The answer to this delimma is that Baby Boomers are partially responsible for the problems America faces and can easily be the majority of the solution. For example, America's Top CEO's earned $5.4 billion last year. 400 or the Fortune 500 CEOs are Baby Boomers. Approximately 70% of the members of Congress are Baby Boomers. Of course, since Boomers represent one of every three adults in America and range in age from 45 to 62, the preceeding facts shouldn't surprise anyone.

In C. Rich's blog dated December 31, 2008, Mr. Rich states: "The baby boomers are the most self absorbed, dysfunctional group of malcontents that have ever been created in the history of the United States of America. These bozos have almost destroyed the entire world, America, the family, marriage and just about any institution they got there hands on. As Obama screamed at the Democratic convention at the Republicans, "Enough!"  This battle cry comes from the generation that had to clean up the mess of this depraved group of people. "Enough!""

Guess what Mr. Rich, Barack Obama is a Baby Boomer. This is where the solution comes into play. Sure, Baby Boomers protested against war, fought for racial and gender equality, rebelled against the military-industrial complex and did a lot to change America for the better back in the sixties and seventies. But it seems most Boomers left their activist nature at college, joined the work force, raised families, created a comfortable lifestyle for themselves and disappeared into normal society. The rest became disillusioned and gave up the fight. A lot of them became the people they distrusted and protested against.

Can they be re-engaged? Will they rejoin the fight to change America? I am convinced they can rise to the challenge with the proper motivation and leadership. A quote from Dr. Greg Ketchum in David Mills' book, 10,000 days goes straight to the point: "I think a lot of the ideals we had in the '60s and '70s were youth based. We were naive in how we could make things happen...Now I think we have enough years on us and maturity. It's natural to get to the unfinished business." And given the problems facing America, we don't have time to waste.

Boomers have the numbers, as well as the financial and political power to take on these issues.  "The next ten years are going to be very defining for America," said David Gergen, White House adviser and Professor of Public Service at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government,  "The big question about Baby Boomer Generation is, is it going to grow up in time and get serious about facing up to the challenges that are going to be here for our children and grandchildren, or are we going to slide by and leave them with a really big mess."

Boomer-Insight.com already provides a platform for your voice to be heard. Are you ready to get this movement started? Don't you think we have waited long enough? Let's get with the program. We have no time to waste.

  

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Welcome to socialism! Bailouts here, recovery plans there, not to mention national healthcare. I hear this mantra from a number of my more conservative friends, but I am not buying into it for one minute. Our free enterprise/free market system has sustained some serious injuries, but I don't believe for a minute that we can't fix our economic system and restore America back to its position as the leader of the free world. I personally believe national healthcare will inable our major corporations to become more competitive in world markets. Its impact on reducing the cost of producing our goods and services will far outweigh the cost to taxpayers.

Bailouts and recovery plans are only part of the solution. Redirecting our economy is the other half of the equation. America has led the world technologically for sometime. Our ability to innovate in every business sector is well known. The problems we face today have more to do with taking our technological developments and handing them over to foriegn partners to do the final prototyping and manufacturing. Thinking we can be the overseers of world production and keep all the proceeds here in the U.S is and has always been a flawed concept. Our corporate leaders have looked so closely at the bottom line, they have missed the detrimental effects of turning over our production to other nations. Think about what it has done to our balance of trade. Our intellectual property has been wholesaled to the countries with the lowest cost manufacturers. It has put so many Americans out of work that we can no longer sustain our own economy. Add to that the Wall Street Greed mongers who have bastardized stock values gambling America's wealth on bad investments. But, that's only one part of the problem.

The second part of our woes have to do with forward thinking or the lack thereof. What are the industries of the future? I believe they will all have something to do with sustainability and energy independence. Whether it is designing alternative energy vehicles or entire transportation systems, we have the engineering and manufacturing capacities to take on these new industries. After all, who invented integrated circuits and perfected the design and manufacture of computer chips? Who lead the race into space? Solutions to global warming and gaining energy independence will be big business in the coming years. Building electrical grids that can manage diverse alternative energy sources will be big business. Rebuilding our infrastructure should take this into account and the government should provide incentives and tax relief for these twenty first century enterprises that revolutionize these industries. Redirecting the thrust of our technologies in directions that will benefit our country and our planet will help define our new economy. But it won't happen unless there is a groundswell of support for such social, corporate and political innovation.

The Baby Boomer generation represents one out of every three adults in America, controls 70% of the wealth in this country, and represents the majority of America's business and government leaders. They need to step up and help America secure its future in the coming years. The rest of us need to see to it that these leaders don't continue down the same old path. If they can't take us in a direction that will secure our future, then let them know the next time you go to polls to vote. A lot of people place the blame squarely on the Boomer generation. It's up to us to to remove that stigma by seeing to it that the leaders we vote into power do the right things. 

 

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Bailouts haven't done much to help our faltering economy, so how could technology save the economy? What would you do with $100 billion? Spend it wisely we hope. That is what President Obama and the U.S. Congress are hoping. That's the amount in the stimulus package devoted to discovery, development and implementation of technologies in energy, healthcare, a smart grid, broadband and R&D.  

The short answer to the question is yes, technology can and should save our economy. In the short term, most experts believe that this infusion of capital into the various technology sectors will produce 3 million new jobs over the next two years. And most economists also agree that 80-90% of new economic growth comes from advancements in science and technology.

The breakdown of allocated dollars is as follows: Energy - Renewable energy incentives will be $200 billion which are primarily tax credits to individuals, companies, utilities and research. $16.8 billion will be given out in grants for energy efficiency and renewable-energy research. Health-care - total allotment for this sector is $19.6 billion. Most of this money will go to health-care providers who upgrade, standardize and utilize electronic record keeping systems.  Smart Grid - The government has allotted $11.0 billion for this sector. You might be amazed at just how much electricity is lost during transmission. Research and Development -- $19 billion, with the majority of the funding going to the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, NASA and Department of Defense.  Miscellaneous Funding  -- $8.4 billion going to loan guarantees for renewable energies and transmission technologies.

So what would be the downside of the government's new stimulus package? First, let me say that there is a lot more upside than downside with this plan. And yes, $101.9 billion is a lot of money regardless of how it is spent. There are a few areas where the money might not be going to the right sectors. But that is a very small part of the total package. For example, investments in extending broadband into rural areas and some of the proposed renewable energy projects might take too long to get a reasonable return on the investment. 

Extending fiber optic cable to rural areas might not be the best use of stimulus monies. A small portion of the stimulus plan calls for extending broadband reach to underserved areas and some experts believe that is not a good idea. It would have been a good idea 5 or 6 years ago. Of those who don't currently have broadband today, less than 5% say they would like to have it, but that leaves over 95% who say they don't want it, either because they don't feel they need it or because it would be too expensive at the current pricing.

In the area of renewable energy, some worry that there are some areas of renewable energy that will never be cost effective. Remember ethanol? The government has spent millions helping growers, refiners and producers in the ethanol sector, yet it still requires more energy to produce than it saves. Others worry that the smart grid might run high power transmission lines to remote solar installations and wind farms that produce energy that is too expensive to compete with more traditional sources like coal or natural gas. The price of oil and natural gass will determine just how competitive renewable energy is in the future.

In the coming years, I believe that the technological advancements in generating these renewable energy sources will make them competitive. One of the major benefits of the stimulus plan is that it will protect these renewable energy companies from coming completely unraveled due to market forces in the faltering economy. The advancements in this field need to be pursued even if they aren't financially feasible today.

Company executives in the renewable energy fields, like solar, wind and biofuels point out that they have been hanging on by a thread just to stay in business. Yes, there are some areas that might never come to fruition because of the cost of production. But if we don't help them through the next few years, then the U.S. could very possibly remain dependent on foreign oil until the Middle Eastern oil companies pump out their last barrels of crude.

Bottom line. If the bulk of these funds are used wisely and America is able to begin creating more green jobs and move towards a renewable energy economy, then this money will have been well spent. We certainly need to come up with a plan that will help our citizens go back to work, particularly in the manufacturing sectors. If the stimulus package accomplishes that and moves us in the direction of energy independence, then all these billions of taxpayer dollars will have accomplished the stated goals of the stimulus package. If not, then you best fire up your human powered pedal generators. You will need them soon to light your homes and power your laptops and TV's.

