You Don’t Have To Answer That!

There is no doubt that modern digital tools can be a boon to our productivity.  I am writing this article on a computer allowing me to make changes, move entire paragraphs and conduct on-the-go research if I need some additional information.  Not too long ago I would be pounding away at my typewriter, fixing my typos with “whiteout” and most likely still missing several mistakes in the final draft.  As for research, I would have the library (which would be closed at this hour) or a trusty, albeit out of date, encyclopedia as my go to source.  For certain I don’t want to go back to the “good old days” because in many ways they were not so good.

As much as I enjoy and value my computer, smartphone, iPad and other digital accoutrements, I do try not to let them take over my life.  For example, I have a policy that if I am having a conversation with someone in person, I will not answer my phone. I am amazed at how uncomfortable this makes some people.  I may be having a conversation in my office and my mobile phone will ring.  I ignore it but often my guest will ask if I was going to get that.  I respond that he or she has my attention now and I am sure if it is President Obama, he will find a way to get me.   In other words I give respect to the person at hand rather than some unknown caller.

Many of us have a tone that sounds whenever an email or instant message comes in on our phone or computer.  It is interesting to note the Pavlovian response that many have to this sound.  No matter where they are or what they are doing they must look at the email.  I am well aware that sometimes a specific email is important.  It is also my experience that often the email is a sales pitch or a message from a long lost cousin who is now a Saudi Prince wanting to give me some money to put in my account for safer keeping.  In other words, in most cases a wait of an hour or so is not going to be an issue.

I read an article recently that decried the fact that we don’t have time to day dream, to just think, or to be un-plugged.  Our digital tools once allowed us to work longer hours.  Now many of us are expected to work 24/7.

I am not a Luddite. There is no going back.  Many social scientists opine that we will be even more connected in the future.   I do think that there is value in being un-connected.  Give it a try.  See if you can turn off the email, the smartphone, or the iPad for an hour a day.  Perhaps while taking a walk or talking to a friend or spouse (in person).

Finally We May Have A Real Digital Wallet

Finally We May Have A Real Digital Wallet.

Last week’s much awaited and ballyhooed Apple event announced the upcoming release of a couple must-have gizmos from the folks in Cupertino: the iPhone 6 series and the Apple Watch.  There was a lot of excitement about the new devices offering cool, larger screens and the ability to monitor your best friend’s heartbeat.  Amidst all the buzz, it was easy to miss another part of the announcement, which has the potential to be much more revolutionary than any new hardware tweak.  The company announced Apple Pay, a service that has the potential to change the way we pay for things.

It is true that paying for retail items with a smartphone is not really new.  Using phones to purchase goods and services has been prevalent in some European countries for years, but slow to take off in the USA.  A few companies have embraced the service.  Starbucks’s mobile app is one of the most popular.  You enter your Starbucks Card account number into your phone and it becomes your Starbucks Card.  It is available now at over 7,000 company-operated Starbucks stores nationwide.  To date, there are some movie theatres and other entertainment venues that also accept smart phone payment using.  It remains, however, a novelty embraced by relatively few.

Apple Pay could render the use of physical credit and debit cards as obsolete as pay phones.  With the recent incidents of hacking of credit card information at Home Depot, this new payment method—with its promise of better security—may be coming at a perfect time.  Not only is the Apple Pay technology simple to use, the company announced that it is working with some very heavy hitters in the financial industry. According to the Apple press release, VISA, MasterCard, and American Express are partnering with Apple as are several major banks like Bank of America, CapitalOne, Chase, Citi, and Wells Fargo.

The new iPhone 6 and other new Apple products will use NFC (Near Field Communication) technology that Apple had ignored up until now.  NFC allows you to pay your bill by waving your phone when checking out at a participating retailer.  The payment is made, as is a record of what you bought and when you bought it.  Although your credit or debit card account is still used, the actual account information is never actually transmitted or retained by the retailer.  Would-be digital miscreants would have nothing to hack or steal.

It is reported that Apple Pay will work when released in October at some 200,000 stores in the US.  Among those listed are Macy’s, Subway, Walgreens, and Whole Foods.  If this takes off, other stores will need to accept such payments to stay competitive.

The wholesale adoption of any major new technology requires the alignment of several factors.  In this case, we have an iconic brand, major banks signing on, and an increased desire, from both consumers and retailers, to improve the security of credit/debit card transactions.

Seeing Not Always Believing

The posting of videos on YouTube and other video sharing sites is nothing new.  For several years, videos ranging from the serious to the proverbial cute cat movies have been available on line.  More recently, on line video sharing has become a tool of disseminating news, political discourse, and propaganda.  Many political scientists maintain that the recent Arab Spring movement was made possible in large part by the effective use of social media using online video.

Up until very recently, these videos were recorded and uploaded to the internet for watching on a delayed basis in non-real time.  The number of people viewing over time often counted into the millions.  For sure the videos have been effective, but there is nothing quite like live TV—nothing like seeing and often being a part of what is happening right now.

The newest generation of technologies takes online video to another level.  There are now several services that provide inexpensive live streaming to a worldwide audience.  Once the province only of well financed major news operations, live distribution of TV required expensive satellite equipment, complicated gear, and highly skilled technicians.

Today, a mobile phone with a camera, an internet connection, and a subscription to a streaming service can allow most anyone to broadcast a live event to a worldwide audience.

In some cases, this technology is bypassing traditional TV networks.  For example, the recent LumenoCity Concerts (presented by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra from Washington Park in Cincinnati) were streamed live to anyone with a computer, iPad, or smartphone.  There was no need for a traditional TV channel.

Perhaps some of the most dramatic and revolutionary use of live streaming comes from the violent conflicts in the middle-east and Ukraine.  There has been a steady stream of live video feeds coming from well organized government factions as well as from private citizen journalists.

As we watch this coverage, we might find the adage “seeing is believing” may not be quite as true as we’d like to believe.  While this new high-tech live video coverage might well give a real time look at what is going on, it is important to remember that these views often are being provided by biased reporters or even agents of the government or political faction.  A camera might focus on a small portion of a demonstration or battle and give a false impression of what is actually going on.  With greater access to live streaming should come greater scepticism of what is broadcast.  We need always ask what it is that we are not seeing.