Dummy Terminals - The future.

In the good old days the notion of a personal computer was completely unheard of. Only the top universities and institutions in the world had access to computers and they typically took up a floor or two of vacuum tubes.
Users engaged with this computer through dummy terminals which were basically a screen and keyboard but without any processing power of their own. Dummy terminals therefore relied on the central computer for all activities. Processor power was then charged on a time basis and was Timesliced between the various terminals which were being used.

So, where am I going with this?

Well consider what Google is doing (yes, I have a conspiracy theory), they are:

1. Building a massive network of computers (a worldwide supercomputer)
2. Getting as much activity to take place within their network as possible (Google Maps, Analytics, Gmail etc)
3. Providing a low processor requirement environment for users with all data and processor requirements residing with them

While this is a great setup for Google as bandwidth usage is is low, processor latency is greatly reduced and from a users perspective it is also great! If all data and software resides on this Google Supercomputer then there is no need for fast, expensive user based system. All we need is a generic dumb terminal, an internet connection and a username/password combination and we instantly have everything at our fingertips.

So then why the conspiracy?
With the introduction of Chrome Google now has the opportunity to start displacing competing browsers in exchange for theirs, furthermore, the many services which they offer are currently destroying their competitors and given enough time sizable competitors will start to thin and eventually vanish all together.

This provides Google with an absolute monopoly, not just in terms of the internet but in terms of EVERYTHING. Without information we are stranded islands and Google will be the only provider of information. When this happens they have the power to force us to pay - AS MUCH AS THEY WANT - for their services and there will be nothing we can do to stop it.

We halfway there - lets see how strongly "do no evil" sticks when we get all the way...

Tim Shier - now a "blogger", in a town near you

The first blog post is always the trickiest. We needs to define ourselves while thinking about how potential clients, friends, employees and partners will make of us. A difficult mix between cunning self-promotion and brute Search Engine Optimisation.

I was recently reading Blink by Malcom Gladwell's and he re-iterates the ancient factoid - "people make up their minds about you in the first 3 minutes of meeting you". A fascinating quirk of human nature really but it permutes to all areas of our life. In the high saturation environment of the internet its typical to judge a brand (personal or company) within the first 5-7 seconds of engaging with their web presence. As the web becomes the primary tool to engage with brands its becoming vital to make the most of the 5 seconds of attention which you can guarantee. It's a do or die, sink or swim environment to which we only have one chance at success.

While studying at the University of Cape Town (BSC computer science and Psychology) I wrote an essay on a similar topic: discrimination. We make split second decisions on an hourly basis without considering all the variables - our brains are lazy. We make assumptions about the individual (be it a person or a block of butter) which is congruent with their understanding of the group behaviour (i.e. butter is hard). Its a shortcut if you will - a means of making sense of the world without having to thoroughly inspect each element of it.

For this reason a well constructed elevator pitch is a fantastic tool at short circuit our evolutionary learning. Its all about using the brief moments of attention to present yourself so as to build credibility, a perception of competency all the while providing juicy information to hopefully build a conversation/debate following your pitch.

So, its time to represent myself (note: this is brute self promotion):

My name is Timothy Kyle Shier, I'm marketing manager and head pirate at the largest full service online marketing agency in Africa called Quirk eMarketing. My job involves the marketing of a marketing agency which is quiet a bazaar concept (and often mistaken). Its a fascinating industry to be in - it never holds still for even a second and is always recreating itself - how modernist. My work at Quirk is quite unlike anything I have ever done. Through Quirk I am associated with a wide range of our clients including the likes of Google, South African Tourism, Investec, Corronation Fund Managers and even University of Cape Town - which is quiet ironic having studied there myself.

While studying at UCT I was involved in student leadership and sat on a wide range of bodies ranging from the Sports Council through to Student Assembly with a strong thrust to social development. My biggest contribution was large scale fundraising (as the vice-chair of UCT RAG) - were we raised upwards of R1.2 million on a yearly basis of which I was involved for 4 years. I owe a lot of my personal development to UCT. At some point I will return to study something different - although the idea of student jobs again is less than exciting to me. That said, the opportunity to perform my hobby (card, coin and silk magic) is always of appeal. Thankfully I have the opportunity to return to UCT from time to time as I do periodic guest lectures at UCT, AAA on Marketing and eMarketing and have taught a full course at Friends of Design - a small design college where I taught HTML, CSS and eMarketing - which was a great experience!

While I absolutely love my job I do enjoy getting away from it all and a good surf, hike, open air festival or weekend braai is always a welcome break from the bussel of the internet.

Before I leave it there: please follow my on twitter: @timshier