What We Know/Don't Know
While searching for a topic for this issue’s editorial, I found myself pausing to reflect on what we know versus what we don’t. If my grandfather could see the changes that have been wrought in the past 20 years, I think he would agree that some of the changes we are seeing might even overshadow some of the changes he saw in his lifetime. Please don’t misunderstand me — he would talk about the days before electricity, radio, motorized transportation, etc. and marvel that he had seen a man walk on the moon, and could talk to his relatives in Ireland within seconds of dialing a phone. But during his lifetime, computers were for large corporations; in the 70s, when he passed away, the era of personal electronic communication didn’t exist. (Take an inventory right now of your own personal and portable electronic communications — I’m betting that everyone has at least one, if not several, close at hand right now, even if you are reading this on an airplane or at home.)
The joke “it takes 15 lines to enter your three family members’ phone numbers in your PDA” is true — how many business cards now not only list phone and fax, but e-mail, website, cellular, pager? Personal communications tools aren’t just for business any more — my brother’s four teenagers all now have their own cell phones to stay in touch. And our expectations of ëinstant communications’ are also changing — I recently heard one young engineer complain that it took him over 15 minutes to get hold of someone! (When I started out in my career, we were at the whim of someone picking up their voicemail [if they even had voicemail, which was fairly new] — since pagers and cellular phones just weren’t options then — so if I got response in 24 hours I was happy...)
Our industry is responsible for many of these electronic innovations. And our international communities, the focus of this issue, are some of the most innovative contributors to this revolution (for it surely cannot be called an evolution!). When looking for the next innovation, read Advancing Microelectronics (with a regular international feature) to understand what’s happening globally. Enjoy!
My contact information has changed. Please contact me at www.isoqsinc.com.
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