Do you have an opinion? Are you a Baby Boomer? If so, why not consider joining our web community at www.boomer-insight.com. It takes less than a minute to sign up and you can participate in our polls, forums and discussions on important issues facing America like stimulus packages and renewable energy funding. Our goal is to attract enough members so we can affect policy decisions in Washington in a positive manner. We are open 24/7. Thanks for your support.

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A recent Op-ed piece in the Washington Post by Eric Schmidt, Google's CEO,  discusses disturbing trends that he believes demonstrate America's failure to maintain its leadership position in innovation. The trends he points to have to do with searches related to delaying back to school purchases last fall and increases in searches for payday loans over the past two years.

Mr. Schmidt believes that the best ways to curb unemployment and spur job creation will be through business and product innovation. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke has talked about America's ‘innovation deficit'. America has been the global leader in innovation for generations, but it appears that we are losing our leadership position.

In the area of green energy, China and Germany are making significant technology advances and threaten to become the ‘green silicon valley' soon if we don't redouble our efforts and get some help from Congress. Schmidt clearly states that America relied on big investments in NASA and the military to create new technology breakthroughs, but that is no longer the path to the future for America's innovators.

According to the Google CEO, the internet provides the tools and information to anyone with an idea and access to the web. He goes on to say that the next breakthroughs are just as likely to occur in a coffee shop as they are to occur in the lab of a major corporation. His best advice to the government is to get out of the way and eliminate any roadblocks that might stand in the way of small business or individual entrepreneurs.

 He believes that any legislation that is considered by Congress should promote competition rather than protecting the interests of the established businesses and corporations. Generally these protectionist policies are encouraged by lobbyists and special interest groups in Washington. As we know, many legislators try to protect businesses and corporations in their districts. Competition is critical to business innovation.

He also believes that we need to create a culture that tolerates failure. As Eric states in his article, "Show me a program with a 100 percent success rate and I'll show you one with 0 percent innovation." Remember the light bulb? Let's see, how many element combinations did Thomas Edison try before he succeeded in creating an operational light bulb? You get the point.

Mr. Schmidt applauds the decision by Congress to double science funding, but says they need to take it a step further. He advocates an R&D tax credit in order to encourage more businesses to invest in their future and America's future. Eric also believes that information needs to become more open and accessible. Government funded research should be made public to everyone through an internet platform similar to Wikipedia.

Mr. Schmidt also thinks that the government should loosen its reign on Visas since so many of the best and brightest foreign students that come to study in America leave after completing their programs in America. He thinks we are losing too many gifted and talented people to our foreign competition.

I agree with Eric 100 percent. America's global leadership position has always been about being able to outsmart and outthink our competitors, whether it was in battle or in business. And when it came to innovation, look what we have accomplished in the last 100 years. Think about Henry Ford, Xerox, IBM, Apple, and a myriad of other innovative leaders.

Our economy is in the tank. Unemployment is too high. It seems to me that our only hope of recovery is innovation. New ideas translate into new industries which translate into new jobs. And let's keep those jobs here for a change. One of the reasons we are in this pickle is because we didn't just outsource jobs overseas, we outsourced our technologies.  Let's try to be smarter this time.

What is your take on this topic? Do you have a million dollar idea? Do you agree with Mr. Schmidt on how to erase the innovation deficit? We want to hear your thoughts.

If you are a Baby Boomer and haven't joined our community, www.boomeropinion.com, please consider it. It is free and only takes a couple of minutes to sign up. You can share your viewpoint and voice your opinion on the critical issues facing America. And if enough of you speak up, we can profoundly impact the tone and direction of business and political policies in America.

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 How could one technology do all of this? Prescription: Networking, an article in the December 2009 issue of Technology Review published by M.I.T., suggests that the implementation of standardized electronic medical records (EMR) would do all of these things.

According to the article, "If you ask how much in total medical spending there is in the country that doesn't need to happen-providing absolutely no clinical benefit-the answer is probably $700 billion a year. Healthcare IT is a fundamental part of getting rid of that." There is no doubt among any healthcare provider you ask that the $2.3 trillion cost of healthcare in America includes a lot of waste. This waste is mainly in the area of duplicated or unneeded diagnoses, treatments and tests.

It is estimated that less than 10% of the hospitals in the U.S. have adopted comprehensive electronic medical record systems. 8.3% of physicians that care for Medicaid patients use them and 13.2% of physicians caring for privately insured patients use them. Doctors that do use electronic medical records report a much higher incidence of being alerted to important lab results, avoiding drug allergies, being alerted to potential drug interactions, ordering critical lab tests, etc. The advantages should be quite obvious.

The real advantages will come once electronic medical record keeping is standardized and shared by every hospital, clinic, private practice and public health facility across the country. This is the only way to ensure that tests and procedures are not duplicated. It will provide every attending physician with all the facts before diagnosing and treating patients. It is amazing to me that these systems haven't been implemented in more medical facilities given the advances in computing and technology over the past 20 years.

The types of jobs that EMR will provide are the best kind-high tech jobs with a future. These jobs will serve the medical community well into this century and the next. The current stimulus package includes $19.5 billion to help fund this program. There will be penalties for those medical facilities that fail to adopt EMR. Medicare will see significant savings from the adoption of EMR over the next ten years.

Hopefully, the stimulus money will provide the catalyst needed to get this program moving quickly. Given all the rhetoric that has been circulating about the cost benefits of the proposed healthcare legislation, electronic medical records should help America jump start the goal of reducing our healthcare costs.

Remaking healthcare through the use of this technology will accomplish a lot of good things for America. Job creation is one of the most important benefits. And by reducing healthcare costs, we can help American business become more competitive around the world. Both of these things will help stimulate our faltering economy. Seems like Win-Win-Win. Let's hope that this movement takes off quickly and gets implemented as soon as possible. It is good for healthcare and good for America.

What's you take on this topic? Do you think electronic medical records can accomplish all of these things?

If you are a Baby Boomer and haven't joined our community, www.boomeropinion.com, please consider it. It is free and only takes a couple of minutes to sign up. You can share your viewpoint and voice your opinion on the critical issues facing America. And if we recruit enough of you, we can positively impact business and political policies around the country.

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 Folks, you can't make this stuff up. Here is yet another candidate for my 2009 WTF Award. If I were to tell you that there are over 200 iPhone apps available that produce farting noises, would you be surprised? It never ceases to amaze me how far we have come since the invention of the telephone. Alexander Graham Bell is no doubt spinning in his grave as I write about this story.

A quote from Wired magazine illustrates the depths our national psyche has descended to when it states, "The producer of a farting iPhone app is making a legal stink over another flatulence app in a looming trademark battle over the phrase, ‘pull my finger'." The trademark suit was initiated by Air-O-Matic of Florida, the maker of the popular ‘Pull My Finger' app. Air-O-Matic claims that the maker of the rival iFart Mobile application has misappropriated the phrase ‘pull my finger' in its advertisements.

David Kravets, the author of the Wired article couldn't stop with the puns and bodily function references when he went on to write, "Such an assertion, according to iFart Mobile maker InfoMedia of Colorado, reeks of misunderstanding of American fart culture." I guess he just couldn't let go of this issue.

InfoMedia's attorney, Kevin Houchin, explained that the ‘pull my finger' phrase and derivations are generally known and widely understood in American culture as a prank regarding flatulence. The prankster requests the unsuspecting victim to pull his or her finger, and once the digit is pulled the prankster expels an inordinate amount of gas. Consequently, the phrase is understood to be a description of passing gas.

So there you have it. Teenage pranks have moved into the technology world and have brought about trademark infringement cases dealing with flatulence. In this case, the uses of keywords or phrases that have otherwise been thought to be part of the public domain have provided the ammunition for a lawsuit in Federal court. AOM attorney Karen Koster Burr wrote "InfoMedia's efforts have been directed at merging ‘Pull My Finger' and ‘iFart' in the consumers minds, so that searches for ‘Pull My Finger' pull up the iFart application. AOM is demanding $50,000 payment for damages.

On a more serious note, trademark issues have been gaining momentum since the internet came on line. I can tell you from personal experience that setting up a web site, web business or web app requires some serious trademark research and even then there is no guarantee that you won't be slapped with an infringement suit and taken to court. When we set up our web community we thoroughly researched our domain name. Yet, 6 months after our launch we were contacted by a law firm, told that we were in violation of their client's trademark and that we had better cease and desist using that derivation of their mark. Otherwise, they were ready to take us to court. 

