A World of Abundance

The norm throughout human existence has been scarcity. Food, clothes, money, comfort are all in short supply and we work to get them. Even information was hard to get.

Now, at the opening of the 21st Century, we are taking another step into a world of abundance. At first we saw it in information -- the internet put everything at our fingertips. But we are going to start seeing abundance in other areas soon.

I predict that 3D printing will mature to the point where we will be able to print most of the small, disposable goods we use. Need 100 forks for the party? Start printing them tonight and they're done tomorrow. And whoever figures out how to recycle the 3D printed items so they can be printed into something else will be richer than Midas.

Very soon every home will have 3D printers. Maybe even every room. Kevin Kelly hit it right on the head - the real impact of technology is when it becomes ubiquitous. What happens when everyone can manufacture from their desktop?


Imagine buying an iPhone 55 SCFE (which stands for "Super Cool Future Edition") in the color and dimensions of your choice. You get a small box with 3D printer goop (AKA the 3D printer ink), a set of computer chips, a small pane of glass and a flash drive. You dump everything into the hopper in the back of your printer and press the Go! button. The machine organizes the materials, plugs in the flash drive, grabs the data it needs and starts printing your new phone. One hour later, your iPhone is ready.

One final thought -- if nanotechnology continues to improve, it may only be a matter of time before we have 3D nano-printing. That starts opening up phenomenal possibilities. But that's for another article.

How will 3D printing impact your business? How will it change your work? Believe me, it will. Desktop manufacturing is too powerful to ignore. Find out how the World of Abundance will change your industry. (305) 423-9574

R-Squared Computing | Lou RG | Nearly Free IT | Firm Wisdom

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Save Money With Auctions

Every start up has the same problem -- they must conserve their cash as long as possible until they get money flowing into the business. Unfortunately, starting a business is expensive, even with all the great bootstrapping advice you can find online.

But don't despair! Occasionally, the U.S. government does something that is actually beneficial. I realize that's hard to believe, but stick with me on this one.

In this case, I am referring to the General Services Administrations auction site. You can bid on everything you could need to outfit your office and also put in a bid for that airport metal detector you always wanted.

Let's face it, outfitting an office is expensive. Furniture, computers, office supplies, equipment, phones and all the other accouterments needed for a 21st Century business can hit your bank account harder than you might like. By using auction sites like GSA Auctions you can significantly reduce the cost of starting a new business.

R-Squared Computing | Lou RG | Nearly Free IT | Firm Wisdom

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The Guaranteed "Sincerest Form of Flattery"

You want to flatter me? Don't imitate me. As anyone who's ever had some obnoxious kid ape their every move can attest, it's annoying as hell. Please people, beat your children when they annoy strangers in the supermarket! But I digress...

If you really want to flatter me, give me something I can use. Not sweaters (I live in Miami!). Not awards (I have enough!). How about something really, really useful, like... Money!

Money really is the sincerest form of flattery. When you give me money it's like an affirmation of my awesome-nosity.

The good news is that this rule really applies to everyone. The best way to flatter a human animal is to offer them money. The more the merrier, though some people have shown that they will spend more than the prize money just to win. I think that's awesome!

Humans have been offering cash prizes for accomplishments since just after we figured out how to bang rocks together. From tribal bounties paid for enemy heads to the X Prize, money has always been used as a way to express gratitude for a job well done.

The real brilliance of these schemes is that they leave the details up to the participant. The people paying the prize only care about the end result. You set the rules for success and let them figure out how to solve your problem.

The Ansari family put $10 million into developing private space flight with the X Prize. Eight years later the dream of commercial space flight was made reality. Since then, there have been several X Prizes aimed at oil spill cleanups, a 100 mile per gallon car and even one for a handheld medical scanner.

Gamification is the strategy of turning normal, everyday, boring tasks into engaging games. Normal games offer points and ranking systems of ever increasing power and capability -- your standard video game philosophy of advancement. But for real world, nitty gritty, heavy duty, hardcore problems you better kick in some cash. You'd be surprised what solutions can be cooked up for the right incentive.

Don't scoff! Gamification has been applied to solving problems in fitness, employee training, financial services, project management, medicine, and market research just to name a few.

Do you have a problem you need fixed? Let us help you turn it into a game. (305) 423-9574

R-Squared Computing | Lou RG | Nearly Free IT | Firm Wisdom

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Successful Flex Pricing

Every major city has problems with parking. Whenever you cram so many people with so many cars into a finite space, there will inevitably be a space problem.

However, San Francisco is fighting back through the power of utility pricing. In an ambitious experiment, the parking meters in San Francisco will increase the price of parking based on supply and demand. As the available parking spaces fill up, the price at all the other meters on the most crowded street will go up. On the flip side, streets with fewer parked cars will have the parking rates decline. Under this experiment, parking on some streets has risen as high as $6.00 per hour!

The experiment has been largely successful. There are more available parking spaces in high traffic areas and there are fewer complaining motorists.

Utility pricing will become a fixture pricing strategy as we continue to merge information technology with everyday items. From groceries linking price to freshness to smart vending machines, the network economy will use information to add consumer value. Suddenly all those "dumb" machines become adaptive, dynamic participants.

How will utility pricing and the network economy impact your business? Are you ready for utility pricing models? If not, let us help you ride the wave of the 21st Century. (305) 423-9574

R-Squared Computing | Lou RG | Nearly Free IT | Firm Wisdom

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More Trouble from China

I like to keep an eye on the global economy. Not because I don't have anything better to do -- it's because in a network economy all points effect all others. The old beliefs in a "national economy" are nothing more than nostalgic fiction today.

A few months ago, I warned that the world will soon be facing a Chinese version of the Western financial crisis. As more news keeps filtering through the Great Fire Wall, it only confirms my fears.

Back in October 2011, the New York Times reported about how Chinese small business owners have had to borrow money from loan sharks. Because they are unable to borrow money from the large state-controlled banks, they turned to loan sharks for needed capital. With the current economic slow down, many business owners are unable to pay the loan sharks. In order to avoid getting their legs broken (or the Chinese loan shark equivalent), most are simply just vanishing. As the small business foundation in China crumbles, it is only a matter of time till the big businesses begin to collapse.

Today I read an article in The Economist which puts another nail in the coffin - in February, China's trade deficit hit an all time high of $31.5 billion! While they always run a small trade deficit when everything shuts down for Chinese New Year, it has never been so pronounced.

China's economy is linked directly to export. With the economic troubles in the West, Chinese exports have taken a serious hit. However, while we are beginning to see signs of economic life as we adjust to austerity, the Chinese are in no way prepared for austerity measures.

How will a Chinese collapse impact the United States? Europe? All of China's trading partners should be very nervous. The network economy has increased interdependence.

Like the ancient Ouroboros symbol, the world economy is a snake eating it's own tail. We are, literally, all in the same boat. China's pain is a direct result of the Great Recession and the current EuroZone mess. The real question -- how will this further hurt the global economy?

The entire Chinese Miracle of the last two decades is entirely dependent on growth. What happens when growth stops? We will keep seeing the cracks in the Chinese economy grow wider. If you do business in China, be prepared. The news will not get better. 

Are you ready for China's collapse? How will it impact your business? Find out. (305) 423-9574

R-Squared Computing | Lou RG | Nearly Free IT | Firm Wisdom

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