Massive love-in re: IT in the field over at Tinder Blog

by Jon Thompson on October 7, 2008

I apologize for my malaise but something clicked a few days/weeks ago and I suddenly realized that by reposting truckloads of iPhone apps (which easily get the most traffic) I was just boring myself into oblivion.  Sure, they are/were pretty cool but there are really only a few worth and damn and the glamour has worn off.  I have also just kind of grown tried of the idea that IT technology is going to save the world.  It just ain’t because the IT industry just doesn’t give a damn in any meaningful way except for those of you out there that really are searching for something which works.  Ramble ramble ramble…

A few things have gotten stuck in my craw these past few weeks and one of them is Mercy Corps’ Cool Carbon initiative.  There is something there that I just cannot shake.  While it is not new they stats are not in on whether or not it has been a success, i.e. are the donors giving and have the projects had a positive impact.  We’ll keep you posted.

Another thing that is riling me up is this whole Open Street Map vs. Google Map Maker thing.  What is Google thinking?  Surely a lot more could have been achieved through a collaborative effort rather than going tete-a-tete.  This is the kind of sidetracking nonsense that I really don’t think is doing anyone any good.  I am not trying to take sides but my gut tells me this is another one of those IT eddies that diverts energy away from the main flow.  Maybe I am making something out of nothing and we’ll all be better for the competition.

Lastly, and this is where my head has been for the last few weeks, there is something to be said for technology specifically when it pertains to logistics and containerization.  My head is swimming with ideas and I’ll post a write-up shortly laying out my ideas.

In the mean time I have been having a bit of a ‘knock down, drag out’ with Chris Wilson of Aptivate and Jeff Allen over on Chris’ Tinder Blog.  Our discussion is a follow on to Jeff’s earlier ‘IT Next to the Beneficiaries’ and my ‘Follow on to ‘IT Next to the Beneficiaries” as well as some other comments by eminently qualified individuals like Melissa Ho of Intel’s Berkeley Research Lab’s TIER group.  Please head over and jump in to the fray.  It hasn’t gotten heated yet but we’re working on it.

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