 There are a number of considerations that you should take into account if you are in violation of someone's trademark. First, do they have a legitimate case against you? Are the trademark names identical or just similar? Second, how big an organization are you dealing with and how deep are their pockets. In our case, I really didn't believe their case was that strong, but our adversary was a global conglomerate with very deep pockets. My company, on the other hand, was a small startup and we really didn't have the legal resources to take them on in court. 

Fortunately for us, we did our homework and found another domain name that was actually more appropriate, and more in keeping with our value proposition, than our original mark. Since we had only been around for a few months and the transition to the new name was an easy one, we bit the bullet and changed it. In our case, discretion was the better part of valor and we worked through this issue successfully. So, if you are slapped with a trademark infringement suit, it doesn't necessarily mean you are out of business.

What's your take on this issue? Have you been sued for trademark infringement? Do you have a story you can tell about trademark issues. What do you think about the fight for iPhone superiority in the flatulence application business? Inquiring minds want to know. Comment on Linkedin and/or on my web site, www.BoomerOpinion.com. We are always looking for Baby Boomers with an opinion that don't mind speaking out and can successfully complete a sentence.

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 Since the recession began, California's budget deficit issues and double digit unemployment rates have a lot of people wondering if the state can continue leading the nation in technology and innovation. Ask most Californians, and they will tell you they don't believe their state is quite ready to throw in the towel. In fact, their ability to innovate will not only play a role in their recovery, but in America's recovery as well.

And even though I am a Texan living on the Silicon prairie in Austin, a city with one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, I am convinced that California will do more than their share in helping lead this country out of recession. Why am I convinced California can bounce back and provide leadership in our nation's recovery? Even when I was a young guy growing up in the fifties, I noticed that most trends began in California and didn't hit the other states for at least six months to a year. Some trends never made it to Dallas, Des Moines or Minneapolis.

Of course, if that were my only evidence, I am not sure I could convince anyone that California would be able to maintain its position as a leader in technology and innovation. First, let's talk about green industries. There's Tesla, Fisker and Better Place. These are three electric car companies that believe they can compete with the big three automakers. California leads the nation in fuel economy standards and registered clean energy vehicles. The state leads the nation in the number of Hybrids, electric cars and natural gas powered vehicles on the road.

40% of the solar roof installations in this country exist in California. Solar prices are falling every day and most of the solar companies reside in California. Companies like SunPower, BrightSource, Solar City, eSolar, Nanosolar, and Solyndra. SunPower has over 5,000 employees and builds solar panels not just for residences, but massive power plants for utilities and roof top installations for big box stores. SunPower's Richmond, California plant assembles the world's most efficient solar panels in a plant where Ford built Model A's before World War II.  

The computer scientists and engineers are moving into renewable energy and combining their computer technology expertise with solar and LED technologies. eSolar is really a software application for controlling solar arrays in order to extract the maximum energy from these arrays regardless of the position of the sun. Biotech has been displacing the defense contractors in the San Diego area.

Biotech covers sectors such as Genomic medicine and photosynthetic algae technology. A number of discoveries and treatments have been developed recently through genomic medicine and they are really just scratching the surface. Photosynthetic algae technology could ultimately produce more fuel than corn, sugarcane or soy in the same space. Exxon Mobil and Synthetic Genomics are working on a $600 Million project together to develop fuel from algae.

Vinod Kosla, a co-founder of Sun Microsystems has raised $1.1 billion in venture capital to fund clean energy and biotech companies. Mr. Khosla has invested in Calera, a company working on a carbon capturing cement and Soladigm which is using semiconductor technologies to make energy efficient windows. Another of his investments is Amyris, a startup that is working on a process that will turn sugar into diesel fuel.

A major factor that puts the state on the leading edge has to do with the fact that California venture capitalists invested 43% of all the U.S. venture capital that went into high tech, biotech, renewable energy and other leading edge technology companies in 2008. They also have more scientists, engineers, marketers, lawyers, accountants and other knowledge workers than any other state in the union.

Cisco Systems, a California success that provides a significant portion of the infrastructure that powers the internet, spent millions developing their Telepresence system. Telepresence is the ultra high definition video conferencing system that has reduced the carbon footprints of large corporations that in the past found it necessary to meet with their contemporaries in person at locations around the world. One of Steven Speilberg's cinematographers helped create the feeling of intimacy in the video output. This is another example how one sector of California's economy teamed with another sector to improve the breed of both.  

Generally, the little guys like to see the movie star stumble and fall into disfavor. So while the rest of America might be writing off the state governed by a former actor and body builder, folks in California are saying that the recession of 2009 is just another speed bump on the road to glory.  And I, for one, would not  consider counting them out just yet. You know if California were a country, it be in the G-8.

What's you take on this topic? Do you think California will lead the nation out of recession?

If you are a Baby Boomer and haven't joined our community, www.boomeropinion.com, please consider it. It is free and only takes a couple of minutes to sign up. You can share your viewpoint and voice your opinion on the critical issues facing America. And if we recruit enough of you, we can positively impact business and political policies around the country.

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 In a recent interview, Bill Gates was asked what the next big thing in computers and software might be. His answer was that it would be all about how humans interact with  computers and other digital devices. Frankly, I am not sure what kind of interface I would want in my next computer and/or phone. I hate using my notebook computer's keyboard and use a third party wireless keyboard and mouse in its place. The friendlier the device the happier I am. My cell is the old kind, so if you send me a text message, don't expect much of a response.

As you old time computer users know, before the graphical user interface and before the command line prompts on a video display became the norm, computer input consisted of batch files fed to the computer using key punched cards or paper tape. The computer's output came in the form giant sheets of perforated paper. Then came Video display units along with keyboards which provided computer operators with a screen that allowed them to read the commands they were typing into the computer and view the results on the screen. Thus, the command line became the standard computer interface in the sixties, seventies and early eighties.

Graphical user interfaces emerged in the early 1980's and made computers easier to use by normal people. This interface has been the standard since that time. The Apple MacIntosh which debuted in the late '80s was the first mass produced computer to utilize the graphical user interface. Windows for the PC followed shortly thereafter.  The mouse was actually developed in 1968 at the Stanford Research Institute by Douglas Englebart. He also demonstrated hypertext and shared screen collaboration at an event in San Francisco that year.

Today's computers utilize graphical interfaces, mice, and touch screen technologies. Although these technologies have existed for 20 years or more, they have been fine tuned to make computing and web surfing easy enough for most neophyte users to accomplish their tasks. The new smart phones have taken this touch screen technology to the next level and made computing a pervasive technology that can be accomplished from almost anywhere in the world using satellite communications and wi-fi. The multi-touch screen actually debuted in 1983 on an HP 150 computer.

So what does the future hold for the computer interface and will we adapt more easily to life with computing devices as these interfaces become more sophisticated and almost human? Gesture sensing will be one of those interfaces. Eye movement already exists for the multiply handicapped. In the future you will encounter projected displays in the air in front of you that will allow to use spatial positioning wands or even your own hands to communicate with various digital devices.

The Wii already incorporates some basic versions of activation via movement. Wouldn't it be cool if when your computer acted inappropriately you could take advantage of the old one finger salute? How would it respond? How many times have you already reacted to your computer's behavior by doing just that? It could be our revenge for the blue screen of death. The iPhone already has some apps that take advantage of this type of movement sensing.

Force feedback is another emerging interface component that will be used with touch screens in the future. Surgical training devices are embracing this interface to help surgeons become more proficient at complex procedures without having to practice on humans. Some game systems are experimenting with this interface and cell phone companies are researching the possibilities of this type of interface as well.

Gates spoke of verbal interfaces when asked about the future of computing. I remember a Star Trek movie from back in the eighties in which Scotty was attempting to use an American computer and tried first to talk to the computer. He soon realized that the computer didn't understand verbal commands, and he would have to type them in if he wanted the computer to do what he wanted it to do. And we can't forget the movie 2001:A Space Odyssey where the HAL 9000 computer tried to take control of the space station and in a last ditch effort uttered the famous line, "Don't turn me off Dave".

Voice recognition has been around since the seventies, but hasn't really taken off until the new millennium began. Not that we don't talk to our computers, it's just that they don't listen. With the advances of voice recognition this is about to change radically. The voice interface will probably be common in the next 5 to 10 years.

