The information and any vital data mentioned in this blog have been obtained from sources which I believe to be reliable, but I do not represent that they are accurate or complete, and they should not be relied upon as such. All opinions expressed are the creation of my mind and the given data provided herein is subject to change without prior notice. Before making any decision to change or alter the path of your career or your loved ones, individuals are advised to review such proposals thoroughly with their conscience, with their mentors, friends and any such person of relevant importance. Also check with your financial advisor who might have nothing to do with this blog or the contents mentioned herein but any disclaimer is incomplete without mentioning the term financial advisor (GRRRRR). Review the disclaimer carefully before reading this blog. Enjoy.
Note to self: Don’t watch more than 2 Family Guy episodes per week in order to avoid preposterous things from happening (like the disclaimer mentioned above).
The i4 phenomenon:
What are the most common qualities or characteristics we have seen in all the super organizations or some of the most successful individuals of our times (be it Apple or Google, Bill Gates or Steve Jobs)? In the quest to find the answer to this question I pondered upon this list of 4 most powerful words which I believe defines the conception and existence of the revolution we are all lucky to be the part of. The phenomenon of these 4 powerful words which I decided to call i4 (Imagine, Innovate, Invent & Inspire) is behind the success of every company and every individual we can think of. Conspicuous and revolutionary products like iPhone, iPad or as a matter of fact Google & Facebook are nothing but the derivatives of i4. According to me whatever we see around us (components both constructive & destructive in nature) in some way or the other are the products of i4. Today we can harvest the benefits of i4 and make this World a better place not for our self but for the entire human race and for the future generations.
The power of i4 in our hands:
These are very exciting times. In these days you don’t have to be a Newton, Edison or Einstein if you want to invent something. Besides people always talk about there is nothing left to invent and hardly anything to innovate, yet more are more startups are mushrooming every year and everywhere. In whatever year it is whatever century it is I guess man is gifted with this amazing gift of using the powers of i4. DIY (Do it yourself) is gripping the whole world like some kind of virus and spreading at a phenomenal rate. With Google at our finger tips, the latest and greatest technology at our disposal and tons of material published on the Wikipedia, we can read, learn and design anything we like. There is a plethora of documents, websites and forums everywhere on the net which can be helpful for a larger group of people from novice to advance, from an amateur to a professional. Inventions no longer happen in labs, they happen in garages (just like Apple & Microsoft), basements, dormitories (Facebook) and school or college projects (Google). I have read somewhere that technology is like a monster and we (human beings) are taming it. The only difference is that in that past the training whip was in the hands of the very few but now we all have our own customizable whip and we all very well know how to tame the monster and make it work to full fill our needs. In these times of open source i4 is not different.
Learn to code (see disclaimer):
In today’s world each and every one of us cherish the life given to us by the sophisticated technology and at the core of this sophisticated technology lies the powerful and sophisticated software code. It is not a request nor a suggestion but if we want to evolve in the field of technology we should all learn to code. You don’t need to be a Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg to code. According to me any person with some interest and time can learn to code.Is coding hard? Sure it is, and so are many things we gave a shot for the very first time. Our resolute determination plus interest helps us in our learning procedure. Writing a software code requires same determination. Programming is not abstruse and there are tons of sites to learn. Parents can make their kids interested in programming from an early age and it is fun to learn. One such fun programming language for the kids is Scratch, which was developed by MIT in order to make coding interesting among kids. One pretty cool thing about coding is that it does not have a prerequisite. Anyone from any educational background can pick up the book and start. For more information from where to start coding (and how) see this link (you will be amazed by the information provided). Technology is a byproduct of i4 and to harness its power we need to make coding public.
Innovate or perish - The Deadman of Sony:
I remember to this day, how excited I was when my dad bought the Walkman for me. Sony is a great company and the inventor of the revolutionary Walkman and the underlying technology. If Sony keeps on innovating on the lines of Walkman then no apple or orange can compete with it, but all of us know what happened. Sony’s walkman became deadman and Apple’s iseries ruined the party for Sony. I am a big fan of Apple and its products (though I am a bigger fan of Apple’s share) and the only reason is somewhere in the heart of this great organization, i4 is hardcoded. Year after year Apple has delivered amazing products. Come March 2nd and if speculations are true iPad 2 will be unveiled to the masses. It seems Apple is in the habit of flexing its i4 muscles and time and again it has demonstrated that in all its products.
Age no barrier:
It started off with a discussion and later turned into an argument when I expressed my desire to one of my friend that I would like to become an entrepreneur. My friend kept on saying that post 30 this is not easily achievable and keeps on giving me the examples of Larry Page and Sergey Brin (the master mind behind Google). I know that it is tough keeping into consideration certain factors like age, job, family & kids to pursue your field of interest, but it is not unachievable. Age is not the barrier to practice i4. Age and responsibilities simply has no control over your dreams. Larry Wall invented the PERL scripting language at the age of 33 and on the opposite side of the spectrum, kids are outdoing each other when it comes to the development of smart phone Apps. 14 year old (West Coast 8th grader), Pierce Freeman developed card sharing iphone application only to be outsmarted by Lim Ding Wen, (9 year old from Singapore) who developed Doodle Kids for his little sister and the app became an instant hit. To recapitulate, age should not decrease your i4 momentum.
i4 or iPhone ?:
In January 2007, Apple changed the face of the technology industry by introducing the iPhone. In April 2010, Apple again proved that they are the true market leaders when they introduced the iPad. Technology is dynamic and it will keep on producing more robust and exciting products. It is us who need to maintain the pace with the technology and its offering. We can only do that by not being the end consumer of the technology, but by sharing and contributing towards it. Instead of buying an app for our kids we should educate them on how to develop one (Objective-C and Cocoa Framework/API, both proprietary Apple development products can be used to develop the iPhone/iPad app for the iOS and Java along with Google App inventor can be used to develop the app for the Android platform). Today, the kids are very smart and they know inside out about all the latest technology offerings like the i-series (iPod, iPad, iPhone….). We can make them smarter if we can help them add 4 more i-words (i4) in their ever growing i-word vocabulary and who knows they develop their own version of Angry Birds (the most popular game on iPad/iPhone with over 50 million downloads).
Time has come for all of us to choose between i4 and iPhone, and we all know their success is mutually dependent. I choose i4 and I might be wrong as I don’t own an iPhone/iPad (not yet). If you want your next iPhone or as a matter of fact your next smart phone to be more sleek and cutting edge, if you want the technology around us to be evolving and rewarding as always, you too will choose i4. Both you and me know that technology becomes obsolete only to be replaced by the new and powerful one and so is the case with our phones and all the gadgets, but what should not become obsolete is i4 (the power to Imagine, Innovate, Invent & Inspire).
So make that choice (i4 or iPhone ?) and for the sake of all of us and for the future generations, please make it fast.
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