Ten years ahead of their time.
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Notes
General Magic invented most of what we now enjoy as smartphones, but they went out of business because they focused on the mass market. This was unsustainable.
Nonetheless, the project changed the world. And this is true of all cultural change: the path is uneven.
Thoughts
I’m always pleased when someone quotes William Gibson, as Seth does in this chapter: “The future is already here—it’s just not very evenly distributed.” (There are various versions of this around the internet, and a writer from the New York Times says that no one can pin down where he actually said it—which somehow makes me love the quote even more.)
Anyway, I don’t think I’m in danger of being ahead of my time. And my focus on anyone (for now, at least) makes it unlikely I’ll be focused on everyone.
This series is meant to capture my thoughts as I work through Seth Godin’s The Practice. It’s a book with over 200 (very short) chapters, which I hope to work through and, I further hope, to implement over time.
If you’re interested in more of Godin’s ideas, or my thoughts about them, you can check out this collection of posts. Note that if you’re more interested in the former, you should probably get Godin’s book and read it yourself; my notes will be both incomplete and idiosyncratic, and my thoughts will relate to my own experience.
But if my thoughts resonate with you, or if you think I’m just silly, I welcome your comments.