Imagine sitting in your office or cubicle while all of your officemates are talking to their computers simultaneously. Maybe we should hold on to our keyboards and mice for a while. The office could get pretty noisy. Sounds like a business opportunity for Bose, doesn't it? Whatever the emerging interface standard becomes, I am sure that we will still have plenty to complain about.

Don't be surprised if you encounter computers that can communicate directly with your brain in the next twenty years or less. Medical research has already come up with bionic nerve connection devices that operate prosthetic limbs simply by the amputee thinking about the moving that limb. Perception monitoring could be next. I am not sure I want the computer to know what I am thinking. Do you?

What do you think the next big interface will be?  Are you happy with your keyboard, mouse and other digital interfaces? Is your cell phone easy to use for a variety of tasks? Chime in. We want to hear your story.

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I realize that this statement sounds backwards, but the fact is, email overload and multitasking do make you less productive at your job. Intel, the computer chip maker, estimates that email overload can cost large companies as much as $1 billion a year in lost productivity.

How is this possible? Aren't these supposed to be tools that make you more productive? It has more to do with interruptions to your thought processes. Your brain doesn't respond well to interruptions. These interruptions erode an area in your brain called effortful control. This in turn affects your ability to regulate your voluntary attention. Voluntary attention is the ability to concentrate on a chosen task. 

To make matters worse, this erosion of effortful control causes your brain to seek more interruptions. The more you check your email, the more you need to check your email. If you have an iPhone or Blackberry, you should be all too familiar with this problem.

According to Gayle Porter, a professor of management at Rutgers University, "Technology is an addiction". She has studied e-compulsion and has concluded that if one cannot turn off their Blackberry when they need to focus on the job at hand, then there is a problem. Addiction to electronic devices is not all that different to addictions to cigarettes, coffee or drugs.

Sure people can walk and chew gum. They can juggle four different tasks at one time, but they can't do two thinking tasks simultaneously. I am sure you have carried on a phone conversation while reading an email. Trying to do both of these tasks at the same time causes the brain to switch back and forth between these tasks. A University of Michigan study found that productivity dropped as much as 40% when subjects attempted to two or more things at once.

It has been noted that executives who have to constantly deal with electronic interruptions have a hard time focusing even when they are away from these interruptions. Their brains are so scrambled they find it difficult to stay on message during face to face meetings, sales presentations or investor pitches. A cottage industry has emerged to help executives overcome these issues.

In reality, the brain will try to compensate by moving some tasks from the hippocampus, the area that handles the more demanding cognitive tasks, to the striatum, which handles the rote tasks. In other words some important cognitive tasks might be relocated to the gum chewing part of your brain when you are multitasking. This explains why we make those typos in important messages or send emails to the wrong persons.

In her book, Rapt, Winifred Gallagher wrote that humans are the sum of what they pay attention to. Obviously we should pay attention to only those things that are most meaningful, but instead we focus on what captures our attention. Therein lays the problem, particularly if we are constantly bombarded with electronic messages and e-interruptions.

This issue has become so pervasive that Google, Microsoft, IBM and Intel have begun collaborating on developing best practices and sharing new approaches to this problem. It is a matter of self preservation for these companies. Computer engineers have been among the most affected by these e-interruptions.

A Harvard Business School study by Leslie Perlow determined that the computer engineers at one software company were so interrupted by electronic messages that the only way they could get their work done was to do their work at night and on weekends. In an experiment to alleviate this problem, all messages and phone calls were banned at certain periods during the day and their productivity increased to the point that they no longer needed nights and weekends to complete their projects.

Some managers and executives have found that limiting the number of times they check their email and phone messages is the key to productivity. One senior financial advisor at Merrill Lynch found that checking messages four times a day was the answer. Another manager at Lockeed Martin cut his message checking to twice a day.

Bottom line: Figure out what works for you and wean yourself from these e-interruptions. Constantly checking your email or phone messages will make you less productive. If you want to get the most out of your day, focus on your job and not your inbox.

Do you suffer from this affliction? Have you come up with a solution? Tell us about how you have overcome e-interruptions in the workplace.

 My web community, www.boomeropinion.com is all about capturing and broadcasting opinions and viewpoints. We provide daily polls, discussion forums, and news about critical issues facing America and Baby Boomers. If you are a Baby Boomer and haven't joined us, please consider it. It is free and only takes a minute to join. Coming soon you will be able to create your own polls, initiate discussions on topics you choose and ask questions of the membership.

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Just as I was about to write this blog, I remembered that I needed to check my Facebook news feed for new posts from friends and family. I also needed to send a text message to one of my colleagues about an upcoming project and get his feedback. I absolutely had to check my Outlook calendar for any appointments I might have scheduled for today. Oh, and I was going to finish reading that book about Mark Zuckerberg and Social Networking on my iPad. My life has been taken over by technology it seems.

It doesn't seem that long ago when I was bored to death and I would have to find things to do to fill my time. Back in those days, I had 3 network television channels on my TV and the only way I could keep up with my friends and family was by calling them or visiting them. If there was a project, personal or business related, I was able to devote my full attention to it until it was completed. Distractions were few and far between. Today it seems we are all overburdened with technology and communications devices that seem like technology leashes. They pull on us this way or that way constantly.  

Will we ever be able to take control of our lives again, or is it futile to even try? Younger generations seem perfectly happy to stay connected to that leash 24/7. Am I just too old to smell the cappuccino? Am I looking backward and thinking that it would be better to return to the past? Maybe, I should just fully embrace these technologies and take advantage of what they have to offer. After all, I have never had this kind of instant access to my family, my business associates or my world. It's a good thing, right? I think it is a good thing as long as you don't let it completely dominate your life.

If we let technology rule our daily lives, then we aren't really taking enough time out of each day for ourselves or for the ones we really care about. I guess I just need to find the right balance. That is easy to say, but hard to do, right? It is a lifestyle decision. Instead of letting technology run our lives, we need to step back and set some priorities. If you are trying to build the next Fortune 500 company, your time is not your own. You business life and personal life are the same. For you, there is no choice. But, for the rest of us...

Recently I wrote a blog about Mark Zuckerberg's view of social media and why he thought everyone on Facebook should be willing to share the most intimate details of their personal and business lives daily on his social network. One commenter to my blog responded that since Mark could really distinguish between his personal and professional lives, that was easy for him to say and to do. For the rest of us, we probably want to maintain some separation between those two areas of our lives.

So how can we find that balance? When and how can we free ourselves of our technology leashes? First step is to set priorities. Some people would feel completely lost if they had to put away their iPhones, Blackberries or notebook computers. I am sure age impacts those decisions. If you are old enough to have lived without all these gadgets and appliances, it is probably easier to find the proper settings and times to put them away.   

One suggestion for simplifying one's life is to start by stopping. Each day you set your agenda and try to optimize every minute of the day. What if you chose not to set any agenda? What if you just let go and didn't try to be totally productive every minute of the day. You could do whatever you felt like that morning or escape for the entire day. You could go for a walk or take a hike. You could pull out that novel that you have been meaning to read, but just couldn't find the time for.

You could take your kids or your significant other on a bike ride. You could go to the beach or the lake and just take in the natural beauty of the area. If your time is really limited, you could just go outside and watch the clouds roll by. Just remember to unplug. Leave your iPhone or Blackberry in the house or the glove box. If you have to take it with you, at least turn it off.

If you are a list person, then put aside an hour or more each day to do nothing. Write it down on your list. Stephen Covey, the author of The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, suggests taking time for yourself on a regular basis to sharpen the saw. Translation: do something to improve your mind or your spiritual being. The metaphor is all about being able to perform at your best. Take time to sharpen the saw because with a dull saw you won't cut much wood or be very productive.

If every day of your life is so busy that you can't get everything done on your list, then re-examine your list. Typically, there are a number of things on your to-do list that might seem urgent, but aren't really that important to your job or personal life. Re-evaluate your activities in order to optimize the ones that really are important to your mission. Remove the ones that aren't really fundamentally necessary in achieving your daily goals and objectives. Your list just might become manageable.  

When it comes to your cell and your computer, you can simplify and declutter those devices. I used to receive 50-100 emails per day. A lot of them I thought I needed for work. You know the ones...Briefings on technology, leadership, management, etc. I have unsubscribed to most of them. If I need to learn the latest on any topic, I just Google it and generally learn more than I ever wanted to know in a short time.

