Speaking of communications and media
Did you know?
– Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, perhaps the most important invention in the history of communication and knowledge, around 1439.
– The typewriter was invented in 1866 and was ubiquitous until the personal computer came along more than 100 years later.
– Speaking of Steve Jobs, the Apple II was introduced in June 1977, when I graduated from college. Within a decade typewriters were virtually gone.1
What’s the point? In my post-college lifetime we have gone from a world of typewriters and carbon paper to the internet and all that goes with it. The enormity of the change is probably not fully apparent yet, but we are encountering some powerful undercurrents, and wanted to share one here.
A big one is the use of social media networks for communications. When I worked for a small advisory firm in the mid-90s we did not have a website, were not sure anyone would use the internet for business (LOL). Of course, when I left Wells Fargo Investment Advisors (now Blackrock) in the early 90s, they didn’t even have email or server networks; they did have old Prime computers! Seems like a long time ago.
We are now not only promoting the use of our website, but also our blog, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn pages. We frequently post links to interesting topics, usually economic or investment-related, but not always. There are several important advantages to this approach:
It’s a lot faster than setting up metal moveable type on a Gutenberg press!
1. We don’t need a typing pool, and we don’t get carbon smudges on our fingers.
2. No more paper cuts and nasty tasting glue on stamps.
3. We can communicate far more, but you can be highly selective in what you read.4.
4. You can respond instantly, and even engage in an online discussion if you like.
One recent example is the link to The Economist lead article this week, “Rage Against the Machine.”2
We think it expresses a sensible point of view in reasonable terms, useful and informative whether you agree with them or dispute them. We provided a link on our LI and FB pages– have you connected with us yet so you could see it? We hope you will, and we would love to get your feedback.
