Experimentation and the Everything Wars

I wrote previously on the Everything Wars – that now a lot of technical and media companies are engaged in a all-ways confusing knock-out fight because technology and media are so intimate – and the economy so unsure – everyone is trying everything.

One thing that came to mind as I read this over – and prepared for our podcast on the same subject – is that the Everything Wars are going to produce a LOT of experimentation.  Progeeks like us, in media and technology or not, will be affected by this in what we use technically and in our hobbies, if not directly in our careers.

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Review of www.techmeme.com

www.techmeme.com

PROS: A gigantic, constantly-updated news/blog aggregator for tech news, putting articles in context and helpful hierarchies.

CONS: Story focus is largely based on popularity of discussion as opposed to relevancy.

SUMMARY: An indispensable news gathering system that gives you a good snapshot of what people are talking about technology-wise.  Unless your career and hobbies are very distant from technology (and if you're reading this they're probably not), you should subscribe to it in RSS feed or read it once or twice day.

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Global And Mobile

A lot of time in these pages we post about relocation – I did it big time (moving across the country), others we know have considered it, others we know have done it.

Now as you may guess, I am all for proper revocations – one has to find the right place for themselves and their careers.  Some people even take it farther and live far more mobile lives – I've seen jobs with 50% travel that frankly don't care about where you live.  However, there's one factor I wanted to discuss.

Mobility isn't going to let anyone escape Global changes, and those have to be part of your career – and relocation -plans.

We've pretty much found that out in the latest economic downturn – global effects (like, say, a financial meltdown) can affect you pretty much no matter where you are.  Few places are immunite to the effects of things like an economic meltdown – or a new technology innovation, or increased gas prices, etc.  The different locations may let you mitigate the effects of a world-wide change, but some things border on the inescapable.

I of course can testify to this from first-hand experience.

What this means for the potentially relocating:
1) If you're moving to get away from something, make sure you'll really get away from it.
2) When you relocate, ask yourself what global factors can affect the place you're relocating too.
3) Explore how potential areas of relocation will be able to adapt to various possible problems.
4) Finally, sadly, make sure you have the ability to leave if you have to – a permanent, un-reversible move may be a bad idea unless not moving is a worse idea.

Moving is often inevitable and often a good idea. But some things will follow you anywhere.

– Steven Savage