If you have joined too many groups on linkedin and receive daily or weekly email updates, then unjoin them. Getting rid of email clutter will make your life easier to manage. Do you have too many friends on Facebook? You can hide them from view and then the only news feeds you see will be about those people that you actually care about. Don't get me started on Twitter. Unless you have a business connection that requires you posting tweets or reading other's tweets...just say no. How important can information that consists of 170 characters or less really be? Check your news feeds no more than twice a day.

And consider turning off your television set occasionally. I realize that is a lot to ask. A great many people turn on their TVs when they get up in the morning and turn them off when they go to bed. Even if they aren't actually watching, it is like an extra voice in the house to keep them company. Bottom line: Living your life vicariously through your favorite television actors or personalities is okay as long as you don't spend the bulk of your free time doing it. I realize that some of you schedule your lives around our favorite TV shows. If you are that addicted, get a DVR and do something meaningful with at least a portion of your spare time.

One final note. Recent studies have indicated that technology appliances are having an adverse effects on the attention spans of humans across the world. Our attention spans are getting shorter and we are having a more difficult time focusing on anything for extended periods of time. It is no wonder that this is happening given the amount of information we are exposed to each day and the methods we are using to communicate with each other over cell phones, instant messaging platforms, email and Twitter.

The only way to extend your ability to focus and extend your attention span is by practicing. Stop scanning the news or trade sites and start reading full articles. Read entire books. Find projects that require your full attention for extended periods of time and engage. If you want your mind back, you will have to exercise it the same as you would exercise your body to gain muscle tone.

If you want to take your life back, you can do this. It isn't really that tough. I encourage you to tell us about your ideas on unleashing yourself from technology. Inquiring minds want to know.

My web community, www.boomeropinion.com  is all about capturing and broadcasting opinions and viewpoints. We provide daily polls, discussion forums, and news about critical issues facing America and Baby Boomers. If you are a Baby Boomer and haven't joined us, please consider it. It is free and only takes a minute to join. Coming soon you will be able to create your own polls, initiate discussions on topics you choose and ask questions of the membership. We also have a Twitter page, http://twitter.com@boomeropinion.

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Recently, Google and Verizon have been trying to direct the Federal Communications Commission to remove net neutrality protections for wireless internet connections that Verizon provides. In effect, this would allow Verizon to create and regulate the delivery speed of internet sites to its users.

By regulating the delivery speed, those internet sites like Google's Youtube could be served up to users more quickly than sites that haven't paid a premium in some form to Verizon for the faster delivery speed. Startups and smaller entities that lack the capital to partner with Verizon in some way or another would be left in the dust.

According to a recent blog by Megan Tardy, Tech Community Outraged over Google Sell-Out, "Over 300,000 people have signed a joint petition challenging Google to stand by its self-proclaimed edict, "Do No Evil," by abandoning its so-called deal with Verizon. Meanwhile bloggers, academics and non-profit organizations have all pounced on the companies after the duo announced their plan earlier this week."

A great many members of the tech community believe Google has forgotten about its own roots and how devastating such agreements could be to startup internet sites and businesses. Google claims that since it is paying no money to Verizon for faster access, then it is not guilty of unduly influencing Verizon to get faster access for its own sites. However, Verizon uses Google's Android operating system on many Verizon phones, including Google's own Droid phone, so the ties are there by virtue of their partnership and operating agreements.

Others argue that net neutrality doesn't necessarily apply to wireless devices. Of course, it should be pretty clear that in the near future more internet access will be achieved over wireless devices than wire bound devices. So why doesn't the FCC just step up and tell these companies that net neutrality is the rule and cannot be violated regardless of the carrier and transmission service type. After, the FCC basically declared net neutrality a guiding principle as part of a move to deregulate the internet services provided by phone companies in 2005.

A recent New York Times article explained why the FCC might not be able to step in and assert its power over this issue: "In a significant decision, a federal appeals court ruled that the F.C.C. lacks the authority to require broadband providers to give equal treatment to all Internet traffic flowing over their networks. The ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia was a big victory for the Comcast Corporation, the nation's largest cable company. It had challenged the F.C.C.'s authority to impose the so-called "net neutraility" obligations." The ruling was made in April 2010.

How can net neutrality be enforced from this point forward? Will the court decision be overruled in an appeal? Will the Administration or the Congress step in and make net neutrality law? If so, why should we think that will impact international traffic? Is there really no good answer to this dilemma? Will Google rethink what they are doing, come to their senses and do the right thing?

So what is your opinion on this issue? Should internet companies be able to pay carriers directly or set up partnerships with carriers and phone companies for faster access to their sites? Should the internet remain a democracy with every site getting the same treatment in terms of speed of delivery? If net neutrality is not the guiding principle of the web, what will that mean to the technology and internet sectors of our economy? Will it be the beginning of the end for aspiring small internet enterprises and startups?

My web community, www.boomeropinion.com  is all about capturing and broadcasting opinions and viewpoints. We provide daily polls, discussion forums, and news about critical issues facing America and Baby Boomers. If you are a Baby Boomer and haven't joined us, please consider it. It is free and only takes a minute to join. Coming soon you will be able to create your own polls, initiate discussions on topics you choose and ask questions of the membership. We also have a Twitter page, http://twitter.com@boomeropinion.

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I am worried about generations of children who have grown up and are growing up with access to all these high tech gadgets and how these tools will render them unable to fully cope with society. Between instant messaging on their laptops, texting over their cell phones, and populating their Facebook pages with all sorts of photos and intimate data about themselves, will they really be prepared to function in society?

I'm worried that after all this texting and instant messaging, their vocabulary will consist mainly of acronyms and abbreviations like omg (oh my God), adip (another day in paradise), my personal favorite dhac (don't have a clue), paw (parent in the room or parent is watching), bfffl (best friend for life), dndc (don't know, don't care), etc. I am not convinced that they will be able to complete a sentence? If they use Twitter too much, the sentence can't be over 140 characters in length so they won't be able to expound on any subject in detail. At least if they have a good word processor, they will be able to run spell check and grammar check to eliminate most of the mistakes in their compositions.

What about communication and socialization skills? I am thinking in a few years everyone will stand around in the same room with their communicators (PDAs or cell phones) oohing and aahing while they text each other, instead of carrying on a real face to face conversation. Put down your communicator and talk to me Bonzo! Social interaction could become a lost art and a thing of the past.

I'm reminded of a passage from the book, The Image. The book points to a scenario where a woman walks up to a mother pushing a stroller and compliments her on the beauty of her baby girl. The mother looks seriously at the woman and tells her that if she thinks her baby is pretty, she should see the baby's photographs, implying the baby is cuter in pictures than in real life. Of course, now days, the mother will just direct the first woman to the baby's Facebook page.  It's all about the image and in the future projecting that image will be accomplished electronically. By the same token, one girl might tell her friend that she thinks her new boyfriend is hot, and the girl's response would be, "you should check out his wall on Facebook".

Speaking of Facebook, some of these kids are putting all types of information, photos and videos of themselves and their friends that they will certainly regret when they enter society and start looking for a job. And don't get me started on the subject of sexting lude photos to their friends and cohorts.

Of course, without a computer or calculator these kids won't be able to do simple math. They have had access to these devices since they were in pre-k so we shouldn't expect them to calculate a tip or do a budget without some form of electronic help. How will they determine if they have enough money to pay a bill or for some items at the checkout counter, if they can't sum it up in their heads? They will be helpless. Oh not to worry, the latest iPhone commercial will reassure them that indeed, there is an app for that.

I guess I am just an old foggie and I'm not hip to what's really going on. Although, I must say that I spent 30 years in high tech, working for both hardware and software companies, so I am no luddite - that's a non technical person for those of you from out of town. I just miss some of the old ways of doing things and the value of education in its most traditional sense.

Having said that, I probably shouldn't mention that I am a founding partner and the CEO of Boomer-Insight.com, "The Boomer's Voice in America". Well, if you can't beat them, you will just have to jump on that high tech wagon, log in and go along for the ride. Yee-haaa! 

Speaking of Boomer Insight, if you are reading my blog and haven't yet joined www.Boomer-Insight.com, please take a minute to sign up. In order for Boomers' voices and opinions to be heard across this country, you need to join us and become a member of Boomer Insight. Once you have joined, you can participate in our polls and discussions on the important issues facing America today. And...you can join in less than one minute. All we ask for is a screen name, your gender, zip code, birthdate and password. And it's free. I know you would like to weigh in on the issues, so please engage. Thanks for your support.

