Crawled past page 300. It took me a week to get there from page 200. It talks about the silent crises in the US triggered by lack of interest in Science and Technology fields amongst the American youth. I don't quite agree unless they insist on home grown talent. But then in a flat, world one would argue, why do you insist of indigenous production of an expensive product, here a math- science graduate, when you can source it from a flat world? Well, what works for the US is that it can import IQ just like textile and toys. Really, at the post graduate level they have the best education system.
Any country can import teachers for their primary schools and train them to teach well, but how do you create a community of capable professors that stimulate innovation and invention through constantly challenging and shaping the minds of the bright and the talented? US to me provides the most creative educational ecosystem. It attracts the best of both worlds by providing a meeting point for the best academic minds and the best pool of talented students around the world.
One could argue that internet has allowed the teachers and students of the world to collaborate and therefore universities do not matter. But I disagree. There is only so much one can achieve through bits and bytes. Universities are important because they create an atmosphere of learning which can't be replicated in a virtual world, yet...
A society when on top of its success breeds complacence and decadence which finally leads to its fall. Good thing about capitalism is that it breeds paranoia and competition amongst its practitioners. This I guess is good for US. In a flat world no one including US has the luxury of taking it easy and US knows it.
So much for now... Another 150 pages to go...
3 comments:
Another one of my all time fav books. I'm current proof that the world is indeed flat, by being able to work no matter where I go. I've had a hard time refusing work in the past month and a couple of clients are very keen that I get back to doing their projects. The moral of the story is that if you're really good at what you do, then you are no longer restricted by geographic boundaries.
I agree. Our lives are a product of flat world. I'm a product of the flat world and same with my wife. She is able to continue her job remotely just like you. All we need is a modem and a laptop. The commute to office is the time it takes to fire up your laptop.
However, my problem with the book is about the author. He compares himself to Christopher Columbus. C'mon. He is writing about a phenomenon after it has engulfed the world and already touched millions of lives. I appreciated Alvin Toffler far more. He wrote about our lives in the new millenium way back in late 60s. That what I'd call vision. This book is at best "as is" analysis of the world. It provides me no new insights.
Isn't it just great to be able to work from any location?
I haven't read Alvin Toffler's book, so can't make a comparison, but what I really liked about this book was that TF brought it all to the mainstream. I don't think he really compared himself to Christopher Columbus, just the similarity of impact of the discovery.
I'm a big fan of his, so I'm probably a bit biased though!
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