited by individuals. It also contains other media including music, videos, and commentary. This technology is reshaping the way information is shared and dispersed. It allows people and groups to be creative and interact with information. Friedman refers to uploading as the fourth force that helped to flatten the world. Friedman said: “More than ever, we can all now be producers, not just consumers.” (p. 95)

5. Outsourcing Due to an overabundance of fiber-optic cable which connected the world together, and Y2K, which opened the doors for many of India’s workers based on the need for technological man power, outsourcing has become a way for companies to create cost effective results by dispersing the needs of a company to different areas of the world that are best equipped and capable of yielding the best product and results.

6. Off-Shoring The sixth force that has flattened the world is off-shoring: moving an entire company/factory to another country in order to benefit from less taxes, less expensive labor, and other cost reducing benefits in order to increase and maximize profits. With the formal addition of China to the World Trade Organization (WTO), outsourcing has become a very strong flattening force in the world.

7. Supply-Chaining The seventh force is called “supply-chaining.” Friedman uses Wal-Mart as an example in order to describe what “supply-chaining” is and how it works. Essentially, it is a collaboration between many groups (manufacturers, suppliers, shipping, stores, customers) that work together and create a very affordable, quality product. This constant flow of products begins with the purchase of an item by a customer, which in turn triggers another to be manufactured, shipped, stocked, and sold again in a continuous cycle. Wal-Mart, which does not manufacture goods, is an example of a highly efficient supply chain.

8. In-Sourcing The United Parcel Service (UPS), is a part of the eighth force as it an organizing force of the supply chain. In addition to shipping packages all over the world, it has become a crucial transporter of goods for companies, large and small. Some example given in the book includes UPS delivering pizza making supplies (dough, tomatoes, cheese) to Papa John’s, shipping Nike sneakers from a .com to your door, and return your broken HP printer back to the manufacturer to be repaired. In-sourcing therefore is an organizing force that works in conjunction with supply chaining to create a harmonious result.

9. In-Forming Google, Yahoo, and MSN search engines are examples of this ninth force. With these search engines, it is now possible for anyone in the world with a broadband Internet connection to find out information about most any topic. By having the ability to obtain information at incredible speed, it has empowered individuals and helped to flatten the world.

10. The Steroids Friedman breaks down this tenth force into what he refers to as “steroids.” The first steroid has been the advancement of computing. With computer chips becoming smaller and smaller as well as faster and faster, it has made possible many applications that were not possible in the past. The second steroid is the development of file sharing and instant messaging. Peer-to-peer networks, for example have allowed us to share all sorts of files such as music and pictures as well as many others. The third steroid involves the ability to make calls over the Internet essentially converting an analog signal to a digital signal and then back to an analog signal once again. This will greatly reduce the costs of calls all over the world. The fifth steroid is the advancements made in computer graphics. The sixth steroid allows us to communicate to anyone almost anywhere and relates to wireless technology and wireless devices. Friedman concludes: “As a result of these steroids, engines can now talk to computers, people can talk to people, computers can talk to computers, and people can talk to computers farther, faster, more cheaply, and more easily than ever before.” (p. 199)

Scott Wisniewski 10 Forces that Flattened the World After reading through the chapter, I felt as if I had just had a brief history of where we have come, technologically, in the past twenty years. As Friedman explains each of the forces, I can’t help but agree with him. The advances in technology definitely shape the way our society is run. We are constantly looking for cheaper and efficient means of producing a product. The web has given everyone a “voice”. I just think about how many people have video’s posted on Youtube. Twenty years ago, even 10 years ago, people did not have that outlet to express themselves. The information that is available to us, right at our finger tips, can be extremely useful yet overwhelming. There are many potential consequences to this wave of technology. Where does it end? This question can be construed as either a positive or a negative. At what point do we lose our ability to actually do things manually? Like we see in movies, are we going to get a point where the cars drive themselves? You may be thinking that this is a crazy thought, but consider the following. You can go to a grocery store and use the self-checkout line. How long before grocery store employees are obsolete? Personally, I look at that as the beginning even more advancements of technology that can cost companies money. I believe the advancements made to “flatten the world” have an abundant affect on us as educators. This is our society. Cell phones, iPods, Facebook, Youtube, they are all apart of our students’ lives. As educators, we need to incorporate all these tools into our lessons. We need to prepare our students to use and understand the technology that will be vital in their lives. Schools and administrators need to re-evaluate the curricula to incorporate these tools and others to ensure that we are properly preparing our students for what is to come after leaving high school.