 

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Anonymous Bob commented on my blog, "Are Baby Boomers Technophobes?" and listed the following traits of a technophobe, or paraphrasing Jeff Foxworthy:

You Might be a Technophobe if...

1) When telling time, do use use terms like noon, midday, dusk, o'clock, quarter to or quarter past?
2) Do have a rotary dial phone or mobile phone larger than your shoe?
3) Are you convinced that sound quality of 45's is improved by putting pennies on the tonearm?
4) Does your home computer weigh more than you do?
5) Does your television or stereo have a wood cabinet?
6) Does your computer have a floppy drive and you use the one marked "CD/DVD" as a retractable cup holder?
7) Do you own and use a transistor radio?
8) Are the "Pong" paddles burned into your TV screen affecting your Intellivison game play?
9) Are you annoyed that you can't find 110 film, instant picture film or flash cubes?
10) Do your modem have a phone cradle?
 

He also pointed out that if your digital clock or betamax recorder is blinking 12:00 o'clock as we speak, you might be a technophobe.

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I realize that none of us could live without our laptops, PDAs, smart phones and copious applications occupying the memory of these devices. There seems to be a digital divide between the younger and older members of the white collar workforce. Many older members of the workforce believe that their younger counterparts misuse these tech gadgets in the workplace breeching workplace etiquette standards.

I am not talking about the self absorbed bozos that insist on taking every call on their cell, and then pretend there is no one else within ear shot. You know the ones. They walk around the office revealing more about themselves and their business than any of us want or need to know.  These are the same guys and gals you run into in the check out lines and restaurants using their outside voice to carry on obnoxious conversations about some business deal or Aunt Mimi's diarrhea. This type of etiquette abuse is carried out by people of all ages. For these people, I only wish I could get my hands on some sort of device that I could use to transmit an electrical shock to their cell phone in mid conversation. I digress.

A LexisNexis^® Technology Gap Survey done by WorldOne Research discusses the etiquette gap between generations when it comes to using technology in the workplace.  The full report can be found at http://tinyurl.com/cd8u59. This survey sample was comprised of Baby Boomers (45-63), Gen X workers (29-44) and Gen Y workers (28 and younger). They found that everyone thought technology increased their productivity in the work place. Well, duh...You mean my Toshiba notebook computer is more efficient than my Big Chief tablet and my number 2 pencil?  Sorry, I couldn't let that observation go by without some comment.

The digital divide starts with the use of online media. 84% of the Gen Y workers think listening to online radio is acceptable versus 63% of their Boomer counterparts. The majority of Gen X workers and Gen Y workers also believe that using music playing software at work is okay (60% and 58% respectively). While only 35% of Boomers believed that it is okay. Almost twice as many Gen Y workers use video playing programs (51%) than their Boomer counterparts.

When it comes to accessing social networks, 22% of the Gen Y workers said that it does not reduce their productivity. Only 7% of the Gen X workers and 0% of the Baby Boomers agree. 62% of Gen Y workers report accessing social networking sites from work, while only 14% of Baby Boomers access social networks in their offices. Twice as many Gen Y workers think it is okay to befriend a client on a social networking site than do Boomers. Similar results were recorded concerning the use of blogs at work. Of course, the Gen Y'ers (aka Millennials) have grown up with these applications and so this shouldn't be such a big surprise.

Every worker I know complains about the loss of productivity caused by having to attend incessant meetings at work.  Baby Boomers believe that the use of PDAs and Mobile phones in meetings contribute to unproductive outcomes, as well as a decline in proper workplace etiquette. Less than half of the Gen Y workers believe that to be true. 68% of Boomers think that using a laptop or PDA in an in-person meeting is distracting, while only 49% of Gen Y workers agree that there is some distraction. And Gen Y'ers are much more inclined to think blogging about work-related issues is okay. Obviously the biggest divide in philosophies of workplace etiquette will be between Boomers and Gen Y workers.

So what does this mean to the average corporate manager? It means that Baby Boomers have a different view on the uses and abuses of these technologies in the workplace. The Gen Y workers have been using them for most of their lives and are more comfortable with tech gadgets. Gen Y'ers also seem to be more comfortable with multi-tasking aspects of technology. Boomers think the younger set is biting off more than it can chew with regard to multi-tasking and diluting the quality of their efforts. Gen X is left in the middle to act as the go between or diplomat between these two cohorts. Some forward thinking companies have banned tech devices from workplace meetings. Others have set forth sensible guidelines for their use and abuse.

Bottom line, corporate America needs to recognize the digital divide and come up with innovative ways to eliminate the confusion regarding, "what is appropriate and what is not" in the use or abuse of these high tech tools. They must ensure that every employee is made aware of the company's tech etiquette guidelines. By the same token, if the Gen Y workers have more expertise in certain areas of technology, then the company should publicly embrace it and take advantage of those skills. Remove the source of these technology conflicts and maybe every worker will focus on what's really important...their personal role in helping their team contribute to the company's current goals and overall mission.

If you are a Baby Boomer and haven't joined my web community, www.boomer-insight.com, then please consider it. It only takes a minute to sign up. You can participate in polls, forums and discussions on the most pressing issues facing America and Boomers.

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Business life and family life have always been separate entities. Kiss the spouse, hug the kids and the paradigm shift begins. By the time you reach the office, you have shifted gears into your business mode. Why? Because your business life and family life are mutually exclusive and have always been that way since the industrial revolution began. Work by its very nature should be serious and focused on the tasks at hand. Fun has no place in the equation. Work was never meant to be enjoyable or fun, right? You might need to rethink this strategy if you want to be successful in the new millennium.

In an earlier blog on happiness in the workplace, I wrote about the benefits of creating a culture of happy and engaged employees and how that can translate into higher productivity. According to a recent study by Alexander Kjerulf, happy workers work better with others, are more creative, have more energy, are more optimistic, are more motivated, get sick less often, learn faster, make fewer mistakes and make better decisions. Consequently, they are much more productive. But creating a happy workplace is just the beginning.  

Creating a family environment where the employees feel connected and engaged is the next step. Tony Hsieh is the CEO of Zappos, the highly successful online footwear retailer. At the Web 2.0 Conference last year he talked about the first company he started, Link Exchange, and how the workplace changed as it grew. He said it was a fun place to work in the early days, but once it reached 100 employees, he no longer looked forward to going to work. So he sold the company to Microsoft for $240M and walked away. He begin investing in web startups after selling that company. Zappos was a company he helped fund in 1999 and he liked the company and concept so much he later became the CEO. With Zappos, Tony had a second chance to build a company culture that embraced and engaged its employees in a good way.

Last year, Amazon bought Zappos for $920M, but Tony still runs the company and clearly has built a team culture like no other. It is all about aligning your brand with your company culture and seeing to it that the promise of your company is delivered by every employee every day. In my book, Marketing Alignment, I point out that if a company's value proposition is based on customer service and the company isn't delivering the very best customer service available, then the customers will see through the smoke screen and not do business with that company. Fool me once, shame on you...fool me twice, shame on me.

Zappos prides itself on its customer service and apparently they not only deliver on that promise every day, they over deliver on that promise frequently. You order a product with standard shipping and they might just ship it overnight. So that pair of shoes you are just dying to have, might just get there the next morning. Maybe, you have a problem with your order. Just ship it back free of charge. They provide free shipping both ways on every order. Their call center reps are called Customer Loyalty Reps. Every employee of the company, be it an accountant, Vice President, or factory worker has to spend two weeks working in the call center answering customer calls. No exceptions.

All employees are offered $2,000 to quit at the end of their first 90 days. Tony believes that if any employee is not totally committed to the Zappos mission, it is better for all concerned if that employee takes the cash and leaves. On the other hand, once employees become permanent, they have a lot of freedom to control their work and their environment. They are expected to adhere to Zappos Core Values which are:

1. Deliver WOW Through Service
2. Embrace and Drive Change
3. Create Fun and a Little Weirdness
4. Be Adventurous, Creative and Open-Minded
5. Pursue Growth and Learning
6. Build Open and Honest Relationships with Communication
7. Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
8. Do More with Less
9. Be Passionate and Determined
10. Be Humble

I believe these values would fit into any corporate culture and make any company more successful. While Zappos is a shining example, other 21^st century companies are finding ways to retain the best and most successful people. Google for example, provides onsite healthcare, childcare, recreation, massage therapy, food services, fitness centers and numerous other perks. While these perks will definitely attract employees to your company, only the larger corporate employers can afford them. But, you don't have to provide onsite catering or massage to become very successful. Your team will make your company successful provided they buy into your company's vision and mission.

