These Are the Good Ole Days

...In response to Mark Cuban's "These are the good ole days"

I agree with your observation that customers rarely tell you what your future products should be. Christensen talks about this in "Innovator's Dilemma" Doesn't mean you don't have to listen to your customers, but as you say, they're going to tell you what needs to be fixed in the current offerings. Every once in a while you are blessed with a customer or an employee who sees things in a radically different way.

The challenge is to know when you're hearing a good idea and taking action.Toffler speaks about the widening gulf between the Haves and HaveNots, and twenty years ago I heard him say that gulf was going to be defined by access to technology. As Deanna reminded us in post #21, it would be nice to have a time when we didn't need money or lawyers (or a police force or a military). For that to happen, we have to figure out how give everyone a fair shot at the brass ring.I'm not talking about a socialist utopia. But I am talking about effective programs to ensure that every kid can have a decent education and good shot at a job which is meaningful and pays well. This isn't a liberal position. I want those kids to grow up to be my customers, not my tax burden -- that's all.

It's not gonna happen until we get our population under control. "An education is the best birth control," said a friend recently. In societies where women have equal opportunity and equal respect, the birth rates are much lower than in the "barefoot and pregnant" cultures (a phrase from my WV roots).American cannot be the land that sucks up all the poor immigrants -- at least not if we're also exporting all of our high wage jobs overseas. It's getting to be the point that those of us who are working are supporting ourselves, our families, a couple of retirees on Social Security, a kid in the ghetto and a few refugees.20 years from now, America will be a second-class country, cowering in the shadow of the Asian powerhouses -- if we don't get our act together soon.