Innovation is, for all
but decidedly retrograde people, like the Amish, generally seen as a good
thing. I work in technology and concern myself with questions of
disruption. How does innovation work,
where does it come from. How’s it best
created? Nor shortage of bits and bytes
contributed to the question of can China innovate? The civilization that filled a seven volumes
of Joseph Needham’s “Science and Civilization” with original scientific
contributions can certainly innovate.
But since the disruption of industrialism contemporary evidence is
sometimes wanting. “Real” innovation still seems to happen elsewhere.
One innovative product from China that is not simply me-too
but an innovative amalgamation of functionality is WeChat (Weixin). A trailblazing, heretofore unseen
mobile/social application that now has 300M users. Here look, the New York
times says so: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/21/technology/a-chinese-social-network-blazes-its-own-path.html?hp Tencent are the fascinating company that have
not followed the state play book and grown to national champion, disrupting the
state carriers, with more potential to play internationally than most Chinese
companies. Weixin is unique and
innovative. But is it a good thing?
I have it on my phone.
Everyone in my house uses it all the time. I now have clients who don’t care to connect
with me any other way, so I “must” adapt and use it too. It chirps at me. I’m not facile with it yet. I fear getting happy updates all the time
from strangers or tertiary acquaintances I don’t care about. I was able to avoid Facebook for the same
reason. But Wechat is penetrating its
way into my life more effectively than Facebook. I fear my vibe of technological predictability
being . . . disrupted.
My kids use the walkie-talkie function constantly. So does my wife. “Its dinner, please put that down.” “Yes. Your father’s right. Just a minute. Wei? Yes, tell them it's a go” What?
Hey that was important. Just a minute.”
And, of course, I’m frustrated, largely because I haven’t
put the time in. It’s annoying because I
don’t understand it yet. So, in honor of
this post and Chinese innovation, I sat down tonight and let my daughters show
me how to use the app. I updated the
default photo that had somehow wound up in there. I added a bunch of friends and took pleasure
in annoying my wife with seven or so recorded voice messages around when she’d
be home, that my daughter pointed out to me were sent to a group of seven
people and not just her. Should I accept your invite or you mine, this is what y'll now see:
Box tick. Largely get
it now. Adjustment to modest innovative
“convenience” largely complete. But
where are we heading. What’s the next
phase of disruption that wont be so easily accommodated and kept from the
dining room table. Wear-ables, I suppose
that will make communication that much more ubiquitous and scrumptious. Haptic-touch clothes so someone can send you to
manipulate he feel of your clothes, through the air waves. Tunes you can play quietly through Bluetooth earrings. No one is ever going to read a book. And no one in my house but me cares . .
. I should be used to this 瞬息万变[1] era of change as constant. Professionally, it is supposed to be how
value is created.
I’m happy for China that can innovate. I’m not sure it was a tragedy that Facebook
was kept at bay long enough for something home grown to spawn something
different. And I am glad we can point to demonstrable Chinese innovation, particularly
something that clearly isn’t “self” innovation. And I’m glad that innovation
means my daughters get to be teachers, if I slow down enough to let them.
Jazz was disruptive innovation, par excellence. Classical piano teachers like Margaret and
Julius Charloff of Boston must have been aghast by their son’s honking in the
1940s, which Serge Charloff became the preeminent baritone sax player of his
day, playing with other greats in Woody Herman’s “Second Herd.” Digging an early 50s set, after he
successfully kicked heroine entitled “Boston Blow-up.” Love that deep baritone sound.
Boston is in the air.
And a with that I’ll end with a tip of that hat to another great
Bostonian, a gent that knows a thing or two about disruptive innovation here in
town, and scaling applications to zillions of users, my old pal Richard
Robinson was written up by another great old pal, reporter Ron Gluckman in my
hometown rag, the New York Times. Maybe
they’re in the Boston Chronicle too, but I didn’t catch it. Good on the both of ya’. I know all the yarns well and even I learned
a few things reading the tale over. Go
Richard! Go Gluck! But for goodness sakes Ron, get Richard to
flash a smile for you next time.
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