Bottom line, to create a successful business in the 21^st Century you will need to find employees who can not only sell your vision, but those that truly buy into it and will live it every day of the year. And to retain them, you will need to give them the tools and the freedom to do the job their own way. Treat them like you would treat a member of your family and make sure they are recognized for their contributions, regardless of what they do. Micromanage them or exert too much control over their work or their environment and neither your company, or your employees, will be around very long. It is about building a team.

Diane Crampton, a Linkedin member, recently interviewed Tony Hsieh and wrote about Tony and Zappos on her blog. Read her post at http://www.corevalues.com/products/tigers-newsletters/august-09.html.  

What's your take on this issue? Inquiring minds want to know. Comment on Linkedin and/or on my web site, www.BoomerOpinion.com. We are always looking for Baby Boomers with an opinion that don't mind speaking out and can successfully complete a sentence.

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Washington's Cash for Clunkers program is driving traffic back into the showrooms of America. That is a good thing, I think. It appears to be the first reliable economic stimulus program that Washington has come up with since the economy tanked last year.

The TARP program has helped the banks and AIG, but it hasn't really helped the economy all that much. The bailout did provide the needed funds for those banks and Wall Street Investment houses to pay those much needed bonuses to their executives (aka derivative gamblers and other unmasked bandits) who got us into this mess in the first place.

Unfortunately, the TARP stimulus hasn't really accomplished its purpose, which was to free up the credit markets and rid the financial institutions of their toxic assets. And it certainly has not trickled down to the average American trying to save their home by blocking foreclosures or reducing mortgage payments. So is the Cash for Clunkers program going to right America's economic ship? Not hardly. It will be a blip on the radar screen, but Detroit needs all the help it can get right now. Michigan's unemployment rate is hovering around 20%.

And let us not forget that the majority of clunkers being traded in were produced in America and more than 50% of the new cars purchased in the CARS program are of the Japanese and Korean variety. Part of Detroit's problem revolves around our cheap gas prices. Gasoline is much cheaper in America than any of the other industrialized countries. That is certainly the reason why the Japanese and Koreans build such fuel efficient cars. The high cost of fuel in Europe is the reason that over half of the cars they produce are of the fuel efficient diesel variety. Last year, I drove over 500 miles from Italy to Paris and I don't remember seeing one SUV on the highway. My rent car was a diesel Renault.

The real problem is, and has been, the executive management of the big three automakers. Over the past 5 decades, the American automakers position in the world has diminished considerably because there has been no real innovation in Detroit during that period. Their philosophy was and still is: Bigger is better and to hell with those mini car builders overseas. I remember back in the sixties and seventies when the foreign invasion first got started and the American car makers just scoffed at their competition. Back then, American car executives believed that they could dictate to the consumers what type of car they should buy. They were convinced that bigger was better and that quality and innovation weren't that important in selling their merchandise.

I am quite sure that if Steve Jobs was running one of the big three automakers, we would be driving the most innovative, fuel efficient cars on the planet. What would he call it? Maybe the iCar. I suspect he would have beaten the Japanese in the hybrid development race and America would be on its fourth or fifth iteration of alternative energy vehicles using different sets of power sources. And I am sure that his cars would include Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems to harness he moving energy of the vehicle.

With Steve at the helm, his company's cars would include the technology required to alert the driver to any impending engine or drivetrain malfunction and the car's navigation system would guide the driver to the nearest repair facility with a trained technician and parts. All of his cars would have crash detection and avoidance systems. Certainly his vehicles would be networked into the driver's home and office so you could activate whatever systems you would need upon arrival. Voice activated internet...you bet.

Okay, maybe I am going a little overboard here, but keep in mind that Steve has overcome every obstacle that has been thrown in his path since the mid sixties. It wasn't all that long ago, mid eighties I believe, that he was kicked out of Apple by then CEO John Scully. Well, he picked himself up and started another computer company, NEXT, and became a major investor in Pixar Studios. When he came back to Apple, he not only resurrected the computer division, but he came up with this iPod thingie. No one thought it would really catch on. Of course, he had to revolutionize the music industry to get the software content for his music player. Then he guided Apple in the development of the iPhone.

Finally let me add that I cannot take credit for this idea. I was listening to my favorite AM talk radio program today and one of the callers suggested that if Steve Jobs was running GM, that company would not be treading water today. I fully concur. Thanks caller. The description of what Steve would do if he were running a big three automaker is all my own creation and supposition.

What's your take on this issue? Inquiring minds want to know. Comment on Linkedin and/or on www.BoomerOpinion.com. We are always looking for Baby Boomers with an opinion that don't mind speaking out and can successfully complete a sentence.

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Chatroulette is a website that pairs random strangers for the purpose of webcam based conversations. The site was launched in November, 2009 by a 17 year old Russian high school student, Andrey Ternovskiy from Moscow. The site has gone from obscurity, 300 visitors a day in December 2009, to over 500,000 visitors a day in February 2010. In fact, Ben Parr of mashable.com reported 4 days ago that the site is receiving 1.5 million visitors per day. 

Andrey created this site so that he could meet and talk to people around the world. Once the viral publicity began to build, the site really took off. The site activates your web cam automatically when you click start. You are immediately staring at another human sitting or standing at their computer. If you are not young and attractive, expect to be bounced to the next user over and over.

Even though this concept is really interesting and novel, the resulting conversations are not what most people expect.  In fact, in a great many cases there is no conversation at all. In the early days, there was one guy who would play his guitar and improvise a song on any topic that the person on the other end requested and perform it for that person. Another user would speed draw portraits of chat buddies. There were people who put on costumes to get different reactions and so on.

Over time the site has become somewhat unsavory. There are people inserting all types of things into the orifice of their choosing. A lot of masturbation goes on. One thing to keep in mind if you plan to visit this site is that Chatroulette's visitors are currently 71% male, 15% female and 14% perverts on most weekday afternoons. These results were reported by Casey Neistat in a recent article on "Mashable.com" titled, Chatroulette Explained...

John Stewart on the Daily Show did a bit on Chatroulette and basically stated that is was a great place to observe men's appendages (not exactly the terminology that he used). He improvised a session that included Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric and Brian Williams that caused me to fall off my couch.  If you have a minute, watch this bit out on the following link... http://bit.ly/anwnHQ . Disclaimer: you might fall out of your chair laughing.

Despite the perversion, there are a number of people and companies trying to invest in this web site. Many venture capitalists have expressed interest in the site. Digital Sky Technologies, the Russian venture capital firm that has invested $400 million in Facebook, has made an offer to buy a portion of the company. Most investors believe that unless the male genitalia is completely removed from the site, the company is not a terribly smart investment.

Have you gone on this site? What is your take on this concept? Is it just a passing novelty, or do you think it has promise? We would love to hear your feedback on this topic.

My web community, www.boomeropinion.com is all about capturing and broadcasting opinions and viewpoints. We provide daily polls, discussion forums, and news about critical issues facing America and Baby Boomers. If you are a Baby Boomer and haven't joined us, please consider it. It is free and only takes a minute to join. Coming soon you will be able to create your own polls, initiate discussions on topics you choose and ask questions of the membership.

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Recent surveys indicate that Baby Boomers prefer Facebook 6:1 over Twitter. 50% of Boomers have profiles on Facebook. This shouldn't come as a big surprise to most of you. Facebook is all about keeping up with your friends and relatives on one easy to use page. And with Facebook, you don't have to check your wall/page every hour to see what is happening. Twitter on the other hand is more about ego streaming and requires more frequent engagement. 

I would much prefer to find out what my son or daughter thinks worthy of commenting about than read what they had for lunch or that they had just flossed their teeth. I realize that some of our kids will put some of their more inane activities up on Facebook, but that is a chance we are willing to take if we want to keep abreast of their day to day activities. Hopefully they will provide us with interesting anecdotes on their latest activities and provide some photos to help tell the story.

Twitter has its niche for sure. It's great for companies interested in keeping track of what their customers are saying about them. It is also great for companies launching new products or services. Your followers are your fans. Live streaming will invariably benefit your company's success.

Twitter is a great tool for breaking news like earthquakes or political protests in areas where the state controls the media. It is great for quick summaries of the day's local or national news stories. Our Congressman, Congresswomen and Senators seem to think it is a good way to keep their constituents informed. I wonder if that is the best use of their time given their progress in the past few months.

