Tag: Black-and-white

Digitally remastered

Pink Floyd is rushing their digitally remastered CD box set for back2school season. Its last.

End of an era. “The Wall” is coming down and we “don’t need no education”. Just download it.

News for free. Music for free. Phone calls for free. Even when you ask the butcher for a cheaper cut of meat, that saving ends up going to the gas stations, who in turn, pay a hefty fee to the credit card companies.

(or if you are still in college, the digitization of all things helps off-set some of your inflated tuition).

Our ecosystem seems a bit skewed: the bohemian life-style is forever subservient to global oil companies and their middle men (BTW, still with tax subsidies, which pay for their TV positive spin).

Pink Floyd moans a lost era when arts and artists (with photographs and snippets) could collaborate to offer the audience a fully integrated experience. A community of music lovers, who don’t mind sitting on the floor and grow their hair just like performers on stage. In short, they did what the Arab Spring folks are doing except that the Flower Generation engaged in much more than just social change: they revolutionized music-buying, concert-going experience, new economic/environment models, spiritual awareness (with a tilt toward Buddhism and Hinduism) and race/gender equality.

The look on the faces of Woodstock organizers said it all “look, this is beautiful” (as opposed to: “man, they crashed the gates and we couldn’t collect their money”).

The same is happening today with open source and digitization of all things, including music and books.

While still ” don’t need no education”, Pink Floyd is rushing against the clock to finish its project, served as a bookend to a bygone era. I know I won’t buy another box set after this any way. They know it. I know it.

After all, they were the ones who wanted to do away with their previous generation to begin with. Talking about a bygone era. See also Francois Hardy’s “Tous les garcons et les filles” (de mon age, ce promene, dans la rue”).  Now, no one wants to go out for a stroll (or a Sunday drive, given the gas price). Just log in, and tweet.

buy-in behavior

Ambivalence is a sign of maturity, the study concluded.

But an ambivalent buyer produces anxiety and uncertainty.

Here are the gist of a recent study, as published in the N Y Times.

PEOPLE WHO SEE THE WORLD AS BLACK AND WHITE TEND TO…

  • Speak their mind or make quick decisions.
  • Be more predictable in making decisions (e.g., who they vote for).
  • Be less anxious about making wrong choices.
  • Have relationship conflicts that are less drawn out.
  • Be less likely to consider others’ points of view.

PEOPLE WHO SEE THE WORLD IN SHADES OF GRAY TEND TO….

  • Procrastinate or avoid making decisions if possible.
  • Feel more regret after making a decision.
  • Be thoughtful about making the right choice.
  • Stay longer in unhappy relationships.
  • Appreciate multiple points of view.

Ambivalent people make good philosophers, but poor partners (in an otherwise better-off being divorce).

Case in point.

Doctors and hospitals are digitizing their billing and medical records. But many are fence-sitting. Sheer ambivalence.

Inertia.  Yes, it’s complex. But simplicity will come once one acquires a new set of routine (infrastructure solution is often messy).

Take India. The country is trying to assign digital ID for 1.2 Billion people. Biometrics.

Analytics. Number crunching. Daunting task.

I used to work with an Indian customer base, and was exposed to some of the longest last names.

12-digit ID to make sure future shortage.

I realize now we have to rely more on automation, algorithm and auto selection (SEO).

Google said it would take 300 years to achieve their goal (organizing the world’s information).

That year is 2298 .

Some sales cycles are longer than others.

I love  a black-and-white prospect. He/she either rejects the proposal right off the bet or signs up. One-call close. It saves time.

Those people often rise to the top. They know how to make decisions, and make them quickly. No regrets.

But then what is life, if not filled with uncertainties and unpredictability. A smart man would recognize that, but then go ahead anyway.

It’s called gut check.

I saw an expiration date on the milk bottle. Of course, I chose the furthest-out date possible.

I wish life choices could be that black and white, with a clearly marked expiration date. Tell that to the owner of Segway, who died in a Segway accident while beta-testing his product. The most important date to him was withheld to the last-minute. At least he ended up dead doing what he loved best.