Most Boomers unlike their younger generation counterparts don't want to be held hostage by technology. I will never forget the day I got my first cell phone and pager. I remember thinking that I didn't want to be found that easily. My personal time was my personal time and having those technologies meant that I could be located and communicated with regardless of how far away from work I was at any given time.

Of course, today I have a notebook computer and an iPhone. I am still debating on whether to put my email on my iPhone. My inbox sometimes has over 150 messages waiting for my perusal. Do I want to access that mail regardless of where I am at any given moment? I am not sure.

So will Twitter stand the test of time? Baby Boomers won't put it over the top. However, the younger generations have gravitated to Twitter in huge numbers, and because of that I think it will do just fine. Soon the Boomers will no longer be the dominant generation and their say in the matter will be of no consequence. Then again, given the speed of technology advancement, Twitter could be displaced by something else by the time Boomers move out of the picture.

Just as with other technologies, I am sure convergence in the social media space will take place and the various forms of social media will converge. If Google has anything to say about, it will happen sooner than later. Google created Buzz to weaken Twitter's position and put it in Google's acquisition cross hairs. We know better than to underestimate the power of Google. 

We already know that the Millennials were born with their thumbs on the buttons and began texting before they could walk. We also realize that Gen X'ers are eager to use technology in any manner that will help them succeed. So those generations will embrace whatever new social media engines arrive in the near term. What's your take on social media and its value to the various generations?

 

My web community, www.boomeropinion.com is all about capturing and broadcasting opinions and viewpoints. We provide daily polls, discussion forums, and news about critical issues facing America and Baby Boomers. If you are a Baby Boomer and haven't joined us, please consider it. It is free and only takes a minute to join. Coming soon you will be able to create your own polls, initiate discussions on topics you choose and ask questions of the membership.

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Today is Twitter's fourth birthday. Whooohooooo! I have an ongoing love/hate relationship with Twitter. I have yet to decide whether Twitter is of any value to most people. Is it a valuable tool when used for its intended purpose? What is its intended purpose? I suppose Twitter is like an adjustable wrench. If you use it to hammer nails then it isn't worth the money you paid for it. However, if you are tightening bolts or nuts with it, then it is a very useful tool.

Being Twitter's Birthday, Mashable.com, the ultimate authority on social media and all things internet, posted an article about Twitter today, "140 Reasons I Love Twitter". It was actually 140 tweets. The categories for these tweets are Finding Love, Finding Fame, Staying Up to Date With Current Events, Stalking Justin Bieber, Stalking Celebrities in General, Making Friends Around the World, Making Friends with Similar Interests, Being Better Than Facebook or MySpace, Decreasing Performance at School, Tweeting on the Go, and Miscellaneous.

Finding Twitter's purpose has always been a mystery to me. In reality, the founders of Twitter are still trying to determine its real value proposition. Twitter's initial question has morphed from "What are you doing?" to "What's happening?" Bing and Google believe that it is a valuable tool for getting real time up-to-date information on events unfolding around the world, ie. instant news feeds. They both paid Twitter millions of dollars to get access to that info and use it in their search results.

To me, Twitter is more like a multi-tool...a Swiss army knife or a leatherman. These are very handy tools indeed if you are out in the middle of nowhere and need a knife, pliers, screwdriver, scissors or leather punch. So, I guess the real question is: How can I use Twitter to make my life or my business better?

Let's start with how the majority of people use Twitter: ego streaming. This is what turns most people off I think. I personally don't care what you had for breakfast or that you are going for a run. I don't care that you found a great deal on toilet paper or monkey chow. I don't care that your kid was just awarded a gold star for potty training at preschool.  I don't care that you just got your oil changed. I have more important information to consider.

Having 500 followers doesn't make you famous. In my best Andy Rooney voice, "Ever wonder why 500 people would think you are interesting enough to follow on Twitter? Ever wonder why those people's lives are so devoid of activities or excitement that following you on Twitter is what they do for fun?" Ego streaming is tantamount to stalking if you ask me. But that's just me.

Since time and common sense dictate that I cannot address every one of the categories listed on Mashable, I will select the ones I believe are relevant to the value of Twitter. Finding Fame is all about following/stalking celebrities and/or believing you yourself are a celebrity because you have hundreds of followers. I can see its attraction to young tweens and teenage girls. They want to know everything about their teen idols. But if you are over fifteen and you follow your favorite celebrity's every tweet, I say, "Get a life!"

I never considered Twitter a dating site, but apparently there a large number of people who have found their true love on this site. I am amazed and somewhat confused about this particular use of Twitter. I am guessing they have common interests and found each other by engaging in tweets about those interests. Examples of these star crossed lovers: @fallwall, "#thankstwitter4 being a good listener and perfect boyfriend substitute now and again..." and @Thick_Maddam: "#thankstwitter4 being eharmony and allowing me and my boyfriend @freakzilla718 to meet lol" Not exactly the boy and girl next door, but online romances are seldom traditional.

The category, Decreasing Performance at School seems to make perfect sense. If the high schoolers and college kids are tweeting instead of paying attention in class, then decreased performance is guaranteed. This category speaks volumes about the commitment and discipline of these students.

Tweeting on the Go provides the user something to do while being driven to school or work or when taking public transportation. I am not sure what they could be tweeting about in this scenario, but then again Twitter isn't always about communicating important or even interesting information is it? Although, they could be tweeting about black holes or nuclear fission...you never know.

Certainly for special interest groups I can see a great deal of value. If you just wanted to keep up with solar thermal energy production or bionic prosthetics, then I am sure there are Twitter sites devoted to these topics. Instant news on these developing fields is just a click away I suspect. Twitter would certainly be a way to stay up to date and get the latest links to studies and information in high tech, biofuels, medicine and any other field that you might want to track.

For businesses, I can certainly see the value in getting immediate customer feedback. I can see the value in announcing new programs or products. The instantaneous nature of Twitter provides value for any business wanting to connect in real time with their customers. Whether it is a movie review, product review, restaurant review, or customer complaint, the value is there for businesses wanting to stay close to their customer base.

When you get down to it, Twitter's most valuable use is instant news. Its real time coverage of unfolding events around the world is second to none. Since Twitter can be used by a smartphone or computer, the news coverage is both pervasive and instantaneous. No other forum provides those capabilities. No wonder Google and Microsoft were willing to pay to get access. If you don't want to scan the headlines of numerous online news sites, you can simply go to http://twitter.com/breakingnews and you will see all the latest news and headlines.

How do you use Twitter? Am I completely off base in stating that in most cases tweets are of little relevance or importance? We want to hear how and why you believe this is a useful social site.

My web community, www.boomeropinion.com  is all about capturing and broadcasting opinions and viewpoints. We provide daily polls, discussion forums, and news about critical issues facing America and Baby Boomers. If you are a Baby Boomer and haven't joined us, please consider it. It is free and only takes a minute to join. Coming soon you will be able to create your own polls, initiate discussions on topics you choose and ask questions of the membership. We also have a Twitter page, http://twitter.com@boomeropinion .

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The current model for most social media sites calls for free membership. Sites like Facebook make their money from advertising and premium features. The question is: How long will Facebook be free to use? There is a similarity between an addiction to social media and an addiction to drugs. The strategy is to get you hooked and then raise the price.

Most of my family logs on to Facebook several times a day to see what the other family members and friends are doing or saying. It seems like an addiction. Don't get me wrong, I think Facebook is a great platform to keep up with those closest to you. And unlike Twitter, your text is not that restricted and you can add photos and videos easily to your wall. And for the most part, it is not ego streaming about trivial stuff, there are a number of important topics and events that are documented daily.

The Facebook addiction is pervasive throughout the country and the world. So will Facebook take advantage of our addiction? I suspect they will. According to a Piper Jaffray report, "Pay to Play: Paid Internet Services", July 13, 2009, US Paid Social Networking Services will grow more than 25% per year in the next few years.

The big question is: Will social media users be willing to pay for this content? Currently, sites like Linkedin, Classmates.com, and Mylife.com are making as much revenue from fee-based content and services as they make from site advertising. Will Facebook and Twitter follow suit?

Consider the fact that Facebook now has over 400 million active users worldwide. Let's see, if Facebook charged a $5 per per month subscription to each member, then they would make $2 billion per month. Obviously not everyone would be willing to pay for Facebook, but if 20% of their members paid, then they would still make $200 million per month.